Happy

holidays
Locals who faced challenges
in 2015 reflect on overcoming
homelessness, health scares to
find new meaning in the season.
PAGE 23

DECEMBER

25

2015

v o l u me 4 6

issue 52

Americas Gay News Source

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

New Genvoya
is now available

GENC0002_WashingtonBlade_9.75x11.5_Sprd.indd 1-2

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

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

Actual Size

One pill contains

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

Please see Brief Summary of

Patient Information with important
warnings on the following pages.

12/3/15 12:01 PM

0 4 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

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 (flareup) if you stop taking GENVOYA. A flare-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 first 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 fight 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 fluids 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)
sildenafil (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
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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.

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

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 leaflet. 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

12/3/15 12:01 PM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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LO CA L N E W S

High marks for Alexandria, Arlington on HRC index

Study nds solid support
for LGBT equality in
suburban D.C.

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com

Alexandria and Arlington received a

rating of 88 and 87 respectively on the
Human Rights Campaign Foundations
newly released 2015 Municipal Equality
Index, placing the suburban Virginia
jurisdictions at the top of the ratings on
LGBT supportive laws and polices among
D.C.-area municipalities.
The 2015 Municipal Equality Index,
or MEI, released on Dec. 17 rates 408
municipalities of varying sizes in every
state in the nation on a scale of 0 to 100
points, according to an HRC statement.
D.C. is not included in the MEI because
the HRC Foundation treats it as a state
rather than a city, HRC spokesperson Liz
Halloran said.
The HRC Foundations 2014 State Equality
Index, a separate document that monitors
states, places D.C. in the highest of four

Alexandria and Arlington received a rating

of 88 and 87 respectively on HRCs 2015
Municipal Equality Index.

categories of states that have the greatest

number of LGBT supportive laws and
policies. The State Equality Index does not
assign a numerical rating to any state or D.C.
Among
the
other
D.C.-area
municipalities rated in the MEI report,
Fairfax County, Va., received a rating of
54. In the close-in suburban Maryland

municipalities, College Park had the

highest rating at 71. Rockville received a
rating of 60 and Gaithersburg garnered a
rating of 59.
Baltimore is among 47 cities across the
country to receive a perfect rating of 100,
HRC said in its statement. [See separate
story on Page 16.]
Since the MEI debuted in 2012, the
number of cities earning perfect scores
has more than quadrupled, and today at
least 32 million people live in cities with
fully inclusive local protections that are
not guaranteed by the states in which they
live, the HRC Foundation statement says.
In its 2014 State Equality Index report,
the most recent report available, the HRC
Foundation places D.C. along with seven
states in a category called Working Toward
Innovative Equality. It says D.C. and the other
states in this category, including California,
New Jersey and Oregon, had state-initiated
marriage equality, robust LGBT nondiscrimination laws, and the most protections
for transgender people, among other polices
that set them apart from the other states.
Many are working on innovative laws
and policies guaranteeing access to

health care, and to protect LGBT youth,

HRC Foundation says in a statement
accompanying the State Equality Index
report.
The report places Maryland in a third
category called building equality,
which it says includes seven states that
had marriage equality prior to the 2015
Supreme Court decision and had basic
non-discrimination
laws
protecting
LGBT people. But states in this category
also had bad laws on the books or
pending in their legislatures, including
the longstanding Maryland sodomy law,
which describes gay sex acts as crimes
against nature.
The state report places Virginia in a
fourth category, which includes 29 states
where a high priority to achieve basic
equality for LGBT people is needed.
None of the states in this category have
statewide non-discrimination protections
for sexual orientation or gender identity
and most have bad laws undermining
LGBT equality, the report says.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Former Baltimore Pride coordinator charged with theft

Liller faces 10 years in prison;
trial set for January
By STEVE CHARING
Paul Liller, the former Baltimore Pride
coordinator and deputy director and acting
executive director of the Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Community Center
of Baltimore and Central Maryland, has been
charged with theft and theft-scheme. Court
records indicate that Liller has been accused
of stealing property or services valued from
$1,000 to under $10,000 in violation of Md.
Code Ann. [Crim.] 7-104. A summons was
issued on Nov. 16.
These actions allegedly occurred between
Aug. 15-Sept. 15 based on a complaint led by
Jabari Lyles, the president of the GLCCB board
of directors and the centers acting executive
director.
The Baltimore States Attorneys oce
would not release charging documents in
advance of the trial, but information obtained
by the Blade indicates that the amount
allegedly stolen was valued at $8,156.76. This
includes various art supplies, crafting supplies,
oce supplies, transactions related to the illfated Halloween fundraiser OutRageous and
unauthorized payment of wages to Liller.
The complaint led by Lyles was on
behalf of the GLCCB. We need to send a
clear message that we will no longer as an
organization tolerate these types of actions,

PAUL LILLER faces theft charges in Baltimore.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY STEVE CHARING

Lyles told the Blade. We have a duty to protect

community assets and report to the proper
authorities any suspicions of impropriety. We
have faith that the state will lead a fair and
accurate investigation with our support and
cooperation.
Liller appeared before District Court Judge
Diana A. E. Smith without representation on
Dec. 17. He explained to the court that he had
not received the ocial documentation prior
to his appearance as there had been an error
in both his name and address on the court
document. Liller told the Blade he found out
about the summons because of information
in the online Maryland Judiciary Case Search.

At the Dec. 17 proceeding, the state was

granted a trial postponement to allow for the
receipt of bank records the prosecution had
sought. Judge Smith explained to Liller the
options for legal representation, which he is
pursuing.
I cannot speak on specics regarding the
case, but I do look forward to my name being
cleared, and the truth coming out, Liller told
the Blade. When you have nothing to hide,
you have no need to fear the judicial system.
If convicted of these crimes, which are
felonies, Liller, 33, faces a maximum penalty
of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum
$10,000 ne for each of the charges.
Additionally, if convicted, Liller could be
ordered to make restitution.
As coordinator of the 40th anniversary
of Baltimore Pride held July 25-26, it was
Lillers second stint (2009) in that capacity
on behalf of the GLCCB. With considerable
support from community members and local
businesses, Liller brought the block party back
to its traditional location in the Mount Vernon
neighborhood following the controversial shift
in 2014 to the Mount Royal area several blocks
to the north. He also returned the Sunday
festival to Druid Hill Park.
Since becoming the GLCCBs Pride
coordinator in late 2014, Liller was appointed
the GLCCBs development coordinator and
then deputy director and acting executive
director following the resignation of Joel
Tinsley-Hall eective July 6.

Soon after the Pride celebrations concluded,

rumors
began
surfacing
throughout
Baltimores LGBT community of missing
money from Prides coers. There were also
concerns about the perceived absence of
accounting for outlays.
Those questions, coupled with Lillers
sudden resignation on Oct. 13, motivated
GLCCBs leadership to hold a public town
hall on Nov. 10 to address those matters as
well as to provide community members an
opportunity to discuss broader GLCCB issues.
At that meeting, Lyles and others charged
that Liller used bad judgment in procuring the
amount of T-shirts for Pride as well as creating
the OutRageous event without authorization.
He said that other nancial questions were
being investigated and that tighter nancial
controls were being put in place.
Regarding allegations of mismanagement
for both OutRageous and Pride T-Shirts, I will
say that during my time at the GLCCB, all my
decisions were either run through the former
executive director Joel Tinsley-Hall or the board
of directors, he told the Blade the next day,
although he was not present at the meeting.
Accurate nancials were provided monthly
during board meetings. The GLCCB board was
involved in decisions made as they chose to be
at the time. He noted it was strange that there
are no minutes for those meetings.
The trial is set for Jan. 29, 2016, at Baltimore
District Court, 700 E. Patapsco Ave. in
Baltimore.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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LO CA L N E W S

Trans woman pleads guilty in D.C. armed standoff

Attorney says client
subjected to questionable
treatment in jail
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A 32-year-old transgender woman
arrested on Nov. 16 after repeatedly
ring a gun on the roof of a downtown
oce building that led to a 10-hour
stando with D.C. police pleaded guilty
last week to separate charges of carrying
a pistol without a license and the unlawful
discharge of a rearm.
Hyattsville, Md., resident Sophia Dalke
entered her guilty plea at a D.C. Superior
Court hearing in response to a plea
bargain oer by prosecutors with the
U.S. Attorneys Oce. In exchange for
the guilty plea prosecutors dismissed
a more serious charge of assault with
a dangerous weapon and agreed to
recommend a sentence at the lower
range of court sentencing guidelines.
The U.S. Attorneys Oce chose not
to prosecute Dalke on a separate charge
led by police of assault on a police
ocer.
At the time of her arrest, police
reported that Dalke stated she initially
intended to commit suicide by jumping
o the building and was suering from a
mental health crisis.
The D.C. police departments Gay and
Lesbian Liaison Unit and its transgender
supervisor, Sgt. Jessica Hawkins, have
been credited with playing a key role in
persuading Dalke to peacefully surrender.
Judge
Anita
Josey-Herring,
who
presided over the Friday, Dec. 18 hearing,
scheduled a sentencing hearing for Dalke
on Feb. 26. Dalke has been held without
bond since the time of her arrest.
At the request of Dalkes attorneys, JoseyHerring ordered that Dalke be transferred
to D.C.s St. Elizabeths Hospital for
psychiatric evaluation to help the defense
develop an appropriate sentencing
recommendation. At the request of
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Earnest,
the lead prosecutor in the case, the judge
ordered that Dalke remain incarcerated
if the evaluation is completed before the
sentencing hearing in February.
We believe she is a danger to the
community and a danger to herself,
Earnest said.
Under D.C. law, a charge of carrying a
pistol without a license carries a possible
maximum sentence of ve years in prison
and a $5,000 ne. The maximum penalty
for unlawful discharge of a rearm is one
year in prison and/or a $1,000 ne.
Court records show that GLLU
Supervisor Hawkins was the rst police
ocer on the scene at the upscale oce

SOPHIA DALKE pleaded guilty to lesser

charges related to a shooting incident that
snarled D.C. rush hour trac last month.
PHOTO COURTESY FACEBOOK

building at 1999 K St., N.W., which Dalke

entered sometime before 10:30 p.m. on
Sunday, Nov. 15.
According to a police arrest adavit
led in court, a friend of Dalke called
Hawkins at that time to report that Dalke
entered the building and was threatening
to commit suicide.
Sgt. Hawkins was familiar with the
defendant and called her to check on her,
the adavit says. The defendant told
Sgt. Hawkins that she wanted to end her
life by jumping o a building, that she had
a .45 caliber handgun in her possession,
and that she was going to shoot out the
windows of nearby oce buildings, the
adavit says.
Dalkes LinkedIn page says she
worked as an IT support specialist for an
agricultural investment company called
Farmer Mac, which is located in the K
Street building.
The adavit says Hawkins and other
ocers arriving on the scene reported
that Dalke began ring shots from the
roof of the building, prompting the
ocers to take cover. Police ocials
declared an emergency and listed the
development as a barricade incident.
They immediately closed surrounding
streets to cars and pedestrians.
As the incident dragged on through the
night and the morning commuter rush
hour, a massive trac jam developed,
preventing hundreds of workers from
getting to their downtown oces until
shortly after Dalke surrendered about
10:30 a.m.
The police adavit says that when
police investigators went to the roof
deck where Dalke had holed up, after
she surrendered, they found the hand
gun she was carrying along with shell
casings, a live round of ammunition and a
loaded magazine. It says they discovered
shattered windows on the 8th and 11th
oors of an adjacent oce building and
determined they were shattered by
gunre from Dalke.
At Fridays court hearing, prosecutor
Earnest said Dalke told police after her

arrest that she had not intended to harm

anyone other than herself.
In a separate document submitted to
the court on Dec. 6, Earnest said a witness
who overheard some of Sgt. Hawkins
phone conversation with Dalke reported
Dalke indicated she planned to shoot out
at least one oce building window and
shoot into the air to get attention.
The defendant stated her plan was to
jump o the roof of the building or force
the ocers to shoot her, Earnest said in
her court ling. The defendant stated
that she had no intention of ring any
shots at any ocers or anyone else.
Margarita ODonnell, one of three
attorneys representing Dalke from the
D.C. Public Defenders Service, told Judge
Josey-Herring at Fridays hearing that
Dalke was denied medication she had
been taking while being held in the D.C.
jail. ODonnell said at one point Dalke was
placed in a cell with just a few sheets of
toilet paper, suggesting that Dalke may
have faced unsanitary conditions.

ODonnell
also
suggested
that
Dalke may not have been placed in an
appropriate section of the jail suitable
for her status as a transgender woman.
But the attorney didnt elaborate on the
conditions Dalke encountered at the jail.
When asked by the Washington Blade
after the hearing for further details of the jail
conditions Dalke faced, ODonnell declined
to comment, referring a reporter to the
Public Defender Services general counsel,
Julia Leighton. Leighton didnt immediately
respond to a call from the Blade.
Sylvia Lane, a spokesperson for the
D.C. Department of Corrections, which
oversees the D.C. Jail, said she was
looking into Dalkes treatment at the jail
in response to a Blade inquiry and would
get back with further information.
Veteran transgender activist Earline
Budd has expressed concern in the past
that transgender inmates often face
harassment and abuse at the D.C. jail but
DOC ocials reportedly had taken steps
to address those issues.

Religious freedom bills arrive in Md., Va.

