Volume 47, Issue 2, January 8, 2016

JANUARY
08
2016
VOLUME 47
ISSUE 02
Gray said to be leaning toward

comeback bid for Council seat
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
LGBT activists are predicting former D.C.

Mayor Vincent Gray would capture the lions
share of the LGBT vote in the citys June 14
Democratic primary if he decides to run for a
seat on the City Council.
Speculation that Gray is strongly considering
running for a Council seat intensied this
week when news surfaced that his supporters
commissioned a poll to see how Gray would do
if he challenges incumbent Council members
Vincent Orange (D-At-Large) or Yvette Alexander
(D-Ward 7).
Gray has said hes looking into a possible run
for either of those two seats. He won election
to the Ward 7 seat before running and winning
AMERICAS GAY NEWS SOURCE
subsequent citywide races for City Council

Chairman and mayor.
I think hell do very well with the LGBT vote
regardless of which one he runs for, said
veteran gay rights and Ward 8 community
activist Phil Pannell.
Earl Fowlkes, president of the Gertrude
Stein Democratic Club, the citys largest LGBT
political group, said Gray remains a highly
popular gure among LGBT voters because of
his unprecedented support for LGBT issues,
including transgender rights issues, during his
tenure as a Council member and mayor.
I think obviously he has a good chance of
winning, Fowlkes said. Hes very popular. He
is seen as pro-LGBT. And he has a very strong
record to stand on both as a member of the City
Council, as chairman of the City Council, and as
mayor.
Transgender activist Jeri Hughes called
Focus of LGBT movement

shifts to legislatures
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
In the aftermath of 2015, when the U.S. Supreme
Court decision in favor of same-sex marriage was the
highlight of the LGBT movement, the focusin 2016 is
expected to shift to the states as battles ensue over
religious freedom and passage of pro-LGBT nondiscrimination bills.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 18
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
Speculation that former D.C. Mayor VINCENT GRAY is considering

running for a Council seat intensied this week.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
MARYLAND, VIRGINIA TO CONSIDER LGBT BILLS, PAGE 6

LGBT advocates beat back the preponderance of
religious freedom bills seen to enable anti-LGBT
discrimination in state legislatures last year, but
those that remain could become active again when
lawmakers around the country begin their 2016
sessions in the coming days and weeks.
Eunice Rho, the ACLUs advocacy and policy
counsel, said during a conference call with reporters
last month that anti-LGBT forces are preparing a new
push for religious freedom bills.
Those of us who have been engaged in this

issue know that our opposition is regrouping and
re-strategizing, Rho said. We are preparing for an
aggressive push from the other side in legislatures to
try and erode gains for LGBT Americans, and we know
that they will not relent.
Religious Freedom Restoration Acts that would
allow individuals or businesses to invoke a religious
ONE MORE TIME
NEW YOU
STILL FAB
President Obama preps

for nal State of the Union
address next week.
Keep your New Years

resolution to get t with
tips in our special section.
Isabella Rossellini on
new movie Joy and
her role as gay icon.
PAGE 12
PAGE 29
PAGE 33
0 2 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
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
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 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 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
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.
GENC0002_WashingtonBlade_9.75x11.5_Sprd.indd 3-4
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
What should I tell my healthcare provider before

taking GENVOYA?
HIV-1
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ons.
help
ons
V-1
sing
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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.
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 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
0 6 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
LO CA L N E W S
Sweeping LGBT rights legislation coming to Va.

Newly elected gay
delegate plans to
oer bills next week
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Gay Virginia Del.-Elect Mark Levine
(D-Alexandria) says he plans to
introduce legislation during the week
he takes oce on Jan. 13 calling for
prohibiting discrimination based on
sexual orientation and gender identity in
the areas of employment, housing and
public accommodations.
Levine won election in November to the
Virginia House of Delegates 45th District,
which includes the city of Alexandria and
parts of Arlington and Fairfax counties.
He said hes in the nal stage of drafting
his LGBT rights legislation and will soon
decide whether the non-discrimination
protections
covering
employment,
housing and public accommodations
should be combined in one bill or divided
into two separate bills.
Its a very technical question and I want
Gay Virginia Del.-Elect MARK LEVINE

(D-Alexandria) seeks to prohibit anti-LGBT
discrimination.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LEVINE
to do it right, said Levine, an attorney

and past legislative counsel to former
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). But Im
denitely introducing it.
Under current Virginia law its legal for
private employers to re or refuse to hire
someone solely because they are lesbian,
gay, bisexual or transgender. Its also legal

for landlords to evict or refuse to rent an
apartment to someone based on their
sexual orientation or gender identity and
for a restaurant or other business to refuse
service to people because theyre LGBT.
Levine told the Washington Blade in
a Jan. 2 interview that he understands
its not likely that his legislation along
with as many as 19 other progressiveoriented bills he plans to introduce will
pass this year under Virginias Republicancontrolled House of Delegates and Senate.
Maybe they all wont pass, he said.
But what Im trying to do is set the
standard to say what I stand for and what
my community stands for. And Im more
than willing to work with anyone on any
of these bills to do some tweaking to get
more support.
Pointing to how same-sex marriage
was thought to be unattainable in most
parts of the country up until last year,
Levine said introducing a more ambitious
LGBT rights bill in Virginia will lay the
groundwork for its eventual passage.
I dont think you withhold introducing
something because you dont think it will
pass, he said. You introduce it, push
for it. If it doesnt pass this year you

reintroduce it next year.
Virginia State Sen. Adam Ebbin
(D-Alexandria), who became the rst
openly gay member of the Virginia
Legislature in 2004, said he would
consider introducing a companion
version of Levines bill in the Senate.
Im happy to consider good ideas like
Marks if he would like a Senate version of
the bill absolutely, said Ebbin.
Ebbin notes that he has introduced
nearly every year since he rst won
election to the House of Delegates in 2003
and since winning election to the State
Senate in 2011 a bill that would ban LGBTrelated employment discrimination in
state government jobs. He said the bill has
twice passed in the Senate but was killed
in the House of Delegates each year.
At least three Virginia governors,
including current Gov. Terry McAulie
(D), have issued executive orders banning
sexual orientation discrimination in
employment in state government
agencies. Ebbin and others point out that
enacting those orders into legislation is
needed to ensure that a future governor
wont rescind the executive order.
FreeState Legal, Equality Md. to merge

Decision billed
as opportunity to
consolidate eorts
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland
on Wednesday announced they plan to
become one organization.
A press release the two organizations
released says they will merge to form
a comprehensive, statewide direct legal
services and policy advocacy organization
that addresses the needs of lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ)
Marylanders. The new group will also
continue to focus on the needs of lowincome LGBTQ Marylanders.
Its an opportunity to consolidate
our eorts, FreeState Legal Executive
Director Patrick Paschall told the
Washington Blade.
Paschall said the organizations in the coming
months will schedule a series of listening
sessions across the state in order to gauge
feedback from LGBT Marylanders. He told the
Blade he expects the merger including a
decision about the new organizations name
will be complete by the end of June.
We really want to do an across the
state outreach eort, said Paschall.

Were going to reestablish our mission.
Free State Justice in 2001 became
Equality Maryland when lawmakers
approved a bill that added sexual
orientation
to
the
states
antidiscrimination law. The Baltimore-based
FreeState Legal since 2008 has provided
legal assistance and advocacy to lowincome LGBT Marylanders.
Wednesdays announcement comes
roughly ve months after Equality
Maryland curtailed operations amid a
growing budget shortfall.
The
organization
said
funding
decreased after voters in 2012 upheld
Marylands same-sex marriage law and
the states transgender rights law took
eect in 2014.
The nancial crisis prompted Equality
Maryland to lay o then-executive
director Carrie Evans in June 2015. The
organization last summer closed its
Baltimore oce.
Larry Jacobs, chair of the Equality
Maryland board of directors, told the
Blade that his organization and FreeState
Legal began to talk about a potential
merger last year before Evans left.
Its a good thing, said Jacobs. I dont
think the organization had the capability
to survive on its own for much longer.
Evans did not return the Blades
request for comment.

Gay state Sen. Rich Madaleno
(D-Montgomery County) who Equality
Maryland honored in 2013 at its 25th
anniversary gala in Baltimore said he is
thrilled by the announcement.
The new organization will be well
positioned to address the political and legal
needs of the LGBTQ community of Maryland
moving forward, the Montgomery County
Democrat told the Blade.
Gender Rights Maryland Executive
Director Dana Beyer, who unsuccessfully
challenged Madaleno in 2014, specically
applauded FreeState Legal.
Gender Rights Maryland is proud of
its relationship with FreeState Legal and
its executive director, Patrick Paschall,
and congratulates them on their growth,
she told the Blade. We look forward to
working more closely with them in the
future, on behalf of the LGBQ as well as
the trans community.
Love Makes a Family of Connecticut in
2009 dissolved after same-sex couples won
marriage rights in the state. Freedom to
Marry last summer announced its plans to
shut down in the wake of the U.S. Supreme
Court ruling that extended nuptials to gays
and lesbians throughout the country.
Empire State Pride Agenda, the largest
statewide LGBT advocacy group in New
York, last month announced it plans to
shut down this year.

The organization said the decision
came on the heels of securing our top
remaining priority.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last
fall during an Empire State Pride Agenda
dinner in Manhattan announced statewide
regulations banning discrimination based
on gender identity in employment, housing
and public accommodations. Advocates who
criticized the organizations decision to close
its doors noted, among other things, that
a bill that would codify Cuomos executive
order into law has languished in the New
York Senate for more than a decade.
They seemed to suggest the work
is done and were not really needed
anymore and were going to shut down,
Jacobs told the Blade, referring to
Empire State Pride Agenda. I have never
believed that was the case in Maryland. I
dont believe its the case in New York. Its
certainly not the case nationally.
Madaleno agreed as he discussed
Equality Maryland and FreeState Legals
decision to merge.
This new organization puts the
Maryland community in a far stronger
position than other states like New York,
where the state organization just closed,
he said. I am excited and enthusiastic
to work with this new group to move
Maryland forward.
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 0 7
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
0 8 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
Comings & Goings

Taube wins award, Jackson moves to Compass
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
The Comings and Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements.
Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
Kudos to David M. Taube, CFA, CFP for receiving the Financial

Planner of the Year award from the Financial Planning Association
National Capital Area Chapter.
Upon receiving the award, Taube, founder and CEO of Kalorama
Wealth Strategies, LLC said, I am honored to receive this award from
the National Capital Area chapter of the Financial Planning Association.
To be recognized by peers for my professional accomplishments is
truly rewarding. There is much more to being a successful nancial
planner and investment adviser than having technical knowledge. It
requires a passion and authenticity to help clients and always put
their interests rst.
Some of his passion and understanding came after surviving cancer
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAUBE
more than 25 years ago. It was then Taube realized he needed to
devote his time and energy to helping people. This insight, combined DAVID M. TAUBE
with a passion for all things nancial, eventually led him to establish
Kalorama Wealth, a fee-only investment advisory and nancial
planning rm. Since its inception in 2005, Taubes mission has been
to help professionals, business owners, and their families achieve
greater nancial security and independence by providing objective
advice customized to meet the needs of each client.
In 2012, Kalorama Wealth Strategies, LLC obtained ocial
certication as an LGBT owned and operated business through the
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerces Supplier Diversity
Initiative.
Taube volunteers for D.C.-area LGBT non-prot organizations
through Burgundy Crescent Volunteers, including Gay Mens Chorus,
PHOTO COURTESY OF JACKSON
Food and Friends, Mautner Project, Equality Maryland and HRC. He
serves on the NGLCCs Certication Committee, which certies LGBT JEFFREY JACKSON
owned and operated businesses for its Supplier Diversity Initiative.
Taube has appeared in The Washington Posts Ask the Experts
column and has written personal nance columns for the Washington
Blade.
Since 1999, Taube has been an adjunct professor in the Department
of Finance and Real Estate in the Kogod School of Business
Administration at American University.
Congratulations are also in order for Jerey Jackson, who just
announced he has moved to Compass Realty. Jackson has been in the
real estate business for more than 20 years after a career at the World
Bank.
He goes to Compass with the Capital Estate Group after long
PHOTO COURTESY OF VARNUM
stints at Sothebys International Realty and Keller Williams Capital
GREGORY VARNUM
Properties. Capital Estate Groups mission is to map paths to better
lives and better communities through innovative, dynamic real estate services. Compass Realty was
launched in 2013. It is a state-of-the-art, technology-driven real estate company that is expanding in D.C.,
New York City, Miami and Los Angeles. Compass provides comprehensive brokerage services.
Congratulations also to Gregory Varnum, who has landed an exciting new contract to serve as
communications strategist for the Wikimedia Foundation communications team. In this role, Varnum
will oversee a variety of dierent areas, including several related to communications with the Wikimedia
community (the global community of volunteer editors that contribute to the Wikimedia projects). Having
worked with the Wikimedia community extensively in a volunteer capacity, Varnum will now work to
develop and hone communications messaging and strategy related to Wikimedia announcements,
campaigns and initiatives that impact the Wikimedia community.
According to Samantha Lien who handles communications for the Wikimedia Foundation, Greg will
also be responsible for duties relating to communications outreach projects in support of public policy
and advocacy objectives as they relate to the Wikimedia Guiding Principles. Greg will be coordinating
communications eorts related to many of the areas of focus outlined in the Wikimedia public policy
portal, including issues related to access, privacy, copyright, and more.
LO CA L N E W S
Chief changes name

of D.C. police gay
liaison unit
Trans, bi added to be more inclusive
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier issued an internal message

to all members of the force on Tuesday announcing that the
departments Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit has changed its
name to include the words bisexual and transgender.
In an eort to be inclusive to all members of the LGBT
community, the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit will change its
name to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Liaison
Unit (LGBTLU), Lanier said in her message.
This name change will be recognizable to all members of the
LGBT community seeking assistance from the Metropolitan
Police Department, she said.
The name change comes 10 months after Lanier named Sgt.
Jessica Hawkins, an out transgender woman, as supervisor of
the GLLU. Hawkins became the rst transgender person to
hold that position.
As of late Tuesday, the department had not publicly
announced the name change. The Washington Blade
obtained a copy of the chiefs message, which also bears the
name of Assistant Chief Diane Groomes. Groomes heads the
departments Patrol Services Bureau, which oversees the
police liaison units.
Sources familiar with the department told the Blade that
Lt. Cheryl Crawley, commander of the departments Special
Liaison Division, which oversees the LGBTLU, informed about
a dozen LGBT activists about the name change in an email
sent on Tuesday evening.
The activists receiving the email are members of an LGBT
advisory group created by the department called the Violence
Prevention and Response Team. The group, known as VPART,
meets with Crawley and Sheila Alexander Reid, director of the
Mayors Oce of LGBTQ Aairs, in closed session once a month.
As previously discussed in VPART meetings, and after
receiving input from partners of the community, the Special
Liaison Division would like to announce a name change to the
Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, Crawley said in her email.
David Mariner, executive director of the D.C. Center for the
LGBT Community and a member of VPART, said he was pleased
with the name change, saying it reects the full LGBT community
that the former GLLU has served since its founding in the 1990s.
We welcome the change, said Mariner, who noted that
the LGBTLU name change comes shortly after a D.C. Center
sponsored group called Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence
(GLOV) changed its name to the D.C. LGBT Anti-Violence Project.
Jason Terry, an ocial with the D.C. Trans Coalition, said he,
too, was pleased with the police liaison units name change. But
Terry, who has been a critic of the departments response to an
independent report that called for further improvements in D.C.
police relations with the trans community, said further action
was needed.
I think its more important that we see substantive change
at MPD along with cosmetic change like this, he said.
The number of LGBTLU ocers was reduced from ve to four
last fall when then GLLU Ocer Jason Markiewicz requested and
received approval to be transferred out of the unit to a patrol
assignment in the Sixth Police District. As of last month, Lanier
had not replaced Markiewicz with a newly appointed member.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
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1 0 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
LO CA L N E W S
Va., Md. lawmakers to consider LGBT bills in 2016

