NOVEMBER

18,

2016

VOLUME 47

ISSUE 47

AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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0 4 N O VEMB ER 1 8, 2016

LO CA L N E W S

D.C. trans man says insurer refused to cover surgery

Kaiser Permanente
accused of denying claim
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A D.C. transgender man says hes in
the process of ling a complaint with
the city against Kaiser Permanente
because it refused to provide him with
health insurance coverage for his gender
reassignment surgery.
Morgan Givens, 30, told the Washington
Blade that although Kaiser never ocially
denied coverage for his needed female to
male periareolar or top surgery, it failed
to respond to his repeated requests
beginning in March for information
needed to arrange for the surgery.
I spent over six months attempting to
nd out from Kaiser and their employees
what I needed to do in order to have top
surgery cleared and covered and got
virtually nowhere, he said.
Employees would lose my paperwork,
hang up the phone when they realized
what I was attempting to gather
information about, say they were
transferring me when they found out
what I was calling about only to have the
line go dead a few minutes later, he said.
I attempted to nd information on
their website about transgender health,
who I needed to see, or where I should
go all while trying to nd someone who
would be able to assist me, and there was
nothing, Givens said.
The D.C. Department of Insurance,
Securities and Banking issued a
bulletin in February 2014 reminding
the public and the insurance industry
that existing D.C. law requires all health
insurance companies doing business
in the city to provide full coverage for
medically recognized treatments to help
transgender people change their gender.
The bulletin says gender reassignment
surgery is among the treatments health
insurers are required to cover for people with
gender dysphoria, a condition recognized by
the American Medical Association and the
American Psychiatric Association.
Shana Selender, public relations
manager for Kaiser Permanentes
Marketing
and
Corporate
Communications division, told the
Washington Blade in an email statement
on Monday that Kaiser could not
comment on Givenss specic case due to
patient condentiality requirements.
But she added, Kaiser Permanente is
deeply committed to providing equitable,
compassionate and high-quality care to
our transgender members. We strive
to treat all members, including those
considering gender transition, with
dignity and compassion, and to support

their decisions with an experienced team

of expert physicians and specialists.
Selender said Kaiser covers a wide
range of surgical and non-surgical
services when clinically appropriate
for members diagnosed with gender
dysphoria. Among them, she said, are
behavioral health visits, hormone therapy
and gender conrmation surgeries.
Her description of the transgenderrelated services provided by Kaiser is at
odds with Givenss account of how the
company responded to his attempt to
obtain coverage for his surgery.
Among the questions that Kaiser never
answered during the rst six months
of his attempts to arrange for surgery,
according to Givens, was whether Kaiser
had within its network of physicians a
surgeon qualied to perform gender
reassignment surgery.
By late August, Givens said, he
scheduled his surgery with internationally
recognized plastic surgeon Beverly
Fischer of Timonium, Md., who specializes
in gender reassignment surgery for
female-to-male transgender patients.
He said he remained hopeful that Kaiser
would approve reimbursement for some
if not all of the cost for the procedure.
Although Fischer, who teaches at Johns
Hopkins University, is not within Kaisers
network of physicians and surgeons,
Givens said a Kaiser representative gave
him the name of a Kaiser doctor who
had the authority to provide him with a
referral to Fischer.
Such a referral would enable Givens
to receive partial reimbursement for
the surgery, which he said cost him over
$8,600. But similar to his past interactions
with Kaiser, the referring physician and his
administrative support sta took weeks to
get back to him, Givens said. Three weeks
prior to the surgery, he said, he had to pay
the cost of the surgery in full.
Because I was getting no assistance
from any Kaiser employees, I decided
I would attempt to recoup some of my
money after the surgery, he said.
However, when he attempted to submit
a claim for partial coverage after the
surgery took place, a Kaiser representative
told him that Kaiser, in fact, had a surgeon
that preforms gender reassignment
surgery and he could not be reimbursed
for an out-of-network surgeon.
I then asked why it was that after
spending seven months trying to gather
this information I was just being informed
of this, Givens said.
He said a short time later a Kaiser
representative named Laura Weimer, a
nurse case manager, called him, saying
she had heard he was having a bad
experience with Kaiser.
I laid out the entirety of what had
happened over the seven-month period,

he said. She apologized, said it should

not have happened, but that Kaiser
would not reimburse me any portion of
my surgery, said Givens.
On Oct. 21, Givens said, he spoke with
Kaiser ocials E.W. Emanuel and Ayanna
Wells, who told him they were in charge of
Kaisers transgender healthcare branch.
Both of them told me that while the
behavior of their sta was unacceptable,
they were new to providing transgender
care, none of their sta had been trained
nor knew where to point me or how to
interact with me, Givens said.
They also said the sta at Kaiser were
predominantly unaware of doctors within
the network who could specialize in trans
health or that there is a surgeon who
performed gender reassignment surgery,
but that they could still do nothing
to compensate me for their stas

mismanagement, said Givens.

Im furious about the treatment that
I received because I know it was directly
linked to the fact that I am transgender,
Givens told the Blade. I also worry
and wonder about the people in the
community who wouldnt be able to foot
the bill for their surgery if they ran into the
same form of depressing discriminatory
resistance I experienced.
He said he planned to le a complaint
against Kaiser with the D.C. Department
of Insurance, Securities, and Banking.
I can tell you the department takes
this kind of complaint very seriously
and we will look at the details of the
particular situation, including whether
the insurer eectively discouraged the
insured from accessing benets for which
he is eligible, said Philip Barlow, D.C.s
Associate Commissioner of Insurance.

Honoring LGBT veterans

About 50 people turned out Nov. 11 at Congressional Cemetery in Southeast D.C.
for the annual Veterans Day Wreath Laying Ceremony honoring LGBT veterans.
The event took place at the gravesite of gay Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich
and the adjacent memorial headstone for gay rights pioneer and World War II
combat veteran Frank Kameny.
Matlovich, a decorated combat veteran in the Vietnam War, became the rst
active duty member of the military to intentionally come out as gay in 1975 in an
eort to challenge the militarys ban on gay service members.
Kameny, who co-founded in the late 1960s the Mattachine Society of
Washington, worked with civil rights attorneys to support Matlovichs challenge
to the gay ban, drawing unprecedented media coverage that boosted eorts to
advance the cause of LGBT rights.
This is very signicant considering where our country is right now that we
honor the legacies of these two men, said Tony Smith, a representative of the
LGBT groups American Veterans for Equal Rights and Military Partners and
Family Coalition.
We honor these LGBT patriots and veterans and the lessons of how they
continued to ght throughout their lives for diversity and inclusion and acceptance
and we continue that ght to ensure that those arent rolled back, he said.
U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Ocer Maria Lopez, appearing in full dress uniform,
opened the ceremony by calling on participants to sing the National Anthem.
U.S. Marine veteran David Merrill, who also appeared in uniform, placed a
wreath at the Matlovich gravesite, which bears the inscription, When I was in the
military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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LO CA L N E W S

Chase Brexton head

steps down after union ght

The board of directors of

Baltimores Chase Brexton Health
Care announced on Tuesday that
its chief executive ocer, Richard
Larison, decided not to renew his
contract with the LGBT supportive
health care provider and would
step down at the end of the year.
The announcement comes
three months after Larison was
accused of orchestrating the
ring of at least ve managers
at Chase Brexton in retaliation
for their support of an employee
unionizing eort.
Larison denied the allegation
during an acrimonious campaign
RICHARD LARISON is stepping down at
by professional workers to form
Chase Brexton.
a union, which Chase Brextons
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHASE BREXTON
upper management, including
Larison, strongly opposed. The
employees voted overwhelmingly on Aug. 25 to form the union.
The announcement that Larison will step down on Dec. 31 came one day
before union representatives and the Chase Brexton management were
scheduled to begin collective bargaining for the rst union contract.
While this was a considerably dicult decision, I believe ending my tenure
at Chase Brexton will allow the organization to move forward, Larison said in a
statement. Chase Brextons mission must come above all else, and it is my hope
that this change will allow the organization to regain its focus and continue to
provide exceptional patient care for our underserved communities.
In its own statement, the board thanked Larison for his tenure as CEO since 2012.
His strategic insight allowed our organization to meet the exceedingly high
demands of a consistently changing healthcare marketplace, while ensuring our
position in the market and improving and expanding access to Chase Brextons
quality health care for thousands in the communities we serve, the boards
statement says.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

30th annual
D.C. Adoption Day
set for Nov. 19

At least two same-sex couples were

among the prospective parents expected
to have their adoptions approved for
more than 20 children on Saturday, Nov.
19, during the citys 30th Annual Adoption
Day ceremony at the D.C. Superior Court.
The event was scheduled to take place
from 10 a.m. to noon in the third oor
atrium at the Superior Court building at
500 Indiana Ave., N.W.
Ocials with the Superior Court
and the D.C. Child and Family Services
Agency, which are jointly sponsoring the
event, have invited people interested
in adopting or who would like to learn
more about the adoption process to
attend the event. It is free and open to
the public.
The ceremony is designed to celebrate
the joys of adoption and encourage
area residents to consider adopting or

fostering a child in the Districts child

welfare system, a statement released by
organizers of the event says.
Over 20 children, several of whom
are biological siblings, will be adopted
at the ceremony, the statement says.
Each child and his or her family will be
introduced to the audience and come
forward to have their judge sign the nal
adoption decree.
According to the statement, the D.C.
Child and Family Services Agency is
seeking permanent loving, adoptive
homes for 86 of the 1,004 children
in the citys foster care system. It says
social workers and representatives of
local groups that support foster and
adoptive parents will be present to
answer questions from people seeking
information about adopting.
The city adoption agency has been
approving qualied gays and lesbians for
adoption for nearly 20 years.
Additional information about the
adoption process is available at
adoptionstogether.org.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Launch party set for

new D.C. trans group

A launch celebration for the newly formed

D.C. transgender advocacy and services
organization called Empowering Transgender
Community, or ETC, was scheduled to be held
Saturday, Nov. 19, at Town Danceboutique
from 6-9 p.m., according to a statement
released by the group.
Longtime D.C. transgender advocate
Earline Budd, the founder and executive
director of ETC, says in the statement that
the organization plans to carry out a wide
range of services and programs for the
transgender community, including housing.
LGBT community ally Alison Gardner
states in her community blog Venus
Plus X that Budd told her the new
groups mission will be laser-focused
on education and advocacy on issues
such as HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted
disease prevention, substance abuse,
mental health, health services, housing,
employment, and vocational training.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

DC ALLEN hosted a community event at the

Crew Club.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Crew Club showcases

staff on 20th anniversary

Representatives of local LGBT groups

that have received nancial support from
the Crew Club, a D.C. sauna and gym that
caters to gay men, mingled with the clubs
sta during a Nov. 11 meeting called by
its owner, DC Allen.
Allen said the meeting was aimed
at introducing his sta to community
members whose organizations have
been supported by the Crew Club during
its 20 years in business in the Logan Circle
business district.

Among those attending were David

Mariner, executive director of the D.C.
Center for the LGBT Community; Ruby
Corado, founder and director of the LGBT
community services center, Casa Ruby;
and Josh Riley, community relations
director for Whitman-Walker Health.
Riley thanked Allen for the Crew Clubs
longstanding arrangement that enables
Whitman-Walker workers to come to the
club to oer HIV testing and HIV education
and prevention information to the clubs
patrons. He thanked the Crew Club sta
for helping to facilitate Whitman-Walkers
visits to the club.
All of you are public health workers,
he said.
Allen asked each of the nine Crew Club
sta members who attended the meeting
to introduce themselves. Most said they
have been on the sta for ve years or
longer. Some said they have been working
there for 10 years or longer. Among them
is longtime gay activist and writer Alan
Ritter, who Allen said has left the sta
several times to pursue activist projects.
I always take him back, said Allen.
Dan Carter, whom the Crew Club
recently retained as a Yoga instructor,
demonstrated his craft by leading those
attending the meeting in a meditation
exercise.
This was absolutely and positively
about the employees of the Crew Club,
Allen said in discussing the meeting
last week. It was purely to make sure
that they understood that the club was
an integral part of the community and
they are on the front line of HIV/STD
prevention and education.
Unlike some smaller businesses in
the bustling 14th Street entertainment
and nightlife district, which have been
displaced by real estate development
projects, Allen said he wont encounter
that problem because he owns the
building in which the Crew Club is located.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

SMYAL to open LGBT

homeless youth facility
D.C.s
LGBT
youth
advocacy
organization SMYAL announced at its
annual fundraising brunch on Sunday
that it expects to open an eight-bedroom
transitional house for homeless LGBT
youth in December.
SMYAL Executive Director Sultan Shakir
told more than 600 people attending the
groups 19th Annual Fall Brunch at the
Mandarin Oriental Hotel that the newly
built house will be rented by SMYAL and
operated under a one-year $300,000
grant from the D.C. Department of
Human Services.
We expect the grant to be extended
and we will continue working with DHS and
the Mayors Oce of LGBTQ Aairs and
the city government in general to work on

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

L O CA L NEW S
expanding the program, Shakir told the
Washington Blade after the event.
The soon to be opened house, located
at 746 19th St., N.E., will operate as a
transitional facility and oer various
services to LGBT people between the ages
of 18 and 24 to help them get on their
feet and become self-sucient following
a stay at the facility for up to 18 months,
according to SMYAL.
The house is located next to the
intersection of 19th Street and Benning
Road, N.E. steps away from one of the
stops for the citys recently opened street
car line, which runs along Benning Road.
Its a transitional living facility where
the main goal is to bring stability for a
young person, wrap around supportive
services for a young person in order to
combat chronic homelessness, Shakir
said. So we dont want to just give them
a place to sleep overnight. We really want
to provide support and resources to
ensure that theyre not homeless again.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 0 7
continues. Eventually all parties were
separated, it says.
As Ledesma-Chavez, Vincent and the
other men with them entered their cars to
leave the scene Vincent placed something
over the license plate of one of their
vehicles in an eort to elude identication,
the charging document says.
Minutes after the two suspects left
the scene Montgomery County police
and a re department rescue vehicle
arrived, and Victims X and Y were taken
to Montgomery General Hospital and

treated for non-life-threatening cuts,

scrapes and bruises, the charging
document says.
It should be noted that surveillance
cameras both inside and outside the
restaurant captured the events, the
charging document says. It says police
investigators identied Ledesma-Chavez
as the suspect who poured water on
Victim Xs head and assaulted Victim X
from Green Turtle employees who knew
him and from the video surveillance.
It says Vincent was identied from the

video surveillance and credit card receipts

from purchases at the restaurant.
According to the charging document,
Ledesma-Chavez was charged with
second-degree assault of Victim X and
with a hate crime against Victim X due to
Victim Xs sexual orientation.
Vincent was charged with seconddegree assault against Victim Y.
It should be noted that Victims X and
Y are a married homosexual couple, the
charging document states.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Two men arrested in antigay assault at Md. bar

Montgomery County police on Nov. 10
arrested two men for allegedly assaulting
a married gay male couple outside a
sports bar and restaurant in Olney, Md.,
on Oct. 22 in an incident listed as an antigay hate crime.
A police charging document says that
at about 2:45 a.m. Jose Luis LedesmaChavez, 24, of Olney, walked over to
where two gay men identied as Victim
X and Victim Y were sitting at the bar at
the Green Turtle Restaurant with a glass
of water in his hand.
Ledesma-Chavez walked up behind
Victim X and poured the water on Victim
Xs head, stating enjoy that faggots, the
charging document says.
It says Ledesma-Chavez then quickly
exited the restaurant and joined a group
of other men he had been with inside the
establishment. Victim X and Victim Y and
another person who had been with them,
identied as Susan Gordon, immediately
chased after Ledesma-Chavez, according
to the charging document.
A ght ensued which spilled outside to
the front of the restaurant, the charging
document says. Ledesma-Chavez tackled
Victim X to the ground and repeatedly
struck him about the head and face
causing cuts, scrapes, and a black eye,
says the charging document.
The second man arrested in the
incident, Hamdan Ibrahim Bibi Vincent,
24, of Beltsville, Md., struck Victim Y
several times, kicking and stomping
him, while Victim Y attempted to stop
Ledesma-Chavez from hitting Victim X,
the charging document says.
Green Turtle security were attempting
to break up the ght and separate
everyone, the charging document

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 8 N O VEMB ER 1 8, 2016

NATIONAL NEWS

Bannon appointment toxic for LGBT community

Alt-right conservative
assailed for anti-Semitic,
misogynistic views
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Despite a pledge to unite the country
after his victory in the presidential
election, Donald Trump has invoked the
ire of progressives for selecting an altright conservative with a reputation for
anti-Semitic, misogynistic and anti-LGBT
views as a top adviser.
Trump namedSteve Bannon, executive
chair of the conservative website Breitbart
News, to the role of chief strategist in
the White House at the same time the
president-elect designated Republican
National Committee Chair Reince Priebus
as chief of sta.
Labeled a white nationalist, Bannon
has a history of hostile comments against
minority groups and led a news website
that published controversial material and
promulgated conspiracy theories. Among
Breitbart posts are pieces referring to
Bill Kristol, a Republican, as a Renegade
Jew, suggesting Young Muslims in the
West are a ticking time bomb, calling the
Confederate ag a symbol of a glorious
heritage and extolling the alt-right
movement as a smarter version of oldschool racist skinheads.
Media outlets this week called attention
to Bannons racist and anti-Semitic views,
but LGBT people have also been in his
crosshairs.
During a radio interview in 2011 in
which he defended Sarah Palin against
criticism, Bannon used an anti-gay slur to
describe women with progressive views.
These women cut to the heart
of the progressive narrative, he
explained. Thats one of the unintended
consequences of the womens liberation
movement that, in fact, the women
that would lead this country would be
feminine, they would be pro-family, they
would have husbands, they would love
their children. They wouldnt be a bunch
of dykes that came from the Seven Sisters
schools up in New England.
Amid objections from anti-LGBT
advocates over Target stores allowing
transgender people to use the bathroom
consistent with their gender identity,
Bannon during a radio interview in
May stoked fears with anti-transgender
comments.
Bannon contended that rather than being
inclusive, Target was trying to exclude
people who are decent, hard-working
people who dont want their four-year-old
daughter to have to go into a bathroom with
a guy with a beard in a dress.

