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SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 VOLUME 48 ISSUE 39 AMERICAS LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Fag, crosshairs scrawled on

Squirt billboard in Shaw station

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com

A poster-size ad for the gay online hookup site Squirt.org

located in the Shaw-Howard University Metro station was defaced
sometime in the past week with an anti-gay slur written with a
pen, according to a Sept. 22 statement released by Squirt.org.
The statement calls the defacement an act of homophobic
vandalism. It says the ad consists of two clothed men, with
one having his arm around the other.
The culprit used what appears to be a permanent marker to
deface the two men, placing rie scope marks on their foreheads,
the Squirt.org statement says. They also wrote the word GAY
on one of the mens arms, and a gay slur on the other.
The statement doesnt disclose what the slur said. But in
response to a Blade inquiry, a Squirt spokesperson said the
slur was the word fag.
When contacted by the Washington Blade, a Metro
spokesperson released a brief statement conrming the
incident occurred.

An ad for the Squirt hookup app was vandalized in the Shaw-Howard University Metro station. CONTINUES ON PAGE 04

U.S. agencies at odds as deceased
skydivers case goes to court
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
NEW YORK Two U.S. agencies the Justice
Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission were at odds Tuesday in arguments
before a federal appeals court over whether
existing civil rights law bars anti-gay employment
discrimination.
Meanwhile, judges on the U.S. Second Circuit Court
of Appeals gave conicting signals on whether Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination
against lesbian, gay and bisexual workers, making a
ruling in favor of gay rights anything but assured.
Arguing the Trump administrations position that
lesbian, gay and bisexual people have no protections
under Title VII was Deputy Assistant Attorney
General Hashim Mooppan. That position is new for
the Justice Department and came about after the
conrmation of U.S. Attorney General Je Sessions.
Chief among Mooppans arguments was that
CONTINUES ON PAGE 17

