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DECEMBER

04

2015

VOLUME 46

World AIDS Day


brings urry of
activity, federal
action plan
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
President
Obama
and
members of Congress were
among those taking action this
week on World AIDS Day in an
attempt to seek relief for the
estimated 34 million globally
who have the disease.
On Tuesday, Obama issued
a proclamation recognizing
World AIDS Day and the
work that remains to achieve
the goal of an AIDS-free

ISSUE 49

generation
following
the
discovery of the disease three
decades ago.
We
have
made
extraordinary progress in the
ght against HIV since that
time, but much work remains
to be done, Obama says in
the proclamation. On World
AIDS Day, we remember those
who we have lost to HIV/AIDS,
celebrate the triumphs earned
through the eorts of scores
of advocates and providers,
pledge our support for those
at risk for or living with HIV,
and rededicate our talents and
eorts to achieving our goal of
an AIDS-free generation.
In addition, the White House
CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

High hopes as parties look


ahead to summer conventions
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
The 2016 conventions for Democrats and
Republicans are seven months away, but LGBT
advocates are already calling for new language to
boostLGBT inclusion in the party platforms compared
to years past.
The most organized of these eorts is a Republican

AMERICAS GAY NEWS SOURCE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

PRESIDENT OBAMA issued a proclamation recognizing World AIDS Day and reiterated his goal of an
AIDS-free generation.
PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUTUBE

campaign newly dubbed as simply the Platform


Reform, which was rst launched last year in an
attempt to remove the opposition to same-sex
marriage from the 2016 GOP platform in favor of
more inclusive language.
Jerri Ann Henry, campaign manager for Platform
Reform, said the eorts of the campaign since its
launch energized Republicans who disagree with the
existing platform language not only opposing samesex marriage, but also endorsing a U.S. constitutional
amendment against it.
A lot of people dont read the platform, so its
great to show them this is what it actually says and

this is what it could say, Henry said. Weve met with


overwhelming support as weve met with people in
the states. People, regardless of where they stood on
this issue, they didnt approve of the language in the
platform. Its very hateful and it goes to extremes that
arent necessary in the Republican platform.
Henry said the 2012 platform includes anti-LGBT
language in ve places, including support for the
now-defunct gay ban in the Boy Scouts. Much of
this language, Henry said, is out of date because
of changing laws, such as the U.S. Supreme Courts
CONTINUES ON PAGE 17

MORE EMAILS

ROMANTIC GIFTS

SINATRAS 100TH

Latest batch reveals


possible inuence on
Hillarys marriage views.

Find the perfect holiday


present for your spouse
in our annual guide.

Michael Feinstein returns


to celebrate centennial
of Ol Blue Eyes.

PAGE 12

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

New Genvoya
is now available

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One pill contains


elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine,
and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF).
Ask your healthcare provider
if GENVOYA is right for you.
To learn more visit
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Please see Brief Summary of


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Brief Summary of Patient Information


about GENVOYA
GENVOYA (jen-VOY-uh)
(elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide) tablets
Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should
not be taken with GENVOYA.
There may be new information about GENVOYA. This information is only a summary and
does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition
or treatment.

What is the most important information I should know


about GENVOYA?
GENVOYA can cause serious side effects, including:
Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis).
Lactic acidosis may happen in some people who take GENVOYA. Lactic acidosis is a
serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify
early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems. Call
your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms,
which could be signs of lactic acidosis:

feel very weak or tired


have unusual (not normal) muscle pain
have trouble breathing
have stomach pain with nausea or vomiting
feel cold, especially in your arms and legs
feel dizzy or lightheaded
have a fast or irregular heartbeat

Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems may happen in people who take
GENVOYA. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become
large and you may develop fat in your liver.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any
of the following symptoms of liver problems:
your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice)
dark tea-colored urine
light-colored bowel movements (stools)
loss of appetite for several days or longer
nausea
stomach pain
You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are
female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking GENVOYA for a long time.
Worsening of Hepatitis B infection. GENVOYA is not for use to treat chronic hepatitis B
virus (HBV). If you have HBV infection and take GENVOYA, your HBV may get worse (areup) if you stop taking GENVOYA. A are-up is when your HBV infection suddenly returns
in a worse way than before.
Do not run out of GENVOYA. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider
before your GENVOYA is all gone.
Do not stop taking GENVOYA without rst talking to your healthcare provider.
If you stop taking GENVOYA, your healthcare provider will need to check your health
often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection.
Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have
after you stop taking GENVOYA.

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

What is GENVOYA?
GENVOYA is a prescription medicine that is used without other HIV-1 medicines to
treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older:
who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past or
to replace their current HIV-1 medicines in people who have been on the same HIV-1
medicines for at least 6 months, have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (viral load)
that is less than 50 copies/mL, and have never failed past HIV-1 treatment
HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.
GENVOYA contains the prescription medicines elvitegravir (VITEKTA), cobicistat
(TYBOST), emtricitabine (EMTRIVA) and tenofovir alafenamide.
It is not known if GENVOYA is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age.
When used to treat HIV-1 infection, GENVOYA may:
Reduce the amount of HIV-1 in your blood.
This is called viral load.
Increase the number of CD4+ (T) cells in your blood that help ght off other infections.
Reducing the amount of HIV-1 and increasing the CD4+ (T) cells in your blood may help
improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or getting infections
that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections).
GENVOYA does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must stay on continuous HIV-1
therapy to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses.
Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 infection to others:
Do not share or re-use needles or other injection equipment.
Do not share personal items that can have blood or body uids on them, like
toothbrushes and razor blades.
Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using
a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen,
vaginal secretions, or blood.
Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about how to prevent passing
HIV-1 to other people.

Who should not take GENVOYA?


Do not take GENVOYA if you also take a medicine that contains:
alfuzosin hydrochloride (Uroxatral)
carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol-XR, Teril)
cisapride (Propulsid, Propulsid Quicksolv)
ergot-containing medicines, including: dihydroergotamine mesylate (D.H.E. 45,
Migranal), ergotamine tartrate
(Cafergot, Migergot, Ergostat, Medihaler Ergotamine, Wigraine, Wigrettes),
and methylergonovine maleate (Ergotrate, Methergine)
lovastatin (Advicor, Altoprev, Mevacor)
midazolam, when taken by mouth
phenobarbital (Luminal)
phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)
pimozide (Orap)
rifampin (Rifadin, Rifamate, Rifater, Rimactane)
sildenal (Revatio), when used for treating lung problems
simvastatin (Simcor, Vytorin, Zocor)
triazolam (Halcion)
the herb St. Johns wort or a product that contains St. Johns wort

Wh
taki

Befo

Tell y
presc
medi
Some
it to

How

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

What should I tell my healthcare provider before


taking GENVOYA?

HIV-1
oad)

ons.
help
ons

V-1

sing
men,

ng

Before taking GENVOYA, tell your healthcare provider if you:


have liver problems including hepatitis B infection
have kidney or bone problems
have any other medical conditions
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if GENVOYA can harm
your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while
taking GENVOYA.
Pregnancy registry: there is a pregnancy registry for women who take HIV-1
medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information
about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about
how you can take part in this registry.
are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take GENVOYA.
You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1
to your baby.
At least one of the medicines in GENVOYA can pass to your baby in your breast
milk. It is not known if the other medicines in GENVOYA can pass into your
breast milk.
Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including
prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other
medicines may affect how GENVOYA works.
Some medicines may interact with GENVOYA. Keep a list of your medicines and show
it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that
interact with GENVOYA.
Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider.
Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take GENVOYA with
other medicines.

How should I take GENVOYA?

Take GENVOYA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. GENVOYA is
taken by itself (not with other HIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection.

s),

GENVOYA is usually taken 1 time each day.


Take GENVOYA with food.
If you need to take a medicine for indigestion (antacid) that contains aluminum and

magnesium hydroxide or calcium carbonate during treatment with GENVOYA, take


it at least 2 hours before or after you take GENVOYA.
Do not change your dose or stop taking GENVOYA without first talking with your
healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare providers care when taking GENVOYA.
Do not miss a dose of GENVOYA.
If you take too much GENVOYA, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest
hospital emergency room right away.
When your GENVOYA supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare
provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your
blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus
may develop resistance to GENVOYA and become harder to treat.

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What are the possible side effects of GENVOYA?


GENVOYA may cause serious side effects, including:
See What is the most important information I should know about
GENVOYA?
Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicine. These
changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (buffalo
hump), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the
legs, arms and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health
effects of these conditions are not known.
Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can
happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get
stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a
long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new
symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine.
New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare
provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before you start
and while you are taking GENVOYA. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop
taking GENVOYA if you develop new or worse kidney problems.
Bone problems can happen in some people who take GENVOYA. Bone problems
may include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your
healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones.
The most common side effect of GENVOYA is nausea.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that
does not go away.
These are not all the possible side effects of GENVOYA. For more information,
ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
General information about the safe and effective use
of GENVOYA.
Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient
Information leaet. Do not use GENVOYA for a condition for which it was not prescribed.
Do not give GENVOYA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have.
It may harm them.
This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about GENVOYA.
If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask
your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about GENVOYA that is
written for health professionals.
For more information, call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.GENVOYA.com.
Keep GENVOYA and all medicines out of reach of children.
Issued: November 2015

EMTRIVA, GENVOYA, the GENVOYA Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, TYBOST, and
VITEKTA are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other
marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.
2015 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. GENC0002 11/15

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LO CA L N E W S

Comings & Goings


CAGLCC announces new ocers, board members
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
The Comings and Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of
our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their
business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your
successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
The Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce (CAGLCC) is the local aliate of the
National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
(NGLCC). CAGLCC began as the Potomac Executive
Network many years ago, founded to provide LGBT
professionals in D.C. with a place to meet. As an original
member of the group there are fond memories when
together with Jay Muzychenko we started the PEN
Association Network bringing together association DONAL UTTRICH
professionals to share information and ideas
intended to further their careers and organizations
with businesses having products and knowledge they
wanted to sell. We held monthly luncheons and had an
informal membership list of 250.
Nearly 12 years ago, I wrote a column in the Blade
suggesting we needed an organization to demonstrate
the strength of LGBT business and the clout we could
have as a business community to promote full LGBT BRIAN HANEY
civil and human rights. Shortly after, two young men
began such an organization and their hard work and
dedication has seen it grow into a powerful group with
inuence around the world. PEN then morphed into
its local aliate.
Today, CAGLCC is a nonprot, nonpartisan, largely
volunteer network of more than 430 LGBT members
in addition to the nearly 5,000 LGBT professional
supporters who own or are employed by businesses, MIKE BOYD
nonprots and government agencies in D.C., Virginia
and Maryland.
The chambers primary focus is to further
acceptance of LGBT people, help overcome adversity
and then advocate, empower, promote and facilitate
the common economic interests of all the commercial
enterprises of LGBT businesses, professionals and
their allies in the metropolitan D.C. region. The
chamber has a full slate of activities each month. FRANTZCES LYS
It recently announced its new ocers and board
members for 2016.
The president is Donald Uttrich, an attorney at
Jackson & Campbell, and longtime active member of
the LGBT community. The new vice president is Brian
Haney, an agency managing associate at MassMutual
Greater Washington Area and vice president at the
Haney Company. New members of the board include;
Mike Boyd, principal/owner of Nice Work Company; VAN GOODWIN
Frantzces Lys, a Realtor with Keller Williams; Van
Goodwin, owner of Van Allen; and Phillip Cotton,
vice president and branch manager at SunTrust Bank.
Members continuing on the board for 2016 include
John Quattlebaum, Eleasa Du Bois, JC Cummings
and Holly Goldmann.
Each
of
these
individuals
deserves
our
congratulations and thanks for the time and eort they
commit to ensuring that CAGLCC continues to make a PHILLIP COTTON
dierence in the community. For more information on the organization and
how to become involved, visit caglcc.org.

John Michael Fry dies at 64


Beloved longtime
bartender at Mr. Henrys
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
John Michael Fry (Mike), for more than
three decades the welcoming face of Mr.
Henrys of Capitol Hill, died at his home
on T Street, N.W., Wednesday morning,
Nov. 25. He was 64.
The cause of death was cancer,
according to his friend Tom Faison, a
Capitol Hill Realtor, and Rick Hauser,
Frys long-time housemate. Faison and
Hauser were primary care givers during
his illness.
Fry spent most of his working life as a
waiter, bartender and assistant manager
at the iconic Mr. Henrys, the venue where
singer Roberta Flack was introduced
to the world in the 1960s. Fry and the
restaurant and bar hosted the stas of
the old Washington Evening Star and
the Southeast Washington Navy Yard,
Capitol Hill real estate agents, members
of Congress and their stas, and
employees of the Library of Congress,
all just a half-dozen blocks from Henrys
location at Sixth and Pennsylvania
Avenue, Southeast.
The gay and lesbian community,
of which Fry was part, was a large
portion of his clientele, mingling with
House members like D.C. Del. Eleanor
Holmes Norton; tourists, celebrities
and entertainers visiting Capitol Hill;
journalists and writers like the late Diana
McLellan; political operatives and TV
commentators, including Donna Brazile
of CNN.
Over all those years, Michael made
us soar, Brazile said on learning of Frys
death. He was the music when the
jukebox went silent.
Michael was like an uncle to my kids,
said Faison, at whose vacation home on
Cape May, N.J., Mikie was a frequent
guest. Fry enjoyed European travel,
including several trips with Capitol Hill
friends Ann Bradley and Caroline Shook.
And he visited his ancestral Ireland with
long-time friend Don Blackmon, pursuing
his interest in genealogy.
Many of us anchored our weekends to
Michaels Saturday bar at Henrys, where
he held court, said Walter Quetsch, a
resident of Capitol Hill for six decades.

JOHN MICHAEL FRY

Michael would always have a favorite


taunt for each of us. If a bar regular made
a whining comment, he would respond
with, Do you think I give a fuck?
Fry was a frequent visitor to Quetschs
summer home on Fire Islands Cherry
Grove.
On nearly every one of my visits to
Henrys, anyone in earshot would hear
Mike ask, Do you remember that time
in 1980 when Terry got drunk over there
by the window, said Terry Michael.
He paired that with, Youre almost 70,
you know, his favorite way to harass
me. Michael is a former political press
secretary who has lived near Mr. Henrys
for four decades.
John Michael Fry was born March 15,
1951 in Kensington, Md., son of Gorman
and Dorothy Fry, who preceded him in
death. He is survived by two brothers,
Chris Fry and Bill Fry, and a sister, Mary
Patricia McDonnell, and by a sister-inlaw Linda Fry and a brother-in-law Tom
McDonnell, all of Maryland, along with
many nieces and nephews.
He is also survived by numerous friends,
those noted above, plus Ed McManus and
Karen Lyon of Capitol Hill, with whom Fry
helped promote the Capitol Hill BookFest;
Alvin Ross, the retired manager of Mr.
Henrys, with whom Fry worked for more
than 30 years; and Library of Congress
staers, led by Ana Lupe Cristan, who
dined at Henrys every Friday for lunch.
Tributes to Michael Fry can be made
with donations to the Washington
Animal Rescue League, in the name of
Scooter.Memories can be shared at his
Facebook page, Mike Fry. Friends are
planning a memorial service.

