Metro Weekly - 11-12-15 - Jonathan Bardzik

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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Randy Shulman
NOVEMBER 12, 2015

Volume 22 / Issue 28
ART DIRECTOR
Todd Franson
MANAGING EDITOR
Rhuaridh Marr
SENIOR EDITOR
John Riley
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Doug Rule
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR
Scott G. Brooks
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Gordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Connor J. Hogan,
Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield
WEBMASTER
David Uy
NEWS

No Time for T
A Shot to the Arm
10

Fundraising for Friends
11
by John Riley
by John Riley
by John Riley
Community Calendar

FEATURES
16
Jonathan Bardzik
Interview by Doug Rule

photography by Todd Franson
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Julian Vankim
SALES & MARKETING

26
Nashville Grizzlies
Rugby 2016 calendar
PUBLISHER
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BRAND STRATEGY & MARKETING
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Cunetto Creative
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
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DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
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22

Bianca Del Rio

Interview by Connor J. Hogan
by John Riley
OUT ON THE TOWN

30

Storm Large
32

GMCWs S* Show
by Connor J. Hogan
by Tim Rosenberger
STAGE

37

Winners and Losers
PATRON SAINT
Babette Hersant
STAGE

39

Apple Family Cycle
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Todd Franson
GAMES

41

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
HEALTH

43

Germ Warfare
NIGHTLIFE

47

Miss Ziegfelds 2016 Pageant
54
Last Word
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LGBT
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Now online at MetroWeekly.com

Gay app Hornet erects billboard outside GOP debate
Rockville clergy counter Westboros message of hate
No Time for T
Online petition says gay and transgender communities should

go their separate ways
by John Riley
E FEEL THAT THE TRANSGENDER IDEology is not compatible with the rights of
women, gay men and children, reads a controversial petition posted on change.org. In
essence, we ask that organizations...stop representing the transgender community as we feel their ideology is not only completely different from that promoted by the LGB community,
but is ultimately regressive and actually hostile to the goals of
gay women and men.
As of noon on Tuesday, the petition had gathered 1,674 signatures from purportedly gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals
who wish to separate themselves from transgender, non-binary,
and gender nonconforming individuals, all of whom are cur6
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
rently covered by the umbrella term LGBT. The petition suggests that the LGB community and the transgender community,
allies in various fights ranging from marriage equality to workplace nondiscrimination legislation, go their separate ways to
promote their own agendas.
The Drop the T petition is a laundry list of grievances
against the transgender community, including allegations of
harassment and verbal or physical intimidation of LGB people at the hands of transgender activists, the usurpation and
appropriation of the history of the gay rights movement, and
infringement upon private spaces, restrooms or other changing
facilities, particularly those reserved for biological women, by
transgender women. It also claims that the transgender com-
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
LGBTNews
munity has asserted undue influence over parents and health
professionals in order to diagnose children as transgender at an
early age.
The major LGBT organizations named in the petition
Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign, and GLAAD
quickly responded by denouncing the petitions intent, arguing
that it does not behoove the movement to drive a wedge among
the various groups that comprise the community. And an even
larger number of people 3,674 as of noon on Tuesday have
signed a counter-petition affirming the importance of keeping
the LGBT community intact.
The author of the petition, using the pseudonym Clayton,
gave an interview to the right-wing website The Federalist in
which he asserts that many LGB people feel similarly about
being grouped together with transgender activists, but are
afraid to speak out.
I think this is an absolutely important distinction that has
not been discussed at all, Clayton said. Gay/bisexual men and
women just ARE we dont need medicine or surgery to help
us become who we believe we are, which is the case with the
trans community.
To take it further, the first is about sexual and affectional
orientation, who we are sexually attracted to and who we
choose to share our love with. The latter is about gender identity, and altering ones body to fit what ones mind believes it
should resemble. They are two very, very different ideas, and
the problem that develops when we are all under the same
umbrella is that so many of our enemies see us as one and the
same.
Transgender activist Dana Beyer says Claytons assertions
are misinformed, adding I have not read crap like that in a
long time, all in one place.
Says Beyer, Theres a bigger story here, about what happens
when small groups of activists, amplified by social media, do
things that are really outrageous, that then get picked up and
others, who are looking to stir up fights, use that to represent
the community at large. And thats what the case with this is.
Beyer said that there are some in the LGB community who
mistakenly believe the transgender community is somehow
ruining the progress that could be made on the equality front.
I almost felt like it was 2007 and ENDA all over again, with
some of the nonsense, she adds. Were not going back there.
This is so absurd because its such a throwback to those days.
And then the TERFs [trans-exclusionary radical feminists] jump
on board, and now were back at our arguments with NCLR and
the Task Force and the rest about the Michigan Womyns Music
Festival from last year. Its so petty and childish.
What this story has done has simply torn the bandage off
a long-separating abscess in the community, says Beyer. Not
a life-threatening abscess, this isnt something thats going to
cause sepsis and kill the patient. But its something thats been
there that weve bandaged over, weve never really cleansed
it out completely, we probably never can cleanse it out completely, because we are fundamentally two different communities that are also the same community. This has always been the
problem. But you read [Claytons] interview, and he acts as if the
gay community is this one unified, homogenous group of people.
And that couldnt be further from the truth.
Beyer says many of those differences among members of the
LGBT community are often papered over in some instances, as
when passing nondiscrimination legislation.
The genius of the American system as its developed, when
8
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
you use terms like gender expression and sex stereotypes,

as the Supreme Court has used, you dont have to deal with
different groups, says Beyer. You dont have to ask, Are genderqueer dudes covered by this? Everybodys covered by it. It
doesnt matter what the variation is today, or will be 50 years
from now. Its the concept. Its the classification that matters. So
we dont have to have all the infighting.
I think for most people in the movement, the key factor has
been that, at the end of the day, we are all hated because we are
all different, she adds. Were not the mainstream, cisgender,
heteronormative culture. We were all originally hated, or now
are just making people uncomfortable, the ick factor, and all
that. We are all at risk because of that dichotomy.... Thats why
we fought to become part of the overarching gay community to
make it LGBT and why we are where we are and have made the
progress weve made today.
Richard J. Rosendall, the president of the Gay and Lesbian
Activists Alliance (GLAA) of Washington, says that the quick
response from the organizations who rejected the petitions
premise made it clear that the request to sever ties between the
LGB and transgender communities was dead on arrival.
Our community is diverse. It always has been, says
Rosendall. In recent years, many of us have been trying to do
better to reflect and embrace and respect the diversity of the
community. And recognizing the importance of coalition work
that goes beyond our own community in order to advance a
common interest of various at-risk groups.
Rosendall says the authors unwillingness to share his identity seems to suggest cowardice, adding that those who have
signed the petition are speaking only for themselves, and not for
the larger equality movement. But beyond its offensive assertions, he says, the LGB community really doesnt have the ability
to drop the T, as their fates are closely linked.
For gay folks to support dropping the T would be like the
turkey inviting the cook to lunch, Rosendall says. It would be
suicidal. Our opponents are not going to be fooled. They will
continue to lump us all together because they consider all of us
a threat to what they believe are proper gender norms.
That reality of diversity needs to be asserted and defended
because our opponents want to pretend that everybody in the
country looks like them, loves like them, believes like them and
thinks like them. And they want to make the rest of us effectively disappear or disenfranchise us. It would be the politics
of subtraction for us to consider dropping any of us, and that
simply is not going to happen. l
A Shot to the Arm
A bimonthly injection may eventually replace daily oral

medication in the treatment of HIV
by John Riley
R E CE N T
M E DIC A L
ST U DY
F ROM
GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson, found that a
monthly or bimonthly injection was as effective in suppressing HIV as daily oral medication.
Trial participants were split into three groups, with each
receiving oral medication. One group continued to take daily
oral medication in the form of three daily pills, including the
drug cabotegravir. The second group was given an injection of
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
LGBTNews
cabotegravir and rilpivirine once a month, and the third group
was given the same injection at two-month intervals.
According to researchers, the patients who received injections had viral suppression rates nearly identical to the patients
who took the oral medication. The difference in results
which was not statistically significant showed that those
receiving bimonthly injections had a successful viral suppression rate of 95%, compared to 94% for those receiving monthly
injections, and 91% for those on oral medication.
While further studies need to be done, researchers are
cautiously viewing the results of the study as a positive development for the treatment of HIV. Paul Stoffels, the chairman
of pharmaceuticals for Johnson & Johnson, told Bloomberg
Business that the drug used in the injection requires refrigeration and is too large of a dose to be self-administered, as diabetics do with insulin shots.
The biggest breakthrough is that Johnson & Johnson has
learned how to take the oral medications and created a new
nano-emulsion that breaks the medication into tiny particles
so that it can be injected and absorbed by the body at a slower,
more gradual rate, thereby expanding the time in between
injections while also maintaining a constant level of medication in the body.
One of the biggest problems that continues to make treating HIV very difficult is adherence, getting people to take
even one pill a day, every day for the rest of their lives, says
David Hardy, senior director of evidence-based practices and
research at Whitman-Walker Health. What this treatment is
really being based on is some work that has been done, primarily for birth control.
In the world of preventing pregnancy, women take a pill
every day. But what they have also found is that they can take
one of the same medications that is found in a birth control
pill, and put into a slow-release device, or into an injection, in a
slow-release form, and can inject it into a woman. And she only
has to get that injection once every two or three months, and
still have the benefits of a daily pill.
What this is really being developed for is for situations in
which a person cant take a pill every day, and for people who
have a hard time with adherence, adds Hardy. It can also be
done just for convenience. They can get their injection, and
its done for the next two months. They dont have to go to
the pharmacy to pick up their prescription, they dont have to
worry about their co-pay, its all done right there in the doctors
office.
Ron Simmons, president of Us Helping Us, which works in
the areas of HIV prevention and treatment and case management for people living with the virus, says injectable medication would be a blessing.
In principle, for some people, that would be lifesaving,
says Simmons. The downside would be, is that going to cost
more, because now youve got a doctors visit. But maybe not, if
the insurance company is covering it. Simmons adds that more
research would have to be done to see how long after the twomonth window the shots remain effective, or whether there is
some degree of flexibility in terms of a few days to a weeklong cushion as to when a follow-up injection is required.
But overall, the benefits of injectable medication would
likely be more effective in treating the virus.
If youre trying to get people to be compliant by taking a pill
every day, he says, it should be easier to get them compliant
by seeing a doctor every other month. l
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Fundraising for Friends
Rainbow History Project is looking to restore episodes

of Americas longest-running gay radio program
by John Riley
HERE ARE STACKS UPON STACKS OF CDS PILED

