JUL Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 V O L U M E 4 8 I SSU E 28
COM
MAC MCEACHIN is unable to accede into military ocer school because of the delay in transgender enlistments.
New campaign seeks
to resist the politics of hate
By KAREN OCAMB
Amid growing concern about apparent collusion
between Donald Trumps campaign and Russia, and a
series of anti-LGBT steps taken by the administration,
the Human Rights Campaign this week announced a
major $26 million expansion eort to counter what it
calls the politics of hate.
HRC worked hard to elect Hillary Clinton, expecting
her to usher in the nal stage of full equality for
LGBT citizens. Instead, under Trump, there has
AM E RI C A S LGB T NE W S S OURCE
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCEACHIN
been a steady erosion and rolling back of rights
with the potential for even marriage equality being
undermined should Supreme Court Justice Anthony
Kennedy retire while the Senate is still in Republican
hands.
In June, HRC participated in a slew of #Resistance
marches, including the #ResistMarch in Los Angeles,
with HRC President Chad Grin telling crowds about
HRCs war room to ght back.
Now, HRC seeks to harness the #Resistance energy
for the 2018 mid-term elections and beyond.
On July 11, HRC announced an investment of $26
million in HRC Rising, a new grassroots campaign to
resist the politics of hate, ght anti-LGBTQ legislation,
and fuel pro-equality candidates and initiatives.
WASHINGTONBLADE.
Pentagon delay lands
prospective service
members in limbo
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
For Mac McEachin, the Pentagons
delay in allowing transgender people to
enlist in the U.S. armed forces represents
a major setback for his plan to join the
Armys Ocer Candidate School.
The fact that thats now been pushed
back to at least six months is pretty
disheartening, McEachin said. It throws
a lot of questions in the air.
McEachin, a 27-year-old transgender
male living in New York City whos
planning to move to Texas by months
end, enlisted in the Army Reserves in
2011 and hoped to become an ocer
after nishing his masters thesis in
counter-insurgency last year at the
London School of Economics.
That plan and the plans of many
transgender people like McEachin
is thrown into disarray after Defense
Secretary James Mattis, responding to
objections from members of Congress
and concerns from military service
chiefs, agreed to halt a plan established
in the Obama administration to allow
transgender people to accede into the
CONTINUES ON PAGE 11
Its not enough to resist the hateful policies and
attacks coming from the Trump-Pence regime
weve got to accelerate the pace of progress toward
full equality and secure protections for LGBTQ people
in states and communities across the country, said
HRC President Chad Grin. Thats why were going
on oense with the largest grassroots expansion in
HRCs 37-year history.
Our grassroots army of over 3 million has proven
that, even in the face of unprecedented challenges,
we can make incredible progress and defeat the
hateful politicians whove been emboldened by
Donald Trump when we organize and mobilize.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 12
0 2 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 0 3

0 4 J ULY 0 7 , 2 0 1 7
TODD J. MCKEE was reported missing in Rehoboth Beach on July 8.
PHOTO COURTESY OF REHOBOTH BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT
Gay man reported missing
in Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach Police on Tuesday issued a Gold Alert missing person
announcement for Todd J. McKee, a 50-year-old gay man who police say is believed
to have left his residence in Rehoboth around 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 8.
Police have been unable to make contact with McKee to check on his
welfare, the police announcement says. Attempts to locate Mr. McKee have
been unsuccessful and there is a real concern for his safety and welfare, the
announcement states.
It describes him as a white male, 50 years old, six feet two inches tall, weighing
220 pounds, and having red hair and blue eyes. The announcement says he was
last seen wearing blue glasses, a black collared short sleeve polo style shirt, and
blue shorts with white pockets and stripes on both sides.
Anyone with information about McKees whereabouts or anyone who may
have had contact with him after 10:15 p.m. on Saturday evening, June 8, is asked
to contact Rehoboth Police Det. Tyler Whitman at 302-524-1391.
People with information about the case can also submit a tip through the
Rehoboth Police website at www.rehobothpolice.org, or through the Delaware
Crime Stoppers line at 1-800-847-3333, the announcement says.
McKees Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon showed he had posted a new
photo on the page shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday evening, July 8, about two hours
before he was reported missing. The photo is of a picturesque beach sunset scene,
which some of his friends complimented in subsequent postings on his site.
McKees Facebook site also identies his partner as Je Guarancino, a noted gay
travel writer and author who, among other things, writes a travel column for the
Philadelphia Gay News. Guarancino couldnt immediately be reached for comment.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Metro removes ads for Milo Yiannopoulos book
Metro has removed an undisclosed number of billboard-size ads for a new book
written by gay alt-right rebrand and writer Milo Yiannopoulos that began to appear
last week in subway stations throughout the Metro system.
The ad violates Metros advertising guidelines, Metro spokesperson Richard Jordan
told the Washington Blade in a brief statement. We have removed the ads.
Jordan referred to a policy adopted by Metro in 2015 that calls for prohibiting
advertisements intended to inuence members of the public regarding an issue on which
there are varying opinions as well as ads that are intended to inuence public policy.
The Yiannopoulos ads included a large photo of Yiannopoulos and the name of his
book, Dangerous, along with the words, The Most Hated Man On The Internet.
Jordan didnt provide a specic explanation of how Yiannopoulos or his book violates
the Metro ad policy, but a number of Metro riders reportedly complained to Metro that
Yiannopoulos controversial views, which are elaborated in his book, were oensive to them.
Yiannopouloss self-described politically incorrect views on race relations, feminism,
immigration, Islam, and transgender rights, among other things, have enraged many
political activists.
In February, the alt-right publication Breitbart dismissed him from his role as an editor
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
LO CA L N E W S
after a video surfaced in which he appeared to
be condoning sex between adults and minors.
His remarks on the widely circulated video also
prompted Simon & Schuster publishing house
to rescind his book contract for Dangerous.
Yiannopoulos has since self-published the book
through Amazon.
He issued an apology over his remarks in the
video on sex with minors, saying he used a poor
choice of words and never intended to imply he
favors repealing age of consent laws banning
sex between adults and minors.
Metro has removed ads for a new
In an email to Washingtonian magazine, book by MILO YIANNOPOULOS.
Yiannopoulos denounced Metros decision to
pull his book ads, saying the ads did not discuss WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
anything overtly political.
We believe that the removal of our billboards
constitutes unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by a government regulator in
violation of the First Amendment and are preparing our response now, he said.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
D.C., Rehoboth officials misgender trans women
In separate incidents that activists say they hope were rare occurrences, city
government employees in D.C. and Rehoboth Beach, Del., during the past week directed
transgender women to use the mens bathroom or locker room at a public facility.
In the D.C. case, an employee of the citys Department of Parks and Recreation told
several trans women entering the citys Banneker Pool on Georgia Avenue, N.W., on July
1 that they needed to access the pool through the mens locker room, according to an
account of the incident by the local online news blog dcist.
Among the trans women asked to use the mens locker room, dcist reported, was D.C. police
Sgt. Jessica Hawkins, who serves as supervisor for the departments LGBT Liaison Unit. Rebecca
Kling, an ocial with the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the trans people came
to the pool to participate in the second annual D.C. Trans Pool Party that Kling organized.
Kling said she didnt directly witness a female desk clerk at the pool asking the trans
women to use the mens locker room and who reportedly addressed Sgt. Hawkins as
sir. But Kling said she spoke to several people who informed her of that taking place.
Kling noted that once she brought the matter to the attention of the manager of the
Banneker Pool he immediately assigned another employee to the front desk and that
employee treated the trans visitors with respect and had no objections to their using
the locker room that matched their gender identity the womens locker room.
Kling and transgender advocate Ruby Corado also noted that the misgendering
by the pool employee of the trans women marked the second year in a row in which
attendees of the annual Trans Pool Party were treated improperly by a DPR employee
assigned to work at the Banneker Pool.
DPR ocials responded to last years incident by promising to provide additional
training for all DPR employees on LGBT-related issues, including the fact that the
D.C. Human Rights Act bans discrimination against LGBT people. The Human Rights
Act, among other things, requires that transgender people be allowed to use public
bathrooms or other facilities, including locker rooms, that match their gender identity.
As far as trans persons being mistreated, as far as I could see once everyone got into
the pool everyone had a great time and everyone was treated appropriately, Kling told
the Blade in discussing this years Trans Pool Party on July 1.
In the Rehoboth Beach incident, Rehoboth Police Chief Keith Banks told the Blade
a female transgender visitor called police in the afternoon of Sunday, July 9, to report
being mistreated by a city attendant working at one of the public bathrooms located
next to a bandstand near the boardwalk.
Similar to the D.C. pool incident, Banks said the trans visitor complained to police
ocers who arrived on the scene that the attendant directed her to use the mens
bathroom instead of the womens bathroom, a development that violates Delawares
human rights law. The Delaware human rights law, similar to D.C.s law, bans
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and allows trans people
to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
Steve Elkins, president of CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBT community center, said Banks
invited him to attend a meeting on Monday with him, the Rehoboth city manager, and other
city ocials to discuss the bathroom incident. Among other things, Elkins said City Manager
Sharon Lynn, whos a lesbian, said she would arrange for city employees to be briefed on
the state human rights law and its application to issues aecting transgender people.
The police acted appropriately in the way they handled this, Elkins said. The
bathroom attendant is being counseled.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 0 5

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0 6 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7
Comings & Goings Trans woman intentionally
Curtis Tate leaving D.C. for Record newspaper in N.J.
hit by car in D.C.
Victim in critical
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
condition; police
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our com-
munity. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining
uncertain as to hate crime
boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at
comingsandgoings@washblade.com. By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Congratulations to Curtis Tate who on
July 24 will join the North Jersey Media Group A woman identied by local activists as
to report on New Jersey Transit and the Port transgender was in critical condition this
Authority of New York and New Jersey for week after being intentionally struck
The Record newspaper. North Jersey Media by a vehicle driven by an unidentied
Group, part of the USA Today Network, is suspect about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, July
the leading provider of news and marketing 5, along the 400 block of K Street, N.E.,
services in northern New Jersey.The Recordis according to D.C. police.
an award-winning daily newspaper reaching A police report, which doesnt disclose
nearly half a million readers a day with local, that the victim is transgender and
investigative and enterprise reporting. Forty- identies her by her birth name, says a
nine community newspapers circulate to CURTIS TATE witness told police that, the driver of a
PHOTO COURTESY OF TATE
778,000 households across Bergen, Passaic, dark colored hatchback vehicle struck
Essex, Morris, Hudson and Sussex counties. Victim 1 and ed the scene without
Upon announcing his new position Tate making his identity known.
said, Thats right, a job that involves writing about bridges, tunnels and trains. It says a second witness reported
Of course, this means packing up and leaving Washington after nine years and that the eeing vehicle struck a parked
doing a U-turn back to the state where I lived before Obama, Trump and Christie. vehicle after hitting the victim and before
During his time in D.C., Tate worked for the McClatchy Washington Bureau as traveling eastbound on K Street and
a policy reporter covering transportation and transportation safety, including south on 5th Street. The victim was taken
the highway trust fund, crude by rail, positive train control, airport terminal to an area hospital by ambulance and
and tower upgrades, and the expansion of major ports. He also did a stint as was listed in critical condition, a police
a regional reporter covering Kentucky, Kansas and southern Illinois issues and spokesperson said.
as a night and weekend editor responsible for managing the bureau budget, Investigation revealed that Suspect
updating the website and coordinating coverage of major breaking news. Prior 1 intentionally struck Victim 1 with the
to coming to D.C., Tate worked for the Wall Street Journal as a copy editor and vehicle, according to the police report.
creator of headlines and display type for front page; writer and editor of front- The report says police have classied
page news summaries and collaborated with editors and reporters on stories in the incident as an assault with intent
all sections. Prior to that he was with the Indianapolis Star. to kill and an oense of leaving after
Tate served two terms as president of the D.C. chapter of the National Lesbian colliding personal injury.
and Gay Journalism Association. In 2015, he won a Freddie Award from the At this point, we dont have enough
National Press Foundation and in 2014 was a nalist for a California Journalism evidence to say whether or not this may
Award. He has a bachelors in journalism with minors in political science and have been motivated by hate or bias, but
geography from the University of Kentucky. its something were investigating, said
Congratulations also to Andrew Magie, who landed a summer internship with police spokesperson Rachel Reid.
The LGBT Health Policy & Practice Program Veteran transgender activist Earline
at the George Washington University. Budd, who serves as a treatment adherence
This nationally respected certicate specialist with the D.C. social services
program was founded by Stephen L. group HIPS, which provides services to the
Forssell, Ph.D. Dr. Forssell has said The transgender community, said she learned
LGBT Health, Policy & Practice Graduate from a police source that investigators
Certicate Program was developed with were making good progress on the case
the assistance and consultation of health and they expect to make an arrest soon.
care and policy professionals in the Budd said the victim has visited HIPPS
government and private industry. The ANDREW MAGIE drop-in center on H Street, N.E., not far
rst of its kind in applied LGBT health, PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGIE from where she was struck by the car.
our program trains current and future Ruby Corado, executive director of the
healthcare leaders on strategies for LGBT community services center Casa
addressing LGBT health issues, reducing health disparities for LGBT people, and Ruby, said the victim has also visited Casa
for moving the eld forward toward a more inclusive, equitable state. Rubys facilities and is a friend of a Casa orientation or gender identity or gender
Magie is a rising sophomore at the George Washington University majoring in Ruby employee.
political science and physics and aspires to work in the Nuclear Energy Institute Budd noted that the hit-and-run
lobbying for the safe and environmentally friendly generation of nuclear power. He incident took place three days after
grew up in Templeton, a small town in the central coast of California. He is a well-known another transgender woman was
oboist in San Luis Obispo County and continues to play in GWs bands, orchestras, struck by a baseball bat wielded by an
and chamber ensembles as a principle oboist and was elected vice president of the unidentied male suspect on the 1200
University Orchestra for the 2017-2018 school year. He is also an Eagle Scout. block of Half Street, S.W.
A police report for that incident says
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
LO CA L N E W S
Acting D.C. Police Lt. BRETT PARSON said
police have a policy of not disclosing a crime
victims sexual orientation or gender identity
or gender expression unless the crime is
specically related to those factors.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
the victim told police the incident started
when she was hit by a Roman candle
Suspect 1 was shooting o. The report
says the victim approached the suspect
after he refused her request to stop
shooting the reworks in her direction.
Suspect 1 ran, the report states.
When Victim 1 turned around Suspect 1
started to charge at Victim 1 with a metal
bat in his hand. Suspect 1 then began
striking Victim 1 with the object, the
report continues.
Victim 1 fell to the ground [and] once
on the ground Suspect 2 began to kick
Victim 1, causing the listed injuries, the
report says.
The report says that Suspect 2 was arrested
on July 4 on a charge of simple assault after
police saw him at a nearby location.
Similar to the incident where the
trans woman was hit by the car, the
police report for the second incident
also does not disclose that the victim
was transgender. Also similar to the
rst incident, Budd said the victim in the
second incident is known to some in the
transgender community.
Acting D.C. Police Lt. Brett Parson, who
heads the police division that includes
the departments LGBT Liaison Unit,
said police have a longstanding policy
of not disclosing a crime victims sexual
expression unless the crime is specically
related to those factors.
If the Metropolitan Police Department
does not disclose the sexual orientation or
gender identity or gender expression one
can assume that the crime is not related
to a victims sexual orientation or gender
identity or gender expression, he said.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 0 7