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LO CA L N E W S

Settlement in D.C. common law marriage case


Gay man, family of
deceased partner reach
agreement over estate
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A gay man who last year petitioned the
D.C. Superior Court to arm the existence
of a common law marriage between him
and his deceased male partner withdrew
his petition on Nov. 9 after reaching a
settlement agreement with his partners
family, court records show.
The settlement in a dispute over
whether D.C. resident Enrique Mendez
was entitled to the assets of his late
partner, Miles Eric Lease, on grounds that
he was Leases legal spouse came just
over two months after a judge ruled in
Mendezs favor by denying a motion by
the Lease family to dismiss the case.
At stake was whether Mendez was
entitled to the house that he and lease
shared at 4820 Iowa Ave., N.W., for four
years before Lease, 66, died of a heart
attack on June 27, 2014. Documents led
with the Superior Courts Probate Division
show that the house, which Lease owned,
has an estimated value of $525,000.
Probate court documents also show
that Lease did not leave a will and that
his mother and sister, who are his next of

ENRIQUE MENDEZ (left) and MILES ERIC


LEASE at the 17th Street Festival in 2013.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN CROWLEY

kin, signed papers arranging for his niece,


Jennifer Lynn McKelvey, to serve as the
personal representative of the estate.
It was through an attorney representing
McKelvey and the estate that the
settlement agreement was reached with
Mendez and his attorney, Meaghan Hearn
of the D.C. law rm Ackerman Brown.
The
settlement
agreement
is
satisfactory to all the parties involved in
the litigation including Enrique Mendez
and the Estate of Miles Eric Lease, said
Glen Ackerman, managing partner of
Ackerman Brown, in a statement to the
Washington Blade.
The terms of the settlement agreement
are condential, Ackerman said.
Christopher
Glaser,
the
attorney

representing McKelvey and the estate, couldnt


immediately be reached for comment.
At the time Superior Court Judge
Kimberly Knowles denied the estates
motion to dismiss Mendezs case seeking
a common law marriage declaration,
Knowles scheduled a trial-like evidentiary
hearing for Nov. 10. Witnesses were
expected to testify at the hearing on
whether Mendez and Lease at some point
in their relationship exchanged marriage
vows and informed others of those vows,
two steps that are required under D.C. law
to establish a common law marriage.
Mendezs petition says he and Lease
began a romantic relationship in February
2010. It says the couple took the next step
in their romantic relationship in July of
that year when Mendez moved from New
York City to D.C. to live in Leases house.
The couple immediately began residing
together at 4820 Iowa Ave., N.W., sharing
living expenses and jointly contributing to
the household, the petition says.
It says the two fullled the legal
requirements of a common law marriage
in January 2013 when they exchanged
vows to one another while on vacation in
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
In her motion calling for a summary
judgment ruling dismissing the case,
McKelvey argued that virtually all of the
property Mendez and Lease shared
was owned by and listed under Leases
name, including the house, a car and

truck that the two used together for a


home renovation business, and the auto
insurance policy for the two vehicles.
McKelveys motion also points out that
Mendez and Lease led separate tax
returns during the years the two were
together and that each stated on the
return that they were single. It says that
although same-sex marriage became legal
in D.C. in 2010, the two men did not marry.
Despite these assertions, friends of the
two men told the Washington Blade earlier
this year that everyone considered
them to be in a relationship equivalent
to a marriage. Mendez told the Blade in
an interview in June that he and Lease
planned to get married in the near future.
Mendezs petition seeking the common
law marriage declaration says Leases mother
was not accepting of Lease as a gay son.
It says that although the family was aware
that Mendez and Lease were in a romantic
relationship and lived together, the family
purposefully excluded Mr. Mendez from
participation in planning his husbands
funeral and burial arrangements.
Court records show that on Nov. 9, one
day before the evidentiary hearing was
scheduled to begin, Hearn led a Notice
of Stipulation of Dismissal With Prejudice,
which asked the court to dismiss
Mendezs case seeking a common law
marriage declaration. The court accepted
the request. The prejudice designation
means the case cannot be led again.

Charge dismissed against trans activist


Grobman pays
$50 ne after arrest
for blocking trac
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
At the request of prosecutors, a D.C.
Superior Court judge on Nov. 25 dismissed
a charge of failure to obey a lawful order
by a police ocer against transgender
activist Jes Grobman, who was arrested
one week earlier for allegedly blocking
trac during a transgender rights protest.
A spokesperson for the Oce of the
D.C. Attorney General, which prosecuted
the case against Grobman, said the
dismissal was part of a court diversion
and post and forfeit deal oered by
prosecutors and accepted by Grobman
that required her to pay a $50 ne.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to
drop the charge against her in a courtapproved action that does not result in
her having a criminal record.
Post and forfeit is a way of paying a ne

and closing the case without admitting


guilt and there being no conviction, said
Peter Saba, acting chief of the Criminal
Section of the Oce of the D.C. Attorney
General. Its a very favorable option for
somebody whos been charged, he said.
Several of the citys transgender
activists have raised strong concern
over Grobmans arrest, which took place
during a Trans Lives Matter Day of Action
protest next to the Columbia Heights
Metro station on Nov. 18.
The arrest came after some of the
protesters entered the street at 14th and
Irving streets, N.W., and blocked trac
during the evening rush hour. A police
arrest adavit says Grobman was singled
out because she interfered with a police
ocers attempt to divert cars trapped at
the intersection into surrounding streets.
The arresting ocer states in the
adavit that he advised Grobman
multiple times to stay clear of the
moving vehicles before placing her under
arrest. He initially charged Grobman with
assaulting him, saying she allegedly chest
bumped him as he tried to direct trac.

He also charged her with disobeying a


lawful order to stop blocking trac.
Some of the activists who witnessed
the arrest dispute the ocers account
of what happened, saying he pushed
Grobman before arresting her and never
gave her a clear warning to leave the
street before placing her under arrest.
After spending the night in jail, the U.S.
Attorneys Oce chose not to prosecute
Grobman on the assault charge and agreed
to arrange for her immediate release. A
spokesperson for the oce declined to
disclose its reason for dropping the assault
charge, but court observers have said such
decisions are usually based on the belief
that there are insucient legal grounds for
prosecuting the case.
While that charge was dropped, the
Oce of the D.C. Attorney General
moved ahead with the second charge of
disobeying an ocers order.
Saba and Oce of the Attorney General
spokesperson Robert Marus said after
carefully reviewing the facts surrounding the
disobeying a police order charge against
Grobman, the oce decided to handle

the case similar to the way it prosecutes


other arrests involving non-violent civil
disobedience protest demonstrations.
In many of those cases, the two said,
prosecutors oer a diversion post and
forfeit deal in which a defendant pays a
small ne as a condition for the diversion,
and the charge is dismissed.
At the advice of her attorney, Grobman
has declined to comment on the case. Her
attorney, Christopher Mutimer, told the
Blade shortly after Grobmans arrest that
she was exercising her right of freedom
of speech during the protest and the
arrest prevented her from doing that. He
declined to comment on the arresting
ocers allegation that she repeatedly
ignored his order to stop blocking trac
before he arrested her.
Obviously, Jes and I are not happy
with the fact that she was arrested and
injured while exercising her freedom of
speech, Mutimer told the Blade in an
email on Tuesday. However, Jes is glad
to put this case behind her and was
satised with the courts dismissal of her
matter, he said.

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1 0 DE CE MB ER 0 4, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Cuomo seeks $200 million to ght HIV/AIDS


NEW YORK New York Gov.
Andrew Cuomo has announced
he will seek an additional $200
million in state funding to combat
HIV/AIDS.
Cuomo
made
the
announcement on Dec. 1 during
an event at the Apollo Theater in
Manhattan that commemorated
World AIDS Day. The governor also
said the state would contribute
$500,000 to fund the New York
City AIDS Memorial.
Today we honor the friends,
relatives and loved ones who
have died because of this terrible
epidemic, said Cuomo. We
pledge to do whatever is necessary
to end AIDS in the near future.
HIV/AIDS service organizations
New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO announced
welcomed
Cuomos
he will seek $200 million in state funding to
combat HIV/AIDS.
announcement.
New York is seizing our historic
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
opportunity to nally make real
progress in the ght to end AIDS,
said Gay Mens Health Crisis CEO Kelsey Louie in a statement.
Cuomo last year announced his administrations strategy to reduce infection
rates in New York to non-epidemic levels by 2020.

Resolution seeks to nullify Va. marriage ban


RICHMOND, Va. Gay Virginia state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) has
introduced a resolution in support of removing a same-sex marriage ban from
the commonwealths constitution.
A summary of the resolution notes the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year in
the Obergefell ruling extended marriage rights to same-sex couples throughout
the country.
More and more people, as time goes by, realize they have nothing to fear from
loving gay couples committing their lives to one another, Ebbin told GayRVA.
This will pass eventually, whether its this year, or next year, well keep at it.
Virginia voters in 2006 approved the states marriage amendment by a 56-43
percent margin.
Both houses of the General Assembly have to approve Ebbins resolution
before it goes on the ballot.
Ebbin in 2014 introduced a bill that also sought to remove the marriage
amendment from the state constitution. It died in the Senate Privileges and
Elections Committee.

La. guv-elect to issue discrimination order


BATON ROUGE, La. Louisiana Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards plans to issue
an executive order that would prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination against state
employees and contractors.
The Times-Picayune on Dec. 1 reported that Edwards executive order
would apply to employees and contractors who work for state agencies and
departments that he would oversee. The newspaper said the mandate would
not necessarily order government agencies that operate outside the governors
control to comply.
People deserve not to be red from their jobs because of who they are,
Matthew Patterson of Equality Louisiana, an LGBT advocacy group, told the
Times-Picayune.
Edwards last month defeated U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) in a runo election
in the race to succeed outgoing Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Former Govs. Edwin Edwards and Kathleen Blanco issued similar antidiscrimination orders while in oce. Jindal did not follow suit when he became
governor in 2007.

Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) called Robert Dear a transgendered leftist activist.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Cruz calls Colo. shooter


transgendered activist
3 die in attack on Planned
Parenthood
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Ted Cruz discounted on Sunday
assertions
the
alleged
Planned
Parenthood shooter was motivated by
anti-abortion rhetoric by pointing to
dubious reports in conservative media
the attacker is transgender, calling him a
transgendered leftist activist.
The Republican presidential candidate
made the remarks in Newton, Iowa, when
asked about Robert Dear, who allegedly
on Friday shot a police ocer and two
civilians dead at a Planned Parenthood in
Colorado Springs. A reporter asked about
the potential connection between Dear
and the inammatory but highly edited
Planned Parenthood videos that have
stirred the pro-life movement.
The U.S. senator from Texas responded
by saying the vicious rhetoric has in fact
come from progressive activists against
the pro-life movement in the aftermath
of the attack.
We dont fully know the motivations
of the this deranged individual, Cruz
said. We know that he was a man who
registered to vote as a woman. The media
promptly wants to blame him on the prolife movement when at this point, theres
very little evidence to indicate that.
When a reporter pointed out a report

Dear said something about baby parts


while being apprehended, Cruz was again
dismissive.
Its also been reported that he was
registered as an independent and a
woman and a transgendered leftist
activist, if thats what he is, Cruz said.
I dont think its fair to blame on the
rhetoric on the left. This is a murderer.
Setting aside Cruzs use of a objectifying
pejorative for transgender people, Cruz
appears to refer to a report on the
conservative website The Right Scoop
on the voting records of Dear, which
reportedly identies him as female.
The Blade couldnt immediately nd
any other evidence or reporting indicating
Dear is transgender, nor that he was
motivated allegedly to kill three people
based on transgender activism.
Cruz invocation of dubious conservative
media reports Dear was acting on behalf
of transgender rights is consistent with
Republican
presidential
candidates
dismissing the link between the antiabortion Planned Parenthood videos and
the Black Friday shooting.
On Sunday, former Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee said on CNN the incident was
domestic terrorism, but he doesnt know
of any pro-life leader whos suggested
violence toward Planned Parenthood
personnel or some act of violence toward
their clinics. Former Hewlett Packard
CEO Carly Fiorina said the attempt to link
the attack to the pro-life movement are
typical left-wing tactics.

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1 2 DE CE MB ER 0 4, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Dems to stage gayest convention in history


DNC seeks two-way
conversations with
new LGBT advisers
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
As the 2016 election heats up, the
Democratic National Committee on
Tuesday unveiled plans to create an
advisory body to listen to concerns of
LGBT people in eachstate.
Earl Fowlkes, chair of the DNC LGBT
Caucus, said during a conference call with
reporters the advisory body will work as
a supplement to the DNCs existing LGBT
caucus and LGBT leadership council to
give voice to LGBT people.
Were launching the LGBT advisory
body in order to create two-way
conversations between DNC leaders and
grassroots activists in every state across
the LGBT community, Fowlkes said.
While the LGBT caucus is made up of
DNC members and the LGBT leadership
council is made up of nancial contributors,
Fowlkes said, any individual active in the
LGBT community as long as they identify

The DNC has created an LGBT advisory body.


WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

as a Democrat will be eligible to take part


in the LGBT advisory body.
We are a party of diversity and
inclusion, and we want to make sure that
we are eliminating barriers and creating
new opportunities to elevate the voices
of grassroots leaders on the ground,

Fowlkes said.
Fowlkes said the purpose of the body
is two-fold: 1) It will allow the DNC to
disseminate information to additional
channels and in more communities, and 2)
It will allow LGBT leaders from across the
country to provide the DNC information
on issues that matter to them.
We have the opportunity to hear about
the next HERO, or the next RFRA, before
they become national news, and well
be able to make sure that not only DNC
leaders, but also the LGBT community at
large is altered to the critical issues that will
aect LGBT voters hitting this election year
and beyond, Fowlkes said. Whether its a
small town debating a non-discrimination
ordinance or an LGBT candidate for school
board, we want to be in the know on whats
impacting our community.
Fowlkes said the advisory body is also
intended to give voice across the spectrum
of the LGBT community, especially issues
facing LGBT people of color, which he said
are too often not addressed by others in
the LGBT community.
Sean Meloy, the DNCs LGBT liaison, said
during the call the advisory body will ensure
the Democrats will continue to be the best
allies they can be for the LGBT community.

LGBT people are constantly under


attack, and misunderstanding and hate are
the vehicles Republicans are using to rally
others against our community, Meloy said.
If a local non-discrimination ordinance is
proposed, or repealed, we want to be in the
know about it. If a state or locality is on the
verge of passing an Indiana-style religious
freedom discrimination bill, we want to
hear about it.
Meloy said the body will be divided into
four regions, and each region will have a
chair. The two national co-chairs of the
body, Meloy said, will regularly convene
the body. Membership of the body will
be in regular contact with the DNC LGBT
liaison day-to-day, Meloy said.
At the same time the advisory body is
created, Meloy said state parties have set
LGBT-inclusion goals among Democrats
in the delegates for the upcoming 2016
Democratic National Convention in
Philadelphia, which he said will make
this the gayest convention in history.
Members of the LGBT advisory body,
Meloy said, will help amplify those eorts.
Those interested in applying to take
part in the advisory body are asked to
submit an application at my.democrats.
org/lgbt-advisory-body.

Did email exchange motivate Clinton to back marriage?


2013 article articulates
religious reasons for
backing gay nuptials
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Democratic presidential front-runner
Hillary Clinton came out in favor of
same-sex marriage in 2013, but a
recent release of her emails reveals
that announcement took place two
months after an exchange that may have
inuenced her decision.
The email exchange was included in
the 7,800 pages of emails made public
on Monday by the State Department,
which largely consists of messages sent
or received in 2012 and 2013.
In one exchange on Jan. 14, 2013,
Burns Strider, a D.C.-based consultant
who served as faith adviser to Clinton,
forwarded to the former secretary of
state an article published on the same
day in the Baptist News Global on cultural
and economic critic Wendell Berrys
endorsement of same-sex marriage.
I sent to Jon and gang for the
President, Strider wrote before his cutand-paste of the article.

