SEPTEMBER 08, 2017 VOLUME 48 ISSUE 36 AMERICAS LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE
COM
Trump kills DACA, triggering protests
Obama blasts move
that exposes 800,000
to deportation
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
The Trump administration this week announced
it would end a program that has allowed roughly
800,000 young undocumented immigrants to
remain in the U.S. and obtain work permits.
Attorney General Je Sessions made the
announcement about the Deferred Action
for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program at the
Justice Department.
I am here today to announce that the
program known as DACA that was eectuated
under the Obama administration is being
rescinded, Sessions told reporters.
Former President Obama in 2012 enacted DACA.
Sessions told reporters the Justice Department
News of the DACA cancellation triggered protests in D.C. and cities
around the country. has advised President Trump and the
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS Department of Homeland Security that it should
Like living on a time bomb
LGBT immigrants among
DREAMers facing uncertainty
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
In the aftermath of President Trumps decision
to nix an Obama-era immigration program
allowing young, undocumented immigrants
to stay in the United States, Tony Choi doesnt
know his fate but realizes one possibility is
hell be deported to South Korea.
Speaking to the Washington Blade by phone
while taking part in a rally just outside Trump Tower
in New York City, Choi said he felt uncertainty since
news reports emerged Trump would phase out
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.
Ive had a few weeks to think about it, but for
TONY CHOI is an undocumented immigrant who obtained relief the rst two weeks, I was incredibly stressed out
under DACA. that my life was swinging on a pendulum, and
PHOTO COURTESY CHOI
WASHINGTONBLADE.
begin an orderly, lawful wind down of DACA
that includes the cancellation of the memo that
authorized this program. He also noted Acting
Homeland Secretary Elaine Duke has chosen,
appropriately, to initiate a wind down process.
DACA is set to expire on March 5.
The Trump administration will no longer
process new DACA applications. Current
DACA recipients have until Oct. 5 to apply for
a renewal of their status for a two-year period.
To have a lawful system of immigration that
serves the national interest, we cannot admit
everyone who would like to come here, said
Sessions. That is an open border policy and the
American people have rightly rejected it.
Therefore, the nation must set and enforce
a limit on how many immigrants we admit each
year and that means all can not be accepted, he
added. This does not mean they are bad people
or that our nation disrespects or demeans them
in any way. It means we are properly enforcing
our laws as Congress has passed them.
Trump in a statement he issued after Sessions
spoke to reporters said he has provided a window
CONTINUES ON PAGE 15
I felt like I couldnt do anything about it, Choi
said. I didnt know what could happen.
Choi, a gay 28-year-old native of Seoul, South
Korea, came to the United States as a child
in 1998 with his family as an undocumented
immigrant. When former President Obama
created DACA in 2012, Choi obtained
documentation under the program.
A graduate of Berea College in Kentucky, Choi
isone of an estimated 800,000 immigrants and
75,000 LGBT immigrants who are eligible for DACA,
36,000 of whom are enrolled. Theyre known as
DREAMers based on legislation known as the
DREAM Act, which would grant them legal status.
Potential deportation to South Korea unless
Trump reverses course or Congress passes
an immigration bill allowing him to stay in the
United States weighs heavily on Choi as well
as thousands of other immigrants who face
CONTINUES ON PAGE 16
0 2 S EPTE MB ER 08, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
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0 4 SEPTE MB ER 08, 2017 LO CA L N E W S

New Casa Ruby

initiative to ght
global AIDS epidemic
Comings & Goings Announcement coincides
with U.S. Conference on
AIDS in D.C.
Rosenberg lands fellowship
promoting aordable housing By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
Casa Ruby will use the U.S. Conference
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. on AIDS as the backdrop to ocially
We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of
organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgo- launch a new initiative designed to ght
ings@washblade.com. We also invite LGBT college students to share their successes with us. If the global epidemic.
you have been elected to a student government position, landed an internship or are graduating
and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success. Casa Ruby CEO Ruby Corado said Gilead RUBY CORADO says her organization has
received $500,000 from Gilead Sciences to
Sciences has given her organization an launch an initiative that seeks to combat the
initial gift of $500,000. Corado told the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Congratulations to Jeremy Rosenberg who Washington Blade that Casa Ruby will WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

begins his appointment as an Excelsior Fellow also partner with the D.C. Department
Attorney with New York State Homes and of Health and nally become a full AIDS Campaign and the Transgender Law
Community Renewal working on preserving service provider. Center are among the dozens of groups
and creating aordable housing, homelessness She said Casa Ruby will sign four and institutions listed as exhibitors at the
prevention policies, and poverty reduction new human care agreements with conference that is expected to draw up to
initiatives. Its a two-year fellowship in the legal the department that will bring HIV 3,000 people. Napo Pharmaceuticals and
department of the agency where he will be prevention and care services to Casa other pharmaceutical companies that
working mainly on policy. JEREMY ROSENBERG Ruby paid by DOH for the rst time ever. continue to develop drugs for people with
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSENBERG
Rosenbergs experience includes work as a Casa Ruby was the response to HIV HIV will also be on hand.
pro-bono scholar and full-time Clinical Extern for and AIDS and violence and transgender Its a very dierent epidemic than
JASA, legal services for the elderly in Queens, N.Y. non-conforming immigrants and poor when this conference began, conference
He was a summer associate in the Education Law communities that are part of the LGBT spokesperson Chip Lewis told the Blade
Group with Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles, LLP New umbrella, Corado told the Blade last week on Wednesday, noting new HIV infections
York, a Legal and Legislative Fellow in the oce during an interview, noting 2017 is Casa Rubys continue to drop in D.C. and around
of NYC Council member Benjamin J. Kallos, and fth anniversary. It was a community dream the country. But we still have an active
worked as an outreach volunteer to the LGBT to bring people who were disenfranchised, epidemic going on.
community for Hillary for America. disconnected to work together. Lewis added the use of antiretroviral drugs
Rosenberg received his bachelors degree LARRY GAMACHE The 21st annual U.S. Conference to prevent the spread of HIV, people with the
in International Aairs with a concentration in PHOTO COURTESY OF GAMACHE
on AIDS, which the D.C.-based NMAC virus who have undetectable viral loads and
International Politics from the George Washington (formerly known as the National Minority the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
University, Elliott School of International Aairs in AIDS Council) organizes, will open at the are among the factors that remain eective
D.C. and his Juris Doctor from the CUNY School of Law, New York, where he was in the Marriott Marquis Hotel adjacent to the in ghting the epidemic.
New York State Pro Bono Scholars program. Walter E. Washington Convention Center Were really seeing now that we have
Congratulations also to Larry Gamache who has started a new company, on Thursday and end on Sept. 10. tools and pathways to potentially bring
Bluepenpartners.com. Gamache said, I started Blue Pen Partners to help This years USCA focuses on the this epidemic to an end within sight, he
companies and organizations better dene their strategy and provide the families that make up the HIV community told the Blade.
tactical communications support necessary to achieve business goals. All too and how we must rely on our families Lewis added conference organizers and
often I have found really talented people, with amazing ideas, who are struggling in this time of uncertainty, said NMAC HIV/AIDS service providers are concerned
to get the word out. They are often understandably so focused on making their Executive Director Paul Kawata in a press this progress may be in danger because
vision become a reality they dont have the time to tell their story. We oer them release. Whether they are birth families, of the Trump administrations proposed
expert guidance with brand strategy development, public relations, marketing chosen families, or work families, all of us cuts to HIV-related service programs.
communications, employee branding and social media support. in the HIV community rely on our families He told the Blade eorts to repeal the
Gamache is a senior marketing professional with more than 20 years to support us through the hard times. Aordable Care Act, Medicare and
experience leading communications and brand positioning for national House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Medicaid cuts and less funding for
corporate, non-prot and government organizations. Strong bias-to-action and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the Housing Opportunities for People with
coupled with a dedication to data-driven decision making has led to his track National Institutes of Healths National AIDS (HOPWA) and the elimination of the
record of creative problem solving and proven business results. Institute of Allergy and Infectious U.S. Department of Health and Human
For the past nearly 15 years, Gamache successfully managed media relations Diseases, are among those who are Services Minority AIDS Initiative Fund
and developed corporate messaging eorts at CARFAX. Prior to that he worked expected to speak at the three-day event. could all have an adverse impact on
for a number of companies as an account manager and supervisor including D.C. health ocials, actress Judith Light eorts to combat the epidemic.
Medialink/US Newswire, Ketchum Public Relations, and Porter Novelli. and singers Frenchie Davis and Billy All of these things are really putting a lot
Gamache began his career working at Whitman-Walker Clinic helping bring the Gilman are also slated to participate. of concern in the HIV community, said Lewis.
organizations lifesaving message and services to young men throughout the The Centers for Disease Control Lewis told the Blade conference
region. He earned his bachelors in education from George Mason University. and Prevention, the University of the organizers have not reached out to the
District of Columbia, the Human Rights White House.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM T:9.75 SE P T E MBE R 0 8 , 2 0 1 7 0 5