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0 8 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7
Sessions addresses religious freedom summit
Organizer represents
Masterpiece Cakeshop
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
U.S. Attorney General Je Sessions
knownfor his anti-LGBT record was set
to speak Tuesday at an event for the anti-
LGBT legal group representing before the
U.S. Supreme Court a Colorado baker
that denied a wedding cake to a same-sex
couple for religious reasons.
Media outlets, including Buzzfeed,
reported Sessions public schedule was
updated Tuesday during his trip to
California to include on the same day
at 5:30 local time a speech in Orange
County at Alliance Defending Freedoms
religious freedom summit. The remarks
were closed to press.
Alliance Defending Freedom
designated as a hate group by the
Southern Poverty Law Center is the
legal group defending Masterpiece
Cakeshop, which in 2012 refused to make
a wedding cake for same-sex couple
David Mullins and Charlie Craig based on
religious objections. After the Colorado
Civil Rights Commission penalized the
Hartzler seeks to bar trans health care in military
Amendment would
ban Pentagon funds for
gender reassignment
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
On the heels of her tirade in committee
over allowing transgender people to serve
in the U.S. military, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-
Mo.) has proposed an amendment that
would bar the Defense Department from
providing transition-related care for troops.
The amendment was among the many
submitted to the House Rules Committee
by the Friday deadline in anticipation
of a oor vote on major defense policy
legislation for scal year 2018. The
committee is set to meet this week to
review and accept amendments ahead of
the vote on the $697 billion bill.
Hartzlers amendment would add a
section to U.S. code for the militarys
health care system barring funds
for treatment other than mental
health treatment related to gender
transition. That would mean transition
care like hormone therapy and gender
reassignment would be o limits to
Attorney General JEFF SESSIONS spoke at an anti-LGBT religious freedom event this week.
bakery in 2014, Alliance Defending
Freedom continued to appeal the decision
and led a petition for certiorari before
the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court late last month
agreed to take up the lawsuit, which
asserts the bakery had a right under
freedom of religion under the First
Amendment to deny services to the
same-sex couple.
Other anti-LGBT work credited to
Alliance Defending Freedom is support
for the First Amendment Defense Act, a
Rep. VICKY HARTZLER (R-Mo.) proposed an
amendment barring funds for transition-
related care in the U.S. military.
transgender troops.
A similar amendment proposed by
anti-LGBT Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is on
the list of proposed amendments for the
defense authorization bill, but the House
Rules Committee website designates the
proposal as withdrawn. Presumably, the
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
federal bill that would allow anti-LGBT
discrimination in the name of religious
freedom, as well as state legislation that
would prohibit transgender people from
using public restrooms consistent with
their gender identity.
Sessions speaks at the Alliance
Defending Freedoms summit after a
long anti-LGBT career as a U.S. senator
that critics seized upon as he sought
conrmation as attorney general before
his former colleagues.
During his conformation hearing,
lawmakers believed it was too similar
to the Hartzler amendment to warrant
consideration.
It remains to be seen whether the
House Rules Committee, which is heavily
stacked 11-4 in favor of Republicans,
will approve Hartzlers amendment
for consideration. If the amendment
is accepted, it would be the rst time
the U.S. House oor has considered an
amendment against transgender rights.
Hartzler proposed the amendment after
railing last week during the House Armed
Services Committee markup of the defense
authorization bill against transgender
militaryservice, calling it ill-conceived.
The Missouri Republican proposed
then withdrew without a vote an
amendment barring transgender people
from serving in the armed forces, but
threatened to reintroduce it if the
Pentagon didnt reverse the Obama-
era policy change in favor of openly
transgender service.
Shortly afterward, the Pentagon
announced it would delay a plan to
allow openly transgender people to
enlist in the armed forces by July 1 for
another six months, although the policy
barring the military from kicking them
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
Sessions said hes heard the calls for
justice from LGBT people and would
fully enforce statutes protecting
their civil rights, but also maintained
protecting religious liberty code among
conservatives for anti-LGBT discrimination
would be a very high priority.
Sessions record as a U.S. senator includes
votes in favor of a U.S. constitutional
amendment that would have banned
same-sex marriage nationwide as well as
votes against Dont Ask, Dont Tell repeal,
hate crimes legislation and the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act. As attorney
general, Sessions withdrew guidance
requiring schools to grant transgender kids
access to school restrooms consistent with
their gender identity.
Last week, Sessions may have reversed
himself on the hate crimes law, promising
to aggressively and appropriately
enforce the law as it pertains to ongoing
anti-transgender violence across the
country. Under Sessions, the Justice
Department allowed an event for
LGBT employees recognizing June as
Pride month, although the Washington
Blade was ejected from the event after
attempting to cover it.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
out remains in place. Hartzler introduced
her amendment despite the rollback,
although it seems less ambitious than her
threat during committee.
During the committee markup, Hartzler
cited a dubious gure that paying for
gender reassignment surgery for U.S.
troops would cost $1.35 billion over
the next 10 years with only 30 percent
of individuals electing to transition.
That gure is signicantly higher than
the RAND Corp.s estimate that those
surgeries consume between $2.4 million
and $8.4 million annually out of the
Pentagons multi-billion dollar budget.
Its unclear where Hartzler came up
with her gure. Hartlzer told USA Today
she believes the RAND Corp. study
was awed and reportedly said her
sta came up with its own gure using
research from other sources.
Another amendment submitted to the
Rules Committee by Rep. Brad Schneider
(D-Ill.) would express the sense of
Congress LGBT service members,
including transgender personnel, should
be commended for their service to
the United States. The Republican-
controlled Rules Committee is unlikely to
move the amendment.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 0 9

State Dept.: Chechnya killings troubling Washington Wont Discriminate, the coalition group opposing the measure,
announced in a statement Friday the campaign behind the anti-trans initiative cancelled
its appointment Friday to submit 259,622 valid signatures to the Washington Secretary
A State Department spokesperson of State. That was the deadline for submitting names to place a measure before
on Tuesday expressed concern over Washington State voters in 2017.
reports that authorities in Chechnya Had the measure, Initiative Measure No. 1552, been placed on the ballot and approved
killed more than two-dozen people by voters, it would have barred transgender people from using public restrooms and
who were arrested without charge locker rooms in schools consistent with their gender identity.
earlier this year. Such a measure would eectively institute a carve-out in Washington States non-
Novaya Gazeta, an independent discrimination law and defy interpretations of federal law against sex discrimination to
Russian newspaper, on Sunday apply to transgender people.
published the names of 27 men who Seth Kirby, a transgender man and chair of Washington Wont Discriminate, the No
it said authorities shot to death in the on I-1552 campaign, said the measure would have enabled discrimination in the name
Chechen capital of Grozny on Jan. 26. of public safety.
The Washington Blade has not We all care about safety and privacy, but people understand that repealing
been able to confirm reports protections from discrimination for transgender people wont make anyone safer,
that some of the men who were Kirby said. Its already a felony to assault or harass someone in public facilities, and no
reportedly killed were gay. one should have to prove their gender to self-appointed bathroom cops.
The Russian LGBT Network, a Erich Ebel, a spokesperson for the Washington Secretary of State, conrmed no
Moscow-based advocacy group, signatures for I-1552 were submitted by the July 7 deadline and therefore the measure
on Tuesday said as far as we wont appear on the 2017 ballot.
[are] concerned, the list of names According to Washington Wont Discriminate, the campaign ran a Decline to Sign
that appeared in that publication Campaign, raised nearly $300,000 and recruited more than 100,000 activists and
(Novaya Gazeta) does not include volunteers in anticipation of I-1552 coming before voters.
homosexual people. Secretary of State REX TILLERSON said he has not Its the second year in a row the measure has failed to qualify. The anti-trans campaign
We are aware of troubling reports discussed the anti-gay crackdown in Chechnya behind the initiative also failed to gather enough signatures to put it before a vote in 2016.
with anyone from the Kremlin.
that security forces in the Republic of Marty Rouse, national eld director for the Human Rights Campaign, said the failure
Chechnya summarily executed more WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY of the anti-trans measure demonstrates support for LGBT rights across the country.
than two dozen people in January, Anti-equality activists spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to pass a
the State Department spokesperson shameful ballot measure aimed at discriminating against LGBTQ people, but thanks to
told the Blade in a statement. We urge the Russian government to conduct an the fair-minded people of Washington State, they have failed, Rouse said. For months,
independent and credible investigation into the allegations. our opponents attempted to garner enough signatures to put the fundamental civil
The Moscow Times on Monday reported Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Russian rights of transgender people on the ballot. Their failure is a victory for equality and
President Vladimir Putin, told reporters the Kremlin has taken note of [the reports.] validation of Washingtons non-discrimination laws that ensure fair and equal treatment
We have similarly taken note of the denials of this information by Chechen law for LGBTQ people in housing, employment, and public accommodations.
enforcement bodies, said Peskov, according to the Moscow Times. CHRIS JOHNSON
Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim, semi-autonomous Russian republic in the
North Caucuses.
Novaya Gazeta in April reported Chechen authorities have arrested more than 100
men because of their sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation since the
beginning of the year. A number of these men have reportedly died after their arrest,
while others have been beaten and tortured and sent to secret prisons.
Court urged to nix Puerto Rico
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who is a close Putin ally, and the Kremlin have birth certicate policy
sought to downplay or even dismiss these reports.
The Russian LGBT Network which is providing assistance to gay Chechens who
have ed their homeland has expressed skepticism over the Russian governments Lambda Legal has urged a federal court to strike down a Puerto Rico policy
claims it has begun to investigate the crackdown. that does not allow transgender people to change the gender marker on their
The Russian LGBT Network on Tuesday said persecutions of LGBT people (have) birth certicates.
started again. BuzzFeed last week reported Chechen authorities have once again The group made the request in a brief it led with the U.S. District Court for
begun to detain gay men. the District of Puerto Rico on June 26.
We know that both the victims and their relatives have experienced threats, said Lambda Legal in April led a lawsuit against the policy on behalf of three trans
the Russian LGBT Network in its press release. The authorities are threatening to press Puerto Ricans and Puerto Rico Para Tod@s, a local advocacy group.
criminal charges against them based on false accusations. The lawsuit alleges the policy, which the Puerto Rico Supreme Court decreed
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, French President Emmanuel Macron, in 2005, violates the 14th Amendments Equal Protection and Due Process
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Clauses. Lambda Legal also says the policy violates Puerto Ricans rights to free
are among those who have condemned the ongoing crackdown against gay men in speech under the First Amendment.
Chechnya. President Trump who met with Putin last Friday during the G20 summit in Puerto Ricos birth certicate policy creates a barrier to full engagement
the German city of Hamburg has yet to publicly comment on it. in society by transgender persons and subjects them to invasions of privacy,
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last month told Rhode Island Congressman David prejudice, discrimination, humiliation, harassment, stigma and even violence,
Cicilline during a House Foreign Aairs Committee hearing that he has not discussed reads the brief.
the crackdown with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov or anyone else from the The brief also notes trans Puerto Ricans face signicant violence and stigma
Kremlin. The State Department spokesperson on Tuesday did not immediately respond in the U.S. commonwealth.
to the Blades question about whether Tillerson raised Chechnya with Russian ocials The birth certicate policy forces disclosure of highly personal and sensitive
during the G20 summit. information, such as a persons transgender status and medical condition, to
MICHAEL K. LAVERS others whom one might not trust or wish to know such information, it reads.
Puerto Rico allows trans people to change the gender marker on their drivers license.
Then-Gov. Alejandro Garca Padilla in 2015 signed an executive order that
Anti-trans measure fails in Washington mandated this change. Gov. Ricardo Rossell and other representatives of the
Puerto Rican government who are named as defendants in the Lambda Legal
A citizen-initiated measure in Washington State seeking to bar transgender people lawsuit led a motion last month to dismiss it.
from using public school restrooms consistent with their gender identity has failed to MICHAEL K. LAVERS
qualify for the 2017 ballot.
1 0 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
N A T IO NA L NEW S
Delay in trans enlistments lands military hopefuls in limbo
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
military starting July 1, 2017.
Following a year-long review, former
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter last
year lifted the medical regulation barring
openly transgender people from serving
in the military. As a result, transgender
people alreadyserving in the armed forces
could come out without fear of discharge,
but newtransgender enlistees wouldnt be
able to join the military until a later time.
In a memo announcing the Trump
administrations new delay until Jan. 1,
Mattis said the Pentagon would use the
additional six months to evaluate more
carefully the impact of transgender
accession. The delay, Mattis wrote, in no
way presupposes the outcome of review,
nor does it change policies already in
place with regard to transgender people
currently in the military.
McEachin said he planed to submit his
packet for accession into Army Ocer
Candidate School on the initial July 1
target date and telecommute under his
temporary job until it ends Jan. 1. But
the Pentagons six-month delay means
hell be out of a job on Jan. 1 without any
assurances of employment.
Although McEachin still plans to apply
to Army Ocer Candidate School at that
time, he has concerns that continued
delays would prevent him from serving in
the armed forces.
Im 27-turning-28, McEachin said.
Thats not old, but it is old for becoming
an ocer. Most of my peers when I
become a lieutenant will be 21, 22. So
theres also that concern of starting to age
out of certain opportunities and having
that great of dierence between myself
and the other folks that Im serving with.
It throws a lot of things up into the air.
McEachin said being an ocer is
honestly the rst and only job I ever
wanted, recalling at age 6 getting from
his parents a glossy tabletop book from
the Virginia Military Institute that he
said attracted him to the pomp-and-
circumstance of military service.
I love the Army and I love soldiers and
Id love to have the opportunity to lead
at that level, potentially to aect policy
at a higher level later on in my career,
McEachin said. Its pretty much the only
thing that I want to do.
McEachins story is one of several from
transgender people seeking to enlist
in the armed forces by July 1 whose
planswere thrown into questionafter the
Pentagon announced its delay.
Logan Downs, a 22-year-old
transgender male living in Vancouver,
Wash., said he was denitely ready to
enlist in the Air Force on the July 1 target
date and was pretty sad after nding
out about the delay.
LOGAN DOWNS wants to serve in the Air Force, but has to wait because of the delay in
transgender enlistments.
I denitely feel a call to serve, Downs
said. I think that every able-bodied citizen
should serve at least a little bit. I think it
denitely teaches you a lot of good values
and the discipline, and everything like
that just kind of ts right along with my
life, and I denitely respond really well to
the military lifestyle.
Downs said he enlisted in the Army
previously right after high school, but
injured his knees and had to leave military
service. In the aftermath of transitioning
about a year later, Downs said hes pretty
eager to get back into the military.
Despite the Mattis memo indicating
his upcoming review has no preordained
outcome, Downs said hes condent the
Pentagon will allow him to enlist after an
additional six months.
I believe they want to integrate us, they
just need a few more months to nish
some things up, Downs said. Also I just
have to keep faith that it will only be six
months and not longer because having a
positive attitude is the way I live my life.
Brynn Tannehill, a transgender Navy
pilot who recently tenured out of the
Reserves and fought as an activist to lift
the ban under the Obama administration,
said the six-month delay signicantly
disrupts her plans to re-enlist in the
armed forces.
Im frustrated with the foot dragging;
this isnt rocket science, Tannehill said.
Eighteen other countries have gured
this out already. I did everything I could
to make accessing back into the Navy as
easy as possible for the system to handle
for half a decade. I poured my life and my
nances into making a policy happen. In
the end, Im walking away with nothing to
show for it personally other than a sense
that my eorts helped other people. enlistment permanent.
Tannehill said shes still evaluating her
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOWNS
options in the aftermath of the delay, but
one of them is moving to Canada to enjoy
living in a country with laws protecting
LGBT people and a more robust health
care system and social safety net.
Gemma Freddie Robinson, a 47-year-
old transgender woman living in Boulder,
Colo., had served in the Air Force as a
male in security forces between 1988
and 1998, but after having discontinued
service to explore her gender identity,
started to think about about re-enlisting
in 2014 after speaking with a recruiter.
The wheels started to turn, and
the reality is theres some unnished
business there, Robinson said. I didnt
leave because I didnt like serving. I really
loved serving, so I decided I would follow
the developments and be ready to return
when the policy changed.
After being told initially shed have to wait
until July 1 for enlistment, Robinson said she
was pretty disappointed when the Trump
administration announced the delay.
Robinson said she can still enlist at
age 47 and wants to do so to become
a role model for younger transgender
people because of her previous service
and number of years before her expected
retirement, but the clock is running out.
That could slip away pretty quickly,
and I dont know again the calculation,
but if another year or two went by I
would probably be ineligible to return,
Robinson said.
In the meantime, Robinson said shed
speak to the recruiter again to see if
theres any exibility in allowing her to
re-enlist at this time, but still pursue
accession when December rolls around.
Meanwhile, anti-trans groups are busy
pushing to make the delay on transgender
Afterrailing against transgender military
J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 1 1
service in committee, Rep. Vicky Hartzler
(R-Mo.) has proposed an amendment
to major defense policy legislation that
would bar the U.S. military from paying for
transition-related care, such as hormone
therapy and gender reassignment surgery.
It was unknown by Blade deadline whether
the House Rules Committee would accept
the amendment.
Last week, the anti-LGBT Family
Research Council sent out an email
urging supporters to back Hartzlers
amendment and reverse Obamas
military transgender mandate. The
amendment, the email says, would
roll back the requirement that the
military recruit people who identify as
transgender, which seems broader than
the actual amendment.
Taxpayer dollars also need to be
protected from funding sex reassignment
surgery and hormone therapy eorts
intended to change a persons gender,
the email says. Estimates for these
eorts, including the amount of time lost
for the transition process, are about $3.7
billion over the next ten years. This is not
a good use of taxpayer funds.
The Family Research Council estimate for
the cost of gender reassignment surgery
seems widely o from research (and
even more than the cost Hartzler cited in
committee of $1.35 billion over the next
10 years). The RAND Corp. estimated those
surgeries would consume between $2.4
million and $8.4 million annually out of the
Pentagons multi-billion dollar budget.
Aaron Belkin, director of the San
Francisco-based Palm Center, raised the
alarm in a statement this week about
eorts from anti-LGBT groups, calling
them a full-scale eort to iname
the culture wars on the backs of loyal
transgender troops.
This is a coordinated campaign
to reinstate Dont Ask, Dont Tell for
transgender troops, Belkin said. It is
striking that the old guard didnt seem to
learn anything from the failure of the rst
Dont Ask, Dont Tell.
At a time when eorts to allow
transgender people to serve openly
in the armed forces seem in jeopardy,
the eorts from LGBT groups seem
more muted in comparison to massive
campaigns launched in the early years
of the Obama administration to repeal
Dont Ask, Dont Tell and ensure openly
gay people can serve in the military.
Stephen Peters, a Human Rights
Campaign spokesperson, pointed to
a video on transgender service the
organization produced on June 30, 2016,
when asked about initiatives to ensure
transgender people can serve in the
armed forces.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 2 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 NATIONAL NEWS