V O T I N G E N D S O C T O B E R 1 S T
VOTE NOW AT BESTOFGAYDC.COM
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LGBT seniors call for greater outreach by city
Concerns over safety,
suicide, meals program
surface at town hall
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Concerns over public safety, social
isolation, and whether the city should
oer programs specically designed for
LGBT seniors were among the topics
that surfaced Monday night at an LGBTQ
Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the D.C.
Oce on Aging.
About 50 people turned out for the
meeting, including nearly a dozen D.C.
government ocials and city contractors
involved in senior programs. The event
took place at the citys Hayes Senior
Wellness Center at 500 K St., N.E.
The sentiment of most of the seniors
who attended could not be determined
because they chose not to speak. But
among the half dozen or so who spoke,
most expressed concern that the Oce
on Aging was not doing enough to reach
out to LGBT seniors to inform them of the
oces programs.
Laura Newland, the oces executive
director who served as moderator of the
meeting, told of her eorts over the past
two years since she began her tenure
as director to ensure that the oce and
all of its programs would be safe and
welcoming places for LGBT seniors.
I think it was really productive, she said
in assessing the 90-minute meeting after
it ended. It was a rst step. I was really
pleased with the amount of community
members who came, the number of
providers who showed up, she said.
So I think really for us its a great
community eort for where we need to
be, Newland said. So I look forward to
working together with the community on
doing better and doing more.
David Mariner, executive director of the
D.C. Center for the LGBT Community and
a longtime critic of the Oce on Aging,
Squirt ad vandalized on D.C. Metro
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
Metros advertising contractor
responded to a report of an ad being
vandalized that was received Thursday
evening, said Metro spokesperson
Richard Jordan. The ad was cleaned at
10:20 a.m. Friday. There are no police
reports regarding this matter, Jordan said.
Squirt.Org describes itself in the
statement it released about the D.C.
Metro vandalism incident as an online site
I was really pleased with the amount of
community members who came, said
LAURA NEWLAND, executive director of the
citys Oce on Aging, of Tuesdays town hall
meeting.
emerged during the meeting as the oces
most vocal critic, saying it has not improved
its services for LGBT seniors in the nine
years he has been observing its programs.
Mariner said his main concern was
what he called the Oce on Agings
longstanding reluctance to create an
LGBT specic congregate lunch program
similar to the daily lunch programs it
oers to other constituency groups such
as Latino and Asian American seniors.
Newland has said the DCOA sponsors
or arranges for 50 congregate lunch
programs in locations throughout the city.
Most are open to everyone and are not
specic to a constituency group. She told
the Blade in an interview earlier this month
that DCOA employees and contractors
that carry out DCOA programs have been
given LGBT-related competency training
and have become sensitive to the specic
needs of LGBT seniors.
The oce has worked hard to create a
safe space for LGBT seniors in all of its
where men meet other men for sex, fun,
and friendshipTrue to its tagline, Hot n
horny hookups, Squirt.org is a completely
uncensored hookup/cruising site for gay,
bi, and curious men who want to skip the
pretense of dating and get right to the sex.
The statement says one of its Squirt.org
transit ads posted in Miami was destroyed
in an act of vandalism in 2016 in the only
other such case reported. But it says the
D.C. incident was the rst time slurs were
written across one of its posters.
programs, Newland said.
But Mariner pointed out at Tuesdays
town hall meeting that information he
obtained from a Freedom of Information
Act request last year shows that less than
one percent of the seniors involved in
any Oce on Aging programs identied
as LGBT. He said that in most other
major U.S. cities, including New York, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago, a
much higher percentage of LGBT seniors
participate in senior programs similar to
those oered in D.C.
Nearly all of the other cities, Mariner
said, have adopted LGBT specic
congregate lunch or meal programs for
LGBT seniors.
Its oensive to me as a gay man to
be told it is appropriate to do something
in the Chinese Cultural Center, it is
appropriate to do something in the
Hispanic Cultural Center but doing
something specically for gay people or
for LGBTQ folks no, hands o, he said.
Newland said she has discussed
this issue with Mariner in private
conversations and has informed him
that she and the DCOA are open to
considering creating an LGBT specic
congregate meals program if it can be
shown that a signicant number of LGBT
seniors are interested in such a program.
She noted that some LGBT seniors have
told her they prefer dierent types of
programs and dont necessarily favor an
LGBT specic congregate meals program.
So the conversations that you and I
have had have been if there is a real need
and desire for a congregate meal site in
this city then lets have a commitment,
lets see the number of people who are
interested in this, Newland told Mariner.
And then based on the numbers lets
talk about location, lets talk about what
might make sense, she said.
Newland also took exception to
Mariners claim that less than one percent
of LGBT seniors attend Oce on Aging
programs.
LGBTQ seniors do go to our
We have never experienced this
kind of homophobic vandalism on our
billboards before, the statement quotes
Attila Szatmari, the Digital Business
Director for Squirt.orgs parent company,
Pink Triangle Press, as saying.
This is our rst campaign in Washington,
D.C. since the Trump administration came
to power and it is very sad to see the
change in behavior, Szatmari says in the
statement. It seems that some people
feel that it is okay to spread homophobic
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
LO CA L N E W S
programming, she said. The question is
whether they are out and whether they
feel comfortable being out. So I dont
agree with you. There are people who
dont identify, and thats a problem. I
want them to identifyIm committed to
saying how can we support a safe space
specically for LGBTQ seniors.
On a separate topic, a senior in the
audience who said he was a transgender
man expressed concern about his physical
safety while walking in his neighborhood
in Ward 6 near the Southwest Waterfront.
He said other LGBT seniors he knows are
uncomfortable talking to D.C. police ocers
out of fear of being subjected to ridicule.
D.C. Police Ocer Joe Morquecho, a
member of the departments LGBT Liaison
Unit who attended the town hall meeting,
urged anyone encountering public safety
issues to contact the commander of the
police district in which they live.
James Sweeney, a member of the local
LGBT Catholic group Dignity Washington,
told the meeting at least two gay seniors
associated with the group committed
suicide in recent years. He said social
isolation of LGBT seniors is an issue he
and other Dignity members have become
aware of. He suggested that the D.C. Oce
on Aging consider creating a telephone
hotline for seniors who need someone to
talk to as a suicide prevention measure.
Newland called the suggestion an
excellent idea and said she would take
immediate steps to look into creating
such a hotline. She said she liked
Sweeneys suggestion that it be staed by
volunteers consisting of seniors.
Wes Morrison, an LGBT adviser to the
American Association of Retired Persons,
told the meeting many LGBT seniors
were unaware of the DCOAs services and
activities, including the town hall meeting.
He suggested that DCOA ocials post
notices about their program in locations
frequented by LGBT seniors, including
gay bars.
messages. The Trump administration
needs to work on uniting America and
making sure that people feel safe,
regardless of their sexual orientation,
race, or religious beliefs, she said.
The Squirt.com statement says as of early
this week no one has taken responsibility for
the D.C. incident. It says the D.C. Metro ad
went up Sept. 4 and will run until Oct. 1.
Squirt.org intends to continue to
advertise across the United States, including
Washington, D.C., says the statement.
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0 6 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017
Arrest made in Baltimore murder
Male victim last seen at
Grand Central gay bar
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Baltimore City police this week arrested a
52-year-old man, whose photo they released
days earlier as a person of interest, for the
Sept. 3 beating death of George Ted Yurek.
Police said Yurek, who was also 52, was
found about 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 in
an alley near the Baltimore jail suering
from a severe head wound. He was last
seen alive by friends and family members
at the Baltimore gay bar Grand Central
the night before he was found in the alley,
police said.
On Sunday, Sept. 24, police charged
Eric Jones, a resident of the unit block of
North Gilmore Street in Baltimore, with
rst-degree murder in connection with
Yureks death. At the time of his arrest
police said Jones had two unrelated
warrants pending against him, one for
Trans students lead effort to defend Frederick County policy
Lawsuit cites fears of sexual
assaults in locker rooms
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A group of transgender students and
their supporters in Frederick County,
Md., have emerged as the leading force
in defense of a controversial policy
approved in June by the countys Board
of Education to protect transgender
students from discrimination in the
public schools.
The policy, among other things, allows
students to choose which bathroom or
school locker room to use based on the
gender with which they identify regardless
of the gender they were assigned at birth.
It also allows transgender students to
participate in sports that are consistent
with their gender identity.
Gender identity is a protected status
in Frederick County Public Schools,
the policy declares. The purpose of
this policy is to prevent discrimination,
harassment, and bullying of students
who are transgender or who are gender
nonconforming and to create school
cultures that are safe, welcoming, and
arming for all students, it states.
After several months of deliberations
and public hearings the Frederick
County Board of Education approved the
sweeping policy on June 14 by a vote of 5
rst-degree assault and the other for
failing to register as a sex oender.
He was waiting to appear before a
court commissioner on Monday morning,
Sept. 25, according to a police statement.
A police spokesperson on Monday said
details of how police identied Jones as
Yureks alleged killer could not be publicly
released until charging documents
were led in court later in the day. But
the spokesperson said police were in
possession of surveillance camera video
footage that showed Jones in the area
where the attack took place.
At the time police found Yurek in the
alley in the 1000 block of Brentwood
Avenue suering from massive head
trauma he was still conscious and told
ocers he had been beaten the night
before by an unknown male. He died a
short time later at a hospital.
Last week police released a photo of
a male they described as a person of
interest in the case and called on the
public to help them identify that person.
Whats been inspiring to see are these
transgender student activists on the ground
responding to this lawsuit, said MARK
PROCOPIO, executive director of Free State
Justice.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
to 1 with one board member absent and
not voting. School ocials said the county
school system had been carrying out the
policy in practice for the past several
years and the vote by the school board
essentially codied what had already
been in eect.
But the vote in June prompted
opponents to turn out in full force at the
ERIC JONES was arrested in the beating
death of George Ted Yurek.
PHOTO COURTESY BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Baltimore Police Department
appealed to the citizens of Baltimore,
and shortly thereafter obtained
information that would ultimately lead
to the identication of a suspect and the
meeting in which the vote took place,
claiming the policy would violate student
privacy and lead to sexual assaults in girls
bathrooms and locker rooms.
The opponents dismissed assertions by
school ocials that the policy includes a
provision allowing any student the option
of using alternate bathroom or locker
room facilities if they are uncomfortable
using facilities that transgender students
might use.
The scope of the opposition intensied
in August when an attorney associated
with the anti-LGBT legal group Alliance for
Defending Freedom led a lawsuit calling
for overturning the policy. The lawsuit
was led in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Maryland on behalf of a female
student and her mother, whose identities
are disguised with the pseudonyms Mary
Smith and Jane Doe.
In what some legal observers have
called unusually inammatory language,
the lawsuit compares a policy that it says
would force children to undress and
shower with or in front of members of
the opposite sex, to the imagery from
the horrors of Nazi death camps our
nation valiantly liberated through victory
in World War II.
The unidentied minor plainti, said to
be a 15-year-old girl, is concerned that
at any moment a male who identies as
female will enter her bath facility at school
and she will feel humiliated, embarrassed
and violated, the lawsuit states.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
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obtaining of an arrest warrant, police
said in a Sept. 24 statement.
On Sept. 23, 2017, members of the
Warrant Apprehension Task Force, K-9
Ocers, and SWAT [Team] arrested
52-year-old Eric Jones of the unit block
of N. Gilmore St., in the 900 block of
N. Eutaw Street, without incident, the
statement says.
Jack Knapp, a friend of Yureks, told
Baltimores Fox 5 News that he and his
mother were with Yurek and some of Yureks
family members, including Yureks mother,
at Grand Central the evening before Yurek
was found wounded in the alley.
Prior to Sundays arrest of Jones a
police spokesperson said homicide
detectives were trying to nd out what
prompted Yurek to leave the gathering at
Grand Central with his friends and family
members to go to the location where the
then unidentied person attacked him.
The Washington Blade will provide an
update when additional information surfaces
in court records and charging documents.
Such humiliation, stress and
government pressure has made minor
Plainti feel belittled, ostracized if
she were to speak out and request
privacy, and intimidated into potentially
undressing in front of males in her locker
room just to avoid the stigma of being
required to leave, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit calls on the court to approve
a permanent injunction forcing the school
system to discontinue the policy.
The 34-page lawsuit names the Frederick
County Board of Education and each of
its seven members as defendants. Also
named as defendants are the Frederick
County Public Schools and schools
Superintendent Theresa Alban.
Mark Procopio, executive director
of Free State Justice, a Maryland LGBT
legal advocacy group, recently formed a
group called Support Frederick County
Public Schools Trans Students. It has
been arranging for trans students, their
parents and supporters to speak out in
support of the policy.
According to Procopio and Dana Beyer,
executive director of the transgender
advocacy group Gender Rights Maryland,
none of the predictions of dire problems
in the Frederick County schools has
materialized since the policy was adopted
in practice six years ago. And no such
problems have surfaced since the school
board approved the policy in June.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
N A T I O NA L NEW S
Trumps EEOC nominees wishy-washy on LGBT workplace rights
Nominees could reverse
protections agency found
under civil rights law
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
President Trumps nominees for the
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission during recent congressional
testimony described by one Democratic
senator as wishy-washy signaled
they may reverse the agencys position
that current federal law against sex
discrimination applies to LGBT people.
Under questioning during their
conrmation hearing on Tuesday, both
nominees Janet Dhillon, Trumps
choice to become the next chair of the
commission, and Daniel Gade, Trumps
choice to ll a vacancy were non-
committal about upholding EEOCs
determinations Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 forbids discrimination against
LGBT workers.
In fact, Dhillon, general counsel of
Burlington Stores and former general
counsel for the retailer J.C. Penney,
seemed ready to overturn ndings of
LGBT protections on the basis the U.S.
government should speak with one voice
on the issue.
Dhillon rst expressed a lack
of commitment to upholding the
determination Title VII applies to LGBT
workers under questioning from Sen.
Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat
on the Senate Health, Education, Labor
& Pensions Committee, although the
nominee said shes personally opposed
to anti-LGBT discrimination.
As chair of the EEOC on this issue, I
would be one of ve votes, Dhillon said.
What I can commit to you is a very careful
review and careful consultation with the
career professional sta at the agency
who have been working on this issue.
Dhillon pointed out the split among
circuit courts on the issue with regard
to sexual orientation and diering views
among U.S. agencies, prompting Murray
to interject as her time expired the
response sounds wishy-washy to me.
Gade, who served in the George W.
Bush administration on veterans issues,
military healthcare and U.S. disability
policy, was similarly non-committal about
upholding protections for LGBT workers
under Title VII.
Im personally opposed to
discrimination on the basis of...sexual
orientation or gender identity, and Im
committed to enforcing the law as its
written and as the court interpreted it,
Gade said.
In 2012, EEOC determined in the case
of Macy v. Holder that discrimination on
JANET DHILLON is President Trumps nominee for chair of the EEOC.
the basis of transgender status amounts the only way she could unify the diering
to sex discrimination and is unlawful positions of U.S. agencies is by dropping
under Title VII a position later adopted EEOC enforcement of the law to protect
by former U.S. Attorney General Eric LGBT people.
Holder during the Obama administration. Concluding her response, Dhillon
In 2015, EEOC reached a determination suggested only Congress could compel
sexual orientation discrimination was EEOC to protect LGBT workers, referring
unlawful under the same law in the case to a legislative solution.
of Baldwin v. Foxx. Baldwin responded by pointing to a
Although the Obama administration portion of Dillons opening testimony in which
never took a position with regard to sexual she called ling an employment complaint a
orientation, the Justice Department upon courageous act and justice delayed is justice
conrmation of U.S. Attorney General denied a principle the senator said can be
Je Sessions came out against gay doubly true for LGBT workers.
protections under Title VII in a friend-of- I only practiced law for a very brief
the-court brief led by the U.S. Second time many years ago, but when I
Circuit Court of Appeals. represented individuals who had been
The Trump administration hasnt said in discriminated against in the workforce on
so many words transgender people arent the basis of sexual orientation, bringing
entitled to workplace protections under a complaint in and of itself was denitely
Title VII, but that would be consistent a courageous act, potentially subjecting
with its reasoning for revoking Obama- them to additional discrimination, and
era guidance assuring transgender kids I agree with the point you made in your
access to school restrooms consistent testimony about the delay, Baldwin said.
with their gender identity under Title IX of It just strikes me of what youre saying
the Education Amendments of 1972. in terms of waiting to resolve dierences
Dhillon more clearly articulated the split is going to impact both of those in the
between the Justice Department and EEOC opposite way that you wanted.
and her view the administration should With respect to sexual orientation
speak with one voice under questioning discrimination, the courts are divided on
from Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who whether Title VII protects lesbian, gay and
invoked recent stories of a gay worker bisexual people. The U.S. Seventh Circuit
who won $50,000 in damages and a Court of Appeals has ruled the law aords
transgender worker who won $140,000 as them protections, but the U.S. Eleventh
a result of EEOCs intervention. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the
The challenge is that...while the EEOC opposite way. The U.S Second Circuit Court
has jurisdiction over the private workforce, of Appeals is reviewing the issue in en
and state and local government and banc consideration before the full court.
federal government, the Department The issue of whether Title VII applies to
of Justice actually enforces Title VII with transgender people is less controversial
respect to state and local government among the courts. Four federal appellate
employees, Dhillon said. So, I think courts the First, Sixth, Ninth and
its critical that the federal government Eleventh circuit courts of appeals have
ultimately speak with one voice on how unanimously determined employment
this statute is appropriately interpreted. discrimination against transgender
If Dhillon were conrmed to the EEOC, people is barred under the law.
SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 0 7
But all courts may soon be required
to interpret Title VII to apply to lesbian,
gay and bisexual people nationwide. A
petition led by the LGBT legal group
Lambda Legal is pending before the
Supreme Court calling for a nationwide
ruling asserting sexual orientation
discrimination is illegal under the civil
rights law. The petition doesnt address
the issue of gender identity.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) also had a hand
at asking the nominees about their views
on LGBT protections under Title VII. When
Kaine asked if they were opposed to LGBT
discrimination in principle, they both
replied yes with one-word responses.
The responses became more
complicated when Kaine asked if
they would vote to scale back EEOCs
protections for LGBT workers.
This goes back to what the statutory
language actually requires, Dhillon said.
And the challenge that we face currently
is that the EEOC has interpreted the
statute in one way and the Department
of Justice has interpreted the statute
another way in the very same case, which
is currently pending before the Second
Circuit. There is a split in the circuits. I
think the courts are wrestling with this
statutory interpretation issue as well.
Dhillon said the situation requires the
parties involved to come to a solution
without precisely identifying what the
solution for LGBT protections under Title
VII should be.
This has real human implications for
the people who are impacted, and for
their families, and its easy to give a quick
answer, but the issue is too serious to give
an easy, quick answers, Dhillon added.
Dhillon reiterated her support for a
legislative solution and predicted the
Supreme Court would ultimately make a
determination, but Kaine sought to pin
her down on her position until a nal
determination is reached.
I think the challenge here is that there
are conicting decisions out of dierent
circuit courts and the EEOC, though,
is bound by those decisions because
those are federal appellate courts, so the
agency is faced with really interpreting
the same statute in dierent ways with
regard to geography, Dhillon replied.
When Kaine asked if Dhillon would
enforce Title VII to protect LGBT people in
circuits that have found the law applies to
LGBT people, the nominee replied, Oh,
yes. But when asked about circuits that
have made no determination, Dhillon
said shed like to consult with the career
professional sta.
Kaine concluded by saying hes glad
Dhillon acknowledged the human costs of
ambiguity of whether federal law protects
LGBT people.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
N A T I O NA L NEW S
White House silent after nominee called trans kids Satans plan
Mateer also endorsed
discredited ex-gay
conversion therapy
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
The White House is remaining silent
in the aftermath of an explosive media
report that President Trumps pick for
a federal judgeship in Texas endorsed
widely discredited ex-gay conversion
therapy and called transgender kids part
of Satans plan.
Neither the White House, nor the
Justice Department, responded last week
to multiple Washington Blade requests
for comment on whether Trump stands
by his nominee in the aftermath of
criticism from LGBT groups.
As rst reported by CNN on Wednesday,
Je Mateer, nominated by Trump earlier
this month to serve as a U.S. district judge
for the eastern district of Texas, made the
controversial anti-LGBT comments in a
pair of speeches in 2015.
In a May 2015 speech, titled The Church
and Homosexuality, Mateer talked about
a Colorado lawsuit in which the parents
of a transgender girl sued her school for
blocking her from using the restroom
consistent with her gender identity.
In Colorado, a public school has been
sued because a rst grader and I forget
the sex, shes a girl who thinks shes a
boy or a boy who thinks shes a girl, its
probably that, a boy who thinks shes a
girl, Mateer said. And the school said,
Well, shes not using the girls restroom. in trouble because they gave biblical
And so she has now sued to have a right
to go in. Now, I submit to you, a parent of
three children who are now young adults,
a rst grader really knows what their
sexual identity? I mean it just really shows
you how Satans plan is working and the
destruction thats going on.
Those remarks are consistent with the
Trump administrations decision earlier
this year to revoke Obama-era guidance
to schools assuring transgender kids
access to the restroom consistent with
their gender identity.
Mateer, whos the currently rst
assistant attorney general of Texas, was
at the time general counsel of the First
Liberty Institute, a social conservative
advocacy group previously known as the
Liberty Institute.
In that same May 2015 speech, Mateer
said that a Supreme Court decision in
favor of same-sex marriage which had
not yet come out could pervert the
institution of marriage in disgusting ways
I submit to you that therell be no
line there, he said. And actually in the
arguments of Chief Justice Roberts, whos
in the center there said, I mean, what is the
limiting? Why couldnt four people wanna
JEFF MATEER called trans kids Satans plan.
SCREEN CAPTURE COURTESY OF YOUTUBE
get married? Why not one man and three
women? Or three women and one man?
And were gonna spare you some of those
slides. We actually have a presentation
that we get into it. And Ill tell you, we say
its PG-13, it may be R, or what do they call
the next one? NC-17 or whatever?
In separate remarks in November 2015,
Mateer lamented the push to ban ex-gay
conversion therapy at a conference hosted
by pastor Kevin Swanson, who gained
notoriety during the 2016 presidential
election for remarks insisting homosexuality
should be punishable by death.
Biblical counselors and therapists,
weve seen cases in New Jersey and
in California where folks have gotten
counseling and, you know, the issue is
always, its same sex, Mateer says in the
speech. And if youre giving conversion
therapy, thats been outlawed in at least
two states and then in some local areas.
So theyre invading that area.
Major medical and psychological groups
including the American Psychiatric
Association have come out against the
practice of conversion therapy, which is in
fact harmful to LGBT people.
Among those expressing condemnation
of Mateer after his remarks were revealed
was the Southern Poverty Law Center,
which has successfully sued organizations
that engage in conversion therapy.
David Dinielli, deputy legal director for
the Southern Poverty Law Center, said
Trump has once again demonstrated
his complete disregard for the LGBT
community by the nomination of Mateer.
Je Mateer has demonized the most
vulnerable members of our community
and expressed support for conversion
therapy the dangerous, fraudulent,
discredited and inhumane practice that
purports to change a persons sexual
orientation or gender identity, Dinielli
said. There is no place on our federal
SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 1 1
bench for people who harbor this sort of administrations latest slap in the face to
extreme and dangerous bias. LGBT people
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Unfortunately, the nomination
top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary of someone with Mateers explicitly
Committee, said in a statement Mateers homophobic and transphobic record
remarks cast serious doubt over his can no longer be described as shocking
capacity to serve as a federal judge. rather, its part of a larger pattern of
Je Mateer has expressed actions by this administration that seek
reprehensible views about LGBT to turn back the clock with respect to the
Americans, Feinstein said. Theres no progress that this country has made on
question these views cast serious doubt issues of LGBT equality, McGowan added.
on his ability to fairly enforce federal law Nan Aron, president of Alliance for
and treat people impartially, a subject Justice, said Mateers comments are
committee Democrats will be sure to among the most disgusting ever made by
tackle at his nomination hearing. a federal judicial nominee and called on
A Feinstein spokesperson said Mateers the administration to withdraw Mateers
conrmation hearing isnt yet scheduled nomination immediately.
and the nominee hasnt yet submitted We are already seeing a well-
his materials to the Senate Judiciary documented pattern of anti-LGBTQ bias
Commitee. Feinstein didnt ocially emerging among President Trumps
commit to voting no on Matter, the judicial nominees, most notably John Bush
spokesperson said, out of policy of and Damien Schi, Aron added. The
withholding a decision until after a Senates conrmation of Bush despite
conrmation hearing. his history of bigoted remarks stands as
Sharon McGowan, a former civil rights a shameful day in its history, and there
attorney at the Justice Department is no excuse for either the Senate or
under the Obama administration and this administration to advance another
Lambda Legals director of strategy, said nominee who has shown such hostility
the Mateer nomination is the Trump and hatred toward millions of Americans.
Yiannopoulos Free Speech
rally ops at Berkeley
Milo Yiannopoulos Free Speech rally at the University of California, Berkeley
on Sunday culminated in the former senior Breitbart editor being escorted away
by police after a 20-minute appearance.
The rally took place on the campus famed Sproul Plaza, known for being a
hotbed of student protests during the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s.
Yiannopoulos appeared to take seles with fans, sign copies of his book and led
the crowd of about 150 people in a rendition of the National Anthem.
Attendees had to pass through metal detectorsto receive access to the plaza
but hundreds of counter-protesters waited outside.
After 20 minutes, the 32-year-old right-wing commentator was led away by a
police escort. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the school spent $800,00
on security to keep him safe. During his Februaryappearance on campus, which
erupted into rioting, the school spent $600,00 on security.
Accordingto The San Francisco Chronicle, campus spokesman Dan Mogulof
called the event the most expensive photo-op in the universitys history.
The event was meant to be a much larger, four-day spectacle named Berkley
Free Speech Week. Yiannopoulos announced a lineup of conservative speakers,
including Ann Coulter and former White House chief strategist Stephen K.
Bannon. However, the event zzled after the student group and Yiannopoulos
failed to work out logistics. Some speakers, like Coulter, even announced they
were never planning on attending.
In a Facebook Live on Saturday, Yiannopoulos says he takes responsibility for
the poor organization of the rally.
I understand there were some hiccups with speakers, which I take personal
responsibility for, Yiannopoulos admitted. Although it was an error of my sta,
its down to me.
After the rally, Yiannopoulos posted on Facebook to complain that police
would not remove protesters, who he claims mued speeches, but promised
to return again next year.
MARIAH COOPER