Berry, whos now 81 and has advanced


positions such as opposition to the
Vietnam War as well as coal and nuclear
power, is quoted in the article as saying
Christian opponents of same-sex marriage
want the government to treat gay people
as a special category of persons subject
to discrimination, such as the way black
people and women were treated.
Speaking before a group of Baptist
ministers at Georgetown College in
Kentucky, Berry reportedly said he
had spoken on the issue twice before,
once in essays in 2005 and again in an
interview with the conservative National
Review in 2012.
My argument, much abbreviated
both times, was the sexual practices
of consenting adults ought not to be
subjected to the governments approval
or disapproval, and that domestic
partnerships in which people who live
together and devote their lives to one
another ought to receive the spousal
rights, protections and privileges the
government allows to heterosexual
couples, Berry was quoted as saying.
Berry reportedly added progressives
and conservatives have invented a
politics of sexuality on marriage
allowing it to be granted or withheld
based on whichever side prevails, but

the right should be self-evident and not


determined by the government.
Jesus talked of hating your neighbor as
tantamount to hating God, and yet some
Christians hate their neighbors by policy
and are busy hunting biblical justications
for doing so, Berry is quoted as saying.
Are they not perverts in the fullest and
fairest sense of that term? And yet none
of these oenses not all of them
together has made as much political/
religious noise as homosexual marriage.
In previous batches of emails made
public by the State Department, Clintons
aides were shown to have alerted her to
other news developments on same-sex
marriage, though she had yet to endorse
it. In those exchanges, no response from
Clinton was made public.
But here the situation is dierent.
Forwarding the message 51 minutes later
to her assistant Robert Russo, Clinton
writes as she has with other articles that
have apparently piqued her interest, Pls
print for me.
Strider didnt respond Monday night
to the Washington Blades request for
comment on why he forwarded the
article. Given her position against samesex marriage at the time, the exchange
raises questions about whether the
article inuenced her change in position.

After all, its been said Clinton was held


back from endorsing same-sex marriage
for religious reasons. In 2000, Clinton
during a news conference in White
Plains, N.Y., voiced religious concerns in
explaining her then-opposition to samesex marriage.
Marriage has got historic, religious
and moral content that goes back to the
beginning of time, and I think a marriage
is as a marriage has always been, between
a man and a woman, Clinton said.
In his 1999 book, The Clinton Tapes,
biographer Taylor Branch says former
President Bill Clinton told him his spouse
had a discomfort with gay people acting
out based on her conservative religious
temperament.
The religious reasoning in favor of
same-sex marriage in the article may have
been enough for Clinton, a Methodist,
to come to support same-sex marriage.
She announced her position in a March
18, 2013 video for the Human Rights
Campaign, saying in part the principles of
her faith have shaped her views.
I support marriage for lesbian and
gay couples, Clinton says in the video. I
support it personally and as a matter of
policy and law embedded in a broader
eort to advance equality and opportunity
for LGBT Americans and all Americans.

T:8.75

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Visit treatmentcheckin.com to learn more.

2015 ViiV Healthcare group of companies. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. 474301R0 September 2015

T:11.5

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 6 DE CE MB ER 0 4, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Obama, lawmakers rededicate efforts on World AIDS Day


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Oce of National AIDS Policy unveiled a


Federal Action Plan for 2016-2020 outlining
specic actions to implement the recently
updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
Among the actions outlined in the 33page plan: 1) The Center for Medicare
& Medicaid Services will provide
information to State Medicaid Directors
on the latest guidelines for treatment,
prevention and testing; 2) the Centers for
Disease Control will scale up use of the
Data to Care, which uses HIV data to
identify those not in care; and 3) actions
by the CDC to increase awareness
and uptake of PrEP, which the Obama
administration endorsed in the updated
National AIDS Strategy.
This Federal Action Plan is not an
exhaustive inventory and does not

reect the entirety of programs, services,


research, education, policy development,
and information dissemination that
will need to be undertaken by Federal
agencies in support of the strategy over
the next 5 years, the document says.
Rather, it is intended to be concise,
identifying a set of priorities and strategic
actions designed to help achieve the goals
and measurable outcomes (as dened by
the indicators) of the Strategy.
Michael Ruppal, executive director of
the AIDS Institute, praised the Obama
administration for the plan, saying it arms
the federal governments commitment to
creating an AIDS-free generation.
President
Obama
and
his
Administration recognize that HIV
remains a serious public health issue
that must end not only here in the U.S.
but around the world, Ruppal said.

Bowser signs AIDS declaration

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Tuesday signed a United Nations sponsored pledge
to speed up eorts to combat AIDS called the HIV Fast-Track Cities Declaration
during a World AIDS Day ceremony in a reception room outside her oce.
The declaration, sometimes referred to as the 90-90-90 pledge, calls on cities
throughout the world to take steps to ensure that by the year 2020 90 percent
of their residents with HIV know they are HIV positive, 90 percent of those with
HIV will receive antiretroviral therapy, and 90 percent of people receiving that
therapy, known as ART, will achieve the greatest possible viral suppression.
Bowser said D.C. is also committed to a 50 percent reduction in the number
of new HIV infection cases by 2020.
The declaration was drafted one year ago at a conference of local and global
leaders on AIDS hosted by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and co-convened
by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN Human
Settlements Program, and the U.S.-based International Association of Providers
of AIDS Care.
On behalf of the residents of the District of Columbia I will put my signature
on this pledge, Bowser told the City Hall gathering that included several of her
high-level LGBT appointees.
So in the meantime we will continue to aggressively address the root cause
of HIV infection, Bowser said. We will use proven and tried and true strategies.
We will continue to partner with our medical providers, community members,
and persons living with HIV. And we will benet from our new, cutting-edge
science supported by our new Center for AIDS Research.
Joining Bowser at the table where she signed the document was Jose Zuniga, president
of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, which is headquartered in
D.C. The organization played a key role in the drafting of the declaration.
The mayor signing the Paris declaration signies her solidarity with the global
movement of cities that are accelerating their local AIDS responses, recognizing
that we have a very fragile window of opportunity a ve-year window of
opportunity to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, Zuniga told the
Blade after the ceremony.
He said achieving the 90-90-90 goals by 2020 would be a key factor in
reaching the 2030 goal of eliminating AIDS as a serious health threat.
Mayors of more than 50 high HIV burden cities around the world have so
far signed the Fast Track Cities declaration, according to IAPAC. Among the
U.S. cities, in addition to D.C., are Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Miami, Oakland,
Providence and San Francisco.
Twenty-nine of the mayors or city leaders who signed the declaration the
largest number come from nations in Africa.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Together with the updated National HIV/


AIDS Strategy through 2020 and now with
its accompanying Federal Action Plan, our
federal government is demonstrating a
coordinated and comprehensive eort to
reduce the number of new infections and
provide care and treatment to people
living with HIV in the U.S.
On the same day, a group of three
Democrats in the U.S. Senate led by Sen.
Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced legislation
that would require an interagency review
of federal and state laws criminalizing
certain actions by people with HIV, such
as widely criticized statutes criminalizing
the transmission of HIV.
Co-sponsors of the legislation, known
as the Repeal Existing Policies that
Encourage and Allow Legal (REPEAL)
HIV Discrimination Act, are lesbian Sen.
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Sen. Ed
Markey (D-Mass.).
Its simply not fair that someone with
a treatable medical condition should
automatically be subjected to a dierent
set of criminal laws, Coons said in a
statement. A disturbing number of
state and local criminal laws pertaining
to individuals with HIV/AIDS are rooted
not in science, but in outdated fear.
They run counter to eective public
health strategies, discourage HIV testing,
and perpetuate unfair stigma and
discrimination against people living with
HIV/AIDS people who are our friends,
family members, and neighbors.
According to Coons oce, 32 states
have laws against perceived exposure
to HIV, regardless of the actual risk of
transmission, and 13 states have laws
that criminalize certain acts like spitting
by people with HIV/AIDS, even though
transmission of HIV by saliva is impossible.
In the U.S. House. Rep. Barbara Lee
(D-Calif.) introduced in March companion
legislation, which currently has seven
co-sponsors: Reps. Jim McDermott
(D-Wash.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.),
Adam Schi (D-Calif.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.),
Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), Keith Ellison
(D-Minn.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.).
Also on Tuesday, House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took
to the House oor to commemorate
World AIDS Day, saying the occasion is
observed throughout the globe to reect
the progress that has been made and
rearming our determination to banish
AIDS to the annals of history.
Its urgent that we continue, so that
one day 50 years from now, people will
say, What was AIDS? What was that?
Pelosi said. And well say the books
will show that it was a terrible, terrible
tragedy that befell the world population,
regardless of status, of wealth, of gender,
of race and something that is now buried
in a museum somewhere as a terrible
memory but not a part of our future.

Whitman-Walker
marks World
AIDS Day
Also this week, more than 100 people
gathered at Whitman-Walker Health
in Northwest D.C. on Tuesday to mark
World AIDS Day.
Nick Gourdine of Concerned Black
Men National and Douglas Brooks,
director of the Oce of National AIDS
Policy, were among those who spoke
during the event that took place at the
service organizations new facility on
14th Street, N.W., in Logan Circle. Sheila
Alexander-Reid, director of the Mayors
Oce of LGBTQ Aairs, and Michael
Kharfen, director of the D.C. Department
of Healths HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Sexually
Transmitted Disease and Tuberculosis
Administration (HAHSTA), also attended.
Darren Smith, founder of Respect
Yourself, an HIV/AIDS service organization
that seeks to ght the stigma around
the virus, sang a song at the end of the
commemoration. Actress Mary Beth Wise
recited Walt Whitmans To a Stranger.
Bishop
Allyson
Abrams
of
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral in
Silver Spring, Md., and Achim Howard, a
member of the Whitman-Walker board
of directors who is a deacon at Unity
Fellowship Church in D.C., led a moment
of silence and a candlelight vigil in which
people used the lights on their cell
phones to pay tribute to those who have
succumbed to the epidemic.
We want to remember tonight
partners, lovers, spouses, friends, family
members, colleagues and community
members, said Abrams. We remember
tonight those wonderful souls and spirits
that have crossed over to the other side.
Whitman-Walker Executive Director
Don Blanchon acknowledged his younger
brother who died from AIDS in 1999.
Blanchon said he has never been more
optimistic about the ght against the
epidemic, but acknowledged that, were
not done yet by any means. Blanchon
also urged those who attended the
commemoration to bring one person to
Whitman-Walker or an organization with
which it partners in order to get tested.
The latest surveillance report from
the D.C. Department of Healths HIV/
AIDS, Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted
Disease and Tuberculosis Administration
(HAHSTA) notes there were 16,423
people in Washington or 2.5 percent
of the population of the nations capital
living with HIV in 2013.
The report notes the number of newly
diagnosed HIV cases in the nations capital
dropped from 916 in 2009 to 553 in 2013.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

N A T IO NA L NEW S

D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 1 7

High hopes for LGBT inclusion in 2016 party platforms


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.


We believe its not consistent with
Republican values, Henry said. Were
pro-limited government, were very profamily. Having more families is a big
deal in our community and makes for
a more stable society. We would like
to replace the hateful language with
inclusive language that reinforces our
commitment to the values of limited
government, individual freedom and
family, but is inclusive of all those views.
Outreach eorts of the campaign,
Henry said, have consisted of media
trips to eight states: New Hampshire,
Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada, Texas,
Michigan, Ohio and Colorado. They were
chosen, Henry said, because theyre
either early primary states, critical to the
Supreme Courts recent decision in favor
of same-sex marriage or will have a lot
of delegates at the upcoming Republican
convention in Cleveland.
The three-paragraph plank the
campaign proposes emphasizes the
Republican Partys belief in marriage as
an institution that strengthens freedom
and families, but also includes language
recognizing the debate on same-sex
marriage within the Republican Party
without articulating an objection to it.
We recognize that there are diverse
and sincerely held views on civil marriage
within the Party, and that support for
allowing same-sex couples the freedom to
marry has grown substantially in our own
Party, the plank concludes. Given this
journey that so many Americans, including
Republicans, are on, we encourage and
welcome a thoughtful conversation
among Republicans about the meaning
and importance of marriage, and commit
our Party to respect for all families and
fairness and freedom for all Americans.
Although the Republican Party has a
reputation for opposition to same-sex
marriage, recent polls indicate diering
views of the party and most younger
Republicans support same-sex marriage.
A 2014 New York Times/CBS News poll
found that 56 percent of Republicans
under the age of 45 support marriage
rights for gay couples.
Upon its launch, the campaign was
under the umbrella of Young Conservatives
for the Freedom to Marry, a project of the
New York-based LGBT group Freedom
to Marry. With the larger organization
closing its doors in the aftermath of the
U.S. Supreme Court ruling for marriage
equality, the campaign has found a new
home with the American Unity Fund, a
pro-LGBT Republican group founded by
billionaire philanthropist Paul Singer.
Henry said the shift represents a
change in the nature of the campaign,
which now will focus on the real brass

This convention is taking place in 2016, not 1916, so I sincerely hope our party platform
includes language that is inclusive and accepting of all people, said Rep. ILEANA ROSLEHTINEN (R-Fla.).
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

tacks of getting the proposed language


in the platform.
If the rst part of this campaign was
about raising awareness and bringing
attention to the needs to raise the
platform, now were in the actual bootson-the-ground,
recruiting
delegates
in all 50 states and meeting with RNC
committee members ... and working on
actually placing people on the platform
committee and actually changing the
language, Henry said.
The Republican platform committee,
Henry said, is put together during an
election year and mostly consists of
delegates chosen at state conventions.
The committee usually meets in the days
before the convention, Henry said, which
this year takes place July 18-21.
Although the platform isnt binding on
Republicans, Henry said the document
matters because its crafted by state
delegates to determine what policies best
represent our party and their conservative
values. Additionally, she said many
members of the Republican Party in many
states based their state platforms on the
national platform, such as Massachusetts,
which enacted language against same-sex
marriage last year.
The new campaign is modeled o
a 2012 campaign led by Freedom to
Marry that sought to encourage the
Democrats for the rst time to endorse
same-sex marriage as part of that years
platform. The proposed language, or
the idea same-sex marriage should be
included in the document, was endorsed
by high-prole Democrats like House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.),
22 U.S. senators and others. The result
was language in the platform endorsing
same-sex marriage shortly before

voters went to the polls in four states


Minnesota, Maryland, Washington and
Maine to decide the issue.
Meanwhile, Log Cabin Republicans,
which was credentialed to attend the
platform committee, sought to keep
out language in the 2012 Republican
platform endorsing a U.S. constitutional
amendment agains same-sex marriage.
That eort proved unsuccessful. The
2012 Republican platform was against
same-sex marriage and supported an
anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment.
Henry said shes light on endorsements
for the proposed language, saying many
Republicans are bound to support the
existing anti-gay language in the 2012
platform. Henry added a couple RNC
members are supportive, but she wasnt
immediately comfortable naming them.
Gregory Angelo, president of Log Cabin
Republicans, was initially hesitant about
the language when it was rst proposed
in 2014, but now says he supports the
proposed plank.
Log Cabin Republicans is committed
to expunging anti-gay language from
the Republican Party platform, and we
support the work our allies at American
Unity Fund and Platform Reform are
doing to achieve that end. Ive long said
that with platforms, less is always more,
Angelo said. Removing any mention
of a quixotic and politically divisive
Federal Marriage Amendment from
the GOP platform would be a welcome
development at the convention.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), whos
considered the strongest Republican
supporter of LGBT rights, wouldnt
explicitly endorse the proposed language,
but said the Republican Party platform
should take into account the U.S. Supreme

Court ruling for same-sex marriage.