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DIV17-201-A5-V2

0 6 SEPTE MB ER 08, 2017
Court asked for immediate intervention to block trans military ban
Legal groups argue
policy should be subject
to strict scrutiny
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
LGBT legal groups are seeking immediate
intervention from a federal court to block
President Trumps ban on transgender
military service as litigation moves forward.
In a 51-page legal brief, lawyers from
GLBTQ Advocates & Defenders and
the National Center for Lesbian Rights
seek a preliminary injunction against
enforcement of the ban, which Trump
directed late last week.
The ban marks transgender service
members as unequal and dispensable,
stigmatizing them in the eyes of their
fellow service members and depriving
them of the unique honor and status
associated with uniformed service to
their country, the brief says. Because
the public has no interest in enforcing
an unconstitutional policy and has every
interest in the continued service of
capable and dedicated service members,
both the balance of the equities and the
public interest weigh in favor of granting
an injunction here.
The case, Doe v. Trump, was led earlier
this month after Trump announced the
ban on Twitter, but before he issued guidance
directing that course by LGBT legal groups
on behalf of ve unnamed plaintis currently
serving in the armed forces. The lawsuit was
assigned to U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-
Kotelly, a Clinton appointee.
In addition to ling a request for an
immediate block to the transgender
ban, the legal team behind the lawsuit
amended the complaint to included three
additional plaintis.
Two of these plaintis Regan
Kibby, a midshipman at the U.S. Naval
Academy wont be able to complete his
education because of the indenite ban
on enlistment; Dylan Kohere is a college
student at the University of New Haven
just beginning ROTC training are
dierent from the other plaintis because
theyre looking to accede into the armed
forces as opposed to retaining their
current position. The third new plainti is
unnamed and serves in the Army.
Absent this Courts immediate
intervention, their military careers and
paths will be irreparably harmed, the
brief says. The military requires strong
bonds among unit members tomaintain
the trust and morale necessary to
survive the stresses of military discipline,
deployment, and combat. So too,
students in the military academies and
ROTC depend on the bonds they form
during their education and training to
A court is being asked to block PRESIDENT
TRUMPs trans military ban.
GAGE SKIDMORE; COURTESY OF FLICKR
build the foundation of relationships that
determine their future military careers.
Carisa Cunningham, a GLAD
spokesperson, said the legal team
added additional plaintis in response
to the portion Trump memo that made
the Pentagons temporary delay on
transgender enlistment an indenite hold.
These plaintis are experiencing harms
right now because of the prohibition
against enlistment, Cunningham said.
The amended complaint adds plaintis
who are experiencing clear, immediate
harms because of the enlistment ban.
The brief makes the case the transgender
military ban is unconstitutional because
discrimination on the basis of transgender
status warrants strict scrutiny a standard of
review never explicitly granted to transgender
people by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Policies that expressly target transgender
people meet all of the traditional criteria for a
suspect classication that warrants strict
scrutiny, the brief says. The Supreme Court
has recognized that certain classications
are inherently suspect because they single
out discrete groups that have historically
and unjustiably been oppressed.
But the ling also argues the ban
warrants intermediate scrutiny because
it amounts to sex discrimination and
cannot satisfy any level of review.
Making the case the ban violates
plaintis right to due process under the
Fifth Amendment, the brief argues the
ban lacks any rational basis, burdens
plaintis right to autonomy and penalizes
plaintis for coming out as transgender
after the previous ban on transgender
service was lifted during the Obama
administration last year.
By dictating that certain members
are not t to serve based solely on
their status as transgender people,
the Commander in Chief of the Armed
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
Forces has signicantly undermined that transgender military ban.
cohesion and trust, which Plaintis may Among those speaking out is former
be unable to rebuild absent an order Army Secretary Eric Fanning, whos
from this Court enjoining enforcement of served in civilian leadership positions for
the ban, the brief says. each branch of the armed forces and was
Even though transgender people were the rst openly gay person conrmed as
unable to enlist into the armed forces because Army secretary.
of existing policy prior to Trumps directive, Fanning said in a statement the working
Cunningham said the injunction sought by group that evaluated transgender service
legal groups would enjoin enforcement of under the Obama administration before
that policy and allow transgender people to the older ban was lifted determined
accede into the military. the discharge of highly trained and
The accessions policy allowing experienced service members would
transgender people to serve was set leave unexpected vacancies in operational
to originally go into eect in July of this units and require the expensive and time-
year. Cunningham said. The Trump consuming recruitment and training of
administration has now put it o indenitely. replacement personnel.
Because of that two of the new plaintis The lawsuit is one of three pending
are experiencing immediate harms to their cases challenging the transgender ban.
education and military careers. Another lawsuit led by OutServe-SLDN
In their announcement of their requests and Lambda Legal is pending before
for a preliminary injunction, LGBT legal a federal court in Washington State.
groups included statements from former Yet another led by the American Civil
civilian leadership at the Pentagon Liberties Union is pending before a
endorsing the motion in opposition to the federal court in Maryland.
Equality Calif. les suit to stop trans ban
Equality California led a federal lawsuit on Sept. 5, challenging the directive
Aug. 25 by President Donald Trump ordering the military to return to the pre-
Obama policy of banning open transgender military service in the armed forces.
Equality California now joins with NCLR/GLAD, Lambda Legal/OutServe-SLDN
and the ACLU in taking Trump to court on behalf of trans service members. The
suit seeks an injunction against the order and its implementation.
As of May 2016, California has the most military bases and installations
in the country, 32, with the most active duty and reserves members of the
military, 190,160. That number goes up to more than 360,000 employed by the
Department of Defense in California when civilian employees are included.
And, Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur told the Blade, California
is the state with the largest LGBTQ community. Were also the state with
most LGBTQ people serving in the military and obviously, a state in which are
members are really harmed by this directive. So we decided we wanted to bring
a suit of our [800,000] members that are aected by this ban. We thought It was
important that there be a case in California.
An injunction would most likely be welcomed by a Defense Departmentfacing
a slew of critical issues, not the least of which is a bellicose President Trump
Twitter-sparring with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. U.N. Ambassador Nikki
Haley told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that Kim is begging
for war after conducting a hydrogen bomb test.The New York Times reportedit
was a blast that experts said was far more destructive than the bombs that
the United States dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
duringWorld War II.
The cases seek to block the order, says Zbur. The order is one that doesnt
give the military discretion about whether to allow service of transgender people
in the military So our case raises a number of claims that the order violates the
Constitution of the United States and is obviously motivated by animus towards
transgender people and on a variety of Constitutional grounds, seeks to block
the order.
KAREN OCAMB
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
Nashville Statement affirms anti-LGBT positions
Evangelicals take aim at
post-Christian society
By KAREN OCAMB
kocamb@losangelesblade.com
If so many of the religious leaders
who signed the Christian manifesto on
human sexuality werent members of
Donald Trump and Mike Pences inner
religious circle, the list of 14 pro-and-con
statements produced by The Council on
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood last
week would seem like a fake prop in a
remake of Inherit the Wind. The Scopes
Trial is over and until this year at least,
most Americans thought that evolution
and progressive human values won.
The latest armation of anti-LGBT
bigotry, so soon after the orgy of white
supremacy in Charlottesville, is part of the
Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and
Religious Liberty Commissions annual
conference in Nashville.
The Nashville Statement, however,
signed by 150 conservative Christian
Tillerson raises Chechnya crackdown with Russia
Letter sent to Sergey Lavrov
earlier in the summer
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
The State Department on Tuesday
conrmed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
has expressed concern about the ongoing
anti-gay crackdown in Chechnya with his
Russian counterpart.
The Washington Post in a Sept. 1 article
about a transgender Chechen woman
who has received asylum in the U.S.
noted Tillerson wrote a letter to Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
A State Department ocial on Tuesday
told the Blade the letter was sent earlier
in the summer. The ocial declined to
provide a copy of it.
We continue to raise our concerns about this
situation with Russian authorities, the ocial
told the Blade. In a letter to Russian Foreign
Minister Lavrov, SecretaryTillersonconveyed
U.S. concerns about the credible reports of
widespread detentions, torture and other
abuses against gay men in Chechnya.
The secretary noted the opening of
a criminal investigation by the Russian
government and an inquiry by the Human
Rights Ombudsman, and encouraged
swift and independent investigations
into these troubling allegations, added
the ocial. The secretary urged that any
leaders only 15 of whom are
identiably female claims that they are
on a counter-cultural mission to reclaim
what God intends for humanity.
As Western culture has become
increasingly post-Christian, it has
embarked upon a massive revision of
what it means to be a human being. By
and large the spirit of our age no longer
discerns or delights in the beauty of Gods
design for human life, the Preamble
says. It is common to think that human
identity as make and female is not part
of Gods beautiful plan, but is, rather, an
expression of an individuals autonomous
preferences. The pathway to full and
lasting joy through Gods good design for
his creatures is thus replaced by the path
of shortsighted alternatives that, sooner
or later, ruin human life and dishonor
God.
Interestingly, though longing for the
good old days of heterosexual male
superiority, these evangelicals did not
capitalize him for God as they once
did, i.e. Him or He. They apparently
didnt notice they diminished God in their
Secretary of State REX TILLERSON in a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raised
the ongoing anti-gay crackdown in Chechnya.
perpetrators of abuses should be held to
account under Russian law, and for the
release of anyone who remains in detention
because of their sexual orientation.
Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian
newspaper, in April reported authorities in
the semi-autonomous Russian republic in
the North Caucuses have arrested more than
100 men because of their sexual orientation
since the beginning of the year. At least three
of these men reportedly died after their
arrest, while others have been beaten and
tortured and sent to secret prisons.
Reports indicate Chechen authorities have
also begun to target lesbians and trans people.
own righteous but organized rant. They
also fail to register that religion is a choice
while orientation and identity may not be.
No surprise, they want marriage
between one man and one woman and
DENY that adopting a homosexual or
transgender self-conception is consistent
with Gods holy purposes in creation and
redemption.
Our true identity, as male and female
persons, is given by God. It is not only
foolish, but hopeless, to try to make
ourselves what God did not create us to
be, the statement reads.
Two of the lead signers are James
Dobson, founder of the Colorado
Springs-based Focus on the Family, and
Tony Perkins, president of the Family
Research Council. Dobson and four
other signers are members of Trumps
evangelical advisory board. Perkins
joined evangelical brother Vice President
Mike Pence in pushing the personnel ban
on transgender military service, just as
North Korea issues more dire warnings.
USA Today reported: In a series of
tweets, Pastor Brandan Robertson of
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley
earlier this year said the U.S. is disturbed
by the crackdown. The State Department in
April called upon the Russian government
to conduct an investigation.
Tillerson in June told the House
Foreign Aairs Committee that he had
not discussed Chechnya with Russian
ocials. State Department spokesperson
Heather Nauert in July said the State
Department has raised the crackdown in
conversations at the highest levels.
Human rights is something thats very
important to us, Nauert told the Blade
during a July 18 press brieng. We continue
SE P T E MBE R 0 8 , 2 0 1 7 0 7
MissionGathering Christian Church in
San Diego, an LGBT activist who helped
organize a protest at the Ethics and
Religious Liberty Commission conference,
called the statement an aront to Gods
creative design. When your theology
breeds death, your theology is not of
God, he tweeted.
Christian author Jen Hatmaker
tweeted: If the fruit of doctrine regularly
& consistently creates shame, self-harm,
suicide, & broken hearts, families, &
churches, we shld listen.
Nashville Mayor Megan Barry was just
annoyed, tweeting that the statement
was poorly named.
While some critics responded to the
statement with snark and others with
disgust or disappointment, Sarah Jones
at the New Republic has a dierent
take altogether. She feels the Nashville
Statement indicates the death rattle of
a conservative Christian Right movement
that won the White House and its pick for
the Supreme Court.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
to speak about that from this position here
at the podium and part of my job is speaking
on behalf of Secretary Tillerson and speaking
on behalf of this department.
President Trump has yet to publicly
condemn the crackdown.
The Russian LGBT Network, which has
helped LGBT Chechens ee their homeland,
has expressed skepticism over the Kremlins
claims it has launched an investigation
into the crackdown. Chechen President
Ramzan Kadyrov, who is a close ally of
Russian President Vladimir Putin, earlier this
summer said during an interview with HBOs
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that gay
people dont exist in the republic.
The New York Times on Sunday reported
the Canadian government has allowed 22
gay and lesbian Chechens to seek refuge in
the country over the last three months as
part of a program with Rainbow Railroad, a
Toronto-based group that helps LGBT people
escape what it describes as state-sponsored
violence. Human Rights Campaign President
Chad Grin in May in a letter to Tillerson
urged the U.S. to grant visas to those who are
eeing anti-gay persecution in Chechnya.
The U.S. must show leadership in helping
people who face such grave threats to their
fundamental human rights, wrote Grin.
The people eeing Chechnya are being
persecuted because of who they are and
who they love, and it is our responsibility
to step up and protect them from despotic
leaders who seek to harm them.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
Trump taps gay official as ambassador to Germany
Grenell is rst major
openly gay appointee
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
President Trump last week
nominated foreign policy expert
Ric Grenell as U.S. ambassador to
Germany, the first major openly gay
appointment of the administration.
The White House announced Trump
had named Grenell to the post, which
requires U.S. Senate conrmation, in a
statement late Friday along with scores
of other nominees.
The nomination was expected. Media
reports in July indicated Trump would tap
Grenell for the post, but Trump hadnt
formally made the designation until this time.
According to his bio, Grenell founded
the international consulting rm Capitol
Media Partners in 2010 and served in
various roles as a public communications
adviser for nearly two decades. Under
the George W. Bush administration,
Grenell was the longest serving U.S.
spokesperson at the United Nations and
served four United States Ambassadors.
For a period of less than two weeks,
Grenell served during the 2012
presidential election as a foreign policy
spokesperson for Republican nominee
AIDS guru Louise Hay dies at 90
Love is the most
powerful stimulant to
the immune system
By KAREN OCAMB
kocamb@losangelesblade.com
Louise Hay, an advocate for
unconditional love and forgiveness
during the height of the AIDS crisis, died
peacefullyAug. 30 of natural causes.She
was 90.
Meeting Louise changed the direction
of my life, Reid Tracy, president and
CEO of Hay House, Inc., said in a
statement posted on her website. Her
passion for serving others translated into
everything she did. Simply by working
alongside her, an analytical accountant
like me transformed into someone
who became aware of the power of
armations and self-love. Being able to
learn from her has been one of my lifes
greatest blessings.
Hay was one of several women who
emerged as spiritual gurus alongside
RIC GRENELLs appointment is subject to
Senate conrmation.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Mitt Romney, but resigned amid pressure
from social conservatives over his sexual
orientation. Grenell never had the
opportunity to speak publicly in the role.
Grenell, who has described himself as
a gay conservative Christian, has a same-
sex partner, Matt Lashey. According
to The Atlantic, the two have been
together 15 years and Lashey himself is
a conservative Christian who graduated
from Jerry Falwells Liberty University.
Grenell has supported LGBT rights,
endorsing the Employment Non-
Discrimination Act in 2013 and supporting
same-sex marriage. Grenell hailed
Marianne Williamson, Rev. Sandy Scott,
and Ma Jaya, to name the most prominent.
Louise Hay and her Hay Ride gave
spiritual support and acceptance
to so many in the early days of the
AIDS epidemic, says gay former
Entertainment Tonight executive
producer Brad Bessey. She was so
important to our movement preaching
love over fear and healing, hope and
heart over hopelessness.
Fiesta Hall in West Hollywoods
Plummer Park would ll up on
Wednesday night in the late 1980s with
up to 700 people seeking hope, comfort,
friendship, forgiveness, love and often
a cure for the incurable AIDS from the
metaphysical counselor who said she had
cured herself of cancer. The celebration
of life known as the Hay Ride, was often
the only time a person with AIDS might be
touched, hugged or massaged with care,
not disdain.
People with AIDS came to the
gathering in all conditions hobbling
on canes with one leg stiened by
hard purple KS lesions or somehow
Trump for saying hes ne with the
U.S. Supreme Court ruling for marriage
equality, although the presidents words
seemed to fall short of a full endorsement.
On the other hand, Grenell has
expressed skepticism over the Student
Non-Discrimination Act and former
President Obamas 2014 executive
order against anti-LGBT workplace
discrimination among federal contractors.
But Grenell is perhaps best known on
Twitter for his combative relationship
with reporters, including those from the
Washington Blade. Taking a cue from
Trump, who has declared war on the media,
Grenell often accuses reporters of harboring
biases that undermine their reporting.
Grenells appointment comes at a time
of continued cooperation between the
United States and Germany, but also
some tension. Merkel has criticized Trump
for his approach to climate change and
North Korea. Trump, in turn, has called
on Germany, which spends 1.2 percent of
its gross domestic product on defense, to
double its expenditures in this area.
Gregory Angelo, president of Log
Cabin Republicans, hailed the news of
Grenells appointment.
Its exciting to see Mr. Grenell
nominated to such an important post at
such an important time, Angelo said. As
a member of our Los Angeles Chapter,
working to ensure his conrmation will
LOUISE HAY provided support for gay men
dying of AIDS.
SCREEN SHOT FROM HAYS WEBSITE
walking with portable IV drips, or
barely ambulatory with arms wrapped
around the shoulders of friends who
served as human crutches to allow the
weakened one some sense of dignity
and self-propulsion. Friends, healthcare
workers, family, activists, volunteers
anyone with a heart desperate to do
something, if only give love would
park their outrage at the door and pack
the auditorium to listen to each other,
whether pleas for roommates, money for
rent, announcements about memorials,
SE P T E MBE R 0 8 , 2 0 1 7 1 3
be a priority of Log Cabin Republicans in
the weeks ahead.
Grenell earned his bachelors degree
from Evangel University in Springeld,
Mo., and his masters in public aairs
at Harvard Universitys John F. Kennedy
School of Government.
Aisha Moodie-Mills, CEO of the Gay &
Lesbian Victory Institute, said although
her organization normally favors
LGBT appointments, she has strong
reservations about Grenell.
LGBTQ presidential appointees can
be critical dierence-makers when they
hold a broad vision of equality and are
empowered to enact it, Moodie-Mills
said. Unfortunately, past statements
by Richard Grenell make clear he is
not supportive of the entire LGBTQ
community including LGBTQ Muslims,
immigrants and people of color. His
praise for President Trump as a historic
pro-LGBTQ president is completely
delegitimized by Trumps appointment
of an almost entirely anti-LGBTQ cabinet,
as well as his actions attacking trans
students and military members.
Nonetheless, Moodie-Mills said
Grenell has a real opportunity to make
change upon his conrmation as U.S.
ambassador to Germany.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
personal AIDS updates, hopes, fears and
gratitude for nding a place to really be
themselves. Many were still in the closet
or AIDS had outted them, accompanied
by family rejection. It was in arenas
like this, as well as at the bedsides of
the dying or on the streets protesting
government inaction that the concept of
family of choice took hold.
Hay would oer spiritual guidance,
armations and unconditional love. She
also led visualizations with hundreds of
mostly strangers making room to lying
next to a sick, healthy or healing body to
do intimate private internal work. By the
end, whether full forgiveness had been
achieved or not, there were no strangers,
only friends with no known name yet.
The atmosphere in the auditorium was
infused with honest emotion sadness
at the loss of loved ones, grief at ones
own imminent passing, and love and joy
enough to move mountains.
Love is the most powerful stimulant
to the immune system. What were doing
here is practicing love, unconditional
love, Hay would say.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 4 S EPTE MB ER 08, 2017 I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S

