Metro Weekly - 06-26-14 - DOMA Roberta Kaplan

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JUNE 26, 2014
Volume 21 / Issue 9
NEWS 6 LGBT GAME CHANGE
by Justin Snow
9 LAST HOLDOUTS
by Justin Snow
10 SNOWDEN JUMPS INTO AT-LARGE RACE
by John Riley
14 MARYLAND MAN SENTENCED
IN BIAS-RELATED ATTACK
by John Riley
BUSINESS 17 PLANNING PAVES WAY
FOR SMOOTHER FUTURE
by John F. Stanton
SCENE 18 TEAM DCS
NIGHT OUT AT THE NATIONALS
photography by Ward Morrison
20 COMMUNITY CALENDAR
SCENE 24 7TH ANNUAL SUMMER GAMES
WITH SUMMER CAMP
photography by Christopher Cunetto
FEATURE 26 ONE YEAR LATER
by Justin Snow
OUT ON THE TOWN 32 HOME AND GARDEN ART
by Doug Rule
34 FRINGE FACTOR
by Doug Rule
TV 37 BRITISH MINCE
Rhuaridh Marr
PETS 39 SEVEN BASIC DOG COMMANDS
Doug Rule
NIGHTLIFE 43 GROWL BEAR PARTY AT SECRETS
SCENE 52 FREDDIES FOLLIES DRAG SHOW
54 LAST WORD
LGBT Game Change
By strengthening Democrats political hold on LGBT rights, Obama has forged
a progressive coalition Republicans seem incapable of combating
Obama, Clinton and Biden
by Justin Snow
I
F THERE WERE ANY LINGER-
ing doubts over President Barack
Obamas legacy on LGBT rights,
the nations rst African-Amer-
ican president appeared to wipe them
away last week.
On June 16, after years of pressure
from outside groups, the White House
announced that Obama would sign an
executive order prohibiting federal con-
tractors from discrimination on the basis
of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The news that Obama would at last act
on something he said he would do when
running for president in 2008 was greet-
ed with applause and relief from
LGBT advocates previously puzzled by
inaction on the executive order.
Days later, the Obama administration
announced additional actions against
Uganda, including cuts in aid and re-
stricting entry to the U.S. by certain
Ugandan ofcials, for the implementa-
tion of an anti-LGBT law earlier this year.
The move, advocates say, sets a precedent
for dealing with other countries consid-
ering laws that target LGBT people.
And then on June 20, the Obama
administration concluded what is be-
ing called the vastest conferral of rights
to LGBT people in American history.
In a memo to President Obama, Attor-
ney General Eric Holder announced the
completion of the administrations im-
plementation of last years U.S. Supreme
Court decision striking down Section 3 of
the Defense of Marriage Act, ending the
federal governments denition of mar-
riage as between a man and a woman.
I am pleased to report that agen-
cies across the federal government have
implemented the Windsor decision to
treat married same-sex couples the same
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as married opposite-sex couples for the
benets and obligations for which mar-
riage is relevant, to the greatest extent
possible under the law, Holder wrote.
On Friday, the Labor Department also
announced it is proposing a rule change
to the Family and Medical Leave Act
(FMLA) clarifying that employees are
eligible for leave to care for a same-sex
spouse, regardless of whether they live
in a state that recognizes same-sex mar-
riage. The Social Security Administra-
tion and the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs announced additional guidance for
same-sex couples, while noting that they
cannot fully extend benets until areas
of federal law are updated by Congress.
Meanwhile, both Holder and the White
House renewed their calls on Congress to
pass legislation that would correct areas
of federal law that continue to prevent
the extension of benets.
Judging by the reaction from advo-
cates, such steps have cemented Obamas
legacy as the greatest ally the LGBT com-
munity has ever known to occupy the
White House.
President Obamas advocacy on be-
half of LGBT people is nothing less than
historic. There is no question that the
lives of LGBT people today are immea-
surably better today than they were be-
fore this president took ofce, said Chad
Grifn, president of the Human Rights
Campaign, in a statement. The admin-
istrations sweeping interpretation and
implementation of the Windsor decision
has led to [the] greatest conferral of equal
rights, benets and obligations to LGBT
people in our nations history. In record
time, Attorney General Holder has moved
heaven and earth to guarantee equality,
and the LGBT community could not ask
for a better partner in progress.
Since taking the oath of ofce in Janu-
ary 2009, Obama has checked off a long
list of LGBT accomplishments. The rst
sitting American president to openly en-
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Marylands Primary Results
Amazon Launches the Fire Phone
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Committee in New York City. In fact,
the Republican Party built their entire
strategy for 2004 around this issue. You
remember? They calculated that if they
put constitutional amendments banning
same-sex marriage on state ballots, theyd
turn out more voters, theyd win. And
they, frankly, were right. People ocked to
the polls. Those amendments were on the
ballots in 11 states. They passed in every
single one. Now, heres a good bet. Theyre
not going to try the same strategy in 2014.
Later in that speech, Obama took note
of the Texas Republican Partys recent
endorsement of ex-gay therapy in their
ofcial party platform, something that
has done no favors for the national GOPs
rebranding efforts. Texas Gov. Rick Perry,
who ran for the Republican presidential
nomination in 2012 and has not ruled
out another run for the White House,
has been asked about the issue repeat-
edly by national reporters since compar-
ing alcoholism to homosexuality earlier
this month. (Perry has since admitted he
stepped right in it with his remarks, but
has not retracted his analogy.)
Democrats want to talk about any-
thing other than jobs and the economy,
and Republicans should only be talking
about jobs and the economy. If there is
one key takeaway from the 2012 election
cycle, its that Republicans took their eyes
off the ball and allowed themselves to get
sidelined on social issues, says Gregory
T. Angelo, executive director of Log Cab-
in Republicans. In 2012 the Democrats
spun the Rove 04 strategy on its head and
used support for LGBT issues as a wedge
and it worked.
Indeed, in the 2012 presidential elec-
tion, LGB voters made up 5 percent of the
electorate, 76 percent of whom voted for
Obama, according to exit polls.
With Democrats largely onboard with
LGBT rights (every Senate Democrat vot-
ed to outlaw LGBT workplace discrimi-
nation in November while only three
Senate Democrats have not yet openly
endorsed same-sex marriage), the rate
at which some have evolved has even be-
come an issue. During a recent interview
with NPR, Hillary Clinton defended her
decision to only endorse same-sex mar-
riage in March 2013, shortly after leaving
her position as secretary of state, and de-
nied that she hid her support for marriage
equality for political gain. When I was
ready to say what I said, I said it, Clin-
ton stated. Most notably, Clinton also said
she believes marriage should be left up to
the states and expressed her support for
dorse same-sex marriage, he has all but
ensured that a Democrat will never again
be able to run for the White House with-
out supporting marriage equality. Under
his direction, Attorney General Eric Hold-
er and the Justice Department ceased
defending DOMA in federal court. When
the Supreme Court heard arguments in
same-sex marriage cases for the rst time
in March 2013, Obamas solicitor general,
Donald Verrilli, urged the Supreme Court
justices to strike down DOMA as well as
Californias same-sex marriage ban. The
repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell bears his
signature, and the White House has indi-
cated his openness to at least a review of
the militarys existing ban on transgen-
der service. Early on, Obama endorsed
the Employment Non-Discrimination
Act (ENDA) and promised to sign it into
law when it reaches his desk. He also
signed the reauthorization of the Vio-
lence Against Women Act (VAWA) with
new LGBT protections, helped enact hate
crime legislation, lifted the ban on people
with HIV traveling to the U.S. and made
the human rights of LGBT people a key
plank of his foreign policy.
Of course, there are issues that re-
main, and Obama has rarely been out
front of such issues and at times seem-
ingly a step behind his vice president, Joe
Biden, who not only endorsed marriage
equality two days before Obama but also
expressed support for the executive or-
der in April. But last weeks movement on
LGBT-rights by the Obama administra-
tion builds upon a record that is unparal-
leled in American politics, and one that
Obama has conveyed pride in. He has
openly spoken about the struggles of not
just gay Americans, but also transgender
Americans, in settings as varying as in-
terviews with television and print media
outlets to high prole speeches such as
his second inaugural address.
Through words and actions, Obama
has not only solidied his legacy on these
issues, but also his political partys repu-
tation as the stalwart supporter of LGBT
rights at a time when public opinion is
increasingly shifting in favor of equality.
What once was a wedge issue used by Re-
publicans against Democrats is increas-
ingly becoming one used by Democrats
against Republicans, including by Obama
himself.
So now you ash back 10 years
ago. Maybe no single issue divided our
country more than same-sex marriage,
Obama told LGBT donors last week at a
fundraiser for the Democratic National
state-by-state efforts to secure marriage
equality, a position that contradicts the
majority of marriage-equality advocates
who believe a national resolution must
come from the Supreme Court.
At a time when Clintons views on
marriage equality are back in the public
eye, Secretary of State John Kerry ap-
peared to further illustrate Democrats
full embrace of LGBT-rights and the
scramble to claim credit for who got to
the nish line rst when he said at an
event marking LGBT Pride Month that he
is proud to be the rst sitting Secretary
of State to support same-sex marriage
and noted he was one of only 14 senators
to vote against DOMA, which was signed
by President Bill Clinton in 1996.
Republicans, meanwhile, are increas-
ingly unwilling to ght the issue, let alone
talk about it. At the National Organization
for Marriages anti-gay marriage rally last
week, Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp was
the only current member of Congress to
attend. The issue of marriage equality
was also largely absent during last weeks
Faith and Freedom Coalitions Road to
Majority conference, where potential
Republican presidential candidates such
as Gov. Chris Christie and Sens. Ted Cruz
and Rand Paul chose to focus on other
issues. Those who did address LGBT is-
sues, such as Gary Bauer, president of
American Values, aired their anti-LGBT
views while having little to lose politi-
cally (Bauer accused Obama of being ob-
sessed with the gay-rights agenda).
During a Monday interview with CN-
BCs Squawk Box, Republican Sen. Ron
Johnson (Wisc.) said its not social is-
sues that matter, but economic issues that
overweigh all the other ones. But when
pressed on how Republicans will win
elections if voters disagree with them on
such issues as same-sex marriage, John-
son went further, arguing the GOP should
follow the will of the voters.
I think we rst have to recognize that
these social issues are going to primarily
be decided in the states through demo-
cratic process and thats the why it should
happen. Ill certainly go with the judg-
ment of the American people on terms of
where they want to fall on, whether its
abortion issues or whether its gay mar-
riage or whatever, Johnson said. Let the
voters decide that.
But while Republicans may want to
focus on other issues, Democrats, and a
growing majority of voters, may not let
them. During his speech at the DNCs
LGBT fundraiser, Obama encouraged
JUNE 26, 2014 METROWEEKLY.COM
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grant who is contributing to our society
and just wants a chance to move out of
the shadows. Thats why this commu-
nity should be concerned about equal
pay for equal work, straight or gay. Thats
why this community has to be concerned
about the remaining vestiges of racial dis-
crimination.
With Republicans increasingly hesi-
tant to waste political capital wading
into the culture wars, such a clarion call
those who in the past might not have en-
joyed the full liberty America has to offer
to focus on those still struggling.
Thats why this community has to
be just as concerned about poor kids, re-
gardless of sexual orientation, Obama
said. Thats why this community should
be ghting for workers who arent get-
ting paid a minimum wage thats high
enough. Thats why this community has
to show compassion for the illegal immi-
provides a glimpse of the progressive
coalition Obama has helped forge and
one Republicans, despite their outreach
efforts, have done little thus far to break
apart.
If youve experienced being on the
outside, youve got to be one to bring
more folks in even once you are inside,
Obama told the crowd of donors. Thats
our task. Thats our job. Thats why were
here tonight. l
METROWEEKLY.COM JUNE 26, 2014
Last Holdouts
Marriage-equality foes falter in face of an evolving nation
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by Justin Snow
O
PPONENTS OF SAME-SEX
marriage tried to keep their
movement alive during a rally
last week outside the United
States Capitol.
An estimated 2,000 people turned out
for the National Organization for Mar-
riages March for Marriage on June 19,
with speaker after speaker vowing to take
a last stand against growing support for
marriage equality.
Why are we here today? Were here
to stand for something that many of us
thought we would never have to come
to a march to stand for, NOM President
Brian Brown said at a rally preceding the
groups march from the Capitol to the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Now at a time when weve seen
judges and courts decide that they have
the right to redene what God has cre-
ated; at a time where it seems every day
we look up and theres some bad news on
a newscast talking about another judge
whose redened marriage; and when we
hear time and time again from some in the
media that the ght to protect marriage is
over, we are here to say no! he continued.
