Metro Weekly - 07-14-16 - Todrick Hall

CONTENTS
JULY 14, 2016
21
Volume 23 Issue 11
THE TROUBLE WITH TRUMP

Donald Trump wants to be a friend to the LGBT community.
With friends like him, who needs enemies?
By Rhuaridh Marr
26
WIZ KID
After Todrick Hall was voted off American Idol, he found

a better path to his own personal Oz. He found YouTube.
By Doug Rule
34
TRIO
Three folk rock veterans come together on a rich and

captivating debut album.
By Sean Maunier
SPOTLIGHT: BASTILLE p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.11

CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: DAKSHINA p.12 THE FEED: BLOOD LIES p.19
THE FEED: THE TROUBLE WITH TRUMP p.21
COMMUNITY: STYLING FOR DOLLARS p.23 COVER STORY: WIZ KID p.26
GALLERY: JEFF HERRITY p.33 MUSIC: CASE/LANG/VIERS p.34 NIGHTLIFE p.37
COVERBOY: ADAM p.37 LISTINGS p.39 SCENE: COBALT p.44 LAST WORD p.46
The bitches who make this shit... #masthead
Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Managing Editor Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editor Doug Rule
Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Gordon Ashenhurst,
Sean Bugg, Frank Carber, Fallon Forbush, Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Gilbert Adrian Cover Photography Courtesy of United Talent Agency
Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
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agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.
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JULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY
PHOTO COURTESY OF BASTILLE
Spotlight
Revolutionary Classics
Alexandrias Bastille celebrates its namesake day with a special weekend-long prix fixe deal
RANCE, SAYS CHRISTOPHE POTEAUX, IS DEEPLY

rooted in the culture of food. The art of eating and sitting
at a table and enjoying a meal is really high for us. And
because of the geographic position of France in Europe the
different type of climates, exposure on three different sea bodies
you get a lot of different types of food.
One of the countrys most famous regions, Bordeaux,
lies to the southwest and is the showpiece of this years
Bastille Day prix fixe special at Bastille, the decade-old
Alexandria restaurant Poteaux owns and operates with his
wife, Michelle, a locally-celebrated pastry chef. The region is
renowned for its wine, but one of its mainstay ingredients is
duck, and for the occasion, Poteaux, who has called America
home for twenty years, has concocted a succulent roasted
duck with fresh peaches (pictured).
The prix fixe menu, offered through Sunday, July 17, offers
diners a choice: three courses for $39, four for $49, or five for
$59. Dishes include everything from foie gras to eggplant tarts
to sea bass paired with papaya (to make it a little different) to
a classic ribeye bordelaise.
Im very proud of everything I have on the menu, says the
48-year-old chef. It takes its root in the classic French, but we
also do things that are a little less considered classic. We take a
little freedom, sometimes. Randy Shulman
Bastille, at 606 N. Fayette St. in Alexandria, Va., two blocks from the Braddock Metro, is open Monday through Saturday from
11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 703-519-3776 or visit bastillerestaurant.com.
Spotlight
MOXIE: A HAPPENSTANCE
VAUDEVILLE
A theatrical collage inspired by the Great Age of

Vaudeville, infused with the joys and struggles
of the lives of the performers who will perform
the work. Directed by Sabrina Mandell and Mark
Jaster, Moxie offers hijinks, live music, period
costumes, nostalgic beauty and physical comedy in
its homage to popular late 19th century theatrical
style. Produced by Happenstance Theater. Closes
Sunday, July 17. Round House Theatre, 4545 EastWest Highway, Bethesda. Call 240-644-1100 or
visit roundhousetheatre.org. (Doug Rule)
BRYAN FERRY, LP
PAULA ARCILA
The Colombian comic and radio personality stops in

Washington for two nights of her show Miss Cuarenta,
reflecting on her experiences and wisdom upon reaching
40. Leandro Fernandez directs this relatable comedy about
the travails of dating, marriage and divorce. Friday, July
15, and Saturday, July 16, at 8 p.m. GALA Theatre at Tivoli
Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-2347174 or visit galatheatre.org. (DR)
MOXIE BY CHEYENNE MICHAELS, PAULA ARCILA BY PIPE JARAMILLO
A few years ago, stylish pop artist/producer and synthpop pioneer Bryan Ferry celebrated the 40th anniversary of his career by rearranging his compositions, both
as a solo artist and in Roxy Music, in a 20s style with
his own Jazz Orchestra. This became the basis of the
stellar soundtrack to Baz Luhrmanns The Great Gatsby,
produced by Jay-Z, and is the focus of this rare U.S.
tour. Ferrys special guest is the Gwen Stefani-esque
lesbian rocker LP, born Laura Pergolizzi, who also performs a solo show after Ferrys two shows (Tuesday,
July 26). Saturday, July 23, and Monday, July 25. Doors
at 6:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets
are $55 to $75. Call 202-328-6000 or visit thelincolndc.
com. LP also performs Tuesday, July 26, at 7 p.m. U
Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call
202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com. (DR)
Out On The Town
GHOSTBUSTERS
When it came to reinventing the 30-year-old franchise, Paul Feig assembled some of the funniest female comedians in the
business, from Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy to two of Wiigs successors at Saturday Night Live, Kate McKinnon and
Leslie Jones. Will they succeed at busting ghosts (and ridiculous levels of sexism surrounding the film)? According to the
New York Times and The Guardian, it sounds like it may be well worth finding out. Opens Friday, July 15. Area theaters.
Visit fandango.com.
FILM
INDIGNATION
The Washington Jewish Film

Festival offers a screening of the
adaptation of Philip Roths 2008
look at a young Jewish man from
New Jersey who heads to a small
Midwest town. Acclaimed screenwriter (The Ice Storm) and producer (Brokeback Mountain)
James Schamus makes his directorial debut with this painterly and
insightful adaptation. Tuesday,
July 19, at 7:30 p.m. The Aaron and
Cecile Goldman Theater, Edlavitch
DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets
are $13. Call 202-777-3247 or visit
wjff.org.
OUR LITTLE SISTER
Winner of five Japanese Academy

Awards including best film, director and cinematography, Hirokazu
Koreedas drama is touted as one
of the most graceful, tender and
moving films of the year. An adaptation of Akimi Yoshidas graphic
novel Umimachi Diary, Our Little
Sister focuses on a quartet of sisters
reunited at their fathers funeral.
In Japanese with English subtitles.
Opens Friday, July 15. Landmarks
E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW.
Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
THE INFILTRATOR
Breaking Bads Bryan Cranston

once again finds himself immersed
in the illegal drug trade, this time
portraying a real-life U.S. Customs
special agent who helped discover
the money-laundering organization
of drug lord Pablo Escobar. Based
on the autobiography by Robert
Mazur, director Brad Furman
and writer Ellen Brown Furmans
drama also features Diane Kruger,
Benjamin Bratt, John Leguizamo,
and Amy Ryan. Now playing. Area
theaters. Visit fandango.com.
STAGE
EVITA
Olney offers an intimate staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber and

Tim Rices famed musical about
Argentinas Eva Peron. After winning the Helen Hayes Award for
best play last year with gay-themed
Colossal, transgender director
Will Davis and choreographer
Christopher DAmboise team up
again for a smaller-scale production of the musical blockbuster,
intended to help theatergoers hear
every note and feel every heartbeat. A regular supporting player
on local stages, Rachel Zampelli
makes a diva turn in the title role,
with Robert Ariza starring as nar-
rator Che and a cast that includes

Jonathan Atkinson, Mark Chandler,
Ashleigh King and Kristin Yancy.
To July 24. Mainstage at Olney
Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy
Spring Road, Olney, Md. Tickets are
$38 to $75. Call 301-924-3400 or
visit olneytheatre.org.
HAND TO GOD
Avenue Q sounds like childs play

compared to Robert Askins comedy focused on teens of a Christian
puppetry ministry in a small Texas
town. Touted as a blasphemous and
ruthless comedy about sex, sinners
and sock puppets, Joanie Schultz
directs a production led by Liam
Forde as a foul-mouthed, demonically possessed puppet. With
Susan Rome, Caitlin Collins, Ryan
McBride and Tim Getman. To Aug.
8. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets
NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.
NEXT TO NORMAL
Keegan Theatre serves up Tom

Kitt and Brian Yorkeys moving
and modern Pulitzer Prize-winning
show, that deals with the devastating
toll that mental illness can have on
a relationship and a family. Mark
A. Rhea and Colin Smith direct a
cast featuring Kari Ginsburg, Chad
Wheeler, David Landstrom, Caroline
Dubberly, Christian Montgomery
and Scott Ward Abernethy. Closes

Saturday, July 16. Keegan Theatre,
1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $45
to $55. Call 202-265-3768 or visit
keegantheatre.com.
TWELFTH NIGHT
Synetic Theater revives its 2014

silent Shakespeare hit that garnered 11 Helen Hayes Award nominations (winning two) and was
inspired by the silent comedy of
Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
Director Paata Tsikurishvili sets the
famous fraternal twins tale in the
Roaring Twenties and casts choreographers Irina Tsikurishvili and
Ben Cunis in the lead roles. Opens
Thursday, July 14, at 8 p.m. To
Aug. 7. Theater at Crystal City, 1800
South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets
are $15 to $55. Call 800-494-8497
or visit synetictheater.org.
MUSIC
BETH HART
A powerhouse blues-rock belter in

the style of Etta James and Janis
Joplin, Beth Hart tours in support
of Better Than Home, an album
inspired by the loss of her sister to
AIDS, drug use and family strife,
and a bipolar diagnosis that was
both frightening and liberating.
Matt Andersen opens. Tuesday,
11
July 19, and Wednesday, July 20,

at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701
Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
Tickets are $55. Call 703-549-7500
or visit birchmere.com.
BRANDI CARLILE
STEPHEN VARANOVICS
Twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth

write, sing and play with lesbian
frontwoman Brandi Carlile, whose
music is an intriguing country-rock
blend, with additional influence
from gospel and folk think Indigo
Girls blended with Johnny Cash.
All with Carliles eminently captivating voice, supple and expressive, not too dissimilar from Sias.
Carlile and co. continue to tour in
support of last years rolicking set
Firewatchers Daughter, returning to
the area for a stop at Merriweather
with Nashville-based, Americanasteeped band Old Crow Medicine
Show. Saturday, July 23, at 6:30
p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion,
10475 Little Patuxent Parkway,
Columbia, Md. Tickets are $45 to
$75. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit
merriweathermusic.com.
CHOPTEETH
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Daniel Phoenix Singh pays homage to pioneering Jewish American

choreographer Anna Sokolow
T WAS THE CHEST-BEATING THAT CAPTIVATED DANIEL PHOENIX SINGH. IN

the late, pioneering Jewish-American choreographer Anna Sokolows Kaddish, a Jewish
prayer of mourning, the dancer beats her chest as part of the mourning ritual, Singh
says. Thats also a ritual thats very common in India.
Encountering Kaddish several years after emigrating to the states in 1990 left an indelible
impression on the Indian-American. He was so enraptured with Sokolows work that for
nearly a decade Singh has partnered with the Sokolow Foundation to regularly perform her
works with his company Dakshina.
Not only was she doing social commentary, but she was doing social commentary on
works that are relevant in the present time, says Singh, noting that Sokolow was addressing
gay rights decades before anyone else. Singh, who is gay, brings up another commonality
between Sokolows works and those of Indian dance: the use of hand gestures. It was interesting for me to find a modern choreographer who was using her hands so expressively, as
opposed to just letting them be appendages that hang at the bottom of your arm.
This Saturday, Dakshina will perform a program of Sokolows Gems, including Magritte,
Magritte, inspired by the popular Belgian painter, at The Clarice on the campus the University
of Maryland, Singhs alma mater. The following day, the company will present noted Bharata
Natyam performer and choreographer Rama Vaidyanathan in Chitravali, a solo work inspired
by the tradition of miniature paintings of myths from Indian literature.
Art inspired by art may seem trivial in a time of increasing violence and incendiary rhetoric
against immigrants and minorities, but it serves a purpose. People might question why we
do the arts in times of crisis, Singh says. I want to say that were not doing art as a luxury
were doing art as a social critique and a statement. And we hope that people can find some
catharsis. Doug Rule
Dakshinas Sokolows Gems is Saturday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m., and the Rama Vaidyanathan
and Companys Chitravali is Sunday, July 17, at 4 p.m., in the Dance Theatre of the Clarice at
the University of Maryland in College Park. Suggested donation is $25 for both programs.
Call 301-405-ARTS or visit theclarice.umd.edu.
12
The Washington Post called the

12-piece band a storming powerhouse of big-band African funk...
smart, tight and relentlessly driving. Chopteeth has already won a
number of Washington Area Music
Association Awards, including
the Artist of the Year accolade in
2008. The Afrobeat-driven group
performs regularly throughout the
region. Friday, July 15, at 8 p.m.
Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper
Club, 7719 Wisconsin Ave. Tickets
are $20, or $25 day-of show. Call
240-330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com.
FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard

have become one of this decades
most successful country acts. Not
bad for a partnership that only started in Nashville six years ago. The
duo tours in advance of their third
studio album Dig Your Roots, due
just before Labor Day. Saturday,
July 16, at 7 p.m. Jiffy Lube Live,
7800 Cellar Door Drive, Bristow,
Va. Tickets are $70 to $562. Call
703-754-6400 or visit thejiffylubelive.com.
GWEN STEFANI
Its been two decades since Gwen

Stefani was Just A Girl leading the
ska- and New Wave-influenced No
Doubt, and a decade since her last
solo set. Her latest, This Is What The
Truth Feels Like, may leave you wondering, this is what we waited for?
Its not bad per se, but its not as good
as what has come before. At least you
can expect Stefani to perform her
past hits on tour. Sunday, July 17, at
7 p.m. Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar
Door Drive, Bristow, Va. Tickets are
$10 to $374. Call 703-754-6400 or
visit jiffylubelive.com.
ing show with 80s one-hit-wonder Steve Romeos Tune Forbert.

