FEBRUARY 24, 2017 VOLUME 48 ISSUE 08 AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE WASHINGTONBLADE.

COM

A blind and cruel attack on young children

By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com

Much to the dismay of the LGBT advocates who sought to keep guidance barring
discrimination against transgender kids in schools, the Trump administration on
Wednesday was set to revoke the guidance.
Although the nal letter rescinding the guidance isntyet public, White House Press
Secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday during the daily press brieng it would come out
that day, reiterating his words from earlier in the week the decision to withdraw the
guidance is based on the presidents support for states rights.
As far as the conclusion goes, Ive made this clear and the presidents made it clear
throughout the campaign that hes a rm believer in states rights, and that certain
issues like this are not best dealt with at the federal level, Spicer said.
An undated draft copy of the letter published by MSNBC informs schools the
Justice and Education Departments are withdrawing the statements of policy and
guidance assuring protections for transgender students. Issued in May by those
same departments during the Obama administration, the guidance bars schools from
denying transgender kids access to the restroom consistent with their gender identity
based on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
GAVIN GRIMM is suing his Virginia high school to use the restroom consistent Citing signicant litigation against the guidance, the draft letter cites a U.S. Fourth
with his gender identity. Trumps actions this week could impact the case, which is
pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ACLU OF VIRGINIA CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

Ads suggest Grin backs a full-page ad appeared in the New York

Lion over Moonlight for
Best Picture
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
One week before the 89th Academy
Many LGBT lm fans are rooting for Moonlight in Sundays Oscars, but HRCs Awards ceremony was set to take place
president prefers Lion, according to an ad campaign.
PHOTO VIA YOUTUBE in Hollywood on Sunday night, Feb. 26,
Times arts section on Feb. 17 listing
Human Rights Campaign President Chad
Grin as one of 21 voices on why Lion is
the Best Picture of the Year.
The ad includes a quote from Grin
praising Lion, a highly acclaimed lm
about an adopted child from India
who, as a young adult, searches for
his biological family and self-identity.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 15

POOR MILO DNC TO VOTE DREAM WILL RISE

Karma nally catches Tom Perez cites his LGBT Dustin Lance Black talks
up to gay provocateur as support as he vies to lead about his new ABC series
he loses job, book deal. party after 2016 losses. on gay rights history.

PAGE 8 PAGE 10 PAGE 23

0 2 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

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0 4 F EB RUA RY 2 4 , 2017
Comings & Goings
Inouye lands at Leadership Conference
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
THE COMINGS & GOINGS COLUMN is about sharing the professional successes of our
community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business,
joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with
us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
Congratulations to Shin Inouye who has started
in his new position as director of communications
and media relations at The Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights and Human Rights and The Leadership
Conference Education Fund. In that capacity he is
responsible for directing and implementing the
organizations communications strategy. He serves
as point person on the development of institutional
communications campaigns, including large-scale
coalition-wide public advocacy campaigns.
Prior to this, Inouye served for eight years SHIN INOUYE
PHOTO COURTESY OF INOUYE
as an appointee in the Obama administration.
From February 2009 to October 2014 he was
director of specialty media in the White House
Oce of Communications where he served
as the communications ocer for a variety of
specialty media outlets, including LGBT, AAPI,
Native Americans, veterans and military families,
youth/college, faith, rural and ethnic.As an ocial
spokesperson for the White House, he handled
incoming media inquiries regarding those groups
and targeted outreach to specialty media. From SCOTT SIMPSON
October 2014 to January 2017 he was the press PHOTO COURTESY OF SIMPSON
secretary and acting senior adviser for Intergovernmental and External Aairs
at the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services.
He worked in the Obama for America 2008 presidential campaign. Before that
he was communications director for Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.).
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by
its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and
protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference
Education Fund builds public will for federal policies that promote and protect
the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States.
Congratulations also to Scott Simpson who is the new public advocacy
director at Muslim Advocates. Simpson will build out a new department that
leverages communications and campaigns to impact policies, news coverage
and public opinion about American Muslims.
Simpson was formerly at The Leadership Conference where he worked on
major federal civil rights issues leading a campaign to document and publicize
the resurgence of voting discrimination in the aftermath of the Shelby decision
to gut the Voting Rights Act. He authored reports on polling place closures and
the impact of Shelby in swing states.
He has edited Unbought and Unbossed: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition
written by Rep. Shirley Chisholm and From the Closet to the Courts: Expanded 30th
Anniversary Edition written by his great aunt, gay liberation leader Ruth Simpson.
Simpson has managed political campaigns in the District of Columbia and ran to
represent Ward One on the State Board of Education. Previously, he served as
deputy press secretary to Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio); an HIV test counselor
and youth advocate; president of the LGBT Congressional Sta Association and
secretary of Q Street, the association of LGBT policy advocates and lobbyists.
He received his bachelors degree in marketing from Southeastern University
and masters degree in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington
Universitys Graduate School of Political Management.
Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization
that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for
Americans of all faiths. It is a 501(c)(3) charitable, tax-exempt nonprot entity
that is supported entirely by private donations.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
LO CA L N E W S
Protesters participate in the Not My Presidents Day rally against President Trump in Dupont
Circle on Feb. 20.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Not My Presidents Day protest draws hundreds
More than 500 people gathered in Dupont Circle on Monday to protest President Trump.
Lee Carter and Ken Boddye, who are running for the Virginia House of Delegates,
were among those who spoke at the Not My Presidents Day protest before the crowd
marched to the White House.
Protesters expressed their opposition to Trump, his nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the
U.S. Supreme Court and a variety of other issues that include the new administrations
travel ban and the Dakota Access Pipeline. They also carried signs that read, among
other things, Trump has no honor and Racist, sexist homophobic #notmypres.
No! In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist United States, read one
sign that was also in Spanish.
This s#!t is b.a.n.a.n.a.s! said another that two girls were holding while standing
along the edge of the Dupont Circle fountain.
Other protesters held signs in support of LGBT rights. A handful of men on motorcycles
rode past the protest with pro-Trump ags.
Thousands of people participated in Not My Presidents Day protests around the
country that coincided with Presidents Day. Monday also marked one month since
Trumps inauguration.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Va. religious freedom bill wins nal approval
The Virginia House of Delegates on Monday gave nal approval to a religious freedom
bill that would allow discrimination against same-sex couples.
Lawmakers approved House Bill 2025 by a 54-38 vote.
HB 2025 would not require any person, religious organization or aliates to
participate in the solemnization of any marriage if it conicts with a sincerely held
religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union
of one man and one woman. The measure that state Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper)
introduced would also prohibit Virginia ocials from punishing those who refuse to
take part in a gay or lesbian wedding because of their religious beliefs.
Today is a sad day for the people of Virginia, said Equality Virginia Executive Director
James Parrish in a statement. Instead of working to nd solutions to the real problems
we face as a state, our lawmakers are pushing shameful legislation providing a license
to discriminate against loving LGBTQ families.
The Human Rights Campaign described HB 2025 as a dangerous anti-LGBTQ proposal.
Lets be clear, HB 2025 is nothing more than a thinly veiled legislative assault on
LGBTQ Virginians and visitors to the state, said HRC Senior Vice President for Policy
and Political Aairs JoDee Winterhof. The measure has nothing to do with the right to
practice ones religion which is already rmly protected in the U.S. Constitution
and everything to do with enshrining taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBTQ
people into law.
Both Winterhof and Parrish noted the economic impact that North Carolinas
House Bill 2 which bans transgender people from using public bathrooms that are
consistent with their gender identity and prohibits local municipalities from enacting
LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination measures in their criticism of HB 2025.
We dont want to be the next North Carolina, said Parrish.
The Virginia Senate last year failed to override Gov. Terry McAulies veto of a similar
religious freedom bill.
McAulie has said he would also veto HB 2015 if it were to reach his desk.
We applaud Gov. McAulies promise to veto HB 2025 which will send a clear message
that this legislation does not represent the values we hold dear as Virginians, said Parrish.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 0 5

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0 6 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017
St. Thomas Parish breaks ground for new building
Members say new
church will serve
diverse community
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
More than 50 members and supporters
of St. Thomas Parish Episcopal Church near
Dupont Circle turned out on Sunday, Feb.
19, for a groundbreaking ceremony marking
the start of construction of its new church
building at 18th and Church St., N.W.
Gay Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson
and St. Thomas pastor, Rev. Alex Dyer,
jointly presided over the ceremony.
They told the gathering the new church
building would play a key role in helping
to continue the churchs longstanding
mission of providing spiritual and
community support for the diverse
population in the Dupont Circle area and
the city at large.
Robinson and Dyer noted that St.
Thomas original historic church building,
rst opened in 1899, was destroyed by
a re in 1970 that authorities listed as
arson. The congregation converted an
adjacent building used as a church hall
and administrative oces into a new
sanctuary, where the congregation has
worshiped for more than 46 years.
Part of the ruins of the original church
were left in place in an outdoor space
used since that time as a park open
to the surrounding community. After
years of planning, the churchs Vestry, or
Panelists denounce pro-trans bathroom policies
Lesbian veteran calls
transition at young
age abuse
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
Members of a Heritage Foundation
panel last week sharply criticized eorts
to allow transgender people to use
bathrooms and other facilities based on
their gender identity.
Ryan Anderson, a senior research
fellow at the Heritage Foundation,
moderated the panel that was titled,
Biology Isnt Bigotry: Why Sex Matters in
the Age of Gender Identity.
As gender identity ordinances and
bathroom battles sweep the nation,
ordinary Americans have had to confront
the question of whether their long-
standing beliefs about the sexes are
based on biology or bigotry, reads a
Rev. ALEX DYER, left, and Bishop GENE
ROBINSON break ground on the site where
the new St. Thomas church will be built near
Dupont Circle.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY LOU CHIBBARO JR.
governing board, decided to arrange for
the construction of a new church building
on the site of the original church.
Reclaiming our historic site will make
it possible for us to reach out more
eectively into the community to be a
visible, active, life-giving, and healing
presence for our neighborhood and city,
church ocials said in a statement.
Robinson made history in 2003 when
he was elected bishop of the Episcopal
Diocese of New Hampshire, becoming the
description of the panel the Heritage
Foundation posted on its website.
Anderson in his opening remarks
said trans activists and their supporters
attacked single occupancy bathrooms
and locker rooms that he described as
common sense compromise solutions.
He also applauded U.S. District Judge
Reed OConnor who issued an injunction
Episcopal Churchs rst out gay bishop.
He said he moved to D.C. four years ago
after retiring from his New Hampshire
post. He currently serves as Bishop in
Residence at St. Thomas Parish.
During the groundbreaking ceremony on
Sunday, Robinson and Dyer talked about
St. Thomas history and tradition of being
a welcoming church for diverse and often
marginalized groups, including immigrants,
LGBT people and political dissidents.
One of the things that I know as we
build this new building is that we are
standing on the shoulders of so many who
came before us at St. Thomas, Robinson
told the Washington Blade. And perhaps
one of the most moving chapters in our
history was in the 80s, when the AIDS
crisis happened to our community, he
said. And virtually everyone was turning
their backs on us. St. Thomas reached out
and gathered into themselves so many in
our community who were suering. They
did funerals, did pastoral counseling and
comforted us at a time when we had few
friends and allies.
Added Robinson: So I think as we move
into the future we will be looking for similar
ways to reach out to other marginalized
people, disenfranchised people.
Gay activist and St. Thomas member
David Perez, who serves as chair of Mayor
Muriel Bowers LGBT Advisory Committee,
said the church was supportive of him at
the time he came out as gay in 2006.
The next week I came to this church
and it was very welcoming and friendly, he
said. I could nally be gay and worship and
this congregation was very supportive.
MIRIAM BEN-SHALOM at a GetEQUAL
protest at the White House fence on Nov. 15,
2010.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
last summer against the Obama
administrations guidance to public
schools that said Title IX requires them
to allow trans students to use bathrooms
consistent with their gender identity.
The Justice Department last week
withdrew its appeal of OConnors ruling
hours after U.S. Attorney General Je
Sessions was sworn in. This decision
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
LO CA L N E W S
After determining they were unable
to raise sucient funds to pay for a new
church building, St. Thomas ocials
entered into an arrangement with a
developer that included selling about
two-thirds of the church property to the
developer, CAS Riegler, which it will use to
build a seven-story, 56-unit condominium
apartment building, according to a
statement on the St. Thomas website. CAS
Riegler, in return, is building the church on
the remaining one-third of the property as
part of a single, multi-use structure.
Four people opposed to the joint
church-condo project and the elimination
of the park formed a picket line with signs
protesting the project on the sidewalk
next to where the groundbreaking
ceremony was taking place.
I think the loss of the open space is
a real loss for people, said St. Thomas
governing body ocial Carol Coonrod.
Thats belonged to the neighborhood
for the past 40 years so if its going to be
taken away from them I can understand
their sadness and the dismay, she said.
And we hope the neighbors will come
to see us as a good neighbor in their
midst, she said. Were very interested in
reconciliation so that were all together in
this neighborhood as people who share a
common commitment to our city.
During a reception following the
groundbreaking ceremony ocials with CAS
Riegler gave a video presentation showing
exterior and interior views of the new church
building that can be seen here: https://
stthomasdc.org/2016/09/10/walk-through-
animation-of-our-future-church-building/
comes less than two months before
the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled
to hear oral arguments in the case of
Gavin Grimm, a trans student who led
a lawsuit against his Virginia school
districts bathroom policy.
Judge OConnor got the case right, said
Anderson. The Obama administration
was unlawfully rewriting federal law.
The term sex is not ambiguous and
its not subject to executive branch
agency redenition to now mean gender
identity, he added.
Other panelists also criticized eorts
to accommodate trans or gender non-
conforming students.
Emily Zinos of the Minnesota chapter
of the Family Policy Alliance-sponsored
Ask Me First campaign said the principal
of her childrens school told her in an
email that a gender non-conforming
kindergartner had arrived. Zinos noted a
whole host of demands quickly followed
CONTINUES ON PAGE 15
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 0 7