Resolutions seek to formally
repeal commonwealth
marriage ban
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Lawmakers in Virginia and Maryland
will consider several LGBT-specic bills
once their respective 2016 legislative
sessions begin on Jan. 13.
State Sens. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria)
and A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico
County) have introduced resolutions in the
Virginia Senate that seek to repeal Virginias
constitutional amendment that denes
marriage as between a man and a woman.
State Del. Mamie Locke (D-Hampton) has
put forth a similar proposal in the Virginia
House of Delegates.
The provisions of this section of the
constitution of Virginia are no longer valid
as a result of the United States Supreme
Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges,
reads a summary of Ebbins resolution
that is posted to the Virginia General
Assemblys website.
Same-sex couples have been able to
legally marry in Virginia since October 2014.
Ebbin last month introduced Senate Bill
10, which would repeal the commonwealths
statutory ban on marriage and civil unions
for gays and lesbians.
The gay Alexandria Democrat and
McEachin have also put forth Senate
Bill 12, which would codify into law Gov.
Terry McAulies executive order banning
discrimination against state employees
based on sexual orientation and gender
identity. State Del. Marcus Simon (D-Falls
Church) has introduced a bill that would
add sexual orientation and gender
identity to Virginias Fair Housing Law.
Lawmakers last year killed similar antidiscrimination measures.
Gay state Del.-Elect Mark Levine
(D-Alexandria) told the Washington Blade
that he plans to put forth a measure
that would ban anti-LGBT discrimination
in employment, housing and public
accommodations in the commonwealth.
Levine said during a Jan. 2 interview
that his measure is unlikely to pass in
the Republican-controlled House of
Delegates. James Parrish, executive
director of Equality Virginia, a statewide
LGBT advocacy group, agrees.
Equality Virginia would agree with
Del.-elect Levines assessment that it
would be dead on arrival in the House
of Delegates, Parrish told the Blade on
Tuesday during a telephone interview.
We welcome him and others to join the
work in building coalitions.
State Sen. Charles Carrico (R-Galax) last
month introduced Senate Bills 40 and
Virginia state Sen. A. DONALD MCEACHIN

(D-Henrico County) has reintroduced a
bill that would codify a ban on anti-LGBT
discrimination against state employees.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS
41 that would allow ocials to refuse

to issue marriage licenses to same-sex
couples because of their religious beliefs.
A spokesperson for McAulie told the
Blade that he would veto both measures
if they were to reach his desk.
Parrish said that Equality Virginia
is preparing to ght any religious
freedom bills that House Speaker Bill
Howell (R-Staord County) and other
conservative Republicans said they would
introduce in response to last Junes ruling
in the Obergefell case.
The Liberty Counsel last month led a
lawsuit that challenges the inclusion of
sexual orientation and gender identity in
the Fairfax County School Districts antidiscrimination policy.
Members of the Staord County School
Board last March voted unanimously to
prevent a transgender student from using
the girls restroom at her elementary
school. The Alliance Defending Freedom,
an anti-LGBT legal group, in November
led a brief on behalf of the Family
Foundation of Virginia with the 4th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond
against Gavin Grimm, a trans student who
is challenging a Gloucester County School
District policy that prevents him from
using the boys restroom and locker room.
We still have our eyes out for a couple
of more anti-LGBT bills, Parrish told the
Blade, referring to Staord and Fairfax
Counties and the Grimm case.
Parrish said he also expects lawmakers
will once again consider a bill that would ban
conversion therapy to minors in Virginia.
Maryland state Del. Richard Metzgar
(R-Baltimore County) has introduced
House Bill 16, which would allow ocials
to refuse to perform any particular
or religious rite of any marriage that
violates their religious belief.
Patrick Paschall, executive director of

FreeState Legal, on Tuesday described
the measure as a complete waste of
the legislatures time. He told the Blade
that HB 16 mirrors the religious freedom
provisions in the states same-sex marriage
law that voters approved in 2012.
[HB 16] is the same language that is
already part of Maryland law, said Paschall.
A spokesperson for Gov. Larry Hogan told
the Blade last month that the Republican
would not take a position on HB 16 until it
goes through the legislative process.
Paschall and other Maryland advocacy
groups also oppose a proposal that
would allow the state to give tax credits
of up to $200,000 to corporations that
direct contributions to private schools.
These institutions are not subject to
Maryland and federal anti-discrimination

protections based on sexual orientation
and gender identity.
Hogan last year proposed the measure,
and is expected to do so again in the 2016
legislative session.
It continues to be a bad idea,
Paschall told the Blade. We dont think
it is appropriate for taxpayer dollars
to subsidize corporate contributions
to private schools. This bill creates a
mechanism to eectively funnel public
funding to private schools. If private
schools want to receive public funding,
they should be required not to discriminate
against LGBTQ students and teachers just
like other publicly funded schools.
Md. candidate gives

Shkreli money to charity
A Maryland congressional candidate has donated to charity campaign
contributions that he received from a former pharmaceutical company CEO who
raised the cost of a life-saving AIDS medication by 5,000 percent.
A report from the Federal Election Commission indicates that former Turing
Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli made two contributions of $2,700 to Will
Jawandos campaign on Aug. 26 and Sept. 2. The Baltimore Sun reported that
Turing Pharmaceuticals employees gave more than $23,000 to Jawandos
campaign.
Jawando has raised slightly more than $275,000 in his bid to succeed
Congressman Chris Van Hollen in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Christine Bennett, a spokesperson for Jawandos campaign, on Monday told
the Washington Blade in an email the candidate last month donated the $5,400
that Shkreli gave him to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington.
Theres no mistaking Wills strong support of anti-price-gouging relations for
drug companies and Hillary Clintons proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate
with the industry for lower prices for seniors, said Bennett.
Bennett did not return the Blades follow-up requests for comment on
whether Jawando has returned any of the contributions he received from Turing
Pharmaceutical employees.
Shkreli last fall sparked outrage when he announced that Turing
Pharmaceuticals had raised the cost of Daraprim which is used to treat an
infection that can cause brain damage in people with AIDS and babies from
$13.50 to $750 a pill.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in October donated the $2,700 that Shkreli
contributed to his presidential campaign to Whitman-Walker Health in D.C.
Federal authorities on Dec. 17 arrested Shkreli, who became known as
pharma bro in the media, and charged him with securities fraud in connection
with Retrophin, a pharmaceutical company he founded in 2011, and the hedge
fund MSMB Capital Management. Turing Pharmaceuticals the following day
announced the controversial CEO had resigned.
Jawando, who lives in Silver Spring, previously worked for former-Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan as an adviser.
Van Hollen last year announced his campaign to succeed retiring U.S. Sen.
Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
Jawando is among the seven Democrats including state Sen. Jamie Raskin
(D-Montgomery County) and former Marriott International Executive Vice
President Kathleen Matthews who are running for Van Hollens seat in the
House.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 1 1
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
1 2 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
NATIONAL NEWS
Rep. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ invited a Florida gay couple to last years State of
the Union Address.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY HUGH CLARKE
Florida marks marriage anniversary

MIAMI Jan. 5 marked one year since marriage for same-sex couples became
legal in Florida.
Cathy Pareto and Karla Arguello one of the six plainti couples in a lawsuit
that challenged the states constitutional amendment dening marriage as
between a man and a woman exchanged vows in Miami-Dade County on Jan.
5, 2015. Arguello gave birth to the couples twins in August.
Its been a banner year for us, Pareto told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
Since we got married, we had a big church wedding, which was really special.
And in August, we welcomed our twins, who are now four months old.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights last August led a federal lawsuit on
behalf of Pareto and Arguello and two other married lesbian couples that alleges
the state does not allow hospitals to list the names of both same-sex parents on
their childrens birth certicates.
Todd and Je Delmay of Hollywood exchanged vows on the same day that
Pareto and Arguello did.
Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz invited the two men to attend
President Obamas 2015 State of the Union address. Todd Delmay nevertheless told
the Sun-Sentinel that life for him and his husband is now mundane.
Man killed after dispute with boyfriend

SAN DIEGO A San Diego police ocer on Jan. 1 shot and killed a man after
a domestic dispute with his boyfriend.
KSWB, a San Diego television station, reported that ocers at around
10:35 p.m. responded to a domestic violence incident in the citys Hillcrest
neighborhood.
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs in a press release cited local
media reports that indicate Joshua Adam Sisson, 30, was holding a knife to his
boyfriends neck.
KSWB reported that Sisson ed the scene after ocers arrived. Sisson was
shot in the chest after he aggressively advanced toward an ocer, according
to a spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department.
Sisson died at a local hospital.
Okla. city expands bias ordinance

NORMAN, Okla. Members of the Norman City Council on Dec. 22 voted
unanimously to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the citys human
rights ordinance.
Freedom Oklahoma, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, noted Norman is the
rst municipality in the Sooner State to adopt such protections.
This is a historic day, not only for Norman, but for the entire state of
Oklahoma, said Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Troy Stevenson. As the
rst city in our great state to fully protect all of its residents, Norman has set
a precedent for every municipality in Oklahoma, and a challenge to our state
legislature to follow suit.
The University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, which is roughly 20 miles
south of the state capital of Oklahoma City.
Oklahomas anti-discrimination law does not include sexual orientation or
gender identity.
PRESIDENT OBAMAis set to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Will Obama include

LGBT issues in nal
State of the Union?
Advocates hope for push
on trans rights, Equality Act
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
LGBT rights supporters are hoping
that President Obama will mention trans
visibility and the Equality Act during his nal
State of the Union address next week.
The remarks, which will mark the nal
State of the Union address for Obama as
his administration comes to a close, will
begin at 9 p.m. on Tuesday and be delivered
before a joint session of Congress.
Rea Carey, executive director of the
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund,
said her organization wishes Obama
well in his nal State of the Union and
hopes he builds on the progress under
his administration to enumerate the
diculties faced by transgender people
in his remarks.
In his speech and at this time in our
nations history, we need the president to
help remind all of us of our core values
of dignity and mutual respect in what
is a ercely divisive political climate,
Carey said. A climate that has included
an unprecedented deluge of hate
speech against LGBTQ people, Muslims,
undocumented immigrants and other
groups. Hateful words that can lead to
hateful actions such as the appalling
levels of violence against, and the murder
of, transgender people.
Other legislative endeavors Carey
said she would like to hear Obama push
are criminal justice reform, closing the
gaps in income inequality and federal
comprehensive LGBT non-discrimination
legislation known as the Equality Act.
And as the most LGBTQ-friendly
president of all time, we hope he will
express the vital importance of the
Equality Act to extend more freedom,

justice and equality to all LGBTQ people,
Carey said.
Obama has often taken the opportunity
of his State of the Union address to talk
about his commitment to LGBT rights.
Last year, for the rst time ever, Obama
invoked the words lesbian, bisexual
and transgender in remarks before a
joint session of Congress.
Stephen Peters, a spokesperson for
the Human Rights Campaign, said his
organization would like Obama to build
on his remarks last year for greater trans
inclusion in the speech and a call to pass
the Equality Act.
We would love to see him build on that
by raising awareness and visibility of the
many challenges facing the transgender
community right now, Peters said. There
are also numerous other challenges that
remain that we would love to hear the
president address, including the need
to pass the Equality Act for full federal
LGBT equality, HIV/AIDS funding, the
current Department of Defense review
of the outdated regulations preventing
transgender service members from serving
authentically, and a host of other areas.
Peters added, There is no doubt that
President Obamas legacy of progress
for the LGBT community is unmatched in
history, and we are hopeful hell continue
to build on that progress during his last
year in oce.
The White House didnt respond to the
Washington Blades request forcomment
on the content of the State of the Union
or any LGBT inclusion in his remarks.
In the aftermath of Obamas executive
actions to enhance gun safety, much of
his State of the Union address will likely
consist of the president urging Congress
to take further action. Given Republican
opposition to his actions, such legislative
activity seems unlikely.
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NATIONAL NEWS
PRESIDENT OBAMA cried Tuesday while outlining plans to combat gun violence.
IMAGE CAPTURE VIA C-SPAN
Obama invokes LGBT rights

to promote gun safety
President Obama invoked during remarks at the White House on Tuesday the
long struggle to achieve LGBT rights to promote his executive actions aimed at
enhancing gun safety.
Obama referenced LGBT rights during his 30-minute speech after calling on
Congress to follow-up on his actions with a change in gun laws.
It will be hard, and it wont happen overnight, Obama said. It wont happen
during this Congress. It wont happen during my presidency. But a lot of things
dont happen overnight. A womans right to vote didnt happen overnight. The
liberation of African Americans didnt happen overnight. LGBT rights that was
decades worth of work. So just because its hard, thats no excuse not to try.
But the most widely discussed part of the speech was when Obama teared up
recalling the deaths in 2012 of 20 rst-grade students at Sandy Hook Elementary
School at the hands of shooter Adam Lanza.
Every time I think about those kids it gets me mad, Obama said. And by the
way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day.
Obama unveiled a series actions aimed at promoting gun safety this week after
consulting with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch: Closing the background
check loophole for the purchase of a rearm online or at a gun show; Proposing
a new $500 million investment in access in mental health care; Adding 200
more agents and investigators at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms &
Explosives to enforce existing gun laws; and pushing for smart gun technology.
Im not on the ballot again, Obama said. Im not looking to score some
points. I think we can disagree without impugning other peoples motives or
without being disagreeable. We dont need to be talking past one another. But
we do have to feel a sense of urgency about it. In Dr. Kings words, we need to
feel the erce urgency of now. Because people are dying. And the constant
excuses for inaction no longer do, no longer suce.
CHRIS JOHNSON
Lesbian confronts Ben Carson at event

As Ben Carson falls in the polls after a campaign that featured hisstaunch opposition
to LGBT rights, the Republican presidential candidate was confronted Monday by a
lesbian who asked him if being gay is a choice.
The exchange, which was captured on video by ABC News, took place after one of
Carsons town hall meetings in Staten Island, N.Y. as he shook hands and took photos
with others in attendance.
I have a quick question, said the attendee, who approached Carson wearing a T-shirt
bearing the name of a local LGBT center. Do you think I chose to be gay?
Did you choose to be gay? Carson initially responded.
Yes, do you think I chose to be gay? the attendee repeated.
Thats a long conversation, thats a long conversation that leads to no answer,
Carson said as he smiled for a photo with other attendees.
The last word in the lesbian attendees response is edited in the video, but she
appeared to say, I think youre full of shit.