President-elect Donald Trump has selected STEVE BANNON as chief strategist.

SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE

Kate Kendell, executive director of the

National Center for Lesbian Rights, said
in a statement Bannons appointment is
a betrayal of the American people and of
our democracy.
No one associated with the toxic views
Mr. Bannon has espoused and purveyed
through his news agency should be
given a platform, much less elevated to
a position of such prominence in our
national government, Kendell said. We
applaud those who have spoken out in
opposition to Mr. Bannons appointment
and we urge others to speak out now. We
cannot look the other way as individuals
who have spread messages of racism,
anti-Semitism and the disparagement of
women are put into positions of power
and inuence.
Among those whove praised Bannons
appointment are former KKK Grand
WizardDavid Duke, who called the choice
excellent, and American Nazi Party
Chair Rocky Shady. Meanwhile, civil rights
groups, including the Anti-Defamation
League and the Southern Poverty Law
Center, have called on Trump to rescind
the appointment.
Cathy Renna, a lesbian New York-based
public aairs specialist, said Trumps
selection of Bannon means hes gone
from wearing a white hood to going
into the White House, and I think thats
incredibly troubling for so many people.
I honestly think that this is a time
where if youre looking at someone
like Bannon, were looking at someone
who really targets so many dierent
marginalized communities and minority
populations and folks who have served as
a target of discrimination and hate in this
country, and what he does is he simply
throws gasoline on the re, Renna said.
Led by gay Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), a
group of 169 U.S. House Democrats sent a
letter to Trump on Wednesday calling on

him to remove Bannon as chief strategist

on the basis the selection undermines
national unity.
Since the election there have been a
number of incidents across the country
in which minorities, including Muslim
Americans, African Americans, Hispanic
Americans, and Jewish Americans, have
been the targets of violence, harassment
and intimidation, the letter says. Mr.
Bannons appointment sends the wrong
message to people who have engaged
in those types of activities, indicating
that they will not only be tolerated,
but endorsed by your Administration.
Millions of Americans have expressed
fear and concern about how they will
be treated by the Trump Administration
and your appointment of Mr. Bannon
only exacerbates and validates their
concerns.
Breitbart hasnt attacked gay people
as much as other minority groups.
One of the websites star writers is
Milo Yiannopoulos, whos gay. A Trump
supporter, Yiannopoulos has called
Trump the most pro-gay candidate ever
for raising the alarm about the danger
Islamic extremists pose to LGBT people.
But Yiannopoulos himself has taken
far-right views such as claiming all
Muslims are Islamic extremists and has
attacked transgender people as mentally
ill. Yiannopoulos has written controversial
pieces that have denigrated minorities,
including articles with headlines such as
Birth Control Makes Women Crazy and
Unattractive, Would You Rather Your
Child Have Feminism or Cancer? and
Gay Rights Have Made Us Dumber.
A representative for Bannon and
Breitbart didnt respond to repeated
requests for comment for this article.
Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to
Trump, defended Bannon on Tuesday
during an interview on the Today show by

touting his education and military service.

Conway is a former pollster for the antiLGBT National Organization for Marriage.
I promise you hes not scary, and he is
as brilliant a tacticianand our campaign
general, frankly, on the eldas everyone
is also saying, Conway said. I know him
well, I worked hand-in-glove with him. I
feel that these charges are very unfair.
Bannon isnt the only one on Trumps
team that may spell trouble for LGBT
people.
Trumps selection of Reince Priebus as
chief of sta could compel the presidentelect to uphold the principles of the
2016 Republican Party platform, which
seeks to undermine the U.S. Supreme
Courts decision in favor of same-sex
marriage, deny LGBT protection from
discrimination under the law and hints
at support for widely discredited ex-gay
conversion therapy.
Tony Perkins, president of the antiLGBT Family Research Council, hailed the
selection of both Priebus and Bannon to
the White House, but had special praise
for the RNC chief.
I have worked closely with Reince
over the last ve years as he revitalized
the GOP by returning the party to its true
conservative principles as is evidenced by
the GOPs solidly conservative platform,
Perkins said. He has made the GOP more
eective through the implementation
of a solid infrastructure that facilitated
an outstanding ground game for
Republicans. His leadership in rebuilding
the party and promoting conservative
principles helped set the stage for driving
evangelical turnout to its highest level in
recent memory.
The views expressed by Bannon arent
far from those expressed by Trump,
who proposed a ban on all Muslims
from entering the United States, raised
fears about Islamic extremism and was
accused of veiled anti-Semitism.
Renna said the selection of Bannon
demonstrates Trump will advance the
backlash to the progress weve made
having an African-American president for
eight years, making so much progress on
LGBT rights, womens rights.
I think its been shocking in its impact
in terms of really changing the election
and I think its going to be a real time
for some soul-searching by all of us who
have been doing this work for so long,
how do we reach people, how do we
talk to people, how do we turn this tide
a bit in a way that we can make some
progress on, Renna said. I dont think we
can change Bannons mind anytime, but
I think that there are millions of people
in this country who are misplacing their
anger, and its being directed at women
and its very much obviously directed at
Hillary Clinton.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

N A T I O NA L NEW S

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 0 9

Trump transition raises alarms as anti-LGBT agenda emerges

NOM calls for passage
of FADA, undoing
marriage equality

According to Bloomberg, reportedly

in consideration for the position of U.S.
attorney general is former New York City
Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Sen. Je Sessions
(R-Ala.), who vigorously opposed Dont Ask,
Dont Tell repeal, has expressed interest
in the position of defense secretary and
Trump has reportedly told the senator he
could have his pick of appointments.
Other members of the Trump transition
team cited as red ags by the Human
Rights Campaign are former Attorney

By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
A prominent anti-LGBT organization
is readying its agenda to undo LGBT
rights as President-elect Donald Trumps
transition team begins to take shape and
includes some notoriously hostilegures.
The National Organization for Marriage
in a blog post Wednesday unveiled a
four-point plan aimed at undoing LGBT
rights advanced under the Obama
administration,
including
marriage
equality and writing discrimination
into the law in the form of the First
Amendment Defense Act.
Here is our plan:
We will work with President Trump
to nominate conservative justices to the
U.S. Supreme Court, individuals who will
adhere to the words and meaning of the
constitution. Such justices will inevitably
reverse the anti-constitutional ruling of
the Supreme Court imposing same-sex
marriage on the nation in the Obergefell
decision, because that decision lacked
any basis in the constitution.
We will work with President Trump
to rescind the illegal, over-reaching
executive orders and directives issued
by President Obama, including his
dangerous gender identity directives,
attempting to redene gender just as he
sought to redene marriage.
We will work with President Trump
to reverse policies of the Obama
administration that seek to coerce
other countries into accepting same-sex
marriage as a condition of receiving US
assistance and aid. It is fundamentally
wrong for a president to become a lobbyist
for the LGBT agenda, and we are condent
that will end in the Trump administration.
We will work with President Trump and
Congress to pass the First Amendment
Defense Act (FADA), which Mr. Trump
supports. FADA is critical legislation to
protect people who believe in marriage
from being targeted by the government
for persecution.
Its
unknown
whether
Trump
would follow through with any of these
actions. Although Trump had a reputation
for being a relatively pro-LGBT candidate
among other Republicans, he said he
opposes marriage equality, would rescind
the Obama administration actions he
thinks are unconstitutional and would sign
the First Amendment Defense Act into law.
The newly unveiled Trump transition
team website under the banner of
Protecting Americans Constitutional
Rights reiterates Trumps support for

RUDY GIULIANI is rumored to be in line for

Secretary of State.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

religious freedom, which is considered

code among conservatives to mean antiLGBT discrimination.
This includes the Tenth Amendment
guarantee
that
many
areas
of
governance are left to the people and
the States, and are not the role of the
federal government to fulll, the website
says. The Constitution declares that as
Americans we have the right to speak
freely, share and live out our beliefs,
raise and protect our families, be free
from undue governmental abuse, and
participate in the public square.
According to schematics widely
circulated in the media, the presidentelect has selected for his transition team
supporters who have anti-LGBT histories.
Leading the team on domestic issues is
Ken Blackwell, who serves as a senior fellow
at the Family Research Council and on the
board of directors for Becket Fund for
Religious Liberty. In addition to supporting
measures that would have banned samesex marriage, Blackwell when seeking the
position of chair of the Republican National
Committee in 2009 said being gay is a
choice and can be changed.
The reality is, again...that I think we
make choices all the time, Blackwell
said. And I think you make good choices
and bad choices in terms of lifestyle. Our
expectation is that ones genetic makeup
might make one more inclined to be an
arsonist or might make one more inclined
to be a kleptomaniac. Do I think that they
can be changed? Yes.
JoDee Winterhof, the Human Rights
Campaigns senior vice president for
policy and political aairs, said in a
statement the selection of Blackwell to
lead domestic policy for the transition is
bad news for LGBT people.
Ken Blackwell is a man who has spent
his entire career going after LGBTQ
Americans, Winterhof said. Blackwells
leadership role in president-elect Trumps
transition team should be a major wake
up call for anybody who ever had any
doubt that LGBTQ people are at risk.

General Ed Meese, a fellow at the

Heritage Foundation who has said samesex marriage shows how the culture
has deteriorated over two centuries,
and former U.S. Oce of Personnel
Management chief Kay Cole James, who
in her book Transforming America from
the Inside Out, compared gay people to
drug addicts, alcoholics, adulterers, or
anything else sinful.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Trump ne with Supreme

Court marriage ruling
Amid fears the next administration would undermine LGBT rights, Presidentelect Donald Trump said hes ne with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor
of same-sex marriage and believes its settled law.
Calling himself a supporter of LGBT people, Trump made the remarks during
an interview on CBSs 60 Minutes on Sunday night after Leslie Stahl asked him
about fears among LGBT people as well as black people and Muslims theyd
face persecution with him as president.
Asked whether Trump supports marriage equality, Trump said his views are
irrelevant because the Supreme Court has already rendered a decision on the issue.
Its irrelevant because it was already settled, Trump said. Its law. It was
settled in the Supreme Court. I mean its done.
Pressed by Stahl on whether his judicial appointments would reverse the
decision, Trump, who previously said he opposes same-sex marriage, said hes
now ne with the ruling.
Its done, Trump said. These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. Theyve
been settled. And Im ne with that.
On the campaign trail, Trump said he doesnt favor same-sex marriage and
urged social conservatives to trust him on the issue. Trump also said hed
strongly consider appointing justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who would
reverse the decision for marriage equality. However, he said he doesnt support
the idea of a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
In the same interview, Trump took a dierent approach to his view on Roe
v. Wade, saying hed appoint justices who are pro-life and if it ever were
overturned, it would go back to the states.
Asked by Stahl what would happen if women werentable to obtain an abortion,
Trump said theyll perhaps have to go, theyll have to go to another state.
Well see what happens, Trump said. Its got a long way to go, just so you
understand. That has a long, long way to go.
If Trump, as he has pledged, appoints conservatives in the mold of the late
U.S. Associate Justice Antonin Scalia to the Supreme Court, he would have little
capacity to convince the Supreme Court to abstain from reversing its decision on
marriage equality. However, the conuence of events needed for the Supreme
Court to revisit the issue and undo the ruling are unlikely to happen.
Stahl raised the issue of marriage equality with Trump in the context of
questioning about the fears LGBT people feel about his administration. In response,
Trump recalled he mentioned them at the Republican National Convention.
Everybody said, That was so great, Trump said. I have been you know,
Ive been a supporter.
During his speech at the Republican National Convention he pledged to
protect LGBT people from a foreign ideology, which marked the rst time a
Republican presidential nominee mentioned LGBT people in a positive way
during an acceptance speech. Critics pounced on Trump for making the remarks
without supporting LGBT rights.
Evan Wolfson, former president of the now closed LGBT group Freedom to
Marry, said hes pleased to hear Trump is ne with the Supreme Court ruling
on marriage equality and believes the issue is settled law.
CHRIS JOHNSON

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 1 3

Which LGBT rights are on the chopping block?

Marriage is probably safe but
trans ID issues could emerge
By SUSAN SILBER & MIRIAM SIEVERS
Since President Obama took oce in
2008, LGBT rights have expanded. Now
that there will be a new administration,
many attorneys around the country are
receiving questions from their clients as
to what changes may come, and what, if
anything, they should be doing as a result.
Much is related to how the legal
protections were enacted. Court ndings
based on constitutional doctrine provide
the highest reliability. Statutes passed by
Congress can be repealed or amended
by Congress. Administrative practice or
interpretation can be modied relatively
easily by a new administration if little
weight is placed on continuity. Executive
Orders are also in this category and
ocials in the Trump administration have
their sight on repealing certain Obama
Executive Orders in the rst days in oce.
Perhaps the foremost question that is
asked is whether couples that are married
will have their marriages undone, or
if couples planning on marrying should
do so before Jan. 20. It is important to
point out that it is extremely unlikely that
the Supreme Court will undo marriage
equality, and even less likely that those
couples who are already married will
have their marriages terminated. This
is in large part due to the doctrine of
stare decisis, which, simply put, means
that courts do not re-litigate issues that
have been decided. Although cases
do occasionally get overturned, it is
a rare occurrence, and one that has
not historically happened within a few
short years. This doctrine is the basis of
courts upholding their own precedent,
and why Americans can rely on judicial
decisions. It is the consensus of LGBT
lawyers that marriage after Obergefell is

The election of Donald Trump has put

in jeopardy certain advances in LGBT
rights seen under President Obamas
administration.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

almost certainly safe, and couples that

are not yet married should not presently
be concerned about these rights being
eliminated.
Couples that have already obtained
second-parent or stepparent adoptions
for their children should be condent
their rights to their children are safe. It is
still advisable that anyone who can obtain
such adoptions or parentage orders in
their current states should do so, because
it continues to be the best way to secure
equal parentage rights that are backed
by court order, no matter where in the
country or the world someone travels or
moves.
There are, however, areas of expanded
rights that may well be in jeopardy under
a new administration because they are
not established by court precedent but
by executive order, legislative action or
administrative guidance. Although much
remains unknown, there are some actions
that people can take to secure some of
the protections that currently exist.
First, transgender members of the

community are currently able to obtain

passports with the correct gender
marker, and without proving what,
if any, surgeries they have had. They
can also change their gender marker
with the Social Security Administration,
again without the burden of proving the
particularities of their medical treatment.
These policies could change under a new
administration, making it harder for trans
individuals to obtain identity documents
that are consistent and accurately
reect who they are. It is wise to secure
a passport and change gender markers
in SSA before the new administration
takes oce; fundraising eorts through
social media are underway to assist those
who may not be able to aord the costs
of obtaining or updating a passport.
Whitman Walker and FreeState Justice
provide local legal assistance for name
and gender change matters to those who
meet their nancial eligibility criteria.
Many in our community are also
immigrants, people of color, practitioners
of many faiths including Islam and
Judaism, and children, and it is important
to remember that they will be impacted
by changes in immigration policy, changes
in employment protections, changes in
education policy and changes in all aspects
of our current health care laws.
Other civil rights protections, including
non-discrimination
in
employment,
education and public accommodations,
have been expanded by the current
administrations interpretation of federal
law to include gender identity and
sexual orientation protections under the
doctrine that prohibits sex discrimination.
This trend could be undercut or reversed
if the leadership of the Department of
Justice, the Department of Education,
and the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) decide to pull back
these interpretations.
There has also been a national
movement
to
expand
religious
freedom legislation that would defend

discriminatory actions on the basis of

religious liberty. These laws, at the state
and federal level, could not only protect
bakeries refusing to provide a wedding
cake, but also doctors who do not wish
to treat LGBT people, and may reach
any public accommodation or place of
employment. This will be where much
legislative eort by LGBT and allied
organizations will likely be conducted,
and individuals should be conscious of
the scope of many potential changes.
A repeal or replacement of the
Aordable Care Act could jeopardize
access to healthcare for millions of
Americans, and could undo the current
ban on LGBT discrimination protected
under Section 1557, including the
provision of transition-related care to
transgender people. So, too, could we see
changes in the military, where the rights of
transgender people to serve in the military
are still being implemented. It is less likely
that the rights of gay and lesbian service
members to serve equally and openly will
be disrupted, due to their now-established
service. Nonetheless, LGBT organizations
are watching for developments. Finally,
the Obama administration established
non-discrimination policies by Executive
Order for both federal employees and for
federal contractors, both of which could
be undone by subsequent Executive
Order or legislation.
Although this is not a comprehensive
list, it is clear that while marriage equality
and state court-based adjudications for
establishing parentage will not change
based on a new presidency, other
protections could change dramatically.
Moreover, changes in the law generally
follow changes on the ground. We all
should be vigilant to all forms of change
in the civil rights climate and not be
bystanders to bigotry, bullying and
marginalization.
SUSAN SILBER and MIRIAM SIEVERS are
attorneys at Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev,
P.A. in Takoma Park, Md.

LGBT voters rejected Trump by lopsided margin

Democratic presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton beat Republican Donald
Trump among LGBT voters in the Nov.
8 presidential election by a margin of
78 percent to 14 percent, according to a
nationwide Election Day exit poll.
Although the exit poll shows Clinton
received strong support from LGBT
voters, one of its more striking ndings
is President-elect Trump received the
lowest percentage of support from LGBT
voters than all previous Republican
presidential nominees since exit polls
began measuring the LGBT vote.
In 2012, GOP presidential nominee

Mitt Romney received 22 percent of

the LGBT vote compared to 76 percent
received by President Barack Obama in
his re-election bid, according to the exit
poll conducted that year.
The Election Day exit poll conducted in
2008 showed that Republican presidential
nominee John McCain received 27
percent of the LGBT vote compared to 70
percent of the LGBT vote received by then
Democratic Sen. Obama.
Matt McDermott is a senior analyst
for Whitman Insight Strategies, a public
opinion polling rm that closely monitors
but does not conduct the presidential

election exit polls. He said Republican

presidential nominees who have run in
earlier years have all received LGBT vote
totals in the lower to upper 20 percent
range in the exit polls.
In April of this year, McDermotts
rm conducted a nationwide poll that
measured LGBT support for Clinton and
Trump in a two-way head-to-head race.
The poll found that 84 percent of LGBT
respondents identifying as likely voters
said they planned to vote for Hillary
Clinton in November. Sixteen percent of
LGBT likely voters said they planned to
vote for Trump.