We are here today to say no matter the
circumstances, no matter how difcult is
may be, we will stand in and out of season
for the truth of marriage.
Speakers at the rally included many of
the usual suspects, including San Francis-
co Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and
others who have preached against same-
sex marriage for years. Noticeably absent,
however, were many of the Republican
politicians who have grown increasingly
shy on the subject and reluctant to waste
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dire tone, warning that judicial suprem-
acy is a curse upon this republic and
seemingly calling for same-sex marriage
opponents to reject court rulings that
side in favor of marriage equality.
Its time for us as an American people
to say to our government, Enough of you
restricting us. Enough of you redening
our institutions. We are not under an ob-
ligation to defy God to obey you. We are
under an obligation to obey God and the
law and, if necessary, to defy an institu-
tion that is out of control, Huckabee
said, adding that judicial supremacy is
the greatest heresy of our time.
The rally comes during increasingly
dark days for opponents of same-sex mar-
riage. Since last Junes sweeping U.S. Su-
preme Court decision in U.S. v. Windsor
striking down the federal governments
denition of marriage as between a man
and a woman marriage equality has not
lost a single day in court. Federal courts
have ruled in favor of marriage equality in
Utah, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylva-
nia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Oregon
and Wisconsin. State courts in Arkansas,
New Jersey and New Mexico have also
sided with marriage equality. At least one
of those cases is likely destined for the
U.S. Supreme Court. There are currently
19 states, plus D.C., that allow same-sex
marriage, and of those states that do not,
all are facing legal challenges to their re-
spective same-sex marriage bans.
For NOM in particular, the campaign
has grown tiresome. The rapid collapse
of opposition to gay marriage we are wit-
nessing did not just happen, and it was
not inevitable. But it is, Maggie Gallagh-
er, the former president of NOM, wrote
last month.
A federal judge dismissed a case
brought by NOM against the Internal
Revenue Service earlier this month, nd-
ing NOM had no evidence to suggest a list
revealing names of donors was intention-
political capital ghting LGBT rights.
Rep. Tim Huelskamp was the only
current member of Congress to speak
at the rally, mere yards from the House
Chamber. There are those intent on de-
stroying marriage who claim history is
on their side, declared the Kansas Re-
publican, who proposed amending the
U.S. Constitution to dene marriage as
between a man and a woman mere days
after the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark
marriage-equality rulings last June.
We are falling behind in the strug-
gle, Huelskamp conceded. Those who
seek to destroy marriage by redening it
to mean anything, and thus mean noth-
ing, are hard at work. Huelskamp also
expressed dismay at the nearly deafen-
ing silence of his colleagues on this issue
and warned that same-sex marriage op-
ponents are losing ground.
Your woman, your wife, she needs
you! Huelskamp said, urging men in the
crowd to become a real man and stand
up for those who need you.
The most recognizable names at the
rally were former Republican presiden-
tial candidates Rick Santorum and Mike
Huckabee. Santorum, who paused be-
tween sentences of his speech to allow a
translator to repeat his words in Spanish,
insisted that the institution of marriage
must be reclaimed.
It is also important to understand
how marriage is important for our econ-
omy. Every marriage, every family is a
little business. How much easier is it to
run a business with two people in the
business as opposed to one, Santorum
said. We need to help rebuild marriage
of men and women coming together to
raise our children. And we need to do this
rst and foremost out of respect for all
people. This isnt about hating anybody
or anything. This is about loving truth
and loving whats best for men, women
and children.
For his part, Huckabee took a far more
ally leaked to the Human Rights Cam-
paign. Last month the Maine Commission
on Governmental Ethics and Election
Practices found NOM in violation of state
campaign nance laws and imposed a
$50,250 ne against NOM while order-
ing the organization to le a campaign
nance report disclosing donors behind
their 2009 campaign to repeal Maines
same-sex marriage law. An attempt by
NOM to defend Oregons same-sex mar-
riage ban in court when the state would
not was rejected, as was an emergency
request led with the U.S. Supreme Court
to halt same-sex marriages from proceed-
ing in Oregon.
Public opinion is also on the move. Ac-
cording to a poll released Wednesday by
HRC, only 28 percent of voters strongly op-
pose same-sex marriage. The poll, which
surveyed 1,200 registered voters earlier
this month and was conducted by Repub-
lican pollster Alex Lundry of TargetPoint
Consulting, also found 4 out of 10 oppo-
nents of same-sex marriage were unwilling
to pay anything to stop it. Moreover, only 3
percent said they would protest a Supreme
Court decision striking down same-sex
marriage bans nationwide.
No matter how many fake mustaches
they wear and no matter how many ward-
robe changes they make at tomorrows
rally, Brian Brown cant fake a movement,
Fred Sainz, vice president of HRC, said
upon yesterdays release of the poll. They
are the proud leaders of a hateful handful
the last gasp of a reactionary rump.
Taking the stage after the rst speaker
at Thursdays rally, Brown attempted
to inject some energy into the crowd.
I think we need a chant, he said. You
guys are getting a little down. One man,
one woman! Come on! Later, as the
weather grew more sweltering, he tried
again. One woman, one man! Let them
hear us, Brown said, looking over his
shoulder at the U.S. Capitol behind him.
I think theyre hearing us. l
Courtney Snowden
Jumps into
At-Large Race
Out lesbian Democratic activist, former president of DC Black Pride,
to run as an independent
By John Riley
C
OURTNEY SNOWDEN, THE
former president of DC Black
Pride and a local political
and LGBT rights activist, an-
nounced Monday she plans to enter the
race for one of two at-large seats on the
D.C. Council this November.
Snowden, who was recently elected in
April as the Democratic Alternate Nation-
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inee Eugene Puryear, as well as Kishan
Putta, a former Republican-turned-In-
dependent, and other independent can-
didates, some who have ofcially entered
the race and others who have yet to an-
nounce their candidacies.
Under D.C. law, at least two seats on
the Council one every two years as part
of a four-year cycle must be set aside for
members of minority parties, which, in
the District, means non-Democrats. But
several former Democrats, including for-
mer Councilmember Michael A. Brown,
and the man who replaced him, Coun-
cilmember David Grosso, have switched
party afliations, enabling them to run
for one of the minority-party seats.
While D.C. voters are not required to
vote for Democrats for either of the two
at-large seats that are up each election
cycle, the Districts heavy Democratic tilt
in terms of voter registration essentially
gifts one seat to the Democratic nominee
in this case, Bonds. As a result, Snowden
and other Democrats-turned-indepen-
dents may attempt to ride Bondss coat-
tails by presenting themselves as inde-
al Committeewoman for the D.C. Demo-
cratic Party a race that appeared on the
primary ballot along with several other
ofces to be contested this fall will run
as an independent, joining the ranks of
several other former Democrats who have
announced their candidacies, including
Elissa Silverman, a former reporter for
the Washington City Paper and The Wash-
ington Post who also worked for the D.C.
Fiscal Policy Institute and who ran for
the an at-large seat as a Democrat in 2012;
Brian Hart, an ANC Commissioner for
the Adams Morgan neighborhood; Rob-
ert White, a former aide to Congressional
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.);
Christian Carter, who picked up papers to
run for mayor as a Democrat earlier this
year; Calvin Gurley, who has twice chal-
lenged incumbent Phil Mendelson for the
Council Chairmans position; and Khalid
Pitts, a labor activist and co-owner of the
local restaurant Cork Wine Bar.
All those candidates will face off
against Democrat Anita Bonds, Republi-
can Marc Morgan, Libertarian Frederick
Steiner and Statehood-Green Party nom-
pendents who stand for Democratic
values in order to gain the second-larg-
est number of votes needed to grab the
remaining Council seat, which is being
vacated by David Catania (I-At-Large),
who is pursuing a mayoral bid.
Snowden, a sixth-generation Wash-
ingtonian who grew up in Ward 4 and
currently lives in Ward 7s Deanwood
neighborhood, was proled by Metro
Weekly in 2008 because of her position
as president of DC Black Pride. In that in-
terview, Snowden told Metro Weekly that
her parents raised her to be civic-minded,
pushing her to canvass for Council candi-
dates from the time she was 5 years old.
She also previously ran for the Beloit,
Wis., City Council when she was a stu-
dent at Beloit College, coming just 5 per-
centage points short of winning.
This city is, and has always been, full
of promise and opportunity, Snowden
said in a statement announcing her candi-
dacy. Im running because I want to give
all of the Districts residents an indepen-
dent voice, not beholden to party politics,
but willing to stand up for progressive
values.
My values are progressive Demo-
cratic values, but thee time to move the
District forward together is now, she
continued. Leadership cannot wait. We
need a leader ready to work on day one,
committed to ensuring a brighter future
for every resident in the District. I am
that leader, and I need your help to unite
every corner of this city to make sure that
our citys best days lie ahead.
In order to run as an independent,
Snowden had to change her party regis-
tration and resign from her position with
the D.C. Democratic Party. In a letter
to Bonds, the chairwoman of the party,
Snowden emphasized her commitment
to Democratic values, but also said she
felt the city needed a ghter on the
Council.
I am that ghter, and I have decided
to run for the D.C. Council At-Large seat
this November, Snowden wrote. I share
the values and vision of the Democratic
Party, and in fact, I have built my profes-
sional life on its principles. I am com-
mitted to the Democratic principles on
which I ran in April, and I have been hon-
ored to serve as the Alternate National
Committeewoman, even if only briey.
I have learned so much by watching you
lead, and I am eager to continue to work
with you and the other members of the
state committee to ensure that D.C. is
leading from the front. l
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born no female.
The two continued to exchange words,
at which point, according to the govern-
ments evidence, Phillips approached the
victim, took out a handgun, and beat her
across the face with the weapon multiple
times. At his plea hearing in March, Phil-
lips admitted he had attacked the woman
because of personal biases based on her
perceived sexual orientation and gender
identity. Neither Phillips nor the victim
knew one another prior to the incident.
In touting the successful sentencing of
Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of
Columbia Ronald Machen commended
the work of the Metropolitan Police De-
partment for investigating and arresting
the defendant, as well as Assistant U.S.
Attorney Brandon Long, the lead pros-
ecutor, and paralegal specialist Richard
Cheatham for their work on the case. l
Burrville neighborhood, on the Districts
eastern border with Maryland.
On Monday, D.C. Superior Court
Judge Robert I. Richter sentenced Phil-
lips to 28 months in prison, a term that in-
cludes the bias enhancements, which are
known colloquially as hate crime charges.
Once he completes his prison term, Phil-
lips will be placed on supervised release
for three more years.
According to evidence provided by
the U.S. Attorneys Ofce, Phillips ap-
proached the victim, who had entered the
store with her friends, around 2:40 a.m.
on January 27, saying, Let me see whos
the real bitch here.
Phillips pointed at the transgender
woman and made a derogatory remark
about her sexuality. When the victim
told him to leave her alone, Phillips al-
legedly responded, Well, you wasnt
By John Riley
A
MARYLAND MAN WHO
pleaded guilty in March to
hitting a transgender woman
multiple times with a hand-
gun during an altercation in Northeast
Washington was sentenced on Monday to
28 months, or two and one-third years, in
prison, according to a press release from
the U.S. Attorneys Ofce for the District
of Columbia.
Michael Phillips, 36, of Fairmount
Heights, Md., had previously pleaded
guilty to one count of bias-motivated as-
sault with a dangerous weapon stemming
from an incident in January that took place
inside a convenience store in the 900 block
of Eastern Avenue NE, located in the citys
Maryland Man Sentenced
in Bias-Related Attack
Defendant who pleaded guilty to hitting transgender woman with handgun receives 28 months in prison
marketplace
marketplace
Planning Paves Way
for Smoother Future
MassMutual Greater Washingtons Brian Haney helps businesses and
couples weather lifes nancial turbulence
by John F. Stanton
I
N ADDITION TO BEING PRIDE
month, June is also the month
when many couples gay and
straight tie the proverbial knot
and walk down the aisle to get married.
But once the honeymoon is over, the
newly hitched must face the hard realities
of planning their nancial futures.
Effective communication is the
bedrock of a healthy relationship,
especially when it comes to money,
says Brian Haney, Agency Managing
Associate with MassMutual Greater
Washington, one of the areas leaders
in the nancial planning eld. Money
is the number one cause of ghts among
married couples. MassMutual has long
committed itself to helping smooth the
often rocky nancial road for many new
spouses.