OK, Carson responded as he continued grinning
for a photo.
The attendee is never shown in the clip explaining
why she asked the question, but Carson opposes
LGBT rights. Hes suggested LGBT families are not of
the same value as those with opposite-sex parents,
indicated transgender people should be forced to
use segregated bathrooms and said he preferred
the U.S. military under Dont Ask, Dont Tell.
An opponent of same-sex marriage, Carson
has signed a pledge to back a U.S. constitutional
amendment to reverse the U.S. Supreme Courts
decision on marriage and another pledge to push
within his rst 100 days of oce passage of the First
Amendment Defense Act, a religious freedom bill
seen to enable anti-LGBT discrimination.
After a high-prole shakeup in his campaign
resulting in the departure of top staers, Carson
A lesbian confronted Ben Carson
hired as his new campaign manager retired Army
this week and asked, Do you
Major Gen. Robert Dees, whos vice president of
think I chose to be gay?
Liberty University. As David Badash of the New Civil
IMAGE CAPTURE VIA ABC NEWS
Rights Movement has pointed out, Dees has said the
U.S. military has been degraded by allowing gay
people to serve openly.
TJ Helmstetter, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, said the long
conversation Carson referenced should be why Republican presidential candidates
keep standing in the way of LGBT rights.
At a time when you can still be red for being LGBT in many places across America,
its outrageous that Republican politicians like Ben Carson, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio
continue pandering to the anti-gay fringe of their party by supporting discriminatory
policies and making inammatory statements, Helmstetter said. Its a new year, but
the same old GOP. The Republicans should join Democrats in the 21st century.
Its not the rst time Carson has addressed the question of whether being gay is a
choice. During an interview on CNN in March, Carson said he absolutely thinks being
gay is a choice. His explanation: People go into prison who say theyre straight, but when
they nish their sentence and are released, they say theyre gay.
A lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight and when they come out,
theyre gay, Carson said. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask
yourself that question.
After outcry from LGBT advocates over his response, Carson issued a statement to
apologize, saying he realized that my choice of language does not reect fully my heart
on gay issues.
I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation,
Carson said. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive.
For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were oended.
Once the GOP front-runner, Carson has fallen considerably in the polls. A CNN/ORC
poll published last month found Carson following Donald Trump and Ted Cruz with 10
percent support among Republicans.
CHRIS JOHNSON
Emails: Clinton sought to assist Md. marriage effort

The latest batch of Hillary Clinton emails made public by the State Department reveals
she made an eort in 2012 to help with passage of same-sex marriage in Maryland,
even though at the time she had yet to come out for gay nuptials.
The message is part of the batch of around 5,500 pages of emails made public on
Thursday by the State Department, which is making them available on an gradualbasis
as a result of a court order.
In a Feb. 20, 2012 email, Clinton sought to inform Georgetown University law professor
Peter Edelman an attempt was made on her behalf to convince then-Rep. Sam Arora to
support legislation in favor of same-sex marriage.
Pls let him know Bill called unsuccessfully, Clinton wrote.
An earlier batch of emails had already revealed Edelman solicited Clinton for help in
persuading Arora to vote for marriage equality in Maryland.
At the time, the Hungton Post reported former President Bill Clinton was among
those who contacted Arora in an eort to convince him to vote yes on the bill. The
lawmaker ended up voting against same-sex marriage, much to the chagrin of LGBT
advocates who contributed to his campaign because he vowed to support the legislation.
The one-term lawmaker didnt seek election to a second term.
CHRIS JOHNSON
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 1 5
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
1 6 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S
Desmond Tutus daughter marries partner
The Islamic State last year posted a picture online that it said shows the execution of
a man who allegedly engaged in same-sex sexual acts. A report indicates the Sunni
militant group on Jan. 1 killed a teenage boy for homosexuality in the Syrian city of
Deir ez-Zor.
ISIS executes teen for

homosexuality: report
Islamic State militants have reportedly executed a teenage boy they accused
of engaging in homosexuality.
ARA News, an independent Syrian news agency, reported that militants threw
the boy from a roof in the city of Deir ez-Zor on Jan. 1.
Deir ez-Zor, which is located on the Euphrates River in eastern Syria, is less
than 90 miles downstream from the Islamic States de facto capital of Raqqa.
A source told ARA News that militants took the teenager into custody on Dec.
31 in the home of Abu Zaid al-Jazrawi, a prominent Islamic State ocer, on
charges of homosexuality.
The boy was accused of being engaged in a homosexual relation with the
prominent ISIS ocer Abu Zaid al-Jazrawi, Sarai al-Din, a Syrian media advocate,
told ARA News.
ARA News cited pro-ISIS sources who said a Sharia court in Deir ez-Zor sought
al-Jazwaris execution. It said that top commanders with the Sunni militant group
instead stripped him of his position and expelled him to neighboring Iraq.
The Islamic State, which is also known as Daesh, has executed dozens of men
in Syria and Iraq accused of committing sodomy. Reports indicate that members
of the Sunni militant group sometimes force people to attend these executions
that often take place in public.
Many LGBT Syrians and Iraqis from Islamic State-controlled areas have ed to
Lebanon, Turkey and other countries.
Lebanese advocates with whom the Washington Blade has spoken said they
have heard reports that Islamic State militants have burned men alive they
suspected were gay. Bertho Makso, a gay Lebanese man who founded Proud
Lebanon, a Beirut-based group that provides support and other services to
LGBT Syrian refugees, said in a previous interview that members of the Sunni
extremist group hanged a transgender Syrian woman by her breasts.
ISIL has executed other kids and teenagers before, so killing them for being
LGBT isnt something shocking, Makso told the Blade in an email from Beirut.
A source in Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan that is less than 60 miles east of
Mosul, a city under Islamic State control, echoed Makso.
There is nothing about this story which I nd unbelievable, the source told
the Blade. It all tracks with what Im hearing in territory controlled by Daesh.
State Department spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala on Sunday also
responded to the teenagers reported execution.
If true, this would be just the latest example of the vile nature of this barbaric
organization and why we are committed to working with our partners until it is
destroyed, Jhunjhunwala told the Blade.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Rev. Mpho Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus

Desmond Tutus daughter, married
her ance Professor Marceline van
Furth last week.
According to African Human Rights
Coalition, the pair wed in a private civil
ceremony in South Holland in western
Netherlands. The couple plans to have a
wedding ceremony in Cape Town in May.
Furth is a professor in Pediatric
Infectious Diseases at Vrije University
Amsterdam. Rev. Tutu is the executive
director of the Desmond and Leah Tutu
Legacy Foundation.
It is the second marriage for both
women.
Rev. Tutus father Archbishop Tutu has
been a strong supporter for gay rights
as of late. BBC reported in 2013 that
during the launch of the Free and Equal
Rev. MPHO TUTU wed her partner in the
campaign in Cape Town, Archbishop
Netherlands.
Tutu spoke out about his feelings on
IMAGE CAPTURE VIA YOUTUBE
homophobia in religion.
I would refuse to go to a homophobic
heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place,
Archbishop Tutu said.
He went on to compare the ght for gay rights to racism in South Africa.
I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid. For me, it is at
the same level, Archbishop Tutu said.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
U.S. urges Saudi Arabia to respect human rights

State Department spokesperson John Kirby on Monday said the U.S. continues to
urge Saudi Arabia to respect human rights.
We continue to call upon the government of Saudi Arabia to respect and protect
human rights and to permit the peaceful expression of dissent, and to work together
with all community leaders to defuse tensions, Kirby told reporters during his daily
press brieng.
Kirbys comments came two days after Saudi Arabia announced the execution of
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was an outspoken critic of the Sunni
kingdoms ruling family, and 46 other prisoners.
Al-Nimrs execution sparked outrage throughout the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday cut diplomatic ties with Iran after protesters set its embassy in
Tehran on re. Bahrain and Sudan have also severed relations with the predominantly
Shiite country.
We continue to believe that diplomatic engagement and direct conversations are
essential to work through dierences, said Kirby on Monday during his daily press
brieng. Increased friction runs counter to the interests of all those in the international
community who support moderation, peace and stability.
Saudi Arabia is among the countries in which homosexuality remains punishable by
death.
The State Departments latest human rights report that it released last June notes it is
illegal for men in Saudi Arabia to behave like women or to wear womens clothes, and
vice versa. It also says the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention
of Vice, which enforces moral norms and religious laws in the kingdom, has used
undercover agents to identify and arrest the owners of social media accounts that
distributed pornography or served as social networking tools for LGBT persons.
The report notes that some of the 35 gay men who were arrested by police and
agents of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice at a
party in the city of Jiddah in April 2014 were wearing womens clothes. A judge in the city
of Medina a few months later sentenced a man to three years in prison and 450 lashes
for soliciting sex with other men on Twitter.
Secretary of State John Kerry in July 2014 during a meeting with then-Saudi King
Abdullah in Jiddah discussed the Islamic State and the large swaths of Iraq of which it
had taken control. Then-State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki declined to tell the
Washington Blade whether the two men discussed the kingdoms LGBT rights record.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 1 7
The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
stated the following statistics about the complications from Type 2 Diabetes:
Diabetes, especially in people with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, causes heart disease and is the #1
killer of diabetics
Diabetics are 2-4 times more likely to suffer a stroke vs non-diabetics.
Diabetes can cause blurred vision and can lead to blindness.
Diabetes can lead to kidney damage and dialysis.
This is NOT a complete list.
Please call to see if you qualify for a seat at our next Diabetes Dinner.
*Diabetologia. 2011 Oct; 54(10): 2506-2514
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
1 8 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
NEWS
Gray said to be leaning toward a run for Council

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
Gray one of the citys most accessible

mayors ever on LGBT issues, especially
transgender issues.
I cant speak for the community but
I personally would cast my vote in his
favor, Hughes said.
Like other Gray supporters, Grays LGBT
supporters have blamed Grays defeat
in the April 2014 Democratic mayoral
primary to then-Council member Muriel
Bowser (D-Ward 4) on a news conference
held by then-D.C. U.S. Attorney Ronald
Machen Jr. Most political observers said
Machen gave the strong impression at
the widely reported news conference
held three weeks before the primary that
Gray would likely be indicted on criminal
charges related to illegal fundraising
activities associated with Grays 2010
mayoral campaign.
Gray, who has repeatedly denied any
knowledge or involvement in the illegal
fundraising activities, was leading Bowser
in the polls prior to the news conference
but quickly fell behind in its aftermath.
Bowser beat Gray in the primary and

defeated gay City Council member David
Catania (I-At-Large) and former Council
member Carol Schwartz, who switched
from Republican to independent, in
the general election. She took oce as
mayor in January 2015.
It was not until Dec. 9 of last year
that Machens successor, U.S. Attorney
Channing Phillips, announced that a
lengthy investigation into Grays possible
involvement in the illegal campaign
activities had ended and Gray would
not be charged. Grays supporters noted
that the development at long last lifted
a cloud hanging over Grays head and
opened the way for Gray to return to
elective oce should he choose to do so.
A decision by Gray to run for the
at-large seat would have the greatest
impact on Orange and gay civic activist
David Garber. Garber, a former Advisory
Neighborhood Commissioner in Ward
6, announced in August that he would
challenge Orange for the Democratic
nomination for the at-large seat in the
June 2016 Democratic primary.
Among those supporting Garber is Bob

Summersgill, former president of the
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, who is
serving as Garbers campaign treasurer.
Most political observers have said
Garber would have an uphill quest to
unseat Orange but would have a longshot chance of succeeding.
Garbers best hope, LGBT observers
say, would be if Gray decides to run for
the Ward 7 seat. Although Gray lost the
mayoral primary to Bowser in 2014 he
beat Bowser decisively in Ward 7, which
is his home base, indicating he could be
expected to beat Alexander this year.
Alexander and Orange have been
supportive of LGBT issues in recent years
but both opposed same-sex marriage
legislation in past campaigns. Alexander
was one of just two Council members to
vote against the citys marriage equality
law in 2009.
Fowlkes said he would remain neutral
in the upcoming campaigns until the Stein
Club votes on endorsements in April. He
notes that both Orange and Alexander
have since come out in support of
marriage equality and he doesnt think

most LGBT voters would consider that a
key factor in 2016.
Our president has come along on marriage
equality, Fowlkes said. Hillary Clinton has
come along on marriage equality.
Chuck Thies, who served as manager of
Grays 2014 mayoral campaign, is the lead
organizer of a PAC he helped organize
to conduct the polling this week on the
upcoming Council races. Thies said Gray
played no role in organizing or nancing the
poll, but Thies acknowledges that it will likely
help Gray decide whether or not to run for
either the at-large or Ward 7 seat.
One of the poll questions released
by Thies asks potential D.C. voters, If
the Democratic candidates for At-Large
D.C. Council were Vincent Orange, David
Garber, Robert White, and Vince Gray,
who would you vote for?
White, a local community activist, is
among the candidates that have led
to run for the at-large seat along with
Garber to challenge Orange.
States to take center stage for LGBT movement in 2016

exemption to discriminate against

LGBT people, such as by denying them
services, are pre-led or pending in
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan
and North Carolina.
Rho said its safe to say Georgia will be
mired in this ght again after religious
freedom failed to pass in that state last
year. After the business outcry over the
passage of a similar bill in Indiana, Rho said
the business community in the Hoosier
State is working with commercial leaders
in Atlanta to educate them about the bill.
Well be keeping a close eye to see
whether this engagement and advocacy
aects the legislature in Georgia and
especially Gov. Nathan Deal, Rho said.
Lawmakers have introduced bills that
would allow individuals and companies to
discriminate on the basis of opposition to
same-sex marriage in Illinois and Oklahoma.
Legislation that would allow government
ocials to opt out of issuing marriage
licenses is pending in Kentucky, Minnesota,
South Carolina and Virginia. (Kentucky
is where Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis
made national headlines for enforcing a
no licenses policy in her oce after the
Supreme Court ruling on marriage).
Chris Hartman, director of the
Kentucky-based Fairness Campaign, was
doubtful about movement of the bill in
his state in the aftermath of Gov. Matt
Bevin signing an executive order allowing
clerks to remove their names from
Gov. MIKE PENCE (R-Ind.) took heat

aftersigning a religious freedom bill last
year.
marriage licenses.
Given Governor Matt Bevins executive
action on the issue, it seems unlikely the
Kentucky House and Senate will act on
such a redundancy, especially in a pressing
budget year, but well soon see the
priorities of each chamber, Hartman said.
Bills in Minnesota and Ohio would allow
individuals associated with commercial
wedding vendors to refuse services for
ceremonies to which they object, such as
same-sex weddings.
Legislation that would allow clergy to

refuse to perform same-sex weddings, which
would be redundant under current law,
is pending in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia.
Also on the docket is legislation aimed
at discrimination specically toward
the transgender community. Anti-trans
bills are expected in the aftermath of a
defeated pro-LGBT non-discrimination
ordinance in Houston.
In the Wisconsin Assembly, legislation
is pending that would bar transgender
students from using public restrooms in
schools consistent with their gender identity.
On Tuesday, the progressive think-tank
Center for American Progress and the
Massachusetts based-Fenway Institute
issued a 16-page joint policy brief, saying
the bills threaten transgender peoples
health and participation in public life.
The policy brief seeks to debunk the
notion that trans non-discrimination
measures would endanger safety in
public restrooms, saying no incident of
harassment has occurred as a result of
such laws in public accommodations.
Moreover, the brief says antitrans legislation contributes to the
stigmatization of transgender people,
making worse the physical and mental
health problems they face in addition to
enabling discrimination against them.
Laura Durso, director of the Center for
American Progress LGBT research and
communications project, said the anti-
trans legislation has a negative impact

on transgender peoples access to equal
opportunity.
Denying transgender people access
to facilities that are necessary for all
of us to go about our daily lives, such
as restrooms, contributes to minority
stress and can exacerbate negative
health outcomes already aecting
transgender people, Durso said. These
eorts signicantly limit the ability of
transgender people to fully and equally
participate in civic and public life.
One saving grace for LGBT advocates:
2016 is o-year for the Texas legislature,
where last year a record number of more
than 20 anti-LGBT bills were introduced. With
Texas o the map, LGBT advocates can focus
their energizes elsewhere in the country.
But not all eorts will be designed
to compromise LGBT rights. Some
advocates are undertaking eorts to
expand state non-discrimination laws to
include LGBT people.
As rst reported by the Associated
Press, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Michigan,
Ohio and Pennsylvania are states the
ACLU thinks are possibilities for enacting
such pro-LGBT legislation.
One high-prole eort is underway
in Indiana, where last year Indiana Gov.
Mike Pence landed in hot water for
signing a religious freedom bill enabling
anti-LGBT discrimination before later
signing a x to the measure.
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 1 9
Keep your promise to protect each other.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
20 J A N U A R Y 08, 2016
BA LT I MO RE N E W S
LGBT Latino support group formed
Wills & Trusts