England, Wales, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, the
Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. A law that
will allow gays and lesbians to tie the knot in Germany is slated to take eect on Oct. 1.
A Maltese law that allows trans people, among other things, legally change their name
or gender without undergoing a sex-reassignment surgery or hormone therapy and
provides legal protections to intersex children took eect in 2015. Malta last December
became the rst country in Europeto ban so-called conversion therapy.
Calleja told the Blade a strong Maltese advocacy movement and Muscats 2013
election that brought his liberal Labor Party to power have contributed to the rapid
advancement of LGBT and intersex-specic issues in the country.
Its been a rapid change over the last four to ve years, said Calleja.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Thirty people from across West Africa attended a rst-of-its-kind LGBT-inclusive religious
gathering last month in Ghana.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVIS MAC-IYALLA

West Africa holds rst LGBT-inclusive

religious gathering
An LGBT-inclusive African faith network held its rst event late last month.
More than 30 delegates from 10 West African countries gathered in Ghana from Aug.
24-28 for the Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africas rst-ever interfath diversity
event, which was themed Building Bridges, Sharing Stories, Creating Hope.
On Aug. 24, there was an introductory session for delegates to share their personal
stories and outreach programs to support their fellow LGBT people. The participants
who were from Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Cote
dIvoire, Mali and Togo told passionate stories of judgment, denial, shame, violence,
rape, hatred and pain.
Participants on Aug. 25 focused on developing religious texts aimed at pushing for
LGBT rights advancement and acceptance on the continent. As part of events lined up
for this diversity event, the rst-ever LGBT-specic interfaith worship in West Africa was
held with IDNWA Co-chair Davis Mac-Iyalla presiding.
IDNOWA Co-chair Ngozi Nwosu-Juba in her closing remarks thanked delegates and
invited guests, assuring them that the vision of the network was its driving force and NOAHMCLEAN-GLASS was banned from the Princess-for-a-Day experience.
SCREENSHOT VIA NBC NEWS
this must be achieved for the benet of community members in West Africa.
Religion is meant to promote respect for individual irrespective of their sexual
orientation or gender identity, Mac-Iyalla told the Washington Blade. We are a legally
registered network, our stas, members and board are all fully involved as a team.
Mac-Iyalla added he saw the need to start the network because both state and other
Disneyland Paris bans 3-year-old
key players in West Africa are using religion as a weapon of discrimination against LGBT boy from Princess for a Day
people in West Africa.
IDNOWA was like the long-awaited messiah in West Africa; our network is embraced
by everyone who wants a change in attitude for a fairer and inclusive society for Disneyland Paris has apologized for banning 3-year-old NoahMcLean-Glass
everyone, Mac-Iyalla told Blade on the need for IDNOWA. from participating in itsPrincess for a Day experience.
Mac-Iyalla adds IDNOWA aims to achieve its mission through training, research, His mother Hayley, from Devon, England,says Noahs favorite Disney character
advocacy, and dialogue. is Elsa from Frozen. For an early Christmas present, she decided to take him to
BUMMI JOHNSON Disneyland Paris for a princess makeover as part of the theme parks Princess
for a Day program.
I knew that there would be NOTHING hed love more than to get to wear
a pretty dress, put makeup on like mummy does, and have his photo taken
Malta same-sex marriage law takes effect being one of his beloved Disney Princesses, Hayley wrote on her mommy blog,
Sparkles & Stretchmarks.
A law that allows same-sex couples to legally marry in Malta took eect last week. She emailed her request to the theme park and was told, At this time it is not
Gabi Calleja, coordinator of the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement, a local advocacy possible to book Princess for a Day for a boy.
group, told the Washington Blade on Friday during a telephone interview that same-sex I was so angry, I literally couldnt stop shaking for half an hour afterwards,
couples can now ll out a marriage application with local ocials. Calleja noted there is Hayleytold ITV. I was just so shocked. I mean, Im his mother and if Im OK with
a 6-week waiting period under Maltese law before they and any other couple can him doing it, who are Disney to tell me that he cant do that?
legally tie the knot. Disneyland Paris issued an apology and says that it was an isolated incident.
The Maltese Parliament in July nearly unanimously approved the marriage bill. Prime The cast members response is not reective of any policy or belief held here
Minister Joseph Muscat, who was re-elected in June, is among those who backed the measure. at Disneyland Paris. Of course, both boys and girls are welcome to enjoy the
Today is when it comes into force, Calleja told the Blade. Princess For a Day experience, in addition to all our other special activities, the
ILGA-Europe and Rainbow Rose, the LGBT network of the Party of European Socialists, statement reads.
also applauded Muscat and Maltese advocates on Friday. MARIAH COOPER
Same-sex couples can legally marry in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Ireland, Scotland,
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
Trump ends DACA, triggering nationwide protests
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
of opportunity for Congress to nally act.
As president, my highest duty is to
defend the American people and the
constitution of the United States of
America, said Trump. At the same time,
I do not favor punishing children, most of
whom are now adults, for the actions of
their parents. But we must also recognize
that we are [sic] nation of opportunity
because we are a nation of laws.
The Trump administration announced
it would end DACA on the same day it
faced what CASA, a Maryland-based
immigration advocacy group, has
described as an arbitrary deadline that
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and
nine other state attorneys general gave
the White House to rescind the program.
Trump last month endorsed a bill that
would, among other things, reduce the
number of people who will be allowed
to legally immigrate to the U.S. each
year. Trump earlier this year signed
executive orders banning citizens of
seven-predominantly Muslim countries
from entering the U.S. for 90 days,
spurring the construction of a wall along
the U.S.-Mexico border and paving the
way for cuts in federal funding to so-
called sanctuary cities that protect
undocumented immigrants.
National Center for Transgender Equality
Executive Director Mara Keisling is among the
hundreds of immigrant rights advocates who
were gathered in front of the White House
on Tuesday when Sessions announced the
administration would end DACA.
Roughly 100 DACA supporters were
standing along H Street, N.W., in front
DNC activist Rick Stafford dies at 65
Longtime LGBT
advocate a major force
in Democratic Party
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Rick Staord, a longtime LGBT activist
in the Democratic Party, died on Sept. 2
at a hospital near his home in southern
Minnesota, according to his friend Kurt
Vorndran. He was 65. The cause of death
was a heart ailment.
He was a major force within the
Democratic Party even though I dont
think he was a household name,
Vorndran said. He was just a brilliant
strategist who knew the party rules and
really knew how to get things done. He
was a member of the national committee
and knew all the major national gures
Attorney General JEFF SESSIONS announced the plan to end DACA this week.
of Lafayette Park earlier in the day when
Vice President Pences motorcade drove
past. One protester directed an obscene
gesture towards Pence, while another
stood silently as she held a sign.
Appealing to his most xenophobic
base, Trump is risking the lives of 800,000
young people, including more than 75,000
LGBTQ people who deserve to live and
work free of fear, said Gay and Lesbian
Victory Institute CEO Aisha Moodie-Mills
in a statement. Its cruel and cowardly
and ts with a pattern of implementing
racist, xenophobic and anti-LGBTQ
policies that target core American values
and move our country backward.
D.C. Council member David Grosso
(I-At-Large) described the administrations
decision to end DACA as heartless. U.S.
Hillary Clinton, Obama, Bill Clinton.
Vorndran said Staord would often stay
with him when he visited Washington.
He would say, Im here running a
caucus or I have a ward committee
meeting. He was just so involved in
grassroots retail politics and thats what
made him such a tremendous force, I
think, his whole life.
Staord, a Minnesota native who lived
there his whole life, was born Aug. 25, 1952.
Staord was credited with playing a
lead role in lobbying, cajoling and nudging
the Democratic Party to take a strong
stand on LGBT rights and to change its
delegate selection rules and policies to
reach out to minorities, especially LGBT
people, resulting in a dramatic increase in
the number of LGBT delegates.
He was a veteran of national Democratic
conventions having been to at least 10.
He came out in the 1970s.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in a statement
said children who were illegally brought
into this country through no fault of their
own should not be forced to return to a
country they do not know.
Todays decision is a giant setback
for America, because all of our children
should feel safe and accepted in a country
that belongs to them, added Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti. Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals has allowed close to
800,000 ambitious, patriotic young people
to start careers, stay in school, and give
back to our communities without fear of
being torn from the people they love.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)
last week indicated Trump should allow
DACA to remain in place. The Wisconsin
Republican on Tuesday nevertheless said
RICK STAFFORD died at age 65.
BLADE FILE PHOTO COURTESY OF STAFFORD
SE P T E MBE R 0 8 , 2 0 1 7 1 5
in a statement that ending this program
fullls a promise that President Trump
made to restore the proper role of the
executive and legislative branches.
But now there is more to do, and
the president has called on Congress
to act, added Ryan. The presidents
announcement does not revoke permits
immediately, and it is important that
those aected have clarity on how this
interim period will be carried out.
Ryan said young people who came to
this country through no fault of their own,
and for many of them its the only country
they know. are at the heart of this issue.
Their status is one of many immigration
issues, such as border security and
interior enforcement, which Congress
has failed to adequately address over the
years, he added. It is my hope that the
House and Senate, with the presidents
leadership, will be able to nd consensus
on a permanent legislative solution that
includes ensuring that those who have
done nothing wrong can still contribute
as a valued part of this great country.
In a rare public rebuke of Trump,
former President Obama weighed in on
social media, blasting the move as cruel.
To target these young people is wrong
because they have done nothing wrong,
Obama wrote on Facebook. It is self-
defeating because they want to start
new businesses, sta our labs, serve in
our military, and otherwise contribute to
the country we love. And it is cruel.
In a Wednesday tweet, Trump hinted
that he would revisit the DACA issue if
Congress doesnt legalize it. For updates
on the story, visit washingtonblade.com.
In 1992, Minnesota Democrats elected
Staord as chair of the state party,
making him the rst out gay person to
win election to chair either of the two
major parties in a state.
Since the 1990s Staord served at various
times as a member of the Democratic
National Committee. He chaired the DNCs
LGBT Americans Caucus.
I was a rabble rouser, said Staord
in a 2012 Washington Blade interview.
But we knew about timing, when its the
best time to pick and choose your battles.
Its just sheer stupidity when were even
thinking about a negative protest when
we have so much to celebrate.
He really believed politics could make
a dierence in the lives of ordinary
people, Vorndran said.
Staord was single. No information
about services was immediately available.
LOU CHIBBARO JR. CONTRIBUTED
TO THIS REPORT.