Thursday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. The
Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets
are $15 to $25. Call 202-787-1000 or
visit thehamiltondc.com.
WOLF TRAP OPERA
MATTHEW MURPHY
Florian Gassmanns 1769 comic

sendup of traditional 18th-century
opera, LOpera Seria, is presented
in its original Italian with English
supertitles in a U.S. premiere at
Wolf Trap. No one is spared
especially not the three star sopranos, whose translated names are
Smirking, Out-of-Tune, and PurpleFace. Intended for those who love
opera warts and all, NPR called it
genuinely hilarious. Friday, July
15, at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, July 17,
at 3 p.m., Wednesday, July 20, at
7:30 p.m., and Saturday, July 23, at
7:30 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap,
1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are
$32 to $88. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or
visit wolftrap.org.
YOUNG SUMMER
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Andrew Lloyd Webbers long-running musical is touted to be bigger and better than
ever before in a new touring production overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron
Mackintosh and featuring new choreography and sets. The chandelier is still a centerpiece, and the score hasnt changed a note. To Aug. 20. Kennedy Center Opera House.
Tickets are $25 to $149.
EVERMAY CHAMBER
Violinist Tamaki Kawakubo leads

an ensemble of world-class musicians renowned for their artistry. In
a debut collaboration, the Evermay
Chambers Kawakubo, cellist Boris
Andrianov and pianist Yu Kosuge
partner with the Maryland Classic
Youth Orchestras of Strathmore
to perform Beethovens majestic
Triple Concerto in C Major. The
concert opens with a double dose
of Mozart: Divertimento in D Major
and his Piano Concerto No. 14 in
E-Flat Major featuring pianist
Ryo Yanagitani. Friday, July 15,
at 7:30 p.m. The Music Center at
Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike,
North Bethesda. Tickets are $15.
Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.
NSO SUMMER MUSIC INSTITUTE
Kennedy Center welcomes to its

Millennium Stage a series of performances as part of the Summer
Music Institute, a free four-week
festival of orchestral and chamber music for under 21-year-olds
from around the country, coached
by National Symphony Orchestra
musicians. Participants in the institute perform on Thursday, July
14, Friday, July 15, Sunday, July
17, Friday, July 22 and Saturday,
July 23, at 6 p.m., while Elizabeth
Schulze conducts the full orchestra
in the final concert on Sunday, July
24, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center. Free.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne-
14
dy-center.org for the full schedule.
PINK MARTINI, NATIONAL

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Another year, another return

engagement at Wolf Trap of everyones favorite quirky cocktail band,
led by Thomas Lauderdale who
is largely responsible for launching
several successful musical careers,
most notably that of Storm Large,
cabaret artist, and Ari Shapiro, NPR
reporter and host. Large and Shapiro
will once again perform with Pink
Martini in a performance also featuring the National Symphony
Orchestra as conducted by Steven
Reineke. Sunday, July 24, at 8:15 p.m.
The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551
Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $30
to $60. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit
wolftrap.org.
SIGNATURES SIZZLIN SUMMER

CABARET SERIES
The next performances in

Signatures popular annual cabaret
series include: Will Gartshore and
Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan, teaming
up for two song-filled evenings
of stoics, heroics and paranoid
schizophrenia in Fear No More: A
Courageous Cabaret on Thursday,
July 14, and Friday, July 15, at 8
p.m.; Shayna Blass in Wait, Howd
I Get Here? on Friday, July 15,
at 9 p.m.; The Gay Mens Chorus
of Washington with its Sinatra,
Sondheim and Streisand revue
The S*Show on Tuesday, July
19, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday in the

Park with George actor Claybourne
Elder in Sondheim and Beyond
on Thursday, July 21, at 8 p.m. The
series runs to July 22 in the Ark at
Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell
Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $35
per show, or $175 for an All-Access
Pass. Call 703-820-9771 or visit
sigtheatre.org.
SUFJAN STEVENS, THAO & THE

GET DOWN STAY DOWN
Midwestern folk act Sufjan Stevens

has become a favorite of hipsters
and tastemakers over the years.
Hell no doubt draw a large, young
crowd when he makes his debut
at Wolf Trap, on a bill that also
includes a quirky alt-pop band
from San Francisco, fronted by
Falls Church-native Thao Nguyen.
Friday, July 22, at 8 p.m. The Filene
Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap
Road, Vienna. Tickets are $35 to
$65. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit
wolftrap.org.
WILLY PORTER
A Milwaukee-based guitarist and

singer-songwriter, Willy Porter
straddles the line between indiefolk and rock with his high-energy
fingerpicking style and thoughtful
songwriting. Fresh off a performance on NPRs A Prairie Home
Companion, Porter performs with
songwriting partner Carmen
Nickerson in advance of a new
album and as part of a co-headlin-
Bobbie Allen, the D.C.-based dreamy

electro-pop artist who records as
Young Summer, was inspired by 80s
synth-pop acts including The Cure
and Eurythmics, but her beguiling
debut album Siren will no doubt put
you in mind of other young 80s-inspired pop stars of today, from Lorde
to Lana Del Rey. The 9:30 Club presents this concert with opening acts
Indignis and the Galaxy Electric.
Friday, July 22, at 7 p.m. U Street
Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets
are $15. Call 202-588-1880 or visit
ustreetmusichall.com.
DANCE
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
ABT returns to Wolf Trap

with a signature production,
Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet.
Principal dancers are Hee Seo and
Cory Stearns on Thursday, July 14,
at 8:30 p.m., Misty Copeland and
Joseph Gorak on Friday, July 15,
at 8:30 p.m., and Gillian Murphy
and James Whiteside on Saturday,
July 16, at 8:30 p.m. The Filene
wolftrap.org.
COMEDY
THE SECOND CITYS ALMOST
ACCURATE GUIDE TO AMERICA
What if the history of America were

written by some of the countrys
most revered contemporary comedians? Thats the premise behind
The Second Citys Almost Accurate
Guide to America, which the
Kennedy Center co-commissioned
from the leading improv comedy
troupe as part of the District of
Comedy Festival. The show will
even uproot the stalwart Shear
Madness for a six-week run in the

Theater Lab. To July 31. Kennedy
Center Theater Lab. Tickets are $49
to $64. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.
READINGS
PAULS TOUTONGHI: DOG GONE
Subtitled A Lost Pets Extraordinary

Journey and the Family Who Brought
Him Home, this moving work of
nonfiction documents the lengths
one family went to after its sixyear-old golden retriever got lost
on the Appalachian Trail. Leaving
no stone unturned, the award-winning author Toutonghi shows how
integral a pet can be to a family.
Saturday, July 23, at 1 p.m. Politics
and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave.
NW. Call 202-364-1919 or visit politics-prose.com.
STUART STEVENS:
THE INNOCENT HAVE
NOTHING TO FEAR
The new second novel from this

experienced political consultant
and writer couldnt be timelier in
its focus on a campaign manager
juggling various crises and potential crises during a national political convention in the run-up to a
presidential election. Friday, July
22, at 7 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015
Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202364-1919 or visit politics-prose.com.
JULIAN VANKIM
16
ETC.
35TH ANNUAL ARTSCAPE
Billed as the nations largest free

arts festival, Artscape attracts more
than 350,000 people to Baltimores
Bolton Hill and Station North
neighborhoods to take in fine/textile art in every medium from
visual to fashion to sculpture, with
more than 150 artists represented.
There are also three stages offering
performances of live music from
regional and nationally known acts.
Maryland restaurants and bars
also participate in an event co-produced by the Baltimore Office of
Promotion and the Arts and the
Baltimore Festival of the Arts. This
years festival theme is Space:
Explore Whats Out There. Friday,
July 15, through Sunday, July 17.
Mount Royal Avenue and Cathedral
Street, Baltimore. Free. Call 410752-8632 or visit artscape.org.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA WITH HANDSPRING
PUPPET COMPANY
An interrogation of the enduring

craze for Chinese blue-and-white
ceramics which started in London
three centuries ago. Ceramics
from the Smithsonians collection
join monumental installations by
contemporary sculptor Walter
McConnell and 3D objects printed
especially for this exhibition, the
third and final one in the Peacock
Room Remix series. McConnells
Kangxi porcelains in this exhibit are
similar to those originally displayed
in the Peacock Room. Now to June
4, 2017. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery,
1050 Independence Ave. SW. Call
202-633-4800 or visit asia.si.edu.
LAURA BERMAN: EBB AND FLOW
WAIT WAIT...DONT TELL ME!
CHINAMANIA
The 117 productions in this years Fringe Festival arent

curated and available slots are filled on a first-come, firstserved basis, but that shouldnt stop you from taking a
plunge. Among the many shows with LGBT content this
year are ...And A Ghost Grrl, Aliens, Nazis and Angels,
Bryce: Hydrogen Blonde, Cake!, and Dial R for Robot, a rock
opera homage to Alfred Hitchcocks Rope, the McCarthyera Capitol Hill drama Hunt, The DOMA Diaries, The Trial
of Mrs. Surratt, and the return of Special Agent Galactica
(pictured) in A Romp Around Uranus, featuring The B-52s
Fred Schneider as the voice of the Timeship Aurora. The
Logan Fringe Arts Space at 1358 Florida Ave. NE serves as
the festivals hub, but performances are in various locations. Tickets are $17 a show plus a one-time purchase of
a $7 Fringe button. Multi-show passes range from $60 to
$350. Call 866-811-4111 or visit capitalfringe.org.
Duponts Studio Gallery presents a

show featuring recent graduates of
the Corcoran School of Art, showcasing the next generation of artists. Closes Saturday, July 16. Studio
Gallery, 2108 R St. NW. Call 202-2328734 or visit studiogallerydc.com.
Janni Younge and the creators of