Lawmakers in Virginia and Maryland have
introduced bills that would allow ocials to
refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex
couples because of their religious beliefs.
Virginia state Sen. Charles Carrico (R-Galax)
introduced Senate Bills 40 and 41 ahead of
the 2016 legislative session.
The clerk or deputy clerk shall not be
required to issue a marriage license if such
Gov. LARRY HOGAN said
clerk has an objection to the issuance of such Maryland
he wont yet take a position on a
license on personal, ethical, moral or religious religious freedom bill.
grounds, reads SB 40.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
SB 41 contains similar language.
No person authorized to perform a
marriage ceremony... shall be required to solemnize any marriage, and no
religious organization, organization supervised or controlled by or operated
in connection with a religious organization, individual employed by a religious
organization while acting in the scope of his employment, or clergy member
or minister shall be required to provide services, accommodations, facilities,
goods, or privileges for a purpose related to the solemnization of any marriage
if the action would cause the individual or organization to violate a sincerely held
religious belief, reads the bill.
Maryland state Del. Richard Metzgar (R-Baltimore County) has introduced a
similar bill.
An ocial of a religious order or body authorized by the rules and customs
of that order or body to perform a marriage ceremony may not be required to
solemnize or ociate any particular marriage or religious rite of any marriage in
violation of the rules, customs or religious beliefs of the religious order or body,
reads House Bill 16.
Irma Palmer, a spokesperson for Virginia Gov. Terry McAulie, told the
Washington Blade that the Democrat would veto both of Carricos bills if they
were to reach his desk.
A spokesperson for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told the Blade that he will not
take a position on Metzgars bill until it goes through the legislative process.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 0 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Liberty Counsel sues Va. school district

FAIRFAX, Va. The Liberty Counsel
on Dec. 21 led a lawsuit that
challenges the inclusion of sexual
orientation and gender identity in the
Fairfax County School Districts antidiscrimination policy.
The lawsuit led in Fairfax County
Circuit Court names Traditional
Values Coalition President Andrea
Laerty of the Traditional Values
Coalition and an unnamed minor as
plaintis. The boys parents and two
of their friends are also named in the
complaint.
The Liberty Counsel alleges that
members of the Fairfax County School
Board violated Virginia law when they It was the reckless, unlawful conduct
added the LGBT-specic protections of the school board that brought
unnecessary legal costs upon the district,
to the districts anti-discrimination in said Liberty Counsel Chair MAT STAVER.
November 2014 and May 2015.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
It was the reckless, unlawful conduct
of the school board that brought
unnecessary legal costs upon the district, said Liberty Counsel Chair Mat Staver
in a press release that announced the lawsuit.
The anti-discrimination policy became an issue in this years school board
election.
Dalia Palchik in November defeated Republican Patty Reed, who abstained
from a vote on adding gender identity to the regulation. Elizabeth Schultz, who
voted against the trans-inclusive measure, ran unopposed.
The Traditional Values Coalition endorsed both Reed and Schultz.

Mass. judge rules against Catholic school

DEDHAM, Mass. A Massachusetts judge on Dec. 16 ruled a Catholic school
discriminated against a man based on his sexual orientation and sex when it
refused to hire him because he married a man.
Massachusetts Superior Court Associate Justice Douglas H. Wilkins ruled that
Fontbonne Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in the Boston suburb of
Milton, violated the commonwealths anti-discrimination law when it rescinded
its decision to hire Matt Barrett in 2013.
Barrett claims the school made the decision after he listed his husband, Ed Suplee,
as his emergency contact in the paperwork he lled out after the school hired him.
Religiously aliated organizations do not get a free pass to discriminate
against gay and lesbian people, said Bennett Klein, a senior attorney for Gay
and Lesbians and Defenders, the Boston-based group that brought the case
against the school. When Fontbonne red Matt from a job that has nothing
to do with religion, and simply because he is married, they came down on the
wrong side of the law.
Barrett in a GLAD press release said he is ecstatic by the judges ruling.
What happened to me was wrong, and I truly hope it doesnt happen to
anyone else, said Barrett.

Texas man gets life sentence for trans murder

TYLER, Texas A Texas judge on Dec. 18 sentenced a man to life in prison for
killing a transgender woman earlier this year.
KSLA, a local television station, reported that Smith County 114th District
Judge Christi Kennedy sentenced Carlton Champion, Jr., a day after a jury found
him guilty of killing Ty Underwood on Jan. 26, 2015.
Kennedy also ned Champion $10,000.
Well be able to sleep better at night knowing that with all the tears hes
caused and all the sleepless nights hes caused he will be paying his debt to
society, said Underwoods sister, Carlicia Ford, during the emotional sentencing
hearing as KSLA reported.
Underwood is among the more than 20 trans people who were reported killed
in the U.S. in 2015.

This years Stonewall lm may have drawn ire but lawmakers are nding other ways to honor
the historic 1969 protests.
PHOTO COURTESY ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

Nadler, Gillibrand
introduce measure
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Members of New Yorks congressional
delegation announced last week theyve
introduced legislation that would designate
a historic site commemorating the 1969
Stonewall riots.
In the U.S. House, Rep. Jerrold Nadler
(D-N.Y.)
introduced
the
measure,
the Stonewall National Historic Site
Establishment Act, without any co-sponsors.
A Stonewall National Historic Site will
help ensure that we do not forget the legacy
of Stonewall, the history of discrimination
against the LGBT community, or the
impassioned individuals who have fought
to overcome it, Nadler said in a statement.
The story of Stonewall and those who
participated in it are American stories that
deserve to be recognized and preserved.
Expanding our National Parks system
to include the location of the spark that
launched the LGBT civil rights movement will
protect it for future generations to reect on
and learn from.
In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
(D-N.Y.) introduced the legislation along with
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) as an original
co-sponsor.
At the end of this momentous year
for gay rights in America, I am proud to
introduce legislation that would establish a
Stonewall National Historic Site, Gillibrand
said. The events at Stonewall in 1969 were a
turning point for the LGBT rights movement
in America a critical chapter, alongside
Selma and Seneca Falls, in the long history
of Americas quest for equal rights. I look
forward to working with my colleagues in
Congress to pass this bill and designate
Stonewall a national historic site.
The legislation would establish a
Stonewall National Historic Site in New York
City following an agreement delineating
the responsibilities of the National Park
Service and the city regarding operation and
maintenance of the site.
The introduction of the legislation

follows a campaign initiated by New Yorks

delegation in September aimed at building
support for the idea of a national historic
site to honor the 1969 riots, which were
seen to have galvanized the modern LGBT
rights movement.
Lawmakers introduced the bill on Dec. 10,
but waited until Thursday to announce it. A
Nadler spokesperson told the Washington
Blade lawmakers held o on the news
because they thought it would be lost amid
developments on omnibus legislation to
continue funding for the U.S. government.
Among the groups coordinating the
campaign is the National Parks Conservation
Association, a non-prot that advocates for
the national parks and the National Park
Service.
Theresa Pierno, CEO of the National
Parks Conservation Association, said in a
statement the bill introduced by New York
lawmakers would ensure our national
parks tell the stories of all Americans.
Two-thirds of Americas more than
400 national parks are dedicated to sites
with cultural and historical signicance,
including womens rights and the civil rights
movement, Pierno said. Yet none are
dedicated to the struggle for LGBT rights.
In 2000, the U.S. government designated
the privately owned Stonewall Inn as
a national historic landmark, but thats
considered a lower-tier designation given to
2,500 sites throughout the country.
Advocates have called on President
Obama to designate a historic site in honor
of the Stonewall riots on his own accord
using his authority under the Antiquities Act
of 1906. A Nadler spokesperson said the
introduction of the legislation represents
a two-pronged approach to getting a site
designated to honor the riots.
In September, Nadler raised the possibility
of designating Christopher Park, the area
across the street from the Stonewall Inn
where the rioting began, as the national
historic site. A Nadler spokesperson said a
general consensus is now in place to have
the area designated as the site.
Since Christopher Park is owned by the
city, making it a national historic site would
require a transfer of land to the federal
government.

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

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 2 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Gay man claims La. fraternity harassed him

Brothers left homophobic
messages, death threat
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
A recent graduate of a Louisiana
university claims that members of his
fraternity harassed and threatened him
because he is gay.
Jonathan Hensley told the Washington
Blade during a recent telephone interview
that members of the Kappa Sigma
chapter at McNeese State University in
Lake Charles, La., began harassing him in
the fall of 2014.
Hensley said several brothers used
anti-gay slurs and profanities in messages
they left on his voice mail last summer.
He posted them onto his Facebook
page earlier this month.
I was wondering if you could take
time from your busy schedule of sucking
dick so that you could possibly call me
back, said one message that was left
on Hensleys voice mail at 3:04 a.m. on
June 30 with audible laughter in the
background. Just some business at Theta
Rho. Were getting rid of all assholes and
cocksuckers from our fraternity. So if you
could please respond so I could know
how to get you the fuck out of my house,

JONATHAN HENSLEY claims members of

his fraternity at McNeese State University in
Lake Charles, La., targeted him because he
is gay.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN HENSLEY

you faggot!
Hensley said someone called him
at 2:34 p.m. on June 27 and said that if
you come back to Louisiana Im going
to kill you, you faggot. He told the Blade
that another member of the chapters
executive committee left a message on
his voice mail at 12:27 a.m. on June 26
in which he left his phone number and
screamed I fucking hate you.
Hensley told the Blade the chapter

president told him during a meeting to

keep quiet about the harassment.
He said he contacted Kappa Sigmas
national oce about the harassment and
death threat. Hensley told the Blade that
he also spoke with McNeese State Dean
of Student Services Chris Thomas who
dismissed his allegations.
Youre up here on my radar, said
Thomas, according to Hensley. You need
to be down here. You need to get o my
radar.
Hensley earlier on Dec. 6 came out on
Facebook. He graduated from McNeese
State less than two weeks later.
Hensleys attorney, Donald Hodge, told
the Blade on Tuesday during a telephone
interview that he plans to le a lawsuit
against Kappa Sigma and the university
by the end of the year.
Hodge said the complaint will also
name the organization that operates the
local fraternity house as a defendant.
Hensley also plans to le a complaint
against the Kappa Sigma chapter that
alleges it violated Title IX of the U.S.
Education Amendments of 1972.
Theres been an ongoing pattern of
harassment and intimidation against my
client by the fraternity directly related to
his sexual orientation, Hodge told the
Blade.

Hodge also accused the university of

essentially trying to brush this matter
under the rug.
Candace Townsend, a spokesperson
for McNeese State, conrmed to the
Blade that Hensley led complaints over
the alleged harassment. She declined
to comment further, citing active
investigations.
Zachary Brabham, social media and
public relations coordinator for Kappa
Sigmas national oce, told the Blade that
the fraternity does not share details of
private matters of individual discipline.
He said, however, that Hensley owes
18 months in back rent to the fraternity
houses landlord.
We are not able to make any comment
on this situation, said Brabham.
Hensley denied the allegation, saying
that he rst heard about the back rent
after he reported the harassment to the
national organization and it began its
investigation. He told the Blade that he
almost became homeless because he
moved out of the fraternity house over
the mistreatment he said he suered.
I caused the chapter to become
under investigation, said Hensley.
They immediately jumped on me
with this, in my belief, to try to tarnish
my reputation.

FDA changes terms of gay blood policy

Lifetime ban replaced with
one year of abstinence
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
The Food & Drug Administration
announced on Monday it has made nal
its change to the U.S. prohibition on
gay and bisexual men donating blood,
eliminating the lifetime ban in favor of a
policy requiring one-year of abstinence
before accepting donations.
Stephen Ostro, the FDAs acting
commissioner, said in a statement the
change reects scientic evidence and
continued safety to reduce the risk of HIV
transmission via blood donation.
The FDAs responsibility is to maintain
a high level of blood product safety for
people whose lives depend on it, Ostro
said. We have taken great care to ensure
this policy revision is backed by sound
science and continues to protect our
blood supply.
According to the statement, the FDA
reviewed policies on HIV transmission
through blood products to determine the
best change based on the most recent
scientic evidence. Other countries,

including the United Kingdom and

Australia, currently have 12-month
deferrals on blood donations from men
who have sex with men.
In the future, the FDA will continue to
evaluate its blood donor deferral policies
as new scientic information becomes
available, the statement says.
Peter Marks, deputy director of the
FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation
& Research, said the FDA reviewed
alternative options, including individual
risk assessment, but the requirement
for one-year of abstinence was the best
policy.
Ultimately, the 12-month deferral
window is supported by the best available
scientic evidence, at this point in time,
relevant to the U.S. population, Marks
said. We will continue to actively conduct
research in this area and further revise
our policies as new data emerge.
The FDA instituted the blood donor ban
in 1983 in response to the AIDS crisis. The
policy prohibits any man whos had sex
even once with another man since 1977
from donating blood. At the time, the
policy was deemed necessary because
gay and bisexual men have a higher rate
of HIV/AIDS infection.

Amid calls from LGBT advocates to

eliminate the gay blood ban, the FDA
rst proposed the change to the oneyear deferral period in December 2014.
Although many opponents of the ban
said the change was a step in the right
direction, they maintained any kind
of deferral period was discriminatory
and not based on current science given
current testing procedures.
Lawmakers who had led calls on the
FDA to lift the gay blood ban, including
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), gay Rep.
Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and lesbian Sen.
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), said during the
comment period on the proposed rule
the agency should make clear the new
policy is a temporary one that will yield to
complete elimination of the prohibition.
Polis said in a statement the new rule
continues the governments troubling
precedent of allowing stigma to trump
science for blood donations.
There is no scientic reason to impose
a celibacy requirement on gay men
before they can donate blood, Polis said.
The FDA should implement a process
that screens potential donors relying on
a science-based risk assessment rather
than outdated stereotypes.

Quigley said in a statement the LGBT

community has enjoyed signicant
advancements in recent years, but the
change in blood donation policy does
not keep up with that same progress.
A time-based deferral focusing solely
on men who have sex with men is still
discriminatory and fails to exclude donors
based on actual risk factors, Quigley
said. However, I remain encouraged
by the ongoing conversation to change
this outdated policy. As the leader of the
bipartisan, bicameral eort to reverse the
FDAs discriminatory policy, I will continue
to ght for a deferral policy based on
behavioral risks, commensurate with
the rest of the population and based on
sound science, bringing equality for the
LGBT community while still protecting the
U.S. blood supply.
Baldwin said in a statement to the
Washington Blade shes encouraged the
FDA acted swiftly on the proposed rule
change, but it should only be the rst step
in changing an outdated policy.
This revision doesnt go far enough
and I expect the FDA to maintain its
commitment to work with stakeholders
to develop better blood donor policies
based on science, Baldwin said.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS

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

Leader in Dont Ask repeal conrmed to Army post

The former congressman who took a
lead role in Dont Ask, Dont Tell repeal
was conrmed Friday to the No. 2 civilian
position in the U.S. Army.
Just before adjourning at the end of the
year, the U.S. Senate approved Patrick
Murphy, who served in the U.S. House
from 2007 to 2011, as under secretary of
the Army by unanimous consent as part of
group of six presidential nominees.
In the rst year of the Obama
administration, Murphy introduced in
the U.S. House the Military Readiness
Enhancement Act, which sought to repeal
the 1993 law prohibiting openly gay
people from serving in the U.S. military,
and built the list of co-sponsors to 192.
In May 2010, Murphy amended a
PATRICK MURPHY has been conrmed as
under secretary of the Army
Pentagon spending bill to include Dont
Ask, Dont Tell repeal. When that strategy
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
was ultimately unsuccessful, Murphy
joined then-House Majority Leader Steny
Hoyer in passing standalone legislation to repeal the militarys gay ban.
Murphy, an Iraq war veteran, said in an interview with the Washington Blade just
before Congress repealed Dont Ask, Dont Tell he considered the issue a matter of
national security.
Were still in Afghanistan and Iraq and we cannot be forcing honorable men and
women who are willing to take a bullet to keep our families safe to be thrown out just
because they happen to be gay, Murphy said at the time.
In the same year Dont Ask, Dont Tell was repealed, Murphy lost his House seat to
Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who currently represents Pennsylvanias 8th congressional
district. Murphy sought to win election in 2012 as Pennsylvania attorney general, but
came up short in the Democratic primary. The former congressman later took a role
as a senior national security fellow for the progressive think-tank Center for American
Progress.
CHRIS JOHNSON

Anti-trans measure wont qualify for Calif. ballot

A social conservative group seeking to place an anti-transgender initiative on the
2016 California ballot announced Monday it failed to collect enough signatures by the
deadline to make it happen.
The initiative, dubbed the Personal Privacy Protection Act, sought to prohibit
transgender people from using restrooms in government buildings consistent with
their gender identity and would have allowed businesses to do the same.
The anti-trans coalition, known as Privacy for All, needed to submit 365,880 signatures
by Monday to qualify the measure for the ballot. Nowhere in the organizations
statement does it say how many signatures it did collect.
The coalition is supported by the Sacramento-based Pacic Justice Institute and other
groups in California that passed Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage in the state.
There is a strong desire to keep bathrooms sex separate among a segment of
California voters, said Gina Gleason, a spokesperson for Privacy For All. But much of
California is still being introduced to the issue.
Kris Hayashi, executive director of the San Francisco-based Transgender Law Center,
said the failure of the anti-transgender initiative represents a victory for fairness in
California.
This initiative was a poorly veiled attack on transgender people that sought to
undermine that freedom and single out for harassment anyone who doesnt meet
stereotypes of what it looks like to be male or female, Hayashi said.
CHRIS JOHNSON

N.J. Senate fails to override trans bill veto

The New Jersey State Senate came up one vote shy of overriding Gov. Chris Christies
veto of a bill that would have streamlined the process for transgender people to make
their IDs consistent with their gender identity.
The unocial vote to override was 26-14, just one vote short of the number needed,
but the bill was pulled down before the vote became nal to avoid defeat. Two
Republicans State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Cinnaminson) and State Sen. Christopher Kip
Bateman (R-Somerville) joined all Senate Democrats to vote in favor of the override.

Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) this week quit the presidential race.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Graham drops out of presidential race

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced on Monday hes dropping out of
the race for the White House, citing success in raising the issue of greater U.S.
engagement in the ght againstISIS.
Im suspending my campaign, but never my commitment to achieving
security through strength for the American people, Graham said in an online
video announcing his exit.
Despite his withdrawal, Graham cited success in drawing attention to his
call for U.S. troops on the grounds to defeat ISIS as opposed to the Obama
administrations strategy of Muslim countries taking the lead on the ground.
Four months ago at the very rst debate, I said that any candidate who did not
understand that we need more American troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria
to defeat ISIL was not ready to be commander-in-chief, Graham said. At that
time, no one stepped forward to join me. Today, most of my fellow candidates
have come to recognize this is whats needed to secure our homeland.
Graham, who frequently came to blows with front-runner Donald Trump,
never really gained traction with his campaign and consistently came in at 0
percent in Republican presidential primary polls. The candidate never appeared
on stage during any of the debates with higher polling candidates and instead
was reduced to the undercard debates with lower-tier candidates.
Although he opposes same-sex marriage and voted against the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act in 2013, Graham didnt make opposition to LGBT rights
a major component of his campaign. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor
of same-sex marriage, Graham said he will respect the decision and wouldnt
pursue a divisive eort to amend the U.S. Constitution to reverse it.
Upon news Caitlyn Jenner had come out as transgender and a member of the
Republican Party, Graham said shes welcome in the GOP and to vote for him if
her priority is national security.
Gregory Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, said in response to
Grahams exit the candidates point about the ght against terrorism was correct.
Graham had one good point during his campaign: Whether youre an
evangelical Christian or Caitlyn Jenner the radical Islamic extremists of ISIS
want to kill you all the same, Angelo said.
CHRIS JOHNSON

Five Republicans who voted for initial passage of the bill voted no on the override:
Jennifer Beck (R-Red Bank), Gerry Cardinale (R-Cresskill), Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-Westeld),
Kevin OToole (R-Wayne) and Robert Singer (R-Lakewood). Beck voted no on the
override even though shes a sponsor of the bill.
Because the bill was pulled down, the vote wasnt recorded in an ocial capacity.
Although advocates had planned a vote in the Assembly, it was never taken up after the
defeat in the Senate.
The legislation, S.1195, would have removed the requirement for a transgender
person to undergo gender reassignment surgery before they can change the gender
marker on their birth certicates.
CHRIS JOHNSON

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 4 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

In trend, courts see anti-gay bias as gender discrimination

Judge allows case to
proceed against Christian
school in California
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
LGBT people lack explicit protections
in federal law against discrimination,
but a growing number of courts are
determining
anti-gay
discrimination
constitutes gender discrimination under
current law.
Just last week, a federal court in
California allowed a case against the
Christian-aliated Pepperdine University
to proceed on the basis it may have
violated the prohibition against gender
bias under Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972 by engaging in antigay discrimination against members of
the womens basketball team.
U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson, a
Clinton appointee, found in a 22-page
ruling discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation and discrimination on
the basis of gender are one and the same.
After further brieng and argument,
the Court concludes that the distinction
is illusory and articial, and that sexual
orientation discrimination is not a
category distinct from sex or gender
discrimination, Pregerson writes. Thus,
claims of discrimination based on sexual
orientation are covered by Title VII and
IX, but not as a category of independent
claims separate from sex and gender
stereotype. Rather, claims of sexual
orientation discrimination are gender
stereotype or sex discrimination claims.
Courts in the past have determined
sexual-orientation
discrimination
is
distinct from gender discrimination, or at
least the line between the two is blurry.
However, Pregerson writes the line
between sex discrimination and sexual
orientation discrimination is dicult to
draw because that line does not exist,
save as a lingering and faulty judicial
construct.
According to the decision, Pepperdine
University allegedly discriminated against
two members of the womens basketball
team, Haley Videckis and Layana White,
based on the perception theyre lesbians
and were in a same-sex relationship.
Adi Conlogue, an athletic academic
coordinator of the team, allegedly in
2014 would hold meetings with each of
the players to determine their sexual
orientation as opposed to focusing on
their academics, asking questions about
their relationships and whether they
slept with their beds together.
In May 2014, Ryan Weisenberg, head
coach of the Pepperdine womens

CHAD GRIFFIN, president of HRC, said the

Department of Education must take action
to ensure the safety of LGBT students at
religious schools.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

basketball team, held a team meeting

to speak out against lesbianism, saying
its why team lose and it wouldnt be
tolerated.
After complaints from the plaintis,
coaching sta as part of an eort to force
them to quit the team changed time
cards to make it appear they were late
to training periods, falsely accused them
of academic cheating and made inquiries
about whether they were dating. At one
point, White attempted to commit suicide.
A spokesperson for Pepperdine
University said the school intends to ght
the charges in the aftermath of the court
allowing the case to proceed.
Although we are disappointed by the
courts ruling on Pepperdines motion to
dismiss, we look forward to presenting the
facts in response to plaintis allegations
through the appropriate legal channels,
the spokesperson said. The University
remains committed to a diverse and
inclusive environment.
The Pepperdine decision is the
latest in a series of rulings in which
federal courts have determined antigay discrimination constitutes gender
discrimination under current law. Some
of these determinations were the result
of workplace discrimination lawsuits led
under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
1964.
In October, a federal judge in Alabama
determined a gay mans lawsuit alleging
workplace discrimination at the Mobilebased Felder Services could proceed
under Title VII. (It didnt do the plainti
any good because the court determined
there was insucient evidence of
discrimination.)
In September 2014, a federal court
in Washington State allowed a Title VII
case to proceed against BNSF Railway
in Washington State for the companys
refusal to allow employees to enroll
same-sex spouses in the employerprovided health plan.
In March 2014, a federal court in D.C.

over the objections of the U.S. Justice

Department refused to dismiss a case
led by Peter TerVeer, who alleged antigay workplace discrimination resulting in
his termination at the Library of Congress.
The case is ongoing before the court.
Tico Almeida, president of the LGBT
group Freedom to Work, said the
Pepperdine decision builds greater
momentum
for
nationwide
legal
protections to ensure LGBT people have
a fair shot in employment, education and
housing.
This California federal court follows
federal courts from Alabama to
Washington state to Washington, D.C.
that have already ruled that sexual
orientation discrimination is outlawed
by existing federal statutes that ban
sex discrimination, Almeida said. We
encourage LGBT Americans who face
discrimination to le claims with the
EEOC and in the federal courts: Dont let
anybody tell you that you can be married
at 10 a.m. and red at noon.
It wasnt always this way. In a 2009
decision in Prowel v. Wise Business
Forms, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of
Appeals determined sexual-orientation
discrimination is not cognizable under
Title VII. In 2005, the U.S. Second Court
of Appeals determined in a lesbians
employment
discrimination
lawsuit
against Bumble & Bumble hair salon Title
VII does not recognize homosexuals
as a protected class. In 2002, a district
court ruled in a gay mans employment
discrimination lawsuit against the U.S.
Postal Service and determined the law
is relatively clear sexual-orientation
discrimination is permissible under Title
VII.
Suzanne Goldberg, a lesbian and codirector of Columbia Universitys Center
for Gender & Sexuality Law, attributed
the shift in thinking to court decisions
against laws inhibiting marriage rights for
same-sex couples.
I think the change is, in part, a result
of courts growing increasingly adept
at seeing anti-gay discrimination when
it occurs, where earlier, courts tended
to accept anti-gay discrimination as a
fact of life and as perfectly acceptable,
Goldberg said. This shift has accelerated
in recent years as many courts have
rejected marriage discrimination against
gay and lesbian couples. Once that
awareness of discrimination is in place,
it becomes much easier to the ways in
which hostility toward gay people often
involves impermissible enforcement of
gender roles and norms.
The concept that anti-gay discrimination
is a form of gender discrimination got
a big boost in July when the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission,

the agency charged with enforcing

employment civil rights law, explicitly
announced anti-gay discrimination is
covered under Title VII in gay frontline
manager David Baldwins case against
the Federal Aviation Administration.
The EEOC already declared transgender
discrimination constitutes gender bias
under Title VII in the landmark 2012 case
Macy v. Holder.
The U.S. Justice Department under
former U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder announced in December 2014 it
concurred with the EEOC that transgender
workplace discrimination amounts to
gender discrimination under current
law. But the Obama administration has
yet to make the same determination for
anti-gay discrimination. For a year, the
Justice Department hasnt responded to
repeated requests from the Washington
Blade to comment on whether antigay discrimination constitutes gender
discrimination under Title VII.
But the view that anti-gay discrimination
constitutes gender discrimination isnt
limited to federal courts. One state court
in Massachusetts last week determined
anti-gay
discrimination
constitutes
gender discrimination under that states
law as a result of a lawsuit led by the
New England-based Gay & Lesbian
Advocates & Defenders.
In a 21-page ruling, Massachusetts
Associate
Justice
Douglas
Wilkins
determined Fontbonne Academy, a
Catholic girls school, violated the states
prohibition
on
sexual-orientation
discrimination and gender discrimination.
The school rescinded a job oer as food
services director to Matthew Barrett
on the basis his same-sex marriage is
inconsistent with church teachings.
It may be unnecessary to determine
whether the same undisputed facts also
amount to gender discrimination, Wilkins
writes. Nevertheless, it is clear that,
because he is male, he suered gender
discrimination when he was denied
employment for marrying a person whom
a female could have married without
suering the same consequences.
Perhaps in anticipation schools may
be held accountable for anti-LGBT
discrimination under current law, an
unprecedented number of religious
schools have sought and obtained
Title IX exemptions from the Obama
administration. The law contains a
provision allowing religious schools
to request from the Department of
Education an exemption from full
compliance with the law if application of
the law would conict withspecic tenets
of the religion.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

I N T E RNA TI O N A L NEWS

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

6 Tunisians sentenced under sodomy law

A Tunisian court has sentenced a group of students who allegedly engaged in samesex sexual relations to three years in prison.
Media reports indicate the court in the city of Kairouan on Dec. 10 handed down the
sentence, which is the maximum under Article 230 of the Tunisian penal code. One of
the students received an additional sentence of six months because authorities found
pornographic videos on his computer.
The court also banned the students from Kairouan for three years.
Police arrested the students earlier this month in a house after a neighbor complained
to the police. Mawjoudin, a Tunisian LGBT advocacy group, told the Washington Blade
on Monday the men were forced to undergo so-called anal tests to determine whether
they were gay.
We refute the sentences, said the organization.
Human Rights Watch in a statement noted the court sentenced the students on the
same day that representatives of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, a group of
four organizations that helped secure the countrys democratic transition in the wake
of the 2011 revolution that ousted then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Alis, collected
the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Dec. 10 is also International Human Rights Day,
which commemorates the ratication of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by
the U.N. General Assembly in 1948.
While Tunisians were celebrating the Nobel Prize for the Tunisian National Dialogue
Quartet on Human Rights Day, a Tunisian court was handing down a medieval sentence
to six students on the basis of a gross invasion of their private life and bodily integrity,
said Human Rights Watch Tunisia Director Amna Guellali in the statement onto which
Mawjoudin and other Tunisian advocacy groups signed.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Slovenian voters reject same-sex marriage law

Slovenian voters on Sunday rejected a law that extended marriage rights to same-sex
couples.
The Associated Press reported that preliminary results indicate that voters by a 63-37
percent margin rejected the statute.
Its Time for Yes (as je Za in Slovenian), the campaign that backed the marriage
law, thanked its supporters on its Twitter page after authorities announced the results.
Our time has yet to come, but it will come. Soon, it said. Thank you for all your
support at the ballot box.
The voters had a chance to put the values of solidarity, love, equality and family into
practice but the conservative majority showed that it is not time yet for yes in Slovenia,
said Simon Maljevac, co-chair of as je Za, in a statement. We have tried to show that
there is no reason to deny a group of people the right to marry solely because of their
sexual orientation, but the feelings of fear and opponents misleading information
during the campaign prevailed.
Brian Sheehan, co-chair of ILGA-Europes executive board, in a statement expressed
disappointment over the results.
Naturally, this is a huge disappointment for rainbow families in Slovenia, he said.
But ILGA-Europe want to say thank you to all the thousands of voters who took the time
to come out and cast their ballot in support of equality. Even though marriage equality
isnt a reality just yet, their dedication to the cause shows that great progress has been
made.
The Slovenian Parliament in March overwhelmingly approved the law that also sought
to extend adoption rights to gays and lesbians.
Children Are at Stake, a coalition of religious and social conservative groups,
collected more than 80,000 signatures in support of a referendum on the statute. The
Slovenian Parliament tried to block the vote, but the countrys Constitutional Court in
October said it could take place.
Pope Francis last week urged Slovenian politicians to support the family, a structural
reference point for the life of society.
Slovenia would have been the rst non-Western European country and the rst
former Yugoslav republic to allow gays and lesbians to marry if voters had upheld the
marriage law.
We are very sad, but we also feel that progress has been made in LGBT issues in
Slovenia, Jure Poglajen, a gay dentist from the town of Brezice near the Croatian border,
told the Washington Blade on Sunday after ocials announced the referendum results.
Slovenian lawmakers in 2011 approved a law that extended many of the same rights
of marriage to gays and lesbians. Voters the following year repealed it in a referendum.
Matej Knic, a resident of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana who manages PinkWeek.
eu, which seeks to promote LGBT tourism in the country, told the Blade on Sunday he
remains hopeful that same-sex couples will gain marriage rights.
Tomorrow is another day, he said. Sooner or later we will gain equal rights.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