This convention is taking place in
2016, not 1916, so I sincerely hope our
party platform includes language that
is inclusive and accepting of all people,
Ros-Lehtinen said. Marriage equality
is now the law of the land and the GOP
should reect the changes in our society
instead of wishing them away.
Neither the anti-LGBT Family Research
Council nor the National Organization for
Marriage responded to the Blades request
for comment on whether they object to the
proposed language in the platform.
Henry said she doesnt think theres
a specic concerted eort to oset the
platform campaign, but acknowledged
Republicans designated to the platform
committee in years past will be dedicated
to keeping the language as it is.
One major obstacle to the reform is
the Republican presidential nominee,
whose views are typically reected in the
platform. Each of the 2016 candidates is
opposed to same-sex marriage. Some
candidates high in the polls, like Ted Cruz
and Ben Carson, have publicly backed a
U.S. constitutional amendment against
same-sex marriage.
Henry was undaunted by the
prospects of those candidates becoming
the Republican nominee, saying many of
their supporters disagree with them on
marriage and shes working with every
presidential campaign.
In some states, there are Ted Cruz
supporters who may disagree with him
on this issue, but agree with him because
of his stance on ethanol, taxes and other
things, Henry said. And if thats the
case, we want to make sure those people
are on his delegate slate. Thats where,
I think, really working on the ground
in each of the dierent states with the
people who want to be delegates for the
campaign is critical. Well have delegates
from every campaign.
The Republican National Committee
didnt respond to the Washington Blades
request for comment on whether the GOP
would be open to the proposed plank.
Other LGBT advocates had proposals
for LGBT language they wanted in both
the Republican and Democratic party
platforms, but werent as specic in
terms of language.
Rea Carey, executive director of the
National LGBTQ Task Force, said the
platforms provide an opportunity for the
parties to step up their support for LGBT
rights and support for marriage equality
isnt enough.
A party platform that includes
anything less than a call for full federal
non-discrimination
protections
for
LGBTQ people and their families will be
seen as weak, behind the times and not
honoring the contributions that LGBTQ
people make to society, Carey said.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

18 DE C E M B E R 04, 201 5

BA LT I MO RE N E W S

12 Days of Christmas fundraiser on tap

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As part of his obligations as Maryland Mr. Drummer 1999, Rik NewtonTreadway was required to organize a fundraiser, which was supposed to be
a one-time event. That year, Woodie Barnes was Mid-Atlantic Drummerboy
1999 and Timmy Snider was Maryland Leather Boy 1999. Since all three leather
titleholders lived in Baltimore, they decided to band together and stage one big
event rather than separate fundraisers. The group formed Hooker & Boys, a
community-based invitation-only leather club that puts on a variety of events
and pageants for charity.
Fast-forward to 2015 and the 17th annual gala known as 12 Days of
Christmas, a Hooker & Boys production, remains popular.
The signicance of the event is that the communities come together to
celebrate the holiday season, see old friends and new ones, and raise some
monies for various charities near and far, Newton-Treadway told the Blade. We
are proud to have helped raised over $100,000 for a variety of charities, over 22
dierent ones to date.
For the previous 16 years, 12 Days was held at the Hippo, which closed in
October. This years event will take place on Dec. 12 from noon-6 p.m. at the
Conference Center of the Maritime Institute, 692 Maritime Blvd., Linthicum
Heights in Maryland. It will benet several organizations, including AIDS Action
Baltimore (Scott H. Stamford Memorial Fund), Dog Rescue of Maryland, the IMsL
foundation (history project) and the Lady Lisa Drag Stage at Baltimore Pride
2016 /GLCCB (building fund). The goal is to raise at least $2,000 for each.
We have been blessed to have attendees and performers from around the
world. For Hooker & Boys this is our Christmas morning, said Newton-Treadway.
The organizers are seeking sponsors and donated items for a silent auction.
Performers at this years 12 Days, which is themed, Ease on Down the Road,
include: Shawnna Alexander, Diamond Taylor, Xtcdk Evans, Danielle Revlon,
Martin Chichiraycolby Colby, Rik Newton-Treadway, Misty Bary, Marcus D
Spicer, Krystal Nova, Onyx D. Pearl, Desire Avah, and Heather Marcelle.
The doors open at noon and the show begins at 2 p.m. Reserved seating cost
$25 each with a table of eight priced at $200. General admission is $20 at the
door. The menu will include such items as hamburgers, hot dogs and a variety
of side dishes, salads and beverages. Parking is free.

Outing
Santa in one-man show
PROOF

ADVERTISING

ISSUE DATE: 09.25.15

NS
IGN
REVISIONS
/LOGO REVISIONSJeanette Suh
DMD
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Steve Weinberg

To help usher in the Christmas season, New York solo performer Jerey
Solomon will present The Santa Closet from Dec. 10-20 at the Theatre Project,
45 W. Preston St. in Baltimore. The o-Broadway comedy, which was written by
Solomon, is about a little boy seeking validation and the closeted holiday icon
ATTORNEY AT LAW
too scared to give it.
SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
ADVERTISER SIGNATURE The Santa Closet tells the story of Gary, a little boy who writes to Santa Claus
By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the
FOR 33 YEARS
a fashion
doll, receives a truck instead, and pens a heart-rending letter to the
washington blade newspaper. This includesfor
but is not
limited to placement,
payment and insertion schedule.
North Pole that stirs the great holiday icons soul, pushing him out of the closet
PERSONAL INJURY PROBATE
and into the culture wars.
WILLS/ POAs CIVIL LITIGATION
Solomon portrays all of the key players in the scandal that has come to be
CONSERVATORSHIPS GUARDIANSHIPS
known as Santa-Gate. These include little gay Gary, his confused mom and
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Mary Ellen Baneld, a conservative activist who sees in Santas coming out
a sinister attempt by the Gay Agenda to convert the worlds children into
2141 P STREET NW SUITE 103
homosexuality, and others.
WASHINGTON DC 20037
Look for the event on Facebook for show times and ticket prices.
E-MAIL steveweinbergdc@aol.com
STEVE CHARING

SALES REPRESENTATIVE: JERYL PARADE (jparade@washblade.com)

REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of
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omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is
responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users
can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or
any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any
copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair
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1221 Mass. ave, nW 202.628.7979 (Free Parking)


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ISSUE DATE: 08.14.15

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PROOF

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

D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 1 9

TIS THE
SEASON IN
BALTIMORE.
From a Christmas village to a
monument lighting or taking a
spin on the ice, holiday delights are
around every corner this season in
Baltimore. Its a Waterfront Life!

WATERFRONT
PARTNERSHIP
ICE RINK

Baltimores Inner Harbor


Opening mid-November
Lace em up and go to the Ice Rink at the Inner
Harbor, complete with a skate shack, rentals,
concessions and entertainment, as well as
special events like broomball, a learn-to-skate
program and more.

CHRISTMAS VILLAGE
IN BALTIMORE

West Shore Park at the Inner Harbor


November 26December 27, 2015
Experience the classic charm of a traditional
German Christmas market and a festival tent of
unique gift ideas at this indoor/outdoor event.
This lively world of European food, mulled wine,
art, jewelry and handcrafted ornaments will
transport you to another place and time.

NEW YEARS EVE


SPECTACULAR

Baltimores Inner Harbor


December 31, 2015

Clink glasses at your favorite downtown restaurant


and then ring in the new year with live music
and the largest choreographed fireworks show in
the region. Experience the Inner Harbor at its
most magical.

MIRACLE ON
34TH STREET

700 block of 34th Street in Hampden


Through January 1, 2016
Theres no keeping up with the Joneses on this
j aw- d ro p p i n g H a m p d e n b l o c k t h a t t a ke s
outdoor holiday decorating to the next level
and the level after that.

44TH ANNUAL LIGHTING


OF BALTIMORES
WASHINGTON
MONUMENT
Mount Vernon Place
December 3, 2015

Kick off the season with a flip of the switch at


this annual event, featuring live entertainment,
performances from area choirs, refreshments,
and a spectacular fireworks and laser finale
choreographed to music.

150850_VISIT_9.75x11.5_WB.indd 1

Plan your visit today at


BALTIMORE.ORG

9/23/15 3:54 PM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

20 DE C E M B E R 04, 201 5

H E A LT H N E W S

amfAR announces new AIDS research institute


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SAN FRANCISCO amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research and the
University of California, San Francisco, have established the amfAR Institute for
HIV Cure Research, the cornerstone of the agencys $100 million cure research
investment strategy it was announced at a press conference this week.
The institute will foster innovation among collaborative research teams with
the goal of developing the scientic basis for a cure by 2020, foundation sta
said.
The institute is being established, sta said, with the aim of advancing
groundbreaking biomedical and clinical research toward the development of a
cure for HIV/AIDS.
It will bring together leading cure researchers in the Bay Area and Northwest
region and enable teams of researchers to work collaboratively across
institutions and across disciplines to address the challenges that must be
overcome to eect a cure, foundation sta said in a press release.

More research extols Truvada use

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LONDON The odds of getting HIV can be dramatically reduced by taking two
pills prior to sex and two more after, according to a new study of 400 high-risk
gay men and transgender women published online by the New England Journal
of Medicine in conjunction with World AIDS Day this week, Reuters reports.
Truvada was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2012 to
prevent HIV infections and is intended to be taken daily. The study suggests that
may not be necessary, and the pills can be taken as needed.
This is a great study that shows a high level of protection, higher than weve
seen before, Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease specialist at Tulane
University in New Orleans, told Reuters Health in a telephone interview. Its the
rst big published study to oer an alternative to daily therapy, said Dr. Van
Sickels, who was not connected with the research.
As-needed treatment was nearly close to full protection, chief author JeanMichel Molina of Hopital Saint-Louis in Paris told Reuters Health by phone. We
could say it oers similar protection to a condom, although a condom protects
against other sexually transmitted diseases as well.
However, the study, which used placebo pills for comparison, did not directly
compare protection rates to people who took Truvada daily. Gilead, which
makes the drug, helped nance the test.
Past research had suggested that once-a-day therapy worked no more than
42 percent of the time because people werent taking their pills, said Molina.
Our assumption was that using on-demand treatment would be a way to
improve adherence, he was quoted as having said. They would take the drugs
when they needed it, before and after sexual exposure.
In the new study, volunteers from France and Canada were instructed to
take two pills with food two to 24 hours before sex, followed by a third pill 24
hours later and a fourth 24 hours after that. If the sexual encounters continued,
they were told to take their pills once a day until two days after the sex ended.
All were given condoms and counseling to further reduce their infection risk,
Reuters reports.
Since the study began in 2012, the researchers reported, Truvada reduced the
infection rate by 86 percent. But that reects the prevention of just 12 cases. The
number is small, in part, because the rules were altered in mid-study to allow
all volunteers to take the drug. The reason: preliminary results, along with the
ndings from other research, made it clear that it would be unethical to deny the
medicine to people at risk for infection.
While 14 of the 201 people taking placebo pills became infected with HIV,
there were only two infections among the 199 in the Truvada group. And those
two men in the Truvada group never took the drug, so the success rate could be
considered even higher, Dr. Molina said.
Despite Truvadas success rates, a third of primary care doctors and nurses
in the U.S. have never heard of it health ocials said this week according to the
New York Times.

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Domestic terror and GOP denial


The sleep of reason
produces monsters

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.


Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

If America is really as fragile as the fear


mongers among us claim, then we are
dead already.
Not being dead, you and I can push
back against the Trumps, Cruzes, Fiorinas and Rubios. There is an angry minority in this country that supports white
supremacy and running everyone elses
lives while touting small-government
conservatism. They are louder of late not
due to greater numbers, but because
opportunists dredged them up from the
bottom of the pond and because their
smartphones give them greater reach
than their fathers. They are entitled to
their ugly opinions, but not to endanger
the public safety.
Statements by Republican presidential
candidates read like entries from a psychiatrists log in Bedlam. Donald Trump
doubles down on his lie about thousands

of Arabs in Jersey City celebrating the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He touts bogus
racist crime stats. He mocks a reporters
disability, then says he doesnt know the
guy, despite having known him for years.
Marco Rubio says to ignore SCOTUS on
marriage because Gods rules always
win. How does his God get to overrule
mine?
Carly Fiorina denies any link between
her inammatory lies about Planned
Parenthood and the Black Friday killings in Colorado. She draws a false
equivalence between Black Lives Matter protesters and people who bomb
abortion clinics. Ted Cruz deects a reporters question about clinic shooter
Robert Lewis Dears cry, No more baby
parts! (which echoes David Daleidens
fraudulent infanticide video), by seizing
on a dubious claim from the right-wing
blogosphere that Dear was a transgendered [sic] leftist activist. The same
fever swamp yielded the claim that Michelle Obama is really a man.
These candidates appear convinced
that all they need is a strong message
and a crowd of yahoos cheering them
on, and they can create their own reality.
But we dont have to let their propaganda
obscure the source of the violence. Those
who have been attacking clinics, shooting black demonstrators and brandishing
guns outside mosques are not blacks or
Muslims but mostly white Christian men
who think they are this countrys rightful

E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

owners. That requires willful blindness


and ignorance of history.
Abortion opponents show their tenuous grip on reality when they also oppose
contraception. Even most Catholic women have used some form of contraception banned by the Vatican. Bishops can
sacralize every sperm, but that imposes
no obligation on anyone else.
I am pro-choice because a womans
reproductive decisions are neither mine
nor the governments to make. They are
hers. Recognizing this not only helps my
sisters, it is in the common interest. If I
only address my own problems and do
not build alliances, who will be there
when the tide turns against me? My colleagues and I in the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington last week
joined scores of groups in signing a letter drafted by NARAL Pro-Choice America
calling for the Department of Justice to investigate attacks on reproductive-health
clinics as acts of domestic terrorism.
If this doesnt matter to you, you might
consider that a future Supreme Court
that reversed Roe on abortion and Griswold on birth control could also reverse
Lawrence on sodomy and Obergefell on
marriage equality. Preserving our hardwon rights requires broad-based coalitions. Cooperation and compromise are
built into the American system as the only
way a republic full of diverse interests can
long endure.
Slander-fueled violence is no mere
tragedy. It is murder designed to instill
terror. That is why we must resist any
temptation to sit back and wait for the
fanatics to defeat themselves. Saboteurs
neednt be plentiful to be eective. The
provocateurs need to pay a price at the
polls. The longer we put o a reckoning,
the more civil unrest they will foment.
If we mobilize and vote, we can keep
the fascists and know-nothings from controlling all three branches of government.
This is but the latest skirmish in a long
struggle. Our opponents obstruction and
violence will continue. Beating them back
requires vigilance and perseverance.
America has seen panic-driven campaigns of intolerance before, as the
movie Trumbo shows with the story of
the Hollywood blacklist. Goya wrote, The
sleep of reason produces monsters. To
defend our country, we must defend her
founding ideals.
Copyright 2015 by Richard J. Rosendall.
All rights reserved.