Haney suggests that couples have
a deep and serious conversation about
nances early in their relationship, in
many cases even before they slip the ring
on each others ngers. They should pin
down their areas of nancial priority and
agree on what is most important to them
as a team.
MassMutual advises those just
starting out in married life to develop
a plan that will rst protect you from
nancial hardship, Haney says, and
then lets you know how to proceed down
the road.
If a couple has kids, Haney says
its even more important to have the
conversation about money early. They
need to determine how much they will
need to avoid sacricing the lifestyle they
want to lead. At the same time, they
should also budget so that they are not
depriving the kids.
MassMutual has a long history of
support for the LGBT community. Over
the years, the rm has built a signicant
relationship with the Capital Area Gay
and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
(CAGLCC). Its many activities on behalf
of the LGBT community have included
its sponsorship of this years Chamber
Pride VIP Lounge.
MassMutual Greater Washington is
a big supporter of the Washington, D.C.
marketplace, and the LGBT community
s a large part of that marketplace,
Haney says. We as a company have
formed many friendships with the LGBT
community
Although much of MassMutual
Greater Washingtons work is with
individuals, businesses and organizations
are also a large focus of the company.
When it comes to running a business,
owners can usually see their rms big
picture in terms of what they do and what
they want to accomplish, says Haney.
However, they often have trouble
seeing what needs to be done nancially
to ensure success. Business owners will
often over-leverage themselves, which
can lead to difculties later.
In most cases, Haney works with
business owners to plan out the four
major stages in a companys lifecycle: the
start-up, growth, maturity, and transfer
stages. Each stage includes strategies
to handle various aspects of business
growth including: risk (guarding against
unforeseen crisis); succession (what to
do in case of the death or disability of an
owner); personal protection (protecting
the owners investment and providing for
long-term needs, including retirement);
and employee benets (providing for
employees retirement and healthcare
needs).
Haney is a Washington area native,
growing up in Chevy Chase and
attending high school in Bethesda. After
graduating from Indiana University, he
began his career in the banking and
securities industry. Within ve years, he
took a position with MassMutual, which
gave him the opportunity to work across
a broad range of the marketplace.
My goal is to provide the best in
customer service, match you to the
products you really need, and overall help
you feel better about yourself and more
secure in your nancial future, he says.
The Chamber Means Business. For more
information visit caglcc.org or facebook.
com/CAGLCC. On Twitter, follow
@DCLGBTBIZ.
John F. Stanton, a CAGLCC member, is
the president of SRP & Associates Inc., a
strategic marketing and public relations
rm in Northern Virginia. l
L
G
B
T
Business
Chamber
Connections
18 SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE
scene
Team DCs Night OUT
at The Nationals
Tuesday, June 17
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
WARD MORRISON
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
ADVENTURING outdoors group hikes 9.5
moderately strenuous miles at highest elevations
within Shenandoah National Park to beat the heat.
Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, sunscreen, bug
spray, $20 for fees, plus funds for ice cream and
other refreshments afterwards. Sorry, no dogs
allowed. Carpool at 9 a.m. from East Falls Church
Metro Kiss & Ride lot. Jeff, 301-775-9660. Visit
adventuring.org.
BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer
organization, volunteers today for National Cherry
Trees around the Tidal Basin, and Food & Friends.
To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.
The DC Centers CENTER BI GROUP hosts
its monthly brunch from 12-2 p.m. at Sala Thai
Restaurant, 1301 U St. NW. Visit thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV
services (by appointment). 202-291-4707 or
andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by members of the
LGBT community, holds Saturday morning Shabbat
services, 10 a.m., followed by kiddush luncheon.
Services in DCJCC Community Room, 1529 16th St.
NW. betmish.org.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others
interested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/
time, email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.com.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at
Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/social
club welcomes all levels for exercise in a fun and
supportive environment, socializing afterward.
Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for a walk; or
10 a.m. for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.
DC SENTINELS basketball team meets at Turkey
Thicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE,
2-4 p.m. For players of all levels, gay or straight.
teamdcbasketball.org.
DIGNITY NORTHERN VIRGINIA sponsors Mass
for LGBT community, family and friends. 6:30 p.m.,
Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary
Road, Alexandria. All welcome. dignitynova.org.
GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses critical
languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies,
900 U St. NW. RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@
gmail.com.
IDENTITY offers free and condential HIV testing
in Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite
411. Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointments other
hours, call 301-422-2398.
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group visits the Sackler/
Freer to see exhibition on James McNeill Whistlers
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous
Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.
The group is independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.
WOMENS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE for young
LBTQ women, 13-21, interested in leadership
development. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410
7th St. SE. 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
FRIDAY, JUNE 27
The DC Center hosts WOMEN IN THEIR 20S, a
social discussion and activity group for LBT women,
on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Visit thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session
at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
GAY DISTRICT holds facilitated discussion for
GBTQ men, 18-35, rst and third Fridays. 8:30 p.m.
The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. 202-
682-2245, gaydistrict.org.
GAY MARRIED MENS ASSOCIATION (GAMMA)
is a peer-support group that meets in Dupont Circle
every second and fourth Friday at 7:30 p.m. gay-
married.com or GAMMAinDC1@yahoo.com.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health,
Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. 202-745-7000, whitman-walker.org.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV
testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW,
Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-afrming social
group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road
NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, layc-dc.org.
SMYALS REC NIGHT provides a social
atmosphere for GLBT and questioning youth,
featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. More info, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6 p.m., by
appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger.
Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155,
testing@smyal.org.
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
GAYS AND LESBIANS OPPOSING VIOLENCE
(GLOV), a group dedicated to combating anti-LGBT
violence, holds its monthly meeting at the DC
Center. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. 7-8:30 p.m.
Visit thedccenter.org/glov.
The DC Centers HIV PREVENTION PLANNING
GROUP hosts a Meet and Greet event at MOVA
Lounge. 2204 14th St. NW. 5:30-7:30 p.m. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services
(by appointment). Call 202-291-4707, or visit
Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW.
7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-
dancing group features mainstream through
advanced square dancing at the National City
Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m.
Casual dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston,
11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-oor bar, 7-9
p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. The
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301
MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Call 202-745-
7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and in
Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.
Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours,
call Gaithersburg, 301-300-9978, or Takoma Park,
301-422-2398.
Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
202-567-3155 or testing@smyal.org.
Metro Weeklys Community Calendar highlights important events in
the D.C.-area LGBT community, from alternative social events to
volunteer opportunities. Event information should be sent by email to
calendar@MetroWeekly.com. Deadline for inclusion is noon
of the Friday before Thursdays publication. Questions about
the calendar may be directed to the Metro Weekly ofce at
202-638-6830 or the calendar email address.
LGBTCommunityCalendar
paintings focusing on the Thames River area in
London. Free, non-members welcome. Meet at 11:30
in the Sackler entrance pavilion on Independence
Avenue SW near the Castle. Lunch follows. Craig,
202-462-0535. craighowell1@verizon.net.
The DC Public Library is hosting a new premier
annual literary event, WORDSOUT, the LGBTQ
summer literary fair for readers, writers, publishers
and librarians. 1-5 p.m. Shaw Library, 1630 7th
Street NW. For more info, 202-727-0970 or
dclibrary.org/calendar.
WEEKLY EVENTS
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive and radically
inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217
Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.
DIGNITY WASHINGTON offers Roman Catholic
Mass for the LGBT community. 6 p.m., St.
Margarets Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave. NW. All
welcome. Sign interpreted. dignitynova.org.
FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for
worship, 10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Quaker
House Living Room (next to Meeting House on
Decatur Place), 2nd oor. Special welcome to
lesbians and gays. Handicapped accessible from
Phelps Place gate. Hearing assistance. quakersdc.org.
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT,
God-centered new age church & learning center.
Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier
Place NW. isd-dc.org.
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites
all to Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare is
available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for
25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. reformationdc.org
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF
WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL
interpreted) and 11 a.m. Childrens Sunday School at
11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH, a Christ-centered,
interracial, welcoming-and-afrming church, offers
service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330,
riverside-dc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, an
LGBTQ welcoming-and-afrming congregation,
offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UU
Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL
CHURCH, a welcoming and inclusive church. GLBT
Interweave social/service group meets monthly.
Services at 11 a.m., Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th
St. NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.
MONDAY, JUNE 30
WEEKLY EVENTS
Michael Brazell teaches BEARS DO YOGA, a
program of The DC Center. 6:30 p.m., Green
Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. No cost, newcomers
welcome. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-
8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW.
dcscandals.wordpress.com.
GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at Quaker House,
2111 Florida Ave. NW. getequal.wdc@gmail.com.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES,
3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV
testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401.
testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012
14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 5-7 p.m. 2049
N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments:
703-789-4467.
Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or
testing@smyal.org.
The DC Center hosts COFFEE DROP-IN FOR THE
SENIOR LGBT COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000
14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay mens evening
afnity group. 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.
202-446-1100.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS Water Polo Team
practices 7-9 p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300
Van Buren St. NW. Newcomers with at least basic
swimming ability always welcome. Tom, 703-299-
0504, secretary@wetskins.org, wetskins.org.
Whitman-Walker Health HIV/AIDS SUPPORT
GROUP for newly diagnosed individuals, meets
7 p.m. Registration required. 202-939-7671,
hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. D.C.:
Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St.
NW, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center,
2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-
walker.org.
TUESDAY, JULY 1
WEEKLY EVENTS
A COMPANY OF STRANGERS, a theater chorus,
meets 7:30-9:30 p.m. A GLBTA and SATB looking
for actors, singers, crew. Open Hearth Foundation,
1502 Massachusetts Ave. SE. Charles, 240-764-
5748. ecumenicon.org.
ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinner in Dupont/
Logan Circle area, 6:30 p.m. afwash@aol.com,
afwashington.net.
Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW.
7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/social club
serving greater D.C.s LGBT community and allies
hosts an evening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.
THE GAY MENS HEALTH COLLABORATIVE
offers free HIV/STI screening every 2nd and 4th
Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday LGBT
Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King
St. 703-321-2511, james.leslie@inova.org.
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE DC CENTER
hosts Packing Party, where volunteers assemble
safe-sex kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m., Green
Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. thedccenter.org.
in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and in
Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.
Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours,
call Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978 or Takoma Park
at 301-422-2398.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES,
at 3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV
testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401.
Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155,
testing@smyal.org.
SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21
meets at SMYAL, 410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy
Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a support group for black
gay men 40 and older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.
NW. 202-446-1100.
Whitman-Walker Healths GAY MENS HEALTH
AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m.,
1701 14th St. NW. Patients are seen on walk-in basis.
No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and
chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing available
for fee. whitman-walker.org.
Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St.
NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center,
2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an
appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-
walker.org.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2
BOOKMEN DC, an informal mens gay-literature
group, discusses Steven Saylors novel, Roman
Blood. 7:30 p.m. Tenleytown Library, 4450
Wisconsin Ave NW. All welcome. bookmendc.
blogspot.com.
THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB
meets for Social Bridge. No reservation or partner
needed. All welcome. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center, 721
8th St. SE. 301-345-1571 for more information.
WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets
about 7:45 p.m., covered-patio area of Cosi, 1647
20th St. NW. All welcome. Jamie, 703-892-8567.
offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV
services (by appointment). 202-291-4707,
at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit
swimdcac.org.
DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-
8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW.
dcscandals.wordpress.com.
HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH offers Wednesday
worship 7:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. All welcome.
118 N. Washington St., Alexandria. 703-549-1450,
historicchristchurch.org.
in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave. Walk-
ins 2-7 p.m. For appointments other hours, call
Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978.
JOB CLUB, a weekly support program for job
entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. More info,
www.centercareers.org.
testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012
14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 11 a.m.-
2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington.
Appointments: 703-789-4467.
PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club for mature gay
men, hosts weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,
Windows Bar above Dupont Italian Kitchen, 1637
17th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316.
9 a.m.-6 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301
MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 202-745-7000,
whitman-walker.org. l
23
LGBTCommunityCalendar
scene
7th Annual Summer
Games with
Summer Camp
Saturday, June 14
Meridian Hill Park
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
CHRISTOPHER CUNETTO
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
One Year Later
I
T LITERALLY TOOK ME SECONDS TO DECIDE IT WAS THE PERFECT CASE,
Roberta Kaplan recounts of her rst meeting with Edith Windsor.