MARIELA CASTRO, daughter of the Cuban president, supports marriage rights for
same-sex couples.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Cubans launch marriage campaign

Cuban LGBT rights advocates have launched a campaign to spur lawmakers to
extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.
The campaign known as We Also Love or Nosotros Tambin Amamos
in Spanish that will last six months encourages Cubans to sign a petition in
support of the issue.
The advocates who work independently of Mariela Castro, the daughter of
Cuban President Ral Castro who publicly spearheads LGBT-specic issues on
the Communist island, hope to present the petition with signatures to members
of the Cuban Parliament. They also told the Washington Blade they would like
to work with the National Center for Sexual Education, the group known by the
Spanish acronym CENESEX that Mariela Castro directs.
Now is the time to talk about marriage in Cuba, Navid Fernndez Cabrera,
a Havana-based advocate who is one of those spearheading the campaign, told
the Blade late last week.
Fernndez told the Blade the campaigns ocial launch in Havana took place
on Dec. 1 at a nightclub that LGBT Cubans frequent.
Advocacy groups in the provinces of Pinar del Ro, Artemisa, Villa Clara and
Santiago de Cuba in recent weeks have also held campaign launch events in
their respective regions. The Cuban Foundation for LGBTI Rights on Dec. 26 will
hold what Nelson Gandulla Daz, the groups president, described as an openair gala in the city of Cienfuegos with drag queens and art.
The entire campaign will be explained, Gandulla told the Blade on Monday in
an email. From there we will begin the work over the next months.
The Cuban constitution denes marriage as between a man and a woman.
Pastors from the U.S. and Canada in May blessed the relationships of 20
Cuban same-sex couples during a CENESEX-sponsored march in Havana that
commemorated the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Mariela Castro publicly supports marriage rights for same-sex couples.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Keep your promise to protect each other.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

16 DE C E M B E R 25, 201 5

BA LT I MO RE N E W S

Baltimore is among 47 cities to earn a perfect score from HRC.

Wills & Trusts

Powers of Attorney Living Wills
Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements

Baltimore wins perfect score from HRC

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Baltimore is among 47 cities in the United States that received a perfect 100
score in the Human Rights Campaigns 2015 Municipal Equality Index (MEI). A
total of 408 cities across the U.S. were assessed on the following criteria: Nondiscrimination laws; municipalitys employment policies, including transgenderinclusive insurance coverage, contracting non-discrimination requirements, and
other policies relating to equal treatment of LGBT city employees; inclusiveness
of city services; law enforcement; and municipal leadership on matters of
equality.
The average score for cities in Maryland is 70 out of 100 points, which falls
above the national average of 56. Besides Baltimores 100 score, Annapolis
received 67, Bowie 54, College Park 71, Frederick 64, Gaithersburg 59, Rockville
60, and Towson: 89.
It is promising to see that the City of Baltimore has maintained its score of
100 out of 100 on the HRC Municipal Equality Index for the second year in a row,
and we at FreeState Legal are continually working with city ocials to further
improve access to services for Baltimores low-income LGBTQ population,
Patrick Paschall, FreeState Legals executive director, told the Blade. However,
we must not lose sight of the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done in
Baltimore and across our state for recent victories to fully translate into lived
equality for LGBTQ Marylanders.
Paschall notes that other cities in Maryland received imperfect scores,
highlighting the need for cities to oer trans-inclusive health care benets to
city employees, increase services to LGBTQ youth, and serve Marylands LGBTQ
homeless population.
This report shows that Maryland is headed in the right direction, but we still
have progress to be made to ensure that all LGBTQ Marylanders have access
to health care, housing, public accommodations, employment, equal rights as
parents, and equal access to all the other institutions and benets that go along
with being a resident of this great state, he says.
The full national report, including detailed scorecards for every city, as well as
a searchable database, is available online at hrc.org/mei.

Caregiver support group to meet in January

LICENSED IN DC, MD AND VA

TheP SAGECAP
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R O O F program, which oers support, education and assistance to

Serving Our COmmunity fOr 35 yearS

LGBT caregivers, has scheduled support group meetings to take place on Jan.
5 and 19 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the LGBT Health Resource Center
AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of
Conference Room (2nd oor), 1111 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.
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who identify as LGBT themselves and/or care for someone who is LGBT.
and warranties.
While LGBT caregivers provide care to a loved one, SAGECAP supports them,
and in turn helps them prepare for a time in their life when they may need care.
FamilY | eState PlaNNiNG | emPloYmeNt | immiGratioN
In addition to the support groups, SAGECAP oers one-on-one counseling,
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information and referral services, and assistance with nancial, medical and legal
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ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12

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STEVE CHARING

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

18 DE C E M B E R 25, 201 5

H E A LT H N E W S

U.K. to extend HPV vaccine for gay men

Are you worried about HIV?

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The PrEP Clinic at Andromeda can
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LONDON British health ocials are moving ahead with a cancer vaccination
for the human papilloma virus (HPV) that has been given to young girls since
2008 and can oer protection against other types of cancer commonly seen in
gay men, BBC News reports.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said the program is for sexually active gay
men under 45 and will be introduced following the recommendation of the Joint
Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, which advises U.K. governments.
Details on the rollout will be announced in due course, Drakeford said
according to the BBC. An announcement about the possibility of extending the
vaccine to all adolescent boys is expected in 2017, the article said.
New research published in the British Journal of Cancer surveyed the opinions
of health care professionals on the matter of the vaccine for men who have sex
with men. Although most agreed this group should be vaccinated, 17 percent
thought it would be too late for sexually active men as they may already have
been infected, Health Canal reports. Five percent said the vaccine might curb
safer sex choices they might otherwise have made.
More than half queried said they didnt have proper training to administer the
vaccine.
The study was administered electronically to 325 U.K. health care professionals
who work in sexual health. Eighty-four percent said they thought the vaccine
should be extended to boys.
HPV infection is the main risk factor for anal cancer and is linked to an
estimated 90 percent of anal cancer cases in the U.K. There are about 1,200 new
cases of anal cancer in the U.K. each year.
In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control recommends the HPV vaccine
for men who have sex with men up to age 26. Its given as a three-dose series
over six months. The CDC says its best to be vaccinated before ones rst sexual
contact but later vaccination can help if its administered prior to exposure.

HIV services expand with new San Fran program

SAN FRANCISCO A new center for gay, bi and trans men called Strut, an
extension of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, will open Jan. 4 at 470 Castro
St., LGBT Weekly reports.
Strut will oer HIV prevention and care, the article said.
Focusing our response to HIV on holistic health and wellness will make our
community stronger, said Neil Giuliano, San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO,
to LGBT Weekly. We are not a series of risk factors. At Strut, well oer free,
supportive services that help clients work toward maintaining health, regardless
of HIV status. That means more HIV testing, harm reduction counseling, case
management and community engagement services in a judgment-free, culturally
competent atmosphere, in one spot.
When doors open, gay, bi and trans men will be able to access the HIV
testing, screening and treatment for other sexually transmitted infections and
other health services of Magnet, a globally recognized clinic that has served the
Castro since 2003. Strut will also be the permanent home of the pre-exposure
prophylaxis (PrEP) program that has helped more than 625 HIV-negative men
access medication that prevent HIV infection, LGBT Weekly reports.
Later in January, the substance use and mental health counseling services
of the Stonewall Project, and the community-building, case management and
support programs of Bridgemen, the DREAAM Project, the Elizabeth Taylor 50Plus Network and Positive Force are scheduled to move in. The new, 14,700
square-foot, three-story building will enable the foundation to expand case
management services by 25 percent, mental health counseling by 25 percent,
substance use and harm reduction counseling by 50 percent, and HIV and STI
screening up to 40 percent, LGBT Weekly reports.
Services oered at Strut complement those for gay, bi and trans men and
trans women available at 1035 Market Street and through the mobile testing
unit.
Community contributions to the Campaign for Health & Wellness raised about
$12.6 million toward the $15 million project, the LGBT Weekly article notes.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 0 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

IN S IDE L G B T W ASH I N G T O N

VOLUME

46

ISSUE

52

ADDRESS

PO Box 53352
Washington DC 20009
PHONE

Merry Christmas
from a Jewish guy
Make a donation to charity
and make a difference

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

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

I love the holiday season and last weekend was nally cold enough to make it
feel real. Walking around Dupont and
seeing the blinking lights on Christmas
trees shining through so many windows
you just couldnt help but get into a holiday mood.
The Jewish holiday of Chanukah, which
always falls within a few weeks of Christmas, honors the struggle of ancient Jews
to restore the Temple of Jerusalem. They
wanted to clean the Temple and found
enough oil to light a lamp for only one
day. They lit the oil and the miracle was it
lasted for eight days. Today, we celebrate
this miracle by lighting candles in a menorah each night in a simple ceremony
for eight nights. Lucky children get a gift
each night to celebrate and it is a beautiful holiday.

This year, I was lucky to be invited to a

Chanukah party at the White House and
what I predicted would happen came
true. Everyone appreciated the lighting of the candles on the menorah and
the sentiments expressed by President
Obama and Israeli President Rivlin. But all
the pictures posted on Facebook during
and after the party, including mine, were
taken in front of the beautiful Christmas
decorations throughout the house, which
made it appear magical.

concert and a friend in the choir graciously extended an invitation to me and

some friends. It was a wonderful hour of
music in a beautiful setting. My companions were a Methodist and another Jewish friend and his wife and we all felt welcome. Turns out the national PBS show
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly shot
some B-roll for a story on Christmas music and candlelight carols this year; it was
the two Jewish guys who got featured in
one shot; couldnt be prouder to be part

There are so many worthwhile organizations

doing great things in the LGBT community.

The decorations on the tables laden

with food were gumdrop and candy cane
trees beautifully decorated by the host
of volunteers who help each year. After
the party each person was given a small
booklet, A Timeless Tradition, Holidays
at the White House 2015, with a description of the designs and Christmas decorations in each room.
Each year, the First Baptist Church on
16th Street has a beautiful Christmas
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

of that setting.
Like so many holidays in all religions
there are traditions at Christmas that revolve around family and food. I am lucky
to be able to join good friends and their
kids each year for Christmas dinner.
Theres nothing like watching children
open gifts and seeing their wide-eyed delight at getting a gift they asked for or one
they didnt expect.
Each of us who has the opportunity to
be part of such a family and friends celebration must remember how lucky we.
Not everyone has that in their lives. The
holiday season should be a time to think
about those less fortunate. We need to
make it one of our traditions to give a toy
to Toys for Tots, or help at a church or
shelter where meals are prepared for the
homeless or others in need.
Time to think about year-end donations. Think about a non-prot whose
work is important and make a donation.
There are so many worthwhile organizations doing great things in the LGBT
community like SMYAL, Whitman-Walker
Health, MetroTeen AIDS, Casa Ruby and
US Helping US, to name just a few. Then
others like the Southern Poverty Law
Center or Habitat for Humanity make
a real dierence in peoples lives. Each
of us will have a favorite charity and it
doesnt matter which one you choose
but that you choose and give. There is
no better feeling than giving and knowing you are helping to make someone
elses life better.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

O U R B US I NES S MATTER S

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

Apples Tim Cook and D.C.s coal-stuffed stockings

District enterprise left in
the lurch while Virginia eyes
lower business taxes

MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur

and community business advocate. Follow
on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at
OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.

Total political crap, the only acknowledged gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company
called it on 60 Minutes last Sunday.
Tim Cook was referring to charges
Apple employs a complex and sophisticated scheme to avoid the 40 percent in
U.S. taxes it would cost the worlds largest company to repatriate money earned
elsewhere.
Cook blamed the corporate tax code,
saying it is awful for America. It should
have been xed many years ago. Its past
time to get it done.
He could have just as easily been referencing D.C.s whopping 9.4 percent

business tax at rate, reduced last year

from the former sky-high 9.975 percent.
The rate dropped only from third-worst
to fourth-place among states after that
initial cut.
The next phased-in reduction to 9 percent
was scheduled to take eect in 2016, but instead will only go down to 9.2 percent.
D.C.s slow and painful march to merely
matching neighboring high-tax Marylands
8.25 percent corporate rate is predicated
on revenue projections of sucient surpluses to pay for continuing annual business and personal income tax cuts. The
current, and overly conservative, estimate
of recurring revenue by District CFO Jerey
DeWitt was short by a razor-thin 651,000
dollars required to qualify the next minor
business tax rate reduction.
The tiny shortfall in this rst-guess of
a projected surplus is only .0093 percent
of a total seven billion dollars in local tax
receipts. This articial dierential, produced by too cautious of estimates, will
undoubtedly be erased by subsequent
upward adjustments based on typically
higher actual receipts producing commonly signicant quarterly surpluses.
The estimate also excludes other revenue
streams and aggregate under-spending
by city government agencies.
Add in the federal marginal corporate

tax rate of 35 percent, the highest in the

developed world, and District businesses
continue to face a combined and only
partially marginal tax rate of over 45 percent.
In comparison, the headline corporate tax rate in adjacent Virginia is only
6 percent, and Democratic Gov. Terry
McAulie is proposing a reduction to 5.75
percent. McAulie hopes to lower the
Commonwealths already much-lowerthan-D.C. rate to remain both regionally
and nationally competitive in attracting
new business and to retain enterprise
currently located there.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser could push
the D.C. Council to fully enact the scheduled minor reduction in the business tax
rate absent the automatic trigger. Bowser
can argue what D.C. Council members
know actual tax revenues will more than
exceed the amount required to continue
the slow pace of too-meager corporate tax
reductions on the approved timetable.
Mayor Bowser should make that case.
In fact, District politicians should both
accelerate the planned reductions and
further lower the end-result business taxation rate. They could easily do so by ferreting out the known brutal ineciencies
and massive waste in government operations they continue to ignore.