Powers of Attorney Living Wills
Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements
(240) 778-2330 (703) 536-0220

www.PartnerPlanning.com
Serving the LGBT Community

in DC/MD/VA since 1983
Lawrence S. Jacobs/McMillan Metro, PC
Recognizing that there is a lack of focused support for Latino members of the
LGBT community in Baltimore, LilianAmaya, 27, and four others decided to do
something about it. They formed a group that they hope will help address this
underserved portion of the community.
Most of the Latino LGBT population lives in or near the Highlandtown area of
Baltimore yet the majority of the LGBT services are located in Baltimores Mount
Vernon neighborhood. Amaya believes that aside from the location barriers to
services, the Latino LGBT community faces many other intersectional barriers,
such as not being able to speak English, immigration status, acceptance in
culture and isolation.
A few of the group members have lived in Baltimore for quite some time
and have seen programs focused around the Latino LGBTQ community come
and go, Amaya told the Blade. During our initial planning meeting, it was clear
that the Latino LGBTQ community of Baltimore is in need of support that is
consistent and will not go away here in Highlandtown.
To begin to ll that void, a community meeting for Latino LGBT individuals has
been scheduled for Jan. 11 from 5-8 p.m. in the Southeast Enoch Pratt Library,
3601 Eastern Ave., in Baltimore. Topics to be discussed include: What are the
problems our community faces? What resources do we have? How can we
support ourselves?
We are hoping that this initial community meeting will be a good introduction
to group meetings held monthly in Highlandtown for the Latino LGBTQ
community as well as an opportunity for the community to have voice, said
Amaya, who is Bilingual Service Coordinator at House of Ruth Maryland.
A colleague introduced Amaya to Alfredo Santiago, who is working with
Amaya to organize the Latino LGBTQ group. A social worker who has lived in the
community for more than 15 years, Santiago works for RISE, which is a retreat
for gay and bisexual men.
It is time to acknowledge and recognize the Latino LGBTQ community
presence in Baltimore, Santiago told the Blade. In unity, there is space for
personal and community development.
For more information, call 410-241-9824 or email lamaya@hruthmd.org.
PFLAG to screen Edie and Thea

The Howard County chapter of PFLAG will present the documentary Edie and
Thea: A Very Long Engagement on Jan. 12. After 42 years, the lesbian couple,
Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer, are nally getting married. From the early 60s
to the present day, the tireless community activists persevere through many
battles, both personal and political. Edie Windsor was the plainti in the case in
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The meeting will take place beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Owen Brown
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GLSEN to offer training for educators
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washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement,
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Speak with our preplanning adviSor,

Jamie arthurS at (202) 966-6400 or email
Jamie.arthurS@dignitymemorial.com
5130 Wisconsin Ave. NW DC (202) 966-6400 www.JosephGawlers.com
In an eort to build a safe, inclusive environment for all students, regardless

of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, GLSEN Baltimore
will oer free development training to K-12 educators. The training will take
place on Jan. 16 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Towson University, Smith Hall, Room 359.
Participants will learn denitions of relevant terminology to assist with
communicating about this topic, data about the issues that LGBTQ youth face,
and best practices for intervening, communicating, and enforcing.
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STEVE CHARING
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 2 1
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JANUARY 27, 2016
79:30PM
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
22 J A N U A R Y 08, 2016
Syphilis cases triple in N.Y. county
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BUFFALO, N.Y. The number of syphilis cases has tripled in Erie County over
the last ve years, a spike health ocials here attribute mostly to smartphone
applications that make it easier for men to hook up with other men, the Bualo
News reports.
The county Health Department recorded fewer than 40 diagnosed syphilis
cases in 2011. But last year, the number of new cases climbed to 157. And
ocials expect the growth to continue, the article said.
Health Department investigators trace the surge in recent years to men who
have sex with other men and typically nd their partners through their phones.
A proliferation of GPS-enabled apps make it possible for men to nd like-minded
and available male sex partners almost anywhere.
Compared with sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia,
which infect thousands of people each year in Erie County, and HIV, which
requires lifelong treatment, syphilis cases have been measured in the dozens,
making it a mere footnote in public health news, the article said.
But thats changing. The number of syphilis cases has risen in both New York
State and the country. Locally, concentrations of new cases have been seen in
Bualo, Cheektowaga, Kenmore, Tonawanda and Grand Island, according to
Health Department data, the Bualo News article said.
Of those with syphilis in Erie County, 86 percent are men. The largest
percentage roughly 40 percent are African-American, and nearly a third
are white, the Bualo News reports.
Syphilis is treatable but can be serious if ignored.
HIV campaign targets trans New Yorkers

NEW YORK The citys Department of Health is making an eort to reach
transgender New Yorkers with a new campaign promoting HIV prevention,
DNAinfo reports.
Posters placed in subway stations and on city buses depict individuals and
couples of various sexual orientations, races and gender identities promoting
the use of an HIV prevention medication called PrEP as well as condoms. Its a
a sex-positive strategy really encouraging people to combine things, Demetre
Daskalakis, assistant commissioner of the Department of Healths bureau of
HIV/AIDS prevention and control, told DNAinfo.
Researchers say anti-trans laws promote abuse
We believe we can make the

dental experience better.
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WASHINGTON DC 20037
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LICENSED IN DC, MD AND VA
WASHINGTON A policy brief released this week by the Fenway Institute

and the Center for American Progress examines controversial state and local
legislation that would prevent transgender people from using gendered public
facilities, such as restrooms or locker rooms, that align with their gender identity.
The brief debunks myths about safety concerns regarding the use of these
spaces by people who are transgender and describes negative outcomes that
these bills could cause. It also calls on states to pass laws that protect the rights
of all Americans to access public accommodations regardless of gender identity.
A Texas bill would make it a felony for transgender people to use public
restrooms consistent with their gender identity and would place responsibility
for enforcement with those who operate the public restroom, said Tim Wang,
LGBT Health Policy Analyst at the Fenway Institute and lead author of the brief.
Preventing people who are transgender from accessing public restrooms
consistent with their gender identity could promote abuse and discrimination.
In 2015, the state legislatures of Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota and
Missouri all considered bills restricting access of transgender people to public
bathrooms and locker rooms. More recently, Houston repealed an equal rights
ordinance that banned discrimination on the basis of gender identity, among
other protected categories. This new wave of anti-transgender legislation
follows historical precedents of using legislation to pre-empt or invalidate laws
or ordinances that provide equal rights and protection from discrimination to
LGB people.
Proponents of the anti-transgender bathroom bills argue that they are
common-sense policy measures to prevent transgender people from sexually
harassing other people in public bathrooms. However, there are no data
showing that allowing people who are transgender to use public restrooms that
align with their gender identity will lead to an increase in sexual harassment or
abuse of the other people using the facilities, the Fenway press release said.
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 2 3
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
2 4 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
VIEWPOINT
VOLUME
47
ISSUE
02
ADDRESS
In N.Y., a mission unfullled

Empire State Pride Agenda
declares victory without
winning trans rights
By PAULINE PARK
On Dec. 12, the Empire State Pride Agenda
abruptly announced it would shut down along
with its foundation (though not its political action committee), something of a George W.
Bush mission accomplished moment because
New Yorks only statewide LGBT advocacy organization is closing its doors claiming having
fullled its mission but without having secured
enactment of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act as it had promised the transgender community. At its Oct. 22 fall dinner,
ESPA touted regulations announced by Gov.
Andrew Cuomo that would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression,
but they do not have the force of statute law
and could be rescinded by his successor and
will undermine eorts to push GENDA through
the Senate. Many New York activists have disputed the notion that the states LGBT community has achieved full equality, which still faces
myriad issues such as homelessness, health
care access and police brutality.
It is obvious that the ESPA and Foundation
boards voted to shut down for the simple
reason that the organizations were no longer nancially viable. The campaign for the
marriage equality bill enabled ESPA to solicit
unprecedented donations, but donations pre-
dictably dried up when the bill passed the Senate in 2011 and ESPA found itself in dire straits,
borrowing heavily from its Foundation just to
make payroll and putting itself deep into debt.
The Foundation itself was relying primarily
on a big grant from the state Department of
Health to run the New York State LGBT Health
& Human Services Network of over 60 LGBT
social service providers. Rather than carefully
plan for the predictable fall-o in donations
after enactment of the marriage law, the ESPA
board compounded the error by making an
even bigger mistake: Co-chair Louis Bradbury
and his cronies abruptly red Ross Levi, using
the fall-o in donations as a pretext to get rid
of an executive director with sucient standing in the community to give him a degree of
independence from a board that wanted to
micro-manage the sta and replace him with
someone with little relevant experience who
could be easily controlled.
The increasingly precarious scal situation
pushed the board to cut a backroom deal with
a governor who had not shown the slightest
interest in using his inuence with the Senate
to push GENDA through so that ESPA could
declare victory and go home; hence the need
to avoid consultation even with the GENDA
Coalition, because ESPA could not risk a negative response to the shoddy deal cut with
Cuomo to secure the executive order. The
deal represents a betrayal of the transgender
community and the process through which
the GENDA coalition was working to enact
legislation to prohibit discrimination based on
gender identity or expression in state law.

ESPA could have taken a dierent path and
expanded its work to move beyond its relatively narrow policy agenda, which was in fact
the direction the GENDA Coalition was moving
in, having decided by consensus in 2014 that
it would expand beyond GENDA to a broader
agenda of social justice.
But the truth is that neither the boards nor
the stas of the Pride Agenda and its Foundation had any real interest in moving in that direction; the leadership was content to declare
victory and go home after having helped secure enactment of the state hate crimes law
(2000), the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (2002), the Dignity for All Students
Act prohibiting bullying (2010) and the marriage equality law (2011).
No one could deny that the enactment of
such legislation was not a signicant achievement; but the shoddy deal that ESPA cut with
Cuomo that eectively undercut the work of
those attempting to advance GENDA cannot be
forgotten and will not be forgiven by many; it
was the nal betrayal of the transgender community after the solemn vow in the wake of the
SONDA debacle in 2002 to secure enactment
of transgender non-discrimination legislation.
PAULINE PARK (paulinepark.com) is chair of
the New York Association for Gender Rights
Advocacy and led the campaign for the trans
rights law enacted by the New York City Council
in 2002. She served on the steering committee
of the coalition seeking to advance GENDA, still
pending in the New York State Senate.
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J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 2 5
Will Oscar shine on Carol and Tangerine?

2015 proved banner year for
queer cinema
By BROCK THOMPSON
The year 2015 saw the release of the
best queer lms in recent memory
the stylistic and sophisticated Carol,
directed by Todd Haynes, and the gritty
and brutally honest Tangerine, directed
byrelative newcomer Sean S. Baker.
Both lms prove similar and yet worlds
apart in style and subject matter. First, with
Hayness Carol, with what the director got
(at times comically) wrong with his other
queer cinematic undertaking Far from
Heaven, Carol delivers. How exactly?
Most strikingly, and without giving away
any endings, Haynes nally gives the audience a happy one. What the oppressive
1950s took away in Far From Heaven, the
post-war decade gave in the form of an unprecedented upbeat, promising, and altogether believable ending in Carol.
Based on the 1952 book, The Price of
Salt by Patricia Highsmith, writing un-
der the pseudonym Claire Morgan, the

titular Carol, played by the incredible Cate
Blanchett, who somehow oozes style by
just looking at a toy train set in a department store while wearing a fur coat
that seems practically part of her. There
she meets the meek Therese, played by
Rooney Mara. Their relationship builds
from there. Watch too for notable performances by Sarah Paulson as the loyal
condant and Kyle Chandler as the frustrated, red-faced husband.
Destined to be a cult-classic, Tangerine follows Sin-Dee, played by Kitana
Kiki Rodriguez, a transgender sex worker
fresh from a month-long stint in jail as
she hunts down the pimp boyfriend who
broke her heart. Helping her out is her
best friend and fellow sex worker Alexandra, played by Mya Taylor. Defying and
dening casting conventions, both individuals were actual sex workers turned
actors, plucked by the director from the
Los Angeles LGBT Center. If you nd suspect societys holding up the likes of Caitlyn Jenner as a model of transgender life,
let Tangerine provide a bookend to that.

Queer cinema is fraught with pitfalls.
Gay men are either left to be noble AIDS
patients or the poor losers in love and life.
Lesbians are depicted as bullish threats
to both traditional masculinity and femininity, if they appear at all. Transgender
individuals are seen as a dangerous inbetween to be both mocked and pitied.
In the two lms oered here, all characters navigate a world not exactly set up
for them Carol with style and grace
and shielded by wealth and class, the girls
of Tangerine armed with friendship and
erce loyalty.
Again, without spoiling anything, both
lms culminate in locations that are strikingly beautiful in their own ways, Carol
in the fabled and now-shuttered Plaza
Hotels Oak Room, and Tangerine, believe it or not, in a 24-hour Santa Monica
Laundromat. In both locales, we get the
backdrop of what is left after everything
else is stripped away, but especially in
Tangerine when two defeated trans
hustlers have quite literally nothing left
but each other.