up in Vincent Slatts living room, but not because hes a
hoarder. Hes working on a project thats been years in
the making: digitizing and preserving the episodes of Friends,
a half-hour to hour-long LGBT-centric radio show that aired in
the Washington region from 1973 to 1982.
Its really key important information, this aspect of showing our community how we talked to ourselves, says Slatt,
a volunteer with the Rainbow History Project (RHP). As the
Washington regions local LGBT history collective, RHP has
spent the better part of 15 years trying to preserve what little
remnants of LGBT history are still in existence.
It was RHP founding member and Friends producer Bruce
Pennington, who preserved the recordings of the show, before
bequeathing them to RHP upon his death in 2003. They have
taken on the task of transferring the episodes from old polyester reels, which are in danger of disintegrating, and digitizing
them so they can be preserved in CD format and eventually
uploaded to the Web for modern day history buffs to listen to
the broadcasts. Adding a wrinkle to the process is that many
of the recordings are not clearly labeled or are lacking a date,
meaning that it is up to volunteers to listen to the recordings
and use context clues to figure out when the episodes aired.
The project is not only time-intensive, but costly: to digitize
and upload all the recordings is estimated to cost between
$10,000 and $15,000, a monumental amount for a small nonprofit like RHP. To raise the money for the project, RHP has
launched a crowdfunding campaign with the ultimate goal of
$10,000, of which only 14% has been raised. To help defray the
remaining costs, RHP has also applied for a grant from Brother,
Help Thyself.
Brother, Help Thyself has been our No. 1 funder, our No.
1 cheerleader, says Slatt. Without their support, we would
never get anything done.
Among the people and topics broached on the show are
live coverage of D.C.s first gay Pride Parade in 1975, the 1979
March on Washington, interviews with political activists like
the late Frank Kameny and entertainers like John Waters, and
political and social commentary. But Slatt says that, besides its
historical relevance, Friends whose reach spanned beyond
the Washington metropolitan area as far as Delaware was
significant because it made many LGBT people aware that there
others like them in the world.
It was a radio show for a closeted community, says Slatt.
In the 1970s, there were very few people who were out.
This was right after the American Psychological Association
repealed the classification of being gay as a mental disorder.
So it served as a community for a community, before we even
knew what that meant.... Weve had people talk about Friends
radio, and they say they were suicidal, they didnt know anybody else, but this show would come on, and it would save
peoples lives. l
LGBTCommunityCalendar
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
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 office at 202-638-6830 or
the calendar email address.
holds bi-monthly potluck social at

private home near Washington Circle.
7 p.m. All welcome. Bring appetizer,
salad, entre, vegetable dish or dessert; Chrysalis supplies beverages, ice,
paper goods. Plans for winter museum
visits and out-of-town excursions
will be discussed. For directions and
food coordination, contact Kevin,
kgiles27@gmail.com. 571-338-1433.
MONTGOMERY COUNTYS 5TH

ANNUAL TRANSGENDER DAY OF
REMEMBRANCE, a memorial service
THURSDAY, NOV. 12
Bet Mishpachah hosts
CROWDSOURCING: COMMUNAL
ETHICS IN JUDAISM AND REAL
LIFE, the second of four classes
offered by Rabbi Laurie Green, focusing on discussions about the interplay

between Jewish tradition and communal ethics, and how they apply
to real-life situations. 7-9 p.m. DC
Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th
St. NW. For more information, visit
betmish.org.
BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay vol-
unteer organization, volunteers today

for Food & Friends. To participate,
visit burgundycrescent.org.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers
free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment

needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700.
202-638-0750.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for
youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155
or testing@smyal.org.
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.
WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5
p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). Call 202-291-4707, or visit

andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)
practice session at 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-floor
bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. At the 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 whitmanwalker.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice

session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr.
SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

FRIDAY, NOV. 13

202-638-0750.
GAY MARRIED MENS

ASSOCIATION (GAMMA) is a con-
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-
affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6

p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact
Tamara, 202-319-0422, layc-dc.org.
commemorating those transgender

individuals taken away by murder
or suicide, takes place at Rockville
United Church. The community particularly remembers the murder of
Zella Ziona, the Gaithersburg woman
gunned down in October of this year.
Candlelight vigil and simple supper
to follow. 7-9 pm. 355 Linthicum St.,
Rockville, Md. For more information,
email revmillerjen@gmail.com or visit
opendoormcc.org.
The DC Center offers confidential
FREE HIV TESTING for all interested
individuals. Know your status. 4-7 p.m.

2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
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.
fidential support group for men who

are gay, bisexual, questioning and
who are married or involved with
a woman, that meets on the second
and fourth Fridays of the month in
Dupont Circle at 7:30 p.m. GAMMA
also offers additional meeting times
and places for men in Northern
Virginia and Maryland. For more
information: GAMMAinDC.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.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including

others interested in Brazilian culture,
meets. For location/time, email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.com.
LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP for

session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,
SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.
adults in Montgomery County offers

a safe space to explore coming out
and issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m.
16220 S. Frederick Rd., Suite 512,
Gaithersburg, Md. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES, a
social discussion and activity group

for LBT women, meets on the second
and fourth Fridays of each month at
The DC Center. Group social outing
after the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more

youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,
410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, testing@smyal.org.
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hikes 9.2 strenuous miles with 2500
feet of elevation gain on Old Rag
Mountain in Shenandoah National
Park. Suitable only for fit, experienced hikers. Bring beverages, lunch,
sturdy boots, and about $15 for fees.
Optional dinner follows. Carpool
at 7:30 a.m. from East Falls Church
Metro Station. Jeff, 301-775-9660.
adventuring.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.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for
LGBT community, family and friends.

6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-theHill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria.
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
11
All welcome. For more info, visit

dignitynova.org.
on location and time, email to not.the.

only.one.dc@gmail.com.
GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses

critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies, 900 U St. NW.
RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@
gmail.com.
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL

DEVELOPMENT, God-centered new
age church & learning center. Sunday

Services and Workshops event. 5419
Sherier Place NW. isd-dc.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confiden-
Join LINCOLN CONGREGATIONAL
tial 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, NOV. 15
The DC Center hosts a presentation
by ADAM BROWN, an acupuncturist, bodywork therapist and group
facilitator from New York, for a session on conscious touch, based on
the principles of Taoism, for men. 11
a.m.-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite
105. For more info, visit thedccenter.
org or heart-centeredtouch.com.
WEEKLY EVENTS
LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS
MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH
celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m., High

Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave.
NW. 202-232-4244, allsoulsdc.org.
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive

and radically inclusive church holds
services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota
Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.
session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,

SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.
DIGNITYUSA offers Roman Catholic

Mass for the LGBT community. 6
p.m., St. Margarets Church, 1820
Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome.
Sign interpreted. For more info, visit
dignitynova.org.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED

CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes all
to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW.
firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.
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 floor. Special welcome to lesbians and gays. Handicapped accessible
from Phelps Place gate. Hearing
assistance. quakersdc.org.
HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF

CHRIST welcomes GLBT commu-
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
progressive faith community every

Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,
near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood.
lincolntemple.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 NORTHERN VIRGINIA
services at 11 a.m., led by Rev. Onetta
Brooks. Childrens Sunday School, 11
a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax.
703-691-0930, mccnova.com.
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. 202-6387373, mccdc.com.
NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN

CHURCH, inclusive church with
GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW.
202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

a Christ-centered, interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers
service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202554-4330, riversidedc.org.
ST. STEPHEN AND THE
INCARNATION, an interracial,
multi-ethnic Christian Community

offers services in English, 8 a.m. and
10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m.
1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900,
saintstephensdc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF
ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcoming-
and-affirming congregation, offers

services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow
UU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd.
uucava.org.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING
nity for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130

Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.
hopeucc.org.
invites LGBTQ families and individuals of all creeds and cultures to join
the church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.
10309 New Hampshire Ave. uucss.org.
HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT

GROUP for gay men living in the DC
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL
MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-
metro area. This group will be meeting once a month. For information
12
TEMPLE UNITED CHURCH OF

CHRIST for an inclusive, loving and
ing 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, NOV. 16
CAPITAL TRANS PRIDE hosts a
planning meeting for next years
Trans Pride events. 6-8:30 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
CENTER FAITH, a group for LGBT
individuals and allied faith communities, holds its monthly meeting at The
DC Center. 6-8 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session 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.
HIV Testing at WHITMAN-WALKER
HEALTH. At the Elizabeth Taylor
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.
free, rapid HIV 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: 703-7894467.

410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or testing@smyal.org.
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.
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
CENTER BI, a group of The DC
Center, hosts a roundtable discussion

offering a safe space to explore issues
related to bisexuality in a confidential, affirming environment. 7-8 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
WEEKLY EVENTS
ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinner

in Dupont/Logan Circle area, 6:30 p.m.
afwash@aol.com, afwashington.net.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)
practice session at 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
testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.
Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic,
Alexandria Health Department, 4480
King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-2149617. james.leslie@inova.org.

Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE
DC CENTER hosts Packing Party,
THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee DropIn for the Senior LGBT Community.
10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202682-2245, thedccenter.org.
where volunteers assemble safe-sex

kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m.,
Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW.
thedccenter.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay

mens evening affinity group. 3636
Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.
IDENTITY offers free and confidential

HIV testing 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-
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
13
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.

202-638-0750.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
LGBT focused meeting every
Tuesday, 7 p.m. St. Georges
Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave.,
Arlington, just steps from Virginia
Square Metro. For more info. call
Dick, 703-521-1999. Handicapped
accessible. Newcomers welcome.
liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
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.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18
BOOKMEN DC, an informal mens
gay-literature group, discusses Gay
American Autobiography: Writings
from Whitman to Sedaris by David
Bergman, editor. 7:30 p.m. DC Center,
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. All welcome. bookmendc.blogspot.com.
The HIV PREVENTION WORKING
GROUP of The DC Center meets to
discuss ongoing and upcoming initiatives. 6-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL

BRIDGE CLUB meets for Social
Bridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center,

721 8th St SE (across from Marine
Barracks). No reservations required,
but partner needed. All welcome.
301-345-1571 for more information.
14
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
WOMAN TO WOMAN: A SUPPORT

GROUP FOR HIV-POSITIVE
WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN
holds a monthly meeting on the third

Wednesday of each month at the
Womens Collective. Light refreshments served. 5:30-7 p.m. 1331 Rhode
Island Ave. NE. For more information,
contact June Pollydore, 202-483-7003.
WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,
Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome.
For more information, call Fausto
Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session 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. 703-5491450, historicchristchurch.org.

Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
IDENTITY offers free and confiden-
tial HIV testing 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 pro-
gram for job entrants and seekers,

meets at The DC Center. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. 6-7:30 p.m. For more
info, www.centercareers.org.
free, rapid HIV 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: 703789-4467.
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. l
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
15
Joyous
Cooking
With a gorgeous new cookbook, Jonathan Bardzik
is hoping to sprout his Eastern Market roots
into a national culinary brand
Interview by Doug Rule
Photography by Todd Franson
N CONVERSATION AND IN COOKING DEMOS, JONATHAN BARDZIK IS LIKELY

to describe at least one of his favorite food items in literal adult terms. This is what an
onion wants to be when it grows up, Bardzik will say about shallots, which he deems
the Bombay Sapphire of the onion world. Yellow onions, to extend his gin comparison, are Beefeater. Crme fraiche, meanwhile, is sour cream for grownups. Its a more
refined flavor.
Raised in Pelham, Mass., Bardzik grew up on onions and sour cream. He didnt develop a more
sophisticated palette until college, where he became passionate about food and cooking in
particular. While Julia Child was an early inspiration, it was D.C.s Eastern Market that sparked
Bardziks culinary creativity. The historic market near Capitol Hill has long been the source of
most of his weekly food shopping about 90 percent.
In recent years, Eastern Market has also become the source of the 42-year-olds new, very
grown-up career something that builds on his upbringing working at his familys garden
center and landscaping business, as well as his undergraduate degree in theater from Maines
Colby College. He calls himself a combination cook, author and storyteller, though hes known to
most through the cooking demonstrations he gives outside Eastern Market most Saturdays from
late-March to mid-November. Recently, those free demonstrations have become a springboard
to paid demos for government agencies, trade associations, corporations, even private citizens.
Bardzik is also the author of two self-published cookbooks, including Seasons to Taste: FarmFresh Joy for Kitchen & Table, released this month through Story Farm. He modeled the 320-page
hardcover book after similar books by celebrity culinary entertainers he admires, from Rachael
Ray to Ina Garten. The padded cover, which feels remarkably plush in hand, was inspired by the
cookbooks of London-based vegetarian chef Yottam Ottolenghi. You know, we dont need books
for content anymore, he says. You can get content electronically much more easily than you can
in a book. So I figured, if its going to be a book, its got to be an experience. And just holding that
cover in your hand feels good. Its a really cool, tactile experience.
Bardzik plans for continued expansion of his namesake brand and of his multifaceted business, Tarnow Entertainment LLC, a name that stems from his familys gardening business as well
as the town in Poland where both of his parents families originate from. Bardzik certainly values
his family and his friends pictures of whom populate both of his cookbooks. His fans, however,
have also played a role in shaping the direction of his content.
There was a mom and son who were already hanging out, watching me at the market, he
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
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Pancetta Sauted Goldrush Apples
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
17
that may be listed in a recipe, or feeling like you dont have the
technical skill. I think everyone should feel in every moment like
they can go in with exactly the skills they have and put a wonderful meal on the table for the people who are eating with them.
MW: There are some people though that dont have much interest in
cooking, feeling like its not worth the time.
BARDZIK: And it does take time. I feel like thats such important
time though, and time that weve lost. Jason and I often hang out
for an hour-and-a-half, two-hours a night during dinner prep.
Its where we spend a lot of time talking. Relationships take
maintenance, and I think weve given up so much of that mainMETRO WEEKLY: How did you get started cooking professionally?
tenance time to TV and iPhones, and just being so damn busy.
JONATHAN BARDZIK: This all started four and a half years ago. Life MW: How long have you two been together?
was pretty darn good. I was married to my husband Jason for BARDZIK: We met in 2005. A mutual friend invited us to a Nats
about two years, living on the Hill right near Eastern Market, baseball game. We started hanging out throughout that summer.
had a job I liked doing marketing for a trade association in He came home with me that Thanksgiving. In 2008, I proposed
horticulture. I took my brother out to dinner, were sitting to Jason while we were on vacation up in Maine, and we got
at Tunnicliffs right across the street from Eastern Market. I married in June 2009. It was legal in Massachusetts, and I think
explained to him, You know every Saturday when I come here the week we got back from our honeymoon, D.C. began recogand shop at the market, I think, if people knew what this food nizing marriages performed elsewhere.
was and why it was so special and what to do with it, theyd bring MW: What are some ingredients to the relationships success?
more home and have more fun. And he asked the magic ques- BARDZIK: A little forgiveness and a lot of support. Jason is my
tion: Why arent you doing that?
joy and my strength in life. He gives me support I dont deserve.
MW: No one was doing that at Eastern Market before you?
We got married and both had these really stable, pretty regular
BARDZIK: Im the only one who does cooking demos there. They
association jobs. And mine started to take a lot more time, but to
had no cooking demo prior to
go to your husband and say, Hey
me. I walked into the managers
babe, I know we have these nice
Cooking does take time. I feel like stable incomes, and lives kind of
office and said, Could I do this?
And once he figured I wasnt
thats such important time, and time clean and orderly. Im going to
totally insane, he said yes.
walk away from that and start
that weve lost. Jason and I often
My first live demo ever was
a job as a culinary entertainer.
at Eastern Market on the last
And he has just all along said,
hang out for an hour-and-a-half,
Saturday in July of 2011. On a
Im 100-percent behind you, I
patch of dirt no tent. I was lit- two-hours a night during dinner prep. believe in you. Youre really good
erally icing down salad bowls by
at this, go make it happen.
the end of the demo to make sure
MW: Does he come to your demos?
they didnt wilt the greens, they
BARDZIK: He came out the first day
had gotten so hot [in the sun].
to support me but we realized
that day that there was no way I
MW: When did you quit your job
could do this alone. And so he was
and make culinary art a full-time
out there every single Saturday
pursuit?
BARDZIK: Almost a year and a half ago now. I do a lot of live for two years, on top of working his day job, washing dishes.
demos some are home events where, rather than coming in
Finally, at the end of two years, I started finding some extra
and just cooking for people, I will come in and cook with people. support. So hell come out for special weekends now.
So we cook together, through a full dinner menu. And they learn MW: Your new cookbook is called Seasons to Taste, and its broken
some basic techniques and talk about ingredients and where you into sections based on the four seasons. Why highlight the seasons
go grocery shopping, their favorite restaurants in town just in that manner?
a kind of fun, casual evening. I do more and more corporate BARDZIK: I grew up in western Massachusetts, so seasons are
events. I did an eight-week stint with USDA this summer. I was really pronounced. The fall colors are so amazing. Winter is
in there one day a week doing a live cooking demo in their dining different from here. Winter is much colder and snowier, but
facility. But the weekly demo at Eastern Market is totally volun- its also a lot sunnier, theres this amazing brightness to winter.
teer for me. Its always been voluntary.
Summer doesnt quite have the oppressive heat that you have
MW: The market or the farmers have never offered to pay for what
here, its just easier. But my family also owned a garden center,
is, essentially, marketing?
so our lives really were built around seasons. And growing up,
food still was very seasonal. It wasnt until somewhere in the
BARDZIK: No. Its city-run, so that whole funding thing is much
more complicated. Theyve been wonderfully supportive just 80s where we started seeing this 12-month availability for a
not financially. And I like the fact that its free. I like getting paid, lot of ingredients. I started cooking really seriously in my early
obviously, for other things, but I think theres something magical twenties, the mid-90s, and found that having these ingredients
that were doing out there. Theres something about giving away available all the time, they were no longer special. You know,
December asparagus just doesnt feel as special. Youve got six
food, its just so powerful.
weeks in the middle of spring. Enjoy it while it lasts.
MW: Your goal is to get more people cooking?
BARDZIK: I truly believe no one should ever have a reason to
When I started shopping at Eastern Market, I fell in love with
not go into the kitchen including not having the ingredients the magic of that whole shopping experience going out on a
explains, noting that Tina and Archer are still active fans today.
But it was Nancy Mendrala, his third fan, who would actively
improve Bardziks brand. Four years after she joined Tina and
Archer in watching Bardzik cook, Mendrala is Tarnows director
of operations as well as his new books editor.
But of course, his ultimate fan would be his husband, Jason
Radlinger, but only when Bardzik isnt cooking beets. I have
patently failed at finding anything he likes with beets, he says
of the man he shares a home with in D.C.s Eckington neighborhood. I think he just doesnt like beets.
ITS WHERE WE SPEND

A LOT OF TIME
TALKING.
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
Saturday morning, filling bags, talking to farmers whose names

you know. I began shopping almost exclusively there, and so my
diet just naturally migrated back to seasonal. And when I started
doing the demos, all the ingredients that I use every week are
available at the market, with the exception of maybe a few pantry items. Everything that I cook is always seasonal food. And
Ive discovered it not only tastes better, but there is this almost
circadian rhythm of food and then the seasons in our lives its
really special.
MW: Were food and cooking important during your childhood?
BARDZIK: When I was born, up until I was four or five years old,
my mom baked all of the bread that we ate, and canned most of
the vegetables we ate in the winter corn and green beans out
of the garden. It sounds so bucolic today it was really because
they had no money, and she just couldnt afford to go to the grocery store every week during the winter, so she put up all this
food. It was much cheaper to grow in her own garden. But it was
a very bucolic way to live, a wonderful way to live, with all of this
fresh, garden-grown produce. And then she was creative in the
kitchen, so we would eat a lot of vegetarian meals.
I think weve lost so much cooking knowledge over the last
two generations. Our parents moms, and dads to a certain
extent learned basics. Those skills just arent getting passed
down. Im seeing some of that at the market when people
come in and they say, for instance, I dont know how to hold a
knife and use it, or I am terrified with the thought of cooking
chicken breasts in a pan. The boneless, skinless chicken breast
admittedly, its not the easiest piece of meat in the world to
cook. I see so much of what people are taking away from what
Im doing at the market as them connecting back to some really
basic skills. Theyre also getting comfortable with failure. This
is just cooking. Youre going to screw it up sometimes. And the
worst thing thats going to happen is, you still get a decent meal
out of it. Very rarely is something going to be so terrible you cant
eat it. And this should be fun about finding joy in the kitchen,
and sharing that with people who make your life matter.
MW: Im guessing youre the type of cook who likes to wing it and
doesnt fuss over specific measurements or following a recipe exactly?
BARDZIK: My photographer literally pulls the camera out every
time I reach for a measuring cup its a joke. I measure nothing. We jokingly talk, and this is looking more and more serious,
about a book someday called Ish which is about me measuring
ingredients. How much? About a tablespoon-ish of this I measure very little unless Im baking.
MW: And Im guessing you dont love to bake.
BARDZIK: [Laughs.] I hate baking.
MW: You mentioned people need to be comfortable failing in the
kitchen. I think a lot of people dont want to waste time if youre
going to take the time to make something, you want it to be perfect.
BARDZIK: See, I think that has become a problem. Im not the
academic expert to really go into this, but I think somewhere
between the Internet and broad availability of information the
Food Network and everything else weve decided that perfection is both attainable and our goal every single time. And I think
its taken us out of just enjoying what we do with our lives. You
know, Im going to put up a Christmas tree. No youre not.
Youre going to go online, and youre going to learn how to string
lights, and what the right arrangement of ornaments is, so you
get this same look as the catalog. Its a Christmas tree just have
some fun. Or, youre going to go make a cup of hot chocolate. Oh
well, where did your chocolate come from? And whose technique are you using? Cooking should be fun. You are not in the
kitchen managing a nuclear power plant youre just cooking.
The downside of getting it wrong is an okay meal.

