Volume 47, Issue 51, December 16, 2016

DECEMBER 16,
2016
VOLUME 47
ISSUE 51
Drag performers at gay-owned

restaurant received threats
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A North Carolina man who entered a D.C. pizza
restaurant with an assault rie on Dec. 4 invited at
least two friends to join him several days earlier on a
mission to raid what he believed was a pedophile sex
ring operating inside the Comet Ping Pong restaurant,
according to an FBI arrest adavit led in federal court
on Tuesday.
Raiding a pedo ring, possibly sacricing [sic] the lives
of a few for the lives of many, the FBI adavit quotes
Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, as saying in a text message
to a friend on Dec. 2.
After 8 years of progress,

diminished expectations
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
In anticipation of the upcoming Trump
administration, at least one LGBT advocate insists
the movement will continue to pursue itsfull agenda,
although the election results have dampened
expectations and sent advocacy groups back into a
defensive posture.
AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE
The adavit says he sent that text message two days

before he drove to D.C. and entered the restaurant
with an AR-15 assault rie strapped over his shoulders,
prompting frightened employees and customers,
including children, to ee for their lives.
D.C. police said Welch red several shots inside the
restaurant in an attempt to break open a lock to a room
he suspected was being used to operate the pedophile
ring, but no one was hurt.
He surrendered peacefully to police after determining
the child sex ring he said he learned about through
internet news stories and YouTube videos, which linked
the alleged ring to Hillary Clinton, was not present at the
Comet pizza restaurant, police have said.
Gay businessman and local arts and theater supporter
James Alefantis, the owner of Comet Ping Pong, has
CONTINUES ON PAGE 06
The surprise win by Donald Trump dashed plans

for continued LGBT progress under Hillary Clinton.
With unied Republican government at the federal
level and unprecedented Republican control of state
legislatures, LGBT rights may take a few steps back.
Stacey Long Simmons, director of public policy
and government aairs for the National LGBTQ Task
Force, nonetheless struck an optimistic tone, citing
recent wins for the LGBT movement.
I believe that combined momentum-slash-angst
that our community may be feeling because of how
vehemently anti-LGBTQ the Trump administration is
shaping up to be could actually put us in a position
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
EDGAR M. WELCHs case in the Comet Ping Pong

shooting was moved to federal court on Tuesday.
PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK
to come together in alignment with other movements

that are similarly dealing with high rates of proling,
hate crime attacks, assaults on our personhood and
violations of privacy, Long Simmons said.
Prior to the election, the Human Rights Campaign
had reportedly prepared a memo calling for the next
administration to enhance LGBT rights further after
progress under the Obama administration. Among
the requests was the appointment of the rst-ever
openly LGBT Cabinet member and eliminating the
ban on HIV-positive people serving in the U.S. armed
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L O CA L NEW S
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LGBT police liaison supervisor

cited for misconduct
Baltimore Eagle eyes New Years Eve opening
The Baltimore Eagle, the citys iconic leather bar, may have its long-awaited opening
on New Years Eve.
Were doing two inspections this week, Charles King, general manager of the
Baltimore Eagle, told the Blade. Were still hopeful of opening even partially by New
Years Eve. Keeping our ngers crossed. The inspections will be conducted by Baltimore
City ocials.
The bar, located at 2022 N. Charles St., closed in 2012 following the death of its owner
Richard Richardson. The Eagle was purchased by Charles and Ian Parrish in 2013,
and a major renovation and construction eort costing approximately $1 million got
underway.
There was a setback with the Baltimore City Liquor Board in 2015, but the management
team persevered. While construction continued, they obtained the needed liquor
license in September.
A new large billboard on busy Charles Street has been on display that reads, Buckle
Up Your Ride Is Coming Soon.
If the permits are in place in time, we will have the biggest party Baltimore has seen
in years! Keep your ngers crossed and check in with our website, according to The
Baltimore Eagles Facebook page.
Management has scheduled several events beginning in 2017 including the launch of
Baltimore Bear Fridays & Bears After Dark in conjunction with Bear Nonsense.
For more information and updates, visit thebaltimoreeagle.com.
STEVE CHARING
Zoning Commission clears path for LGBT seniors home

The D.C. Zoning Commission voted Monday night to temporarily withhold approval of
a proposed technical correction for a zoning regulation that leaders of a planned home
for LGBT seniors say could have prevented the home from opening in a residential area
of Southeast Washington.
Ocials with Marys House for Older Adults said they were advised by their attorneys
that the so-called correction could be interpreted to require their planned residential
facility to operate as a full-service nursing home, something they dont have the funds
to provide.
At the request of Zoning Commissioner Robert Miller, the ve-member commission
voted to put on hold the proposed technical change until the citys Oce of Planning,
which initiates all zoning changes, develops clarifying language ensuring that facilities
like Marys House would not have to operate as a nursing home.
This is grand, said Dr. Imani Woody, founder and CEO of Marys House for Older
Adults, Inc., a nonprot organization that plans to build the LGBT-friendly facility on the
site of the Southeast D.C. home where Woody grew up.
This simply was a grassroots eort of support from the community nationally and
locally, Woody told the Washington Blade after the Zoning Commission vote. We need
this kind of support, she said. The Zoning Commission recognized it.
Miller and other commission members said they received multiple letters and phone
calls from members of the community supportive of Marys House urging them to take
steps to ensure that the proposed zoning change would not prevent the house from
opening.
Edward Giefer, the Associate Director and spokesperson for the D.C. Oce of
Planning, told the Blade in an email that the proposed change was adopted as part
of a comprehensive revision to zoning regulations. He said the change pertaining to
residential facilities for seniors was aimed at providing a means for senior housing in
low-density zones where multi-family housing is otherwise not permitted.
Marys House Vice President Tim Helms told the Blade plans call for replacing the
existing house with a new structure that will include 15 individual living units and a
common kitchen. He said a team of architects had developed blueprints for the new
structure and construction could begin soon after the city approves a building permit.
Woody said the action by the Zoning Commission on Monday appears to clear the
way for the building permit.
Were going to send the architectural plans to our lawyer and were going to try to get
that special exemption, she said.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
D.C.s Fox5 News reported

last week that an internal D.C.
police investigation sustained
an allegation that Sgt. Jessica
Hawkins, supervisor of the
departments LGBT Liaison Unit,
oered to show student interns
working at the liaison unit a
homemade video of her having
sex with four men while she was
intoxicated.
Fox5, which said it obtained
a copy of an investigative report
about Hawkins prepared by the
departments Internal Aairs
An internal police investigation reportedly
sustained a complaint accusing Sgt. JESSICA
Division, disclosed in its news
HAWKINS of misconduct.
broadcast that Hawkins also
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
allegedly arranged for two of the
interns who were under the age
of 21 to join her in consuming alcohol at a gay bar.
Two separate complainants wrote Sgt. Hawkins bad judgment allowed
her to take interns assigned to her unit out drinking with other MPD ocers
at Freddies, a well-known LGBT bar in Arlington, the Fox5 story quoted the
investigative report as saying.
The summer interns were both under the age of 21, the story says. One
of them even admitted to having a fake ID and showing it to Sgt. Hawkins, who
laughed at it, says the Fox5 story, which was written and delivered on the air by
correspondent Marina Marraco.
We have no knowledge of the allegations and this is the rst we have heard of
them, said Freddies general manager, Ross Colbourne, in an email to the Blade.
Freddies conducts a very strict ID check policy and does not serve alcohol to
anyone under 21, Colbourne said.
Concerning the allegation about the sex video, Fox5s Marraco stated in her
broadcast, Hawkins told investigators she pulled out her cell phone and told her
interns, If you want to watch it its right here and admitted to showing others a
picture of a ____, which the broadcast suggested was a sexually explicit scene
of someones body.
Both allegations Hawkins admitted were true in an interview conducted with
Internal Aairs, the story says.
Hawkins in that very interview also admitted to buying alcohol while on duty
and drinking the store bought vodka inside an MPD facility amongst others while
they were on duty, the Fox5 story reports.
Hawkins, whos transgender, made news in March 2015 when then D.C. Police
Chief Cathy Lanier appointed her to head the LGBT Liaison Unit, making her the
rst transgender person to hold the position.
Police spokesperson Dustin Steinbeck told the Washington Blade in a
statement on Friday that the department would not be making Sgt. Hawkins
available for comment and would not comment on the Fox5 revelations beyond
what it released in a statement to the TV news program on Thursday.
Following misconduct allegations, Sgt. Jessica Hawkins was the focus of a
recent Internal Aairs investigation, the statement says. That investigation
has concluded and the ndings are currently with the MPDs Disciplinary Review
Division (DRD). The DRD will review and determine an appropriate penalty, says
the statement.
Throughout the investigation, Sgt. Hawkins remained in her current
assignment and is still widely considered a valuable MPD team member in our
Special Liaison Division, the statement concludes.
Fox5 News reported it learned from sources that the Internal Aairs Division
recommended a penalty for Hawkins of a 25-day suspension without pay.
The Fox5 story on the reported ndings of the Internal Aairs investigation
into the allegations against Hawkins comes ve weeks after Interim D.C. Police
Chief Peter Newsham conrmed to the Blade that a complaint had been led
against Hawkins, which he said the department was investigating.
The Blade learned about the complaint through sources but could not conrm
at the time what the complaint was about.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
0 6 DE CE MB ER 1 6, 2016
LO CA L N E W S
Comet drag performers received death threats

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
said Welchs Dec. 4 invasion of his

restaurant came more than a month
after fake internet stories claiming the
restaurant was linked to a pedophile sex
ring operated by Hillary Clinton and her
campaign manager, John Podesta, went
viral on social media and conspiracy
oriented websites.
The fake stories, which have become
known as Pizzagate among those who
believe they are true, have triggered the
posting of hate messages denouncing Comet
Ping Pong on social media sites. They have
also triggered a urry of hostile phone calls to
the restaurant and several other restaurants
and the Politics and Prose Bookstore located
nearby on upper Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
close to the Maryland line.
Josh Vogelsong, a Comet Ping Pong
bartender who performs in drag and
books shows at the restaurant as part
of its entertainment venue, told Slate.
com that he and at least two other drag
performers who performed there have
received harassing messages, including
death threats, on Instagram and other
social media from Pizzagate believers.
Most of the threats and harassing
messages he and the other two drag
performers received have been anti-LGBT
in nature, he said.
One Instagram user called him a dumb
bitch or whatever the fuck you are and a
fucking tranny, Slate quoted him as saying.
Other anonymous internet posters told
him, Hillary will be dead soon and so will
you and were going to slit your throat
and bathe in your blood, he told Slate.
Cis Jenner, one of the other drag
performers at Comet Ping Pong, has
said she received messages calling her a
Satanist homo. Another message said,
Hope I get to watch u bleed n get a hard
on from it.
Jenner told the Blade on Tuesday that
she last performed at Comet about a year
ago. She said the name-calling began
Comet Ping Pong was the scene of a shooting on Dec. 4; no one was hurt.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
about a month ago after the Pizzagate

stories began to surface and someone
discovered she had performed at
Comet Ping Pong through Facebook and
Instagram postings.
Theyre dying down now, she said of
the hostile messages. Ive changed my
user name on Instagram and thats kind
of preventing that.
Alefantis has agreed to talk to the
Blade in an interview next week following
a rollercoaster week in which he and
his employees scrambled to reopen the
restaurant last Tuesday following the
Dec. 4 incident with Welch.
He told the Blade he was moved by the
outpouring of support from customers
and nearby residents, who have packed
the restaurant in the days since it
reopened to show their support.
People familiar with Comet Ping Pong,
which includes ping pong tables in a room
in the rear of the restaurant, has been a
popular place for families with kids in the
10 years it has been in business.
Early Blade archives now online

The Washington Blade, in partnership with the D.C. Public Library, is digitizing
its nearly 50-year archive of LGBT news and photos. This week, the Blade and
DCPL announced the early years are completed and available online.
The years 1969-1982 have been digitized; the remaining years will be added
over the course of 2017. To access the archive, visit washingtonblade.com and
click on the Archives link in the top left navigation.
We hear from readers every week looking to access old Washington Blade
stories, said Blade publisher Lynne Brown. We are excited to announce this
milestone in our eort to fully digitize and make publicly available all Blade
content from the past 47 years.
STAFF REPORTS
Its also been popular among local

performance artists and musicians, who
Alefantis has booked over the years.
I have known James Alefantis for
many years, said gay activist and Blade
columnist Peter Rosenstein. He is a great
guy and an amazing businessman. He has
always been involved with the community
where his businesses have been located
and has proven he really cares about
D.C., Rosenstein said.
The Washington Post reported that a
YouTube video posted online Nov. 4 by a
right-wing talk show host linking Clinton
and Podesta to the alleged child sex
ring operated at Comet Ping Pong was
viewed online more than 427,000 times,
according to YouTube.
The FBI revelations about Welchs attempt
to recruit friends to join him on his visit to
Comet Ping Pong surfaced early Tuesday
afternoon, one day after prosecutors led
the arrest adavit in the U.S. District Court
for the District of Columbia.
The ling in federal court became
public shortly after prosecutors with the
U.S. Attorneys oce informed a D.C.
Superior Court judge they were dropping
D.C. charges led against Welch last week
and transferring the case to federal court.
Similar to the D.C. charges, the newly
led federal charges include the allegation
that Welch engaged in interstate
transportation of a rearm with intent to
commit an oense or with knowledge or
reasonable cause to believe an oense
would be committed.
The oense, upon a conviction, carries
a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail
along with a possible ne.
When Welch rst appeared in D.C.
Superior Court last week he had near
shoulder length hair and a full beard. When
he appeared in Superior Court on Tuesday
morning and in federal court Tuesday

afternoon he was clean shaven and his hair
had been cut to crew-cut length.
In response to questions by U.S.
District Court Magistrate Judge G. Michael
Harvey, Welch said he was unemployed
and didnt have the funds to hire a lawyer,
prompting the judge to arrange for a
court-appointed attorney.
Harvey approved a request by
prosecutors that Welch remain held in
jail until at least Friday, Dec. 16, when the
judge scheduled a joint detention and
preliminary hearing.
Welchs parents, Harry and Terri Welch,
who attended the Superior Court hearing
Tuesday morning, declined comment
when approached by reporters.
They told the Washington Post in an
interview one day earlier that they were
stunned when they learned of their
sons arrest in Washington. Among other
things, they said they had not heard of
the Pizzagate rumors and had no idea
Edgar Welch, who goes by his middle
name Maddison, was an avid believer in
the stories linking Comet Ping Pong to a
child sex ring, the Post reported.
The FBI arrest adavit says Welch
indicated in text messages to friends on
Dec. 1, including his girlfriend, he had been
researching Pizzagate and the information
he found was making him sick.
During the next few hours after
sending that text message, Welch
continued viewing YouTube pages on his
cell phone, the adavit says. He also
visited the Comet Ping Pong website.
After exchanging text messages with
friends and speaking with at least one
friend by phone, Welch sent the message
saying his plans to visit Comet Ping Pong
could result in sacricing the lives of a
few for the lives of many, the adavit
quotes him as saying.
The adavit quotes him as further
stating, Standing up against a corrupt
system that kidnaps, tortures and
rapes babies and children in our own
backyarddefending the next generation
of kids, our kids, from ever having to
experience this kind of evil themselves,
the adavit continues to quote one of his
text messages.
Im sorry bro, but Im tired of turning
the channel and hoping someone does
something and being thankful Its not my
family, the FBI adavit quotes him as
saying in the text message. One day it will
be our families. The world is too afraid to
act and Im too stubborn not to [.]
William Miller, a spokesperson for the
U.S. Attorneys Oce, said Welch did not
enter a plea during his appearance in
federal court on Tuesday.
Because this is a pending case, the U.S.
Attorneys Oce has no further comment
at this time, he said.
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NATIONAL NEWS
Trump nominates ExxonMobil CEO as secy of state

Rex Tillerson has close
ties to Vladimir Putin
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
President-elect Trump on Tuesday
announced he has nominated ExxonMobil
CEO Rex Tillerson as his nominee for
secretary of state.
Secretary of State John Kerry in a short
statement congratulated Tillerson on his
nomination.
The State Department will continue
to provide our full support for a smooth
transition, so that the incoming administration
can pursue the important work of U.S. foreign
policy around the world, said Kerry.
State Department spokesperson John
Kirby told reporters on Tuesday during
his daily press brieng that Kerry plans to
personally reach out to Tillerson this week.
Tillerson has been ExxonMobils CEO
since 2006.
His company in 2015 added sexual
orientation and gender identity to its
nondiscrimination policy. Freedom to
Work, an LGBT advocacy group, two
years earlier led a complaint against
ExxonMobil that alleged it showed bias
against gay prospective employees.
ExxonMobil CEO REX TILLERSON was

nominated for secretary of state.
PHOTO BY WILLIAM MUNOZ; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Tillerson was a member of the Boy