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V I E W PO I N T

D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 2 3

Refugees turn to escorting


while waiting for American dream
Its time for governors to open
their hearts and their doors
By WEST HONEYCUTT
Ivan hasnt seen her mother in more
than nine months. The last time was
when she boarded her plane to Istanbul
with a small suitcase of belongings. It will
be three more months, at least, until she
is allowed to relocate to Germany and,
meanwhile, her mother is back home in
Syria saving money for a ight of her own.
As we chat, Ivan checks the time on a
small phone her mother mailed her. She
keeps it with her always, just in case it
rings, but never dials any calls herself.
Her mother tries to call once per week to
catch up, but some weeks it doesnt ring
at all. Whenever it does, Ivan tends to cry
through much of the conversation.
Ivan tries to think positive thoughts
about her future in Germany. Shell be

able to go to school there, get a good job


there and be herself there. She hopes
her mother can join her, too. Despite her
positive thinking, Ivan tells me she is often sad and lonely.
Ivan is an 18-year-old trans woman,
currently experiencing the same purgatory as millions of other refugees who
have found their way to Turkey. Her general safety is no doubt greater in Istanbul
than in Syria, but her future is uncertain,
and her wellbeing seems in decline.
Like many of the refugees I met, Ivan
does not speak Turkish, which makes it
extremely hard to nd a job. There are
some available on the black market, but
they often require working 12+ hour
days, and Ivans friends lucky enough
to nd those jobs have been frequently
cheated on their pay.
As we walk around Taksim, we see four
of her friends sitting together near the
Republic Monument, an area known for
cruising. They are all refugees from Syria

and Iraq. Three identify as trans women,


and another, Martin, describes himself as
bi. All are in their late teens or early 20s,
on their own for the rst time. They have
little money and few job prospects during
their wait in Istanbul, and Martin tells me
that they have all turned to escorting for
income.
I dont have work right now, and my
family does not give me money, and I dont
speak Turkish, so my work is as an escort,
he explains to me in broken English.
Martin, age 21, was a tattoo artist in
Iraq and carries an extensive portfolio on
his arms and wrists, proving his talent.
He has yet to nd a tattoo shop in Istanbul that will hire him. He has yet to nd
a storeowner of any kind to hire him. Yet
Martins friends consider him the lucky
one after nearly a year of waiting, hes
being fast-tracked for resettlement in
California.
Neither Martin nor Ivan seems to have
noticed the 31 U.S. governors proclaim-

ing refugees unwelcome in their states.


They are too busy thinking about which
university they hope to attend, what kind
of jobs (and careers) theyll pursue, if they
will see their families again, and especially for the trans refugees I spoke with
how they will t in at their new home.
They arent enemies plotting against
America or its values, theyre too busy
planning their own American dreams.
They dont represent liberal or conservative ideology, they represent humanity.
And they are not seeking entitlements or
handouts; they seek safe harbor and opportunity.
And because of them, and their reection of our own ideals and values, its time
for Americas governors to open their
hearts, and to open their doors.
WEST HONEYCUTT is with WA Honeycutt
& Associates. He visited Istanbul over
Thanksgiving where he was inspired to write
this piece.

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

What will it take to get AK-47s off our streets?


Even Sanders opposes
rational gun control efforts

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a longtime Democratic


Party and LGBT rights activist. He is a regular
contributor to the Blade.

It doesnt seem possible that any rational person would think it is OK to have
AK-47s or other assault-style weapons
available for non- military use. Yet that is
the weapon used in the most recent attack in the Planned Parenthood Clinic in
Colorado Springs in which one police ofcer and two civilians were killed.
The National Rie Association is against
banning them and every Republican running for president refuses to stand up to
them. Congress wouldnt vote to extend
the Brady Bill, rst passed in 1993 and
signed into law by President Bill Clinton,
and still wont because the NRA has so
much clout even members of Congress
who privately agree with the bill wont

vote for it. Even Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) running in the Democratic primary voted ve
times against the Brady Bill apparently
because of the clout the NRA wields in his
state.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban
(AWB) formally titled the Public Safety
and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act had the same fate when it was up
for renewal. That bill included a prohibition on the manufacture for civilian use
of certain semi-automatic rearms, which
could be used as assault weapons. It also
banned large capacity ammunition magazines. It was a 10-year ban signed into law
by President Clinton in 1994 and when
it expired in 2004 there were multiple
attempts to renew the ban in Congress
and they all failed. The law had been challenged on a constitutional level but all the
challenges were rejected by the courts
that reviewed them.
Today there is only one candidate running for president, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has said she is willing to take
on the NRA. President Obama has once
again begun speaking out on this issue
after seemingly giving up on it after he
couldnt get legislation passed following
the massacre of 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn.

While some candidates focus only on


the economic inequality facing so many
there is much more wrong in America
that needs to be corrected. Even if we
make inroads toward correcting the
economic issues, fighting big banks
and reinstating a law like Glass-Steagall, we will still have an estimated 310
million guns circulating in the United
States, or one for each man, woman
and child. Those guns will continue
to fall into the hands of the mentally
ill and homegrown terrorists. While
we need to change the economic disparities in our nation that alone wont
change how unfair our justice system
is; or that police unfairly target African
Americans; or that people think in the
name of religion they can be openly homophobic and intolerant.
Changing the economic dynamic
also wont change the false rants about
Planned Parenthood from someone like
failed businessperson Carly Fiorina. Unless we hold those like her accountable
they will continue to tell lies about the organization and spread hate and possibly
incite people to act irrationally.
What we need to be looking for are
politicians willing to focus on all the ills
of America and that is no easy task. We
need our next president to continue the

conversation over guns until enough


people are convinced to tell their elected
ocials they will have their backs when
the NRA comes after them. After all, there
are nearly 320 million people in America
and fewer than ve million belong to the
NRA and not even all of them agree with
all their positions.
No lobbying organization should have
that kind of power. After the shooting
in Colorado, President Obama said, We
cant let it become normal. If we truly
care about this if were going to oer
up our thoughts and prayers again, for
God knows how many times, with a truly
clean conscience then we have to do
something about the easy accessibility of
weapons of war on our streets to people
who have no business wielding them. Period. Enough is enough.
He is right but this has become normal and the president needs to talk
about this every day. He needs to join
with those like Michael Bloomberg who
is putting his money behind the ght
against guns. We need to organize campaigns against any congressperson who
wont vote for rational gun control. We
cant throw in the towel or the nation
will lose and more innocent people will
die for no reason other than we chose
not to act.

2 4 N O VEMB ER 2 7, 2015

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

G I F T GUI DE

D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 2 5

Sensual surprises
GIFTS OF TASTE, TOUCH, MUSIC AND MORE TO DELIGHT YOUR QUEER HONEY
By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com

Have fun reading about how your


personality and your partners relate (or
clash) with one another in The Secret
Language of Relationships ($30). If you
feel like penning your own story instead,
All About Us ($15.99) can delve in depth
with your partner about sex, daily routines
and life goals. Available at Kramerbooks
(1517
Connecticut
Ave.,
N.W.).
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Forgo the dull chocolates and spring


for cupcakes at Hello Cupcake (1361
Connecticut Ave., N.W.) for your sweetheart.
Their selection includes red velvet,
peanut butter blossom, triple coconut,
snickerdoodle and also vegan options. Pick
a dozen from their cupcake collection for
$36. You can also customize your dozen for
$42. hellocupcakeonline.com (Washington
Blade photo by Michael Key)

Give the gift of smell at Salt and Sundry.


Soy candles ($30) are available in scents
such as lemon shandy and garden mint.
Spritz away with Fiele Fragrances ($85)
in Juniperus, Viola, Myrrha and more.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Treat your signicant other to an indulgent


massage from Deluca Massage &
Bodywork (2028 P St., N.W.). Choose from
a Swedish massage, deep tissue massage
or a Thai massage. Massage times run
from one hour to an hour and a half. Prices
range from $85-120. (Washington Blade
photo by Mariah Cooper)
CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 6 DECE MB ER 0 4, 2015

GIFT GUIDE
Give owers that last forever from Lou Lou
(various locations). A white daisy necklace
($75) and matching white daisy earrings
($30) make the perfect holiday gift pair.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Nothing sets a romantic mood like good


music and it doesnt get any gayer than
Bette Midler. The Divine Miss M, who
(gasp!) turned 70 this week, has a new
compilation album out called A Gift of
Love, which features hits like The Rose
and Wind Beneath My Wings with lesserknown album cuts like Night and Day,
Favorite Waste of Time and more. (Photo
courtesy the Karpel Group)

Expand your partners wardrobe with a


skinny leather belt ($58) from Lou & Grey.
The luxury belts simplicity works in most
wardrobes no matter your loved ones
personal taste. The belt is available online.
(Photo courtesy Lou & Grey)

At rst glance, this deluxe edition of Mikas


staggeringly great 2015 album No Place
in Heaven looks like pretty standard
deluxe fare a few b-sides, a remix or
two and the like. But no this is actually
borderline false advertising as this edition
is more like a whole new album unto itself
with the bonus disc comprising a live disc
of Mika classics recorded with LOrchestre
Symphonique de Montreal. And theyre
not just token concert recordings either
these are all-new arrangements and theyre
scary good. Available iTunes, Spotify et. al.
(Photo courtesy Republic Records)

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

GI FT GUI DE

D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 2 7

Help your partner keep time with the Jeff


Palmer Fine Art Male Nude Calendar by
photographer Jeff Palmer. Its $19.95 at
jeffpalmer.com. (Photo courtesy Palmer).

American Plant has Saxon Chocolate


from Belgium artisanal blend jewels
from the mother-daughter team Avindy.
Prices vary. Their two Bethesda stores (at
7405 and 5258 River Road) also have lots
of holiday decor items as well. Details
at americanplant.net. (Photo courtesy
American Plant)

These sweaters speak for themselves.


Theyre $35.49 at Amazon. Zazzle (zazzle.
com) also has some great gay-themed
holiday T-shirts. (Photo courtesy Amazon)

Local out singer Aaron Myers released his


sophomore jazz album The Lions Den in
October. Its jazz fusion and makes a great
stocking stuffer. (Photo courtesy Myers)

2 8 N O VEMB ER 2 7, 2015

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

Celebrate the New Year


at Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC

On New Years Eve, Empress Lounge will transform into a glamorous


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1330 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024 mandarinoriental.com/washington

PUBLICATION: The Blade


ISSUE: Winter 2015
TRIM: 9.5 x 11.5

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN says hes cultivated a


niche career by staying busy and giving his
audience ways to grow musically with him.
PHOTO COURTESY OF STRATHMORE

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

Michael Feinstein returns to


celebrate Sinatra centennial
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
With two albums and a PBS special
dedicated to Frank Sinatra, out crooner
Michael Feinstein, whos been called
the ambassador of the Great American
Songbook is no stranger to the music of
Ol Blue Eyes.
On Friday, Dec. 11, the eve of Sinatras
100th birthday, Feinstein will bring
his Sinatra Centennial show to the
Strathmore. We spoke to him by phone
from Manhattan last week. His comments
have been slightly edited for length.
WASHINGTON
BLADE:
Youve
recorded a lot of Sinatra material. Will this
show be mostly those songs or others as
well?
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN: Yes, it will include
some of those things.
BLADE: Tell us a bit more.
FEINSTEIN: The concert is the centenary
tribute to Sinatra, literally the day before
his hundredth birthday and we have a
fantastic swing band, a 17-piece big band
that will be playing this music, which
will consist of familiar Sinatra songs and
some less familiar things that I think tell
the story of his life and career. The show
is not your typical Sinatra tribute in that
I have no desire to imitate him or sound
like him or do arrangements exactly as
he did them. Its my interpretation and
my point of view of this great artist and a
chance to share this musical experience
with people that helps illuminate the
glory of what he left for us. Its a very
personal tribute and a very upbeat, fun
show with a lot of humorous anecdotes.
Very interactive. I was lucky to get to
know him and he was very nice to me.
BLADE: Will you be doing any Christmas
material as well?
FEINSTEIN: No Christmas material is
planned. I assume people will be hearing
enough Christmas music.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BLADE: Why has Sinatra lasted?


FEINSTEIN: Sinatra lasts because his art is
timeless. He took what we now call the Great
American Songbook and helped elevate it to
its current status as being appreciated for its
uniqueness of artistic expression. When he
started singing these songs, he was one of the
few who recognized that these were classics
and many of them were fairly new then. Some
were only 10 or 15 years old when he sang
them but at that point he already perceived
them as being set apart from other pop
music that was happening at the time and
that helped build an audience appreciation
for Cole Porter or George Gershwin or Irving
Berlin or you name it. Throughout his career
he always championed and mentioned the
names of his songwriters and brought them
to Carnegie Hall or the Hollywood Bowl or
whoever. Hes one of the key components of
why these songs have survived.
BLADE: Albums were kind of a dierent
animal then and were recorded very
quickly. Obviously his songs have lasted
but do his albums stand up today?
FEINSTEIN: They were able to be
recorded quickly because of the level of
talent involved and that was just the way it
was done. The fact that they could record
an album like Songs for Swingin Lovers! in
a day or two days is pretty remarkable and
spectacular and thats because all those
musicians played live perfectly so there was
no need for overdubbing, no need for the
technology that we use now to compensate
for lesser ability and sloppy craft in some
cases. I mean, I love technology now and
it has aected the evolution of recorded
music in a great way, but in those times, that
was just the way it was done. Recorded live
and Sinatra was prepared like an athlete
prepares for an event. He was in shape and
he went out and did it.
BLADE: Frank Sinatra Jr. was here with
a tribute show to his dad a few months
ago. Have you seen his show?
FEINSTEIN: I know Frank Jr. but Ive
never seen his tribute. But Ive spent time
with him and am very fond of him.
BLADE: So often when the public is

VOLUME

46

ISSUE

49

DECEMBER

interested in old school pop culture all


they care about is who was sleeping with
whom or who was gay and this kind of
thing. Youre so knowledgeable about
songwriters and craft and that side of it.
Does this endless preoccupation with the
stars personal lives ever annoy you or is
there enough space to discuss craft that
its satisfaction enough?
FEINSTEIN: The reason Frank Sinatra
survives is because of his art and all the
other stu is sensational. I understand why it
interests people and they love to connect that
to his art and there is certainly, to a degree, a
connection. His marriage and tempestuous
relationship with Ava Gardner famously
aected the way he sang torch songs in that
phase of his life. But ultimately its about the
art and the craft. It doesnt frustrate me that
people are interested in the other aspects
because hopefully it will lead them to the art.
Many years ago I was at the funeral of Jay
Livingston, an Oscar-winning songwriter. We
were at his service at Westwood Cemetery
where Marilyn Monroe is buried and a lot of
other famous people. I noticed some young
girls gathered around Marilyns crypt and
they started talking to me. They said, Oh,
we love Marilyn Monroe. And I said, What
movies do you like? And they said, Oh,
weve never seen any of her movies. It made
me laugh. But hopefully theyll discover why
Marilyn Monroe was a star.
BLADE: Youve done a lot of work for
music conservation. What did you make
of the recent news that the University of
California at Santa Barbara has digitized
thousands of old wax cylinders from
the turn of the century and made them
available for digital download?
FEINSTEIN: Yes, theyre opening a new
facility in January and its just an extraordinary
place. David Seubert is part of the recording
preservation board of which Im also a
member and you know we have, in Carmel,
Indiana, the foundation that I started, the
Great American Songbook Foundation and
we have a similar but dierent archive for
American popular music and weve digitized
a couple of thousand lacquer discs that we
hope to put online. The cylinders are available
to put online because theyre so old, there
are no copyright issues. RCA gave permission

04

2015

PAGE

29

to the university to put them online but the


problem is that a lot of things cant legally
be put online because of copyright issues so
thats whats wonderful about what theyve
been able to accomplish. We hope to be able
to put a lot of ours online and we just had a
meeting about that last week. Thats the key
to the survival of this music.
BLADE: I saw a photo of you recently
with Tab Hunter. Did you meet him
recently?
FEINSTEIN: Tab is a friend and his
partner, Allan (Glaser), they live in
Montecito and I have a ranch a few miles
away so we spend a lot of time together
when were in the same part of the world.
BLADE: All kinds of pop and rock acts
are having charts made of their hits and
doing shows with various orchestras.
What do you make of this trend?
FEINSTEIN: I guess its an inevitable
progression of ones career where eventually
theyll start performing with symphonies.
With the aging of their audience, orchestras
are looking for more repertoire that they
can perform to draw in these audiences.
Sometimes these shows are sublime and
sometimes not so good. It depends on whether
the artists have had orchestrations made that
really use the symphony to augment their
art or if they just have the symphony playing
what we call footballs, whole notes with the
strings just sort of sawing away this incidental
accompaniment. Ive seen both but I dont
want to say which is which.
BLADE: Do you have a new album
planned for 2016?
FEINSTEIN: I am working on a project
that unfortunately I cant speak about yet
but its going to be a massive, multi-CD
project and something quite unique in my
discography. That has a great deal of my
focus right now.