War Horse present more impressive, larger-than-life puppetry
and contemporary South African
choreography in a world-premiere adaptation of The Firebird.
Cristian Macelaru leads the NSO
in Stravinskys ravishing, century-old score on a bill that features a first act performance of
Prokofievs Classical Symphony and
Ravels Mother Goose Suite. The
Ravinia Festival, the Hollywood
Bowl, the Mann Center, Saratoga
Performing Arts Center and Sun
Valley Summer Symphony co-commissioned this concert. Saturday,
July 23, at 8:15 p.m. The Filene
wolftrap.org.
EXHIBITS
11TH ANNUAL CAPITAL FRINGE FESTIVAL
POST-CORCORAN
Inspired by the vast landscape of

nothingness that is the very middle of Kansas, the prints in this
series reflect the slow and dramatic connections between enormous
spaces on and beyond our earth.
Everything is related and nothing is
identical in these coalescing prints
of patterns and bold colors, also
informed by the artists hometown
of Barcelona, Spain. Now through
Aug. 14. Long View Gallery, 1234
9th St. NW. Call 202-232-4788 or
visit longviewgallery.com.
The popular, entertaining NPR

news quiz show returns for another
annual broadcast from Wolf Trap in
association with WAMU 88.5. Peter
Sagal hosts the show with judge and
scorekeeper Bill Kurtis and panelists to be determined, but regulars
include Paula Poundstone, Ask Amy
columnist and social commentator
Amy Dickinson, Roxanne Roberts,
Tom Motel 6 Bodett, and Mo
Rocca. Thursday, July 21, at 8 p.m.
The Filene Center at Wolf Trap,
1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are
$30 to $65. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or
visit wolftrap.org. l
OLEKSANDR BEREZKO
theFeed
BLOOD LIES
Some gay men are lying to circumvent the ban on

donating blood by John Riley
HEN JEFFREY STARTED DONATING BLOOD IN 1988, IT WASNT

exactly for altruistic reasons. The motivation was that you get four hours
of administrative leave, says Jeffrey, whose name has been changed to
protect his identity. He was working in Washington, D.C. during his summers off
from college. When youre in college and have no leave whatsoever, youll take the
four hours whenever you can get it. I think they always scheduled it on a Friday, so
you would basically get an early start on the weekend.
Jeffrey wasnt sexually active when he started donating, but that changed in 1992
when he came out to his family. As he began to explore his sexuality, he also continued to donate blood. He remembers a question on a donor form asking if he had ever
had sex with another man at any time since 1977.
I was a little offended by it, he says. First of all, the number was so ridiculous,
and the question was stupid because everybody knew by then at least I did, and I
thought the general community knew that if you didnt have sex with condoms,
you were really at risk. Of course I never did that, so I was just like, Whatever.
Although Jeffrey chose to stop giving blood for a while, he was reeled back
in by phone calls from various blood centers asking him to donate, because his
O-positive blood was in such high demand. People with O phenotypes are considered universal donors.
They wanted O-positive blood, so they would call me, he says. It wasnt a robocall. It was somebody on the phone saying, Help, who was going to look up where I
was and find the closest and next available blood drive so I could give.
At 46, Jeffrey has continued to donate, often through workplace blood drives.
He chooses to lie on the questionnaire because he infrequently has sex, and always
uses condoms when he does. He knows his HIV status is negative, so theres no risk
of passing on any diseases. And the collected blood is supposed to be tested for HIV,
hepatitis and other bloodborne diseases, meaning there are plenty of other safeguards to ensure safety of the supply.
Im supposed to donate on Tuesday, he says. If I donate, the next time they
come back is literally the day I can donate again. So thats what I do. I just donate
every time they come in.

Thats not to say its all gone
smoothly. During his sophomore year in college, his parents received a letter from the
Red Cross that said he had
tested positive for Hepatitis C.
The Red Cross placed him on
a deferral list, and Jeffrey went
to get retested by his personal
physician. The Red Cross was
wrong. After providing a copy of
the test results, he was removed
from a deferral list and put back
on the list of eligible donors. He
doesnt regret his decision to
continue donating blood.
I would hope that more
people decide to lie and just
donate anyway, because the
supply is so low, the need is
almost year-round now, he
says. If people know that they
are healthy, I dont see why
whoever they sleep with should
be an issue in terms of donating blood.... They have at-home
tests [for HIV] now. Why cant
the Red Cross have a test for
that right up front?
The American Red Cross
and other blood collectors in
the United States are currently
bound by rules and regulations
issued by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)
regarding blood donor eligibility. Last December, the FDA
19
theFeed
announced it would be changing its previous lifetime deferral for gay and bisexual men to a one-year deferral from the
time of last sexual contact. The FDA has also recommended
that transgender donors be screened based on the gender
with which they identify, rather than on their assigned
sex at birth. But implementation of the new guidelines has
been slow: the FDA only just approved a new questionnaire
reflecting the change in May, with many individual blood
collectors planning to implement the
changes later this year.
Blood donor history forms typically ask a range of questions, including
how a person is feeling on that particular day, if they have taken aspirin
or blood-thinners, the last time they
donated blood, their history of travel
outside of the United States, and their
sexual behaviors over the past year.
The answers are then used to help
collection centers weed out donors
who, in the FDAs view, pose a safety
risk to the blood supply.
The Red Cross believes all potential donors should be treated with
fairness, equality and respect, and that
accurate donor histories and medically supported donor deferral criteria
are critical to the continued safety of
blood transfusion, Beth Toll, external communications manager for the
American Red Cross, said in a statement to Metro Weekly. She also noted
that it is illegal in more than 30 states
to knowingly donate blood with HIV or other infection.
Although we are not aware of any laws that specifically make it illegal to untruthfully answer questions about
sexual behavior, we rely on the honesty of our donors to
help protect our donors and the safety of our blood supply,
Toll added. Any donor who is less than truthful in their
responses to the health history questions cannot be properly
evaluated, may not be eligible to donate, and could put him
or herself or a recipient at risk.
But some argue that the FDAs recommendations still
single out gay and bisexual men for disparate treatment. It is
something that is not borne out by the science surrounding
HIV.
We have called the change...to the lifetime ban a oneyear celibacy requirement, says Anthony Hayes, vice president of public affairs and policy at the Gay Mens Health
Crisis, a New York-based nonprofit HIV/AIDS prevention
and advocacy organization. What it actually is, is the same
lifetime ban just dressed up differently.
Hayes points to Italy and Argentina as examples of countries that have removed the ban on men who have sex with
men donating blood. While there is always going to be some
sort of deferral period involved with donating, Hayes argues
that science, particularly advances in HIV testing, suggest
that it could be much shorter. He also says the deferral
should be applied equally to all potential donors.
If were going to be realistic and talk about science,
there are very few people that are in a relationship gay,
straight, bisexual, whatever, that are not going to engage

in sexual intercourse, adds Caleb Laieski, an activist who
previously sued the FDA over its lifetime deferral period for
MSM. There are very few people that are going to go an
entire year without intercourse.
The need for blood and the restrictions on its availability
due to the ban are often exposed following times of crisis,
such as after the mass shooting at an LGBT nightclub in
Orlando last month.
So many people needed blood
transfusions, and they were short,
says Laieski. Honestly, there likely
wouldnt have even been a shortage
of the needed blood if gay men were
able to donate.
I think what we saw post-Orlando, tragically, was a real devastating,
disappointing example of why Gay
Mens Health Crisis has been fighting to overturn the FDA blood ban
for years, adds Hayes. There was a
collective response by the people in
Orlando. Many in the gay community
wanted to participate in their communitys response to an attack, and
they were not able to do that because
the FDA still, in 2016, believe that gay
and bisexual mens blood is inherently diseased.
While Laieski does not support
or encourage lying when donating
blood, he understands some may feel
its their only option. I cannot tell
you how many people that I know that have lied and donated, he says.
One of those people is Mark (name changed to protect identity), a 38-year-old gay D.C. resident who started
donating because his family did so regularly. Mark initially
stopped after he came out, because he was scared of lying on
the form. But fear gave way to defiance.
I did some research on it and it seemed to be perfectly
safe [to donate] as long as you knew your status and were
healthy, he says. Then I just realized it was nothing more
than a discriminatory policy.... I decided the question was
irrelevant and I lied on the form because it was none of their
business.
The research Mark sought out confirmed his suspicions
that the question about having sex with other men was not
inherently linked to the likelihood of passing on HIV or
other diseases. Mark, who is HIV-negative and on PrEP as
a form of prevention, has embraced lying on the form as his
own method of activism to protest the restrictions placed on
gay and bisexual men.
I say, if you know your status and youre healthy, go give
blood, he says. Ive lied about that question and if you feel
comfortable doing that, go right ahead, because [blood donation] is a service we provide to other people. We shouldnt
be precluded from it.
It shouldnt matter whether youre sleeping with someone of the same sex or someone of the opposite sex, they
should treat people the same. l
"I decided the

question was
irrelevant and
I lied on the
form because
it was none
of their
business."
20
GAGE SKIDMORE
theFeed
THE TROUBLE WITH TRUMP
Donald Trump wants to be a friend to the LGBT community. With friends like him,
who needs enemies? By Rhuaridh Marr
SK YOURSELF, WHO IS REALLY THE FRIEND OF

women and the LGBT community, Donald Trump
said during a rally in New Hampshire last month, in
the wake of the attacks in Orlando. Donald Trump with his
actions, or Hillary Clinton with her words?
Unfortunately for Trump, its words, not actions, that
have increasingly put him at odds with the LGBT community or, at the very least, left them confused as to where
the perma-oranged property mogul really stands on the
issues. While many criticize Clinton for her long political
career, with frequent changes in stance on certain policies
enshrined both in print and online, Trump has a similar
wealth of quotes and speeches attributed to him from his
long and consistently outspoken career.
Back in the hazy days of 2000, Y2K had transpired to
be a big fuss about nothing, America was preparing to elect
an inept fool for president, and Trump was sitting down
with The Advocate to discuss gay rights. At the time, he was
exploring a presidential run with the Reform Party, and was
asked why gays and lesbians should be interested in him.
I grew up in New York City.... It breeds tolerance, he
said. I dont care whether or not a person is gay. I judge
people based on their capability, honesty, and merit.... Their
lifestyle is of no interest to me.
He told The Advocate that he would appoint gay people to
a Trump administration because sexual orientation would
be meaningless, as he was only looking for brains and
experience. Trump also said he would alter the Civil Rights
Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, wanted an end to Dont Ask, Dont Tell, that it turned [his] stomach when he heard about Matthew Shepards murder, and
he absolutely supported hate-crime legislation.
Trump also made it clear that he did not support samesex marriage, but thought same-sex couples should be
guaranteed the same legal protections and rights as married
couples.
Flash forward eleven years.
They should not be able to marry, Trump reiterated to
The Des Moines Register in 2011. When asked if same-sex
couples deserve the same benefits as married couples, he
said, [my] attitude on it has not been fully formed. Asked
again about marriage and civil benefits, he then offered a
definitive answer: As of this moment, no and no.
While his support for protections has changed, same-sex
marriage has long been one of the few things Trump hasnt
flip-flopped on. While hes thus far bailed on two wives and
is eleven years into his third marriage, he has yet to give up
his strong opposition to two people of the same sex tying the
knot. When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex
marriage last year, Trump tweeted that the court had let
us down. Two days later, CNNs Jake Tapper asked Trump
if his support for traditional marriage stretched to cover
his three weddings. Never one to give a direct answer when
challenged, Trump told Tapper he had a very good point.
Despite a majority of Americans now supporting marriage equality, Trump refuses to budge. In January this year,
21
theFeed
he told Fox News he would strongly consider appointing
justices to the Supreme Court that would overrule marriage
equality. (This from a man who last July told Fox News that
marriage was an issue that [has] been determined and in
August told The Hollywood Reporter that attempts to pass a
constitutional amendment banning marriage equality were
not going to happen. In October CBN reported that Trump
considered marriage equality the law of the land.)
If marriage equality is a no-go,
perhaps Trump is on-board with
anti-discrimination protections for
same-sex couples? He intimated as
much in his Advocate interview, and
backed that up with further statements. His 2000 manifesto even
called for an America unencumbered
by racism, discrimination against
women, or discrimination against
people based on sexual orientation.
Its hard to ignore the irony there,
given that scapegoating Muslims
and Mexicans, insulting women, and
turning his back on the LGBT community are cornerstones of his 2016
campaign.
Still, in 2011, Trump told The
Brody File that there can be no discrimination against gays. Even last
year, during an appearance on NBCs
Meet the Press, Trump affirmed support for gay employees who are fired for their sexuality.
I dont think [sexual orientation] should be a reason for
firing someone, he said, adding that he was willing to go
with what the Courts are saying. (Except when it comes to
marriage equality.)
As Trump attempts to woo the religious right, he has
increasingly shifted towards supporting measures that
would harm the LGBT community. During a speech at the
Iowa Faith and Family Coalition, Breitbart reports Trump
said he [feels] so strongly about religious liberty, a tool
increasingly used by the right to enshrine in law discrimination against the LGBT community. Refusing to serve a gay
couple in a restaurant, or telling a transgender woman she
cant shop in your store, or any other number of practices are
protected as long as the discriminator claims it was based
on their religious beliefs. Trump, for all his past statements
on loving gay people, now fully supports such measures. At
that same event, he vowed that his first priority as president
would be to preserve and protect our religious liberty.
In September last year, Trump told the Huffington Post
that he supported Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who
refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples
because of her religion. I havent been opposed to her stand
and I think its fine. Unfortunately for The Donald, thats
not entirely true. Earlier that month, he told Bill OReilly
that being clerk was not the right job for her because we
had a ruling from the Supreme Court. You have to do what
the Supreme court ultimately [says] whether you like the
ruling or not, he reiterated. (Again, supporting the legality
of a ruling that he later said he would try to overthrow.)
Trumps support for so-called religious liberty (some-
thing that is already protected in the constitution) has been