1 6 SEPTE MB ER 08, 2017
LGBT immigrants among DREAMers facing uncertainty
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
uncertainty about their future.
Its been 20 years since Ive last set foot in
Korea, Choi said. All my extended family is
here in America or elsewhere. I dont know
what I would do. My language skills arent
really up to par and I would have to serve in
the Korean military because of mandatory
conscription. Its something that I really,
really wish didnt happen.
Being gay in Korea would be no walk in
the park for Choi. In addition to mandatory
conscription, homosexual acts are barred and
subject to punishment in the Korean military.
Choi said the stress of potential removal
from his home in New York City, where he
works as the social media manager for the
American Asian and Pacic Islanders group
called 18 Million Rising, has manifested
itself physically. Among the ailments he
cited were not being able to sleep more
than four hours at a time, sinus trouble
and stiness in his neck.
I felt like my body was falling apart, just
like everything in my world was, Choi said.
Everything that I had built in the past ve
years would be coming to an end.
The Trump administration announced
Tuesday it would phase out DACA over a six-
month period ending March 5. Although no
newEmployment Authorization Documents
will be granted, DACA recipients with such
authorization will be allowed to stay in the
United States until that paperwork. After
that, they lose their immigration status and
their fate is unknown.
Trump explained his decision to
rescind DACA after making a campaign
promise to cut back on one hand, but
telling recipients they can rest easy
on the other by making the dubious
claim the program is unlawful. In fact,
immigration law grants the executive
branch authority for establishing national
immigration enforcement policies and
priorities, which includes deferred action
on removals.
Negative consequences cited as a result
of DACA by Trump were equally dubious.
They included the humanitarian crisis
under the Obama administration at the
U.S.-Mexico border in which children from
Central America were sent without their
parents to the United States. Trump also
suggested DACA contributed to the rise
of the transnational crime gang MS-13,
whose members are principally of Central
American origin.
Trump made the decision on the day
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said
would be the deadline before hed amend
a 2014 lawsuit pending before federal court
to end DACA through litigation.
But Choi, citing calls from faith leaders,
members of Congress even Republicans
to maintain DACA, rejected the idea
litigation was responsible for Trumps
decision and said the president capitulated
SHERIDAN AGUIRRE of Austin, Texas, left, stands with two other DACA supporters in front of
the White House on Sept. 5.
instead because of internal pressure.
Were here, I think, because Trump is caving
into the inuences within his administration
that are very anti-immigrant, Choi said. As
you can see from people like Stephen Miller,
Je Sessions, they are pretty heavily anti-
immigrant within the administration, and
they would like to see America shoot itself in
its feet rather than letting us live with dignity.
Amid discontent with the decision to roll
back DACA (75 percent of the American public
supports allowing recipients to stay, according
to a Sept. 5 Morning Consult poll), Trump has
said Congress should pass a comprehensive
immigration bill that would x immigration law
in favor of young, undocumented immigrants
who obtained status under the program.
Choi, whose work documentation
expires in December 2o18 is clinging to the
hope of congressional action within the six-
month period before DACA is eliminated
which is unlikely in a Republican-controlled
Congress to ensure he and other
DREAMers can remain in the United States.
Were really going to have to pivot
to Congress to really nd ways to nd a
solution for us, Choi said. Its like living on
a ticking time bomb because the program
is supposed to end in six months. And six
months, thats not a long time, and to expect
the Congress to come up with something
when the House and the Senate are being
held by Republicans, its very dicult, but
what else can we do? We came this far.
On the same day he announced hed
end DACA, Trump said hed revisit the
issue if Congress doesnt come forward
with a legislative solution. It remains to be
seen if Congress will produce a solution,
and, if not, whether Trump will change his
administrative decision.
One action Choi said isnt available to
him under immigration law despite
his presence in the United States for 20
years and education at a U.S. college
is applying for U.S. citizenship to
eliminate the risk of deportation. The lack
of the option, Choi said, is what keeps
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS
undocumented immigrants in that status.
There is no line that we can stand on,
Choi said. Immigration law is very complex,
and frankly, very broken in terms of people
who want to become U.S. citizens. So
there is no line we can stand on. There is
no application that we can just magically
go out and get rid of our undocumented-
ness. Were not undocumented because its
all fun and games; were undocumented
because our circumstances drove us here.
Among those participating in rallies
throughout the country Tuesday as
the Trump administration announced
it would roll back DACA were LGBT
immigrants covered under the program.
Sheridan Aguirre, a 23-year-old
queer undocumented immigrant whos
covered under DACA and resides in
Austin, Texas, took in the protest outside
of the White House on the day Trump
made the announcement.
DACA means the world to me, Aguirre
said. Its allowed me to graduate from the
University of Texas, its allowed me to be
able to provide an income for me and my
partner and so if it were to be taken away,
it would really disrupt my life and the life of
my family.
Born in Iguala, Mexico, Aguirre came
to the United States with his mother in
1996 as an undocumented immigrant
at the age of 1. The two joined his father
who was already in the country working
as a migrant worker picking cotton.
After Aguirre enrolled in school and took
part in advanced placement classes, his
family decided to stay.
I have no memories of living in
Mexico, Aguirre said. Theres nothing
left for me in the place where I was
born and especially now, particularly
in Aguirre, Mexico. Thats the site of the
murders of organizers and activists, the
Ayotzinapa 43, and so since then, the city
has changed dramatically, and if I were
ever to be deported, I know it would not
be safe for me to live authentically in my
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S
place of birth.
Aguirre, an activist with United We Dream,
said Trumps decision to end DACA is rooted
in white supremacy and part and parcel of
the presidents actions against other minority
groups, such as the travel ban on Muslim
majority countries.
Its really about making sure that brown
and black young people are not able to be
a free part of the country where we call
home, Aguirre said. Its about putting us
in danger of being incarcerated and being
deported and having our families targeted.
LGBT groups across the board have
condemned Trump for eliminating DACA
calling it a betrayal of those who
signed for up the program and are now
at risk of deportation. As Slates Mark
Joseph Stern points out, the reversal of
the U.S. governments position on DACA
eligibility is similar to Trumps elimination
of transgender military service, which
imperiled transgender troops who came
out after the Obama administration lifted
the ban on transgender service last year.
Among the LGBT groups taking action is
theNational Queer Asian Pacic Islander
Alliance. On Tuesday, NQAPIA delivered
to Trump971 postcards from LGBT Asian
Americans and Pacic Islanders and allies
in favor of preserving DACA.
DACA was never a perfect
program, but it was a step in the
right direction, NQAPIA Executive
DirectorGlenn Magpantay said.President
Trumps mean-spirited cancellation
of DACA will force 800,000 people to
live in even greater fear. Talented and
hard-working DACA young people are
the ones who are truly making America
great. Again the president cuts back on
the American dream and contributors to
our economy.
In the meantime,Aguirre said hell rely
on ties to his community and family to get
him through an uncertain time and a new
immigration status.
I really try to draw back on the fact
that weve lived here for 20 years, and
thats not going to change,Aguirre said.
I know that I have my community. I know
that I have allies that are here with me to
ght alongside me.
Choi said hell try to keep pressure on
Congress and potentially encourage
Trump to reverse course on DACA as
he remains with few options and the real
risk of losing his home.
We came this far, Choi said. A lot of
us we built our livelihoods over the past
ve years, and its not just us. There are
people who depend on us. Some of us
have children, some of us have families
that we support, so this is not a ght
that we need to simply give up and go
away. We really need to rally around and
engage our members of Congress, really.
We have the power to do this.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS CONTRIBUTED
TO THIS REPORT.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
MARYLAND RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
TIME TRAVEL TO...