1 2 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017
Hurricane Maria devastates Puerto Rico, St. Croix
It looks like nuclear
weapons went o
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
Residents of Puerto Rico have
begun the long recovery process from
Hurricane Maria that devastated the U.S.
commonwealth last week.
Pedro Julio Serrano, founder of Puerto Rico
Para Tod@s, a Puerto Rican LGBT advocacy
group, was volunteering at a shelter in the
Puerto Rican capital of San Juan when Maria
made landfall on the islands southwest
coast with 155 mph winds.
Serrano on his Facebook page wrote
his apartment received minor damages
during the hurricane. He said Maria
partially destroyed his parents home.
The silence is deafening, wrote
Serrano on his Facebook page on
Thursday afternoon. Only the coqus
(small frogs that can be found throughout
Puerto Rico) interrupt it.
Lisbeth Melndez Rivera, director of the
Human Rights Campaign Foundations
Latinx and Catholic Initiatives, on
Wednesday afternoon wrote on her
Facebook page that Maria ooded her
parents home in Caguas, a city that is
about 20 miles south of San Juan, and
destroyed their deck and fence. She said
her parents and family are ok.
Most of the island of remains without
power after Maria damaged its electrical
infrastructure that was already in
disrepair because Puerto Ricos debt
Trans woman running for Honduran congress
Rihanna Ferrera
would represent
Tegucigalpa if elected
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras A service organization who now lives near
transgender woman who is running for
a seat in the Honduran congress hopes
to make history in her countrys general
election in November.
Rihanna Ferrera is a candidate for the
center-left United Social Democratic and
Innovation Party (PINU).
She is running to represent the
department of Francisco Morazn in
which the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa
is located. Ferrera, who co-founded
Asociacin Cozumel Trans, a Honduran
trans advocacy group, would potentially
be the rst openly trans person elected
MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO attends a march in Havana on May 13. She was born in Puerto Rico
and has urged New Yorkers to support Hurricane Maria relief eorts.
crisis has prevented the utility company
from regularly maintaining it.
Authorities on Friday urged people in
the towns of Isabela and Quebradilla on
Puerto Ricos northwestern coast who
live downstream from a dam to evacuate
because ooding may cause it to fail.
Maria has also interrupted cell phone and
internet service on the island.
LGBT Puerto Ricans who live in the D.C.
area have been using Facebook to receive
information about their family and friends
who were on the island during Maria.
Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo on Friday led a delegation that
RIHANNA FERRERA could become the rst
openly transgender person elected to the
Honduran congress if she wins in November.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FERRERA
to public oce in the Central American
country if she wins on Nov. 26.
I want to participate in politics, Ferrera
told the Washington Blade on Sept. 21
during a telephone interview in Tegucigalpa.
A handful of other trans women have
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
traveled to Puerto Rico to help with
the Maria relief eort. He noted to
reporters before he left John F. Kennedy
International Airport that his state has the
largest Puerto Rican community outside
of Puerto Rico. President Trump has been
criticized for the administrations slow
response to the crisis, but he is scheduled
to visit the island next week.
The devastation wrought by Hurricane
Maria, which caused severe ooding
in Puerto Rico and knocked out power
across the island, has been especially
hard-hitting for our citys Puerto Rican
community, said New York City Council
run for oce in Honduras in recent years.
Kendra Stefani Jordany, who lives in the
city of San Pedro Sula, in March became
the rst trans person to ever win a primary
in the country when she was among the
Central American Parliament candidates
who advanced to the general election.
Claudia Spellman, the former director
of a San Pedro Sula-based HIV/AIDS
D.C. with her wife after receiving death
threats, ran for the Honduran congress
in 2012. Victoria Gmez, who was also
a candidate in the same election cycle,
has sought asylum in Spain after she was
threatened and attacked in Tegucigalpa.
Both Spellman and Gmez were
candidates for the leftist Liberty and
Refoundation (LIBRE) party.
I want to be a candidate, Ferrera told
the Blade. It will also improve things for
us trans women.
Violence and discrimination based on
gender identity remains commonplace in
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was
born in San Juan, in an email she sent to
her constituents on Friday that included
information on ways New Yorkers can
support the relief eort. Many of us have
family and friends in Puerto Rico who we
are deeply concerned about.
Maria caused widespread destruction
on the island of Dominica on Monday
night when it made landfall with winds of
more than 155 mph.
The Category 4 hurricane also caused
signicant damage on the French island of
Guadeloupe. Maria passed just south of St.
Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday
before it made landfall in Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Irma devastated the U.S. and
British Virgin Islands, St. Martin, St. Barts,
Anguilla and Barbuda, Turks and Caicos,
the north central coast of Cuba, portions
of the Bahamas and the Florida Keys
earlier this month.
Lavonne Wise, an LGBT rights advocate
who lives in the town of Frederiksted
on St. Croix, told Washington Blade on
Tuesday during a telephone interview
from her home that she and her partner
had not had power since Irma struck the
U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 6.
Wise on Friday said in a series of Facebook
messages to the Blade that her home is
safe, but she and her partner havent been
able to leave because of fallen trees.
Wise told the Blade there is no electricity,
telephone or internet service on St. Croix.
She also said there was looting, but added
neighbors are helping neighbors.
It looks like nuclear weapons went o
in my area, said Wise.
Honduras.
The body of Sherlyn Montoya, a volunteer
for Grupo de Mujeres Transexuales
(Muecas Arcoris), another Honduran
trans advocacy group, was found in a
Tegucigalpa neighborhood on April. A
trans rights advocate in San Pedro Sula
who spoke with the Blade at their oce in
February said they have been the target of
two assassination attempts in 2016.
Ferrera noted the Honduran
government does not legally recognize
trans people based on their gender
identity. She also acknowledged violence
has prompted many trans Hondurans to
ee the country.
It is very complex, Ferrera told the
Blade, referring to the situation for trans
Hondurans. It is very dicult.
Ferrera said she has received verbal
violence because she is trans, but has
not been attacked physically.
I take my candidacy very seriously,
she said.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 1 3

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1 4 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017
Trinidad and Tobago: A nation in the closet
Same-sex relationships
remain criminalized
in the country
By MAYKEL GONZLES VIVERO
EDITORS NOTE: Maykel Gonzlez Vivero is an in-
dependent Cuban journalist who works with the
Institute for War and Peace Reporting. This article
originally appeared on the groups website.
Jowelle de Souza is Trinidad and Tobagos
most high-prole transgender person.
The political and animal rights
campaigner lives in San Fernando, the
countrys second city, where she owns
a beauty salon and is well-known as a
civil society activist. But her public life
illustrates the contradictions over LGTB
rights in Trinidad and Tobago, one of
seven Caribbean nations that criminalizes
same-sex relationships.
She had gender reassignment surgery
in 1993 at the age of 19, the rst citizen to
undergo the procedure in her countrys
history. In 1997, de Souza also became
the rst trans person to sue the state for
a violation of her constitutional rights
after she was arrested during a protest
and ocers subsequently spent hours
taunting her about her sexuality and
gender identity. The lawsuit was settled
out of court.
But de Souza resolutely declines to view
herself as a champion of LGBT rights.
Transphobia has never aected me,
she said, speaking in her salon decorated
with images of Hindu gods, a jade Buddha
and an image of Christ. A portrait of Pope
Francis is placed, like an amulet, under a
security camera.
I sued the government, but it wasnt an
LGTBI issue. It was about civil rights.
Two years ago, she ran for parliament
as an independent candidate. In her
campaign poster, she posed wielding
a hammer with the slogan, Build with
me. Although she failed to win oce,
she continued to be active in political
campaigning, particularly on animal
rights. LGBT issues, however, remained
o her agenda.
It hasnt been dicult for me to be
a transgender woman, de Souza said,
noting that you only get into trouble if
youre involved in a public incident. And
there has never been a prosecution.
In Trinidad and Tobago, consensual
same-sex acts carry a possible penalty
of up to 25 years in prison, while anal
sex is subject to a maximum sentence of
life in prison. These laws have not been
enforced in the last four decades, but
remain on the statute books. Trinidadian
law also denies any LGBT person entry
to the country, although this law is not
known to have ever been enforced.
Campaigners on the islands dier in
what they consider the best approach to
social change.
In February 2017, Jason Jones, a
Trinidadian LGTB activist who currently
lives in the UK, sued the state over its
homophobic laws. His case is due to be
heard by November this year. But others
advocate a more delicate approach over
LGBTI rights.
Colin Robinson is executive director of
the Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of
Sexual Orientation (CAISO), one of the
countrys leading LGTB organizations.
Robinson argued that legal changes
were not fundamental to improving the
status of LGBT people on the islands. Sitting
in his organizations headquarters in the
Port of Spain neighborhood of Belmont
where for security reasons, there is no sign
identifying their oce he said that CAISO
chose to engage in media advocacy, public
education, lobbying, documentation and
faith-based organizing.
The law doesnt make people
homophobic, culture and religion do.
There is currently no legal procedure
pending against a gay person for having
consensual and private sex, he said,
adding, [Jones] lawsuit is a good strategy,
but its just one of many options. The
sodomy law isnt necessarily what most
aects LGTB people in their daily lives.
However, Jones argued that the LGTB
community needed to take a more
proactive, campaigning stance. He said he
felt let down that de Souza had failed to use
her public status to advocate for change.
Besides living openly as a transgender
woman, she [de Souza] hasnt done much
for our LGTB community, he said. Two
years ago, she said the country wasnt
ready for same sex marriage.
Pointing to the importance of taking
a stand, Jones said that after launching
his case he had been contacted by three
young men who had been considering
suicide but regained hope for their future
after seeing him in court.
As for the work of communal
organizations, he continued, Im very
disappointed with CAISO. They dont ght for
same-sex marriage. Robinson also said that
my lawsuit was useless, because it wouldnt
change peoples hearts and minds.
It is impossible to know how
widespread discrimination is in Trinidad
and Tobago as there are no statistics
about hate crimes against LGTB citizens.
But Jones said that also received
dozens of death threats after launching
his lawsuit against the state. Two in
particular, he said, were so graphic that
they convinced him he needed to leave
the country.
Im currently working on ten asylum
requests from LGTB Trinidadians, Jones
said. Many have been expelled from
their families.
The government itself has long sent out
contradictory messages over LGBT rights.
In 2007, a campaign led by the local
Anglican church opposed the visit of
gay singer Elton John to perform in
the country, but government ocials
supported his visit and his concert went
ahead as planned.
In December 2008, the government
was not among the 66 countries that
signed a UN statement calling for the
decriminalization of homosexuality.
But in both 2008 and 2009, Trinidad and
Tobago signed Organization of American
States resolutions calling for the prohibition
of violence motivated by the victims sexual
orientation or gender identity.
Then, the following year, the
Trinidadian cabinet approved a National
Policy on Gender and Development,
which rearmed the governments
opposition to same-sex relationships and
its refusal to consider same-sex marriage.
In 2012 the then-Prime Minister Kamla
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S
JOWELLE DE SOUZA in a conversation with
MAYKEL GONZLEZ VIVERO, an independent
Cuban journalist and LGBT rights advocate.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE INSTITUTE
FOR WAR AND PEACE REPORTING
Persad-Bissessar claimed that the Roman
Catholic Church was pressuring the
Trinidadian government to maintain the
sodomy law. The archbishop of Port of
Spain, Joseph Harris, denied this statement.
Our doors are open to any boy or girl
we feel are equipped to help, irrespective
of race, religion, sexual orientation,
physical ability or socio-economic status,
Harris said later.
And prime minister Keith Rowley told
parliament last year that the state had a duty
to protect all citizens regardless of whom
they sleep with but has not supported the
repeal of the contentious laws.
For now, in the absence of an open
LGBT scene, the dating app Grindr acts
as a virtual gathering point for gay men
in Trinidad seeking chat, casual sex and
some kind of social connection.
A man going by the username Ed
Edison said that the situation was worse
elsewhere in the Caribbean.
In August this year, Jamaican fashion
designer and renowned LGTB activist
Dexter Pottinger was stabbed to death on
the island, and Edison noted, We live better
here than in Jamaica. They attack you there.
A Venezuelan, who gave his name as
David, said he had been living in Trinidad
and Tobago for 13 years. There was a
party and performance scene, albeit tiny.
There are drag queens in Port of
Spain, he said. You dont see them
everywhere, only at gay parties well,
[theres] just one.
A dierent Grindr user, who gave his
age as 26 but asked to remain anonymous,
said, Life is hard for a gay man in Trinidad
and Tobago. People talk. You cant live
openly. Religion says youre a sinner. And
a family doesnt want a sinner as a son.
Another user had the LGTB rainbow
ag as his prole pic.
But Im not an activist, he said. And
even if I were one, Id be a silent activist.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 1 5

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NATIONAL NEWS SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 1 7