The most remarkable aspect of these
two lms is the time and budget in which
they were prepared. Carol was shot in
34 days on classic Super 16 mm; Tangerine was lmed entirely on iPhone 5s
smartphones and took a mere 18 days.
Both proving in the day of star warring
and space swashbuckling that overly produced scenes do not always deliver.
Oscar nominations are announced on
Jan. 14. Will Carol get noticed? Most certainly, as Blanchett was magnicent and
her stellar performance in 2013s Blue
Jasmine certainly cemented her as one
of the best Hollywood has to oer. Will
Tangerine get a nod from the academy?
Though lmed not far from where the
Oscars are to be presented, Im guessing academy members have overlooked
these people and will continue to do so.
But maybe theyll surprise me.
Tangerine is currently streaming on
Netix; Carol is in theaters.
BROCK THOMPSON is a D.C.-based writer.
I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON
Getting t in 2016 east of the river

Bowser working to improve
health of all D.C. residents
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a longtime Democratic

Party and LGBT rights activist. He is a regular
contributor to the Blade.
The New Year is the time we make resolutions to focus on our tness to start
eating a healthier diet, lose weight and
go to the gym more often. In D.C., there
are many places to do that unless you live
east of the river in Wards 7 and 8 where it
is not so easy to nd a place or a program
both convenient and aordable. People
in those wards often nd themselves living in food deserts and for many reasons
dont participate regularly in tness or nutrition programs.
The Bowser administration is starting
to change that. It recently announced
Parks and Recreation tness centers will
now be free to District residents. In addition they recently opened the newly
renovated Berry Farm Recreation Center

in Ward 8. Another of the positive things
the mayor has done is to lead tness runs
in each Ward and the Fresh Start New
Years Day 5k, which attracted more than
1,000 people this year. But while all these
things are great, they are really only a
modest beginning and those who participate in one of those runs need a way to
follow up and begin a personal long-term
program toward better health.
In a recent meeting with Deputy Mayor Courtney Snowden, Dustin Canter,
founder of Routeam and I shared some
ideas on how the city can help individuals who need not only more access to
programs but help in structuring an appropriate personal tness model and
then sticking to a program that will help
them to lead healthier lives. This includes
everyone from our youngest residents to
our senior citizens.
One project the city should focus on is
getting the YMCA, which just announced
the closing of its facility and the sale of its
building on 17th and Rhode Island, N.W.,
to open a facility east of the river. One
possible site would be the St. Elizabeths
campus near the new planned Wizards
training center. As a nonprot, the YMCA
could have a sliding scale of membership
rates making it aordable for those in the
community to participate in programs

there.
We reminded Deputy Mayor Snowden
that the administration has another program at its disposal, which it is not making
appropriate use of the Mayors Council
on Physical Fitness, Health and Nutrition,
which by law has on its board all the city
agencies that have a role in improving
the health of D.C. residents. The Council,
along with Serve-DC, could establish a
program calling on tness instructors, nutritionists and other health education specialists to volunteer to work in programs
throughout Wards 7 and 8. The goal
would be to start teaching children of all
ages and adults, including senior citizens,
how to live healthier lives. These volunteers could help start or expand classes
in public spaces, including recreation centers, libraries, senior citizen centers, and
schools while also working toward having
programs in every workplace and church.
The Mayors Council on Physical Fitness,
Health and Nutrition could fulll one of
the ideas behind its formation, which was
to develop a comprehensive website that
would inform residents across the District
of the multitude of programs available to
them, both public and private.
Canter, who is recognized as one of the
top 100 tness people in 2015 by Active
Life DC, has developed an online program,

which can be seen at routeam.com providing software services for the private exercise business in yoga, weightlifting, youth
sports and more.This program is intended
to inform the thousands of people moving
into the District each year about opportunities for them to participate in programs
that will help them lead healthier lives. He
has oered to work with city agencies such
as the Department of Health, Agency on Aging, and Parks and Recreation to develop a
program that would connect DC residents
in Wards 7 and 8 with ongoing exercise and
nutrition programs.
To reach more children, its important to work through the schools. Currently there are some eorts being made
by DCPS and through the Network for
Teaching Entrepreneurship and its D.C.
chapter. These programs could be expanded into many more classrooms with
connections made through the State Ofce for Education to include students in
charter schools.
The Bowser administration has set the
laudable goal of improving health outcomes for all D.C. residents. Working with
experts like Canter and others who would
volunteer time to get programs o the
ground will be important if reaching that
goal is to become a reality.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
2 6 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
O U R BU SI N E SS MA T T E RS
Americans still trust business more than government

7-in-10 say Big Government
is greatest threat, named
top problem
MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur

and community business advocate. Follow
on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at
OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.
Believe it or not, no one knows exactly how

many federal government agencies actually exist. The multiple internal audit sources tasked
with keeping a tally all disagree. Numeric variances diverge by a signicant margin.
Not knowing even how many agencies
employ people in the bureaucratic beehive,
of course, creates another problem. No one
reliably knows how many people work for the
federal government. Dont even attempt to
count the subcontractors.
In addition, there are now so many federal regulations and rules issued by however
many agencies that toil at scheming them up
and whatever multitudes of people who exact
a living promulgating them that even the national government cant say with certainty how
many there are or where to source them all.
Only that there are more than ever and under
the current administration the total number
has been spiraling upward at an astonishing
pace to reach unprecedented levels.
One thing, though, is known, certain and
quantiable: Americans dislike and distrust
Big Government in record numbers.
Seven-in-10 believe that the federal government is the biggest threat to the country, a
precedent-setting high consistent over the
past three years. While big government has
always been considered a bigger threat than
big business in the U.S., the current era peak
is at the highest level in tracking by Gallup on
the issue over a 50-year trend-line.
This viewpoint has become so deeply ingrained that half of all Americans over the past
few years believe the federal government poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. The leading reason
proered is that the federal government is too
big and too powerful.
In contrast, a sliver bouncing between

merely one-fth to only one-quarter of Americans in recent years view big business as the
greater threat. Further, small and moderatesized businesses have long been the darlings
of public opinion, recognized for producing
the largest number of jobs and spurring substantial economic development.
While the majorities among Democrats, Republicans and independents naming government the greater threat facing the country differs by degree, solid majorities of all three hold
that view. Democrats by a margin of 53 to 41
percent, independents at 67 to 25 percent and
Republicans by an 88 to seven percent margin.
The federal government also reigns, for the
second year, as the biggest problem facing
the nation. Dissatisfaction with government
remains at the top, higher than the next issues
of greatest concern the economy, unemployment and immigration.
The publics trust in the federal government
continues to languish at historically low levels. In
November, the Pew Research Center released
its comprehensive annual survey indicating
that only 19 percent of Americans say they can
trust the federal government. That tiny percentage is among the lowest ever recorded in the
past half-century, and represents a recently fur-
ther plummeting degree of favorability.

Only one-in-ve consider government
programs as being well-run. Fully 59 percent
say the federal government is in immediate
need of very major reform to improve performance. A strong majority now believes
ordinary folks would do a better job running
things and solving national problems, not career politicians or bureaucrats.
According to the Pew results, 57 percent say
that the federal government is almost always
wasteful and inecient, an assessment that
hasnt changed in decades. Gallups December
survey pegged the number perceiving widespread corruption in the federal government
at 75 percent.
Given those firmly entrenched views, it should
startle no one that Americans favor smaller government providing fewer services by a 53-38
percent margin. Reducing the size and scope of
government has proven a consistent Pew survey trend throughout the past 20 years.
With many in D.C. and the Washington metropolitan area sucking the marrow from the
bone of the bureaucratic behemoth for sustenance, the region has become inured to the
perceptions prevalent in the rest of the country.
Beyond the bubble, business is viewed as
friend while government is considered foe.
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
N E W YEA R, NEW Y OU
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 2 9
New year, new who?

KNOW YOURSELF AND WHAT SETBACKS YOURE LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER WHEN PLANNING YOUR FITNESS STRATEGY
By GERARD BURLEY
Coach G
Overcoming weight
and health issues
is more of a mental
challenge than a
physical one.
Every new year brings with it a sea of

possibilities and so here we are once again.
A Nielsen poll reported that more
than 60 percent of people last year
made resolutions to be healthier in 2015
and 2016 is shaping up the same way.
Something about the new year brings a
thought that we can somehow achieve
things that we never have because this
time will be different.
As a personal trainer and tness coach,
this is the time when I see lots of newbies
ready to make a change, many who tell
me how they fell off the wagon the year
prior. Over the years Ive collected a few
crucial tools to help people overcome
the lose weight/gain weight, workout/
dont workout, eat healthy/eat unhealthy
new years yoyo that so many people will
go through in the next 30 days. Follow
these tools to have a more successful and
healthier 2016.
Its all mental I know you dont want
to hear this, but it really is way more mental
than physical. I swear the actual training of
clients is the easy part. Motivating people to
want to or care to do it is the hardest part.
The best mental tool or task you can
start with is asking yourself why. Why do
you want to lose weight? Why do you want
to look better? Why do you want to feel
better? Do you really want to be healthier?
These are questions people rarely ask
themselves before starting a tness

journey and if they do, they many times
barely scratch the surface. The answer of, I
want to lose weight because I want to look
better is not the answer thats going to
keep you committed when day 15 comes
and it gets hard to stay on track.
You must dig deeper into the whys and
feel the emotions that come from how
you currently feel. A better answer is, I
want to lose weight because when I am
overweight, I lack condence and dont
feel comfortable in my skin, or I want to
eat healthier because I want to set a better
example for my kids and be around when
they get older. I suggest getting a card
for each of your goals and writing down
that goal on one side. On the other side
you should write down why you want to
achieve that goal and make it as real and
close to the heart as possible. Post this card
by your bed or keep it in your wallet, but
denitely put it somewhere where you will
see it often. This visual reminder will help
you to stay on track when it gets tough.
Build a support system This may be
a close second in importance to success.
A supportive network is so important to
helping you stay on track and to achieve
your goals. One thing I love about Weight
Watchers, besides that Oprah is now part
of it, is that they have meetings where
you gain the support of other people. A
big part of this may be you guring out

what type of support you need personally.
Having a bunch of friends with six packs
who workout all the time might not be the
support you need.
Maybe joining a group of people who
are at different stages of their tness and
weight loss journeys may be better. Maybe
working with a paid professional to help
walk you step-by-step to your goal may be
better. Remember theres nothing wrong
with asking for help.
Your physician can always refer you to
nutritionist, psychiatrist, personal trainers
and other professionals to help you build
your support team. Most people who start
working with a professional wonder why
they didnt get help earlier. What type
of help you need will depend on your
personality and how you are motivated.
Id encourage you to seek support from
various networks to help you to stay on
task. Meetup.com has a lot of different
nutrition and workout groups that can be a
great source to meet new people who may
work for you.
Plan to fail I know this sounds weird.
Why would you go into a new goal
planning to fail? But at times you will
fail. When achieving any goal, especially
health-related ones, there will always be
setbacks, thats just how life goes. How you
handle the setbacks are the true test of if
you will reach your goals.

A lot of people go into their resolutions
thinking about how they will be super
successful, but few think about how they
will bounce back from slip-ups.
It happens a lot. You say youre going
to workout ve days a week, but then in
that third week you fall off. In the fourth
week instead of getting back on the plan,
you feel bad, end up reverting back to the
comfort of food and sedentary lifestyle
of before, and voila: bye-bye new years
resolution. Take time to think of ways that
will help to get you back into the regimen.
If eating healthier is your goal, maybe
you will get back on track by subscribing
to a healthy food delivery system like
80fresh.com. If your goal is to workout
more consistently, then maybe your plan
will be to hire a tness coach to get you
back in the swing of things and keep you
accountable. Whatever your plan is, plan
to have one.
For most people this is the one time of year
that they will reect deeply about how they
can live better, but the truth of the matter is
that most people wont achieve their goals.
This is because the majority of people wont
have strong tools to help them achieve them.
Adopting a healthier lifestyle is not always a
one-year goal, but is something we achieve
over time. I wish you success this new year
with all your resolutions.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
30 J A N U A R Y 08, 2016
N E W Y E A R, N E W Y O U
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to help you be a better you this year.
MENAJI MENS SKINCARE
Men are just as prone to dark circles under the eyes and other variations in skin tone
on the face. But if clumpy concealer and pancake-y foundation look bad on women, they
look even worse on men. But now there are products designed especially for male skin.
The Menaji Mens Skincare line offers items such as the Urban Camo undetectable
concealer that comes in a lip balm-size applicator that promises undetectability in high
denition standards. Its formulated to withstand the higher oil output of mens skin with
a grape seed, oil-based cosmetic thats infused with vitamins and SPF 8 protection.
Remains unseen even under the harshest studio lighting, the company promises. A
wide array of other products are available to cleanse, correct, protect and conceal.
The concealer comes in light, medium or bronze and is $26 per tube.
Menaji products are available locally at Universal Gear (1919 14th St., N.W.) and the
Grooming Lounge (1745 L St., N.W.) or online at menskincare.com.
ZWIVEL
Zwivel was designed by Dr. Gary Brewlow to remedy what he feels are frustrating
inefciencies of the cosmetic consultation process.
Zwivel is a new, free online cosmetic consultation platform that allows users to upload
photos and videos to digitally consult with doctors in their region.
Whether youre looking for a nose job, botox or simply looking to zap unwanted spider
veins or unsightly acne scars youve been trying to conceal for years, Zwivel can make it
happen without ever having to leave the house, the company promises.
More information at zwivel.com.
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N E W YEA R, NEW Y OU
J A N U A R Y 08, 2016 31
New Year! New You! New Goals!
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VOLUME
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33
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI with ROBERT DE NIRO

in Joy.
PHOTO BY MERIE WEISMILLER WALLACE;
COURTESY TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI MUSES ON HER ACCIDENTAL CAREER AND GAY CREDIBILITY