McDermott told the Washington Blade

that the 6 percent drop in support for
Clinton among LGBT voters between the
April poll and the Nov. 8 exit poll was
most likely due to the two polls margin
of error and a certain percentage of LGBT
voters who backed Libertarian Party
candidate Gary Johnson or Green Party
candidate Jill Stein. He noted that his rm
did not include third-party candidates in
its poll in April.
The national polling company Edison
Research conducted the presidential
election exit poll.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 4 N O VEMB ER 1 8, 2016

NATIONAL NEWS

Criticism of feckless Mook after Clintons loss

LGBT advocates weigh in on
future of Dem Party
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Following the unexpected defeat
of Hillary Clinton, LGBT political
observersare calling for a reassessment
of the Democratic Party and the
candidates gay campaign manager is
being criticized by some in the aftermath
of one of the most shocking political
upsets in American history.
Some Democrats are saying Clinton
campaign manager Robby Mook pursued
the wrongstrategy in a change election and
relied too heavily on projecting an image of
Clinton as an establishment candidate.
Had Mook succeeded in guiding Clinton
to victory, he would have been the rst
openly gay campaign manager of a major
U.S. party presidential nominee, and
he would have elected the rst female
president. Instead, Clinton lost and the
Democratic Party, now in the minority in
every part of the federal government, is in
disarray and without a clear leader.
Wayne
Besen, a
Chicago-based
gay activist and radio host known for
his opposition to widely discredited
conversion therapy, said Mook came o
as thekind of man youd want to take home
and introduce to mom and dad, butdidnt
enactthe right strategy to combat Donald
Trumps low-brow campaign tactics.
We needed a campaign manager who
eectively channeled the fear and anger
felt by those left behind by globalization
and the technological revolution, Besen
said. We needed someone, particularly
against Trump, who was a political
brawler. Unfortunately, Mook was often
feckless in media appearances and
looked shifty. He spoke with little emotion
and seemed to be reading o DNC talking
points. He appeared as if he was afraid to
mess up, when he should have spoken
with conviction, charisma, and authority.
Besen, a Bernie Sanders supporter in
the Democratic primary, added Mook
made a mistake with the choiceof Sen.
Tim Kaine (D-Va.) as Clintons running
mate, saying the vice presidential
nominee performed well, but was the
wrong man for this peculiar moment in
American history.
On my daily radio show in Chicago, I
repeatedly warned that Trumps only path
to victory was the Rust Belt, Besen said.
Thus, the Clinton campaign should pick an
anti-trade rebrand stalwart like Sanders
or Warren and shuttle them between the
Great Lakes and Pennsylvania. Instead they
went in the opposite direction and paid
dearly for this mistake.
Besen tempered his criticism of

Hillary for America Campaign Manager

ROBBY MOOK is being criticized by some,
defended by others, after Clintons defeat.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Mook by saying he competently ran

a sophisticated, sprawling campaign
operation and won the popular vote,
even though Clinton didnt end up winning
the election through the Electoral College
system. According to election results
posted on CNN, Clinton as of Tuesday
surpassed Trump in the popular vote by
about 800,000 votes.
On the day after the election, Hillary
Clinton omitted Mook from the list of those
she thanked during her concession speech,
although she recognized Kaine and his
wife, President Obama, rst lady Michelle
Obama, Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
But Daniel Pinello, a gay political
scientist at the City University of New
Yorks John Jay College, rejected the idea
Mooks omission had any signicance.
I caution against reading too much
into remarks made in a concession
speech by a candidate who had had no
opportunity to recover from a grueling
months-long campaign schedule and
who had just experienced a great
and largely unexpected career
tragedy, Pinello said. Its very hard
under such circumstances for even the
most composed individual to remember
thanking everyone appropriately.
Trump won the election largely in part
to victories in the Rust Belt states of
Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania,
which have traditionally been blue
states in presidential elections. The
results in those states were a surprise
because prior to Election Day, polls there
showed Clinton witha comfortable lead.
The Trump campaign seems to have
been more aware those states were
in play than the Clinton campaign.
According to NBC News, Trump in the last
100 days of the election out-campaigned
Clinton in states that ended up being
critical on Election Day. In Ohio, Trump
made 26 rally appearances compared
to the 17 made by Clinton. In Michigan,
Trump made 13 rally appearances

compared to the sixmade by Clinton. In

Wisconsin, Trumpmade six appearances
while Clinton never once visited the state
during that time period.
Jimmy LaSalvia, a gay independent
and former Republican who endorsed
Clinton, said Mook ended up lling the
campaign with insiders and, in contrast
to Trumps team, no one who could help
them to see the need to express more
empathy for Americans who feel shut out
and screwed by the system.
I saw many examples of evidence
that Mook and his team fundamentally
missed the mood of the country,
LaSalvia said. This election wasnt about
Republicans versus Democrats, it was
about the insiders versus the outsiders.
The Clinton campaign did too many
things that highlighted their candidates
insider status, and not enough to appear
on the side of the outsiders.
As one example, LaSalvia said during the
Democratic primary the Clinton campaign
faulted Sanders for not being a Democrat,
even though that contributed to his appeal.
Additionally, LaSalvia said the team erred
by including almost entirely lists of former
elected ocials and high-level appointees
in their Republican outreach a strategy
he said he warned the campaign against
because it helped to highlight her
campaign as the political establishment
who the country was ready to re.
If Mook had a winning message
that he could organize around, then
his organizational skills would lead her
to victory, LaSalvia said. That didnt
happen. He and his candidate, being
the establishment gures they are, just
couldnt see what they were missing.
One aspect of Clintons campaign
that stood out was running on the most
advanced platform for LGBT rights of any
major U.S. presidential candidate in history.
Surpassing even Obama in his bids
for the White House in 2008 and 2012,
Clinton ran on supporting marriage for
same-sex couples as a constitutional
right,
comprehensive
LGBT
nondiscrimination legislation known as the
Equality Act, a vision for achieving an
AIDS-free generation and a pledge to
protect transgender Americans from
disproportionate violence.
Besen said although the positions
were unprecedented for a major U.S.
presidential candidate, they helped
Clinton rather than contributed to her
defeat by Trump, who took anti-LGBT
positions over the course of his campaign.
I think that Clintons pro-LGBT platform
helped her, Besen said. Had LGBT rights
been toxic, Obama would not have been
reelected. And North Carolina Gov. Pat
McCrory would have cruised to reelection
this year.
(Indeed, McCrory, who signed the
anti-LGBT House Bill 2 into law, appears

to have narrowly lost in his bid for reelection in North Carolina even though
Trump won the state comfortably and
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C), another
Republican, won re-election.)
Other observers insisted Mook performed
well given the circumstances of the election
year and the focus of examination shouldnt
be on the past, but the future and nding
new leaders in the Democratic Party.
Eric Stern, a gay Berkeley-based
Democratic activist who supported
Sanders in the primary, said Mook and his
team worked tirelessly in support of their
candidate and should be commended, but
the Democratic Party has to make changes.
The candidacy of Bernie Sanders
resonated with primary voters in Michigan
and Wisconsin in a way that Secretary
Clintons did not, Stern said. My hope
is that as the Democratic Party begins to
pick up the pieces and develop a game
plan for the future that Bernie Sanders,
Elizabeth Warren and leaders from the
communities made most vulnerable by
the election of Donald Trump have real
seats at the decision making table (as
well as consideration for party leadership
positions). Excluding the voices of those
leaders at this critical moment who
represent millions of Americans would
be disastrous for our party.
Mook declined an interview request
for this article and the Clinton campaign
didnt respond to a request forcomment.
According to media reports, Clinton
during a 30-minute phone conversation
with high-level donors on Saturday
blamed her loss on letters FBI Director
James Comey sent to Congress in the days
before the election. The rst letter 11
days before the election indicated a new
investigation of her use of a private email
server as secretary of state was underway,
while the second letter exonerated her
yet again after initially being cleared in
July of any wrongdoing.
There are lots of reasons why an
election like this is not successful, Clinton
was quoted in the New York Times as
saying, according to a donor who relayed
the remarks. But, she reportedly added,
our analysis is that Comeys letter raising
doubts that were groundless, baseless,
proven to be, stopped our momentum.
Hilary Rosen, a D.C.-based Democratic
activist, echoed the anger over Comeys
letters, which deed the agencys general
practice of not commenting publicly on
investigations, when asked to evaluate
Mooks performance as campaign manager.
Im not into the blame game here,
Rosen said. Robby put together a
brilliant organization. Sometimes votes
fall short of expectations. James Comey
hurt momentum and turnout and Hillary
had not a vote to spare. There were
multiple issues beyond Robbys control.
Im grateful for him giving it his all.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

I N T E RNA TI O N A L NEWS

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 1 5

Palestinian human rights activist terried by Trump rhetoric

Israeli prime minister
welcomes billionaires election
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
RAMALLAH, West Bank A Palestinian
human rights activist has suggested
President-elect Donald Trumps antiMuslim rhetoric fuels extremism.
Its not helpful, Ziman CEO Samer
Makhlouf told the Washington Blade at his
oce in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Makhlouf made the comment during
a meeting with more than two-dozen
people from the U.S. who were in the
West Bank with A Wider Bridge, which
describes itself as an LGBTQ advocacy
group building connections between
the Israeli and North American LGBTQ
communities. The group arrived in
Jerusalem two days after Trumps defeat
of Hillary Clinton sent shockwaves
throughout the world.
Trump in the wake of the June 12
massacre at the Pulse nightclub massacre
in Orlando, Fla., reiterated his call to
temporarily ban Muslims from entering
the U.S. He also said he would suspend
immigration from countries with a
proven history of terrorism against the
United States, Europe and our allies.
Trump in August said his administration
would require potential immigrants to
the U.S. to pass an ideological test that
would include questions about LGBT
rights. The president-elect told reporters
that immigration is among his top three

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

described Donald Trump as a great friend of
Israel.

priorities once he takes oce in January.

I feel terried (by) this kind of speech
that is really polarizing the society in
America, Makhlouf told the Blade. Its
also aecting everyone worldwide,
especially in this part of the world.
We want someone to be helpful, and
not to be making our problems more
dicult, said Makhlouf.
WAFA, the ocial Palestinian news
agency, reported Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Trump
on his election and expressed his wishes
that just and comprehensive peace will
prevail in the region and entire world
during his administration. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video
statement described Trump as a great

friend of Israel.
Reuters reported that Israeli Education
Minister Naftali Bennett, chair of the rightwing Bayit Yehudi party who supports the
expansion of settlements on the West
Bank, said Trumps election means the
era of a Palestinian state is over.
Many Israelis with whom the Blade has
met and spoken in recent days expressed
shock over Trumps election.
Our hearts are full of pain and
mourning, said Noa Sattath, director
of the Israel Religious Action Center, a
group that promotes religious pluralism
and gender equality, on Friday during a
meeting in Jerusalem.
Leon Wiener Dou of the Shalom
Hartman Institute, a Jerusalem-based
pluralist think tank, told the Blade on
Friday the entire world is in a state of
shock right now over Trumps election.
He added the majority of Israelis are in
what he described as political vertigo.
Most people had no idea this was
coming, said Dou.
The platform that the Republican Party
adopted in July opposes any measures
against Israel intended to impose an
agreement or to dictate borders or other
terms. It also rejects the false notion
that Israel is an occupier and describes
the campaign in support of a boycott,
economic divestment and sanctions
against Israel over its policies towards
the Palestinians as anti-Semitic in nature
and seeks to destroy the country.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal
last week that he will achieve the
ultimate deal between the Israelis and

the Palestinians. He also supports the

relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Trump last week invited Netanyahu
to meet with him in the U.S. as soon as
possible.
Dou told the Blade that Netanyahu
views Trumps election as an opportunity
because the U.S. will no longer pressure
his government to make any concessions
to the Palestinians. He also noted the
Israeli government sharply criticized the
deal the U.S. and ve other countries
reached with Iran over its nuclear
program in 2015.
Trump also opposes the agreement.
Another Shalom Hartman Institute
staer told the Blade that most Israelis
feel Trump is good for Israel because
hes said more positive things than
anyone else.
Theyre not thinking about if its good
for America, is it good globally, she said.
Theyre thinking if its good or bad for
Israel, which is a very narrow vision in my
eyes.
Tom Canning, a Jerusalem-based LGBT
rights advocate, told the Blade on Friday
that Israels own populist and divisive
political leaders are now speaking with
a new tone of legitimacy for the direction
they are leading us. Canning also
expressed concern over the impact that
a Trump presidency could have on LGBT
rights in the U.S.
Initially it raised fear and worry about
the direction the world is heading and
concern for my LGBT and minority friends
in America, he said.

Advocates hope Trump will promote LGBT rights abroad

President-elect has spoken
against ISIS
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
Advocacy groups in the wake of
DonaldTrumps election have urged him
to continue U.S. eorts to promote LGBT
rights abroad.
The U.S. must continue to recognize
that LGBTIQ rights are human rights,
said Jessica Stern, executive director
of OutRight Action International, in a
statement her organization released after
Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.
Stern noted the appointment of Special
U.S. Envoy for the Promotion of LGBTI
Human Rights Randy Berry is among
the accomplishments of the Obama
administration since it directed U.S.
agencies that implement foreign policy
to promote LGBT rights abroad in 2011.
She also highlighted the U.S. Agency for
International Developments new policy

that bans contractors from discriminating

against their LGBT employees and the
Global Equality Fund, a public-private
partnership the State Department and
USAID operates in order to promote
LGBT rights abroad.
We cannot allow this progress
to be reversed during the Trump
administration, said Stern.
Ty Cobb, director of Human Rights
Campaign Global, echoed Stern.
The United States commitment to
protecting the human rights of LGBTQ
people has become a central pillar of
our nations international human rights
eorts over the last several years, Cobb
told the Washington Blade on Tuesday.
Our foreign assistance and diplomatic
eorts must not stop engaging,
strengthening, and supporting LGBTQ
people because foreign nations are more
stable and stronger allies when their
citizens are guaranteed freedom and
equality, he added. More than anything
else, this work must continue because
lives depend on it.

Log Cabin Republicans President

Gregory T. Angelo told the Blade his
organization has had a long and positive
relationship with Berry.
The preservation of that post or its
incorporation into another oce at the
State Department is something Log Cabin
Republicans would support, said Angelo.
Promoting LGBT dignity and safety
abroad should be part of foreign policy in
a Trump administration.
Advocates overseas with whom the
Blade spoke this week said they too hope a
Trump administration wouldcontinue U.S.
eorts to promote LGBT rights abroad.
We will see a signicant setback (of
LGBT rights) at the global level if current
policies are reversed, Tamara Adrin, the
rst openly trans woman elected to the
Venezuelan National Assembly, told the
Blade on Sunday.
Ayaz Hassan, a human rights advocate
from the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi
Kurdistan, was more pragmatic.
Nothing can stop activists; not Trump
or anyone else, Hassan told the Blade. If

we can do it in Iraq, we can do it in the U.S.

A spokesperson for Trumps transition
team did not return the Blades request
for comment.
Trump has previously noted the so-called
Islamic State, which has publicly executed
dozens of Iraqi and Syrian men who were
accused of sodomy, and other Islamic
extremist groups pose a threat to LGBT
people. Vice President-elect Pence opposed
American eorts to promote gay rights
abroad when he was a member of Congress.
State
Department
spokesperson
Elizabeth Trudeau on Tuesday said the
State Department has not spoken with
anyone on Trumps transition team.
She nevertheless said it stands ready
to welcome them, provide the brieng
materials, the facilitation as we look
toward inauguration in January.
A USAID spokesperson told the Blade
on Tuesday that ensuring an orderly
transition at USAID is a top priority for
Administrator (Gayle) Smith.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

16 N OV E M B E R 18, 201 6

BA LT I MO RE N E W S

Thousands marched
against Donald Trump in
cities across the country
this week, including in
Baltimore.
PHOTO BY ALBERT EWING
PHOTOGRAPHY

Hundreds march in Baltimore to protest Trump

Hundreds marched in Baltimore on Nov. 10 to protest the election of
Donald Trump. Police estimated that 600 people were involved in a march that
originated in Baltimores Station North neighborhood down Charles Street to
the Inner Harbor for a rally and winding up at M&T Bank Stadium where the
Baltimore Ravens were playing the Cleveland Browns.
Witnesses said the crowd exceeded 1,000 as many joined the march in
progress.
The demonstration was peaceful though trac was brought to a standstill.
According to a statement from police, two people were detained but no one has
been charged.
The protest was organized on Facebook with the following message:
Donald Trump is a racist demagogue whose contributions to America began
in reality TV and ended in the rise of a fascist regime. Today, were protesting
in order to show him that he wont receive law, order, or peace of mind for the
next four years.
More demonstrations are being planned.

Trans community to march in resilience

As part of Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which takes place
on Nov. 20, the Baltimore Transgender Alliance and allies will participate in
Transgender March of Resilience. It is the second annual nationally organized
day of protest led by trans people of color to promote justice and equality for all
trans people in the face of discrimination and violence, according to a statement
from the Baltimore Transgender Alliance.
Traditionally, TDOR is a time to mourn and reect upon the lives lost in the
previous year. Trans March of Resilience will serve to celebrate and honor the
people who weve lost and the lives that they lived, as we recognize the need
for not only a moment of silence, but also a moment to lift every voice in our
community, says the statement.
The march will originate at the Ynot Lot at 4 W. North Ave. in Baltimore.
Marchers will then proceed up Charles Street to 25th Street and down St. Paul
Street to the Calvert Street Park on 23rd where a rally will take place.
Finally, the marchers will move to 2640 Space at 2640 St. Paul St. where a
community dinner will be held. There will be musical performances, poetry, and
free food for those who wish to join.
For more information, visit this events page on Facebook.