Scouts of Americas executive board
when it voted to allow openly gay scouts
into the organization in 2013.
NBCs Andrea Mitchell reported on
Saturday that Trump planned to announce
Tillersons nomination this week. She
cited sources close to the transition who
said the president-elect would likely tap
former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John
Bolton as deputy secretary of state.
The transition team announced last
week that former New York City Mayor
Rudy Giuliani was no longer in the running
to become secretary of state. Former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on

Monday wrote on his Facebook page that
it was an honor to have been considered
for secretary of state of our great country.
My discussions with President-elect
Trump have been both enjoyable and
enlightening, said Romney. I have very
high hopes that the new administration
will lead the nation to greater strength,
prosperity and peace.
Trump last month nominated South
Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to become the
next U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
Tillersons nomination comes against
the backdrop of mounting evidence
that suggests Russia tried to sway the
outcome of the election in Trumps favor.
U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Marco
Rubio (R-Fla.) are among those who have
expressed concerns over Tillersons ties
to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tillerson in 2011 signed a $300 billion
agreement with Russia that would
allow ExxonMobil to drill for oil in the
Arctic Ocean. Sanctions that the Obama
administration imposed against the
Kremlin in 2014 over the annexation
of Crimea and other interventions in
Ukraine derailed the project.
Putin in 2013 signed a controversial
law that bans the promotion of so-called
gay propaganda to minors in Russia.
He honored Tillerson with his countrys

Order of Friendship in the same year.
Just days after it was revealed
that Russian intelligence operatives
are apparently still in possession of
stolen Republican campaign emails,
President-elect Trump has selected
a Secretary of State with deep ties to
Vladimir Putins regime and zero foreign
policy experience, said gay Rhode
Island Congressman David Cicilline in a
statement that sharply criticized Trump
for nominating Tillerson.
Jay Brown of the Human Rights
Campaign reiterated HRC President Chad
Grins concerns about Tillerson
Democrats and Republicans alike
need to ask some tough questions at Rex
Tillersons hearing, Brown told the Blade
on Tuesday. Will Trump and Tillerson
stand up to brutal dictators like Vladimir
Putin, who has inspired attacks against
Russias LGBTQ community? Will they give
the desperately-needed help to LGBTQ
Muslims refugees eeing ISIS? Will they
maintain a principal that LGBTQ rights
are human rights and human rights are
LGBTQ rights? These arent idle questions
but a matter of life and death for millions
of LGBTQ people around the world.
Chris Johnson contributed to this report.
Exxon faces anti-gay bias lawsuit as Trump taps CEO for State
By CHRIS JOHNSON
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped
for secretary of state Rex Tillerson, the CEO of
ExxonMobil, a company that faces a lawsuit
accusing it of anti-gay discrimination in its
hiring practices.
ExxonMobils resistance to adopt LGBT
non-discrimination
protections
until
President Obama signed an executive order
in 2014 barring federal contractors from
discriminating against LGBT workers has
been well documented. But the lawsuit, which
explicitly claims anti-LGBT discrimination
occurred at the company, hasnt received
much attention.
Freedom to Work, an LGBT group
that lobbied President Obama to sign
his executive order barring anti-LGBT
discrimination among federal contractors,
led the complaint in 2013 against the oiland-gas giant with the Illinois Human Rights
Commission alleging the company violated
a 2005 state law prohibiting anti-LGBT
discrimination.
The basis of the lawsuit is resume audit
testing in which Freedom to Work sent two
ctitious resumes to the company for the
same job in Illinois. One was from a more
qualied applicant who outed herself as

LGBT by noting work at the Gay & Lesbian
Victory Fund; the other was a less qualied
applicant who gave no indication about her
sexual orientation or gender identity. The
less qualied straight applicant received
multiple call backs, the more qualied
LGBT applicant did not.
Over the course of initial proceedings
before the Illinois Department of Human
Rights, Dona Steadman, an ExxonMobil
human resources adviser, denied sexual
orientation was a factor in the hiring
decision. She testied she selected in the
initial screening process 35 applicants out
of the 51 who applied by looking at their
experience, not their volunteer work and
their education.
Nonetheless, in January 2015, the Illinois
Department of Human Rights announced
it found substantial evidence of anti-gay
discrimination at ExxonMobil and enough
for the case to be heard before a trier of
fact so that credibility can be determined.
That nding prompted Freedom to Work to
le a complaint before the Illinois Human
Rights Commission, where the litigation
remains ongoing.
Mike Theodore, a spokesperson for
the Illinois Department of Human Rights,
conrmed for the Washington Blade late

Monday the matter is still pending before
the Illinois Human Rights Commission, but
didnt have any information on when it would
be resolved.
The initial goal of the complaint was
to compel ExxonMobil to adopt a nondiscrimination policy for the LGBT employees
and job applicants and to educate its
managers and workforce on ensuring
workers or potential workers arent subject
to anti-LGBT discrimination.
At the time, ExxonMobil lacked such an
explicit policy as part of its standards of
conduct. In fact, shareholders of ExxonMobil
consistently rejected LGBT non-discrimination
at its annual meetings. In 2014, the rejection
of one proposal sponsored by New York
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who
represented New Yorks share in ExxonMobil,
marked the 17th time ExxonMobil turned
down LGBT non-discrimination protections.
It wasnt until Obama signed an
executive order barring federal contractors
from engaging in anti-LGBT employment
discrimination that ExxonMobil adopted
for its workers an LGBT non-discrimination
policy. The company has accrued more
than $1 billion in federal contracts over the
past decade.
With the LGBT non-discrimination policy

in place at ExxonMobil, the lawsuit after the
initial ndings by the Illinois Department
of Human Rights has taken on a goal of
payment of legal expenses and armation
the LGBT non-discrimination rule is enforced,
but that would still require a nding of guilt as
a result of the lawsuit from the Illinois Human
Rights Commission.
ExxonMobil didnt respond to repeated
requests from the Washington Blade on
Tuesday to comment on the ongoing case or
any expectation for when it will be resolved.
Neither Freedom to Work, nor the attorney
that represented the organization in the case,
Peter Romer-Friedman of Outten & Golden
LLP, could immediately be reached.
At one point, ExxonMobil had an
unprecedented score of -25 on the Human
Rights Campaigns Corporate Equality Index
for its anti-LGBT policies. The company now
scores 85 in 2017 after having adopted
its LGBT non-discrimination rule and other
policies. In 2013, ExxonMobil adopted
spousal health and pension benets for its
employees in a same-sex marriage after the
U.S. Supreme Courts ruling against the antigay Defense of Marriage Act.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
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NATIONAL NEWS
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White House wont comment on clemency for Manning

Earnest says Obama
will grant commutations
until last day
By CHRIS JOHNSON
White House Press Secretary Josh
Earnest had no comment last week
on whether President Obama would
grant clemency to Chelsea Manning,
a transgender former intelligence
analyst convicted of leaking classied
information.
Earnest said he couldnt comment
on the specic case in response to a
question from the Washington Blade
about Manning, whos currently in the
seventh year of a 35-year sentence in
military prison for sending information to
Wikileaks.
Im not going to discuss individual
cases, Earnest said. There is a
process thats been established at the
Department of Justice. For the way that
those applications, whether or not those
applications have been led and how
theyre being processed is a question you
should direct to them.
Manning, 29, led a petition for
clemency before the White House in the
aftermath of the presidential election.
The American Civil Liberties Union and a
number of LGBT groups have endorsed
the petition.
A transgender woman serving in a
mens prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kan.,
Manning has faced challenges. The
Army initially refused to provide her with
hormone therapy, but agreed to provide
the treatment last year as a result of
a lawsuit led by the ACLU. The Army
also initially refused to grant her gender

reassignment surgery, but reversed
its decision in September after she
underwent a hunger strike.
Manning was conrmed to have
attempted suicide at least twice, once in
July and again as she was sentenced to
solitary connement in November for
that initial attempt.
Earnest declined to comment on
whether the hardships Manning is facing
as result of being transgender would be
factors Obama would consider in granting
clemency to her.
At this point, I wouldnt speculate
on what factors the president may
consider, Earnest said. So theres a wellestablished process for considering these
clemency petitions, and Id refer you to
the Department of Justice for an update
on why that may stand.
The Justice Department referred the
Blade to the U.S. military on Mannings

clemency request. An Army spokesperson
told the Washington Blade: We have no
oversight over White House actions.
Obama has already granted clemency
to more incarcerated individuals than
the previous 11 presidents combined. If
Obama were to commute the sentence
for Manning, he would have to do so
before President-elect Donald Trump
takes oce Jan. 20.
I would anticipate that the process will
continue to run until the end, Earnest
said. But this is a process that cannot
be done overnight, that these kinds
of applications have to be led well in
advance, and theres a lot of background
work that has to be done before decisions
on individual cases can be rendered. So
I would not envision a rush to the exits
here, but I would anticipate that the
process will continue until the last day.
3 trans women among 36 dead in Oakland re

LGBT activists call
on authorities not to
misgender victims
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
At least three transgender women
were among the 36 people who lost their
lives in the Dec. 2 re that destroyed
an Oakland, Calif., warehouse where a
concert was being held when the re
broke out.
The warehouse, known as Ghost Ship,
served as an artist collective, makeshift
concert hall, and artists residence that
Oakland authorities said operated without
obtaining the required city permits and in
violation of re and building codes.
Investigators have yet to determine
the cause of the re but speculation has
surfaced among those who worked and
lived in the building that sparks from
a faulty electrical appliance such as a
refrigerator may have been the cause.
The trans women identied as being
among the victims of the re were Cash
Askew, 22, an Oakland guitar player in a
goth-pop duo named Them Are Us Too;
Feral Pines, 29, a musician active in the
Oakland and the San Francisco Bay areas
artist scene; and Em Bohlka, 33, a poet with
a masters degree in literature who, among
other things, had worked as a barista while
writing poetry and practicing photography.
The
San
Francisco
Chronicle
reported several dozen members of
the transgender community and their
The Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland reportedly operated without city permits.
SCREEN CAPTURE VIA KPIX5; COURTESY OF YOUTUBE
supporters gathered on Dec. 5 at Harvey

Milk Plaza in San Franciscos Castro
neighborhood to pray for the victims and
oer support for their loved ones.
The re was horrendous, the
Chronicle
quoted
Rev.
Cameron
Partridge, 43, a transgender priest at San
Franciscos St. Aidans Episcopal Church
as saying at the gathering.
Were realizing increasingly that there
were a number of trans folks there
that were part of our community, the
newspaper quoted him as saying.
Derick Ion Almena, 47, the leaseholder
for the warehouse and leader of the artist
collective who managed its operations,
apologized for the tragedy in a Dec. 6

interview on NBCs Today show. He
said he and his wife, who lived in the
warehouse with their two young children,
were devastated.
Almena declined to respond to
questions, however, about allegations by
Oakland authorities that the warehouse
was operating illegally as a residence and
concert hall because it lacked basic safety
features such as a sprinkler system.
Id rather get on the oor and be
trampled by the parents, he said. Id rather
let them tear at my esh than answer these
ridiculous questions, he said. Im so sorry.
Im incredibly sorry, he said.
According to Almena, LGBT people were

part of the concept of the warehouses
use as artist collective.
It started o as an initial dream, an idea
that we would have a facility and a venue
that would host everything from at-risk
youth to the gay community to artists that
couldnt perform anywhere to performance
art and alternative arts, he said.
A joint statement issued by ve
LGBT advocacy organizations on Dec. 7
expressed concern that local authorities
in the Oakland area and news media
outlets were being disrespectful to the
transgender victims by not identifying
them by their correct names.
As we continue to mourn the lives of those
lost in the tragic Ghost Ship re, it is essential
that we do everything we can to preserve
the dignity of the transgender victims by
honoring and respecting their names and
gender identities, the statement, which
was released by the statewide LGBT group
Equality California, says.
Use of a transgender persons birth
name rather than their correct name is not
only inaccurate, but is deeply disrespectful
to the individual, it says. In a time of
tragedy, use of birth names, or dead
naming, is demeaning, oensive, and
causes needless additional pain to those
who are already suering from the loss of
those they loves, the statement says.
The
organizations
signing
the
statement, in addition to Equality
California, were the National Center
for Lesbian Rights, National Center for
Transgender Equality, National LGBTQ
Task Force, Transgender Law Center, and
the Trans Assistance Project.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 1 5
Orlando marks 6-month anniversary of Pulse massacre

Gunman killed 49
people on June 12
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Monday marked six months since a
gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53
others at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that
survivors of the June 12 massacre and
friends and relatives of those who died
attended a memorial service inside the
fence that now surrounds the Pulse
nightclub. The names of the 49 victims
were read aloud at 2:02 a.m., the exact
moment when the gunman opened re.
Pulse held a second memorial service
on Monday. The Orlando Sentinel reported
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orlando
City Commissioner Patty Sheehan are
among those who spoke at an event the
GLBT Community Center of Central Florida.
The massacre which is the deadliest
Tributes to the Pulse victims are now found throughout Orlando.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mass shooting in modern U.S. history

sparked an outpouring of grief in the U.S.
and around the world.
Twenty-three of the 49 victims were
LGBT Puerto Ricans.
A plaque with the names of those who
died inside the Pulse nightclub is part
of the U.S. commonwealths rst LGBTspecic monument that San Juan Mayor
Carmen Yulin Cruz dedicated in June.

Gay clubs and the LGBTT Community
Center of Puerto Rico erected makeshift
memorials to the victims in the weeks
after the massacre.
It really shocked me, LGBTT
Community Center of Puerto Rico
Executive Director Cecelia La Luz told the
Washington Blade in July, describing her
initial reaction to the shooting.

President-elect Trump in the days
after the massacre reiterated his calls to
temporarily ban Muslims from entering
the country.
The gunman, who pledged his
allegiance to the leader of the so-called
Islamic State, was born in New York City
to Afghan parents. Dyer told the Blade
in October during a telephone interview
that Trump was promoting hate.
We dont hold it against the Muslim
community that (the gunman) was a bad
actor, said Dyer.
The massacre also prompted Equality
Florida, the Human Rights Campaign and
other LGBT advocacy groups to back gun
control eorts. It is uncertain whether they
will gain traction once Trump takes oce.
The city of Orlando last month
announced it had reached an agreement
to purchase Pulse from owner Barbara
Poma for $2.25 million. She said in a
statement her lawyers released last week
that she had backed out of the deal.
Anti-LGBT group withdraws lawsuit against Mass. trans law