It was 2009, and a few months prior, Windsors partner of more than 40 years, Thea Spyer, had died. Living most of their
lives in New York Citys Greenwich Village, Windsor and Spyer were engaged to marry in 1967. Instead of an engagement
ring, which they feared could raise questions at work, Spyer gave Windsor a circle pin adorned with diamonds so as to keep
their relationship a secret. The long engagement was nally sealed in May 2007 with a Canadian marriage license, as Spyers
health began to deteriorate. Overwrought with grief following Spyers death, Windsor suffered a heart attack.
As she recovered, however, Windsor began to realize the injustice of her situation when she was slapped with a $363,053 federal
estate tax she was forced to pay on her inheritance from Spyer. Even though New York recognized the couples marriage, because
of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage, the federal government
treated Windsor and Spyer as legal strangers. Had they been a man and a woman, the federal government never would have taxed
the wealth that passed to the surviving spouse.
After being turned down by various lawyers and LGBT civil rights groups, Windsor, now 85, and Kaplan, 47, were put in touch by
mutual friends. Kaplan, who married her spouse, Rachel Lavine, in Toronto eight years ago, is a partner at the law rm Paul, Weiss,
Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and has included JPMorgan Chase and Fitch Ratings among her clients. But it was her teaming up with
Edie Windsor that would make gay rights history.
In November 2010, Windsor and Kaplan sued the federal government in U.S. District Court to recoup the $363,053 Windsor paid
in taxes. It was that case that would ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which rendered a sweeping and consequential
ruling in U.S. v. Windsor on June 26, 2013 that has given the marriage-equality movement a wave of momentum few
could have ever anticipated.
In the year since the Supreme Courts 5-4 decision, which found Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional,
marriage equality hasnt lost a single day in court. Federal courts have ruled in favor of marriage equality
in Utah, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, Oregon and Wisconsin. State courts in Arkansas, New Jersey and New Mexico have also sided
with marriage equality. In every instance, judges have cited some aspect of the Windsor decision in their
rulings. But the decision has also been broadly implemented across the federal government by the Obama
administration, resulting in real world and practical impacts for gay Americans when it comes to joint tax
returns, military and Social Security benets and a broad swath of other federal rights and benets.
Speaking to Metro Weekly hours before she and Windsor would introduce President Barack Obama at
an LGBT fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in New York City, Kaplan, who goes by Robbie,
says she never could have dreamed the case she brought with Windsor would help turn the tide of history
for marriage equality.
Once you say gay people have equal dignity its pretty hard to come up with any good reason for why they
shouldnt be treated equally under the law, Kaplan says.
Now, with same-sex marriage legal in 19 states, plus D.C., and every other state facing legal challenges to
their respective same-sex marriage bans, it increasingly appears simply a matter of when the Supreme Court
will provide the marriage-equality movement its long sought national resolution.
One Year Later
Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer who represented Edith Windsor in her legal fight against DOMA,
looks back at the beginning of the end
Interview by Justin Snow
T
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F
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METRO WEEKLY: Who is Robbie Kaplan?
ROBERTA KAPLAN: I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio in the late 70s
and 80s. My uncle was in the Peace Corps in India when I was a
young kid and I spent a lot of time hanging out with my mothers
mother, my grandmother. We were very close. And she wrote
him a letter when he was in India saying that one day she said
to me, Robbie, why is it you just cant stop talking. You talk all
the time! And she reports in the letter that I said something like,
Grandmother, I just cant help myself. I just love to talk. So I
think thats probably the age when my destiny was set in terms
of my future career path.
When I was a little bit older, around ten or so, my mom had
a subscription to New York magazine and The New Yorker and I
remember reading those and thinking to myself, this is where I
want to live. I want to move to New York. So around the age of 10,
I put a plan in place to move to New York, which eerily enough I
then followed through with.
And part of the plan to move to New York was to go to an Ivy
League college and then go to law school in New York. And thats
pretty much exactly what I did. I went to Harvard undergrad and
then I went to Columbia Law School.
MW: How did you and Edie Windsor meet?
KAPLAN: What had happened after Thea died, Edie realized she
was going to have an estate tax problem, I think, but she didnt
realize the enormity of it. And once she did, she was indignant.
She wanted to nd someone to take her case.
There was this documentary made about her and Thea, A
Very Long Engagement, and she felt based on that documentary
she had a documented marriage. Today no one would think that
they would need to document their marriage that way, but things
were different even that recently. And because of this documen-
tary, this documented marriage, she thought she could really
bring this case and that it was a good case for her to bring.
So she went around looking for lawyers. Fortunately for me
she was turned down by some of the gay civil rights groups. And
as a result, she has a good friend who actually helped she and
Thea to go to Toronto to get married and he is friends with a
friend of mine. He said Edie was looking for a lawyer, and my
friend said he knew just the person and my friend called me and
asked if I would give her a call, and thats what I did.
MW: What kind of state was she in when you rst met her?
KAPLAN: It had been about three months since Thea had passed
when we met. Edie had had a terrible heart condition. She had
a heart attack after Thea died, apparently from what they call
broken heart syndrome. But after that she had recovered and
she had actually gone on a tour with the movie to a couple cities
at this point, so she was in good spirits.
I didnt know Edie at all, but I knew who Thea was before I
met Edie because if you were a lesbian and you were looking for
a lesbian psychologist back then everyone said go to Thea Spyer.
So I knew who she was. She only lived four blocks away, so I
went into her apartment and it literally took me seconds to de-
cide it was the perfect case.
MW: What convinced you to take the case?
KAPLAN: First of all, her story. Talk about a marriage. This was
a marriage. Forty years, an incredible life together through an
incredible time. On top of that you have Theas horrible illness
and the fact that she was essentially paralyzed for much of their
time together and who wouldnt want to have a spouse like Edie
Windsor? None of us know if something like a terrible illness is
going to happen to us or not. But the one thing we all do know is,
God forbid it happens, that we sure as hell would like to have a
spouse like Edie Windsor there to help us.
So I thought it was just an incredibly powerful story. It turns
out there were facts about Edies life even before she met Thea
that I didnt know at the time, that I didnt learn of that day,
that became I would say almost as important. Like the story
about her FBI interview in the 50s when she was petried they
were going to ask her if she was a lesbian and shed lose her job.
Things like that.
And on top of all that, you have this incredible woman. Shes
brilliant and charismatic and charming. That doesnt hurt either.
MW: A few months after you led the case, the Obama administra-
tion announced they werent going to defend the constitutionality
of DOMA anymore. Was that something you had been
expecting and how important was that to your case?
KAPLAN: I have to say, for me it is possibly the single
most surprising thing that happened in the case. Sur-
prising because it happened, its happened from time
to time, but it is a very big step for a president and a
Department of Justice to say that they are no longer go-
ing to defend the constitutionality of a federal statute.
We knew that this case would cause them to con-
sider this. But when the president decided to do that, I
had tears streaming down my face. And I really believe
in my heart of hearts that its not a coincidence that it
was three African-American guys [President Barack Obama,
Attorney General Eric Holder and Assistant Attorney General of
the Civil Division Tony West] who made that decision. I think
they sat down and they said to themselves, This is what we
would have to say if we were going to write a brief saying that gay
people shouldnt get heightened scrutiny and were not willing
to say this. As three African-American men, we will not put that
down on paper.
It was both incredibly surprising and incredibly principled,
and for me its very much an example that we cant all be too cyn-
ical. We think all the time that everything that happens in D.C.
is part of some big inside political game, but I really believe this
was a decision made based solely on principle and based on the
Constitution.
MW: Have you had any discussions with President Obama since the
decision about the case or his thinking on this?
KAPLAN: Ive certainly told him this story and Ive told him how
surprised I was and talked about it with both Tony [West] and the
attorney general. Holder said to me last week when I was telling
him that I brought tears to his eyes.
My denite sense for all three of them, certainly including the
president, is that this is something theyre very, very proud of and
I also have the sense that all three men believe this is why they do
what they do. This is why they became public servants to be able
to make decisions like that.
MW: You and Edie are introducing President Obama tonight at the
DNCs LGBT Gala. Whats your reaction on the presidents deci-
sion to sign an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from
When they announced Windsor, opinion by
Kennedy, and dissent by Scalia,
thats when we really knew wed won.
PANDEMONIUM BROKE OUT IN MY
APARTMENT. THERE WAS AN ENORMOUS
AMOUNT OF SCREAMING AND CRYING.
LGBT workplace discrimination? Relatedly, were starting to see
that there are states like Pennsylvania that now have marriage
equality but dont have nondiscrimination protections for LGBT
people. Whats your take on that?
KAPLAN: On the executive order, theres a great way I thought of
thinking about it the other day which is in 1958, 1959, Edie Wind-
sor went to work for IBM, one of the earliest software program-
mers. And technically, at least, it was against the law for her to do
that because she was a lesbian, and because IBM had contracts
with the federal government, and because at the time it was il-
legal for any company that had federal contracts to knowingly
employee someone who was a homosexual. Now, of course, IBM
didnt know they were breaking the law
because Edie was in the closet for her en-
tire career at IBM.
Flash forward to today, and based on
the act of the president, its now going
to be illegal for federal contracts to re
someone because theyre gay. Heres a
transformation not only in gay history,
but in the life of one person, going from
working in a job where you could be red
for breaking the law, to knowing if she
had that job today they couldnt re her if
they found out. Its incredible.
In terms of the states and the lack
of protections, it obviously has to hap-
pen. I think it will, whether legislatively
or by court decision or most likely both.
But you cant have the Supreme Court in
Windsor saying over and over and over
again that gay people and gay peoples
relationships have equal dignity with
straight people. You cant say that and
then have it be OK for an employer to re
someone because theyre gay. Or to lose
their house or their apartment because theyre gay. Those two
things are not consistent.
Ultimately, and I think sooner rather than later, those laws
will fall by the wayside as well. That hasnt been the focus, of
course, lately because of the push on marriage, but I think it will
be the inevitable result. It just doesnt make any sense that gay
people have the right to equal dignity in marriage but not the
right to equal dignity in not being red from their jobs. No one
could credibly make that argument.
MW: You were talking about when Edie went to work at IBM. It
seems like a remarkable series of events that it is going to be you
and Edie at this event introducing the president who will be the one
to sign this executive order.
KAPLAN: Incredible, huh? Last summer I woke up every morning
and said to myself, Pinch me. But it still happens now and I feel
that way very much today.
Im just a Jewish girl from Cleveland, Ohio. If you had told me
in the 1980s when I was listening to the Grateful Dead that as an
out litigation partner of Paul, Weiss who won the landmark case
at the Supreme Court, that I would be introducing the president
of the United States, married with a son, I wouldve told you to
sober up or quit smoking whatever it was you were smoking.
MW: Walk me through that day in March 2013 when you argued the
case before the Supreme Court.
KAPLAN: It wasnt the most stress-free time of my life. It was
pretty stressful. I tried very much, and I had the strategy in the
case be Its all about Edie, stupid, borrowing from the Clinton
campaign. And part of that was because I really thought the facts
of Edies life were so compelling that I wanted the court to un-
derstand them to not only get into peoples mind but in their
hearts, not only on the law but on the fact.
But I think part of the strategy, too, and what a good lawyer
needs to do in any case, was separating myself and my own per-
sonal situation. That is a lawyers duty. Your rst and only duty is
truly to your client.
But obviously I was getting constant barrages of advice one
way and then the opposite and the opposite again from everyone
on the planet. The stress was huge and there was no way that
I wasnt aware, I certainly was aware of the huge responsibility
that was on my shoulders.
So we practiced an awful
lot, we had a lot of what are
called moot courts where
people on my team pre-
tended they were various
justices, and that helped.
The day before the
argument I watched the
Proposition 8 argument in
the courtroom and when I
went back to Paul, Weiss I
remember we had a meet-
ing and we all felt pretty
comfortable that that ar-
gument, at least from our
cases perspective, had
gone pretty well and that
we felt we were in a good
position and we didnt re-
ally need to change any-
thing strategically in terms
of what we planned. And
then it was about 3 or so
in the afternoon as I recall and I remember thinking theres not
really much more I can do at this point, if I havent done any-
thing its too late. So I went back to the hotel room and I watched
cartoons and had milk and cookies with my son, who was then
seven. And in a lot of ways I think it was probably the best thing I
could have done to prepare.
MW: Does your son have a notion of what a big deal this is?
KAPLAN: I think he does. Hes very close to Edie, so hes certainly
aware of the case. Does he understand how momentous it was?
I dont think so.