HRC to spend $26 million on grassroots expansion effort

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The power and determination of the

10 million LGBTQ voters and our allies
across America will only continue to grow
stronger in the face of discriminatory
attacks on our rights and freedoms.
LGBT voters accounted for about ve
percent of the electorate in 2012 a
signicant percentage that could tip any
election. Additionally, according to exit
polls in 2016, LGBT voters were the only
demographic constituency to increase
support for Clinton over former President
Barack Obama in 2012, with a record-
breaking 78 percent of the vote.
This is a critical reminder as Democrats
struggle over how to win elections. In
a July 6 op-ed in the New York Times,
for instance, longtime strategist Mark
Penn advised the party to forego identity
politics and run to the moderate middle.
Central to the Democrats HRC President CHAD GRIFFIN (center) at
the LA #ResistMarch with former Prop 8
diminishment has been their loss of plaintis PAUL KATAMI and JEFF ZARRILLO.
support among working-class voters, BLADE PHOTO BY KAREN OCAMB
who feel abandoned by the partys shift
away from moderate positions on trade
and immigration, from backing police and
tough anti-crime measures, from trying issues and policies oering more help to based on religious liberty bias and at for future legislative and electoral battles.
to restore manufacturing jobs, Penn undocumented immigrants than to the risk for poverty and low wages as a result HRC Rising is modeled, in part, on HRCs
and Andrew Stein wrote. They saw the heartland. of lacking job protectionsa point often Project One America program, which in
party being mired too often in political But LGBT people live in the heartland, left out of political discussions about the 2014 turned LGBT attention to the long-
correctness, transgender bathroom toooften at risk of legal discrimination economy and jobs. neglected South, launching permanent
According to a 2015 report by the campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama and
Center for American Progress, LGBT Arkansas, resulting in several cities and
women are among the most at risk of towns passing comprehensive, trans-
poverty in America. Due to discriminatory inclusive non-discrimination protections.
LGBT groups join effort laws, Americas 5.1 million LGBT women The eort, inspired by Grins personal
face lower pay, frequent harassment, experience as a lonely gay boy growing
to protect D.C. home rule compromised access to health care, and up in Hope, Ark., has helped HRC turn the
heightened violence. Anti-LGBT laws, corner from the perceived national bully
Six LGBT rights organizations were among 57 national, regional, and together with inequitable and outdated to a collaborative partner.
local groups that signed on to a letter to leaders of the House and Senate policies, mean that LGBT womens As the former leader of Equality
Appropriations Committees calling on Congress to respect the local autonomy economic security is compromised North Carolina during the ght against
of D.C. and its citizens. by reduced incomes and added costs HB2, I know the power of HRCs
Since the beginning of the 115th Congress there have been a record number ranging from health care to housing. collaborative work at the local level,
of attacks on D.C. home rule introduced by several members of Congress, said LGBT women of color, older LGBT HRC Communications Director Chris Sgro
a statement released on Monday by D.C. Vote, a local group that advocates for women, and LGBT women raising children tells the Los Angeles Blade. It wasnt
D.C. statehood and that circulated the letter. are particularly vulnerable. Additionally, just about the expert policy team. It was
Introduced under the guise of oversight of the District of Columbia, they transgender women are nearly four about the incredible local HRC volunteers
are, in fact, direct attacks on the right to equal representation that should be times more likely to have annual incomes and the local eld team we together
aorded to every D.C. resident, the statement says. of $10,000 or less compared to the assembled. HRC worked hand-in-glove
Bo Shu, executive director of D.C. Vote, pointed out that among the locally general population. with a coalition of state organizations that
passed D.C. laws that members of Congress attempted to overturn last year Though HRC Rising is a nationwide ultimately defeated anti-LGBTQ Governor
was the D.C. Human Rights Act Amendment, which protects LGBT students from initiative, special attention will be paid Pat McCrory.
discrimination in school services and facilities. to the battleground states of Ohio, Thats why HRC Rising is so exciting to
The LGBT groups that signed on to the letter are the D.C. Gay and Lesbian Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, me, Sgro continues. This unprecedented
Activists Alliance, Human Rights Campaign, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Arizona, and Nevada where HRC has a grassroots expansion - the largest in
National Center for Transgender Equality, One Pulse America and Pride at Work. signicant presence. HRC is recruiting at HRCs history - will help organize and
The letter signed by the LGBT and other groups expresses concern that least 20 additional full-time sta to work mobilize millions of supporters to
members of Congress will once again attempt to use the scal year 2018 with more than two-dozen initiative- advance equality in 2018 and beyond, all
appropriations bill, which is expected to come up this summer, as a vehicle for focused existing sta and HRCs 32 across the country. Like the ght against
adding riders seeking to overturn locally passed laws. volunteer-led, local steering committees HB2, this campaign will also help build
These riders usurp the autonomy granted to the District and our elected to expand partnerships with state capacity and infrastructure for the long
mayor and council and overstep the original intent of both the creation of the and local organizations and coalition haul - in deep partnership with our most
District and the Home Rule Act, the letter states. partnerssuch as the NAACP and critical allies - community by community.
LOU CHIBBARO JR. Planned Parenthood to protect and To learn more about HRC Rising, visit
advance equality and build infrastructure hrc.im/rising or text Rising to 30644.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 1 3

WE FOCUS ON HIV
TO HELP YOU FOCUS ON

TODAY
Ask your doctor if a medicine made by Gilead is right for you.
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 Keep your promise to protect each other. WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 J U L Y 14, 2017 BA LT I MO RE N E W S

HoCo Pride to launch in 2018

At the Howard County executives quarterly LGBT Roundtable last month,
Jumel Howard, a member of the PFLAG-Howard County Steering Committee,
discussed preliminary plans for a Pride celebration to take place in the county.
The proposal received enthusiastic support from County Executive Allan H.
Kittleman and others at the Roundtable.
On July 10, Howard convened the rst planning committee meeting at the
Charles E. Miller Branch Library where about 20 attended. Subcommittees were
established to cover such key areas as events and entertainment, fundraising
and sponsorship, and communications, marketing and public relations. The
Wills & Trusts committee agreed to the name HoCo Pride.
No specic date or location for HoCo Pride has been determined but it is
Powers of Attorney Living Wills targeting June 2018, mindful of not conicting with other area Pride celebrations.
Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements The venue has not been settled on at this point but the committee is targeting
the downtown Columbia area.
(240) 778-2330 (703) 536-0220 We have a huge LGBTQ community here in Howard County but were not
concentrated in any one village or neighborhood, Byron MacFarlane, the
www.PartnerPlanning.com countys Register of Wills and a candidate for County Council who is on the
committee, told the Blade.

Serving the LGBT Community HoCo Pride will bring all of us together in solidarity with our allies to celebrate
our diversity and our commitment to making Howard County a beacon for love
in DC/MD/VA since 1983 and equality for all.

Police accountability dialogue initiated

Lawrence S. Jacobs/McMillan Metro, PC
FreeState Justice announced Community Healing and Police Accountability,
a facilitated dialogue bringing together the LGBTQ community and its allies,
Baltimore Police ocers, and local community association members to discuss
ongoing concerns regarding the Baltimore Police Department and members of
the LGBT community.
FreeState Justice is not facilitating the dialogue but is acting in a coordinating
capacity and will participate. Community Mediation will facilitate these
conversations and provide a space for all to be seen and heard.
We look forward to participating in this critical dialogue as we discuss
escalating animosity toward transgender and gender non-conforming sex
workers in Charles Village and North Baltimore neighborhoods, Laura DePalma,
a sta attorney with FreeState Justice, told the Blade.
As an LGBTQ rights organization committed to fairness, justice, and equality
for all LGBTQ Marylanders, especially transgender women of color, we stand as
allies and will advocate for police accountability and community acceptance of
transgender and gender non-conforming sex workers, DePalma said.
To take part in this conversation, all participants must complete an intake by
contacting Community Mediation at 410-467-9165. They can be reached during
normal business hours, Monday through Friday. Participants should call as soon
as possible to get involved.
202.319.8541 www.lgbtc.com Se habla espanol
~
ADVERTISING Trans
P R OPicnic
OF on tap in Baltimore
Serving Our Community for 35 years
ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com)
The Baltimore Trans Ladies Picnic and Trans Baltimore have teamed up to host
adviC e Proof
m wille
bed i a t ifinal
o and
N will
beL submitted
i t i Gfor
apublication
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e a L Swithin
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o LofL a B o r a t i o N
REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of
proof. considered a picnic this Sunday at the Wyman Park Dell. The event will run from 1-4 p.m.
NS the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts

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
This picnic is potluck style and is a way to get together for reasons other than
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 death, KeyAyshia Tucker, Operations Coordinator for Baltimore Trans Alliance
/LOGO REVISIONS copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair
competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, and founder of Trans Baltimore, told the Blade. Trans Baltimore is a support/
SIONS or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE
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washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement,
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and warranties.
payment and insertion schedule.
Death of trans people seems to be the only way to get us to come together,
says Tucker. We need more events that bring us together other than death or
a ght for rights.
FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN
Organizers are requesting that people bring food, blankets and refreshments.
ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS
Though the picnic is geared specically for trans individuals, Tucker says that

Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. all supporters, allies and LGBT members are welcome to participate in the event.
This gathering is an event intended further the goal of unifying Baltimores
trans community, Evan Lori Mahone, one of the core founders of Trans Ladies
at tor N e YS at L aw d C | m d | va
Picnic, told the Blade.
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
 "Uproarious... brilliant... authentically joyful."
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
The Washington Post
HE A LTH NEW S J U L Y 14, 2017 15

Gay Chinese men report traveling for PrEP

THE KINSEY SICKS
BANGKOK, Thailand Gay men in China are increasingly traveling to Thailand
in
' SAY
to stock up on PrEP as an HIV-prevention tool since its only prescribed in China
for HIV/AIDS treatment, the Nation reports.
Xiao Dong, who runs Tongzhi, an NGO (non-governmental organization)
based in Beijing that is committed to combating AIDS, said he began traveling
THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T
to Thailand early last year, for vacations and to stock up on anti-HIV medicine.
As an openly gay man, he said health and safety are his top priorities: I use
both condoms and PrEP to guard against HIV, he told the Nation.
Advocates say prevention is worthwhile, given that the prevalence of HIV
among Chinese gay men averages more than 5 percent in most cities and can
exceed 10 percent in major metropolises, according to the National Center for
AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Control.
Given increasing awareness, more gay men in China have followed suit. Xiao
said he knows nearly 100 men from Beijing who have also traveled to Thailand
to purchase PrEP, the Nation reports.
Its a positive sign that our community has become more responsible for our
own health, and each others. They are willing to pay out of pocket, the Nation
quoted him as having said.
Thailand is easy to visit, as Chinese citizens do not require a visa, and the country is
recognized for its friendliness toward the LGBT community, the Nation article notes.

Miami-Dade advances conversion ban

MIAMI Miami-Dade County met this week to consider a ban on ex-gay LIMITED ENGAGEMENT: JULY 1930
conversion therapy, a practice that is already banned in Miami Beach, the city
of Miami and West Palm Beach, the Miami New Times reports. A Brand New A Cappella Show
The countys ban was rst proposed in late May by Commissioner Sally Heyman from the Chicks with Schticks!
and co-sponsored Levine Cava and Audrey Edmonson; this weeks hearing was
to be the second of three votes before a full airing for the commission. Heyman
says if the bill passes, other cities will hopefully follow.
THEATERJ.ORG | 202.777.3210
The bill would ne anyone who practices conversion therapy on a minor $500
on a rst oense, with escalating $1,000 nes. Even if the bill passes, local LGBT
activists warn that work remains to protect gay youth from the harmful practice,
the New Times reports.
The bill is not complete by any means, warnsJustin Fletcher, deputy director
of SAVE, a South Florida LGBT rights group. Fletcher notes that ordinance
only applies to unincorporated parts of Miami-Dade, so if passed only six
municipalities out of 30 will have bans in place.
However, Levine Cava says she will be seeking an eort for county-wide
expansion of the ordinance if passed. SAVE has been working with several local
governments for widespread bans on conversion therapy, the New Times reports.
In January, they partnered with State Rep. David Richardson to introduce a bill
banning conversion therapy in the entire state of Florida. But the bill was shot
down by the conservative legislature in May. Now they hope to be successful in
Miami-Dade as they gather supporters to rally at Wednesdays public hearing at
the Stephen Clark Government Center, the Miami New Times article notes.

U.N. considers impact of anti-LGBT stigma

NEW YORK A new report issued in advance of a major United Nations
political forum calls on countries to recognize and address the impact of stigma,
discrimination, violence and criminalization on LGBT people.
LGBT issues are one of the main thrusts of this years conference, the forums
third, which is happening now and continues through Wednesday, July 19. The
report was issued last week by the Global Form on MSM and HIV and OutRight
Action International in collaboration with the Global Platform.
Among the highlights:
The disproportionate aect HIV is having on gay and bisexual men and
transwomen.
A higher burden of poor mental health among LGBT people compared to the
general population.
A lack of targeted and responsive sexual health information for LGBT people,
which limits their ability to protect themselves and their partners from sexually
transmitted infections, particularly as young adults.
The impact of intersecting forms of discrimination faced by LGBT people
based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, ability, class, migration status and other
factors that drive exclusion.
The role that criminalization, anti-LGBT violence, fear of discrimination, cost
and lack of social support play in impeding access to health services.