n !
HE A LTH NEW S S E PT E M B E R 08, 2017 17

PrEP safe for gay male teens: study

LONDON PrEP is safe for gay teens according to a new study, Reuters reports.
I do hope clinicians increase their comfort with being able to provide PrEP to
adolescents, said lead author Sybil Hosek, a clinical psychologist and HIV researcher
at Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems Stroger Hospital in Chicago.
F u
She hopes the new data will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and will encourage the agency to approve the pill for use
by younger people. The pill is currently approved for HIV prevention in adults.
The drug was rst approved by the FDA in 2012 as Truvada, which was
marketed by Gilead. Trials found that the drug reduced the risk of HIV infection
by about 90 percent.
But little evidence was collected on its use among gay and bisexual adolescent
males, who are among those most at risk for HIV infection. Reduced
n
For the study, researchers enrolled 78 gay and bisexual young men, ages 15 to Admissio
17, from six U.S. cities. The participants all tested negative for HIV at the start of g h
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2 2 S EPTE MB ER 08, 2017
I was a stranger, and
you did not welcome me
Dreamers, LGBT people
face cold-hearted hypocrisy
from far right
RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.
Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.
It is time to step up the ght against the
multi-pronged intolerance resurgent in
America, which cloaks itself in piety and
patriotism as it attacks LGBT people, im-
migrants, and others. Here I focus on the
anti-gay, anti-trans Nashville Statement
and on President Trumps despicable de-
cision to rescind the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, cre-
ated by President Obama in 2012.
The Nashville Statement was issued
Aug. 29 by evangelical ministers hosted
by the Southern Baptist Convention. It
calls marriage a divinely ordained union
of one man and one woman and denies
that marriage is a mere human contract.
It invokes biological sex as a rule to be
imposed rather than a lived reality to be
studied. It states, We arm that it is sin-
ful to approve of homosexual immorality
or transgenderism ... Thats an arma-
tion? It reminds me of the old song lyric,
Yes we have no bananas. It could have
been written by Vladimir Putin.
We have battled religious intolerance
for a long time. I will restate points I made
in 2012 for D.C.s Gay and Lesbian Activ-
ists Alliance:
Right-wing claims about traditional
marriage are astoundingly false. A true
Bible-based marriage law would include
polygamy, concubines, executing non-
virginal brides, banning mixed-faith mar-
riages and divorce, and requiring a man
to marry his dead brothers widow. The
scriptures supporting those practices are
mostly from the Old Testament, which
the bullies prefer to Christs law of love.
If they were not cherry-picking verses to
suit their prejudices, they might notice
the alternate gloss on Sodom in Ezekiel
16:49. Using religion to justify prejudice
or to control others is not acceptable in a
free society. We must rebuke the preda-
tors and opportunists who presume to
sermonize against us when their own
moral authority is in shreds. We must
also thank clergy who arm us.
The bigots who gathered in Nashville
might be laughed o except for the harm
they inspire, including subjecting youth to
the dangerous and discredited fraud of
conversion therapy. Their ally, Vice Presi-
dent Mike Pence, stated on his 2000 con-
gressional campaign website, Resources
should be directed toward those institu-
tions which provide assistance to those
seeking to change their sexual behavior.
Pardon me, but no. Low self-esteem
has to be taught. Studies show that fam-
ily rejection and unsupportive environ-
ments are associated with greater risk
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VIEWPOINT
of attempted suicide among lesbian, gay,
and bisexual youth. It is especially wicked
to use the bad fruit of harsh environ-
ments to justify mistreatment disguised
as healthcare.
No one need choose between faith and
self-respect. The Nashville signatories
insist on seeing dierence as a threat. A
better vision for America is all around us,
just beyond our comfort zones.
Trump equivocated on DACA, touting
his big heart. Business leaders clamored
to save the program while nativist hard-
liners including Attorney General Je
Sessions, dead-eyed Stephen Miller, and
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who called it il-
legal amnesty, demanded he keep his
campaign pledge to end it. But as former
Solicitor General Walter Dellinger notes,
6 U.S.C. 202 already says DHS can set
national immigration enforcement poli-
cies and priorities. Immigration reform
has stalled in Congress. Tossing DACA to
Capitol Hill to resolve in six months is an-
other Trump evasion.
Jesus Contreras, 23, a Houston para-
medic who worked for six straight days
rescuing people after Hurricane Harvey,
is among 800,000 Dreamers who face
deportation. America has been his home
since age six. Nine red state attorneys
general threatened to sue Trump if he did
not revoke DACA, others if he did.
At the Gospels heart is a rebuke in Mat-
thew 25: I was hungry and you gave me jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094
no food, I was thirsty and you gave me
no drink, I was a stranger and you did
not welcome me, naked and you did not
clothe me, sick and in prison and you did
not visit me.
Pope Francis said in October 2016,
You cannot be a Christian without do-
ing what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25.
Its hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian
and chase away a refugee or someone
seeking help, someone who is hungry or
thirsty, toss out someone who is in need
of my help.
Trump is not the wall, but the breach.
His rhetorical grenades have rolled back
into his own tent.
God made us dierently. People can is-
sue all the statements they want against
LGBT people; that will not change who we
are. Immigrants commit less crime; pun-
ishing people who were brought here as
children is gratuitous, damnable cruelty.
We must defeat the haters and hypo-
crites who are taking sledgehammers
to American principles. Those principles
must be at the core of our message or we
will lose, and see Lady Libertys beacon of
hope snued out. No greatness there.
Copyright 2017 by Richard J. Rosendall.
All rights reserved.
VOLUME 48 ISSUE 36
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON
Do congressional Republicans have any cojones?
They should join with
Democrats to oppose
Trumps agenda
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights
and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.
What we need now are a few Republi-
can members of Congress to show they
have some cojones. If they do and join
with Democrats to stand up to the na-
tional embarrassment currently residing
in the White House things could get done.
If not enough of them have this vital body
part and instead follow in lock step with
the president we will continue to see the
nation move backwards.
Congress is returning from vacation,
surely some thought it was hard earned
but I question if they did any work while
they were here, and now faces a slew of
important issues they must deal with.
First, they must pass legislation raising
V I E W PO I NT
Confronting homophobia among African journalists
These aliens have depraved
minds and need counseling
By MS. LAGOS
Please drop this gay stu. We are done
with it.
Those were the exact words of Michael,
a renowned human rights journalist and
the group administrator for the Journalist
Group, the largest network of more than
250 veteran and upcoming African jour-
nalists on WhatsApp.
With a membership guideline that
states the group is apolitical, devoid of
biases, promotes professionalism and
sound judgment and a training ground
for undiluted journalism and human
rights causes, I wouldnt have been taken
aback when banter of words on LGBTQ is-
sues ensued on such a platform.
It is no longer news that Nigerias Same
Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2013
signed into law by then-President Good-
luck Jonathan on Jan. 13, 2014, has made
it impossible for people of the same sex to
engage in any form of civil union or same-
the debt ceiling; a measure simply allow-
ing the government to spend what Con-
gress previously approved. Then pass a
budget to keep the government open and
functioning beyond Sept. 30. This appears
beyond their capabilities so its likely they
will put that o and pass a continuing
resolution extending the current budget
through December to keep the govern-
ment open.
Then the thorny issue of relief for vic-
tims of Hurricane Harvey. The cost of
that will be counted in billions. Trump
is requesting a down payment of $7.9
billion now with estimates of the long-
term cost as high as $200 billion. Hypo-
crites like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) who
opposed federal relief for victims of
Hurricane Sandy is now begging for
relief for his state. While it would be
karma to tell him to f-off it would be
cruel to do that to the people who are
suffering in Texas. Lets hope they rec-
ognize his worthlessness and vote him
out of office.
One of the roles of the federal govern-
ment is to assist people in need when pri-
vate charity and local/state government
cant meet their needs. I hope the voters
in Texas will recognize part of what added
to their problems today were their votes
sex marriage.However, since the passage
of the law, there have been widespread
inhumane treatments by law enforcement
agents and some members of the public
who have taken the laws into their own
hands against the LGBTQ community.
It is however worrisome that a journal-
ist who is supposed to set news agendas
freely discusses and criticizes the activities
of both the authorities, civil and private
structures have become the inhumane
sword that pierces the innocent souls of
mankind. I would have thought that my
profession as a journalist is meant to
respect the right of society to objective
truthful information and a whole spec-
trum of opinions on certain issues.
Anita, a veteran journalist on radio with
25 years work experience wouldnt hear
of it! Her disdain for the LGBTQ commu-
nity pierced my soul as I scrolled and read
through the group chat for the day.
Gentlemen of the press, we cannot
and must not discuss, lest interview any-
one perceived to be gay or lesbian on
our radio or television stations. It is not
only an abomination but it oends pub-
lic sensitivity and therefore NTBB (not to
for politicians who refused to recognize
climate change and didnt pass regula-
tions that would have made their cities
safer and encouraged more to have ood
insurance. Yes it was an epic ood but
the lack of regulations and building codes
have made it worse. Congress needs to
act quickly to provide relief and then also
take into consideration climate change
and insist on a change in housing codes
and how we determine ood plains as
they reauthorize the federal ood insur-
ance program.
Then Congress must act quickly to re-
authorize the Childrens Health Insurance
Program (CHIP), which covers about nine
million children and expires on Sept. 30.
This is one of the side eects of Congress
not being willing to pass some actual xes
to the Aordable Care Act and instead
playing games with its failed repeal and
replace eorts.
Once they do all of this, and it may
be overly optimistic to think they can,
they will have to begin work on the ac-
tual budget, which they will have kicked
down the road with a continuing reso-
lution. This will be the beginning of the
real face-o with the failure now in the
White House.
This is when we will know if enough
be broadcast), she said. In fact the truth
is that these aliens have depraved minds
and need psychological counseling.
Was I angry at her analysis or choice of
words? Not really. I was rather perplexed
by this generation of veterans who young
journalists should learn the ethics of jour-
nalism from have taken the toll of uncon-
structive journalism, a voice for the voice-
less that is now the medium of hate speech.
Listening to the radio and television for
the latest news stories, I was glad to hear
that a new law is being proposed that will
categorize hate speech as terrorism.
I am aware that hate speech is speech
that attacks a person or group on the
basis of attributes such as race, religion,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or
gender but in Nigeria where her laws are
discriminatory and have become a tool
being used by the law enforcement agen-
cies, members of the public and worse,
journalists, to legitimize human rights
violations perpetrated against LGBTQ
people, can we say that this law is realis-
tic or better still the beginning of a light at
the end of the tunnel?
The journalist group chat went on and
SE P T E MBE R 0 8 , 2 0 1 7 2 3
Republicans actually have the cojones
to speak out for decency and human-
ity. Or will they all blindly go along with
defunding the arts and humanities; cut-
ting crucial medical research at NIH;
defunding public education in favor
of vouchers; cutting programs vital to
ghting climate change; cutting housing
programs for the poor; and destroying
multiple healthcare options for millions
of Americans? On the DACA program, it
will be important for Congress to turn
President Obamas executive order into
law now that Trump has announced
plans to kill it.
So all these issues are on Congresses
plate as they return to Washington this
week. This doesnt even take into con-
sideration tax reform, real immigration
reform, rebuilding the nations infrastruc-
ture, or passing the needed xes to the
Aordable Care Act. The most recent Gal-
lup poll shows only 16 percent of Ameri-
cans approve of how Congress is han-
dling their job. What they do on all these
issues will make that approval rating
better or worse. We can only hope they
will act in a way that will make Americans
proud; but based on the record of this
Congress, I wouldnt suggest anyone hold
their breath.
on, the hate speeches, the insensitivity
and narrow mindedness. I sighed! What
incorruptible injustice against mankind.
My fellow gentlemen of the press, May I
have your listening ears please? What has
someones sexuality got to do with their
ability to relate and behave like a human
being? These people are just like anyone
of us, if you have ever been discriminated
against because of your skin color, race,
religion or sex you will empathize with
this community. As journalists, I expect us
to be broadminded and stop being judg-
mental. Those who protest and shout the
loudest against what they know nothing
about should educate themselves and
stop being afraid.
We all bleed red and we are all humans,
and just like us straight sex people, they
also have a right to be here.
MS. LAGOS is a media expert specializing in
journalism with a distinction in MA global media
and communications from the University of
Coventry in the U.K. She is a fellow of the Bisi
Alimi Media Justice Fellowship and a human
rights producer for one of Africas largest
private network media stations.
2 4 S EPTE MB ER 08, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM VOLUME 48 ISSUE 36 SEPTEMBER 08, 2017 PAGE 25

Poet JOHN ASHBERY in the 1950s. His closeted youth provided inspiration for the longing
represented in some of his early poems.
PHOTO REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM KARIN ROFFMAN

Honoring Ashbery
Iconic poet remembered for emotionally bare works
By KATHI WOLFE

In June 1954, a gay poet in his late
20s sat desolately in the apartment he
was subletting on West 14th Street in
Manhattan. Hed been red from his job
and his lover had moved out. His misery
increased as he watched the Army-
McCarthy hearings on TV. McCarthy
linked homosexuals with subversives.
The young poet was John Ashbery
who would become one of the most
renowned of 20th and 21st century
poets. Ashberys work, like that of Emily
Dickinson or Walt Whitman, is, as Duke
Ellington used to say, beyond category,
died on Sept. 3 at age 90 at his home
in Hudson, N.Y. He is survived by his
husband David Kermani.
As his New York Times obituary notes,
Ashberys poetry is by turns playful and
elegiac, absurd and exquisite but more
than anything else, it is immediately
recognizable. Rutabagas, Day Duck
and lunch menus (sloppy joe on bun,
scalloped corn) appear in poems that
Ashbery wrote in sestinas and other
complex poetic forms.
Ashbery received so many awards that
to list even a fraction of them would be
mind-numbing. In 1976 alone, he was
awarded a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book
Award and the National Book Critics
Circle Award (for his collection Self-
Portrait in a Convex Mirror.) The many
other honors Ashbery received include
a MacArthur Foundation grant and the
Antonio Feltrinelli International Prize
for Poetry. In 2012, he was awarded the
National Humanities Medal by President
Barack Obama. In a nod to his inuence
on pop culture, Ashbery was the rst poet
laureate of MtvU (an MTV subsidiary).
Ashbery, who painted when he was
young and created some of his poetry with
collages, was also an art critic for many
years for Newsweek and other publications.
Ashbery was a, salutary presence
in modern poetry in his work, Poetry
Magazine Editor Don Share said in an e-mail
to the Blade. But he also, was generous
and kind to countless people: poets, of
course, but also his readers, many of
whom approached him in befuddlement,
Share said, which he always handled with
bemused, gentle grace.
Recently, The Songs We Know Best: John
Ashberys Early Life, by Karin Roman
was released. The biography takes us
from Ashberys childhood on a farm in the
village of Sodus in western New York to his
departure from Manhattan at age 27 to
live in Paris on a Fullbright fellowship.
Because he was so eminent and
his poetry wasnt what we think of as
autobiographical or political, its easy to
think Ashbery didnt suer much; that
he was another white, well-o man who
CONTINUES ON PAGE 35
2 6 S EPTE MB ER 08, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

S P O RTS S E PT E M B E R 08, 2017 27

PHOTO COURTESY D.C. UNITED

A new pride-themed clothing line for the Screaming Eagles launched this week.