2 U.S. agencies at odds over protecting gays under Title VII

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Congress didnt intend the prohibition on

sex discrimination to apply to lesbian, gay
and bisexual people because lawmakers
have resisted spelling out sexual
orientation discrimination is illegal.
Think about what would happen today
if Congress were to pass a statute that
said no sex discrimination, Mooppan
said. If it just said sex discrimination, I
think it would be indisputable that that
did not cover also sexual orientation
discrimination. The reason being, you
would have both a until this year
unbroken set of case law saying the two
were distinct and you had have several
prior acts of Congress that treated them
as distinct. So, if thats the case today, then
surely...in 1964 when Congress passed
the same, exact word didnt have some
broader notion of sex discrimination
compared to what we have today. It just
makes no sense.
As evidence Congress didnt intend
the prohibition on sex discrimination
to include sexual orientation
discrimination, Mooppan cited eorts in
1991 to amend the Civil Rights Act that
didnt include explicit protections for anti- RACHEL TIVEN, executive director of Lambda Legal, told reporters the arguments were a dress rehearsal for a resolution from the Supreme
gay discrimination even though legislation Court on the issue of Title VII.
was introduced to spell that out. WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Jeremy Horowitz, assistant general

counsel for the EEOC, in contrast argued
the prohibition on sex discrimination
should be construed broadly and applied
to anti-gay discrimination based on
Supreme Court rulings in such cases as
the 1989 Price Waterhouse decision and
the 1998 Oncale decision.
The sex stereotyping that says that
if you are a man attracted to men, or a
woman attracted women, either way,
you dont meet the stereotype that the
employer has for how your gender should
behave, Horowitz said And so in the case
youre being put to a question: Do I keep
my job, or do I keep my choice of partner?
The EEOC adopted the positionHorowitz
presented to the court during the Obama
administration when the agency found
in the 2015 case of Baldwin v. Foxx that
anti-gay discrimination is a form of sex
discrimination.
Asked whether he thinks congressional
intent in 1964 is relevant to Title
VII, Horowitz replied, No, your honor, I
dont. In the Oncale decision, Justice Scalia
said its the words of the statute rather
than the concerns of the legislators that
drives the interpretation of the statute.
Predicting Mooppans arguments that
congressional failure to enact pro-gay
laws demonstrates it doesnt consider
anti-gay discrimination a form of sex
discrimination, Horowitz said legislative
inaction is a very poor means of
determining congressional intent.
In one exchange highlighting the
unusual nature of two arms of the
U.S. government making conicting
arguments in court, Mooppan at-
out refused to comment in response
to multiple inquiries from judges on
whether the Justice Department signed
o on briefs from EEOC either in this
case or more generally saying he
doesnt think its appropriate for him to
speak to internal deliberations.
What Ill say is this: the EEOC had the
authority to le the brief they had led in
this case and the Department of Justice,
of course, has the authority to le the
brief it has led in this case on behalf of
the United States, Mooppan said.
The case, Zarda v. Altitude Express, was
led by a gay skydiver who asserted he
was red from him his job as a result of
his sexual orientation after he disclosed
he was gay in mid-air to a female client.
After Zardas death during a subsequent
skydiving accident in 2014, his estate
continued his case in his name.
Greg Antollino, a New York-based civil
rights attorney, represents the Zarda estate
and urged the court to nd gay protections
under Title VII based on the plain language
of the statute, associational discrimination
and sex stereotyping.
In our belief, the discrimination is
against Don Zarda because he was a male,
because it was a motivating factor in his
termination,Antollino said. Had he been
a woman, this wouldnt have happened.
Greg Nevins, workplace fairness program
strategist for Lambda Legal, also took part
in oral arguments before the court and
asserted Title VII prohibits discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation.
Discrimination against someone in
a same-sex relationship is the same as
discrimination against someone in an
interfaith relationship is the same as
discrimination against someone in an
interracial relationship and they all are
equal, Nevins said.
Saul Zabell, the lawyer for Altitude
Express Inc., on the other hand pointed to
a state court decision nding insucient
evidence for sexual orientation
discrimination in Zardas case (New York
state court has a higher threshold for
making such claims), which he said the
plainti didnt initially make upon ling a
complaint before EEOC.
If he does not raise the issue of being
discriminated against because of his
sexual orientation in his EEOC charge,
then he doesnt get the opportunity now
seven years after ling the EEOC charge
after all the facts are out in this case to
now somehow amend his pleadings
and amend his EEOC charge to say,
No, no, no. Because the court might
be willing to change its interpretation
of the application of Title VII to sexual
orientation, I want to change my EEOC
charge to make it t with what the court
might consider,Zabell said.
Zabells arguments were undercut when
a judge read aloud Zardas initial charge,
which said although hes not ling a
complaint based on his sexual orientation,
hes making it because in addition to
being discriminated against because of my
sexual orientation, I was also discriminated
against because of my gender.
Addressing the court as an expert was
Adam Mortara, a Chicago-based attorney
who struck a dierent chord than other
attorneys, but nonetheless undercut the
idea of gay protections under the Title VII by
arguing for limited interpretation of the law.
It is not true that merely being non-
conforming to gender by itself gives you a
sex discrimination claim,Mortara said. It
has to also be true that theres something
additional: Evidence of misogyny,
evidence of highly traditional sexist views
about women and children. Thats kind of
the back case for the court. There has to
be something more.
Although a three-judge panel on the
Second Circuit ruled in April against
the idea sexual orientation bias is sex
discrimination based on precedent in
the jurisdiction, the full court agreed
to rehear the case as part of en banc
review of the litigation.
With the issue before the 11 judges
instead of just three, some expressed
skepticism over gay protections under
Title VII, with some conveying support
for the idea and many holding their cards
close to the vest.
1 8 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 1 9
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

20 S E PT E M B E R 29, 201 7 H E A LT H N E W S

U.S. STD rates hit all-time high: CDC

CHICAGO New cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S. reached an all-time
high in 2016 federal health ocials reported this week according to the Chicago Tribune
and other outlets.
There were 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, 470,000 cases of gonorrhea and 28,000
of syphilis reported that year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
announced in its annual report on STDs.
And the diseases are on the rise in a number of groups, including women, infants, and
gay and bisexual men.
Young women account for nearly half of all diagnosed chlamydia infections, but syphilis
and gonorrhea are increasingly aecting new groups of people, the Tribune reports.
Between 2015 and 2016, syphilis rates rose nearly 18 percent. Most cases occurred
among men, especially gays and bisexuals. Half of the men in those two groups also had

THINKING OF BUYING IN REHOBOTH? HIV, according to the report.

Now is the time.

But syphilis rates rose 36 percent among women and 28 percent among
newborns between 2015 and 2016. In 2016, there were more than 600 cases of
syphilis-infected newborns, resulting in more than 40 deaths and severe health
complications, the CDC said.
Call Joe, Your Working Broker. Gonorrhea rates rose among both men and women in 2016, but the largest increase
(22 percent) was among men, and a large number of new gonorrhea cases were among
gay and bisexual men. The report also noted the growing threat of drug resistance to the
last remaining recommended gonorrhea treatment, the Tribune reports.

Anal cancer a threat for HIV-positive men

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NEW YORK Health ocials are concerned about the growing threat of anal cancer
in HIV-positive gay and bi U.S. men citing research that claims theyre 100 times more
likely to get anal cancer than HIV-negative straight men, the Conversation reports.
Anal cancer is predominantly caused by chronic or persistent human papillomavirus
(HPV) infection which can lead to the development of anal precancer which, if remains
LICENSED IN DELAWARE & MARYLAND undetected or not adequately treated, may lead to anal cancer. Likewise, HPV
infection is also responsible for causing cervical, vaginal, vulvar, oropharyngeal, penile
and rectal cancers.
The objective of screening is to identify and treat these precancers to prevent
occurrence of anal cancer. However, one of the reasons for the lack of screening
guidelines is that anal precancer treatment has not yet been shown to prevent
invasive cancer. The study, published this week in the journal Cancer, attempts to nd
a possible solution to prevent anal cancer in HIV-positive gay and bisexual men, using
the best available data.
Researchers found that age-specic anal precancer management, including post-
treatment HPV vaccination, can potentially lead to an 80 percent decrease in lifetime
risk of anal cancer and anal cancer mortality among gay and bisexual men, the
Conversation reports.
Some in the medical community have identied anal cancer as the next big health
crisis among HIV-infected gay and bisexual men. Initiation of anti-retroviral therapy
in the 1990s greatly reduced the AIDS-related death rate and improved survival.
However, this improvement in survival led to an increase in the lifetime risk of
developing anal cancer, especially among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men, the
Conversation reports.
The article went on to discuss ways in which the possible crisis could be curbed.
Endocrine Society updates trans guidelines
NEW YORK The Endocrine Society has updated its guidelines for providing
gender-arming treatment to transgender individuals, published online in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Medscape reports.
At the same time, the society issued a position statement calling for policy
makers to consider the biological underpinning of gender identity. This asks U.S.
federal and private insurers to cover physician-prescribed medical interventions
for transgender individuals and highlights the need for increased funding and
DDS, MS
prioritization of research on transgender medical care, Medscape reports.
The latest guidelines represent an update to 2009 Endocrine Society
recommendations for managing transgender individuals. In particular, they
provide detailed advice on the appropriate age for teens to start treatment.
They also emphasize standard fertility preservation counseling for all individuals
deciding about puberty suppression or hormone therapy, Medscape reports.
Recommendations cover the evaluation of youth and adults, treatment of
adolescents, hormonal therapy for transgender adults, prevention of adverse
outcomes, long-term care, and surgery for sex reassignment and gender
conrmation, Medscape reports.

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FITNESS S E PT E M B E R 29, 2017 21

All about that base

Want to build stamina?
Focus on training from the ground up
In the oseason, athletes often
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Impeach the SOB
cist base of supporters: You do not get to
Trumps attack on dictate the when and where of someone
free speech a threat to elses protest against injustice. Watching
American democracy coverage of this weekends NFL protests,
Trump supporters denounced the players
for taking action on the eld and polluting
the Sunday football ritual with politics. They
misunderstand the point of protest. Its
not about choosing a convenient time and
place for expression; its about disrupting
norms and getting people to pay attention
and think about something they might not
otherwise think about. Imagine if the ACT
KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade UP protesters of the 1980s and 90s had
and can be reached at kna@washblade.com.
tiptoed around all the straight people who
hated them and quietly picketed on the
Our national nightmare continues, this discreet sidelines. No! They closed roads,
time with the president of the United disrupted church services and deployed
States using the power of the bully pulpit shocking images of the suering to awaken
to condemn freedom of speech. If you are the world to the horrors of AIDS and gov-
not chilled by this display, then youre not ernment indierence to an epidemic that
paying attention. was killing unpopular people.
At a rally last Friday in Alabama, You dont get to tell oppressed people
Trumpsaid, Wouldnt you love to see one when and where to protest their oppression.
of these NFL owners, when somebody dis- Of course, the NFL is a private entity
respects our ag, to say, Get that son of a and its owners can enact whatever rules
bitch o the eld right now. Out. Hes red. of conduct they like. They could ban pro-
Hes red! He reiterated that message in a tests of the Star-Spangled Banner and
series of unhinged weekend Tweets. re players who refuse to stand, as Trump
Note to Trump and his white suprema- suggests. But they havent done that. In-
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VIEWPOINT
stead, owners and coaches nally joined
players on the eld to send a message that
Trumps insults and eorts to undermine
free speech wont be tolerated.
Its one thing to oppose on-eld pro-
tests. Its quite another to oppose the
right of American citizens to take a knee
if thats their chosen form of protest
speech. I abhor the KKK, but would de-
fend their right to freely associate and to
speak their hate. The answer to speech
you dont like is more speech.
Make no mistake that Trumps outburst
is consistent with his pattern (plan?) of di-
viding Americans along racial lines. Its also
meant to distract us from the latest eort
to repeal the ACA, the signature legislative
achievement of the countrys rst black
president whose legitimacy was chal-
lenged by Trumps racist birther attacks.
And while Trump spent his weekend ght-
ing with athletes on Twitter, brown people
(fellow Americans) in Puerto Rico were
coping with the complete devastation of
the island after Hurricane Maria.
Coddling and excusing white suprem-
acists in Charlottesville while calling for
the termination of black football players
from the NFL is just the latest in a long
string of racist attacks from Trump. The
ultimate irony is that while he tries to
divide us, the NFL sent a powerful mes-
sage of solidarity. Even Tom Brady and
Robert Kraft Trump buddies spoke
out against him this weekend. The best
outcome of this would be for Ameri-
cans to unite against Trumps message
of division and embrace again the prin-
ciples that made America great in the
rst place. The absolute freedom of the
press and of expression are key among
those principles.
Sadly, some members of the LGBT
community havent gotten the message
about Trumps racism, homophobia and
anti-trans attacks. The Log Cabin Repub-
licans this week are holding a fundraiser
at Trump International Hotel in D.C., an
inappropriate attempt at currying favor
with the administration by lining Trumps
pockets. Imagine their outcry if President
Obama had owned a hotel in D.C. and the
Human Rights Campaign held its fund-
raisers there. Its a disappointing decision
from the group, which rightly declined to
endorse Trump during the campaign. Log
Cabin should rediscover its integrity and
move the event. We should not tolerate
an American president who is so hostile
to the basic tenets of our Constitution, a
document he swore to defend.
VOLUME 48 ISSUE 39
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I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON
Muriel Bowser wants another term
An easier path to
re-election than expected?
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights
and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.
Muriel Bowser announced last week
she wants a second term. If she wins she
will be the rst mayor elected since 2006
to be elected to a second term.
While everyone knows D.C. is far from
perfect, a majority of voters appear to
agree Bowser has worked hard to im-
prove the city and is working to uplift the
lives of people in all eight Wards. There is
a long way to go before we see economic
equality in our city. As reported in DCist,
income for whites in the District has gone
up slightly in 2016 while income for both
blacks and Latinos has inched down. The
O U R B USI NES S MATTERS
Moratorium on business-burden bills is not enough
D.C. Council chair calls
for halt to anti-commerce
legislation until 2019
MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur
and community business advocate. Follow
on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at
OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.
A clear indication that the D.C. Council
has exceeded a high political tolerance
for imposing business burdens is Council
Chair Phil Mendelsons call for a morato-
rium until 2019 on new legislation nega-
tively aecting local enterprise.
Its small comfort to District-based busi-
nesses reeling from an incessant tidal wave
of excruciatingly costly-to-administer and
laden with unintentional-consequence
regulatory edicts and employer mandates.
Mendelsons stance, however, is welcomed
for the possibility that it will provide at least
a modicum of short-term relief.
The sensible question, of course, is why
gap remains huge. There are many rea-
sons for this not all xable by the mayor
but Bowser understands the role she can
play and has said she continues to be
committed to making a positive dier-
ence in the lives of the black and Latino
residents of the District.
We know education makes a dier-
ence and that has been a focus of Bows-
ers administration. She has built on the
work begun by former mayors. She got
the chance to move on from the Rhee/
Henderson duo of chancellors and chose
Antwan Wilson for the job. It seems he
is up to it and committed to raising the
bar for children in every ward. The other
big job she had to ll was that of police
chief when Cathy Lanier moved on to
head security for the NFL. Her choice of
Peter Newsham looks to be a winner for
all. He knows the District and its people
having served on the MPD since 1989. He
is committed to community policing and
ensuring his ocers are on the street and
responsive to the community.
In a pre-election poll in the Washington
Post Bowser had a 67 percent approval rat-
ing, unusually high for a mayor in any big
city in these dicult times. In a head-to-
there should be an arbitrary end-time to
the proposition. It is as if elected ocials
are blithely non-cognizant of the folly in
boiling the citys golden goose in a pot
poisoned with overlord extremism.
Even the recent reform of modestly low-
ering the local business tax only managed
to set the rate equal to adjacent hyper-tax
Maryland and among the nations highest.
The business tax rate in the other neighbor-
ing jurisdiction of business-friendly Virginia is
far-below D.C.s extraction and both political
parties in the state hope to further lower it.
Worse than the citys transactional tak-
ings, the most business-unfriendly col-
lection of D.C. Council members in the
44-year history of Home Rule spends an
astonishing amount of time scheming up
new ways to micro-manage local busi-
nesses. Inversely, the Council spends far
too little time on eective government
oversight and managing agency opera-
tions, despite those tasks being their ac-
tual primary responsibility.
Local legislators should instead be busy-
ing themselves with xing the notoriously
high prevalence of poor service perfor-
mance, correcting governmental inecien-
cies, preventing project cost overruns, and
reducing the sky-high toll of city program
waste, fraud, and abuse. The list is long, esti-
mated to represent fully 12 percent or more
head against two potential opponents she
had 50 percent to Vince Grays 27 percent
and Karl Racines 10 percent. Racine has
since said he wont run for mayor and rath-
er will run for reelection as attorney gen-
eral. The city is fortunate as he has done a
great job for the people as he builds that of-
ce as the rst independently elected AG in
the District. I hope Gray will soon follow suit
announcing he is happy with his role on the
Council. Gray was a good mayor and was
shafted by the U.S. Attorney. But revenge
isnt a good reason to run and we need to
move forward not backwards.
In the Washington Post interview an-
nouncing she would run for a second
term Bowser said she would devote her
time and energy to an array of policies
that included improving public transit, re-
ducing income inequality and making the
city greener and more energy-ecient.
Bowser is not what many people ex-
pected. She has been quoted saying,
They always underestimate me young,
female and black. Having known Bows-
er since her rst run for Council I know
thats true. She can be feisty having lost
her temper and publicly cursing out a re-
calcitrant Council member; but she is bet-
in squandered expenditures, and grows as
fast as local politicians avert their gaze.
Prompting Mendelsons months-ago
mantra that his colleagues adhere to a
pause on new business regulations and
mandates are two legislative enactments
during the most recent legislative term.
The continuing hike in the local minimum
wage, rising 180 percent in only six years
to an increasingly nationally rejected $15
in mid-2020, and the pending next-de-
cade implementation of an extravagant
and expensive paid leave mandate, the
cost of which is currently assigned exclu-
sively to employers unlike in any of the
handful of states imposing the benet,
are motivating a moratorium.
Anti-enterprise ideologues and small
business adversaries on the Council (yes,
Elissa Silverman, the entire business com-
munity is looking at you and thinking about
your upcoming re-election eort) are hop-
ing to bypass Mendelsons moratorium and
push for even more employer mandates.
These include prohibiting the necessary
economic facilitation of prior mandates.
Forcing businesses to reduce full-time posi-
tions or cut sta work-hours to accommo-
date rising labor costs and additional ex-
penses due new regulations, for example,
and subsequently proposing restrictions
on those adjustments is perverse.
SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 2 3
ter known for always coming prepared to
community events, meetings and council
hearings. She always has the facts and
gures to back up what she speaks about.
Bowser is respected around the nation
having worked closely with President Obama,
other Democratic mayors and she worked
hard to elect Hillary Clinton. She has earned
respect for D.C. around the world. She is out
in the community nearly every day, rarely
takes vacations, and when she does travel its
to build connections for the city.
Some have said she doesnt often start
dramatic new initiatives, but things are
happening in all eight Wards. She moved
forward the new soccer stadium for DC
United paid for by the teams owners and
negotiated a new practice center for the
Wizards/Mystics in Anacostia. That facility
will also include a 4,200-seat arena capable
of hosting concerts, community events and
home games for the Washington Mystics.
So while things arent perfect and
there needs to be a renewed focus on
economic opportunities for those not
benetting from the current economic
boom, it appears Bowser may have a
much easier reelection ght than anyone
could have predicted.
Harms toll, though, is hardly limited
to these big-ticket items. Burdening lo-
cal community commerce, and the citys
dominant small business sector most
often the intended target, are the never-
ending knife-cuts of additional micro-reg-
ulations and new restrictions so bewilder-
ing and numerous that local businesses
can no longer maintain tracking or re-
main informed of them all. Regulatory
infractions are now largely attributable to
the simple incapability of keeping up.
Overwhelming operators by the sheer
volume of new rules and punishing them
for a fundamental inability to monitor it
all is institutional trickery of the worst sort.
Expecting small local businesses to create
sta positions solely devoted to discover-
ing whatever anti-business horrors have
been newly promulgated is unreasonable.
Before the D.C. Council passes any more
business regulations, the city government
should rst provide an assemblage of
what theyve already done in an accessible
centralized online compendium.
More than that, the D.C. Council should
follow-through on its unfullled promise to
measure by formal procedure the impact
of proposed legislation on both community
businesses and the citys scal health.
A short-lived moratorium is not nearly
enough remedy.
2 4 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

