OCTOBER

07,

2016

VOLUME 47

ISSUE 41

AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE

Polls shift to Dems favor as

Pence, Kaine face o
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com

After a rough few weeks, HILLARY CLINTON found her footing in the last two weeks
and has surged in both national and battleground state polls.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Md. man accused of entering

victims homes while armed
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A 33-year-old Hyattsville, Md., man has been charged
with sexually assaulting two men inside their Capitol
Hill homes in separate incidents within two blocks of
each other on Aug. 28 and Oct. 1, Interim D.C. Police
Chief Peter Newsham announced this week.

After a rough September that saw her

battle pneumonia and use a derogatory
term to refer to Donald Trumps
supporters, Democratic presidential
nominee Hillary Clinton has regained
momentum and surged in post-debate
polls.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll this week
shows Clinton with a six-point national
lead over Trump, while a new Monmouth
poll in Ohio gives Clinton a two-point
edge in that critical state, which Trump
led by ve points in other polls last week.
This weeks big event was the debate
between vice presidential picks Sen.

At a news conference in front of police headquarters,

Newsham said Brian Craig Webster has been charged
with two counts of rst-degree sexual assault while
armed, two counts of rst-degree burglary while
armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous
weapon, and with carrying a pistol without a license.
According to Newsham and a police charging
document, Webster allegedly committed the rst
oense after entering a house on the 1200 block of
Massachusetts Avenue, S.E. about 6 a.m. on Aug. 28.
The second incident occurred about 12:30 a.m. inside
the victims house on the 1300 block of Independent

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Tim Kaine and Gov. Mike Pence. In stark

contrast to the face-o between the
presidential nominees, Pence and Kaine
came o as formidable opponents in
the vice presidential debate Tuesday
night, although Pence spent a lot of
time dodging questions and denying
Donald Trump made controversial
remarks the candidate in fact said.
While Trump was markedly unprepared
and often bizarre in his responses
during his debate with Clinton, Pence was
on the ball during the 90-minute debate
at the Farmville, Va.-based Longwood
University and eager to criticize Clinton
for the state of U.S. foreign and economic
aairs, her use of a private email server
and the accusationof pay-to-play at the
Clinton Foundation.
Theres a reason why people question
CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

Avenue, S.E.
In both cases, Newsham said, the suspect ordered
the victims at gunpoint to take o their clothes and
bound their hands and feet with duct tape. He said
the suspect then sexually assaulted the victims.
An arrest adavit for the second case that occurred
on Oct. 1 says the suspect anally raped his victim
but that the victim was able to break loose from his
restraints and prevent the suspect, who had put the
gun down on the victims bed, from retrieving the gun.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 13

WHATS LEFT?

OUR FAMILIES

STRIKE A POSE

LGBT advocates have

one last request before
Obama leaves oce.

Special section highlights

events for kids around
D.C. this fall and more.

Doc on Madonnas
Truth or Dare dancers
part of Reel Armations.

PAGE 8

PAGES 21-24

PAGE 27

0 2 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

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

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 4 O CTO B ER 0 7 , 2016

LO CA L N E W S

Comings & Goings

Voters in battleground
Va. weigh in on election

Cole lands at IREX; Kapp named to govt advisory council

Trump described as a lunatic and unqualied

By PETER ROSENSTEIN
The Comings and Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com

Congratulations to Alex Cole, who was named director of

communications for IREX, a global development nonprot focused on
civil society building. IREX seeks to create a more just, prosperous, and
inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening
institutions and extending access to quality education and information.
In his new position, Cole will drive strategic communications for
the organization across its operations in 100 countries on a range of
issues, from helping to end the gender digital divide, to administering
President Obamas Young African Leaders Initiative.
Previously, he worked at multiple strategic communications rms
in D.C., including Monitor 360 and Hattaway Communications. A longtime supporter of the LGBT movement, Alex has advised numerous
advocacy organizations on messaging and strategy, including
ALEX COLE
the Human Rights Campaign, Victory Fund, Freedom to Marry,
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLE
MassEquality, andGLAAD. He holds a bachelors from Vassar College
and a masters of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government.
Congratulations also to Joe Kapp, co-founder and board member
of the LGBT Technology Partnership & Institute, who was appointed
by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to serve on the National
Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE). Joe
joins 29 private sector, nonprot, and academic newly appointed
leaders to serve on NACIE and was selected from a pool of more
than 200 accomplished applicants. The council members will oer
recommendations for policies and programs designed to make
U.S. communities, businesses, and the workforce more globally
competitive.
JOE KAPP
Kapp is someone who many would call a serial entrepreneur. He
PHOTO COURTESY OF KAPP
started and sold his rst business, a video production company, in
college. Since that time, he has started numerous other successful
ventures. Kapp has 10 years of experience in the technology industry,
having advised Fortune 500 companies on the use and implementation
of new and emerging technologies. He worked in KPMGs Washington
National Tax Practice advising on knowledge management and tax
technologies and served as a consultant for KPMGs Information Risk
Management Practice performing security and technology risk audits
for clients.
Kapp served as president of the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce. During the seven years of his oversight and
involvement, the chamber expanded its membership, increased
programs and advocated on behalf of its members.
He holds a masters degree in government administration from the
DANA NEARING
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEARING
University of Pennsylvania and a bachelors degree in economics from
Florida State University.
Congratulations also to Dana Nearing, recently transitioning to the
SaaS industry to work for FiscalNote (FN). According to Inc. Magazine, FN began In the summer of 2013, when
high school friendsTim Hwang,Gerald Yao, Jonathan Chen, and Dev Shahcamped out ina Motel 6 roomin
Sunnyvale, California, laboring seven days a week to put the nishing touches on the articial intelligence platform
that ultimately became the agship product for FiscalNote. The Washington, D.C.-based company uses articial
intelligence to sort through reams of publicly available government data to make predictions about legislation
thats likely to pass in Congress and statehouses around the country, which can be useful to businesses in highly
regulated industries.The companys clientele consists of some of the nations largest businesses, which buy access
primarily to FiscalNotes Prophecy platform, which tracks legislation as it moves through 50 states and Congress.
The customer list includes Southwest Airlines, ride-share company Lyft, and software company VMWare.
Nearing, originally from Detroit, has lived in the D.C. area since 2008 working in the hospitality industry and
holds an MBA from University of Maryland. He lives in Dupont Circle and sings with the Gay Mens Chorus of
Washington.

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
CENTREVILLE, Va. Many people who attended Northern Virginia
Pride on Saturday said they strongly dislike Donald Trump.
Ybax Jama of Centreville described the Republican presidential candidate
as a child as she registered people to vote at the Bull Run Special Events
Center on behalf of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. Jama, who
was wearing a Muslim headscarf, told the Washington Blade that Trump
is singling out every other race but his race.
He likes himself, she said. Its all about him.
Ian Lekus, who also lives in Centreville, was more blunt.
Trump is fundamentally unqualied to be president, he told the
Blade. He is a danger to this country, a danger to this entire world.
Amy Cannon, a board member of Equality Prince William, which is a
non-partisan organization, described Trump as a lunatic. Don Davenport
of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia told the Blade that many voters with
whom he has spoken are concerned a Trump presidency would have an
adverse impact on LGBT rights.
They dont like his philosophies, said Davenport.
David Lampo of Alexandria, who is a former member of the Log Cabin
Republicans board of directors, disagreed.
He told the Blade that Trump is clearly the most pro-gay rights
Republican weve ever had.
Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, signed his states
controversial religious freedom law in 2015 and opposed eorts to
promote LGBT rights abroad when he was a member of Congress.
The Republican Partys platform opposes marriage rights for same-sex
couples and the use of federal law to guarantee transgender people can
use restrooms consistent with their gender identity and supports socalled conversion therapy.
Lampo, who supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the primary, conceded
to the Blade that he does not agree with all of Trumps positions. Lampo
nevertheless said he plans to vote for the Republican billionaire in
November.
I totally get why so many Republicans are going to vote for Gary
Johnson or Hillary Clinton, Lampo told the Blade. In my view I dont want
to sacrice the country and put her in oce because weve got a less-thanstellar candidate.
A poll that Christopher Newport University released on Monday
indicates Clinton is ahead of Trump by a 42-35 percent margin in Virginia.
Axiom Strategies Remington Research Group last month identied
Loudoun County as one of 10 counties around the country that could
determine the outcome of the presidential election in battleground states.
A poll the groups conducted between Sept. 6-7 found Clinton was ahead
of Trump by a 44-42 percent margin with a margin of error of 3.7 percent.
Weve gone from reliably Republican to purple, Lampo told the Blade,
speaking about Northern Virginia.
Unless theres some secret or silent vote out there, she is certainly
ahead, he added. As of now I would say shes likely to win (Virginia)
because of northern Virginia.
Terry Fischer of Woodbridge, who is an at-large member of the Equality
Prince William board of directors, told the Blade she supports Clinton.
Fischer conceded Clinton certainly has her aws. She nevertheless
said she would rather err on the side thats going to look out for people
ultimately than demonize them.
I couldnt deal with the other, said Fischer.
Lekus told the Blade he would consider supporting Johnson or Jill Stein
if it were another presidential election cycle. He said he plans to vote for
Clinton next month.
In this particular case theres absolutely no question, said
Lekus. The choice is so stark between a Democrat with whom we
can get a lot accomplished and an extraordinarily unpredictable
and unqualied Republican.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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LO CA L N E W S

orientation and gender identity to their nondiscrimination policies unless the General
Assembly were to pass a statute allowing them to do so. Attorney General Mark Herring
said in a 2015 opinion that school boards can add LGBT-specic protections to their
nondiscrimination policies.
Im very comfortable with our legal standing here, Sawyers told the Blade. To me its
just a matter of doing whats right and whats obvious.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

D.C. bucks natl trend with

decline in syphilis cases

Publisher NICHOLAS BENTON is seeking donations to keep the Falls Church

News-Press aoat.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Falls Church News-Press

seeks emergency support

Longtime LGBT rights advocate Nicholas Benton, owner and editor of the Falls
Church News-Press, issued an emergency appeal this week for nancial support
for the community newspaper.
Id intended to write individual letters to each of you about this, but the
emergency facing the FCNP is imminent and will impact our ability to produce
an edition this week unless we get help, Benton said in an email message.
[W]eve been squeezed to the max, hit repeatedly by the great recession, the
(incorrect) rap on print newspapers, the unscrupulous Wells Fargo calling in our
line of credit for no reason, and political pressures brought against some of our
key advertisers, Benton said in his email message.
The message includes a link to a page in the online fundraising site
Crowdfunding, which describes a plan to email a PDF le of the print edition of
the paper to 100,000 area readers.
This will enhance the inuence of the newspaper by many orders of
magnitude in the wider Northern Virginia region of the Washington, D.C. Metro
area where it has been a respected institution since 1991, Benton states on the
fundraising page.
If we can get past this current crisis, our future will be very bright, he said. So
this is it. Please help with your generosity today.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Prince William official criticizes

non-discrimination vote delay
CENTREVILLE, Va. The chairman of the Prince William County School Board on
Saturday criticized his colleagues who delayed a vote on a proposal that would add
sexual orientation and gender identity to the school districts nondiscrimination policy.
Their mindset was to take more time to look into it, Ryan Sawyers told the Washington
Blade after he spoke at Northern Virginia Pride that took place at the Bull Run Special
Events Center in Centreville. I disagree with it strongly.
I think weve had plenty of time, if not decades, for us to understand this issue, he
added.
The Prince William County School Board on Sept. 21 voted by a 5-1 margin to
postpone a nal vote on the proposal. Sawyers is the only member of the school board
who opposed the motion.
Its just time that we move forward, he told the Blade. Its been far too long that
sexual orientation and gender identity havent been in our nondiscrimination policy.
The Fairfax and Arlington County School Districts have added sexual orientation and
gender identity to their nondiscrimination policies. The city of Alexandria also includes
these protections in its schools.
State Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County) and other opponents of the Prince
William County proposal insist Virginia law prohibits school boards from adding sexual

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show a 15 percent increase in
the number of nationwide syphilis infections from 2013 to 2014. And a newly released
CDC study shows syphilis is taking a particularly severe toll on gay, bisexual, and other
men who have sex with men (MSM), especially in the South.
But in D.C., the number of reported syphilis cases has declined by 49 percent between
2011 and 2015, with nearly all of those cases coming from men who have sex with men,
according to Michael Kharfen, director of the D.C. Department of Healths HIV/AIDS,
Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Administration.
Kharfen said in the period from 2013 to 2014, which is the period the CDC conducted
its study of syphilis cases among MSM, syphilis cases in D.C. dropped by 14 percent. He
again said most of those cases were from men who have sex with men.
The CDC study doesnt include MSM syphilis data for D.C. and six states. CDC ocials
said D.C. and the six states didnt provide the gender of the partner of the person
diagnosed with syphilis for 70 percent or more of the male syphilis cases, a threshold
CDC established for calculating its MSM cases.
Kharfen said the CDC study came at a time when D.C. changed its data measuring
system which resulted in computer glitches that prevented the city from providing
that kind of complete data that they would have been able to use as part of that study.
Nevertheless, he said the D.C. data show unmistakably that the city had a signicant
decline in syphilis cases among men who have sex with men.
The CDC study, which calculated the number of MSM syphilis case per 100,000 people
in a given state, shows that Virginia had 210.4 cases per 100,000 among MSM. The study
shows that Maryland had 325.1 cases per 100,000.
By comparison, North Carolina had the highest rate 748.3 case per 100,000 followed
by Mississippi, 658.9 cases per 100,000; Louisiana, 601.8 cases per 100,000; and South
Carolina, 536.9 cases per 100,000.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Mattachine event highlights conversion therapy

A reception Tuesday night honoring the author of a newly released book about his
struggle to overcome the negative eects of so-called conversion therapy was part of an
ongoing eort by the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. to shed light on the history
of the discredited therapy.
Nearly 100 people turned out at the oces of the D.C. law rm McDermott, Will &
Emery to listen to gay writer Garrard Conley talk about his autobiographical book Boy
Erased, which chronicles his struggle to overcome the eects of conversion therapy
that his parents forced him to undergo as a 19-year-old college student.
Mattachine Society President Charles Francis said the gathering was part of the
groups ongoing project to obtain archival records documenting how LGBT people have
been persecuted beginning in the 1950s and 1960s through various forms of conversion
therapy, including electric shock therapy.
Lisa Linsky, one of several McDermott, Will & Emery attorneys serving as pro bono
counsel for the group, said the project also was part of Mattachines eort to carry out
archive activism.
We are going to hunt down historic documents pertaining to the countrys practice of
gay conversion therapy, she said. Were going to expose those documents and those
stories in an eort to combat proposed legislation and laws so that we can have a voice
in challenging those laws.
She was referring to anti-LGBT religious freedom laws surfacing in states across
the country that call for allowing individuals and businesses to deny services to LGBT
people on grounds that their faith prevents them from supporting homosexuality.
Linksy noted that many of the proposed laws are supportive of conversion therapy.
Francis said that among the conversion therapy related documents the group has
obtained so far is a 1973 printed advertisement promoting a Visually Keyed Shocker, a
device used to administer electrical shocks to gay people undergoing therapy to cure
them of their homosexuality.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 8 O CTO B ER 0 7 , 2016

NATIONAL NEWS

Obama may leave unanswered a call to act on workplace rights

DOJ silent on whether
discrimination covered
under Title VII
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
The deadline passed on Thursday
to le before the U.S. Second Circuit
Court of Appeals a friend-of-the-court
brief in support of Arline Magnusson,
a lesbian custodial worker who led a
lawsuitcontending she faced employment
discrimination in New Yorks Suolk
County Department of Public Works that
wasunlawful under federal civil rights law.
The
U.S.
Equal
Employment
Opportunity Commission the U.S.
agency charged with enforcing federal
employment law and the LGBT group
Lambda Legal led briefs in the case. But
a brief from the U.S. Justice Department
representing the views of President
Obama wasntamong them.
LGBT rights have seen signicant advances
under the Obama administration, but the U.S.
Justice Department has yet to say whether the
ban on sex discrimination in the workforce
under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
applies to lesbian, gay and bisexual workers.
WithLGBT advocates continuing to call on the
administration to declare the law prohibits
sexual orientation discrimination, the request
may be one of the few unanswered calls from
the LGBT community before the end of the
Obama administration.
Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the
Human Rights Campaign, took a stance
critical of the Obama administration
unusual for the nations largest LGBT
group and said shes surprised and
disappointed the Justice Department
hasnt made this assertion.
Were fortunate that at this exact
moment, we dont have a state that
is engaging in the same level of
discrimination against LGB people as
it is against transgender people, but
the Department of Justice really has
an opportunity to weigh in on one of
several court cases that are currently
pending before the circuit courts the
2nd Circuit, the 7th Circuit and the 11th
Circuit arguing that it is absolutely true
that sexual orientation is a form of sex
discrimination, Warbelow said.
The Obama administration has already
determined anti-trans discrimination is
unlawful in the wake of Macy v. Holder,
a 2012 EEOC decision that foundexisting
federal civil rights law bars discrimination
against transgender people in the
workforce. In 2014, former U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder announced in a
memo the Justice Department believes
Title VII encompasses discrimination
based on gender identity, including