Tim Cook is correct. The country cant

compete globally with current corporate
tax rates. Likewise, D.C. cant compete regionally or nationally without a bigger and
quicker lowering of business tax rates.
More than that, D.C. Council members
must stop layering new regulatory mandates with extraordinary costs, one on
top of the other. An absolutely astonishing spate of new legislative proposals to
do just that will further deteriorate the
business environment, particularly as the
federal government continues to shrink
and can no longer be counted on to hyper-inate the local economy.
D.C. should aspire to greater than simply matching the excruciating corporate
tax rate of anti-business Maryland.
Theres a reason high-earning taxpayers and growing small businesses began
eeing Maryland after former Democratic Gov. Martin OMalley hiked taxes
and even began surcharging rain. It led
to a humiliating top-spot loss in the trueblue state by a political party that has lost
its way and no longer knows what being
business-friendly means.
D.C. enterprise is increasingly frustrated and angered by similar policies of the
Districts political class.
Especially when they nd another
chunk of coal in their holiday stocking.

CO MM UNI K A TE

Dictionary publishers non-word of the year

Grammarians ummoxed by
choice of -ism

KATE CLINTON is a longtime humorist and

regular Blade contributor.

Tra-la, its that magical, listicle endtime of year! Tis the season for word
aggregators to burnish their brand with
lists of Top Ten Words. Dictionary.coms
word of the year is identity. The Oxford
English Dictionarys choice is a word for
no-words: emoji. In its breathlessly anticipated announcement, Merriam-Webster
confounded wordies everywhere with the
word-ish -ism.
M-Ws ceremony is a no-frills event. No
fanfare. No Barbara Walters. No Noam
Chomsky making the early morning announcements. No reporters waking win-

ners to get their reaction:

Groggy non-Adele voice answering
transatlantic call:
Hello?
Is this ism?
No. You have the wrong number.
This isnt ism?
No. This is gism.
My bad.
Click.
Merriam-Webster determines its Top
Ten list by analyzing page hits, popular
searches on its website, online polls and
suggestions from site visitors. The M-Ws
noted that in 2015 people went to the
dictionary for the meaning of socialism
after Bernie Sanders presidential candidacy announcement; terrorism after
San Bernardinos mass shooting; facism
after Kim Il Trump; racism after police
violence and Charleston, and feminism
after Caitlyn Jenner, Hillary Clinton and
Amy Schumer news stories.
What they noticed in seven of the top
10 words looked up in 2015 were three
little letters that kept appearing at the
end of their users word searches: -ism.

The M-W people boldly awarded the

Word of the Year to one of the hardest
working parts of speech: the sux.
Speaking of hard-working, congratulations to Times 2015 Person of the Year,
my shero, German Chancellor Angela
Merkel.
Ism is sometimes a noun meaning a
distinctive cause or theory that can be
oppressive or discriminatory. Crossword
puzzle makers love it. The old school
crabbies at Scrabble dont accept it. Or
zen.
But generally -ism is a sux, a part of
speech added to a word to form a derivative. When you think sux, think Whitney
Houston, I am nothing without you.
Then think of going to a co-dependency
meeting. There are 1,233 English words
ending in ism.
Sidebar: the announcement caused
a cascading shitstorm of errors. Several American citizens innocently looked
up -ism. The facists at auto-correct
changed ism to ISIS, an acronym that
was everywhere this year. That cute hacker on Mr. Robot spotted it and notied

Carrie from Homeland. She called Saul.

M-Ws editor-at-large, Peter Sokolowski
said, Were looking at the news through
the prism of vocabulary. A denition can
be the beginning of reection. This year,
weve certainly had a lot on our minds.
His use of the word prism did not seem
to reect or even suggest that the LGBT
rainbow was on his mind.
The three non-ism words on the M-W
top 10 list were marriage, hypocrite and
respect. What is marriage if the gays can
do it now? Am I a hypocrite if Im on the
Family Research Council and the Ashley
Madison site for cheating on my spouse?
How can I be a racist yet still respect myself?
It has been a year of reecting on our
national identity. No single or several
emojis can capture it. Too often the use
of ism allows a group-think, passive
avoidance of responsibility. There is racism and theres being racist and admitting
when we are. Until we take that individual responsibility, to paraphrase a certain
anonymous program, an -ism will never
become a wasm.

2 2 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

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ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

46

ISSUE

51

DECEMBER

25,

2015

PAGE

23

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Hope amid the holidays

LOCALS TALK ABOUT ESCAPING HOMELESSNESS, OVERCOMING
FAMILY ESTRANGEMENT AND SURVIVING A MAJOR HEALTH SCARE
By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com
As the streets get darker and colder, there is a ray of warmth and light nestled in D.C.
in the form of Casa Ruby, a local shelter and transitional housing center for LGBT youth.
Washington Blade sta was invited into Casa Rubys transitional housing center and
ushered o the dimly lit street into the bright, warm entrance. In mid-December, the
home was still waiting to receive its Christmas tree. But even without a tree, the cozy
feeling of holiday cheer was present in the jokes and laughter echoing in the hallway
between sta and residents and the comforting smiles passed along to one another.
Holiday dinners are planned this year with help from the community including those
who oer to cook meals and even those who oer to pay for catering.
The center feels like home and thats because it is one. The stas warm and welcoming
attitude has created a safe haven for its residents proving that traditional family roles
arent the only way to create a family.
Casa Ruby, founded in 2012 by Ruby Corado, provides services for LGBT-identifying
youth ages 18-24. Their services include a hypothermia center with 16 beds, an
emergency shelter with 10 beds and transitional housing with 10 beds. More than
95 percent of the sta identify as transgender or gender non-conforming people of
color. They work to provide housing and comfort to those in need with the goal of
CONTINUES ON PAGE 32

REEVS ONEIL says he was skeptical upon

arriving at Casa Ruby but he now credits the
center with helping him become self-sucient.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 4 DECE MB ER 2 5, 2015

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R KH A D I J A H T RI BBLE

KHADIJAH TRIBBLE
How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
Almost 20 years and the hardest person to
tell was myself. After I was clear, everyone
else would have to get on board.

By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Khadijah Tribble, a long-time local LGBT activist and businesswoman, says
her priorities are with family and the underserved.
At my core, Im an activist on a mission to do good driven by a simple
principle all individuals deserve access to good education, health care,
economic security and safety.
After years working on health care issues, Tribble now runs Ground
Game, a boutique public aairs and management consulting rm focused
on campaigns that build bridges between government, business and the
community. She characterizes her job title as chief risk taker.
In 2011, she was honored by Black Pride for her work with United Medical
Care and her long commitment to HIV and AIDS work.
The 44-year-old Tuscaloosa, Ala., native, who came to Washington 15 years ago,
is married to Robin Tribble. She enjoys time with their children Alvin, Kendall,
Jordan and Marcus and grandchildren Promise, Pharaoh, King and Prince.
The Tribbles live in Monterey Park. Khadijah enjoys garage sales, walking
and playing with her grandchildren in her free time.

Logan 14 saLon spa/med spa

haircuts, body waxing, laser hair removal

1314B 14th St. NW WDC 20005 202.506.6868 Logan14salonspa.com

Whos your LGBT hero?

Anita Cornwell, an author who wrote the
book Black Lesbian in White America. I
found her book during my rst graduate
stint at the University of Alabama and it
absolutely changed my lifes direction.

Whats Washingtons best

nightspot, past or present?
I have had a good time partying in the
area but honestly, I havent partied
consistently since the days of Women
in the Life Association who hosted First
Fridays at Hung Jury.

Describe your dream wedding.

Ocean, sand, less than 50 friends and
family, bonre, shrimp and crab boil.

What non-LGBT issue are

you most passionate about?
I dont know an issue that doesnt have
a major impact on LGBT people but if
I must say, Im extremely passionate
about the equity for women.

What historical outcome

would you change?
None

Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
Michael Jackson shutting cable television
down when he would debut a new video.

On what do you insist?

Integrity and authenticity

What was your last

Facebook post or Tweet?
For Facebook: Hillary Clinton goes hard
in the paint

If your life were a book,

what would the title be?
Get Your Life!

If science discovered a way

to change sexual orientation,

what would you do?

Help some heterosexual women get the
medication once it was available.

What do you believe in beyond the

physical world?
I believe there are some things beyond
our understanding.
Whats your advice for
LGBT movement leaders?
Implement programming and planning
techniques for the next 10 years from
now and really do some forecasting
regarding the impact of gains of the last
four years. Theres been a sea change so
leaders need to recognize that priorities,
needs and wants will be dierent from
the last decade.
What would you walk
across hot coals for?
Not much. Maybe for the safety of my
family members.
What LGBT stereotype
annoys you most?
That lesbians only have two lanes
Beyonce or Jay Z.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
I dont have one.

Whats the most

overrated social custom?
Valentines Day

What trophy or prize

do you most covet?
The birth certicate of my son and his
high school diploma.
What do you wish youd known at 18?
That external validation of me was
overrated and nothing is more beautiful
than looking in the mirror and saying
to yourself, You alone are worthy and
enough.
Why Washington?
Where else can you have one or two
degrees of separation from some of the
most powerful people in the world, eat
good food and enjoy the company of
very smart, driven and beautiful people?

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

T HE ATE R

DE C E M B E R 25, 2015 25

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MUELLER; COURTESY OF SIGNATURE THEATRE

NATASCHA DIAZ, center, as Anita in West Side Story. With her from left are castmates MICHAEL
GRACEFFA, ILDA MASON, KATIE MARIKO MURRAY and OLIVIA ASHLEY REED.

West Side Story actress

nds purpose in
recurring part
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Returning to West Side Story is a
delight for actress Natascha Diaz.
Ask anybody whos ever appeared
in West Side Story. Theyd give a pound
of esh to do it again, she says. Its a
magical place to be.
And certainly, Diaz should know.
Throughout her career, shes played
West Side Storys Anita in many
productions,
including
long-running
national and international tours. And
now, shes reprising the part at Signature
Theatre in a version thats selling out and
winning rave reviews.
Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, West
Side Story pits the Puerto Rican Sharks
against rival white gang, the Jets in mid50s New York. The young lovers are
Maria, a Puerto Rican girl whose brother
Bernardo leads the Sharks, and Tony,
whos trying to break away from the
Jets. Anita is Bernardos girlfriend and
Marias friend and sometimes foil. The
award-winning work is the genius of four
gay theater legends: Leonard Bernstein
(music), Arthur Laurents (book), Jerome
Robbins (concept and choreography) and
Stephen Sondheim (lyrics).
Bernsteins music makes you soar and
Robbins moves t like your sexiest pair
of jeans. To do it again and again is easy,
Diaz says.
But, as evidenced at Signature, theres
nothing rote about her passionate,
powerful performance. Here, she brings
wit and fun to America and a serious
intensity to A Boy Like That. For her,
each performance is a journey.
Against my better judgment carry the
message to Tony because I see the love in
the eyes of MaryJoanna Grisso, who plays
Maria. And I cry for Sean Ewing who plays
Bernardo because weve built something

that is ours. When hes dead its awful and

real. Its a quality of concentration that I
like to bring to my work. Otherwise I dont
see the point.
Not a surprise to those whove
followed Diazs career. Whether its
opening night at the Kennedy Center or
a sparsely attended matinee at a small
theater, she delivers aecting, energized
performances.
Diaz describes Anita as a soul sister
whos taught her wisdom, sex, class and
pride in ways she hadnt learned in her
own life.
And though Anita has more air,
ourish and fun than me, our spirits are
really very similar, she says.
But why play Anita again? It has a lot
to do with Signature, she says. In 2008,
Signatures out director artistic director
Eric Schaeer cast Diaz as Aurora in the
companys Kiss of the Spiderwoman
without an audition. Schaeer was acting
on the encouragement of West Side
Story director Matthew Gardiner.
For a New York actor thats unheard
of, Diaz says. That kind of assuredness
and certainty about a performer
storyteller is unusual, so when they ask
you to play Anita, you dont say no. Also,
that Signature is right down the hill from
where I live has something to do with it.
Its all a very special constellation.
Also, over the years Ive been going to
dance class religiously even when Im not
dancing in a show. Im in the best shape
of my life, so why not use it?
Diaz proves it every performance
by dancing Parker Esses thrilling and
rigorous choreography based on Jerome
Robbins original work. She more than
keeps up with rst rate younger dancers,
some in the rst blush of their careers.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
WEST SIDE STORY
Through Jan. 31
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Ave.,
Arlington, Va.
703-820-9771
Sigtheatre.org

Great
for
cuddling...
Not so great for Disaster Relief
When disaster strikes, compassionate people want to help. While donations of
clothing, food, bottled water or toys may feel more personal than a monetary
donation, the truth is that even a small financial contribution can do more good for
more people, with greater speed and sensitivity. Cash donations provide medical
and other life-saving services now, and rebuild infrastructure later. Even little
donations can generate big, lasting impacts for good.

Send a different kind of comfort.

Learn how to give smarter at USAID CIDI online: www.cidi.org.