1 6 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7
President Apocalypse and
other biblical mischief
Surveying a season of
righteous rapacity
RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.
Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.
Americas 45th (and possibly nal)
president said in Poland on July 6, The
fundamental question of our time is
whether the West has the will to survive.
The answer is maybe not, considering we
handed the nuclear launch codes to Mr.
Apocalypse, who thinks it smart to threat-
en North Korea.
Reader, do not worry. Our incredible
shrinking presidents disappearance up
Vladimir Putins butt leaves us lots of
space for other uplifting stories.
First stop, the Vatican. Late last month,
with His Holiness already embarrassed by
Cardinal George Pell being charged with
child sexual abuse, police raided the Holy
Oce apartment of another cardinals sec-
retary and found a drug-fueled gay orgy.
The secretary was sent to detox, the pur-
gatory of the privileged. Cardinal Raymond
Burke blames these things on feminism,
claiming that the increased presence of
women in the Church undermines manly
discipline. Seriously. I only hope the par-
tiers played safe, despite Romes revile-
ment of gay sex and condoms. As long as
they are modeling hypocrisy, they might
as well have their raincoats on.
More Christian piety can be found in
state legislation. Texass HB 3859 allows
child welfare service providers to discrim-
inate against LGBT youth based on the
providers sincerely held religious beliefs.
Mississippis HB 1523 allows anyone
invoking their conscience to deny mar-
riage licenses or goods and services to
same-sex married couples, or to establish
anti-transgender bathrooms. It may be
overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court,
assuming Justice Anthony Kennedy is still
around when it gets there.
Floridas HB 989 allows any county
resident to trigger a hearing by object-
ing to instructional materials in the pub-
lic schools. As Florida Citizens for Science
has noticed, adavits already led by
supporters of the law suggest the tar-
geting of science education. Deniers of
climate science may be rewarded by the
gradual return of The Flood.
Staying on biblical themes, we turn to
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VIEWPOINT
Hobby Lobby CEO Steve Green and his
more-righteous-than-thou family. This time
the subject is not allowing private employ-
ers to invoke religion to deny employees
health insurance that includes birth con-
trol. No, today we (or rather they) are deal-
ing in looted Iraqi conict antiquities. kna@washblade.com ext. 8088
In 2010, Hobby Lobby, ignoring warn-
ings from experts, bought 5,500 ancient
Sumerian and Babylonian artifacts, in-
cluding cuneiform tablets and cylinder
seals. These Mesopotamian treasures
were intended for Greens Museum of the
Bible near the National Mall. The museum
is easy to spot with its glass ark on top,
blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Now Green
must pay a $3 million ne and relinquish
the items to the Department of Justice.
The plundering of antiquities is noth-
ing new. Amateur archaeologists and
their customers have enhanced their
collections with stolen items from such
far-ung places as the Pre-Columbian
Americas and Cambodia. Perhaps most
notorious are the Parthenon Marbles by
ancient Athenian sculptor Phidias, which
were acquired two centuries ago by
Lord Elgin and are now displayed at the
British Museum.
As for the Hobby Lobby loot, there is no
word yet on whether it includes a jewel-
encrusted falcon statuette from Malta. I am
hoping for a tour guide who looks like Syd-
ney Greenstreet to tell me all about the day
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a dinosaur.
I hasten to point out that Mr. Green,
however foolish his views, has every right
to operate his shrine to bad biblical schol-
arship on private property using private
funds. In 2014, Wayne Besen of Truth
Wins Out (which recently shut down)
urged D.C. government ocials to block
the museum from opening at its chosen
site, claiming that its proximity to the Na-
tional Mall and the Smithsonian muse-
ums would give it legitimacy and mislead
tourists. I responded with Ben Franklins
maxim that a fool and his money are
soon parted.
The museum wants to install an exhib-
it in a nearby Metro station. If this ever
makes it past the quasi-governmental
Metro board, it will run into lawyers
from Americans United for Separation of
Church and State. Fret not. There is life in
this old republic yet.
You need not let these vexing matters
ruin your enjoyment of a ne summer
day. Happy hour is approaching, and if
The Bomb does not arrive rst, refreshing
lime coladas are just $5 at Bua Thai.
Copyright 2017 by Richard J.
Rosendall. All rights reserved.
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON
Reduce the ow of money to D.C. political campaigns
Time to upend a
pay-to-play system
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights
and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.
This week, the D.C. Council is taking a
serious look at how to stop what many
call the pay-to-play system of donating to
political campaigns hoping to curry favor
and get a leg-up when going after con-
tracts and/or grants.
On Jan. 10, Aaron Davis wrote in the
Washington Post, The D.C. Council re-
turned to work Tuesday, setting out a
good-government agenda that will force
a quick decision on campaign nance re-
form in a city that has been plagued by
pay-to-play politics. Council members in-
troduced more than a half-dozen bills to
increase transparency in campaign fun-
draising and to limit the inuence of big
V I E W PO I NT
In defense of Rehoboth Mayor Sam Cooper
Longtime leader has
preserved the best of
Del. beach town
By FRANK COOPER
I read with interest the column written
by Peter Rosenstein about the upcoming
mayoral election in Rehoboth Beach (Paul
Kuhns for mayor of Rehoboth Beach, July
3). The column is so full of inaccuracies,
falsehoods and dangerous innuendo, it is
necessary to respond with facts.
The rst, and most frequent, inaccuracy
is that the incumbent mayor made several
decisions regarding the need for, and con-
struction of, the new City Hall. This could
not be further from the truth. A City Hall
Task Force was formed to oversee its de-
sign and construction. The Task Force in-
cludes every city commissioner, including
the candidate Rosenstein endorses, Paul
Kuhns. This group met over ve years and
held dozens of meetings, all open to the
public. The minutes and presentations
from these meetings are published on the
citys website. The budget for the City Hall,
donors who do business with the city.
Guess quick action by the Council turns
out to be six months later and its not the
rst session of the Council to look at this
issue. We can only hope they move the
ball farther down the road this time than
they have before.
Bills have been introduced by Council
Chair Phil Mendelson, The Government
Contactor Pay-to-Play Prevention Amend-
ment Act of 2017 and by Ward 7 Council
member and former Mayor Vincent Gray.
Grays bills are in essence a reintroduc-
tion of what he submitted to the Council
when he was mayor. Another bill is from
Attorney General Karl Racine. There may
be more before this issue is settled. In a
recent Washington Post column, Ward 6
Council member Charles Allen, who chairs
the Judiciary Committee through which
any bill will pass said, He hopes to take
the best elements of the bills and put
them in a single piece of legislation that
would advance to the full council. He went
on to say this is a city where we do tens
of millions of dollars worth of contracts
on a regular basis. When there are some
contractors who donate money to the very
people who make the decisions on wheth-
er or not they get the contract or not. That
feeds the perception of pay-to-play.
including an increase due to higher than
expected construction bids, was approved
unanimously by the mayor and commis-
sioners, again including Paul Kuhns. And
funding for the City Hall was approved by
a public vote of the citizens.
Rosenstein alleges that the incumbent
mayor does not understand nor want
to acknowledge how the business com-
munity in the city drives tourism. Lets
look at the facts. Some of the gay-owned
and gay-friendly businesses patronized
by tourists like Rosenstein and the read-
ers of the Blade, are celebrating many
decades in business, including the Blue
Moon. Others are expanding, by buying
existing businesses or opening new es-
tablishments. This only happens in a city
in which businessmen and women nd a
vibrant, active business community, and
an environment where the city leadership
allows them to be protable and ourish.
The column alleges that Mayor Cooper
does not have adequate relationships
with local, county and state peers. This
is also untrue. The good relationships
Mayor Cooper and the city have with
federal, state and county elected ocials
The issue is both how to limit contribu-
tions and then how to limit the ability of
companies that do contribute to bid on
contracts for a specic amount of time.
Do you limit current contractors or only
those who may apply for a future con-
tract? How do you deal with PACs and
also non-prots that set up a 501(c)4 and
determine what applies to them if they
look for grants from the city?
One thing the Council continues to re-
fuse to deal with are the Constituent Ser-
vice Funds or as most people call them
slush funds. Under the law the Mayor,
the Chairman of the Council, and each
member of the Council may establish
constituent-service programs within the
District. The Mayor, the Chairman of the
Council, and each member of the Council
may nance the operation provided that
contributions received by the Mayor, the
Chairman of the Council, and each mem-
ber of the Council do not exceed an aggre-
gate amount of $40,000 in any one calen-
dar year. The Mayor, the Chairman of the
Council, and each member of the Council
may expend a maximum of $40,000 in any
one calendar year for constituent service
programs. That means during a four-year
term each of our elected ocials can raise
a generally unrestricted $160,000. While
and agencies have resulted in well over
$35 million coming to the city for impor-
tant projects like the Rehoboth Avenue
Streetscape and boardwalk improve-
ments, dollars the taxpayers of the city
are not asked to pay through local taxes.
Throughout the column, accusations
are made of scal mismanagement or
incompetent decisions. On this point,
Rosenstein does not even agree with the
facts as characterized by the candidate he
supports. At a public meeting in March of
this year, Kuhns stated, The scal man-
agement thats been going on over the
past 25-30 years has been spectacular.
Finally, and perhaps most dangerously,
Rosenstein implies that the incumbent
mayor is homophobic. There is absolutely
no evidence oered to support this, be-
cause the inference of homophobia is sim-
ply not true. Rosenstein simply states, with-
out specicity, that the mayor has made
homophobic remarks over the years. I
suggest he talk to the many LGBT business
people who have prospered in Rehoboth
Beach, the LGBT ocials who have served
with Mayor Cooper on commissions and
boards, LGBT members of the city sta, and
J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 1 7
individual donations are limited to $500 a
year a group of executives and their fami-
lies in a company could easily contribute
thousands of dollars.
I dont know if every member of the Coun-
cil still has these funds but they all may want
to follow the lead of Attorney General Karl
Racine who doesnt have one. When this law
was written there was no independent AG
but surely our generous Council would let
him have one if he wanted it.
The various bills suggest dierent
amounts of time before and after elec-
tions that donors to candidates who have
any responsibility for grants or contracts
will be ineligible to apply. Some of the
bills deal with PACs, others dont. Some
suggest complicated ways to monitor and
enforce a nal law.
My suggestion to the Council is they
take a broad look at every way people
who run for oce raise fund and that
they do so in a comprehensive way to
limit loopholes in whatever bill passes,
which will also need to stand up under a
court challenge based on Citizens United.
They need to do this in conjunction
with passing a public nancing of cam-
paigns bill and should pass legislation
prohibiting Council members from hav-
ing outside employment.
many ordinary LGBT citizens with whom
Mayor Cooper and his wife have business
and personal relationships. He will nd that
there is simply no evidence of homophobic
beliefs or behavior.
Rosenstein states that people like him-
self who have been coming to Rehoboth
Beach for decades love that it is still in
some ways the town we rst fell in love
with. No one is more responsible for that
than Mayor Cooper. I do not doubt that
he loves Rehoboth Beach. However, he
is seriously misinformed. Perhaps this
is because he does not live in Rehoboth
Beach, does not pay taxes in Rehoboth
Beach, and has almost never attended a
meeting of the City Commission or any
other city agency. I suggest that he do
more research. As Daniel Patrick Moyni-
han once famously said, Everyone is en-
titled to his own opinion, but not to his
own facts. Lets not follow the national
political trend of repeating falsehoods
about political opponents and hoping
they stick. Lets deal with the truth.
FRANK COOPER is a resident of Rehoboth
Beach, Del. He is not related to Mayor Sam
Cooper.