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Operated by a subsidiary of NRT, LLC.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 2 5

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Operated by a subsidiary of NRT, LLC.

2 6 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017
Side effects of national chronic outrage fatigue may vary
Longing for a commercial
break featuring the
Clydesdales
KATE CLINTON is a longtime humorist and
regular Blade contributor.
These days, I would give anything to
see a Budweiser Clydesdale in a TV com-
mercial. A big majestic horse, in a dusky
pumpkin patch pulling a huge wagon
with happy, wholesome hay-riders carry-
ing home the glowing orange orbs theyve
harvested on their impossibly amazing
autumnal outing.
Maybe two Clydesdales. They step
through the gauzy elds in synchronized
dressage, with their owing white go-go
hooves that do not at all detract from the
Keep your promise to protect each other.
Wills & Trusts
Powers of Attorney Living Wills
Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements
(240) 778-2330 (703) 536-0220
www.PartnerPlanning.com
Serving the LGBT Community
in DC/MD/VA since 1983
Lawrence S. Jacobs/McMillan Metro, PC
If I knew a nice big Clydesdale was coming up
at the break, I wouldnt worry about Rachel
Maddows head blowing up at the 20-minute mark.
aesthetic of their workhorse ethic. Sigh.
It would make the evening news an
unending string of hurricanes, earth-
quakes, re and fury, Cat10 Rocketboys
and nuclear dickheadedness more
bearable. If I knew a nice big Clydesdale
was coming up at the break, I wouldnt
worry about Rachel Maddows head blow-
ing up at the 20-minute mark.
The Truvago guy doesnt do it for me.
His gray smugness gets to take perfect,
cool vacations, but hes always alone be-
cause who could stand him even for a
long weekend?
You would think the UnTuckit guy had
discovered the cure for cancer. No. He
shortened a shirt for guys who cant/
wont tuck their shirts in over their mun
top or under their beer gut. Did someone
say Nobel Prize?
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
CO MMU N I KA T E
anthropomorphic, Pepto-Bismol-pink
stomach blob trolling some poor music
teacher who is just trying to help her
choral students.
Theres that red-headed woman in the
white leotard with a diagram of a lower
GI tract silkscreened on her onesie. She
(A word here about Buck Naked from doxes a woman with Irritable Bowel Syn-
the Duluth Trading Company: Love.) drome (IBS). The swayback stalker looks
The Coolsculpting guy could put the like Kathy Grin before she shaved her
UntuckIt guy out of business. He seems head for her sister in chemo.
pleased with his work to make his body Theres that contractor who takes opi-
perfect, except for the worrisome wen of oids for his back pain, gets constipated
fat under his armpit. and bravely tells his doctor. She tells him
Ever heard of lymphoma? Ask your doc- to let it go. Get it? When white people
tor. Wait, what? Youve got a doctor? And have trouble with opioids they dont get
just what is CoolSculpting? Ask your Cools- jail time, they get laxatives.
culptor. It freezes fatty deposits? Then At this point youre probably thinking,
it goes where? How? Did Coolsculpting Shes still watching TV on TV? Doesnt she
cause the Fatberg in the London sewer? know she can VCR it, watch and do triple
And were back. To the breaking - make time through commercials? Of course I
that heartbreaking - news about geno- know that. What do you think I am? A dot-
cide, refugees, sweltering shelters, Rus- ard? I used to tape the Simpsons.
sian investigations and Puerto Rico. The side eects of national chronic
Sure it all makes you sick to your stom- outrage fatigue may vary: personal dys-
ach. Thats why there are so many gas- phoria and national dyspepsia. I just miss
tro-intestinal distress ads. Theres that those Clydesdales.
202.319.8541 www.lgbtc.com Se habla espanol
~
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 W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 2 7

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ITS HAPPY HOUR AT THE ZOO!

Join us from 3 to 5 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_9.5x5.1455_v5.indd 1 9/25/17 3:36 PM