PRESIDENT OBAMA may leave unanswered

a call to act on gayworkplace rights, to the
frustration of some in the movement.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

transgender status.
But the Justice Department hasnt
made the same announcement onsexual
orientation discrimination even though
last year the EEOC which is generally
given deference on Title VII asserted
the lawbars anti-gay discrimination in the
case of Baldwin v. Foxx, a case in which a
former air trac controller alleged he was
passed over for a promotion at the Federal
Aviation Administrationfor being gay.
For some time, LGBT advocates have
been pressing the Obama administration
to make the same determination. In March,
the Human Rights Campaign sent letters
to various federal agencies, including
the Justice Department, urging them to
adopt EEOC interpretations that anti-gay
discrimination is barred under current law.
Warbelow said HRC did not receive a
formal response back from any of these
agencies although many of them have
sincepublished rules on issues thatwere
the subject of the letters.
The rules that have been released to
date do say and give examples that certain
types of discrimination against LGB people
can be a form of sex stereotyping, which is
a violation of the law, but these regulations
do not list sexual orientation as a protected
characteristic in the same way they list
gender identity, Warbelow said.
For nearly two years, the Justice
Department has had no comment in
response to requests to comment from
the Washington Blade on whether
it believes anti-gay discrimination is
prohibited under Title VII, including in
response to an inquiry on whether the
administration would le a brief in the
Magnusson case or generally make that
assertion before the end of President
Obamas tenure in oce.
Under questioning from the Blade, White
House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on
the day friend-of-the-court briefs were due
in that case he hasntheard Obama express
a view, even in private, on that precise topic

of whether anti-gay discrimination is barred

under current federal law.
What I can tell you in general is the
principle youve heard me give voice to on
a number of occasions, and that simply is
that the Obama administration is opposed
to laws that are focused on trying to take
freedom away from people, Earnest
added. And weve been concerned about
laws that, in some cases, seem focused
mostly on legitimizing one form of
discrimination or another. And thats why
you have seen the Justice Department
take some of the actions that theyve had
to try to protect those freedoms.
In
contrast
to
the
Obama
administration, Hillary Clinton has
committed herself in her LGBT campaign
platform to support eorts underway
in the courts and federal government to
clarify that under federal statutes sex
discrimination includes discrimination
on the basis of gender identity and
sexual orientation. Donald Trump hasnt
explicitly addressed the issue.
Tico Almeida, president of the LGBT
group Freedom to Work, said the Justice
Department should take the lead, rather
than the Clinton campaign, on the issue in the
nal months of the Obama administration.
Its reassuring to know that Secretary
Hillary Clinton has promised in writing
that her administration would support
legal eorts in federal court to conrm
that sexual orientation discrimination
is a form of sex discrimination already
banned by the Civil Rights Act, Almeida
said. Rather than waiting until next year,
the Justice Department should take a
strong stand now.
Warbelow said a declaration from
the Justice Department on anti-gay
discrimination during the months that
remain in the Obama administration would
be more than just window dressing because
the voice of the federal government isvery
inuential in the legal system.
If we were to prevail in any one of
these circuits, it increases the likelihood
that LGB people will be able to sue to
protect themselves from discrimination,
Warbelow said. Down the road, this
will have implications not just for
employment, which is whats sort of
on the table at the moment, but itll
have implications for discrimination in
housing, for discrimination in credit, for
discrimination in education.
One thing that might be keeping the
administration silent: Although a growing
number of courts are concluding sexual
orientation discrimination constitutes
unlawful gender discrimination under
Title VII, no federal appeals court has
made this decision. In fact, the U.S. 7th
Circuit Court of Appeals as recently as
July ruled against this idea, although the
three-judge panel wrote that decision
was based on precedent and the idea

anti-gay bias is separate from gender bias

seems illogical to entertain.
Meanwhile, multiple circuit courts
reached that conclusion for transgender
discrimination
before
the
Justice
Department announced a similar view.
(Side note: U.S. Circuit Judge William
Pryor, whos on Trumps list of potential
judicial picks, was among the judges
who reached this conclusion in the
11th Circuit, although Democrats have
excoriated him for ling an anti-gay brief
before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003
comparing homosexuality to illegal acts
like bestiality, necrophilia and possession
of child pornography.)
Warbelow indicated a circuit court
ruling sexual orientation discrimination
is likewise covered under current law
couldbe inuential in moving the Obama
administration.
Certainly, the moment that a circuit court
rules that sexual-orientation discrimination
is a form of sex discrimination, HRC and...
many of our partner organizations will
be writing letters and on the phone with
agencies across the federal government
letting them know the news immediately,
Warbelow said.
One opportunity for the Obama
administration
to
assert
anti-gay
discrimination is prohibited under
current law is ling a friend-0f-the-court
brief in ongoing cases alleging anti-gay
discrimination in the workforce.
The Justice Department has taken that
action in lawsuits alleging transgender
discrimination, such asthe case of Gavin
Grimm, a transgender student suing a
Virginia school to use the public restroom
consistent with his gender identity. The
lawsuit U.S. Attorney General Loretta
Lynch led this year against North
Carolinas anti-LGBT House Bill 2 is
also based on the premise anti-trans
discrimination is unlawful under Title VII.
But the U.S. Justice Department has
ignored multiple opportunities to assert
in a legal ling anti-gay discrimination
in the workforce is illegal: In addition
to the missed deadline on Thursday,
the Obama administration missed an
opportunity in June to le a brief in a
separate case before the Second Circuit.
Meanwhile,127 congressional Democrats
staked out that view in a friend-of-thecourt brief in support of the idea Title VII
bars anti-gay discrimination.
Even without a pending lawsuit,
the Justice Department could assert
anti-gay discrimination is illegal under
Title VII through a separate formal
declaration much like the memo Holder
issued to declare anti-trans bias is
prohibited under the law. That might
be the last chance for the Obama
administration to make the assertion
in the short time remaining in Obamas
tenure in the White House.

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

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 0 9

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 0 O CTO B ER 0 7 , 2016

NATIONAL NEWS

Supreme Court declines to take LGBT rights case

Gender non-conformity
bias claim remains standing
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday
announced it has declined to consider a
case led by veteran LGBT activist Kenda
Kirby that she believed had the potential
to greatly expand non-discrimination
protections for LGBT people.
The high court included the case of
Kirby v. North Carolina State University
among a list of hundreds of cases in which
it denied a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
calling on the court to take the case and
issue a ruling on its merits.
Kirby, who is not an attorney, earlier
this year wrote and led her own Petition
for a Writ of Certiorari for her case.
The case is part of a lawsuit that she
led against NCSU in 2014 that accuses its
College of Veterinary Medicine of illegally
expelling her from a Ph.D. program in
1994 because of her perceived gender
non-conformity, sex, sexual orientation,
gender, gender identity, and political
aliation or belief.
The petition, among other things,
alleges that two professors in charge of
the program deliberately gave her failing
grades in several courses after they
learned she attended a national LGBT
rights March on Washington in October
1993. It says the improper grades led to
her dismissal from the program based on

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by Kenda Kirby, who alleges anti-LGBT
bias by North Carolina State University.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

failing grades.
Court records show that the statute
of limitations for ling a lawsuit for
the alleged discrimination in 1994 was
extended to 2014 after the university sent
Kirby a bill in 2013 for tuition it claimed
she owed the school from her enrollment
in the Ph.D. program 20 years earlier.
Her petition for Supreme Court
consideration was part of an appeal of
a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Fourth Circuit, which upheld a
decision by the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of North Carolina
dismissing her lawsuit.
The District Court dismissed the case
on grounds that the court lacks subject
matter jurisdiction over this case. The
court, among other things, cited an
11th Amendment provision in the U.S.

Constitution that gives states and state

institutions immunity from being sued by
private individuals.
The District Court also denied Kirbys
claims that she had been protected under
Title IX of a federal civil rights law banning
discrimination by educational institutions
on grounds that sexual orientation was
not covered under that statute.
Kirby argued in her Supreme Court
ling that the lower courts decisions were
based on an overly narrow interpretation
of Title IX in direct conict with a more
recent decision by another federal
court. She also argued that the lower
courts decisions were in conict with
the Supreme Courts decision legalizing
same-sex marriage.
If the court had accepted Kirbys case
and eventually handed down a decision

in her favor it would have put in place

something LGBT rights attorneys have
been seeking through other cases during
the past several years a denitive
ruling that existing federal civil rights
laws ban discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity and
expression.
Such a decision would eectively ban
discrimination against LGBT people in
all 50 states and make it unnecessary for
Congress to pass an LGBT civil rights bill,
which Congress has declined to do for
more than 30 years.
Attorneys familiar with Kirbys case said
a decision by the Supreme Court not to
take the case would not harm the other
cases pending in lower courts seeking to
expand non-discrimination protections
for LGBT people.
I am disappointed that the court was
not ready to consider the questions
raised by my case since they aect
millions of Americans daily, Kirby told the
Washington Blade in an email message. I
am hopeful they will address these issues
in the near future in a way that ensures
Equal Justice Under Law, she said.
Kirby also told the Blade she has
led complaints against NCSU with
the U.S. Department of Education
and Department of Justice seeking an
administrative remedy to her allegations
of discrimination. She said representatives
of both federal agencies told her they
would wait until her court case reached
a conclusion before deciding whether to
consider her case.

Gay media company les bankruptcy petition

Multimedia Platforms
owns Next, Frontiers

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com
A Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company
that has described itself as the worlds
largest LGBT media conglomerate led
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday
before the United States Bankruptcy
Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Multimedia Platforms Worldwide states
in its bankruptcy petition that its estimated
assets are less than $50,000 and its
estimated liabilities exceed $1 million and
could be as much as $10 million.
The publicly traded company owns the
LGBT newspaper Florida Agenda in Fort
Lauderdale and in recent years acquired
LGBT newspapers and magazines in
Florida, Los Angles and New York. Earlier
this year it announced it had launched a

global LGBT website.

The bankruptcy ling comes just under
two weeks after its largest creditor led
a lawsuit against Multimedia Platforms
in Boston, accusing it of defaulting on
a $1.75 million loan agreement and
engaging in fraudulent and negligent
misrepresentations in the information it
provided to secure the loan.
The creditor, White Winston Select
Asset Funds LLC of Boston, requested
and received from a Suolk County,
Mass., Superior Court judge a temporary
restraining order and preliminary
injunction seizing all of Multimedia
Platforms assets. The lawsuit shows
that the terms of the loan called for
Multimedia Platform to put up virtually all
of its assets as collateral for the loan.
The
companys
CEO,
Florida
businessman Bobby Blair, told the South
Florida Gay News last week that the seizure
would prevent it from publishing its various
newspapers and magazines and would

force it to lay o most of its employees.

South Florida Gay News, which is a
competitor to Multimedia Platforms Florida
Agenda, was the rst to break the story
about the lawsuit and seizure of Multimedia
Platforms assets by White Winston. Both
newspapers are based in Fort Lauderdale.
The bankruptcy ling, meanwhile, was
expected to give Multimedia Platforms a
reprieve from the seizure of its assets and its
impending default on numerous loans from
other creditors based on an automatic stay
on collection activities brought about by a
Chapter 11 bankruptcy ling.
The automatic stay provides a period
of time in which all judgments, collection
activities, foreclosures, and repossessions
of property are suspended and may
not be pursued by the creditors on any
debt or claim that arose before the ling
of the bankruptcy petition, according
to a statement on the website of the
Administrative Oce of the U.S. Courts.
South Florida Gay News has reported

over the past several months that

Multimedia Platforms has reported in its
own nancial statements led with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
that it was faced with serious and possibly
insurmountable nancial problems. The
company also billed itself as the nations
only publicly traded LGBT media company.
In a March 31 press release, Multimedia
Platforms CEO Blair said, Today, we
own ve publications encapsulating
a readership of nearly 7.5 million, 4.8
million unique visitors annually and over
200,000 social media followers.
Norman Kent, publisher of South
Florida Gay News, said it became clear
among those in the know that Multimedia
Platforms was underfunded from the start.
They were living on loans and the
loans were called in, he said.
Representatives
of
Multimedia
Platforms and the company that led the
lawsuit against it, White Winston, couldnt
immediately be reached for comment.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

N A T IO NA L NEW S

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 1 1

Kaine, Pence energized in face off

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

the trustworthiness of Hillary Clinton,

Pence said. And thats because theyre
paying attention. I mean, the reality is,
when she was secretary of state...the
Clinton Foundation accepted foreign
contributions from foreign governments
and foreign donors while she was
secretary of state. She had a private
server to keep that pay-to-play process
out of the reach of the public.
Kaine responded to the criticism
which was anticipated thanks to an email
blast sent by the Republican National
Committee before the debate calling
Pence the victor by asserting the
Clinton Foundation does an awful lot of
good work that did not aect Clintons
decisions as secretary of state an
observation others have made despite
the foundation receiving donations from
anti-gay countries.
But much of Pences energy was
devoted to dodging moderator Elaine
Quijanos questions about Trumps record
or policies. Asked whether Trump has
the temperament to be president, Pence
responded with attacks on Clinton for
instability in the Middle East and Russias
annexation of Crimea.
On the bombshell New York Times
report that found Trump claimed a loss
of nearly $1 billion in 1995 and may not
have paid any taxes for two decades,
Pence went into a tirade about the extent
to which Clintons plan would add to the
debt (which is actually estimated to be
smaller than Trumps plan).
Many times during the debate, Pence
denied Trump had taken positions
that were in fact espoused by the
candidate. When Kaine pointed out
that Trumps immigration plan calls
for deporting 16 million people, Pence
replied,
Thats
nonsense.
Thats
nonsense. Pence similarly dismissed as
nonsense Kaines assertion Trump was
unaware Russia had invaded Crimea,
even though the presidential nominee
said Putin is not going to go into Ukraine
in an August interview.
After Pence said Trump would never
sign legislation that would punish women
for having abortions, Kaine asked why the
candidate in fact made those remarks.
Pence replied, Hes not a polished
politician like you and Hillary Clinton.
Kaine was just as energized if not
more during the debate (perhaps to
his detriment for frequently interrupting
Pence), criticizing Pence for being No. 2
on a ticket with a presidential nominee
that has degraded women, Mexicans and
Muslims, praised dictators and beingthe
only White House hopeful in 30 years
who hasnt released his tax returns.
Gov. Pence had to give Donald Trump

TIM KAINE and MIKE PENCE debated this week; the next debate between Hillary Clinton and
Donald Trump is set for Sunday.
KAINE PHOTO BY DERSANKT; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK: PENCE PHOTO BY GAGE SKIDMORE; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

his tax returns to show he was qualied

to be vice president, Kaine said. Donald
Trump must give the American public his
tax returns to show that hes qualied to be
president. And hes breaking his promise.
Kaine came to the debate apparently
prepared with a number of zingers
criticizing Trump. Referencing Trumps
praise for dictators, Kaine envisioned
a personal Mt. Rushmore for Trump
consisting of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong
Un, Muammar Gadda and Saddam
Hussein. On Trumps potential plan to stop
terrorism, Kaine quipped, Donald Trump
cant start a Twitter war with Miss Universe
without shooting himself in the foot.
Despite the distinction between Kaine
as a reliable supporter of LGBT rights and
Pence as someone with a long anti-LGBT
record, Quijano asked no question about
those issues. For that matter, Quijano
asked nothing about Pence signing into law
as Indiana governor a religious freedom
law seen to enable sweeping anti-LGBT
discrimination, even though the measure
and the outcry from the business community
and LGBT advocates that followed brought
him to the national stage.
In addition to no LGBT question from
the moderator, Kaine didnt bring up
Pences anti-LGBT history to attack him.
The only time LGBT rights came up was
when Kaine criticized Trumps praise
of Vladimir Putin, whom Kaine said
persecutes LGBT folks and journalists.
The opportunity was presented during
a portion of the debate dedicated to
social issues, although Quijano only
asked one question on the value of
faith for each candidate. Kaine talked
about being a Catholic and the conict
he felt as governor of Virginia allowing
the death penalty to go forward. Pence
drew on his faith to talk about his

opposition to abortion rights, saying

Clinton supports partial-birth abortions
and undoing the Hyde Amendment,
which bars federal funding for abortions.
In response, Kaine said the Democratic
ticket believes women should make their
own decision about pregnancy.
Attending the debate as guests of
Kaine were Carol Schall and Mary
Townley,
education
professionals
working with special needs children and
among the couples in the lawsuit that
won marriage equality in Virginia, as well
as their daughter,Emily Schall Townley, a
freshman honors college student.
The next debate for the 2016
presidential season is set to take place
on Sundaybetween Clinton and Trump at
Washington University in St. Louis.