ADF cites changes made
to bathroom measure
By CHRIS JOHNSON
An anti-LGBT legal group has withdrawn
its lawsuit challenging the recently
enacted Massachusetts law prohibiting
discrimination against transgender people
in bathrooms and public accommodations,
citing changes in guidance the state made
for houses of worship.
On Monday, the Alliance Defending
Freedom issued a ve-page notice of
voluntary dismissal toits challenge of the
law. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a
Republican, signed the measure into law
earlier this year.
Filed by four Massachusetts churches
and their pastors, the lawsuit sought
a court-imposed exemption under the
law on the basis it violated the First
Amendment rights of houses of worship,
which in some cases are dened
as a public accommodation under
Massachusetts law. ADF asserted the
law would unconstitutionally require
churches to allow transgender people to
use the bathroom consistent with their
gender identity.
Alliance Defending Freedom also
made the dubious claim the law forces
pastors to self-censor their speech on
anti-transgender views becausethe nondiscrimination law prohibits covered
entitiesfrom making statements intended

to discriminate or incite others to do so.
According to the notice of voluntary
dismissal,
Massachusetts
Attorney
General Maura Healy as a result of the
lawsuit revised her website to remove
houses of worship as an example of
a place of public accommodation. A
Nov. 7 letter from the attorney generals
oce to churches and pastors armed
the lawsuit caused us to focus on these
issues and to make this revision.
Further,
the
Massachusetts
Commission
Against
Discrimination
altered guidance that initially included a
church as a public accommodation, the
notice of withdrawal says.
The law does not apply to a
religious organization if subjecting the
organization to the law would violate
the organizations First Amendment
rights, the new guidance says. However,
a religious organization may be
subject to the Commonwealths public
accommodations law if it engages in or
its facilities are used for a public, secular
function.
The updated guidance cites the 2002
Massachusetts Supreme Court decision
in Donaldson v Farrakhan, which
determinedunder certain circumstances,
religious facilities are exempt from the
public accommodations law.
Also cited in the voluntary dismal is a
legal ling from the state in response to
a request for a preliminary injunction
against the law that says sermons,
communal worship, other serious

services, Sunday school classes, and Bible
studies are plainly protected by the First
Amendment.
Steve OBan, senior counsel for Alliance
Defending Freedom, declared victory in
a statement as a result of changes made
in guidance forhouses of worship under
the law.
The government cant encroach on the
internal, religious practices of a church,
OBan said. The language revisions that
our lawsuit prompted should ensure
that doesnt happen. The comments
of commonwealth ocials gave these
churches reason for great concern, and
so we are pleased wording changes have
been made to respect the constitutionally
protected freedoms these congregations
and pastors have.
Emily Snyder, a Healy spokesperson,
praised ADFs decision to withdraw the
lawsuit in response to a Washington
Blade inquiry on why the oce felt the
religious accommodation was warranted.
Healy is the rst and only out lesbian
state attorney general.
We are pleased that the plaintis
have voluntarily dismissed this case,
Snyder said. This law provides important
protections for transgender people who
were without full protection and equality
under the law for too long.
It seems likely Massachusetts made
only a perfunctory change to guidance for
the law and Alliance Defending Freedom
withdrew its lawsuit when it became time
to appear before a judge because the legal

rmlacked a legal leg on which to stand.
In the ling, ADF cautioned it remains
opposed to the guidance, even with
the changes for houses of worship, and
reserves the right to challenge the laws
potential application to churches used for
a public, secular function.
No church should fear government
punishment simply for serving its
community consistently with its faith,
ADF Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb
said in a statement. Massachusetts
ocials made the right decision to
respect these churches freedom of
religion and speech. We will continue to
monitor the situation in Massachusetts to
make sure those freedoms continue to be
respected.
Gary Buseck, legal director for GLBTQ
Legal Advocates & Defenders, said
his organization is glad to see Alliance
Defending Freedom withdraw its
baseless claim, but is prepared to ght if
additional litigation follows.
Their assertion that churches are
completely excused from complying
with non-discrimination statutes has no
foundation in the law, Buseck said. To the
contrary, Massachusetts courts have struck
an important balance between principles
of non-discrimination and religious liberty
applying the public accommodations
law to entities, including religious ones,
when engaged in secular activities and not
applying the law to entities when engaged
in any religious activities.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
1 6 DE CE MB ER 1 6, 2016
I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S
Catholic Church reaffirms gay priests ban
From left, U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic JAMES WALLY BREWSTER,
U.S. Ambassador to Denmark JOHN RUFUS GIFFORD, Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute
President AISHA MOODIE-MILLS, Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI
Persons RANDY BERRY, former U.S. Ambassador to Romania MICHAEL GUEST and
USAID Senior LGBT Coordinator TODD LARSON speak on a panel at the Victory Funds
International LGBT Leaders Conference on Dec. 8, 2016 at the Washington Hilton.
Trump urged to continue pro-LGBT U.S. foreign policy

Former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Michael Guest last week said President-elect
Trumps administration should support U.S. eorts to promote LGBT rights abroad.
It would look bad for Trump personally and for his administration more broadly
if they were to suddenly just say no more Pride ags on embassies, no more Pride
celebrations, ambassadors should not march, he said during a panel at the Gay and
Lesbian Victory Institutes International LGBT Leaders Conference that took place at the
Washington Hilton. I just cant quite imagine he would do that because it would look
bad for him and its about the way he is viewed personally.
Guest, who is a senior adviser for the Center for Global Equality, is the rst openly gay
ambassador conrmed by the U.S. Senate. He represented President George W. Bushs
administration in Romania from 2001-2004.
Guest joined U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius, U.S. Ambassador to Denmark
Rufus Giord, U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James Wally Brewster and
Special U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry on the panel that
Victory Institute President Aisha Moodie-Mills moderated. Todd Larson, senior LGBT
coordinator for the U.S. Agency for International Development spoke at the beginning
of the event.
Tamara Adrin, the rst openly transgender person elected to the Venezuelan
National Assembly, was among the more than 100 elected ocials and activists who
attended the panel.
Theres no turning back, said Osius, speaking to his fellow panelists from the
Vietnamese capital of Hanoi via Skype.
President Obama in 2011 directed agencies that implement U.S. foreign policy to
promote LGBT rights abroad.
Argentina, the Netherlands, the Human Rights Campaign and the Arcus Foundation
are among the contributors to the Global Equality Fund, a public-private partnership
the State Department manages with the U.S. Agency for International Development
that seeks to promote LGBT rights around the world. Berry has traveled to Jamaica,
Honduras, Uganda and more than 40 other countries since he assumed his post within
the State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in April 2015.
It remains unclear whether the promotion of LGBT rights abroad will factor into the
Trump administrations foreign policy. Advocates with whom the Washington Blade has
spoken since the election have urged the president-elect to leave current U.S. policy
intact.
Im going to continue to do what I do as long as they let me, said Osius during
Thursdays panel. It will be hard to maintain the same momentum, but I think we can
continue doing what we do.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
The Roman Catholic Church has rearmed its ban on gay men in the priesthood.
The church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to
the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated
homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture, reads the Dec. 8-dated
document, which is titled The Gift of the Priestly Vocation, the Vaticans Congregation
for the Clergy released.
The document also rearms Pope Francis stance on homosexuality.
What has concerned many is a statement found in the documents conclusion.
The Holy Father Francis has approved the present General Executive Decree and has
ordered its publication, it reads.
At the very least, Pope Francis owes it to the church, the world, and, not least,
the LGBT community to explain exactly where he stands, said Francis DeBernardo,
executive director of the New Ways Ministry, a 39-year old national ministry of justice
and reconciliation for LGBT Catholics.
DeBernardo is referring to Francis 2013 interview during which he told reporters, If
a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?
That is not the rst time Francis has supported so-called gay culture, having
previously called for the church to apologize to the person who is gay whom it has
oended.
In his three-and-a-half years as ponti, Francis has shown that he has moved away
from now retired Pope Benedict XVIs approach to issues of sexuality, said DeBernardo,
in a statement.
MAXIMILIAN SYCAMORE
Anti-gay Gambian president rejects election results

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh last week announced that he no longer accepts
the results of his countrys presidential elections.
The Associated Press reported Jammeh said in a televised speech there were voting
irregularities in the Dec. 1 election.
Gambias Independent Electoral Commission said Adama Barrow, an independent
candidate who represented the United Democratic Party, a coalition of eight opposition
parties, defeated Jammeh by a 45-36 percent margin. Jammeh told Barrow in a telephone
call that Gambian television broadcast that he would accept the election results.
I hereby reject the results in totality, said Jammeh on Friday, according to the
Associated Press.
Jammeh also called for new elections.
Fatou Camara, a journalist who was Jammehs press secretary before she was
accused of trying to undermine his government, on Saturday reported that Barrow has
described himself as the legitimate elected president of Gambia.
The State Department on Friday strongly condemned Jammeh for rejecting the
election results.
This action is a reprehensible and unacceptable breach of faith with the people of
the Gambia and an egregious attempt to undermine a credible election process and
remain in power illegitimately, it said a statement.
We call upon President Jammeh, who accepted the election results on Dec. 2, to carry
out an orderly transition of power to President-Elect Barrow in accordance with the
Gambian constitution, added the State Department.
Jammeh came to power in the small West African country during a 1994 coup.
The Obama administration and the Human Rights Campaign, among others, have
sharply criticized Jammeh over his governments anti-LGBT rights record.
A 2015 Human Rights Watch report notes Gambian police and ocials with the
countrys National Intelligence Agency rounded up dozens of people on suspicion of
their sexual orientation after Jammeh signed a law in 2014 that sought to impose a life
sentence upon anyone found guilty of aggravated homosexuality. A Gambian man
with whom the Blade previously spoke said he was among 18 people who were arrested
at a birthday party for promoting homosexuality.
Jammeh, who owns a $3.5 million mansion in Potomac, Md., in 2015 said he would slit
the throats of gay Gambian men. Jammeh has also described homosexuality as one of
the three biggest threats to human existence.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NEWS
D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 1 7
Adjusting to reality of President Trump

forces. Its hard to see how that could

happen under the Trump administration.
After Trumps election, a number of
groups have experienced a surge in
donations likely out of fear civil rights will
be undone. The American Civil Liberties
Union is among the groups that support
LGBT rights experiencing a spike in
donations since Trumps election.
As of Monday, the ACLU has reported
nearly 295,000 donations totaling almost
$20.5 million. The group has pledged to
use that money to protect civil rights for
transgender Americans in addition to
ensuring safety for Muslims in the United
States and Dreamers who received
presidential deferred action protection.
Long Simmons said she was unable
to speak to any increased donations
to the Task Force in the aftermath of
the election, but the uptick generally is
unsurprising.
Ive heard before that in times of
diculty, there are people who more
inclined to give to non-prots just
generally speaking because theyre
angered by what they see and want to
make a change, and so people donate
with their time or they donate with their
money, Long Simmons said.
Over the course of his presidential
campaign, Trump has taken anti-LGBT
positions despite saying hed protect
LGBT people from a hateful, foreign
ideology during his acceptance speech at
the Republican National Convention and
waving an upside down Pride ag with
the words LGBTs for Trump at a rally in
Colorado.
Trump has signaled support for the
First Amendment Defense Act, a federal
religious freedom bill that wouldenable
anti-gay discrimination, said hes with
the state on North Carolinas House
Bill 2 and said hed rescind guidance
instructing schools to allow transgender
students to use the bathroom consistent
with their gender identity. Although
Trump said after the election hes ne
with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in
favor of same-sex marriage, he urged
social conservatives during thecampaign
to trust him to oppose it.
The president-elect continues to stock
his Cabinet with ocials whose common
feature seems to be hostility toward LGBT
people. Just this week, Trump tapped
as energy secretary former Texas Gov.
Rick Perry, famed for an ad during his
2012 presidential campaign in which he
said, Theres something wrong in this
country when gays can serve openly in
the military but our kids cant openly
celebrate Christmas or pray in school.
Trumps choice for interior secretary, Rep.
Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), implied in a debate
this year his opponent, Denise Juneau,

was a lesbian by choice.
After North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory
lost his bid for re-election a defeat
observers attribute to his signing the
notoriously anti-LGBT HB2 Trump
met with the Republican last week at
Trump Tower. According to a report in
the Charlotte Observer, a source close to
Trumps transition team said the ousted
governor denitely has a place in the
upcoming administration.
Emboldened by Trumps commitment
to pass the First Amendment Defense
Act, Republicans who support the bill, as
Buzzfeed reported, are eager to move
forward in the next Congress.
Conn Carroll, a spokesperson for Sen.
Mike Lee (R-Utah), said her boss, the chief
sponsor of the First Amendment Defense
Act, is among the lawmakers eager to
move forward with the legislation.
Sen. Lee does plan to reintroduce
the First Amendment Defense Act in the
next Congress and we are hopeful the
next White House occupant will be more
supportive of the legislation than the
previous one, Carroll said.
The state level also may be a place of
anti-LGBT attacks. In Texas, lawmakers
have pre-led bills in anticipation of the
upcoming legislative session that would
roll back LGBT rights. Among them is
Senate Bill 92, which would prohibit
localities in Texas from enacting proLGBT non-discrimination ordinances.
Despite these ambitions, undaunted
in eorts to advance LGBT rights under
a Republican-controlled Congress and a
Trump administration is Sen. Je Merkley
(D-Ore.).
Martina
McLennan,
a
Merkley
spokesperson, said her boss intends to
reintroduce LGBT non-discrimination
legislation known as the Equality Act in
the upcoming Congress.
With an incoming administration
that is indierent at best and hostile at
worst when it comes to LGBT rights, Sen.
Merkley believes it is more important
than ever to keep ghting for LGBT
equality, McLennan said. The American
people are rmly on our side, with a large
majority saying that they not only believe
that full non-discrimination protection
is the right thing to do, they believe it is
already law. As the saying goes, the best
defense is a good oense, which is exactly
why Sen. Merkley will keep pushing for
a vision of full equality by reintroducing
the Equality Act and by pressing the
Trump administration and congressional
Republicans to make clear if they stand
for or against equality.
Long Simmons said the major defeats
on Election Day shouldnt diminish the
expectations for achievement because
there are still pockets of the nation
where people are standing with us. She

called for building agrassroots apparatus
in preparation for the 2018 midterm
elections.
I feel like its going to be the way that
we protect what weve already won as
we put forward our voices and whatever

manner of resistance makes sense, and
also just making sure that theres absolute
full engagement in our democracy on the
part of as many people as possible, Long
Simmons said.
Brian Petro dies at 46

Brian Petro, a long-time D.C.-based artist, died Dec. 2 due to liver and kidney
failure related to alcoholism, according to his friend, Mark Guenther. He was 46.
Petro was a native of central Pennsylvania and was born Oct. 1, 1970. He
worked in sports medicine for six years before pursuing art full-time, which he
did for the last 20-plus years creating multi-media works using ink, paint, old
newspapers and more. He credited his style as inspired by the dichotomy of
having grown up in a supportive yet rural area and the independence required
for urban life, according to a bio he used professionally. He cited global travel
and urban exploration as inspirations for his artistic aesthetic.
His work was shown in galleries in New York, Hawaii, Philadelphia, New
Orleans, Washington, Rehoboth Beach, Del., and more. His clients included
Absolut Vodka, which commissioned an ad used in Dupont Circle; the Ritz
Carlton Hotels; Saks Fifth Avenue; IBM, which commissioned a 20-foot mural;
the Library of Congress and others.
Petro was gay and had been in a long-term relationship with Ricardo Zapata
that ended around 2011, though they remained friends. He is survived by
long-time friends David Keuler, Mark Guenther and others. Petro moved
to Washington in 2000. He lived in New York from 2008-2011 after which he
returned to Washington.
A 20-year retrospective of his work was held at the Paper Gallery in
Philadelphia, the rst professional gallery to exhibit his work.
Brian set the example of what it means to be a good human, Guenther said.
He loved unconditionally and accepted people for who they were, no matter
what. For me, he dened what it means to be a friend simply by being the
example. He was one of the most creative, kind and generous people that I
have ever met and I consider it one of the greatest gifts of my life to have had
the privilege to call him my best friend.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 4:30 p.m. at First
Congregational United Church of Christ (945 G St., N.W.). After the service,
Petros art will be for sale at a reception. Festive attire as one would wear to an
art opening is requested.
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
18 DE C E M B E R 16, 201 6
Celebrate
Christmas with Us!
Wednesday, Decemer 21
7 PM Longest Night Service Wesley UMC**
Christmas Eve Saturday, December 24
5:00pm Family Service*

7:00pm Candlelight and Communion* Wesley UMC**
7:30pm Candlelight and Communion*
10:30pm Prelude Music
11:00pm Traditional Candlelight Service with Music
Sunday, Decemer 25
10:00am Service of Lessons & Carols*

11:00am Service of Lessons & Carols Wesley UMC**
Sunday, January 1
11:00am Kwanzaa Celebration* Wesley UMC**

* Infant care provided
** 5312 Connecticut Ave. NW
METROPOLITAN MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
3401 Nebraska Ave. NW WDC 20016 202.363.4900 www.nationalchurch.org
Christmas is a time for new beginnings.
BA LT I MO RE N E W S
Baltimore community center celebrates 40 years