1 8 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7
Putting their bodies on the line to ght ACA repeal
Members of ADAPT ghting
in tradition of ACT UP
KATHI WOLFE, a regular contributor to the
Blade, was the winner of the 2014 Stonewall
Chapbook Competition.
The bruises started appearing this
morning and I imagine my arm will be
covered in pretty colors over the next
few days, Anita Cameron, 52, a mem-
ber of the national disability rights group
ADAPT, whos proud to be a disabled die-in to protest the health care bill out-
Black lesbian recently emailed me.
Cameron, along with other ADAPT
members, hetero and LGBTQ, has been
protesting the Republican eort to repeal
the Aordable Care Act. To her, as is the
case with so many who are disabled, el-
ders, low income, LGBTQ in any way
V I E WPO I N T
A happy Pride in Cumberland, Md.
Small towns rst celebration
an affirming success
By BRIAN GAITHER
About 1,000 people turned out in
Cumberland to celebrate Marylands
newest Pride festival. LGBT people, our
friends, our families and our allies gath-
ered downtown on the citys main plaza
to be seen and heard. LGBT parents
brought their kids. LGBT teens brought
their moms and dads. Rainbow ags and
trans ags festooned buildings and bod-
ies alike. There was drag, and music, and
dozens of vendors.
It was big news. The local paper cov-
ered the story, so did the TV station. And
whether or not the good people of Alle-
gany County needed proof that we live
among them, they certainly have it now.
When the New York Times reported the
citys rst Pride Parade, they spoke with
Michael Brown, one of the organizers.
He said to them, We have to come out
into the open and stop being ashamed,
or else people will go on treating us as
vulnerable health care isnt a policy is-
sue: Its a matter of life or death.
Like ACT-UP members during the AIDS
epidemic, ADAPT activists have been put-
ting their bodies on the line. Theyve been
engaging in civil disobedience, getting
roughed up by the police and arrested
to protest the Republicans devaluation
of their lives. As I write, ADAPT members
from D.C., Maryland and Louisiana are
protesting outside the Republican Na-
tional Committee headquarters. Ive just
heard that the RNC isnt letting them in.
ADAPT members (many in wheelchairs
others with conditions from learning
disabilities to diabetes) and their allies
from children to elders have staged sit-
ins and protests in Senate oces in more
than 20 states from New York to Ohio
to Colorado. Last month, 43 ADAPT ad-
vocates were arrested when they held a
the LGBTQ community. But as a visually
side Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCo-
nnells (R-Ken.) Capitol Hill Oce.
Why are they willing to literally put their
bodies on the line? To be arrested to
have police drag them out of their wheel-
chairs? Because the Republican health
care bill contains $800 billion in Medicaid
freaks. Nothing in that statement is any
less true today. Ever since New Yorkers
marched from the Stonewall Inn to Cen-
tral Park chanting out of the closets, into
the streets, visibility has been critically
important to LGBT people.
The act of revealing our authentic selves
to the world is a trait that fundamentally
denes who we are. Gathering with oth-
ers like us conrms we are not alone. Do-
ing so publicly refutes the ignorance of
those who insist we dont exist and dees
the foul stereotype that we are freaks.
Celebrating Pride with our friends, our
families, and our allies is therefore an es-
sential, enduring part of our ongoing ght
for acceptance and equality.
Unfortunately, coming out remains a
dicult personal choice because our col-
lective visibility isnt yet a perfect antidote
to the intolerance that poisons many
places in America. The backlash against
a higher prole for the trans community
has led to a number of transphobic bath-
room bills, most infamously in North
Carolina. The Supreme Court of Texas,
responding to the number of gay and les-
bian couples seeking to be married, has
chosen to torture the law instead of re-
cuts. For people with disabilities these
cuts would be devastating.
Medicaid enables people with disabili-
ties to have more than the medical care
and the medications they need. It pro-
vides basic home and community ser-
vices. This means if you have a disability
and need help getting dressed or with
other personal care, Medicaid enables
you to not only to get the help you need
but to live at home in your community
instead of in an institution. These services
would likely be eliminated if the Republi-
can law is passed.
Obamacare expanded Medicaid to in-
clude more than 14 million people. If the
Republican repeal eort is adopted, mil-
lions of people with disabilities, from se-
verely disabled children to elders, would
lose their Medicaid.
You may think this doesnt matter to
wheelchair, I can attend Syracuse University
impaired lesbian, Im here to tell you that
it does. One in ve Americans has a dis-
ability, according to the U.S. Census Bu-
reau, and were every color, sexuality and
gender on the rainbow.
Cameron was among those arrested
when ADAPT protested in U.S. Sen. Rob
specting the opinion of the U.S. Supreme
Court. Dozens of states persist in willfully
sanctioning discrimination against LGBT
people in housing, employment and pub-
lic accommodation.
When Marylands voters went to the
polls in 2014 to decide the question of
marriage equality, the people of Allegany
County voted against it by a margin of
2-to-1; and since they recently voted for
Donald Trump by a margin of nearly 3-to-
1 its still an open question as to what
would be their vote on the marriage initia-
tive now. But what was known even when
Question 6 was on the ballot, according
to reports published by the Pew Research
Center, was that support for same-sex
marriage was highest among people who
knew someone openly LGBT. That fact
has not changed, and if we want to turn
the tide of public opinion on issues re-
lated to our equality then we have to be
visible even in Republican strongholds.
Cumberland and other small cities in
Americas rural areas are right now at
the vanguard of the movement for LGBT
equality. They are among the places
where the personal costs of coming out
remain the greatest, so they are also the
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VIEWPOINT
Portmans (R-Ohio) oce in Columbus. The
police grabbed me by an arm and leg and
dragged me from the building, she said.
Cameron isnt only blind. She has multi-
ple sclerosis, diabetes and congenital cer-
ebellar ataxia. I just got on Medicaid a
few days ago, and I am terried that I will
lose it if the Better Care Reconciliation Act
[the Senate health care bill] or anything
similar to it passes, Cameron said.
If she loses her Medicaid, I will be hos-
pitalized and I will be placed in an insti-
tution, which will hasten my death, she
said. This bill will kill people with disabili-
ties, especially poor folks and seniors,
particularly in communities of color and
in the LGBTQ community.
Priya Penner, who is queer, has par-
ticipated in ADAPT protests in Columbus,
Ohio and Rochester, N.Y.
Medicaid means I can have my $35,000
that I am able to have a future that in-
cludes a career in law and perhaps, children
and a family, Penner emailed the Blade.
Kudos to ADAPT! For some, health care
is just political spin or a worry for others.
For people with disabilities, its a personal
and frightening reality.
places where visibility matters most. The
people of Allegany County, and North
Carolina, and Texas have to see us in pub-
lic to know that we are not freaks and we
are not ashamed.
We need more Pride festivals in more
downtown plazas in more parts of the
country. We need to support them how-
ever we can sharing knowledge, vol-
unteering time, giving money or simply
showing up. And we need to thank orga-
nizers like Cassie Conklin, Jeremy Gosnell,
Beau Hartman, Jacqie McKenzie, Shannon
Shine, Anthony Tagliaferro, and Lisa Wol-
ford who are leading their communities.
At the end of the days festivities, Cum-
berland also saw its rst Pride Parade.
Among the crowd were the organizers
who joined in marching and chanting,
Were proud. We know it. We arent
afraid to show it.
Thank God for that. Happy Pride, Cum-
berland!
BRIAN GAITHER (@briangaither) is a co-
founder of the Pride Foundation of Maryland
(@PrideMaryland), a tax-exempt organization
focused on the history, culture and general
well-being of Marylands LGBT community.
Reach him at brian.gaither@pridemd.org.
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and with over 90% of shows being sold out, NOW is the perfect time for a substantial investment. or 3. This offer cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or deals.
Please call 941-704-8572 to find out the promo code for this location.
Beginning in 2017, Cirque Italia, the first traveling Water Circus, introduces a second unit, the
Gold Unit: a luxurious experience where technology and preforming arts are mixed to create a When: July 20-23
one-of-a-kind show. Where: 27000 Potomac Mills Circle, Woodbridge, VA 22192
At: Potomac Mills
This new performance will feature an ultra-modern water curtain that controls every droplet of Near: Marshalls
water meticulously. Cirque Italia is ready to provide a breathtaking experience. This new stage
by itself is enough to amaze the most demanding audience, and synchronized with the most Under the stunning White & Blue Big Top Tent
creative display of superhuman talent - the result is simply out of this world! July 20 Thursday: 7:30pm
The latest trends of the industry are challenged with every Cirque Italia appearance and this July 21 Friday: 7:30pm
2nd unit is not going to be any different. A careful casting selection has united the best artists July 22 Saturday: 1:30pm, 4:30pm & 7:30pm
from all over the world. This production will feature acts all the way from Russia to Mexico. July 23 Sunday: 1:30pm, 4:30pm & 7:30pm
Cirque Italia believes in multi-culturalism as one of our strongest assets.
BOX OFFICE HOURS:
Packed full of incredible acts, there is no room for boredom. The variety presented is excep- The box office opens on-site on Tuesday, the week of the show.
tional. For those who enjoy smart and well-thought out comedy, Alex the clown thrills while Non-show days: 10am 6pm
taking an acrobatic journey on the trampoline. Our Argentinian twin jugglers (with a Guinness On show days: 10am 9pm
World Record in their pockets) can handle all kinds of objects in the air, even fire! There is al-
most no bodily limit for our contortionist as she bends in ways you never would have imagined. You can purchase tickets through our website (cirqueitalia.com/tickets) or by phone:
She makes it seem so natural, you might end up trying it in yoga class. (941) 704-8572. We also respond to text messages.
Whether its a futuristic laser act or mesmerizing aerial performances, the show has something
for all tastes and expectations. One thing Cirque Italia sets out to accomplish is to create a type
of world-class entertainment suitable for all age groups.
This new second unit also follows the same strict animal-free policy that makes the Water
Circus stand out from other circus entertainment shows.
The magic touch of the Italian entrepreneur Manuel Rebecchi, President and Owner of Cirque
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM VOLUME 48 ISSUE 28 JULY 14, 2017 PAGE 21

The Kinsey Sicks are, from left, NATHAN MARKEN as Winnie, BENJAMIN SCHATZ as Rachel,
JEFFREY MANABAT as Trixie, and SPENCER BROWN as Trampolina.
PHOTO COURTESY WEST END STRATEGY

Sicks sicks sicks

The Kinsey gals are back with biting, funny new show

By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com

Drag and politics isnt a combination
often seen, but drag troupe the Kinsey
Sicks thinks its the prescription America
needs to start healing.
The Kinsey Sicks, consisting of founder
Benjamin Schatz (Rachel), Jerey Manabat
(Trixie), Nathan Marken (Winnie) and
Spencer Brown (Trampolina), are bringing
their new show, Things You Shouldnt
Say, for a limited 14-show engagement
at Edlavitch D.C.-JCCs Theater J.
Schatz, the only current original
member, formed the drag troupe in 1993.
Manabat joined in 2004, Brown in 2008
and Marken, the newest addition, was
added in 2014.
The four members are located
throughout North America. While
speaking with the Washington Blade,
Manabet phoned in from Los Angeles,
Marken from San Francisco and Schatz
from Mexico. Brown is based out of
Kansas City.
In preparation for shows, Manabat
admits because of location dierences,
when they are together in person,
they make sure that their time is well
spent in rehearsals. They also do their
homework with online research. Usually
they work on writing new material for six
months to a year but Manabat promises
Things You Shouldnt Say wont feel like
stale material.
The self-proclaimed Dragapella
Beautyshop Quartet describe their schtick
as Bill Maher or Samantha P meets
RuPaul. Just like Maher, the group has to
stay updated in real time with current
events as news is constantly breaking.
Manabat says that D.C. audiences will
be pleased with just how up to date
their routine will be.
While plenty of comedians are using the
Trump administration as comedic fodder,
the risks of overstepping boundaries is
high. Kathy Grin, known for her biting
comedy routines and a good friend of
the late Joan Rivers, found herself in the
crossre of scandal earlier this year for
posing with a fake, severed head of Trump.
Grin participated in the photo shoot for
some laughs but the situation became
serious for her career as she was red
from CNN, lost endorsement deals and
had multiple stand-up shows canceled.
The Kinsey Sicks are aware that their
show isnt light-hearted comedy either.
Filled with touchy subjects like the Trump
administration, racism, xenophobia and
gun control, the shows content reads with
buzzwords that could set o alarm bells.
While the Kinsey Sicks arent afraid to
CONTINUES ON PAGE 33

2 2 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R G RE G RO BE RT S
GRE G RO B E RT S
How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
I came out when I moved to D.C. in
2001 when I was 24. My dad was the
hardest person to tell.
Whos your LGBT hero?
There have been so many that are
noted in history but really it is every
single person who has marched,
petitioned and fought for gay rights, no
matter how big or small.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Whats Washingtons best nightspot,
past or present?
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO I really miss two places: Badlands and
joeyd@washblade.com Velvet at Nation. They were my safe
places when I was coming out and no
About ve years ago, Greg Roberts and husband Daniel Brewer started one paid attention to my bad dancing (or
seriously collecting wine, focusing on small, boutique wineries that werent so I believed at the time).
well known but made, as he puts it, amazing wines with great stories behind
them. Describe your dream wedding.
The couple would bring bottles back with them to D.C. and friends kept I already had my dream wedding. My
asking where they could purchase them, so in 2013, they started Madidus, husband and I got married in Sonoma,
LLC, a distribution company that represents craft beers, ciders, spirits and Calif., in the middle of wine country
wines from all over the world. at a picturesque Victorian mansion
Its been nothing but upward mobility as our brands and unique style of overlooking Healdsburg. It was perfect.
selling and distribution really clicks with our customers, Roberts says.
Madidus is the rst gay-owned alcohol distributor certied as an LGBT What non-LGBT issue are you most
business enterprise by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. passionate about?
Find out more at madidusimporters.com. Education. I believe that we should put
Roberts grew up a military brat and has lived in Florida, Virginia, Spain more of our tax dollars into our education
and more. He moved to Washington in 2001 for work. system as a country so every kid has
He and Brewer live in Woodbridge. Roberts enjoys wine, dinner, movies and the same access to quality education
time with his husband and dogs in his free time. no matter where they live and we paid
teachers what they really deserve.
What historical outcome
would you change?
November 8, 2016
Whats been the most memorable pop
culture moment of your lifetime?
Being in Boston at then-Sen. Obamas
Democratic Convention speech in 2004,
which propelled him to the front of
everyones mind, and then running into
him at a fundraiser in Georgetown later
the next year.
On what do you insist?
Honesty, rst and foremost. And no
vermouth in my martinis.
202.747.2077 What was your last Facebook post
or Tweet?
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
My last Facebook post (other than the
daily postings about something stupid
Trump has done) was of my two dogs,
Chico and Aztec, hanging out on our
front porch.
If your life were a book, what would
the title be?
My life is more like a Lifetime movie.
Cant tell if its supposed to be serious
or funny.
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you do?
Be mad that they didnt discover a pill
to make me skinny rst.
What do you believe in beyond the
physical world?
Im not spiritual, so no answer here.
Whats your advice for LGBT
movement leaders?
Be bold and resist.
What would you walk across
hot coals for?
My husband of course. And a really
good bottle of wine.
What LGBT stereotype
annoys you most?
That gay people dont know or watch
sports. I mean, I dont, but dont assume
I dont.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
But Im a Cheerleader
Whats the most overrated
social custom?
Texting instead of calling.
What trophy or prize do you
most covet?
Powerball
What do you wish youd known at 18?
That I didnt need to pretend to be
someone I wasnt because it
wasnt normal.
Why Washington?
This is one of the best times to be in
D.C. The food, the culture, the people,
the arts, the history its all here.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A D V I CE
Marriage or mistake?
Lesbian wonders if
committing too young is
reason enough to break it o
MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, Psy.D. is a
licensed psychologist who works with gay
individuals and couples in D.C. All identifying
information has been changed for reasons
of condentiality. Have a question? Send it to
him via michaelradkowsky.com
MICHAEL,
My girlfriend asked me to marry her
and I said yes. But Im having second
thoughts and dont know what to do.
Although I love Allie, she is the only
woman Ive ever dated. Im in my 20s and
dated men until I met Allie two years ago.
Im not doubting a bit that I want to be
with a woman. Im just scared its a bad
idea to commit to the only woman Ive
been with. I am denitely having major
FOMO (fear of missing out).
How can I decide that this one woman,
amazing as she is, is the person to spend
the rest of my life with?
Everything between us is great. We get
along super well, were there for each other,
like each others friends and family, have a
ton in common, laugh all the time. Sex is
good. I could go on and on. But for gosh
sakes, she is the rst woman Ive dated.
One other thing sometimes I think
that with all the attractive women out
there, it would be a shame to retire
prematurely without having had a little
more fun. Is that terrible?
I did test the water on that one with
Allie and she isnt interested in having
a non-monogamous relationship. And
actually, neither am I. Its not like I want
to sleep with other women when I am
married I just wish Id had more time
before committing.
Anyhow, your thoughts about my
dilemma would be appreciated, as well as
any paths to clarity.
MICHAEL REPLIES:
How can any of us ever know that the
person we choose to be with is the best
person for us? Great question.
Of course we cant. Theoretically there
might be someone out there in the world
(even more than one!) with whom you
would be better matched. But of course,
there isnt time or a means by which to
meet, much less date, every potential
candidate. And how would you measure
best t? Not to mention that you
wouldnt get to keep all the possibilities
J U L Y 14, 2017 23
on hold until you made your pick.
So Id like to suggest you modify your
question and instead ask, is Allie a great
person for me to share my life with? Yes,
there might be others out there, but Allie
is the woman you came across and with
whom you are building a life.
All of the strengths you describe
are helpful for having a successful
relationship. Humor, mutual support,
common interests, shared values and
attraction are all important. But there
is one more quality I would add: Do you
challenge each other?
From all my years as a couples therapist
(and a 25-year relationship!) heres
what Ive learned: One of the greatest
things about being partnered is that a
relationship can push us to grow beyond
our limitations in all sorts of ways.
Whether its considering a radically
dierent viewpoint, having to speak up
about a dicult subject, being forced
to decide what is most important to
us in life, guring out how to tolerate
big dierences between you and your
partner, learning to accept major
disappointments, just to name a few,
relationships give us one opportunity
after another to become more resilient
and more interesting individuals.
Non-partnered readers, do not despair.
Many life experiences can give us such
opportunities.
Do you think that you and Allie are
Some think I should dress more like
partners who will challenge each other in
a woman. Some think I should dress
this way?
more like a man.
Im guessing that the answer is yes,
simply because you talked with Allie
about your interest in sex with other
women, which is not an easy conversation
for many people to have. If youre able
to speak with each other about hard
I may not fit some
topics, then you and Allie are letting your ideas about gender,
relationship and your partner push you
to be stronger.
and I am a proud
But if you feel like your relationship part of DC.
is all coziness and no challenge and are
looking to push yourself and make life
more interesting, start paying attention
to what you would rather not deal with.
Please treat me the same way any
And then start dealing with it. Whether
person would want to be treated:
its a tough discussion with Allie or a
with courtesy and respect.
confrontation with yourself about how
you are handling some thorny matter, Discrimination based on gender identity and
there is always the potential for challenge expression is illegal in the District of Columbia.
in a relationship. If you think youve been the target of
Because you cannot both be with Allie discrimination, visit www.ohr.dc.gov
or call (202) 727-4559.
and have sex with the gorgeous women
you may come across going forward, you
will have to decide which of these is most
important to you.
OFFICE OF
GLBT
AFFAIRS
See how being faced with decisions
such as this, as you go through life with
Allie, will help you to dene who you are
and how you want to live? Then you can Show your support! Spread word of the #TransRespect
see how your relationship challenges you campaign by photographing this ad and sharing on Twitter.
to grow.