0 8 F EB RUA RY 2 4 , 2017
Milos terrible, no good, very bad week
Gay provocateur loses
book deal, Breitbart job
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Although anti-transgender and
Islamophobic views were not a problem
for organizers of the Conservative Political
Action Conference, an unearthed video
in which Milo Yiannopoulos suggests
approval for sex with underage boys was
apparently a bridge too far.
Matt Schlapp, chair of the American
Conservative Union, announced Monday
in a statement Yiannopoulos would be
disinvited from the annual conservative
confab over the video amid outcry from
both conservatives and progressives
over giving him a prominent role as a
keynote speaker.
Due to the revelation of an oensive
video in the past 24 hours condoning
pedophilia, the American Conservative
Union has decided to rescind the
invitation of Milo Yiannopoulos to speak
at the Conservative Political Action
Conference, Schlapp said.
ClexaCon brings focus to queer women in entertainment
Annual convention kicks
o March 3 in Las Vegas
By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com
EDITORS NOTE: The Blade is a sponsor of
ClexaCon and will have a reporter in Las Vegas
covering the convention March 3-5. Visit wash-
ingtonblade.com for updates.
Conventions are a popular way to bring
die-hard, like-minded fans together
from the star-studded Comic Con in San
Diego to the D.C. Awesome Con, which
has featured cast members from fantasy/
sci- shows like Doctor Who and The
Walking Dead.
ClexaCon, the rst con created by queer
women for queer women, will unite a more
specic part of fandom culture that has
been demanding attention for a long time.
ClexaCon is a three-day convention
for queer women in entertainment from
March 3-5 at Ballys and Paris in Las Vegas.
The name Clexa comes from the fan
favorite couple Clarke and Lexa from the
CWs The 100. Lexas death on the show
sparked outrage among LGBT fans who felt
Lexa was the casualty of yet another Bury
Your Gays Trope. A petition was started
to spread awareness of the treatment of
queer female characters in media and to
raise money for The Trevor Project.
As Schlapp noted, Yiannopoulos
responded on Facebook to consternation
over the video and denied he supports
pedophilia, maintaining the video was
selectively edited and he has denounced
pedophilia in other capacities.
But the response, Schlapp said, is
insucient.
It is up to him to answer the
tough questions and we urge him to
immediately further address these
disturbing comments.
CPAC had announced late last week
Yiannopoulos would be the keynote
speaker at CPAC after he appeared on
HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher and
reiterated his view one with which
Maher agreed that transgender people
are sexually confused and shouldnt be
allowed in the bathroom consistent with
their gender identity.
Yiannopoulos also made denigrating
comments about gay people, saying he
wouldnt hire them as workers because
theyre constantly late and on drugs and
they have a long road to coming to
terms with their sexual orientation.
It was the latest in a history of anti-LGBT
comments from Yiannopoulos, whos gay
runner Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp,
LYNN CHEN is one of many actresses and
other queer women in entertainment taking
part in ClexaCon.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEXACON
(Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught from
The con strives to rectify the Bury
Your Gays trope and to celebrate
LGBT characters in media as well as
to encourage queer women to create
their own content that does justice to
and claims to have a black boyfriend.
The appearance on Real Time and
announcement Yiannopoulos would
speak at CPAC came to the dismay of LGBT
rights supporters, who asserted anyone
who expresses those views shouldnt be
granted a prominent platform.
The videos suggesting Yiannopoulos
is OK with pedophilia were unearthed
not by progressive activists, but by the
Reagan Battalion, a conservative blog that
objected to Yiannopoulos appearance at
the event.
Reaction to the video was swift.
In addition to losing his CPAC gig,
Yiannopoulos resigned from his job as an
editor for the right-wing Breitbart news and
lost a book deal with Simon & Schuster.
Yiannopoulos was a Trump supporter
during the Republican primary. During
the Republican National Convention, he
appeared at an LGBT for Trump event
and spoke in front of posters of scantily
clad slender young men dressed as
Trump supporters. The images were
photos taken by Lucian Wintrich, the
founder of Twinks4Trump.
In the videos circulated by conservatives
calling for his ouster, Yiannopoulos says
the representation they want to see of
themselves on screen.
We want ClexaCon to be a place where
fans from around the world connect
and form friendships. If we can impact
just one persons life positively, then we
have accomplished our goal, ClexaCon
organizers said in a statement to the
Washington Blade.
Organizers say they are expecting
thousands of attendees during the three-
day event. The lineup includes a bevy of
celebrities, panelists, journalists, artists
and other fandom contributors. Top
names expected to attend include Amy
Acker (Person of Interest, Angel), show
Speed-Pitching, the chance to pitch a
Lost Girl), Lynn Chen (Saving Face),
Gabrielle Christian (South of Nowhere),
Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls, Lost Girl),
Mandy Musgrave (South of Nowhere)
and many more.
These actresses will bring together
some of the most beloved lesbian couples
in fandom. Spashley (Spencer and Ashley
on South of Nowhere), Shoot (Root and
Shaw on Person of Interest), Wayhaught
Wyonna Earp), Hollstein (Laura Hollis
and Carmilla Karnstein on Camilla),
Bam (Bianca and Maggie from All My
Children) and a reunion of the cast from
romantic-comedy Saving Face.
Panels will include Bring Your Own
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
he learned fellatio as a result of his own
underage relations with Father Michael,
denying the act was harmful.
This sort of arbitrary and oppressive
idea of consent, which totally destroys
the understanding that many of us
have, Yiannopoulos says in one clip.
The complexities and subtleties and
complicated nature of many relationships.
You know, people are messy and
complex. In the homosexual world
particularly. Some of those relationships
between younger boys and older men,
the sort of coming-of-age relationships,
the relationships in which those older
men help those young boys to discover
who they are, and give them security and
safety and provide them with love and
a reliable and sort of a rock where they
cant speak to their parents.
Schlapp said even with Yiannopoulos
gone, more than 100 speakers are still
prepared to speak at CPAC starting
Wednesday. Besides Trump and Pence,
other scheduled speakers are White
House chief strategist Steve Bannon,
White House Chief of Sta Reince Priebus,
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker.
Bulletproof Vest: How to Write Damn Good
T.V. for Women, Creating an Original Web
Series, Diversity in Comics, Fanction and
the Art of a Good Love Scene, How to Raise
Investment for your LGBTQ Business: from
Crowdfundraising to Venture Backing, and
Transgender Representation in the Media,
among others.
The ClexaCon Film Festival will screen
lms, web series and documentaries from
queer lmmakers. Other special events
during the weekend will include Cocktails
for Change, a one-hour event that gives
attendees the chance to mingle with
celebrities at the con while raising money
for the Tegan and Sara Foundation, and
television series to professional TV writers
and creators on the panel.
This event is for the LGBT+ person
sitting in their small town feeling
completely alone and alienated,
ClexaCon organizers say. ClexaCon is for
those of us who have placed our hope
in a ctional character just to have been
let down. We are powerful and we are
important. Its time our community felt
that. Its time we are the change we want
to see in the world.
Single-day passes are $50-$55 and
three-day passes are $135. Tickets for
autographs and photographs are sold
separately. For more information, visit
clexacon.com.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 0 9

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1 0 F EB RUA RY 2 4 , 2017
Perez cites history of LGBT support in run for DNC chair
Obama ocial
turns attention
to political organizing
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
After high-level service in the Obama
administration that included ghting for
LGBT rights at both the Labor and Justice
Departments, Tom Perez is looking to
become the next Democratic National
Committee chair.
In an interview Friday with the
Washington Blade, Perez said in a
crowded eld of contenders his history
of support for LGBT rights makes him the
best candidate for the LGBT community.
I have always fought for equality and
opportunity for the LGBTQ community,
and if I have the privilege of being elected,
past is prologue, the best to judge what
someone is going to do in the future is look
at what theyve done in the past, and Im
very proud of my history with partnership
with the LGBTQ community because
everybody in this country deserves to be
treated with dignity, Perez said.
Perezs work on LGBT rights goes back
as far as the 1990s, when as a former
staer for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy
he said he drafted an initial version of
the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd
Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Working under the Obama
administration as head of the Justice
Departments civil rights division, Perez
testied before Congress in favor of
ENDA and led an eort in which Anoka-
Hennepin School District in Minnesota
agreed to change practices to stop the
anti-LGBT bullying it allowed in school.
As labor secretary, Perez was charged
with enforcing President Obamas
executive order barring anti-LGBT
workplace discrimination among federal
contractors and interpreted an earlier
order from President Lyndon Johnson
prohibiting employment bias on the basis
of sex to apply to transgender workers.
Perez also extended federal benets
to same-sex couples, such as those
under the Family & Medical Leave Act, in
aftermath of the Supreme Court decision
against the Defense of Marriage Act.
Also at the Labor Department, Perez
hired Dylan Orr, who was the rst openly
transgender person to be appointed to
a presidential administration and now
works for the city of Seattle as director of
the Oce of Labor Standards.
Ed Murray, whos gay and serves as
mayor of Seattle, supports Perez and said
the candidates background on LGBT rights
is exactly what is needed at the DNC.
Secretary Perez has been a strong
partner and advocate on LGBTQ
issues, Murray said. It is critical that
our Democratic Party leader be able to
stand up for the needs of the LGBTQ
community, and build a national coalition
that will continue to protect the civil rights
of all in the face of discrimination.
The election for chair is set to take
place Saturday during the DNCs winter
meeting in Atlanta.
Heres the full interview between Perez
and the Washington Blade:
WASHINGTON BLADE: Can you tell
me what you have to oer the DNC
that other candidates arent oering?
TOM PEREZ: I think the DNC chair
needs to be someone who knows how
to take the ght to Donald Trump, knows
how to win ghts, knows how to talk to
every stakeholder in our big tent and has
a proven track record as a turnaround
specialist. The DNC is suering from a
crisis of condence, a crisis of relevance,
and its a complex organization, and it
needs a leader who can turn it around.
Thats what Ive done at the Department
of Labor; its what Ive done at the
Department at Justice beforehand. Taking
organizations with a critical mission that
werent ring on all cylinders and making
sure that we got the best of out of those
organizations.
Thats what Ive done there. Thats what
I hope to do as the head of the DNC is
make sure we are putting our values into
action, and we our values into action
by among other things turning around
this big ship that I think needs a lot of
transformation. Thats how we succeed.
BLADE: Youve been endorsed by
Steny Hoyer and Joe Biden. A lot
of a people would say youre the
establishment candidate in the race
for chair. How would you respond to
that characterization?
PEREZ: This is one of the rst times Ive
heard of the farm workers referred to as
establishment. Theyre supporting me.
The UFCW is supporting me, a number of
other labor unions are supporting me.
I think its really important, Chris, to
avoid labels and look at the substance
of what people have done. I spent my
entire life ghting for marriage equality. I
worked for Sen. Kennedy in the 90s when
he was one of the lonely voices against
the Defense of Marriage Act, then I fought
at the Justice Department to make sure
we didnt defend it.
I took Wall Street on, negotiated two
of the largest fair lending settlements
in history of the Fair Housing Act. We
took on bullying in the public schools in
Anoka-Hennepin on behalf of LGBTQ
young students. And we took a lot of
grief for that, but we took that ght on.
We took on the ght of police reform and
negotiated more police consent decrees
with police departments with my tenure
as the Justice Departments head of the
civil rights division than had been in the
preceding 15 years history of the statute.
So, when you look at the ghts Ive
done and you move away from labels, I
think the evidence is pretty clear that Ive
taken on some pretty important ghts
on behalf of long-established principles
of the Democratic Party, the principles
of inclusion, the principle that every
deserves a fair shake and the principle
of economic security that if you work
hard and play by the rules you can punch
your ticket to the middle class. And Ill
hold my record of accomplishment on
these long-established goals and values
and principles of the Democratic Party up
against anyone.
BLADE: You say youre 44 votes short
of getting a majority of the delegates
to win the race for DNC chair. How
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
TOM PEREZ is running to become Democratic
National Committee chair.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
do you envision claiming victory in
Atlanta?
PEREZ: Well, that was as of two days
ago. So, every day since we reached that
mark, we keep moving forward. And Im
out in Chicago right now, was in West
Virginia, Pennsylvania yesterday and Ill
be in Iowa later today. And Ill be criss-
crossing the country between now and
next week. A lot of undecided voters out
there, and were taking our case directly
to them and thats what grassroots
campaign are about, making house calls.
Thats what the Democratic Party needs
to do more of in order to make sure
were winning seats from school board to
state houses across this country is make
house calls. Thats what Im doing and Im
learning a lot on my visits with various
people around the country.
BLADE: As chair of the DNC, youll
be doing a lot of political organizing
for the upcoming elections. There was
a lot of discussion as to why Hillary
Clinton lost the last one. Why do you
think Hillary Clinton lost the election?
PEREZ: First of all, its important to
remember that she did win the popular
vote and there were a lot of factors that
led to her not crossing the electoral nish
line. Certainly, the Russian hack had
something to do with it. Certainly, the
Comey letter had something to do with
it. And certainly there were mistakes that
were made that were absolutely critical,
and these were mistakes that have
been occurring, frankly, for a number of
election cycles.
We have to make house calls. All too
frequently now, Democrats across the
board have relied on paid analysts to the
exclusion of that on-the-ground, 12-month-
out-of-the-year organizing presence.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 1 1

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1 2 F EB RUA RY 2 4 , 2017
DANIELA and YASURI were two trans women who were killed in San Luis Talpa, El
Salvador, on Feb. 18.
Salvadoran activists seek justice
for murdered trans women
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador A new anti-transgender hate crime was
reported in the country on the night of Feb. 18, but the National Civil Police (NCP)
described it as the murder of two men who were wearing womens clothes in the
center of San Luis Talpa in the La Paz Department.
The victims who have been identied as Yasuri, 29, and her friend Daniela,
22, had attended a dance that took place in the municipality of San Luis Talpa.
According to the victims friends, a group of young men approached them with
the intent of overpowering them and took them from the area. They were
found dead a short time later with gunshot wounds to their faces, according to
witnesses who said they were shot from a gray vehicle.
I urge all of the appropriate institutions to provide individual and collective
justice, to classify all these hate crimes and to provide protection and reparation
to family members and the rest of the victims of our LGBTI community, said
Tatiana Molina, a trans woman and independent activist.
An amendment to Article 129 of the penal code that increased the penalty
for aggravated murder that is motivated by a victims racial, ethnic or religious
identity, political aliation, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression
to 60 years in prison took eect more than a year ago. Article 155 of the penal
code considers threats based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender
identity as an aggravated threat and punishes those who commit them with 3-6
years in prison.
Ambar Alfaro, coordinator of the Permanent Table for a Gender Identity Law
in El Salvador, said that the country nds itself in a situation of extreme violence
where death is unfortunately no longer a matter of if. She told the Washington
Blade that trans people are three times more likely to become victims of this
violence because of the heteronormative and patriarchal system.
Another factor that concerns LGBTI activists is the lack of respect in the
Salvadoran media when it covers or broadcasts the news.
Xavier, a volunteer for the Generation of Trans Men of El Salvador, told the
Blade that this has a negative impact. He said coverage that refers to the victims
as men dressed as women and not trans women misinforms the population.
Xavier and other activists said it remains to be seen if the NCP will continue
investigating whether to classify this case as a hate crime, even though it has
a legal basis to apply the full weight of the law. They also said they hope the
authorities will nd the perpetrators and prosecute them.
ERNESTO VALLE
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S
Trans woman poised to win seat in Ecuador Assembly
A psychologist is poised to become the rst openly transgender person elected to
Ecuadors National Assembly.
Diane Rodrguez is a member of Movimiento Alianza PAIS, a left-leaning political party
that outgoing President Rafael Correa leads.
Rodrguez, 34, cast her ballot in the city of Guayaquil on Sunday during the countrys
elections. She and other trans Ecuadorians were able to vote for the rst time using
identity cards that correspond with their gender identity.
Carlos Vera, a former World Cup referee on whose ticket Rodrguez ran, currently has
the third highest amount of votes in Guayas Province in which Guayaquil is located with
slightly more than 80 percent of the votes counted.
I was elected by popular vote, Rodrguez told the Washington Blade on Monday. I
feel proud.
Rodrguez would join a handful of other openly trans politicians who have been
elected to national governing bodies around the world once the nal election results
are conrmed.
Geraldine Roman in May 2016 became the rst openly LGBT person elected to the
Philippine Congress. Tamara Adrin in 2015 became the rst openly trans person
elected to the Venezuelan National Assembly.
Rodrguez unsuccessfully ran for the Ecuadorian National Assembly in 2013.
She is among the seven LGBT activists from Latin America who traveled to the U.S.
in 2014 as part of the State Departments International Visitor Leadership Program.
Rodrguez made headlines last year in Ecuador when her partner Fernando Machado,
who is a trans man, had a baby.
We know her for her constant ght for human rights, said the Ecuadorian Federation
of LGBT Organizations in a video it released on Rodrguezs election.
Rodrguez told the Blade her election will pave the way for other LGBT and intersex
people who may want to run for oce in 2019.
I am not going to be the only popularly elected candidate, she said.
Ecuadors National Electoral Counsel on Tuesday said Lenn Moreno, who is
Movimiento Alianza PAIS presidential candidate, is ahead of Guillermo Lasso of Creando
Oportunidades, a center-right party, by a 39.2-28.4 percent margin with 94.5 percent of
the votes counted.
Ocials said they plan to announce the nal election results later this week. A runo
election between Moreno and Lasso is likely to take place on April 2 because neither
candidate has at least 50 percent of the vote.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Natl Guard considered for immigration roundup: report
The Trump administration on Friday denied an Associated Press report that said
it considered the mobilization of up to 100,000 National Guard troops to round up
undocumented immigrants in 11 states.
The Associated Press obtained an 11-page draft memo from the Department of
Homeland Security that proposed the use of National Guard troops in Arizona, California,
New Mexico and Texas the four states that border Mexico and Arkansas, Colorado,
Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah. The draft memo with Homeland
Security Secretary John Kellys name on it was dated Jan. 25, which is the same day
President Trump signed an executive order that spurs construction of a wall along the
U.S.-Mexico border to stop undocumented immigrants from entering the country.
State National Guard components are employees of their respective states and are
under the command of their governors when they are not in federal service, reads the
draft memo the Associated Press obtained. Based on their training and experience,
these men and women are particularly well-suited to assist in the enforcement of federal
immigration law and augment border security operation by department components.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Friday described the Associated Press
report as 100 percent not true and false.
It is not a White House document, he said.
The Associated Press released the draft memo it obtained shortly after Spicer spoke
with reporters.
ABC News last summer reported the Obama administration deported 2.5 million
undocumented immigrants between 2009-2015. One statistic indicates 91 percent of
those who were deported from the U.S. in 2015 have been convicted of a crime.
Immigrant rights advocates and their supporters have sharply criticized Trump over
his plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. LGBT rights activists in Mexico and
Central America with whom the Washington Blade has spoken in recent weeks said the
executive order has sparked fear throughout the region.
The fear is very real, Freddy Funez, an LGBT rights activist in the Honduran city of
San Pedro Sula, told the Blade on Feb. 10 during an interview at his oce.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 1 3