By CHRIS AZZOPARDI
Q Syndicate
Isabella Rossellini is leading me into the
light.
There, in front of an almost full-wall
window in a hotel suite at the Mandarin
Oriental hotel in New York City, we stand
beaming as her assistant snaps a pic.
Good lighting is everything, as Rossellini
notes in her thick Swedish-Italian accent
otherwise, itll get all black.
She should know. Rossellini embarked
on a career in front of the camera when,
at the age of 28, the classic Rome-born
beauty fell into modeling, hawking
Lancme as the companys spokeswoman
for 14 years and posing for an array of
eminent celeb photographers, including
Annie Leibovitz and Robert Mapplethorpe.
When I worked with him, he was quite sick
with AIDS, Rossellini says. I remember how
sad I felt, because he was very handsome
and he celebrated in his photos the male

body, the human body and to see him paying
such a toll, not even just physically. But he
seemed to be in good spirits. I wondered
of course he knew he was dying. It was
a very dicult time, the 80s. And it was the
last book that he made. They wanted him
to photograph women and he did beautiful
portraits of several women. (Also featuring
Yoko Ono and Susan Sarandon, Some
Women was published in 1989, the same
year Mapplethorpe succumbed to AIDSrelated illness.)
Rossellinis striking appeal wasnt only
dark room-worthy, however.
While modeling, Rossellini also began
mirroring the career of her iconic mother,
Ingrid Bergman (Rossellinis father is Italian
director Roberto Rossellini), reaching
beyond the glossy pages of Vogue to
become a lm star. As abused nightclub

vocalist Dorothy Vallens in David Lynchs
1986 trippy thriller Blue Velvet, a role that
required Rossellini to sing, Mapplethorpes
muse demonstrated more than a pretty
face she could really act.
Rossellini also happens to know a lot
about animal sex. In 2008, she directed,
produced, wrote and starred in a series
of short lms for Sundance titled Green
Porno, illustrating the various mating acts
of insects and other non-humans with, of
course, cardboard and foam rubber. And
if you ever wondered how dolphins do it
(who hasnt?), the actress also created the
2014 web series Seduce Me, wherein she
discusses blowhole sex as she pseudo
swims in a diorama-inspired scene among
some very frisky Flippers.
Rossellinis latest is certainly less niche.
In director David O. Russells Joy, the

veteran actress is back on the big screen
as Jennifer Lawrences auent, ngerwagging stepmom, Trudy, a tough-love foil
to the based-on-real-life titular character.
Its empowering to women, Rossellini
says, nuzzled into the corner of a sofa,
and its also about the struggle of
success. Generally when a person is
successful people imagine, Oh, overnight
success, luck, instead of how arduous it
is. The lm portrays it very well. Family
encourages you and discourages you
because they are protective.
Though
Rossellini
recognizes
Joys unwavering ambition to seize
businesswoman status a path she
blazes after inventing a fancy mop her
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 4 J A N UA RY 0 8 , 2016
Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R T O D D W H I T E
TODD WHITE
PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITE
By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
The Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather contest, one of the signature events of next
weekends Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend (Jan. 15-18 in Washington), has fairly
high stakes with thousands of dollars in prize gift certicates, merchandise,
travel expenses and more available to the winner.
Baltimore resident Todd White has been coordinating the contest for the
last ve years and has been attending MAL for a decade. Seven contestants
have applied thus far. Only one is from the Baltimore/D.C. area. Contestants
will be judged in several categories, including interview, personality, jock
strap and more. The contest, which dates to 1985, will be held on Sunday, Jan.
17 from 1-4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency on Capital Hill (400 New Jersey Ave.,
N.W.). Tickets are $25. Details at leatherweekend.com.
White has been into leather for about 13 years.
The appeal to the event is it feels like home to everyone from the old
guard, to the kinksters to the rst timers, says the 44-year-old Martinsville,
Va., native. Those who are just curious are all made to feel welcome.
White works by day as a home infusion intake coordinator with Medstar
Health. Hes in a relationship with David Dean. White enjoys reading and
movies in his free time.
202.747.2077
How long have you been out and

who was the hardest person to tell?
Twenty-two years. My mother.
Whos your LGBT hero?
Harvey Milk
Whats Washingtons best

nightspot, past or present?
Tracks
Describe your dream wedding.

My closest friends on the lawn at
Monticello.
What non-LGBT issue are

you most passionate about?
Putting care back into health care.
Patients are humans, not just a number.
What historical outcome

would you change?
I wouldnt things happen for a reason.
Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
Madonna
On what do you insist?

Respect
What was your last

Facebook post or Tweet?
Wishing the Centaurs and friends of the
club a safe and happy new year.
If your life were a book,

what would the title be?
I Know Im Not Your Cup of Tea But That
Doesnt Mean You Cant Take a Sip
If science discovered a way

to change sexual orientation,
what would you do?

I would panic and brace myself for the
right-wing Christians and the movement
that would follow.
What do you believe in

beyond the physical world?
The supernatural, a higher power,
heaven and hell.
Whats your advice for

LGBT movement leaders?
Be mindful of other issues in the world.
What would you walk

across hot coals for?
My family and those I love.
What LGBT stereotype

annoys you most?
All lesbians are butch and all gay men
act like girls.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

Behind the Red Door
Whats the most

overrated social custom?
Groundhog Day
What trophy or prize

do you most covet?
Medstar Healths associate of the year.
What do you wish youd known at 18?

The only person who has your best
interest at heart is you.
Why Washington?
Why not? Its a great town and the
surrounding area provides a ton of
diversity to the scene.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
FI L M
J A N U A R Y 08, 2016 35
HHHHH
The Times of London
SPECTACULAR! A RAVISHING SUCCESS!

The Toronto Star
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES
The Observer
The National Ballet is in top form!

The Globe and Mail
Gay themes abound

in award show buzz
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
This year, Oscar Sunday will really be
the gay high holy day, the culmination of
an awards season that celebrates a great
year for LGBT lm and television.
Last year was an outstanding year
for queer characters on the big and
little screens. Queer movies including
Grandma, Carol, The Danish Girl,
Best of Enemies and Tangerine have
steadily been receiving acclaim from critics
and audiences. Openly LGBT artists have
also been noted for their excellent work
in other lms as well: Writer and director
Andrew Haigh (Weekend and Looking)
has been hailed for his work on 45 Years,
Ian McKellen has been recognized for his
star turn as the famous detective in Mr.
Holmes and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez
has been noted for his searing work on
The Stanford Prison Experiment.
Even Spotlight, the hard-hitting factbased story about the Boston Globes
investigation of the sexual abuse scandal
in the Catholic Church includes a deeply
moving performance by Michael Cyril
Creighton as Joe Crowley, a gay abuse
survivor who describes how pedophile
priests often target queer youth.
LGBT creators and content have also
been featured in a record number of
cable and network television shows. The
list of queer shows in awards contention
this year is impressive: Orange is the
New Black, Empire, Transparent,
Downton Abbey, How to Get Away with
Murder, Grace and Frankie, the HBO
movie Bessie, American Horror Story
and perennial favorite Modern Family.
LGBT lms were front and center when
the 2016 awards season kicked into high
gear on Dec. 3. Legendary producer Harvey
Weinstein printed a rambling op-ed in The
Hollywood Reporter, a preemptive strike
that defended movies he thought would
get lost in the annual awards shue. His
heartfelt rant bemoaned the Catch-22 of
scheduling the release of prestige projects. If

an adult-driven awards release hits theaters
too early, it gets forgotten by the end of the
year. He specically says that Ian McKellen
and Lily Tomlin wont get the attention they
deserve because their lms opened in the
summer. Early releases get marginalized.
But, he continues, late releases get
cannibalized. With so many high-quality
lms released in the last four months of
the year, great movies and performances
get lost in the shue. To avoid this mess,
Weinstein urges distributors to release
smart and bold lms year-round and
encourages critics to ensure that audiences
stay engaged and motivated about movies
released in both May and November.
While Weinstein raises some great
points, his rant doesnt always match up
with reality, or with his own behavior.
Early releases have been recognized in
several Top Ten lists, and the unexpected
awards buzz around Mad Max: Fury
Road and Star Wars Episode VII: the
Force Awakens (released Dec. 18) threw
o a lot of the conventional thinking.
And Weinsteins controversial campaign
for Carol has been cited as a cynical
manipulation of Oscar voters.
Even though the movie Carol does not
break up the lesbian lovers, the Weinstein
Company arbitrarily separates two ne
performances into two dierent awards
categories. Rooney Mara has more screen
time than Cate Blanchett, and won the
acting award at Cannes, but Weinstein is
promoting Blanchett in the lead actress
category and Mara in the supporting actress
category. In his Hollywood Reporter op-ed,
Weinstein rationalized that, for the good of
the movie, we had to play as a team with
this one. (Since Rooney Mara is a scion of
the family that owns the Pittsburgh Steelers,
the metaphor is slightly ironic.)
Likewise, Focus Features has urged
awards voters to consider Alicia Vikanders
ravishing performance as Gerda Wegener in
The Danish Girl in the supporting actress
category, even though Eddie Redmayne is
being promoted in the best actor category.
Jillian Vanstone and Naoya Ebe, photo by Karolina Kuras
ALICIA VIKANDER, a likely Oscar nominee, in The Danish Girl.
U.S. PREMIERE
The Winters Tale

Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon
Based on Shakespeares classic play, Music by Joby Talbot

Sets and Costumes by Bob Crowley, Lighting by Natasha Katz
A co-production of The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet
January 1924 | Opera House

with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra
International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the
Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.
KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600

Tickets are also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
LIVE
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
36 JAN U A R Y 08, 2016
O U T & A BO U T
the
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
CONGRESS
W/ THE BROADCAST
FRIDAY JAN
POPA
CHUBBY
W/ KARL STOLL & THE DANGER ZONE
FRIDAY JAN
By MARIAH COOPER
15
SAT, JAN 16
ALL GOOD PRESENTS:
ATLAS ROAD CREW
W/ PEOPLES BLUES OF RICHMOND

FRI, JAN 22
THE HAMILTON LIVE AND ALL GOOD PRESENT:
DONNA THE BUFFALO
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY TYLER GRIGSBY
W/ CITY OF THE SUN

SAT, JAN 23
NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS

W/ GLEN DAVID ANDREWS
FRI, JAN 29
RAYLAND BAXTER
W/ MARGARET GLASPY
THEHAMILTONDC.COM
Love, hope,
success,
family,
security.
Get your chaps ready

Mid-Atlantic Leather hosts a series of events at various locations from Friday,
Jan. 15 until Sunday, Jan. 17.
There will be exhibitors at the Hyatt Regency Capital Hill (400 New Jersey Ave.,
N.W.) from 4-10 p.m. on Jan. 15 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Jan. 16. Other events will
include a brunch and the annual Leather Cocktails event.
Grunt, a dating and hookup app, hosts a MAL dance party at Green Lantern
(1335 Green Ct., N.W.) on Jan. 15 from 10 p.m.- 2 a.m. Drag star Cakemoss will
perform. DJ Jack Chang will spin. Military, fetish or sports gear is encouraged.
Cover is $20 at the door.
There will be one Code party at Glorious Health Club (2120 West Virginia Ave.,
N.E.) on Jan. 15 and another on Jan. 16. Both parties will run from 10 p.m.-4 a.m.
Fetish dress code is required. Tickets are $40 per night or $60 for a weekend
pass.
MAL hosts Dark and Twisted, a closing weekend dance party, at 9:30 Club (815
V St., N.W.) on Jan. 17 from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Music will be by DJ Ultra Nat. Tickets
are $35 in advance and $45 at the door.
Weekend package admission for all three days is $30 or $15 for one day
admission. Tickets for certain events can be purchased separately. For a full list
of events, visit leatherweekend.com.
Some things we all have in

common.
Theres nobody like me to protect the
things we all value. Like a good neighbor,
State Farm is there. CALL ME TODAY.
PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS; COURTESY OF THE KENNEDY CENTER
Gentlemans Guide comes to D.C.
1101022.1 State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL
Out chef to give

demo, sign books
Washington-based
Chef
Jonathan
Bardzik hosts a book signing and cooking
demo at One More Page Books (2200
N Westmoreland St., Arlington, Va.) on
Thursday, Jan. 14 from 6:30-8 p.m.
Bardzik will be promoting his new book
Seasons to Taste: Farm Fresh Joy for
Kitchen & Table. The book features 127
recipes and 32 short stories focused on
seasonal farm and garden ingredients.
Bardzik
has
given
live
cooking
demonstrations in Eastern Market as well
as at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the National Geographic Museum.
This is Bardziks second book.
Admission is free. For more details, visit
onemorepagebooks.com.
Performance troupe
goes Silent
Jonna S Wooten, Agent

Bus: 703-560-7804
www.jonnawooten.com
PHOTO BY MATT HOCKING
The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) presents A Gentlemans Guide to Love
and Murder from Jan. 13-30.
The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical follows a man determined to
receive his family fortune despite being a distant heir. He also must deal with his
mistress and ance. The show won Best Musical, Direction of a Musical, Book
of a Musical and Best Costume Design at the 2014 Tony Awards.
Tickets range from $64-229. For more information, visit kennedy-center.com.
The Unied Scene Theater (80 T St.,

N.W.) and Women From Mars present
Silent Reections: A Clown Noir Cabaret
on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 9:30 p.m. and
Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 8:30 p.m.
The show tells the story of a girl, a
diva and a mother who are inside a
world with no voice or color in the style
of a modern silent lm. It examines the
pressure society puts on women and
the insecurities that women face. Dory
Rebekah Sibley, Echo Sunyata Sibley
and Francesca Marie Chilcote star in the
production.
Tickets are $15. For more information,
visit uniedscenetheater.com.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
D I N IN G
J A N U A R Y 08, 2016 37
Robert Battle
Artistic Director
Masazumi Chaya
Associate Artistic Director
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Pok, a raw sh dish made with tuna, is one of the hot food trends for 2016.
Poke, acai bowls among

years hot items
By KRISTEN HARTKE
Just as you were getting used to freshpressed juice and sriracha mayonnaise,
a host of new food trends predicted by
the National Restaurant Association and
other industry experts is poised to take
ight for 2016, from banana ketchup to
cricket our. Sorry, kale, your days may
be numbered.
If youre longing to stay ahead of the hip
foodistas who live next door, heres a quick
primer for some of the hottest culinary
trends on the horizon; add a man bun and
youll be just as cool as that scruy chef on
the new season of Top Chef.
No, please forget the man bun. Lets
keep the trends on the table.
Bread. Hallelujah, bread is back. After
years of being told that bread is the devil,
were seeing a resurgence in its yeasty
goodness, especially as some restaurants
begin milling their own our in-house,
resulting in a nely ground blend with a
fresh, slightly oral essence. Here in D.C.,
you can check out Etto (1541 14th St. NW,
ettodc.com), where our milled on premise
forms the basis for pizzas, pastries and
loaves, or head up Connecticut Avenue
to Bread Furst (4434 Connecticut Ave.
N.W., breadfurst.com), where master
baker Mark Furstenburg crafts perfectly
Instagrammable baguettes and levain, as
well as his signature Palladin, a ciabattastyle loaf created in honor of legendary
D.C. chef and restaurateur Jean-Louis
Palladin. If you own a KitchenAid stand
mixer, you can take it one step further
by investing in an attachment that allows
you to grind wheat berries, spelt, oats
and other grains or protein-laden dried
crickets, if you must right in the comfort
of your own kitchen.
Pok. Like everything else, you can
blame the sudden interest in all things
Hawaiian on President Obama. It started
with tiki drinks, has reportedly spiked
sales of Spam an inexplicable delicacy

in Hawaii and now is bringing pok to
the mainland. Pronounced poh-kay with
the emphasis on the rst syllable, its a
raw sh dish usually made with tuna, but
its most important characteristic is in the
shape, which should be in thick cubes: a
true pok needs to have a bit of chunk to
it, something that you can truly bite into,
not a delicate carpaccio. While pok, often
mixed with soy sauce, mayonnaise and chili
peppers, tends to be a casual roadside dish
in Hawaii, where youre most likely to eat it
out of a disposable carton while checking
the surf conditions, it has evolved into
more elevated fare since landing stateside.
Locally, try the Creamy Tuna Pok at
Daikaya Izakaya (705 6th St., N.W., daikaya.
com), where the chunks of raw tuna are
presented with seaweed, macadamia nuts
and sesame oil with real Hawaiian air.
Filipino. Move over, ramen, theres a
new Asian food in town. There are nearly
4 million Filipino Americans in the United
States the second largest Asian-American
group after those of Chinese ancestry
but, like Hawaiian cuisine, the food of the
Philippines is just beginning to spread
into the mainstream. Youll nd familiar
avors soy sauce, vinegar and chilies
along with distinctively sour lemon notes
in traditional dishes like the pork-based
sinigang. Trundle over to Mount Pleasant
to Purple Patch (3155 Mount Pleasant St.,
N.W., purplepatchdc.com), a Filipino outpost
frequented by homesick embassy staers,
where you can gorge on lumpia, a spring roll
lled with shredded meat and carrots that
should be dunked into banana ketchup,
a popular condiment made of bananas
that came to life during World War II when
tomatoes were scarce. Pay attention to
ube while youre exploring Filipino food
this bright purple yam, a common Filipino
ingredient, is starting to be seen in sweet
treats from doughnuts to ice cream.
Feb. 27 Opera House