24 J U L Y 14, 2017
Cat on a hot tin roof?
Scalias death inspired
tweaks to The Originalist
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Actor Jade Wheeler shies away from
political debate. But thats ostage. As
Cat, a liberal Harvard Law grad clerking
for conservative Justice Antonin Scalia
in John Strands drama The Originalist
Stand Up, Podcasts,
now at Arena Stage, its dierent. Cat
is the mouthpiece for liberal politics in
Sketch Comedy, Music & More! imagined conversations between her
and the Justice as the Supreme Court
prepares to hear the landmark same-sex
marriage case United States v. Windsor.
July 2022 Cat is a self-dened liberal but she
goes ahead and clerks for Justice Scalia
even though it costs her she loses
her girlfriend and friends who cant
with appearances by understand her decision, Wheeler says.
Jane Krakowski & Tituss Burgess with the National Symphony Orchestra Pops Even though Cat disagrees with the
The Daily Show Correspondents Tour with Roy Wood Jr., Justices maddening ideology with every
Ronny Chieng, and Gina Yashere Louie Anderson Puddles Pity Party ber of her being, she is impressed with
The Second Citys Almost Accurate to America: Divided We Stand his intelligence and wants to understand
decisions from all vantage points.
The Improvised Shakespeare Co. Night Train with Wyatt Cenac
Young, African-American and gay, Cat
How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black Judah Friedlander
chooses not to reveal her sexuality to
Aparna Nancherla Jo Firestone Brandon Wardell
Scalia who once famously said that he
Boast Rattle with Kyle Ayers Mortified Reductress presents Mouth Time Live!
suspected he had gay friends but none
Leah Bonnema Brittany Carney Petey DeAbreu Ryan Donahue who ever came out to him.
Chris Duffy Sam Evans Jared Freid Violet Grey Stavros Halkias Cat doesnt want her colleagues to think Kitt was blacklisted for protesting the
Benjy Himmelfarb Jamel Johnson Sean Joyce Matty Litwack she will be biased on Windsor and other
Dylan Meyer Joyelle Nicole Molly Ruben-Long Cerrome Russell cases related to gay rights so at work she
Paris Sashay Chelsea Shorte Justin Smith Kasaun Wilson Will Winner doesnt wear her sexuality on her sleeve, blacklisted. She was a black woman
Brightest Young Things presents The Bentzen Ball Podcast Studio Wheeler says. But outside work she dates
Underground Comedy women and you might run into her at a
chick bar. She has a lot of self-restraint and
Complete schedule at tkc.co/districtofcomedy is sort of a chameleon in a way.
The Originalist is named for Justice
Scalia (here played by four-time Helen
Hayes Award-winner Edward Gero) who
believed the U.S. Constitution should
be applied as the framers intended;
it premiered at Arena Stage in 2015.
Wheeler joined the cast on Election
Day 2016 in Asolo Repertory Theatre
in Sarasota and then travelled with the
company to Pasadena Playhouse before
the production came back to Washington.
Since the play opened two years ago,
Scalia died, Trump was elected and the
country has become further divided. Some
changes have been made to the script.
Working at Arena means fullling a
longtime goal for me, Wheeler says. She
adds its been very exciting for her to work
with the plays director and Arenas Artistic
Roy Wood Jr. Aparna Nancherla Louie Anderson Director Molly Smith and to act opposite
the esteemed Gero who was her theater
professor at George Mason University.
This isnt the rst time Wheeler has
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! played a lesbian.
KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600 There was an indie lm I did in Miami
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400. where I played a lesbian, she says. And
For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540. in life I get hit on a lot by women. Im not
gay, but I am aware of the LGBT struggle
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
THEATER
and its important that they its not
downplayed or forgotten.
The playwright supplied some backstory
for Cat. Still Wheeler delved deep in doing
her own character development through
research and asking gay friends about
their lives. Then she imagined Cats life.
I thought about what shes been
through at 26. How she didnt come out
to her mother who died when she was
12. How she probably came out to her
father. How when she was in Cambridge
studying at Harvard she probably felt it
was safer to come out.
Though maddeningly right wing, Justice
Scalia was known to hire liberal clerks in
real life. Strands script is strictly ction.
Things are simplied a little, Wheeler
says. The characters are likable. Justice
Scalia and Cat develop a mutual respect.
She learns a lot from him.
Among entries in Wheelers eclectic
vitae is Who is Eartha Mae? her one-
woman show about Eartha Kitt that played
O-Broadway at the 2016 United Solo
Fest and won for Best Cabaret. While Kitt
is mostly remembered for her sexy gold-
digger nightclub persona, Wheeler opted
to explore Kitts hardscrabble childhood in
the South and her role as an activist.
I was abbergasted to learn that
Vietnam War. Her contemporaries were
saying similar things but they werent
and her voice was shutdown. After 10
years away working in Europe she was
welcomed home by President Carter and
her career in America reignited.
Growing up, Wheeler lived the nomadic
life of military ospring. Today the aable
actor still isnt based in any one spot but
rather follows the work. She doesnt
reveal her age, because it might limit
casting opportunities, and says about
herself, I, like many Americans, especially
of the diaspora are mixed in some way or
another. I do; however, honor my Cape
Verdean heritage.
For the record, Wheeler is an
independent. Those who know her say she
aligns with the left, and thats ne with her.
This play has taught me to argue
the point but not destroy the person in
front of us. Lets talk about gun violence
or privatizing jails or fracking. Lets talk
about the issue. Opposing points of view
are valid. They come from life experience
or an education. So I say let the facts
decide the outcome rather than who can
yell the loudest.
THE ORIGINALIST
Through July 30
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
$40-90
202-488-3300
Arenastage.org
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T HE ATE R
PENNY STERLING is in an autobiographical, storytelling piece written and performed by the actress.
Five must-see Fringe shows
LGBT content abounds at
12th annual festival
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Through July 30, Capital Fringe Festival
2017 oers a massive selection of
Fringe theater, music, art, dance and
unclassiable forms of live performance
and visual art to D.C.
Now in its 12th year, the annual festival
features more than 80 shows many of
which are of special interest to LGBT
audiences; just a few of those are listed
below. No doubt, theres something for
everyone. For a complete list of shows,
times and venues, go to Capitalfringe.org.
At Gallaudet Universitys Elstad
Auditorium, Out-Side the Box Theatre
presents Just Like a Woman by Larry
E. Blossom. The timely drama co-directed
by Blossom and Susan Knapik is about
a transgender kid whos pushed by
Trumps nasty campaign rhetoric to make
a shocking decision. The action prompts
generations of women to confront their
own secrets, fears and addictions, as well
as the very meaning of femininity.
The new play (recommended for adults
only) features a large cast including Jamie
Crowne, Heather Godwin, Konstantine
James, Dana Maas, Joseph McCaughtry,
Yvonne Paretzky, Celia de la Vega, and
Bill Wilburn; and original music by
Thomas Ashcom.
The Wandering Theatre Company is
presenting The Laramie Project at
Atlas Performing Arts Center. Written
by Moises Kaufman & the Members of
the Tectonic Theater Project, the award-
winning work examines the brutal hate
crime killing of gay college student
Matthew Shepherd near Laramie, Wyo.,
on Oct. 6, 1998, as recounted through
interviews of local people and brought to
life by a 10-person cast in multiple roles.
Presented at Shopkeepers, Spy in the
J U L Y 14, 2017 25
PHOTO COURTESY STERLING
House of Men is a solo performance
written and performed by transgender
storyteller Penny Sterling and directed
Jose Llana and Laura Michelle Kelly in Rodgers & Hammersteins The King and I. Photo by Matthew Murphy
by Lynn Sanchez Fries. At turns funny
and painful, Sterlings spoken word piece
recounts how she lived the rst 54 years
of her life as Brian (which included dating
women, raising children and being voted
the Funniest Man in Rochester, N.Y., in
1992) and how she shed that identity.
Of special interest to lm bus is
Clara Bow: Becoming It presented
by LiveArtDC at the Logan Fringe Arts
Space: Trinidad Theatre. The show invited
audiences to journey with Hollywoods
rst it girl from the slums of New York
to unimagined stardom in Hollywood.
Penned by Alia Faith Williams and
directed by Heather Whitpan, the piece
is a rag-to-riches, scandal-laced tale of
cinematic sensation Bow as she soars to
the heights of silent lm fame.
The eight-person cast includes Rebecca
Ellis as Bow, Nick DePinto as Bows lover
Gary Cooper and goodhearted cowboy
actor husband Rex Bell. Maggie Robertson
plays Bows chum Tui Lorriane who was
briey married to the stars father and WILDLY IMAGINATIVE,
Bows crooked secretary Daisy Devoe.
With comedy musical Daggers IMPECCABLY EXECUTED.
Mackenzie (at Atlas Performing Arts SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Cener), lesbian performance artist
Melissa A. Kaplan relays the tale of Emma
Daggers MacKenzie, an innocent farm
girl circa 1894 who is seduced by a cunning
July 18August 20 | Opera House
carnival madam into the circus and later
the life of an outlaw. The hour-long solo
show is recommend for adults only.
As far as me in real life, yes, Im gay
as they come, Kaplan says. As far as
KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600
Daggers the character, I dont specically 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.
label her sexuality in the show, but the
storyline focuses on the power dynamics
Theater at the Kennedy Center Major support for Musical Theater Kennedy Center Theater
in same-sex female sexual relationships. is made possible by at the Kennedy Center is provided by Season Sponsor
Im not sure she would know what to say
if you asked her for a label she lives
in 1894. Shed probably say people think Additional support is provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
shes queer.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

LIVE
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
26 JU L Y 14, 2017 O U T & A BO U T