HoCo Older Adults to host holiday event

The Bain 50+ Center, the Howard County LGBT Older Adults Task Force and
the 50+ LGBT Group will host a Holiday Meet & Greet on Dec. 1 from 6-8:30 p.m.
It will be held at the Bain 50+ Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way in Columbia.
Our LGBT Older Adults Task Force of Howard County is thrilled to be
partnering with the Bain 50+ Center and the rst Thursday 50+ LGBT Group for
the Holiday Meet & Greet, Sue Garner, who co-chairs the LGBT Older Adults
Task Force of Howard County with Jessica Rowe, told the Blade. There will be
a great dance band, Gina DeSimone and the Moaners, upbeat blues and swing
music, and refreshments.
The mission of the Task Force is to improve quality of life for LGBT older
adults by decreasing discrimination and social isolation and increasing access to
information and resources to promote greater equality.
A suggested donation of $1 is requested to support the Howard County LGBT
Task Force, and a non-perishable item is also requested for the Howard County
Food Bank.
RSVPs should be received by Nov. 28 by calling 410-313-7213.
STEVE CHARING

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HE A LTH NEW S

2016 D.C. Lottery

N OV E M B E R 18, 2016 19

Race a factor in gay stress hormone levels

NEW YORK A new study has found that the stress and discrimination that
comes from being a sexual minority can aect levels of cortisol, an adrenal
hormone often referred to as the stress hormone, in gay men, Science Blog
reports. Race is also a factor, researchers found.
For the study Cortisol proles dier by race/ethnicity among young sexual
minority men, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, healthy
men with a mean age of 23 provided four saliva samples daily for ve days to
measure their cortisol levels at dierent times of day throughout a week.
The research data showed a attened diurnal cortisol curve between black gay
men to white gay men, with statistically signicant dierences found in bedtime levels
of cortisol. In the current study, the observed attened diurnal pattern observed
among black gay men combined with their elevated evening levels suggests less daily
variation in cortisol that may be indicative of an unhealthy stress response.
While beyond the scope of the current analysis, these ndings suggest that
social factors associated with being a double minority may dierentially calibrate
nighttime hormone levels in black gay men versus white.

Give the gift of

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Trump win brings spike in suicide calls

NEW YORK Calls to suicide prevention lines have been up since Donald
Trump won the election last week, CNN reports.
At the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 660 calls came in between 1 and 2
a.m. on Nov. 9, nearly triple the usual rate.
I cant say Ive seen anything like this, said the Lifelines John Draper. And its
certainly not something Ive ever seen in an election.
He said it was especially noticeable because the number wasnt promoted
anywhere in relation to the election. Many callers had pre-existing anxieties
triggered by the election results, Draper told CNN.
They call and say its the election, but by the end of the call, its about their
lives and thats when we can help them, he was quoted as having said.
The Crisis Text Line saw eight times its normal volume between midnight-1
a.m. Nov. 9. Its sta usually gets about 1,000 a day, but last Tuesday the number
was double. It had quadrupled by Wednesday, CNN reports.
Election and scared were the most commonly texted words. LGBTQ was
the most commonly texted phrase in relation to scared, CNN reports.
The Trevor Project, an LGBT suicide prevention agency, also said its calls have
doubled and stayed up. Deputy Director Steve Mendelsohn told CNN about 95
percent of those reaching out have asked about the election.
Its been ongoing since Tuesday night, Mendelsohn told CNN. Young people
are calling us whove never called us before. Theyre scared, and they dont know
who to turn to. ... Given all the rhetoric that theyve heard leading up to the
election, it makes sense that theyre frightened.
LGB teens are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers,
the Trevor Project reports. The rates for trans men and women are even higher.
The number for the Trevor Lifeline is 1-866-488-7386. The Trans Lifeline is
1-877-565-8860.

HIV racial disparity gaps explored in study

ANN ARBOR, Mich. On the surface, data indicate that gay black men are
four-and-a-half times as likely to have HIV than straight black men, while white
gay men are 16 times as likely than heterosexual men of their same race,
MedicalXPress reports.
But work by Drexel University researchers showed that those numbers arent
actually a true representation of HIV risk. In fact, the disparity between gay black
and gay white men was actually demonstrated to be smaller, with a key factor
being underlying dierences in how risk is assessed.
Work by a team of researchers from the Dornsife School of Public Health showed
that there is a reduction in the disparity of HIV risk between white and black men
who have sex with men (MSM) once potentially stigmatizing behaviors that are
generally underreported or mis-measured in surveys, such as sharing needles or
having anal sex with another man, were accounted for. Factoring all of that in
helped Neal D. Goldstein, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at Drexel, and his
team to more accurately ascertain the baseline levels of risk for each group.
Studying data from a national survey that included numbers for both white
and black men, the researchers found that when they more accurately assessed
sexuality and adjusted for baseline levels of risk in a comparison group of nonMSM, the racial gaps in HIV prevalence in MSM narrowed considerably from a
gap of 11.5 to 6.2.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 0 N O VEMB ER 1 8, 2016

VIEWPOINT

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

47

ADDRESS

PO Box 53352
Washington DC 20009
PHONE

That time I interviewed David Duke

And what he said that
reminds me of Trump

KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade

and can be reached at kna@washblade.com.

Donald Trump has elevated the voices

and inuence of some truly frightening
gures. Steve Bannon, the noted antiSemite from Breitbart, will be the top adviser to the next president. Ken Blackwell,
a senior fellow at the hate group Family Research Council who believes being
LGBT is a lifestyle choice, was tapped
as a senior adviser. And Reagan relic Ed
Meese, who backed Indianas religious
freedom law, is aiding in the transition.
But all of them look downright sane and
centrist compared to David Duke, who
endorsed Trump and described election
night as one of the most exciting nights
of my life. Duke tweeted, Make no mistake about it, our people have played a

HUGE role in electing Trump!

His people, of course, are the deplorables racists, xenophobes, homophobes, anti-Semites, misogynists that
Hillary Clinton warned the country about.
Trump was slow to distance himself from
the KKK when it endorsed him early on.
Duke is a former grand wizard of the Klan
who nearly won a U.S. Senate seat from
Louisiana in 1990. I interviewed Duke for
Penn States Daily Collegian shortly after
that loss, in which he captured 60 percent
of the white vote in the state and nearly
45 percent overall.
Watching Trumps rallies this year, I was
reminded of that interview with Duke in
the late fall of 1990. He boasted to me of
his own rallies, lled with rural white supporters angry over the perceived rise of
black militancy, as he described it. Most of
Dukes oce sta was comprised of college
students and Duke told me his message
played tremendously well on campuses.
Ive got standing-room-only crowds and
standing ovations at almost every university, Duke said. Overall the campuses have
been very supportive of my candidacy both
in and outside of Louisiana.
He ominously added, I think Ive begun
a new civil rights movement across the
country.
Those words haunted me as Trumps
popularity grew and as videos of his own
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

rallies emerged. Supporters chanted racist and anti-Semitic slogans; some demeaned women and hurled homophobic
epithets at anti-Trump protesters. There
were outbreaks of violence at multiple
stops that Trump himself encouraged
and seemed to enjoy.
Could Duke have been onto something
back in 1990? Has the country really not
progressed since then?
The election of Barack Obama gave us
hope that Dukes America was a thing of
the past. Now Obamas eight years feel
like a mirage.
To be sure, Trump found support from
voters who were turned o by his racist
rants but who have legitimate concerns
about the future of the country. The alarming rate at which health care premiums are
increasing under Obamacare; the failure to
engage in Syria that led to a crippling refugee crisis across Europe; the ight of U.S.
companies and factories to countries with
cheap labor; a new digital economy that
has left many rural workers behind.
But its hard to talk foreign policy and
economics when the other side views
you as second class. Thousands are protesting in the streets today not because
Trump wants to defeat ISIS or bring back
manufacturing jobs. Theyre marching
because theyve been personally attacked
and demonized. Immigrants, Mexicans,
African Americans, LGBT people and so
many others are understandably worried
about whats to come. House Speaker
Paul Ryan says there wont be a deportation force targeting immigrants, yet thats
exactly what Trump promised during the
campaign. Trump himself now says marriage equality is settled law, yet vows
to appoint Supreme Court justices who
would overturn it.
In this dicult time, when the country
remains divided and friends and family members are turning on each other
as disagreements over politics turn into
friendship-ending attacks fueled by hyperbolic social media posts, we must
try to remember there is much good in
America. I witnessed it in Orlando this
summer in the immediate aftermath of
the Pulse massacre. Thousands turned
out to donate blood, raise money for victims families, attend vigils and embrace
strangers in mourning. We stood together gay, straight, young, old, Christian,
Muslim, white, black, Democrat, Republican in downtown Orlando, vowing to
respond to the hatred with love.
Those memories feel at odds with
the results of Election Night, when voters embraced a very different vision for
our future.

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V I E W PO I N T

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 2 1

Providing post-election comfort for our LGBT children

The civil rights and lives
of our kids are at stake
By KRISTEN HARTKE
For my entire adult life, I have identied
as an LGBTQ ally. Ive lost close friends to
AIDS, raised money for LGBTQ causes,
and my husband has volunteered countless hours over the last 20 years to coach
runners participating in fundraising efforts through the National AIDS Marathon Training Program and Human Rights
Campaign. Ive waved rainbow ags at
the annual Pride Parade and wiped away
tears as I stood on the steps of the Supreme Court on the day that marriage
equality became the law of the land.
But the moment that my daughter
came out as a lesbian, my comfortable
world as an ally ended, and I became
what I think of now as a Lambda Lion
Mom my version of a Tiger Mom. I
know many parents now who have made
the same transformation, because weve
been catapulted from outsider to insider,
and the lives, civil rights, and happiness of
our children is at stake. We now have, as
they say, skin in the game.

Im now a proud Lambda Lion Mom hear me roar.

The beginning of that transformation, however, began with complete and utter fear.
As a straight white woman, I felt agony
over the death of Trayvon Martin and the
pain and despair so eloquently communicated by his mother, Sybrina Fulton. I
understood my friends who didnt want
their black teenage sons to leave the
house wearing a hoodie, but I didnt feel
the need to stop my daughter Maddie
from wearing hers.
So when my child felt ready to talk with
me about her sexuality, I wanted her to feel
accepted and loved by her family. I buried
deep inside myself the fear that parents of
LGBTQ children are confronted with, the
fear of suering the pain of Judy Shepard
and the haunting memory of her beautiful son Matthew. When Maddie embraces
so-called butch haircuts, I fear for her,
however irrationally, just as my friends did
about their sons wearing hoodies.
In the early morning hours of Nov. 9, I
sent this text message to Maddie at college:
No matter what, I love you and support you and Ill be damned if Im going to
let anything happen to your rights.

It was easy to say, and I meant every

word with every ber of my Lambda Lion
Mom being. But in the aftermath of the
election, it became clear that, as Maddie
said herself, blood is not always thicker
than water. While my husband and I
could never support any political candidates who did not support her civil rights,
we had many family members who voted
for Donald Trump, which our daughter
sees as a real betrayal. Half my family
hates me, she said to me the other night,
or they wouldnt have voted against me.
The world holds much starker divisions for young adults, who sometimes
struggle to see the shades of grey that
blur the lines. Im left now trying to help
her understand that those family members a few of whom she has known
and loved her entire life simply did not
think about how their choice could possibly aect their young relative. I dont
think theyre homophobic and Im sure
they dont either but I do think they
were willing to ignore any uncomfortable
theme of bigotry running throughout the
Trump narrative in favor of the lure of tax

cuts. Blood is not thicker than water, and

money talks.
This election has been an important
civics lesson thus far. While Maddie has
agonized over the perceived bigotry of
her relatives, shes also wrestling with the
fact that shes actually not the only LGBTQ person in our extended family, and
that side of the family voted decidedly Republican, as it always has.
These family members believed strongly in their anti-corruption candidate and
now believe that fears of repercussions
against the LGBTQ community are overblown. I am not so sure, so Im preparing
myself for the battles ahead to at least
maintain, if not advance, the civil rights
of the person dearest to me. For the
Lambda Lion Mom, or Dad, the goal is to
help our children keep their eyes on the
prize, while providing the context that
someones dierent political choice is a
reection of that voters own personal
priorities, which may have very little to do
with civil rights, rather than a direct attack
on our kids.
That being said, Im now a proud Lambda Lion Mom hear me roar.
KRISTEN HARTKE is a freelance writer and
regular contributor to the Blade.

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

An open letter to Ivanka Trump

A sympathetic ear on
president-elects team?

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

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

Dear Ivanka:
I believe we must always keep an open
line of communication with those we
dont agree with and the person on your
side of this election I would enjoy having
a cup of coee with is you.
As a supporter of Hillary Clinton the
election didnt turn out the way I wanted it
to. This isnt the rst campaign where my
hopes were dashed. But the ght for the
things I believe in and care about goes on.
Ivanka it would be great to have the opportunity to share with you how I lived my life. It is my
conviction you would understand where those

like myself are coming from and as senior adviser to your father that could be important and
helpful as you help mold the administration.
My history is like many others who
grew up in New York City as rst generation Americans. My father immigrated
from Germany and my mother from Austria to escape the Nazis. My dads parents
were killed in Auschwitz. He joined the
U.S. Army going back to Europe to ght.
Their experiences and teaching inuenced how I live my life. Early on I got involved in Democratic politics. First supporting local New York politicians and then JFK.
Demonstrating against the Vietnam War
and graduating City College of New York
during those turbulent times led to becoming a teacher in Harlem. From there, a career
in government. First working for Rep. Bella
S. Abzug, then coordinator of Local Government for Mayor Abe Beame. Then moving
to Washington as executive director of the
White House Conference on Handicapped
Individuals/Implementation Unit in the Carter Administration. Then 35 years as CEO of
national non-prots in the education and
healthcare areas. Along the way ghting for
civil rights, womens rights, disability rights

and, after I came out, for LGBT rights.

Ivanka, listening closely to your speech at
the Republican National Convention it sounded like you would be a sympathetic ear.
You are obviously an intelligent and successful woman. You would likely have been
successful even if you hadnt been born a
Trump. Of course your success came quicker because of having a wealthy family and
access to capital and connections. But life
has proven to me many people with those
connections can still relate to the rest of us.
My interest in meeting you is the chance
to share some thoughts that could shed
light on issues as you advise your dad.
The fact is your father and I are contemporaries. We both grew up at the same
time in New York City. Due to the circumstance of our births our lives took incredibly dierent paths. We were impacted in
dramatically dierent ways by what was
happening in the world as we grew up.
From what I have read about your life
your mom brought you up to understand a world a little dierent from that
of your dad. Today you have adopted the
religion I was born into and are bringing
up three children. Money doesnt exempt

you from the issues involved in balancing

work and family or the vagaries of daily
life and making the myriad decisions to
deal with the world around us.
Those who share my views will continue to ght hard for the world we believe
in. As a gay man I will never go back into
the closet. My mom and Bella educated
me on how important it is to guarantee
full equality to women. My parents lives
and a meeting with Martin Luther King,
Jr. when I was in high school helped forge
my views on civil rights. My life, friends,
and travel have shown me living in a diverse society makes us all better. My gut
feeling is you wouldnt disagree with that.
Demonstrations are important, as long
as they stay non-violent. They are a way for
people to speak out, release their frustrations
and anger at the life that often hasnt been fair
to them, their families and friends. Our constitutional right to demonstrate and speak out is
part of what makes America great.
I really believe having an opportunity to
share some of my thoughts with you in
a respectful conversation could be valuable. Ivanka, I hope you might consider
giving me the opportunity to do so.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 2 N O VEMB ER 1 8, 2016

VIEWPOINT

The battle for America continues

Our rst task is to be clear-eyed

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

Amid post-election grieving and protest, there has been talk about the need
for civility. I am all for it, but it must be
reciprocated and there must be room for
accurately describing our situation rather
than papering over the calamitous electoral result.
There was nothing civil about people voting for Donald Trump, a crude and ignorant
demagogue whose campaign traded in racism, sexism, religious bigotry and xenophobia, and who advocates torture. Those who
bought his extravagant yet vague promises
are in for a letdown. Meanwhile, they voted
against vulnerable populations that now
face a frightening backlash.
Trump won by means of vote suppression, lies, and incitement, with help
from the media and political interfer-

ence by the FBI. He was further aided

by the Kremlin and the anarchist group
Wikileaks. This resembles a coup dtat
more than a legitimate decision. Yet
despite all this, Hillary Clinton won the
popular vote. How is that a mandate for
Trump? For the second time in 16 years,
the Electoral College is at odds with the
will of the people. Yet triumphant voices
tell us that the people chose Trump. No
we damn well didnt.
Conciliatory impulses should not fool
us into thinking that all Americans share
the same interests. Contrary to President
Obama (who far outclasses his detractors), we are not all on the same team.
Trumps goals are inimical to mine. We
do not serve our cause by pretending our
opponents are merely misguided. Among
other things, Trump has threatened to
jail his opponents, curtail press freedoms
and bar all Muslims from this country.
We must be clear-eyed. Are we supposed to forget that people close to us
voted for our erasure? Are we supposed
to get over the fact that the eminently
qualied, level-headed Hillary Clinton,
whose scandals were whipped up by
partisans and amounted to nothing, was
hounded by sexist double standards
while Trumps lengthy list of oenses was
treated lightly?

Among the most preposterous and

contemptible statements are those by
Log Cabin Republicans, who called Trump
perhaps the most pro-LGBT presidential
nominee in the history of the Republican Party, and now fundraise on their
purported access. In fact, Trump chose
virulent homophobe Mike Pence for vice
president; allowed his convention to pass
what Log Cabin itself called the most antiLGBT platform in the partys history, including support for conversion therapy;
and pledged to appoint Supreme Court
justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia.
Our country remains at stake. Generations of work to make America live up to
its ideals are at stake. Trumps transition
is populated with anti-gay fanatics like
Ken Blackwell and Kay Cole James. This is
draining the swamp? Trump and his band
of grifters do not become honest and decent people because cable shows need a
new narrative. We will not defeat fascism
by excusing or accommodating it.
Twenty million people are at risk of losing their healthcare because Republican
nihilists refuse to put country before party. Trump was endorsed by the Ku Klux
Klan, which announced a march to celebrate their victory. He has named white
nationalist Steve Bannon of Breitbart as
his chief strategist.