Screaming Eagles pride
D.C. United fan group
launches LGBT-arming
clothing line
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com

Screaming Eagles, a supporters club

of hardcore fans of D.C. United, the
regional pro soccer team, are unveiling
their new pride-themed line of apparel
this weekend at the eighth annual United
Night Out.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, D.C. United will
play Orlando City SC at 7 p.m. at RFK
Stadium (2400 E. Capitol St., S.E.). Details
at dcunited.com.
In the works for about a year, the
new Screaming Eagles merchandising
eort, designed by the Mitchell & Ness
Nostalgia Co., will be available at the
game, at the team store at RFK through
the weekend, at mitchellandness.com
and at mlsstore.com. It was scheduled
to launch Thursday night at a party at
Maketto on H Street, N.E.
Nathan Fry, director of merchandising
for D.C. United and also one of the
Screaming Eagles approximately 1,100
members, says the line is unprecedented
in D.C. Uniteds history.
We feel they really knocked it out of
the park with the design, Fry, whos
straight, says. Screaming Eagles is not
a gay group but part of their messaging
is that theyre inclusive and they just
wanted to celebrate that inclusivity.
Fry says D.C. United has embraced
the line as well. Look for players to don
certain pieces from the collection at the
PHOTO COURTESY D.C. UNITED
Screaming Eagles pride-themed merchandising
is available in several dierent styles.
game this weekend.
The collection contains apparel for both
men and women. There are about eight
pieces of apparel, six pieces of headwear
and two scarves. Prices range from about
$22 for a hat to $80 for a mens hooded
sweatshirt. The line is being oered in a
highly limited run. There are only about
72 pieces being produced in each style
and theyre expected to go fast.
We expect these will be gone in a very
short period of time, Fry says.
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F I N A L I S T V O T I N G
28 S E PT E M B E R 08, 20 1 7
Long out of print, Tori Amos 1988 debut album with the band Y Kant Tori Read has been remastered
and digitally re-released.
NoTorious debut
88 Amos vehicle gets long
overdue re-release
By CHRIS GERARD
Most casual fans and writers refer to
Tori Amos classic 1992 release Little
Earthquakes as her debut album, but
thats not technically correct.
Four years earlier on Atlantic Records,
the young piano prodigy was the focus of
a band called Y Kant Tori Read, featuring
drummer Matt Sorum (the Cult, Guns N
Roses), guitarist Steve Caton (who would
continue working with Amos until their
acrimonious romantic breakup following
1994s Under the Pink) and bassist
Brad Cobb. The bands 1988 self-titled
S T A R T S S E P T . 1 1 T H ! debut was a spectacular op, although
in hindsight its one of those rare cases
when an albums failure is the best thing
that could have happened. Had Y Kant
Tori Read been successful, then Little
Earthquakes and the rest of Tori Amos
three-decade-and-counting career likely
would never have happened.
Y Kant Tori Read is an oddity in that
despite Tori Amos status as a major
singer-songwriter with a long string of
successful and acclaimed albums to her
credit, her debut has remained out of
print since shortly after its commercial
failure. Billboard Magazine famously
dubbed the album bimbo music in a
contemporaneous review and Amos has
made it clear she doesnt quibble with
that assessment. Often referred to as
hair metal, the album is actually more
middle of the road, new wave-inuenced
pop/rock with a bit of an edge. The hair,
fashions and production trappings are
very much of the 80s, and not in a good
way. Every imaginable cheesy cliche to
emerge from that most garish of musical
decades is represented.
Amos has been famously dismissive of
the album over the years, yet many die-
hard fans have been willing to plunk down
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
MU SI C
PHOTO COURTESY ATLANTIC
serious coin for original CD or vinyl copies.
With its 30th anniversary approaching, Y
Kant Tori Read has nally been made
available for fans in remastered form,
albeit in digital only. The release was
made with no announcement or warning,
surprising fans already stoked for Native
Invader, her new studio album due out
today (Friday, Sept. 8).
The sound improvement is signicant
and although many will view it as merely
a novelty, there are plenty of strong hints
of the monumental talent that Tori Amos
would harness more adeptly on Little
Earthquakes and other future classics.
The Big Picture was the lead single
and its a boisterous synth-rocker much
in the vein of something you might hear
from an 80s movie soundtrack. The video
is particularly cringeworthy, or amusing,
depending on your point of view. Much
better is the second single, Cool On Your
Island, which shows Amos burgeoning
gifts as a melodist and vocalist of the
highest degree, even if the lyrics are a bit
shallow compared to her future works.
Its the song from the album that shes
performed most frequently over the
years, in a stunning solo rendition that
gets to the core of songs true beauty
and heart. Fire On The Side is a searing
power ballad, while the lovely Floating
City foreshadows the more esoteric
imagery Amos would employ as she
honed her skills as a songwriter. The
suite-like Etienne closes the album with
an elaborate romantic fantasy that works
thanks to the conviction in Amos voice.
A handful of tracks, yes, are forgettable
junk.
And while the production is overblown
and dated and Amos had yet to nd her
direction as an artist, if nothing else Y
Kant Tori Read is a fascinating listen that
oers more casual fans who might not
have heard it a deeper insight into the
progression of one of the most important
singer-songwriters of our generation.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
Q UE ERY: 2 0 Q UE STIONS FOR SC OTT WHAL EN
SCOTT WHALEN
How long have you been out and who was
the hardest person to tell?
I came out my senior year of college, so
it has been seven years. During the initial
process, telling my straight guy friends was
hardest. My family was also hard. Ive only
been out to them for about two years.
Whos your LGBT hero?
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera
Whats Washingtons best nightspot, past
or present?
Im a big fan of Uproar. Ive found that the
people there are very real. For dancing I gotta
give it to Bossa in AdMo.
Describe your dream wedding.
A huge dance party with everyone I love
that has great food, music and booze.
What non-LGBT issue are you most
passionate about?
Protecting our environment and sensible
gun reform.
What historical outcome would
you change?
The election of Donald Trump as
our president.
Whats been the most memorable pop
culture moment of your lifetime?
Crying at work with a table I was waiting
on when we heard the news of Whitney
Houstons death.
On what do you insist?
Genuineness
What was your last Facebook post
or Tweet?
A picture of the blow up Rat Trump in
Dupont Circle and a call to borrow a pair of
leopard print heels.
If your life were a book, what would the
title be?
Clowning His Way Through
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you do?
I wouldnt change myself.
What do you believe in beyond the
physical world?
Everything in the universe is connected,
including me.
Whats your advice for LGBT movement
leaders?
We must be radically inclusive.
What would you walk across
hot coals for?
My friends and family.
What LGBT stereotype annoys
you most?
I immediately want to be your best friend
because Im gay and youre a girl.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
Its not a movie, but I was obsessed with
Queer as Folk as a young adult. Watching
that show gave me the courage to accept my
queerness.
Whats the most overrated
social custom?
Immediately asking people what they do
after meeting them for the rst time. Lets talk
about something more interesting than work.
What trophy or prize do you
most covet?
I dont really crave trophies or prizes.
What do you wish youd known at 18?
Its OK to embrace your feminine side.
Why Washington?
My friends and family are here. My theater
company is here. I love the big city feel and
the beauty of the neighborhoods. The art
scene is thriving.
SE P T E MBE R 0 8 , 2 0 1 7 2 9
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Young Playwrights Theater kicks o its performance season with a new
installment of its activist-oriented performance series Silence is Violence.
This latest iteration, the series fourth, is dubbed LGBTQ+You and will give
local performers space to explore the topic through drama, spoken word,
music, visual art and community engagement. Its Monday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m.
at Blind Whino (700 Delaware Ave., S.W.).
Among the performers are Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Xemiyulu Manibusan, J
Scales and more. Rayceen Pendarvis and Scott Whalen, PR director for Pointless
Theatre, will co-emcee. Tickets are $12 in advance online or pay-what-you-can
at the door. Details at yptdc.org. Patrons 18 and under get in free.
YPT does such an amazing job at providing opportunities for young people
to showcase their voices, Whalen, a 28-year-old Queen Annes County, Md.,
native says. This event takes that mission one step further by creating an
avenue for our queer youth to speak their truths. So often as queer people we
are told that these truths are invalid. I want our queer youth to know you
matter, your voice matters and you can aect change.
Scott Whalen stayed in the D.C. area after nishing college at University of
Maryland, College Park. He and a group of college friends started Pointless
Theatre, a company dedicated to creating bold, visceral and aordable
spectacles that gleefully smash the traditional boundaries between puppetry,
theater, dance, music and the visual arts, in 2010.
Whalen is in a relationship with Matt Reckeweg and lives in Petworth/
Parkview. He enjoys working in his ower garden, reading sci- and fantasy,
walking around the city and making art in his free time.
202.747.2077
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

30 SEPT E M B E R 08, 2017 O U T & A BO U T

RHETT
MILLER
OF OLD 97 S
W/ ANTHONY DAMATO
THURSDAY SEPT 7 By MARIAH COOPER

the
JAMES
BROWN
DANCE PARTY
THE FUNKIEST ALL-STAR
TRIBUTE IN SHOW BUSINESS
FRIDAY SEPT 8
SAT, SEPT 9
LUTHER RE-LIVES WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
PHOTO COURTESY POINT

W/ DREW OLIVIA TILLMAN

Point Foundation event
SUN, SEPT 10 White House protest for trans troops is Sept. 17
AN EVENING WITH BRASS-A-HOLICS helps LGBT students
News for Young Advocates Today (NYAtoday) hosts a protest dubbed Stand
TUES, SEPT 12 Up for Transgender Troops in front of the White House (1600 Pennsylvania The Point Foundation hosts its
NICOLE ATKINS W/ THE KERNAL Ave., N.W.) on Sunday, Sept. 17 from noon-3 p.m. Cornerstone Society Reception at Room &
The protest is in response to President Donald Trumps proposed military Board (1840 14th St., N.W.) on Thursday,
THURS, SEPT 14 ban against transgender troops. The group will come together to stand up for Sept. 14 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
THE FUNKY METERS transgender military service members. NYAtoday has organized other protests The benet will raise money to
W/ 7COME11 in the past including a youth march and an emergency protest of the American provide higher education scholarships,
Health Care Act bill. mentorship and leadership development
FRI, SEPT 15 For more information, visit facebook.com/nyatoday. to LGBT students. Point Foundation
CHRIS SMITHER W/ MILTON scholars and alumni will also speak on
their experiences with the foundation.
SAT, SEPT 16 Appetizers and craft cocktails from D.C.
NEWMYER FLYER PRESENTS DREAM DISCS: area restaurants including Cafe Saint-Ex,
THE ROLLING STONES Compass Rose, Fainting Goat, Republic,
STICKY FINGERS Lupo Verde and more will be featured.
Lesbian couple Emily Bruno and Julie
AND TOM PETTY & Verratti, owners of Denizens Brewing
THE HEARTBREAKERS Company, are seen here.
DAMN THE TORPEDOS Tickets are $100. Young Professional
tickets are $50. Tickets will also be sold at
SUN, SEPT 17 the door for $150. For more details, visit
PAUL KELLY pointfoundation.org/dc017.
W/ SPECIAL GUEST JESS CORNELIUS
TUES, SEPT 19 Washington National
SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 Opera oers Aida
W/ SAHEL
Washington National Opera performs
WED, SEPT 20
Aida, the classic opera by Giuseppe
RADNEY FOSTER Verdi, at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St.,
A SPECIAL ACOUSTIC CD/BOOK RELEASE PARTY N.W.) Sept. 9-23.
W/ CHAD ELLIOTT The opera tells the story of Aida, an
FRI, SEPT 22 WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY Ethiopian princess who is enslaved
by the Egyptians. While in captivity,
THE STEELDRIVERS she falls for military hero, Radams,
SAT, SEPT 23
Chefs for Equality is annual HRC benet who is also sought after by the king of
WILL HOGE W/ DAN LAYUS Human Rights Campaign hosts its sixth annual Chefs for Equality at Union
Market (1309 5th St., N.E.) on Tuesday, Sept. 19 from 6-11 p.m.
Egypts daughter. Tamara Wilson and
Leah Crocetto will rotate the title role.
THURS, SEPT 28 More than 100 of the D.C. areas top chefs will share their signature dishes. There Ekaterina Semenchuk and Younghoon
GOGO PENGUIN W/ THE MATTSON 2 will also be more than 100 mixologists oering hand-crafted cocktails and more Lee are also in the cast. Lesbian opera
than 20 pastry and sweet stations. Special chefs who will be in attendance include legend Francesca Zambello directs.
Kevin Tien, Carlie Steiner, Johnny Spero and Katsuya Fukushima, among others. There will be post-performance
Tickets are $200 and include access to the pre-reception and all chef tasting discussions with the artists on Sept. 10 and
stations. For more details, visit chefsforequality.org. Sept. 17-18. Tickets range from $45-300.
For more information, visit kennedy-
THEHAMILTONDC.COM center.org.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T H E A TER
MICHE BRADEN as Bessie Smith in Devils Music.
Best of Bessie
Bi blues behemoth comes
alive in bio-musical
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
There once was a thing called a buet
at. It was a sort of unlicensed after
hours club where black musicians and
assorted party people could carouse into
the wee hours far from the menace of Jim
Crow laws or other societal pressures.
And LGBT revelers were part of the scene.
A frequent visitor to these buet ats was
legendary blues singer Bessie Smith. Mosaic
Theater Companys season opener The
Devils Music: the Life & Blues of Bessie
Smith takes place in such a venue. It makes
the ideal setting for the openly bisexual
Smith to freely share her story.
Penned by Angelo Parra and staged by
Joe Brancato, The Devils Music takes
place in 1937 on the last night of Smiths
life. His ctional account has it that after
having been denied entry to a whites-only
theater, Smith (Miche Braden) repairs
with her band (Jim Hankins, bass; Gerard
Gibbs, piano; and Antony E. Nelson, Jr.,
piano) to the familiarity and comfort of
a nearby buet at where she sings for
the guests. What ensues is 85 minutes
of bawdy stories, booze and blues with
occasional glimpses of sadness and an
impending sense of doom.
Her story is epic: Born in 1896 and
raised dirt poor by an older sister, young
Smith sings for pennies on the streets
of Chattanooga. Her undeniable talent
secures her spot in the traveling show of
lesbian blues pioneer Ma Rainey. Smiths
star explodes with the recording of
Downhearted Blues and she becomes
the highest paid black entertainer in
America saving Columbia Records from
bankruptcy. Though her marriage to
philandering security guard Jack Gee is
Rocky, Smith nds solace and good times
in the arms of assorted chorus girls.
But things awry. The good Lord got a
way of gettin your attention when you
gits too high and mighty, says Braden as
Looking for a good old-fashioned house
S E PT E M B E R 08, 2017 31
party to meet mature men 35+?
HOS is hosting a private party.
Open bar and food buffet.
If youre interested in M4M
meeting face to face, come to this
Singles Party 2017.
**THIS IS NOT A SEX PARTY **
PHOTO BY STAN BAROUH; COURTESY MOSAIC
Sept. 23 7 pm - 1 am
South Plainfield, NJ
Close to all public transportation from NYC/Newark airport.
This is a nationwide invitation.
$30
Smith. Gee eeces Smith and questions Contact Tony for more information!
her ability to raise her beloved adopted
Call or text: (908) 930-9204
son. She loses custody of the boy.
Her career dims as swing music gains
popularity with the public.
Email: tyleeking@aol.com
Braden has been playing the title
role in The Devils Music for more You must register to be invited to this private event.
than 17 years, yet theres nothing rote
about her powerful, unimaginably fresh ** DRUGS ARE NOT ALLOWED **
performance. She possesses a strong
and clear jazz voice and decked out in
diamonds, fur stole and purple satin
gown (compliments of costume designer
Patricia E. Doherty) gives o a world
weariness and enduring star power as
the middle-aged, heavyset Smith.
The shows other star, of course, is
Smiths music. The standards that Braden
makes her own include that anthem to
independence Taint Nobodys Bizness If I
Do, a provocative version of St. Louis Blues
with sax player Nelson, and a particularly
heartbreaking I Aint Got Nobody.
Like other one-person memory plays,
this one too feels concocted from a tried-
and-true recipe. Yet playwright Parras
use of natural dialogue and Bradens
relaxed and colorful banter with the band
helps to break up the exposition.
Scenic designer Brian Prather recreates
a classy 1930s buet at warmly lit by
Todd O. Wren. There is lots of dark wood
and heavy furniture (overstued club
chair and big table crowded with chang
dishes and liquor bottles) and the walls
are a blow up of Archibald Motleys
painting Nightlife (1941) depicting
African Americans partying.
The fourth wall is torn down by Bradens
Smith. As she recounts her romantic
exploits with ladies, she teasingly catches
two women in the audience playing footsie.
THE DEVILS MUSIC: THE LIFE & BLUES OF
BESSIE SMITH
Through Sept. 24
Mosaic Theater Company
Atlas Performing Arts Center
1333 H St., N.E.
$20-65
202-399-7993
Mosaictheater.org