Merging old and new
Ellicott City show
house gives gay
designer historic canvas
By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com
Picturesque homes dont just have to
be experienced through a photograph.
Historic Ellicott City has made it its mis-
sion to bring beautiful, historic homes
right to the feet of its guests. This year,
attendees can witness rsthand White
Hall, the 19th-century home that sits on
a sprawling 41 acres that it shares with
deer, geese and two owls. Enter inside
and guests can experience room trans-
formations from top interior decorators.
For out interior decorator and D.C. na-
tive Rhonald Angelo, transforming a room
is deeper than painting a wall or throwing
down a rug. His passion for detail and eye
for design can be witnessed in the draw-
ing room of White Hall, where he joins 17
other designers, artisans and decorators
using the home as the foundation for
their artistic visions.
Since 1986, Historic Ellicott City has
been collaborating with designers to re-
store historic properties for its Decorator
Show House.
This years proceeds will benet the His-
toric Ellicott Revitalization Grant Program
and the restoration of Carrollton Hall, a
historic building built by Declaration of
Independence signer Charles Carroll on
the grounds of the Shrine of St. Anthony.
Angelo is a veteran of the Decorator
Show House with White Hall marking the
third home he has decorated. In 2013,
a client invited him to take a look at the
Decorator Show House and he met the
design decorator in charge of the design-
ers. Angelo was chosen to decorate a
second-level bedroom with a bathroom
attached for 2014. His creation became
an elegant dressing room with a mas-
culine feel for the space.
The entire process from choosing the
property to settling on designs is done
with careful consideration. The Show
House Committee looks for proper-
ties that meet a specic set of criteria.
The property must be at least 50 years
old, located in Howard County, have ad-
equate parking and have the capacity to
accommodate about 100 visitors per day,
among other stipulations.
After the property is chosen, the com-
28 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
RHONALD ANGELO shows o the room
he decorated as part of this years Historic
Ellicott City Decorator Show House.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTOS BY MICHAEL KEY
mittee sends out a call to decorators to
look at the rooms to settle on how they
would like to develop the space. Decora-
tors submit proposals with a oor plan
of the room, a write-up of their concept
and any fabrics, paints and furnishings
they would want to use. The committee
decides if they like the proposal and also
if the design will be cohesive with the rest
of the designers visions.
When you walk into the front door of a
home you want all the rooms to ow to-
gether, Angelo says. You wouldnt want
to have Star Trek on one side and Little
House on the Prairie on the opposite side
of a home because theres no ow to that.
So they look for similar paint colors, simi-
lar furnishings, similar concepts.
Just as the committee has an eye for
what works in a room, designers bring
their own personal tastes into the home.
Angelos intricate and neat designs can be
traced back to his childhood. At 11 years
old, he and his friends started building
small-scale car models. For Angelo, it was
important to put accuracy in every last
detail.
My mom would give me parts from
her sewing box so I would create all the
wires that you see in the engine. I was
always very careful. I would study under
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
The room RHONALD ANGELO designed was conceived to stay true to the houses historic
purpose.
the hood of a real automobile. Thats
probably where my creativity and intense
sense of detail comes from, Angelo says.
Now as an adult interior decorator, his
work method remains the same.
Clutter is not a word that is in my vo-
cabulary. All of my designs, my work, is
very open and it allows everything to
have its own breathing space.
Angelos concept for the drawing room
was to stay true to the rooms historic
purpose. The house was built pre-1822
as part of the land grant Freeborns Prog-
ress. The houses east wing was later
used as a hospital during the War of 1812.
In 1977, the home was added to the Na-
tional Register of Historic Places.
Historically, Angelo explains that the
drawing room would have been used to
entertain guests and would have func-
tioned as a public space.
He opted out of modern comforts like
a TV and other recreational or personal
items like a bookshelf and family photos.
Instead, he utilized natural light to make
the room feel more open.
The furnishings would be somewhat
formal, Angelo says. But if it was our day
and time, it would have been more com-
fortable than it would have been in the 19th
century. The daylight that the room gets is
signicant. However, its shadowed by the
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTOS BY MICHAEL KEY
deepness of the front porch. I wanted to
do light colors to allow as much daylight to
come in as possible. Theres two windows
that face the front of the house. I purposely
created a very open style to allow as much
daylight to come in as possible.
He hopes that people can learn a few
design tips from visiting the house includ-
ing considering incorporating antiques
in their own homes. Although he says he
understands antiques arent as popular
as they once were, he says they add a
soul to the living space.
More than anything, Angelo wants peo-
ple to appreciate how he utilizes his at-
tention to detail in the room. Every piece
was chosen for a specic reason.
They will experience a level of detail
that, in my opinion, is not seen in many,
many spaces. From the smallest motifs in
the rug and how it relates to the design
on the end of a cabinet, or the shape of
a ower Ive chosen that will correspond
with a motif that might be in the drapery.
HISTORIC ELLICOTT CITYS 2017
DECORATOR SHOW HOUSE
Open to the public Tuesdays-Sundays through
Oct. 22
White Hall
4130 Chatham Rd., Ellicott City, Md.
$25 in advance; $30 at the door
historicec.com
rhonaldangelo.com
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
Midcentury madness
50s-era design trends all
the rage in home decor
By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
Youll never forget the feeling of key in hand.
Imagine you. A homeowner, nally, af-
ter saving, planning and a ceiling-high pile
of paperwork. Starting today, you can go
home (home!), shut the door and know
that its all yours. So how do you reect
your style in this home you love? Begin
with Making Midcentury Modern by
Christopher Kennedy.
When he was a young lad, Kennedys
parents taught him the proper ways to a
well-mannered life: his mother made him
write thank-you notes and taught him
how to make a good rst impression,
while his father advised him to live each
day to the fullest. Those lessons were
learned in simpler, more gracious times.
Kennedy insists its not nostalgia that
makes him love interior design from that
period. Instead, he just likes the trend
and he doesnt see it slowing down any
time soon. In this book, he shows how
you can include Midcentury Modern into
your home, even if it was built last month.
You can start in the entrance.
Those rst impressions matter when
it comes to a home, Kennedy says. Paint
your front door in a Midcentury Modern
color to welcome guests warmly.
On the topic of colors, Midcentury
Modern isnt shy. Orange is the caeine
of the color wheel and it really pops.
Think pink (Mamie Eisenhowers favorite
color), turquoise, white, red or any shade
of blue. Dont just color walls, though; be
bold with furniture, rugs and accessories.
Pillows in out-there colors are inexpen-
sive ways to dip your toe into the design.
Know the secret to a beautiful and easy-
to-make bed and for guest rooms, con-
sider twin beds. Go ahead and mix metals,
bring childhood treasures out for display
and recall Moms kitchen or bathroom for
ideas. Take your indoors, outdoors, weath-
er permitting. Pare down; Midcentury Mod-
ern isnt cluttered (so on that note, hide
your TV). And nally, have fun.
Above all, Kennedy says, never take
your home too seriously.
Sometimes, its easy to feel indecision
or paralysis, when it comes to dcor.
What if you make a mistake? What if you
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
PHOTO COURTESY GIBBS SMITH
have Making Midcentury Modern?
With 100 easy-to-use (and surprisingly
budget-friendly) tips, author Christopher
Kennedy gives readers the inspirational
boost they need to make a home dazzle.
Youll see how simple color will transform
a houses entire look and where cher-
ished possessions can become unusual
displays. Kennedy fully admits many of
his favorite pieces were discovered online
or at thrift stores, an idea thats somehow
very delicious. And pillows? Pile em on!
The one criticism IPROOFhave #1
with this book
isnt with the information its with get-
ting that information: the font color
REVISIONS
against color can be very di cult to read.
REDESIGN
TEXT
White print on a yellow background, forREVISIONS
IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS
example, is nearly hidden. NO REVISIONS
Its a design aw in a design book. Go gure.
Thats not insurmountable, though:
there are photos enough to make this
coee-table book a cant-miss full of fun.
If you need your house to feel groovier no
matter when it was constructed, Making
Midcentury Modern may be key.
MAKING MIDCENTURY MODERN
By Christopher Kennedy, foreword by Barclay
Butera
Gibbs Smith
$35
198 pages
29
WANT DRAMA?
Home lled with art and historical
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ISSUE DATE: 170922
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Parties, tours, exhibits and more
Region bustling
with fall home &
garden-related events
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Ceramic designers and couple James
Klein and Davin Reid of KleinReid will
visit Room & Board (1840 14th St., N.W.)
today (Friday, Sept. 29) from 5-7 p.m. for
a meet-the-artists event. Theyre known
for their elaborate vases and pottery that
are created with a 28-step process. De-
tails at roomandboard.com.
The Rhode Island Avenue 2016 Fall
Fest is Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m.-
4 p.m. on Rhode Island between 20-24th
streets, N.E. The event showcases one of
the hottest real estate markets in D.C. for
a full day of shopping, food and enter-
tainment for the whole family. Details at
riamainstreet.org.
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
(4155 Linnean Ave., N.W.) has garden tours
on various dates through Sunday, Nov. 12
at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tour guides
lead visitors through the grounds and
share facts about the estates design, his-
tory, plans and owers in 13 acres of formal
gardens. Details at hillwoodmuseum.org.
The Bloomingdale Civic Association will
host its Historic Bloomingdale: Victori-
an Secrets & Modern Truths House Tour
and Reception on Saturday, Oct. 28 from
10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (rain date is Sunday, Oct.
29). Six houses will be on the self-guided
tour. Tour registration will take place at
Tyber Creek Wine Bar & Kitchen (First and
Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) starting at 10:30
a.m. A reception will be held from 4-7 p.m.
at Old Engine 12 restaurant (1626 N. Capi-
tol St., N.W.). Tickets are $30 in advance
and $35 day of. Details at bloomingda-
lecivicassociation.org.
The Washington chapter of Ikebana
International (ikebana is the art of Japa-
nese ower arranging) is celebrating its
60th anniversary with a grand exhibition
Oct. 6-9 at the U.S. National Arboretum
(3501 New York Ave., N.E.) with about 80
ikebana arrangements on display. Dem-
onstrations from master teachers will
also be held on Oct. 8-9 at 11 a.m. and 1
p.m. each day. Both are free and open to
the public. Details at bonsai-nbf.org.
Big Gay Flea: a Queer Market will be
held Sunday, Oct. 1 at Town (2009 8th St.,
N.W.) from noon-5 p.m. with 30 indoor
30 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
vendor spaces available. Exhibitors will
be local gay businesses and artisans, drag
queens selling wares and collectors. Ven-
dors will be outside; indoor area will have
games, bar service, drag performances,
DJs and more. Outdoor market is all ages
and free. Indoor is 21-and-up with ID.
Details at towndc.com or search for the
event on Facebook.
The 10th annual D.C. Design House
(9004 Congressional Court, Potomac,
Md.) will be held from Sept. 30-Oct.
29 with 23 designed spaces, four bou-
tiques, a celebration event on Sept. 28
and events throughout the month in the
homes ballroom. On Thursday, Oct. 5 at
11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., former chief
White House orist Laura Dowling will
present her book A White House Christ-
mas. Shell sign copies; admission tick-
ets to this event include a guided tour of
the Design House. Look for the event on
eventbrite.com for details. This Japanese oral arrangement is an example of ikebana, the complex system of arranging
that will be on display at the 60th anniversary of Ikebana International exhibit Oct. 6-9 in
The National Cathedral (3101 Wis- Washington.
consin Ave., N.W.) has its fall festival on PHOTO COURTESY KRPR
Saturday, Oct. 7 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. De-
tails at cathedral.org.
Live music takes over Adams Morgan
on Saturday, Oct. 7 for the Adams Mor-
gan PorchFest from 2-6 p.m. on various
porches, patios and stoops in the neigh-
borhood featuring 30 bands. Maps avail-
able at the event at the corner of 18th
and Columbia Rd., N.W. Search for the
event on Facebook for details.
The 10th annual Oktoberfest is Oct.
19-22 at the Doener Bistro (202 Harrison
St., S.E.) in Leesburg, Va., and oers mer-
rymaking at its best with boot drink-
ing, chicken dancing and Lederhosen-
wearing, like-minded friends celebrating
Bavarian style. Another will be held in
Frederick, Md., Oct. 6-8. Full details at
doener-usa.com.
Merrield Garden Center, with loca-
tions in Merrield, Fairfax and Gaines-
ville (all Virginia) has gardening seminars
scheduled throughout fall, a Halloween
scavenger hunt and doggie Halloween
costume contest on Oct. 28 (Gainesville
location), ladies night out on Nov. 16,
DAVIN REID (left) and JAMES KLEIN will be at Room & Board today in Washington.
holiday workshops for Thanksgiving and
Christmas and more. Full details and loca- PHOTO COURTESY ROOM & BOARD
tions at merrieldgardencenter.com.
The D.C. Big Flea Market will be held
Nov. 4-5 at the Dulles Expo Center (4320 more. Admission is $10. Details at thebig- mantown Rd.). The shops at Town Center
Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va.) eamarket.com or dullesexpo.com. will host their fourth annual event with
in the South Hall. Period and country fur- The Germantown Family Fall Festi- face painting, snacks, a football-watching
niture and collectibles of all eras including val will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 from party and more. Its free. The event has a
glassware, jewelry, silver, porcelain and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. near Safeway (19718 Ger- Facebook page for details.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 3 1

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH (left) with EMMA STONE in Battle of the Sexes.
LOS ANGELES Battle of the Sexes,
the excellent movie currently showing
in D.C.-area theaters, is a passionate
examination of the people and politics
that led to the game-changing 1973
tennis match between Billie Jean King and
Bobby Riggs, a match that is stunningly
recreated in the lms nale.
Produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures,
Battle of the Sexes is the rare Hollywood
lm that features a strong female cast
and that features a lesbian relationship as
just one of many elements in a complex
plot. Its also one of the rare movies that
passes the famous Bechdel test.
The Bechdel test rst appeared in Alison
Bechdels Dykes to Watch Out For comic
strip in 1985. A character says she will
only see a movie if it meets three criteria:
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
Tennis court Battle
Actors say art inspired life on new Billie Jean King movie
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
that the movie has at least two women
in it, that they talk to each other and that
they talk about something besides a man.
Battle of the Sexes passes the test with
ying colors. It also passes the Russo test,
named for the late activist and cultural
critic Vito Russo, which applies the same
criteria to LGBT characters.
Two of the women who star in the
lm, Andrea Riseborough and Natalie
Morales, were eager to talk about the
challenges of playing strong women with
recent historical footprints and about
turning Billie Jean Kings vision of equal
pay for women and female economic
empowerment into reality.
Acclaimed British actress, writer and
lmmaker Riseborough plays Marilyn
Barnett, Kings rst girlfriend. For
VOLUME 48 ISSUE 39
PHOTO COURTESY FOX SEARCHLIGHT
Riseborough, known for playing strong
historical character like Wallis Simpson
(W.E.), Margaret Thatcher (The Long
Walk to Finchley) and Svetlana Stalin (the
upcoming The Death of Stalin), playing
Barnett oered a dierent challenge: the
lack of documentation.
There was so little to unearth compared
to other characters Ive played, she says.
Theyre over-documented. You have to
forget the noise and get to the center of
who they are.
Playing Barnett, she says, I had the
opposite pressure, it was a process of
excavation. For me as an actor, it was very
fullling because there was so much I had
to ll in, so much I had to imagine.
Riseborough discovered that Barnett
was a very liberated, free-spirited
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 PAGE 33
woman. She embodies the hopefulness
of the early 70s, the wholesome part of it.
She was incredibly happy and very much
in love.
Working with a few period photographs,
she collaborated with Costume Designer
Mary Zophres to recreate Barnetts look,
that of a long-haired California beauty.
In fact, Austin Stowell (who plays
Kings husband Larry) and Riseborough
joked that, the cinematic Billie certainly
had a type; in the lm, were both tanned
and blond.
In addition to her award-winning
appearances in front of the camera,
Riseborough founded her own
production company in 2013. Mother
CONTINUES ON PAGE 41

3 4 SEPTE MB ER 29, 2017 Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R T A Y LO R W A LLA CE
TAYLOR WALLACE
How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
Aug. 10 was my 10-year anniversary of
being out. It was hardest to come out
to my grandmother who was my rock
throughout life and my best friend. My
coming out didnt aect our relationship
whatsoever, though.
Whos your LGBT hero?
Wanda Alston. I think its extremely
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY important that we all continue her legacy
of advocating and supporting at-risk
LGBT youth (wandaalstonfoundation.
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO org). Ellen is pretty stellar too.
joeyd@washblade.com
Whats Washingtons best nightspot,
As both a science lover and a self-described foodie, Taylor Wallace is one of past or present?
the lucky ones who has managed to combine his passions into a viable career. I just love JR.s. The sta is just so great
Wallace is a food science and nutrition expert at George Mason University and theyre always so supportive of
and also founder and CEO of his own consulting rm Think Healthy Group kickball and our community. Its such a
through which he works with 21 food companies, trade associations and nice laid-back atmosphere and I always
commodity boards to help clients design and execute cutting edge research nd someone interesting to chat with.
to inform policy. He conducts most of the research in house at the university.
I was always interested in science, says the 33-year-old Hopkinsville, Ky., Describe your dream wedding.
native. When I discovered food science, it oered a way to apply my love of A secluded, casual beach wedding with
science to help others. I knew I couldnt force people to eat right overnight, friends. Real Pina Coladas, tiki torches,
but I could help design healthier products that people love. catering by Hot-N-Juicy and the guy of
Wallace came to Washington eight years ago for work after earning a Ph.D. my dreams.
and masters degree in food science and nutrition from Ohio State University
and a bachelors in his native Kentucky. Find him online at drtaylorwallace.com. What non-LGBT issue are you most
Wallace is single but owns a house in Bloomingdale with his friend Ken passionate about?
Gaughan, which they share with Gaughans boyfriend and three dogs. Nutrition. I love helping people,
Wallace enjoys kickball, dodgeball and volunteering in his free time. especially kids, lead healthier lives.
What historical outcome would
you change?
9-11. It breaks my heart to watch the
documentaries.
Whats been the most memorable pop
culture moment of your lifetime?
Tupac getting shot.
On what do you insist?
That hes still alive.
What was your last Facebook post
or Tweet?
A picture of my awesome kickball
team! Love you boys! Just the Tip!
If your life were a book, what would
the title be?
202.747.2077 Im not sure what the title would be
but it would denitely be a comedy!
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you do?
Absolutely nothing. Why change who
you are? Besides, gay boys have way
more fun.
What do you believe in beyond the
physical world?
Love and that my puppy Princess and I
will be together forever.
Whats your advice for LGBT
movement leaders?
Too often we tend to tear each other
down instead of uplifting one another.
I saw a lot of this at the Pride parade
this year. Positively changing the world
starts with each one of us.We tend
to be critical of people who have a
dierent view of the world vs. trying to
understand and better resonate with
one another.
What would you walk across hot
coals for?
Oreo cookies and cream ice cream
and the people I love.
What LGBT stereotype annoys
you most?
I nd them hilarious. Just let me have
a shot at cutting your hair and Ill show
you a gay stereotype!
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
Brokeback Mountain
Whats the most overrated
social custom?
Dressing up in a suit to go stare at a
computer screen all day.
What trophy or prize do you
most covet?
The World Food Prize. Its the highest
honor in the food/agriculture eld.
What do you wish youd known at 18?
That coming out would only make me
stronger and better in the long run.
Why Washington?
The best LGBT community and friends I
could have ever imagined. Not to mention
Im a foodie.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T H E A TER
BRUCE RANDOLPH NELSON (front) and VICHET CHUM in M. Buttery.
Gender-bending
romance
Everymans M. Buttery is
tender tragedy
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Two gay actors playing gay characters.
Nothing too out of the ordinary there.
But with Everyman Theatres season
opener M. Buttery it becomes a bit
more complicated.
In David Henry Hwangs play partly
inspired by Puccinis opera, the
protagonist is closeted French diplomat
Rene Gallimard who falls in love with
Peking opera star Song Liling who is
a man disguised as a woman (a detail
about which Rene may or may not be
aware). The pair enters into an intense
relationship that involves espionage and
ultimately leads to tragedy.
For two-time Helen Hayes Award-
winning actor Bruce Randolph Nelson
who plays Gallimard, the part marks a
turning point in his career.
In the age of Trump, Ive asked
myself what really matters, Nelson, an
Everyman company member since 2001,
says. It used to be if just one person
saw themselves reected in a play
and theyre changed by what they see
then it was worth doing. Now thats not
enough. Needs to be more. M. Buttery
asks big, hairy, awkward questions in a
very beautiful way. Everyman excels at
storytelling thats at once intimate and
big. This show has reinvigorated my love
for acting.
Playing opposite Nelson is New York-
based actor Vichet Chum as Song. He
was rst introduced to M. Buttery
as a college freshman at University of
Evansville in Indiana where he earned a
degree in theater performance.
Id come from a pretty conservative
Dallas background, Chum says. My
parents are Cambodian immigrants. I
rst read the play for a class and it rocked
my world. Id never encountered an Asian
S E PT E M B E R 29, 2017 35
MATTHEW BOURNES
P R O D U CT I O N O F
PHOTO BY CLINTON B PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo by Hugo Glendinning
character like this before. The story stayed
with him so when I got the opportunity to
play the part I was denitely excited. Im
intrigued by Songs inner complexity and
the details of her life. As an Asian actor
this a particularly important role. The
part checks all the boxes of what you like
as a theater performer.
Song is also Chums rst foray into
drag. He makes 11 costume changes.
When hes not onstage Chum is quickly
changing outts and makeup to achieve
the divas perfect look.
Im an Asian man playing an Asian
man who plays the role of the perfect
Asian woman. It took some work to get
the physical mannerisms. I try to keep
it light and as graceful as possible. Yet
I keep a sense of knowing and irony in
what Im doing.
Songs gender uidity is not a main
theme in the piece.
Whether shes transgender or a gay
man who does drag, I cant be certain,
Chum says. Much of her choices
are based on utility and her job as a
performer and surviving communist
China. Other motivations are much BASED ON THE FILM BY MICHAEL POWELL AND EMERIC PRESSBURGER
grayer. Its a mystery. I dont think she
AND THE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN FAIRY TALE
ever plays all her cards, frankly.
Nelson, 51, commiserates with Rene. MUSIC BY BERNARD HERRMANN
Hes a gay man who couldnt be
himself. He had to mask behind male
bravado, cultural and religious dictums,
OCTOBER 1015, 2017 | OPERA HOUSE
and diplomatic constraints. But he was
willing to overlook and deny everything
in pursuit love. I was a gay man in college
who hid behind an engagement to a
woman until I couldnt play the straight
game anymore. It gutted me, but Im TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
better for it.
KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600
M. BUTTERFLY Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
Through Oct. 8 For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
Everyman Theatre
315 West Fayette Street
Baltimore International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of
$38-65 the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.
410-752-2208
Everymantheatre.org