MW: But our culture overall has become consumed with striving
for perfection, geeking out over even the most minute or trivial of
things, and everything being the best ever.
BARDZIK: Everything from Am I listening to the right music?
to Hows my home decorated? Its just become ridiculous. And
I think at the same time weve lost respect for the joy of knowledge, which should make our life richer. I talked to somebody
the other day who said, Ive had lots of hobbies and I stopped
them all because I could never get them perfect. And I think,
just have fun.
MW: So cooking has become something of a lost art, is that what
youre saying?
BARDZIK: I think we take it too seriously. You know, everyones
got to be a home chef. Being a chef is both about a skill level in
terms of understanding food, but its also about a skill level in
terms of preparing for the public. Thats not what youre doing
putting dinner on the table on Tuesday night. I truly believe that
life can and should be lived well. And that should be accessible
to everyone, regardless of means. Its no more complicated than
preparing a simple meal and sharing it with the people who
make your life matter. We shouldnt feel like theres anything
keeping us from doing that. If its a great grilled cheese sandwich
and a really good bowl of soup thats fantastic. You dont need
to know the origin of your tomatoes, and you dont need to know
who made the cheese thats fun, I love when I know that, and I
love when I taste a piece of cheese and can identify some tasting
notes. But sometimes you just want to eat a grilled cheese and
tomato soup on a snowy day and watch a movie.
MW: Do you ever eat fast food?
BARDZIK: Far too often. And Im working on that. I totally understand the challenge of time. And when I eat it is typically when Ive
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
19
I think somewhere between the

Internet and broad availability of information, weve decided that perfection is
both attainable and our goal every single
time. I THINK ITS TAKEN US
OUT OF JUST ENJOYING WHAT

WE DO WITH OUR LIVES.
gone and cooked for someone else and Im coming home at 10:30
at night and think, I am not going to cook dinner for myself now.
Im working on it. Its a discipline. We have cut way back on
takeout and delivery. Six or seven years ago, we were on vacation in Lauderdale. We used to go down there pretty regularly.
And the last night of our vacation we would always hang out in
the pool of this hotel we were at. After a couple far-too powerful
fruity rum cocktails, we would make promises we had no intention of keeping. Things like, Im totally going to the gym every day
when we get back. I promise to always change the toilet paper roll
when it runs out. But this one year I said, no more takeout or
delivery. Three months later, Im at my front door grabbing a bag
of General Tsos chicken and some dumplings. I realized the only
way I was going to get around this was to start to learn to make
those dishes myself. And so Ive spent a lot of time in the last five
or six years learning how to make our favorite takeout at home.
There are nights now I say, I really want Chinese food. Jason
will just say, Youre not ordering out because what you can cook
is so much better. And often just as fast.
MW: Do you do all the cooking?
BARDZIK: I do probably 99 percent of the cooking. I think I like it
more. Jason is a pretty good cook. He bakes. And he bakes in the
comfortable way that I cook.
MW: Do you think youll ever have kids?
BARDZIK: I dont, only because of the choice that I made with this
career and what its doing both in terms of time and economic
stability. I have a niece and a nephew and a godson who I love
spending time with. Jason also has said he doesnt want kids,
which perplexes me, because hes amazing with them.
MW: Have you experienced any discrimination in your cooking
career?
BARDZIK: Starting the demos at the market was the first time in
probably seven or eight years I had to think about coming out to
anyone. Im suddenly standing in front of a crowd of 20 people
and Im about to tell a story about Jason. This was 2011, so this
was when gay marriage was really hot and heavy as an issue in
D.C. The whole use of the word husband was super-touchy at
that time. I feel like thats already become less of an issue.
So Im up there thinking, alright, is Jason my roommate,
my boyfriend, my partner, my husband what do I call him in
this story? I was having a conversation with my sister and she
said, Well, you probably should think about trying to appeal
to as many people as possible. Which was just enough to get
me pissed off. To say, Hell, no. I thought, What Im really
doing here is not cooking. Im a storyteller. And being a great
storyteller means shutting down your mind, opening up your
heart, and just letting truth spill out. I decided Im just going to
be totally open about this. And Im trying to build an entertainment brand. If Im not going to satisfy you, we should probably
figure that out right up front and you can go find someone who
20
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
is going to be much more satisfying for you Rachael Ray is

right over there, shes talking about her hubby, enjoy it. And you
know, I would definitely look at different people who I would
stereotypically assume might be uncomfortable. Ive never seen
anyone blink an eye.
MW: So youve never had to hide your relationship with Jason?
BARDZIK: I made one mistake my very first paid event, I think
it was in my second year. I was hired by a local Baptist church.
I kept wondering, should I tell them? What do I do with this?
It got to the day of the event, and I hadnt had the conversation
with them. So I slipped off my wedding ring, because the first
thing everyone says is, Oh, youre married. Your wife must be
thrilled to have a cook in the house. I went in and told one of
the stories that I think Ive told 200 times now, about farm-fresh
butter I started using farm-fresh butter, Jason notices how
expensive it is and starts giving me ribbing about the cost of it. So
I suggest doing a butter tasting the farm-fresh butter is amazing, the grocery store stick butter tastes a little bit like greasy
cardboard. And so Jason agreed, and we use farm-fresh butter
all the time now.
So I told this story, but I used my roommate. And I realized
at the end of the story, theres something hilarious about your
husband, your boyfriend, your partner, giving you shit about
how much youre spending on butter. Right? Weve all had those
ridiculous little spats in our relationships. Theres nothing funny
about your roommate giving you shit about how much youre
spending on butter. Theyre just an asshole. So I realized these
things just dont work if Im just not truthful about them. This
works because its about a relationship. And people relate to that.
I have two books now that are dedicated to my family and my
husband. I love the idea that there are gay men and lesbians
anyone who feels disconnected, culturally or just in their life to
their families who can give something that I think feels very
universal, but, You know theres a cookbook sitting on moms
shelf that is dedicated from one man to his husband? And I
think that there is something quietly powerful about that.
MW: Although Seasons to Taste is not only dedicated to your family
and your husband.
BARDZIK: And beets! [Laughs.] Yes. I was sending stories back to
Nancy, my director of operations who also edited the book. And
about six stories in she goes, Do you mean to make the punch
line of every single story the fact that Jason hates beets? And I
hadnt noticed it at all. It just kept coming out. So at that point
it became a through line. It shows up in six or seven places in
the book. And when I got to the dedication, I just added that as
a joke when I sent it over to my graphic designer, and he put it
in with a picture of beets. And I said, this really looks fabulous,
so we kept it.
MW: Would you like to have your own TV show? Your own restaurant?
BARDZIK: I think where I am right now is, my real joy in this,
my real passion, is being out and communicating with other
people. People have asked since day one, When are you opening a restaurant? I loosely group that in the 10 year or itll
never happen plan. If I can get to the point where my brand is
meaningful enough that a restaurateur, who really knows how
to start up and run a restaurant, wants to come in and say, Id
like to leverage your brands to run a successful restaurant and
design a menu, Id be 100-percent for that. But managing a
restaurant successfully, in addition to creativity, its managing
inventory and people. And thats a very different job than being
an entertainer.
MW: Is there anything you would point out at Eastern Market that
people should try or buy?

BARDZIK: Yeah, the homemade sausages from
Canales Meats are amazing. As basic as this is,
the chicken at Market Poultry is unbelievable.
Ive known people who have eaten something
as simple as a boneless, skinless chicken breast
say, wait a minute, this is what chicken tastes
like? It seems like such a staple, and its a totally
different experience from the grocery store.
Outside on the weekends, it depends on the
season. Edible pumpkins, I love the flavors
are amazing, its so rewarding to cook with
them. Theyre one of those things maybe its
the gay equivalent of getting under the hood
of a car, but theres something about cutting a
giant pumpkin, getting it in the oven, scooping
out that flesh and feeling just manhandle this
heavy piece of produce. Its gay manly. Well
put five or six pumpkins up in the freezer for
the winter.
MW: Short of knowing your supplier, and getting
your food at the market, is there a particular grocery store you favor over another?
BARDZIK: I find great food at places as basic as
Harris Teeter. I think the two main factors in
buying produce are seasonal and local. There are a whole bunch
of great reasons to buy locally, but in terms of flavor, food that
is shipped over a long distance tends to be harvested before its
fully ripened, and a lot of that last period of ripening when a
bulk of the flavor and nutritional value develops. And so we get
this underripe produce that is then fumigated to ripen them in
a warehouse somewhere. And you dont get the texture or the
flavors the sugars and acids dont develop. So buying local produce means that it has been fully naturally ripened somewhere.
You can go to the grocery store in May and June and see these
I still think youre better off buying

fresh ingredients. I would say stay out of
most of the middle of the grocery store.
It kills me that people are microwaving
frozen dinners. THATS NOT
FOOD, AND IT DOESNT

TASTE GOOD.
boxes of strawberries on sale, and theyre all from California,

when we have great strawberries that are fully ripe right here
in Maryland and Virginia. You just go, why are these here? And
they dont taste as good. When you bring fresh strawberries
home from the market, they just blow your mind. The D.C./
Virginia/Maryland area has more farm markets per capita than
anywhere in the country. So we have incredible access to farm
market-fresh food.
MW: So ultimately, we should stop going to the grocery store.
BARDZIK: What I believe most is that we should stop buying
garbage food and start cooking more food from scratch at home,
because its quick and easy. It doesnt have to take a long time.
Sauteing a chicken breast for dinner probably takes less time
than waiting for a pizza to arrive. I dont think anyone should
ever feel like, Boy, I cant make it to the FreshFarms Market in
Dupont Circle or to Whole Foods, and so I should order pizza
instead of going down to the Harris Teeter tonight. I still think
youre better off buying fresh ingredients. I would say stay out
of most of the middle of the grocery store. It kills me that people
are microwaving frozen dinners. Thats not food, and it doesnt
taste good.
I want people to cook more, and have more fun doing it
in their homes. And I want them to share more time with the
people who make their lives matter doing that. And if I can
accomplish that in my life, I would be thrilled.
Seasons to Taste: Farm-Fresh Joy for Kitchen & Table ($40) is
available for pre-order now at seasonstotastecookbook.com and
for purchase beginning Dec. 1 on Amazon.com.
Jonathan Bardzik will offer his last cooking demonstrations
of 2015 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Eastern
Market, 225 7th St. SE. Hell also offer Thanksgiving advice at the
market on Tuesday, Nov. 24, plus several demos and book signings
elsewhere around town, including at the FreshFarms Markets in
Dupont Circle and Silver Spring and Bear Happy Hour at Town
Danceboutique. Visit facebook.com/WhatIHaventCookedYet for
the full schedule. l
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
21
Wit,
Wigs
Willpower
&
Bianca Del Rio has taken

the world by storm and
shes not stopping anytime soon
Interview by Connor J. Hogan
Photography by Magnus Hastings
N FEBRUARY 24TH, 2014, DURING THE SEASON SIX

premiere of RuPauls Drag Race, the world met Bianca Del
Rio. Ever since that moment, shes been taking the world by
storm. Its seriously been a whirlwind, Del Rio says. Ive
been running with the bulls ever since the show aired.
Since claiming the Drag Race crown, Del Rio Roy
Haylock when out of drag has shot a movie, toured her
Rolodex of Hate comedy show, and even held a stand-up
residency at Town Danceboutique. I dont really sit well, Del Rio says. I think
youve got to give back to the world thats been so good to you. So I just say yes to
everything that comes my way.
With her cutting wit and spectacular wigs, Del Rios success is clear just
check out the lines she brings to Town. And it isnt only the typical Drag Race
fans that have fallen under Del Rios spell, but people of all shapes, sizes, and
sexual orientations. When I was shooting the show, I knew people in New York
would be watching, she says. But I had no idea that a majority of Drag Races
audience is straight females. I also didnt think of all of the countries that would
be fascinated by it.
What does she attribute her success to? Ive realized there are two types of
people out there: people who love you because you were on TV, and people who
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
actually find you entertaining, Del Rio says. I take every compliment along with every insult with a grain of salt. But that
doesnt stop her from dishing out insults by the shakerful, and
audiences can expect nothing less from Rolodex of Hate, which
stops at the Lincoln Theatre this Saturday.
people.
MW: Especially with the advent of social media. Has that affected
you or your comedy?