compounded by reports that hes close to tapping Indiana
Gov. Mike Pence as his Vice President. Pence championed
his states Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a disastrous
piece of legislation that allowed discrimination against
LGBT people and led to a boycott of the state by businesses, removing $60 million from the states bank account in
the process. Two months later, Indiana fixed the law. If
Pence is VP, hes bringing a lot of antiLGBT sentiment to the Trump ticket.
However, the alternative is apparently former GOP presidential candidate
Newt Gingrich, who, like Trump, has
been married three times, but opposes the right of his lesbian half-sister,
Candace, to marry.
Just this week, the GOP officials
charged with forming the partys 2016
platform affirmed their opposition to
LGBT rights. On marriage, adoption,
and transgender people, they remain
opposed. Officials squabbled over just
how anti-transgender they wanted to
be, with one Kentucky delegate calling it mind-boggling that the GOP
was elevating the issue to such an
extent, while a North Carolina delegate said Bathrooms arent the issue.
It is locker rooms, dressing rooms.
Here, Trump had previously
seemed to be something of a bright star in the darkness.
Earlier this year, he told NBCs Today that transgender
people should use whatever bathroom they feel is appropriate. He opposed North Carolinas anti-trans HB 2 law,
calling it a problem. He also said that Caitlyn Jenner could
use the womens bathroom in Trump Tower, an invitation
she later accepted in a video on her Facebook page.
Unfortunately, it was a stance that was never going to sit
well with his partys conservative base, who are doing their
best to paint trans people as the devil reincarnate. In May,
he told Bill OReilly that he wasnt sure if trans rights were
human rights and said gender-neutral bathrooms would be
unbelievably expensive. This month, he told The News &
Observer that he was with the states on anti-trans bathroom bills like North Carolinas.
Lets be clear, Donald Trump just gave one of the nations
worst laws for LGBTQ people a full-throated endorsement,
JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president for policy and political affairs at the Human Rights Campaign, told Huffington
Post last week.
A reminder that this reversal came just a couple of weeks
after telling his supporters that Hillary Clinton can never
claim to be a friend of the gay community and saying ask
the gays who their true friend is. (Gays on Twitter, predictably, tore him to shreds.)
Last year, CNNs Don Lemon, who is openly gay, interviewed Trump.
If I ask you this question, will you answer directly?
Lemon said. Do you think that you are homophobic?
No, Trump replied. I think that I am a very nice person. I love people. l
"Trump,
for all his
past statements
on loving gay
people, now
fully supports
religion-based
discrimination."
22
PHOTO COURTESY OF BANG SALON
Community
STYLING FOR DOLLARS

Bang Salon to hold fundraiser benefitting victims of
Orlandos Pulse nightclub
FTER NEWS OF THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING IN

Orlando broke, David von Storch wanted to help in whatever way
possible. The company realized that, as a creator of safe spaces for
people in the LGBT community in Washington, we had a role to play in
helping the community express its support for the victims of the Orlando
shooting, says von Storch, president and founder of Urban Adventures
Companies, Inc., which owns several local businesses, including Capitol City
Brewing, Vida and Bang Salon.
So Von Storch, along with Bang Salon co-owner Nikki Esoldo, planned
an eight-hour Salon-a-thon, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the
Equality Floridas Pulse Victims Fund. Customers will be able to receive
any haircut or hair treatment they wish at any of the companys four D.C.
locations. While reservations are recommended to ensure a spot, walk-ins
will be accepted.
Equality Florida is a very well-regarded organization, says von Storch.
We wanted to be sure our contributions were directed to the LGBT victims
and their families. We thought this was a natural choice. It was an easy selection for us to make. John Riley
Bangs Salon-a-thon will take place at all four D.C. locations (1612 U St. NW;
601 F St. NW; 1212 4th St. SE; 1519 15th St. NW), from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 17.
For more information, or to make a reservation, visit bangsalon.com.
THURSDAY, July 14
Weekly Events
ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing, 9-5

p.m., and HIV services (by
appointment). Call 202-2914707, or visit andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)
practice session at Takoma

Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren
St. NW. 7:30-9 p.m.
swimdcac.org.
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay

and lesbian square-dancing
group features mainstream
through advanced square
dancing at the National City
Christian Church, 5 Thomas
Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m. Casual
dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES
Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour
at Sheraton in Reston, 11810
Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.
23
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor
Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9
a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg,
414 East Diamond Ave., and
in Takoma Park, 7676 New
Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walkins 2-6 p.m. For appointments
other hours, call Gaithersburg,
301-300-9978, or Takoma Park,
301-422-2398.
METROHEALTH CENTER
offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St.
NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in,
for youth 21 and younger. 202-5673155 or testing@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics
Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30

p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The
group is independent of UHU. 202446-1100.
WOMENS LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE for young LBTQ
women, 13-21, interested in leadership development. 5-6:30 p.m.

SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7th St.
SE. 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.
FRIDAY, July 15
GAY DISTRICT, a group for GBTQI
men between the ages of 18-35,

meets on the first and third Fridays
of each month. 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit gaydistrict.org.
LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP
for adults in Montgomery County

offers a safe space to explore
coming out and issues of identity.
10-11:30 a.m. 16220 S. Frederick
Rd., Suite 512, Gaithersburg, Md.
For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
practice session at Hains Point,

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-
affirming social group for ages

11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road
NW. Contact Tamara, 202-3190422, layc-dc.org.
SMYALS REC NIGHT provides a

social atmosphere for GLBT and
questioning youth, featuring dance
parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. More info, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.
24
SATURDAY, July 16
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hikes 8.5 strenuous miles with
1900 feet of elevation gain on the
Appalachian Trail to Loudoun
Heights overlooking Harpers Ferry,
WV. Bring plenty of beverages,
lunch, sturdy boots, bug spray,
sunscreen and about $10 for fees.
Carpool at 8:30 a.m. from parking
lot at Army-Navy Drive and Hayes
Street, two blocks from Pentagon
City Metro. Jerry, 571-241-3787.
adventuring.org.
The DC Center hosts a meeting
of KHUSH DC, a support group
for LGBTQ South Asians. 1:303:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more information, email
board@khushdc.org.
The DC Center hosts an LGBTQ
HARM REDUCTION SUPPORT

GROUP FOR SUBSTANCE USE,
facilitated by psychotherapist and

licensed professional counselor
Kris Oseth. 3-4 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit krisoseth.com or call
202-600-8353.
The DC Center hosts a monthly LGBT ASYLEES SUPPORT
MEETING AND DINNER for LGBT
refugees and asylum seekers. 5-7
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by
members of the LGBT community,

holds Saturday morning Shabbat
services, 10 a.m., followed by
Kiddush luncheon. Services in
DCJCC Community Room, 1529
16th St. NW. betmish.org.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others interested in Brazilian

culture, meets. For location/time,
email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.
com.
practice session at Hains Point, 972

Ohio Dr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes all

levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, socializing
afterward. Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd &
P Streets NW, for a walk; or 10 a.m.
for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.
DC SENTINELS basketball
team meets at Turkey Thicket

Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan
Ave. NE, 2-4 p.m. For players of all
levels, gay or straight. teamdcbasketball.org.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for

LGBT community, family and
friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel

Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary
Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For
more info, visit dignitynova.org.
GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses
critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies, 900 U St.

NW. RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@gmail.com.
SUNDAY, July 17
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
visits the National Gallery of Art

to see exhibitions on benefactor
Paul Mellons art collection and
on Hubert Robert, a.k.a. Robert
Of The Ruins. Free. All welcome.
Lunch in Cascades Caf. Meet at
noon in the 6th & Constitution
Avenue NW lobby. Craig, 202-4620535. craighowell1@verizon.net.
MONDAY, July 18
CENTER FAITH, a program of The
DC Center, hosts a meeting for the
LGBT community and their religious allies. 7:30-9 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-5673155 or testing@smyal.org.

The DC Center hosts COFFEE
DROP-IN FOR THE SENIOR LGBT

COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000
14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay

mens evening affinity group. 3636
Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS
WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9
p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300

Van Buren St. NW. Newcomers
with at least basic swimming ability
always welcome. Tom, 703-2990504, secretary@wetskins.org,
wetskins.org.
WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH
HIV/AIDS Support Group for

newly diagnosed individuals,
meets 7 p.m. Registration required.
202-939-7671, hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.
TUESDAY, July 19
CENTER BI, a group of The DC
Center, hosts a monthly roundtable
discussion around issues of bisexuality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing,
practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison

Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.
9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by

appointment). 202-291-4707,
andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at

Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave.
NW. getequal.wdc@gmail.com.
ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly
HIV Testing at WHITMANWALKER HEALTH. At the

Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center,
1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At
the Max Robinson Center, 2301
MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
For an appointment call 202-7457000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY

(K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St.,
Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV

testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4
p.m. 703-823-4401.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers
free, rapid HIV testing. No

appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV test-
ing. 5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite

200, Arlington. Appointments: 703789-4467.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in,
for youth 21 and younger. Youth
dinner in Dupont/Logan Circle

area, 6:30 p.m. afwash@aol.com,
afwashington.net.
practice session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW.
7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club serving greater D.C.s LGBT community and

allies hosts an evening run/walk.
dcfrontrunners.org.
THE GAY MENS HEALTH

COLLABORATIVE offers free
HIV testing and STI screening

and treatment every Tuesday.
5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday
LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health
Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617.
james.leslie@inova.org.
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of

THE DC CENTER hosts Packing
Party, where volunteers assemble

safe-sex kits of condoms and lube.
7 p.m., Green Lantern, 1335 Green
Court NW. thedccenter.org.
Whitman-Walker Healths GAY

MENS HEALTH AND WELLNESS/
STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 1701
IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg,

414 East Diamond Ave., and
in Takoma Park, 7676 New
Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walkins 2-6 p.m. For appointments
other hours, call Gaithersburg at
301-300-9978 or Takoma Park at
301-422-2398.
14th St. NW. Patients are seen on

walk-in basis. No-cost screening
for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and
chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes
testing available for fee. whitman-walker.org.
METROHEALTH CENTER
WEDNESDAY, July 20
offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St.
NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
LGBT focused meeting every

Tuesday, 7 p.m. St. Georges
Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland
Ave., Arlington, just steps from
Virginia Square Metro. For
more info. call Dick, 703-5211999. Handicapped accessible.
Newcomers welcome. liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ

YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at
SMYAL, 410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m.

Cathy Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a support
group for black gay men 40 and

older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.
NW. 202-446-1100.
BOOKMEN DC, an informal mens

gay-literature group, discusses Blue
Too: More Writing by (for or about)
Working-Class Queers, a compilation of the work of 20 writers
who speak to the LGBT working
class experience. 7:30-8:30 p.m. DC
Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. All are welcome. Bookmendc.
blogspot.com.
GAMMA, a confidential support
group for men who are gay, bisexual, questioning and who are
married or involved with a woman,
meets on the third Wednesday
of each month in Virginia. This
months meeting is at a private
residence in Sterling. 6:30-8:30
p.m. For more information, visit
GAMMAinDC.org.
THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL

BRIDGE CLUB will meet for
Social Bridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity

Center 721 8th St., S.E. (across
from Marine Barracks). No partner

needed. 301-345-1571 for more
information.
WOMAN TO WOMAN: A
SUPPORT GROUP FOR HIVPOSITIVE WOMEN WHO LOVE
WOMEN, meets on the third
Wednesday of each month at The

Womens Collective. Light refreshments served. 5:30-7 p.m. 1331
Rhode Island Ave. NE. For more
information, 202-483-7003.
Weekly Events
AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-
versation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,

Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call
Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.