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN SINATRA CENTENNIAL


Friday, Dec. 11
8 p.m.
$55-125
Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, Md.
strathmore.org

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 0 DECE MB ER 0 4, 2015

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R F RA N K LA BO V I T Z

How long have you been out and who


was the hardest person to tell?
I came out in college. The hardest
person to tell was my dad. It was clear
after telling my mom that they already
knew, but having to say it made it feel
like I had been lying before that. The
decision to do it was actually much
harder than the conversation itself.

Whos your LGBT hero?


Alexander McQueen. Given the chance,
Im pretty sure Id trade my soul for his
talent.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICAHEL KEY

By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Costume designer Frank Labovitz has had a busy season. For his latest
venture West Side Story, the Signature Theatre production that opens next
week, he designed costumes for a cast of 30.
Considered one of the greats of American theater, the Laurents-BernsteinSondheim-penned classic makes its Signature (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington)
debut Dec. 8-Jan. 24 in a tale of late 1950s rival New York City gangs whose
star-crossed lovers nd themselves wrenched between two worlds a la
Romeo and Juliet. Ticket prices vary. Details at sigtheatre.org.
Labovitz also worked on Dreamgirls and Cabaret at Signature and came
to the region 13 years ago because of the amazing theater community.
The 38-year-old Lexington, Mass., native is in a relationship with Nick Martin
and lives in Silver Spring, Md. Labovitz enjoys Netix, reading and lying on
the couch with Nick trying to decide what we should go do, which usually eats
up whatever time we had to go do anything.

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Whats Washingtons best


nightspot, past or present?
Cheesy, but I love the skating rink in the
sculpture garden at night. Its beautiful
and its where Nick and I went on one
of our rst dates. After that, really just
about anywhere I can get a gin and tonic
and sit for a little while with friends.

Describe your dream wedding.


Tuscany in spring, surrounded by
family and friends and were wearing
suits by Vivienne Westwood. The rest is
negotiable.

What non-LGBT issue are


you most passionate about?
Child advocacy, especially for kids in the
foster care system.

What historical outcome


would you change?
The Holocaust. Being both gay and
Jewish, I dont think theres a better
answer.
Whats been the most memorable pop
culture moment of your lifetime?
Seeing the original production of Rent
in New York. It wasnt the rst show Id
seen, but it was the rst time I realized
how much theater could emotionally
move an audience.

On what do you insist?


Your belt needs to match your shoes.

What was your last


Facebook post or Tweet?
Im really bad about social media. I
go on Facebook about once every six
months or so (usually when someone
Im working with asks me if theres a
reason I havent accepted their friend
request). Its dicult maneuvering in a
eld where the lines between work and
play can be so vague and Ive found that
Im not entirely sure who my audience is
on social media. The things I might share
with old friends are not always what Id
want popping up for people who have to
decide whether or not to hire me.

If your life were a book,


what would the title be?
Why Are You Trying to Ruin My Art?: My
Life and Battles in the Theatre

If science discovered a way


to change sexual orientation,
what would you do?
I dont think Id do anything.

What do you believe in


beyond the physical world?
Not sure. I believe theres something
more going on, but Ive never really been
able to say what I think it is.

Whats your advice for


LGBT movement leaders?
Dont allow the actions of people like Kim
Davis to frame the conversation.

What would you walk


across hot coals for?
My family
What LGBT stereotype
annoys you most?
That we t any more neatly into
categories than anyone else.

Whats your favorite LGBT movie?


Beautiful Thing and Cabaret (one
based on a play, the other a stage
musical.) Go to the theater!

Whats the most


overrated social custom?
Saying goodbye at the end of a party. It
just takes too long. When I can get away
with it, I go for a good Irish exit every
time.
What trophy or prize
do you most covet?

I want a Nobel

What do you wish youd known at 18?


I wish Id known that my college major
didnt matter and that I didnt need
to know yet what came next, that the
choices that seemed the biggest werent
going to have much eect in the end. I
wish Id known it was the little choices I
was making that were setting uphow Id
live my life.

Why Washington?
I end up so focused on what Im doing
and where Im trying to go that I dont
usually pay much attention to the city
around me, but everyso often I look
around and realize Im here. Its crazy, but
I get surprised by the monuments, the
museums, the history and all the activity
of the city.I chose D.C. for its amazing
theater community, but I love the thrill of
looking up and seeing the White House as
I head from one theater to another.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

T HE ATE R

DE C E M B E R 04, 2015 31

The von Trapps & Stephanie J. Block

FAMILY HOLIDAY

DECEMBER 1012 | CONCERT HALL


PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS; COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE

JESSE NAGER, left, as Smokey Robinson and JULIUS THOMAS III as Berry Gordy in Motown: the
Musical. It opened this week in Washington at the National Theatre.

Out actor shines in


Motown touring company
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Playing an icon can be tricky. And if you
get it wrong, people are going to tell you.
You do a lot of work for any part, but
when youre cast as a famous person,
particularly a living famous person, you
cant just make it all up, says out actor Jesse
Nager who plays musical legend Smokey
Robinson in the national tour of Motown:
the Musical now at the National Theatre.
You want to be like them without falling
into the caricature trap. Its important to
come across as real as you can.
Because theres so much available
video, Nager initially spent a lot of time
watching and listening.
Smokeys voice and style is distinctive,
and fortunately my voice sits high so I
havent had to do a ton of manipulation,
says Nager, 34. Also, I was able to talk
with people who know him, friends and
family. And Ive seen him a lot. He calls
me, little Smokey.
Motown premiered on Broadway in
the spring of 2013. Crammed with 50 hits
mostly performed concert style, the show
received mixed reviews but proved a box
oce smash. The action begins and ends in
1983 Motowns 25th anniversary and
travels back in time to the labels humble
Detroit beginnings and follows how founder
Berry Gordy helped start the careers of
Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder,
Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and more.
For the last year Nager has toured
as Robinson (after playing one of the
Temptations in the original Broadway cast),
and while its been a long run, keeping it
fresh hasnt proved a challenge, he says.
Whats interesting about this show is
how the audience gets me there every
night. I walk on stage, they say Smokey
Robinson and the audience goes nuts.
I dont have to dig that deep. Audience

energy does a lot of that work for me.


In the show Robinson is introduced as
a young singer/songwriter. With his group
the Miracles, he achieves stardom singing
hits like Shop Around and The Tears of
a Clown. But Nagers favorite Robinson
song from the show is You Really Got a
Hold On Me, mostly because its sung
as part of a sequence in which Motown
artists are touring the American south and
performing for integrated audiences, a
powerful indication of the labels crossover
appeal and changing times.
Born in Boston, Nager lived in suburban
Somerville, Mass., until he was 10 when he
moved with his family to New York City. He
attended LaGuardia High School of Music
& Art and Performing Arts, the school
made famous in the 1980s lm Fame.
After graduating from the University of
Michigan School of Music, Theatre and
Dance in 2003, his rst professional job in
New York was in Fame on 42nd Street, a
stage adaptation of the movie.
Id been training for so long, I was
certain Id work, says Nager who is
biracial (his father is African-American
and his mother is white). I did and it
happened fast.
Many jobs followed including Broadway
musicals Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins,
Good Vibrations, Scandalous and
Motown as well as national tours of
Xanadu and now Motown. He played
the fairy Cobweb in Tina Landaus 2006
production of Shakespeares A Midsummer
Nights Dream at the McCarter Theatre
in Princeton. Hes also performed with
Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Jason Mraz,
Debbie Gibson and Patti LaBelle. There
are stories, but hes saving those for the
memoir, Nager says jokingly.

Sing along to your favorite carols!

Stephanie J. Block

The von Trapps

Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with


Christmas classics like Deck the Halls and
All I Want for Christmas Is You, plus new holiday tunes.
You may even get a glimpse of Santa!
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.
Additional support for the 2015-2016 NSO Pops Season is provided by
The Honorable Barbara H. Franklin and Mr. Wallace Barnes.

KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600


MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL
Through Jan. 3
The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
$48-98
Thenationaldc.com

Tickets are also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.

LIVE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

32 D E C E M B E R 04, 2015

O U T & A BO U T

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

FELIX
CAVALIERS
RASCALS

HOLIDAY SHOW
SUNDAY DEC

20

REBIRTH
BRASS BAND
SAT & SUN DEC

26 & 27

WED, DEC 9

BRONZE RADIO RETURN


W/ BROTHERS McCANN
SUN, DEC 13

10:00am & 12:30pm


HOLIDAY BRUNCH FEATURING

CHARLES BARNETT

PHOTO COURTESY OF BUCKLESWEET MEDIA

OF CHAISE LOUNGE
SUN, DEC 13

EMMYLOU HARRIS

WITH RODNEY CROWELL AND


SPECIAL GUEST RICKIE SIMPKIN
AN INTIMATE PERFORMANCE
BENEFITING BONAPARTES RETREAT

THEHAMILTONDC.COM

Philadelphia Orchestra returns


Washington Performing Arts presents the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Music
Center at Strathmore (10701 Rockville Pike., North Bethesda, Md.) on Monday,
Dec. 7 at 8 p.m.
Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin will lead the orchestra. They will perform
Georges Bizets Carmen Suite No. 1, Henri Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 4
and Igor Stravinskys The Firebird. Nezet-Seguin is out and has spoken openly
of being gay.Tickets range from $45-120.
For more details, visit strathmore.org.

By MARIAH COOPER

PHOTO COURTESY OF LANDMARK

Classic Hitch/Truaut
book gets doc treatment
PHOTO COURTESY OF SYNETIC

book your
holiday party
in our unique
1920s-style setting!

M-Th 11:30aM-10pM F-saT 11:30aM-11pM


suN. bruNch 11aM-3pM / diNNer 3-10pM

322 Mass. ave. Ne 202.543.7656

cafeberlindc.com

More mute motion from Synetic


Synetic Theater (1800 S Bell St., Arlington, Va.) presents As You Like It running
from Wed., December 9 through Jan. 7.
The classic Shakespeare tale tells the story of Rosalind and her cousin Celia who
are forced from their lives of luxury into the urban world. This version of the play
is set in a modern setting. During the shows run Wednesday through Saturday
shows are at 8 p.m. and Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $35.
For more information, visit synetictheater.org.

Landmark E Street Cinema (555 11th


St., N.W.) screens Hitchcock/Truaut
opening Friday, Dec. 11.
The movie shows lmmakers discussing
how Francois Truauts book Cinema
According to Hitchcock inuenced their
own lmmaking. Filmmakers featured
include Martin Scorsese, David Fincher,
Richard Linklater, Olivier Assayas and
more. Iconic Hitchcock lm clips are also
included in the lm.
For a list of showtimes and more
information, visit landmarktheatres.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

M US I C

DE C E M B E R 04, 2015 33

Holiday songs you


know and love
with a twist!
PHOTO COURTESY OF XL

The four years since ADELEs last album created a torrent of pent-up anticipation. Her new 25 is
selling briskly.

Bombastic Brit back


with a bang on 25
By CHRIS GERARD
The long-awaited followup to Adeles
2011 smash 21 was always destined
to be a hit. There was little doubt that
the powerhouse British singers latest
album would be the smash of the holiday
season, given that 21 has sold in excess
of 30 million copies worldwide and Adele
has become a pop icon with few peers.
The dramatic ballad Hello was the
rst taste of the new album and it quickly
has become a pop culture phenomenon.
It rocketed up the charts its currently
in its fourth week at no. 1 and has
become so ubiquitous that its already
inspiring parodies. Even in an era of everdeclining CD sales, the rise of streaming
audio and the ever-present specter of
online piracy, the stage seemed set for
Adeles new oering to do quite well.
Quite well, indeed. 25 has shattered
expectations and records by selling more
than 3.3 million copies in its rst week.
Thats a staggering number beyond even
the most optimistic expectations. Adele
has toppled the record held for the last
15 years by N Sync for most rst week
sales of a new album No Strings
Attached sold about 2.4 million copies in
March 2000, at the very peak of the music
industrys sales boom. In those days
big titles routinely hit rst-week sales
in excess of 500,000 copies, and many
topped 1 million. Those days are long
gone, or so we thought.
Certainly the fact that Adele shrewdly
held her album out from streaming
services like Spotify helped amplify her
sales gures. But more than anything,
the titanic numbers speak to Adeles
cross-generational appeal. Adele is a
perfect storm of enormous talent and a
deeply likable and genuine personality.
The success of 25 also opens up the

possibility that the record industry, which


has substantially collapsed in the last 15
years, could be seeing a light at the end
of the tunnel. Adeles benchmark will
certainly be dicult if not impossible to
match, but it seems likely that other big
name artists will follow her example by
eschewing streaming services and going
for bigger sales gures.
Of course, an albums sales gures dont
necessarily speak to its artistic quality. Just
how good is 25? Its a mature collection
of exceptionally polished pop. Its certainly
glossy at times, but by and large fans of
Adeles prior smashes 19 and 21 are
not going to be disappointed. Its loaded
with potential hits, especially the stunning
When We Were Young, which is destined
to be a classic. There are some electronic
elements on the deantly upbeat ode
to an ex, Send My Love (To Your New
Lover), a supremely catchy tune that will
surely be a single. Other highlights are the
soulful ballad Remedy, the power ballad
Love in the Dark and the dynamic duet
with Bruno Mars, All I Ask, a no. 1 single
waiting to happen.
Yeah, some of 25 is over the top and
overly slick, but minor quibbles aside,
it stands up as an album that will be an
enduring success. Its not going to be a
case of monumental rst week sales and
then a quick drop-o. There are enough
strong tracks and future hits that the
album will doubtless take up residence in
the upper reaches of the charts for many
months to come.
25 is clearly destined to be one of
pop musics highest-ever selling albums.
How high will it go is the question, but
its caused ripples that will help shape
the music industry for years to come.
Detractors can point to the cadre of ace
collaborators, but what makes 25 magic
is Adele herself. In an increasingly cynical
world that is short on artists whom fans
can truly respect and admire, Adele is a
treasure. Her success with 25 is wellearned and deserved.

December 5 & 6 (ASL)


December 12 & 13 (ASL)

Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U Street NW

Tickets: 1-877-435-9849
or visit GMCW.org

ASL tickets or groups of 10 or more: call 202-293-1548

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 4 DECE MB ER 0 4, 2015

A RT S & CU LT U RE

HOT HITS & HIDDEN JEWELS


From CultureCapital.com
YOUR LINK TO THE ARTS IN METRO DC

Guys and Dolls


Thru Dec 27. Olney Theatre.
301-924-3400. olneytheatre.org.

Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, and featuring great


musical theatre classics like Luck Be A Lady, A Bushel and a Peck, and
Sit Down, Youre Rockin the Boat, Guys and Dolls weaves a tale of old-time
gangsters, hot-box girls, and gambling.

Wolf Trap Holiday Sing-A-Long


Dec 5. Wolf Trap.
703-255-1900. wolftrap.org.

Kick o the holiday season with family and friends at this annual musical
celebration which hosts a performance by the United States Marine Band and
a Sing-A-Long of Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs with choir and vocal
groups from the metropolitan Washington area.

Holiday Memories
Thru Dec 20. WSC Avant Bard at Theatre on the Run.
703-418-4808. wscavantbard.org.

Can heartwarming be edgy? You betcha. Based on short stories by Truman


Capote this reminiscence shows Capote as a boy abandoned by his family in
Depression-era Alabama. Called Buddy in the play, he talks with the writer self
he became, and we meet the kindly soul, Miss Sook, who saw and forged a
connection between the two.

Chris Aiken & Angie Hauser


Dec 5-Dec 6. Dance Place.
202-269-1600. danceplace.org.