The GOPs refusal to consider the nomination of the widely respected Merrick
Garland to the Supreme Court is a glaring
example of that partys treasonous insistence that they and only they should be
allowed to govern.
Trump refuses to release his taxes, and
there is reason to believe he has signicant conicts of interest, while he talks as
if turning over his business to his children
is a blind trust. It is one eye-stretching assertion after another.
Intramural ghting among Republicans
may create openings for Democrats to
advance pieces of their agenda. But demons have been unleashed that will not
easily be brought to heel. Consider the
minority schoolchildren being harassed
by classmates in the racist explosion following the election. Consider the surge in
hate crimes and vandalism. Consider the
attacks on science and other elds of expertise, and on simple decency, throughout Trumps campaign.
American values, institutions, and people
are in peril. Taking care of one another is an
immediate concern. As we move forward,
resisting Trump and the threat he poses is
the decent and patriotic thing to do.
Copyright 2016 by Richard J. Rosendall.
All rights reserved.

VIEWPOINT

In Trump era, art needed more than ever

Check out Tommy great
theater trumps bullying

KATHI WOLFE, a writer and poet, is a regular

contributor to the Blade.

In the dawn of the Donald J. Trump era,

when many communities (queer, disability,
people of color, feminist, Jewish and Muslim)
feel gobsmacked fearful of bigotry and
anxious about their safety art is needed
more than ever.
Open Circle Theatres mesmerizing production of The Whos Tommy at the Silver
Spring Black Box Theatre through Nov. 20 is
a stunning testament to the power of art to
entertain, provoke and console. Tommy,
the beloved 1970s rock opera (with music
and lyrics by Pete Townshend and book by

Townshend and Des McAnu), based on

The Whos 1969 concept album (of the same
name) is iconic. Who didnt love its story of
the deaf, blind and dumb boy whos not
only a pinball wizard, but whose disabilities
are cured? Me.
Though I loved its music and fab rock aura,
until I saw OCTs production, Id resisted the
lure of Tommys story. Why was I someone who is visually impaired and a lesbian
who came of age in the 1970s troubled by
Tommys plot? Because Tommys disabilities
were seen as metaphors for trauma (which
needed to be cured.). As a queer crip, empowered by the emerging gay and disability
rights movements, I didnt view my disability
(or sexuality) as a metaphor or as something
to be cured. I viewed it as a profound part of
who I am.
From the original concept album to the
recent Broadway version of the show the
actual experience of disability was never considered to be a part of the shows message,
Suzanne Richard writes in the Directors Note
for the Open Circle Theatre production of
The Whos Tommy.
Pete Townshend used Tommys disabilities

as a metaphor for the abuse that he experienced as a child and his eventual struggle to
nd balance as a rock superstar, said Richard, co-founder and artistic director of OCT.
As I listened to it as a person who has lived
with a disability my entire life, I began to wonder: What does it mean to be cured? Who
gets to decide what is healthy or normal?
Founded in 2003, Open Circle Theatre
is, its mission statement says, dedicated
to mounting professional theatre productions that showcase and integrate the
considerable talents of disabled and nondisabled actors.
In OCTs vibrant version of Tommy, the
metaphor, as Richard aptly says, strikes
back. In OCTs production, several actors
play Tommy at dierent ages as hearing
and deaf. American Sign Language is an integral part of the show. Russell Harvard, a
deaf actor whos appeared on Broadway in
the revival of Spring Awakening and in the
lm There Will Be Blood, luminously plays
the primary Tommy. Tommy is molested by
Uncle Ernie and bullied by Cousin Kevin. Yet,
Tommy recovers from the abuse and bullying and discovers himself. Check out the

YouTube videos of Russell signing Pinball

Wizard and other songs.
Seeing Tommy, I couldnt help but think
about the parallels between having a disability and being queer. I do see...parallels
between the Deaf community and the queer
community, Harvard, who is queer, said in
an email to me. Both communities have undergone...procedures that oer false hopes
of curing the issue (conversion therapies and
cochlear implants), when...in the end the issues never really are cured, but embraced.
Harvard knew he was queer when he was
about six years old. I lived in fear as my father told me I was going to hell. I prayed so
constantly to help me change who I am. Finally, I told myself to stop wasting time on praying and start happily living my life, he said.
Tommy isnt queer. But, as the age of
Trump begins, Tommys experience with bullying hits close to home. Im disabled and
LGBT. Ive been bullied all my life, Isadora
Clemente Zurie, 21, told the Associated Press
at a recent protest in Salt Lake City against
Trumps election.
Great art trumps bullying. Check-out
Tommy.

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

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 2 3

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Have yourself a merry little Christmas

LORRIE MORGAN, RENEE FLEMING AND MORE AUGMENT THE USUAL D.C. HOLIDAY SHOW FARE
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

47

NOVEMBER

18,

2016

PAGE

25

Members of the local dance company Step Afrika! perform A Swingin Nutracker a la Ellington, which will be performed Dec. 8-11 at the Strathmore in North Bethesda, Md., and the Joseph Meyerho
Symphony Hall in Baltimore.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WEINBERGHARRIS & ASSOCIATES

There will be lots of chances to get in the

holiday spirit in the coming weeks. Here
are some you may want to check out.
The National Philharmonic Singers
under the direction of conductors Stan
Engebretson and Victoria Gau will present
a holiday concert on Saturday, Dec. 3 at
8 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church (107 S.
Washington Street) in Rockville. Stanfords
Magnicat in G Major and famous
Renaissance motets In Dulci Jubilo and
Resonent in Laudibus will be performed
along with popular carols and a sing-along.
Its free but donations will be accepted.
Details at christchurchrockville.org.
The National Philharmonic will also
perform the Messiah at the Strathmore
Dec. 17-18 with a nearly 200-voice
choir. Tickets start at $28. Details at
nationalphilharmonic.org.
Olney Theatre Company presents
A Christmas Carol: a Ghost Story of
Christmas Past by Charles Dickens
performed as a one-man-show by Paul
Morella Nov. 25-Dec. 31 at its MulitzGudelsky Theatre Lab (2001 Olney-Sandy
Spring Road, Olney, Md.). Tickets range
from $20-40. Details at olneytheatre.org.
The Washington Revels present The
Christmas Revels: a Nordic Celebration

of the Winter Solstice in Music, Dance

& Drama Dec. 10-18 at the GW Lisner
Auditorium (730 21st St., N.W.). The
performance will include Nordic winter
traditions from Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway and Sweden performed by a cast
of more than 100 ages 8-85. Tickets range
from $12-60. Visit revelsdc.org for details.
The Washington Chorus under the
direction of Julian Wachner will perform
A Candlelight Christmas Dec. 11-22 at
the Kennedy Center Concert Hall (2700
F St., N.W.) and on Monday, Dec. 19 at
the Music Center at Strathmore (5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.).
The show features brass, organ, singalongs, major choral works such as The
Dream Isaiah Saw and the Hallelujah
Chorus. Tickets range from $18-72.
Details at thewashingtonchorus.org.
Country diva Lorrie Morgan brings
her Enchanted Christmas tour to the
Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave.,
Alexandria, Va.) on Sunday, Dec. 18.
Tickets are $45. Details at birchmere.com.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
has several holiday-themed performances
coming up including Handels Messiah
Dec. 2-4, Family Concert: the Snowman on
Dec. 3, Swingin Nutcracker a la Ellington

featuring Step Afrika! Dec. 8-11, Music

Box: Snowakes on Parade Dec. 10, a
screening of Its a Wonderful Life in which
the score will be performed live on Dec. 1516, Holiday Pops with Storm Large Dec.
17-18 and more. The BSO performs at the
Joseph Meyerho Symphony Hall (1212
Cathedral St., Baltimore) and at the Music
Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman
Lane, North Bethesda, Md.). Ticket prices
vary. Details at bsomusic.org.
Drag outt the Kinsey Sicks perform
their show Oy Vey in a Manger at
Theater J (1529 16th St., N.W.) Dec. 20-28.
Tickets are $19-52. Details at theaterj.org.
Jewmongous,
a
comedy-song
concert featuring Jewish hipster comedy
created and performed by Sean Altman,
will be performed on Saturday, Dec.
3 at 8:30 p.m. at BlackRock Center for
the Arts (12901 Town Commons Dr.,
Germantown, Md.). Tickets are $17-25.
Details at blackrockcenter.org.
Kwanzaa Celebration will be held Dec.
17-18 at Dance Place (3225 8th St., N.E.)
featuring the Coyaba Dance Theater under
the direction of Sylvia Stoumah. Tickets are
$15-30. Details at danceplace.org.
Kwanzaa celebrations for each day
will be held at the Smithsonian Anacostia

Community Museum (1901 Fort P., S.E.)

Dec. 27-Jan. 1 with Culture Queen (Jessica
Smith) oering music, movement and
storytelling for all ages. Its free each day
at 11 a.m. Details at anacostia.si.edu.
Hot 99.5s Jingle Ball 2016 will be held
Monday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Verizon
Center (601 F St., N.W.) featuring Meghan
Trainor, the Chainsmokers, G-Eazy, Fifth
Harmony, Diplo, Ellie Goulding and more.
Its sold out but last-minute tickets may be
available on Stubhub.
If youre up for a New York visit, Cyndi
Lauper and friends present their annual
Home for the Holidays benet concert
on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. at the
Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway) in New
York. Laupers guests include Aloe Blacc,
Ballets with a Twist, Big Thief, Billy Corgan
and more in a holiday-themed benet
concert for the True Colors Fund, an LGBT
youth charity. Tickets range from $50150. Details at ticketmaster.com.
Creative
Cauldron
presents
A
Christmas Carol Memory, a world
premiere re-imagining of the Dickens
classic featuring puppets, Dec. 1-20 at
ArtSpace Falls Church (410 S. Maple Ave.,
CONTINUES ON PAGE 39

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 6 NO VE MB ER 1 8, 2016

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R A LE X A RO D RI G U E Z

ALEXA RODRIGUEZ

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Its a busy season for transgender advocates and allies with two main
events planned in the coming days.
On Friday, Nov. 18, the Trans-Latina Coalition DMV will have its third
annual day of action in Columbia Heights. Activists will gather at 5 p.m. at
the Columbia Heights Metro Station plaza to address violence against trans
women of color and demand dignity, justice and safety. Look for the group
on Facebook for full details.
On Sunday, Nov. 20, Washingtons annual Transgender Day of Remembrance
will be held at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington (474 Ridge
St., N.W.), a joint eort of the Center for Black Equity, Empowering the
Transgender Community, the D.C. Center, Whitman-Walker, HRC and more.
Details at thedccenter.org.
Alexa Rodriguez works by day as a transgender program coordinator for La
Clinica del Pueblo and is also the director of the Trans-Latina Coalition DMV.
She came to the D.C. area in 2009 upon arriving in the U.S.
As trans-Latinas and undocumented immigrants, we have more barriers,
Rodriguez says. Were a minority inside a minority and its time to demand
justice, dignity and safety for all of us.
Rodriguez, 40, lives in Hyattsville, Md., with her boyfriend, Pedro Gomez.
She enjoys cooking, entertaining at home and walks with her partner and
pets in her free time.

202.747.2077

How long have you been out and who

was the hardest person to tell?
I have been out as a trans woman for
12 years now and it was hard to tell or
explain to my grandmother. She was old
and Christian and she died last year after
the Pride parade. It was a bittersweet
moment for me as I had to travel to my
home country for her funeral after being
happy and feeling pride for who I am. I
have been out as an HIV-positive person
for 13 years now and Im very proud to
tell my story and teach about stigma
and discrimination. It was hard to tell my
family since the majority are Christians.
One of my aunts said that because Im
transgender, I have a demon inside of
me and I am HIV-positive because of my
actions. Thats why I decide to not talk
to them anymore until they understand
that I am their family and I deserve
respect as a human being.
Whos your LGBT hero?
Bamby Salcedo. She means a lot to me
and has taught me a lot in the trans
movement. Love her!

Whats Washingtons best nightspot,

past or present?
Rumba Latina at Cobalt is the best Latinx
party ever.

Describe your dream wedding.

My boyfriend and I have been talking
about getting married and I want a big
wedding with all my community and my
all trans sisters as my maids of honor
and all my LGBT family enjoying my big
day. Lot of Latinx food and loud music.

What non-LGBT issue are you most

passionate about?
Immigration and social justice in our
Latinx community. There are a lot of
amazing Latinx leaders in the U.S. but
since theyre undocumented, they dont
have the opportunity to work. Since the
election, our Latinx community has been
facing racism, discrimination, self and
social isolation because of the fear that
was created by the elected president
who won the elections with hate speech
against undocumented and Latinx and
other immigrants.

What historical outcome would you

change?
This years election.

Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
I believe were nally having more
visibility on TV and magazines. This is
our moment.

On what do you insist?

Better trans rights with health issues and
homelessness. We need more resources
and there should have been more trans
provisions in Obamacare.

What was your last Facebook post or

Tweet?
It was an invitation to join us in the
vigil this Friday, Nov. 18 to address the
violence that continues to kill trans
women of color.

If your life were a book, what would

the title be?
My Chosen Family

If science discovered a way to change

sexual orientation, what would you do?
I would stay in my current identity and
sexual orientation. Im really happy the
way I am and was born.

What do you believe in beyond the

physical world?
I believe in a higher power.

Whats your advice for LGBT

movement leaders?
We need to work together, not compete.

What would you walk across hot coals

for?
For my chosen family and the ones who
dont have a voice.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you

most?
The assumption that if youre trans, you
must also be heterosexual.

Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

Normal with Jessica Lange and
Tom Wilkinson, because it shows we
can transition at any age and have
supportive family.

Whats the most overrated social

custom?
People who judge you before they know
anything about you. Theres so much
work to do in society.

What trophy or prize do you most

covet?
I want to win the lottery and build
shelters and opportunities for our trans
community.

What do you wish youd known at 18?

The strength and power of my voice that
I didnt know I had.

Why Washington?
Its the capital where all the policies are
created.

W A SH I N GTO NB LA DE.C OM

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 2 7

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

December 10 8PM
December 17 3PM
& 8PM
December 18 3PM

28 N OV E M B E R 18, 201 6

THEATER

PHOTO BY CAMERON WHITMAN; COURTESY OF KEEGAN THEATRE

RYAN SWAIN, left, and PATRICK JOY in Six Degrees of Separation.

Tight, 90-minute Keegan

production settles after
bumpy opening
By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Youve been naughty all year. Spend a nice evening with us.

Youve been nice all year. Spend a naughty evening with us.

NAUGHTY & NICE at the LINCOLN THEATRE

1215 U ST NW TICKETS Call 1-877-435-9849 or visit gmcw.org
Groups of 10 or more: call 202-293-1548
GMC-01 N&N Blade_4.75x11.5.indd 1

11/10/16 11:00 AM

In just 90 minutes, John Guares Six Degrees

of Separation expertly exposes the gilded
underbelly of social climbing Manhattan, a
subject of widespread fascination.
The gay playwrights 1990 work was
inspired by the true story of a young man
who insinuated himself into the lives of a
wealthy New York couple by claiming he was
the son of actor Sidney Poitier. In his play,
Guare focuses on how even an imagined
connection to star power can prompt
some of the citys elites to open their Fifth
Avenue aeries and luxe brownstones to an
unconnected kid who otherwise wouldnt
make it through their thresholds.
Currently playing at the intimate Keegan
Theatre on Church Street, N.W., director
Brandon McCoys Six Degrees starts o
rushed before settling into a steady, more
satisfying pace, eortlessly moving from
funny scenes to more serious moments.
McCoy, a Keegan company member, has
assembled an able cast and design team
to bring to life Guares well-spun yarn.
Told in retrospect by ambitious socialite
Ouisa Kittredge (Susan Marie Rhea) and
her husband Flan (Ray Ficca), a savvy
independent art dealer who makes a killing
ipping masterpieces, the actions kicks o
when the doorman appears with Paul (Ryan
Jammal Swain), a 20-something African
American whos been violently robbed. He
claims to know the Kitteridges children
from Harvard and does, in fact, know a lot
of about their family.
When Paul explains that hes at loose
ends until the following morning when
his movie star father Sidney Poitier arrives
in town, Ouisa and Flan invite him to
stay. Paul quickly charms the Kittredges
and their dinner guest Georey (nicely
underplayed by Kevin Adams), a rich SouthAfrican client, with his impromptu culinary
skills and intelligence, easily making literary
references and expressing ideas on the
power of the imagination. The middleaged privileged white trio becomes further
enthralled when Paul oers them walk-

on parts in his fathers upcoming movie

production of Cats, a musical theyd
ordinarily dismiss as low brow.
But the giddy honeymoon soon ends
when Ouisa and Flan are awakened by
Paul and a stark-naked hustler (Josh
Stricklin) hes slipped in. Soon after, its
revealed through Kittredge friends that
Paul is neither an Ivy League nor Hollywood
royalty. And, in fact, he has been dining
out on these lies for some time. Through
some amateur detective work involving
some ingrate ospring (amusingly assayed
by Ava Knox, Christian Montgomery and
others), we learn Paul has been extensively
coached on high society by a Kittredge
acquaintance. Eager to enter that raried
world, Paul gladly traded his street cred for
Park Avenue polish.
Like a good con artist, Paul knows his
marks inside and out and knows just what to
say. Swain nails his characters insinuating
appeal. And Rhea with furrowed brow
and downturned smile skillfully captures
Ouisas compassion and desperation to
connect with someone outside her family.
Ficca is marvelously smarmy as Flan.
Matthew Keenans spare and elegant
set consists of a two-sided spinning
Kandinsky and free-oating pieces of
white ats that hang like disengaged
puzzles pieces. Kristina Marie Maries
costumes are spot on Upper East Side
late-80s part Preppy Handbook and
part society fundraiser glitz.
After exiting chez Kittredge, Paul
forever on the make nds refuge with a
nave couple of wannabe actors from Utah.
But this time things turn ugly. Paul reaches
out to Ouisa. During an intense phone call
between the two the plays most tender
scene the unlikely pairs vulnerabilities
and innermost needs come to the fore.
The plays title comes from the idea
that any two people in the world, no
matter how grand or humble, can be
connected through only six other people.
Its a notion that Ouisa nds quite thrilling
and Paul uses as a sort of passport, at
least for awhile.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Through Dec. 3
Keegan Theatre
1742 Church St., N.W.
$34-45
202-265-3767
Keegantheatre.com

Publication:
WASHINGTON BLADE
Insertion date: NOVEMBER 18, 2016
Size:
4.75" x 11.5" 4C NP

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

M US I C

N OV E M B E R 18, 2016 29

PHOTO COURTESY OF RHINO

TORI AMOS 1996 release Boys for Pele is a favorite of her hardcore fans.