Trump slams trans

military service

Slamming changes made to foster

LGBT inclusion in the U.S. military
duringthe Obama administration, Trump
pledged this week to get away from
political correctness when asked about
openly transgender military service and
women serving in combat roles.
The candidate made the comments
n Herndon, Va., alongside Tony
Perkins, president of the anti-LGBT
Family Research Council, in the same
forum where he raised eyebrows for
suggesting veterans who kill themselves
after suering from post-traumatic
stress disorder did so because they
couldnthandle the pressures of war.
After an audience member asked Trump
what hed do about women in combat and
openly transgender troops, comparing
their inclusion in the military to political
correctness, hereplied, Were going to get

away from political correctness, and we are

going to have to do that.
Trump compared movement toward
greater inclusion in the armed forces
to opposition to the whole concept
of proling in law enforcement. The
candidate has defended the controversial
practice of racial proling, including after
the terrorist acts last month in Minnesota,
New Jersey and New York.
I mentioned the other day proling,
Trump said. Everyone goes, Oh, proling,
proling! Well, proling, in Israel theyre
doing it and theyre doing it well, and we
may have to do that and we have to do
other things. But youre right. We have a
politically correct military and its more and
more politically correct every day, and a lot
of the great people in this room dont even
understand how its possible to do that.
Trump asserted confusion over why the
military is moving forward with greater
inclusion is the result of intelligence,
not ignorance, saying the changes U.S.
troops have to endure in the name of
political correctness are ridiculous.
In June, Defense Secretary Ashton
Carter announced after a nearly yearlong review the U.S. military would end its
ban on transgender people serving in the
U.S. armed forces eective immediately.
The announcement came months after
the Pentagon announced it would begin
to allow women to serve in combat roles.
While Trump stopped short of
committing himself to reverse those
changes, he said hed allow senior military
ocials and noting a recommendation
from a lawmaker in the audience, even low
ranking troops to review the changes
and take guidance on appropriate policy.
I will say I would leave many of the
decisions of some of the things you
mentioned to the generals, the admirals,
the people on top, and we get some the
congressman just mentioned to me, and I
think its true, 100 percent you get your
top enlisted people in that and you have
discussions with top enlisted people who
know it better than probably anybody.
But we get our military people to come
back and make recommendations to me,
and I will follow those recommendations.
One of Trumps leading military
advisers, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, has
already suggested he would advise
Trump to roll back the changes. On the
rst night of the Republican National
Convention, Flynn in apparent criticism of
transgender military service slammed the
preoccupation of U.S. troops with trivial
matters about what words to use, what
terminology is politically correct and what
bathroom door to open up.
My God, my God, war is not
about bathrooms, war is not about
political correctness or words that are
meaningless, Flynn said.

1 2 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

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

30 YEARS
OF PROGRESS
BUT THE FIGHT
IS NOT OVER

1987

1999

Join Us November 12, 2016

2015

RUN, WALK OR DONATE TODAY

For decades, Whitman-Walker Health has worked to end
HIV. Weve been part of this fight for 30 years and we know
that we are so close to finding a cure.
Now is your chance to RUN, WALK or DONATE to end HIV!
Join us November 12th on the National Mall as we honor
those weve lost along the way, mark the progress weve
made and aim to reach the finish line.

walktoendhiv.org

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

N E WS

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 1 3

Suspect arrested in male-on-male sex assaults

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Complainant 1 reported that he had

also been working the duct tape loose
and he used his legs to push the handgun
up to his hands where he grabbed it, the
arrest adavit says. He reported that he
broke the duct tape on his wrists and he
and the defendant began to ght over the
hand gun, the adavit says.
At that point, the victim reported he
shouted for one of his roommates to
help him after hearing that someone else
had entered the house, according to the
adavit. He told police that the roommate
immediately entered the bedroom where
the sexual assault took place and helped
him subdue the suspect.
C1 reported that he got his cellular
telephone and called 911 for assistance,
the adavit says. C1 reported he left
his bedroom with the defendants
handgun and met the police at the front
door, it says.
The victim and his roommate told
police they had never seen the suspect
prior to this incident.
Newsham said at the news conference
that police would like to know if there
are other male victims of the suspect. He
urged anyone who may have been such
a victim to come forward and report the

Interim D.C. Police Chief PETER NEWSHAM announced a Maryland man has been charged in
two sexual assault cases.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

oense to police.
Neither Newsham nor the arrest
adavit disclosed the sexual orientation

of the suspect or the two victims. In

response to a question from the Blade,
Newsham said the departments LGBT

Liaison Unit was not involved in the case.

The arrest adavit for the Oct. 1
incident says there were no signs of a
forced entry into the victims home and
the victim is unsure if he locked the front
door after he entered. As a result, it is
believed that Suspect 1 entered through
the unlocked front door.
An earlier police news release said
there were no signs of a forced entry at
the home of the rst incident on Aug. 28.
The adavit says that after his arrest
Webster was taken to Howard University
Hospital for medical treatment of injuries
he sustained in the altercation with the
victim and the roommate.
Court records show a D.C. Superior
Court judge ordered Webster held
without bond at a court hearing late
Monday afternoon. A preliminary
hearing has been scheduled for Oct.
14 to determine whether probable
cause exists to bring Webster to trial
and whether he should be released or
continue to be held while awaiting trial,
the court records show.
NBC News 4 reported that Webster
has worked as a counselor for the
Southeast D.C. organization Community
Connections, which helps residents
dealing with mental illness, addiction
and abuse.

Pope: Global war seeks to destroy marriage

Francis warns the
image of God is soiled
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
Pope Francis on Saturday said there is
a global war to destroy marriage.
The Vatican said Francis told priests
and seminarians at a church in the
Georgian capital of Tbilisi that the war
is not being waged with weapons but
with ideas. He reiterated his opposition
to marriage rights for same-sex couples
during a press conference with reporters
as he ew back to Rome from Georgia
and neighboring Azerbaijan.
Marriage is the image of God, man and
woman become one esh, said Francis,
according to the Vatican. If this is destroyed,
the image of God is soiled or disgured.
Francis told the priests and seminarians
with whom he met in Georgia that gender
theory is the biggest threat to marriage.
The Vatican said Francis reiterated to
reporters after he left the country that
gender theory . . . goes against nature.
He added he accompanied people with

homosexual tendencies or practices

when he was a priest and bishop in the
Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.
I have accompanied them and brought
them closer to the Lord, Francis told
reporters, according to the Vatican.
Some cannot, but I have accompanied
them and never abandoned anyone. This
must be done.
Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive
director of DignityUSA, a group of LGBT
Catholics, criticized Francis.
Pope Francis sets up a false dichotomy
in pitting peoples basic human right to
be who they are against marriage, said
Duddy-Burke on Monday in a statement.
We know marriage to be a sacred
and beautiful thing, she added. We
believe marriage, and all of society, will
be strengthened when people are no
longer pressured to bring false selves into
a marriage, and can make this profound
commitment honestly. Too many lives
have been ruined by gay people trying
to live in heterosexual marriages, or by
people being forced to live in a gender
that is not authentic for them.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director
of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based

group that ministers to LGBT Catholics, said

in a statement that Francis use of gender
theory and other phrases in discussions
around marriage deects from examining
the deeper causes of marital strife and
deterioration. DeBernardo nevertheless
applauded Francis for telling reporters
after leaving Georgia and Azerbaijan that
the church should use a pastoral approach
towards LGBT Catholics.
This model is one that should be
adopted by bishops, priests, and pastoral
ministers around the globe, said
DeBernardo.
DeBernardo and others have welcomed
the Vaticans more moderate tone on
marriage rights for same-sex couples and
other LGBT-specic issues since Francis
became pope in 2013.
A transgender man from Spain who
said his fellow parishioners rejected him
after he underwent sex-reassignment
surgery had a private audience with
Francis in 2015. The Vatican announced in
July that Francis accepted the resignation
of Nicols de Jess Lpez Rodrguez, an
anti-LGBT cardinal in the Dominican
Republic who has repeatedly used antigay slurs to describe the openly gay U.S.

ambassador to the country.

Francis earlier this year said the church
should ask forgiveness from gay people,
but the Vaticans position on marriage
rights for same-sex couples and other
LGBT-specic issues has not changed
under his papacy.
Francis last month expressed his support
for opponents of marriage and adoption
rights for same-sex couples in Mexico.
Francis told a group of Polish bishops in
August that it is terrible for children to
learn they can choose their gender.
When Pope Francis made his now famous
who am I to judge remarks, LGBTQ people of
faith were hopeful of real change in the Roman
Catholic Church, said Rev. Rodney McKenzie,
Jr., of the National LGBTQ Task Force on
Monday in a statement. Now millions of
people are deeply hurt by what Pope Francis
has said about transgender and gender nonconforming people, which reveals a profound
lack of knowledge and empathy.
We urge the ponti to educate
himself about the realities of transgender
peoples lives and to welcome and arm
transgender and gender non-conforming
people rather than reject and dehumanize
them, he added.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 OC T OB E R 07, 2016

BA LT I MO RE N E W S

Chase Brexton board president condemns emails

Carolyn Kennedy, president of the Chase Brexton Health Care Board
of Directors, released a video message on Sept. 29 to the Chase Brexton
community. In the ve-and-a-half-minute video, Kennedy acknowledged theres
been so much going on in the past several weeks and that she wanted speak
personally in her own voice rather than by email to oer reassurances that the
health provider will continue oering compassionate health care.
Kennedy did not indicate that any
of the actions taken by CEO Richard
Larison (the ring of ve professional
caregivers prior to a union vote by
employees that sparked the protest)
would be reversed. In fact, she stated
that the board supports all of the
senior leadership team at Chase
Brexton.
Approximately halfway into the
video, Kennedy criticized the few
Chase Brexton leaders were assailed
respondents who sent emails to
after they red ve sta members.
management that she characterized
as disturbing and vicious.
The emails, said Kennedy, contained
threats to disclose personal information and included highly oensive, overtly
racist sentiment. The messages represented slander, cyber bullying and hate
crimes.
The video sparked a backlash.
First, I want to say that I think its horric that anyone would stoop to racism,
Kate Sumiko Riley-Bruce, a lead organizer for the Chase Brexton protest on Aug.
19, told the Blade. Not only does it not help our ght at all, it is repugnant. This
isnt about race. This is about us wanting quality providers at Chase Brexton, as
well as getting back the red providers who were the best of the best.
She added, As for her other statements, if they want our trust and whats
best for us they would not have stolen our providers, and if they want to respect
diversity their sta would stop constantly mis-gendering transgender patients.

Report: more work to do in the schools

GLSEN, a national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools
for all students, released a report on Sept. 28 that found that despite some
gains, biased remarks, bullying and harassment remain a signicant problem in
U.S. middle and high schools. Almost three-quarters of middle and high school
students experienced some type of peer victimization in the past school year,
and more than half of teachers believe that bullying is a signicant problem at
school.
The report, From Teasing to Torment: School Climate Revisited, a Survey of
U.S. Secondary School Students and Teachers, updates a similar GLSEN-led
study taken in 2005.
It is important to reect on how far weve come, but I think this report
highlights how much further we need to go for LGBTQ students across the
country, including here in Maryland, Jabari Lyles, director of GLSEN-Baltimore,
told the Blade.

PFLAG to hold forum for Bd. of Ed. candidates

The contest for Howard County Board of Education is the only countywide
election to take place in November. Accordingly, the Howard County chapter
of PFLAG will provide an opportunity on Oct. 11 for the community to meet the
candidates for the board. That session will be followed by a forum.
Heath Goisovich, chair of the chapters Advocacy Committee, told the Blade
that among the questions to be asked, there will be several LGBT-related
questions.
The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at the Owen Brown Interfaith
Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way in Columbia.
STEVE CHARING

415 DOOM PEAK RD, LINDEN VA, 22642

$424,900

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

HE A LTH NEW S

OC T OB E R 07, 2016 15

Study nds age a major factor in LGB veterans

NEW HAVEN, Conn. Age plays a significant role in the mental and
emotional well being of LGB veterans in the U.S. military according to new
research released by the Yale School of Public Health.
Younger LGB veterans are significantly more likely to report lifetime
depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder and current depression
compared with older LGB veterans as well as younger and older heterosexual
veterans, the study found.
The population of older veterans, the vast majority of which is male, is
increasing rapidly. It is estimated that there are nearly 900,000 lesbians,
gay or bisexual U.S. veterans, many who are over the age of 65. The study
participants were a nationally representative sample of 3,095 U.S. veterans
between 21 and 96 years old. The study results are published in the
American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Especially in the context of the U.S. military, there are many reasons
to think that the experiences of older and younger LGB individuals may
be different, said Joan Monin, Ph.D., assistant professor at the school and
the studys lead author. Understanding older and younger LGB veterans
unique challenges has important implications for mental health screening
practices and interventions.
There is ongoing debate about whether age confers LGB adults with
greater resiliency or vulnerability to mental health problems. One theory is
that younger LGB adults experience more stress because they are currently
dealing with parental and/or peer rejection and potential workplace
discrimination. In contrast, older LGB adults have more temporal distance
from these stressors, which may have been resolved earlier in life.

Only four in 10 gay Baltimore men aware of PrEP

BALTIMORE Only four in 10 gay and bisexual men in Baltimore without

HIV are aware that pre-exposure prophylaxis medication (PrEP) may
significantly reduce their risk of contracting the virus, even those who had
recently visited a doctor or been tested for a sexually transmitted disease,
new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.
Studies have shown that PrEP, a once-daily pill, reduces HIV incidence by
92 percent in HIV-negative people who are at high risk for HIV, including
men who have unprotected sex with men, and it is recommended for
that group by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2011,
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tested for other sexually transmitted diseases. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention says that as many as one-third of physicians may
not even know PrEP is an option.
When people are diagnosed with HIV, they are typically given a threedrug regimen to combat the virus. PrEP is made up of two of those
medications combined into a single pill to take once a day. The side effects
a d v i C e m e d iat i o N L i t i G at i o N a P P e a L S C o L L a B o r at i o N
are generally mild.
For the study, the researchers used the 2014 Baltimore MSM National
HIV Behavioral Surveillance data. There were 401 HIV-negative participants
in the study, of whom 168 (42 percent) were aware of PrEP. Interestingly,
having seen a doctor (82 percent had) and having a test for another sexually
transmitted disease (46 percent had) in the prior year did not increase the
likelihood that a gay or bisexual man knew about PrEP. Those who had been
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 6 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

VIEWPOINT

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

41

ADDRESS

PO Box 53352
Washington DC 20009

Log Cabins
dereliction of duty
Gay GOP group should
denounce Trump before
its too late

KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade

and can be reached at kna@washblade.com.