DEL RIO: Back in the day, I didnt hate people as much because
people had to walk up to you and say I dont like what you have
to say. Then, you could have a discussion about it. Now, they
METRO WEEKLY: Are you excited to be coming to D.C. with the just see ten seconds of a clip of you that someone got on their
phone and they think theyve got you all figured out.
Rolodex of Hate Tour?
BIANCA DEL RIO: I am! Its been a wild ride. We didnt have a MW: A lot of the Drag Race contestants have been attacked on
set schedule tour, because I was a new talent. But with each social media. Has that affected your performances or relationships?
month, as we were doing well, we had
DEL RIO: Its part of the deal that I signed
more dates added. Weve been doing it now
You never know whats up
for. I think being the age that I am has
since last November.
around the corner.
been helpful because I do have a little bit
MW: Youve taken a distinctly different
of life experience behind me. Ninety-nine
turn in your career from other winners of
I didnt think Id be
percent
of the things people will print or
RuPauls Drag Race by avoiding music. Why
doing drag for twenty
say in retaliation about me or my work, they
was that?
DEL RIO: I think everyone has their own
years. I never sat down would never say to my face. If you dont
get the joke, dont blow up my page about
paths. I mean no offense to any of the other
and thought Im
it go some place else. If its not your cup
girls when I say I wont do an album. Its
not discrediting them, its just not my thing.
going to do this or Im of tea, its not your cup of tea. By no means
am I right all the time. If it just doesnt
I have vocal problems from using my voice
going to do that.
work for you, it doesnt work for you. Im
horribly yelling at people in filthy bars
not opposed to people having an opinion. If
for many, many years as a drag performer.
EVEN WHEN I WAS
someones not into me, good for you! I dont
And at 40, I am not easily influenced by
ON THE SHOW, IT
care what you think of me behind your keymusic videos or albums anymore.
board.
Unless its funny Ill retweet it if
MW: Was it a conscious choice to be differWAS BASICALLY
its hysterical.
ent?
DEALING WITH WHAT MW: How has your experience prepared you
DEL RIO: It just wasnt part of my plan. Ive
for success?
been doing Bianca now for 20 years. I know
WAS IN FRONT
DEL RIO: I guess the one thing I learned is to
that I prefer live audiences for me, to
OF ME.
always take a risk. Drag Race changed my
be doing my stand up in an actual theatre,
life tremendously I took it from one level
its amazing. It just seemed like the most
natural thing for me to do. Natural! [Laughs.] Me and the word to another, but I think, all of my other experiences prepared me
for it. You never know whats around the corner. I didnt think
natural never go together, but you know what I mean.
Id be doing drag for twenty years. I never sat down and thought
MW: What is it about live audiences that inspires you?
Im going to do this or Im going to do that. Even when I was on
DEL RIO: Its just connecting with people. If people come in and
they want to have a good time, I want to have a good time as well. the show, it was basically dealing with what was in front of me.
Thats one of the reasons why Ive been doing drag for so long. MW: You just wrapped filming on Hurricane Bianca. What was
that experience like?
Theres nothing better than making people laugh.
DEL RIO: It was amazing. My friend Matt Kugelman wrote the
MW: You said youve been doing Bianca for twenty years now, what
film its not my movie, its not my inception. We had known
came first: Roy Haylock as a comedian or Bianca?
DEL RIO: I think it was a mixture of both. I always had a smart each other for many years, he came to me with it way before
mouth. Ive always been that person who would say the wrong Drag Race and I was flattered that someone thought highly
thing at the wrong time. So I think the character was always enough of me to do something like this. So, we found a chunk of
there I dont think of Bianca as far different from who I am. time this summer where I blocked out three weeks. When I had
There are certain drag performers that become a different person, weekends off, I would fly to Amsterdam or England to do my
but for me, it is an extension of me. Its not that much of an act. show, and then I would fly back.
Its just my thoughts on life and myself in general. What I always MW: Was that hard?
try to explain to people is that I like jokes, I can take jokes, I can DEL RIO: I really didnt have time to think. Everything happened
dish jokes, but the biggest joke is me. Im a man in a wig. By no so quickly, which usually works better for me. Some people lose
means am I trying to convince someone that I am some glamor- their minds under the pressure or crack. I usually excel. I go,
ous woman. Its just the packaging lets you get away with murder. Hey, I gotta do this, and we only have one take, or We only
have a little bit of sunlight to do it this many times.
MW: What do you draw on for inspiration?
MW: How do you find time to relax with all this going on?
DEL RIO: Joan Rivers and Don Rickles. Its been interesting to
see the reactions I get from people now, because everyone is so DEL RIO: Well, I made a conscious choice not to relax. For me,
politically correct. Its just so silly everything is not so serious. relaxing is on stage. No matter what goes on in my life, I enjoy
I mean, hello! Youre watching a drag queen in a wig do stand up! working. Ill take some time off, and then after two days Im
Its not that serious. You can lose yourself for an hour and a half. ready to get back on the road. l
My show is called Rolodex of Hate. Its interesting to see how
many people gravitate to it, because there is a lot of hate in the Bianca Del Rios Rolodex of Hate Tour is Saturday, November
world now. Everyones telling everyone else what they should 14th at 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets
be doing, what they should be thinking. Its just too much. Relax start at $20. For more information visit thelincolndc.com.
24
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
Bearing
Gay rugby team strips down for their Bingham Cup

26
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
g All
Cup fundraising calendar

by John Riley
Photography by Chris Malone
Im not a very shy person.

So the thought of being mostly naked in a calendar
didnt really deter me from doing it, says Jamison
Williams. Its a great way to support the team and the
brotherhood that we have, and just have a fun time.
Williams self-confidence came in handy for the
Nashville Grizzlies Rugby 2016 calendar, where he and
Grizzlies President Jeremy Dykes bared all for the camera save for a strategically-placed rugby ball.
We were the first to do that shot, so we were
the first two that were completely naked in front of
everybody, Williams recalls. Everybodys standing
there staring at us, watching us take these pictures.
And then after our picture was over, the guys got the
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
27
bright idea, like, Hey, maybe all of us should go around the

corner while people taking these pictures. And I was like,
No, you dont get to do that. All of you were standing there
staring at me!
Now in its fourth year, the Grizzlies calendar an annual
fundraiser for the gay (and inclusive) rugby team has
become fairly popular among the locals, even those who
arent LGBT.
Weve actually had a lot of comments from people in
general, just our local scene, says Williams. Its wellreceived, even though we are in the South. Obviously, there
are some commenters who are less than kind, but I havent
seen much of that this year in terms of negative comments.
Typically, the team tries to sell between 300 and 400
calendars, says Thomas Hormby, secretary of the Grizzlies.
At $15 each, that can translate into some serious cash for
the team, who has to foot the cost of travel expenses, field
rentals, transportation to and from said fields, and liability
coverage in case of unforeseen injuries. Because the aim of
the Grizzlies is to create a safe space that is open to players of various backgrounds, the money raised by the team
helps to cover costs for its less well-off members.
According to Hormby, one of the strengths of the
Grizzlies calendar is the diversity it showcases.
I think our calendar is very body-positive, he says.
We include people of all different ages, all different
builds, all different rugby positions. I think people really
appreciate that. I think they find it more relatable if there
are more kinds of guys in the calendar. We dont just look
for muscular, cut guys.
Thats something to which Brett Potter can attest.
I helped at the photo shoot all day, and I was in a couple
of the shots, says Potter. I was really hesitant at first,
because if you type in someones name and that pops up in
Google, some of the shots are pretty risque. However, they
asked me to be a part because Im more of a muscle bearish
kind of guy. Im a little bigger. They said they were trying to
appeal to different people and show how inclusive they are.
So I said yes.
Its a great time for friends of the team to get together,
and goof around, and put out something that people really
enjoy viewing and enjoy buying, Williams says of the
publicity the calendar generates. Its a great way to raise
money.
In addition to hawking calendars online, the Grizzlies
are also preparing to host the Bingham Cup in May 2016.
Named after Mark Bingham, the gay rugby player who died
aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a field in
Pennsylvania during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the
cup is the biggest tournament in the world for gay teams.
Next year will also mark the first time any such tournament
has been held in the South. Forty-five different teams and
up to 1,500 players and supporters from across the globe
are expected to be in attendance.
Were really excited to bring the Bingham Cup to
Nashville and show gay and inclusive rugby players from
around the world that Nashville is not just a Southern city,
Hormby says. Its accepting and inclusive and will embrace
the tournament and embrace them. l
The 2016 Nashville Grizzlies Calendar is $15 and can be
purchased at grizzliesrugby.org under the sites market tab.
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METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
29
NOVEMBER 12 - 19, 2015
Compiled by Doug Rule
Living Large
LAURA DOMELA
Storm Large brings her unfiltered style to AMP

by Strathmore for a night of stories and songs
SPOTLIGHT
CONGRESSIONAL CHORUS
Living, Laughing & Loving :
Celebrating the Circle of Life through

Song, Dance and Poetry is the 4th
annual collaborative concert led by
the 85-member Congressional Chorus
and including dancers from the Joy
of Motion Dance Center, Afromoda
Dance Theater & Capitol Movement,
as well as performers from American
Youth Chorus and NorthEast Senior
Singers, all accompanied by a live
10-piece orchestra. Saturday, Nov. 14,
at 7:30 p.m. Church of the Epiphany,
1317 G St. NW. Tickets are $33. Call
202-347-2635 or visit congressionalchorus.org.
MARY LAMBERT
TORM LARGE ISNT YOUR TYPICAL SINGER, AND SHE WOULDNT HAVE IT
any other way.
The former frontwoman of Pink Martini, Large has had an eclectic performance
history, from reality TV darling to rock and roll musician to musical theatre heroine. Ive
always been a cabaret artist, though, she says. When I was in a rock band, the audience
would be plugging their ears going Oh my god, stop talking, because I would just tell stories
naturally on stage.
While some might know her from her time on CBSs Rock Star: Supernova, Large never
felt like she fit in as a rock singer. My voice was too pretty, she says. And I never had a
typical lead in. Ill just start talking and go off on a rant about etymology, or food, or Santa
Clauses next to Halloween Candy. But people across the country are coming out in droves
to hear Larges stories and her songs. People actually want to see it! she exclaims. Its not
your typical music show. Its a very interactive, fun party atmosphere. I am really enjoying it.
Its Larges free spirit and lack of filter that really keeps the audience locked on the
brassy performer. I have no mouth cap, she says. When I talk, sometimes its dirty, but
Im not that kind of girl wholl just put on a pretty dress and sing. Describing herself as a
glamorous outsider, Large has a unique position to advocate for important social issues. In
perhaps one of her most famous songs, 8 Miles Wide, Large lauds labias, explaining how
vaginas (and women) should be treated as equally as penises (and men.) Sexual inequality is
still prevalent today. Opinions of women are still lesser than a mans, she says. Ive always
tried to gently point things out to men the things that are patriarchal.
And Large isnt afraid to tackle even the most taboo of topics. Ive never really had a problem discussing my sexuality, or what I like, she says. When I was a child, I was really turned
on by nature specials. When a lion would take down a small antelope, I would find myself very
aroused. And you know, I always thought girls were beautiful and smelt good and tasted good.
I never had a problem with the idea. Being with women felt natural to me and boys feel good,
too. Sexuality, its crazy. Connor J. Hogan
Storm Large performs this Friday, November 13th at 8 p.m. at AMP by Strathmore, 11810
Grand Park Avenue, North Bethesda, Maryland. Tickets start at $30. For more information,
call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
A year after a moving debut at U