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1 4 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017
Trump reverses Obama guidance on trans students
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
Circuit Court of Appeals ruling based
on the guidance in favor of transgender
student Gavin Grimm as well as a decision
from U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor
enjoining enforcement of the guidance.
In these circumstances, OCR and DOJ
have decided to withdraw and rescind the
above-referenced guidance documents
in order to further consider the issues
involved, the draft letter says. The
Departments thus will not rely on the
views expressed within them.
The news comes just weeks after the
White House declared in a statement
Trump is determined to protect the
rights of all Americans, including the
LGBTQ community.
J. Bob Alotta, executive director of the Astraea
Lesbian Foundation for Justice, condemned
the decision to revoke the guidance as an
attack on transgender students.
These protections were put into place
to ensure the safety of transgender
students, Alotta said. Todays decision
actively harms the people who are
most vulnerable to violence and the
administration should immediately
reverse course. Discrimination doesnt
belong in our schools or in our society.
Everyone should have the freedom to
express their gender identity without
fear, retribution or risk of violence.
Major media outlets reported the
process leading to the revocation of the
guidance was a source of contention. The
Washington Post reported the transgender
guidance was rescinded over the
objections of newly conrmed Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos. The Washington
Blade has placed a call to the Education
Department to verify those objections
and determine who overruled her in the
decision to overturn the guidance.
According to The New York Times, a
ght erupted in the Trump administration
over the letter between DeVos and
U.S. Attorney General Je Sessions,
who reportedly pressed the education
secretary sign o on the change because
he couldnt go forward without her
consent. The order had to come from both
the Justice and Education Departments.
Trump sided with Sessions over DeVos,
the New York Times reported, and faced
with the choice of either resigning or
defying the president, DeVos agreed
to go along. The order was expected
Wednesday, but held up, the Times
reported, because the two Cabinet
members disputed the nal language.
White House Press Secretary Sean
Spicer, however, denied there was
signicant contention among members
of the Trump administration, insisting
there was no daylight between DeVos
and Sessions on rescinding the guidance.
I think where you might be hearing
White House Press Secretary SEAN SPICER
said a letter is coming soon revoking trans
student guidance.
SCREEN CAPTURE COUTESY OF C-SPAN
something is more on the timing of stu,
Spicer said. The conclusions every person
in the administration has agreed upon.
Theres no daylight between anybody,
between the president, between any of
the secretaries.
Asked to clarify further the education
secretarys position, Spicer said DeVos is 100
percent in favor rescinding the guidance.
The reported view of Sessions in favor
of rescinding the guidance is consistent
with recent actions from the Justice
Department in litigation led against the
guidance by Texas Attorney General Ken
Paxton on behalf of 12 states. As a result
of the litigation, U.S. District Judge Reed
OConnor issued a preliminary injunction
barring the administration from enforcing
the guidance nationwide.
Although the Justice Department
under the Obama administration led
an appeal with the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court
of Appeals seeking along with a request
to limit the scope of the injunction to
the 12 plainti states, a legal brief under
Sessions withdraws that second request
and declares the Trump administration
is currently considering how best to
proceed in this appeal.
Denying the timing of revoking the
guidance means its a priority for the
president, Spicer said the decision is
based on the Gloucester County Schools
v. G.G. case pending before the Supreme
Court and we have to decide whether
or not to issue guidance to the court.
Arguments are set for March 28.
Its dictated by that, Spicer said.
The Obama administration had issued
joint guidance from the Department of
Education and the Department of Justice.
We now have to decide whether or not
this administration wants to continue
that track that they were on. Its plain and
simple if we dont.
Explaining the decision to reverse
course, Spicer said a review from the
Education and Justice Departments under
Trump identied areas of concern, such
as the interpretation of Title IX to apply to
transgender students.
And so, its incumbent upon us to
actually follow the law and recognize
that Title IX never talked about this; it
was an act of 1972, Spicer said. There
was no discussion of this back then, and
to assume certain elements of the law
were thought of back then...would be
completely preposterous.
Despite Spicers words, a long body
of case law including a determination
from the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission in 2012 and
rulings from federal appeals courts as
far back as 2000 have determined
the prohibition on sex discrimination in
federal civil rights laws like Title IX apply
to transgender people. The 1989 U.S.
Supreme Court case Price Waterhouse v.
Hopkins, which found the law covers not
just discrimination on the basis of sex,
but also sex stereotyping, formed the
basisfor those decisions.
Gary McCaleb, senior counsel with
Alliance Defending Freedom, was among
those cheering Trump for following up on his
campaign promise to rescind the guidance.
The privacy, safety, and dignity of young
students should be the rst concern of
every local school ocial across America,
McCaleb said. The Obama administration
radically distorted a federal law that
was meant to equalize educational
opportunities for women and then forced
local ocials to intermingle boys and girls
within students private facilities like locker
rooms, hotel rooms on school trips, and
restrooms. The Trump administration
would be right to return to the rule of law
by rescinding the Obama administrations
misleading guidance.
The action comes despite calls from
transgender advocates to keep the policy
in place. On Tuesday, the Human Rights
Campaign promoted a letter to Trump
signed by more than 1,000 parents of
transgender children calling on him to
preserve the guidance.
Like all parents, all we want is for our
children to be healthy, safe, and loved,
the letter says. No young person should
wake up in the morning fearful of the
school day ahead. When this guidance
was issued last year, it provided our
families and other families like our own
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
across the country with the knowledge
and security that our government was
determined to protect our children from
bullying and discrimination. Please do not
take that away from us.
In the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey
conducted by the National Center for
Transgender Equality, more than three-
quarters of those who were out or
perceived as transgender at some point
in kindergarten through high school
experienced at that time some from of
mistreatment, such as being verbally
harassed, prohibited from dressing
according to their gender identity,
disciplined more harshly, or physically or
sexually assaulted.
The survey doesnt look specically at
the degree to which transgender students
were barred from the restroom or locker
room consistent with their gender
identity. However, the survey found
59 percent of respondents reported in
the past year they had avoided using a
restroom, such as in public, at work, or
at school, because they were afraid of
confrontations.
Nearly one-third of the sample avoided
drinking or eating so they wouldnt have
to use the restroom, and eight percent
reported having a urinary tract infection
or kidney-related medical problem as a
result of avoiding restrooms.
Chad Grin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign, lambasted Trump for
the decision to revoke the guidance in a
statement and said it would only serve to
harm transgender youth.
What could possibly motivate a blind
and cruel attack on young children like
this? Grin said. These transgender
students simply want to go to school in the
morning without fear of discrimination or
harassment. The consequences of this
decision will no doubt be heartbreaking.
This isnt a states rights issue, its a civil
rights issue. Children deserve protection
from bullying no matter what state they
live in. Period.
Even though the guidance is rescinded,
transgender advocates insist transgender
students can still sue on their own if they
feel theyve experienced discrimination
in schools under the provision of Title IX
barring discrimination of the basis of sex.
Because of the order from OConnor, the
guidance wasnt an option for relief anyway.
But the plans could have an impact on
pending litigation before the U.S. Supreme
Court in which Gavin Grimm, a transgender
student in Virginia, is suing his Gloucester
County high school to use the restroom
consistent with his gender identity. The
court accepted the case to evaluate whether
courts should defer to the guidance, a point
that now seems moot, as well as whether
Title IX prohibits schools from barring
students from using the restroom consistent
with their gender identity.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
N E WS
HRC president weighs in on Best Picture race
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
The lm doesnt have any LGBT-related
content or storyline.
Lion is a profoundly beautiful
testament to the power of nding and
understanding your identity, the ad
quotes Grin as saying. People from all
backgrounds and all walks of life will be
moved by this universal story.
The ad identies Grin as president of
the Human Rights Campaign, the largest
national LGBT organization.
The Feb. 17 ad and a smaller follow-up
ad in the Times the next day that includes
the same quote from Grin were placed
by the Weinstein Company, an LGBT-
supportive lm distribution company that
is competing this year for a Best Picture
award for Lion against eight other
movies nominated for an Oscar in the
Best Picture category.
Among the competition is Moonlight,
another highly acclaimed movie that
follows the life of a black gay man from
childhood to adulthood as he struggles
against bullying and cultural norms related
to masculinity and self-acceptance.
HRC spokesperson Olivia Dalton said
Panelists criticize trans bathroom protections
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 06
this announcement.
The bathrooms, the locker rooms,
the uniforms, really every aspect of the
schools practices that dierentiated
between the sexes would have to be
made gender-neutral, she said in her
statement that Miriam Ben-Shalom, a
lesbian Army Reserve veteran who is the
rst person the Pentagon reinstated for
being discharged under Dont Ask, Dont
Tell, read during the panel. It was just
the beginning of a wild ride into a world
where schools had become indoctrination
hubs and biological sex no longer exists.
Organizers of the Milwaukee Pride
Parade last year invited Ben-Shalom
to serve as their grand marshal. They
rescinded the invitation after they
discovered anti-trans comments that she
had posted to her Facebook page.
Ben-Shalom referenced the controversy
during the Heritage Foundation panel.
She also sharply criticized those who
encourage trans children and adolescents
to transition before they are adults.
As a teacher I care about my students
and I believe its abuse, said Ben-Shalom.
In this culture you cannot vote until youre
18. You cant drink until youre 21. You
cant have a credit card of your very own
that you applied for until youre after 18
years of age. How the hell is it that youre
Grin loved the movie Lion and said are proud to recognize the brilliance of
so. But she told the Washington Blade
Grin didnt have anything to do with the Award and welcome playwright Tarell
creation of the New York Times ads and
the ads cannot be interpreted to imply
that Grin supports Lion over Moonlight
for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Dalton did not reply to a Blade follow-up
question asking how Grins quote praising
Lion found its way into the New York Times
ads and whether Grin, as speculated by
Hollywood observers, agreed to a request
by the Weinstein Company to submit a
testimonial on behalf of Lion.
However, Dalton pointed out that
the Times ads appeared one week after
Grin and HRC honored the movie
Moonlight and the creative team that
produced it with an HRC award at its
annual New York dinner on Feb. 11.
Moonlight has captured the hearts
and the minds of audiences across the
country, Grin said in a statement
announcing the award. The lm triumphs
in its portrayal of the struggles that many
in this country face every day because
of discriminatory barriers that still
exist, especially if youre young, African
American, and LGBTQ, Grin said. We
going to allow kids in kindergarten and
11-year-olds take all kinds of chemicals?
Kaeley Triller Haver, a rape survivor
who is the communications director
for the Just Want Privacy Campaign in
Washington State, said her previous boss
at a YMCA outside of Seattle criticized her
for questioning a new locker room policy
that was on the basis of gender identity.
This new policy that they were asking
us to embrace and adopt was basically
the equivalent of rolling out a welcome
mat for any man who wanted to come in
and access our spaces, she said.
Women means something, added
Haver. And for too many of us it means
that we get silenced and told to sit down
and be quiet and told that our needs
dont matter and unless we are willing to
compromise those, we are unloving.
Thursdays panel took place nearly
a year after then-North Carolina Gov.
Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2, which
banned trans people from using public
restrooms based on their gender
identity and prohibited municipalities
from enacting LGBT-inclusive
nondiscrimination policies.
Current Gov. Roy Cooper who
highlighted his opposition to HB 2 and the
economic impact it has had on his state
during his campaign against McCrory
this week unveiled a proposal that would
repeal the law, increase penalties against
said Gendron. Theyre really good at
Moonlight with the HRC Visionary Arts
Alvin McCraney to accept the award.
Moonlight is based on a play written
by McCraney called In Moonlight Black
Boys Look Blue.
Although its clear that Grin and HRC
singled out Moonlight for high praise,
LGBT movie fans might be wondering
why Grin would submit a statement
praising Lion in a prominent New York
Times ad. LGBT activists have expressed
strong support for Moonlight to receive
the Best Picture award, saying that honor
would boost the cause for LGBT equality.
Jay Gendron, an entertainment lawyer
who worked for more than 20 years as
an attorney for Warner Brothers Studios
before becoming a visiting professor at
Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles,
said Hollywood insiders would most
likely speculate that Grin was courted
by Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of the
Miramax movie distribution company
in the 1990s and who later joined his
brother Bob Weinstein in founding the
Weinstein Company.
They are masters at Oscar campaigns,
those convicted of committing crimes in
bathrooms and dressing restrooms and
require municipalities to give the state
Legislature 30 days notice before they
consider nondiscrimination measures.
Its essentially look but dont touch, she described as legal erasure.
said North Carolina Republican Party
Communications Director Kami Mueller
during Thursdays panel. So the new
governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper,
is trying to make voyeurism legal,
essentially.
Mueller criticized the Human Rights
Campaign, which she incorrectly
identied as the Human Rights Coalition,
for its eorts against HB 2. The former
college athlete also singled out the NCAA
for pulling seven championship games
out of North Carolina over the law.
Frankly that ticks me o, said Mueller.
My blood, sweat and tears, many hours
on the driving range, putting for hours on
end is now being used to tell me that men
should be allowed in the locker room with
my niece.
Haver noted she too is a former college
athlete.
I nd it highly oensive to insist that
my scholarship that I worked really hard
for is now open to somebody who is
6 7 and anatomically male, she said.
There is a dierence. There is a power
dierential and what is happening with
gender identity issues is that women are
F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 1 5
marketing. And sometimes theyre a little
on the edge, he said. And Im not casting
aspersions on them, but their marketing
department is the best when it comes to
the awards season.
Prior press releases issued by HRC show
that the LGBT rights group has honored
the Weinstein Company for at least two of
its previous LGBT-themed movies The
Imitation Game and Carol.
The Imitation Game tells the story of
gay British scientist and World War II hero
Alan Turing, who committed suicide after
being subjected to anti-gay persecution in
the 1950s.
Carol tells of a love story between two
lesbians in the 1950s who struggled to
build a life together amid an era of anti-
gay prejudice.
Last April, HRC announced that Harvey
Weinstein was among more than 160
corporate CEOs and business leaders
that signed an open letter drafted and
distributed by HRC calling for the repeal
of HB 2, the anti-LGBT law passed by the
North Carolina Legislature.
getting trampled and ultimately erased.
Mary Lou Singleton of the Womens
Liberation Front, which led a federal
lawsuit against the Obama administration
over its Title IX guidance, criticized what
My entire life work is ghting for the
class of people who are oppressed on
the basis of their biological sex, said
Singleton. As someone who ghts for
those people Im very upset that the
gender identity movement has stolen for
me a comprehensive name for that group
of people that I ght for because Im now
being told it is transphobic to call those
people women and girls.
Ben-Shalom insisted many gay men,
lesbians and bisexual people wish the T
would just go away.
Transgender issues are not our
issues, she said.
Ben-Shalom also said she is not
transphobic.
I dont care if a biological male wants
to wear a dress and put on a wig and put
on make up, she said. Thats his choice
and as long as whatever he does doesnt
hurt another human being and whatever
else he does is with a consenting adult
human being, I dont have a problem with
it. I dont care.
I do have a problem with their insisting
that theyre something that they are not,
added Ben-Shalom.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

16 FE B R U A R Y 24, 2017 BA LT I MO RE N E W S

BMore Proud Leadership

Summit on tap for March 25
For the rst time, Stevenson University will host the BMore Proud LGBT
Leadership Summit a conference consisting of LGBT students and allies from
area colleges and universities. The theme for the March 25 summit is Between
the Lines. These conferences began in 2010 at various campuses, and with the
exception of two years, have been an annual event.
The goal of BMore Proud is to promote personal and professional growth of
the LGBT community through leadership development, academic scholarship,
educational programming and social networking opportunities.
The free summit traditionally consists of guest speakers, a series of breakout
sessions covering a wide array of subjects that involve queer leadership and
relating to the theme for the current years summit; a resource area where LGBT
and LGBT-friendly organizations and companies can provide information; and
social activities.
For more information and to register, visit bmoreproud.org

Drag brunch to raise funds for student programs

The Towson University Drag Brunch will be held Sunday to raise funds to
benet LGBT student programs. The Center for Student Diversity and In the Life,
LGBT programs at Towson University, as well as IRIS, a Baltimore-based social
organization primarily for Latino/a LGBT individuals and allies, are sponsoring
the event.
The brunch will take place between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the West Village
Commons of Towson University. Admission is free for students with tickets that
are available with ID at The University Union box oce.Non-student tickets are
$10 and are available atbit.ly/tudragbrunchsundays. Breakfast buet is included
with a ticket.
There will be performances by Tara Evaans, Kendra Ferretty, Pariah Sinclair,
and Bombalicious Esklavar, and will be hosted by Shaunda Leer.
The event is to bring together the Towson University queer community with
the Greater Baltimore community to show that Towson University is a welcoming
LGBTQ+ campus, Mario Rodriguez, an organizer of the event, told the Blade.