The GLBT Community Center of
Baltimore and Central Maryland
(GLCCB) is turning 40, making it one of
the longest operating LGBT community
centers in the country. To celebrate, the
non-prot is holding a gala fundraiser
on Friday. The event will take place
beginning at 6 p.m. at Chase Court,
1112 St. Paul St. in Baltimore. Attendees
should be age 21 or older, and semiformal attire is suggested.
All of us at GLCCB are incredibly
proud to witness and carry this
organization into its 40th year, Jabari
Lyles, President of the GLCCB board
of directors, told the Blade. As we
The exterior of the GLCCBs new oces
celebrate, we honor the founders of
in Baltimore.
GLCCB for being pioneers in LGBTQ
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY STEVE CHARING
community service for Baltimore and
the nation, and everyone who has
contributed to keep our doors open in 2017.
Lyles points out that funding is crucial to carry out its programs. We
experienced over 800 walk-ins at our new center. Every single day, we provide
free case management services, free and condential STI testing, free meeting
space for community and social groups, and a free, safe place for our community
to count on.
This gala will feature a fully catered cocktail dinner, premium unlimited open
bar all night long, and special guest performances. There will also be a silent
auction. The ticket price of $125 includes dinner, drinks, as well as a donation to
the GLCCB.
To purchase tickets, visit the GLCCB online.
3 Baltimore employers earn top ratings from HRC
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a Baltimore-based not-for-prot health care

company and the regions largest health insurer, is one of three Baltimore
employers to have earned a top score of 100 percent from the Human Rights
Campaign on the organizations 2017 Corporate Equality Index.
The other two are DLA Piper and T. Rowe Price Associates. These companies
are among 517 U.S. businesses to earn a CEI top rating and are also considered
among of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by HRC.
CareFirst is one of only16 in the health care eld to achieve the perfect score.
It has long been a part of our company mission to promote respect, fairness
and opportunity among all of our associates, said CareFirst President and CEO
Chet Burrell in a statement.
This recognition from the Human Rights Campaign serves as a prominent
reminder that we have been able to put that commitment into practice, ensuring
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DE C E M B E R 16, 2016 19
Pittsburgh votes to ban conversion therapy

PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh this week formally adopted Pennsylvanias rst
ban on the controversial practice of conversion or ex-gay therapy for minors
with a Tuesday City Council vote that passed 9-0, Penn Live reports.
Once enacted, the ban will prohibit mental health professionals within city
limits from treating homosexuality as an illness. The practice has been widely
discredited.
Under Pittsburghs ban, oenders can be ned $300 for each oense and
sentenced to up to 30 days in prison for failure to pay.The city is the rst to adopt
such a ban in Pennsylvania and ocials say they hope others will follow suit.
Philadelphia also began a similar eort this month,while previous eorts to
ban the practice at the state level have stalled.
According to the Equality Federation, there are ve states (California, Illinois,
New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont) plus the District of Columbia with laws that
prohibit state-licensed mental health professionals from engaging in eorts
to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of persons under the age
of 18. Additionally, the cities of Cincinnati and Seattle have banned conversion
therapy, along with six cities in South Florida (Bay Harbor Islands, Miami, Miami
Beach, North Bay Village, West Palm Beach and Wilton Manors).
HIV rates skyrocket for Filipino men

LONDON Human Rights Watch says HIV prevalence among Filipino men
has increased tenfold over the last ve years, the Independent, a UK newspaper,
reports citing failure of government intervention.
Human Rights Watch said in a Dec. 8 report that HIV prevention education in
Philippine schools is woefully inadequate, commercial marketing of condoms is
nonexistent and barriers to condom access and HIV testing particularly those
below 18 who are required by law to have parental consent have contributed
to the worsening epidemic, the Independent reports.
The report said the problems found in national and local government policies
are compounded by longstanding resistance of the Roman Catholic Church to
contraceptives. More than 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholic.
Peter Mosende, a country ocer of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/
AIDS or UNAIDS, said the Philippines has the highest rate of new HIV infections
in the Asia-Pacic region, with new cases increasing by more than 100 percent
from 2001-2015.
The Department of Health said it recorded 38,114 cases of HIV from January
1984 to October 2016, less than one percent of a population of more than 100
million. But the rate of increase has been alarming, with 32,099 of the cases
recorded from 2011-2016. Ocials estimate there could 55,000 cases by the end
of 2016, the Independent reports citing the study.
For the rst 10 months of this year, 7,756 new HIV cases were recorded. From
one new case a day in 2008, today 26 new infections are recorded daily.
Beginning in 2010, the transmission trend shifted from male-female sex to
male-to-male sex, which this year accounts for 87 percent of new infections, the
health department said. More than half of those infected men are 25 to 34 years
old, and nearly 30 percent are aged 15 to 24, the Independent reports.
HIV-positive drug users more often gay in NYC
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Hard candy Christmas

God bless us, if
not quite everyone
RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.
Nothing says Christmas to me more

than buying cough medicine at the CVS
and needing assistance because the
automated checkout assumes that Im
running a meth lab. That, and a Ho! Ho!
Ho! greeting card where the hos are
the Kardashians.
Speaking of unfortunate assumptions,
a friend of mine went to Comet Ping Pong
on Connecticut Avenue the other evening
for pizza as a show of solidarity against
fake news and fascist terrorism, and was
promptly mistaken for Trump operative
Corey Lewandowski. His actual name is
Keith, and hes a ne fellow. Please do not
dump glitter on him.
Im sure I speak for all of us when I say that

Christmas can suck it like the rest of 2016. I
mean, I can understand someone not liking
Hillary, but how do you get from there to being convinced she is running a pedophile sex
ring in the basement of a pizza place? Comet
doesnt even have a basement. And what is
the coded meaning of pepperoni and sausage? Im just ordering an eng pizza. Its
one thing to install a Kremlin stooge atop
our government, but messing with someones pizza is asking for a ght.
America has seriously lost its mojo. At
least we have gloomy Christmas songs
to cheer us up. I love Coventry Carol,
though it unfairly brings to mind a notorious Nazi bombing. A college professor friend said over his cappuccino that
there should be a narrow time window
outside of which Christmas music is
banned. He should get the presidentelect to tweet that.
The saddest-ever Christmas song was
sung by Judy Garland. When she nished
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,
her little sister Margaret OBrien ran outside and smashed the snow people while
crying inconsolably. That always gets
me into a holiday mood, as does Its a
Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewarts beloved
Christmas classic about suicide.
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON
I once read in Robertson Daviess

Deptford Trilogy about the grim longterm eects of throwing a snowball with
a rock in it. So I try to rid myself of dark
thoughts like creating a Golden Elevator
Shaft Award, to be given to the public
gure most deserving of ending up like
Rosalind Shays on L.A. Law. Nothing but
gold for You Know Who.
Republicans last week stripped a
Buy America provision from a water infrastructure bill, leaving lumps of coal
in American steel workers stockings.
Thanks, Hillary! (I realize sarcasm wont
help, but it is cheaper and less fattening
than a tin of pumpkin seed brittle from
Williams-Sonoma.)
The coee shop this morning was playing Bing Crosbys Christmas album from
the 40s. I wondered if Crosby believed all
that stu. I myself enjoy Lo How a Rose
Eer Blooming despite being a nonbeliever,
just as I enjoyed reading Lemony Snickets
The Latke Who Couldnt Stop Screaming
years ago to my nephew Sam, even though
I oppose the West Bank settlements.
My mother admonished, Think of
the starving Armenians and eat your
vegetables. Today it would be refugees
from the bombing in Aleppo. I also have
African friends who are seeking asylum
and fear being sent back to oppressive
countries. Of course the Holy Family 20
centuries ago were refugees, something
liberals love to bring up. Real Christians
share Christs love by starting Crusades or
burning people at the stake. And I dont
want to lose the next election, so Im crying over white peoples problems and displaying a picture of Euro Jesus.
Kelly Osbourne, whose fame ttingly
comes from reality TV, says we have to
give Trump a chance. Why give fascism a
chance? I watched Trumps charm-lled
campaign, and Im sorry but I cannot wish
him success in carrying out his promises.
This Love Army approach advocated by
the lovely Van Jones leaves me cold, and
it was cold already.
Mom once complained about my
creepy friends. Granted, vampires are
a bit over the top. But they had nothing
on Trumps cabinet. What is this, a pirate
convention? Once, on a cruise ship, I saw
a gay AA meeting listed under Friends of
Dorothy. Now we have a virtual coup by
Friends of Vlad. Sorry, Dorothy (and Bill
W.), but Im spiking my eggnog.
Copyright 2016 by Richard J.
Rosendall. All rights reserved.
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D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 2 1
We must stand up to Trumps Cabinet of bigots

Appeasement leads to more
government oppression
By MICHAEL RADKOWSKY
It looks as though we LGBT folks are going to have to go to war again.
Like so many others, I stood outside
the White House lit up in rainbow colors
in June 2015, celebrating the nationwide
legalization of gay marriage, thinking that
LGBT oppression at the hands of our own
government was drawing to a close.
Turns out we were a tad premature.As
Donald Trump prepares to take power,
he is appointing one hateful anti-gay bigot after another.
And I dont use these terms lightly.
As reported in the Washington Blade
and elsewhere, Vice President-elect Mike
Pence, likely Attorney General Je Sessions, likely CIA Director Mike Pompeo,
likely Education Secretary Betsy DeVos,
likely Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, likely Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson,
Chief of Sta Reince Priebus, and Domes-
tic Transition Team Leader Tom Price all

have demonstrated animus toward LGBT
equality and same-sex marriage. And of
course, Kellyanne Conway was spokesperson for the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage.
How should we respond?
Many of us are afraid, for good reason. Our well-being, our safety, our employment, and our rights are once again
likely to come under attack. And when
people in power say that LGBT people are
not as good as everyone else, its going to
be dicult not to absorb some of their
hatred and turn it against ourselves.
Some of us will be tempted to put our
heads down, try to avoid attention, and
keep quiet about being targeted, fearful that well make things worse or invite
retribution.When circumstances start to
deteriorate, its human nature to tell ourselves that things arent so bad while hoping that they wont deteriorate further.
But none of these responses will help
us. Not a bit.
Appeasement, though understandable,
never leads to a positive outcome for
those under attack. Acceptance of injus-
tice simply leads to further injustice. So

even if we are afraidespecially if we
are afraidwe must forcefully stand up
to the hate, relentlessly call out the bigotry, and ght, unyieldingly, any attempt
to diminish our rights, while doing our
best not to be negatively aected by the
anti-gay animus that is once again being
publicly spoken.
As a psychologist, I know that taking action on our own behalf is the route to feeling good about who we are, because it is
through doing so that we come to respect
our own actions and lives. Fighting for
what is right feels a lot better than wallowing in victimhood and hopelessness.
Moreover, if you are considering keeping your mouth shut to avoid trouble, ask
yourself what sort of life you can have
when you live in fear and believe that you
have to hide who you are in order to stay
safe.Is there really any safety in the closet?
So lets not despair, not in the slightest.
Remember, weve been through this
before and weve not only persevered,
but prevailed.
Lets hold in our awareness how far we
have already come through our banding
together in unity; through our standing

rm; through our ghting for justice; and
through our letting others know the truth
about our lives.
Lets also keep in mind that we are far
stronger and better organized than we
were at the time of Stonewall or at the
start of the AIDS crisis.Moreover, we now
have as allies the majority of the American people.
When George Washington wrote the
words to bigotry, no sanction; to persecution, no assistance, he was condemning exactly the attitudes and behavior exhibited by those who are now poised to
take over the leadership of our country.It
is we who are on the side of true patriotism and who stand for what America really represents.
With this knowledge as our inspiration,
lets ght for the cause to which George
Washington dedicated himself, that our
nation be one where every one shall sit
under his own vine and g tree, and there
shall be none to make him afraid.
MICHAEL RADKOWSKY is a D.C.-based writer
who contributes regularly to the Blade.
I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON
Welcoming D.C.s new public schools chancellor

Wilson has a big job, lets
hope he commits for
the long term
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights

and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has the two most

important cabinet positions to ll, Chancellor of DCPS and Police Commissioner.
The success of the people she picks will
likely play a huge role in determining
whether she gets to serve a second term.
I trust that will happen.
The mayor has made her decision on the
new DCPS Chancellor and has signed a contract with Antwan Wilson, currently Chancellor of the Oakland, Calif., school district.
The contract has to be voted on by the D.C.
Council. In many ways that is pro-forma since
the mayor now controls the schools. But I
congratulate Committee on Education Chair

David Grosso for holding three hearings, two
out in the community and one at City Hall, to
allow for the public and interested parties to
weigh in on what they think are the crucial issues they want Wilson to address before the
Council votes on his contract.
My background in education includes
teaching 4th and 6th grade in Harlem in
New York City; being CEO of the National Association for Gifted Children for 14
years; and vice-chair of the board of trustees of the University of the District of Columbia for ve years.
I took the opportunity to testify at the
hearing held at the Wilson Building and
did so as a community activist interested
in seeing all children in the District are
challenged and have the kind of education that gives them the opportunity to
reach their God-given potential. Having
been a part of the education transition
teams of a number of D.C.s mayors I am
very familiar with DCPS and the role of
charter schools in the District.
It was good to read Wilsons quote in
the Washington Post saying he knows
that schools can change the trajectory
for poor children because he was one
himself. He grew up with a single mother
and a lot of instability, living in 15 homes

and going to 10 schools between kindergarten and high school graduation. He
made it, he has said, with excellent teachers helping him navigate the path to and
through college.
Those of us involved in the education
politics of the District know it is not an
easy task to navigate the varied interests
and power centers. Some in Oakland accused Wilson of trying to aid charter
schools at the expense of the citys traditional public schools. Hopefully before
he accepted the position in D.C. he took
the time to look at and understand the
buzzsaw he could easily run into here. It
will take all his political know-how to get
through that mine eld.
One issue I hope was discussed with
Wilson is the need for continuity if we are
to continue to make progress, and even
speed it up. Wilson left his job in Oakland
in the middle of the year after only two
years. Hopefully the powers that be extracted at least a promise from him committing to a longer tenure here. One reason DCPS has made great strides is our
mayors, from Fenty, to Gray to Bowser,
have stayed the course. Kaya Henderson
began as Deputy Chancellor in 2007 and
became Chancellor in 2010. While we

know D.C. schools have a long way to go
we must also recognize great progress
has been made. Unfortunately the average length of stay of chancellors these
days is two to three years.
As a gay man its important to me that
Wilson commit publicly to the LGBT students, teachers and parents in the District that they will always feel safe and
welcome in our schools. It is also important that Wilson commit to getting every dollar he can for the public schools,
knowing those include both DCPS and
charter schools. But as chancellor, Wilson
must always keep in mind he is only responsible for the children in DCPS. I also
want to hear him reject the idea of vouchers which only take public money away
from public schools and have never been
shown to help children academically.
Being chancellor of DCPS is a tough job
with a higher prole than the one in Oakland.
He will also have to work with someone not
committed to public schools if Betsy DeVos is
conrmed as Secretary of Education.
I welcome Wilson to the District and
oer my help, as I am sure so many others have. I hope his tenure here will be a
rousing success for our children.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
2 2 DE CE MB ER 1 6, 2016
VIEWPOINT
Jamaican LGBT group celebrates 18 years of progress

A signicant shift in
attitudes of island residents
By DANE LEWIS
J-FLAG, Jamaicas leading organization advocating for the rights of LGBT
people, celebrates 18 years of spectacular change-making work having been
launched on International Human Rights
Day Dec. 10, 1998.
While many would ask, What is there
to celebrate? citing continued incidences
of homophobic and transphobic violence
and harassment, we have seen, through
the implementation of our programs
over the years, a signicant shift in the
attitudes of Jamaicans toward the LGBT
population.
In the past eight years, J-FLAG has been
privileged to enjoy some key partnerships
and the support of some bold allies who
continue to support us as we create and
curate safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory spaces for the LGBT community. I
celebrate those LGBT people who come
out and show up in ways that help to challenge the misconceptions about us. I am
grateful to those who, for several reasons,
may be unable to do so, but continue to
add value to our work and the movement
in Jamaica and the Diaspora. These partnerships have all contributed to where
We are heartened by the overwhelming support

we receive on social media and are fortied by our
desire to see LGBT Jamaicans fully integrated into
all areas of public life.
we are today, as one diverse and unied
movement, and that is worth celebrating.
Our team has expanded, and with that,
there was an increase in the number of
initiatives undertaken; an increase in
community reach and engagement; increase in our social media output, reach
and engagement; increase in income
(including from local businesses); improvement in the quality, and diversity of
services and programs oered through
enhanced resource mobilization.
The eort of the hardworking sta is
demonstrated in the fact that 80 percent
of our planned programs and initiatives
for 2016 were completed during the year.
This makes 2016 the organizations best
performing year in its 18-year history.
And this does not even account for the
over 40 ad hoc activities that were completed within that same time.
In 2016 alone we have sensitized more
than 200 healthcare workers and 150 Jamaicans who seek healthcare services
on the importance of ensuring that all