Classic 1996 Tori Amos

album gets deluxe treatment
By CHRIS GERARD
Tori Amos is one of the most important
yet woefully underappreciated artists of
the last 35 years.
Despite the one-two punch of her nowclassic rst two albums, 1992s Little
Earthquakes and 1994s Under the Pink,
both full of wrenchingly confessional
yet achingly beautiful songcraft, Atlantic
Records execs were in a state of shock
when in 1996 Amos delivered her third
album, the extraordinary Boys for Pele.
Amos had recently experienced a
painful romantic breakup with her
longtime musical collaborator Eric Rosse,
and Pele drew heavily from the anguish
of that disintegration. Pele is the
journey of a woman at times despondent
and seemingly defeated, at times
exploding with molten rage, and at times
philosophical and self-aware enough to
wonder what comes next.
There were no obvious singles (Caught
a Lite Sneeze was about the closest, and
it became the rst single), as Boys for
Pele is a challenging listen, one that takes
time to digest and absorb. The songs do
not follow traditional arrangements and
she relies on the harpsichord as much
as the piano. Sometimes her voice is as
beautiful and melodic as ever, sometimes
its unhinged in a torrent of pain or fury.
Despite its evocative strangeness (or
perhaps because of it), millions of fans
heard what Amos was saying loud and
clear. Boys for Pele rocketed to no. 2
on the Billboard Album Chart, although
critics generally didnt know what to make
of it. Fans continue to cherish it, though,
and many die-hards consider Boys for
Pele her crowning achievement.
Twenty years later, esteem for Boys
for Pele has only grown, and Rhino
Records is celebrating the album by

issuing a deluxe double-CD edition that

features a digitally remastered version
of the original recording and a full disc of
rarities, b-sides, remixes and previously
unreleased material. A vinyl edition is also
coming, although it will not include the
bonus material. The remastered album
sounds superb, with a crisp clarity similar
to the remasters of Little Earthquakes
and Under the Pink released last year.
Of course, of interest to most of the diehard is the second disc, where all the
hidden treasures are collected.
Disc two is a bit of a mixed bag
and seems to be somewhat a missed
opportunity. More unreleased material
would have been welcome. That said,
there are some denite thrills. To the Fair
Motormaids of Japan, a sprightly piano
jaunt, is a track fans have been pining to
hear ever since Amos mentioned it in an
interview around the time of Pele as a
song that didnt make the album.
The particularly bracing Sucker is
another previously unreleased studio
song and its even more challenging than
most of the eras fare. For the most part,
the disc two consists of the eras b-sides,
the best of which Alamo, Graveyard
and Frog on My Toe are exquisite,
though several are less essential. Amos
also incorporates some live tracks,
which are generally excellent (including
the famous Merry Widow version of
Professional Widow), and some remixes
(the Armands Star Trunk Funkin Mix of
Professional Widow became an unlikely
no. 1 single on the U.K. pop charts and
was one of the decades biggest dance
singles). As a listening experience,
though, going from a sketch of a demo to
a thumping remix to a typically eccentric
b-side is jarring.
Still, Boys for Pele is an album
that richly deserves the lavish 20th
anniversary treatment and will hopefully
draw a new generation of fans with its
innate power of beauty, heartbreak, rage
and ultimately resolve.

Seasons
Greetings
Be dazzled by the glamour and elegance
of a Hillwood holiday, including glittering
trees inspired by the special exhibition,
Four Seasons, on view now.

Now open every Sunday Hours: Tues Sun 10am 5pm

HillwoodMuseum.org 4155 Linnean Ave. NW, Washington DC Free parking

HIL-031-Christmas_WashBlade_Nov18_4.75x11.5_v2.indd 1

11/14/16 2:59 PM

LIVE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

30 NOV E M B E R 18, 2016

O U T & A BO U T

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

AN EVENING WITH

YACHT
ROCK

REVUE
NOV 18
FRIDAY

THE ANNUAL BOB MARLEY TRIBUTE

JUNIOR

MARVINS

By MARIAH COOPER

WAILERS
W/ THE KURLOU REGGAE ALLSTARS

SATURDAY

NOV 19

SUN, NOV 20

PATTY LARKIN
AND SUZZY ROCHE &
LUCY WAINWRIGHT ROCHE
TUES, NOV 22

ALL GOOD PRESENTS

CIRCLES AROUND THE SUN

FRI, NOV 25

AN EVENING WITH

ELECTRIC HOT TUNA

THEHAMILTONDC.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF REEL AFFIRMATIONS

Reel Armations to screen lesbian comedy

Reel Armations screens Women Who Kill at Human Rights Campaign
Equality Center (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
Women Who Kill tells the story of Morgan (Ingrid Jungermann) who co-hosts
a true crime podcast with her ex-girlfriend Jean (Ann Carr). Morgan becomes
suspicious of Jeans new girlfriend Simone (Sheila Vand) and believes she may be
a murderer. Jungermann also directs the lm. VIP tickets are $25 and include VIP
seating, one complimentary cocktail, beer or wine and movie candy or popcorn.
General admission tickets are $12.
For more details, visit reelarmations.org.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTENHOEFER

Westenhoefer brings
laughs to Birchmere

Love, hope,
success,
family,
security.

Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer

performs a stand-up routine at the
Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave.,
Alexandria, Va.) on Saturday, Nov. 19 at
7:30 p.m.
Westenhoefer holds the honor of being
the rst out lesbian comedian to host her
own HBO comedy special. She has made
appearances on Late Show with David
Letterman and Comedy Central.Tickets
are $45.
For more details, visit birchmere.com.

Some things we all have in

common.
Theres nobody like me to protect the
things we all value. Like a good neighbor,
State Farm is there. CALL ME TODAY.

NGLCC to hold
national dinner

PHOTO BY ARIELLE DONESON

Washington Concert Opera performs Hrodiade

Jonna S Wooten, Agent
Bus: 703-560-7804
www.jonnawooten.com

1101022.1 State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL

Washington Concert Opera performs Jules Massenets Hrodiade at Lisner

Auditorium (730 21st St., N.W.) on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.
Hrodiade is a four-act opera that revisits the story of John the Baptist
(Michael Fabiano, seen here), Salom (Joyce El-Khoury) and Hrodiade
(Michaela Martens). Fabiano was last seen in Washington Concert Operas 2014
performance of Il Corsaro. Tickets range from $40-110.
For more information, visit concertopera.org.

The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber

of Commerce (NGLCC) hosts its 2016
National Dinner on Friday, Nov. 18
starting at 5:30 p.m. at the National
Building Museum (401 F St., N.W.).
There will be a major donors reception
from 5:30-6:30 p.m. There will also be a
founders and friends reception and silent
auction from 5:30-7:15 p.m. The Awards
Dinner Gala is from 7:30-10 p.m. followed
by an after party from 10 p.m.-midnight.
Tickets for aliate chamber member
and government and organizational
allies are $450. Tickets for a small
business non-member is $500. Corporate
representative tickets are $750.
For more information, visit nglcc.org.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

D I N IN G

N OV E M B E R 18, 2016 31

THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE BAND

Wash i ng ton , D . C .

Colonel Larry H. Lang, Commander and Conductor

Spirit of the

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com

Saturday, Dec. 10

3 p.m. & 8 p.m.

D.A.R. Constitution Hall
Washington, D.C.
FREE! Tickets required.
Please visit:
www.eventbrite.com

Search: Air Force Band

TATES AIR FO
DS

75
W

E BAND
RC

Staying in town for Thanksgiving this year?

Theres no shortage of restaurant specials,
social events, volunteer opportunities and
more. Here are a few to check out.
The Hamilton Hotel D.C. (1001 14th
St., N.W.) and its signature restaurant 14K
have options for brunch and dinner.
Thanksgiving Brunch is oered from
11 a.m.-3 p.m. (last seating) and is $50
for adults and $25 for children excluding
tax and gratuity. Included are garden
delights;
cured
meats
including
soppresatta, air-dried beef, prosciutto
and more; sweet potato puree, pumpkin
risotto; herb-roasted turkey with giblet
gravy and pineapple-glazed candied ham;
dessert and build-your-own-ultimate
Bloody Mary bar and endless champagne
bar (extra fee for alcohol).
Dinner will be oered from 5-10 p.m.
and is $45 for adults and $23 for children.
Oerings include garden delights,
cinnamon-infused pumpkin bisque soup,
turkey and ham prepared the same way
as the brunch; paprika-smoked green
beans, savory cornbread stung, vanilla
bourbon cake, pistachio cheese cake and
more. Details at hamiltonhoteldc.com.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts a Thanksgiving dinner from 1-5
p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m. and dinner
begins at 2 p.m. Guests are invited to
bring their favorite music to share, board
games and favorite holiday traditions. For
more information, visit thedcenter.org.
The Mansion on O Street (2020 O St.,
N.W.) hosts its Thanksgiving lunch and tour

from noon-3 p.m. The meal will include

traditional favorites as well as lots of
vegetarian options. Guests can explore the
mansion after the meal. Tickets are $70. For
more details, visit omansion.com.
Food & Friends has volunteer options
on Thanksgiving Day and all week. Anyone
can assist with holiday food preparation
and packing groceries. Kitchen shifts last
two or three hours and are available at 6:30
a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Kitchen volunteers
must be at least 14 and accompanied by a
parent or guardian if under 18.
Or help deliver meals to two-four
clients in D.C., Maryland or Virginia.
Clients will receive a turkey dinner for
ve so they can host family and friends.
Delivery shifts start at 8, 9, 10 and 11
a.m. An orientation will be held at the
beginning of each shift. Volunteers must
use their own car, have a drivers license
and clean driving record. Only the driver
must register to volunteer.
Thanksgiving Pilgrims help with the
logistics on Thanksgiving Day. Positions
include greeting kitchen and delivery
volunteers, helping load bags into vans
and assisting with trac control and
more. Shifts start at 6:30, 8 and 9:30 a.m.
Visit foodandfriends.org for full details.
A Thanksgiving Day Swing Dance
Party will be held on the Millennium Stage
with the Phat Cat Swingers from 6-9 p.m.
Its free. Details at kennedy-center.org.
DJ Carl Lio will spin at a Techno
Thanksgiving party at Public Bar (1214
18th St., N.W.) from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Look for
the event on Facebook for details.
Cafe Berlin (322 Massachusetts Ave.,
N.E.) will oer a three-course meal where
patrons can build dinner around a wide
selection of main entrees including wiener
schnitzel, jagerschnitzel, rinderroulade,
sauerbraten, turkey or more. Seatings are
oered at 1:30, 4, 6:30 and 8 p.m. for $45
per person. Details at cafeberlin-dc.com.

THE UNITE

Staying in town for Turkey

Day? Dining specials, volunteer
opportunities abundant

Season2016

years

19
41 ~ 2016

AS

www.usafband.af.mil

HIN G T O N, D

.C

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Dave Register, Alex Esola, and Frederick Weller. Photo by Jan Versweyveld

32 N OV E M B E R 18, 201 6

SP O RT I N I N D . C.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TREKR ADVENTURES

PATRICK BUTLER on a recent Trekr Adventure.

New adventure travel

business targets D.C. gays
By KEVIN MAJOROS

THE DIRECTION
IS THE STAR

AN EMOTIONAL
WIPEOUT

Its not a common occurrence that

a deconstructed production of a
contemporary classic winds up
winning both the Olivier Award and the
Tony Award for best direction. But this
turned out to be a stunningly fruitful
match of sensibilities.
Van Hove is an avant-gardist with a
keen appreciation for playsAmerican
plays in particular. Audiences have
grown more appreciative of his
stark X-ray tactics exposing the
psychosexual subtexts of drama we
mistakenly assumed we already knew.
If ever there were a play that could use
van Hoves interpretive seduction, its
Millers smoldering domestic drama
If van Hoves direction transforms
the audience into voyeurs at times,
the scenic design by van Hoves
close collaborator Jan Versweyveld
turns theatergoers into a combination
of spectators at a boxing match and
jurors at a trial. The whole town is
indeed watching.
Los Angeles Times

Like the kings of ancient Greek

tragedies, Eddie Carbone is a
respected leader in his Brooklyn
neighborhood. Like those monarchs,
he keeps protective watch over his
little kingdom, while refusing to see
what he doesnt want to see. And
thats his tragic flaw. Van Hoves
austere productionwhich builds
to a jolting final image that is almost
unbearably sadcasts the characters
raw emotions into sharp relief.
Variety

DEVASTATING AND
BLAZINGLY ORIGINAL
Ivo van Hove won a Tony Award in
June for his direction of a devastating
and blazingly original reimagining of
Arthur Millers 1955 drama about the
self-destructive betrayal engineered by
a Brooklyn longshoreman because of
his confused love for his niece. Now,
happily, the revival turns up in these
parts to deliver its knockout punch to
Washington playgoers.
The Washington Post

November 18December 3, 2016

Eisenhower Theater
Theater at the Kennedy Center
is made possible by

Kennedy Center Theater

Season Sponsor

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
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Imagine yourself jetting over to Greece

or Thailand or Croatia. Your airport taxi
drops you o at a marina where you
board a sailboat which by all rights,
should be referred to as a yacht.
After sailing for hours, the skipper
anchors and you meet up with travelers
from multiple sailboats for a bonre or
cookout. The next day after more sailing,
you nd yourself kayaking around caves
in crystal blue water. Later that day after
scootering through ancient ruins, you
could probably t in a wine-tasting before
heading back to the sailboat.
And so each day continues. You didnt
plan any of it. Even the things you packed
in your bag came from a list supplied to
you by your hosts.
Trekr Adventures has created an
operation focused on adventure travel
for the LGBT community. Based in D.C.,
its most recent trip was to Croatia and
65 people enjoyed a week of adventures
in six catamaran sailboats. The typical
sailboat is a 50-foot catamaran with four
bedrooms, air conditioning, a skipper,
internet, a full kitchen and a grill.
In an eort to make the trip more
intimate, there are events in the months
leading up to the departure so you can
meet the other people who will be going
on the adventure with you.
Oh, so you dont feel like exploring
military bunkers or rappelling or skydiving
or swimming with sharks? OK. Instead,
you can try some cooking lessons, go
to wine-tastings or just hang out on the
boat. The adventure is yours and the
choice is yours.
There have denitely been times
where spur of the moment, we have
docked and anchored, cooked dinner
and created our own ecosystem, says
co-founder Josh Seefried. You can pick
and choose what you want to do. That
includes whether you participate in any
of the skipper duties on the sailboat.

Coming up in 2017, Trekr is oering

adventures to the Abacos islands in the
Bahamas, Greece (twice) and Thailand.
A land excursion is also planned for
Cambodia and Vietnam.
With so many paths to take during the
sailing trips, it isnt uncommon for the
boats to separate and have their own
adventure for a few hours away from the
rest of the group.
Each night, all the boats gather at a
rally point for our night-time activities,
Seefried says. During the day sail,
the boats usually stick together, but
sometimes they sail o to do their own
thing. We are never in a rush.
Patrick Butler used to be in a rush all of
the time. He was living in Philadelphia and
working in D.C for his job with Amtrak.
The commute was crazy, he says.
He nally moved to the District earlier
this year and he has already notched
trips to Thailand and Croatia with Trekr.
He is booked for Abacos and Greece in
2017 and says these are not individual
trips as you interact with all the travelers
throughout the week.
The experience is framed around a
group of friends and acquaintances going
on a trip together, Butler says. Most of the
travelers are from D.C., so the conversation
continues when you get home.
A former sailor in high school, Butler
has enjoyed getting back into sailing and
the fact that everything on the trip is laid
out for you.
I would not be booking a sailboat by
myself in Croatia, Butler says. Trekr
oers a good mix of all the dierent sides
of going on a vacation.
Butler himself can sometimes been
found relaxing on the boat, going to
wine tastings or participating in the Trekr
tradition of releasing Chinese lanterns.
Other times he joins in on things like the
bar excursions, tours through military
bunkers and Muslim villages, canyoning,
scuba diving or kayaking.
Trekr makes it so easy just to show up in
a country you know nothing about, Butler
says. Its really comforting to know that you
are booking an experience that someone
else has thoughtfully planned for you.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A D V I CE

N OV E M B E R 18, 2016 33

INDIAN DANCE AND

AMERICAN MUSIC

FRI, DEC 2

THE SWINGLES
YULE SONGS

CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE BARNS

POETRY IN MOTION
SAT, NOV 19

JOHN EATON

THE FABULOUS 40S

FRI, NOV 25

NEWMYER FLYER

LAUREL CANYON:
GOLDEN SONGS OF
LOS ANGELES 1966-1972
SAT, NOV 26

ALYSON CAMBRIDGE
UNTIL NOW TOUR

SAT, FEB 11

CHERISH THE LADIES

SAT, JAN 28

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX

TUE, FEB 14 + WED, FEB 15

LIVINGSTON TAYLOR
REBECCA LOEBE
THU, MAR 2

THE SECOND CITY

WERE ALL IN THIS ROOM
TOGETHER

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

DONALD TRUMPs unexpected win is a chance for gays to refuse to be victims.

SAT, APR 15

THE GAY MENS CHORUS OF

WASHINGTON, DC
PRESENTS:

GOD SAVE THE QUEENS

TWO SHOWS!

Trump victory brings fear,

uncertainty for many gays

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.

MICHAEL,
Im a gay man and like everyone I know,
I am sick to my stomach, literally, over the
election results. I am really, really scared.
Actually, terried.
I wonder what will happen to us
gay people. Rollback of marriage
equality? Legal, government-endorsed
discrimination?
I wonder what will happen to our
country with its diverse citizenry. So much
hatred and bigotry have come from the
Republican campaign.
And I wonder what will happen to our
world, which is so fragile. Not only the
idea of peace and collaboration among
nations but also the existential threats of
nuclear annihilation and global warming.
The rug has been pulled out from
everything and the people coming into
power say they dont give a damn about
so much that we hold dear. Ive never
been so hopeless about everything.