Frederick HIV Coalition

working toward 90/90/90 goal
Working in close partnership with the Frederick County Health Department,
and with the funding support of the Community Foundation of Frederick County,
The Frederick Centers Frederick HIV Coalition program is helping Frederick
County strive toward reaching a 90/90/90 status.
According to UNAIDS, 90/90/90 is, An ambitious treatment target to help end
the AIDS epidemic.
The goal is that by the year 2020: 90 percent of all people living with HIV will
know their HIV status; 90 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will
202.319.8541 www.lgbtc.com Se habla espanol
~ receive sustained antiretroviral therapy; and 90 percent of all people receiving
antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
ADVERTISING TheP Frederick
R O O F County Health Department oers free onsite HIV testing at its

Serving Our Community for 35 years

ISSUE DATE: SPEC SALES REPRESENTATIVE: JERYL PARADE (JPARADE@WASHBLADE.COM)

REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of
o ces, and is increasing eorts to oer HIV testing opportunities at community
events. It is also encouraging local doctors to oer HIV testing alongside other
NS
adviC e Proof
proof. m willebed i a t ifinal
considered o and
N will
beL submitted
i t i G forapublication
t i o Nif revision
a isPnot Pe a L Swithin
submitted 24 C hours
the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts
o L ofL a B o r a t i o N regular health checks, such as blood pressure and lung function.
GN
omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is
responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users The Frederick HIV Coalition distributes HIV test kits and related literature,
EVISIONS can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or
any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any without cost, at many community events, such as Frederick Pride, In the Streets,
/LOGO REVISIONS copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair

SIONS
competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation,
or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE The Asian American Community Fair, and World AIDS Day. The organization also
washington blade newspaper. This includes hands out kits on an individual basis upon request. Persons who do not wish to
washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the
liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred but is not limited to placement,
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and warranties. be tested by their doctor or at an event can take a kit home and then follow up
with their doctor at their convenience.
Support from the Community Foundation of Frederick County has been
FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN crucial in our eorts to distribute hundreds of home test kits each year, says
ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS Kristopher Fair, Chair of The Frederick Center Board. By oering their nancial

Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A.

support, we are able to purchase kits and meet the needs of residents wanting
to self test at home.
at tor N e YS at L aw d C | m d | va To obtain a free home HIV test kit, or for more information, email: hiv@
thefrederickcenter.org.
3 0 1 . 8 9 1 . 2 2 0 0 S P - L aw. C o m STEVE CHARING
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
 want a quickie?
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

H E A L TH NEW S FE B R U A R Y 17, 2017 17

Marriage equality reduced teen suicide rates

BALTIMORE The legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S. is associated
with fewer suicide attempts among high school students, especially LGBT students
according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health.
State-level same-sex marriage policies were associated with more than
134,000 fewer adolescent suicide attempts per year according to the ndings,
published in the Feb. 20 edition of JAMA Pediatrics.
The study compared states that passed laws allowing same-sex marriage
through January 2015 to states that did not enact state-level legalization. A
Supreme Court decision made same-sex marriage federal law in June 2015.
The ndings show the eect that social policies can have on behavior, the

quick & free hiv testing

researchers say.
These are high school students, so they arent getting married any time
soon, for the most part, says study leader Julia Raifman, ScD, a post-doctoral

free safe sex kit

fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School. Still,
permitting same-sex marriage reduces structural stigma associated with sexual
orientation. There may be something about having equal rights even if they
have no immediate plans to take advantage of them that makes students feel

info about PrEP

less stigmatized and more hopeful for the future.
Suicide is the second-most common cause of death among people ages 15-24 in
the United States (behind unintentional injury). U.S. suicide rates have been rising

locations in baltimore,
and data indicate that rates of suicide attempts requiring medical attention among
adolescents increased 47 percent between 2009-2015. LGB high school students are
at particular risk. In the new study, 29 percent of LGB high school students reported
attempting suicide in the previous year as compared to 6 percent of straight teens.

HIV rates down in Maryland, elsewhere columbia, glen burnie, &

easton
BALTIMORE HIV infections in the United States have fallen for several
years and few places have seen a bigger drop than Maryland, according to
new estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
Baltimore Sun reports.
Cases in the state dropped an average of 7.5 percent per year from 2008 to
2014. That was more than twice the national decline of 3.6 percent per year.
Public health ocials attributed the progress to education campaigns, a push
to get high-risk people tested and treated, drugs that block infection and, most
notably, needle exchange programs in Baltimore, the Sun reports.
The impact of syringe exchanges has been enormous, said Jerey Hitt,
director of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Health Services Bureau in the
state health department, according to the Sun article. About a decade ago that
was primary mode of transmission in Baltimore and Maryland, people injecting
drugs and sharing equipment.
While the public health community is pleased overall with declines shared
across the country, they say progress has been uneven among groups of people.
The District of Columbia, Georgia and Illinois had bigger drops in new cases
than Maryland. Four other states also saw signicant declines. Among 28 other
states where the CDC made estimates, infections were basically unchanged. Some
other states had too few cases to make estimates of a change, the Sun notes.
The biggest decrease nationally, 56 percent, was among people who injected
drugs. Then came heterosexuals with a 36 percent drop.
New cases dropped among some groups of gay men, including those who were
white or under 24, while they rose for gay men ages 25-34, the Baltimore Sun reports.
GBT people, particularly African-Americans, have been the most vexing crowd
for Baltimore health ocials, said Dr. Leana Wen, the citys health commissioner.

Minn. Republicans introduce anti-trans bill

ST. PAUL, Minn. A bill introduced Monday in the Minnesota House of
Representatives would free health insurance companies from having to cover
gender transitions, the Daily Globe reports.
Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen (R-Glencoe), introduced the measure Monday. With

chasebrexton.org/POWER
the proposal, it would be enshrined in state law that insurers dont have to cover
health services related to gender transition, including but not limited to sex
reassignment surgery. The bill contradicts provisions of the federal Aordable
Care Act that prohibit discrimination, but a paragraph of the bill stipulates it

410-837-2050 x8813
wont take full eect until the ACA is repealed, the Globe reports.
The ACA prohibits covered insurers from implementing a categorical coverage
exclusion or limitation for all health services related to gender transition or
otherwise denying or limiting coverage in such a way that causes discrimination
against transgender people.

1 8 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017
Hell hath no fury
like a woman warned
Trump, Pence
awaken sleeping
protesters among us
KATE CLINTON is a humorist who has
entertained LGBT audiences for 30 years. Her
monthly column appears exclusively in the
Blade. Reach her via kateclinton.com.
Listen, I am a 95-year-old white lesbian
and Im so sick of the white straight patri-
archy I could spit. OK, Im not 95 but what
Ive seen in the rst four weeks its only out in extreme weather marching and
four? of the Trump administration
makes me feel like Im 95. Im tired.
He has ruined my sleep. All night long
red banners screaming Waking News chy-
ron through my REMless sleep. I wake at
3a.m. If I try to meditate, I end up fanta-
sizing what Id like to do to Betsy DeVos
with a ruler. If I try to count sheep jump-
ing over a fence, they turn into refugees
trying to jump a wall. Hissing, Thinking,
at my racing mind doesnt shush it back to
sleep. My spiritual practice is a bust. Who
tells NPRs Krista Tippett from On Being
to shut the fuck up?
Oh, I can out-narciss Trump any day,
anywhere, any time.
Trump is all about me. I was supposed
to be retiring a bit by now, probably at
some dudette ranch out in the Southwest,
scrued cowgal boots up on the porch
rail, reading cowgirl poetry after a day of
mud wraps and authentic sweat lodges.
Sipping a cool one. But no. I have two full-
time jobs now. Writing jokes about this
accid, axen-haired, dead-serious slab
of a bad joke, so-called president or going
to protest rallies about him.
And since were all a bit overtired and
ing? Daughter-boarding? For these guys,
screaming for hours at a time, in the
Northeast everyone either is getting or
getting over a cold. No one is going on a
winter week away. This year V is for Vic-
tory not Vieques.
So far every month is the cruelest
month. During Black History Month - the
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
C OM MU N I KA T E
shortest month of the year, but another
time Alabamas senator, Jeerson Beau-
regard Sessions, was sworn in as Confed-
erate General of the Justice Department.
During his conrmation hearings,
that sanctimonious blowsh, Mitch the
Mansplainer McConnell, gaveled down
Sen. Elizabeth Warren for reading a let-
ter from that notorious glory-grabber,
Coretta Scott King, about Sessions early
racism. McConnell pued that War-
ren was impugning a fellow senator and
red-carded her with a Rule 19 violation.
He dead-panned, She was warned. She
was given an explanation. Nevertheless,
she persisted. That was on a T-shirt in
20 minutes.
If thats how they celebrate Black His-
tory Month, no telling what theyve got
cooked up for Womens History Month.
More pussy-grabbing? Some witch-burn-
if theyre not taming the shrew, theyre
shaming the true.
And if we make it to June, it will be
called June. Not Gay Pride Month. No
more lighting the White House in rainbow
colors for these cranky crackers. That
must have made Mike Pence blow his
Hoosier dome.
Now he and his Pencer division of
blitzkreiging Christo-Facists is just itching
to get his shock-and-awe Christaria Law
signed sealed and delivered. When Vice
President White Head says religious free-
dom the Christian, not Muslim is under-
stood. The chaos of President Mayhems
early days and our hipster allies slash
protectors, Jared and Ivanka, have slowed
the putsch for the First Amendment De-
fense Act. The only wall I want to see built
is the one between church and state.
But no need to wait for June, for FADA
and its FATWAs to fall.
The time is now. We are everywhere. In
every stalled wave of refugees, with every
woman closed out of a Planned Parent-
hood clinic, with immigrants in detention.
With murdered youth, bullied children,
defunded artists, disrespected teachers.
With the sickened poor, insecure seniors,
hounded journalists LGBT people are
with all of that.
Hell hath no fury like a woman warned.
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON
Between a rock and a hard place on family leave
Council shouldnt have rushed
vote on controversial bill
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights
and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.
The D.C. City Council passed one of the
nations most liberal paid family leave bills.
An important step in an advanced society
like ours, which should be providing such a
benet. The problem is it passed a awed
bill. Had I been at the table with the mayor, I
would have advised a veto but I understand
the dicult choice she had. She was placed
between the business community, which
vehemently opposed the bill, and a progres-
sive constituency that strongly supports the
idea. The people who deserve the blame for
the situation are the Council members and
V I E W PO I NT
#Prezmageddon with raspberry scones
Then Trump said, Beulah,
peel me a grape
RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.
Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.
Things got so crazy in Washington last
week, I started reading my backlog of
Democratic Party emails as a distraction.
I completely ran out of YouTube raccoon
videos. Then, like an alternative fact, I
scored an invite to the sort of Washington
soiree that gets buzz in Politico.
There I was at the book party Steve
Clemons of The Atlantic threw for hus-
band Andrew Oros (Japans Security Re-
naissance) on Feb. 16 at their stylish Du-
pont Circle townhouse. It was mere hours
after Trumps unhinged press conference
where he complained about his own de-
cision to re Gen. Michael Flynn, attacked
the free press, and asked American Urban
chair who rushed through a lousy bill in or-
der to get a headline.
The issues with this bill are the same as
with any new benets bill who will ben-
et and who will pay? Many large employ-
ers dont have a major issue with the idea
of providing paid family leave. If you have
hundreds of employees and a few are out
on leave for six, eight or even 12 weeks it
shouldnt adversely impact your business.
For small businesses having a key employ-
ee out for an extended period, and paying
them so you cant aord to hire a temporary
replacement, can have a major negative im-
pact on your business.
As CEO of small non-prots for many
years I often dealt with this issue. In one
instance over a period of 10 years, a sta
member had three children. She was an
amazing employee and we arranged ex-
tended time for her to work from home at
full pay with each child; her particular job
allowed for that. Having insurance that al-
lowed her to stay home and be paid without
working and allowed me to hire a temporary
worker may have been a better alternative
but it wasnt available.
The progressive members of the Coun-
cil get kudos for focusing on this issue. But
Radio Networks reporter April Ryan to set
up a meeting for him with the Congres-
sional Black Caucus. Trump presumably
spoke to Ryan this way because she was
black and therefore (A) must know every
other black person, and (B) must be used
to taking orders from white people.
Everyone was at the book party, from
British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch and
Lady Darroch to Sid Blumenthal to Jona-
than Rauch. I schmoozed with a Baltimore
Sun columnist near the desserts as a pair
of A-listers conferred in the kitchen. I
told Sen. Mark Warner that his presence
there probably meant that particular night
would not be the Night of the Generals.
He generously overlooked this quip, but
did express his high opinion of our patri-
otic military leaders. I will reciprocate his
generosity by not describing his reaction
when I mentioned one of his more outspo-
ken Senate colleagues, not even her party
aliation.
Feb. 16, incidentally, was also the 60th
birthday of actor LeVar Burton, who
has played everything from a rebellious
slave to a starship engineer and, as host
of Reading Rainbow, has championed at the Winter White House, but perhaps
child literacy. Visit http://tinyurl.com/Le-
Var2sleep and watch him read the bed-
time story, Go the Fuck to Sleep. This also
enacting legislation impacting so many
in diering ways shouldnt be rushed for
headlines. While it may take longer getting
it right the rst time is the better way. This
legislation became a political hot potato
where if you opposed the existing bill you
were considered anti-worker and reaction-
ary. The mayors legitimate problems with
the bill were ignored by the Council Chair
until now. As reported in the Washington
Post, The D.C. Council will begin consider-
ing dramatic revisions in the coming weeks
to the Districts new law guaranteeing ex-
pansive family and medical leave benets
to private-sector workers, Council Chair Phil
Mendelson (D) said Friday. It would have
been much wiser to work out those issues
before passing a bill.
The mayor had legitimate reasons to op-
pose the bill. Under the current legislation,
the city would have to absorb the cost of set-
ting up a huge new bureaucracy to handle
the benets given in this bill and the majority
of people able to take advantage of the ben-
ets dont live in the city. Because we have
no representation in Congress, and our
legislation must go through Congress for
approval, we have never been able to pass
legislation that taxes the income of people
happens to be the title of the Republican
guidebook for American voters.
Regarding which, I would just like to
mention that Neil Gorsuch knows his way
around a barn.
One bit of wisdom that Sen. Warner
wont mind my sharing is that Democrats
should not gloat over Trumps disastrous
month-old presidency. I am sure he was
referring not to me but to people like the
smart-ass who wrote, Why are the liber-
als completely overreacting to Trumps
unique style of governing? Theyre not.
Hes a fucking sociopath. And heres a rec-
ipe for raspberry scones. I made a batch
while I was waiting for Greta Van Susteren,
and theyre delicious.
People are on edge, wondering what
President Chaos will do next. Whatever
the coming #Prezmageddon, we should
keep calm, be nice to Russians, and delete
embarrassing stu from our smartphones
before crossing the border.
Social media users will be relieved to
learn that Twitter is cracking down on abu-
sive trolls by giving them time outs. No
word yet on how this news was received
Trump can organize a Day Without Trolls to
show how barren life would be without a
barrage of bulletins from the booby hatch.
F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 1 9
who work in the District but dont live here.
It has been estimated the District loses a bil-
lion dollars a year because of that.
The Post reported, In an interview, Men-
delson said he was suggesting changes be-
cause opposition from local business leaders
could hinder the success of the program,
which would oer eight weeks of parental
leave, six weeks to care for an ailing relative
and two weeks of personal sick time a
package that would be among the nations
most generous. Mendelsons remarks were
an unexpected turn in the Districts eorts to
establish paid family leave for all workers. It
also reported, The benets would not apply
to federal workers or to the 35,000 people
employed by the District government. Men-
delson added he plans to consider alterna-
tives that would shrink the size of the payroll-
tax increase and use the money solely to help
pay for benets for employees of small busi-
nesses, perhaps through insurance policies.
Looking at potential alternatives should
have happened as the legislation rst made
its way through the Council. This is major
legislation and will make the District a leader
in the nation on family leave. There is now
an opportunity to make this legislation a
model other states and localities can follow.
Think how his devotees would linger, vain-
ly hoping to quench their thirst in the dry
creek bed of his nocturnal emissions.
At a campaign rally on Saturday, Trump
spoke as if there had been a terrorist at-
tack in Sweden the previous night. This was
news to Sweden. But like the thousands of
Massachusetts voters he says were bused
into New Hampshire, his pants-on-re
claims are real to Glorious Leader.
The Pentagon is reportedly consider-
ing proposals to send American ground
troops into Syria. Lets face it, we havent
done enough for that beleaguered region.
Another invasion is just what the doc-
tor ordered to quiet things down. If that
sounds counterintuitive to you, perhaps
youd like a free tour of our Caribbean va-
cation hideaway at Guantanamo Bay.
Meanwhile, a draft memorandum at
the Department of Homeland Security dis-
cussed mobilizing 100,000 National Guard
troops to round up undocumented immi-
grants. I wonder, are there enough brigs
to hold 100,000 troops if they all refuse to
obey such an order? If the folks in Trump-
land can think outside the box, which is an
exceptionally nice way of putting matters,
then so can we. #Resist.
Copyright 2017 by Richard J.
Rosendall. All rights reserved.