Jamaicans, including LGBT Jamaicans, are
able to comfortably access healthcare
free from discrimination. We have also
trained more than 50 LGBT and ally youth
to be social justice advocates with a view
to increasing and diversifying the voices
calling for equality for and inclusion of
all Jamaicans. The focus of our legal advocacy has been expanded to capture all
the ways in which laws and policies impact the LGBT community. To that end we
have conducted a myriad of sensitization
sessions with members of the community
to increase their understanding of human
rights as well as the current state of Jamaican law.
Our aliates, WE-Change and TransWave, have been doing a tremendous
job in placing focus on the experiences
and challenges faced by the women and
trans members of the LGBT population,
respectively.
Although there continue to be inci-
dents of violence and harassment against

the LGBTQ population, we have seen the
slow shift toward tolerance and respect
for the population as is the sentiment
expressed in many of our sensitization
sessions and greater appreciation within
the community of our rights and responsibilities. At the age of 18, J-FLAG and
the Jamaican society at large have both
matured. J-FLAGs advocacy has become
more inclusive and diverse and the Jamaican societys attitudes have slowly
matured to one of greater tolerance. In
August, J-FLAG staged its second incidentfree PRiDE Week Celebrations which are
in themselves an indication of how far
we have come. PRiDE is no longer a small
party in an oce but is now a week of
various events capturing the diverse interests of the community. It is becoming
a mainstay in the J-FLAG calendar and an
example for the rest of the region and the
world to follow.
We are proud of the work we have already done and are ready to face the
challenges in 2017. We are heartened
by the overwhelming support we receive
on social media and are fortied by our
desire to see LGBT Jamaicans fully integrated into all areas of public life, working
together with our countrymen for a prosperous Jamaica.
DANE LEWIS is executive director of J-FLAG.
BRO CK, P A P E R, SCI SSO RS
How to talk to your pro-Trump relatives

Get ready for those
awkward holiday dinners
BROCK THOMPSON is a D.C.-based freelance

writer. He writes regularly for the Blade.
Well, here we are. Christmastime is

upon us. Next week, many of my fellow
gay city boys will be traveling back home
to the small towns and burbs we dreamt
so longingly of escaping when we were
gay kids. A lot of us have been doing this
trip for years. Swooping down from our
gayer-then-ever-cities, to our small towns
that are now OK with gays as long as
were not in your face about it.
But this Christmas is dierent. We are

coming out of a bruising election season
where gays went practically all-in for the
losing candidate. And many of us will
have that ever-smug conservative relative
just primed and ready to throw Trumps
victory in our carefully moisturized faces.
So, how to make it through? The truth is
you cant really combat this and arguing
would be a waste of breath. In the postfact era, debate is simply impossible. You
could say that Hillary won the popular
vote by close to three million. But theyd
say those were all illegal immigrants. So,
here are three tactics to get you by.
Double Down on Gay Talk: We can
make things uncomfortable, too. If someone starts in how Trump is making America great again, interject with, I hope so,
but what I need help with if I slept with
a guy I wasnt terribly attracted to just so
I could get a glimpse of the hotel he was
staying in, does that technically make me
a prostitute? Or, if someone mentions an
article on Breitbart, simply interrupt by

asking the elderly adults what they used
for lube during the war. Or, if someone
starts in on low-income housing, turn to
one of the smaller kids and ask if they
know any drag queens.
And this isnt limited to political talk. If
someone asks if you want more sweet potato casserole, simply say, no, thats hell
on my bowels, and I like to keep it free
and clear down there, obviously. Any gay
talk might just shut down all talk in general, and that can be refreshing.
Dont Listen: Seriously, Im so tired
of people saying that we need to understand, and we can only do that with compassion, listening and understanding.
Blah, blah, blah. I mean, come on, Ive listened enough. Dont get me wrong, Ill be
polite. Smiling and nodding. Like any good
southerner, Ive perfected that blessyour-heart look. Behind all that, in my
head I might be playing Sades Smooth
Operator, or might be wondering which
lm made more money at the box-oce,

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, or Star
Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Dont Go: Just dont go home. When I
solicited advice for this column on social
media, I was astonished by how many
boys out there have elected to go elsewhere other than home for the holidays.
All because of the election. Columnist
Dan Savage has been advocating for this
for some time, arguing that time spent
with family is the best currency and leverage adult gay children have, that not
spending time at home could be penalty
enough for right-wing relatives to rethink
their views. An interesting take. But anyone that really knows me knows that
spending time with me can often times
be the real punishment. So, this can easily backre.
So, there you have it. Feel free to use
any of these tactics or a combination of
all three. Wishing you all a very Merry
Christmas and happy 2017, if we make it.
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Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
G I F T GUI DE
D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 2 5
Down-to-the-wire gifts
NEED SOMETHING FAST BUT WANNA GET A LITTLE MORE CREATIVE THAN HICKORY FARMS? DONT WORRY OPTIONS ABOUND!
By MARIAH COOPER
Send your loved one comfort and plenty

of rainbows with light-up unicorn slippers,
Twinkle Tootsies ($44.99). These adultsized slippers from Moon Market are
perfect for relaxing at home with their
cushiony inner soles and soft cotton and
polyester blend. The slippers feature
six, color-changing LED lights with a
controllable on/off switch to brighten
any chill night-in. These unicorns will be
delivered in a fun, 80s/90s nostalgia box
covered with even more unicorns and
rainbows for anyone who needs a bit of
magic. (Photo courtesy Moon Market)
For the true last-minute gift getters,

purchase Ellen DeGeneress Heads Up in
the Apple App Store or on Google Play
for 99 cents. Practice your team-work
skills with your family or friends by trying
to guess the card using their clues. Keep
the kids entertained with Heads Up Kids,
a child-friendly version for the same price.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Big Planet Comics (1520 U St., N.W.) offers

plenty of comic books with LGBT characters
for comics enthusiasts. Pick up an issue of The
Walking Dead ($14.99) for a dose of gore or
an issue of Lumberjanes Gotham Academy
($3.99) for adventures of ve girls at summer
camp, two of whom are in a relationship with
each other. Wuvable Oaf ($29.88) is also
a great option by out cartoonist Ed Luce.
(Photo courtesy Moon Market)
For the music-lovers in your life, peruse

the stacks at Songbyrd Record Cafe (2475
18th St., N.W.) for new or used LPs. Enjoy
coffee while on the record hunt or while
sampling albums at one of Songbyrds
listening stations.
(Washington Blade
photo by Michael Key)
Its hard to go wrong with a classic gift like

a candle or cologne. Goodwood (1428 U
St., N.W.) has candles ($16) in scents such
as cumin and saffron or basil and vetiver
to ll any room. For a more personal scent,
choose a Berdous cologne ($30) in cuir,
tonique or naturale. (Washington Blade
Give the gift of style with accessories from

Lou Lous Gift Boutique (various locations).
Get personalized cuff links with initials
for $65 each or $130 for a pair. Earrings
in various styles ($15-30) are available.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
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Craft your own gift basket (starting at $50)

at Cork Wine Bar (1720 14th St., N.W.) to
suit anyones tastes. Choose from an array
of wines and foods, both perishable and
non-perishable, for a gift good for a loved
one or a co-worker. (Washington Blade
GIFT GUIDE
Out clairvoyant Tyler Henrys memoir

Between Two Worlds: Lessons from the
Other Side recounts his life as a medium
and explores how he became a credible
clairvoyant to the stars including Margaret
Cho, Boy George and Khloe Kardashian.
Purchase is available for Kindle ($12.99)
or hardcover ($16.51) editions. (Photo
courtesy Simon & Schuster)
A great spot for gifty items you never

think of unless youre there, is the Kennedy
Centers two gift shops (2700 F St., N.W.). The
one on the main oor is great, but dont miss
the one downstairs, which is much larger,
for a wide array of ornaments, nutcrackers,
novelty items, show merch, coffeetable
books and much more. Prices vary.
The holidays means plenty of family time

so give a gift that will entertain the whole
family. Grab a game for every member
of the family at HomeRule (1807 14th St.,
N.W.). Atomic Bouncy Balls Set ($7.99)
from Ridleys House of Novelties will give
the kids decorated rubber balls to bounce
around the house. Games like Movie Buffs
for movie trivia, Charades or the Name
Game from Wild and Wolf Ridley are great
for spicing up any holiday party.
Is someone on your list a Kennedy Center

regular? Then consider a gift card to
Campono (600 New Hampshire Ave.,
N.W.), conveniently located just outside the
Kennedy Center steps. Much more than a
gloried pizzeria, Campono (camponodc.
com) staff knows how to get you in and
out and fully sated in time for your show.
Gift cards are available at the restaurant in
any amount.
You can never go wrong with a calendar

next years models pay tribute to
David Bowie, Empire, Broadway smash
Hamilton and many more. Or go super
local and savor the moving hunks who get
a bit, ahem, scantily clad in the Miss Pixies
Delivers! 2017 calendar. Its $12.99 at the
shop (1626 14th St., N.W.).
Investment pieces make great gifts for

the holidays like a leather watch ($650750) from Shinola (1631 14th St., N.W.).
For those who prefer pen to paper over a
screen, pick up a Shinola monogrammed
notebook ($19.95) in a variety of colors.
WA SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM
D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 2 7
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Christmastime with Lorrie Morgan
COUNTRY DIVA REFLECTS ON LIFE, FAMILY AND CAREER IN ADVANCE OF BIRCHMERE SHOW
By BRIAN WALMER
ARTS
AND
ENTERTAINMENT
Its been a busy and successful year for

country diva Lorrie Morgan. February saw
the release of her rst solo album in ve
years, Letting Go ... Slow, followed by a rerecorded hits collection, A Picture Of Me
Greatest Hits & More, a month later.
In addition to recording, Morgan has
been on the road performing her own
concert dates along with doing her Grits
and Glamour show featuring fellow
country star, Pam Tillis.
December nds Morgan touring with
her Enchanted Christmas show, which
comes to the Birchmere on Sunday, Dec.
18. This is the country stars third time in
the D.C. area this year, but her rst time
playing the Birchmere.
During an early morning phone
interview, Morgan talks about Christmas,
her new music, her gay following among
other things from the front porch of her
new home in Portland, Tenn.
WASHINGTON BLADE: What can fans
expect from your Christmas show?
LORRIE MORGAN: The only thing they
can expect is Im actually not doing any of
my hits. Its all keeping Christ in Christmas
and its all about Christmas. I just decided
you know what, Im not here to promote
my songs. I love Christmas. Im very
dedicated to that time of year and I feel
like all through the year I do songs about
me and now its about Christ so thats
what were gonna do.
BLADE: Do you have a favorite
childhood Christmas memory?
MORGAN: People ask me all the time
about my favorite childhood Christmas
memory and I dont have any, because
they were all the best I ever had. Christmas
growing up at our house was a magical
time. My dad believed in surprises and
magic and candy land and just created
this fantasy for us children that was a
double-edged sword because when we
grew up, we were in for a big surprise
(laughs). It was always a magical time for
me. There were no favorite memories,
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VOLUME
47
ISSUE
51
DECEMBER
LORRIE MORGAN has had a busy year. In addition to her rst solo album in ve years, she also
put out a collection of re-recordings of her hits.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MORGAN
they were all perfect for me.

BLADE: Youve recorded two Christmas
albums, the popular 1993 Merry
Christmas From London and 2007s An
Old Fashioned Christmas. With touring
the last few holiday seasons, do you plan
on recording another Christmas album?
MORGAN: Not right now. My next
album I want to do is a country oldies
and the next one is a gospel album. Im
really looking forward to that. I dont
know when a Christmas album would be
due. I dont think I could ever top Merry
Christmas From London.
BLADE: Would your country oldies
album be similar to your 2009 country
covers album, A Moment In Time?
MORGAN: Um, not as lush as A
Moment in Time. Im actually gonna do it
as a duet album with Pam Tillis. Shell be
doing part of em and Ill be doing part of
em. Itll be produced by Richard Landis,
so Im really excited about that. Very
excited.
BLADE: Speaking of Pam Tillis, the
two of you have been doing a successful
tour for the past few years called Grits
and Glamour and recorded an album
together (2013s Dos Divas). You have
this great chemistry together on stage.
Why do you two get along so well?
MORGAN: Its funny (laughs) I dont

know if youll understand this or print
it correctly, but were like a couple old
broads walking around in a daze in a
new music industry ... blind leading the
blind and were having a blast. We laugh
at everything. Were blessed, selling out
crowds. I get tickled and she gets tickled
and most of the time I get tickled about
her. Pam is ... were both perfectionists in
our music. Im more loose on stage and
she about falls o her stool because she
never knows what Im going to say.
BLADE: Youve released quite a few
albums that while theyve had great
songs, they didnt get the recognition they
deserved. Do you ever get discouraged?
MORGAN: Oh yeah, I do, but its a
natural part of the business (pauses).
Its kind of like living and dying. You
know dying is a natural part of living and
nobodys on top forever and nobody can
be on top forever and you never brace
yourself for that moment when your like,
Damn, I havent had a hit record in 24
years. (laughs)
BLADE: Your new album, Letting Go...
Slow is a mixture of dierent genres that
features originals along with a handful of
covers. What inspired you to record this
type of album?
MORGAN: Well, its been over ve years
16,
2016
PAGE
29
since Ive had a solo album of my own

and these are songs I handpicked myself,
songs I wanted to do for 20 some years
and for one reason or another never
got to do them. I dont know, I dont feel
like theres a reason or plan to release a
country album. I just wanted to release
these songs. The song that inspired
the album is a song called Spilt Milk. I
heard that song, God, 16, 17 years ago.
I was at a benet in New York City and
the entertainer that night was Kristina
Train and I never heard of her in my
life and she came out and was just this
class act with a great band behind her.
She started singing Spilt Milk and my
eyes started crying, I was like, Im out of
control here. I nally got to meet her this
year at the Opry and she was so sweet
and complimentary of our version of her
song.
BLADE: Has SpiltMilk inspired you to
maybe record a jazz album?
MORGAN: Oh yes! I plan on doing
everything. Im excited about it.
BLADE: You released a second album
this year, A Picture of Me Greatest Hits
& More. How did that come about?
MORGAN: Well, a label contacted
me from California and they wanted to
redo, remake the hits, which is always
kind of weird to me. The only thing that
interested me in doing it was I got to put
new songs on the album. I got to do a lot
of Keith (Whitley) songs.
BLADE: Any plans to do a whole album
of Keith Whitley songs?
MORGAN: I want to, but its a ne line
to what people think youre doing it for
and just being respectful. My son (Jesse
Keith Whitley) is following in his dads
footsteps and hes doing great. Im gonna
save that stu for him.
BLADE: When did you rst notice you
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 0 DECE MB ER 1 6, 2016
Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R BE N RO SE N BA U M
How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
I started coming out just after college telling
my best friend since birth. It was a process
over the next few years with family members,
coworkers and friends. My dad was the last
person I came out to. Hes older and I think
it is still hard for him to nd the words to talk
with me about this aspect of my life.
BEN ROSENBAUM
By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
A network of LGBT Jewish D.C. groups are joining forces for Oh Gaydel,
Gaydel, Gaydel! 2016s Queery Chanukah Happy Hour on Thursday, Dec. 22
from 6-9 p.m. at Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.).
Among them are GLOE (GLBTQ Outreach & Engagement at the J), Bet
Mishpachah, Gayyim, Nice Jewish Boys D.C. and Nice Jewish Girls.
Three years ago Ben Rosenbaum volunteered to chair Nice Jewish Boys and
says, It has been a blast creating a fun and welcoming community for gay
Jews and our admirers or, as we sometimes call them, bagel chasers.
The Boys are a social group for gay, bi and trans Jews in their 20s and
30s. For nearly a decade, the group has held monthly happy hours, Shabbat
dinners, an annual weekend retreat and various holiday celebrations. Find
the group on Facebook for details about its events.
Rosenbaum, a 33-year-old senior legislative staer to Rep. Dina Titus
(D-Nev.), came to Washington nearly a decade ago to work in policy. A native
of Pensacola, Fla., he is single and lives in Shaw.
Rosenbaum enjoys binge watching TV shows, taking walks, travel, theater,
hiking and sports such as playing kickball with his Stonewall Kickball team,
the Matzo Balls.
202.747.2077
Whos your LGBT hero?

As a gay Jew who openly serves a member
of Congress, its hard to think of anyone but
Frank Kameny. Fired from a federal job in
the 1950s when it was discovered he was
gay, he spent the rest of his long life ghting
for LGBT quality so I could live and work
openly.
Whats Washingtons best nightspot, past

or present?
Bear Happy Hour at Town is always a fun
way to kick o the weekend with friends.
And who doesnt love a good deal?! Besides
that, my favorite night out is the monthly
Nice Jewish Boys happy hour at Number 9.
Describe your dream wedding.