I know you deal with helping people get

a grip and see things with perspective. Do
you have any advice?
MICHAEL REPLIES:
Yes, we are facing awful threats. It
makes sense to be scared.
What can you or any of us do? Refuse
to be powerless victims. Fight for what
we believe in and what we hold to be
important, even if doing so has grave
costs to us. Stand up for what is right, no
matter the risk.
Throughout our lives, weve all heard
the importance of doing these things.
They sure seemed a lot more abstract
than they do now.
I tell my clients that there are no
guarantees, that we dont always get what
we want and that the best we can do is to
do our best, although we dont know what
the outcome will be.
Those words are a lot easier to accept
when whats at stake is a disappointed
spouse or our own dissatisfaction with
how a relationship or job is progressing.
But what is at stake now is so much
bigger. Not having things turn out as we
would hope is beyond terrifying when
it comes to having a government that
doesnt respect all citizens and does
not recognize the need for cooperation
among all humanity. When our survival,
in so many senses of the word, is at stake.
My advice?
Take courage in knowing that you are not
alone, not by a long shot. And seek out ways
that you can join with others in the struggle
to create a just country and a safe world. We
dont know how our work will turn out, but
we can pour our hearts and souls into the
eort and hope we will prevail.

WED, MAR 22 + THU, MAR 23

SAT, MAR 25 TWO SHOWS!
SUN, MAR 26

THE BAD PLUS

SAT, APR 1

AND MANY MORE!

WOLFTRAP.ORG/BARNS | 1.877.WOLFTRAP

Friday & Saturday December 9 & 10 7:30Pm

Tickets $15 In Advance $20 At The Door Students Free W/ Id

Tickets on sale now at www.18thstreetsingers.com

Church of the Ascension & St. Agnes

1217 Massachusetts Ave NW

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 4 NO VE MB ER 1 8, 2016

A RT S & CU LT U RE

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com

DANCE
Whats Going On. Thru Nov 20. Dance
Place. danceplace.org.
Cincinnati Ballet: The Nutcracker.
Nov 23-Nov 27. Kennedy Center.
kennedy-center.org.
Indian Dance and American Music:
Poetry in Motion. Nov 19. The Barns.
wolftrap.org.
Fascinatin Rhythms. Nov 19.
Congressional Chorus. Church of the
Epiphany. congressionalchorus.org.

Man to Man
Nov 19-20. Teatro de la Luna at Rosslyn Spectrum.
teatrodelaluna.org.

The story of a conict between who one is and who he should be - about a
student and a professor who together threaten their very existence in order to
arrive at the possibility of loving and being loved freely and free from judgment.

BiRDMAN LiVE
Nov 18. GMU Center for the Arts.
cfa.gmu.edu.

Feel the full intensity of this dark comedy as percussionist Antonio Sanchez
performs his critically acclaimed score onstage while the Oscar-winning
lmBirdman(orthe Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is projected behind him.

Artomatic 2016
Thru Dec 9. Artomatic.
artomatic.org.

Artomatic 2016 is a ve-week long art festival in Montgomery County, MD, right
by I-270s Montrose Road exit, that is by artists, for everyone. It is absolutely
free to the public. This years event features more than 350 artists: Visual arts,
music, performance, lm, and more.

Where Love is Illegal

Nov 18. National Geographic.
nationalgeographic.com.

Robin Hammonds current project Where Love Is Illegal, documents the

intimate moments of LGBT survivors of discrimination and persecution around
the globe. Technology is now making it possible to amplify these important
stories and connect with audiences like never beforerevolutionizing how we
capture and consume world-changing photography.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TEATRO DE LA LUNA

THEATRE
Freaky Friday. Thru Nov 20. Silver
Belles. Nov 22-Dec 24. Signature
Theatre. signature-theatre.org.
Straight White Men. Thru Dec 18.
Studio Theatre. studiotheatre.org.
The Christians. Thru Dec 11. Theater J.
theaterj.org.
The Second Citys Black Side of the
Moon. Thru Jan 1. Woolly Mammoth.
woollymammoth.net.
A Christmas Carol. Thru Dec 31.
Fords Theatre. fords.org.
Treif A Professional Reading. Nov
20. JCCNV. jccnv.org.
Six Degrees of Separation. Thru Dec
3. Keegan Theatre. keegantheatre.com.

A View From the Bridge. Nov 18-Dec 3.

Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.
Mary Poppins. Thru Jan 1. Olney
Theatre. olneytheatre.org.
The Secret Garden. Thru Dec 31.
Shakespeare Theatre Company. Sidney
Harman Hall. shakespearetheatre.org.
The Silence Of Other Voices. Nov
22. First Draft. Theatre on the Run.
rstdraft.org.
Tame. Thru Dec 11. WSC Avant Bard.
Gunston Arts Center.
wscavantbard.org.
Success. Nov 19-Nov 20. Anacostia
Arts Center. anacostiaartscenter.com.
Quid Pro Quo. Thru Nov 20. Milk Like
Sugar. Thru Nov 27. Mosaic Theater
Company. Atlas. mosaictheater.org.

MUSIC
WNO: The Daughter of the
Regiment. Thru Nov 20. WNO.
Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.
The Pop Ups. Nov 20. AMP.
ampbystrathmore.com.
Roomful of Teeth. Nov 20. Folger
Theatre. folger.edu.
Emerson String Quartet. Nov
19. Baird Auditorium. Axelrod
String Quartet. Nov 19-20.
Museum of American History.
smithsonianassociates.org.
What Makes It Great? Nov
20. Washington Performing
Arts. Baird Auditorium.
washingtonperformingarts.org.
Hector Berlioz: Requiem. Nov 20.
Choral Arts Society. Kennedy Center.
choralarts.org.
Chamber Concert. Nov 18.
Washington Musica Viva. Church of the
Ascension. dcmusicaviva.org.
Darwin Noguera Jazz Ensemble.
Nov 18. Embassy of Nicaragua.
Christopher Schmitt, piano. Nov
19. International Student House. The
Embassy Series. embassyseries.org.
Cano General siglo XXI (Chamber
Cantata). Nov 19. GALA Hispanic
Theatre. galatheatre.org.
NSO. Thru Nov 19. Kennedy Center.
kennedy-center.org.
Ariel Quartet. Nov 19. Kreeger
Museum. kreegermuseum.org.
Concert: BUSONI at 150 | Sandro
Ivo Bartoli, piano. Nov 19. Library of
Congress. loc.gov.
A Far Cry. Nov 20. National Gallery of
Art. nga.gov.
Jake Shimabukuro. Nov 20.
Strathmore. strathmore.org.
Eric Burdon & The Animals. Thru Nov
18. The Barns. wolftrap.org.

MUSEUMS
Library of Congress. #Opera Before
Instagram: Portraits, 1890-1955. Thru
Jan 21. loc.gov.
National Archives. Amending
America. Thru Sep 4.
archivesfoundation.org.

National Gallery of Art. of Art. Los

Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery,
19591971. Thru Jan 29. Stuart Davis:
In Full Swing. Nov 20-Mar 5. nga.gov.
National Museum of Women in the
Arts. NO MANS LAND: Women Artists
from the Rubell Family Collection. Thru
Jan 8. Wanderer/Wonderer: Pop-Ups
by Colette Fu. Thru Feb 26. nmwa.org.
National Portrait Gallery. In the
Groove: Jazz Portraits by Herman
Leonard. Thru Feb 20. One Life: Babe
Ruth. Thru May 21. npg.si.edu.
Kreeger Museum. Sam Gilliam
and Simmie Knox. Thru Dec
30. Smith|Paley. Thru Dec 30.
kreegermuseum.org.

GALLERIES
DAC. Furniture designed by Tom Shiner,
FAIA. Thru Nov 19. 2016 Professional
Awards of the Potomac Chapter, ASLA.
Thru Dec 10. aiadac.com.
Goethe-Institut. Shadowgraphs by
Tim Otto Roth. Thru Jan 13. goethe.de.
Hill Center. Hill Center Galleries
Exhibitions. Thru Dec 30. hillcenterdc.org.
ISAAG. States of Consciousness
Gaby Herbstein. Thru Nov 18.
idbstaassociationartgallery.org.
Korean Cultural Center DC.
Perspectives on Human Identity. Thru
Nov 30. koreaculturedc.org.
Strathmore. Jennifer Kahn Barlow.
Nov 19-Dec 31. Fine Art in Miniature.
Nov 19-Dec 31. strathmore.org.
The Art League Gallery. MiniMAX.
Thru Dec 4. Soomin Ham: Sound of
Buttery. Thru Dec 4. theartleague.org.
Waverly Street Gallery. New Work
in Clay by Kanika Sircar. Thru Dec 3.
waverlystreetgallery.com.
Zenith Gallery. Great Moments in Art
II. Thru Dec 10. zenithgallery.com.

AND MORE...
Time to Say Goodbye. Nov 22.
Washington Jewish Film Festival.
EDCJCC. wj.org.
French Cooking with Chef Grard
Pangaud. Nov 18. Knife Skills. Nov 22.
Hill Center. hillcenterdc.org.
Israeli Film: Zero Motivation. Nov 22.
JCCNV. jccnv.org.
Shooting Stars: Bowie and Prince
on Film: GRAFITTI BRIDGE. Nov 18.
Library of Congress. loc.gov.
Olga. Nov 20. National Gallery of Art.
nga.gov.
Savage Kingdom. Nov 21. National
Geographic. nglive.org.
Artist Talk: Riva Lehrer. Nov 20.
National Portrait Gallery. npg.si.edu.
2016 Maestros de Arquitectura
Lecture: Alfredo Brillembourg. Nov 22.
DAC. aiadac.com.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 6 NO VE MB ER 1 8, 2016

CA LE N D A R

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

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

MONDAY, NOV. 21
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.

TODAY
Translatina Coalition DMV hosts
Trans Lives Matter Day of Action 2016
in the Columbia Heights neighborhood
today from 5-8 p.m. The vigil will honor
trans women of color who have been lost
to violence and to address the continues
acts of violence. For more information
and the exact meeting location, visit
facebook.com/translatinadmv.
The Coven presents Moxie, a queer
ladies dance party, at Buckeye + Bear
(1730 M St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.2:30 a.m. DJ Adotnet will spin tracks. Cover
is $5. For more details, visit facebook.
com/thecovendc.
National Geographic presents Where
Love is Illegal, a photography exhibit by
Robin Hammond that showcases LGBT
stories of survival from around the world,
at the Grosvenor auditorium at National
Geographic (1600 M St., N.W.) tonight
from 7:30-9 p.m. Regular tickets are
$25 and member tickets are $22.50. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
natgeomuseum.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.)
presents Eagle Wings Auction and
Fundraiser tonight from 8 p.m.-1 a.m.
Proceeds will benet Whitman-Walker Health
for its HIV education and outreach programs.
For more details, visit dceagle.com.
The Imperial Court of Washington
and the Arlington-Alexandria Gay &
Lesbian Alliance host their annual USO
show at Freddies Beach Bar & Restaurant
(555 22nd St., South, Arlington, Va.)
today from 6-8:45 p.m. Proceeds will be
split 50 percent for AGLAs general fund
and 50 percent for the reign V charities
including Crossover Ministries, Pets with
Disabilities and Rainbow Families. For
more information, visit faceboo.com/
imperialcourtdc.

SATURDAY, NOV. 19
Legendary country singer Loretta
Lynn performs a sold-out show at the
Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) tonight
at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For
more details, visit thelincolndc.com.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.)
presents Mr. D.C. Eagle 2017 tonight from
8-9:30 p.m. There will also be a burlesque
performance by Lascivious Jane. For more
information, visit dceagle.com.
Empowering
the
Transgender
Community hosts its launch party at
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) today from 6-9
p.m. This is a new non-prot organization
led by transgender activist Earline
Budd. Its goal is to provide a supportive
place for the transgender community.
For more details, visit facebook.com/

TUESDAY, NOV. 22

PHOTO BY DAVID MCCLISTER

LORETTA LYNN plays the Lincoln Theatre Saturday night.

empowertransdc.
Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) hosts
Spotlight Power Hour: Disney tonight
from 9:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. VJ Jack Rayburn
will play popular Disney songs and
videos. There will be drink specials from
11 p.m.-2 a.m. For more information, visit
numberninedc.com.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.)
hosts its bears pantless boxers dance
tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Come dance
in boxers with no cover charge. For more
details, visit greenlanterndc.com.
KhushDC hosts its monthly South Asian
LGBTQ support group meeting at the D.C.
Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) today from
1:30-3:30 p.m. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.

SUNDAY, NOV. 20
Pretty Boi Drag presents its Sunday
Service drag king show at the Bier Baron
Tavern (1523 22nd St., N.W.) today from
2-5 p.m. Chris Jay will host the event.
There will be prizes for best dressed
parishioner including tickets for future

shows, T-shirts and more. General

admission presale tickets are $20. Tickets
at the door are $25. Doors open at 2 p.m.
and the show starts at 3 p.m. For more
details, visit
prettyboisundayservice.
eventbrite.com.
Center Trans, the D.C. Center and
D.C.
Anti-Violence
Project
honor
the 16th annual Transgender Day
of Remembrance at Metropolitan
Community Church of Washington (474
Ridge St., N.W.) today from 5:30-8:30
p.m. The vigil will honor transgender
individuals both reported and unreported
whose lives were lost to anti-transgender
hatred. For more information visit
facebook.om/centertrans.
The
sixth
annual
Montgomery
County Maryland Transgender Day
of Remembrance will be held at the
Montgomery Executive Oce (101
Monroe St., Rockville, Md.) today in
the late afternoon and evening. For an
announcement on the exact time of
the event and other information, follow
@mcmdtor on Twitter or search the
hashtag #mcmmdtdor.

SAGE and LC-Globe presents a

screening of the LGBT documentary
Winter at Westbeth at the Library of
Congress (101 Independence Ave., S.E.) in
the Pickford Theater today at 12:30 p.m.
The lm follows three artistic LGBT elders
living in New York Citys Greenwich Village.
Director Rohan Spong and spoken word
artist and participant Isla Gilbert will also
have a Q&A session. Admission is free. For
more details, visit winteratwestbeth.com.
Shaws Tavern (520 Florida Ave., N.W.)
hosts Thanksgiving Week Bingo tonight
from 8:30-11 p.m. Kristina Kelly hosts
the event. For more information, visit
shawstavern.com.
Genderqueer D.C. holds a discussion
group at the D.C. Center (13181 U St.,
N.W.) at 7 p.m. tonight. The group is for
anyone who identies outside of the
gender binary as bigender, agender,
genderuid or any label outside of
cisgender. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight
at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th
St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations
required and new comers welcome. If you
need a partner, call 703-407-6540.
SMYAL hosts an open mic night today
from 5-7 p.m. Gay youth can come to talk
openly about the issues they face with
their sexual orientation or gender identity.
For more information, visit smyal.org.

THURSDAY, NOV. 24
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts a Thanksgiving dinner today from
1-5 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m. and dinner
begins at 2 p.m. Guests are invited to
bring their favorite music to share, board
games and favorite holiday traditions. For
more information, visit thedcenter.org.
The Mansion on O Street (2020 O St.,
N.W.) hosts its Thanksgiving lunch and
tour today from noon-3 p.m. The meal will
include traditional favorites as well as lots
of vegetarian options. Guests can explore
the mansion after the meal. Tickets are
$70. For more details, visit omansion.com.

W A SH I N GTO NB LA DE.C OM

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 3 7

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

38 N OV E M B E R 18 201 6

Delight the gearhead

on your list with e-bikes,
seatbelt handbags and more

Language immersion at WIS

for children ages 3, 4, and 5!

AUTOS

stu projects. The gloves come in various

colors, from bland to bright, and theres
even a camo-colored version to fulll any
special-ops fantasies.

By JOE PHILLIPS

Washington International School offers a Preschool,

Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten program in both French and
Spanish, leading to a dual-language program starting in Grade 1.
Open to beginners, intermediate-level, and native speakers.

Ferrari sportswear

Preschool through Grade 12

IB Primary Years Program and IB Diploma Program
Small-group tours available through mid-December.
Reservations required.

Learn more at www.wis.edu/earlychildhood.

Gay and lesbian sports fans can gussy

up their collections of Redskins T-shirts
and Nats baseball caps with form-tting
Ferrari sportswear. It may not be couture,
but theres plenty of air in those sexy
sneakers, snug sweatshirts and skinnyleg sweatpants all with a tasteful use of
the Ferrari logo, of course.

Mercedes yacht

The S-Class sedan may be a hulking land

yacht, but Mercedes now adds a sleek,
seafaring yacht to its lineup. This 47-foot boat
has room for 10 lucky passengers, retractable
windows that can be dimmed automatically
and yikes! a $1.7 million price tag.

The seatbelt bag

Theres safe sex and theres safe shopping,
with all sorts of stylish handbags, wallets
and backpacks made from recycled seat
belts by Harveys of California.

BMW e-bike

Many of todays cars have hill-assist,

brake-assist and other driver-assistance
options. But BMWs e-bike can do all the
pedaling for you at speeds up to 15 mph.
With a lightweight, aluminum frame,
this bicycle has a Bosch electric motor
and removable battery that takes about
three-and-a-half hours to recharge using
a standard outlet.

Island cars with Lilly Pulitzer style

Bentley toy cars

While a $200,000-plus Bentley may break

the bank, the glam automaker oers
two less-expensive toy cars for kids:
the Continental GT (with a functioning
steering wheel, horn and selection of
music) and a 1920s retro racecar called
the Blower Ride-on (with Union Jack
emblem and the ability to embroider any
name on the car seat).

BMW running shoes

Sure, BMW is an iconic brand on the racing
circuit, but its also veered into track and eld
with Puma to create the X-CAT DISC running
shoe. The fancy footwear is ultra high-tech,
using tiny discs that tighten the t by pulling
at hidden wires. It also uses a highly durable
fabric rst used to create the exterior of a
shape-shifting BMW concept car.

The hoity-toity holiday catalog from Neiman

Marcus features island cars think ritzy
golf carts with Lilly Pulitzer prints on
the roof and seats. Sure, these rides cost
$65,000 each, but you can get swim trunks,
caftans, towels and tote bags with the same
garish, er, glitzy design.

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Mechanix Wear gloves

They may look like fetish-wear or
something out of Darth Vaders closet,
but Mechanix Wear gloves were made for
auto, home-renovation and other tough-

Hyundai folding bench

Hyundai, known for churning out stylish,

reliable cars at aordable prices, now oers
lifestyle accessories, such as a lightweight
folding bench with nifty minimalist design
that tucks neatly under a car seat.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT

N OV E M B E R 18, 2016 39

Check out Scrooge,

Nutcracker and more
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Falls Church, Va.). Tickets are $15-30.