Admittedly, the Log Cabin Republicans

constitute a minority within an already
small, underrepresented group. But that
doesnt mean we should ignore bad, negligent behavior from within our own ranks.
One month out from the election and
Log Cabin still hasnt said whether it plans
to endorse GOP nominee Donald Trump.
The failure to do so initially held promise the group would do the right thing;
its continued eort to play coy with such
an important decision has become a de
facto endorsement and constitutes dereliction of duty.
Its unconscionable that any LGBT person could endorse and vote for Trump
given his shocking record of racism and
misogyny, the incidences of which are too

numerous to recount here. If, somehow,

youre gay and able to look the other way
when a candidate deploys racist tactics to
win the votes of deplorable voters, then
how about worrying about your own
rights and self-interests? Trumps selection of Gov. Mike Pence as his running
mate was all the evidence we needed
that anti-LGBT bigotry is alive and well
in 2016s GOP. Pence signed an overtly
discriminatory religious freedom law
in Indiana, provoking a national backlash
that forced him to sign a so-called x to
the measure. But make no mistake that
Pences instinct was to codify anti-LGBT
discrimination into state law.
Trump himself hasnt said much
about LGBT rights during the campaign,
but the few clues we have about his
views indicate that the past eight years
of LGBT advances are on the line if he
wins the White House.
Just this week, he mocked the acceptance of openly trans service members
in the military as political correctness.
Does that mean that a President Trump
would seek to reinstate some form of
Dont Ask, Dont Tell? When Congress
repealed the law, it left nothing in place to
formally bar discrimination in the armed
forces. Given that we now have an openly
gay Army secretary, that would likely be
an uphill battle, but do we really want to
risk such a ght?
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

PHONE

On domestic policy, Trump has promised to rescind President Obamas various executive orders that were only
necessitated by a GOP Congress unwilling to do anything Obama wants. Those
orders include a key provision barring
companies that do business with the
federal government from discriminating against employees based on sexual
orientation and gender identity. The order eectively protects an estimated 20
percent of all American workers from
anti-LGBT workplace discrimination.
Trump has also pledged support for
a federal religious freedom law that
would legalize anti-LGBT discrimination
across the country.
More concerning is the imprint a President Trump could leave on the Supreme
Court. On day one, the next president
must ll the Antonin Scalia vacancy; several more justices are into their 70s and
80s, raising the possibility of multiple
picks for the next president. Trump has
said hed choose justices in the mold of
Scalia, the most rabidly anti-LGBT justice
on the bench. Could Trump stack the
court with justices inclined to overturn
the Obergefell ruling? Again, an uphill
battle that we dont want to risk ghting.
So where is Log Cabin amid all these
threats to recent progress? Theyre still
hoping for a meeting with Trump thats
been denied for months. Meanwhile,
theyre breaking bread with Newt Gingrich of all people, a thrice-married opponent of marriage equality who has a
long, sad record hostile to every LGBT
rights advance of the last 25 years. When
Gingrich spoke at Log Cabins recent national dinner, most observers expected
some news an evolution on marriage
or non-discrimination perhaps. None of
that was in the ong, just more racist
fear mongering and trying to pit Muslims
against gays. How disappointing that Log
Cabin would give a forum to that sort of
cynical divisiveness.
Log Cabins executive director, Gregory Angelo, is a good guy doing his best in
a party now run by a frightening fringe
of the GOP that nds support from the
KKK. There is precedent for Log Cabin to
withhold its endorsement of a Republican presidential nominee as it did when
George W. Bush used the marriage issue as a wedge in the 2004 election.
Heres hoping Angelo and the Log Cabin
board come to their senses and join
the rest of the thinking populace in denouncing Trumps demagoguery before
its too late.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

V I E W PO I N T

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 1 7

Trumps lounge act grows stale

He isnt taking on Washington,
hes taking on reality

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

Sometimes a politician rises not despite his

pathologies, but because they suit the moment. Donald Trumps vulgarity, crude insults
and braggadocio red the resentments of
Republican primary voters and rode them to
the nomination. His racism and sexism were
not a problem with them. He read the room,
as a performer would say, and gave it what it
wanted. His diehards thought they were his
accomplices, though they were his marks.
Seasons and audiences change. The trash
talk that got Trump attention in the noisy
lounge of the primaries does not work in the
main room of the general election. I owe this

metaphor to Rev. Al Sharpton, who learned

about performance venues long ago from
singer James Brown and shared it with Washington Post opinion writer Jonathan Capehart
last year. But Sharpton, like most in the commentariat, thought Trumps act wouldnt work
at all in a presidential campaign. He told Capehart, You cant talk about [John] McCain like
youre talking about the real estate guy bidding against you for a building in downtown
Brooklyn.
In fact, that kind of talk took Trump a long
way. He had his nger on the pulses of the nations demons of intolerance and know-nothingism. They carried him into a virtual dead
heat with the Democratic nominee.
Trumps lounge magician act has entertained us daily with his denials of having said
things that we have on tape, and with his echolalia, where he repeats a falsehood as if saying
it three times makes it three times more true.
He magically raises the crime rate, unemployment rate and budget decit by lying about
them, similar to the way he erases business
debts by declaring bankruptcy. He regards
himself as genetically superior to harder working and less rapacious citizens while proudly
contributing nothing to the federal treasury.
He promises to destroy ISIS, restore lost in-

dustrial jobs (which were exported by people

like him), end crime and return us to the white
old days, by the sheer force of his personality,
or a triumph of the will.
Trump is not taking on Washington, he is
taking on reality. In his world, you dont have
to prepare for a debate, study the issues or
remember what you said yesterday. His supporters prefer vague, sweeping promises
without a plan over the hard work of creating
change. Instead of blaming Washington gridlock on Republican obstruction, blame both
parties equally. Mock knowledge and experience as elitist. Recruit old men on their third
wives as surrogates, since families are great
and those guys started as many as they could.
Trump miscalculated in thinking his improvisation would work in the fall as it had in the
spring. On Sept. 26, he met Hillary Clinton on
the debate stage. Unlike him, she had prepared. She brought the toughness and seasoning of experience. While he took every bit
of bait she tossed his way, she let his insults
roll o her. As he wilted, she shone.
For several days following the debate,
Trump worsened his wounds by defaming
a Latina former beauty queen Clinton mentioned whom he had insulted 20 years before.
He doubled down on his increasingly desper-

ate mockery of Clintons alleged lack of stamina. But his trash talk about women being fat
pigs, and his boasting about sting contractors and paying no taxes, are no match for the
political heavyweight he now faces.
Trump does not learn from his mistakes because he refuses to admit he made them. By
contrast, Hillary listens to people, and has the
discipline to ignore the mockery while pursuing a campaign strategy.
None of this is to suggest the campaign is
over. As I write this, ve long weeks remain
until Election Day. Republican dirty trickster
Roger Stone is warning of dire revelations. Republicans persist in their voter suppression efforts despite adverse court orders. But, amazingly enough, there is also something called
journalism being done. The New York Times
late last week reported on tax documents it received that showed Trump declared $916 million in losses for 1995. His loudly proclaimed
business acumen has devolved into success
at writing o mammoth losses as tax deductions.
The election remains too close to call. Go to
your battle stations.
Copyright 2016 by Richard J. Rosendall. All
rights reserved.

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

Trump campaign officially enters alternate universe

A place where failing to
pay taxes is genius

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

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

Although to some it has been obvious

all along, surely now everyone must recognize the Donald Trump presidential
campaign has entered an alternate universe. His advisers are now saying it is OK
he paid no taxes and are calling him brilliant for that.
They also appear to agree going after
the Clintons marriage is a good strategy
for him even as he is losing the womens
vote by a big margin. Former New York
Mayor and current irrational individual,
Rudy Giuliani, went on CNN and called
Trump an absolute genius for paying no
taxes and ling a personal tax return in-

dicating he lost a billion dollars in 1995.

He now thinks getting away without paying your fair share for the military, veterans benets, schools and infrastructure
makes you a genius. That information
comes after we learned Trump and his
children believe there is no dierence between personal money and that of their
(c) 3 charitable foundation. The Trumps
seem to treat their foundation, which
other people have contributed to, as a
personal slush fund to pay legal debts
and purchase other trinkets.
Giuliani went on to conrm he is living
in an alternate universe when he said it
was perfectly ne for Trump to say Hillary
cheated on Bill even if he has not one iota
of evidence to make the claim. This is the
view of a thrice-married admitted adulterer whose rst wife was his second cousin.
But it seems being married three times
is a requirement to be a Trump adviser as
Newt Gingrich, who left his rst wife while
she was recovering from cancer and has
married twice more, is a trump adviser/
apologist as well. Though it must be said
Gingrich did say Trumps middle of the night
tweet attacking former Miss Universe, Alicia
Machado, might have been inappropriate.
The idea of Trump attacking the Clin-

tons on their marriage really is laughable

considering Trump himself is a thricemarried adulterer.
Even after the New York Times managed
to get the cover pages of his 1995 taxes he
continues to say he is unwilling to release his
full taxes which indicates to all Americans he
is simply not willing to share how he really
screwed them using every possible loophole
to get out of paying his fair share.
It can only be hoped the actions of Trump
and his campaign have given some backbone to Congress, at least the few remaining clear thinking members of that once
august body, that its way past time to take
a serious look at the tax code and make the
changes needed so wealthy people and
corporations cant get away tax free.
Hillary Clintons tax proposals to raise the
taxes on wealthy people and get them to
pay their fair share are eminently fair. Its
obscene for anyone to suggest the current
law and loopholes allowing a billionaire like
Trump to be able to get away without paying any personal taxes should stand.
We have seen Trumps campaign deteriorate by the day. It has become embarrassing to watch the women surrogates he
has appearing on TV deal with what he says
and defend it. He has run a totally sexist

campaign and has been aided and abetted

in that by a large percentage of the media.
We must recognize women, particularly
women politicians, are still treated dierently. Trump has accurately been called a
sexist, racist, misogynistic, homophobic,
bully. He has proven to be a total boor.
I was recently reminded of the eloquent
speech given in 2012 by the rst woman
prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard.
It has since become known simply as the
misogyny speech. She went on the oor
of the Australian Parliament and called out
the opposition leader Tony Abbott on his
sexism and misogyny. Surely there were
women around the world who hearing
that stood and applauded for her guts and
only wished they had made that speech to
every man who had ever tried to put them
down for simply being a woman.
We are seeing this happening to Hillary Clinton today in so many ways from
attacks on her stamina to reporters debating how much she should smile in a
debate. Yet she knows Americans are not
yet ready to hear her make that speech.
Maybe after she wins in November,
and is sworn in as president next January,
the time for an American woman to make
that speech will be closer.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 8 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

VIEWPOINT

Consider hosting an LGBT asylum seeker

Its been a rewarding
experience for me
By ERIC STULTS
Imagine you had to ee your home
country for your own personal safety
and well being, because the government
or people in your own community are
actively persecuting and discriminating
against you for being LGBT. Now imagine youve managed to get to the United
States, yet you dont know anyone. Nor
have you ever visited before. Where
would you stay? How would you survive
on your own?
This is the lived experience for many
LGBT asylum seekers who have ed
their home countries of Africa, Asia, the
Caribbean, and the former Soviet Union
and Russia. Since 2012, Center Global, a
program of the DC Center for the LGBT
Community, has helped some 157 LGBT
asylum seekers and refugees who have
come to the Washington metropolitan
area seeking safety and a better life. They
are vulnerable as they go through the
long and cumbersome asylum process
with the U.S. government, usually without the support of their own families and

Since 2013, Ive hosted gay asylum seekers from

Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean in my
home as these men await their asylum decision or
at least authorization to legally work.
their own immigrant communities. This
process includes a wait of nine months
to a year before they are legally allowed
to work. All without federal government
support for legal assistance, housing,
healthcare or education.
Finding safe, stable housing, especially
with the cost of housing in D.C. on the
rise in recent years is a major concern for
LGBT immigrants. Many asylum seekers
dont know anyone they can stay with, and
without the ability to work when they rst
arrive, they face the prospect of staying in
homeless shelters or on the streets. This
only adds to the anxiety and grief theyve
already experienced in their homelands.
Since 2013, Ive hosted gay asylum
seekers from Africa, the Middle East and
the Caribbean in my home as these men
await their asylum decision or at least authorization to legally work. I have found
it an extremely rewarding experience.

While there have been some costs and

some loss of privacy, which is probably a
good thing as it keeps me from becoming a middle-aged curmudgeon; some
uptick in my utility bills, and some dings
in kitchenware and stains on carpets, the
benets have far outweighed the costs.
First, I am reminded every day of the decades of LGBT activism it took thousands
of Americans to bring about real, tangible
progress here in America. This contrasts
sharply with the torture and imprisonment of the young African gay activist who
lived in my home. And the imprisonment,
torture, mob violence and capital punishment that many LGBT people experience
in nearly 80 countries around the world
where being LGBT is criminalized.
Second, living with and oering my
assistance to these younger gay men
grounds me. I now nd myself thinking,
do I really need to buy these new clothes

or treat myself to meals out or lattes,

when I have a atmate from the Caribbean who has no winter coat or thermal
underwear? Or easy access to food and
transportation, beyond the modest support that Center Global provides?
Third, Ive learned so much from these
individuals about our common humanity. While they may come from another
culture, when we share a home, we learn
about our common aspirations, anxieties and fears. And weve shared our own
cross-cultural humor.
Given my experience and the great
need many asylum seekers face when
they rst arrive here, I hope more people
in the D.C. area will consider opening up
their homes, just as many others in the
United States and around the world have
made room in their communities and
their homes for refugees and immigrants
eeing violence and persecution. Please
consider hosting an LGBT asylum seeker
in your home as they seek to nd a safe
foothold in America.

ERIC STULTS is a volunteer with the DC Center.

For more information on Center Global and
to oer assistance, visit thedccenter.org/
programs_global.html or contact them at
centerglobal@thedccenter.org.

VIEWPOINT

Combating ageism in a youth-obsessed community

More LGBT inter-generational
mentoring needed
By MARTIN YEUNG
Gays place such a premium on looks
and youth that its inconceivable for
most folks under 40 to imagine what a
middle-aged gay should look like or act
like, much less a gaysian of a certain age.
The LGBT community tends to view aging as a monolith, yet the age spectrum
includes sub-groups with unique identities. A 50-year-old is not going to act like
a 65-year-old, nor is a 65-year-old going
to act like an 80-year-old. There is no one
blob of gray that denes older gays.
I recently attended one of the rst forums to address ageism, hosted by the
Alice B Toklas LGBT Democratic Club in
San Francisco. Despite the huge inux of
young tech workers, 25 percent of San
Francisco residents are over 60, and of
that, 30 percent identify as LGBTQ. Within
that segment, 60 percent live alone, many
in isolation with special needs that often
go unmet. Given those demographics,

Many of us in our 20s and 30s want to evade

and deect the thought of hitting 40, let alone
50, signicant milestones or tombstones
depending on which side of 40 youre on.
a panel on ageism seems timely, in San
Francisco and elsewhere.
Many of us in our 20s and 30s want to
evade and deect the thought of hitting
40, let alone 50, signicant milestones
or tombstones depending on which
side of 40 youre on. It was ingrained early on to think that age was to be feared.
Men over 50 were ancient and characterized by trigger words such as creepy
or cranky. Its a vicious cycle ageism
is raw prejudice leading to fear, a fear of
isolation and rejection by younger generations that manifests itself in many
ways. Panelist Dr. Marcy Adelman noted
that when plans for LGBTQ intergenera-

tional housing in San Francisco were announced, many younger San Franciscans
voiced a concern that they dont want to
be around a lot of old people.
Another panelist, Sam Trevino, suggested that countering stereotypes associated with aging involves creating
more channels for meaningful intergenerational interaction. Youth could
see that having gay friends who are older
helps them learn about the gay communitys past struggles and truly understand
where we have come from, where we are
now, and where were going as a society.
Mentoring can show the beauty of all
souls, not just the pretty ones.

Panelists noted that no matter who we

are or how we self-identify, we will all suffer the impact of ageism eventually. Panel
organizer/moderator Michael Costa noted
that ageism is the latest in a series of challenges that many in our community have
fought, and panelist Daniel Redman emphasized that our proven resiliency as a
group will serve us well in dealing with it.
Increased awareness of ageism is the
rst step; actions must follow. Cultural
competency training that includes an ageism component, creating the means for
LGBTs to age well in the community, and
obtaining funding necessary to accomplish both, are examples of such actions.
As I move closer to that next milestone,
Ill need to learn what that means. Perhaps the way to do that is to reach the
point where I value the friendships and
relationships I have without taking age
into consideration. I just hope we can all
get to that point together.