2 0 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017
Following the example of James Baldwin
Speaking bravely about
race, culture, sexuality
KATHI WOLFE, a regular contributor to the
Blade, was the winner of the 2014 Stonewall
Chapbook Competition.
The words popped! Sitting at the E
Street Cinema, it seemed as if I were hear-
ing a devastatingly spot-on response to
life in the United States at the dawn of the
Trump era: where former Breitbart News
chair and white nationalist Stephen K.
Bannon is the presidents chief strategist;
people of color are unjustly shot by police;
and Hollywood, despite some Oscar noms
this season, is still way too white.
Heroes, as far as I could see, were white
and not merely because of the movies,
Pride march must include people of color in key roles
Dont repeat mistakes
of the Womens March
By ANIKA SIMPSON, Ph.D.
The Womens March on Washington
drew massive crowds intent upon send-
ing a clear message of resistance to the
incoming political regime. This demon-
stration has been widely heralded as a
powerful symbol of womens collective
dissent. But many women of color viewed
it with wary skepticism from the very be-
ginning forcefully denouncing our ab-
sence in its leadership.
The damage of this marginalization was
not overcome when the dynamic trio of
feminists of color joined as National Co-
Chairs. Many women of color opted to stay
home. As noted writer, Jamilah Lemieux,
put it, Im really tired of Black and Brown
women routinely being tasked with xing
White folks messes. Im tired of being the
moral compass of the United States.
Now history appears to be repeating it-
self. The upcoming National Pride March
is following the same racially problematic
script as the Womens March. Unfortu-
nately, its a familiar script: white organiz-
ers plan an event on behalf of an entire
but because of the land in which I lived,
of which movies were simply a reection.
There are days when I wonder, how
precisely are you going to reconcile your-
self to your situation here, and how are
you going to communicate to the vast
heedless, unthinking, cruel white major-
ity that you are here?
Yet these incisive, viscerally true,
gut-wrenching words were spoken by
novelist, playwright, essayist and one
of the most important mid-century
public intellectuals, James Baldwin
in the searing new Oscar-nominated
documentary I Am Not Your Negro,
directed by Raoul Peck. The Oscars are
Sunday night.
Baldwin, an African American, who was
born in Harlem and lived much of his life
in France, died at age 63 in 1987. Though
he chafed at labels, Baldwin spoke and
wrote openly about same-sex love. His
1956 novel Giovannis Room was one
of the rst novels (other than pulp c-
tion) to feature male characters loving
other men.
He knew civil rights leaders Medgar
Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm
We are not immune from the racism and
xenophobia that runs rampant in this country.
community and then invite input from
people of color after key decisions have
been made.
One may question the criticism of this
script. Isnt this how inclusive leadership
operates? Isnt it enough just to ensure that
all stakeholders have a seat at the table?
Having a seat at the proverbial table
isnt exactly a bad thing, but within di-
verse political movements the seat alone
remains problematic. The planning com-
mittee has oered seats after the table
has been set and the appetizers have
been served. Put dierently: a guest is
not a partner. A guest departs when its
time to tidy up, or make future plans, or
decide whom to invite to the next meal.
Without signicant structural and be-
havioral change, this march ostensibly
proposed to unify the LGBTQIA communi-
ty and motivate sustained political action
has ironically left many queer people
of color (QPOC) on the planning commit-
X, all of whom were murdered. In 1979,
Baldwin wrote a 30-page letter to his
agent describing how he wanted to write
a book titled Remember This House
of his reections on these men and his
friendships with them. (Only 30 pages of
the book were nished.) Using Baldwins
notes for the book and his essays, clips
from his TV interviews and news reports
of the 1960s civil rights movement, Peck
makes you feel as if youre inside Bald-
wins head. Hearing his voice and seeing
his elegant presence, juxtaposed with im-
ages from Ferguson and Black Lives Mat-
ter, you feel as if Baldwin is speaking di-
rectly to you right now in 2017. Samuel
L. Jackson reads Baldwins words when
Baldwin isnt talking.
I cant speak to how people of color
might feel about I Am Not Your Negro.
As a white woman, I found this 93-minute
movie to be stunning. The documentary
brings you face-to-face with the cruelty
and discrimination that black people en-
countered in the South in the 1950s and
1960s. In the late 1950s, Baldwin decided
that he should leave Paris and return to
the United States after he saw a photo of
tee feeling more alienated than before.
As a queer black feminist displaced
within mainstream feminist and LGBTQIA
movements, I will lend my suggestions to
the chorus of QPOC advocating for equity
within the proposed march.
Decentering whiteness is the rst step
toward rectifying our alienation. Our
shared belonging within the LGBTQIA
community is not a singularly unifying
factor. We are not immune from the rac-
ism and xenophobia that runs rampant in
this country. From our vantage point, the
mainstream queer community oers no
safe haven to the racially marginalized.
This is a pivotal moment for non-QPOC
to check their white privilege and com-
mence the hard work of addressing their
positionality within white supremacy.
In practical terms, I would suggest form-
ing a planning committee that includes
respected QPOC advocates as National
Co-Chairs. It is grossly inadequate to main-
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VIEWPOINT
Dorothy Counts, a 15-year-old black stu-
dent entering a newly integrated school,
Harry Harding High School, in Charlotte,
N.C. White people spat and hurled epi-
thets at her as she went into the school.
It made me ashamed, Baldwin said,
some one of us should have been there
with her.
Its easy for me to feel that Id never act
in such a hateful way. Yet, the lms im-
ages of Ferguson cut through my compla-
cent superiority to my white privilege.
I thought I was an astute pop culture
observer until I heard Baldwin talk about
how Hollywood has shaped our cultural
perceptions. It comes as a great shock to
see Gary Cooper killing o the Indians,
he said, and, although, youre rooting for
Gary Cooper, that the Indians is you.
Then there is the 1966 FBI memo on
Baldwin. It has been heard that Baldwin
may be a homosexual, it says, and he
appeared as if he may be one.
Baldwin wrote and spoke brilliantly,
boldly and bravely about race, pop cul-
ture and sexuality. In an era where big-
otry of all kinds is rising, lets follow
his example.
VIEWPOINT
tain white senior leadership that merely
consults with QPOC. Meaningful inclusion
requires sharing decision making author-
ity, not simply oering seats while stiing
the voices of those who take them.
One cannot guarantee that this neces-
sary shift will compel QPOC en masse to
participate in the march. Centuries of in-
stitutional racism cannot be redressed in
a few months of planning, or even by a
few hours of hand holding on the National
Mall. However, heeding the sentiments of
QPOC may be a critical rst step toward
signaling to wary and skeptical QPOC that
our voices have not only been heard, but
have, more importantly, been heeded.
We have an amazing opportunity to
galvanize the progressive political energy
of the moment to work collectively and
strategically to demand the unfettered
recognition of our shared humanity. I
hope this opportunity is not squandered
in the months leading up to the march
or in its wake when the true political
work is undertaken.
ANIKA SIMPSON, Ph.D., is an associate
professor in the Department of Philosophy
at Morgan State University. She serves as the
coordinator of MSUs Womens and Gender
Studies program. She is also co-chair of the
National Black Justice Coalitions HBCU LGBTQ-
Equality Initiative Advisory Council. Follower
her on Twitter @anikamaaza.
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A scene from When We Rise, a new miniseries that dramatizes the lives of key players in the early
years of LGBT rights.

PHOTO BY ERIKE SCHROTER; COURTESY OF ABC

The dream will Rise

NEW ABC MINISERIES CHRONICLES GAY RIGHTS HISTORY
By KEITH LORIA

Starting Feb. 27, ABC will begin airing
When We Rise, a seven-part, eight-
hour miniseries about the history of
the gay rights movement, written and
created by prominent gay lmmaker,
Dustin Lance Black.
I started working on this about four
years ago, and never would have guessed
it would land in times like these where
unfortunately, it feels so necessary,
Black says. I would give anything in the
world for it to feel less necessary.
When We Rise deals with some of the
most inuential people in the movement
and the big button topics of family
rejection, landlord discrimination, gay
bashing, police harassment, legislative
defeats and AIDS.
History speaks for itself in a way.
What we tried to do was be authentic
and honest about that history. Im really
diligent about getting my stories to be as
truthful as possible, Black says. Granted
it covers 45 years in eight hours, so
obviously I have to telescope the timeline
and combine some characters. But if you
can be honest to history, it will always
shine a light for you. Civil rights has really
always been on a pendulum and our job
is to keep it in the right direction as much
as possible.
Part of that honesty is being authentic
to the times and not shying away from
derogatory terms that have been used
throughout the years, which is why
viewers should prepare themselves
for some of the ugliness that the LGBT
community has faced.
ABC really stepped up because youre
not supposed to be able to use some
of these disparaging words on the air
anymore, Black says. Words like faggot
or dyke, if we dont use these words, its
not truthful. Thats not the experience gay
people are having today, much less in the
70s. I did use Roots as an example and
they heard me and fought for me to be
able to use these words, which makes the
experience more real and visceral.
When We Rise introduces viewers
to Cleve Jones, a Quaker activist who
escapes his repressive life in Phoenix
and nds refuge in San Francisco and the
peace movement; Roma Guy, an early
feminist leader in San Francisco; and Ken
Jones, an African-American Navy man
who is reassigned from Vietnam to San
Francisco to spearhead a new military
desegregation program.
Other prominent gures along the way
include political activist Sally Gearhart;
AIDS activist Bobbi Campbell; Dr. Marcus
CONTINUES ON PAGE 33

2 4 F EB RUA RY 2 4, 2017 Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R KE LLY H O RT O N
KELLY HORTON
How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
Fifteen-23 years. I came out twice.
The rst time I came out, I didnt nd
a supportive community. The hardest
person to tell was my brother. I thought
he would reject me. His response was
exactly the opposite. He said he wanted
me to be happy and asked when he
could meet my girlfriend.
Whos your LGBT hero?
My uncle Arnold. Hes been out for my
entire life, but I didnt always know he
was gay, he was simply my uncle. Arnold
has been with his partner since I was
very young both are professional
artists. Were not close, but by knowing
them, that relationship instilled in me
at a young age that I can be myself and
By JOEY DiGULIELMO cultivate a respectful loving relationship
joeyd@washblade.com with a partner and also achieve my
independent dreams.
Kelly Horton has a wig collection and usually gets a new one every year for
Wig Night Out. Last year she wore a long, wavy rainbow-colored wig that was Whats Washingtons best nightspot,
the envy of many who saw it. past or present?
Hold on tight to your wigs, she says. Im still taking inventory! most?
This years Wig Night Out, a benet for the Point Foundation and Whitman-
Walker Health, is Saturday, March 4 from 9-11 p.m. at JR.s (1519 17th St., Describe your dream wedding.
N.W.). A $10 donation is suggested and split evenly among the organizations. If I meet someone I want to marry we
Look for the event on Facebook for full details. will dream it up together.
Its a fantastic event, Horton, a Seattle native in D.C. since 2009, says. Its
a lot of fun and everyone has a great time. Its especially fun admiring all the What non-LGBT issue are you most
creativity in the room. Some people get really detailed and unique. passionate about?
She has been involved as a volunteer with the Point Foundation for one Ending cycles of oppression and poverty by
year and says her passion for education inspired her to get involved. building nutritious, sustainable food systems
Horton works by day as a policy director for Mars, Incorporated, an accessible to all regardless of income.
international pet care company based in McLean, Va.
Horton is single and lives in upper Northwest D.C. She enjoys farms, farmers What historical outcome would you
markets, charity events, cooking, making art and crafty things, camping, change?
music and more in her free time. Hitler would have instead pursued his
dream to become an artist and the
Holocaust never would have happened.
Whats been the most memorable pop
culture moment of your lifetime?
When Kurt Cobain killed himself.
On what do you insist?
Kindness and compassion a good
indicator of someones character is how
they treat service sta.
What was your last Facebook post or
Tweet?
I am taking a hiatus. Its a dicult time to
be on social media. I think my last post
was about the Womens March.
If your life were a book, what would
the title be?
202.747.2077 An Adventurers Collection of Hilarious
Moments
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you
do?
Destroy the formula. Were perfect as is.
What do you believe in beyond the
physical world?
Im very in tune to whats beyond, have
had spiritual experiences and believe
there is a lot that we dont know, see or
can explain.
Whats your advice for LGBT
movement leaders?
Remember that we are a conglomerate
of unique communities and each
of those communities is important
to the movement. We are stronger
together when our dierent needs are
recognized. Remember the rainbow!
What would you walk across hot coals
for?
To save an animal or person in distress.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you
That people have preconceived
notions of what gay looks and acts
like. Many people think I look straight
and even within the community I have
experienced others wanting to put a
label on me that I dont identify with.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two
Girls in Love
Whats the most overrated social
custom?
Saying bless you when someone
sneezes.
What trophy or prize do you most
covet?
When I earned the Girl Scout Gold Award
First Lady Hillary Clinton sent me a
congratulatory card, which I still have.
What do you wish youd known at 18?
That everything would work out just ne.
Why Washington?
I moved here to work on national
policies to improve our food and
nutrition environment. I love that I get
to do that every day. I enjoy the diversity
our city oers cultural, intellectual,
cuisine, historical and individual people.
Also, the weather is generally fantastic
and we get a lot of sunshine.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

M US I C FE B R U A R Y 24, 2017 25 Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)

BOOK BY BASED UPON THE BOOK BY

Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock
and Willie Gilbert
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY
Frank Loesser
Shepherd Mead
ORIGINALLY PRODUCED BY
Cy Feuer and Ernest H. Martin
in association with Frank Productions

CONCEPT BY John Moran

HOW TO
SUCCEED IN
PHOTO COURTESY OF FAR MUSIC LTD.