Basically a repeat of my Bar Mitzvah (circa
1996) but with a live band, 80s and 90s
hip-hop and pop music playing deep into
the night, plenty of alcohol and food trucks
supplying some midnight snacks to refuel
after a long night of dancing.
What non-LGBT issue are you most

passionate about?
Urban planning and transportation. Its
an area that I concentrate on at work, and
having lived in D.C. nearly a decade now its
fascinating to see how the city is changing
and adapting to that change.
What historical outcome would you
change?
Trump winning the presidency. It would
certainly make my job more pleasant.
Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
In 2009, I snagged a ticket to the
Neighborhood Inaugural Ball where the
Obamas had their rst dance after the
presidents swearing in. Listening to Beyonc
serenade the rst couple with Etta James
At Last marked such a cultural shift for the
country.
On what do you insist?

Humility. This town has a lot of people
working in important jobs and sometimes
that can go to ones head.
What was your last Facebook post or

Tweet?
Who wore it best?? With side-by-side
pictures of Garrett Clayton in Hairspray
Live! and Aaron Tveit in Grease Live! both
in short gym shorts. Aaron won hands
down.
If your life were a book, what would the

title be?
You Can Never Sing Too Loud In The

Shower: the Ben Rosenbaum Story Part I
If science discovered a way to change

sexual orientation, what would you do?
Not a damn thing.
What do you believe in beyond the

physical world?
My Judaism plays an enormous role in my
life. Three-thousand years of questioning
our place in the universe, tradition and
survival provides a pretty good guidebook
for the choices we make in life, how we treat
one another and the kind of legacy we want
to leave behind. Before Mama Ru coined the
phrase, If you cant love yourself, how the
hell you gonna love somebody else? 2,000
years ago, Rabbi Hillel asked, If I am not
for myself, who will be for me? Can I get an
Amen, for real?
Whats your advice for LGBT movement
leaders?
Get o Facebook and Twitter and start going
to your city council meetings. Your social
media posts arent going to change many
peoples minds.
What would you walk across hot coals

for?
My friends.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

This obsession over the perfectly sculpted
body. Im still learning to embrace my
bearish physique, but have, on more than
one occasion, been on the receiving end of
judgment and/or comments from perfect
strangers who feel it is their place to say
something.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

I was probably around 10 when I rst saw
The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I know I
didnt quite understand what I was seeing,
but it denitely connected to a part of me I
would soon come to terms with. Honorable
mentions for But Im A Cheerleader, To
Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie
Newmar and Yossi and Jagger.
Whats the most overrated social

custom?
Saying bless you after someone sneezes.
I still do it, every single time, even to
strangers, so I dont look like an asshole, but
I really dont want to.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Im still waiting for my Tony.
What do you wish youd known at 18?

Youre stronger than you think you are. You
can come out and those who cant accept it
arent worth your time or energy.
Why Washington?
D.C. is young, vibrant, diverse and
interesting. Its large enough not to get
bored and small enough that you can run
into friends on the Metro on the regular. I
cant imagine living anywhere else.
WA SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM
D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 3 1
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
32 DE C E M B E R 16, 201 6
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Out actor thought dream

role had passed him by
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
For musical theater star Andy Mientus,
November wasnt the best month.
There
was
the
disappointing
presidential election on the eighth and the
following day I turned 30, he says. All in all,
it was an emotional week, but fortunately
I was surrounded by supportive people
working on a rst rate production.
He plays Boq, an amorous Munchkin
student, in the national tour of the musical
Wicked now at the Kennedy Center.
Boyishly handsome with a pleasing
voice, Mientus fell into the Wicked tour
by chance.
My home is in Los Angeles with
my husband (actor/director Michael
Arden whom he married in the English
countryside in August), but it seems
every time we start to get settled, Im
called away on a project, and this time
it was Wicked. Id wanted to play Boq
but I gured the opportunity had passed
me by. To be oered the part felt like a
blessing from above so I took it.
With lyrics and music by Stephen
Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman,
Wicked is a Tony Award-winning tween
favorite adapted from Gregory Maguires
same-titled novel. The terrically successful
musical is a retelling of Frank Baums
The Wizard of Oz, focusing on the early
relationship between the green-skinned
Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and
Glinda the Good Witch. Boq attends school
at Shiz University with the young witches.
Id seen Wicked about ve or six
times as a fan, but Id forgotten just how
politically relevant it is with its themes
of silencing and scapegoating parts of
the population, and political hypocrisy.
Yes, it is family fun and wonderfully
entertaining, but for those who can look
deeper, theres a lot there. Being a part
of this show has been like therapy for me
over these past weeks.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Mientus
found a safe place in theater.

I wasnt a great student and I couldnt
play an instrument. Musical theater is the
only thing I was ever any good at, he says.
During his junior year at University of
Michigan, Mientus was cast as arrogant
young Hnschen Rilow in the rst national
tour of the rock musical Spring Awakening.
In a few short years, Mientus fan base
grew exponentially especially after he
appeared regularly on TVs Smash and
later played progressive student Marius
Pontmercy in the 2014 Broadway revival
of Les Misrables.
Ive been lucky to work consistently
and thats partly because I t a type. There
are great things about doing a show that
you know works. When you sing Red and
Blackin Les Mis, youre not worried that
its going to be cut from the show the
following day. Theres something great
about trusting the material.
Last summer Mientus put his range
on display playing the part of a gay
concentration camp prisoner in Moises
Kaufmans production of Bent at
Californias Mark Taper Forum.
The experience oered me an
opportunity to do something dierent,
he says, And proved that I can be an
adult on stage.
For those considering seeing Wicked
again, or for the rst time, Mientus
promises audiences will be pleasantly
surprised at the strength of the company.
Its an extraordinary principle cast.
And we also have the hardest working
ensemble and kindest people. It doesnt
feel creaky and like a relic and, Oh I bet
this was good with the original cast-type
of thing. The cast is fresh and takes on
every performance as if it were opening
night. And in light of whats going on
politically, I think audiences will be both
moved and scared by it in an entirely
brand new way.
ANDY MIENTUS
Wicked
Through Jan. 8
The Kennedy Center
Tickets start at $99
202-467-4600
Kennedy-center.org
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
M USI C
D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 3 3
PHOTO COURTESY OF RCA
A Pentatonix Christmas is well executed but has more novelty than lasting appeal.
Loretta Lynn stays

traditional while
Pentatonix gets creative
vein of humor and joy running through

the album, there are also moments of
solemn beauty, like Lynchs exquisite take
on Coventry Carol. (CG)
By CHRIS GERARD & JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
Loretta Lynn
White Christmas Blue
Kacey Musgraves
A Very Kacey Christmas
With A Very Kasey Christman, country

singer/songwriter
Kasey
Musgraves
delivers her rst holiday album, a
collection with a real sense of warmth
and nostalgia, and a tinge of heartbreak.
Musgraves keeps the arrangements
simple and old school the album
sounds like something that one might nd
in the parents box of old holiday records.
The charming retro vibe and Musgraves
engaging vocals, along with smart song
choices (mostly familiar covers, with a few
originals).
It has appeal even if youre not a big
country fan. (CG)
Jane Lynch A Swingin

Little Christmas Time
Retro seems to be the thing this year.

Glee actress Jane Lynch has released A
Swingin Little Christmas Time, and as the
title suggests, the albums predominant
vibe is big band, with touches of jazz.
The lyrics and harmonies are ultra
tight. Lynch proves herself to be quite
an adept vocalist, and while there is a
Still sounding great at 84, country

legend Loretta Lynn has released her rst
holiday album in 50 years with White
Christmas Blue.
While light on the arrangements a
simple country backdrop that doesnt
get in the way of Lynns vocals its a
fun collection with familiar classics and
a few newly written pieces (like the title
song) that are simply charming. White
Christmas Blue is nostalgic and evocative
of yesteryear. (CG)
She & Him

Christmas Party
Five years after the the duo She & Him

released their popular A Very She & Him
Christmas, the duo of Zooey Deschanel
and M. Ward are back with a followed, the
aptly named Christmas Party.
She & Him retain their lovely low-key
festive indie-pop vibe as they run through
a dozen familiar chestnuts and lesserknown songs. Particular highlights include
the obscure Christmas Memories,
performed by Frank Sinatra, and a
buoyant acoustic take on the Darlene
Love standard Marshmallow World.
The album opens and closes with two

favorites: a lovely take on Mariah Careys
All I Want for Christmas is You and slow
and swaying rendition of the Chipmunks
Christmas Dont Be Late. (CG)
Amy Grant
Tennessee Christmas
It would be easy to mistake Amy Grants

new album Tennessee Christmas for just
another of the seemingly endless stream
of compilation rereleases that have been
regurgitated on the artist in recent years
since the title cut was a hit on her rst
Christmas album in 1983. This, however,
is her fourth ocial holiday release not
counting a holiday-themed greatest hits
collection and even a Hallmark exclusive
release back when those were still a thing.
Tennessee Christmas includes a mix
of classics and originals that, though
much simpler than any Christmas project
Grant (who brings her Christmas tour
with Michael W. Smith to Baltimore
Sunday night) ever recorded she
made it entirely in her home studio over
the summer still works. The most
refreshing surprise is that the veteran
gospel singer, whos always had a pensive
side, doesnt shy away from that here.
Heard alone, new songs like Melancholy
Christmas, December and Another
Merry Christmas sound like real
downers but in the context of the record,
they work surprisingly well as refreshing
contrasts to the more upbeat material.
Even Joy to the World here sounds more

like a Vince Guaraldi track than the fast
and bombastic carol we usually think of.
Theres one real standout in the originals
the bubbly and catchy Christmas For
You and Me, which, given the right traction
opportunity, could be come a seasonal
standard. Bah humbug to LifeWay, a Baptist
retail chain, that decided not to sell the
album because it wasnt religious enough.
Get it at Target instead their version has
two bonus cuts. (JD)
Pentatonix
A Pentatonix Christmas
A cappella vocal group Pentatonix, who

rst gained attention for winning the
third season on NBCs The Sing-O, are
pretty amazing. You cant listen to their
new album A Pentatonix Christmas and
not be confounded that everything you
hear was created with vocal cords.
But while its all executed exceedingly
well the pitch is as stable as a steel
bridge throughout and the arrangements
are truly clever this has more novelty
than long-term appeal.
O Come All Ye Faithful bounces along
to a mid-tempo Carribean rhythm. God
Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen starts o rather
promisingly but eventually picks up its
tempo to such an alarming degree the ears
feel practically bludgeoned by the end.
More eective (and listenable) are
subtler cuts like Coventry Carol and Ill
Be Home for Christmas. (JD)
LIVE
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
34 D E C E M B E R 16, 2016
O U T & A BO U T
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
KURT ELLING
THE BEAUTIFUL DAY
featuring special guest
TILL BRONNER
W/ MARK MEADOWS
SUNDAY DEC
18
LOS
LOBOS
HOLIDAY SHOW
TUESDAY DEC
20
WED, DEC 21
OCONNOR BAND
By MARIAH COOPER
FEATURING MARK OCONNOR PRESENTS

AN APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS
THURS, DEC 22
BEN WILLIAMS
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
PRESENTS HIS 5TH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BASH

A HOLIDAY MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA
FRI, DEC 23
VIRGINIA COALITION
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THEHAMILTONDC.COM
Local Red-Themed Toy Drive returns

Impulse Group D.C. hosts Walter Lundys (seen here) sixth annual Red Theme
Toy Drive at Eighteenth Street Lounge (1212 18th St., N.W.) on Tuesday, Dec. 20
from 6-10 p.m.
Admission is free. Guests are asked to wear red and bring unwrapped toys.
Toys will be donated to under deserved children and families in the local
community. There will also be an open bar and food.
For more details and to RSVP, visit redthemedtoydrive.eventbrite.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HOWARD THEATRE
Darlene Love brings holiday

cheer to the Howard
Legendary diva Darlene Love performs
at the Howard Theatre for A Darlene
Love Christmas: Love for the Holidays on
Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.
Love is known for her popular hits such as
Hes a Rebel, Da Doo Ron Ron, Hes Sure
the Boy Im Gonna Marry and many more.
Her song Christmas Baby Please Come
Home has also become a holiday classic.
Tickets range from $45-82.50. A full dinner
menu is available. Doors open at 6 p.m.
For
more
information,
visit
thehowardtheatre.com.
Janky Sweater party

at Duplex Diner
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE EAGLE
OPEN CHRISTMAS EVE & DAY

GOOSE VEAL PORKLOIN
M-TH 11:30AM-10PM F-SAT 11:30AM-11PM
SUN. BRUNCH 11AM-3PM / DINNER 3-10PM
322 MASS. AVE. NE 202.543.7656
CAFEBERLIN-DC.COM
The Eagle to host Christmas dance party

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) presents Under the Mistletoe: a
Christmas Dance Party on Friday, Dec. 23 from 10 p.m.-3 a.m.
DJ Theo Storm will spin tracks all night. He has played at other gay dance party
events including for Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend and for Green Lantern. Cover
is $5 at the door. Proceeds will be benetting SMYAL to help empower LGBT
youth in D.C.
For more information, visit facebook.com/eagledc.
18th and U Duplex Diner (2004 18th St.,

N.W.) hosts Janky Sweater: the Holiday
Bash benetting the Trevor Project on
Friday, Dec. 16 from 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
Guests are encouraged to rock their
best ugly Christmas sweater. There is no
cover but a $10 donation to the Trevor
Project is appreciated. A complimentary
champagne cocktail is included with he
donation. DJ Khelan Bhatia and DJ Adam
Kourssari-Amin of Breakfast Club will be
playing music.
For more details, visit facebook.com/
duplexdiner.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
S P O RTI N I N D. C.
DE C E M B E R 16, 2016 35
PHOTO BY PABLO RAW
DAVINIA FORGY (Gaymer Grrl, left) and ELLA HOMAN (Ella Fistgerald) of the D.C. Rollergirls.
Local roller derby league

oers support, competition
By KEVIN MAJOROS
In the nal edition of the long-running
Blade series on the rookies and veterans
who make up the LGBT-inclusive sports
teams in the area, we take a look at two
LGBT skaters from the D.C. Rollergirls.
The Rollergirls are the National Capital
Regions only womens at track roller
derby league and just a few months ago
they won the 2016 Best of Gay D.C. award
for best LGBT sports team.
This Sunday, Dec. 18, they will host
a rules clinic and scrimmage in their
practice space in Hyattsville, Md., and
will follow that up with three boot camps
in January. The training sessions and
recruitment eorts are all part of the
buildup to their upcoming league season
and their travel teams schedule.
The Womens Flat Track Derby
Association has long been a frontrunner
in establishing parameters for an inclusive
sports community. In 2015, organizers
broadened
their
discrimination
protections for gender identity to include
transgender women, intersex women
and gender-expansive participants.
Davinia Forgy is one of the rookie
players benetting from the governing
bodys trans guidelines as she nds
herself with a new opportunity to be
called an athlete.
Known on the track as Gaymer Grrrl,
she didnt play any sports growing up
and her extracurricular activities included
marching band and gaming. She could
often be found deep inside Call of Duty,
Halo and Metal Gear Solid 5.
Gaming is an escape from reality for
me, Forgy says. Its a place where I can
turn my brain o and play out a story.
A former student at the University
of Maryland and now working in

implementation at a software company,
Forgy heard about the Rollergirls through
a friend and attended a boot camp in the
spring of this year. She ended up falling in
love with the sport.
At the Rollergirls boot camps, the
veterans do the bulk of the training
through drills, exercises and preparing
the rookies for the mental mindset
needed to be successful in roller derby.
The veterans are so positive and are
always oering encouragement. They
dont ever want to hear you say, I cant,
Forgy says. Both on and o the track, the
roller derby community thrives on the
idea of female empowerment.
The Rollergirls are trained for both
blocking and jamming and Forgy has
found herself enjoying the demands of
jamming. The parallels between gaming
and jamming may be one of the reasons
that she is hooked.
Its ve on ve and I really enjoy that
you are moving, pushing and breaking up
walls, Forgy says. The mental game and
strategy is similar to a multi-player online
battle arena. You have to constantly think
about what is going to happen in the next
ve seconds. The same things apply in
roller derby.
Ella Holman has always been drawn
to the sports community. Growing
up in Boston, she was a three season
athlete and her sports included soccer,
basketball, tennis and lacrosse. While
attending American University, she
played four years of club rugby.
After graduating, she considered
continuing with one of the local rugby
clubs but while watching a roller derby
match, she found herself intrigued by the
sport. At her rst boot camp in 2014 she
was surprised by the many aspects of a
sport that was new to her.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 6 DECE MB ER 1 6, 2016
A RT S & CU LT U RE
This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com
Oy Vey in a Manger
Dec 20-Dec 28. Theater J.
theaterj.org.
Americas Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet, The Kinsey Sicks, make

their long-awaited return to DC. In Oy Vey in a Manger, we nd these chicks
with schticks trying to sell o their mangeryes, that mangerbefore its
foreclosed. Secrets are revealed, Jewish-Gentile tensions surface, and a raunchy
good time is had by all.
French Cabaret at Luxembourg Embassy