LIVE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

26 D E C E M B E R 25, 2015

O U T & A BO U T

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10 9 8 7
There will be numerous New Years Eve celebrations throughout the District.
The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) hosts New Years Eve at the Kennedy
Center with Chaka Kahn at 10:30 p.m. Kahn will perform her greatest hits to
ring in the New Year. Tickets range from $55-149. For more information, visit
kennedy-center.org.
The Howard Theatre (620 T St., N.W.) hosts a masquerade ball at 10 p.m.
Couples admission is $80 and includes two admission tickets, a complimentary
mask and line pass admission. VIP admission is $60 and includes a complimentary
mask and line pass admission. General admission is $45 and standing room
only. It also includes a complimentary mask. A full dinner menu will be available.
For more details, visit thehowardtheatre.com.
LezLink hosts its rst annual Bright Nights and Harlem Nights Gala at
Cru (1847 Columbia Rd., N.W.) from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. There will be dancing, live
performances and burlesque. There will also be craft cocktails, food and a free
champagne toast. Black tie or 1920s attire is suggested. Tickets range from
$48.47-80.12. For more information, visit lezlinkapp.com.
Unleashed D.C. hosts its Ladies New Years Eve 2016 Masquerade Aair
at Touche Supper Club (1123 H St., N.E.) from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. There will be
complimentary vodka drinks from 10-11 p.m. There will also be a full buet and
champagne toast at midnight. DJs performing will be A2Zee, MadMax, Mimsol,
Onyx and TMS. Advanced general admission tickets are $20. VIP tickets are $150
and include complimentary entry for two and a table for up to four. For more
information, visit facebook.com/unleasheddcevents.
Flash (645 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts 33 1/3 Hours, a New Years celebration
from 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 through 5 a.m. on Jan 2. Performers will include Alexi
Delano, Bella Sarris Camea, David Waxman and more. There will be extended
bar service until 4 a.m. all weekend and a complimentary champagne toast at
midnight. Ticket holders are allowed entry at all times during the event. Tickets are
$50. Tickets for entry after 4 a.m. are $40. For more information, visit ashdc.com.
Shaws Tavern (520 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts a Casino Royale celebration
from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. There will be casino games, a four hour premium open bar,
an appetizer buet and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $106.49. For
more information, visit shawstavern.com.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts a New Years Eve party from 8
p.m.-2 a.m. There will be a balloon and teddy bear drop with champagne at
midnight. At 1 a.m. there will be complimentary coee and donuts. DJ Je Elleto
will play music downstairs and DJs Back2Back will play upstairs. No cover until 10
p.m. For details, visit greenlanterndc.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts a New Years Eve party at 9 p.m. The Ladies of
Town will perform a drag show. DJ Drew G and Ed Bailey will play tunes. Tickets
are $20. For more information, visit towndc.com.
Nelliess Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts a party from 4 p.m.-4 a.m.
presented by Absolute Vodka. For more details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Tony and Joes Seafood Place (3000 K St., N.W.) hosts River Bash, a New Years
party, at 9 p.m. There will be appetizers, DJs, top-shelf open bar, heated party
tents and live music. Tickets are $110 per person or start a group of 10 or more
people to receive $10 o per ticket. For more information, visit tonyandjoes.com.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) hosts a New Years Eve ball at 7:30 p.m. Peaches
ODell and her orchestra will perform on the MainStage throughout the night. Tony
Anthony and His Malvivants will also perform in between sets. DJ Dredd will perform
back stage. Food and drinks will be available. This party is all ages but those under
21 must be accompanied. Tickets are $30. For more details, visit blackcatdc.com.

By MARIAH COOPER

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHI-QUEETA-LEE

Shi-Queeta and co. return

The Howard Theatre (620 T St., N.W.)
presents A Drag Salute to the Divas
starring Shi-Queeta-Lee on Sunday, Dec.
27 at 8 p.m.
Shi-Queeta-Lee, along with Monifah
and Sheryl Lee Ralph, will impersonate
famous icons sucks as Tina Turner,
Beyonce, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston,
Chaka Kahn and Amy Winehouse. VIP
reserved seating tickets are $50. General
admission tickets are $20 in advance and
$25 day of show. There is a full dinner
menu available.
Doors open at 6 p.m. For more details,
visit thehowardtheatre.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

FI L M

DE C E M B E R 25, 2015 27

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

CATE BLANCHETT gives an assured performance as the title character in Todd Haynes Carol.

New Haynes drama

Carol lovely but reserved
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
Carol,
the
latest
shimmering
masterwork from openly gay director
Todd Haynes, is like a cinematic Faberg
egg. Its stunning to look at, radiating light
in all directions, but its also a little brittle
and untouchable. Its denitely a mustsee movie, but it doesnt quite reach the
sublime standard Haynes set with his
previous movie, Far From Heaven.
Like it, Carol tells the story of a
forbidden love using the vibrant palette
of 1950s Technicolor romances. But,
unlike Far From Heavens cinematic
roots, Carols pedigree is literary. Its
based on the 1952 lesbian romance
The Price of Salt by bisexual author
Patricia Highsmith, who also wrote
the homoerotic thrillers The Talented
Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train.
Highsmiths semi-autobiographical novel
was remarkable for not killing o any of its
queer characters. Instead, the novel closes
with the tantalizing and groundbreaking
possibility that the lesbian lovers will
reunite and build a life together.
Phyllis Nagys solid adaptation of
the book retains the positive ending
of the Highsmith novel, along with the
passionate depiction of the physical
relationship between the two women,
something which is sadly still all too rare in
mainstream Hollywood movies. The title
character is Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett),
a wealthy Manhattan socialite who is
battling for custody of her daughter Rindy
as she divorces her staid husband Harge.
Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), an
aspiring photographer, is working as a
department store clerk when she meets
Carol, who is buying a Christmas present
for her daughter. Carol leaves her supple
leather gloves lying on the counter, and
the two begin a passionate relationship
when Therese arranges for their return.
Blanchetts performance as Carol is
stunning, but her crystalline manner

rarely catches re. Her languid beauty is

mesmerizing (How could Therese ever
resist her? How could Harge bear to lose
her?), but she all too frequently remains
controlled and aloof.
One stunning exception occurs when
Carol and Harge meet with their divorce
lawyers. Carol eloquently pleads for civility
in their new relationship. Were not ugly
people, she says. The moment throbs
with raw emotion; its a complicated primal
plea for decency and dignity and respect
and tolerance. The movie might have
reached untapped depths if only Haynes
and Blanchett allowed Carol a few more
moments that shattered the characters
lovely faade and laid bare the submerged
passions that simmer beneath.
There is also something remote about
Rooney Maras performance as Therese.
Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
and The Social Network) creates a
compelling character, but her Therese
only ignites intermittently, most notably
when she is behind the lens of her
camera. Perhaps what Therese needs is a
more clearly dened antagonist.
Blanchett and Mara are given excellent
support by Sarah Paulsons superb
performance as Abby Gerhard, Carols
best friend and former lover. Providing
steadfast sympathy and solid support,
her character helps stabilize the story,
just as Paulson (American Horror Story)
helps anchor the lm.
Carol always looks splendid and the
dcor is awless. Haynes and his wonderful
design team work together seamlessly to
capture the glamorous and gritty period
detail, nicely contrasting Carols wealthy
surroundings with Thereses workingclass environs. Cinematographer Edward
Lachmans Technicolor palette is rich
and revelatory, highlighting the ne work
of the visual team. Composer Carter
Burwells lush score adds further depth
and momentum to the lm.
Todd Haynes brings all of these pieces
together with a rm hand. His sense
of pacing is as assured as his sense of
style. But unfortunately Carol only
occasionally fullls its great promise.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 8 DECE MB ER 2 5, 2015

A RT S & CU LT U RE

HOT HITS & HIDDEN JEWELS

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

A Drag Salute To The Divas

Dec 27. Howard Theatre.
202-803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com.

Enter the magical world of illusion as your favorite divas dazzle right before
your eyes - Tina Turner, Beyonce, Dolly Pardon, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan,
Amy Winehouse and many more, replicated by DCs top illusionists.

As You Like It
Thru Jan 17. Synetic Theater.
866-811-4111. synetictheater.org.

Synetics purely physical interpretation of As You Like It promises to be a wild

and boisterous comedy that explores the nature of traditional gender roles,
power, and love with visual imagery that will be hard to forget. This production
will not have dialogue.

Nate Bargatze
Dec 30. Kennedy Centers Millennium Stage.
800-444-1324. kennedy-center.org.

Originally from Old Hickory, TN, Nate Bargatze is a stand-up comedian

following in the entertainment business footsteps of his dad, a former clown
turned world-class magician. His debut comedy album Yelled at by a Clown
reached #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. Brian Parise opens.

The 82nd Annual Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature.

Thru Jan 3. Strathmore.
301-581-5100. strathmore.org.

More than 700 mini masterpieces from around the world are on display in
this breathtaking exhibition that draws the viewer into a concentrated little
universe that traces its roots to the 7th century.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HOWARD THEATRE

THEATRE
Bright Star. Thru Jan 10. Matilda the
Musical. Thru Jan 10. Shear Madness.
Ongoing. The Kennedy Center.
202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
West Side Story. Thru Jan 24. Signature
Theatre. 703-820-9771. signature-theatre.org.
The Neo-Futurists: Too Much Light
Makes the Baby Go Blind. Thru Jan
3. Woolly Mammoth. 202-393-3939.
woollymammoth.net.
Bad Jews. Thru Jan 3. Studio Theatre.
202-332-3300. studiotheatre.org.
Stars Of David: Story To Song. Thru Dec
27. Theater J. 202-518-9400. theaterj.org.
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of
Christmas. Thru Dec 27. Guys and
Dolls. Thru Jan 3. Olney. 301-924-3400.
olneytheatre.org.
How to Catch A Leprechaun. Thru Dec
27. An Irish Carol. Thru Dec 31. Keegan
Theatre. 202-265-3767. keegantheatre.com.
A Christmas Carol. Thru Dec 31. Fords
Theatre. 202-347-4833. fords.org.
Chinese Menu Comedy. Dec 26. DCAC.
202-462-7833. dcartscenter.org.
The Gospel of Lovingkindness. Thru
Dec 13. Mosaic Theater. Atlas.
202-399-7993. mosaictheater.org.
A Very Pointless Holiday Spectacular.
Thru Jan 2. Pointless Theatre. Mead Theatre
Lab. 202-733-6321. pointlesstheatre.com.

DANCE
Nutcracker. Dec 27-29. Virginia Ballet
Company and School. Ernst Community
Cultural Center. 703-249-8227.
virginiaballetcompany.org.

MUSIC
New Years Eve 2016. Dec 31.
Howard Theatre. 202-803-2899.
thehowardtheatre.com.
17th All-Star Christmas Day Jazz Jam.
Dec 25. Family of Praise. Dec 26. Holiday
Vaudeville. Dec 27-28. LChaim to Life.
Dec 29. New Years Eve Celebration. Dec
31. Kennedy Centers Millennium Stage.
800-444-1324. kennedy-center.org.

MUSEUMS

Get Out More!

National Gallery of Art. The Serial

Impulse at Gemini G.E.L. Thru Feb 7.
Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the
Hellenistic World. Thru Mar 20. Celebrating
Photography at the National Gallery of Art:
Recent Gifts. Thru Mar 27. Louise Bourgeois:
No Exit. Thru May 15. 202-737-4215. nga.gov.
National Archives. Spirited Republic:
Alcohol in American History. Thru Jan 10.
202-357-5000. archivesfoundation.org.
Museum of Women in the Arts. Esther
Bubley Up Front. Thru Jan 17. Pathmakers:
Women in Art, Craft, and Design,
Midcentury and Today. Thru Feb 28.
Womanimal: Zine Art by Caroline Paquita.
Thru May 13. 202-783-5000. nmwa.org.
Prince Georges African American
Museum. 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 Museum.
Hand of Freedom: The Life and Legacy
of the Plummer Family. Thru Dec 27.
Twelve Years That Shook And Shaped
Washington: 1963-1975. Thru Oct 23.
202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu.
National Geographic. Indiana Jones and
the Adventure of Archaeology. Thru Jan
3. Pristine Seas: The Oceans Last Wild
Places. Thru Mar 27. Photo Ark. Thru Apr
11. 202-857-7000. nglive.org.

GALLERIES
Strathmore. Joseph Craig English A
Lifetime of Printmaking, A Local Landmark.
Thru Jan 3. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
Arlington Mill Community Center. Living
Diversity: Columbia Pike Documentary
Project. Thru Dec 31. arlingtonarts.org.
The Art League Gallery. Kathlyn Avila:
No Ordinary Woman. Thru Jan 4.
703-683-1780. theartleague.org.
JCCNV. Sands of Time: Ancient
Techniques Modernized. Thru Feb 8.
703-323-0880. jccnv.org.
Gallery Neptune & Brown. Wolf Kahn
- Americas Printmaker: Monotypes
and Editions. Thru Jan 9. 202-986-1200.
neptuneneart.com.
Zenith Gallery. Figuratively Speaking.
Thru Jan 9. Great Moments in Art. Thru
Jan 30. 202-783-2963. zenithgallery.com.
District Architecture Center. The Awards
Show. Thru Jan 9. 202-347-9403. aiadac.com.
Glen Echo Park. Holiday Art Show
& Sale. Thru Jan 10. 301-634-2222.
glenechopark.org.
VisArts at Rockville. Brian Davis:
Uncoupled. Thru Jan 10. 301-315-8200.
visartsatrockville.org.
Flashpoint Gallery. Maggie Evans:
Human Hierarchies. Thru Jan 9.
202-315-1305. culturaldc.org.
DCAC. Pressure Points. Thru Jan 10.
Singles Faire: Intimate Gestures. Thru Jan
31. 202-462-7833. dcartscenter.org.
Gallery Underground. Collective
Vibrance Members Show. Thru Dec 31.
571-483-0652. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.
Montpelier Arts Center. Menagerie by
Caroline Thorington. Thru Dec 27. All
Hung Open Exhibition: Gratitude. Thru
Dec 27. Annual Holiday Group Show. Thru
Dec 27. 301-377-7800. arts.pgparks.com.

AND MORE...
Yentl. Dec 25. JCC NV. 703-323-0880.
jccnv.org.
Jerusalem 3D. Thru Mar 31. National
Geographic. 202-857-7000. nglive.org.
Film: A Day on the Grand Canal with
the Emperor of China. Dec 26. Film:
Im Going Home. Dec 27. Film Event:
Wondrous Boccaccio. Thru Dec 27.
National Gallery of Art. 202-737-4215.
nga.gov.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BO OK S

DE C E M B E R 25, 2015 29

PHOTO COURTESY OF BACKBEAT BOOKS

Gore bio sullied

by gushing tone

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading

since she was 3 years old.She lives in Wisconsin
with two dogs and 12,000 books. Reach her at
bookwormsez@yahoo.com.

Your closet is packed with mistakes.

Odd-colored shirts, patchwork jeans,
alligators, prairie-wear, weird ties, you wore
it all once. But will those things ever be in
style again, even if you wait long enough?
No, Nehru jackets, leisure suits and
knitted knickers are best left in the rag
bag. As youll see in the new book You
Dont Own Me: The Life and Times of
Lesley Gore by Trevor Tolliver, some
things may never return.
Born into an era of lush crooners and
big bands, Lesley Sue Goldstein (later,
Gore) was, according to her parents,
a musical prodigy almost from birth.
At 6 months, they claimed, she could
duplicate the melody of a song; as a
toddler, she loved to perform for her
parents friends.
After joining a girl group in middleschool one that zzled rather quickly
Gore entered an all-girl school and
sang in a chorus. There, she realized that
if she was going to sing professionally,
she needed a vocal coach.
The one her mother found eventually
led Gore to a tiny recording studio
where she recorded a few discs for the
benet of family. A cousin passed a disc
to a bandleader, who invited Gore to
perform at a gig where the president of
Mercury Records was in attendance. In
early 1963, he gave Gores demo to music
producer Quincy Jones and, some two
months later, at age 16, Lesley Gore was a
pop-music star with her No. 1 trademark

hit Its My Party.