3 6 S EPTE MB ER 29, 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
Reel Armations presents a
screening of Raising Zoey at Human
Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island
Ave., N.W.) tonight from 7-10 p.m. The
documentary tells the story of 13-year-old
transgender activist Zoe Luna who ghts
for her right to self-identify in school.
There will be a catered reception and
discussion with director Dante Alencastre
and Zoeys mother, Ofelia Barba, after
the screening. General admission tickets
are $17. VIP tickets are $30 and include
access to the catered reception. All tickets
include a one-year membership to HRC.
For more details, visit thedcenter.org/
events/raising-zoey.
The D.C. Boys of Leather hosts Boys
Night at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd.,
N.E.) tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. There
will be Jell-O shots and beer specials on
tap. Anyone curious about the leather
community is welcome. For more
information, visit facebook.com/dcbol.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.)
debuts its Latino dance party Uncut
tonight from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. The party will
be held every last Friday of the month.
Drink specials run all night. Dancers will
also perform. No cover before 11 p.m.
and $10 cover after. For more details, visit
greenlanterndc.com.
AGLA and Professionals in the City host
lesbian and bisexual speed dating at
Hilton Inn (1620 Prince St., Alexandria, Va.)
tonight from 7-9 p.m. All queer women
are welcome. Participants who purchase
two drinks or other items from the bar
or restaurant will receive three hours of
complimentary parking. Tickets are $30. For
more information, visit prosinthecity.com.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts WTF,
a gay dance party, tonight from 11 p.m.-
3:30 a.m. Biblegirl666, Jane Saw, Pussy
Noir and more will perform. DJ Aaron
Riggins, DJ Ed Bailey and DJ CLAUDIA will
spin tracks. Attendees with the best looks
will win free entry and drink tickets. For
more information, visit towndc.com.
Flash (645 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts
Flashy Saturdaze, a dance party, on the
rooftop, today from 4-10 p.m. DJ Twin
and DJ Sean Morris will play music. No
cover. For more details, visit facebook.
com/ashydc.
Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639
Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts Shirtless
Saturday tonight from 8-11 p.m. Guests
who arrive shirtless will receive food
and drink specials such as $4 rail drinks,
$4 domestic beers and $4 jumbo wings.
No cover. For more information, visit
DAN DOMINGUES, STEVE HENDRICKSON and SALLY WINGERT in Native Gardens.
facebook.com/uproarloungedc.
The Gay Mens Chorus of Washington
presents a live recording of their
Southern Equality Tour at Foundry United
Methodist Church (1500 16th St., N.W.)
today from 3-4 p.m. The chorus will sing
popular Broadway songs like Seasons
of Love, What More Can I Say and I more information, visit towndc.com.
Am What I Am. Admission is free. No
RSVP required. Seating is rst come, rst
served. For more details, visit gmcw.org.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts Otter
Den, a gay mens dance party, tonight from
9 p.m.-2:30 a.m. DJ Madscience and DJ
StrikeStone will play a mix of disco, house,
techno and garage music. Cover is $7. For
more information, visit cobaltdc.com.
Taqueria Del Barrio (821 Upshur St.,
N.W.) hosts a drag brunch today from
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Desiree Dik, India Larelle
Houston and Sextia NEight will perform.
There will be a show at 10 a.m. and
another show at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25
and include one brunch entre or three
tacos and one brunch cocktail. For more
details, visit facebook.com/delbarriodc.
SUNDAY, OCT 1
NOVA Pride is today from 11 a.m.-6
p.m. at Bull Run Special Events Center
7700 Bull Run Dr., in Centreville, Va.) rain
or shine. This years theme is Declare
Yourself and its billed as the largest
Pride event in Virginia. Its free to attend.
Details at novapride.org.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Big
Gay Flea: A Queer Market today from
noon-6 p.m. The parking lot will feature
vendors such as Alotta Stu Rack, Come
On Strong, Clack That Fan, Mundys Junk
and more. Inside there will be games,
bar service and drag performances from
Alotta McGriddles, Donna Slash, JaxKnife,
Salvadora Dali and more. DJ Devon
Trotter and DJ LEMZ will play music.
Admission is free. Guests of all ages are
invited to the outdoor market, but must
be 21 and over for indoor activities. For
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd.,
N.E.) hosts BLUF: D.C., a dance party
for leather men and women, today from
409 p.m. Leather is encouraged but not
required. Admission is free. For more
details, visit dcleatherpride.org/bluf.
Where the Girls Go and Vanniety
Kills host Overeasy Tea Dance, a ladies
day party, at Dodge City (917 U St., N.W.)
today from 3-8 p.m. DJ Mothersheister,
DJ Tezrah and DJ Vanniety Kills will play
music. No cover. For more information,
visit facebook.com/wherethegirlsgo.
MONDAY, OCT. 2
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts coee drop-in hours this morning
from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT
community. Older LGBT adults can
come and enjoy complimentary coee
and conversation with other community
members. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave.,
N.W.) holds a support group today from
6-8 p.m. for gay black men to discuss
topics that aect them, share perspectives
and have meaningful conversations. For
details, visit uhupil.org.
TUESDAY, OCT. 3
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
CA LE N D A R
PHOTO BY DAN NORMAN; COURTESY ARENA STAGE
hosts its FUK!T Packing Party from
7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit
thedccenter.org.
Republic (6939 Laurel Ave., Takoma
Park, Md.) hosts Alegre Happy Hour, an
LGBT happy hour, today from 5-7 p.m.
For details, visi republictakoma.com.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4
Bookmen D.C., an informal gay mens
literature group, discusses Guapa
by Saleem Haddad, at the Tenleytown
Library (4450 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.)
tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome.
For more information, visit bookmendc.
blogspot.com.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge
Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the
Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social
bridge. No partner needed. For more
information, call 301-345-1571.
The Ask Rayceen Show presents
its annual talent competition at Human
Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island
Ave., N.W.) today at 6 p.m. The top three
audience favorites will receive cash prizes
up to $300. Arrive early to sign up to
perform. Performances must be under
ve minutes. Free admission. For more
details, visit askrayceen.com.
THURSDAY, OCT. 5
Guthrie Theater presents Native
Gardens at Arena Stage (1101 Sixth St.,
N.W.) in the Kreeger Theater through Oct.
22. The comedy from playwright Kaen
Zacarias follows feuding neighbors who
battle it out over a fence that threatens
one familys prized garden. Tickets range
from $86-$101.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
D I N I NG
The restaurant-ication
of Southwest D.C.
Wharf area has many bistros
opening in coming months
By KRISTEN HARTKE
Some of us kind of liked D.C.s Southwest
Waterfront the way it was: decidedly
untrendy, a destination only for those
in the know, a place that still held some
vestiges of an earlier DC, even though
much of the original neighborhood was
obliterated for urban renewal in the
1960s. Whenever another ultra-hip, pour-
over, micro-roasting coee shop opens up
in my own suddenly cool neighborhood, a
stroll over down M Street S.W. has been a
balm to my over-gentried soul.
But a change is gonna come with the
opening of District Wharf on Oct. 12, and
the Southwest waterfront will denitely
no longer be the same. In the past, it was
slightly grimy, denitely smelly, and didnt
oer much OK any really good food.
For a place like Arena Stage, the acclaimed
regional theater that has anchored
the area since 1960, this presented a
problem for patrons looking for pre- or
aprs-theater dining, as well as for oce
workers who wanted something more
substantial than struggling through Lean
Cuisine microwave meals at their desks.
In recent years, a shiny new Safeway
has helped to spawn a smattering of
restaurants adjacent to the Waterfront
Metro station, but the Wharf promises
to profoundly alter the rhythm of life in
Southwest, continuing the rapid pace of
development that began when Nationals
Park opened to the public in 2008. The
restaurant boom just on the other side
of South Capitol Street, from Justins
to Bluejacket to the Salt Line, made the
Wharf almost an inevitability.
With nearly two dozen new locally
owned eateries and bars opening up
between October and next spring, area
residents and visitors alike will have a
wide array of options, from doughnuts to
pizza and, of course, plenty of seafood.
A few highlights to look out for starting
Oct. 12:
Alas, Cantina Marina, home of
cheap drinks, spectacular sunsets, and
cheesy island vibes, will close at the
end of October while the pier where it
currently sits is being rebuilt although,
ngers crossed, it will return in all its
Margaritaville glory in a couple of years.
However, in the meantime, you can
check out Pearl Street Warehouse, a
music, food and bar concept created by
S E PT E M B E R 29, 2017 37
Hanks Oyster Bar is expanding its franchise to
the Wharf set to open in two weeks.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
the Cantina Marina team. Look out for
all-American diner-style delights with
a backdrop of live rock, country, soul,
bluegrass and R&B music.
If youve always yearned for a water
view with your freshly shucked bivalves at
Hanks Oyster Bar, then restaurateur Jamie
Leeds newest location will ll the bill. Leeds
typically refers to her menus as urban
beach food and the addition of a carry-
out window where you can grab lobster
rolls and other seaside-inspired treats will
provide a boardwalk experience that Leeds
calls an homage to Rehoboth Beach.
Chef Mike Isabella continues his near-
domination of the D.C. restaurant scene
with the opening of a second location of
Requin, which many D.C. residents are
likely to be unfamiliar with unless theyve
ventured out to the original location in
Virginias Mosaic District. The focus will,
naturally, be seafood, but with a French
twist under the rened eye of chef, and
fellow Top Chef alum, Jennifer Carroll,
and an extensive wine program is planned.
Yo-ho-ho, theres a rum distillery coming
to the Wharf and that is something to be
excited about. The brainchild of mixologist
Todd Thrasher, rum will be distilled on
site at Potomac Distilling Company,
including white and spiced rums and aged
varieties. Theyll all be served in a tiki-style
setting, along with Hawaiian-inspired
snacks from chef Cathal Armstrong,
which will hopefully help tide us over until
Cantina Marina returns.
KRISTEN HARTKE is a D.C.-based food
and beverage writer. Follow her kitchen
adventures on Twiiter, @khartke.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

38 SEPT E M B E R 29, 2017 O U T & A BO U T

GOGO
PENGUIN
W/ THE MATTSON 2
THURSDAY SEPT 28

ERIC By MARIAH COOPER

KRASNO
BAND
W/ MIDNIGHT NORTH
FRIDAY SEPT 29
SAT, SEPT 30
AN EVENING WITH THE BAD PLUS
SUN, OCT 1
AN EVENING WITH WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY TYLER GRIGSBY

CLASSIC ALBUMS LIVE:

RUSH 2112 Two more Pride events for fall
WED, OCT 4
Youth Pride Day, previously held in May, has moved to the fall. It will be held at
THE SECRET SISTERS Dupont Circle on Saturday, Oct. 7 from noon-5 p.m.
W/ MARY BRAGG The event will feature performances, games, speakers, LGBT resources and
more. The rst Youth Pride Day took place at Dupont Circle Park in 1997. Last
FRI, OCT 6
AN EVENING WITH years event drew in 3,000 attendees. Admission is free. Organizers cited desire
for community feedback as the reason for postponing the event, which SMYAL
CHOPTEETH AFROFUNK helps organize. No word on whether the move is permanent or not.
BIG BAND For more details, visit youthpridealliance.org.
SPECIAL BONE READER CD RELEASE SHOW And NOVA Pride is Sunday, Oct. 1 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. in Centreville, Va. Details
at novapride.org.
SAT, OCT 7
PHOTO BY JERE KEYS; PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
AN EVENING WITH
SPLINTERED SUNLIGHT
SUN, OCT 8
Maupin to sign memoirs at
JAMES HUNTER SIX D.C. appearance
TUES, OCT 10 Veteran gay novelist Armistead Maupin
will be in Washington on Wednesday,
AN EVENING WITH HUDSON:
Oct. 4 for Armistead Maupin: Tales of a
JACK DEJOHNETTE, LARRY Lifetime, his new memoir.
GRENADIER, JOHN MEDESKI Maupin (seen here at left with hubby
& JOHN SCOFIELD in a 2004 le photo), known for his LGBT-
themed, San Francisco-set Tales of the
THURS, OCT 12 City set of nine novels (1978-2014), will be
EILEN JEWELL W/ MISS TESS at the Rasmuson Theater at the National
Museum of the American Indian (4th St.
FRI, OCT 13 and Independence Ave., S.W.) at 6:45 p.m.
DAVID GRISMAN Tickets are $20 for members or $30 for
BLUEGRASS EXPERIENCE non-members. Copies of the memoir will
W/ CIRCUS NO. 9 be available for purchase and Maupin will
sign copies after the speech.
SAT, OCT 14 Details at smithsonianassociates.org.
KAT WRIGHT & PHOTO BY ROBYN VON SWANK; COURTESY RIGHT ON! PR