All performances
include Alvin Aileys
signature masterpiece
REVELATIONS
PROGRAM A
Tue., Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
Open Door (Ronald K. Brown)
Exodus (Rennie Harris)
Revelations (Alvin Ailey)
PROGRAM B
Wed., Feb. 3 at 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.*
Open Door
A Case of You (Judith Jamison)
No Longer Silent (Robert Battle)
Revelations
PROGRAM C
Thu., Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 7 at 1 p.m.
Blues Suite (Alvin Ailey)
Night Creature (Alvin Ailey)
Cry (Alvin Ailey)
Revelations
PROGRAM D
Fri., Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.
Piazzolla Caldera (Paul Taylor)
Awakening (Robert Battle)
Revelations
PROGRAM E
Sat., Feb. 6 at 1 p.m.
*Come early on Saturday to learn a few

steps from Revelations on the Millennium
Stage at 5:30 p.m.!
Followed by a FREE Explore the Arts

post-performance discussion
ODETTA (Matthew Rushing)

Exodus
Revelations
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

KENNEdy-CENTEr.Org (202) 467-4600
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
KRISTEN HARTKE is a D.C.-based food
and beverage writer. Follow her kitchen
adventures on Twiiter, @khartke.
Rachael McLaren, photo by Andrew Eccles
CULTURAL
AMBASSADOR
TO
THE WORLD
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 8 J A N UA RY 0 8 , 2016
A RT S & CU LT U RE
HOT HITS & HIDDEN JEWELS

From CultureCapital.com
YOUR LINK TO THE ARTS IN METRO DC
Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose

Jan 8-Feb 7. Signature Theatre.
703-820-9771. signature-theatre.org.
A bon-vivant with a air for the dramatic and the eccentric, Rose starred on
Broadway and London stages alongside luminaries like Katherine Hepburn,
Noel Coward, Dame Edith Evans, Richard Burton, and Laurence Olivier in a
storied career that met an ignoble end. Written by and Starring Ed Dixon.
A Gentlemans Guide to Love & Murder

Jan 13-Jan 30. The Kennedy Center.
202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
This Tony-winning musical comedy tells the uproarious story of Monty Navarro,
a distant heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession
by-- you guessed it--eliminating the eight pesky relatives who stand in his way.
Esther Bubley Up Front

Thru Jan 17. National Museum of Women in the Arts.
202-783-5000. nmwa.org.
This exhibition presents Bubleys images of beauty pageants, circuses,

amusement parks, boarding houses, barber shops, classrooms, clinics and
kitchens. Bubley strove to give a human face to each story she covered, yet
many of her images convey an ironic tone and suggest the momentous social
changes that were developing in mid-20th-century America.
Blogging 101
Jan 12. The Writers Center.
301-654-8664. writer.org.
Have you always wanted to start a blog but didnt know where to start? This
four week workshop will teach participants what to write about in their posts,
how to nd their own relatable voice, and how to nd and grow an audience.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SIGNATURE THEATRE
Get Out More!
THEATRE
Matilda the Musical. Thru Jan 10. Bright
Star. Thru Jan 10. Shear Madness.
Ongoing. The Kennedy Center.
202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
West Side Story. Thru Jan 31.
Signature Theatre. 703-820-9771.
signature-theatre.org.
Bad Jews. Thru Jan 17. Between
Riverside and Crazy. Jan 13-Feb
13. Studio Theatre. 202-332-3300.
studiotheatre.org.
Scientist Turned Comedian: Tim
Lee. Jan 8-Jan 9. Atlas. 202-399-7993.
atlasarts.org.
The Sisters Rosensweig. Jan 13-Feb 21.
Theater J. 202-518-9400. theaterj.org.
Guys and Dolls. Thru Jan 10. Olney
Theatre. 301-924-3400. olneytheatre.org.
Capitol Steps. Jan 9. The Alden.
703-790-9223. mcleancenter.org.
As You Like It. Thru Jan 17. Synetic
Theater. 866-811-4111. synetictheater.org.
Wrestling Jerusalem. Thru Jan 24.
Mosaic Theater Compay. Atlas.
202-399-7993. mosaictheater.org.
A Midsummer Nights Dream. Jan 14Feb 14. WSC Avant Bard. Gunston.
703-418-4808. wscavantbard.org.
Steampunked Stories. Jan 8. DCAC.
202-462-7833. dcartscenter.org.
DANCE
DC Contemporary Dance Theatre / El
Teatro de Danza Contemporanea. Jan
9-Jan 10. Dance Place. 202-269-1600.
danceplace.org.
MUSIC
Yael Weiss, pianist. Jan 10. National
Gallery of Art. 202-737-4215. nga.gov.
Gri Kazmierczak. Jan 13-Jan 27.
Strathmore. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
WNO: American Opera Initiative: New
Hour-Long Opera: Better Gods. Jan
8-Jan 9. NSO: Neeme Jrvi, conductor:
Baiba Skride, violin, plays Prokoev
& Works by Eller & Sibelius. Jan 14-16.
The Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.
kennedy-center.org.
American Spiritual Ensemble. Jan 9.
Washington Performing Arts. Sixth &
I Historic Synagogue. 202-785-9727.
washingtonperformingarts.org.
The Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute Show.
Jan 9. Howard Theatre. 202-803-2899.
thehowardtheatre.com.
Masterworks Concert Series: The
Smithsonian Consort of Viols.
Jan 9. The Smithsonian Associates.
Smithsonian Institution The Castle.
202-633-3030.
smithsonianassociates.org.
Brian Ganz Plays Chopin: Bel
Canto Of The Piano. Jan 9. National
Philharmonic. Strathmore. 301-581-5100.
nationalphilharmonic.org.
Arlington Philharmonic Ritmos
Festivos. Jan 10. Arlington Philharmonic.
Wakeeld High School. 703-910-5161.
arlingtonphilharmonic.org.
MUSEUMS
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.
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.
Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.
Twelve Years That Shook And Shaped
Washington: 1963-1975. Thru Oct 23.
202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu.
National Geographic. Pristine Seas: The
Oceans Last Wild Places. Thru Mar 27.
Photo Ark. Thru Apr 11. Jerusalem 3D.
Thru Mar 31. National Geographic.
202-857-7000. nglive.org.
GALLERIES
Strathmore. Art in Motion. Jan 9-Feb 21.
301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
JCCNV. Sands of Time. Thru Feb 8.
703-323-0880. jccnv.org.
The Art League Gallery. Solo Preview
2016. Thru Jan 24. Muted. Thru Jan 31.
703-683-1780. theartleague.org.
VisArts at Rockville. Brian Davis. Thru
Jan 10. Ben Piwowar. Thru Feb 14.
301-315-8200. visartsatrockville.org.
Arts Club of Washington. A Creative
Century: The Beginnings. Jan 8-Jan 30.
202-331-7282. artsclubofwashington.org.
BlackRock. Brad Blair. Thru Jan 30.
Mariah Anne Johnson. Thru Jan 30.
301-528-2260. blackrockcenter.org.
Del Ray Artisans. True Colors: Like a
Rainbow. Jan 8-Jan 31. 703-838-4827.
thedelrayartisans.org.
District Architecture Center. The
Awards Show. Thru Jan 9. 202-347-9403.
aiadac.com.
Gallery Neptune & Brown. Wolf
Kahn. Thru Jan 9. 202-986-1200.
neptuneneart.com.
JCC of Greater Washington. Simply the
Best. Thru Jan 31. 301-881-0100.
jccgw.org.
ReCreative Spaces. Arthur Kwon
Lee. Jan 8-Jan 31. 202-907-5934.
recreativespaces.com.
Zenith Gallery. Great Moments in Art.
Thru Jan 30. 202-783-2963.
zenithgallery.com.
Flashpoint Gallery. Maggie Evans. Thru
Jan 9. 202-315-1305. culturaldc.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
BO OK S
J A N U A R Y 08, 2016 39
Groundbreaking couple
recalls 71 gay wedding
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.
Theres always been a picket fence in

your future.
You could just picture it: charming
spouse, two-point-ve kids, minivan,
Cape Cod with manicured lawn, birthday
parties on the patio, all surrounded by
that picket fence. It was a perfect dream
of a blissful life. And, as in The Wedding
Heard Round the World by Michael
McConnell with Jack Baker, as told to
Gail Langer Karwoski, making history
would be a nice bonus.
As a child playing with neighborhood girls,
Michael McConnell remembers wanting the
same thing they wanted: to grow up and
marry a handsome man. Their crushes were
his crushes, too, but in the 1950s, that kind
of thing wasnt discussed.
By the time he entered college at the
University of Oklahoma in the mid-60s,
however, McConnell had come out to
his family and was comfortable with his
sexuality. He met other gay men and enjoyed
an active social life on campus and then, on
October 29, 1966, he met Jack Baker.
For the rst minutes of their get-toknow-you, McConnell thought Baker was
much older, or perhaps straight. Bakers
demeanor was businesslike, almost
military in mien; McConnell had recently
had his heart broken, and was guarded.
Still, by the end of the evening, they were
lovers; soon after, they were a couple.
By the early 70s, though their
relationship had to be kept somewhat
quiet, McConnell and Baker were out

enough to want to make real change.
Baker, a Minneapolis law student, led
suit against the U.S. Military over an unfair
downgrade in his discharge status. After
following Baker north, McConnell fought
job discrimination. And then there was
the wedding Baker promised McConnell
on Bakers 25th birthday. It would happen
they just had to gure out how.
That would take some time, but Baker
was on it. His legal training tickled his
methodical mind, until he discovered two
loopholes the state of Minnesota hadnt
closed. One led to the next, and both led
to their history-making wedding in 1971.
That, of course, isnt the end of the
story. Authors Michael McConnell and
Jack Baker continued their activism but
their nuptials, the rst in America for
same-sex celebrants, are the real focus in
The Wedding Heard Round the World.
And thats a good thing, too, because
the love story in this book is what makes it
so readable. McConnells account (as told
to Gail Langer Karwoski) is mostly whats
here, and its the quintessential romance:
boy meets boy, boy marries boy, they live
happily (almost) ever after.
Conversely, its the almost that makes this
book so important: the battles the authors
accepted caused emotional hardship in
many ways and that almost caused a
break-up. And yet, for the sake of others
that came after them, they continued to
take on gay rights issues, stories of which
are told humbly, yet proudly.
Overall, this is a sweet story wrapped
inside a righteous ght, told with charm
and grace. Its deep, yet lighthearted
and denitely worth a look. Start The
Wedding Heard Round the World and
youll have no defense.
THE WEDDING HEARD ROUND THE WORLD:
AMERICAS FIRST GAY MARRIAGE
By Michael McConnell with Jack Baker, as told
to Gail Langer Karwoski
University of Minnesota Press
$22.95
200 pages
ILLUSTRATIONS BY LOU BEACH.
PHOTO BY MELISSA DAVIDSON; COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS
TimeOut New York
JANUARY 1330
EISENHOWER THEATER
KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600
Tickets are also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
Content Advisory: Not recommended for those with large fortunes and distant heirs or for children under 10.
Musical Theater at the

Kennedy Center is made possible by the
Kennedy Center Theater

Season Sponsor
Comedy at the Kennedy Center

Presenting Sponsor
Major support for Musical Theater at the Kennedy Center is provided by The Drutz Family Fund for Musical Theater.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
4 0 J A N UA RY 0 8 , 2016
CA LE N D A R
E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.
TODAY
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York
Ave., N.W.) presents a new exhibit Before
They Were Gone by Leslie Johnston
starting today through Jan. 31. The mixed
media installation includes more than
2,500 ceramic art pieces that represent
the number of African elephants killed
each month in recent years. For more
details, visit touchstonegallery.com.
Reel Armations presents a screening
of two episodes from the second season
of web series Triangle at Human Rights
Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.)
tonight at 7 p.m. The series follows the
story of a man, Jabril, who is caught in a love
triangle between two other men. Rayceen
Pendarvis will conduct a Q&A session with
the cast and a catered reception will follow
the screening. Tickets are $25 and include
one complimentary cocktail or drink. For
more information, visit reelarmations.org.
Bear Nonsense hosts Bear Happy
Hour at Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St.,
N.E) tonight from 6-10 p.m. Drink specials
will include $9 Yuengling draft pitcher, $4
Yuengling draft pint, $8 PBR draft pitcher,
$3 PBR draft pint, $4 Ketel One drinks, $4
rail drinks and more. There is no cover.
For more details, visit bearnonsense.com.
A LGB support group meets today
from 10-11:30 a.m. at 16220 S. Frederick
Rd., Gaithersburg, Md., for individuals
in Montgomery County. The group
will discuss coming out of marriage,
homophobia, parenting issues, nding
intimate relationships, LGB resources
in the suburbs and more. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
SATURDAY, JAN. 9
Washington Performing Arts presents
a performance by the American Spiritual
Ensemble at Sixth and I Synagogue tonight
at 8 p.m. The ensemble performs classic
spirituals such as Balm in Gilead, Steal
Away and Go Down Moses. Everett
McCorvey, founder and music director of
the ensemble, will lead the performance.
Tickets are $40. For more information,
visit washingtonperformingarts.org.
The Imperial Court of Washington
hosts a birthday celebration for drag
performer
Empress
Muy
Blake
Stephyns one year anniversary with the
court at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight
from 8-10 p.m. Tipping is encouraged.
Proceeds will benet Arlington Food
Assistance Center, ROSMY and Josephs
House. For more details, visit facebook.
com/imperialcourtdc.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
holds free and condential HIV testing
today from 4-7 p.m. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BUCKLESWEET MEDIA
The American Spiritual Ensemble performs at Sixth and I Synagogue on Saturday night. Theyll perform a program of classic spirituals.
SUNDAY, JAN. 10
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.)
hosts a drag brunch today with one
show at 10:30 a.m. and another at
12:30 p.m. For more information, visit
nelliessportsbar.com.
Perrys (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts
its weekly Sunday Drag Brunch today
from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95
for an all-you-can-eat buet. For more
details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
MONDAY, JAN. 11
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..)
hosts coee drop-in hours this morning
from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT
community. Older LGBT adults can
come and enjoy complimentary coee
and conversation with other community
members. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave.,
N.W.) holds a support group for gay black
men to discuss topics that aect them,
share perspectives and have meaningful
conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.
TUESDAY, JAN. 12
Bachelors Mill has half-price drinks all
night long from 5 p.m.-2 a.m.tonight. They
also have pool, video gaming systems and
cards. Admission is free. For more details,
visit bachelorsmill.com.
Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) hosts
a two-for-one happy hour today from