RICHARD FAIRBRASS, right, and brother FRED FAIRBRASS of Right Said Fred.

25 years after global hit, U.K.
duo Right Said Fred returns
By CHRIS GERARD
Its been 25 years since the novelty
dance single Im Too Sexy by British
group Right Said Fred was riding high
on the Hot 100 and oversaturating radio
airwaves and dance clubs the world over.
The international smash spent three
weeks at no. 1 in the U.S., through most
of February 1992. Now a quarter-century
after their campy and satirical takedown
of elite attitudes in the fashion industry
was at its very peak, Right Said Fred
returns with a new album, Exactly!
Led by outspoken LGBT rights activist
and openly bisexual Richard Fairbrass
(former host of the U.K. series Gaytime
TV) and his brother Fred, Right Said Freds
debut was a pop culture tsunami. Im Too
Sexy was absurdly ubiquitous not only at
its peak, but for many years thereafter. It
has been subject to more parodies and
used in more commercials, TV shows and
movies that its possible to contemplate.
Even today the song remains very much
in the publics awareness. Although many
would rank it right next to Macarena
as an excruciating example of the worst
in cheesy 90s pop and would be thrilled
to never hear it again, Im Too Sexy is
inarguably a clever and fun track that
now carries a strong sense of nostalgia
for the early 90s.
A quarter century later, Right Said Fred
is back. Well, to be fair, theyve never
really gone away. Although in the U.S.
they havent been on the public radar
since Im Too Sexy and are considered a
one-hit-wonder, in the U.K. and elsewhere
they scored a string of hits. Three of them,
Dont Talk Just Kiss, Deeply Dippy and the music going, trying new and dierent
Stick it Out, followed Im Too Sexy things and striving to be creative.
into the U.K. top ve. Although their last
substantial European hit was in 2001,
theyve never stopped releasing new
music and making public appearances.
Its been almost seven years since their
BUSINESS
last album Stop the World, but it seems
appropriate that they would choose the
25th anniversary of their iconic smash to
return with their ninth album, Exactly!
So how does Right Said Fred sound WITHOUT
these days? Well, if youre thinking there
might be another Im Too Sexy lurking
about, youre gonna be disappointed.
RE ALLY
Richard Fairbrass voice still has that deep
growling quality as he speaks the lyrics, TRYING
although its gotten rougher over the
years. Fairbrass sometimes alternates
between speaking the verses and, often
with other vocalists assistance, singing
the choruses. As expected, theres
plenty of high-energy dance/pop, but
unfortunately most of it falls at. The
album is surprisingly diverse, including
the almost faux-country singalong I
Dont Want to Die Right Now, the power
ballad Save Me (which seem to generate
some genuine emotion from Fairbrass),
and the old-school R&B sendup One Fine
Day. Angels and Devils even gets into a
swingin classic rock n roll vibe, Fairbrass
obviously having fun doing his best Elvis
Presley. Exactly! closes with Raining in
England, a piano ballad with a heartfelt
vocal that turns into a standard rocker as
it winds to its end.
Also problematic is the cheap-sounding
production. Theres just not much fun to
be had, even on the most upbeat tracks.
Still, its better than trying to sit through
a dozen attempted rewrites of Im Too
Sexy. Its a good try, but Exactly! is
going to leave Right Said Fred right where
theyve been for 25 years forever MARCH 10, 8:00 pm MARCH 11, 8:00 pm MARCH 12, 3:00 pm
associated with Sexy.
While its obviously dicult to escape LINCOLN THEATRE 1215 U Street NW
from the shadows of such a cultural
milestone, they deserve credit for keeping
TICKETS Call 1-877-435-9849 or visit gmcw.org
Groups 10+: call 202-293-1548
Exactly! is an album you go in expecting
to hate, end up really trying to like, but in
the end the songs just arent there.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

LIVE
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
26 FEB R U A R Y 24, 2017 O U T & A BO U T

DIRTY
DOZEN
BRASS BAND
W/ THE GET RIGHT BAND
THURSDAY FEB 23

FLOW By MARIAH COOPER

TRIBE
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY LEE WHITMAN

Team D.C. Fashion Show returns

W/ DEAD 27s
FRIDAY FEB 24
Team D.C. brings its annual fashion show and model search to Town (2009 8th
FRI & SAT, FEB 24 & 25 LATE SHOW St., N.W.) on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m.
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND Attendees can bid for clothes right o the models in support of the Team
AFTERPARTY D.C. college scholarship program for LGBT athletes. There will be surprise guest
FEAT. THE RON HOLLOWAY BAND judges critiquing the models in competition for prizes including the cover of
SAT, FEB 25 Compete magazine. Clothing featured on the models include Whiskey Ginger,
ALL GOOD PRESENTS Bite the Fruit, Mensuas, Rufskin, Trickbox, 47 Brand, Ex Nihlo Tees, Underbriefs,
DEAD MAN WINTER FM Leather Design and C-IN2. Cover is $15 and includes all-night admission into
W/ JOHN MARK NELSON Town. Doors open at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit teamdc.org.
SUN, FEB 26
KAT WRIGHT &
THE INDOMITABLE SOUL BAND
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AMPAS

THEHAMILTONDC.COM
And the Oscar goes to

The 89th Academy Awards, hosted

by Jimmy Kimmel, will celebrate the top

DentalBug.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF STRATHMORE
lms of the past year on Sunday, Feb.
26 at 8:30 p.m. This year, ditch the living
Cosmetic, Implants, Sleep Apnea, Sedation room and give commentary among fellow
Queen Symphony honors queer band movie lovers at some local Oscars viewing
CALL TODAY WEEKEND HOURS MULTILINGUAL parties.
Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) hosts
We believe we can make the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras present The Queen Symphony: an an Oscars viewing party from 7-11 p.m.
dental experience better. homage to Freddie Mercury and Queen at the Music Center at Strathmore Summer Camp and Pussy Noir co-host
(5301 Tuckerman Ln., North Bethesda, Md.) on Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. the event. Any guest in a gown can enjoy
The Queen Symphony by Tolga Kashif is a work based on the melodies of Absolute for $3. There will be prizes for
popular Queen anthems such as Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, best dresses and an Oscars pool with a
We Are the Champions and Who Wants to Live Forever. Maryland Classic $100 grand prize for the winner. For more
Youth Orchestras Philharmonic orchestra, the National Philharmonic Chorale information, visit numberninedc.com.
and Strathmore Childrens Chorus will perform. Kristofer Sanz conducts. Tickets Penn Social (801 E St., N.W.) and
range from $15-25. District Trivia present an Oscars trivia
For more information, visit strathmore.org. and watch party with a red carpet kick o
DentalBug Sta 2016-2017 at 7 p.m. Play movie trivia, enjoy speciality
cocktails and a popcorn bar and compete
D.C. region gears up for Mardi Gras for prizes. Dress code is black tie optional.
Tickets are $10. For more details and to
CTRL: Mardi Gras is at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 11 purchase tickets, visit district-trivia.com.
p.m.-4 a.m. Mardi Gras-themed dcor, bead queens and surprise guests will give Washington D.C. Film Society hosts
this CTRL party a Fat Tuesday twist. Kalorama Photography and David Claypool its 25th annual And the Winner Is
will provide a ashing Photo Booth for the event. Drag show begins at 10:30 p.m. Oscars night party at Arlington Cinema
Jeanette Suh John Tsaknis
Cover is $12. For more information, visit facebook.com/ctrldc. N Drafthouse (2901 Columbia Pike.,
DMD DDS Indra Mustapha The IVy Project presents a Mardi Gra edition of MasQUEERade at Big Chief Arlington, Va.) at 7 p.m. Film critics Tim
Maria Hodas DDS, MS
DDS (2002 Fenwick St., N.E.) on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Masks will Gordon and Travis Hopson host and
be provided while supplies last. Costumes are encouraged. There will be drink emcee the Predict the Winners contest.
specials all night and games such as Big Jenga, Corn-hole, Flip cup and more. There will be a silent auction with prizes
Electrox and Milko provide music for the nigh. There is no cover. For details, visit including movie and theater tickets and
facebook.com/ivyprojectdc. signed movie memorabilia. Door prizes
Falls Churchs will have a Mardi Gras parade begins at 100 W Broad St., Falls and promotional giveaways will occur
Church, Va. on Sunday, Feb. 26 from 5-6 p.m. Locally owned, small businesses throughout the night. The event is in
will participate in the parade which will run from Browns Hardware to Little Falls support of Filmfest D.C. Tickets are $20
Street. There will be beads, candy and more. For details, search Falls Church and are available online or at the door
1221 Mass. Ave, NW 202.628.7979 (Free Parking)
703 D Street, NW 202.628.1288 Mardi Gras parade on Facebook. on the night of the event. For details, visit
LEnfant Plaza,SW Promenade #325 202.628.2177 dclmsociety.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
FI L M
Film industry nally wakes
up and nominates more
black pros this year
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
This years Academy Award ceremony
will certainly look a lot dierent than last
years.
Last year, for the second year in a row,
the entire slate of nominees in the four
acting categories were white. This year,
in a historic rst, there are six African-
American actors nominated in the four
acting categories. Denzel Washington
is nominated in the lead actor category
for his grand-slam performance in
August Wilsons Fences. Ruth Negga is
nominated in the lead actress category
for her nely nuanced portrayal of
reluctant civil rights pioneer Mildred
Loving in Loving.
Mahershala Ali is nominated in the
supporting actor category for his magnicent
performance in Moonlight as the drug
lord who takes the young Chiron under
his wing even as he sells crack to Chirons
mother Paula. Three African-American
actresses dominate the supporting actress
category: Viola Davis in Fences, Naomie
ALEX HIBBERT with MAHERSHALA ALI in Moonlight. Hibbert is nominated for Best Supporting
Actor at the Academy Awards Sunday night, one of eight nominations the movie received.
Harris as Chirons mother in Moonlight
and Octavia Spencer in the breakout hit
and box oce champ of the holiday season,
Hidden Figures.
In addition, Dev Patel, an English actor
of Indian descent, is nominated for his
performance in Lion, a moving movie
about an Indian boy who is adopted by
an Australian couple after he is separated
from his birth family.
Three of those movies also got best
picture noms: Fences, Hidden Figures
and Moonlight. This is the rst time
Hollywood has shown such a powerful
spotlight on black gay life.
Three of the nominees for documentary
feature also focus on the African
American experience. The penetrating
13th by Ava DuVernay (Selma)
examines the appalling racial disparities
in the American judicial system. O.J.:
Made in America by Ezra Edelman
is a 10-hour exploration of the life of
celebrity athlete O.J. Simpson. I Am Not
Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck, is
a searing exploration of race in America
through the writings of openly gay black
author James Baldwin.
Barry Jenkins, a straight ally, is the rst
black writer-director to be nominated
for best picture, best director and best
screenplay for his groundbreaking work
PHOTO BY DAVID BORNFRIEND; COURTESY OF A24
on Moonlight. Openly gay playwright
Terell Alvin McCraney, who wrote the
unproduced play the movie is based on,
was also nominated by the Academy for
his work on the Moonlight screenplay.
There are also some other nods to
diversity among the Oscar nominees.
Maren Ade, who helmed the German
comedy Toni Erdmann, is the only
woman to be recognized for her work as
director of a feature lm. Hispanic artist
and Hamilton superstar Lin-Manuel
Miranda is nominated for his work on
Moana, the animated movie about a
Polynesian girl who saves her island. (If
Miranda wins, he will become the 13th
person to score the coveted EGOT, the
grand slam of American entertainment
prizes: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar
and a Tony.)
Miranda will be competing against
openly gay musician Benj Pasek, part of
the songwriting team for La La Land.
So, while the Academy has made
some serious strides in addressing the
#OscarSoWhite hashtag, it still has a long
way to go in addressing the hashtags
#OscarSoMale and #OscarSoStraight and
in the inclusion of Hispanic and Asian-
American artists.
The big showdown this Sunday will
be between Moonlight (with eight
F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 2 7
nominations) and La La Land (with 14
nominations, joining Titanic and All
About Eve in a tie for movies with the most
Oscar nods). La La Land swept the Golden
Globes, but it may not do as well at the
Oscars where it will not be competing in a
separate Musical or Comedy category.
The most exciting races are among the
crowded elds for Best Actress and Best
Supporting Actress. Perennial nominee
Meryl Streep snuck into the Best Actress
category for Florence Foster Jenkins
(presumably on the strength of her Golden
Globes acceptance speech), but Taraji P.
Henson, Amy Adams and Annette Bening
were shut out. Im rooting for Isabelle
Huppert in Elle, but the award will
probably go to Natalie Portmans dazzling
performance in Jackie. Viola Davis will
probably win her rst Oscar for her
heartbreaking work in Fences, but any of
the other nominees are well-deserving.
Unless theres a major upset,
Mahershala Ali will win for Best
Supporting Actor. The Best Actor race is
between Denzel Washington and Casey
Aeck (Manchester by the Sea). Im
rooting for Washington.
As for Best Picture statue, front runners
La La Land and Moonlight will split the
vote and Hidden Figures will win some
well-deserved Oscar gold.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 8 F EB RUA RY 2 4, 2017 A RT S & CU LT U RE