LES
NUBIANS
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL TOUR

W/ SAHEL
FRIDAY JULY 14

TOWN
MOUNTAIN
and By MARIAH COOPER
I DRAW SLOW
SATURDAY JULY 15

THURS, JULY 20
PARTICLE
FRI, JULY 21
LARRY CAMPBELL PHOTO COURTESY WOLF TRAP

& TERESA WILLIAMS

SAT, JULY 22 Ross returns to Wolf Trap July 25
SONNY LANDRETH Diana Ross will perform at Wolf Traps Filene Center (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna,
W/ SPECIAL GUEST TORONZO CANNON Va.) on Tuesday, July 25 at 8 p.m.
Ross was lead singer of the Supremes throughout the 60s and is also known
SUN, JULY 23
for her solo hits like Upside Down, Im Coming Out and many more. Hardcore
THE STEPPIN STONES fans are sometimes frustrated as her show doesnt change much from year to
year but casual fans usually leave her concerts happy her 75-90-minute show
TUES, JULY 25
covers a lot of ground and most of her trademark hits.
OKKERVIL RIVER Tickets start at $35. For more information, visit wolftrap.org.
W/ JESSE HALE MOORE
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
THURS, JULY 27
PETER HIMMELMAN
Yearly event raises
FRI, JULY 28
AN EVENING WITH
money for LGBT youth
LIVE AT THE FILLMORE The fth annual SMYAL for Summer
THE DEFINITIVE TRIBUTE TO will be on Wednesday, July 26 at 6 p.m. at
THE ORIGINAL ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND Hogan Lovells (555 13th St., N.W.) Tickets
start at $10 and will go to help LGBT youth
SAT, JULY 29 in the community.
AN EVENING WITH INGRATITUDE: During the event the winners of SMYALs
A TRIBUTE TO EARTH, WIND, & FIRE 2017 LGBT Youth Leadership Award will
be presented with their scholarships.
SUN, JULY 30 SMYAL was founded in 1984 and since
ENTER THE HAGGIS has become the premier organization
serving LGBT youth in D.C.
TUES, AUG 1 For more information, visit smyal.org.
LIVE DEAD 69 W/ HOLLY BOWLING
WED, AUG 2 Kink Fest features demos,
MIDNIGHT NORTH discussion and party
W/ HOLLY BOWLING WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Grey Owl, Mr. DC Eagle 2017, has
THURS, AUG 3 teamed up with the DC Eagle (3701
CRIS JACOBS, JOHN GINTY Benning Rd., N.E.) and the National
& FRIENDS Chely Wright plays Annapolis July 26 Coalition for Sexual Freedom to host
Kink Fest. The festivities begin at 4
FRI, AUG 4 Chely Wright, honored by the Family Equality Council for her outstanding work p.m. on Sunday, July 23 with educational
HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND as an LGBT activist, performs at Rams Head on Stage (33 West St., Annapolis, demos and discussion sessions and
Md.) on Wednesday, July 26 at 8 p.m. continue into the night with a blacklight
Wright released her newest album I Am the Rain in 2016 and has been in the dance party.
industry since 1994. There will be a donation of $10 taken
Tickets are $35. For details, visit ramsheadonstage.com. at the door with all proceeds going to
the Coalition. For more information, visit
THEHAMILTONDC.COM
facebook.com/events.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
O U T & A B O UT
Trinitys tricks of the trade
Drag Race nalist gears up
for War on the Catwalk tour
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Trinity Taylor, one of the nalists from
season nine of RuPauls Drag Race, is
on the War on the Catwalk tour, which
kicked o Thursday in New Haven, Conn.
The queens come to Washington
Sunday night, July 16, at the Warner
Theatre. Trinity spoke with the Blade
by phone Tuesday from her home in
Orlando, Fla.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Where are you
right now?
TRINITY TAYLOR: Im in my bedroom. Are
you gonna ask me what Im wearing next?
BLADE: Sure, why not?
TRINITY: A grungy T-shirt and were
leaving it there (laughs).
BLADE: Tell us about the tour.
TRINITY: Yeah, well, I was very
fortunate that they asked me to host
the tour which is kind of nerve wracking
because Ive hosted tons and tons and
tons of shows but this is a major tour this
season nine tour, so theres a lot more
pressure. So hopefully I do OK. I am, you
know, Ill do what I do best show my
tuck, hopefully make some people laugh
and the biggest thing is just entertain
because thats what I am, an entertainer.
BLADE: I thought Trixie was hosting.
TRINITY: Were both hosting. Maybe
certain dates. I dont know that shes
doing the whole thing.
BLADE: How did you like the format
for the Drag Race nale this year?
TRINITY: Well obviously I thought it
was terrible because I didnt make the
top two (laughs). Im just kidding. I think
it was great for the show. Its something
the show needed because the show
was very predictable the past couple of
years, you know, the person who wins
the most challenges wins. So this was
denitely something that was shocking
and something dierent which is good,
change is good. I think it got a lot of
attention and exposure and thats good
for the show and whatevers good for the
shows gonna be good for me.
BLADE: Charlie Hides said during
the reunion she only got two hours
of sleep one night. Is the competition
really that intense? Did you sleep well
during the run?
TRINITY: So, um, Charlie, I love
Charlie, but the reason why Charlie was
TRINITY TAYLOR (aka Ryan Taylor) says her season was one of the tightest competitions in the
history of RuPauls Drag Race.
saying all these excuses was people were
putting her on the spot for her terrible
lip sync. So she was just grasping at
straws. As far as sleep goes, rst of all,
this is a competition. Youre not signing
up to go to a weekend spa. When they
say it is RuPauls Drag Race, it is really
a race. You have very little time, the
schedule is grueling, the challenges are
not easy. If youre watching it and you
go, Yeah, I could do that, well yeah,
you maybe could do that if you had the
time but when youre on a time crunch,
you dont have a lot of time and so, you
might not do your best. Or you may do
phenomenal, but it is a race. So as far
as sleep goes, you got plenty of hours to
sleep because there was a schedule of
when we were done and when we were
picked up. But when you had your alone
time in the hotel rooms, you did have
to make sure you knew your lip sync
songs, make sure if you had anything last
minute you needed to work on, prepare
for, you know, all thats on your own
time. So for her to say she didnt have
enough sleep, thats really on her.
BLADE: Could you tell she was
phoning it in on that lip sync or were
you too busy concentrating on your
own performance to realize that?
TRINITY: Until I watched it on the
episode, I didnt know what she did. I
kind of just zoned out, I was just like,
Im in the bottom, Ive got to stay, and
it didnt matter who I was lip syncing
PHOTO COURTESY VH1
against, I was going to stay, that was my
focus. So she wasnt even there to me, I
was just performing.
BLADE: What struck you most
watching the show vs. experiencing it
in person? Do you see it at all before it
airs or you see it with everybody else?
TRINITY: Oh, no thats the rst time
we see it. Whats shocking is Ill give
Alexis as an example. On the show,
Alexis didnt I liked Alexis, she was
not annoying at all, I didnt see this like
person who made excuses and blamed
us for not doing well. For some reason it
didnt click in my mind while I was there
that she was complaining a lot like that.
And then watching the episodes Im like,
Dang, she really tried to come in for
us. And so seeing it from a dierent
perspective from actually being there, it
just registers dierently. And also seeing
how everything is edited together. Not
that they edited stu that was not true,
but just seeing how it all tells a story, its
very interesting.
BLADE: On Untucked theres often
notes for the girls who are leaving in
the workroom but it looks like theyre
taken in there as soon as they get their
makeup o. When do you have time
to write notes if youre it appears
still out there on the main stage?
TRINITY: Um, what happens, um I
dont know if Im allowed to tell you this
but Im gonna tell you anyway what
J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 2 7
happens is after they have the person
sashay away, that person goes and is
sequestered for a short period of time,
not long. For us to lm the rest of it
when she says, If you cant love yourself
and then they play music and we
leave. When we leave, we go directly
back to the work area, take o our
makeup and thats when we are allowed
to do the notes. Then we leave and then
the person whos eliminated is allowed
to come back and thats when they
actually pack to leave. But the reason
why we get our makeup o is they still
have lming to do and they want to get
us out of there quickly because we have
to be up the next morning.
BLADE: Your boyfriend was so hot in
the nale. I was jealous. Are you still
together and how are things going?
TRINITY: Um, we broke up that night
actually. No, just kidding, were still together.
Hes still a doll and I am very blest to have
him in my life. Hes very supportive.
BLADE: Remind me his name.
TRINITY: His name is Leo. Hes just a
great guy.
BLADE: Have fun with that.
TRINITY: Oh trust me, I do.
BLADE: I was enthralled by Valentina
at rst but later, especially at the
reunion, she struck me as really fake
nice and she got a lot of ak from the
other queens. Whats your take on her?
TRINITY: Well I love Valentina. Me and
her are probably the closest from this
season out of all the girls. On the show, I
hated her. I thought she was a diva. She
got a really great edit. There were several
girls who got really great edits. Like the
producers for some reason just didnt
see what we all see, but like Valentina
was a diva brat on the show, she was.
Kind of like what you saw in the reunion.
Valentina in person though, as you get
to know her, she really is a diva. But like
its just dierent. Getting to know her
and interacting with her in person in
everyday life vs. on the show is dierent.
Shes a diva and she has this grandiose
aura about her all the time, even as a
boy. Its not fake but I can see how it
could come across fake because it came
across fake to me on the show but thats
just how she is.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
WAR ON THE CATWALK: THE QUEENS FROM
SEASON 9
Sunday, July 16
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513 13 St., N.W.
ticketmaster.com
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
CA L ENDA R
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
Stonewall Sports has its fourth annual
national tournament tonight through
Sunday on the Mall and at various
locations. Among the weekend events
are yoga and spin classes, Stonewall
Bocce pick-up games, kickball, social
events at local bars and restaurants, a
closing-night party at Town and more.
Weekend passes for friends/spectators
are available. Tickets start at $25. For
more information, visit stonewallsports.
leagueapps.com.
Friends With Benets hosts the
Summer Fling party an evening of
theater, drinks and dancing. The night
begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Studio Theatre
(1501 14th St., N.W.) with pre-show
drinks, then a performance of Academy
Award-winner Tarell Alvin McCraneys
WIG OUT! Attendees are then invited
to a pool party with the cast at the
Penthouse Pool Club (1612 U St., N.W.).
Tickets are $10. For more information,
visit studiotheatre.org.
SATURDAY, JULY 15
No Kings Collective celebrates its eighth
anniversary this evening at 5 p.m. with a
block party. DJ Fleg, Jerome Baker III and
Brass Connection will spin, there will be
a massive art installation as well as a live
silk screening. The event will take place at
the Whitman-Walker Health Center (1525
14th St., N.W.) and is free with RSVP. For
more information, visit lizlot.com.
D.C. Zinefest is today at St. Stephen and
the Incarnation Episcopal Church (1525
Newton St., N.W.) at 10 a.m. Zinefest is
a volunteer-organized event designed to
allow independent publishers and artists
to share their work with each other.
There is no charge for admission, but
donations are appreciated. For details,
visit facebook.com/events.
LURe D.C., an event production
company focused on the lesbian
community, teams up with Cobalt (1639
R St., N.W.) tonight to host BARE at 10
p.m. DJs Rosie and Kennan Orr will spin
as the DystRucXion dancers perform.
There is a $7 cover before midnight and
$10 after. For more information visit
facebook.com/events.
DISTRIKT of Columbia hosts its
Burning Man camp fundraiser
tonight at Flash (645 Florida Ave., N.W.)
Tickets start at $12 and all proceeds go
toward DISTRIKTs Burning Man efforts
this year which includes a new massive
stage. Doors are at 8 p.m. For details,
visit flashdc.com.
There is a free Ladies Tea this afternoon
at 3 p.m. at Hanks Cocktail Bar (819
MAMMA MIA! Farewell Tour is at Wolf Trap July 19-20.
Upshur St., N.W.) Drink specials will be
oered until 5 p.m., as well as brunch and
dinner as the event continues. For more
information, visit facebook.com/events.
SUNDAY, JULY 16
There is a family friendly picnic
today for LGBT people and families in
Fairfax County at Nottoway Park (9601
Courthouse Rd., Vienna, Va.). The event
is hosted by Fairfax County Public
Schools Pride, and cosponsored by the
Transgender Education Association
among others. Bring your own meat or
veggies; charcoal and other supplies
will be provided. The event is free, but
small donations are welcomed. For more
information, visit fcpspride.org.
MONDAY, JULY 17
PHOTO BY KEVIN THOMAS GARCIA; COURTESY WOLF TRAP
Paint Nite D.C. will be held tonight
at Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.).
Attendees may engage their creative side
as they paint over cocktails and food. The
event begins at 7 p.m. Supplies will be
provided and there will be a professional
artist as well as a party host at the event.
Tickets are $45. For more information,
visit paintnite.com.
TUESDAY, JULY 18
Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.)
will show a performance of MAMMA
MIA! tonight and Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The hit musical is on its farewell North
American tour and features tracks like
Dancing Queen. Tickets start at $25. For
more information, visit wolftrap.org.
Soloists from the Gay Mens Chorus
will perform tonight at 8 p.m. at Signature
Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington,
2 9 J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7
Va.). The soloists will share personal
stories of bad behavior with songs like
Im Everybodys Boy. Tickets are $35. For
details, visit sigtheatre.org.
The D.C. Roller Girls, (5706 Lafayette
Pl., Hyattsville, Md.), an LGBT roller
derby team, are having an open house
tonight at 7 p.m. The current team will
do a practice scrimmage and the training
team will be there to answer questions
and provide information. For details, visit
facebook.com/events.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 19
Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper will
be at Jiy Lube Live (7800 Cellar Door Dr.,
Bristow, Va.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Both are
Grammy winners; Lauper is a longtime
LGBT ally. Tickets are $41.75. For more
information, visit jiylube.live.
Bookmen D.C. will meet this evening to
discuss Hidden: the Intimate Lives of Gay
Men Past and Present by Clinton Elliott.
Newcomers are welcome. The group will
meet at 7:30 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000
14th St., N.W.). For more information, visit
bookmendc.blogspot.com.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club
meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity
Center (721 8th St., S.E.). No partner is
needed. For more information, call 301-
345-1571.
The Log Cabin Republicans of D.C. are
having a meeting with Muriel Bowser,
mayor of D.C. tonight at 7 p.m. Log Cabin
Republicans work to make the Republican
Party more inclusive and serve as a link
to the Republican party at large. The
meeting is at the Camden Roosevelt
Community Room (2101 16th St., N.W.)
THURSDAY, JULY 20
Beckys Fund, a D.C.-based non
profit dedicated to ending intimate
partner violence hosts its third
annual swimsuit fashion show and
fundraiser tonight at 6:30 p.m. The
Take a Stand, Make a Splash fundraiser
is a partner of D.C. Swim Week and the
models are survivors of intimate and
domestic abuse. Doors are at 6:30
p.m. and tickets are $50. For more
information, visit beckysfund.org.
The Labyrinth Game Shop (645
Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) has a board game
night tonight from 6-10 p.m. Beginners
are welcome. Favorites will be played
on site or bring your own. The shop has
about 400 games in its demo library.
Free and open to those 16 and older.
Details on Facebook.
Ready to Serve WWI Nurses
will be performed tonight at 7:30 p.m.
as part of the Capital Fringe Festival at
Gallaudet University Theatre (800 Florida
Ave., N.E.). The piece honors the World
War I centennial by sharing a little-known
story of 64 Maryland Army Nurses from
Johns Hopkins who served in France. It
continues through Saturday. Details at
bit.ly/capfringe17.
 SATURDAY, JULY 29 30 J U L Y 14, 2017
Pride
Splash Tournament time
Players from many dierent sports will gather this weekend in Washington for the Stonewall Sports
National Tournament. D.C. members, seen here, are active in the LGBT sports world.
SATURDAY
JULY 30
& Ride
ALL DAY ACCESS TO SIX
FLAGS AMERICA Players from Philadelphia,
EXCLUSIVE PRIDE WATER Cleveland, elsewhere
PARK PARTY
HAPPY HOUR
expected in D.C.
DRAG SHOW
By KEVIN MAJOROS
DJ DREW G
The fourth annual Stonewall Sports
National Tournament will be held this
weekend at locations throughout D.C.
including the National Mall. Along with
sports tournaments in kickball, dodgeball
and volleyball, a full schedule is planned
with social activities, leadership meetings,
Stonewall Yoga, Stonewall Bocce pick-up
games and pool parties.
The Stonewall Sports model has
spread to 11 cities in the United States
ALL-DAY ADMISSION TO SIX FLAGS and close to 1,000 competitors from
those cities will be in attendance for the
AND EXCLUSIVE PRIDE PARTY tournaments. Non-participant passes are
also available for those who want to join
RIDE ALL DAY in on the festivities.
Since its inception in 2010, D.C.based
PARTY ALL NIGHT Stonewall Sports has provided sports
leagues that are managed as a nonprot
with a philanthropic heart by creating
PRIVATE POOL PARTY organized communities that have the
ability and responsibility to support
8:00 PM - MIDNIGHT others in need.
In addition to the sports competitions,
the National Tournament brings together
HAPPY HOUR our Stonewall community from across the
country to address issues in person, says
James OLeary, vice president of Stonewall
DRAG SHOW Sports. We will hold our annual meeting
with workshops on the technical aspects of
community building and programming along
DJ AND LATE NIGHT FUN with having conversations about safe spaces,
diversity, public health and inclusion.
The safe spaces that once existed
METRO ACCESSIBLE within the LGBT community have evolved
and Stonewall Sports has established
a national network that allows for like-
SHUTTLES FROM minded people to connect.
42
DC AVAILABLE
The National Tournament is a chance
$
INCLUDES TAX
$54 @ GATE for all of the Stonewall cities to get together
$20 SEASON PASS HOLDERS (PICK-UP/DROP-OFF AT NELLIES) and talk about our vision and the avenues
to reach our community, OLeary says.
A PORTION OF TICKET SALES BENEFITCAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE, NOVA PRIDE, BALTIMORE PRIDE
We have established a network of people
that have a similar path.
Stonewall Philadelphia joined the
PRIDESPLASH.ORG Stonewall community in 2014 and its
members have seen incredible expansion
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
SP O RT I N I N D . C.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
in their sports and numbers. Currently
boasting over 1,200 participants, they
oer kickball, dodgeball, volleyball, sand
volleyball, billiards, yoga and bowling.
They have donated about $100,000 to
local charities since their inception.
When I rst started playing, I
immediately began meeting a lot people
who I wouldnt have met otherwise, says
Stonewall Philadelphia Commissioner Joe
Peltzer. Its a great opportunity to have
fun, establish connections and raise money
for charities. I love watching our players
jumping into dierent friend groups.
Peltzer says that the Philadelphia
players are really looking forward to
building new connections from other
cities and that the teams are melding
together to come to the tournament.
They will be sending about eight teams to
compete in kickball and dodgeball.
The tournament is about competitive
play, but we also look forward to the
camaraderie and learning about what
other cities are doing, Peltzer says. It
elevates it above what is going on in your
own little bubble.
In the fall of 2015, Stonewall Cleveland
launched its kickball league, which was
immediately followed by the addition of
dodgeball. The two leagues have about
465 players and in two weeks they will
be joined by an additional 165 players in
their inaugural bocce season.
After launching, we were plugged in
instantly to several hundred people of
varying age groups, says Taylor Henschel,
co-commissioner of Stonewall Cleveland.
This is more than an LGBT community.
Its place making; creating intentional
communities by drawing in your own
people along with other people.
Cleveland is a sprawling city and
Henschel says it is easy to get stuck in
your local sector. The Stonewall model
has helped to connect people from the
widespread areas. They will be sending
ve teams to the National Tournament.
The value of this network is something
larger than yourself. It gives life purpose,
Henschel says. Meeting people from all
over the country is a reminder that we
are part of this enormous community of
queer people. Its pretty profound.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
M U SI C
ANI DiFRANCO returns with a more elaborate, more intricately produced album with Binary, her
20th studio project.
DiFranco undefeated
Acoustic guitar at core of
adventurous new album
By CHRIS GERARD
Ani DiFranco continues her ambitious,
unorthodox career with Binary, her 20th
studio album over a 27-year period. The
June release is her latest for Righteous
Babe Records, the label she started at 18.
Shes persevered with her blazing talent as
a singer, songwriter and rst-rate guitarist.
Binary features more elaborate and
fully developed arrangements than her
last album, 2014s largely stripped-down
Allergic to Water. Her acoustic guitar
remains at the core of the songs, the base
upon which everything else is built, but
her new collection adds slickly produced
and diverse accompaniments that give it
a more polished sound. DiFrancos vocals
are as lively and expressive as always and
her songwriting skills remain razor-sharp.
The heavily rhythmic title track is a nice
spark to open with album, with DiFranco
chanting the chorus before a funky bass
line pops in and helps create a slick
groove thats a perfect launch for the
collection. Pacists Lament is a beautiful
acoustic ballad, gently melodic and with
particularly lovely vocal performance. A
boozy, drunken horn section emerges
mid-way through as the song turns
darker and cinematic. Bon Ivers Justin
Vernon contributes to an inventive vocal
arrangement on the quirky and menacing
Zizzing. Play God, with its strident vocal
echoed by a blazing line of electric guitar,
was the albums rst single, appearing
was back in October 2016.
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Other standouts include the frantic
and skittery Telepathic, the vividly
tense Terrifying Sight and the motoring
rocker Spider, which again illustrates
that DiFranco is more than capable
of going beyond the acoustic folk that
casual listeners not deeply familiar
with her catalog might expect. The
arrangements may have grown in scope,
but the piercing emotional power for
which she has always been known is still
unquestionably present.
The album ends with the weary but hopeful
Deferred Gratication. DiFranco rst
released the song in January as an homage
to Obama, whose accomplishments and
legacy as he left oce were overshadowed,
she felt, by the incoming administration.
Deferred Gratication is a solemn
reection that progress is a frustratingly
long and often painful struggle that can
sometimes be eeting.
Steps forward are often followed by a
backwards lurch that can take time and
massive eort to reverse. Sometimes its Now thru August 13 | Theater Lab
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT
Dragapella quartet works hard to keep material fresh
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
tackle hard-hitting issues, Schatz says
theyre aware that sensitivity is important.
People sometimes look at us and think,
Oh my god, theres nowhere this group
wont go. But thats actually not true. We
give a lot of thought, Schatz says.There are
things that we make jokes about amongst
each other that we think are hilarious that
we simply wouldnt say on stage.
The jokes that do make it on stage might
make people laugh but the core message
is what the group is really thinking.
Comedy is just another form of
communication. If youre a comic, you
own the content of your words. Even
though this makes us laugh its just
something that we want to be saying. Its
just a way to say it, Schatz says.
As the political climate has shifted, so
has the world of drag. Once upon a time
RuPauls Drag Race was a cult hit series
that aired on Logo, a channel not widely
watched outside of its niche LGBT audience.
Now, RuPaul has earned an Emmy award
for hosting the show and season nine
debuted on the more mainstream VH1.
Saturday Night Live even included a
sketch about the drag competition.
Manabat notes that RuPauls Drag
Race has changed societys view on
drag for the better. He says he would
even include Lip Sync Battle, a lip sync
competition series where celebrities
dress in costume to perform, under the
drag umbrella.
Drag queens lip syncing has now
become straight people lip syncing on the
battle, Manabat says. Theres something
denitely in the culture that has changed
because of the emergence of this show. I
think that what they do is very good. They
create riveting, interesting entertainment.
Theyre putting a human face to what
used to be, to some people, a terrifying
art form. They wouldnt even call it art. But
now, especially among millennials and
younger, its just one of many incredible
forms of entertainment.
The group cant deny that RuPauls
Drag Race has helped drag gain
credibility. The Kinsey Sicks even made
an appearance on season eight, but they
are adamant that their form of drag is a
dierent variety.
Schatz says the Kinsey Sicks routine
is a combination of glorious a cappella,
really smart political comedy, hideous
drag and movie theaterwhich sets them
apart from Rus crew.
There are people who think that the
only appropriate response to a drag
queen is Yas, girl, Schatz says. Thats
not who we are. Theres a certain form
of drag thats getting a lot of attention,
which is great. And some of the queens
on RuPauls Drag Race are amazing. But
thats lip syncing. Drag is an extraordinarily
diverse genre. If you were to track Divine
to RuPauls Drag Race it would be a sort
of bumpy and interesting path. I would
say we are as much descended from the
Divine root of the drag family as we are
from the RuPauls Drag Race roots.
The topic is so integral to the group that
Marken promises that the Kinsey Sicks
will give their rundown on how society
views drag, and the groups origin story,
during the show.
But of the utmost importance to the
Kinsey Sicks is to make people laugh in a
J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 3 3
time that can feel scary.
People need to laugh. Its a release. We
help people laugh constructively. Well
call things out that are congruent with
what people are wanting or what people
say. Theres nothing in our show that we
make up. Its all based on fact to the point
of absurdity, Marken says.
For Schatz, its all about changing
peoples outlook on what has become a
bleak situation.
The Kinsey Sicks formation during what
Schatz calls the darkest days of the AIDS
crisis has allowed the quartet to always try to
give power back to those who feel powerless.
Being able to laugh gives you some
feeling of being human, of having
strength, of having some control over
absurdity, of not being dominated, of not
being victimized, Schatz says.
KINSEY SICKS
THINGS YOU SHOULDNT SAY
July 19-30
Edlavitch D.C.-JCCs Theater J
1529 16thSt., N.W.
$30-52
kinseysicks.com
theaterj.org