THE INDOMITABLE SOUL BAND More Awkward Sex

SUN, OCT 15 Married lesbian comedians in town Oct. 7 Awkward Sexand the City, a comedic
THE STEEL WHEELS Married comedian duo Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher bring their stand- storytelling event based in New York City,
up comedy tour Back To Back to 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Saturday, Oct. will be at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.)
TUES, OCT 17 7 at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m.
AN EVENING WITH HOLLY BOWLING The couple stars on their comedy series, Take My Wife. Separately, Esposito Comedians will recount their most
has appeared in lms such as Mothers Day and First Girl I Loved. Butcher embarrassing sexual encounters, both
has made appearances on the TV series Adam Ruins Everything and Maron, gay and straight, on stage. Natalie Wall,
among others. Doors open at 7 p.m Tickets are $33.50. Anita Flores, Karolena Theresa and Bobby
For more information, visit 930.com. Hakinson will perform. Tickets are $15.
For more information, visit
THEHAMILTONDC.COM blackcatdc.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
F I LM
BONNIE BEDELIA (left) and DALE DICKEY in A Very Sordid Wedding. Filmmaker DEL SHORES.
CAST STILL BY STEVEN K. JOHNSON; SHORES PHOTO BY JASON GRINDLE
Sordid sequel
Filmmaker Del Shores says
the time was right to revisit
2000 camp classic
BY BRIAN T. CARNEY
Local fans of Del Shores LGBT cult
classic movie Sordid Lives have reason
to rejoice. In a special one-night-only
celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 3,
A Very Sordid Wedding will nally
march down the aisle and make its D.C.
premiere at the Avalon Theatre. The
event will be hosted by Del Shores and
Emerson Collins.
For anyone not familiar with the original
movie, Sordid Lives (2000) is about the
extended Ingram clan and the other zany
inhabitants of the small conservative town
of Winters, Texas. The family matriarch
Peggy has died under scandalous
circumstances (she tripped over his
younger married boyfriends wooden legs
in a seedy motel room) and her eccentric
family is preparing for her funeral.
Among them is her grandson Ty
Williamson (played in the movie and
sequel by Kirk Geiger), an aspiring actor
in Los Angeles. While hes gathering
the courage to tell his mother Latrelle
(Bonnie Bedelia) that hes gay, all kinds of
family shenanigans ensue.
Writer, director and producer Del
Shores explains that the popular Sordid
Lives franchise started life as a play based
on his own life. The play opened in May
1996 in a 64-seat theater in Hollywood
and quickly grew an enthusiastic fan
base. The original production ran for
months in Los Angeles and many of the
same cast members are still involved in
the franchise.
It started with my relationship with my
mom, Shores says. My mom was the
real Latrelle. She truly was my rst ally
when I came out, so a lot of the play was
lifted right from our lives. Then I added
Photo of Xuejuan Dance Ensemble by Junan Chen
S E PT E M B E R 29, 2017 39
OCT 6-7, 8PM
OCT
CMYK
7, 2PM (family matinee)
Grey: Orange:
C=0 SIDNEY
C=0 HARMAN HALL
1Y=0weekend.
M=2 M=80
Y=95
19 companies.
K=68Starting
K=0 at $18 per show.
Text is Century Gothic Bold and Century Gothic Regular.
Additional free events begin each
evening at 7:15pm. View participants and
full schedule at VelocityDC.org
Co-presented by the D.C. Commission on the
Arts and Humanities, the Shakespeare Theatre
Company, and Washington Performing Arts
TICKETS: VelocityDC.org (202) 547-1122
For black backgrounds
The grey becomes a K=40
my aunts and it just built from there. PFLAG promotes the equality and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual,
Shores, who is really from Winters,
and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
explains that while the play was inspired
by real characters, its a ctitious story. Support to cope with an adverse society.
While the stage version was running, Education to enlighten an ill-informed public.
Shores started brain-storming about making Advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.
a low-budget feature lm of the play.
My buddy Beau Bridges said, This Trained facilitators lead the Arlington Support Group and confidentiality is maintained. For
would make a really great movie and further information about the Arlington Support Group, contact us at arl.pflag@gmail.com.
if you do it I would love to wear that
black bra. Once he got on board, I got Our groups meet on the second Sunday of each month, from 3 4:30pm at the Unitarian
a birthday call from Olivia Newton-John Universalist Church in Arlington, at George Mason Drive & Route 50.
and she was interested in it, and then we
A.L.Y. is a group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Youth and Allies in
got Delta Burke and Bonnie Bedelia and it
just came together.
grades 7-12. Our goal is to give LGBTQ youth a safe place to gather. Trained facilitators lead the
Bridges played G.W. Nethercutt in the youth group. Confidentiality maintained. For more info, contact: aly.pflagdc@gmail.com.
lm and got to model a black bra when Our Washington DC Chapter of PFLAG may be reached at 202-638-3852.
his character lost a bet.
Sordid Lives: the Series, a prequel
to the series, premiered on LOGO in
July, 2008. While the show only lasted
one season, Shores says the fans kept
wanting more.
The fans got their wish earlier this year
with the release of A Very Sordid Wedding.
The movie depicts what happens when
marriage equality comes roaring into
Winters. It takes place right after the
Supreme Court decision in July 2015. Two
events collide: the 17th anniversary of
the death of the family matriarch Peggy
and an anti-equality revival at the local
Baptist church.
The movie ultimately celebrates the
strength of family, Shores says. Not only
do we need to celebrate our amazing
progress, but we need to celebrate those
people who evolved with us.
In the movie, Tys mother and aunts
rally around him and his husband and
other queer characters in the lm.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A VERY SORDID WEDDING
Avalon Theatre
5612 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Tuesday, Oct. 3
8 p.m.
brownpapertickets.com/event/3073608
4 0 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT
Murky history, technical trials challenged Sexes actors
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33
Sucker, named in honor of her mother,
is an all-female company. Its sta is now
working on Nancy, an anti-hero piece
starring Riseborough and written and
directed by Christina Choe.
Natalie Morales faced a dierent set of
challenges playing Rosie Casals. Morales
says Casals, was frequently Billie Jeans
doubles partner and one of her best
friends at the time. She was one of the
few women of color in the tennis world
at the time and one of the few people of
color in this movie, because thats the way
the tennis world was at the time.
Casals also worked with famed
sportscaster Howard Cosell to provide
on-air commentary during the match.
Morales (Grinder, Parks and Recreation
and Girls) was edited into the actual
lm from ABC, which oered an exciting
challenge for the actor.
I had to match Rosies voice perfectly,
her intonation and the way she ended
sentences. Everything had to be an exact
copy so it would match. I had to look at
him at the exact same time. It was a fun
puzzle. Im a director and I really love the
Irresistable rhythm, fabulous dancing
FESTIVAL OF SOUTH
AFRICAN DANCE
Featuring the Gumboots and
Pantsula Dance Companies
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 8 P.M.
ff Family Friendly performances that are most suitable for families with younger children
TICKETS 888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU
NATALIE MORALES (right) with EMMA STONE and ALAN CUMMING in Battle of the Sexes.
Morales says her work in the lm inspired her to come out.
technical aspect of making movies.
Morales has directed several music
videos as well as segments for Funny Or
Die and is working on deals to direct a
television series and a feature lm.
Morales was not able to meet Casals
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON
CFA.GMU.EDU
Exhilarating work!
PILOBOLUS
Shadowland
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 AT 8 P.M.
ff
for the visibility and the normalizing that
PHOTO COURTESY FOX SEARCHLIGHT
until the lms premiere last weekend in
Los Angeles. She was thrilled when both
Casals and King said she got it really,
really great.
Inspired in part by her participation
in Battles of the Sexes, Morales came
Romance-Sensuality-Drama. Dance!
TANGO BUENOS
AIRES
ff
The Spirit of Argentina
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 8 P.M.
Arrive early and enjoy a free class led by
dancers from Tango Mercurio! Advance RSVPs
required.
Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway
exit 54 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.
SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 4 1
out as a lesbian in June. She says shes a
private person who avoids the spotlight.
I was already out to my friends and
some of my family, so it really wasnt a big
deal coming out in my personal life, she
says.
But since she knew she would be
heavily involved in the press tour for this
movie, Morales made the decision to
come out publicly.
I wanted to support this lm fully in
a way that is honest to me. Id like to be
candid while also being private, Morales
says. I was always an advocate of LGBTQ
rights, but I thought I was omitting
something by not saying publicly that I
was actually a part of that community
and not just a straight ally. I thought I
dont mind sacricing a little bit of privacy
that will do for the queer community. If I
make anyone feel a little less alone or a
little more understood, or if I educate a
single person its worth it.
EDITORS NOTE: Washington Blade movie critic
Brian T. Carney interviewed actresses Andrea Rise-
borough and Natalie Morales at the Los Angeles
premiere of Battle of the Sexes last weekend.
ON TI
SA CKE
LE TS
NO
W
!
So much fun to see!
THE MARTIAL ARTISTS
AND ACROBATS OF
TIANJIN
China Soul
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3 AT 8 P.M. ff
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4 AT 2 P.M.
AND 8 P.M. ff
4 2 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

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W A Sh I NgTO NB lADe.C OM
REALESTATE
TOPA: Protection or extortion?
Inadvertently reducing
the amount of housing
available to renters
By VALERIE M. BLAKE
Last week, I had the privilege of attending
my first D.C. Council meeting as part of a con-
tingent of roughly 200 real estate agents, at-
torneys, tenant advocates and homeowners.
The topic: D.C.s Tenant Opportunity to
Purchase Act (TOPA) of 1980.
The premise of the Act was a noble one.
In response to burgeoning gentrification
within the District it gave a tenant the
first right to purchase the home in which
he resided upon being informed by the
owner that it was being sold. Notification
procedures, transparency requirements
and lengthy deadlines would ensure the
tenant would have sufficient time to ne-
gotiate a contract, obtain financing, and
settle on the home.
Embedded in the law was a provision
whereby the tenant could transfer her
purchase rights to another individual if
she chose. What began as an avenue for
the tenant to secure a qualified buyer
who would allow her to remain or receive
a reasonable stipend from the seller to
assist her in moving to a new location de-
volved into a pay to play situation.
Real estate agents began to see abuses
of the Act. Tenants would seek substan-
Attorneys that are OUTthinking |OUTspoken |OUTdoing
tial sums of money for their rights to
purchase, which resulted in a new way to
earn a living, both for the tenants and for
the attorneys who represented them, and
often held a sale hostage while negotia-
tions took place.
With the assistance of the District of
Columbia Association of Realtors (DCAR),
TOPA finally found its way into local tele-
vision news. A three-part investigative
series prompted the D.C. Council, spear-
headed by Council member Anita Bonds,
to focus on how the law had gone from
protecting tenants to hurting homeown-
ers, raising the cost of housing, and re-
ducing D.C. housing stock for the very
tenants TOPA was designed to protect.
As a result, a task force made up of real
estate agents, attorneys and tenant ad-
vocates was formed. Two amendments
to TOPA were ultimately sponsored by
members of the Council and became the
reason we were all seated in Room 500
of the Wilson Building on the morning of
Sept. 21.
The TOPA Accessory Dwelling Unit
Amendment Act of 2017, sponsored by
Council member Bonds and six other
members, including Chairman Phil Mendel-
son, provides for an exemption from TOPA
requirements for certain owner-occupied
residences with accessory units such as
basement apartments, carriage houses
and converted garages. It also caps pay-
ments to tenants in those units at $1,500.
Council member ANITA BONDS looked into
how TOPA went from protecting tenants to
hurting homeowners.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
The Home Sale Facilitation Amendment
Act of 2017, sponsored by Council mem-
ber Brianne Nadeau, reduces the lengthy
timelines currently in effect, streamlines
the process, and exempts single-family
dwellings that are the sellers primary
residence from TOPA requirements.
The Council meeting began with tes-
timony from the co-chairs of the DCAR
TOPA Task Force. As local title attorneys,
they explained the impact of a confusing
MUST SEE TO BELIEVE
TRANSLATION:
ACCURATE STATEMENT -
NO TRANSLATION
AVAILABLE.
VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI, Director of Education & Mentorship
Dupont Circle Ofce 202-518-8781 (o) 202.246.8602 (c)
Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com www.DCHomeQuest.com
Se P T eMBe R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 4 3
and costly process, the difficulty in con-
firming compliance, and the uncertainty
of a timely sale.
Tenant advocates from AARP and the
Legal Aid Society spoke out against the
amendments, arguing that TOPA pro-
motes homeownership, yet they, the title
attorneys, and the real estate agents all
agreed that it was seldom that a tenant
bought the property they inhabited using
the provisions of TOPA.
A homeowner adversely affected by
TOPA tearfully told a horror story of rent-
ing her home to a family of three who
proceeded to allow unauthorized people
and pets to live there, broke appliances
and fixtures, lived in filth, and failed to re-
port leaks that resulted in mold. Repairs
to the property totaled $7,000.
Despite being offered an additional
sum to relocate, the tenants refused. The
homeowner, who is now retired and liv-
ing out-of-state on a fixed income, is still
unable to complete the sale of her home.
Her sentiment, that she would never
again rent a D.C. home to anyone, was
echoed by others who testified or sent
letters to be read into the record.
n CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VALERIE M. BLAKE is a licensed Associate Bro-
ker in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and Director
of education & Mentorship at Real living| At
home. Call or text her at 202-246-8602, email
her at Valerie@DChomeQuest.com, or follow
her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.
To be used at the top of collateral:
To be used at the bottom of collateral:
4 4 S EPTE MB ER 29, 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
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details and to contact me.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM SE P T E MBE R 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 4 7

V O T I N G E N D S O C T O B E R 1 S T

VOTE NOW AT BESTOFGAYDC.COM

 HIVcare.org
AHF Healthcare Centers

D.C.
1647 Benning Rd NE Ste 303
20002
(202) 350-5000

2141 K St NW Ste 606

20037
(202) 293-8680

MARYLAND
4302 Saint Barnabas Rd Ste B
Temple Hills, 20748
(301) 423-1071

Dr. Mark Davis, Warren,

AHF Dental Director AHF Client