Internationally recognized artists Chris Aiken and Angie Hauser create


performance projects together that blend articulate physicality with musicality
and engage the poetic imagination of the audience.
Photo Courtesy of Olney Theatre Center

Buy
Discount Tickets
ticketPLAce.org

THEATRE
Bright Star. Thru Jan 10. Shear
Madness. Ongoing. Kennedy Center.
202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
Pericles. Thru Dec 20. Folger Theatre.
202-544-7077. folger.edu.
SigWorks: Brer Cotton. Dec 7.
Signature Theatre. 703-820-9771.
signature-theatre.org.
Saulo Garcia: En La Usa Me Quede.
Dec 4-5. GALA Hispanic Theatre.
202-234-7174. galatheatre.org.
The Apple Family Cycle: Sorry. Thru
Dec 13. Regular Singing. Thru Dec 13.
Bad Jews. Thru Jan 3. Studio Theatre.
202-332-3300. studiotheatre.org.
The Neo-Futurists: Too Much Light
Makes the Baby Go Blind. Dec 7-Jan
3. Woolly Mammoth. 202-393-3939.
woollymammoth.net.
Sons of the Prophet. Thru Dec 20.
Theater J. 202-518-9400. theaterj.org.
Point Break Live! Dec 5. Paul Mooney
& Dick Gregory. Dec 6. Howard Theatre.
202-803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com.
A Christmas Carol. Thru Dec 31. Fords
Theatre. 202-347-4833. fords.org.

DANCE
Fieldwork For Mixed Disciplines
Showing. Dec 9. Dance Place.
202-269-1600. danceplace.org.
New Dances. Dec 10-11.
Clarice Smith. 301-405-2787.
claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.
Step Afrika!s Magical Musical Holiday
Step Show. Dec 10-Dec 22. Atlas.
202-399-7993. atlasarts.org.

MUSIC
Dave Koz. Dec 4. Matisyahu. Dec 9.
Seth Kibel. Dec 9. Strathmore.
301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
Mark OConnor, An Appalachian
Christmas. Dec 6. National Gallery of
Art. 202-737-4215. nga.gov.
NPRs A Jazz Piano Christmas. Dec
4. NSO: Sarah Hicks, conductor:
Cameron Carpenter, organ. Thru Dec 5.
NSO Pops: The von Trapps & Stephanie
J. Block Family Holiday. Dec 10-12.
Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.
kennedy-center.org.
The Philadelphia Orchestra. Dec 7.
WPA at Strathmore. 202-785-9727.
washingtonperformingarts.org.
Christmas with Nova Y. Payton and
Friends. Dec 8-Dec 24.
Signature Theatre. 703-820-9771.
signature-theatre.org.
Smithsonian Chamber Players. Dec 5.
TSA. Smithsonian Institution The Castle.
202-633-3030.
smithsonianassociates.org.
Brad Linde Ensemble. Dec 4. Atlas.
202-399-7993. atlasarts.org.
John Scoeld & Jon Cleary. Dec 4.
Harlem Gospel Choir. Dec 6. Juvenile &
Backyard Band. Dec 4. Howard Theatre.
202-803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com.

The Steel Wheels. Dec 4. Rusted Root.


Dec 5. The Klezmatics. Dec 6. BlackRock.
240-912-1058. blackrockcenter.org.
Dan: A Christmas Gathering. Dec 6.
GMU Center for the Arts. 888-945-2468.
cfa.gmu.edu.
Northern Virginia j.talks - Liel
Leibovitz. Dec 5. JCCNV. 703-537-3000.
jccnv.org.
New Dominion Chorale: Messiah.
Dec 6. Schlesinger Concert Hall.
703-845-6156. schlesingercenter.com.
Trio Solisti & Richard ONeill, Piano
Trio + Viola. Dec 6. JCC of Greater
Washington. 301-348-3872. jccgw.org.

MUSEUMS
National Gallery of Art. The Serial
Impulse at Gemini G.E.L.. Thru Feb 7.
Celebrating Photography: Recent Gifts.
Thru Mar 27. Louise Bourgeois: No Exit.
Thru May 15. 202-737-4215. nga.gov.
National Archives. Spirited
Republic. Thru Jan 10. 202-357-5000.
archivesfoundation.org.
Museum of Women in the Arts.
Esther Bubley Up Front. Thru Jan 17.
Pathmakers. Thru Feb 28. 202-783-5000.
nmwa.org.
Prince Georges African American
Museum and Cultural Center. Now: A
Photographic Survey of Prince Georges
County, Maryland. Thru Jan 31.
301-809-0440. pgaamcc.org.
Sandy Spring Museum. Weaving
Community. Thru Dec 30. 301-774-0022.
sandyspringmuseum.org.
Smithsonian Anacostia. Hand of
Freedom. Thru Dec 27. 202-633-4820.
anacostia.si.edu.
National Geographic. Indiana Jones.
Thru Jan 3. 202-857-7000. nglive.org.

GALLERIES
Strathmore. Joseph Craig English. Thru
Jan 3. Fine Art in Miniature. Thru Jan 3.
301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
The Art League Gallery. Kathlyn Avila.
Dec 9-Jan 4. 703-683-1780.
theartleague.org.
Arlington Mill Community Center.
Living Diversity. Thru Dec 31.
arlingtonarts.org.
BlackRock. Mark Parascandola: China
Film. Thru Dec 19. 301-528-2260.
blackrockcenter.org.
District Architecture Center. The
Awards Show. Thru Jan 9. 202-347-9403.
aiadac.com.
VisArts at Rockville. Project 837: Home
and Homelessness, Part 2. Thru Dec 13.
301-315-8200. visartsatrockville.org.
Washington Project for the Arts.
Washington Produced Artists. Thru Dec
19. 202-234-7103. wpadc.org.
Zenith Sculpture Space. Figuratively
Speaking. Thru Jan 9. zenithgallery.com.
Gallery Neptune & Brown. Wolf
Kahn. Thru Jan 9. 202-986-1200.
neptuneneart.com.

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

D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 3 5

@MySchoolDC
MySchoolDC
MySchoolDC
Text MYSCHOOL
to 56512 and
stay in the loop!

Find the school your child will call My School


COME TO DCS ONLY
CITYWIDE SCHOOL FAIR!
SAT, DECEMBER 12
11AM 3PM

DC ARMORY

2001 E CAPITOL ST SE

Explore more than 180 DCPS and


public charter schools (PK3-12).
Learn more about the common lottery.
Bring the family, fun activities for all!
FREE admission and parking
Interpretation in sign language, Spanish, Amharic,
Mandarin, Vietnamese, and French available.

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON


VISIT US AT CFA.GMU.EDU

Vienna Boys Choir

Savion Glover

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 AT 8 P.M.


Experience the season in the celestial voices of the Vienna Boys
Choir returning with an idyllic Christmas concert, truly one of
the great pleasures of the holidays. The choir performs a broad
range of music from hymns and carols to holiday pop favorites
and folk songs from across the globe. The angelic voices of this
most famous vocal group are ageless. (Salt Lake Tribune)
$54, $46, $32 ff

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 AT 8 P.M.


In a performance bursting with good cheer, tap prodigy and
preeminent choreographer Savion Glover, whose footwork is nothing
short of miraculous, returns to our stage this time for the holidays!
bringing an unforgettable evening of bright lights, joyous sounds, and
dance! Come see one of the great tap dancers of all time in this one-ofa-kind holiday performance!
$54, $46, $32 ff

Christmas in Vienna

DANCE HOLIDAY SPeCTaCULaR

Aquila Theatre

The Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22 AT 8 P.M.
Presented by the acclaimed British-American touring troupe, Sherlock
Holmes comes to our stage in a witty and wild whodunit, joined by
the trusty Dr. Watson, the red-headed pawnbroker Jabez Wilson, and
Irene Adler, the woman who got away. Its an exhilarating tale of
intrigue as Holmes maneuvers through the twisted web of Londons
most fascinating cases, which (of course) only he can solve.
$44, $37, $26

ff = Family Friendly performances that are most suitable for families with younger children

TICKETS

888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU

Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway


exit 54 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 6 DECE MB ER 0 4, 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
Reel Armations presents a World
AIDS Day screening of Desert Migration
at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode
Island Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The
documentary follows the lives of longterm HIV/AIDS survivors and the side
eects they experience such as PTSD,
depression, isolation and more. An
introduction and moment of silence will
be given by Raychem Pendarvis. There
will also be a catered reception after the
screening. Tickets are $25 and include
one complimentary cocktail/drink. For
more details, visit reelarmations.org.
A LGB support group meets today
from 10-11:30 a.m. at 16220 S. Frederick
Rd., Gaithersburg, Md., for individuals
in Montgomery County. The group
will discuss coming out of marriage,
homophobia, parenting issues, nding
intimate relationships, LGB resources
in the suburbs and more. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
Gay District meets at the D.C. Center
(2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 8:309:30 p.m. The facilitated group discussion
covers building understanding of gay
culture and personal identity and
awareness of community events for LGBT
men between the ages of 18-35 in the D.C.
area. For more details, visit thedccenter.
org or gaydistrict.org.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts a trans discussion group today
from 7-9 p.m. The group is open to all
members of the trans community as well
as their partners, friends and allies. For
more details, visit thedccenter.org.

SATURDAY, DEC. 5
The Adoption and Foster Care Expo is
at Carnegie Library (801 K St., N.W.) today
from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Experts in foster
care adoption, foster parenting, infant
and international will share their advice
in workshops, parent cafes and exhibits.
Organizations in attendance will be
Adoptions Together, American Academy
of Adoption Attorneys, Barker Adoption
Foundation and many more. For more
information, visit adoptionfosterexpo.com.
The National Symphony Orchestra
presents organist Cameron Carpenter
along with conductor Sarah Hicks at
the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.)
tonight at 8 p.m. Carpenter will perform
Barbers Toccata Festiva. Hicks will also
conduct Coplands Billy the Kid Suite,
Mason Batess Mothership, Adams The
Chairman Dances and Crestons Dance
Overture. Carpenter will sign CDs after
the show. Tickets range from $15-89.
Holidays Through History Open
House is today from 4-8 p.m. in Dupont

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LOGAN CIRCLE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

One of the homes to be viewed on the Logan Circle Holiday House Tour on Sunday.

Circle. Historical homes such as Anderson


House, Dumbarton House and the
President Woodrow Wilson House open
their doors to the public. The houses will
be decorated for the holidays and each
home will have treats and a holiday craft.
Entry to all three houses is $16 in advance
and $20 at the door. Children 17 and
younger are $10. For more information,
visit dumbartonhouse.org.

SUNDAY, DEC. 6
The
Logan
Circle
Community
Association hosts its 37th annual Logan
Circle Holiday House Tour today from
1-5 p.m. The tour begins with carolers
throughout the neighborhood and its
wassail party at Studio Theatre (1501
14th St., N.W.). Among the dozen houses
showcased on the tour are a turn-of-thecentury carriage house and the former
diplomatic headquarters of Koreas
Joseon Dynasty. Advance tickets are $30
and can be purchased until Saturday,
Dec. 5. Day of tickets will be available at
Studio Theatre and Old City Farm and
Guild (925 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) For
details, visit logancircle.org.
The D.C. Chamber Orchestra hosts
a free concert at the Church of the Holy
City (1611 16th St., N.W.) today at 3 p.m.
The orchestra will perform Carl Maria
von Webers Overture to Der Freischutz,
Aleksandr Borodins In the Steppes of
Central Asia, Charles Gounods Petite
Symphony, George Butterworths The
Banks of Green Willow and Gabriel Faures
Masques et Bergamasques. For more
details visit, dcchamberorchestra.com.

Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.)


hosts a drag brunch today with shows
at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. For more
information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Perrys (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts
its weekly Sunday drag brunch today
from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95
for an all-you-can-eat buet. For more
details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.

MONDAY, DEC. 7
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,
share perspectives and have meaningful
conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.)
hosts poker night tonight at 8 p.m. Win
prizes. Free to play. For more information,
visit nelliessportsbar.com.

TUESDAY, DEC. 8
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.
Bachelors Mill has half-price drinks
all night long from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. tonight.
The bar also oers pool, video gaming
systems and cards. Admission is free. For

more details, visit bachelorsmill.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9
Rainbow Response, an LGBT intimate
partner violence prevention group, meets
in the third oor conference room at
National City Christian Church (5 Thomas
Circle N.W.) this evening from 6-7 p.m.
For details, visit thedccenter.org.

THURSDAY, DEC. 10
The D.C. Center hosts a discussion
group, Sex Work and the District, tonight
from 6:30-8 p.m. Experts will analyze
sex work from a human perspective.
Topics will include the human rights of
sex workers and the social and political
aspects of sex work. Admission is free.
For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts Womens
Leadership Institute, a group for LBT
women and their straight allies ages 13-21
to discuss female sexuality, relationships
and womens rights today from 5-7 p.m.
For more information, visit smyal.org.
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.)
hosts its weekly Beat the Clock Happy
Hour tonight from 5-8 p.m. Drink specials
start at $2 and increase by a dollar
each hour. For more information, visit
nelliessportsbar.com.
Bachelors Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.)
holds a happy hour today from 5-7:30
p.m. All drinks are half price. There will
be pool, video gaming systems and cards.
Admission is $5 after 9 p.m. DJ Bling, DJ
Freaky and DJ Tim-Nice will spin. For more
information, visit bachelorsmill.com.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CARDONE

DANIEL F. CARDONE, an Aussie-born lmmaker, says he was drawn to lm at an early age.

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Palm Springs brings


renewal in HIV-themed doc
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
Reel Armations is observing World
AIDS Day (a few days late) with a special
screening of Desert Migration, a new
feature-length documentary by Daniel F.
Cardone. The beautiful lm captures the
lives of 13 men living in Palm Springs, Calif.,
who are long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS.
Cardone stresses that his movie is not
like a typical documentary that tries to
educate its audience with lots of talking
heads and archival footage. Instead,
the lmmaker says, What I have been
telling people is that it is a meditation
on loss and grief and living long-term
with HIV. Its a contemplative movie that
really immerses you in the lifestyle and
emotions of these long-term survivors.
He also stresses the importance of the
setting for his lm.
Palm Springs has always been known
as a resort town. It was a getaway for
Hollywood actors. You could really relax
and be yourself. Historically, it drew a
lot of gay men from L.A. and San Diego
and even San Francisco. It always had the
cachet of a Provincetown or Fire Island.
When the AIDS pandemic began,
Palm Springs became a destination for
dierent reasons.
Once people started getting ill, it
became an ideal place because there was
already a gay district here, Cardone says.
And, the weather was great. The hot and
dry felt better than the cold and damp. It
was also a lot cheaper.
Palm Springs has always had a
reputation as a place for healing and
rejuvenation. As he points out, This area
also had a signicance for the native
people who lived here. They always
knew it was a healing place. People were

drawn to this oasis in the middle of the


desert. Theres denitely something here,
whether its just the psychological aspect
of being wrapped in the mountains or
whether there something going on at a
very deep spiritual level. I cant speak to
that, but a lot of people feel that and it
cant be discounted.
Cardone, who was born in Australia
and still has that delightful accent, has
always been interested in movies.
Its always been an obsession, he says,
probably since I was born. I was always
one of those kids who was fascinated
with movies and that didnt go away, even
when I found out how dicult they were
to make.
He worked at various jobs in the
Australian lm industry, but then moved
to the United States for a relationship, a
man he later married. But once he got
settled in Palm Springs, he had trouble
breaking into the American lm industry.
After stints directing a second unit team
and periods of writing, he decided to lm
what was in front of me, the survivors
that became his subjects for Desert.
Kimberley Bush, festival director for
Reel Armations, is proud to bring the
lm to Washington.
As the rst and only lm to feature
stories about long-term survivors, Desert
Migration provides the perfect foundation
for discussing the complex issues that face
all those living long-term with HIV, including
side eects of treatment, depression, PTSD,
isolation and stigma, she says. It tells their
stories in their own words unltered,
raw and deeply personal.
Reel Armations presents
DESERT MIGRATION
Friday, Dec. 4
7 p.m.
HRC
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Hosted by Rayceen Pendarvis
Q&A to follow with Daniel Cardone
reelarmations.org

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS

happy holidays

MICHIEL THOMAS introducing a screening of his lm Game Face.