927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison

Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.
FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a
group for LGBT people looking

to quit cigarettes and tobacco use,
holds a weekly support meeting at
The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH
offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.

and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-
gram for job entrants and seekers,

meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more info, www.centercareers.
org.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. No
appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV
testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N.
15th St., Suite 200, Arlington.
Appointments: 703-789-4467.
PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club
for mature gay men, hosts weekly
happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,
Windows Bar above Dupont Italian
Kitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl,
703-573-8316. l
Submit your community event for
consideration at least 10 days prior
to the Thursday publication you
would like it to appear. Email to calendar@metroweekly.com.
Oral
Fixation
you can listen
to any story at
MetroWeekly.com
just look for the
speak button
25
d
i
K
z
i
W
After Todrick Hall was voted off
American Idol, he found a better path
to his own personal Oz.
He found YouTube.
Interview by Doug Rule
26
only hint at the 31-year-olds talent and ambition, fully manifested in Oz both the recorded album as well as a North American
tour featuring nearly 20 performers reenacting his musical tale
with him. I cant wait for people to see it, he says. Ive never
been this proud of anything that Ive done. The album debuted
in the Top Ten on the iTunes Pop Album Chart after its release
in late June.
I would have never, ever in a million years imagined that my
little album, that was self-produced as a gay man, would be up
surpassing Adele and Rihanna and Taylor Swift, Ariana, Justin
Bieber, Hall says. Im just some little dude from Texas. Ive
been working really hard to make this stuff happen, and it just
gives me promise and hope for the future.
Hall is especially looking forward to his return to D.C. at the
Howard Theatre on August 1. D.C. is without doubt one of my
favorite cities to perform in, he says. I know the audiences there
are going to be amazing. Im very, very, very excited about it.
METRO WEEKLY: How did you come up with the concept for
Straight Outta Oz?
TODRICK HALL: Im a huge Disney fan, but when I saw Zootopia,
it changed my life. I loved that it had so many amazing social
messages in it. And then I saw Hamilton. I loved that Lin-Manuel
Miranda took a classic story and told it in such a hip-hop and cool
way. After Beyonce released Lemonade, that was the thing that
made me go, I want to do a visual album, but I want it to have
political messages in it like Zootopia, and I want to take one of
the most classic American stories and tell it through the eyes of a
young, gay, black man.
Ive gotten 315 million views on YouTube and I have over 2.2
million subscribers now, but people really know me from playing
characters on YouTube. They dont really know the real me. As
Im getting older, I really want people to understand where Ive
come from, and tell them things about me that would humanize
me and make them understand and perhaps identify with me.
The Wizard of Oz has always held such a special place in
SHAWN ADELI.TIF
OT VERY LONG AGO, TODRICK HALL WAS

taking a stroll in L.A., decked out in booty shorts and
UGG boots encrusted with Swarovski crystals (Dont
ask why I was wearing that outfit, he laughs), talking
on the phone to his mother. Somehow, police officers viewed him
as a potential suspect. I was just walking down the street, Hall
says. The cop car came fully onto the sidewalk. They threw me
down and tried to arrest me, because I supposedly, quote-unquote,
matched the description of somebody.
They pulled a gun out on me, he continues, because my
mom was on the phone and I had headphones in and she was
screaming. I was trying to turn my phone off, and they thought
I was reaching in my pocket to get a gun though there was no
way possible I could have fit a gun in those little Daisy Dukes.
Hall was released and shrugged off the encounter as just a
crazy experience. But, as the world has become all-too aware,
its an experience with which African-American men are horrifyingly familiar. Its also one of countless experiences that have
helped shape the life of this young, gay man on his journey from
Plainville, Texas, to Hollywood.
Hall documents that journey in a new visual album, Straight
Outta Oz, a bold, captivating hour-long set featuring 17 songs
and videos in which Hall sings and raps about his life, alongside
many of the celebrity friends hes made along the way, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Wayne Brady, Nicole Scherzinger,
Pentatonix, Perez Hilton, Jordin Sparks, and Glees Amber
Riley. Hall himself came to fame as a Top 13 finalist on Idol in
season nine, though in recent years hes become better known
for his YouTube work. Hes produced popular visual mashups
of songs by Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, and his Targetchoreographed flash mob to Beyonces End of Time prompted
Queen Bey to hire Hall as a choreographer on her roller-disco
video, Blow. Hall has garnered further attention for his gay
spoofs of everything from Cinderella (CinderFella) to Pitch
Perfect (Bitch Perfect).
Yet all of Halls previous work, including stints on Broadway
in the ensembles of The Color Purple and Memphis The Musical,
d
27
my heart. Its my favorite story, since I was six years old I

can quote every single line. I have a whole sleeve tattoo of The
Wizard of Oz, and I even have a tattoo on the back of my neck
thats a patch that says Made in Oz. So Ive been a fan for a
long time, and I wanted to tell the story in a new and innovative
way. Theres The Wizard of Oz, theres The Wiz, theres Wicked,
theres Return to Oz, theres Disneys Oz the Great and Powerful
there have been so many versions of this, and I didnt want to
do it if it wasnt something new or something interesting I could
do with the story.
MW: How long was it in gestation?
HALL: Very quick. There are 17 songs on the album, but over 20
in the live show. It took me about five or six weeks to write all
the songs, and then we filmed the videos in two weeks. It was the
least amount of sleep Ive ever gotten. I was sleeping two to three
hours a night, but I really wanted it to get out before the tour.
MW: When did you first see The Wizard of Oz?
HALL: I must have been five or six years old. And I thought it was the
story of Cinderella. So for months and months I would ask my mom
every Saturday morning to go rent Cinderella, but the one with the
witch in it. And my mom would rent Cinderella. I was beginning to
think I was never going to be able to find this movie ever again, and
then I saw it. We ended up buying it it was the 50th Anniversary
case. I still have it. Its decaying because its so old and so poorly
taken care of. But I
watched that movie
so much that we
ended up buying
another version of
The Wizard of Oz
and a machine that
was just to rewind
the tape so that I
didnt have to wait.
I was so impatient
to start it over again
from the beginning. Thats how
obsessed I was with
watching it.
MW: Did you identify with Dorothy?
HALL: I identified with Dorothy
because I grew
up in a farming
community called
Plainview, Texas,
in the panhandle of
the state. I always
wanted to get out
and go do something bigger and
greater and grander than what I was doing in Texas. I just could never figure out
a way to get out. Finally, we moved to Dallas, which was a huge
step for us.
MW: When did you realize being an entertainer was something you
wanted to do?
HALL: I realized it very young. My teacher introduced me to theater. She had a husband who hated musicals. They had season
passes, and so she would start taking me to see musicals with
her The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, all the classics.
I would teach myself how to do all the dances and sing all the
songs in my garage. Every day I would come home I wouldnt
do my homework because I would want to go and just perform all
these numbers, but for no audience. And there was no community
theater there that I could get involved in. It was just me and my
imagination, and I would fine-tune my craft as much as I could
without having anybody guiding me. I taught myself how to sing
I never took voice lessons. I taught myself how to dance. And
then finally, this woman who owned a dance studio called Tip
Tap Toes which is just the cutest name of any dance studio in
the world taught me how to dance. The rest is history.
I never stopped dancing. From the moment I was eight years
old, I was in The Nutcracker every single year, and then I got a
job at Six Flags when I turned 16, and I learned how to perform
and I started singing more. I sang at church my whole life growing up, but once I started working at Six Flags, I was combining
the singing and the dancing together. And then I did a couple
of national tours, and then I went to Broadway, and after that I
decided I wanted to try mainstream, so I went and auditioned
for American Idol.
MW: You have a brother, but you spent most of your childhood as
an only child. Did that influence you at all?
HALL: I was halfway through high school by the time I got a
brother. So yes, basically I was an only child. I think it made
me creative, but it also made my people
skills not as great as they could have been.
I was very shy growing up, and I was just
obviously struggling with my sexuality and
where I came from. There were 12 nephews
and grandsons, so I was raised with 12 boys,
and they were always doing things, and I
always felt uncomfortable trying to be like
them. I always knew that something was
different about me, I just didnt know what.
MW: When did you figure out what it was?
HALL: In high school. There was a boy named
Josh, and he was a cheerleader. I remember being obsessed with him the second I
saw him. I was attracted to him as a human
being, but mostly I was attracted to the fact
that he was so charismatic and so confident
and really talented as a cheerleader. He was
really good at what he did. He just had such
a cool swag about him and stuff, and I knew
at that point that I was attracted to men. I
had maybe thought about it before, but he
was the thing that made me one hundred
percent sure: Oh yeah, Im for sure gay.
MW: Did you become friends with him or anything more?
HALL: Yeah, we dated for a while. Were really
good friends still. He was a cool guy, but he
wasnt ready to be a boyfriend. I was ready to
get married when I was sixteen. I was so into
him. He was my first real kiss. I had kissed a couple other people
before that just for funsies, but he was the first guy I really made
out with and had any experiences with.
MW: When did you come out?
HALL: I came out at around fifteen. Very shortly after I met him,
I decided I wanted to be in a relationship with him. And at that
time, my mom and I were best friends. So I thought, Oh, my
moms going to love it. I thought my mom would be a little bit
shocked, but I didnt know that she was going to react the way
I can make videos all day,

but if no ones watching
them, whats the point
of making them? Im
trying to move into

a place, without
getting preachy,
where I entertain
people, but also
change their lives in
some way.
28
COURTESY OF UNITED TALENT AGENCY
that she did. That was when our relationship

took a turn for the worse.
My mom was not happy with my decision.
She went on an emotional rollercoaster about
it. She was sad at first, and then she was like,
Well, I wanna protect him, so she didnt
want me to talk to anyone who was a man. It
was a really, really, really rough time for me.
I ended up running away from home basically
to go pursue performing and to get out of my
moms house. She took a very, very long time.
Its been over 10 years and were just now
getting to the point where we can talk realistically about who Im dating and whatever.
We would talk before, but it would be in code
and she could never actually say the words.
Now, we can talk about my boyfriend Jesse,
and she asks how hes doing every time Im
on the phone with her. And she always leaves
voicemails for him she calls him when she
cant get in touch with me, which I never
thought was going to happen.
Culturally, in the African-American community, being gay is so socially not accepted.
It was very hard for my mom to face the
family and let them know. And now I think
everybodys kind of okay with it, and they
support me.
MW: You also seem to have a strong family-like network of fellow performers in L.A.
HALL: Yeah, I do. I have a lot of close friends
that are in the business that are just good
people. Theyre super-supportive and have
great personalities, and I love getting to work
with them.
MW: They include Lance Bass, who was your
Prince Charming in CinderFella.
HALL: Yeah, Lance has become a really good
friend. I never thought we would get to the
point where wed just be texting here and
there about random things, but we talk all
the time on the phone. Hes such a great guy,
so sweet. And the relationship that he and
his husband have is beautiful. I love it.
MW: He recently made headlines for suggesting that being openly gay has held him back
in his career.
HALL: Being gay sometimes can hold you
back, and thats really why Im so grateful
for YouTube, because its allowed me to do
exactly what I want to do. How often do you
see gay men being cast as straight men on
television? Not as often as theyre being cast
as gay men. Its very difficult for people to
separate your personal life from a character
that youre playing on television. Neil Patrick
Harris played a straight man in a movie
that I watched recently, and I was so happy
that they made that bold choice because he
did such a great job, and theres no reason
why he shouldnt be considered for those
roles, but oftentimes people pigeonhole you.
I think that I would be great at playing a side-
kick at a barber shop, but I also think that I can play many other types of characters.
I could play a straight man.
Thats why I love Broadway so much. Broadway takes a lot of liberties and they
dont care. If you have the talent, they put you in the role. I think thats how it should
be. I dont doubt that being gay has hurt Lances career, but I think that the world
is quickly changing in a direction where maybe people who are coming up in the
industry, now and over the next few years, are not going to have to experience the
stereotyping that some other people have had to deal with.
MW: The idea that you could make a career through YouTube, when did that occur to you?
HALL: After I got eliminated from American Idol. I did a McDonalds tribute, it was me
singing at a McDonalds drive-thru. It was my first viral video, and once people saw
that, they were stopping me on the street saying, Hey, are you the McDonalds guy?
And I started thinking to myself, This is so odd that I just got kicked off of the numJULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY
29
ber one television show, that has 30 million-plus viewers every