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com

DANCE Thru Sep 4. archivesfoundation.org.
Kreeger Museum. JOAN MIR
Ron K. Brown / EVIDENCE. Feb 25-Feb From the Collection. Thru Feb 25.
26. Dance Place. danceplace.org. kreegermuseum.org.
Atlas Intersections: Amba Shikandi. Library of Congress. World War I:
Feb 24. Semilla Cultural Bomba! Feb American Artists View the Great War.
25. Trek. Feb 25. Rebollar Dance. Feb Thru May 5. Mapping a Growing
25-Feb 26. The Circus Collective of Nation: From Independence to
San Diego. Feb 25-Feb 26. Motion X Statehood. Thru Sep 1. loc.gov.
Dance DC. Feb 25-Feb 26. Company National Gallery of Art. Stuart Davis:
Danzante. Aura Curiatlas Physical In Full Swing. Thru Mar 5. nga.gov.
Theatre. Feb 26. Helanius J. Wilkins. National Geographic. @NatGeo: The
Feb 26. Atlas. atlasarts.org. Most Popular Instagram Photos. Thru
Apr 30. Earth Explorers. Thru Sep 10.
Mark Morris Dance Group
Feb 24-25. GMU Center for the Arts.
MUSIC nglive.org.
National Museum of Women in the
cfa.gmu.edu. Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Arts. Border Crossing: Jami Porter
Acclaimed for its grace, power, and condence, the Mark Morris Dance Group Wynton Marsalis: All Rise. Feb 24-Feb Lara. Thru May 14. New Ground: The
enchants both audiences and critics alike. Morriss choreographic genius radiates 26. Strathmore. strathmore.org. Southwest of Maria Martinez and
beauty, musical sophistication, and gifted intellect. This program includes Serenade, Altan. Feb 24. The Gibson Brothers. Laura Gilpin. Thru May 14. nmwa.org.
a solo piece set to Lou Harrisons Serenade for Guitar and Percussion, Dancing Feb 26. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com. National Portrait Gallery. Bill Viola:
Honeymoon featuring music from the 1920s and 30s, and two brand new works. WNO: Dead Man Walking. Feb 25- The Moving Portrait. Thru May 7. One
Mar 11. NSO: Brahmss Second Life: Babe Ruth. Thru May 21. Lincolns
NSO Pops: An Evening with Ledisi Symphony/Shostakovichs First Contemporaries. Thru May 19. npg.si.edu.
Feb 24-25. Kennedy Center. Violin Concerto. Mar 2-Mar 4. Jason
kennedy-center.org.
American R&B, neo-soul, and jazz recording artist and nine-time Grammy
+: Jason Moran and Theaster Gates:
Looks of a Lot. Feb 24. Kennedy
GALLERIES
nominee Ledisi joins the NSO Pops for two inspired evenings spotlighting her Center. kennedy-center.org. gallery Neptune & Brown. Ben Tolman.
unique sound and strident, soulful voice (The New York Times). St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Thru Feb 25. galleryneptunebrown.com.
Feb 27. Washington Performing Glen Echo Park. Phil Brown, David Fry,
Atlas Intersections Festival Arts at Kennedy Center. and Davrill Nash. Thru Mar 5. Tower
Feb 24-Mar 5. Atlas Performing Arts Center. washingtonperformingarts.org. in Three: Barbara Liotta. Thru Mar 5.
atlas arts.org. Lnasa. Feb 24. Reston Community glenechopark.org.
Your favorite all-arts festival returns for its 8th season showcasing performances Center. CenterStage at RCC. Goethe-Institut. Privacy on Display.
in music, theater, dance, lm, family events and more!Featuring more than 500 restoncommunitycenter.com. Thru Mar 7. goethe.de.
artists in over 100 performances. This weeks performances include Spitball The NSO of Ukraine. Feb 26. GMU Hill Center. Hill Center Galleries
Theatre, Amadou Kouyate, Alight Dance Theater, Dissonance Dance Theatre and Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu. Exhibits. Thru Feb 26. hillcenterdc.org.
Clown Cabaret. See CultureCapital.com for complete schedule. Hot Club of San Francisco - Meet ISAAG. Lens of Adventure:
Me In Paris. Feb 25. The Alden. Nature Around DC. Thru Mar 7.
Washington Dollar Days: Tour for a Buck! mcleancenter.org. idbstaassociationartgallery.org.
Thru Feb 28. Tudor Place Historic House and Garden. New York Opera Society. Feb 26. Studio 3700. Modern Makers, Modern
tudorplace.org. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov. Quilts. Thru Mar 27. arlingtonarts.org.
George Washington was born in February, and were celebrating him all Noura Mint Seymali. Feb 25. The Art League Gallery. Student/
month throughartifacts, furnishings, and stories,all for just oneWashington Arlington Cultural Aairs. Rosslyn Faculty Show 2017. Thru Mar 5.
dollar!Open every day but Monday, with tours beginning hourly. The days Spectrum. arlingtonarts.org. theartleague.org.
nal tour begins at 3 p.m. Masterworks of Five Centuries. Waverly Street Gallery. Process
Feb 25-26. Smithsonian Associates. and Inspiration. Thru Mar 4.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GMU CENTER FOR THE ARTS Museum of American History. waverlystreetgallery.com.
smithsonianassociates.org. Zenith Gallery. Creatively We Unite.
Music in Mind: Beethoven at the Thru Mar 4. zenithgallery.com.
Threshold - Opuses 95, 96 & 97. Feb
THEATRE shakespearetheatre.org.
Catch Me: A Magic Duel. Feb 25. Catch
26. The Clarice. theclarice.umd.edu.
Masters of Hawaiian Music. Feb 25.
AND MORE...
Philly Plowden & Dusty Slay. Mar 2. Me! Mayower Hotel. catchmeshow.com. Livingston Taylor. Mar 1. Ballak Anacostia Delta: Home of the Worlds
AMP. ampbystrathmore.com. Sweeney Todd. Thru Mar 5. Fickle: A Sissoko & Vincent Segal. Mar 1. The Great Unknown Guitarists. Feb 25.
Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. Feb 28- Fancy French Farce. Mar 1-Mar 26. Barns. wolftrap.org. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.
Mar 26. Signature Theatre. Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org. Atlas Intersections: Fractal Cat. Feb Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courage
signature-theatre.org. Shear Madness. Thru Apr 27. Kennedy 24. Jahn Rome. Feb 24. Capital City and Vision. Feb 28. National Archives.
As You Like It. Thru Mar 5. Folger Center. shearmadness.com. Symphony. Feb 25. Andre Veloz. archivesfoundation.org.
Theatre. folger.edu. The Hard Problem. Thru Feb 26. Feb 25. Flo Anito. Feb 25. The Snark Atlas Intersections: Annalisa Dias: The
Yo tambin hablo de la rosa (I Too Studio Theatre. studiotheatre.org. Ensemble. Feb 25-26. Abigail Palmer Salima Project. Feb 25. eXposure Short
Speak of the Rose). Thru Feb 26. GALA The How and The Why. Thru Mar 12. & Eric Selby. Feb 26. inHALE. Feb 26. Film Series. Feb 26. Atlas. atlasarts.org.
Hispanic Theatre. galatheatre.org. Theater J. theaterj.org. Pavel Urkiza & Congr Ensemble. Feb Movie Night: The Age of Cannibals
Jewish Plays Project Playwriting The Amish Project. Feb 24-Mar 3. The 25-Mar 4. Atlas. atlasarts.org. (Zeit der Kannibalen). Feb 24. Goethe-
Contest. Feb 26. JCCNV. jccnv.org. Clarice. theclarice.umd.edu. Institut. goethe.de.
King Charles III. Thru Mar 12. The
Select (The Sun Also Rises). Thru Apr
Baby Screams Miracle. Thru Feb 26.
Woolly Mammoth.
MUSEUMS Work-in-Progress Screening. Feb 24.
Docs in Progress. GWU Media & Public
2. Shakespeare Theatre Company. woollymammoth.net. National Archives. Amending America. Aairs. docsinprogress.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

S P O RTI N I N D. C. FE B R U A R Y 24, 2017 29

Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director

PHOTOS BY KEVIN MAJOROS

From left are ADAM BOCEK, KENT HANSEN and CARL SVAGERKO.

Baltimore volleyball league
attracts diverse players
By KEVIN MAJOROS
Its not uncommon for the players in
sports teams to come from dierent
walks of life. Their motivation to play and
the path they take to get there are all part
of the process of making a team. The
dierent personalities on the team are
what make it a community.
This week in the continuing Blade series
this sport and the community that comes
along with it.
After following some friends to move
to Baltimore, Kent Hansen was at the
Baltimore Pride parade in 2005 and
saw Charm City Volleyball marching and
hitting a ball around.
I actually signed up to play that same
day, Hansen says. One of the people I
met on the team is now my husband.
Hansen, who works as a recruiting
manager for a government contracting
rm, grew up in Bradner, Ohio and played
multiple sports including cross country,
Photo by Cade Martin

on the players who make up the LGBT-
based sports teams in the area, we take
a look at three teammates, two gay and
one straight, from Charm City Volleyball.
Charm City Volleyball hosts social play
in downtown Baltimore on Wednesday
nights and competitive play and
track and eld, basketball and wrestling.
During college at Bowling Green State
University he was a varsity cheerleader
and also started playing club volleyball.
For six years, he has served as the
tournament director of the Charm City
Invitational and he is in his fourth year of
Jake Heggie/Terrence McNally

Dead Man Walking

scrimmages on Sundays in Elkridge, Md.
On April 29-30, they will host the 32nd
annual Charm City Invitational which
already has 42 teams registered to play.
For 13 years, Adam Bocek drove
back and forth, twice a week, from his
hometown in Railroad, Pa., to Baltimore
just to play with Charm City Volleyball.
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania,
there just wasnt much to do if you were
gay, Bocek says. I began meeting a lot
of great guys in an atmosphere where I
could be myself.
As a youth, his primary sport was soccer
and along the way he picked up baseball
and volleyball. The volleyball continued in
college and would be the impetus for his
treks to Baltimore.
Bocek has traveled the country with
his teammates playing in tournaments
and picked up a silver medal with them
at the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland.
serving on the national board of the North
American Gay Volleyball Association.
He is also traveling the country with his
teammates for volleyball tournaments
along with traveling for tournaments with
the Charm City Kings and Queens bowling
league. Hansen and his husband Mike
Snyder were also part of the silver medal-
winning team at the 2014 Gay Games in
Cleveland.
I have met some amazing people and
some of my best friends in the volleyball
community, Hansen says. Every city
we travel to we see so many people
that we have known for years. I love the
competition and the camaraderie.
Carl Svagerko was happily playing his
sports of football, basketball and baseball
along with swimming on a summer team
while growing up in Westerville, Ohio.
That all changed when he joined his high
school swim team because his sister
I WILL BE THE FACE OF LOVE FOR YOU.
Sister Helens calling was clear: show ALL Gods children the gift of
mercy. But was her faith strong enough to help shepherd even the darkest
soul to salvation? Based on a true story, Jake Heggies instant modern
classic is an extraordinary tale of courage and compassion featuring a
sensational cast and an unforgettable score infused with American popular
styles. The New York Times calls this mesmerizing drama a masterpiece
of words, music, and emotions.
February 25March 11 | Opera House
In English with Projected English Titles | New WNO Production
Dead Man Walking contains mature subject matter, including depictions of sexual violence and murder.
Not recommended for audiences under the age of 15.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KENNEDY-CENTER.ORg | (202) 467-4600
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

Just last month he moved to Baltimore
after landing a job as a recruiter for HIV
research at Johns Hopkins.
I look at this move as a rite of passage
and my opportunity to be around the
people who have supported me all
along. Bocek says. I just love playing
needed a ride to the same practices. He
fell in love with swimming and went on to
win a state championship in high school
and spent four years swimming for the
University of Tennessee.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
Major support for WNO and Dead Man Walking Additional support for Dead Man Walking is provided by
is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars. The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts and
the National Endowment for the Arts.
David and Alice Rubenstein
are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO.
WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of
Support for JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy
Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.
is provided by Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, Chevron,
The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and Target.
WNOs Presenting Sponsor

3 0 F EB RUA RY 2 4, 2017
E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.
com two weeks prior to your event. Space is lim-
ited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.
TODAY
NSO Pops: An Evening with Ledisi is
at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.)
tonight at 8 p.m. and on Saturday at 8
p.m. NSO Pops and Ledisi will perform
a mix of gospel, blues and funk. Tickets
range from $29-99. For more information,
visit kennedy-center.org.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.)
hosts Twisted Kilt: A Kilt Fetish Night
tonight from 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Wear a kilt and
receive happy hour prices all night. For
more details, visit dceagle.com.
18th and U Duplex Diner (2004 18th
St., N.W.) hosts BreakfastClub: An 80s
Dance Party tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
80s hit music will play all night. Drink
specials go all night. There is no cover. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
duplexdiner.
DJ Theo Smith spins at a free dance
party at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning
Rd., N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. For
details, visit dceagle.com.
Washington Scandals Rugby hosts
Sequins & Scrums, a free drag event, at
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight from
8-10 p.m. Team members will compete
in drag for a group of judges and the
audience for donations. The winner
will be crowned Scrum Queen 2017.
All proceeds benet the teams travel
expenses to the 2018 Bingham Cup, a gay
rugby tournament, in Amsterdam. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
washingtonscandals.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (1001
F St., N.W.) hosts D.C. Fashion Week
with special guest model David McIntosh
tonight from 8-10 p.m. General admission
tickets are sold out but VIP tickets, which
includes front row seating, are $50. The
event includes the fashion show and a
tour of the museum. For more details,
visit facebook.com/dcfashionweek.
SATURDAY, FEB. 25
Makers Lab presents The Beyby Shower,
an LGBT dance party featuring music
by Beyonc, at Tropicalia (2001 14th St.,
N.W.) today from 4-8 p.m. DJ Lady Ryan
spins tracks. Patience Sings and Charity
Joyce Blackwell host the night. There is no
dress code. Cover is $10. For more details,
visit facebook.com/makerslabdc.
D.C. Rollergirls hosts its 2017 season
opener at D.C. Armory (2001 E Capitol St.,
.S.E) today from 4-7 p.m. D.C. Rollergirls
team the National Maulers will compete
against Free State Roller Derbys Black-
Eyed Suzies. Batala Washington will
perform at halftime. There will be an after
party at the Ugly Mug (723 8th St., S.E.)
following the game. Admission is $12 for
JANET MOCK, a transgender icon, will speak at George Mason University Tuesday night.
adults and children 12 and over. Tickets
for children ages 6-11 is $6. Children
under 6 are free. For more information,
visit facebook.com/dcrollergirls.
Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.E.)
presents Bey vs. Jay: Who Run the
World, a Beyonc and Jay-Z dance party,
tonight at 10 p.m. DJ Basscamp and the
Lothario will DJ. Doors open at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $13. For more details, visit
rockandrollhoteldc.com.
Black Femme Brunch hosts Twin It to
Win It, a brunch celebration of Beyonces
pregnancy, at Satellite Room (2047 9th St.,
N.W.) today from 1-4 p.m. The community
is for self-identied black femmes of all
genders. The group will attend the Beyby
shower at Tropicalia following the event.
For more details, visit facebook.com/
blackfemmebrunch.
Low-Key D.C. Queer Womens Group
hosts its rst meeting at Panera Bread
(1350 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) today
from 2-5 p.m. Queer women are invited
to eat lunch and bring a game to play.
For details, search Low-Key D.C. Queer
Womens Group on Facebook.
SUNDAY, FEB. 26
Pung Picasso hosts Up in Smoke,
a cannabis party, at Flash (645 Florida
Ave., N.W.) today from 4-9 p.m. There
will be an infused nacho bar, free pre-
rolls, free drink infusions and multiple
edible stations. There will also be seed
giveaways, a strain tasting and onsite
vendors. For more information, visit
PHOTO COURTESY OF GMU
facebook.com/pungpicasso.
The Coven D.C. and GLOE host
Introduction to Jiu-Jitsu: Self Defense
for the LGBTQ Community, at Edlavitch
D.C.-JCC (1529 16th St., N.W.) today
from 1:30-4:30 p.m. The rst two hours
cover techniques and strategies and the
third hour is open for a Q&A session
with instructor Jay Ferrari. Attendees
should wear loose, comfortable clothing.
Registration is $10. For more details, visit
facebook.com/edcjcc.gloe.
MONDAY, FEB. 27
Ariana Grande brings her Dangerous
Woman Tour to the Verizon Center (601
F St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Doors
open at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $65-
415. For more details, visit verizoncenter.
monumentalsportsnework.com.
Young Playwrights Theater presents
Silence is Violence: What Now? at
Anacostia Playhouse (2020 Shannon Pl.,
S.E.) tonight at 7 p.m. and Tuesday at 8 p.m.
D.C.-area youth and professional artists
will explore the themes of immigration,
xenophobia and Islamaphobia through
poetry, theater, movement and visual art.
Admission is pay what you can. For more
information, visit facebook.com/yptdc.
Monday Night Skating, an LGBT
skating group, hosts a Singles Skate at
Laurel Skate Center (9890 Brewers Ct.,
Laurel, Md.) tonight from 7:30-10:30 p.m.
Singles can mix with each other while
skating. For more details, visit facebook.
com/mondaynightskating.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
CA LE N D A R
TUESDAY, FEB. 28
George Mason University hosts Redening
Black Womanhood: An Evening with Janet
Mock in the Center for the Arts (4373 Mason
Pond Dr., Fairfax, Va.) tonight at 7 p.m. The
talk is pat of the universitys annual Sojourner
Truth lecture. Community member tickets are
$15. Tickets for Mason faculty and sta are
$10 and Mason student tickets are $5. For
more information and to purchase tickets, visit
cfa.gmu.edu.
The Gay and Bisexual Mens Healthy
Relationship group meets at the D.C.
Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) this evening
from 6-7 p.m. Topics covered will include
warning signs of unhealthy relationships,
dening violence and Gary Chapmans
Love Languages, exploring the impact of
trauma on relationships and more. This
group is a 10-week session and once it
begins will be closed to new participants.
For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1
The Ask Rayceen Show will be at
HRC Equality Center (1640 Rhode Island
Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Singer Nia
Simmons will perform and Glam Gamz will
give a burlesque performance. Rayceen
Pendarvis hosts the show and will host
a local couples version of The Newlywed
Game. There will be free food and a cash
bar. DJ Honey plays music. Admission is free
but tipping the performers is encouraged.
For more details, visit askrayceen.com.
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.
Bookmen D.C., an informal gay mens
discussion group, meets tonight to
discuss Not Gay: Sex Between Straight
White Men by Jane Ward at 7:30 p.m. at
the Tenleytown Library (4450 Wisconsin
Ave., N.W.). All are welcome. Details at
bookmendc.blogspot.com.
THURSDAY, MARCH 2
Friends of the Arlington Public Library
presents Muggle Ball, a Harry Potter event,
at Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd.,
Arlington, Va.) tonight from 7-11 p.m. There
will be live music from the JEM Jazz Band,
rae baskets and trivia. There will also be
hors doeuvres and dessert. Costumes are
optional. Tickets are $35. For more details,
visit arlingtonlibraryfriends.org.
University of Maryland PhD in literature
graduate Heather McHale hosts Feminist
and Progressive: Doctor Who at the
Takoma Park Municipal Government
building (7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park,
Md.) tonight from 7:30-9 p.m. McHale will
focus on the Doctor Who revival series
and how it approaches feminism, LGBT
issues, disability, race and economic
class. For more details, visit facebook.
com/TakomaParkMD.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A D V I CE
Did previous column
go too easy on
freeloading boyfriend?
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,
You went way too easy on Jimmy, the
unemployed guy whose boyfriend wrote
you wondering how to get him o the
couch. OMG, Jimmy is mopping up the
oor with his sugar daddy. In a case like
this, I think its time for some tough love.
Using your rationale that only an
individual can decide he or she wants
to change, nobody would ever stage an
intervention or take any drastic step in an
abusive relationship. And lets be real
thats what the letter writer is in!
Im so weary of people spending their
energy guring out how much they
can get away with. Its gloried toddler
behavior and it isnt healthy.
If I were in the letter writers shoes,
I would give Jimmy a three-month
deadline. Jimmy needs a re lit under his
ass: Unless youre gainfully employed by
that date, youre out.
That would be doing Jimmy a favor in
the long run, because if he continues this
way and never oers anything productive
to society, hell hate himself years later
when he realizes hes wasted his life.
It wouldnt have to be a job in his eld
just something to get him out of the
house and feeling productive, even part-
time.
MICHAEL REPLIES:
I get where youre coming from. Yes, its
infuriating when we get taken advantage
of, especially by someone who purports
to love us.
And it can be painful to watch people
we love screw up their lives in all sorts of
ways, be it underemployment, substance
use or bad relationship choices.
Nevertheless, when we try to get the
FE B R U A R Y 24, 2017 31
other person to change his behavior, our
eorts are likely to backre.
Why? Because most of us dont like
someone else telling us what to do and
often get resentful when were dictated
to. And we dont like being told that the
way were running our life is wrong, at
least in the other persons opinion.
So if Jimmys boyfriend tells him that he
has to get a job, Jimmy is likely to focus
on how awful and unjust the boyfriend
is, rather than focusing on his own
responsibility for the state of his aairs.
Alas, people generally like blaming
someone else for their woes, rather than
looking in the mirror.
An intervention works best when you
tell the other person how his behavior
aects you and youre clear how much
more youre willing to tolerate. Aim not
to guilt-trip him or force him to change,
but simply to state your bottom line and
encourage him to confront himself about
how he wants to live, going forward.
Making threats to get your way can bring
OMG, FREE?
about change, but has the unfortunate
side eect of bringing an ugly dynamic
into your relationship. If you use threats
today, down the road your partner is likely
to do the same thing to you. Thats just the
way relationships work.
Im not saying that people shouldnt try
to inuence their partners. You certainly
should ask for what youd like when its
important to you, just as you should be
open to your partners requests. Just keep
in mind that you may not always get what
you ask for and that your inuence may
be limited.
And keep in mind that when you need
the other person to behave in certain
ways for you to be content, you dont have
much power over your life, because you
cant make your partner do your bidding.
The only person any of us can always
depend on to create the life we want is
ourselves. This includes deciding whether
or not we want to be in a relationship with
a person who doesnt treat us as wed like
to be treated.
So while Jimmy is mopping up the oor
with his boyfriend, the guy is not stuck in
an abusive relationship. If Jimmy refuses
to change, the boyfriend is welcome to
leave.
As for Jimmy: Its true, as you note,
that if Jimmy doesnt get his act together, SHARE ADS ARE FREE!
one day he may regret it. But thats not
his boyfriends responsibility. Just as is Place your housing to share ad on www.washingtonblade.com
true for the boyfriend, Jimmy is the only and the ads print free in the paper and online!
person who can decide how he wants to (25 words or less prints free - anything more it is $1.00 per word)
live his life.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 2 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017 P H O T O S BY MO N I CA BA U T I ST A