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Clemens, Fox share


stories in new doc
By KEVIN MAJOROS

ST
IE
N E
N TH
AR N
FU OF
UL I R
OP D FO YS
HE AY . BY PMANTIMELIDA
T PL AR BACK DE THE HO
YE

When Michiel Thomas was planning his


rst feature documentary, he wanted to
create a better understanding about the
athletes in the LGBT sports community. As
a gay athlete, its topic hes passionate about.
The resulting lm is powerful. Game
Face ollows the path of MMA ghter
Fallon Fox and college basketball player
Terrence Clemens. Both athletes began
their sports careers in the closet before
revealing that they were transgender
(Fox) and gay (Clemens).
The lm is an emotional rollercoaster
as it showcases the inner conicts, highs
and lows that happen as the two athletes
try to be the best they can be with the
obstacles they face.
A D V E R T I S IIN G
P R O OtoF show that Fallon
wanted
ISSUE DATE: 11.20.15
SALES REPRESENTATIVE: SIRIWAT PATHARAPANUPATH (spath@washblade.com)
and Terrence are people just like
everyone else. There are still so many
REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of
proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of
misunderstandings, Thomas says. The
the
date
of
proof.
Revisions
will
not
be
accepted
after
12:01
pm
wednesday,
the
week
of
publication.Brown
naff
pitts
NS
omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is
LGBT teen suicide rate is through the roof
responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users
GN
can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or
EVISIONS
any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any
and I have LGBT friends who have lost
copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair
/LOGO REVISIONS
competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation,
scholarships, friends and teammates. I
or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the
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wanted
educate
liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred
washington blade newspaper. This includes
but is notto
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to placement, in a compelling way.
by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations
payment and insertion schedule.
and warranties.
Thomas was born and raised in
Neerpelt, Belgium and ran track and eld
until he became xated on basketball
at age 12. At 16, he was selected to be
a junior player with Bree, a Belgian First
Division professional team.
He left the team after three years
realizing that at a height of 61 he was
not tall enough to have a professional
career. After receiving a bachelors
degree in lmmaking in Brussels,

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Thomas headed to the Los Angeles area


to pursue broadcasting and journalism
and received another degree from Santa
Monica College.
At 29, he now makes his living doing
freelance camera work and editing. He
found it tough as a rst-time lmmaker
getting his feature documentary picked up
by lm festivals. For the rst ve months
there was no response and then it nally
opened at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film
Festival in April. It has been screening
ever since almost every weekend in lm
festivals all over the world.
It has been a very satisfying year,
Thomas says. The lm has won several
awards and was even screened by the
Olympic Committees in Oslo, Norway and
Rio de Janeiro.
Thomas says the most satisfying
thing to come from the lm has been
the evolution of his subjects. Fox and
Clemens who were both nervous when
the movie came out.
The rst Q&A with Terrence was
in Miami and he was very shy. It has
been very cool to see both him and
Fallon blossom into doing speaking
engagements, Thomas says. I was
hoping all along that this would create
opportunities for both of them. I think
they will inspire many people.
As for Thomas, he has been happily
a part of the National Gay Basketball
Associations tournaments playing for ve
years with the L.A. Dream and now playing
with 3 the Hard Way. He will be competing
in the Daytona tournament next month.
We are currently in talks to have the
lm distributed to the public and I look
forward to more people to seeing my
work, he says.

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He didnt want
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Michael@personalgrowthzone.com.

MICHAEL,
My boyfriend of two years dumped me
and I cant stop thinking about him. I feel
awful and blame myself. He was funny,
cute, loving and a great guy to me.
Dale wanted to get married and I was
dragging my feet. While I dont believe in
marriage, I wasnt ruling it out and could
denitely see living together, although I
wasnt in a hurry because I like having my
own space.
Last March he abruptly ended our
relationship and since then Ive been
miserable.
Mutual friends report that he is now
dating someone else seriously. Of course
the new guy has a son from a previous
relationship, parenting being another
thing Dale wants that I wasnt sure about.
I keep thinking that if I had been willing
to be more exible, then right now I d
have everything I want and be with Dale.
Instead Im alone. Heading into the holiday
season is especially hard, as he proposed
to me on New Years Eve last year.
At this point my friends are telling
me Im pathetic and should start dating
or at least hooking up. I feel too sad to
consider either option. The idea of being
with someone else is horrible.
Is it possible to move on when you feel
this bad?
MICHAEL REPLIES:

D r . M a r k r i c h a r D s , B oa r D c e r t i f i e D P l a s t i c s u r g e o n
11 3 0 0 R o c k v i l l e P i k e , S u i t e 9 1 2
Rockville, MD 20852

301.468.3458

Im sorry youre feeling so bad. I know


breakups can be painful.
Yes, its possible to move forward. If
you want to feel better, your task is to
pull your mind out of the past, although
that might feel like pulling a horse out of
quicksand; and then do your best to stay
in the present.

A D V I CE

Activities that seem dull or beside the


point are better for you than moping.
Exercise? Time with friends? Volunteering?
Taking a class? Companion animal? Any of
these can give you something stimulating
and pleasurable to focus on.
And while the prospect of another
relationship down the road may be
unappealing right now, working to
become a more resilient person would
also help you become more attractive
partner material.
That said, Im curious about how you
seem to be idealizing Dale and your
relationship. You say that if youd been
more exible, youd now be happy.
But Dale is interested in marriage and
children, while you are ambivalent about
both. If youd gone along with what
he wanted, how would you now have
everything you want?
Im also curious about a guy who
dumped you two months after he
proposed. That seems like a dramatic
turnaround in his feelings.
Were the two of you addressing
the dierence in your desires around
commitment, marriage and children? If
he did he let you know how serious he
was about wanting to commit, I wonder
why you overlooked his sense of urgency
to the extent that you were caught oguard by his walking out.
I think that theres more going on here
than simply being sad over a relationship
ending. You are spending a lot of time
mulling over the past, what youve lost
and the mistakes you think you made.
My hunch is that blaming yourself for
what is gone isnt a new behavior for you.
So it is well worth your getting clarity
about why you are doing this if you want
to start feeling better.
Is it possible that making yourself feel
bad also feels good in some way?
Your response to my question is
probably an emphatic no. Most of us
dont like to think that hurting ourselves
could have any value. But we dont do
things that make us feel miserable, unless
doing so also gives us some benet.
I encourage you to consider how this
might be true for you.
One more point: Figure out what you
dont like about commitment and what
scares you about it, so that you can decide
if you want to put both feet in to a future
relationship, rather than dragging them.
If thats the case, theres no shame in
deciding that you dont want to change.
Knowing what you want will lead to a far more
satisfying life than trying to shove yourself
into a mold that doesnt work for you.

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D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 4 3

REALESTATE

One persons trash is anothers treasure


Local charities that
need your old furniture
By JONATHAN M. NEAL
With the holiday season upon us, many
people are thinking about how theyll give
back to the community as lots of families
participate in food, coat and toy drives at
their schools or with local charities. One
overlooked donation, however, is furniture and home essentials. All too often,
when people move or even reorganize,
they tend to throw out furniture that they
dont want and those very items are
what some local charities need most.
At Metropolitan Moving and Storage,
we work with various charities to nd new
homes for the pieces that our clients no
longer want during their move. So, before
just tossing that couch or refrigerator to
the trash pile, check with your moving
company to see if it is something you can
donate. Please keep in mind that these
organizations will not take used mattresses, box springs, rugs and carpet.
Here are just a few of the D.C.-area
organizations that accept used furniture
and appliances, including some of those
we are proud to work with, as their main
focus is to redistribute to the community
to help those in need:
A Wider Circle provides basic-need
items to families transitioning out of shelters and those living without lifes necessities. This organization furnishes the
homes of more than 1,000 children and

adults each month. If you wish to donate


furniture and other home essentials that
are in good condition (no rips or stains),
you can drop o items at their Center for
Community Service in Silver Spring, Md.
You can also schedule a pickup in most
areas throughout the D.C. metropolitan
area. Refer to their website at awidercircle.org for a full list of accepted items and
their wish list of the most needed items.
Stepping Stones Shelter provides
housing services, such as emergency
shelter, permanent supportive housing,
and post-shelter support, to homeless
families with children in order to move
them from crisis to a stable home environment. If you wish to donate small
pieces of furniture or any other home essentials, you can drop o items at their
location in Rockville, Md., from 7:30 a.m.7:30 p.m., to the left side of the front
door. For tax purposes, donation receipts
are also available. You can also refer to
the Stepping Stones website to see a full
needs list: steppingstonesshelter.org.
Habitat for Humanity provides safe
and aordable housing for low-income
families. ReStore sells donated items at
50-90 percent o the retail price, with all
proceeds beneting Habitat for Humanity. ReStore accepts appliances, furniture,
cabinets, roong and ooring materials,
exercise equipment, countertops, electronics, and lighting and plumbing xtures, among many other items. All materials and items must be in good and
working condition. Items may be dropped
o at ReStore locations during their business hours or you may schedule a pickup.

Sid Binks, PhD, ABPP-CN


Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Individual & Couples Therapy


for the LGBTQ Community
20 years experience!
3000 Connecticut Ave. NW 202.255.5187 SidBinks@aol.com

LGBTC.com/html/sid_binks.html

Donate your unwanted furniture instead of throwing it away.

To view all the drop o locations, view


their wish list, or schedule a pickup, visit
at their website at habitat.org/restores.
Goodwill Industries accepts gently
used clothing, furniture, housewares,
working electronics and other household
items. These items are then sold at their
retail locations, with the proceeds used to
fund employment, job training and placement services for the disadvantaged and
those with disabilities. You may schedule
a pick up online for larger items or multiple items you dont have the resources to

transport. To view their full list of goods


accepted, and for the list of donation centers and stores, visit dcgoodwill.org.
No matter which charity you decide to
help, each donation is a step in the right
direction in bettering the community you
live in or the one youre moving into.

JONATHAN NEAL is president of Metropolitan


Moving and Storage LLC, headquartered in
Laurel, Md. To learn more about the company, visit dcmetropolitanmoving.com or follow
them on Twitter @MetroMovingDC.

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right off I-395. Days/Eve/Wkend. In/
Out calls. Hotels welcome. Call Marval
(703) 568-6348.

BODY & SOUL


FREE SEXUALLY
TRANSMITTED
INFECTION TEST

(STI) testing and


treatment at AHF
H Street Corridor
Healthcare Center 1647
Benning Rd NE Suite 303
Washington DC 20002
on Mondays 3 - 6 p.m.
Call 202.350.5000 www.
freestdcheck.org.
GET YOUR MIND IN SHAPE & your
body will follow. Stop smoking?
Weight loss? Addictions? Fears &
phobias. Changing your behavior can
be difficult. Hypnosis changes your
behavior at a subconscious level. Call
American Wellness Institute for a free
consultation 202-544-5688.

COUNSELING
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.

JEWELRY
EMPLOYMENT
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.

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.
ADOPTION & ASSISTED
REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer
Fairfax represents clients in DC, MD
& VA. interested in adoption or ART
matters.301-221-9651,JFairfax@
jenniferfairfax.com.

MAIDTOCLEAN Gay owned,


awesome, trustworthy & reliable!
Serving the DC/VA area. Mention
this ad for $50 off. Maidtoclean.com.
(703) 299-0101.
Star Cleaning Svcs.
- Family owned and operated, serving
the VA/DC area since 1999 . Licensed
and insured-excellent references.
Please contact Luis at (571) 277-7901
or infostarcom@aol.com.

LIMOUSINES / DRIVERS

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.

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

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

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.
Continental Movers
Local and Long distance Moving
Services $80 x hour x two men
plus driving time Big & small jobs
also 202 438 1489 / 301 340 0602
cmora53607@msn.com www.
continentalmovers.net

TREE SERVICE

KASPERS LIVERY SERVICE


BMW 740LI Luxury Sedan Service;
Hourly, Point to Point & Special
Airport Transfer Rates! Gay & Veteran
Owned! http://www.KasperLivery.com
Phone 202-554-2471 or
800-455-2471.

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.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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

CATERING TO THE
DISCRIMINATING
TASTE

of the Metro DC Gay


Community since
2005. Who says sexy,
handsome guys cant
clean too? CALL 571-2765271 for estimates.

HOME IMPROVEMENT
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
703-303-8699.

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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.

SHARE / DC

Place your
housing to share
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REAL ESTATE AGENTS

WASHNGTON D.C. TOP GAY


REALTORS! Instant Free Access to
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COMMERCIAL / DC

CAPITOL HILL
semi-furnished rooms for rent in well
appointed townhome. 2 1/2 blocks
from Eastern Market Metro. Finished
single BR for $945+utilities. Available
immediately. Call 202-544-5688.
SW DC WATERFRONT GWM ISO
same to share home. Cable, WiFi
included. Garden & outdoor areas.
Utilities, maid, parking included. Call
Bruce (202) 488-4888.

SHARE / MD
GLENMONT/SS HOUSE,
near Metro and ICC, new 3,000 sf., 3
bdrm, 2.5 bath, dedicated parking;
W/D, FiOS. Seeking dog-friendly, GM,
non-smoker.Tomsommers2@gmail.
com for photos/info. $1,150+ utils.

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads


- Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received
By Mondays at 5PM
washingtonblade.com

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CONTACT US AT 202-747-2077 x8092

All Classified Ads


- Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received
By Mondays at 5PM
So They Can Be Included
in That Weeks Edition of
Washington Blade and
washingtonblade.com

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RENT / DC
$3200 3 BR 2 BA Townhome
in Quiet SW Waterfront Modern
3-story townhome near Arena Stage.
Includes parking for one vehicle.
Close to Mall, Nationals Stadium, new
Southwest Waterfront. Call Mark at
301-661-3070 to arrange showing.
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/
doc/apa/5315320894.html.
Petworth 3BR/2BA home.
Gorgeous, newly renovated
rowhouse for rent in the heart of
Petworth. Contact 703.501.0843 or
jhowellbarros@gmail.com to set up
a tour.

RENT / MD
BRIGHT 2BR W/FIREPLACE. $1595.
Near NIH, Metro. See info/pics online.
Call or text David 301-928-0886.

D E CE MBE R 0 4 , 2 0 1 5 4 5

WOMENS PERSONALS
LOOKING FOR LONG TERM Single
looking 4 mature woman for possible
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attractive, feminine, for friendship &
a long term relationship. If you are
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BODYWORK

SALE / DC

SIGNIFICANT
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202-812-0686
keith@tdwdc.com
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AFTERNOON DELIGHT Custom


bodywork! Exceptional deep tissue
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EROTIC SWEDISH MASSAGE
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202-544-5688.

DEADLINES

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

All Classified Ads


- Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received
By Mondays at 5PM
washingtonblade.com

ENHANCE YOUR
AD WITH OUR
UPGRADES
PICTURES
BOLD TEXT
LARGE TEXT
COLOR
AND MORE
CONTACT US AT
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W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

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FREE TO LISTEN
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A D V E RT I S I N G
PROOF #1

ISSUE DATE: 12.04.15

REVISIONS
REDESIGN
TEXT REVISIONS
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(202) 822-1666
Arlington:

Baltimore:

(703) 373-1000 (410) 468-4000


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