3 4 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7
Vibrant and exciting Mexico City
A scene from Mexico Citys Zona Rosa.
Capital city to the south has
something for all tastes
By EVAN CAPLAN
Feelings run strong in this administration
about foreign countries. During the
campaign, one country and its people
especially stood out. We had to wonder:
what is Mexico really like? I decided to take
a leap of faith and travel from our nations
capital to that one to nd out.
As my plane glided over the border,
nothing much changed, though this was at
40,000 feet up. The dry, sun-baked landscape
below did not turn into some kind of crime-
infested morass, and there was certainly no
wall. It remained to be seen what ground-
level looks would be like, but regardless, I
was on a journey to discover and explore
Mexico City and its culture, nightlife, leisure
activities, and yes, gay scene.
As the waning days of President Barack
Obamas term came to a close, so did my
time working for that administration. I
had life decisions to make. Should I stay
in the capital city and become part of the
opposition? Find an opportunity in the
private sector and forget about politics?
Leave the city entirely and live on the
beach? Most importantly, where should I
take my post-administration vacation?
After nixing New York (too close!),
Montreal (too cold!), and London (Im on
a budget here), I decided on the biggest
close city that, until recently, many had
overlooked Mexico City.
Having served the government in our
capital city, I felt it only logical to visit our
neighbors. A sprawling metropolis of 25
million people, Mexico Citys enormity is
hard to fathom, even more so coming
from our cozy town of less than a million
residents. But landing on the New York
Times list of 52 places to visit in 2017, and
having friends willing to lend a couch, I
decided to set o south of the border.
PHOTO BY DIEGO DELSO; COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
While the previous administration had
promoted pivot to Asia policies, the
current administration has been laser-
focused on revisiting our relationship with
Mexico, having called Mexicans criminals
and vowing to separate our two countries
with a wall it wouldnt pay for. Firsthand
research was the only way to dig to the
bottom of what Mexico is really like.
I had assistance in my discoveries, of
course. Two friends from Washington,
D.C. currently call Mexico City their home,
and graciously hosted me as I set out on
my fact-nding mission. By day, we would
explore the famed museums, pyramids,
and cultural icons. In the evening, we
would turn to other sights.
Our cities have much more in common
than you might expect. Mexico City, much
like D.C., is not a state (Mexico has 31 of
those). The city was, until recently, known
as DF, or Distrito Federal (Federal District),
and was very much underrepresented
politically on the national level.
Just last year, however, an earthquake
of political autonomy arrived. Through
years of activism, the city is now known
as CDMX, or Ciudad de Mexico, and is
treated similarly to the states of Mexico.
It has achieved statehood, although by a
dierent name, and the representation
is just as sweet. Certainly something the
D.C. City Council may look into.
Mexico at large, a traditionally and
strongly Catholic country, is certainly
more conservative than its capital city,
where the legislative body has had a left-
leaning majority for several sessions. To
that end, CDMX has passed various and
wide-ranging progressive statutes, even
including more open abortion policies. It
also legalized same-sex marriage.
After several years of debate in the
assembly, Mexico Citys government
nally passed a civil unions bill legalizing
same-sex partnerships in 2006. A mere
three years later, at the end of 2009,
Mexico City passed a bill legalizing same-
sex marriage. (We may also remember
that the District of Columbia also passed
its own gay-marriage law that same year).
The law, unsurprisingly unpopular with
some conservative sectors, was sent
for judicial review but was deemed
constitutional by the Supreme Court.
In that political atmosphere, Mexico
Citys gay culture has thrived. There has
been a Pride parade for more than three
decades, and openly gay politicians
have served in the legislative assembly.
Although mass media has been slow in
its representation of non-comic-relief
gay characters, this too is changing. Of
course, the city itself, a fabulous and
extraordinary agglomeration of baroque
excess, gleaming modernism, and gritty
streetscape, simply screams gay.
Given the size of Mexico City, the scope
of its scene is also almost too hard to
handle. It would be folly to attempt to
capture all of it. Its most famous gay
neighborhood, Zona Rosa, boasts dozens
of bars within a tight ve-block space.
Cafes and restaurants in some of the
hipper hipster hoods attract gays as well,
outside strictly gay-only establishments.
This column, as did I on my visit, will
focus on places within three central
neighborhoods: Zona Rosa, Roma/
Condesa, and Polanco.
ZONA ROSA
Zona Rosa is undoubtedly the most
famous (or perhaps infamous) gay
neighborhood in Mexico City. It was the rst
gayborhood, and still lays claim to being the
largest and most popular. Once pretty, now
a bit gritty, its most certainly the destination
for the young bargoer set on the weekends.
Its unpretentious and non-judgmental, and
all types ock to its bars, waiting in lines that
snake down the sidewalk to pay mere $3
covers. Bars with alluring names like Papi,
Lollipop, and Kinky call.
Kinkys tri-level setup oers rst-oor
karaoke, second-oor DJs, and third-oor
gyrations: dancers with increasingly less
clothing take to tiered stages for dance
sets. Its packed and hot, and drinks are
easier to be had on lower levels, though
the bartenders are shirtless regardless of
where they stand. It also boasts a terrace
to suck in a breath of air between sets. Boy
Bar, across the street, has a similar setup.
Other bars focus on drag performances
and over-the-top cabaret, ranging from
the obeat to the semi-professional.
Zona Rosa is all encompassing.
Younger partygoers, bears, and hipsters
rub elbows among bingo nights and
performances. The party spills out into
the street, glances exchanged, pizza
eaten. The bars stay open very, very late.
Its as safe of a public space as there may
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T RA V E L
be, surrounded by those who also seek
refuge and a comfortable atmosphere
in which to express themselves in
the evening. Its also suggested that
the last car on the subway train that
passes through Zona Rosa is called the
happiness car, where riders get a bit
friendly. I was unable to conrm.
POLANCO
On the other end of the spectrum
is Polanco. An upscale, leafy, tree-
lined neighborhood of well-heeled
businessmen and government ocials
with streets named for famous
intellectuals, it may not be the most
obvious district for gays to gather. But
indeed, a couple famous clubs have
found themselves here, nestled into quiet
corners. As you may imagine, crushed-
velvet ropes line the sidewalks out front.
The tony crowd spends its evenings
here after dinner in one of the modern
restaurants along the main drag of Masaryk
Street nearby. Envy is one of these posh
clubs, open on Fridays; Guilt is the Saturday
event; and Saint is open both nights. Both
require $20 covers and ll up quickly after
midnight. The music is a modern mix of
pop and electric, depending on the DJ. Both
maintain a lounge-y vibe, with spacious
booths and low lighting. Most close at 6
a.m., leaving plenty of time for dancing.
Polanco is the new destination for an
exclusive, swanky night out.
ROMA/CONDESA
Perhaps right in the middle is Roma/
Condesa. This bustling, developing
district is attracting the hipsters and
yuppies, with historic buildings, high-end
dining, galleries, sidewalk art sales, and
taco trucks all sharing the street. The
bars here are much more relaxed, best
for people watching and cocktail sipping.
Theres plenty of swank to go around
this neighborhood as well, given its up-
and-coming nature. You can also nd a
couple saunas and bathhouses here. One
exception is Toms, the most well-known
leather and bear bar that sees its best
business on Tuesdays.
Similarly, the downtown and historic
Central neighborhood is also gaining
traction as a gay destination, as the
community moves away from its former
stronghold in Zona Rosa to become a less
isolated, more integrated community.
Vibrant and complex, Mexico Citys
fascinating juxtapositions make it one of
the most exciting cities to visit, especially
as a gay traveler. While we have plenty
in common, D.C. and its southern sister
can also certainly learn from each other.
The best way to do so: rsthand cultural
interchange. From the D.C. gay hangouts
of Northwest, its time to look south.

ackermanbrown.com
W A SH I NGTO N B LA DE.C OM
REALESTATE
A day in the life of a real estate agent
We act as students,
researchers, babysitters
and more during home
buying process
By VALERIE M. BLAKE
Im a real estate agent. According to
many people, that means I set my own
hours, make gobs of money and spend
my days looking at beautiful houses.
Once in a while that actually happens.
Generally, however, my life is not much
like that. For example, because I want to
give each client an exceptional level of ser-
vice, my hours are set around their needs
instead of mine. Ill carve out time for an
occasional vacation, a doctors appoint-
ment, or a much-needed massage, but for
the most part, mi tiempo es su tiempo.
My gobs of money are split with my bro-
ker, my insurance company, my accoun-
tant, my web designer, my social media
department, the IRS and its D.C. equiva-
lent, and my overextended Visa card.
And those beautiful houses? To be
sure, many are, but others have matted
shag carpet, filthy appliances, leaky toi-
lets, bugs and smells of unknown origin.
ALL ELECTRIC HOME
TRANSLATION:
BE PREPARED TO CHARGE
AT HOME DEPOT.
VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI, Director of Education & Mentorship
Dupont Circle Ofce 202-518-8781 (o) 202.246.8602 (c)
Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com www.DCHomeQuest.com
Attorneys that are OUTthinking |OUTspoken |OUTdoing
Dont get me wrong. I absolutely love
what I do and most of my colleagues in
the industry feel the same way, but the
job description should really include ele-
ments of several different professions.
Every two years we take required re-
fresher courses in contract law, finance,
fair housing, ethics, and a variety of elec-
tives ranging from dealing with environ-
mental hazards to Internet marketing.
Updating our skills essentially makes us
part-time college students. And like cram-
ming for exams, those of us who are pro-
crastinators by nature often choose to
attend a grueling 15-hour class on a Satur-
day as the licensing deadline approaches.
Most people who are selling a home
think of their agent as the person who is
going to find a buyer. More often than not,
were actually the Mad Men (and Women)
the marketing specialists whose job it is
to entice other agents to bring buyers. We
determine whats important or on trend,
help you incorporate those things into
your home and then create and promote
that certain je ne sais quoi that makes
people flock to your door for the first
open house.
As research analysts, we sort through a
variety of housing options for our buyers.
To be used at the top of collateral:
To be used at the bottom of collateral:
We help them discover neighborhoods
that align with their budgets, check online
resources for available properties, seek
out for sale by owners, and call strangers
in a buyers preferred area to locate just
the right home.
We frequently take a turn as race car
drivers and valet parking attendants with
out of town buyers who must see as
many homes as possible in a short visit to
the area and sometimes we act as baby-
sitters, either by staying in the car with a
sleeping infant or by holding sticky, little
hands so parents can focus on viewing a
house without distraction.
When listing instructions caution us
Dont let the cat out, we serve as ani-
mal control officers. I once spent half an
hour chasing a fleeing cat and got badly
scratched in the process of putting it back
indoors, only to receive a call from the
listing agent later that day telling me that
the sellers had called her wondering why
there was a strange cat in their house.
I never knew I was such a handyperson
until I started selling real estate. I now
carry a toolbox in the trunk of my car so
I have a tape measure for the client who
wants to know whether his king-sized bed
will fit in a D.C.-sized bedroom, a screw-
THINKING OF BUYING IN REHOBOTH?
Now is the time. Call Joe, Your Working Broker.
LICENSED IN DELAWARE & MARYLAND
J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 3 5
driver to fix a cabinet door, a can of WD-
40 to relieve squeaking hinges, a stash of
lightbulbs to replace one that has burned
out, and a hammer to, well, sometimes
just to express my frustrations.
Its also common to take on the role of
a counselor who shoulders the stress of a
real estate transaction and serves as the
calming bridge between two sides. We as-
sess personalities and negotiating styles
to help reach agreement and then, like
wedding planners, we coordinate inspec-
tions, repairs, mortgage processing and
settlements, adhering to deadlines while
anticipating and resolving any problems
before our clients are even aware.
But my favorite real estate job is ama-
teur photographer, when I can snap a pic-
ture of happy homeowners with keys in
hand or smiling sellers holding up a Sold
sign in their front yard and post them to
Facebook. Only then can I set aside an
hour in my beautiful home to count my
gobs of money.
VALERIE M. BLAKE is a licensed Associate Bro-
ker in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and Director
of Education & Mentorship at Real Living| At
Home. Call or text her at 202-246-8602, email
Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com, or follow her on
Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.
3 6 J ULY 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

Its Like Retirement, Only Better

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Ingleside at King Farm is expanding with the proposed building of 125 new independent living apartments, 32 private assisted living memory support suites, and a Center for Healthy Living subject to approval by the Maryland Department of Aging.
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