My son loves movies. And we get tired of watching Disney
movies and Japanese anime and stuff he likes so we decided a
few months ago we were going to have a family night where we
were going to watch a movie we picked. So the two of us picked
My Fair Lady, which he loved. But at the end of the movie he
had two questions. His rst question was, he was very disturbed
by the idea that Eliza Doolittle went back to Henry Higgins and
he just couldnt understand that, which I have to say his mother
and I were both very proud of. And the second issue was he said,
Huh. I guess this is an old fashioned movie, right? And I said,
Yeah. And he said, I guess this was a movie that was made be-
fore men could marry men. So for my son, something thats old
fashioned is dened by the fact that something was created be-
fore men could marry men, thats incredible. But it also suggests
that he probably doesnt fully understand what a big deal all this
is, which is a good thing, not a bad thing.
MW: This was the rst case you argued before the Supreme Court.
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KAPLAN: Yeah. That just had a little impact on increasing the
pressure on me. Obviously its unlike any other court in the
country. Its an incredibly formal process. You go into this room
beforehand, the lawyers lounge, and they offer you things like
cough drops and pencils and sewing kits. I remember thinking,
What in the world am I going to do with a sewing kit right now?
But theyre very lovely and theyve very formal. Theyre really
incredibly gracious to the lawyers. So thats frankly very differ-
ent from almost any court Ive ever been in.
And when you walked into the courtroom, the grandeur of it,
the day that we argued half the members of Congress were there
the whole thing was crazy. But on the one hand you cant help
but be struck by that, and I remember being a little bit stressed by
it. On the other hand, once you get up to argue, Ive argued cases
before, and while its different, its not that different. And a smart
judge asking you tough questions about your case is something
thats happened to me many, many times. So when I got in there
and the justices started asking me questions, you kind of go into
almost autopilot and you draw upon all these experiences youve
had, arguing whatever youve argued in your career, and it ew by,
to be honest. It wasnt that long, it was 50 minutes, but it ew by.
MW: Was there any particular question or
moment that stuck out in your mind?
KAPLAN: At the very end there was a back
and forth between me and Chief Justice
John Roberts about the sea change thats
happened for gay people. And what we
were discussing was the reason for the
sea change. He suggested it was because
of politicians, that politicians were falling
all over themselves to support us, and I
was suggesting that, no, I dont think the
American people ever follow politicians,
but here it was much more politicians fol-
lowing Americans.
And while we had practiced all these
various kind of issues many times in our
moot courts, I remember during this part
of the argument there was one answer
that just popped into my head when I was
there, which was to try to explain that
rather than the moral disapproval the
Congress expressed in 1996, the House
report actually says that theyre passing
DOMA based on a moral disapproval of
homosexuality, that the reason for the sea
change was the ip of the House report.
It was the exact opposite. Today theres
no longer moral disapproval, theres a
moral understanding that gay people are
no different than anyone else. And so that
answer just kind of popped into my head
and I remember thinking to myself, Okay,
I havent vetted this. Hope its okay, Im
just going to go for it. And thats the one
thing that really sticks out in my mind.
MW: One of the most iconic images that
sticks out in my head is when you all exited
the court and the crowd started chanting
Edie and she walked down those steps
and embraced them.
KAPLAN: She walked down there like an
Academy Award winner.
MW: And I remember when she was talking to us reporters and she
told us there were a few people who came to see her and she want-
ed to go see them and excused herself. What was it like exiting the
court and seeing that scene?
KAPLAN: It was incredible. The enormity of it. Thats when I think
it really hit. The fact that everyone was chanting and thousands
of people. When youre standing up there, 40 steps I think, which
is perfect for the 40 years Thea and Edie were together, it is
something I will never forget for as long as I live. And it was the
biggest high you could possibly imagine.
After every argument I asked myself would I change any of
my answers. I remember thinking no, I wouldnt change any an-
swers. And then we went out there to these enormous cheers.
Quite a day.
MW: A few months later the decision came down on June 26, 2013.
You all werent at the Supreme Court that day.
KAPLAN: Part of the problem is you dont know what day its going
to be. Edie didnt want to go back and forth. We did know obvi-
ously at the end that it was going to be that day but Edies doctors,
rightfully so, were concerned about her traveling.
We were in my apartment and we were all sitting around
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Shes gone from being a person who lived life in an
ordinary way to someone who cant walk out of her
apartment without being asked for autographs.
She is enjoying every single minute of it.
the dining room table and like everyone else in the country we
were logged onto SCOTUSblog and refreshing our laptops every
three seconds. There had been some calculations that based on
the decisions that had come down already that session and who
had written them that the two opinions remaining were going to
be written by Justice Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John
Roberts. And we thought we would be much better off if Kenne-
dy wrote our opinion. So when they announced Windsor, opinion
by Kennedy, and dissent by Scalia, thats when we really knew
wed won. Pandemonium broke out in my apartment. There was
an enormous amount of screaming and crying.
MW: Was Justice Kennedys ruling about as sweeping and as good
as it could have been?
KAPLAN: Let me think about that for a second yes. The thing
we were mostly worried about was that he would do it based on
federalism. It was very important for us that the case be decided
on equal protection grounds. So when he did it the way he did,
which was essentially an equal protection decision, emphasizing
over and over and over again the equal dignity of gay people, it
doesnt get much better than that.
MW: And in the year since that decision was handed down its been
state after state and federal judge after federal judge all citing the
Windsor decision.
KAPLAN: You noticed that too?
MW: I did notice that. Is that something you anticipated?
KAPLAN: No. We thought the decision was a great precedent. We
thought that, again, for the reasons I talked about earlier, once
you say gay people have equal dignity its pretty hard to come up
with any good reason for why they shouldnt be treated equally
under the law. And thats what all these judges are saying.
But if you had told me last June that by this time this year
courts in states like Arkansas, or Utah or Oklahoma would
have rendered these kinds of decisions I wouldve told you
again you need to be more realistic. Theres no way that was
going to happen.
And I remember at the HRC dinner last fall I gave a speech
and I said Windsor was the functional equivalent of the Battle of
Normandy. And I did think that, I just didnt think the rest of the
war was going to happen so quickly.
MW: Do you think that either Justice Kennedy or any of the other
justices who were in the majority in that decision, do you think they
had any idea?
KAPLAN: Thats a really interesting question. I couldnt say.
MW: In the Proposition 8 case they were dealing with a very broad
argument about a constitutional right to marry. And it seems like
thats something thats going to get before the court again at some
point. Do you have a prediction when that might be?
KAPLAN: Its very hard to predict. Its going to depend on what
the judges are thinking and what they want to do. They could let
things percolate some more. Its also going to depend on what the
circuit courts start saying and on what grounds they start ruling.
I agree that its certainly going to come up before the court, as
to when I dont have an answer. I do think that when it does our
side is going to win. Thats pretty clear given Windsor and given
the way theres no good argument from the other side.
MW: Is there any possible scenario where the Supreme Court doesnt
rule in favor of marriage equality?
KAPLAN: I dont see one. If the justices on the court stay who they
are today I dont see one.
MW: What has been Edies reaction to this past year and all thats
happened, in large part because of her case?
KAPLAN: I would say Edie lives her life now, and rightly so, on
cloud nine. Imagine, she has gone from being a person who lived
her life in an ordinary way and had a very tough time dealing
with her spouses death and before that her illness, to someone
who literally cant walk out of her apartment in New York City
without being recognized and approached and asked for photos
and asked for autographs. Its astounding. This I can say for sure,
she is enjoying every single minute of it. And she should.
MW: Theres been a lot of discussion about religious liberty becom-
ing this new frontier in the LGBT movement and right now we have
the Hobby Lobby case before the Supreme Court dealing with some
of these issues. Whats your take?
KAPLAN: There are arguments to be made with respect to reli-
gious institutions themselves. I do believe the First Amendment
protects the Catholic Church from having to hire a priest who
says he wants to be married to another man. I understand that
and I get that.
But when it comes to places of public accommodation, to
restaurants, hotels and stores, I dont see any distinction and
I havent heard a good argument for why the arguments being
made by the other side are any different than the stores I remem-
ber my grandparents telling me about, how when they were rst
married and they used to travel to the south they used to have to
be careful about what hotels they went to, because there were
hotels where they couldnt register as Jews. I dont think anyone
today thinks thats okay in our culture and our society, and I dont
see why it should be any different for gay people.
MW: What role did faith play in your work in this case?
KAPLAN: It was very important for me in the case that the religious
viewpoint not be seen as only on one side of the case. In this case,
I think for the rst time in a major gay rights case, we had a re-
ligion brief that came not from gay religious groups, which are
important, but from mainstream religious groups.
And the reason I thought that was so important was because
I wanted the court to understand that even though they didnt
necessarily agree religiously on whether they would allow same-
sex couples to marry in their churches or synagogues, they all
did agree that given the different between religious law and civil
law, under civil law gay people had to be treated with equal dig-
nity. And that they believe as a religious matter that gay people
need to be treated with equal dignity. That was a viewpoint in
the case that was incredibly important to me and everyone has
different views on religion, but it was something I found to be
very important.
After we won the case it just so happened that we celebrated
the victory at my synagogue and we all danced together with the
Torah to celebrate what had happened and my rabbi, who is a
dear, dear friend, had a psalm written in memory of the victory
that talks about justice and loving-kindness have kissed.
MW: Youve always said the case was about Edie. But it seems youll
denitely have a place in those history books as well. Is that some-
thing you can fully comprehend and appreciate?
KAPLAN: I cant live my life with that thought in my mind very of-
ten. Most of the time Im just Robbie Kaplan. I get up and do the
same things everyone else does. From time to time, every once
and awhile something will happen, or Ill see something that re-
minds me of what weve managed to accomplish. And then I do
have a moment of transcendence. And I cant say its not some-
thing I dont feel pretty good about. I certainly do.
But I couldnt have done it alone. I couldnt have done it with-
out Edie and without my team, I couldnt have done it without
my family and my friends. And most importantly I couldnt have
done it without all the gay people who came before me, who lived
lives very, very different from mine, who never imagined they
could have the kind of life I have. l
JUNE 26 - JULY 3, 2014
SPOTLIGHT
BUYER AND CELLAR
In the Barbra Streisand-themed play Buyer and
Cellar, Michael Urie is not just playing another
divas assistant, he actually portrays the diva in a few
scenes. In a review of the Off-Broadway production
last year, Doug Rule wrote that the imaginative play
is hilariously entertaining but also touching. Tolins
elevates his exercise in diva worship here because
at heart, that is what Buyer and Cellar is by keeping
it above the plane of caricature Urie touchingly
portrays [Streisand] as a living, breathing human
Handmade porcelain eggplant and pear condiment dishes and salt cellars by Suan Ying of Vienna, Va
Compiled by Doug Rule
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EET A POTTER, AND CHANCES ARE SHES A GOOD COOK.
I would say 99 percent of us are phenomenal cooks, boasts
potter Tracie Grifth, citing a couple reasons. We tend to like to
experiment and dont mind getting our hands dirty. Both are certainly key
to pottery. Hand-molding wet clay into a particular shape can be tricky and
dirty, and the results of baking it in a kiln can be unpredictable. You have to
be really open to a lot of variables.... Youre just never guaranteed to get the
same product.
As a result, every piece of ceramic art on display at Alexandrias Scope
being, one in serious need of human connection and
simple kindness. Closes this Sunday, June 29. Sidney
Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or
visit shakespearetheatre.org or buyerandcellar.com
CHAMBER DANCE PROJECT
Contemporary Ballet with an Edge is the inaugural
Kennedy Center appearance by this former New
York-based ballet company, now a Washington-
based ensemble. Artistic director Diane Coburn
Bruning leads six principal dancers from major ballet
companies along with a string quartet performing live
accompaniment. The program includes: Brunings
Exit Wounds: and then they came home, a powerful
male duet exploring memory and loss; plus a tango-
infused ballet, a world premiere from Argentinas
acclaimed choreographer Jorge Amarante in his rst
work for an American company. Thursday, June
26, through Saturday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. Also
Saturday, June 28, at 2 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace
Theater. Tickets are $40 to $50. Call 202-467-4600
or visit kennedy-center.org.