Street Music Hall, this beautifully
voiced singer on Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis Grammy-nominated hit Same
Love (She Keeps Me Warm) returns
to the venue for another round of love
from an engaged crowd, once again
presented by the 9:30 Club. Though
currently working on a new album,
Lambert has plenty of known material
to work with, drawn from last years
appealing set Heart on My Sleeve
from the affirming, buoyant Secrets
to, of all things, a dark, dramatic cover
of an 80s Rick Springfield hit. At this
rate, Lambert will get Jessies Girl
and so many other pop lovers besides.
Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. U Street
Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets
are $20. Call 202-588-1880 or visit
ustreetmusichall.com.
OLIVER!
This seasons musical at Arena Stage

is Lionel Barts 1962 Tony-winning
take on the Charles Dickens classic,
reinvented in-the-round and with a
modern twist by Arenas Molly Smith.
Smith directs a large 25-member cast
and once again teams up with choreographer Parker Esse, who won a Helen
Hayes Award for his work with Smith
on another acclaimed, exclaimed production, 2010s Oklahoma! Now to
Jan. 3. Mead Center for American
Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.
RENWICK GALLERY: WONDER
As part of the immersive exhibition

Wonder, nine leading contemporary artists, including Gabriel Dawe,
Patrick Dougherty and Maya Lin,
have each taken over different galleries in the newly renovated Renwick
Gallery, the first building in the U.S.
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
31
BECKY BASTIEN
The
S Factor
GMCW celebrates big birthdays and gay icons
TS LIKE OUR LITTLE GSA, THEA KANO SAYS IN DESCRIBing the Gay Mens Chorus of Washington DCs GenOUT chorus.
The group, which brings together 30 openly LGBT students from
more than 15 area high schools, is one of several initiatives for which the
Chorus is raising funds as they host a second week of performances of
The S* Show.
Featuring the music of Sondheim, Sinatra, and Streisand, the cabaretstyle show tries to help audiences connect with performers beyond seeing
them simply as characters. An intimate affair, the cast includes 11 vocalists
and 1 pianist. Every performer is featured at least twice and, in addition to
a song, each performer shares a personal story with the audience.
I said come to the audition with a song in mind and its story in mind,
Kano continues. That is my favorite part of this show the natural
designed expressly as an art museum.

The Renwick re-opens this Friday,
Nov. 13, after a two-year renovation.
Opens in a free Open House Friday,
Nov. 13, starting at 10 a.m., with a
free Opening Festival set for Saturday,
Nov. 14. Exhibition runs to July 10,
2016. Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania
Avenue at 17th Street NW. Free. Call
202-633-1000 or visit renwick.americanart.si.edu.
STRATHMORES MUSEUM
SHOP AROUND
Yes, its already almost that time of

year, and Strathmores annual Museum
Shop Around is one of the best and
most convenient places in town for
finding unique, arty holiday gift ideas.
Next weekend, 18 museums will be
represented at the event selling memorabilia and merchandise, including the
Audobon Sanctuary Shop, Foundation
for the National Archives, Montgomery
County Historical Society, the National
Geographic Museum, the National
Museum of Women in the Arts, the
32
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
Phillips Collection and the Supreme

Court Gift Shop. Each museum is
given its own space, often its own
room, in Strathmores historic
Mansion. Thats enough room for
most shops to display as much as 40
percent of their normal store inventory. The Mansion also offers a caf with
food and drink available throughout
the event, including hot apple cider.
Opens Thursday, Nov. 12, and runs
through Sunday, Nov. 15, starting at
10 a.m. each day. The Mansion at
Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,
North Bethesda. Tickets are $9. Call
301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.
SUZANNE VEGA
AND DUNCAN SHEIK
These two folk-pop singer-songwriters unite for a night of their individual hits which include Luka
and Barely Breathing plus
music they created together for
Vegas Off-Broadway debut, Carson
McCullers Talks About Love. Expect
to also hear tunes from Sheiks Tony-
METROWEEKLY.COM
progression of story to song. Karo was interested

in helping audience members better connect with
the individuals who constitute the chorus. We want
the audience to know the performers better. In this
show they arent just performing an act.
To that end, last weekends performance ended
with concert goers grabbing dinner with cast members at homes around D.C. According to Kano,
menus and ambiances ran the gambit from steak and
potatoes to pizza and beer to one house that served
heavy hors doeuvres and cocktails. Hosted by a
dozen chefs and ranging in size from 8 to 20 attendees, the dinners each had at least one member of the
chorus in attendance. After dinner, houses played
games, joined in music, or mingled over drinks.
Kanos evening concluded with a cast party standing around the piano singing Sondheim.
Sondheim, long a staple of the gay musical canon,
received special prominence in this years show as
it is his 85th birthday. This year is Sinatras 100th
birthday noted Kano, so he is on peoples radar.
Like Sinatra, Streisand performed Sondheim, so
Kano decided might as well do her, too. The song
selection process was very methodical. Two-thirds
of the songs were brought in by performers to
accompany their stories Kano selected the final
third to balance the ratio within the concert. She
finished with a list that includes one more Sondheim
than Sinatra or Streisand, but says that the show is
incredibly balanced.
The show is really fun and has lots of songs you
know, but not necessarily the obvious ones, says
Kano. Mixing eclectic pieces and neat arrangements,
gives the audience a chance to get to know our featured soloists. Tim Rosenberger
The S* Show is Saturday, Nov. 14, at 5 and 8 p.m. at
the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $20 to
$35. Call 202-293-1548 or visit gmcw.org.
winning score for Spring Awakening.

Wednesday, Nov. 18, and Thursday,
Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf
Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets
are $55 to $60. Call 877-WOLFTRAP
or visit wolftrap.org.
THE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY

OF WASHINGTON
On Sunday, Nov. 15, Scott Tucker

will lead this organization in a concert featuring Brahmss Ein Deutsches
Requiem as a dedication to its late
founder Norman Scribner, who died
earlier this year. Also on the bill is
the world premiere of Battle-Flags, a
commission from Zachary Wadsworth
based on a Walt Whitman text. Sunday,
Nov. 15, at 4 p.m. Kennedy Center
Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $15
to $59. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
TWYLA THARP
An evening featuring the D.C. premiere of two new works by the Tony
Awardwinning choreographer and
Kennedy Center Honoree, who is

now celebrating 50 years in the arts.
Remaining shows Thursday, Nov. 12,
through Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Also Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1:30 p.m.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater.
Tickets are $34 to $75. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
FILM
BY THE SEA
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are onscreen together for the first time since
Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Jolie wrote and
directed the film, which follows a
couple on vacation as they struggle to
revive their failing marriage. Opening
Friday, Nov. 13. Area theaters. Visit
fandango.com.
SPOTLIGHT
Tom McCarthy directs a film that

recounts the work of a group of Boston
Globe reporters to uncover the shocking cover-up of child molestation by
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
33
the Catholic Church. Liev Schreiber

leads an all-star cast also including
Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel
McAdams, Brian DArcy James,
Stanley Tucci and Billy Crudup.
Opening Friday, Nov. 13. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.
STAGE
AKEELAH AND THE BEE
Playwright Cheryl L. West adapts the

spirited celluloid story of a girl from
the Chicago projects trying to spell
her way to success. Charles RandolphWright directs an Arena Stage production starring Johannah Easley. Opens
in previews Friday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m.
To Dec. 27. Kreeger Theater in the
Mead Center for American Theater,
1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or
visit arenastage.org.
GIMME A BAND, GIMME A

BANANA! THE CARMEN
MIRANDA STORY
Roberta Alves and Matt Reckeweg

direct Pointless Theatre Companys
latest experimental, multi-disciplinary puppet theater piece, devised
by Mel Bieler and Patti Kalil, narrated through the samba songs of
the Tutti Frutti Brazilian bombshell
and emigre to the U.S. This homage
to Carmen Miranda is presented in
Capital Fringes Logan Fringe Arts
Space. Closes this Saturday, Nov. 14.
Logan Fringe Arts Spaces Trinidad
34
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
Theatre, 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Tickets

are $20 to $25. Call 202-733-6321 or
visit pointlesstheatre.com.
GIRLSTAR
H AND ONE HALF

Anton Dudley and Brian Feinsteins
Girlstar is hard to recommend, even
though it has a stellar cast all around,
including two of D.C.s finest musical
theater veterans Donna Migliaccio
and Bobby Smith and two up-andcomers, Desi Oakley and Sam Edgerly,
who play would-be paramours Tina
and Jeff. Its all an overly cynical and
simplistic view of the music industry
and what it takes to be a pop star in
todays world. It could work if it
were played as parody, or if we were
encouraged to laugh at the incredibly
high camp value that Eric Schaeffer
and crew have concocted. From
Dudleys wooden and cliched dialogue
and lyrics, to some of Frank Labovitzs
over-the-top costume touches, it
would help if the actors were instructed to be self-aware from time to time
and wink at us, assuring us that, yes,
that was meant to be a joke. Thats
especially true with Lorin Latarros
cheesy choreography, which is so
night and day from Signatures usual
first-rate moves you cant help but
pray that it was all meant to be funny.
Pride Night is Friday, Nov. 13. Runs
to Nov. 15. Signature Theatre, 4200
Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are
$40 to $101. Call 703-820-9771 or visit
signature-theatre.org. (Doug Rule)
METROWEEKLY.COM
PERICLES
Striking visual projections and live

music composed by Jack Herrick
promise to fulfill the dramatic potential of this rough-seas Shakespeare
voyage. Originally produced at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Joseph
Haj directs a run at Folger Theatre
starring Wayne T. Carr before taking
it to Minneapoliss Guthrie Theater at
the top of 2016. Opens Friday, Nov. 13,
at 8 p.m. To Dec. 20. Folger Theatre,
201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are
$35 to $75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit
folger.edu.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
David Arquette stars in Greg Kramers

stage adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyles classic tales. Andre W.
Shaver directs the North American
tour of this show, first presented in
Montreal in 2013 with a set designed
by Cirque du Soleils James Lavoie
and a quirky sensibility set to mesh
Victorian London with modern nods
to Steampunk. Opens Tuesday, Nov.
17, at 7:30 p.m. To Nov. 22. Warner
Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets are
$39.95. Call 202-783-4000 or visit
warnertheatredc.com.
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEINS

CINDERELLA
Gay scribe Douglas Carter Beane

updated this classic glass slipper
tale that ran for nearly two years on
Broadway and will become something
to give thanks to in D.C. as a kickoff to
the holidays. Opens Wednesday, Nov.