single week, and people are recognizing me for my McDonalds
video. Maybe American Idol and television cant dictate my
future. Maybe Simon Cowells opinion is not the only opinion
that matters. It took me a long time Im still trying to figure
it out now. Sometimes I put out videos and Im like, I have no
idea why I put that out. I look back at it and Im like, That
wasnt even funny. But I think everybody has those experiences, where you look back at things you did or said or liked during
high school, and you realize, that wasnt that great. YouTube is
almost like a yearbook to be able to look back at the things that
Ive done and experienced.
Im not one of those people that hates the fact that I was
on Idol or tries to tell people not to talk about it. Im so grateful for that experience. Had it not been for that, I definitely
wouldnt have wanted to make future videos. I wouldnt have
tried so hard to get my name back out there. Yet YouTube
is the one thing that has opened the most doors for me.
MW: A lot of your work is personal, but its also relatable and
affirming of the gay experience. That seems particularly important
to you.
HALL: It is. Growing up, none of us had really great role models
gays that were on television all the time. Especially a gay AfricanAmerican role model that I could look up to and say, Oh, cool,
I really wanna be that guy. And it doesnt really happen very
much on television now. RuPaul and Jussie Smollett are the only
people I can think of off the top of my head who are on television
representing gay African-American men. Now, with YouTube,
Im able to talk to people living in some small town down in the
South or in the Bible Belt they can go onto YouTube and watch
and be entertained the same way I was watching Thats So Raven
every day, because Raven-Symone was just my idol growing up.
To have somebody who they can look up to as a role model and
say, I could be that guy one day even if its not on the most
commercial platform, its still such an amazing tool that I have. I
wear that responsibility as a badge of honor. Im so happy that I
can be a voice for some of these kids.
I didnt even realize thats what I was doing, I was just being
myself, but when you hear the messages from these young kids
saying, I was afraid to wear these types of outfits to school, but
because you wear big bracelets, I went to school and did this, and
now Im so much more confident, and now I wanna do this, and
I wanna be a fashion designer, because now people are looking
at me and they realize that I have a cool sense of fashion. And
I think my outfits are hideous half the time. I look at things
that I wear from one week to the next and Im like, I cannot
believe that no one told me not to wear that. But if its helping
people to be able to be more comfortable in their own skin and
do things that make them feel great and give them confidence, I
think thats the reason why were supposed to be artists why
God gave us special gifts. And sometimes we forget that. We
get so self-absorbed, and it becomes such a me, me, me-type
situation.
I can make videos all day, but if no ones watching or sharing them them, whats the point of making them? Now I make
things and Im trying to move into a place, without getting
preachy, where I entertain people, but also change their lives
in some way. There are so many people putting out work that
doesnt change peoples lives that I dont think theres really
that much room for more of that. Ive done things for fun, but
now, in this chapter of my life, I want to do things that open
peoples eyes and make them look at something that they
thought was a box and now they can see that it is a circle.
30
MW: Earlier, you mentioned acting. Is that something you want to
do more of?
HALL: I would absolutely love to do that. I was a dancer first I
was training to be a dancer, and I felt like I accomplished that.

At 20 years old, I was on Broadway and that was an awesome
accomplishment, but people didnt think that I could sing. And
so I went on American Idol. Even though I did not win the show,
I still made it to the Top 13. And so that was, to me, thats what
I went there to do - just to prove to people that I was more than
just a dancer. And now I want to prove to people that I can act,
and I want to prove that to myself, because its not just about
proving it to other people.
I know that I have an ability to act, but I dont trust myself
and I dont walk into a room uninhibited. I go in with all of my
insecurities and you cant act, you cant sing, you cant dance
if you have all these insecurities attached to your body. You have
to learn how to shut those things off. Im probably the most
insecure person in America. I think that I have a lot of talent, I
think that Im good at a lot of things, but I dont think Im great
at anything. So its really weird to see how other people perceive
you to be, because I dont perceive myself to be this phenomenal
person. And so Im working on myself every single day to try to
be better, and to listen to my voice and say, You know what,
Todrick? You sounded good today. Or to do a video, Wow, you
did a really good job at doing that. Im just a human being with
insecurities like every single other person, and Im trying to deal
with those. I used to be like, Im not going to tell people that
Im gay. Im going to be an artist that lives in the closet so that
I can be successful because I dont want it to affect my career.
And now Im just like, Fuck that whole thing. It is not worth it.
Life is too short. And I think that everyone should wake up and
do whatever it is that makes them happy, and performing makes
me so happy.
I just feel like the most blessed human being, and Im
grateful to be where I am. I used to be super-jealous of people who were more successful than I am, and now Im just so
grateful to have anybody that will buy a ticket. I will gladly do
a show or concert for 10 people if thats all the tickets I sell.
MW: Given shes a big inspiration for you, I have to ask: Do you
think Beyonce struggles with insecurity the way you do?
HALL: Yeah, I think thats part of what Lemonade is about.
Theres a part where shes saying, If thats what you really want,
I will wear her skin on my skin. I think those are things that
Beyonce actually felt. And thats the thing people forget when
they go write things online. They forget that you have internet
access. Theres an app called Mentions that people who are public figures have, and you can see anytime someone writes your
name. They dont have to add you in it. And sometimes I read
the most cruel things. If these people knew that I actually could
see this, they probably wouldnt write it, but theyre writing
it because theyre like, Theres no way in the world hes ever
going to see this. I do see it.
When Orlando happened, I was devastated. For two days, I
was supposed to be working on my musical and I could hardly
crawl out of bed. I was just so hurt by it. I was scared. Oftentimes
theres so much self-hate in our community. People say, Well, I
dont like these type of gays, or I dont like lesbians, or Hes
too much. As a gay, African-American man, most of the hate
that I get comes from the African-American community and
from gay people. I just think thats so sad.
Anyway, when this whole thing happened, it warmed my
heart. I was so sad, but then I was so happy for our community,
that we banded together and that everyone was standing up for
this and doing what they could to contribute, giving their last
dime to help the victims. This is what our community should
be all the time. This is what the world should be all the time.
And we shouldnt be waiting for a horrific tragedy to happen
to do those types of things, we should all be doing it every day.
We know that, but it sometimes takes something to wake us up
and remind us that life is fragile and all these little, minuscule,
unimportant things that we spend so much
time worrying about, we shouldnt be because
tomorrow we might not be here. We might
not be here five minutes from now, you know?
All I see is love spewing from Facebook when
I get on there, and I just hope that it stays
that way for a while and that this is a reality check to everyone that we have come
so far, but we have so much further to go.
MW: The broader culture is becoming more
accepting, as well as more aware of the dangers
of internalized homophobia and anti-LGBT
discrimination in the wake of Orlando.
HALL: As scary as it is to be in our country
right now, the fact that its becoming more
and more accepting makes me happy. My
mom comes to the show and is always crying. She says, You dont understand. When
I grew up, I couldnt go to school with white
people, but to see all of these people of all of
these different ethnicities paying good money
to come and watch my child perform is the
most beautiful thing ever. She gets so choked
up about it every time because she just cannot
believe it. And I cant believe it either. Im so
moved that people spend their hard-earned
money to bring their kids to come see a
show and these white families, Asian families,
Hispanic families, Indian families the fact
that Im a gay black man is not even an issue. They get dressed
and they come to the show. Its not even something that they
think about. People dont care about it. My mom has to remind
me that the world hasnt always been like this. Im so proud of the
children, because I feel like theres promise to our future. These
kids are going to grow up and be like, Being gay? Why are we
discussing this? Its not an issue at all. I think thats awesome.
MW: Being out and being public is important to making progress,
particularly with LGBT issues. Do you have any thoughts about
how we make progress on race and prejudice?
HALL: We have to prove to people that theyre wrong. We
shouldnt have to, but I think everyone just has to do what they
can to be a good person every day. I dont think that anyone
should be judging and stereotyping an entire race based on a
few encounters that they might have had with somebody that
fits into that category. But I think were moving in the right
direction, and I think honestly the media has a lot to do with
that, just making things a little bit more even. Having shows
where theres not just a black friend as a sidekick, but theres a
black lead character and they have white friends as a sidekick,
or theres an Indian lead character and they have a black friend
thats a sidekick. That needs to happen more often so that it
becomes ingrained.
We take in so much information every day, and whether you
want to be or not, youre affected by the things that you see on
the cover of magazines, on television every day, in the media, on
billboards, whatever. It affects you. You see the quintessential
image of what a beautiful man is your whole life if thats a

beautiful white man with blue eyes and dark features, then thats
what youre going to believe is the definition of beauty. And I
think that the media needs to help change that, because beauty
comes in so many different colors. This goes into a different
topic, but I dont think when people say, Im not interested in
black guys or Im not interested in Asian, or I would never
date an Indian person I dont think
that that is something that is just a
preference. I think
its something that
is swayed by media
and what we have
been taught in our
lives.
The way we
choose
clothing
lines and choose
what kind of cars
were going to drive
is affected by what
we see, so I dont
think that who were
sexually attracted
to is any different.
I would like to see
that change. There
are so many people
who are unhappy in relationships
because theyre so
busy chasing after
their
unrealistic
ideal type of guy.
Maybe thats not who you were meant to be with. Maybe the
person whos going to treat you right, whos going to make you
happy, is a short Asian man, but hes the person that you were
meant to be with. We have to be willing to be more open to looking at beauty in different ways, because I think wed be surprised
at what we would find.
I know a lot of people in our country are really scared, but I
still have hope. Im not afraid. Some of my friends are scared to
go on tour now because of all these things Im not afraid at
all. Im excited to go and meet my fans. Im never going to be
afraid to meet people because of an incident that happened with
someone. Were in a scary time, but I think that everyone can
play their part in making this world a better place as cheesy
as that sounds.
Ive been saying that for years, and then I put up videos about
twerking in the rain, which is fun, but thats not helping the
world in any way. So now, I feel like Im opening peoples eyes
and having them see something in a different light without being
preachy. Thats what I want to use my platform for right now. I
feel like Im finally doing my part. l
My mom comes to the

show and is always crying.
She says, When I grew up,
I couldnt go to school with
white people, but
to see all these people

of different ethnicities
paying money to
watch my child
perform is the
most beautiful
thing ever.
Todrick Hall appears Monday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 p.m., at the Howard

Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets are $25 to $45, or $100 for a VIP
Meet & Greet. Call 202-588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.com.
Straight Outta Oz is available on iTunes and YouTube or via
todrickhall.com.
31
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF HERRITY
Gallery
Jeff Herrity
Totems - Black and White Porcelain, 14" x 5" x 5.5" (each)
Upcoming Shows:
Tree of Life - Jeff Herrity Solo Show - Jordan Faye Contemporary - September 2016
DCCAH - Group Show - Artist Fellowship Show - DCCAH Headquarters
Flesh - Group Show - Olly Olly Gallery Fairfax, Va - October 2016
Joan Hisoaka Gallery - Group Show - October 2016
jeffherrity.com
33
JASON QUIGLEY
Music
(L-R) Case, lang and Veirs
Trio
Three folk rock veterans come together on a rich and

captivating debut album By Sean Maunier
IGH-PROFILE COLLABORATIONS ALWAYS RUN THE RISK OF BECOMing a motley collection of half-finished side projects, or, at their worst, nothing
more than gimmicky vehicles for self-important artists to tout their outsized
egos. It should not be a surprise, then, that when genre-blurring icon k.d. Lang, powerhouse Neko Case, and geologist-turned-bard Laura Veirs announced that they would
be forming their own band and collaborating on an album, eyebrows were raised.
Although the trio have over 30 albums between them, there was no guarantee the joint
effort would bear fruit.
Its no stretch to say that the trio exceeds expectations. Their eponymous debut
album, case/lang/veirs (HHHHH), draws the best of their previous work into a project
worthy of their reputations as masters of modern folk.
As though we needed reminding, case/lang/veirs make it clear from the start that
they are the three same fiercely independent solo artists. However distinct their individual approaches may be, the trio finds a middle ground in a style that draws at various
times on folk rock, alt-country and Americana. Atomic Number introduces the project with a declaration from each of the three lang is not the freckled maid, Veirs
wont be typecast as the fair-haired girl, and Case would like it to be known that she is
not a pail of milk for you to spoil. The idea behind the song is straightforward enough:
like an atom, each member cleaves strongly to her own identity as an artist. Having
made their declarations, their voices then meld together as the song swells and builds,
not a single voice rising to prominence above the others. This immediate assertion of
individuality followed by harmonizing sets the tone for the rest of the album, which
34
sees lang, Case and Veirs take turns at the

mike, with all three providing backing
vocals at one point or another. Their personalities come through strongly, yet no
one upstages the others at any point. Their
chemistry is natural and unforced the
furthest thing from gimmicky.
Their explorations are at once rich
and understated, the album evoking an
impressive array of moods and settings,
exploring them with a poetic exactness.
On Honey and Smoke, lang pleads with a
would-be lover to see through the shallow
seductions of other suitors and recognize
the substance of her own affection instead.
She carries this sense of vulnerability and
longing through to Blue Fires and Why
Do We Fight, examples of lang at her best.
Meanwhile, Laura Veirs lends a counterweight to lang, veering into a brighter,
somewhat country sound on Silver Lake.
Case holds her own throughout, her voice
consistently powerful and assured. She is
strongest on Delirium, her vocals paired
with soaring, otherworldly instrumentals
on what is arguably the albums high point.
Throughout case/lang/veirs conveys
a profound sense of intimacy. Many of
the songs feel deeply personal, whether
they are langs confessions of unrequited
love or Veirs Song for Judee, a moving
tribute to a musician whose

budding career was overshadowed by addiction and
crime. The melodies themselves are delicate and ethereal, deliberately constructed to draw a listener in. Even
on more uptempo tracks,
an atmospheric, almost
haunting tone pervades this
album. Supermoon and
Georgia Stars are powerful meditations on the natural world, whose urgent
strings and bass evoke the
feeling of danger and excitement that comes with being
alone under the night sky.
In a similar vein, Down
I-5 enumerates the minute
details of a lonely stretch
of interstate. What might
otherwise be an unremarkable, lonely drive instead
becomes a moving reflection
on monolithic, impersonal
billboards and the endless night beyond them. Whatever the
subject material, a listener cant help feeling that they are being
shown something raw and

authentic.
In the process of collaboration, some things are inevitably sacrificed. As strong
as they may be, k.d. langs
contributions in particular
are somewhat muted. Since
lang is the most well-known
of the three it could be that
this was a deliberate choice
to keep attention on Veirs
and Case, and on the fact
that the album was a group
effort above all else.
While these three folk
rock veterans may have
compromised on some
details, putting egos aside
has generally paid off
remarkably well. While lang
alone gives the group plenty
of star power to coast on,
case/lang/veirs ultimately
refuses to do so. The trio
shows us that compromise
need not necessarily be a bad thing. In this case it has resulted in
a strong and deeply affecting debut. l
case/lang/viers is available on Spotify and iTunes. The band is currently touring the U.S. and Canada and will be performing at the
Lincoln Theatre on Wednesday, July 27. Visit thelincolndc.com.
35
NightLife
37
CoverboyConfidential
Adam
Interview by Randy Shulman

Photography by Julian Vankim
When Adam worked at Walt Disney World, he was a friend of Eeyores code for having portrayed
the character in the theme park. (He was also friends with the Tweedles, but the 30-year-old fails to
clarify whether he was closer to Dee or to Dum.) Some people were like, Dont be so sad, Eeyore,
he remembers. One time, these college frat guys just ran up to Eeyore and gave him a big hug. He
laughs. Those guys were way too excited.
Adam lives in Virginia with his (fellow Disneyphile) fiance (who proposed during Disneys nightly fireworks extravaganza), and works as a massage therapist at Lifetime Fitness in Reston. Only once during
his tenure has a client asked for a massage in what Adam calls the Adam and Eve areas. I said, Im
going to have to ask you to leave. This is not that kind of place.
A native of Cincinnati, Adam sometimes misses the citys iconic handcrafted ice cream, Graeters.
Especially the Buckeye Blitz, he sighs. Its chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, with balls of peanut
butter wrapped in chocolate, and giant chocolate chips. I call it the perfect break up ice cream.
Whats on your nightstand?
A ring holder, the book Im
reading, and lube.
DrinksDragDJsEtc...
Thursday
July 14
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection
Music videos featuring
DJ Wess
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call
Martini, $3 Miller Lite, $4
Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm $3
Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight, $5 Red Bull and
Frozen Virgin Drinks
Locker Room Thursday
Nights DJs Sean Morris
and MadScience Best
Package Contest at midnight, hosted by BaNaka &
Kristina Kelly $200 Cash

Prize Doors open 10pm,
21+ $5 Cover or free
with college ID
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm Strip
Down Thursdays Happy
Hour starts with shirtless
men drink $2 rail and
domestic, 5-8pm Men
down to their underwear
drink $1 rail and domestic,
10pm-12am DJ Kudjo
Onyx starts spinning,
9pm-1am Highwaymen
TNT host Hot Jock Night
Hot Jock Contest,
11:30pm $250 in cash
and prizes to winner No
Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
Whats the last thing you bought?

Three pairs of underwear
from aussieBum.
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Ladies Drink Free Power
Hour, 4-5pm Shirtless
Thursday, 10-11pm DJs
BacK2bACk
JR.S
All You Can Drink for $15,
5-8pm $3 Rail Vodka
Highballs, $2 JR.s drafts,
8pm-close Flashback:
Music videos from 19752005 with DJ Jason Royce,
8pm-12am
$5 Rails and House Wines

and Half-Priced Pizzas
Lobster Thursdays,
5pm-close
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $1
PBR, $2 Yuengling, $3 Rail,
$5 Appetizers Extended
Happy Hour, 7-9pm, with
only $1 increase in price
NUMBER NINE
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
THE HOUSE NIGHTCLUB

Throbbing Thursdays
Diverse group of all male,
all nude dancers Doors
open 9pm Shows all
night until close, starting at
9pm $5 Domestic Beer,
$6 Imports $12 cover
For Table Reservations,
202-487-6646 rockharddc.com
SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour 4-7pm $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm Happy Hour
all night, $4 drinks and
NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Drag Bingo
draughts 21+
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
9pm Cover 21+
Friday
July 15
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with resident DJ
Shea Van Horn VJ
Expanded craft beer selection No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail and
Domestic, $21 Call &
Imports, 6-9pm Guys
Night Out Free Rail
Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6
Belvedere Vodka Drinks all
night DJ MadScience
upstairs DJ Keenan Orr
downstairs $10 cover
10pm-1am, $5 after 1am
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
$2 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and Import
Bottle Beer, $6 Call No
Cover 21+ 3rd Floor
Exile: The Endup with DJ
Kudjo Onyx, 9pm-4am
$10 Cover
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
Coverboy of the Month Contest
Welcome to the All-New Nightlife Coverboy Contest! At the close of each month, well have a mini-Coverboy Contest at MetroWeekly.com
to select a finalist who will then go on to compete in the Coverboy of the Year competition in November. Junes finalist will receive a miniprize package from this months sponsors. Join our e-mail list and be alerted as soon as the contest goes live online, as well as get the full
coverboy interview and more photos delivered directly to your inbox! Sign up now at MetroWeekly.com/join.
Julys Prize Package
Julys Coverboy is Sponsored By
Avenue Jack - $50 Gift Certificate

Bite the Fruit - $50 Gift Certificate
Town - Free admission to Town for regularly
priced events for 3 months
Shaws Tavern - $100 Gift Certificate
Signature Theatre - A pair of tickets to
Signature Theatres upcoming production
of Jellys Last Jam
39
If you could have any superpower,

what would it be?
Flight. Because then I wouldnt have
to drive in D.C.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Lance Bass. I was a big NSYNC fan as a teenager. There was always something about him that
attracted me to him.
Whos your favorite Disney character?
Elsa, from Frozen, because she broke free of
what she thought everyone expected of her. She
decided to shape her own destiny with the help of
her sister. To me, that makes her not only a great
queen, but a great character to live by.
Name three musical artists youre
currently listening to.
Michael Buble, Britney Spears, and Celine Dion.
GREEN LANTERN
Smirnoff, all flavors, all
night long
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
$2 Skyy Highballs and
$2 Drafts, 10pm-midnight
Pop and Dance Music
Videos with DJ Darryl
Strickland $5 Coronas,
$8 Vodka Red Bulls,
9pm-close
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour: 2
for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
TOWN
Patio open 6pm DC Bear
Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm
$3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud
Bottles Free Pizza, 7pm
No cover before 9:30pm
21+ Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Miss Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx
and BaNaka DJ Wess
upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
downstairs following the
show GoGo Boys after
11pm Doors open at
10pm For those 21 and
over, $12 For those
18-20, $15 Club: 18+
Patio: 21+
SHAWS TAVERN
Happy Hour 4-7pm $3
Live Karaoke Band, Ill
Cover You, on Second
Floor, 9pm $10 Cover
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
only $4
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR

& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
hosted by LaTroya Nicole
NELLIES SPORTS BAR

DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat the Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
40

What are your three favorite night spots?

JR.s, Cobalt and Town.
Whats your drink of choice?
If I could get it all the time, the Glowtini from
Disney. Its blue Curacao, vodka, and peach
schnapps with a crystallized sugar rim
and glowing ice cube.
Glowing ice cube? Made out of what?
Plastic. It just looks like an ice cube. Theres a button on the bottom that turns it on or off.
And it can change colors.
Pick three people, living or dead,
youd like to have Glowtinis with.
Carol Burnett, because she is one of the funniest
actresses Ive ever known, Rue McClanahan, one
of my idols, and who wouldnt want to
share a drink with Hillary Clinton?
Ladies of Ziegfelds,
9pm Rotating Hosts
DJ in Secrets VJ Tre in
Ziegfelds Cover 21+
Saturday
July 16
9 1/2
drink, 3-9pm $5 Absolut
& Titos, $3 Miller Lite
after 9pm Expanded craft
beer selection No Cover
Music videos featuring
various DJs

Draughts, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and
Import Bottle Beer, $6
Call Atlantic Motorcycle
Coordinating Council on
Club Bar $2 Draughts
and Jello Shooters
Members of Motorcycle
Clubs from all over the
East Coast invade the DC
Eagle No Cover 21+
3rd Floor Exile: DCs
Latest Latin Dance Party,
KUERO $5 Cover in
advance/$10 at door For
tickets, kuero.ticketleap.
com/kuero
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Drag Yourself to Brunch at
Level One, 11am-2pm and
2-4pm Featuring Kristina
Kelly and the Ladies of
Illusion Bottomless
Mimosas and Bloody
Marys Happy Hour:
Tops Down $6 Top Shelf,
Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3
Bud Light, 4-9pm Ladies
of LURe presents BARE,
10pm-close $5 Rail
Drinks all night Doors
open 10pm $5 Cover
21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Drag Queen Broadway
Brunch, 10am-3pm
Starring Freddies
Broadway Babes Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Freddies
Follies Drag Show, 8-10pm,
hosted by Miss Destiny B.
Childs No Cover
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
Happy Hour, 8-10pm
JR.S
$4 Coors, $5 Vodka
Highballs, $7 Vodka Red
Bulls
GREEN LANTERN
Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long 495 Bears
presents Bears Can Dance,
9pm-close No Cover
Whats your pet peeve?