MARTIN YEUNG is a former D.C. resident who

now lives in San Francisco working in technology.
His Grindr prole indicates he is 35.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

V I E W PO I NT

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 1 9

Corporate equality, from Comcast to Charlotte

Business support marks
new front line in ght
for LGBT rights
ByMARK SEGAL
When youre in the media, you get invited to events where you see other media
professionals with whom you work. So it
was no surprise when I showed up at a
press conference to preview the Fourth of
July Wawa Welcome America celebration
that I saw my friend David L. Cohen, who
is Comcasts senior executive vice president and chief diversity ocer.
Diversity is an issue he takes seriously.
He asked me, Did you hear what happened at the shareholders meeting?
When I said no, with a smile, he suggested I look it up.
Heres the gist of what happened, according to the Hollywood Reporter:
Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts answered questions about the liberal
bent of MSNBC and the presence of com-

pany sta at the GLAAD Media Awards.

Comcast must appeal to all sectors of
the population, said one shareholder in
a submitted question, arguing it shouldnt
take positions on any cultural issues that
divide people. The recent Xnity LGBT
presence at the GLAAD Awards was no
more neutral than it would be for Comcast to hire picketers at an abortion
[clinic], the shareholder argued. Xnity
is Comcasts digital cable service. Roberts responded, We are a diverse and
inclusive company, and we respect all
perspectives and points of view of employees and customers, he said, adding,
Thank you for your point of view.
If I can be so bold to translate corporate speak, that was a diplomatic way
for Roberts to say that Comcast Corporation, the nations largest media company yes, larger than News Corporation or Disney is proud of winning
awards from GLAAD, just as it would be
proud to win awards from organizations
representing the African-American or
Latino communities.
Roberts reaction also makes a clear

point: Those who support LGBT equality

are not apologetic. And theres another
important issue Roberts raised.
When President Obama referenced
in his second inauguration speech, Selma, Seneca Falls, Stonewall, he made it
clear that LGBT rights should be put on
the same level as the ght for all human
rights. Roberts polite reply made that
same point.
I serve on Comcasts Joint Diversity
Council as the LGBT representative. The
council advises the company on issues
of diversity. Ive watched this company
excel in diversity: addressing the inclusion of African Americans, Latinos, Asian
Pacic Islanders, disabled people, Native
Americans, LGBT people and many more.
Comcast not only meets the challenges of
inclusion, in many areas it is now a corporate leader; besides advancing diversity inside the company, Comcast invites
diverse groups, including the LGBT community, to bid for company business as
outside vendors.
So let me take it a step further: Corporations that step forward are the new

front in our struggle for equality, and they

should be welcomed when they do so in
meaningful ways, rather than those who
look at LGBT inclusion as just window
dressing especially in areas where little
or no LGBT rights exist, or the government has taken away LGBT rights, like
in North Carolina. While many performers have boycotted the state, thus far the
corporations that have major businesses
in the state have only just signed on to
the weak Human Rights Campaign letter.
PayPal, to its credit, pulled a planned expansion in the state, but others must step
forward. American Airlines has its No. 1
hub in the nation in Charlotte, the sixthlargest airport in the country; maybe it
would help if it did more than simply sign
on to the tepid HRC letter.
The Charlotte Airport is the engine that
propels North Carolinas economy, so
American Airlines help in this area could
move North Carolina forward.

MARK SEGAL is publisher of the Philadelphia

Gay News and author of And Then I Danced,
Traveling The LGBT Road To Equality.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

OCTOBER

07,

2016

21

A surrogacy fairy tale

New York gay couple helping others start families
By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com

Anthony Brown and his husband Gary

Spinos neighbor in their West Village
apartment building in New York City wore
all black, only went out at night and had a
frequent cough.
She was, the type of woman youd see
coming down the street and you might
cross the street, Brown says. Now and then
the couple would see her coming home at
night from grocery shopping and would
help carry her groceries upstairs. One day
after falling in her apartment the woman,
named Janet, called the couple to help.
The result was a seven-year friendship and
the gift of Brown and Spinos son, Nicholas.
Brown and Spino came to learn she
suffered from Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease, had lived all over
the world and that she was also wealthy
from family money. When she died, they
discovered she had been so touched by
their kindness that she left them half her
estate. Because of her, the couple were
able to afford surrogacy with Spino as their
sons biological father in what Brown calls,
a New York fairytale.
It was a gift from God, truly. Or at least a
gift from Janet, Brown says. We still have
her picture and a heart-shaped urn that
has some of her ashes. We sprinkled her
ashes all over the world. We took her ashes
to all the places where she had lived and
tried to do her justice.
As they embarked on their surrogacy
journey, the couple went to a Men Having
Babies meeting at the Gay and Lesbian
Center and began gathering information.
Brown, an attorney, would eventually go

ANTHONY BROWN, left, with husband GARY SPINO and thier son, NICHOLAS.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FAMILY

on to become chairman on the board for

the organization.
While working with Men Having Babies,
the group became a 501(c)(3) non-prot
organization and started a grant. The grant
used money from events the organization
produced to help with its gay parenting
assistance program.
The program now offers qualifying
individuals and couples discounted
services, donated free services and cash
grants. So far the organization is in its fourth
class of recipients and 13 babies have
been born to parents who have utilized the
gay parenting assistance program.
Its one of the greatest things in the
world to be able to talk to the recipients
and see myself in them and to know I would
never have been able to have afforded the
surrogacy route had it not been for the
grace of a kind woman who lived in my
building. So its a full circle moment for me
personally, Brown says.
Brown is also no stranger to the other
side of surrogacy. Before having their son,
Brown worked for a marriage equality

organization in the early 00s. Brown and

Spino met a lesbian couple through the
organization who wanted to have a family
with a known donor. Brown and Spino
agreed to help and the partner Brown
was working with became pregnant rst.
Through her, Brown has an 11-year-old
biological daughter. The experience led
Brown and Spino not only on their own
journey to welcome their son into their
family, but for Brown to embark on a
passion project to help other gay couples
expand their families.
In 2012 Brown went deeper on his
mission to help others and started Time for
Families, a website lled with information
for LGBT families to learn how to start
families.
Brown covers topics such as surrogacy,
estate planning, co-parenting and specic
topics like having a known donor versus
an anonymous donor. While Brown notes
the majority of website visitors are from
the New York area, people from Africa,
Asia and Europe have also accessed the
site. Gay families can also send in their

personal stories and photos to be featured

on the website.
Brown hopes that with access to more
information, people can become educated
on the topic, especially on common
misconceptions about surrogacy which
Brown says are compensation and how
aware surrogate mothers are about what
theyre doing. He says the misconceptions
vary across the world.
In America most states authorize and
regulate compensated surrogacy, where
the surrogate mother is paid for the risks
she takes with becoming pregnant and
the inconvenience that she has, Brown
says. In Europe, they label that as baby
selling.That one misconception really
bothers me because nobody accuses
their heterosexual family member who
is spending hundreds of thousands of
dollars at an IVF clinic to help them get
pregnant. Theyre spending that money
also, but nobody accuses them of buying
a child.
When it comes to the idea that surrogate
mothers are being taken advantage of,
Brown says the average woman who
embarks on the journey of surrogacy is
more likely than not to have a college
degree, to be married with children of
her own and to have an income level
above the poverty level. He says they also
usually have a personal story and deep
connection behind why they want to help.
They really are women who are doing
this because they want to help somebody
else have a family. These woman really are
incredible people, Brown says.

22

OCTOBER

07,

2016

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

The Moosa family has launched a new product. Inspired by their own travails, Baby Change-N-Go
allows parents to change diapers safely and cleanly anywhere theres a door to hang it on.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRENDA MOOSA

Resources and events for gay parents

Rainbow Families, COLAGE, others offer trips, fun days and more
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Rainbow Families D.C. has its Fall
Family Camp Weekend Oct. 14-16 at
Camp Tockwogh (24370 Still Pond Neck
Rd., Worton, Md.), about a two-hour
drive from Washington. Camp Tockwogh
is a 300-plus-acre campground on the
Chesapeake Bay. The weekend provides
LGBT families a chance to interact with arts
and crafts, hikes, ice cream socials, a talent
show, campre, kickball and more.
Registration fees range from $110-155
per person based on housing selection
and include two-night accommodations,
activities and ve meals. Children
under age 3 are free. Full details at
rainbowfamilies.org.
The following weekend from Oct. 2023, Rainbow Families will have a Family
& Friends Weekend at Great Wolf Lodge

in Williamsburg, Va., a weekend full of

splashes, slideboards and hot springs.
The weekend offers changes for miniature
gold, bolwing, amusement rides, cooking
demonstrations, Halloween activities,
spas, salons and access to a water park
which comes with room reservation. Great
Wolf Lodge is about 45 minutes from
Richmond. Details at everyq.com.
The group also continues its Maybe
Baby fall classes and conception support
group throughout the coming months. Full
information at rainbowfamilies.org.
November is national adoption month.
Join Rainbow Families D.C. and the D.C.
Center on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
for an adoption information night that
will provide details on becoming a host,
foster, respite or foster-to-adopt family

in Washington. Other LGBT parents who

are going through the adoption process
will be present. Its free and will be held at
the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., suite
105). Details at thedccenter.org.
Want a big gay family-afrming road
trip next summer? COLAGE (children
of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) and
Family Equality Council have their Family
Week every summer (usually around the
third week of July) in Provincetown, Mass.
Check back later at colage.org for details
on the 2017 event.
Family Equality Council will have its
Family Weekend in D.C. event April 1517 next year. Its for LGBT parents, children,
extended families and friends and is an
annual event. Check later at familyequality.
org for details.

A Richmond-based lesbian family

has started Baby Change-N-Go, a new
product that offers parents a safe and
clean place to change diapers anywhere
on the go. Baby Change-N-Go hangs on a
door and unfolds to include a at, secure
place to place babies and change them
efciently. They were tired of not being
able to nd clean baby changing stations
and decided to do something about it.
It took Brenda and Mahnaz Moosa,
parents of 2-year-old twin boys, about a
year and a half to take the product from
the idea phase to the market and its just
about ready. Orders are being taken now
at babychangengo.com. The product is
available for $99 in pink, blue and gray
and can be personalized. Delivery will
come in November.

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

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 2 3

50th Anniversary
Season
DANCE THEATRE
sho3w
OF HARLEM
s!
with the Attacca Quartet

Oct 14-15
Sidney Harman Hall
Program includes the D.C. premiere
of Francesca Harpers System, set
to the music of John Adams and
performed live by the Attacca Quartet

Family Building through:

Adoption
Donor Agreements
Surrogacy

Co-presented with CityDance. Special thanks: The Pink Pearls;

The New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance
Project; The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; The Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation.
The 50th Anniversary Season is generously sponsored by Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather.

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REVISIONS
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~
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24

OCTOBER

07,

2016

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Telling stories of Jewish LGBT lives

Books to consider as high holidays arrive
By DANA RUDOLPH
The Jewish High Holiday season begins
this week, so lets take a look at some new
stories that feature queer, Jewish families,
including a childrens picture book and a
grown-up memoir by a woman with four
lesbian moms.
Meryl Gordons The Flower Girl Wore
Celery is one of two childrens books to
gain publication through a writing contest
hosted by Keshet, the national organization
for LGBTQ Jews, in partnership with KarBen Publishing. (The other title, The Purim
Superhero, came out in 2013.)
Gordons book, with dynamic, whimsical
illustrations by Holly Clifton-Brown, tells
the story of young Emma, who is asked to
be the ower girl at her cousin Hannahs
wedding. Emma is excited, but has some
misconceptions. She thinks she will dress
as a oweruntil her mother tells her shell
wear a celery dress like the bridesmaids.
She then imagines a dress covered with
stalks of celery. When she hears there
will be a ring bearer, she envisions a
furry ring bear. About Alex, to whom her
cousin is engaged, she knows nothing.
She is surprised to learn that celery refers
to the dress color; that the ring bearer is a
human boy; and that Alex is a woman. No
celery. No bear. And two brides! Nothing
was what she had imagined, she thinks
but takes it all in stride. Gordon doesnt
dwell on the fact that the couple is female,
even as she acknowledges that it might be
unexpected (but no more so than anything
else). This makes the book a great choice

for any parents wanting to show their

children various types of families, as well
as for same-sex parents and our kids.
The wedding is denitively Jewish: there
is a rabbi (a woman) and Jewish wedding
traditions like reading the ketubah
(wedding contract) and stepping on
wine glasses. Publisher Joanna Sussman
told me, We were seeking great Jewishthemed stories featuring same-sex families
that would be of interest not just to the
LGBTQ community, but to the community
at large.
LGBTQ-inclusive kids books are rare,
and those that celebrate any kind of ethnic
or religious identity are rarer still. A lack of
specicity may give a story broad appeal
but it is also important for children to see
in books the various intersecting parts of
themselves (and others). Kudos to Keshet
and Kar-Ben for helping to make this
happen.
Kellen Anne Kaisers self-searching,
funny,
and
occasionally
bawdy
Queerspawn in Love is not a childrens
book, but rather a memoir of her rst
serious adult relationship. Kaiser is writing,
she tells us at the start, to try and make
sense of its demise.
Kaiser rst met Lior Gold in their
Berkeley Hebrew school class. He left to
join the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and
they drifted apart until reconnecting years
later, shortly after 9/11, when he was home
on leave and Kaiser was home between
semesters in college. Romance bloomed,

and the two of them attempted to keep

it alive after he returned to his unit. The
problem was not just distance, but Kaisers
own struggle to balance her peacenik
upbringing and left-wing Zionist leanings
with dating an IDF combat soldier. On top
of this, particularly after Lior leaves the IDF
and returns to California, was the challenge
of navigating the different expectations
that any two people have in a relationship,
especially two young people guring out
what they want to do with their lives.
Kaisers four moms are a constant
background
presence:
Nyna,
her
biological mom; Margery, Nynas former
partner; Helen, Nynas best friend, who
parented with them; and Kyree, Nynas
spouse from the time Kaiser was ve
until she was 18. Kaiser shows us how her
upbringing imbued her with certain values
and cultural touchstones, both Jewish and
queer, that she carries into later life. She
knows what it feels like to be marginalized,
for example, and to have to speak up to
defend those she loves. And in trying to
get Lior to open up about his feelings, she
observes, I was used to a much higher
level of emotional expressiveness. Think
constant processing. Total sharing. Think
raised by lesbians.
She shows us, too, how lessons from
each of her moms helped her through
her journeyand how the overall message
they conveyed, of building their lives on
their own terms, helped her nd comfort
and strength as she and Lior parted.

I wish she had explained a few terms that

may be unfamiliar to non-Jewish readers
(like Shabbas goy, a non-Jew who helps
observant Jews on the Sabbath). This is a
minor quibble, though, for a compelling
book that illuminates the sometimes
complex interactions of identity, family,
and relationships.
No review of Jewish, LGBTQ family
stories would be complete without a
mention of Transparent, Amazons Emmy
Award-winning series, which just started
its third season. Most in the LGBTQ
community know it as a story about a
transgender woman and her family. But
the Jewish Daily Forward also called it
the Jewiest show ever. Josh Lambert at
Tablet observed that it makes sense that
its a Jewish family at the center of this
story noting Jews were crucial, ardent
supporters of sexual science and minority
rights throughout the 20th century often
because, being Jewish, they understood
that persecution or prejudicial treatment
of any minority is actually a threat against
all of us.
It seems no surprise, then, that we are
seeing more stories centered on Jewish
LGBTQ families. I hope we continue to
see stories for all ages about the many
different intersections of LGBTQ families,
cultures, and religions.
DANA RUDOLPH is the founder and publisher of
mombian.com, a GLAAD Media Award-winning
blog and resource directory for LGBTQ parents.