The Human Rights Campaign held the sixth annual Her HRC party at Town Danceboutique on Sunday, Feb. 19.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 3 3

I wrote it for the entire country Black says of Rise

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23
Conant, a pioneer in AIDS treatment; Pat
Norman, the rst openly gay employee
of the San Francisco Health Department;
and Del Martin, who co-founded the rst
lesbian organization in the country.
Black admits that narrowing the
characters and stories he wanted to tell
was a pretty big undertaking, which is
why he spent the entire rst year doing
research. He focused on characters whod
been activists their entire lives and who
are still alive. Subsequently, the late Frank
Kameny, who was a longtime Washington
resident, is not mentioned in the series
(see sidebar).
Its about time that LGBT people can
have their stories told, and it could be
funny, it could be dramatic, it could be
political and show people survive and
thrive, he says. Weve lost so many
of our forefathers because of AIDS, so
that narrowed it down. I wanted these
activists to be connected to other social
movements and show that the best of
us ght for our brothers and sisters in
other social justice movements as well.
The secret is not just winning rights, but
maintaining them.
An all-star casts takes part in the series
moments are real and the struggle is
real and this generation was faced with
epic confrontations and they rose to the
occasion and fought back and won.
He believes that even those who voted
for Trump and have mixed feelings about
all of this will get a lot out of the series.
I very much wrote Milk, which is
what most gay people know me from,
for myself. The gay kid living in the
conservative time and what could I have
seen that would have given me hope. That
was a story told in a way that would have,
he says. When I was writing When We
Rise I was thinking of my conservative,
half Mormon, half Southern Baptist
military family spread out through Texas,
Arkansas and Louisiana. I love them to
death and am often more comfortable
with them at a barbecue than I am at a
beach party on the coast.
He understands that most of them
probably voted for Trump and have
conicting views about many of the issues
that are important to him, so he thought
about what they had in common.
DUSTIN LANCE BLACK, creator and executive
producer of When We Rise.
I know what we disagree on; I wanted
to nd our common language. If you go
to the dinner table and bring up politics,
science or the Constitution, no one is
going to listen. If you want to engage, you
need to tell a story, and its even better
if its an emotional story, and better yet,
a story about your family, Black says.
LGBT people love to tell stories of family;
they are part of our coming-out stories
the families we lost, the new ones we
built to survive. LGBT people and my dear
family both speak the same language
of family uently and I built the show
centered around that.
Blacks hope is that by focusing on the
language and shining a little light on the
issues, that maybe the movie helps to
bridge Americas ideological gap.
I did not write this to be a battle cry or
for half of America, I wrote it for the entire
country, he says. Im holding my breath
to get that phone call from a Texas cousin
or aunt, telling me, I watched your show
and it was pretty good. That is my mark
of success.

D.C. activists question

including Mary-Louise Parker as Roma
Guy, Guy Pearce as Cleve Jones, Rachel
Griths as Romas wife Diane, Whoopi
Goldberg as Pat Norman and Rosie
ODonnell as Del Martin.
I had the great fortune of getting this
cast. Its the honor of my life personally to
have the opportunity to bring our stories
to life and to create a popularized history
that weve been robbed of, Black says. I
think when actors read scripts like these,
they know the importance of addressing
a real need in society. Whoopi called me
and said she wanted to play Pat because
she knew her. Rosie told me how much
the words of Del meant to her as a young
person and wanted to play her. You
quickly understand how personal this is
to all these actors and you would be a
fool to say no to this emotion. This isnt a
major feature lm and they all said yes.
The project was mostly completed by
the time the results of the presidential
election were revealed in November, so
Black didnt make any major changes
to the series, even though he knew that
Donald Trump and Mike Pence are no
friends of the LGBT community.
I like to pack a punch and say what I
need regardless, so I dont think it needed
to be any stronger, Black says. I was
already concerned that we were losing
our connection with our brothers and
sisters in other social movements we
were making great strides and werent
moving forward with our arms locked
with them. Thats stated strongly in the
PHOTO BY IMAGE GROUP L.A.; COURTESY OF ABC
series. Its why I titled the series When
We Rise and why the biggest word is We
because its about how we all need to
push back against the backlash and how
we need to do that together.
One thing that Black changed since
Trump took oce was his plan for an
epilogue at the end of the series, which as
of 10 days before the miniseries airdate,
had yet to be written.
Im waiting because a lot could happen
in the next two weeks and it feels like
we are making news every single day,
he says. Thats the one thing that will
change a bit and it may be written close
to when it airs.
The important thing for Black is that
the message is heard and the miniseries
isnt easily dismissed.
I think a young generation coming up
is going to see this show and wonder if
it ever could have been that bad or that
dicult. I did many things through the
series to hammer home that yes, these
things really did happen, he says. Part
of that is not pulling punches showing
loud and clear that youre not going to
only face opposition from those that
discriminate against you, but youre going
to face even more opposition from people
who are your heroes in the movement
and you have to work with.
Black included archival footage on
occasion to remind viewers that these
Kameny exclusion
Black focused on four characters
to anchor convoluted history
Although screenwriter Dustin Lance Black focused on living activists for his
new miniseries When We Rise, some D.C.-based activists are questioning the
exclusion of the late Frank Kameny, who died in 2011. Kameny, who lived in
Washington for decades, has been called peerless by LGBT historians for his
contributions to the gay rights movement.
Charles Francis, president of the Mattachine Society of Washington and co-
founder of the Kameny Papers Project, says Kamenys contributions to gay
history tower above those of Cleve Jones and others.
I am not a Kameny fanatic, but I am an archive activist who very much believes
in the accuracy of LGBT history, Francis said in an e-mail. This series is being
marketed as a national story, a kind of gay Roots, so that sets the bar higher, I
believe.
Black says Kamenys work is acknowledged in the series through a montage
that includes footage of one of Kamenys demonstrations as well as Bayard
Rustin in a civil rights march.
As someone who knew Frank, I would never leave his work out, Black said in
an e-mail. But indeed, there are thousands of important leaders and activists
who are not in the series, which focuses on a small group of real grassroots
activists who formed a makeshift family in San Francisco in 1972. We experience
the movement through their eyes.
When Kameny died, one of his local colleagues, Paul Kuntzler, called him
the most inuential and most important person in the history of the gay rights
movement.
Kameny was portrayed by Arthur Holden in the widely panned 2015 movie
Stonewall.
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
3 4 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

I love seeing bands at 9:30 Club,

looking out for great food trucks,
and shopping at Eastern Market.

Im a
transgender man
and Im part of DC.

Please treat me the way any

man would want to be treated:
with courtesy and respect.
Discrimination based on gender identity and
expression is illegal in the District of Columbia.
If you think youve been the target of
discrimination, visit www.ohr.dc.gov
or call (202) 727-4559.

OFFICE OF

GLBT
AFFAIRS

Show your support! Spread word of the #TransRespect

campaign by photographing this ad and sharing on Twitter.
W A SH I NGTO N B LA DE.C OM feb r uar y 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 3 5
LEGAL
Dont DIY your LLC
Simple structure can
backfire if youre engaged
in real business
By LARRY JACOBS
Over the last 20 years, limited liability
companies have become the preferred
way of doing business for many small and
medium-size enterprises. That is primar-
ily due to the fact that LLCs are easier to
form than corporations. Unfortunately,
that simplicity lulls many people into try-
ing to do it themselves or working with
forms provided online. Sure, if your LLC
is only going to operate a kids lemonade
stand for a couple of months over the
summer, that might be good enough.
But for most people engaged in real busi-
nesses with significant risks, its not.
A little background may help to explain
what I mean. LLCs, like corporations, are
mechanisms for sheltering the people
that run those businesses from being
personally liable for their activities, espe-
cially if things go badly. Thoughtful people
may ask: why is that? Why shouldnt you
be personally liable for your own actions?
The answer is that states have encour-
aged people to start and run businesses
as an engine of growth, but many people
are reluctant to expose themselves to
personal liability. The catch is that there
are many rules and traps for the unwary,
so if you do something wrong, you may
not have that liability protection just
Needs TLC
TRANSLATION:
Major Structural Damage
VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI
Dupont Circle Ofce 202.243.7700 (o) 202.246.8602 (c)
Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com www.DCHomeQuest.com
There are many rules and traps for the
unwary in LLC, so if you do something
wrong, you may not have that liability
protection just when you need it most.
when you need it most. Earlier in my ca-
reer, I represented many business credi-
tors that were always looking for ways to
pierce that shield and get through to
the owners of businesses for their debts.
Here are a few of the basics that you
should know to avoid that fate.
LLCs need to have Operating Agree-
ments. Operating Agreements take the
place of bylaws and shareholders agree-
ments for corporations. If youre starting
a business by yourself (commonly re-
ferred to as a single-member LLC), then
a streamlined Operating Agreement may
be sufficient. If more than one person is
involved, its not just twice as complicat-
ed, its a least five times as complicated
and the Operating Agreement will be
much more complex. It will need to cover
things such as how much of the business
each person owns, how are profits or
losses divided and who gets to vote on
what. Im always surprised by the number
of business owners who are involved in
significant enterprises that do not have
Operating Agreements.
Capital contribution. Is the amount of
money that you are investing in your new
business adequate for the risks that are
going to be assumed? Many people form
their LLCs and show little or no investment
of personal funds. However, if youre going
to be signing a lease, buying inventory, hir-
ing employees or signing contracts, there
needs to be a financial cushion that is pro-
portionate to those liabilities. If there isnt,
your creditors will have little trouble get-
ting to you personally.
Evidence of ownership. Corporations
issue stock. LLCs issue membership in-
terests. They are quite similar written
certificates identifying your ownership of
all or a portion of the LLC. Come the day
that you might want to sell an interest in
your business or even the entire busi-
ness, having membership certificates will
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be crucial. A business that I represented
a few years ago never issued certificates.
When we went to sell the business, there
was nothing to transfer to the new own-
ers. We had to go back and document all
the changes in ownership over a period
of 10 years and issue certificates to cover
them just for the purpose of being able
to sell the business.
Timely filings with the state in which the
LLC was formed. Maryland and Virginia re-
quire annual filings. In the District, its every
two years. If you fail to make this filing and
to pay the required fee, then your LLCs
charter will be revoked and your LLC will be
gone. You would be wrong if you think this
is uncommon. Each state in which I practice
revokes thousands of charters every year.
Its why we monitor our clients filings close-
ly to avoid revocation.
As complicated as some of this sounds,
I have only scratched the surface of these
issues in the confines of this article. Please
feel free to contact me if you need more
specific guidance on any of these topics.
(This column is not intended to provide legal
advice, but only general guidance that may or
may not be applicable to your specific situa-
tion.)
Larry Jacobs has represented many busi-
nesses, both large and small. He has also
helped hundreds of same-sex couples and
LGBT singles in the Washington area protect
their assets and loved ones through partner-
ship planning. He is a partner at McMillan Met-
ro, P.C. and has practiced law for 42 years. He
is admitted to the bar in Maryland, Virginia and
the District of Columbia. Learn more at Part-
nerPlanning.com.
3 6 F E B RUA RY 2 4, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
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16TH STREET Washer and
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VOLUNTEERS MOVERS Appliances, Secured
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Brian Doyle, MD, in bedroom basement unit
Dupont Circle. Email in house.$1,250 month
2roryd@gmail.com. Tel
(202) 746-7226. TREE SERVICE inc. util. Call Joel Martin
202-274-1882 or email
BRANCHES TREE EXPERT jn1martin@aol.com.
CLEANING Company. Full service
certified arborists,
FERNANDOS CLEANING: BODYWORK
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com. Angies List Award
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HOME IMPROVEMENT
British Remodeling Handyman
Local licensed company with over 25
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SHARE / VA
LINDEN, VA GWM, Prefer mature,
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RENT / DC
Beautiful 3 BR, 1.5 BA
House w/ Private Parking,
upgraded bathrooms and
kitchen, and a finished
basement in the Ft.
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for Rent April 1st. Email
Maegan: cocolife77@
yahoo.com.
STADIUM ARMORY METRO
Spacious one bdrm
original wood detail
$1,269 + util. Call or email
Joel Martin 202-274-1882
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Always FREE to listen and reply to ads!
TOP RATED MASSEUR Custom
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 W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM F E BRU A RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 3 9

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