Dec 16-Dec 17. The Embassy Series at Embassy of Luxembourg.
embassyseries.org.
Get ready for a great holiday treat with the grandiose hospitality of the
elegantissimo Embassy of Luxembourg with all the music you love, featuring
classics by Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, and introducing lesser known works
such as 1920s and 1930s French chansons by Kurt Weill and Walter Jurmann.
The Secret Garden

Thru Dec 31. Shakespeare Theatre Company at Sidney Harman Hall.
shakespearetheatre.org.
Marsha Norman and Lucy Simons Drama Desk and Tony Award-winning
musical based on the beloved childrens book,The Secret Gardenis a story of
hardship turned into hope, of beauty discovered in unlikely places, the power
of the childs imagination and the wisdom that accompanies growing up.
Goyescas
Thru Dec 18. In Series at GALA Hispanic Theatre.
inseries.org.
A cloak-and-dagger story of mistaken betrayals spins with the passion of

Spanish dance. Inspired by Francisco de Goyas paintings, this opera-ballet is
rarely seen in America.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THEATER J
THEATRE
The Second Shepherds Play. Thru
Dec 21. Folger Consort. Folger Theatre.
folger.edu.
Shine a Light! A Solstice Circus. Dec
17-Dec 18. Atlas. atlasarts.org.
A Christmas Carol. Thru Dec 31.
Fords Theatre. fords.org.
The Christmas Revels. Thru Dec
18. Washington Revels. GW Lisner
Auditorium. revelsdc.org.
woollymammoth.net.
A Christmas Carol. Thru Dec 31. Mary
Poppins. Thru Jan 8. Olney Theatre.
olneytheatre.org.
Silver Belles. Thru Dec 31. Titanic:
The Musical. Thru Jan 29. Signature
Theatre. signature-theatre.org.
Straight White Men. Thru Dec 31.
Studio Theatre. studiotheatre.org.
Its a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.
Thru Dec 18. Washington Stage Guild.
Undercroft Theatre. stageguild.org.
King Ubu - Pointless Theatre. Thru
Jan 7. Pointless Theatre. Mead Theatre
Lab: CulturalDC. pointlesstheatre.com.
Library of Congress. #Opera Before

Instagram: Portraits, 1890-1955. Thru
Jan 21. World War I: American Artists
View the Great War. Thru May 5.
loc.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,
Smithsonian. In the Groove: Jazz
Portraits by Herman Leonard. Thru Feb
20. One Life: Babe Ruth. Thru May 21.
npg.si.edu.
DANCE
GALLERIES
The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Dec 16.

Strathmore. strathmore.org.
Kwanzaa Celebration. Dec 17-Dec 18.
Dance Place. danceplace.org.
Step Afrika!s Magical, Musical,
Holiday Step Show. Thru Dec 30. Step
Afrika! Atlas. stepafrika.org.
DAC. Wonderland 2016: Accumulate.

Thru Jan 6. The Awards Show. Thru Jan
28. 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.
Strathmore. Fine Art in Miniature.
Thru Dec 31. Ctrl+P. Thru Dec 31.
Jennifer Kahn Barlow. Thru Dec 31.
strathmore.org.
The Art League Gallery. December
Open Exhibit. Thru Dec 31. Dennis
Crayon. Thru Jan 1. theartleague.org.
Torpedo Factory. Material as Medium.
Thru Jan 15. torpedofactory.org.
Waverly Street Gallery. New
Work by Gallery Artists. Thru Jan 7.
waverlystreetgallery.com.
Zenith Gallery. Holiday Cheer. Thru
Jan 28. zenithgallery.com.
MUSIC
A Canadian Brass Christmas. Dec
17. Vienna Boys Choir. Dec 18. GMU
Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu.
Christmastime in the City.
Dec 21. Choral Arts Society. First
Congregational United Church of
Christ. choralarts.org.
Swing Dance with Live Jazz. Dec 17.
Glen Echo Park. glenechopark.org.
Handels Messiah. Thru Dec 18. NSO.
Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.
KC Jazz Club: Sherrie Maricle & the
DIVA Jazz Orchestra: Ella Wishes You
a Swingin Christmas. Dec 16-Dec 17.
Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.
Cecilia String Quartet. Dec 17. Library
of Congress. loc.gov.
John Eaton Holiday Songbook. Dec
17. The Alden. mcleancenter.org.
Xaverian High School. Dec 17. Dan.
Dec 18. National Gallery of Art.
nga.gov.
Handels Messiah. Dec 17-Dec 18.
National Philharmonic. Strathmore.
nationalphilharmonic.org.
MUSEUMS
An Irish Carol. Dec 16-Dec 31. Keegan
Theatre. keegantheatre.com.
The Second Citys A Christmas Carol:
Twist Your Dickens. Thru Dec 31. Into
The Woods. Thru Jan 8. Wicked.
Thru Jan 8. Kennedy Center.
kennedy-center.org.
Catch Me: A Magic Duel. Dec 17-Feb
25. Thin Air Productions. Mayower
Hotel. catchmeshow.com.
The Second Citys Black Side of the
Moon. Thru Jan 1. Woolly Mammoth.
National Archives. Amending America.

Thru Sep 4. archivesfoundation.org.
National Gallery of Art. Drawings for
Paintings in the Age of Rembrandt.
Thru Jan 2. In the Tower: Barbara
Kruger. Thru Jan 29. nga.gov.
National Geographic. FotoWeekCentral
Exhibitions. Thru Dec 31. nglive.org.
Kreeger Museum. Sam Gilliam
and Simmie Knox. Thru Dec
30. Smith|Paley. Thru Dec 30.
kreegermuseum.org.
AND MORE...
Procrastinators Holiday Market. Dec
16-Dec 18. ReCreative Spaces. Rhode
Island Avenue Shopping Center.
recreativespaces.com.
Exploring Titan, Saturns Giant Moon.
Dec 19. Smithsonian Associates.
Ripley Center. smithsonianassociates.
org.
Sparkling Holiday Tea. Dec 18. Tudor
Place. tudorplace.org.
Chanukah Celebration. Dec 18.
EDCJCC. washingtondcjcc.org.
Holiday Birthday Bash & Book Fair. Dec
17. The Writers Center. writer.org.
Winter Ball & Celebration Embassy
Of France. Dec 17. Embassy
Experiences. Embassy of France.
embassyexperiences.com.
Archies Betty: Celebrating a Pop Icon
at 75. Dec 17. Cin-concert: Little
Match Girl (La Petite marchande
dallumettes). Dec 17. Ipersignicato:
Umberto Eco and Film: Casablanca.
Dec 18. National Gallery of Art.
nga.gov.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A D V I CE
Wise to sever ties with family

who voted for the Donald?
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,
My sister and her husband voted for
Trump.As a gay man, I am very hurt and angry.
They live in Pennsylvania, so their
votes really helped him and the anti-gay
Republican platform win.
Ive always known their conservative
political aliation but weve stayed away
from talking about politics. Im sure we
all thought it was better to respect each
other and keep the peace. Theyve been
extremely cordial to me and my husband,
especially since they had a son two years
ago and we started driving up from D.C.
frequently to be doting uncles.
When I saw their Election Day Facebook
posts proudly boasting of their votes, I
suddenly felt sick. Do I really want to be
close to people who voted for a man who
preached divisiveness and intolerance, for
a second-in-command who derides gay
equality and for the possibility of Supreme
Court justices who might undo legal gay
marriage, including my own?And its hard
to imagine someone with a 2 year old not
wanting to ght climate change, for the
sake of their childs future.
I am especially outraged because we
recently had a little girl.I dont want our
daughter to have to grow up in a country
led by a guy who demeans, degrades and
assaults women. Yet my own sister and
brother-in-law voted for him with a smile.
Were planning to spend Christmas
with them but now I dont want to. In
fact Im feeling like I dont want to have
anything to do with these two people who
voted against everything I believe in and
against my right to be an equal citizen of
this country, a country I am starting to
nd scary.
Yet they are also my family and we
have talked about how great it would
be for our kids to grow up knowing each
other. Way out?
MICHAEL REPLIES:
Talk to your sister and brother-in-law
before you make a decision, so that you
DE C E M B E R 16, 2016 37
have some understanding of why they

voted as they did.
Its possible that their support for
the Republican ticket was not a vote for
intolerance. I know that may be hard to
imagine, given all that was in plain view
during the campaign, but because you are
family and because all of you would like
your kids to have a relationship with each
other as they grow up, its worth learning
what they were thinking as they pulled the
lever before you jump to any conclusion.
Maybe youll hear that they didnt give
the gay issue much (or any) thought. If
thats the case, even though youll be
disappointed to learn that rejecting antigay bigotry isnt their priority, you can use
the conversation as an opportunity.Share
with them the impact that anti-gay
attitudes and laws have had on your life in
the past, how youre being aected by the
resurgent visibility of anti-gay sentiment
and what your fears are about the future.
You may help them realize the
connection between the positions they
take and your well-being. Obviously, the
more supporters we have going forward,
the better.
And of course, you may or may not have
some inuence on how they think about all
the other important issues that were wrapped
up in this election, including the threat of
climate change and of course, misogyny.
However, if youre going to have a
discussion, you should be prepared for
the possibility of learning that your sister
and brother-in-law dont respect your
equality and that they hold beliefs that
clash with your most cherished values. In
that case, how should you proceed?
Family is important, but does that mean
that you should continue to spend time
with people who think you are less-than?
You could make the argument that you
may help your sister and brother-in-law
to ultimately think dierently, simply by
remaining close to them and letting them
know you.
You could make the argument that you
should put aside huge dierences and
make the eort to be pleasant so that
your children will have a connection to
each other and to their roots.
You could also make the argument that
you dont need to bother with people
who cant be troubled to examine their
own conscience over taking positions that
demean and harm people they purport
to love.
What option should you choose? That
is your call alone to make.
No matter what direction your
conversation takes, I advocate that you stay
calm and be respectful in speaking with
them.Youre more likely to have a productive
outcome and set the stage for openness
and understanding down the road.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 8 DECE MB ER 1 6, 2016
CA LE N D A R
E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.
TODAY
Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps hosts Pup
Night at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd.,
N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. There
will be Jell-O shots and beer specials.
There will also be a puppy mosh area.
No cover. For more information, visit
facebook.com/makkorps.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct.,
N.W.) hosts Kylie Night Videos: a Kylie
Christmas tonight from 9 pm.-2 a.m. Kylie
Minogue videos will play all night. There
is no cover charge. For more details, visit
greenlanterndc.com.
AGLA hosts a happy hour social at
Embassy Suites (1900 Democracy Blvd.,
Alexandria, Va.) today from 6:30-9:30
p.m. AGLA board members TJ Flavell
and Michael Parker will be there to greet
guests. All are welcome. There is no
cover charge. For more information, visit
facebook.com/outinnova.
The D.C. Center volunteers to provide
dinner for Casa Ruby residents at 3530
Georgia Ave., N.W. today from 6:307:30 p.m. Any amount of donated food
is appreciated. Store bought meals are
also accepted. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
The Washington Ballet presents The
Nutcracker at Warner Theatre (513 13th
St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The show runs
through Saturday, Dec. 24. Tickets range
from $30-130. For more details and to
purchase tickets, visit warnertheatredc.com.
SATURDAY, DEC. 17
NOQ Creative hosts the #TurnOut
March, a protest against Donald Trumps
presidency, at the Lincoln Memorial
(2 Lincoln Circle, N.W.) today from 10
a.m.-5 p.m. The demonstration will
show solidarity with numerous issues
including LGBT rights, womens rights,
protection of the environment, minority
rights, education for all, health care for
all, opposition to war and many more.
Speakers from local organizations, nonprots and activism groups will appear.
For more details, search TurnOut March
on Facebook.
The Imperial Court of Washington
D.C. hosts Yule Ball 2016 at the Sphinx
on K (1315 K St., N.W.) tonight from 6-11
p.m. There will be a Naughty or Nice
silent auction and cocktail hour with the
rst drink included in the ticket price.
Following will be a festive dinner buet,
small performances and remarks from
community partners and charities. Later
there will be a dance party. All proceeds
benet the Reign V Charities for Pets with
Disabilities, Rainbow Families and Cross
Over Health Care Ministry. Tickets are $47.
PHOTO BY THEO KOSSENAS; COURTESY OF THE WASHINGTON BALLET
The Washington Ballet will perform The Nutcracker Dec. 16 at the Warner Theatre. Performances continue through Christmas Eve.
For more information and to purchase

tickets, visit imperialcourtdc.org/yuleball.
CTRL, a gay dance party, is at Town (2009
8th St., N.W.) tonight at 10 p.m. DJ Adam
Koussari, DJ Je Prior and DJ Devon Trotter
will spin a mix of electropop, disco, house,
hip-hop, 90s and more. There will also be
a photo booth by Kalorama Photography.
Cover is $12. Drag show starts at 10:30 p.m.
For more details, visit towndc.com.
FYM Productions hosts Eighties
Mayhem, an 80s-themed holiday dance
party, at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.)
tonight from 9:30 p.m.-2:15 a.m. 80s
dance and holiday music will be played all
night by DJ Steve EP, DJ Missguided, DJ Killa
K, Krasty McNasty, Tickets are $10. For
more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts Gay/
Bash: X-Mess, a Christmas-themed gay
dance party, tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m.
Pussy Noir, Summer Camp, Salvadora
Dali and Jaxknife will perform. DJ Dean
Sullivan will play music. Donna Slash
hosts the night. Shows are at 11:30 p.m.
and 1 a.m. There is no cover. For more
details, visit tradebardc.com.
SUNDAY, DEC. 18
The Kings Singers perform Christmas
carols at Washington National Cathedral
(3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) today from
5-7 p.m. They will perform Winter
Wonderland, Its Beginning to Look a Lot
like Christmas, Carol of the Bells, Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, among
others. Tickets range from $25-95. For
more information and to purchase tickets,

visit cathedral.org/event/the-kings-singers.
Shaws Tavern (520 Florida Ave., N.W.)
hosts its fth annual holiday party and
sing-along today from 6-11 p.m. There
will be an open bar from 7-8 p.m. and
carols. On the second oor there will be a
holiday market featuring gifts from local
artisans. For more details, visit facebook.
com/shawstavern.
MONDAY, DEC. 19
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts coee drop-in hours this morning
from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT
community. Older LGBT adults can
come and enjoy complimentary coee
and conversation with other community
members. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave.,
N.W.) holds a support group for gay black
men to discuss topics that aect them,
share perspectives and have meaningful
conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.
TUESDAY, DEC. 20
Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts Sissy
That Tuesday: My Sexy Holiday Sweater
today at 5 p.m. There will be a contest
for the sexiest holiday sweater at 9:30
p.m. Show starts at 10 p.m. Pussy Noir
hosts. There will be happy hour specials
all night. No cover. For more information,
visit tradebardc.com.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts its FUK!T Packing Party from