COCK
HHHHH
In Mike Bartletts Cock, the focus is on John, who
makes a mess of his relationship to another man by
falling in love with a woman. Is he bisexual or just
Home and Garden Art
Torpedo Factorys Scope Gallery offers to-be-used pottery
Gallery, where Grifth works, is one-of-a-
kind. And naturally, a lot of it was made for
cooking or serving food. Everything in the
gallery, all the dishware is microwave/dish-
washer/oven/food-safe. This is to-be-used
pottery, she says. We take great pains to
re those pots at 2,000 degrees. The heat
ensures the clay becomes waterproof. Every
year over Thanksgiving the gallery in Old
Towns Torpedo Factory offers a food-relat-
ed show, with works from the Kiln Club, the
Washington-area professional organization
for ceramic artists.
Over the next month the Scope Gallery
offers Seeds of Summer, a garden-focused
exhibition put together by another local pot-
tery group, Washington Ceramic Guild. We
tailor [the shows] after us as individuals, what
our interests are, says Grifth, noting that
gardening is another afliated pottery pas-
sion. We all like our herbs and our different
things to cook. The show includes painted
and decorated handmade owerpots, garden
containers, vases and multiuse trays.
A native of California, the Reston-based
Grifth distinctly remembers visiting the Tor-
pedo Factory as a girl on an 8th grade trip.
I remember the brick sidewalks, and going
into this thing and seeing artists just making
huge, wonderful things, she recalls. Its just
unabashed creativity in here, not only pot-
tery but the whole arts community. And as a
co-op gallery run by its member artists, every
time you go into Scope Gallery youre going to
nd an artist there and can talk to them about
their work. Doug Rule
Seeds of Summer opens Monday, June 30, and runs through July 27, in the Scope Gallery of Torpedo Factory Art Center,
105 North Union St. Alexandria. Call 703-548-6288 or visit torpedofactory.org. l
mixed up? Ben Cole makes John just appealing
enough that you can see how both a man and a
woman could fall for him while also portraying
him as an indecisive, immature boy-at-heart who
cant get enough attention. As it goes on, you might
not quite grasp why either his male lover M (Scott
Parkinson) or his female lover W (the beguiling
Liesel Allen Yeager) want to keep him, but the
fact that both do propels this play to its dramatic
climax. Director David Muse follows Bartletts stage
direction to keep things minimal and focused on the
action, working with designer Debra Booth to stage
things as if in a cockghting ring. While not all real-
life cockghts end in death, few gamecocks emerge
unscathed from the blood sport. Its not giving
away anything to say the same holds true for Cock.
Extended to this Sunday, June 29. Studio Theatre,
14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit
studiotheatre.org. (Doug Rule)
DC JAZZ FESTIVAL
Billed as the fastest-growing jazz festival in the U.S.
and the largest music festival in D.C., the 10th annual
DC Jazz Festival offers more than 125 performances
Love Song to Miss Kitty
Fringe Factor
The Capital Fringe readies its 9th annual festival
A
DECADE AGO JULIANNE BRIENZA SAW GREAT UNTAPPED
potential in D.C.s strong theater scene. We have many high-end,
expensive theater experiences in the District of Columbia, explains
Brienza, who helped launch the Capital Fringe Festival in 2006, but we were
very much invested in growing the base and a mid-level scene. And its cool that
thats kind of happening.
The popular weeks-long annual festival has become the second largest un-
juried fringe event in the U.S., and is known for its often wacky, non-mainstream
fare. But to an appreciable extent, the non-mainstream is becoming mainstream.
As one indicator, theres the annual Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Emerg-
ing Theatre Company, known as the John Aniello Award. The last ve compa-
nies have all started at Capital Fringe, Brienza explains. From Rick Hammerlys
theater collective Factory449, now in residence at the Anacostia Arts Center, to
the commedia dellArte-focused Faction of Fools at Gallaudet University, to the
puppet-focused Pointless Theatre Company at CulturalDCs Flashpoint, Capital
Fringe has had a hand in expanding what is seen and where.
As ever, at next months 9th annual festival a notable portion of the 145
productions have particular appeal to the LGBT community. A few of the
highlights include Martin, Love, Sex & Rhythm, dancer/choreographer Alvaro
Maldonados all-male pop musical revue exploring gay on gay shaming and
open relationships, Love Song to Miss Kitty, Patrick DiBattista and Elizabeth
Laffoons comedy with music, about a villain who tries to turn a lesbian-owned
country western bar into a dance boutique, and A Lesbian Belle Tells!, Elizabeth
McCains true tale of the crazy characters in her native Mississippi as well as in
gay D.C.
This years festival, also offering expanded live music performances, will be
the last at Fort Fringe. Capital Fringe has already announced that the Atlas Per-
forming Arts Center, currently a Fringe presenting venue, will play a larger role
next year. But theres more news to come.
Were inching towards a big announcement, Brienza says, declining to say
anything further. Its going to be fucking awesome. Doug Rule
Capital Fringe runs from July 10 to July 27, at various venues but based at Fort
Fringe, 607 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $17 a show, plus a one-time purchase
of a $5 Fringe button, or multi-show passes range from $30 to $350. Call 866-811-
4111 or visit capitalfringe.org for a full schedule and tickets. l
in nearly 60 venues across the city. This years festival
is centered on a series of concerts this weekend at
the Capitol Riverfront in Yards Park, where wine and
beer tastings, chef demonstrations, and a marketplace
add to the draw of nationally regarded acts including
Frederic Yonnet, Gregory Porter, Trombone Shorty &
Orleans Avenue, Yasiin Bey aka rapper Mos Def, and
Rebirth Brass Band. Highlights elsewhere, per date:
A three-piano Cutting Contest by Orrin Evans,
Lafayette Gilchrist and Allyn Johnson at Union Arts
& Manufacturing, the Pat Braxton Project at Twins
Jazz and the James Benson Trio at the Black Fox
Lounge, all on Thursday, June 26; Paquito DRivera
at Hamilton Live, the Sin Miedo A Salsa Party at the
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden and David
Sanchez at Bohemian Caverns on Friday, June 27;
David Sanchez again at Bohemian Caverns, plus The
Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban Experience at Hamilton
Live, on Saturday, June 28; and Lena Seikaly at
Lowes Madison Hotel, Underwater Ghost and
Double Date at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, and
the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra featuring Jon
Irabagon at Dumbarton House, on Sunday, June 29.
Call 855-332-7767 or visit dcjazzfest.org for details on
specic programs and tickets.
LA TENCHISS BURLESQUE
GALA Hispanic Theatre concludes its season with
another presentation by Julio Ernesto Hernndez
Ydice, this time in character as La Tenchis, his
raggedy hobo-like drag queen parody. After a sellout
run at GALA last year, the comedian, a popular
presence on TV in his native El Salvador but also a
regular on standup stages in the U.S. and throughout
Central America, returns with Burlesque, a solo
performance offering a comical and musical portrayal
of life as burlesque. Ydice rst appeared as La
Tenchis 16 years ago. These days the drag queen yuks
it up frequently on Radio Zol, the popular Mid-
Atlantic-based Spanish-language station. Remaining
performances of Burlesque in Spanish only, with
no English supertitles are Thursday, June 26, and
Friday, July 27 at 8 p.m. GALA Theatre at Tivoli
Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-
234-7174 or visit galatheatre.org.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS
LIFE BEYOND EARTH DISCUSSION
Part of its Summer in Space program with the
August museum exhibition Mars Up Close, the
National Geographic Society teams up with NASA
to co-sponsor the discussion Life Beyond Earth:
A Celebration on Cassinis 10th Anniversary,
celebrating the Cassini-Huygens spacecrafts
exploration of Saturn, including its mysterious
moons, stunning rings and complex magnetic
environment. NASA scientists Linda Spilker, Kevin
Hand, Natalie Batalha and Penelope Boston of the
New Mexico Institute of Technology will discuss
Saturn, the Jupiter moon known as Europa, the
search for life elsewhere in the galaxy and more.
Monday, June 30, at 7:30 p.m. National Geographic
Societys Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600
M St. NW. Tickets are $24, or $44 for both the
Life Beyond Earth discussion and the Mars Up
Close exhibit. Call 202-857-7700 or visit events.
nationalgeographic.com.
PILOBOLUS
Two years after a stop at Harman Hall presented
by the Washington Performing Arts Society, this
Connecticut-based troupe returns to D.C. to show
off its daring, athletic moves. The company is known,
as its gay associate dance captain Nile Russell told
Metro Weekly last time, [for the] idea of weight-
sharingNot so much lifting people, but pouring
your weight into them to leave the ground. Tuesday,
July 1, at 8:30 p.m. The Filene Center at Wolf Trap,
1551 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $10 to $48. Call
877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
VINOFESTDC: MUSIC AND WINE FESTIVAL
By one estimate, D.C. residents drink more wine
than any other U.S. state/almost-state. As a toast to
our wino ways, boutique wine subscription service
Vinolovers presents the one-day VinoFestDC, which
includes wine tastings plus music, most notably
a DJ set from Eric Hilton, known from Thievery
Corporation as well as a proprietor behind so many
of D.C.s hottest clubs and restaurants. Also on
tap are musical performances by Jesse Boykins
III, Clairy Browne & The Banging Rackettes, DJ
Spinser Tracy, Body Language, See-I, Jetty, Sugar
Bear and EU, and Bonnie Rash. Saturday, June 28,
from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are $50 to $125. Union
Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Call 800-680-9095 or visit
unionmarketdc.com or vinofestdc.com.
VIOLETTE
Celebrated French director Martin Provosts Violette
spans 20 years in the complex life of trailblazing
French feminist author Violette Leduc and her
relationship with Simone de Beauvoir. Emmannuelle
Devos and Sandrine Kiberlain portray the two
women in Provosts lm, which screens locally at
the Angelika Pop-Up, the temporary movie theater
at Union Market until next years grand opening
of the specialty movie chains newest location at
the gourmet food market. In French with English
subtitles. Opens Friday, June 27. Angelika Pop-Up
at Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE, Unit E. Call 800-
680-9095 or visit angelikapopup.com.
STAGE
BOEING BOEING
No Rules Theatre Company offers a production of
this French farce by Marc Camoletti, as translated
by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans, focused on
a 60s-era playboy successfully juggling affairs
with three ances, all ight attendants until
weather and technological advances get in the way.
Matt Cowart directs the No Rules show featuring
Nick Kowalczyk, Jamie Smithson, Sarah Olmsted
Thomas, Sherry Berg, Jenna Berk and Helen
Hedman. Closes this Sunday, June 29. Signature
Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-
820-9771 or visit norulestheatre.org.
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Maazel helped create this festival as a way to boost
the careers of young artists, pairing them with
professional mentors to produce full-scale operas
and rst-rate concerts. Taking place at the Maazels
picturesque property in Virginias Rappahannock
County, the not-exclusively classical event runs for
an entire month starting Saturday, June 28, with a
performance of Handel and Ravel by the Castleton
Chamber Players and a new production of Puccinis
famed opera Madama Buttery led by Maazel
as well as a sold-out opening night gala dinner
and performance. Other highlights over the next
week include King Mozart, a symphonic concert
featuring violin and clarinet concertos and other
symphonic works, on Sunday, June 29; a Bluegrass
& Fireworks program featuring the great local band
the Seldom Scene on Thursday, July 3; and an All
American Band Concert featuring classic works
by Francis Scott Key, John Philip Sousa, Leonard
Bernstein, Leroy Anderson and Scott Joplin, on
Friday, July 4. To July 20. The Castleton Festival, 7
Castleton Meadows Land, Castleton, Va. For tickets
and more details, call 866-974-0767 or visit www.
castletonfestival.org.
DIANA ROSS
The Supreme diva returns for a second year in a row
at Wolf Trap, but if you dont already have tickets,
youll have to make due with lawn seats if youre
coming out. That is, if even those remain by the
time you try to order tickets. You cant hurry love,
tis true, but you can and must hurry ticket-buying.
This concert is sure to sell out. At least this years
concert features an opening act, Dianas daughter
(with Berry Gordy) Rhonda Ross, and it is also on a
weekend: Ms. Ross was punctual to a fault last year,
when a fair number of fans were tied up in trafc
at the prompt 8 p.m. start time. Sunday, June 29, at
8 p.m. The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap
Road, Vienna. Only $35 lawn seats remain for the
show. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
ESTER RADA
As part of its Free Summer Outdoor Concert series
Strathmore welcomes Ester Rada, the Israeli born
Jewish-Ethiopian artist whose sound is a mlange
of jazz, blues, funk and soul drawing clear inuence
from artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone,
Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. Wednesday, July 2, at 7
p.m. Outdoor at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,
North Bethesda. Free. Call 301-581-5100 or visit
strathmore.org.