But as quickly as her star rose, it began
to fall, perhaps because of the Beatles
and the British Invasion. Gores music
continued to hit the charts (Judys Turn
to Cry and You Dont Own Me) but,
in the end, the new sound and the notso-innocent times wore away at her
popularity. By 1969, her career, for all
outward appearances, was over.
And
yet,
says
author
Trevor
Tolliver, Gore continued to have some
professional success until her death
about a year ago, with a few minor hits
but mostly as a songwriter and on the
oldies circuit. As for her personal life, she
enjoyed a decades-long relationship with
another woman, which was something
her 16-year-old, 1963-self hadnt dared.
When a book starts out with a foreword
entitled A Gushing Fanboy, take note.
Thats exactly the tone youre going to get
in the whole book, which is likewise true
for You Dont Own Me.
And while that may seem chummy, I
couldnt stop thinking of a supermarket
tabloid or an old confessions-type
magazine mixed with discography. The
bottom line is that this is a dicult book
to like because its overly breathy and
swooning, music-industry-driven, or it
consists of reconstructed conversations.
I wouldve loved reading more about
Gores personal life Tolliver hints at
some tumult with the woman she loved
but, instead, were plunged back into
more about her agging career. Even that
could have been more interesting, were it
given a less-chatty spin.
Overall, I think theres an audience
for You Dont Own Me, probably with
ardent fans or music industry folks only.
For the rest of us, well, you wont want to
own this book, either.

YOU DONT OWN ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES

OF LESLEY GORE
By Trevor Tolliver
Backbeat Books
$24.99
209 pages

Nominations open
Jan. 4 for
the Blades
Singles Issue on Feb. 12
Help us find D.C.s top 20
LGBT singles, then meet
them at a party on Feb. 13
at Town Danceboutique.

Nominate yourself or your

friends starting Jan. 4 at
washingtonblade.com/singles

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 0 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

P H O T O S BY T Y LE R G RI G SBY

The LGBT youth

organization,
Supporting and
Mentoring Youth
Advocates and
Leaders (SMYAL), held
its 4th annual SMYAL
for the Holidays
fundraiser at Lost
Society on Thursday,
Dec. 17, 2015.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

D I N IN G

DE C E M B E R 25, 2015 31

PHOTO BY RAY LAVOIE

JONATHAN BARDIC says ideal recipes use fresh, local ingredients that are easy to nd.

Local chef shares tips

from new book
By KRISTEN HARTKE
Jonathan Bardziks joy for both cooking
and life is absolutely palpable, whether
youve seen one of his weekly cooking
demonstrations at local farmers markets
or read either of his cookbooks, Simple
Summer or Seasons to Taste.
A self-described passionate home cook,
Bardziks professional culinary career took
its rst experimental steps nearly ve years
ago when he set out on a hot July morning to
demonstrate recipes at Capitol Hills historic
Eastern Market. Working on a patch of dirt
and without a tent Bardzik recalls, By
the end of the demo I was icing down bowls
that had gotten so hot in the sun they were
wilting salad greens on contact.
Since then, Bardzik has invested in a
tent to shield himself and his food from
the weather but, more importantly, hes
built a career that is distinctly connected
to interacting with the farmers market
shoppers who stop by to watch him cook
usually at Eastern Market, but also at
Bloomingdale Farmers Market and many
others along the East Coast.
I do most of my cooking outside on a
sidewalk with just a knife, a cutting board and
a camp stove, he says. Every recipe I develop
is sampled by 60 or more people who take
home recipe cards. If a recipe doesnt work or
is too complicated, I know about it.
Because Bardziks recipes are almost
entirely made with ingredients that come
directly from the farmers markets where
hes cooking, it means that the ingredients
are truly accessible to his audience no
need to search far and wide for odd items,
which means that Bardziks recipes really
can be replicated at home, a distinct nod
to the chefs own origins as a home cook.
This is not just my vocation, he says,
it is truly my passion.
Cooking for his husband Jason and
extended family is clearly both a joy and
a passion that is evident in Bardziks new
cookbook, Seasons to Taste: Farm Fresh

Joy for Kitchen & Table (Story Farm, 2015).

I think that being gay has oered me a
special appreciation for the importance of
the people who give our lives meaning
both the families we are born into and the
ones we choose, he says. I see cooking
and sharing food as a way to celebrate and
nurture those relationships and to share joy.
Peppered throughout with stories
about recipes inspired by family
gatherings and dinner parties with
friends, Seasons to Taste explores how
to get the best avor out of seasonal
foods, such as the delicate asparagus of
early spring, an experience which Bardzik
recalls fondly.
Jason and I joyfully eat it every night
only to nd, two weeks later, the newness
wearing o but we eat every last stem,
knowing it will be 10-and-a-half months
SELLERS: Did you know that discounted/
before fresh, crisp, sugary asparagus
poor marketing is paid for out of your home
returns to the market.
equity? Let my proven full service marketing
Bardzik acknowledges that we can
plan work for you to acheive top dollar for
your home.
buy asparagus all year in most grocery
stores, yet also seeks to remind us that
BUYERS: Use my experience and free Buyer
utterly fresh local asparagus, available
representation to your advantage. Dont make
just a scant six weeks each spring, has a
one of your largest investment decisions
sweetness that can only be tasted in its
without competent guidance. Call, email, or
own season; by enjoying it seasonally, we
text Weicherts #1 Agent in Arlington today,
he would love to talk with you.
learn to truly appreciate its avor.
While Bardzik typically does not do
DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES 703-593-3204 WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET
outdoor market demonstrations during
the winter months, hell certainly be
ADVERTISING
cooking up seasonal recipes, such as a
PROOF #1 Swordsh
ISSUE DATE:
SALES REPRESENTATIVE:
rich tomato-based Andouille
Stew and a surprisingly light Celery Root

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I love winter farm markets,
he
says.
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REDESIGN
can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or
TEXT REVISIONS
any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any
First, short days and cold weather
make
copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair
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by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations
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and warranties.
something fun and exciting about winter
my clients (who were bears),
market-fresh food. Everyone can make a
summer tomato taste great, but working
for some Californication and
with winter root vegetables, greens and
a few Covert Affairs.
slow-cooked roasts and braises gives a
special kind of sense of accomplishment.
Visit washingtonblade.com for two
recipes from Bardziks new book.

Happy Holidays

from Dave Lloyd & Associates

Prime Time reALTOr

KRISTEN HARTKE is a D.C.-based food

and beverage writer. Follow her kitchen
adventures on Twiiter, @khartke.

Dupont Circle Office 202.243.7700 (o)

202.246.8602 (c) Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com

www.DCHomeQuest.com

Valerie M. Blake

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 2 DECE MB ER 2 5, 2015

A RT S & E N T E RT A I N ME N T

Familial rejection leads many to Casa Ruby

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

transitioning them back into jobs and

apartments of their own.
Reevs ONeal, 26, was kicked out of
his home in North Carolina. The lack of
resources for trans people in his area
and his connection to friends in D.C. led
him to the District where he connected

with Casa Ruby. At rst, ONeal had

reservations about the shelter.
I was very skeptical of it because the
continuing theme in my story has been
nding somewhere that I thought was safe
and it not actually being safe, ONeal says.
I sat down with Ruby and we had a really
good one on one and it was the rst time I
had even met her. I was reassured instantly.

An uphill journey
Despite obstacles, local trans man senses purpose
Much has been written about the employment
challenges facing trans people, income inequality,
the exorbitant cost of living in an increasingly
gentried Washington, strained family relations
for out folks and more. Benny Rodriguez has lived
it all.
Rodriguez, a 24-year-old Virginia native who
hopped around a lot between New York and
Virginia, is 24 and has been out as a trans man
PHOTO BY CHRIS; COURTESY OF LC
for about two years.
Hes down to three part-time jobs now a
BENNY RODRIGUEZ at the
In Laughing Color comedy
few days a week at an art store, part-time at an
showcase in March.
Indian restaurant and an on-call bartender at
Phase 1. At one point he had four jobs and also
worked at Busboys and Poets but gave it up because he says it wasnt nancially
worthwhile. Combined he makes about $1,600 a month enough to rent a
room in a house with a family with two small children in Columbia Heights.
Theres been no issue with me being trans and I preface that with the fact that
I am two years now on hormones so I pass almost all the time, Rodriguez says.
That makes it easier and I can be more stealth than I used to be. When I rst
started (transitioning), I had to sort of convince people that I was really trans. I
had to conceal a lot.
Rodriguez formerly performed with the D.C. Kings but since that group folded earlier
this year, he now does occasional shows with the D.C. Gurly Show pretty regularly.
In many ways, Rodriguez says, 2015 was a tough year.
Its denitely been up and down, he says. Certainly not the worst year Ive
ever had, but it was a year of growing.
Family life is tough. Hes denitely grateful my Mom still talks to me. Other
relatives are kind of estranged.
I had to cut ties with them, he says. They were toxic and it was to the point
where it was more harmful than helpful to be with them so I dont really say
much to many of them, my father especially. I want to say that my situation is
unique, but I really dont think it is. I think its pretty common for trans people in
general to lose touch with their families. Its so hard for many people to wrap
their head around.
Rodriguez will spend Christmas with a friends mother whom he says is kind
of like a second mother who helped raise me. Hes not a big Christmas or
holidays person in general but does say he quite enjoys this time of year.
Hes excited about the top surgery hes having in late February. Through
decent D.C. health insurance and the services of Whitman-Walker, he wont have
to pay for it. He wishes his mom could be there with him but says he has a good
network of friends who will help him recover.
Despite depression and constant reminders of lifes challenges, Rodriguez
says he senses hes been dealt this hand for a reason.
Things get very hard to get through sometime but I feel very strongly that
I have some sense of purpose, he says. Whether its just to talk to people or
change lives or achieve some sort of human greatness, Im not sure but I feel like I
have a job to do and that job is not fullled. Knowing that kind of keeps me going.
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO

After staying at Casa Ruby for six months,

Corado was able to connect ONeal with
low-cost housing. ONeal was also able
to get a job as a house monitor in the
emergency shelter. ONeal says he loves his
job because of the family atmosphere.
Were a very tight-knit, but open
group, ONeal says. I can come into work
and its like Im surrounded by people
who I love and who I know love me like all
the clients. Were just all very accepting of
each other. Its just like the family aspect
of it; its amazing.
Interim Director Lourdes Ashely Hunter
has a similar success story. Hunter arrived
to D.C. homeless and unemployed with a
masters degree in public administration
from Rutgers University. Despite her
education, Hunter says her identity
prevented her from succeeding.
As a black, trans, indigenous woman,
gender non-conforming person, its so
challenging to nd gainful employment
that also arms my identities and allows
me to show up to work whole, Hunter
says. Whats so magical about this
place is that its run by the people that it
serves. Everyone here has experienced
something that our communities are
living right now.
Last Thanksgiving, Hunter joined the
dinner as a client of Casa Ruby. This
year, Hunter was present at the dinner
as the interim director (Corado is taking
extended leave in 2016 for health
reasons). Hunter says she felt inspired by
Corados position and understands the
power her own leadership can have.
So for me to now be in this role is so
powerful When I was homeless and
didnt have a job it took for me to see
someone in a leadership role like Ruby
Corado to say its possible, Hunter says.
Current resident Chris, 22, has high hopes
for his own success story. Chris arrived in D.C.
seven months ago from Lincoln, Neb., after
being kicked out of his home. He worked
with the governor of Nebraska as a teenager
and is interested in politics, particularly
issues surrounding homelessness.
Since living here, homelessness and
youth homelessness is a big issue for me
because without Casa Ruby, I wouldnt
be here and Id probably be who knows
where right now, Chris says.
Chris is currently working on his GED. In
his free time he enjoys hanging out with
friends and lobbying on Capitol Hill. In the
future, he hopes to run for elected oce
in D.C. The passion he has for his work is
supported by Casa Ruby, something other
housing programs may not be able to say.
It takes a lot of compassion and
understanding and passion. A lot of times
for the shelters that are city run thats
not a requirement of the sta. Thats just
the narrative that were trying to shift,
Hunter says.

A second chance
Gay Mens Chorus singer
overcomes summer
health scare
Robby Dean collapsed in the cafeteria
at his job as a department specialist for
Safeway in Lanham, Md., on Aug. 7.
It was a scary episode in which he
recalls not being able to see, hear or
breathe, yet still being conscious. His
blood pressure plummeted and he
was taken to Prince Georges Hospital
Center where it was discovered that he
had a very large saddlebag pulmonary
embolism essentially a blood clot of
the lungs that was saddle bagged on
both sides of his pulmonary artery.
It was dicult nding a place to have
the clot removed but it was quickly
deemed an emergency case. A doctor
whod seen his chart and tests said the
life-threatening condition could not be
delayed even a few hours.
His boyfriend of three years met him
at the hospital. Doctors were able to go in
through his neck, remove part of the clot and
dissolve the rest through blood thinners.
I had no idea what a pulmonary
embolism was until after the surgery
when I looked it up, says the 48-yearold Gainesville, Ga., native. The rst
statement said these are usually found
during an autopsy.
The only warning signs had been a few
episodes of dizziness in the weeks prior.
Except for some weight issues following
a car accident a few years ago, Dean was
in good health. Despite only being in the
hospital for the weekend, it took him a
month to recover suciently to return to
work full time.
Singing the Sondheim song Being
Alive in The S Show he sings tenor in
the Gay Mens Chorus took on added
poignancy at their recent Home Cooked
Cabaret events.
Its very emotional and hard to get
through without crying, Dean says. It
taught me to listen to my body more and
not avoid the doctor and take better care
of myself.
Hes spending Christmas at home with
his family in Georgia for the rst time
since he came to the Washington area six
years ago. He says his health scare made
him look at life dierently.
You have to cherish every moment
you have with the ones you love, he says.
You never know when it might be your
last time seeing them. Going through
something like this really reminds you
how short life can be.
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A
S & EN
CR
AT
L ENDA
R TE RTA I NMENT