7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit
thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts a
transgender and non-binary support
group today from 5-7 p.m. For more
details, visit smyal.org.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge
Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the
Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social
bridge. No partner needed. For more
information, call 301-345-1571.
The D.C. Center hosts Woman to
Woman, a support group for HIV
positive women who love women,
today at the Womens Collective (1331
Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) from 5:30-7 p.m.
Light refreshments will be served. For
more details, visit thedccenter.org.
THURSDAY, DEC. 22
GLOE, Bet Mishpachah, Gayyim, Nice
Jewish Boys D.C. and Nice Jewish Girls join
together for a queer Chanukah happy
hour at Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.)
tonight from 6-9 p.m. All are welcome. For
more details, visit facebook.com/dcjcc.gloe.
The D.C. Anti-Violence Project hosts a
meeting at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. The Project works
to reduce violence against LGBT individuals
through community outreach, education and
assisting members of anti-LGBT violence. For
more details, visit thedccenter.org
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A UT O S
DE C E M B E R 16, 2016 39
BMW X5 XDRIVE40E
New SUVs feature wide

range of bells and whistles
By JOE PHILLIPS
Its the most magical time of the year.
Or is it? Slippery streets. Skittish drivers.
And butt blisters from driving home
for the holidays. But there are plenty of
pampered rides to help make dashing
through the snow more pleasant. Here
are three for the road.
BMW X5 XDRIVE40E
$64,000
Mpg: 23 city/25 highway
0-to-60 mph: 6.5 seconds
Cargo room: 34.2 cu. ft.
Sure, Santa has a sleigh and eight tiny
reindeer. But with BMWs new plug-in
hybrid the X5 eDrive40e crossover
there are 308 horses under the hood.
And while this high-end hauler scoots
quickly, it also touts 56 mpg when driving
in gas/electric mode (24 mpg with just gas
alone). The electric-only range is 13 miles,
which works well for short errands.
Alas, recharging takes four hours using
a standard 120-volt household socket.
But you can opt for BMWs home charging
station to shave o an hour or so. This
isnt an M sport coupe, so handling is
solid but not stunning. Braking though,
is superb. Ditto the cabin, which is eerily
quiet, with a large-screen infotainment
system and heated/cooled 10-way
power seats. What about a self-parking
system, power liftgate and all the latest
safety gizmos, like blind-spot monitor,
lane-departure warning and night-vision
camera with pedestrian detection? Yep,
theyre all here, along with sexy ambient
mood lighting and a panoramic glass roof
so large it makes you want to snuggle up
and sleep under the stars.
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
$31,000
For a crossover similar to the X5 but half

the price, the Jeep Grand Cherokee boasts
many of the same features. But the look
here is more rugged than rened, with a
cabin that mimics a comfy Lexus instead
of a taut Bimmer. Bonus points for the
supportive seats, soft surfaces and primo
options like remote start, headlamp
washers and heated steering wheel.
Theres also a 19-speaker Harman
Kardon stereo and rear-seat, dual-screen
DVD/Blu-ray entertainment system. The
V6 engine is decent, but the robust V8 on
the high-performance (and very pricey)
SRT model is a blast literally. Theres also
an eco-friendly turbo diesel, though its a
tad noisier than expected. For tech geeks,
nix the standard ve-inch touchscreen,
and go for the 8.4-inch version with Wi-Fi
hotspot and smartphone app integration.
TOYOTA 4RUNNER
$34,100
Most truck-like SUVs have been
transformed into sedan-like crossovers.
But not the gritty Toyota 4Runner. Its even
more macho now, with styling thats less
Tonka toy and more bad boy, or Bad Santa,
take your pick. That said, this hulking sportute isnt always an easy ride, with potholes
making their presence known. And the nav
touchscreen is too small and low on the dash.
Still, steering is light, wind noise is
practically nil and theres no problem
when tackling hills and o-road trails.
The V6 engine is tough enough, but a V8
would have been better for passing and
on-ramp acceleration. With four trim
levels, theres a dizzying array of mixand-match features, including heated/
ventilated seats, windshield wiper de-icer
and selectable terrain modes. Running
boards can automatically deploy/retract
to make it easier getting in and out. And
to really deck out this ride, you can add
a hood scoop, matte-black wheels and
roof-rack crossbars.
4 0 DE CE MB ER 1 6, 2016
40850 ROBIN CIR, LEESBURG, VA 20175
NEW OFFERING
To be renovated! Custom-built stone, brick, & cedar estate on 3.54
acres w/ features & amenities for life style full of entertaining. Features
include heated indoor pool, sports pub, reg. racquetball court w/hoop,
audio/video system w/ 1 home theaters, rooftop deck, pic. pavilion w/
gas barbecue, potting shed, 2+ 2-car garages, & caretaker apartment.
As Is $1,499,000 No HOA $2,400,000
10000 MOUNT AIRY RD, UPPERVILLE, VA 20184
Windamere is located in the heart

of Orange County Hunt territory. The
REDUCED
farm
offers beautiful
rolling
pastures,
acres,
mountain
views
two ponds,
Extraordinary
brick
colonial
on 26
50+
gorgeous
acres
inprestigious
7Greystone.
stall barn and
a
fully
restored
Manor
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With hardwood
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Over 9000 sq.ft.of spectacular
space featuring
the
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&
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rooms
and
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of the
beautifully finished levels. Heated pool, tennis court and brilliant
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The grand foyer
& bright
kitchen have
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gardens
overlook
a picturesque
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with fabulous
mtn
views,in
There
5 bedrooms,
5 1/2 $2,975,000
bathrooms; the master bedroom includes a
privateare
& secluded
location.
large double vanity bathroom & spacious closet/dressing room. $3,100,000
20141 COLCHESTER RD, PURCELLVILLE, VA 20132
Former home
Westport
III in
Model
Home
on 3+ acres
in
Historic
c.1803
the heart
of available
Aldie, beautifully
restored
interior,
privateVA!
frontLight
and back
swimming
pool5
Middleburg,
filledporches,
open stunning
floor plan
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with
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and
hot
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bedrooms with 4 full and 2 half baths. Fully finished lower level
exquisite professionally landscaped gardens all beautifully manicured,
with walkways,
full bath. extensive
Three carpatios,
garage
and aDetached
beautifulartcovered
back2
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studio and
porch.
$1,175,000
car
garage.
Must see! $1,025,000
10 East Washington Street P.O. Box 485 Middleburg, VA 20118

Office 540.687.6321 Fax 540.687.3966 middleburgrealestate.com
FOUNDRY GALLERY
39207 JOHN MOSBY HWY, ALDIE, VA 20105
exceptional contemporary art
Antique brick and stone set the stage for this country property on
6.5 beautiful acres with mountain views. 7 fireplaces and solid cherry
floors are part of the reason this home is so special. Main house features
5 bedrooms with 3 1/2 baths, large great room with views , separate
dining, lovely sunroom. Carriage house wing has two bedrooms/ large
living area/kitchen area. By apt only. $1,299,000
NEW
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7002 Carroll Avenue,

Takoma Park MD 20912
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT
DE C E M B E R 16, 2016 41
Keep your promise to protect each other.
Morgan says gay fans go

back 30 years with her
had a gay following?

MORGAN: God, its been a long time, a
long time! Let me see (pauses) its been
probably 30 years (laughs).
BLADE: What do you think the appeal
is?
MORGAN: I think they know Im real.
I dont judge people. I love music, I love
singing about real issues and life and
women just dont go through that stu,
men do as well. Ive had a lot of gay
friends all my life. One of my best friends
is gay and we have the best time when
were together that I can ever have with
anybody. I guess its just the appeal that
I dont judge, I really dont give a damn
what your sexual preference is, I really
dont care. You know what my favorite
movie is? Birdcage. I love that movie,
me and my best friend always ... he calls
Miss. Albert because Im always like, I
need a Pirin tablet (laughs). I love that
people are lightening up and seeing that
this is not a bad thing. Id like to delve
back, I dont know if anybody ever has,
but Id like to delve back to the early days
of Christianity or before and see (pauses)
Id like to see when people rst started
feeling those emotions. Wouldnt you?
BLADE: Yeah, it would clear a lot of
things up. I think so much of how you
treat people has to do with how youre
raised and your surroundings.
MORGAN: I think a lot of it and most
of it. What doesnt bother me is the love.
When you love somebody with your heart
and soul, I dont think God can look down
on that. I just dont. Now if you walked
around hating people and looting, killing
people, thats not good. But softness and
being kind to people, nurturing someone.
I dont believe God looks down on that. I
did a gay pride festival a couple years ago
and it was one of the most fun shows Ive
ever done in my life. These people knew
ever word, they were dressed like me, we
were excited, they were excited and we
had the best time.
BLADE: Quite a few years ago, you said,
Drama is something that lets you know
youre still alive. Do you still feel that
way?
MORGAN: I do, you know, the older
Ive gotten I thought the drama would
settle down, but theres a new kind of
drama now. I had a friend of mine who
told me that every seven to 10 years you
go through changes with your body that
open your eyes to learning what you had
questions to for years. Now theres a new
drama in my life, not so much romantic
drama, boyfriend/girlfriend drama, now

its losing people you love, its a dierent
age of my life and kids growing up, and
grandkids and worrying about dierent
things. With each part of your life there
becomes a dierent drama you have
to deal with. Yeah, it still lets you know
youre alive. You have tears and you have
heartbreak and I feel sorry for people who
dont have a friend who they have loved
and have lost because theres no way to
describe that feeling of overcoming, but
you gotta learn to live with it and it makes
you a stronger and better person.
BLADE: I feel you gotta lose a little bit
to gain more in the long run as you get
older.
MORGAN: Well you are right. Let me
tell you something sweetie, it only gets
better. It does.When I hit 40, my girlfriend
told me its like magic. You wake up and
youre 40 and (laughs) I get it now! I wake
up and Im like, Oh my God, I know all the
answers to the questions I had all these
years. Then you hit another slump and
youre an idiot again (laughs). Then you
nd out that every ve, seven, 10 years,
you hit this new horizon that puts you
at another level and its interesting to sit
back and let it happen.
Wills & Trusts

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

www.PartnerPlanning.com
Serving the LGBT Community

in DC/MD/VA since 1983
Lawrence S. Jacobs/McMillan Metro, PC
Steve Weinberg
ATTORNEY AT LAW
BLADE: Youve accomplished so much

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
in your professional and personal life.
FOR 33 YEARS
What are you most proud of?
MORGAN: I know its corny, but its
PERSONAL INJURY PROBATE
gotta be my children. What they lived
WILLS/ POAs CIVIL LITIGATION
CONSERVATORSHIPS GUARDIANSHIPS
through at the height of my career and
they were little. I always tried to make
their basketball games and their proms
and their school picnics and I did really
damn good. You know, I would cancel a
10010 Fernwood Rd,
2141 P STREET NW SUITE 103
$60,000 date to make my sons basketball
Bethesda, MD 20817
WASHINGTON
DC
20037
game. I didnt care at that time. They were
E-MAIL
steveweinbergdc@aol.com
and they are the most important things
LICENSED IN DC, MD AND VA
in my life. My daughter is a wonderful
mother and shes full of funny, loving
ADVERTISING
ways. My son is wild as a damn buck, but
PROOF
ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12
SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com)
hell give you the shirt
o #1
his back. Hes
just a good ol southern rocker boy. My
REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of
proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of
grand kids and what we have,
what Randy
adviC
ed
i a twilli not
oN
L i after
t i 12:01
G apm
t wednesday,
i o N theaweek
P Pof epublication.Brown
a L S Cnaff
o pitts
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date of m
proof.
Revisions
be accepted
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and I tried to make is a peaceful
place
our
REDESIGN
can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or
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kids can always come. Ill never
turn my
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son gets to go on the road with me a lot.
He sings a couple songs when hes not
working. I just love those kids! They are
FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN
my life.
202-861-0077
Serving Our Community for 35 years
ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS
LORRIE MORGANS ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS

Sunday, Dec. 18
7:30 p.m.
The Birchmere
3701 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, VA
$45
birchmere.com
Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A.
at tor N e YS at L aw d C | m d | va
3 0 1 . 8 9 1 . 2 2 0 0 S P - L aw. C o m
6 9 3 0 C a r r o L L av e , S u i t e 6 1 0 ta k o m a Pa r k m d
4 2 DE CE MB ER 1 6, 2016
Its Like Retirement, Only Better

Ingleside at Rock Creek and Ingleside at King Farm are now expanding your possibilities for engaged
retirement living. Creekside at Ingleside at Rock Creek and Gardenside at Ingleside at King Farm, our
upcoming additions, represent even more choices for discerning people 62 years of age or better. Both
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For more information call 202-470-3413
For more information call 240-380-2678
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Ingleside at Rock Creek and Ingleside at King Farm are CARF accredited, not-for-profit, continuing care retirement communities.
Ingleside at King Farm is expanding with the proposed building of 125 new independent living apartments, 32 private assisted living memory support suites, and a Center for Healthy Living subject to approval by the Maryland Department of Aging.
W A SH I NGTO N B LA DE.C OM
D E CE MBE R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 4 3
REALESTATE
Good news about winter real estate

Some buyers need to
move now, so stick it out
Stick it out! Some buyers in the winter

months may be shopping for holiday bargains, but others are looking because they
need to move now. So you may actually
benet from dwindling inventory as there
is less competition from other properties,
and your property may stand out more.
Of course, you may also need to consider
a price adjustment if youve been getting
a decent number of showings but no offers. If youre getting no showings, then
you denitely need to lower your asking
price.
And buyers? You may also benet from
lower inventory on the market during the
winter, because there will also be fewer
buyers out there driving prices up. Dont
let the cold weather keep you inside.
Happy holidays to you.
By TED SMITH
It is a truism in real estate that you
dont want to sell a home in mid-winter
because sold prices are lower and the
remaining housing inventory on the market just sits through the winter holiday
months with no activity. Similarly, buyers
often hold o buying in winter because
of that same low level of inventory. While
there may be some truth to these opinions, there is also another side to selling
or buying during the winter months.
We dont have complete data for the
December market yet, but we do have almost half a months worth of data for it.
So, armed with that data as well as the
complete data from the previous three
months I decided to look a little more
closely at what happens to housing inventory in the early winter. This is shown in
the adjacent table and chart.
I looked at homes that went on the
market sometime during the month of
September, which is the time of the traditional second market peak of the year, the
2016 Provided by MRIS as of Dec. 14, 2016
fall season. By mid-December, 54 percent

of these homes had gone under contract
after an average of just 14 days on the
market (true for all price levels). Another
15 percent of these homes had gone under contract after 40 days on the market.
Seventeen percent of these homes had
been pulled from the market (temporarily

o, listing expired, or withdrawn) after an
average of 73 days on the market, and 14
percent were still active after an average
of 82 days on the market.
What would my advice be to these sellers with homes still active on the market?
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
ouses, as well as monthly seminars geared toward rst-time homebuyers. Sign up at meetup.com/DCMidCity1stTimeHomeBuyers/.
Cher
on Nasty Neighbors:
Theyd call us gypsies,
tramps and thieves...
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 DE CE MB ER 1 6, 2016
Health Insurance Issues? Claim Denied?

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c all the
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OMBUDSMAN
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We are here Monday Friday | 8:15am 4:45pm
HealthcareOmbudsman.dc.gov
The Knowledge to Guide You.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
MURIAL BOWSER, MAYOR
1232 9th St. NW Washington, DC 20001 (202)789-0870

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DECEMBER 16,

Drag performers at gay-owned

After 8 years of progress,

AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE

The adavit says he sent that text message two days

The surprise win by Donald Trump dashed plans

EDGAR M. WELCHs case in the Comet Ping Pong

to come together in alignment with other movements

GIVE A PIECE OF HISTORY

LGBT police liaison supervisor

Zoning Commission clears path for LGBT seniors home

D.C.s Fox5 News reported

Comet drag performers received death threats

said Welchs Dec. 4 invasion of his

about a month ago after the Pizzagate

Early Blade archives now online

Its also been popular among local

morning and in federal court Tuesday

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

Set his heart racing.

For more information, call 1- 800 - FOR - MERCEDES, or visit MBUSA.com.

Trump nominates ExxonMobil CEO as secy of state

ExxonMobil CEO REX TILLERSON was

Tillerson was a member of the Boy

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on

He honored Tillerson with his countrys

qualied applicant who outed herself as

conrmed for the Washington Blade late

With the LGBT non-discrimination policy

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

Your unique space

Our luxury line of products

Take 25% OFF with this ad*

White House wont comment on clemency for Manning

also initially refused to grant her gender

Blade to the U.S. military on Mannings

3 trans women among 36 dead in Oakland re

supporters gathered on Dec. 5 at Harvey

apologized for the tragedy in a Dec. 6

According to Almena, LGBT people were

Orlando marks 6-month anniversary of Pulse massacre

Tributes to the Pulse victims are now found throughout Orlando.

mass shooting in modern U.S. history

Carmen Yulin Cruz dedicated in June.

initial reaction to the shooting.

Anti-LGBT group withdraws lawsuit against Mass. trans law

entitiesfrom making statements intended

communal worship, other serious

to appear before a judge because the legal

Catholic Church reaffirms gay priests ban

Trump urged to continue pro-LGBT U.S. foreign policy

Anti-gay Gambian president rejects election results

Adjusting to reality of President Trump

forces. Its hard to see how that could

this year his opponent, Denise Juneau,

where people are standing with us. She

we put forward our voices and whatever

Brian Petro dies at 46

7 PM Longest Night Service Wesley UMC**

Christmas Eve Saturday, December 24

5:00pm Family Service*

10:00am Service of Lessons & Carols*

11:00am Kwanzaa Celebration* Wesley UMC**