18, at 7:30 p.m. Now to Nov. 29. National
Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
Tickets are $48 to $93. Call 202-6286161 or visit thenationaldc.org.
UNEXPLORED INTERIOR
Ari Roth doesnt flinch from launching his new theater company with a
bang, offering a world premiere of Jay
O. Sanders epic about the madness
and majesty of Rwanda in the wake
of wartime horror. Derek Goldman
directs a cast including Erika Rose,
Caroline Clay and Michael Anthony
Williams. To Nov. 29. Atlas Performing
Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are
$20 to $60. Visit atlasarts.org.
MUSIC
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA WITH HILARY HAHN
After helping launch the BSO season

last year, Baltimores own international star violinist returns to perform
Dvoraks lyrical and playful Violin
Concerto. The program, led by Finnish
conductor Hannu Lintu, also features
Sibelius Four Legends. Thursday,
Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. Music Center at
Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,
North Bethesda. Also Friday, Nov.
20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall,
1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets
are $38 to $109. Call 410-783-8000 or
visit bsomusic.org.
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
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JONATHAN BUTLER
After signing his first record deal as

a teenager with British record producer Clive Caulders Jive Records,
Butlers premier single became the
first by a black artist to be played on
white radio stations in South Africa.
That early success was his ticket out
of the apartheid country. The R&B/
jazz guitarist and vocalist now lives
in Southern California and returns for
another annual run of shows at Blues
Alley though Saturdays shows are
already sold out. Thursday, Nov. 12,
through Sunday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. and
10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin
Ave. NW. Tickets are $50 to $55, plus
$10 minimum purchase. Call 202-3374141 or visit bluesalley.com.
LEE ANN WOMACK
Petite Texan continues to tour in support of last years classic country set The
Way Im Livin, her first after a sevenyear absence. After a sold-out stop at
Wolf Trap earlier this year, Womack
returns to the Virginia suburbs for a concert you can enjoy over dinner as well as
drinks. Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The
Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave.,
Alexandria. Tickets are $35. Call 703549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.
LYNNE ARRIALE, CARLA COOK

AND GRACE KELLY
Celebrating Great Women of Jazz:

Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone and Joni
Mitchell honors the legacy of the
three diverse women who serve as
musical inspiration for vocalist Carla
Cook, pianist Lynne Arriale and saxophonist Grace Kelly, who will also be
accompanied by bassist Evan Gregor
and drummer Ross Pederson in this
concert presented by the KC Jazz
Club. Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. and 9
p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Gallery.
Tickets are $39. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.
MADELEINE PEYROUX
Touted for her reinvention of familiar early American blues and jazz
tunes and a style reminiscent of Billie
Holiday, this Georgia-born jazz peach
makes her Wolf Trap debut to offer a
musical anthology of her nearly 20-year
career, touring in support of Keep Me
In Your Heart For A While - The Best of
Madeleine Peyroux. Tuesday, Nov. 17,
at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635
Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $42
to $45. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit
wolftrap.org.
WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA
WNO presents a world premiere

revised version, including a brandnew second act, of Philip Glass and
Christopher Hamptons acclaimed
English-language opera Appomattox,
which focuses on the battle for racial
equality from the Civil War to the
Civil Rights Movement. Tazewell
Thompson directs the production,
the WNOs first foray into the world
of Glass. Opens Saturday, Nov. 14, at
7 p.m. To Nov. 22. Kennedy Center
Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $300.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedycenter.org.
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YONDER MOUNTAIN
STRING BAND
With their lineup of instruments,

this Colorado-based string band may
seem like a traditional bluegrass
band, but they incorporate rock and
other genres into a music stew that
has earned them fans far beyond the
bluegrass belt. Now a quintet, Yonder
Mountain String Band tours returns
to the 9:30 Club in another show presented by All Good. Saturday, Nov. 14.
Doors at 5 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V
St. NW. Tickets are $27.50. Call 202265-0930 or visit 930.com.
DANCE
GLOBAL EXPRESSIONS: A WORLD
DANCE SHOWCASE
Dance Baltimore presents this showcase hosted by Maria Broom and featuring Natya Kala Mandir East Indian
Dance, Rueda de Casino Baltimore
and Yesodot Israeli Youth Dance.
Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. Gordon
Center for Performing Arts, 3506
Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills, Md.
Tickets are $20 in advance, or $22 at
the door. Call 410-356-7469 or visit
gordoncenter.com.
KAREN LUGO & CO. FUEGO

FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
Flamenco Frecuencies is the concluding performance in this years 11th

annual Fuego Flamenco Festival and
performed by the company of Karen
Lugo, a native of Mexico. Lugo will
perform the work, which seeks to
expand notions of flamenco, with
Ricardo Moro of Madrids Casa Patas.
Because its GALAs 40th anniversary, festival curator Edwin Aparicio
tells Metro Weekly, I especially wanted this year to show that flamenco has
become international. Its no longer
what it used to be only for Spaniards
and gypsies. Now its also Japanese,
American, Mexican and Salvadoran.
Thursday, Nov. 12, through Saturday,
Nov. 14, at 8 p.m. Also Sunday, Nov.
15, at 2 p.m. GALA Theatre at Tivoli
Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are
$35. Call 202-234-7174 or visit galatheatre.org.
READING
JULIANNA BAGGOTT AND LAURA
KASISCHKE
PEN/Faulkner co-sponsors this event

at the Folger featuring these two poets
in a conversation moderated by writer
and poet Richard Peabody. Julianna
Baggott, who writes under the pen
names Bridget Asher and N.E. Bode,
has written three volumes of poetry and over 20 novels, while Laura
Kasischke was the recipient of the
2012 National Book Critics Circle
Award for Poetry. Monday, Nov. 23,
at 7:30 p.m. Folger Theatre, 201 East
Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $15. Call
202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu. l
stage
Table Talk
Winners and Losers is like being
trapped in the boring room
at the party
by KATE WINGFIELD
SIMON HAYTER
CROSS BETWEEN A PERFORMANCE PIECE

and a semi-comedic two-man play, Winners and
Losers (HHHHH) is an interesting hybrid, but
one that suffers from its chimeric nature and
apparent reliance on the real-life energy of the performers.
Set as a conversation between the playwright-performers
Marcus Youssef and James Long, the overall impression is one
of being witness to a couple of intense friends who think their
conversation is the most interesting one in the room. As they
engage in an opinion game they dub Winners and Losers, they
fall into an argument that becomes increasingly personal, one in
which each man begins to challenge the others integrity, class

values and family relationships.
The concept is undoubtedly interesting: how close friends
work instinctively to deflect or compensate for deep-seated differences and what happens when these mechanisms, whether
by accident or choice, begin to fail. Can friendships survive such
ruptures? Or does the unmasking of differences amount to a fatal
betrayal?
The exploration of this idea alone could have made for a
compelling play. But, for reasons of experimentation and perhaps to challenge other concepts of theater the playwrights
have opted to make their exploration in something of a blended
format.
Although there is an arc here, instead of fully-scripted dialogue the performers use improv and a partial script to move
through the progression that leads to conflict and confrontation.
Its a challenging structure, one that requires the performers
to seamlessly express the spontaneous while keeping their eye
on the ball a ball they must also move inexorably forward.
One can see what they are striving for: the improv does bring
an interesting unpredictability a facsimile of what it is like to
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
37
witness an intimate conflict but it never quite comes off. The

transitions are sometimes awkward, the contrivances sometimes
too obvious.
Another choice that colors the experience is the ongoing
question of how much presented is real versus fictional. It
arrives with the opening game of Winners and Losers, delivered as an improv exercise that also introduces insights into the
performers/characters. As the game segues into conversation
and argument, the question continues to hang in the air: are we
seeing the real men or are they playing personas?
It is a tantalizing concept, but one that is confused by the
performances themselves. Ironic though this may sound, neither
performer is wholly convincing, whether they are being themselves or not. Sometimes the performers feel real, other times
they are far too actorly. Also under-realized are the dynamics of the friendship. Although their initial trepidation as they
begin to enter dangerous territory is well conveyed, the actual
confrontational points often feel forced. With this much embedded improv, so much of its energy relies on the actors personal
energy. The dynamic here simply doesnt sing.
Matters are not helped by the level of discourse. The piece
raises questions of class, money, family consciousness and,
ultimately, friendship. But the content never truly gels. Some of
the jokes are funny, but many are pedestrian. Some of the class
differences raised ring with truth, others feel utterly contrived.
Though there is politics and history, both add little dimension to
the picture being painted. Most of the subject matter explored
wont be a revelation to anyone who has been knocking around
college or adult life. The monologues may be based on reality,
but they lack the integrity and intensity of the 3 a.m. friendconfessional.
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Overall, Marcus Youssef does the best job of creating a

convincing persona (whether his own or not) of an EgyptianAmerican with lefty leanings and angst. He is, at times, compelling in his worry and his insecurities. James Long is less convincing in conveying his working-class American roots and past family conflict. If everything he says is true, he has left far too much
out about how he has evolved into what we see on this stage.
And that is yet another challenge in this ambitious piece.
Maybe one is meant to question the authenticity, maybe the stories are real but the performers have traded them, maybe they
have created just enough confusion to encourage an audience to
read whatever they want into the construct. But whatever the
goals, there shouldnt be room for this much guessing. A simpler
structure a two-man play may not have offered the edginess
of witnessing a real confrontation, but it might have allowed
greater cohesion, depth and exploration. It might also have
allowed for some far more uncomfortable truths and questions.
The atypical format may be cerebrally interesting, but in the
arena of live performance the elements cancel each other out.
Ultimately, however one views this as a performance piece
that toys with the conventions of theater, or theatre that toys
with elements of performance it will all come down to whether you find these two men and their angst interesting. For those
who savor precision wit, think tank talk, and remember Spalding
Gray with fondness, this is going to feel less like an evening in
provocative company and more like being trapped in the boring
room at the party. l
Winners and Losers runs to November 22 at Woolly Mammoth
Theatre Company, 641 D St NW. Tickets are $35 to $68. Call 202393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.
stage
Welcome Harvest
The last two plays in the
Apple Family Cycle at
Studio Theatre really shine
ALLIE DEARIE
by DOUG RULE
HE APPLE FAMILY ISNT REAL, AND ITS FAR

from ideal in fact, its likely more dysfunctional
and damaged than your own family. Its certainly
more so than mine.
And yet, I was more eager to reconnect with the Apples
this season than I am my own. That sentiment is testament to
Richard Nelsons achievement in writing with his Apple Family