DE C E M B E R 18,
25, 2015 41
33

Smoke Fairies charm

on Wild Winter
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

MARC BROUSSARD MAGNOLIAS & MISTLETOE

Magnolias & Mistletoe is the rst holiday album by Louisiana-based Marc Broussard
and he brings his trademark husky vocals and bluesy bayou vibe to a stellar collection
of standards and two originals. Broussard doesnt stray too far from the traditional
PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS; COURTESY OF THE KENNEDY CENTER
arrangements of holiday staples O Holy Night,
The Christmas Song and The First
Noel,
allowing
his
powerhouse
voice
to
shine
over
the stripped-down instrumentation.
MIA SINCLAIR as Matilda in national tour of Matilda: the Musical.
Broussard closes the album with two superb original ballads, When Christmas Comes
Along and Almost Christmas. Magnolias & Mistletoe was clearly a labor of love and
E-mail calendargenuine
items to calendars@washblade.
Broussards
heart and sincerity comeSUNDAY,
through in every
track.
DEC.
27
com two weeks prior to your event. Space is
Perrys (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts
limited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
JAZZ
AT LINCOLN
CENTER
ORCHESTRA
BIG BAND
HOLIDAYS
its weekly
Sunday
Drag Brunch today
or those with LGBT
participants.
Recurring
events
must be re-submitted each time.
from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95
Famed jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is thefor
musical
director for Newbu
York
at
an all-you-can-eat
et.Citys
For Jazz
more
Lincoln Center Orchestra and on Big Band Holidays
leads
the uber-talented collective
details,hevisit
perrysadamsmorgan.com.
though
a fresh and lively parade of holiday favorites.
Particularly
the eightNellies
Sports noteworthy
Bar (900 Uis St.,
N.W.)
TODAY
minute
on What
is This?hosts
featuring
acclaimed
vocalist
Cciletoday
McLorin
Salvant.
hosts
a drag
brunch
with
one
Towntake
(2009
8th Child
St., N.W.)
a the
Washington,
D.C.-based
Ren
on10:30
her two
tracks,
playful take
on
show at
a.m.
anda another
12:30
Christmas Day
party atsinger
10 p.m.
DJ Marie
Wess is fantastic
Zat
You, Santa
Claus?
and an18-20
elegant
performance
Ill Bebu
Home
Christmas.
Big
p.m. of
Brunch
et isFor
$26
and the
rst
will provide
music.
For guests
there
Band
Holidays
a joyous
presentation
at Bloody
their exhilarating
best.
mimosa or
Mary is free.
For more
is a $15
cover is
charge
and
for guests of
21the Orchestra
information and to purchase tickets, visit
and over there is a $10 cover charge. For
SHARON
JONES
& THE DAP KINGSnelliesdragbrunch.eventbrite.com.
ITS A HOLIDAY SOUL PARTY
more information,
visit
towndc.com.
Washington
National
Nobody does
likeN.W.)
Sharon Jones
& the Dap
Kings28
and they prove it
Cathedral
(3101old-school
Wisconsinsoul
Ave.,
MONDAY,
DEC.
once
on theirholy
rst eucharist
seasonal collection
Holiday
Party.
The14th
album
aptly
holdsagain
a festival
service Its aThe
D.C. Soul
Center
(2000
St.,isN.W..)
named,
always-tight
DapofKings
deliver their
retro hours
R&B vibe
Jones
today atas
11the
a.m.
The Blessing
the Crib:
hostssmokin
coeehot
drop-in
thisand
morning
expertly
her way
through
classics and
originals.
Tired offor
the the
same
old boring
a Servicevamps
of Christmas
Lessons
and11
Carols
from
10 a.m.-noon
senior
LGBT
renditions?
out
Jonesare
& the
Dap Kings
on their wildly
hoppin
takeadults
on White
will be at 3 Check
p.m. No
passes
required
community.
Older
LGBT
can
Christmas,
or the
smoldering
they deliver
onand
Funky
Littlecomplimentary
Drummer Boy.co
Itsee
a
for any of the
days
programs.groove
For more
come
enjoy
Holiday
Soul visitnationalcathedral.org.
Party will be entertaining festiveand
revelers
for years with
to come.
information,
conversation
other community
members. For more information, visit
RUPAULS
QUEENS
thedccenter.org.
SATURDAY, DEC.
26 DRAG RACE CHRISTMAS
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave.,
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer
Some of the volunteers
most memorable
contestants
Drag Race
serve
holiday
N.W.)RuPauls
holds a support
group
forup
gay
black
organization,
for Food
and from
realness
on Christmas
a collection
of nervy
and naughty
nuggets
men
to discuss
topicsChristmas
that aect
them,
Friends (219
Riggs Rd., Queens,
N.E.) today
from
certain
to Volunteers
delight fanswill
of chop
the show.
Sharon Needles
punk-rock version
of Jingle
Bells
share perspectives
and have
meaningful
8-10 a.m.
vegetables
is
priceless,
and Jiggy To
Caliente
is hilarious
Christmas.
Miss Fame
delivers a
conversations.
For details,
visit uhupil.org.
and
pack groceries.
volunteer,
email on Ratchet
lovely
retro take on the dreamy Toyland.
jonathan@burgundycrescent.org.
For Christmas Queens oers a campy respite
from
same
oldburgundycrescent.org.
earnest perennials we hear
every year. And
if that
more the
details,
visit
TUESDAY,
DEC.
29 wasnt enough,
RuPaul
released
new holiday
CD this year,
Slay Belles,
sashay away
to your
Townalso
(2009
8th St.,a N.W.)
hosts CTRL:
SMYAL
hosts asotransgender
and
nonfavorite
retailer and grab
them
both.
Winter Funderland,
a gay
dance
party,
binary group from 5-7 p.m. today. The
tonight at 11 p.m. DJ Je Prior, DJ Devon
group will discuss topics that are relevant
THE BRIAN
SETZER ORCHESTRA
ROCKIN
RUDOLPH
Trotter and DJ Adam
Koussari-Amin
will
to them
as well
as attend trips to museums,
play. Doors open at 10 p.m. The drag
shows, poetry readings and movies. For
Iconic
Stray
andis guitarist
Brianinformation,
Setzer swings
rocks his way
show
starts
at Cats
10:30frontman
p.m. Cover
$12.
more
visitand
smyal.org.
through
seasonal gems
on Rockin Rudolph, the third holiday album with his big
For more12
information,
visit towndc.com.
band
orchestra.
Rockin
TheN.W.)
Christmas
Tree is a natural DEC.
for Setzer,
Green
Lantern
(1335 Around
Green Ct.,
WEDNESDAY,
30 and Here
Comes
Santa Claus
standsDance
out as tonight
well. PerhapsThe
the Kennedy
most surprising
his atmospheric
hosts Boom:
the Jock
Centeris(2700
F St., N.W.)
take
Carol of
theThere
Bells,will
onebeofgo-go
the best presents
versions Matilda:
of that classic
in ages. Rockin
from on
9 p.m.-3
a.m.
the Musical
tonight
Rudolph
rightdrink
backspecials.
up fromThere
where Boogie
Woogie
Christmas
That
dancers instarts
jocks and
at 7 p.m.
The play
is basedand
on Dig
the book
Crazy
Christmas
leftFor
omore
, with details,
fun festive
andsame
plentyname
of groove.
is no cover
charge.
visitenergy
of the
by Roald Dahl about a
greenlanterndc.com.
little girl who discovers she has magical
FAIRIES WILD
WINTER
Omega
EntertainmentSMOKE
presents
ability.
Tickets range from $30-204. For
Sinful Saturdays at Bachelors Mill (1104
more details, visit kennedy-center.org.
a bit
dierent
and more
8thFor
St.,something
S.E.) tonight
from
10 p.m.-3
a.m. contemplative, British indie-pop duo Smoke
Fairies
seasonal
collection
Wild
Winter is de
nitely not the DEC.
kind of31
stu you might
There will
be drink
specials.
Admission
THURSDAY,
hear
Macys.
dreamy
tracksvisit
are made
for late nights and
candlelight
is $10at all
night.The
For10more
details,
Whitman-Walker
Health
has while
free
the
wind roars outside and the snow piles deep.
vocalsHIV
gleam
over aatbed
of
bachelorsmill.com.
andCrystalline
condential
testing
Max
hazy keyboards and guitar on the darkly beautiful
Snowglobe
Three Luther
Kings
Robinson
Center Blizzard,
(2301 Martin
and the wonderfully atmospheric title-track Wild
is a di
erent
kind
of holiday
King Winter
Jr. Ave., S.E.)
todau
from
9 a.m.-12:45
album, but after all the frivolity and exuberance
the perfect
antidote
for For
chilling
at
p.m.itsand
from 2-4:30
p.m.
more
home after the party is over.
information, visit Whitman-walker.org.

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3 4 DE CE MB ER 2 5, 2015

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

Weve Had A Great Year Together!

As a native of Falls Church, Northern Virginia, I love this area for its active lifestyle and cultural diversity. The best part
of real estate is finding the right home to meet the needs of a unique individual. Its a puzzle that is fun to solve!
I gained my love of homes and how they contribute to building communities from my family who have been longtime
members of the area building community. I have always enjoyed watching the building and development of a property
which ultimately turned into someones home.
2015 was a great year! I helped clients sell their homes so they could move on the next phase of their life, helped
builders move on to the next project, helped investors find great rental properties to diversify their retirement planning,
and helped people find their next home. I look forward to doing more of the same in 2016!

$840,000

$440,000

Investment /Rental Home

Rented out for full price ($2,700) within two weeks of owning the
property. Gorgeous 3-level townhouse ready for new occupants! 3 BRs
w/ BONUS room or office in basement! 3.5 baths. SS appliances, granite
counter tops & ceramic floor in updated kitchen.New paint! New carpet!
Beautifully refinished hard woods. Family room w/ gas fireplace. Amazing
Trex Deck backs to trees! Tenant has access to community pool, tennis
courts, & fitness center. Close to Kingstowne shopping.

Irene Xenos
Licensed Realtor in VA & MD

RE/MAX By Invitation
4784 Lee Highway
Arlington, VA 22207

Cell: (703) 956-0418

Office: (703) 677-8730
Fax: (703) 940-0708

Email: irene.xenos@remax.net
Website: irenexenos.com
Company Website: www.byinvitationrealty.com

WA SH I N GTO NB LADE.C OM

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

REALESTATE

2016 predictions and resolutions

Cautious optimism for
D.C. market in coming year
By TIM SAVOY
As 2015 nears a close, it is clear that the
year was a soft victory for the area, with
home prices increasing, but at a slower
pace that previous years. The theme of
2016 will likely be that of cautious optimism
as the market slowly creeps back to being
a normal market; that is, one that is more
equal between the buyer and the seller.
Here is a look at 2016 and how you can
set your real estate resolutions for the year:
First, one clear trend is that housing
inventory is changing. Traditionally, a
healthy and balanced market nationwide consists of six months of housing
inventory at any given time. The District
has been classied for years as a sellers
market meaning that inventory is much
less than this six-month indicator. During
2015, the D.C. market continued to lack
supply, with prices increasing across every part of the city, albeit at a lower rate
than 2013 and 2014. With a combination of interest rates rising and a cooling
from post-recession markets, 2016 will
likely show a continued trend of equality
between buyers and sellers. This means
that houses will likely go on market for
the same number of days with less of a

dramatic increase in price year over year.

Next, it is important to consider the
changing landscape of interest rates.
The year 2015 marked some of the lowest rates seen by buyers. To speed up
economic recovery, the Federal Reserve
deliberately did not increase interest
rates until mid-December this year. On
Dec. 16, the Fed raised interest rates by
0.25 percent. While this increase is not
insurmountable, buyers who were hesitant to enter the market may be discouraged from making an appearance in 2016
(though, rates are still historically low).
Next year, the market will be tested by
these changes in rates, as many economic experts believe that we will see a signicant increase in rates in 2016.
Finally, as we move into 2016, it is important to mention who will be purchasing a home and what types of property
they will be looking for. For years, the millennial generation has been considered
one of the pillars of purchasing power in
real estate. While this population generally has lower savings and higher debts
(from an increase in student debt prevalence), the millennial population is expected to rise in levels of homeownership
now that this population begins to average around 30 years of age. Moreover, if
the millennial population begins to enter
the market and hold a higher share of
its market, what types of property will

Sid Binks, PhD, ABPP-CN

Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Individual & Couples Therapy

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The hot D.C. housing market should remain one of the countrys most robust in 2016.

be most attractive to this type of buyer?

While every purchase is unique, many
younger buyers may continue to drive
prices in the downtown hotspots of D.C.,
continuing the cycle of pricy condos.
As 2016 rolls in, buyers and sellers
alike should share in the optimism of
being a part of such a strong real estate
market like that of D.C. With some areas
selling at the fastest in the U.S. for some
of the highest prices, the District is truly
a good place to buy and sell real estate.
Moreover, any interested buyer or seller
should make their plan now prior to the
New Year in order to succeed at meeting
their real estate goals for 2016.

If the theme of 2015 was continuing

growth, then the theme of 2016 will be
that of cautious optimism. I believe that
the area will continue to see growth on
a smaller scale over 2016, as a combination of mortgage rates and inventory will
reduce the rapid growth seen over the
past 3 years. The market is still very hot in
D.C., and buyers and sellers alike should
consider getting involved in the D.C. real
estate market in 2016.
TIM SAVOY is a real estate agent with Coldwell
Banker Residential Brokerage Dupont/Logan.
Reach him at 202-400-0534 or timothy.savoy@
cbmove.com.

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GAY MENS PSYCHOTHERAPY
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seeking several new members for
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meets with members in Woodley Park
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age range Mid 30s - Mid 60s. For
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call Dr. Favero at 202-745-2661.
LGBTQ AFFIRMING THERAPY
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mike.giordano.msw@gmail.com.
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COUNSELING FOR GAY MEN.
Individual/couple counseling w/
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202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling.
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Artistic Director
(Northern VA)
Professional, Award
Winning Dance studio
seeking Artistic Director.
MFA in Dance, preferable.
See this listing online at
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LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS
NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay mens
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Please call Richard at (202) 319-1333.
from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

LEGAL SERVICES
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.
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM
Representing the GLBT community
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EMPLOYMENT

LIMOUSINES / DRIVERS

Dance Teachers (Loudoun

County, VA) Professional,
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KASPERS LIVERY SERVICE

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CLEANING
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FERNANDOS CLEANING:
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MAIDTOCLEAN Gay owned,

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D E CE MBE R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 3 7

SHARE / MD

SEXY GUYS
CLEAN TOO!

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TREE SERVICE
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SHARE / 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.

ISO Female to share

lovely House in Accokeek MD.
Employed, neat, responsible female
to share.15 minutes from National
Harbor, 25 minutes from Metro,
close to shopping & downtown
DC! Enjoy peace of suburbs &
convenience of city! LARGE fenced
yard, new hardwood floors, great
kitchen, $575.00 per month + $75.00/
month utilities. Pets ok. Credit check,
lease, $300.00 security deposit, first/
last months rent due at signing.
Ruthsphonemail@aol.com.
GLENMONT/SS HOUSE,
near Metro & 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.
ROOM FOR RENT
Clean quiet safe 3blks to metro
$175.00 a wk. includes utilities.
301-503-4263.

SHARE / VA
MALE SEEKING ROOMMATE
& new place January-ish. Only
Arlington. Prefer Pentagon City.
Got place in mind. Im part goofy,
part serious, 52, neat. I rarely drink.
Prefer nonsmoker. Drop me a line.
DennisJaffe@Gmail.com.

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RENT / DC
PETWORTH, 3BR/2BA GORGEOUS
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BIG ENGLISH BSMT 1 BR.

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