Some think I should dress more like
a woman. Some think I should dress
more like a man.
I may not fit some
ideas about gender,
and I am a proud
part of DC.
Please treat me the same way any
person would want to be treated:
with courtesy and respect.
Discrimination based on gender identity and
expression is illegal in the District of Columbia.
If you think youve been the target of
discrimination, visit www.ohr.dc.gov
or call (202) 727-4559.
OFFICE OF
GLBT
AFFAIRS
Show your support! Spread word of the #TransRespect
campaign by photographing this ad and sharing on Twitter.
32 S E PT E M B E R 08, 201 7
Mr. Perfect?
Close roommate
bond exposes whats
lacking with boyfriend
MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, Psy.D. is a licensed
psychologist who works with gay individuals
and couples in D.C. He can be found online
at personalgrowthzone.com. All identifying
information has been changed for reasons
of condentiality. Have a question? Send it to
michaelradkowsky.com
Hi Michael,
Im a 22 year-old gay man, living and
working in D.C. after graduating college
here this past May. I just started my rst
serious relationship (seven months so
far) but now my heart is not in it. The
problem is I am now crazy in love with
someone else.
At the end of June one of my two
roommates got an amazing job in New York
and decided to leave D.C. We had to ll the
space quickly and found Kyle on Craigslist.
I quickly fell for him in a big way. Of
course I think he is handsome and a
fantastic guy in every way. He works
for an organization that ghts cruelty
to animals; hes a really thoughtful
roommate; hes kind to everyone. Hes
very smart but doesnt show o at all. He
uses this shampoo that makes him smell
really good.
And of course he is straight. Meaning
he has a girlfriend.
But when were talking and hes looking
in my eyes I feel all this warmth and
caring that make me wonder if maybe he
likes me back. And we can sit for hours
talking. We have a lot in common, we see
the world similarly and he seems to nd
me as interesting as I nd him.
Obviously with all my focus on Kyle
and daydreaming about him I have pretty
much lost interest in Rick, who is sweet
and fun but doesnt come close to Kyle in
terms of, well, everything.
Do I tell Kyle how I feel in hope that he
reciprocates? Will that ruin our friendship
if hes not interested in me? Do I break
up with Rick no matter what? Or have I
just gone nuts and if I can stop thinking of
Kyle, I can be happy with Rick?
MICHAEL REPLIES:
There are a few ways you could play this.
First, you could explore the possibility
that Kyle is not-so-straight and is also
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A D V I CE
interested in you.
You fear you might ruin your friendship
if you let Kyle know how you feel. You
might, but you cant know that in advance.
From your description, if Kyle doesnt
reciprocate, its possible that he might
not be insulted or put o by another
guys interest. I can imagine, though, that
he might start feeling less comfortable
spending so much time with you because
he doesnt want to lead you on or be
subject to your nonstop adoring gaze.
And if Kyle isnt interested, how would
you feel about continuing to hang out
with him? Would you be able to put your
romantic feelings behind and enjoy the
friendship? Or would you feel awkward
with him going forward?
Now lets say Kyle turns out to be equally
infatuated with you. How serious is his
relationship with his girlfriend? Would he
possibly want to leave her for you? What
if he wanted to have an aair with you on
the side, or be in a relationship with both
of you? Would you want to be part of that?
Another angle to consider: Why are you
falling for Kyle now?
You are in your rst serious relationship,
when WHAM! you fall hard for another
guy. Coincidence? Or not? My hunch is
that you and Rick were getting a little too
close for your comfort and developing a
crush on Kyle may have served to relieve
some pressure. Consider these questions:
What was going on with Rick around the
time you fell for Kyle? Were the two of you
exclusive? Did Rick have stronger feelings
for you than you did for him? If so, were
you feeling uncomfortable or pressured?
Did you have a way to talk with Rick about
this or did you feel like you needed to nd
some way out?
And what was making this a serious
relationship? Were your feelings stronger
for Rick than theyd ever been for
another guy? If so, did this make you
uneasy? Remember, while intimacy
can feel wonderful, being really close to
someone also makes you vulnerable, which
isnt an altogether wonderful feeling.
I also wonder if it might have
been scary for you to be in a serious
relationship specically with another
man. Focusing on a likely unavailable,
likely straight guy could be your way of
taking a step back from fully committing
to life as a gay man.
Finally, consider that people we have
crushes on or aairs with usually seem
more exciting than the people were
actually involved with. This may be the
reason for your currently lukewarm view
of Rick. Or maybe, no matter what might
happen with Kyle, Rick is not really the
guy for you. Either way, before you blow
up your relationship and possible turn
your living situation upside down, look
long and hard at my questions.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
S P O RTS
Soccer has been a life-long passion for RORY MOLLEDA.
Team building
Soccer lover calls D.C. United
career very rewarding
By KEVIN MAJOROS
Rory Molleda knew growing up that he
wanted to work in professional sports.
He spent his youth attending D.C. United
games and right out of college, he landed
an internship with the organization. Six
months later, he was oered the position
of team coordinator and his lifelong
dream came true.
Molleda was born in Venezuela and
grew up in a soccer family. His father was
a professional soccer player in Spain and
Venezuela and his mother played soccer
at Virginia Tech. When he was 5, the
family moved to Alexandria, Va.
Except for a short stint in ice hockey,
his main sport was soccer and he was
part of a travel team playing year-round
by age 10. When it came time for college,
he ended up picking Gilford College, a
small liberal arts school in North Carolina.
It was big switch for me after attending
high school at Robinson which has 4,500
students. Gilford has an enrollment of
1,200 and 30 percent of the students
are athletes, Molleda says. The campus
has a hippie feel and it was like living in
a bubble. Its dierent from the rest of
North Carolina.
Molleda, who plays left midelder and left
wing, didnt get a lot of game time during his
rst two years at Gilford. His time spent on
the bench didnt detract from what it meant
to him to be part of a team.
It was great to contribute as a player
my last two years, Molleda says. But it
was those rst two years, traveling with the
team; it meant just as much to not play.
He says he had great support from his
family who came to games, with his mom
often coaching him from the sidelines.
During his senior year, his sister began
her four-year stint playing soccer for
Hofstra University.
After graduating with a sports
management and Spanish double major
in 2013, he moved back to the area and
began his internship with D.C. United in
operations, assisting with youth soccer
September
S E PT E M B E R 08, 2017 33
Celebrations
Show-tunes & Cocktails
Monday, September 11
Featuring Cabaret Style Sing Along
Live Entertainment
A presentation of: Theatre Washington
Never A Cover Charge
B runch Season Is Back!
Champagne Celebrations
Unlimited By The Glass
Saturdays A-La-Carte $29.95
PHOTO COURTESY D.C. UNITED Sunday Buffet $38.95
Voted 2016 TOP TEN Best Brunches
***
Under $10 - Daily Lunch Specials
Choice of Entres, Pastas, Salads or Burgers
***
Happy Hour $3-$4-$5-$6-$7
Appetizers, Martinis & Drinks - 4PM-7PM
tournaments. He sent his resume out to ***
Sky-Bar - Extending Summer
60 organizations before the oer came
$7.00 Champagne & Sparkling Drinks
from United. He coordinates the logistics
of team travel. Live DJ Wed-Sat - Different Vibe Nightly
***
My oce is in the locker room and I
get to hang out with professional athletes Chillin Patio Specials
every day, Molleda says. I am also
Pitchers, Platters, Buckets
***
traveling with the team once a month
and am the person responsible for
Wine Flights
setting the players up to succeed in their
A Boutique Wine tasting Featured Nightly
To complement your dining experience
away games. Its very rewarding.
As for his own soccer career, he began 202-872-1126 www.BBGWDC.com 17th & Rhode Island Ave. NW
playing soccer with Metro Sports shortly Outdoor Events Ask About Our Simple Solutions Menus
after arriving back in the D.C. area. In
2016, he spotted the LGBT-based Federal
Triangles Soccer Club at Capital Pride
and signed up for a couple of their teams
in the District Sports leagues. This past
summer he played in their Summer of
Freedom league for the rst time.
I didnt come out until after college
and I had no idea that gay soccer was
a thing, Molleda says. It is special to
have so much in common with a group
of people. Joining the Federal Triangles
has had a positive impact on me and has
changed my life.
Along with playing several nights a
week with the Triangles, Molleda also gets
to play soccer at work once a week with
oce workers, trainers and coaches. He
initially struggled with what it meant to be
gay in the world of professional sports but
has taken some inspiration from openly
gay LA Galaxy player Robbie Rogers.
A co-worker asked about the HRC
sticker on my car and I lied, Molleda
says. Since that moment I dont live in Logan Circle/NW DC $235,000
fear anymore. I am just living my life and
doing the things I want to do.
Molleda says that making an
WALK SCORE OF 97!
announcement at work would be a Nicely updated Mid-Century modern studio
distraction from the team and he prefers located in the heart Logan Circle. Enjoy the
to let it happen naturally. Recently three updated kitchen and bath, fresh paint through-
United players walked by while he was in out, attractive wood oors, generous closet
line at Nellies Sports Bar and they just space, convenient front desk service,no living
waved and said, Hey. unit above and a rooftop pool too! A myriad of
There have been support moments, amenities right outside your front door.
especially from Ben Olsen (United 1440 N Street NW #905 JUST LISTED
head coach), and I consider that a good OPEN SUNDAY 1-4PM
armation of acceptance, Molleda says.
We all want normalcy in our sports
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environment and I am incredibly happy
to be a part of this team. 703-593-3204 WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET

3 4 S EPTE MB ER 08, 2017
E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.
com two weeks prior to your event. Space is lim-
ited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.
TODAY
The Imperial Court of Washington
hosts Crowns on the Town Out of Town
Show at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) today
at 6 p.m. Charted buses will transport
guests on a bar tour. The rst stop will
be the Out of Town Show featuring
performances by non-D.C. reigning
monarchs, past monarchs and more.
Tickets are $30 and include transportation
and admission to all bars. For more
details, visit imperialcourtdc.org.
D.C. Fray Softball hosts Night Out
for the Nationals vs. Phillies game at
Nationals Park (1500 S Capitol St., S.E.)
tonight from 7:05-10 p.m. Seating will
be in the Scoreboard Pavilion. Tickets
are $25 and include drink specials at
Due South (301 Water St., S.E.). For
more information, visit facebook.com/
dcfraysfotball.
Out singer Tom Goss performs at
Bear Happy Hour at Town (2009 8th St.,
N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Admission is free.
For more details, visit facebook.com/
tomgossmusic.
The Embassy Row Hotel (2015
Massachusetts Ave., N.W.) hosts a LGBT
womens happy hour today from 4-7
p.m. For more information, visit facebook.
com/embassyrowhotel.
Gamma D.C., a support group for men
in mixed-orientation relationships, meets
at Luther Place Memorial Church (1226
Vermont Ave., N.W.) today from 7:30-
9:30 p.m. The group is for men who are
attracted to men but are currently or were
in relationships with women. Meeting
locations are in private residences. For
more information about the group and
location, visit gammaindc.org.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 9
Federal Triangles Soccer Club hosts
United Night Out for D.C. United vs.
Orlando City at RFK Stadium (2400
E Capitol St., S.E.) today from 3-10
p.m. Tickets are $25 and include a
commemorative scarf. The tailgate starts
at 3 p.m. in Lot 8. For $10 attendees can
enjoy food and unlimited beer. Game
starts at 7 p.m. For more information,
visit facebook.com/federaltriangles.
The Cherry Fund hosts the Barry
Smythers Fund, a mental health
fundraiser, at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.)
tonight from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. The event is
in honor of former Cherry Fund member,
Smythers, who unexpectedly took his life
last year. DJ Alex Acosta and DJ X Gonzalez
will play music. Tickets are $20. For more
details, visit facebook.com/cherryfund.
Distrkt C hosts Black Hole, a dance
party, at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd.,
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
CA LE N D A R
N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. DJ Joe
Pacheco and DJ Alyson Calagna will spin
tracks. Black party attire is suggested.
Tickets are $25. For more information,
visit distrktc.com.
Mixtape has its ninth anniversary
party at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight
from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. DJ Shea Van Horn
and DJ Matt Bailer will play music. Tickets
are $12. For more details, visit 930.com.
Casa Ruby hosts A Magical Night of
Dancing Gowns, its second annual D.C.
Trans Ball, at the Marriott Marquis (901
Massachusetts Ave., N.W.) tonight from 7
p.m.-midnight. Cash grand prizes will be
given away. For more information, visit
casaruby.org.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 10
The 39th annual Adams Morgan Day is
today in the Adams Morgan neighborhood
(18th St., and Colombia Rd.,) from noon-
6 p.m. There will be an arts market and
two music stages. Admission is free but a
$10 wristband will give attendees access
to discounted food and drink specials
all day. Participating restaurants include
Mellow Mushroom, the Town Tavern D.C.,
Johnny Pistolas, Rebellion D.C. and more.
For more details, visit facebook.com/
adamsmorganday.
Rainbow Families hosts a family picnic
at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
(4155 Linnean Ave., N.W.) today from
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Families are encouraged
to pack a lunch or purchase food at
the caf to eat on the lawn. There will
be lawn games including hula hoop,
badminton, jump rope and a putting
green. Families can get their face painted,
try on costumes and create an art project.
Adult tickets are $5. Children are free. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
ourrainbowfamilies.
MONDAY, SEPT. 11
Young Playwrights Theater (2437 15th St., WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
N.W.) presents Silence is Violence: LGBQ
+ You, a mixed arts experience celebrating Former D.C.-area resident TOM GOSS will sing at Bear Happy Hour at Town on Friday, Sept. 8.
D.C. LGBT youth, tonight from 7-9 p.m.
Rayceen Pendarvis will host. Performances
include Asha Santee from BOOMscat, Scott $10. Student/senior tickets are $7 with more details, visit biggaybookgroup.com
Whalen, J. Scales, Lady Dane Figueroa ID. Non-performing LTD alumni tickets or email biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com.
Eddie, Xemiyulu Manibusan. Tickets are are $5. Doors open at 7:55 p.m. For more The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight
$12 online and name your price at the details, visit latido.wixsite.com. at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th
door. Attendees 18 and under are free with St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations
ID at the door. For more information, visit TUESDAY, SEPT. 12 required and new comers welcome. If you
facebook.com/yptdc. need a partner, call 703-407-6540.
La Ti Do performs new musical theater Republic (6939 Laurel Ave., Takoma
songs at Bistro Bistro (1727 Connecticut Park, Md.) hosts Alegre Happy Hour, THURSDAY, SEPT. 14
Ave., N.W.) tonight from 8-10 p.m. Songs a LGBT happy hour, today from
will be from musicals created after 2010. 5-7 p.m. For more information, visit Nice Jewish Boys hosts a happy hour
Special guest Beth Amann will perform. republictakoma.com. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) tonight
Other performers include Carol Jean from 7-10 p.m. For more information,
Clark, Morgan DeHart, Michelle Moses- WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13 visit facebook.com/njbdc.
Einstein and more. Taylor Rambo will be The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd.,
the accompanist. Don Michael Mendoza Big Gay Book Group meets at the N.E.) hosts Hot Jock Night, featuring the
hosts the event. General admission D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight Highwaymen, tonight at 9:30 p.m. Guests
tickets are $15 at the door. Guests who at 7 p.m. to discuss Our Caribbean: A can enter the Hot Jock Contest for a chance
present a receipt for $25 at dinner at Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from to win jock straps, tickets to Distrkt C and
Bistro Bistro can purchase tickets for the Antilles, edited by Thomas Glave. For more. For more details, visit dceagle.com.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT SE P T E MBE R 0 8 , 2 0 1 7 3 5

Biographer helped catalog items in Ashberys home

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
had it made on Mount Olympus. But
Romans bio tells another story.
In his youth, Ashbery was teased for
being a sissy. Born in 1927, he couldnt
reveal his sexuality to anyone. When
Ashbery was 12, his brother Richard died
at age 10 from leukemia. While attending
Deereld Academy (through the largess
of a neighbor), he was taunted for being
queer. At Harvard, Ashbery met Frank
OHara and Kenneth Koch and other
emerging poets who would become his
close friends and collaborators. Yet he
still had to lead a double life, hiding his
sexuality from his hetero peers. In the
1950s, Ashbery worried that he wouldnt
be able to work because the McCarthy
era was so homophobic.
Roman, a senior lecturer in
humanities, English and American studies
at Yale University, talked with the Blade by
phone and email. She rst heard Ashbery
read when she was a graduate student in
the early 2000s.
I cant begin to describe the impact that
the reading had on me, Roman says.
She met John Ashbery when she taught
at Bard College, where Ashbery was an
emeritus professor.
It was my rst job after grad school,
Roman says. My students and I had
spent time on Ashberys art criticism
and his poetry. Im pretty sure I wouldnt
have contacted him, but my students had
questions and were clamoring for him to
come to our class.
Ashbery spent an hour and a half with
the class.
He couldnt have been more open or
generous, she says.
He invited Roman to see the house
where he and Kermani lived.
Because his poetry is so modern, I
thought his house would be modern,
she says, but I was stunned to nd it
was a 19th century Victorian home. It was
gloomy and cozy, English in feeling.
Roman was just nishing a book
(From the Modernist Annex) about
women writers and their domestic spaces.
Ashberys maternal grandparents
were supportive of him. His grandfather
was a genius. He was really encouraging
to John, she says. In his house, John
had objects like the objects in his
grandparents house.
Poet JOHN ASHBERY speaks at a book festival
in February, 2007.
PHOTO BY DAVID SHANKBONE VIA WIKIMEDIA
She began working with Ashbery
to catalogue the objects in his home.
Out of this eort was born not only
her biography of Ashbery, but a digital
project called John Ashberys Nest. The
site enables visitors to walk through
Ashberys house and to learn about the
objects that inspired many of his poems.
After giving her permission to write his
biography, Ashbery connected Roman
with a few of his close friends. After that,
he stayed out of the process.
During her research, Roman discovered
that Ashbery as a boy wrote in diaries in
coded language of his attraction to boys.
I dont think Ashbery planned to be
evasive in his poetry, Roman says. He
was drawn aesthetically to restraint.
Yet, there is emotional boldness in his
work, she says.
And when it became time to go/they
none of them would leave without the
other, Ashbery wrote in How to Continue,
an elegy for queer life before AIDS.
These are some hazards of the course,
he writes in Soonest Mended.
Its Ashberys way of describing what it
means to suer, Roman says.
Its understated, but moving. I go back
to his poetry to be reminded of what it is
to feel, to be alive.
KATHI WOLFE, a writer and poet, is a regular
contributor to the Blade.

ITS HAPPY HOUR AT THE ZOO!

Join us from 4 to 6 p.m. on the Panda Overlook at the Smithsonians National Zoo. Every ThursdaySunday in
September and October, you can enjoy food and beverage specials in a casual, one-of-a-kind outdoor setting (weather
permitting)all while supporting the Zoos mission to save species. Drink now, but feel good about it in the morning.
nationalzoo.si.edu

Happy Hour_9.75x5.625_v3.indd 1 9/5/17 12:04 PM


ackermanbrown.com
3 6 S EPTE MB ER 08, 2017
REALESTATE
How to get the best offer for your home
Make an objective
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While its true that most people want to
get as much money as possible from the
sale of their home, not everyone knows
how to reach that goal. You cant change
the location of your home and you cant
make a rambler into a colonial but you
can make your home look its best to buy-
ers by making some improvements. The
first step in preparing your home for sale
is to take a good look at it objectively.
Updating the dcor and staging your
home may earn you a return of three- to
four-times the money invested. For ex-
ample, if you repaint the kitchen cabinets
and refresh room walls with current color
palettes, you may spend $5,000, but you
will probably get back $15,000 in the sale
of the home.
The kitchen will still give you the best
return on your pre-sale home improve-
ment dollars. Kitchens get the most atten-
tion when buyers value a house. If its ne-
glected and dated, they devalue the price;
if it shows well, they mentally increase the
property value. Spend your dollars here
first. If the cabinets are in good shape, but
need an updated look, you may get away
with simply painting them. Remove dated
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space in the kitchen, try to create some.
Put a table in the adjacent family room
or two bar stools next to a counter over-
hang, which can be created when you re-
place the countertop. Eating space in the
kitchen is essential.
If you want to keep improvements to
a minimum, invest in paint and staging.
Websites such as pinterest.com or houzz.
com can offer you many ideas for painting
and staging. If you dont have the time or
interest, many real estate agents will assist
you with choices that can make the house
Paint and staging go a long way in improving the look of your home.
look bigger and brighter. Trust your real PHOTO COURTESY OF DONNA EVERS
estate agents counsel for home improve-
ments, as this is what they do day in and
day out, and their job is to get you the can be cleaned up quickly for showings. how to get the most money for their
most money for your home. It helps if you have a few weeks, or homes, I can tell you these changes and
For painting, neutrals and soft colors preferably, a few months of lead-time for improvements really do pay you back
on the walls are generally best, with white getting your home ready for listing. These many times over.Good luck, and remem-
paint for trim and moldings. Heavy cur- home improvement recommendations ber, give yourself enough time to get your
tains and blinds should also be updated will pay off. The alternative, selling your home ready for sale.
or removed. Shampoo or remove worn house without these changes, will get you
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