Details at creativecauldron.org.
Saxophonist Dave Koz brings his
Christmas Tour 2016 to the National
Theatre (1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.)
on Saturday, Dec. 3 with guests Jonathan
Butler, Valerie Simpson and Kenny
Lattimore. Tickets are $68-98. Details at
davekoz.com.
The Gay Mens Chorus of Washington
presents its annual Christmas show
Naughty and Nice Dec. 10, 17 and 18
at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., NW.).
This years show features songs such as
Sleigh Ride, Merry Christmas, I Win,
Snow, Text Me Merry Christmas and
more. Tickets range from $25-65. Details
at gmcw.org.
The New Wave Singers of Baltimore,
an LGBT chorus under the direction of
Adam P. Koch, will perform their annual
holiday show Holiday Memories Dec.
10-11 at Immanuel Church of Christ
(1905 Edmonson Ave., Catonsville,
Md.). Admission is free. Details at
newwavesingers.org.
Contemporary gospel legends Amy
Grant and Michael W. Smith bring their
show Christmas with a full symphony
orchestra and guest star Jordan Smith
of The Voice to Royal Farms Arena (201
W. Baltimore St.) in Baltimore on Sunday,
Dec. 18. Tickets range from $36.50-147.
Details at ticketmaster.com.
Pope of Trash John Waters brings his
show A John Waters Christmas to the
Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave.,
Alexandria) again this year on Tuesday,
Dec. 20. Tickets are $49.50. Details at
birchmere.com.
The Rockville Civic Ballet will perform
The Nutcracker Dec. 3-11 at the F. Scott
Fitzgerald Theatre (603 Edmonston Dr.,
Rockville, Md.). Tickets are $17. Details at
fscotttzgerald.showare.com.
The Hope Garden Childrens Ballet
presents A Christmas Carol at the F.
Scott Fitzgerald Theatre (603 Edmonton
Dr., Rockville, Md.) on Saturday, Dec. 17
at 1:30 and 6 p.m. Details at hgcbt.org.
The Swingles, a UK-based a cappella
group, will perform their show Yule
Songs at the Barnes at Wolf Trap (1635
Trap Road, Vienna, Va.) on Friday, Dec.
2 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $38. Details at
wolftrap.org.
Wolf Traps annual Holiday Sing-ALong with the United States Marine Band
and members of several local choirs, will
be held at the Filene Center (1551 Trap
Road, Vienna, Va.) on Saturday, Dec. 3
at 4 p.m. Its free and gates for the lawn
and in-house seating open at 3. New

unwrapped toys will be accepted for Toys

for Tots at the Filene Center entrance.
Donations are optional. Bring a candle
and a bell to participate in various parts
of the show. Details at wolftrap.org.
The Boston Brass will perform
Christmas Bells are Swingin! at the
Barnes at Wolf Trap (1635 Trap Road,
Vienna, Va.) on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $38. Details at wolftrap.org.
Metropolitan Community Church of
Washington, D.C.s largest mostly LGBT
church, has its annual Christmas concert
on Friday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. at the church
(474 Ridge St., N.W.). The MCC choir
under the direction of Tyrone Stanley will
perform along with guests. Its free but
reservations are encouraged. Reserve a
free ticket by e-mailing the church oce
at churchoce@mccdc.com.
A Christmas Carol will be performed at
Fords Theatre (511 10th St., N.W.) through
Dec. 31 with Craig Wallace as Scrooge.
Tickets are $22-92. Details at fords.org.
Congressional Chorus will perform
Holiday Cheers: a Musical Champagne
Evening for Grownups on Saturday, Dec.
10 at 8:30 p.m. at the Atlas Performing
Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.). Tickets are
$40. Details at congressionalchorus.org.
Congressional Chorus, the American
Youth Chorus and the Capital City
Symphony will perform Holiday Sing-aLong: an Annual H Street Tradition for
the Whole Family on Sunday, Dec. 11 at
4:30 and 7 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts
Center. Tickets are $12.50 but get them
now both shows invariably sell out.
Details at congressionalchorus.org.
The Kennedy Center has several
holiday-themed events planned.
The Cincinnati Ballet will perform The
Nutcracker Nov. 23-27 at the Kennedy
Center Opera House (2700 F St., N.W.).
Renee Fleming will perform Voices: a
Merry Little Christmas with Megan Hilty
Dec. 8-9 in the Kennedy Center Family
Theater. The National Symphony
Orchestra will perform Handels Messiah
Dec. 15-18 in the Concert Hall.The NSO
Pops will perform A Holiday Pops
featuring Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana
Dec. 9-10 in the Concert Hall. NPRs A Jazz
Piano Christmas will be held on Saturday,
Dec. 10 in the Family Theater. The Second
City will perform Twist Your Dickens Dec.
9-31 in the Theater Lab. Sherrie Maricle
and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra will perform
Ella Wishes You a Swingin Christmas Dec.
16-17 in the KC Jazz Club. A Messiah singa-long will be held Dec. 23 in the Concert
Hall at 6 p.m.
Ticket prices vary. Full details on
this and all Kennedy Center shows at
kennedy-center.org.

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4 0 N O VEMB ER 18, 2016

P H O T O S BY MI CH A E L KE Y

Whitman-Walker Health held its 30th annual Walk to End HIV (formerly known as AIDS Walk) on Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday. End HIV,

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

P H OTO S B Y M I CH AEL KEY

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 4 1

Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders (SMYAL) held its 19th annual Fall Brunch at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016.

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REALESTATE

5-year winner, loser zip codes

Median value of D.C. homes
has risen 5 percent per year
By TED SMITH
As we approach the end of 2016, it
seems like a good time to look back at,
not just the preceding year, but the preceding 5 years in the District market.
The median value of all homes sold in the
Washington, D.C. district market has risen
by 26.5% over the last 5 years; thats an average of 5% annual increase in median sales
prices throughout the District. (Remember
that the median represents the mid-point of
all prices, not the average price.)
Many zip code neighborhoods performed better than this trend. These are
represented in shaded boxes of varying
strengths of green in the table above.
Zip codes that performed within 10 percentage points higher than the overall
DC median include 20001 (Shaw), 20002
(Capitol Hill North, H Street Corridor,
Trinidad), 20003 (Capitol Hill South, Navy
Yard), 20005 (Logan Circle), and 2016 (Cathedral Heights, AU Park). Zip codes that
registered even higher than 10 percentage points higher than the District average are 20008 (Cleveland Park, Woodley
Park), 20016 (16th Street Heights and
Crestwood), 20018 (Brentwood, Lincoln),
and 20020 (Anacostia). The clear winners in this category are 20017 (Brookland, Catholic U) with a whopping 150%
median price increase over 5 years,
20019 (Benning Heights, Deanwood) with
222.6%, and 20032 (Congress Heights)

with 141.9%.
Some
neighborhoods
performed
worse than this trend, but still had decent
increase in median prices: 20004 (Penn
Quarter), 20007 (Georgetown, Burleith,
Glover Park), 20009 (Dupont, Adams Morgan, 20010 (Columbia Heights, Mt. Pleasant), 20012 (Colonial Village, Takoma DC),
and 20036 (Dupont Circle, Downtown).
And keep in mind that a 7.5% increase
of median prices in Georgetown over 5
years still represents a dollar increase of
$61,500 in that timeabout the same as

the $65,000 increase in Anacostia, even

though its percentage increase of 48.7%
is roughly 6.5 times that of Georgetown.
Zip code neighborhoods that actually saw a decline in median prices over
5 years are 20015 (Friendship Heights,
Chevy Chase DC) and 20037 (West End,
Foggy Bottom).
So what does all this mean to sellers
and buyers? To sellers, it means you want
to be aware of the trends for your zip code
neighborhood when pricing your home to
sell. For buyers, declining median prices

in some zip code neighborhoods may

help you identify some possible deals,
or at least give you information to use in
bargaining for a better price.
Happy Sales to You.
Ted Smith is a licensed Realtor with Real
Living | at Home specializing in mid-city D.C.
Reach him at TedSmithSellsDC@rlathome.com
and follow him on www.Facebook.com/MidCityDCLife, www.Youtube.com/TedSmithSellsDC
or @TedSmithSellsDC. You can also join him on
monthly tours of mid-city neighborhood open
houses, as well as monthly seminars geared toward first-time homebuyers. Sign up at meetup.com/DCMidCity1stTimeHomeBuyers/.

PFLAG promotes the equality and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual,

and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
Support to cope with an adverse society.
Education to enlighten an ill-informed public.
Advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.
Trained facilitators lead the Arlington Support Group and confidentiality is maintained. For
further information about the Arlington Support Group, contact us at arl.pflag@gmail.com.
Our groups meet on the second Sunday of each month, from 3 4:30pm at the Unitarian
Universalist Church in Arlington, at George Mason Drive & Route 50.
A.L.Y. is a group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Youth and Allies in
grades 7-12. Our goal is to give LGBTQ youth a safe place to gather. Trained facilitators lead the
youth group. Confidentiality maintained. For more info, contact: aly.pflagdc@gmail.com.
Our Washington DC Chapter of PFLAG may be reached at 202-638-3852.

Cyndi Lauper
on The Best Gayborhood:
Its beautiful,
like a rainbow.

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 N O VEMB ER 1 8, 2016

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

presents

Amahl and the

Night Visitors
by Gian Carlo Menotti

Friday, December 2, 2016

7:30 pm
The Falls Church Episcopal
115 E Fairfax Street
Falls Church, VA

Holiday Classic for the Whole Family!

Tickets as low as $20!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit
www. MarylandLyricOpera.org or call (240) 427-5568.

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.

W A SH I N GTO NB LA DE.C OM
n o v e mbe r 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 4 5
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
VOTED #1 BEST Of
DCCertified massage
therapist serving the
DMV 10 years.Thank
you! In Arlington SunTues. DC apps available
Wed, Fri, Sat. Call or text
Garyat 301-704-1158
or visit http://www.
mymassagebygary.com/.
BEST MASSAGE by male
certified therapist.
Soothing Swedish; deeptissue; stress & pain
release. Safe Atmosphere
in Annandale, VA, almost
right off I-395. Days/Eve/
Wkend. In/Out calls.
Hotels welcome. Call
Marval (703) 568-6348.

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BODY & SOUL

MUSCLE BUILDING COACH
You bring the effort, Ill
guide you to results!
Maximize your muscular
strength potential!
Maximum Bob Whelan,
MS, MS, CSCS. Visit:
WebStrengthCoach.com.

BULLETIN BOARD

COUNSELING
LGBTQ AFFIRMING
THERAPY at Dupont Circle
Individuals, couples,
families, adolescents.
Over 15 years serving
the community. Mike
Giordano, LICSW. 202/4606384 mike.giordano.
msw@gmail.com. www.
WhatIHearYouSaying.
com.
COUNSELING FOR
GAY MEN. Individual/
couple counseling
w/ volunteer peer
counselor. Gay Mens
Counseling Community
since 1973. 202-580-8861.
gaymenscounseling.
org. No fees, donation
requested.

EMPLOYMENT
TOP REAL ESTATE GROUP
seeking Top Level Admin
Seeking exceptional F/T
administrative assistant
to join our top rated Real
Estate Team in Bethesda.
Friendly, empathetic,
good writing & speaking
skills, detail oriented,
able to work under
pressure, a strong desire
to succeed. MS Office &
Real estate experience
preferred but will train.
Please respond to
TEGposting@gmail.com.

MASSAGE THERAPY DELIVERED

to You! We come to your home,
hotel, office or location of choice 7
day per week from 7pm to 12:30
am. 60 Minutes = $80; 90 Minutes
= $110; 2 Hours = $150. Go to
HouseCallMassageTherapy.com for
more information including our rates,
contact info etc. (804) 938-8967.

FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM

Representing the GLBT community
for over 35 years. Family adoptions,
estate planning, immigration,
employment. (301) 891-2200.Silber,
Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.
SP-Law. com.

LIMOUSINES / DRIVERS
KASPERS LIVERY
SERVICE

BMW 2016 750XI Luxury Sedan

Service; Hourly, Point to Point &
Special Airport Transfer Rates!
Gay & Veteran Owned!
http://www.KasperLivery.com
Phone 202-554-2471.

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads

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

PHOTOGRAPHY
LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS
NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay mens
naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring
Locker Room Attendants. We all
scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You
must be physically able to handle the
work & have a great attitude doing
it. No drunks/druggies need apply.
Please call Richard at (202) 319-1333.
from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

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

STEVE OTOOLE
PHOTOGRAPHY Fine
Art Photographer
for Portraits &
Weddings.Check out
my new website - www.
steveotoolephotography.
com. Specializing in
Bears & Big men.
Steve 703-861-4422.

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

SIMPLE
AFFORDABLE
PROVEN RESULTS
CALL TODAY TOPLACE YOUR AD

202.747.2077

DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES

Top 1% Nationwide
NVAR Life Member Top Producder

703-593-3204

WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET
ENTHUSIASTICALLY
SERVING DC & VIRGINIA

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 n o vemb er 1 8, 2016

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

RENT OPEN HOUSE

MT PLEASANT. Bright & pleasant
3 BR House in cool, trendy
neighborhood. Large spaces, Easy
entertaining. W/D. DW. Disp., CAC.
Pets possible. $3750 incl. utils. Open
Sun 12-3pm, but will show when
convenient. Avail. immediately. 1837
Newton Street NW. 202-270-8687.

RENT / DC

MAID TO CLEAN Gay owned,

awesome, trustworthy & reliable!
Serving Alexandria & Arlington.
Mention this ad for $50 off.
Maidtoclean.com. (703) 299-0101.

PERSONALS / MEN
Meeting people is difficult WM,
late 50s, searching for a potential
companion. Sex not as important as
compatibility. Contact via online link.

BODYWORK

DC METRO RENOVATION
- kitchens, bathrooms, basement
renovation, floors refinished &
installed. Hans 202-517-5955.

TELLEM YOU saw their ad in the

Blade classifieds!

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

AND REPLY TO ADS

RENT / MD
FIND REAL GAY MEN NEAR YOU

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, MD - 2BR

CONDO, ONLY $1575/mth. SS Appl, W/D,
Hdwds, balcony, pkg. incl., 1 year-lease
min. Utils included. 202-725-1556.

(202) 822-1666

& sensual bodywork for total stress

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

relief in private studio on the Hill. Call

www.megamates.com 18+

Erik 202-544-5688. In calls only! No

texts! Intro Special $99.00.
EROTIC SWEDISH MASSAGE

SALE / MD

- healthy clean cut guy, 61, 160 lbs, Dupont

Circle, massage table, noon to 1:00 a.m.,
indulge your body. $70 for 1 hour. Bill 202728-0238. No text messages.
THE MAGIC TOUCH: Swedish,
Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts 202486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

Architectural
Gem in Downtown
Annapolis Bringing

urban chic to the Historic District.

Open floor plan. 4 level Loft style
condo living with dramatic soaring
ceiling & priceless original stained
glass window. Exposed architectural
beams offers unparalleled
detail...1897 Church converted to
3 luxury condos in 2003. Private
elevator. Leased dedicated parking
space 1 block away. Lock & leave!
1 block from state capitol & naval
academy & 2 blocks to City Dock.
Liz Heinsohn
Associate Broker
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc
Annapolis, MD. 21401
(cell)410-991-8566
(office)410-263-3400
www.Lheinsohn.lnf.com
EHO

Washington:

bodywork! Exceptional deep tissue

TOP RATED MASSEUR Custom

MOVERS
OUR GUYS AROUND
TOWN MOVERS.
Professional Moving
& Storage. Let Our
Guys Do The Heavy
Lifting. Mention the
Blade for 10% off of
our regular rates. Call
today 202.734.3080. www.
ourguysatmovers.com.

FREE TO LISTEN
Free Code: W Blade

ADAMS MORGAN - Furnished

1 BR, $2600/Mo. Enormous, TSK, W/D,
1 car parking, all utils., WIFI & basic cable
incl. Walk to grocery, metro, drug store &
restaurants galore. Handicap Accessible.
202 544-8762.

HOME IMPROVEMENT
BRITISH REMODELING
HANDYMAN
Local licensed company
with over 25 years of
experience. Specializing
in bathrooms, kitchens
& all interior/exterior
repairs. Drywall, paint,
electric & wallpaper.
Trevor 703-303-8699.

W A SH IN G TONB LA D E . COM

DUNGEON MASSAGE?
or Rent our dungeon. Explore your
fantasies! Surprise a BF or FB. Awesome,
clean, discrete. Fully equipped private DC
playroom. (Tutorial/instruction available).
202-544-5688.

Arlington:

Baltimore:

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

N O V E MBE R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 4 7

HANDMADE HEAVEN

y by
Potter

am
Ad

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Sp

c to

Champagne Celebrations

Business Lunch Menu

$19.50 3-Courses from the menu!

Happy Hour
$4, $5, $6 & $7
Appetizer and Drink Selections
5-7PM (Patio Open)

Weekend Brunch

Saturdays A-La-Carte - $29.95

Sunday - Buffet - $38.95
350+ AMERICAN
ARTISTS, LIVE!
OUR BIGGEST SHOW!
Exciting Demos
Tasty Treats
Live Music
Kids Entertainment
DISCOUNT TICKETS, show info,
exhibitor lists, directions and more at:

Celebration Dinners
NOV. 18, 19, 20, 2016

Montgomery Co. Fairgrounds

Gaithersburg, MD EXIT 11 OFF I-270

Admission $8 online, $10 at the door - good all 3 days
Children under 12 and parking are FREE
Fri. & Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5

SugarloafCrafts.com
SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN WORKS, INC. 800-210-9900

Unlimited Champagne!
Friday & Saturday Nights
Three Courses $38.95 pp + Tax
Avail for small groups up to 25*
Call for details

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

DC Cocktail Week

November 14-20
Appetizer and Drink Pairings

Thanksgiving Day Dinner

$35.95/$15.95
11 AM to 7 PM

Under 12

Includes Unlimited Champagne

Traditional Three Course Dinner
With Various Main Entre Choices

Holiday Events
Space Available 20 to 350 Guests