FANTASIA
The third-season American Idol winner returns to
D.C. for a weekend series of shows at the Howard
Theatre honoring her 30th birthday, which is
Monday, June 30. Since her Idol days a decade ago
the singer born Fantasia Barrino has had a bit more
success in stage musicals than in recorded music. A
few years back she performed as Celie in The Color
Purple on Broadway and on a national tour, and just
last fall she was the rst in a series of rotating stars
playing the lead role as a jazz singer in Broadways
new revue After Midnight. Still, at the Howard,
expect her to focus on the music from her pop/R&B
recording career, especially last years album Side
Effects of You, her fourth. Saturday, June 28, at 8
p.m., and Sunday, June 29, at 8 p.m., plus an After
Party & Birthday Celebration on Sunday, June 29,
at 10:30 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW.
Tickets are $65 to $100, or $20 in advance/$25 day-
of for the Sunday night party. Call 202-588-5595 or
visit thehowardtheatre.com or fantasiaofcial.com
NATIONAL ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE
AND FESTIVAL
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the
University of Maryland presents this 27th month-
long festival pairing outstanding young classical
CLOAK AND DAGGER
HHHHH
Ed Dixon, who a few years ago won a Helen Hayes
Award for his work in Signature Theatres Sunset
Boulevard, returns to the Shirlington showplace
to play a dozen characters in his very own
musical, Cloak and Dagger, a spoof of whodunit
mysteries from the mid-20th century. In this world
premiere production directed by Signatures Eric
Schaeffer, the overly polished Doug Carpenter plays
the lead role of a third-rate detective in New York,
while stunning Signature star Erin Driscoll plays his
client and love interest. (Christopher Bloch rounds
out the cast playing multiple other roles.) Cloak and
Dagger will ultimately win you over. The music is
perfectly pleasant and hummable, and the Signature
team of designers has done its typical up-to-snuff job
in allowing you to escape into a world of exaggerated
reality much as if watching a black-and-white
detective movie. To July 6. Signature Theatre, 4200
Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $95.
Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org.
(Doug Rule)
GROUNDED
Through its Studio Special Events series, Studio
Theatre welcomes Londons Gate Theatre and its
visceral production of George Brants gripping solo
show about the world of remote warfare aka the
use of drones which was a sold-out hit at the
Edinburgh Fringe. Christopher Haydon directs Lucy
Ellinson, who plays a pregnant hotshot military
pilot who ies drones in Afghanistan from a trailer
outside Las Vegas. Extended to July 6. Studio
Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or
visit studiotheatre.org.
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
The American Century Theater offers a production
of Abby Manns riveting play about the World War
II war crime trials that raises important moral
issues still relevant and controversial today. Joe
Banno directs this rarely produced but critically
praised courtroom drama starring a large cast of
TACT veterans, including Craig Miller, Bruce Alan
Rauscher, Steve Lebens, Mary Beth Luckenbaugh,
Karin Rosnizeck and Christopher Henley of WSC
Avant Bard making his TACT debut in a role played
by Montgomery Clift in the 1961 Oscar-winning
lm version that also starred Judy Garland. Closes
this Saturday, June 28. Gunston Theater Two, 2700
South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $32 to $40. Call
703-998-4555 or visit americancentury.org.
MUSIC
A CAPITOL FOURTH
Its not something you likely want to do every
year too many tourists but everybody should at
least once head down to the U.S. Capitol to hear the
National Symphony Orchestras annual A Capitol
Fourth concert. This year as ever Jack Everly leads
the NSO in a performance of patriotic favorites and
classical masterworks, most notably Tchaikvoskys
1812 Overture, for which a canon is generally red
shortly before the national reworks display at 9:10
p.m. TV personality Tom Bergeron returns to host
the program, which also includes performances by
the Choral Arts Society of Washington and a couple
of military bands. Friday, July 4, at 8 p.m. West
Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building. Free. Call 202-
467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org/nso/ for
more information.
CASTLETON FESTIVAL
Six years ago the celebrated classical music maestro
Lorin Maazel and his wife Dietlinde Turban-
musicians with world-renowned conductors,
including James Ross, Christopher Seaman and
Leonard Slatkin. The festival concludes with Slatkin
leading a performance of Shostakovichs powerful
Fifth Symphony on Saturday, June 28, at 8 p.m.
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University
of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium
Drive. College Park. Tickets are $25, and free for
the Family Concert. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit
claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.
NSO POPS
Steven Reineke closes out the NSO Pops season for
a program perfectly timed with the new lm Jersey
Boys. In fact, The Midtown Men features four
performers from the original Broadway musical
that begat the lm. The foursome showcase their
trademark sounds and moves next weekend, in a
show with the orchestra featuring renditions of
songs by the Beatles, the Drifters and of course the
Four Seasons, Frankie Vallis group which inspired
this whole shebang. Friday, June 27, and Saturday,
June 28, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Tickets are $20 to $85. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.
PEACHES & HERB
The original Peaches, Francine Hurd Barker, died in
2005, but by then D.C.-born Herb Fame was already
on his fth Peaches in touring around his hit-making
duo, known for the late-70s pop/R&B hit Reunited
and the disco great Shake Your Groove Thing.
(Barker didnt like the rigors of touring, so she was
out early.) Fame returns for a hometown show with
his current Peaches, Wanda Mackle. Friday, June
27, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon
Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $45. Call 703-549-7500
or visit birchmere.com or peachesandherb.com
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Wolf Trap presents the only area performance of
the Philadelphia Orchestra, regarded as one of the
worlds leading orchestras, here performing one
of the worlds greatest orchestral compositions,
Beethovens Ninth Symphony. Bramwell Tovey
conducts the orchestra as well as the Choral Arts
Society of Washington and Wolf Trap Opera soloists,
who will join to sing the pieces triumphant nale
Ode to Joy. Saturday, June 28, at 8:15 p.m. The
Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna.
Tickets are $25 to $65. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit
wolftrap.org.
THE SELDOM SCENE
Formed over 40 years ago in Bethesda, the
progressive bluegrass band Seldom Scene remains
especially popular in its hometown region. The
group returns to Alexandrias seated show palace
the Birchmere for another Saturday night show, this
time with special guests John Starling, Tom Gray
and Rickie Simpkins to celebrate Long TimeSeldom
Scene, a new Smithsonian Folkways Recording.
Saturday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere,
3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are
$29.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com or
seldomscene.com.
WOLF TRAP OPERA: HANDELS GIULIO CESARE
Handels most popular opera, Giulio Cesare focuses
on Julius Caesars visit to Egypt in 48 B.C. and
his encounter with the exotic Cleopatra. Anthony
Walker conducts a new Wolf Trap Opera Company
production performed in Italian with English
supertitles and featuring John Holiday in the title
role and Ying Fang as Cleopatra. Friday, June 27, at
7:30 p.m., Sunday, June 29, at 3 p.m., and Tuesday,
July 1, at 7:30 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635
Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $36 to $88. Call
877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org. l
McKellen (L) and Jacobi
British Mince
Even Jacobi and McKellen cant
keep Vicious from being
hideously unbearable
H
AVE YOU EVER STEPPED IN DOG POOP? IT
happens to most of us at some point in our lives,
and each time it occurs it follows a very similar
chain of events. Theres the initial shock and
disgust, followed by an overwhelming stench. Its revolting,
hideous, unbearable. Youll desperately wish that you could
rewind time, divert your path, and reverse the course of action
that led you to experiencing this moment. If youre one of the
lucky few to never experience standing in excrement, dont
worry, as this Sunday, June 29, PBS will air the visual equivalent.
If that segue feels a little tasteless, it doesnt come close to
matching the sheer awfulness of new, British sitcom Vicious
freshman episode. Like the beautiful day you were enjoying
before you so carelessly trod in dog mess, everything is full of
potential and promise. Vicious is a sitcom about an elderly gay
couple which in and of itself is something noteworthy. In
an age where LGBT characters are still underrepresented on
TV, heres a sitcom offering not only a gay couple as the main
characters, but one that has stood the test of time. Take that,
NOM! Whats more, said couple is the rather incredible duo
of Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi. Yes, two knighted,
Shakespearean, openly gay actors play the lead roles. Whats
more, theres an excellent supporting cast, including Frances de
la Tour (Harry Potter, The History Boys) as the salacious best
friend and Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones) as a young, straight
neighbor. Between them, the main quartet has a multitude of
Emmy, Tony, Olivier, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.
Which makes it all the more depressing that the actual show
is such miserable crap. In Vicious, McKellen and Jacobi are a
couple who constantly bicker, ght and sling insults at each
other though were told they also deeply love one another
which should be reason enough to tune in. Two veteran, openly
gay actors being incredibly bitchy to each other and those
around them? It sounds like deliciously camp fun. Except it
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isnt. If youve ever seen the 70s British sitcom Are You Being
Served, youll immediately feel at home/be utterly horried with
Vicious humor. Its so outdated, so banal, so tiresome complete
with a studio audience who seem to laugh whenever someone
merely inhales that its a miracle any of the actors agreed to
perform it.
The rst episode gets so much wrong while its establishing
the characters and narrative that its a hideous, insulting train
wreck. On top of that, Jacobis character is a simpering, overly
camp mess complete with exasperatedly limp wrists, no less.
It feels like an offensive caricature, outdated, a relic of the days
when homosexual characters were nothing more than mincing
queens because thats all the public thought we were. Jacobi
offers a modern day Mr. Humphries and he even, rather
incredulously, briey works in a clothing store in the second
episode.
And yet, just like dog poop, it gets better. With each passing
step, the smell dies down, the excrement clinging to your sole
starts to fall off. You forget about the initial revolting shock
and simply accept that it has happened. So to, does Vicious get
watchable. The jokes start to hit McKellen gets the lions
share of the best lines the supporting cast show their chops,
everything feels a little tighter and better executed with each
half hour. By the end of the six episodes, I was almost enjoying it
its the TV equivalent of Stockholm syndrome. Some may love
Vicious, but Im not one of them.
Instead, Id advise you tune in to PBS at 8 p.m. (ET) and
watch another British show thats innitely better. Last Tango in
Halifax, premiering its second season, shares some similarities
to Vicious. It, too, centers on an elderly couple, and it also
features Derek Jacobi in a starring role, albeit playing straight
this time around (hes leagues better at convincing us of his
heterosexuality). Starring opposite the wonderful Anne Reid,
the second season sees childhood sweethearts Alan and Celia
attempting to plan their wedding and their future life together.
Woven within is more of the mature family drama that made
the rst season such incredible viewing. Caroline (Sarah
Lancashire), Celias daughter, is tasked with balancing her
growing relationship with Kate (Nina Sosanya) with her insipid
ex-husband, while Alans daughter Gillian (Nicola Walker)
faces the fallout from some rather poor decisions over the rst
seasons six episodes, including the revelation of a dark secret.
If you havent watched the rst season, I urge you to head
over to Amazon and stream it. Descriptions cant do it justice
including my rather average, spoiler-free attempt above.
Its beautifully acted, brilliantly scripted, heartfelt, emotional,
dramatic and an otherwise incredible hour of television. On
top of that, its occasionally laugh-out-loud funny impressive,
given that Vicious, a sitcom, struggles to manage that.
PBS is keen to stress the LGBT-positive attitude of the
network, including their commitment to showcasing gay couples
other than Bert and Ernie. Its just a shame, then, that the
imported Vicious, with its openly gay leads, offers a more
offensive portrayal of gay romance than Last Tangos Caroline
and Kate, both played by heterosexual actresses. Now, go stream
Last Tango in Halifaxs rst season. Im off to picket British
broadcaster ITV to demand they cancel plans for a second
season of Vicious.
Last Tango in Halifax, Season 2 (HHHHH), premieres Sunday,
June 29, at 8 p.m. and Vicious (HHHHH) premieres Sunday, June
29, at 10:30 p.m. on PBS afliates nationwide. Visit PBS.org. l
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Seven Basic
Dog Commands
The key to teaching dogs new
tricks is to be clear and consistent,
as well as quick in offering rewards
W
HAT IS IT WITH ALL THE CHICKEN
bones all over the place? We cant take a walk
without nding chicken bones, says Steve
Mulder, who owns Zoom Room in Rockville
with his partner Jean-Louis Marechal. Any urban dog owner
knows Mulders plight with the couples dog Abby. And its the
reason why one of the commands taught in Zoom Rooms Basic
Manners group dog training class is leave it. Also referred to
as drop, its not actually an easy command to teach a dog, at
least not without the aide of a professional trainer like Mulder.