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

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 2 5

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

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ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

41

OCTOBER

07,

2016

PAGE

27

Time to get Reel

RETAKE, LOEV, THEME PACKAGES AND MORE PART OF LGBT FILM FESTIVAL
By BRIAN T. CARNEY

A scene from LOEV, a lm Reel Armations Director Kimberly Bush calls glorious.
PHOTO COURTESY OF REEL AFFIRMATIONS

Reel Armations (reelarmations.org)

returns Oct. 13-16. Billed as Washingtons
only international LGBT lm festival, this
years schedule includes about 40 new queer
features, shorts and documentaries from
across the country and around the world.
The festival kicks o with a VIP preview of
Retake by lmmaker Nick Corporon. The
director of the award-winning short Barbie
Boy says his latest lm is, a suspenseful
love story about Jonathan (Tuc Watkins),
a mysterious and lonely guy, who hires a
young male hustler to help him recreate a
road trip from his past.
Corporon says the movie rises from two
very dierent personal interests: people
who live in the past and the desert.
Im obsessed with characters who
are stuck in the past, always looking
backward, pining over what was and what

could have been, he says. And, being a

Mid-Western boy, I love the iconography
of the desert. So, I took those ideas and
mashed them together into a road trip
love story. Thankfully, two-person road
trip movies are less expensive and easier
to shoot.
What proved to be a challenge on the
set was controlling his lead actor.
Tuc Watkins just turned 50 years old
recently, but on set he ate like a 15-year-old,
the director says. I just dont understand
how he has the body he does because
wed always catch him sneaking o to eat
cheeseburgers in between set ups. Id catch
him with a bag of fries and say, You realize
were shooting your nude scenes in two
days, right? He responded with I know my
body, well be ne. And we were.
On Friday night, the festival features

LOEV a lm that Festival Director

Kimberley Bush has been pursuing for
more than a year. Bush describes it as a
glorious lm and sadly notes that lead
actor Dhruv Ganesh died of tuberculosis
shortly after lming.
Indian lmmaker Sudhanshu Saria says
that his movie, is an honest, fragile lm
about a road-trip between men where
they examine the boundaries between
friendship and love. Its set in India so the
politics of the place become important
given our governments recent recriminalization of homosexuality, making
it punishable by life imprisonment.
Saria says the impulse to make
this movie came out of personal
circumstances and his frustration with
the Indian movie industry.
Honestly, it came from heartbreak, he

says. I fell for someone who didnt like me

back and instead of going to a therapist
or a strip club, I decided to write about
it. And I was only able to write about it
honestly because I knew there was no
shot in hell of this gay-themed, no-stars
lm nding any nancing or actors in
India. I could just be brutally honest.
To his surprise, he was able to locate
both money and actors: Oh well. Two
years later, here we are, but if you ask
me why I became a lmmaker, well, that
credit would go squarely to writer and
director Mira Nair. I was perfectly happy
sitting on a couch and watching lms until
I heard her manifesto on, If we dont tell
our stories, no one will. So here I am,
telling my stories.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 40

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 8 O CTO B ER 0 7 , 2016

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R CA RLT O N RA Y SMI T H

PHOTO BY BOB FORD

CARLTON RAY SMITH

PHOTO BY BOB FORD

By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Baltimore Black Pride is in full swing this weekend with a wide spate of events.
On Friday, Oct. 7 there will be a happy hour event and Giovannis Room
open mic at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore (2530 N.
Charles St., third oor), a health seminar and more. On Saturday, Oct. 8, a
community service day and trans conference are scheduled. On Sunday,
Oct. 9, a community brunch/luncheon will be held at Hotel Indigo (24 West
Franklin St.) and a block party will be held at Club Bunns (608 W. Lexington
St.) from 4-10 p.m. for those aged 21 and up. Full event details are available by
searching for the Center for Black Equity Baltimore on Facebook.
Carlton Ray Smith is executive director of the organization and helped
found it with Dana Owens, Kevin Clemons-Myers and Leroy Burgess Jr.
Baltimore Black Pride is a community mobilization of social justice because
as part of the Black Queer Lives Matter movement, we are raising voices and
concerns regarding our visibility in the mainstream community, says Smith,
a 53-year-old Brooklyn native.
Smith came to Baltimore 25 years ago to attend Morgan State University. He
lives in Mount Vernon and enjoys the arts, entertainment, cooking, football,
traveling and club hopping in his free time.

202.747.2077

How long have you been out and who

was the hardest person to tell?
Since 17 years old and my parents.
Whos your LGBT hero?

Bayard Rustin

Whats Baltimores best nightspot,

past or present?
Paradox, Ordell and Fantasy

Describe your dream wedding.

One that oers long-term
companionship

What non-LGBT issue are you most

passionate about?
Voting

What historical outcome would you

change?
I wish Id participated in the Maryland
anti-discrimination law being passed.

Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
Prince Purple Rain

On what do you insist?

Respect

What was your last Facebook post or

Tweet?
I shared a quote this morning: No,
we dont always get what we want but
consider this: there are people who will
never have what you have right now.

If your life were a book, what would

the title be?
Conversation with the Duchess All T No
Shade

If science discovered a way to change

sexual orientation, what would you
do?
Nothing. Love my sexual orientation.

What do you believe in beyond the

physical world?
Love and music

Whats your advice for LGBT

movement leaders?
Be the change you want to see in the
world.

What would you walk across hot coals

for?
Nothing

What LGBT stereotype annoys you

most?
All gay men are hairstylists or fashion
designers.

Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

Torch Song Trilogy and La Cage aux
Folles.

Whats the most overrated social

custom?
Political correctness

What trophy or prize do you most

covet?
An Oscar.

What do you wish youd known at 18?

Love yourself.

Why Baltimore?
My mother insisted that I attend college
and didnt want me to go to Howard
University, so I went to Morgan State
University.

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

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 2 9

LIVE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

30 OCT OB E R 07, 2016

O U T & A BO U T

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

SARA
WATKINS

W/ MIKAELA DAVIS
THURSDAY OCT

AMERICAN
AQUARIUM
W/ RADIO BIRDS
FRIDAY

By MARIAH COOPER

OCT 7

SAT, OCT 8

NEWMYER FLYER PRESENTS

DREAM DISCS: LAYLA &

OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS
& THE BEST OF ERIC CLAPTON
TUES, OCT 11

TOMMY CASTRO
& THE PAINKILLERS
AND MATT SCHOFIELD
WED, OCT 12

CHALI 2NA &

NAUGHTY PROFESSOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VIRGINIA OPERA

W/ PITCHBLAK BRASS BAND

Virginia Opera double bill features Sins, Pagliacci

THEHAMILTONDC.COM

DentalBug.com
Cosmetic, Implants, Sleep Apnea, Sedation

Virginia Opera presents Seven Deadly Sins and Pagliacci at George Mason
University Center for the Arts Concert Hall (4400 University Dr., Fairfax, Va.) on
Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2:30 p.m.
In The Seven Deadly Sins, Anna travels across America encountering a
deadly sin in each city she visits. In Pagliacci a traveling troupe of actors have
their lives blur with the work theyre performing. Out baritone Michael Chioldi
stars as Tonio in the show. Tickets range from $54-110.
For more information, visit cfa.gmu.edu.

Call Today Weekend Hours MulTilingual

Strike a pose in voguing

masquerade ball

lauren rdH and Patient-of-the-Week Cielo

PHOTO BY STEVEN BRAHMS; COURTESY OF ALL THINGS GO

Maria Hodas
DDS

John Tsaknis
DDS

Indra Mustapha
DDS, MS

1221 Mass. ave, nW 202.628.7979 (Free Parking)

703 d street, nW 202.628.1288
lenfant Plaza,sW Promenade #325 202.628.2177

Kathleen Turner returns

to Arena Stage
The Year of Magical Thinking, starring
Kathleen Turner, runs at Arena Stage
(1101 6th St., S.W.) from Friday, Oct. 7
through Sunday, Nov. 20.
The story, based on Joan Didions
award-winning memoir, follows the
author as she deals with life the year after
her husbands death. The show is directed
by Gaye Taylor Upchurch. Tickets are $90.
For more details, visit arenastage.org.

We believe we can make the

dental experience better.

Jeanette Suh
DMD

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARENA STAGE

Passion Pit to headline All Things Go Fall Classic

All Things Go presents its third annual Fall Classic musical festival at the Yards
Park (355 Water St., S.E.) on Saturday, Oct. 8 from noon-10 p.m.
Indie-electronic group Passion Pit, featuring out lead singer Michael Angelakos,
will perform at 7 p.m. Other bands performing include Bishop Briggs, Christine
and the Queens, Sylvan Esso and Empire of the Sun. There will also be food to
enjoy including Shake Shack, Milk Cult, DGS, Timber Pizza and more.
Advanced tickets are $75 and day-of show tickets are $99. For more details,
visit allthingsgofallclassic.com.

The National Museum of African Art

(950 Independence Ave., S.W.) presents
a voguing masquerade ball on Tuesday,
Oct. 15 from 7:30-10 p.m.
The ball will feature Keith Ebony Holt
and will be a companion piece to the exhibit
Senses of Time: Video and Film-based
Works of Africa. The voguing is inspired by
Yinka Shonibare MBEs work Un Ballo in
Maschera. DJ Vjuan Allure will play music,
ballroom icon Jack Mizrahi will make an
appearance and body-painting artist Laolu
will be showcased, among others. There
will also be a voguing panel discussion
earlier in the day from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Admission is free. For more information,
visit africa.si.edu.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

T HE ATE R

OC T OB E R 07, 2016 31

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MUELLER

RACHEL ZAMPELLI and MARIA RIZZO in The Gulf at Signature Theatre.

Stranded setting is catalyst

for resolve in The Gulf
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Local playwright Audrey Cefaly likes
telling womens stories, especially those
involving women who arent typically
seen onstage. With her new play The
Gulf, now making its world premiere in a
riveting production at Signature Theatre,
Cefaly focuses on the rocky relationship of
small-town girlfriends, Kendra (a sewage
plant operator) and Betty (a bartender).
While the 80-minute immersion into
the mismatched pairs world is certainly
intense, its way funny too.
Ostensibly on the water for a day of
leisurely shing in the shallows of the Gulf
of Mexico on the Alabama coast, Kendra
(Rachel Zampelli) and Betty (Maria Rizzo)
are in fact playing out whats clearly now
become habit. Kendra shes while Betty,
whos eager to ditch slinging drinks to
study social work at junior college in a
dierent town, chatters on about selfimprovement, pop psychology, weird
happenings and local gossip. Today shes
brought along a copy of the bestselling
vocational manual What Color Is your
Parachute? to needle Kendra into joining
her in making a move and a career
change. Betty suggests prison guard for
her girlfriend. Kendra is not bowled over.
Mostly tight-lipped and set-jawed, Kendra
responds occasionally with wry asides and
sarcastic observations. Initially playful, the
back and forth grows increasingly irritated
in rises and falls. The afternoon unfolds
in this way with ashes of passion, some
violence, laughs and interludes of heartfelt
exchange. After six years of coupledom
marred by distrust and indelity, the
couple is bonded by sentiment, inertia and
personal histories of loss and sadness.
But this day grows dierent when their
little rowboats tiny outboard motor dies.
Together they face the immensity of the
Gulf and the gulf of their relationship.

Like specimens under a magnifying

glass, Cefalys characters are caught in
a tight space (the skeletal frame of a
wooden dinghy that shifts on a slowmoving revolve), closely watched by an
audience seated just feet away from the
action. Expertly helmed by out director
Joe Calarco, the cast and design team
impeccably give life to Cefalys words.
Paige Hathaway provides a curvilinear
set of sea and sky. Andrew Cessnas
gorgeous lighting takes the action from
lazy afternoon into chilly evening, and
Kenny Neal adds the inimitable sound of
cast lines and twangy blues.
Calarco has smartly cast two fully
committed local actors to create the parts.
Rizzo, a versatile actor best known locally
for her work in Signature musicals the
legendary title stripper in Gypsy and
Anybodys, the girl who wants to rumble
with the boys, in West Side Story, gives
a luminous performance as Betty. And
Zampelli surpasses expectation as Kendra,
the least girlish of the pair and a little grizzled
in her baggy old shorts and worn shrimp
boots. Completely believable as a couple,
Rizzo and Zampelli are comfortable with each
other and their cramped surroundings. They
spend most of the play conned to the boat.
Playwright Cefaly rather brilliantly
combines exceedingly mundane talk with
unexpected poetic passages. And while
Cefaly isnt gay, she certainly knows how
to write lesbian relationships. With Betty
and Kendra she introduces memorable
characters, impossible not to care about
both individually and as a couple.
And will their relationship endure? Who
knows? Most likely Bettys ceaseless yearning
for something better will prompt her to seek
out a future in other womens eyes. And
Kendra may at one point give grow weary
of the drama. But for now, theyre together.
THE GULF
Through Nov. 6
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Avenue, Shirlington
$40 and up
703-820-9771
Sigtheatre.org

Join Cirque de la Symphonie for

a spooky symphonic spectacular!

Cirque de la Symphonie
Halloween Extravaganza
Stuart Chafetz, conductor

October 13 16 | Concert Hall

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.
Bank of America is the Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences.

Washington Gas is the proud sponsor of the NSO Family Concerts.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

(202) 467-4600 | KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups (202) 416-8400
For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

3 2 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

M US I C

OC T OB E R 07, 2016 33

Danish Dance
Theatre
Tim Rushton, Artistic Director
PHOTO COURTESY OF PARLOPHONE RECORDS

Black Diamond

The second in a series of box sets exhuming the entire David Bowie oeuvre, Who Can I Be Now
(1974/1976) is essential despite some odd omissions.

Mid-70s release is second

in posthumous series
By CHRIS GERARD

Photo By Soeren Herlman

Its only been eight months since David

Bowie, rocks most fearless innovator,
left this world behind. His music, though,
remains eternal.
Parlophone Records is in the process
of presenting Bowies entire catalog
through a lavish series of box sets. Last
September, the rst collection in the
series, Five Years (1969/1973), surveyed
Bowies early string of landmark albums,
including Space Oddity, The Man Who
Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise
and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders
from Mars, Aladdin Sane and Pin Ups.
Thats a pretty impressive roster of music
for one set, and while its sequel, the justreleased Who Can I Be Now? (1974/1976),
contains some essential Bowie classics,
it doesnt quite measure up to the rst
in terms of content for the money spent.
Like its predecessor, Who Can I Be Now?
(1974/1976) is available in digital and 12disc CD formats along with a 13-LP vinyl
edition. As with all of David Bowies archival
releases, the collection is of the highest
quality in terms of sound quality and
packaging. The newly remastered versions
of Young Americans and Diamond Dogs
in particular pop out of the speakers with
astonishing crispness and clarity. These
timeless albums have never sounded better.
Bowies pivotal Station to Station, one
of his very nest works, is oered in two
mixes: the original and a complete remix
by Harry Maslin that was rst included in
the massive 2010 box set devoted solely
to that album. Fans who own that box
will also already have the two-disc Live
at Nassau Coliseum which captures
a superb performance in support of
Station to Station. Its easily Bowies
nest live album of the 70s, documenting
him and his band at their ery best.
The big addition that Parlophone has

been hyping is The Gouster, an early

version of what eventually morphed into
the Young Americans album. One listen
makes it clear why Bowie changed it
dramatically. The album contains several
tracks that were left o Young Americans,
and earlier versions of several tracks that
made the nal release. The Gouster is a
fascinating listen, but mostly for historical
purposes rather than as a discovery of
some great long-lost Bowie album as
Parlophone has been selling it.
Unfortunately the set also includes
ve LPs worth of Bowies 1974 mediocreat-best David Live. Recorded at the
Tower Theater in Philadelphia during the
Diamond Dogs tour, David Live is a
listless performance that has never been
highly regarded. Bowie himself said that
it should have been titled David Bowie Is
Alive and Well and Living Only in Theory.
The original mix is included on two LPs,
along with a 2005 remix by producer Tony
Visconti on three LPs. Also disappointing
is the rarities collection Re:Call 2,
which includes mostly single edits and
inexplicably excludes key rarities like
the demo of Candidate for Diamond
Dogs that sounds completely dierent
than the album version, or Bowies stellar
glammed-up cover of Springsteens Its
Hard to Be a Saint in the City recorded
around the time of Young Americans, or
the excellent outtake After Today.
Thats not to say that Who Can I Be
Now? (1974/1976) isnt worth picking up.
It contains some of Bowies cornerstone
classic albums of the 70s, but it is undeniably
stretched a little thin. Some of the choices
for inclusion are questionable and some
of the exclusions are unforgivable. Still,
for Bowie fans and completists who yearn
for the highest possible quality versions
of his classic albums, just like the rst box,
Who Can I Be Now? (1974/1976) delivers
an impressive overview of a transitional
period in Bowies career as he turned away
from glam rock toward a more soulful and
eclectic rock sound that would lead to even
more experimental work in the future.