When I tell somebody something and then 20
seconds later, they have no memory of what I just
said and I have to repeat myself. Repeating myself
to someone moments later makes me
feel like I wasnt even heard.
Whats your pet peeve? Just kidding! Whats
your favorite food?
Scrambled eggs. I dont add milk or butter. I just
beat them with a fork in a bowl, and then
pour them in and let them sizzle.
Boxers, briefs, or other?
Other. I prefer jock straps.
NUMBER NINE
Doors open 2pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
3-9pm $5 Absolut and $5
Bulleit Bourbon
SHAWS TAVERN
Bottomless Mimosas,
10am-3pm The Magic
of Kourash Taie, 4-6pm
& Half-Priced Pizzas
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TOWN
Patio open 2pm SIREN
presents Kylie Julylie,
10pm-close Featuring
music by DJ MAJR, Jeff
Prior and Aaron Riggins
Performances by Summer
Camp and Pu$$y Noir
So it wasnt about the instant unlocking

of pictures.
No! I dont even have nudes on my profile. I think
thats just slimy. Its not my personality just to
show everything right away.
Whats the most unusual place youve had sex?
Please dont say Cinderellas castle.
God, no! How dirty do you think I am?
So, the most unusual place youve had sex....
Im thinking. Im thinking. With a fellow student in
a music teachers office. It was high school. I had
to keep my mouth covered.
Grindr, Scruff, or in person?

Scruff. Its how I met my fiancee.
NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
Awww. Did you woof each other?

Thats how it started, and we had these very
PG-rated conversations. Then we met for dates
and everything went from there.
DJ Wess spins downstairs

Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by Lena
Lett and featuring Miss
Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-Lee,
Riley Knoxx and BaNaka
Doors open 10pm $12
Cover 21+
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: Tops Down $6
Top Shelf, Bottoms Up $3
Rail, $3 Bud Light, 4-9pm
Homowood Karaoke,
hosted by Robert Bise,
10pm-close 21+
TRADE
Doors open 2pm Huge
only $4
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 12pm
Draughts all day and
night, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and Import
Bottle Beer, $6 Call
Highwaymen TNT Cookout,
5pm No Cover 21+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion with host Ella
Fitzgerald Doors at 9 pm,
first show at 11:30 pm
DJs Doors open 9pm
Cover 21+
Sunday
July 17
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Champagne Brunch
Buffet, 10am-3pm Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Karaoke,
8pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Mamas Trailer Park
Karaoke downstairs,
9:30pm-close
JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights and
$3 Skyy (all flavors), all day
and night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm
$20 Brunch Buffet

House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
11am-close Buckets of
Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Pop Goes the World with
Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
any drink, 3-9pm No
Cover
SHAWS TAVERN
Brunch with Bottomless
Mimosas, 10am-3pm
Sunday Funday Karaoke,
2nd Floor, 3-7pm $5 Stoli
Cocktails Happy Hour,
5-7pm $3 Miller Lite, $4
Blue Moon, $5 Rails and
House Wines & Half-Priced
Pizzas
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
THE HOUSE NIGHTCLUB
Rock Hard Sundays
Diverse group of all male,
all nude dancers Doors
open 9pm Shows all
night until close, starting at
41
Whats the most memorable pick up line

youve ever heard?
Youre a dirty boy, arent you?
Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck?
Donald Duck.
Donald Duck or Goofy?
Goofy.
Goofy or Pluto?
Goofy.
Goofy or Eeyore?
Goofy. I love Eeyore but...
9pm $5 Domestic Beer,

$6 Imports $12 cover
For Table Reservations,
202-487-6646 rockharddc.com
TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm Cornhole,
Giant Jenga, and Flip-cup
inside Town
TRADE
Doors open 2pm Huge
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
9pm Cover 21+
Monday
July 18
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
42
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Monday Nights A Drag,
hosted by Kristina Kelly
Doors open at 10pm
Showtime at 11:30pm
$3 Skyy Cocktails, $8 Skyy
and Red Bull $8 Long
Islands No Cover, 18+
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
Endless Happy Hour prices
to anyone in a DC Eagle
T-Shirt Free Pool All
Night and Day $ Bud
and Bud Light Draughts, $3
Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail
and Import Bottle Beer, $6
Call No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Singles Night Karaoke,
8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night
long Puppy-Oke: Open
Mic Night Karaoke,
9:30pm-close
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
Showtunes Songs &
You seem to really love Goofy.

Because with Goofy you never really know whats
going to happen. Whether he wrecks your house
or just trips falling down the stairs or just ends
up in some sort of jam or whatnot,
you cant help but giggle.
Should he spank you with the claws in or out?

Preferably in. Otherwise, Id have a very interesting story to tell them at the E.R.
Would you have liked to have been friends

with Goofy?
Not really. Hes three inches taller than me. Thats
fine by me. What I am upset is that I was one inch
too tall to be a friend of Plutos.
Does size really matter?

No. Its all about how you use your jewel, and also
what other ways they can bring pleasure to your
body. If they can find certain spots on your body
with their mouth, then wow. Theres also edging
and other things.
Which daddy would you rather get a spanking

from? George Clooney or Hugh Jackman.
Hugh Jackman. Besides the Wolverine factor, hes
an Aussie. Aussies know how to be wild.
Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ James $3 Draft Pints,
8pm-midnight

only $4
NELLIES SPORTS BAR

$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Texas Holdem
Poker, 8pm Dart Boards
Tuesday
July 19
NUMBER NINE
SHAWS TAVERN
Shaw Nuff Trivia with
Jeremy, 7:30pm
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
DJ Honey Happy Hour:
Tops Down $6 Top Shelf,
Bottoms Up $3 Rail, $3 Bud
Light, 4-9pm SIN Service
Industry Night, 10pm-close
$1 Rail Drinks all night
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
JR.S
Birdie LaCage Show,
10:30pm Underground
(Indie Pop/Alt/Brit Rock),
9pm-close DJ Wes
Della Volla 2-for-1,
5pm-midnight
What if you had the ability to self-heal?

Then Id say in or out, do whatever you want.
NELLIES SPORTS BAR

$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Karaoke and
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
After 9pm, $3 Absolut,
Bulleit & Stella
SHAWS TAVERN
Half Priced Burgers &
Pizzas, 5pm-close $5
House Wines & Sam
Adams Drafts, 5pm-close
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR
& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm Yappy Hour
Bring Your Dogs $4
Drinks and Draughts
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge

only $4
Wednesday
July 20
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
No Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Wednesday Night Karaoke,
hosted by Miss India
Larelle Houston, 10pm-2am
$4 Stoli and Stoli Flavors
and Miller Lite all night
No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm $6
Burgers Drag Bingo
Night, hosted by Ms.
Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm
Bingo prizes Karaoke,
10pm-1am
What would you like to be remembered for?

For as much light as I could bring into other peoples lives, either through massage or
through entertainment.
What do you like best about your life?
That its unpredictable and that things can always
change for the better.
Would you rather live longer or be wealthier?
Live longer. Youd have more time to take in the
finer things in life, and your bucket list
could be longer.
Finally, what is your philosophy of life?
Love yourself as much as you love others. l
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1 Free, 4-9pm
Trivia with MC Jay Ray,
8pm The Feud: Drag
Trivia, hosted by BaNaka,
10-11pm, with a $200 prize
$2 JR.s Drafts and $4
Vodka ($2 with College ID
or JR.s Team Shirt)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night, 8pm
and 9pm Prizes include
bar tabs and tickets to
shows at the 9:30 Club
$15 Buckets of Beer for
SmartAss Teams only
Bring a new team member
and each get a free $10
Dinner
NUMBER NINE
SHAWS TAVERN
Piano Bar Second Floor,
8pm-close
SOMEPLACE ELSE BAR

& GRILL
1637 R St. NW
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm $4 drinks
and draughts, 6-9pm
Nashville Wednesdays:
Pop-Country music and line
dancing, with line dancing
lessons from DC Rawhides
every other week
TRADE
Doors open 5pm Huge
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Night, 10-11pm,
12-12:30am Military
Night, no cover with
military ID DJ Don T. in
Secrets 9pm Cover
21+ l
43
Scene
44
Cobalt - Saturday, July 9

Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene
45
LastWord.
People say the queerest things
Who will defend the rights

of the LGBT community?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire. Sanders, who officially endorsed Clinton for
president, attacked Donald Trumps record on LGBT rights and other issues, pointing out that Clinton was better suited to
protecting LGBT people. If anyone out there thinks that this election is not important, take a moment to think about the
Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump will nominate, and what that means for civil liberties, equal rights,
and the future of our country, he said.
There are 30,000 gay people in our country who in the last few years have been able to get married.
I think that is real progress.
Former British Prime Minister DAVID CAMERON, speaking at his final Prime Ministers Questions sessing in parliament.
Cameron, who was succeeded by Theresa May as the countrys leader on Wednesday, reflected on his efforts at passing samesex marriage in Britain. Ill never forget the day...when someone who works very close to the front door said to me Im not
that interested in politics, Mr. Cameron, but because of something your lot have done, Im able to marry
the person I love this week, he said.
Ive fought for the right to be myself,

so that is one of the reasons that the gays and lesbians relate to me.
DOLLY PARTON, speaking with The Guardian. They know that I appreciate everybody for who they are, she continued.
We are who we are, so why cant we be allowed to be that?
Im healthy, Im strong and Im very out

about that because of the stigma still attached to it.
JAVIER MUOZ , who will replace Lin Manuel-Miranda in Hamilton on Broadway, speaking with the New York Times about
living with HIV. Muoz, who was diagnosed in 2002, also underwent treatment for cancer last year. Im alive,
and Im for all intents and purposes healthy and well. And Im grateful for that, he said.
If its removed, what does it do? It very simply moves something,

a behaviour that belongs in the closet
back into the closet.
MICHAEL HEATH, leader of anti-gay Christian group Equal Rights, not Special Rights, which is campaigning for sexual
orientation to be removed from Maines Human Rights Act, WMTW reports. The group ultimately wants to recriminalize
homosexuality. There is conduct that ought to be punished, and Christianity teaches, has always taught and still does
teach, that sodomy is such a behaviour, Heath said.
46
47

Metro Weekly - 07-14-16 - Todrick Hall

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Metro Weekly - 07-14-16 - Todrick Hall

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CONTENTS

JULY 14, 2016

THE TROUBLE WITH TRUMP

After Todrick Hall was voted off American Idol, he found

Three folk rock veterans come together on a rich and

SPOTLIGHT: BASTILLE p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.11

2016 Jansi LLC.

JULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY

PHOTO COURTESY OF BASTILLE

RANCE, SAYS CHRISTOPHE POTEAUX, IS DEEPLY

A theatrical collage inspired by the Great Age of

The Colombian comic and radio personality stops in

JULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY

MOXIE BY CHEYENNE MICHAELS, PAULA ARCILA BY PIPE JARAMILLO

Out On The Town

The Washington Jewish Film

OUR LITTLE SISTER

Winner of five Japanese Academy

Breaking Bads Bryan Cranston

Olney offers an intimate staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber and

rator Che and a cast that includes

Avenue Q sounds like childs play

Keegan Theatre serves up Tom

and Scott Ward Abernethy. Closes

Synetic Theater revives its 2014

A powerhouse blues-rock belter in

JULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY

July 19, and Wednesday, July 20,

Twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth

Daniel Phoenix Singh pays homage to pioneering Jewish American

T WAS THE CHEST-BEATING THAT CAPTIVATED DANIEL PHOENIX SINGH. IN

JULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY

The Washington Post called the

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE

Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard

Its been two decades since Gwen

ing show with 80s one-hit-wonder Steve Romeos Tune Forbert.

WOLF TRAP OPERA

Florian Gassmanns 1769 comic

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Violinist Tamaki Kawakubo leads

NSO SUMMER MUSIC INSTITUTE

Kennedy Center welcomes to its

dy-center.org for the full schedule.

PINK MARTINI, NATIONAL

Another year, another return

SIGNATURES SIZZLIN SUMMER

The next performances in

JULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY

19, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday in the

SUFJAN STEVENS, THAO & THE

Midwestern folk act Sufjan Stevens

A Milwaukee-based guitarist and

Bobbie Allen, the D.C.-based dreamy

ABT returns to Wolf Trap

What if the history of America were

Madness for a six-week run in the

Subtitled A Lost Pets Extraordinary

The new second novel from this

JULY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY

Billed as the nations largest free

An interrogation of the enduring

LAURA BERMAN: EBB AND FLOW

WAIT WAIT...DONT TELL ME!