5-9 p.m. Admission is free. For more
information, visit numberninedc.com.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
holds a transgender support group
meeting tonight at 7 p.m. The group is
open to all members of the transgender
community as well as their partenrs,
friends and allies to join in on a peerfacilitated discussion. For more details,
visit thedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight
at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th
St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations
required and newcomers welcome. If you
need a partner, call 703-407-6540.
Big Gay Book Group meets at 1155
F St., N.W. Suite 200 tonight at 7 p.m.
to discuss On the Move: A Life by
Oliver Sacks, a memoir about Sackss
time as a neurologist, drug addiction,
love aairs and more. For more details,
visit biggaybookgroup.com or email
biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com.
Rainbow Response, an LGBT intimate
partner violence prevention group, meets
in the third oor conference room at
National City Christian Church (5 Thomas
Circle N.W.) today from 6-7 p.m. For
details, visit thedccenter.org.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts an open
mic night today from 5-7 p.m. LGBT youth
are encouraged to come share their
experiences of sexual orientation and
gender identity as well as specic issues
facing adolescents in the D.C. metro

region. For details, visit smyal.org.
THURSDAY, JAN. 14
Gay artist Mike Weber presents his
new exhibit The Nature Connection
in an opening reception at Long View
Gallery (1234 9th St., N.W.) today from
6:30-8 p.m. The exhibit is a combination
of painting and nature photography taken
in Americas National Parks. It will run
through Feb. 14. For more information,
visit longviewgallerydc.com.
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts
a screening of the Republican presidential
debate tonight from 8-11 p.m. For more
details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Bachelors Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.)
holds a happy hour today from 5-7:30
p.m. All drinks are half price. There will
be pool, video gaming systems and cards.
Admission is $5 after 9 p.m. DJ Bling, DJ
Freaky and DJ Tim-Nice will play music
for the night. For more information, visit
bachelorsmill.com.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts Fight
4 Yr Rights Activist Night today from 5-7
p.m. LGBT youth can come to learn about
historical activist movements. For details,
visit smyal.org.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer
organization, volunteers for Food and
Friends (219 Riggs Rd., N.E.) tonight from
6-8 p.m. Volunteers will chop vegetables
and pack groceries. To volunteer, email
jonathan@burgundycrescent.org.
For
more details, visit burgundycrescent.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 5 4 1
Rossellini returns
own life, she says, has been completely

dierent, a truth she attributes to her
European background as well as her
famous lm industry family.
You know, I was more successful than I
thought Id be, she says. Im old enough
to have belonged to a group of women
who thought, Im gonna get married and
be a housewife. Instead, a career came,
and it was really modeling modeling is
almost like winning the lottery.
Rossellinis modeling career continued
to blossom in the 80s, when she graced
the covers of countless women fashion
mags: Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar,
Vanity Fair and Elle. She couldve been a
stay-at-home mom. She couldve cleaned
and cooked and called it a day. And she
thought, for many years, she would. But
in her 30s, she changed her mind.
I understood that being nancially
independent
meant
also
to
be
independent, she says. You dont really
do anything to become a good model.
Youre either chosen or not chosen, liked
or not liked. If you are a bitch, theyre not
gonna hire you anymore. And modeling
really teaches you the discipline of work.
So modeling for me was a wonderful
revelation. Though my mother worked
my mother was Ingrid Bergman, had a big
career it was seen as she had a gift, she
had a talent, that it was extraordinary. It
was a kind of a call for her, but it wasnt
percolating down to the family that all the
women should have a career, no.
In 1976, Rossellini shot her movie
debut, playing a minor role in her
mothers lm A Matter of Time. Ten
years later, Rossellini became an icon
in her right, achieving cult status after
starring in Blue Velvet.
It was Death Becomes Her in 1992,
though, that secured the actresses queer

cred with a dream trifecta: Rossellini,
Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, an
ensemble cast who punched up the
lms camp commentary on pre-Botoxfad superciality. Now, a warning,
her potion-touting character, Lisle Von
Rhuman, cautioned Meryls Madeline
Ashton to the delight of supremely
geeked gays everywhere.
She says Death Becomes Her was
always meant to be one of the gayest
lms about beauty youve ever seen even
if she and director Robert Zemeckis,
didnt know it at rst.
When the lm came out, Robert
Zemeckis was so successful after Roger
Rabbit and the lms that he did at the
time were big, big, big. Also, they were
family lms, so when he did Death
Becomes Her he also thought it was
going to be a family lm, but then they
did all this marketing research and said
Rossellini unleashes a whooping laugh
Oh, its a gay lm.
It took almost no time for Zemeckis and
the cast to realize they werent making the
next Roger Rabbit. Within three, four
months he said, You know, our audience
is a gay audience, Rossellini says.
Rossellini has become accustomed to
swooning gay adoration. Shes inspired
drag queens, and not just with that
vampy nip-hiding-necklace coverup she
wore in Death Becomes Her.
They do me in drag in Blue Velvet,
she says. I had a friend who was gay who
died, unfortunately, and he would go out
on Halloween and dress up like me. I had
a Blue Velvet robe, and I had my wig for a
while, and he would borrow it every year.
Rossellini is smitten with the idea
of men resurrecting her most iconic
screen characters in drag. She calls it a
compliment.
Oh, its fun. I know there are certain

women like Judy Garland and Barbra
Streisand who are particularly liked by the
gay culture. I know that strong women
are liked and I wonder why strong women
and not weak women. She laughs. I
dont know what it is in the gay culture.
What is it that makes the gay culture to be
so supportive of Barbra Streisand, Judy
Garland, images of these iconic women?
Why did you like so much stronger
women instead of, like, a housewife?
Rossellini famously appeared in
Madonnas Erotica video and also
photographed for her controversial Sex
book, both out in 1992. The latter, she
says, was not what she had hoped.
I didnt like it totally, Rossellini says.
In a way, I found it a bit moralistic in
the sense that Madonna is playing the
sadomasochistic, Madonna playing the
gay. It was teaching us to be open-minded,
and she didnt really reveal anything
about herself. It wasnt vulnerable.
Vulnerability is not what she exudes and
what she did was powerful and unique.
There was something about the book that
was not erotic, and not moving either. It
was aesthetic. It was guarded. It wasnt
empowering. But she is an incredible
lady. Im looking at her, because shes
now in her 50s and Im 63, and I would
like to have a role model of a woman
who is older. I want to see these powerful
women. How do they ght ageism? What
do they propose to ght ageism?
Regarding Hollywood ageism, not
much has changed, she says.
I see that, at 40 now, youre still
considered beautiful, but I dont see it
defeated. They stretch the younger age
longer, but I havent seen acceptance.
Rossellini celebrates Streep and Helen
Mirren, actresses who have given old age
an energy that is beyond that without
sucking down an age-defying potion.

At the same time, she notes, there are
fewer roles (for older women), and they
go to them.
Its a reality shes come to terms with,
and instead of sulking over Streep and
Mirrens lock on roles for women over
60, shes blazed her own quirky path.
The titles alone are telling (and this is not
counting her horny dolphin doc): The
Saddest Music in the World, My Dog
Tulip and 2011s Chicken with Plums.
Its no surprise, then, that shes also voiced
a hamster. In the gay-themed coming-of-age
drama Closet Monster from out producer
Niv Fichman and rst-time director Stephen
Dunn, whos also gay, Rossellini takes on
a rodent. Her involvement, she says, is
partly due to the fact that shes friends
with Fichman, and also, she says, maybe
because I study animals, or maybe just
because I have a foreign voice.
For the lms protagonist, a sexually
confused boy named Oscar, the hamster
is an illusion, his muse for comprehending
life tropes like mortality, lying that life
is tough, Rossellini says, laughing.
Though it won Best Canadian Feature
Film at the 2015 Toronto International
Film Festival, the indie isnt meant for
mainstream consumption, like Joy, and
thats just ne by Rossellini.
Since I was always interested in animals,
I went back to university to study animals
and then I made my own lm and I do
monologues, she says. The work that I
have done doesnt have the exposure of
Joy. I am still working and doing a lot of
work but more in an artisanal way.
After all, someone has to enlighten the
world on the sexual habits of sea animals.
CHRIS AZZOPARDI is editor of Q Syndicate, an
LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at
chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).
4 2 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
WOODRIDGE 2024 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20018
Renovated Colonial and fully loaded. Four finished levels. Chef Kitchen, marble counter tops,
stainless steel appliances. Biggest lot at 8,800+sqft. Fabulous deck and backyard for entertaining. $775,000
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Call 301-785-1601 Office: 301-718-0010
PFLAG promotes the equality and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual,

and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
Support to cope with an adverse society.
Education to enlighten an ill-informed public.
Advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.
Trained facilitators lead the Arlington Support Group and confidentiality is maintained. For further information about the Arlington Support Group, contact us at arl.pflag@gmail.com.
Our groups meet on the second Sunday of each month, from 3 4:30pm at
A Dthe
V E RUnitarian
T I S I N G P R O O F
Universalist Church in Arlington, at George Mason Drive & Route 50.
PROOF #1
claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts
omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.
REVISIONS
A.L.Y.
is a group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Youth and Allies in
REDESIGN
TEXT REVISIONS
grades
7-12. Our goal is to give LGBTQ youth a safe place to gather. Trained facilitators lead the
NO REVISIONS
youth
group. Confidentiality maintained. For more info, contact: aly.pflagdc@gmail.com.
Our Washington DC Chapter of PFLAG may be reached at 202-638-3852.
WA SH I N GTO NB LADE.C OM
J A N U A RY 0 8 , 2 0 1 6 4 3
REALESTATE
Keys to selecting a
retirement community
Continuing care facilities
oer independence,
skilled nursing
By MONIQUE ELIEZER
Few decisions may be as important or
life-impacting as that of where you or a
loved one will choose to live as you reach
the golden years. There are a multitude
of options available, but if youre planning
for the long run, one excellent choice may
be a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) which oers all levels of care to
its residents, from independent living, to
assisted living and skilled nursing.
If you think a CCRC might be a good t
for you or your loved one, I recommend
that you explore all of the communities
available in your area and consider the
following points:
Your nancial situation. There are three
types of CCRC contracts, each one bringing
dierent cost and payment options to the
table. When exploring the nancial component of each contract, be sure to weigh
it against your health needs to determine
which one makes the most sense.
Type A is a life care contract that typi-
cally involves a relatively higher entrance

fee and monthly fees. All assisted living and
skilled nursing are pre-paid, use it or not.
Type B: Under a Type B or modied
contract, a resident will pay a lower entrance fee than with Type A and an ongoing monthly fee to live in an apartment.In
a Type B contract, a CCRC is obligated to
provide an appropriate level of assisted
living or skilled nursing as in a Type A contract, but only for a specic period of time.
Type C also includes an entrance fee and
a monthly fee, and can sometimes include
the option of a refundable plan. Skilled
nursing services are provided at market
rate and on an as-needed basis. They are
not pre-paid as in Type A or Type B.
The communitys nancial situation. If
you are interested in CCRCs, you are likely
attracted to the long-term nature of the living arrangement. Make sure the community is well-established and thriving to ensure
it will be operating for years to come.
The communitys culture. Learn about
the culture of the CCRC. You want to be
sure that the community is a place where
you will fully enjoy spending your time and
be welcomed. We recommend engaging
candidly with current residents to better
understand the environment and what
day-to-day life is like in the community,
Sid Binks, PhD, ABPP-CN

Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Individual & Couples Therapy

for the LGBTQ Community
20 years experience!
3000 Connecticut Ave. NW 202.255.5187 SidBinks@aol.com
LGBTC.com/html/sid_binks.html
Few decisions may be as important as that of where you or a loved one will choose to live as
you reach the golden years.
and whether youd enjoy your time there.

You can also inquire about staying for a
few days at the CCRC to try it out. Here are
a few questions to help you learn more
about the communitys culture: What is
the occupancy? What kind of life-enrichment programs are oered? What are
some of the characteristics of the sta?
Are they an inclusive living community?
Will you continue to grow there?
Your instincts. How do you feel when
you walk into the place? Do you feel a

sense of respect and trust established
within the community?
Above all, when choosing a residence
dont forget your instincts. Trust your intuition.
MONIQUE ELIEZER is chief of sales, marketing
& strategies ocer at Ingleside, a premier provider of comprehensive senior living opportunities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Reach her at MEliezer@Inglesideonline.org.
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4 4 J A NUA RY 0 8 , 2016
DEADLINES
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and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*
*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.
WA SH I NGTO N B LA DE.C OM
MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
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COUNSELING
LGBTQ AFFIRMING THERAPY
at Dupont Circle Individuals, couples,
families, adolescents. Over 15
years serving the community. Mike
Giordano, LICSW. 202/460-6384
mike.giordano.msw@gmail.com.
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EMPLOYMENT
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ADOPTION & ASSISTED

REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer
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JANUARY

Gray said to be leaning toward

LGBT activists are predicting former D.C.

AMERICAS GAY NEWS SOURCE

subsequent citywide races for City Council

Focus of LGBT movement

Speculation that former D.C. Mayor VINCENT GRAY is considering

MARYLAND, VIRGINIA TO CONSIDER LGBT BILLS, PAGE 6

Those of us who have been engaged in this

ONE MORE TIME

President Obama preps

Keep your New Years

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

One pill contains

Please see Brief Summary of

Brief Summary of Patient Information

What is the most important information I should know

feel very weak or tired

Who should not take GENVOYA?

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

What should I tell my healthcare provider before

Before taking GENVOYA, tell your healthcare provider if you:

How should I take GENVOYA?

GENVOYA is usually taken 1 time each day.

magnesium hydroxide or calcium carbonate during treatment with GENVOYA, take

What are the possible side effects of GENVOYA?

Sweeping LGBT rights legislation coming to Va.

Gay Virginia Del.-Elect MARK LEVINE

to do it right, said Levine, an attorney

gay, bisexual or transgender. Its also legal

for it. If it doesnt pass this year you

FreeState Legal, Equality Md. to merge

state outreach eort, said Paschall.

request for comment.

shut down this year.

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

Comings & Goings

Kudos to David M. Taube, CFA, CFP for receiving the Financial

Chief changes name

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier issued an internal message

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

Christine roland Garner

I Sell More Because I Do More!

Christine Garner 703.587.4855

For additional inFormation & photos, visit: www.ChristineGarner.Com

Va., Md. lawmakers to consider LGBT bills in 2016

Virginia state Sen. A. DONALD MCEACHIN

41 that would allow ocials to refuse

Patrick Paschall, executive director of

Maryland and federal anti-discrimination

Md. candidate gives

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

Florida marks marriage anniversary

Man killed after dispute with boyfriend

Okla. city expands bias ordinance

Will Obama include

Equality Act to extend more freedom,

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

Obama invokes LGBT rights

Lesbian confronts Ben Carson at event

appeared to say, I think youre full of shit.

Emails: Clinton sought to assist Md. marriage effort

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