So entirely original, they cannot

be compared to anything from the
American modern tradition.
The Boston Herald

October 18 & 19 | Eisenhower Theater

Oct. 17: Danish Dance Theatre Master Class
Oct. 18: Free Post-Performance Discussion

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

(202) 467-4600 | KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups (202) 416-8400
For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the

generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 4 O CTO B ER 0 7 , 2016

SP O RT I N I N D . C.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Come as you are and play your heart out

D.C. Gay Flag Football
League hosts Gay Bowl
XVI this weekend
By KEVIN MAJOROS
It has been seven years since a group
of pick-up players and their travel teams
hosted Gay Bowl IX on the threadbare
elds of Carter Barron in Rock Creek Park.
The championship in 2009 was the
impetus for the formation of the D.C. Gay
Flag Football League, so its tting theyre
hosting this years event because of the
strength of their league.
Gay Bowl XVI will take place on 11 polo
elds at West Potomac Park this weekend
with the National Mall serving as an
inspirational backdrop as the players
vie for the three championship trophies.
More than 750 athletes and referees on
40 teams from 21 cities across the United
States and Canada will be welcomed to a
world-class sporting event along with a
full social calendar that will showcase the
LGBT scene of Washington.

At this years Gay Bowl, D.C. will eld

four mens teams and one womens
team. These ve squads are the travel
teams and they are separate from League
teams. There is a tryout and selection
process that follows strict protocols
similar to the leagues draft system. There
is currently a waiting list just to try out for
the travel teams.
The rst season of the D.C. Gay Flag
Football League in 2010 consisted of
seven teams and though interest was
high for expansion, the League carefully
created a structure of growth that kept
the quality of play at a high level. The
growth was limited partially by the
grooming of quality quarterbacks, but
also with a design on having the most
balanced teams possible. Now in Season
XIII, the League is at 20 teams with 300
players.
One thing that stands out in the League
is its diversity. The League has a comeas-you-are-and-play-your-heart-out
mentality that draws people from all
walks of life.
We bring people from diverse parts
of D.C. and I think it is the best part of

the league, says Chris Comier, founding

board member and co-chair of Gay Bowl
XVI. We have players that range from
the military to Capitol Hill and we are all
sexual identities, ethnicities and genders.
The League has struggled over the
years to maintain a high number of
female players and is at close to 20
women this season. It does not utilize
special rules for women players in some
ag-football leagues.
Former NCAA Division I basketball
player Nikki Kasparek says when she
started in the League in 2012, the male
players werent utilizing the female
players to their capacity. That has since
changed.
They wouldnt play defense on us
and ultimately the quarterbacks starting
throwing the ball to us. I was scoring one
to two touchdowns per game, Kasparek
says. Im not getting that anymore. We
are athletes, we are assets and we are
rock stars. If you dont guard us, we will
score.
Some straight players such as Peter
Sima, who has played in the League since
2010, say sexual orientation is a non

issue. Hes been on some of the Leagues

travel teams and played at Chicagos
Pride Bowl.
There is no thought in this League as
to what you are, Sima says. There is also
no in crowd and as a straight player, I
immediately felt welcomed.
The League is also supportive of the
trans community and one player (who
wishes to remain anonymous) has found
support from the league during his
transition. He has been a player since
2011.
I have a really awesome core group
of friends in the DCGFFL that I trust, he
says. My friends have been supportive of
my journey and that has made me really
happy to be a part of this League.
The closing party for Gay Bowl XVI will
be held at National Theater and after
a weekend of playing in the presence
of Americas national monuments, the
players will be sent o in D.C. style just a
few blocks from the White House.
We want everyone to say it was the
most enjoyable and most memorable
Gay Bowl yet, Comier says. And oh yea,
we want all three trophies.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

S P O RTI N I N D. C.

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 3 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6

4:00-7:30pm

Registration and Packet Pick-Up

7:30pm

Opening Night Party

Nellies
900 U St NW
Town
2009 8th St NW

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7

9:00am
5:30pm

Games start
Courtyard Party

10:00pm

After-Party

Washington Hilton Hotel

1919 Connecticut Ave NW
Nellies
900 U St NW

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8

8:30am
7:30pm

WASHINGTON HILTON
1919 Connecticut Ave NW

Find it on Connecticut
Ave NW by Columbia Rd
NW & T St NW

Games start
Block
(& Tackle) Party

5:30pm
7:00pm

620 T Street, NW

Recovery Brunch

10

Find it on T St NW between
18th St NW & 19th St NW

6
7

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

900 U Street NW

Find it on the corner of

U St NW & 9th St NW.

TOWN DANCEBOUTIQUE
620 T St NW

Find it on 8th St NW between

V St NW & Florida Ave NW

2323 18th St NW

Find it on the corner of R St NW

& 17th St NW

18th & U DUPLEX DINER

JRS BAR & GRILL

2004 18th St NW

1519 17th St NW

Find it on the corner of

18th St NW & U St NW

Find it on 17th St NW between

P St NW & Q St NW

SHAWS TAVERN

MELLOW MUSHROOM

10

1639 R St NW

Find it on 18th St NW between

Kalorama Rd & Columbia Rd NW

2436 18th St NW

11

Find it on 18th St NW between

Columbia Rd NW & Belmont Rd NW

520 Florida Ave NW

Find it on the corner of Florida

Ave NW & 6th St NW

CONCESSIONS

I N D E P E N D E N C E AV E . S W

I N D E P E N D E N C E AV E . S W

IO

IV

. L
JR IA
K OR
MLEM
M

FIELD 6
FIELD 7

FIELD 1

FIELD 8
. SW

FIELD 2

DR

FIELD 3
FIELD 4
W

FIELD 5

INFORMATION

ES

T BA

SI

CENTRAL GATHERING

VIP
FD

FIRST AID

PORTAPOTTY

ME

MO

REFEREE TENT
FIELD 9

PORTAPOTTY

FIELD 10

FIELD 11

PORTAPOTTY

FIELD 13
REFEREE TENT

IO

IV

RI

AL

FIELD 12

THE
FIELDS

3
4

COBALT

TOWN TAVERN DC

Shaws Tavern
520 Florida Ave NW

* Championship game times subject to change pending nal tournament structure

1840 18th St NW

Find it on T St between
7th St NW & Wiltberger St NW

Games start
B Bracket championship* at 3:00pm
Womens championship* at 3:00pm
A Bracket championship* at 4:00pm
Happy Hour
Nellies
900 U St NW
Closing Party
Howard Theatre
620 T St NW

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10

10:00am

LARRYS LOUNGE

HOWARD THEATER

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9

9:00am

11

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 6 O CTO B ER 0 7 , 2016

CA LE N D A R
Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9
p,m. For more details, visit facebook.com/
groups/qfdc.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts a
transgender and non-binary support
group today from 5-7 p.m. For more
details, visit smyal.org.

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

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

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 12

The QCrew, a queer-inclusive party

group, hosts Out All Night at Bonre (1132
19th St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
There will be drink specials and music by
DJ Tezrah. Cover is $5. For more details,
visit facebook.com/qcrewdc.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct.,
N.W.) presents Otter Crossing, a gay
dance party, tonight from 10 p.m.-3
a.m. DJ Je Prior and DJ Khelan Bhatia
from BreakfastClub will make music.
Cover is $5. For more information, visit
greenlanterndc.com.
Broadway legend Patti LuPone brings
her show Dont Monkey with Broadway
to the Barns at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd.,
Vienna, Va.) tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $85. For more information,
visit wolftrap.org.

SATURDAY, OCT. 8
Distrkt C presents Military Night at the
D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) tonight
from 10 p.m.-8 a.m. DJ Mike Reimer
and Serving Ovahness will play music.
Distrkt Cs Military Men will also make an
appearance. Tickets are $25. For more
information, visit facebook.com/distrktc.
The Coven, a witchy queer group, will
have a party at Smith Public Trust (3514
12th St., N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m.-2:30
a.m. The Lothario will perform music.
There is no cover before 11 p.m. Cover is
$10 afterwards. Proceeds will go to HIPS.
For more details, visit facebook.com/
thecovendc.
D.C. Rawhides hosts West Coast and
East Coast swing dance lessons during
Town & Country at Town (2009 8th St.,
N.W.) today from 6:30-10:30 p.m. DJ
Vinaya will play music. There will be open
dance from 8-10:50 p.m. Cover is $5. For
more information, visit towndc.com.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct.,
N.W.) hosts Black Dionysus: Fire Dance,
a gay dance party, tonight from 9 p.m.3 a.m. DJ Mike Babbitt will play music.
Pussy Noir, Jaxknife Haunt and Dani will
perform. Cover is free from 9-10 p.m.
and $7 afterwards. For more details, visit
greenlanterndc.com.
Two Twisted Posts Winery (12944
Harpers Ferry Rd., Purcellville, Va.)
celebrates National Coming Out Day
with wine and live music by Todd Brooks
today from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. For more
information, visit twotwistedposts.com.

SUNDAY, OCT. 9
Sit on My Base hosts Stonewall
Kickball for a car wash fundraiser at JR.s
Bar and Grill (1519 17th St., N.W.) today

IMAGE COURTESY OF TOUCHSTONE GALLERY

Perspective by David Alfuth, on display now at Touchstone Gallery.

from noon-5 p.m. The boys will wash a car

for the suggested price of $10, a scooter
for $5 and a bike for $3. All funds raised
will be donated to Strength in Our Voices,
a mental health non-prot organization.
There will be Jell-O shots and drink
specials. For more information, search
Suds and Studs on Facebook.
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.)
hosts a watch party for the second
presidential debate tonight from 9-11
p.m. There will be $15 buckets of Bud
products all night. For more details, visit
facebook.com/nelliesdc.
Freed Bodyworks (1337 Pennsylvania
Ave., S.E.) presents a workshop on how
child sexual abuse aects everyone,
especially LGBT people of color, today
from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The workshop will be
led by trans-gender uid activist Ignacio
Rivera M.A. and is intended for survivors
of sexual abuse and assault. Only those
who identify as such are asked to attend.
Tickets are $10-30, but no one will be
turned away for inability to pay. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
freedbodyworks.

MONDAY, OCT. 10
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..)
hosts coee drop-in hours this morning
from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT
community. Older LGBT adults can
come and enjoy complimentary coee
and conversation with other community
members. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave.,
N.W.) holds a support group for gay black
men to discuss topics that aect them,
share perspectives and have meaningful
conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.

TUESDAY, OCT. 11
OutRight
Action
Internationals
D.C. Committee hosts a happy hour for
National Coming Out Day at Number
Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) tonight from
6:30-8:30 p.m. Drink specials will be buy
one, get one free. For more information,
search Come Out with OutRight in DC
on Facebook.
Queer for Christ hosts a happy hour
for National Coming Out Day at Number

The Ask Rayceen Show is at Martin

Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901
G St., N.W.) this evening from 6-9:30
p.m. Tonights show will feature a talent
competition with cash prizes. Rayceen
Pendarvis will host. Anthony Oakes
and Chris Jay will be guest announcers.
There will also be giveaways. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
teamrayceen.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts an open
mic night today from 5-7 p.m. LGBT youth
are encouraged to come share their
experiences of sexual orientation and
gender identity as well as specic issues
facing adolescents in the D.C. metro
region. For details, visit smyal.org.
Rainbow Response, an LGBT intimate
partner violence prevention group, meets
in the third oor conference room at
National City Christian Church (5 Thomas
Circle N.W.) today from 6-7 p.m. For
details, visit thedccenter.org.
Big Gay Book Group meets East City
Bookshop (645 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.)
tonight at 6:30 p.m. to discuss After
the Parade by Lori Ostlund, a story
about a man who leaves his long-time
partner for a road trip. For more details,
visit biggaybookgroup.com or email
biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com.

THURSDAY, OCT. 13
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.)
presents Highwaymen Jock Night tonight
from 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. There will be
prizes, $3 beer at the club bar, Jell-O shots
and more. For details, visit dceagle.com.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York
Ave., N.W.) presents its new exhibits
Perspective by David Alfuh and
Attitudes and Elevations by Gale Wallar
through Oct. 30. Perspective details
surreal structures, ceilings and other
architectural images giving a magical
perspective to the viewer. Attitudes and
Elevations gives landscapes and city
scene from dierent viewpoints. For more
information, visit touchstonegallery.cim.
A preview for a live, 12-week
performance series featuring the work
of Icelandic performance artist Ragnar
Kjartansson will be held today from
9-11 a.m. at the Hirshhorn Museum and
Sculpture Garden (700 Independence
Ave., S.W.). The exhibit runs through Jan.
8. The exhibition will feature live musical
performances that challenge traditional
stereotypes of femininity with a rotating
cast of 14 local musicians performing all
day every day for the full run of the show.
Details at hirshhorn.si.edu.

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

Lisa Thompson
Agent
Direct: 571.207.6580 Office: 703.443.1757
Email: Lisa.thompson@huntcountrysir.com
Website: huntcountrysir.com

Wheatland Spring
Waterford, Virginia
Introducing Wheatland Spring (Samuel Nixon House)
circa 1832. Situated on 30 acres, this early 19th century
federal brick home has been completely renovated with
no detail overlooked. The main house has 5 bedrooms
and 3.5 baths, beautifully refinished hardwood floors
and dental crown molding. The modern kitchen boasts
all the amenities a chef could possibly need, including
beautiful cherry cabinetry, Jenn-Air five burner gas
cooktop, built-in refrigerator, two additional refrigerated
drawers, and a cozy built-in seating area. The large
formal dining room can easily accommodate dinner for
twelve. One bedroom, 1.5 bath guest house, pool
with outdoor fireplace, two barns, spring house, and
a detached 3 car garage with apartment complete
this historic property that is designed for gracious
entertaining and luxurious country living.
Offered at $1,999,999 | 38454JohnWolfordRd.com

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 3 7

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

38 OC T OB E R 07, 2016

The Suzanne
Farrell Ballet

Unemployment, loss of parent

trigger downward spiral

Suzanne Farrell, Artistic Director

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

with the Kennedy Center

Opera House Orchestra

Elisabeth Holowchuk and Kirk Henning in Danses Concertantes, photo by Rosalie OConnor

All-Balanchine Program
Danses Concertantes (Stravinsky/Balanchine)
Gounod Symphony (Gounod/Balanchine)*
Stars and Stripes (Sousa arr. Kay/Balanchine)*
*Company premiere

October 2123 | Eisenhower Theater

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
(202) 467-4600 | KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups (202) 416-8400
For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540
Generous support for The Suzanne Farrell Ballet is provided by Emily Williams Kelly,
The Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund, and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet Advisory Board.
Support for Ballet at the Kennedy Center is generously provided by Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian.

MICHAEL,
Is it possible to heal an abusive
relationship?
My wife and I have been together for
over 40 years. When we met, we were an
idealistic young dyke couple, dedicated to
a loving relationship of total equality. For
many years we were very happy.
A few years back, Elizabeth retired from
her job to take care of her mother who
was ill and had moved to D.C. Her mother
died. Elizabeth couldnt nd a new
job, began drinking more and became
increasingly nasty and ill-tempered.
Her mood has kept getting worse and
shes often bitter and angry with me.
Im still working and bringing in most of
our income now and I think Elizabeth
resents being dependent on me. Shes
also stopped seeing our friends, spending
most of her time at home, not doing
much.
I feel like she picks ghts though I try
to be accommodating. A few weeks ago,
she struck me when she was enraged.
No permanent harm, but I was black and
blue on my arm.
I nd myself on edge for fear of upsetting
her. And I am becoming isolated because
I dont like seeing our group of friends by
myself and am embarrassed about the
state of my life. They all seem happy, still
working, traveling, volunteering. And they
treat their spouses well, something we all
prided ourselves on. Im ashamed that
Elizabeth has become so hostile toward
me and Im ashamed that I accept her
behavior.
We have a home of many years
together that I dont want to leave, but
now it doesnt feel comfortable or safe.
Any ideas for how to help Elizabeth and
our relationship would be welcomed.
MICHAEL REPLIES:
Im sorry that your life has been so
dicult for the last few years.
Yes, I do think that its possible to
heal an abusive relationship, but rst, I

A D V I CE

urge you to take steps to keep yourself

safe in the present. Do your best not to
stay in a situation where your spouse is
continuously angry and volatile, you are
fearful and theres a good risk that you
could be struck again.
While I understand that you are
embarrassed, I encourage you to reach
out to some of your close friends. If
you do not want to divulge the details,
might you share that things are dicult
between you and Elizabeth right now and
you need a place to stay for a bit? This will
not only give you a safe haven, but also
reduce your isolation.
The D.C. Oce on Aging oers a list
of organizations and services for LGBT
elders
at
dcoa.dc.gov/services/lgbtresources and you may nd temporary
housing here if your friends cannot
provide it. One of the services oered is
psychotherapy and I urge you to seek out
a therapist who is well-versed in LGBT
and aging issues. Ask Elizabeth to join you
for a meeting. The two of you need help.
From your description, it sounds very
much like Elizabeth is quite depressed.
Understandable, given that in the last few
years she has lost her job and her mom,
has become isolated and drinks a fair
amount which can lead to volatility, poor
impulse control, inability to function and
spiraling depression.
Meeting with a therapist could be the
rst step to Elizabeth nding support
such as individual and group therapy
to improve her mood and get a grip on
her behavior and her anger. I think that
you, too, would benet from having a
therapist to help you cope with your life
at present and address the shame youre
feeling. Finally, couples therapy might
help the two of you come together in a
loving way again, down the road a bit.
First, Elizabeth must be willing to address
her mental health.
One more supportive resource for you:
Al-Anon, a group for those whose loved
ones abuse alcohol and other substances.
A lot of us have the notion that abuse
doesnt happen in LGBT relationships
and when it does happen, were often
embarrassed to speak up. We may not
want to make our relationships and our
community look bad or acknowledge that
our relationships can be as awed as
anyones.
But not talking about abuse increases
our vulnerability. It keeps us isolated, as
youve discovered, and also keeps us from
addressing the problem and reducing the
risk of abuse. Thank you for speaking up
by writing this letter, and I hope you will
encourage others, both those who are
fearful of being abused and those who
are fearful of abusing, to seek support
and assistance.