Same goes for another command that dog owners are all too
eager to teach too early: Come, or here. Because odds are
when your dog isnt snifng out a chicken bone, she might be
closing in on something smelly shed like to douse in that is,
roll in as if it were perfume. If a dog is doing something that
it likes, says Penelope Brown of Phi Beta K9 School for Dogs,
why should it come away from that just because you asked?
Unless youve developed a relationship such that it wants to do
what you ask. To a dogs mind, Brown explains, your request
makes no sense. Whats your problem, buddy? This is the cool-
est thing to roll in. Ill never come to you again. You just shout
and deny me.
To Brown, teaching dogs is not so much about xing prob-
lems but about nurturing mutually benecial, enriching rela-
tionships built on positive association and reinforcement. For
that reason, when hired to teach dogs, which she offers to teach
in private at-home lessons, Brown always starts with the name
game where the dogs name is basically associated with some-
thing awesome. In other words, you strive to always say your
dogs name in a happy tone, even rewarding him for responding
with a treat or a ball throw. This runs counter to common behav-
ior that confuses dogs, she explains. What we tend to do is call
pets
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and say the dogs name in all contexts: Fido, get your head out
of the trash! Hey Fido, come here. Bad dog, Fido! Fido, heres
your dinner. Fido, let me cut your nails.Theres a 50 percent
chance something ickys going to happen, so he might think
twice about responding.
Another attention-getting exercise Brown uses is what she
calls touch, in which you ask your dog to touch her nose to
your hand and reward her with a treat. This is useful when
hiking or even just walking on the street, when you need to get
your dog out of the way of passersby. If youre trying to pass
somebody, ask her to touch and then you can move your hand
behind you so you walk single le. And then bring her back
around and give her a reward. In other words, its a way of get-
ting a dog to move by asking her, rather than forcing by pulling
or dragging her.
I try to have treats with me [at all times] because I always
want to reinforce something great, Brown says, adding, You
carry around stuff that you know they like some dogs [or dog
owners] prefer a ball to a treat. It doesnt have to be food, its just
an easy currency to trade in.
Probably the most common dog command is sit, followed
by stay. But nothing happens overnight, as noted by Dr. Gary
Weitzman, formerly of the Washington Animal Rescue League
and known as the on-air veterinarian for local NPR station
WAMUs nationally syndicated show The Animal House. For a
dog, learning to sit is a basic skill, he writes in How To Speak
Dog, the helpful National Geographic guidebook he put together
with writer Aline Alexander Newman. But dog training takes
patience. And you must be consistent. Always speak the same
words in the same tone of voice.
Another popular command is down, which is actually a
67 METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 13, 2014 67 METROWEEKLY.COM MARCH 13, 2014
Raja
I named him Raja (aka the Fresh Prince) because he carries himself very
regally and can act a bit entitled. I used to have a bunch of framed photos art-
fully arranged on the bay window in front of my house. As soon as he arrived,
he knocked them all out of the way and declared that space as his throne.
Ive been his loyal subject ever since. When hes not surveying his domain,
digging and chasing squirrels are his favorite pastimes.
Michael Paynes 3-year-old Fox Hound Mix
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pretty complex behavior for a canine to learn. It can require lots
of patience, practice and positive reinforcement offered in stag-
es. If you say down and they just sort-of one-paw it and lower
their head and then pause because theyre not really sure what
youre asking, Brown explains, you can reward that because
theyre on the right track. And that will build their condence
to try more.
But the key to teaching a dog new tricks is to be as clear and
consistent as possible about what you want and also quick to
offer a reward and verbal reinforcement. The clearer you are,
the faster a dog will learn. But you cant rush it or expect too
much too soon.
Brown compares the process to a human learning to do word
games. If the rst time you ever did a crossword puzzle was the
Sunday New York Times, you probably wouldnt do it again. Its
too painful.
The Seven Basic Dog Commands
1. The Name Game
2. Touch
3. Sit
4. Stay
5. Down
6. Come
7. Leave It
For information on Zoom Room Rockville, call 301-825-9113 or
visit zoomroomonline.com/rockville-dog-training.html.
For information on Phi Beta K9, call 202-986-1147 or look for Phi
Beta K-9 on Facebook. l
NIGHT
LIFE
43 METROWEEKLY.COM
t
THURS., 06.26.14
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour,
4pm-7pm $4 Small
Plates, $4 Stella Artois,
$4 House Wines, $4
Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4
Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
$3 Rail Vodka Highballs,
$2 JR.s drafts, 8pm to
close Top Pop Night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat The Clock Happy
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim E in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
FRI., 06.27.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with resident
DJ Shea Van Horn VJ
Expanded craft beer
selection No cover
LISTINGS
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat The Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
PHASE 1
DJ Styalo Dancing
$5 cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
9855 Washington Blvd. N
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Drag Show in lounge
Half-price burgers and
fries
ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis Upstairs open
5-11pm
DC BEAR CRUE
@Town Bear Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm Hosted
by Charger Stone No
cover before 9:30pm 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1,
11pm-midnight Happy
Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm $5
Coronas, $8 Vodka Red
Bulls, 9pm-close
TOWN
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-
Lee, Jessica Spaulding
Deverreoux and BaNaka
DJ Wess upstairs,
BacK2bACk downstairs
Doors open at 10pm For
those 21 and over, $5 from
10-11pm and $10 after
11pm For those 18-20,
$10 all night 18+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Ladies of Illusion with host
Kristina Kelly, 9pm DJ
Steve Henderson presents
Voltage in Secrets DJ
Don T. in Ziegfelds
Cover 21+
SAT., 06.28.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
5-9pm $5 Absolut &
Titos, $3 Miller Lite after
9pm Expanded craft
beer selection No Cover
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Diner Brunch, 10am-3pm
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Freddies Follies Drag
Show 8 pm-10pm,
10pm-1am Karaoke
JR.S
$4 Coors, $5 Vodka
highballs, $7 Vodka Red
Bulls
NELLIES
Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Doors 5pm Happy Hour:
No Cover
PHASE 1
Dancing, 9pm-close
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Karaoke in the lounge
Charity Bingo with Cash
Prizes 3rd Sat. of Every
Month
TOWN
Town & Country: A
Country Western Dancing
Event Doors open at
6:45pm, $5 cover to stay
all night Lessons 7-8
pm, open dance 8-10:30
pm Also featuring Battle
of the Summer Music
Divas Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
DJ Wess downstairs
Cover $8 from 10-11pm,
$12 after 11pm 21+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All nude male dancers,
9pm Ladies of Illusion
with host Ella Fitzgerald,
9pm DJ Steve
Henderson presents
Voltage in Secrets DJ
Joey O in Ziegfelds
Doors 8pm Cover 21+
45
t
scene
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
Growl Bear Party
Friday, June 20
Ziegfelds / Secrets
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
WARD MORRISON
SUN., 06.29.14
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
Cover
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Champagne Brunch
Buffet, 10am-3pm Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Karaoke
8pm-1am
JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights &
$3 Skyy (all favors), all
day and night
NELLIES
Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm
$20 Brunch Buffet
House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
11am-close Buckets of
Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Pop Goes the World with
Wes Della Volla at 9:30
pm Happy Hour: 2 for
1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Sunday Brunch, 11am-3pm
Bottomless Mimosas
$15 per person
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
8pm Cover 21+
MON., 06.30.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
5-9pm Multiple TVs
showing movies, shows,
sports Expanded craft
ANNIES
Martinis
FREDDIES
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
Showtunes Songs &
Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ Jamez $3 Drafts
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Poker Texas Holdem, 8pm
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Buzztime Trivia
competition 75 cents off
bottles and drafts
TUES., 07.01.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
5-9pm Multiple TVs
ANNIES
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $4
Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Underground (Indie Pop/
Alt/Brit Rock), 9pm-close
DJ Wes Della Volla
2-for-1, all day and night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Karaoke
NUMBER NINE
2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm No Cover Safe
Word: A Gay Spelling
Bee, 8-11pm Prizes to
top three spellers After
9pm, $3 Absolut, Bulleit
& Stella
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
75 cents off bottles and
drafts Movie Night
WED., 07.02.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
5-9pm Multiple TVs
ANNIES
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $4
Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm Drag
Bingo, 8pm Karaoke,
10pm
JR.S
Trivia with MC Jay
Ray, 8pm The Queen,
10-11pm $2 JRs Drafts
& $4 Vodka ($2 with
College I.D./JRs Team
Shirt)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Half-Price Burger Night
Buckets of Beer $15
SmartAss Trivia, 8pm
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Free Pool 75 cents off
Bottles and Drafts
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
New Meat Wednesday DJ
Don T. 9pm Cover 21+
THURS., 07.03.14
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
Cover
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour,
4pm-7pm $4 Small
Plates, $4 Stella Artois,
$4 House Wines, $4
Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4
Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
$3 Rail Vodka Highballs,
$2 JR.s drafts, 8pm to
close Top Pop Night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
TOWN
WTF: Nations Birthday
Ball hosted by Ryan Burke
of NYC Featuring shows
from Summer Camp and
BaNaka, Gogo boys
Kevin and Keiran, and
the National Anthem by
Ryan Patrick Welsh
Also featuring DJs Matt
Bailer of MIXTAPE, Aaron
Riggins and Ed Bailey
Doors open 10pm $5
cover after 11pm 21+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim E in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
FRI., 07.04.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with resident
DJ Shea Van Horn VJ
Expanded craft beer
selection No cover
ANNIES
Martinis Upstairs open
5-11pm
DC BEAR CRUE
@Town Bear Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm Hosted
by Charger Stone No
cover before 9:30pm 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1,
11pm-midnight Happy
Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm $5
Coronas, $8 Vodka Red
Bulls, 9pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat The Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
PHASE 1
DJ Styalo Dancing
$5 cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Drag Show in lounge
Half-price burgers and
fries
TOWN
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by
DJ Wess upstairs,
BacK2bACk downstairs
Doors open at 10pm For
those 21 and over, $5 from
10-11pm and $10 after
11pm For those 18-20,
$10 all night 18+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Ladies of Illusion with
host Kristina Kelly, 9pm
Cover 21+ l
50 SEE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE
scene
Freddies Follies
Drag Show
Saturday, June 21
Freddies Beach Bar
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
WARD MORRISON
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
We are falling behind in the struggle.
Those who seek to destroy marriage by redening it to mean anything, and thus mean nothing, are hard at work.
U.S. Rep TIM HUELSKAMP (R-Kansas), speaking at an anti-marriage equality rally sponsored by the National Organization for
Marriage. Huelskamp, the only currently serving member of Congress to speak at the rally, expressed dismay at the
nearly deafening silence of his colleagues to speak out against marriage equality.
(Metro Weekly)
We are committed to ending these dangerous and stigmatizing practices across the country once and for all
relegating them to the dustbin of history.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights, in a statement on its website. The NCLR has launched the #BornPerfect campaign,
which aims to end conversion therapy in the United States by working with legislators to pass laws banning reparative
therapy and protecting LGBT children.
(NCLRights.org)
The phrase from that point was, in essence, to nd somebody to take out
a double minority, Mexican gay.
Detective STEVEN MCCAULEY, testifying in an ongoing trial against Los Angeles area facial specialist Dawn Melody DaLuise
on a charge of solicitation of murder. DaLuise allegedly attempted to contact a white supremacist neo-Nazi group, planning to
hire them to kill a gay business owner, Gabriel Suarez, because his salon was a potential threat to her own. DaLuise thought the
double minority aspect of Suarez sexuality and Mexican ancestry would convince the neo-Nazis to agree to kill him.
(KTLA)
Anybody who stands for discrimination cant just say they have gay friends. ...
Equality is for everyone, not just who you decide
to be friends with.
Commissioner PATTY SHEEHAN of the Orlando, Fla., City Council, in response to remarks by Commissioner Tony Ortiz trying
to justify his vote against a request to le an amicus brief to an ongoing lawsuit challenging Floridas 2008 constitutional
amendment banning same-sex marriage. The Council voted 5-2 on Monday to le the brief arguing in favor of marriage equality.
(Orlando Sentinel)

Its kind of hard to be a gay trans man sometimes.
But Im very proud of who I am, and Ive worked very hard to become who I am.
LOU CUTLER, the rst ever trans male winner of the Mr. Gay Philadelphia competition. Cutler stated that winning was a
dream come true for me. To be able to be part of this community, and also represent my own community.
(Philly Mag)

Metro Weekly - 06-26-14 - DOMA Roberta Kaplan

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2 JUNE 26, 2014 METROWEEKLY.

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