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

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 3 9

Don't miss the biggest

culinary festival of the
year on Oct. 8th and 9th

60+ RESTAURANTS, 100+ BEERS AND WINES,

3 ENTERTAINMENT STAGES

Buy Tickets

at thetasteofdc.org

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

4 0 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

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

Blonde Ambition dancers reunite for Strike a Pose

The six surviving dancers from Madonnas Blond Ambition tour reunite in a new documentary.
PHOTO COURTESY OF REEL AFFIRMATIONS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

On Saturday, Reel Armations turns

to three exciting selections of shorts,
each loosely grouped around a common
theme. The rst, called Spectrum, takes
a look at LGBT folk who dont t neatly
into conventional ideas of gender, aging
or identity. It kicks o with Dawn, the
latest lm from lmmaker Jake Graf, a
transgender man living in London.
The lm is a simple story, set at dawn
on a bench on the outskirts of London,
Graf says. The lead is a trans woman who
has been told all her life that she is ugly,
too tall, not pretty or womanly enough, so
I thought it would be interesting to pair
her with a blind man. Unable to judge her
by her appearance, he simply takes her
for the woman that she is inside, without
the stereotypical ideas and perceptions
of beauty.
The second slate of shorts is called
Swipe Right, with lms dedicated to new
beginnings and sudden transformations.
The lms include the comedy Spunkle.
If you dont know what the title means,
director Lisa Donato says you may need
to consult the Urban Dictionary.
The third slate is called So Long and
Farewell, because as Bush notes, this
selection of short lms plays on the
theme of how everything even love
comes to an end.

The Saturday centerpiece feature is the

powerful documentary Free Cece!, the
story of CeCe McDonald, a black trans
woman who was unfairly jailed after
ghting back against an attacker. Director
Jacqueline Garas, known for her work on the
PBS series In the Life, had a life-changing
moment when she heard trans activist
Laverne Cox speak about McDonalds story
at the 2013 GLAAD Awards.
I was shocked that no one had actually
covered her story, she says. I said to
myself, Why havent you done something?
I felt compelled. I think as white people
when we see racial injustice, we need to
do all we can to make a dierence. This
was my way of doing what I could.
The adults-only Saturday after-hours
feature takes audiences on a decidedly
dierent journey. According to German
lmmaker Hendrik Schfer, I wanted
to make a lm that asks what intimacy
means and whether our exposed
genitals or our personal stories are more
intimate. The ensuing lm, Seducing
Mr. Bluefrog: NSFW is a portrait of
an online exhibitionist who goes by the
name of Bluefrog and who doesnt want
to reveal anything personal but his nudity.
He gets to direct his own porn scene
and it turns out to be a much dierent
experience than expected for both the
subject and the lmmaker.
The line-up on Sunday, the closing day

of the Festival, starts with Suicide Kale,

an intense dark mumblecore comedy
written by Brittani Nichols and directed
by Carly Usdin. Nichols says that she and
her friends were looking for a project to
work on together and that her screenplay
was sparked by a chance conversation
with Lindsay Hicks, who became one of
the lms stars.
Emotional chaos ensues over the
course of one lunch when a new couple,
Jasmine and Penn, nd an anonymous
suicide note at the home of Billie and
Jordan, the happiest couple they know,
she says.
Friends and colleagues are also at the
core of Strike a Pose, a new documentary
that tells the stories of the seven male
dancers who performed with Madonna on
the ground-breaking Blond Ambition Tour
and who appeared with her in the infamous
documentary Truth or Dare.
Co-directors Ester Gould and Reijer
Zwaan tracked down the six surviving
dancers to tell the world their stories.
(Gabriel Trupin died in 1995, but is
represented in the movie by his mother.)
Zwaan says that the movie is the
dramatic story of these seven erce male
dancers who showed the world how to
vogue. At its core, our lm focuses on
a paradox: onstage, the dancers were
paragons of pride and self-expression,
but in reality their lives were clouded by

compromise and secrecy. Strike a Pose

is a lm about overcoming shame and
the courage it takes to be who you are. It
screens Sunday, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m.
Each of these lmmakers is excited
to be part of the Reel Armation Film
Festival. They are thrilled to nd new
audiences for their work and they are
grateful for the camaraderie of their
fellow artists. But even more importantly,
they rely on Bush and her stalwart
band of volunteers to take a risk on
independent queer lmmakers and their
quirky visionary lms.
As Sudhanshu Saria says, LOEV is
unusual, I know that. We worked hard to
make it that way. It resists the obvious
stereotyping and classications people
seek: theres no shower scenes, no nubile
twinks, no coming-out-to-dad or suicides
and it doesnt t the clichs of Indian arthouse lms either: no musical numbers
and no poverty porn. Films like this will
always require champions who see the
intent in there and who understand it
for what it is and who showcase it for
audiences to discover.
REEL AFFIRMATIONS
Oct. 10-14
GALA Hispanic Theatre/Tivoli Theatre
3333 14th St., N.W.
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Full schedule, tickets and more at reelarmations.org

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

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 4 1

GLEN GORDON MANOR

Huntly, Virginia

What began circa 1833 as a Wells Fargo stagecoach stop is

now a premier bed and breakfast. The main house includes
six en suites, a stone wine cellar, dining room, professional
kitchen, a fire-lit entrance hall, and hunt room with minstrel
gallery. Included on the property are equestrian facilities, spa,
pool, a cottage with two spacious luxury suites and a private
three bedroom caretakers home.
Once the host to British Royalty and aristocrats, Glen
Gordon Manor maintains an impressive and full guest list and
is an exceptional country estate whether a bed and breakfast,
luxury home, retreat or legacy property.

Offered at $3,600,000

For additional information, video, floorplans and photos,

visit 1482zacharytaylorhwy.com

Janeen Marconi
703.401.6465
Hunt Country Sothebys International Realty
22 West Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176
o 703.443.1757 | f 703.443.1818

huntcountrysir.com

4 2 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

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

MOVE IN
TO YOUR
NEW HOME
THIS FALL

IN WASHINGTON, D.C.!

THIS COULD BE YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A NEW HOME

Is your household at least 2-6 people?
Does your combined income meet Parkside
ADU Program Requirements*? Then you
might qualify* to purchase a townhome
priced below market rate in cooperation
with the D.C. Department of Housing and
Community Development!Plus, there are no
resale restrictions after the first year
of homeownership!

PARKSIDE ADU PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Household
2
3
4
5
6

Income Range
$69,816 - $104,256
$78,192 - $117,288
$86,880 - $130,320
$95,568 - $143,352
$104,256 - $156,384

Parkside Washington, D.C.

3-STORY GARAGE TOWNHOMES FROM THE MID $300s

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Transit Score:

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Ask about Personalizing Your New Home.

Community Features
Just 4 Metro stops from the Capitol building & close to varied cultural districts
Close to both the Orange and Silver Metro lines, I-295, I-395 & I-495
Open: Monday, 2 pm - 6 pm, Tuesday - Sunday, 10 am - 6 pm. Brokers Warmly Welcomed.

/khov.MD

/khov_MD

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301-683-6455

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*Homes sold to households with two or more people who meet income requirements listed in Parkside ADU Program Requirementsset forth by the DHCD -dhcd.dc.gov. No resale restrictions after the first year of homeownership.
Purchasers must see Sales Consultant for additional program details. Permission has been granted to use the Department of Housing and Community Development Agency name and/or logo. Contact Agency for more information
at (202) 442-7221. Prices, terms, features, incentives and savings subject to change without notice. James Williams, Broker. Senate Realty, 909 U St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. (202) 742-7290. Licensed by the District of Columbia
#SP98359144.Permission has been granted to use the Senate Realty name and logo on marketing materials by James Williams, President, 909 U St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. (202) 742-7290. We are pledged to the letter and spirit of
U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color,
religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

WA SH I N GTO NB LADE.C OM

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 4 3

REALESTATE

Benefits of
moving in the fall
Lower temperatures
mean an easier move
By JONATHAN NEAL
Its no secret that summer is the most
popular time of year for families to facilitate a move. Kids are out of school and
schedules are a bit easier to handle. However, did you know that there are many
advantages to moving during the fall season? First of all, many moving companies
are usually very anxious and ready to
serve your needs during the fall, as they
have just come o their peak demand
during the summer months. Our team at
Metropolitan Moving & Storage had 35
moves in one weekend alone during the
month of August.
Temperature is another huge advantage. Even though summer has more sunny days, it is also the hottest time. While
most moving crews are conditioned for
any season, falls cooler temps can allow
you to avoid the 100-degree sweltering
weather as you are doing your own prep-

aration.
Also, the real estate market tends to be
a little less competitive during the fall season. Most sellers want to get their homes
sold before the holidays, so the fall is usually crunch time if they werent successful
during the summer.
Quick moving tips from the professionals:
While falling leaves are beautiful to
look at it, it can be a safety hazard when
lugging in heavy boxes or furniture. Make
sure all pathways for movers are cleared
ahead of time to avoid any slips or falls.
For those with kids, moving at the start
of the new school year is not ideal. In
terms of the moving process, plan ahead
to make the transition smoother. Call a
reputable moving company as soon as
you decide that you are moving and ask
for a consultation to get the ball rolling.
Pack your least essential items rst
and the most essential items last. Fill a
box with moving day essentials like paper
plates, medicine, paper towels, toiletries,
all documents related to settlement and
closing of homes, checkbooks and a list
that includes your movers contact infor-

The market is less competitive in the fall, making it a good time to move.

mation, in case of emergency. This way

you can be up-and-running in your new
home ASAP.
Talk to your moving company in advance to nd out their protocol for inclement weather conditions. Fall is usually prone to heavy rains and damaging
winds. If you see that the local weather
forecast is calling for severe weather, call
your moving company to inquire about

the possibility of rescheduling your move.

With good planning and the support of
a skilled and professional moving team,
you can easily make the fall season the
best option for your move and ensure a
stress-free experience.
JONATHAN M. NEAL is president and CEO of
Metropolitan Moving and Storage, Inc. For more
information, visit www.dcmetropolitanmoving.
com or call 301-279-0090 or 703-837-0091.

Julie Andrews
on Micro Apartments:
All I want is a room
somewhere far away
from the cold night air.
VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI

Dupont Circle Office 202.243.7700 (o) 202.246.8602 (c)

Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com www.DCHomeQuest.com

4 4 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

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

KENT 5248 MACOMB STREET, NW

$1,250,000
Open Saturday & Sunday 2-4
Gorgeous all brick Colonial on a cul-de-sac in Kent! Grand entry foyer
and circular ow make it fabulous for entertaining. Kitchen, 3 full baths
and main oor half bath have all been renovated to perfection. Dining
room boasts French doors to beautiful brick patio, and connects to the
gracious living room with replace, bay window, and built in bookshelves.
The second oor has wood oors throughout, and a large master bedroom with ensuite bath. Two additional large bedrooms, and a renovated full bath complete the
layout. Pull down stairs lead to a very large attic with tons of space for storage. The
basement level has a recreation room with a replace, a renovated full bath, extra
large laundry and utility room, as well as access to the garage. Being within minutes of
Georgetown, Virginia, and Maryland, as well as the close proximity to the restaurants,
shops and schools up and along MacArthur Boulevard, make it the perfect location.
The ideal home for family living and entertaining!

Jennie Miller McDonnell

W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors
Christies International Luxury Real Estate Specialist
Long & Foster | Christies International Real Estate
Luxury Alliance Member, 2016

Cell: 202.744.7192
Ofce: 301.229.4000
Jennie.McDonnell@LongandFoster.com

WC & AN Miller
4701 Sangamore Road Bethesda, MD

www.JennieMcDonnell.com

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads

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

SHARE ADS ARE FREE.

Place your housing to share
ad online at washingtonblade.com
and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*
*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

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O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 4 5

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
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Changing behaviors can be

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COUNSELING
LGBTQ AFFIRMING
THERAPY at Dupont Circle
Individuals, couples,
families, adolescents.
Over 15 years serving
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Giordano, LICSW. 202/4606384 mike.giordano.
msw@gmail.com. www.
WhatIHearYouSaying.
com.
COUNSELING FOR
GAY MEN. Individual/
couple counseling
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gaymenscounseling.
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EMPLOYMENT
LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS
NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay mens
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Please call Richard at (202) 319-1333.
from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM

Representing the GLBT community
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employment. (301) 891-2200.Silber,
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CLEANING

ADOPTION & ASSISTED

REPRODUCTIVE Law
Attorney Jennifer
Fairfax represents
clients in DC, MD & VA.
interested in adoption
or ART matters.301221-9651,JFairfax@
jenniferfairfax.com.

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202-486-6183.

MOVERS

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OUR GUYS AROUND

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ENTHUSIASTICALLY
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DEADLINES

All Classified Ads

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

SHARE ADS ARE FREE.

Place your housing to share
ad online at washingtonblade.com
and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*
*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

4 6 O CTO B E R 0 7 , 2016

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

BODYWORK
FREE TO LISTEN

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

AND REPLY TO ADS

Free Code: W Blade

CONTINENTAL MOVERS
Local & long Distance Moving
Services. Family Owned since 1995.
Bonded, insured. $80 x two men,
plus one hour driving time $80.
www.continentalmovers.net. email:
cmora53607@msn.com. (202) 4381489.
TELLEM YOU saw their ad in the
Blade classifieds!

TREE SERVICE
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certified arborists,
pruning, insect &
disease diagnosis,
treatment & removal.
301-589-6181. www.
BranchesTreeExperts.
com. Angies List Award
Winner.

SHARE / DC
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Call 202-544-5688.

SW DC WATERFRONT GWM ISO

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TELLEM YOU saw their ad in the
Blade classifieds!

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attractive, feminine, for friendship &
a long term relationship. If you are
interested, call Debbie 703-368-3618.

TOP RATED MASSEUR

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Washington:

(202) 822-1666
Arlington:

Baltimore:

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www.megamates.com 18+

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

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

O CT O BE R 0 7 , 2 0 1 6 4 7

A New Fall Menu

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch and Breakfast

Business Lunch Menu

$19.50
Three Courses right from the menu!
OPEN DAILY 5-CLOSE!

Save The Date: 10/31

Halloween Night!
Art Soiree- Presents

Thursdays:
Live DJ & Entertainment
Wed. Fri. & Sat.
Cool Nights - Live DJ

Show Tunes and

Cocktails
Monday, October 17

No Cover Charge Ever

Just great Sing-A-long

202-872-1126
BBGWDC.com
17th & Rhode Island Ave. NW

Happy Hour

$4, $5, $6 & $7

Appetizer and Drink Selections
5-7PM (Patio Open)

Weekend Champagne
Celebrations
Weekend Brunch

Saturdays A-La-Carte - $29.95

Sunday - Buffet - $38.95

Celebration Dinners
Unlimited Champagne!

Friday & Saturday Nights

Three Courses $38.95 pp + Tax
Selections From Our Regular Menu
For individual or small groups up to 25*
Call for details