Plays cycle. But its also testament to the productions at Studio
Theatre, which really shine on account of the ensemble featuring the same cast as two years ago and the same director,
Serge Seiden, who offers sharp focus on the words and action. In
2013, we met the New York Apples on two different, momentous
occasions Election Day 2010 with That Hopey Changey Thing
and Sept. 11, 2011, with Sweet and Sad, the first and second plays
in Nelsons four-part cycle.
The final two installments, Sorry and Regular Singing, are
staged by Studio in repertory. They seem slightly more focused
on the personal matters and interpersonal relations among this
clan of four siblings, their uncle, and one sisters boyfriend and
set in Reinbeck, N.Y., in the bucolic Hudson Valley. But the discussions mostly revolve around broader issues and changes in
American culture and politics, with connections and compariMETROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
39
sons drawn often subtly, occasionally strained to past eras

and different cultures.
As such, you can pretty easily jump in at any point you
wont lose much if you only see one play or dont see them
in order. In fact, Nelson has intentionally left some familial
aspects and details out, which only encourages a theatergoer to speculate and extrapolate to make leaps, as the
brother Richard (Rick Foucheux) puts it at one point in Sorry
(HHHHH). It must be wired into us, he says, this need to
try and make sense of things. Here, as in real life, it can be
fascinating to try to make sense of things, particularly the complicated, contradictory characters we encounter. Richard, for
example, is the most conservative member of the liberal Apple
family, and once again hes the one who may make you groan
with a few pointed jabs at Obama or Gillibrand, or Cuomo.
And yet, hes also the only truly politically engaged Apple,
and by Regular Singing (HHHHH), hes actually working for
Governor Cuomo in Albany.
Even more fascinating is the familys back and forth in Sorry.
Despite when it takes place Election Night, 2012 the wavering is not so much about Obama vs. Romney, but about whether
to send the family patriarch Uncle Benjamin to an assisted living
facility. Benjamin is a renowned stage and screen actor, but a
debilitating heart attack a couple of years ago caused him profound amnesia. Eldest sister Barbara has cared for him at her
home ever since, but his condition is worsening and, as we see
in Sorry, it is seriously fraying their relationship. But no one is
completely sure and steadfast he should go away. Also, no one is
completely right or wrong and your own views on a particular
character are likely to vary from moment to moment.
The ensemble has the kind of ease and natural rapport that
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only seasoned actors can convey. Ted Van Griethuysen won

a Helen Hayes Award for his work as the booming-voiced
Benjamin two years ago, and he remains as ever the consummate
performer, commanding attention with the simplest sigh or
movement. But Sarah Marshall is his equal as family matriarch
Barbara, the most durable and crisp Apple in the bunch.
In these last two plays, a richer, deeper portrait of Marian has
also emerged. If Benjamin previously earned the most loyalty
and sympathy on account of suffering the familys greatest loss,
becoming a shadow of his former towering self, it is Marian who
becomes the cycles beating heart by the third installment. She
finally addresses her own great loss in Sorry, her 20-year-old
daughters suicide. In Regular Singing, much of the focus is on
her actions in caring for her (unseen) dying ex-husband, who left
her after their only daughters death. Elizabeth Pierotti portrays
Marian in an intriguing, complicated mix that seems just right
given the circumstances a bit steely yet unsteady, a little clueless but intuitive and open-minded, scarred and scared but not
totally broken or afraid of moving on.
Both Sorry and Regular Singing get bogged down in dialogue
that occasionally digresses into polemical territory. Theyre also
strung together with a few too many allegories and metaphorical
tales that sometimes detract rather than enhance our understanding of the Apple family. But in the end, you understand
the family plenty theyre an exaggerated facsimile of your real
family. Heres to your own trip home this season ending up being
even half this rewarding. l
Sorry and Regular Singing run in repertory to Dec. 13 at
Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Tickets are $49 to $96 each.
Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.
games
Roll Call
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 checks
its abundant feature list, but its
a little listless all the same
by RHUARIDH MARR
ACTIVISION
O SAY I WASNT PARTICULARLY EXCITED FOR

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (
) would be a
mild understatement. While last years Advanced
Warfare finally found its bearings after a couple of
titles that staggered around in the dark, desperately trying to
find focus as the Modern Warfare franchise died a repetitionsoaked death, the Black Ops series of games always seemed to be
a fun break between flagship releases.
With an emphasis on elite, team-based specialists performing
bombastic covert ops missions that invariably ended up being
anything other than covert I found the campaigns a guilty
pleasure and the multiplayer more of the same addictiveness
that has come to be a hallmark of the Call of Duty franchise. Plus,
there was Zombies Mode. I loathe zombies with a passion, but
Caption
grabbing three friends and working through those missions was

always guaranteed to draw laughs, arguments, scares and invariably one of us (usually me) screaming at the other three to hurry
up and revive them.
This time around, developer Treyarch seems to be the one
thats a little lost. Emulating Advanced Warfare, Black Ops 3
also makes the leap to future combat in this case, the 2060s,
where cybernetic enhancements are commonplace and megacities with glistening skyscrapers and glittering, digital finery
are the norm. What does this mean for gameplay? Well, as you
can likely expect, everythings coming up Titanfall. Respawn
Entertainments robot-enhanced, vertically-mobile shooter has
set the precedent for this generation, just like Halo and Call of
Duty did before them. Everyone is clamoring to add boosters
and enhancements to their games, and Black Ops is no exception.
Lets start with the single player campaign. In true Call of
Duty fashion, its utter garbage so its nice to see some things
never change. In the year 2065, most major nations have developed incredibly sophisticated air defenses, rendering aircraft
and missiles useless. Whats an angry ruler to do, then, to topple
an enemy state? Send in covert operatives, of course! This is
Black Ops, after all. Covert missions that quickly become utterly
obvious assaults are the series bread and butter.
The battlefield is a very different place in the future. Robotics
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
41
are a key player, with autonomous bots joining cybernetically

enhanced soldiers in advancing on enemies or defending important areas. The soldiers themselves are so intertwined with their
robotic enhancements that humanity has legitimate fear that
robots could soon take over. Cue protests, government crackdowns, leaked documents and acts of terrorism. Really, Black
Ops world isnt too far removed from our own.
In terms of the story, its all incredibly familiar, despite the
often impressive scenarios the futuristic setting offers. Players
take control of The Player (no, really), who can be assigned a
gender and a preset face, but who remains anonymous. Hearing
the other characters speak to you without ever using a name is
somewhat jarring, but then so is the rest of the script, which
maintains Call of Dutys incredibly (and somewhat impressively)
low standards. Theres a fairly starry cast, though, including
Christopher Meloni and Katee Sackhoff, but really all the double
crossing and betrayals and reasonably pretty graphics Black
Ops 3 runs on an older game engine than last years title are
merely dressing around the gameplay.
Here, mercifully, all is well. Theres a reason Call of Duty
sells so well, and its all due to the impeccably well-balanced
controls. Yes, guns still feel remarkably ineffective to shoot, but
they get the job done, as does the rest of your arsenal. Whats
more, the better you shoot and the cleaner your kills, youll level
up your chosen protagonist faster, which in turn grants access
to even more weaponry and gadgetry. Said gadgetry includes
being able to take control of drones, robots, turrets and other
such technology flying a drone into an area and clearing
out enemies was a surprisingly fluid delight. Utilizing a Direct
Neural Interface, plugged directly into the brain, players have
access to a wealth of information while running and gunning.
Soldiers are connected to one another, so any enemies targeted
are highlighted for teammates. Grenades, rockets and other
explosives will flash red. Ground areas are highlighted in various colors to alert to the danger of standing there if its red,
prepare to become Swiss cheese.
While the ability to wall-run and boost over gaps is ripped
straight from other games, it works well and, combined with
a focus on more open areas as opposed to corridor shooting,
makes the campaign much more tactical in nature than other
entries. Add in realistic difficulty, which ends your life after
taking one bullet, and theres plenty of replayability for those
dedicated enough.
It is, however, fairly inconsequential stuff. Story mode has
never been a Call of Duty strong point indeed, if you buy
Black Ops 3 on PS3 or Xbox 360, in addition to some comically
downgraded graphics youll also find theres no single player
campaign at all. Instead, the focus is as it always has been on
the multiplayer.
Its here that youll sink as much or as little time as you see
fit into Black Ops 3. The various techno-trickeries of the campaign find their way here, augmented by an even wider array
of abilities and special moves. Theres also an effort to inject
a little more personality into the whole affair rather than
being a mindless killer amongst mindless killers, youll now be a
mindless killer with something of a back story and a few limited
emotions. Players can choose from one of nine Specialists,
who each have their own upgradeable and unlockable powers.
Ruin, for instance, can use Gravity Spikes to send a fatal shockwave out around him, while Outrider can user her Vision Pulse
to see enemies through walls and other obstructions. It offers
the incentive to test out and level up various characters, but it
also adds an unexpected element to multiplayer bouts that
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player charging down the hallway could be preparing to Glitch

to another location, or they could deploy their Ripper and slice
your character in a one-hit kill. Guns and grenades arent the
only dangers any more. Unfortunately, while the boosters, wall
running and underwater sections add verticality to matches,
theyre also hampered by level design that forces too many invisible walls on players those rocks that would be perfect for
sniping? No such luck, as Treyarch clearly didnt agree.
In terms of what youll be playing, Arena mode seems
designed to complement these new Specialists. Here, players
can choose which types are allowed to battle it out, what abilities they have access to, and even what weapons and loadouts
players can have. Theres nothing quite as exciting (or terrifying) as being thrown into battle without any of the guns or gadgets youve carefully cultivated through meticulous levelling
and organization. Joining that is the usual team deathmatch
and free-for-all types, including Demolition, which tasks
players with destroying specific sites, or the always-fun Kill
Confirmed, which drops tags every time a person is killed, letting players earn extra points or allow teammates of the fallen
to recover some honor.
Interestingly, while the single player campaign lacks anything
particularly special, Zombies Mode seems to have been lavished
with care and attention and Jeff Goldblum. Players can choose
from a magician (Goldblum), a femme fatal (Heather Graham), a
police officer (Neal McDonough) and a boxer (Ron Perlman) as
they battle the hordes. The voice acting is superb, as should be
expected, while the entire thing eschews the futurism of the rest
of the game for a film noir setting. Players will battle zombies in
Morg City, which smacks strongly of Bioshock including vials
that can be collected and swapped for power-ups.
At certain fonts, players can also transform into the Beast,
a Cthulhu style being that utilizes electricity and tentacles to
reveal collectibles. These collectibles perform the same tasks
as those in other iterations of Zombies, opening up areas and
granting access to new weaponry. Its silly, dark, often humorous fun, especially with friends. Banding together, defending
one another, rebuilding defenses and spending money carefully
on new guns remains an incredibly enjoyable experience only
now, theres a story youll want to follow attached to it, one that
has some unexpectedly emotional moments. Icing on the zombified cake is that theres an entirely separate story featuring the
cast of Black Ops 2s Zombies Mode in an alternate reality, which
you can also play through.
And, really. that seems to be the crux of Black Ops 3. It
doesnt really add or change much to the standard issue formula of Call of Duty, following Advanced Warfare into the future
but keeping its core gameplay firmly rooted in tried-and-tested
mechanics. Instead, Treyarch has sprinkled numerous additions and a wealth of content into its standard recipe: verticality, more open gunplay, personality in multiplayer, Zombie
Modes twin stories and film noir aesthetic. No, I wasnt particularly looking forward to Black Ops 3, but by the time I was
finished with its campaign, had wrestled my fear of zombies
as the femme fatale, and sunk many hours into its engaging
multiplayer, I was somewhat converted. There isnt anything
here to convince those whove long since left (or abstained
from) the Call of Duty fold, but theres just enough to sustain
the franchise. For many, thatll be plenty enough. l
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is $49.99 to $59.99. Available on PC, PS3,
PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One (but you really dont want to buy it
on last-gen consoles).
health
Germ Warfare
Simple tips to help you battle
through flu season this winter
by KATE WINGFIELD
illustration by CHRISTOPHER CUNETTO
TS HARD TO IMAGINE, AMID THE COLORFUL TREES

and balmy days of fall, that winter will soon be upon us.
But it wont be long before we are beset by dark days,
frigid temperatures and what the weather folk love to call
wintry mixes.
Unfortunately, flu viruses flourish in the cooler, dryer air of
the coming season. As we move indoors, offices become veritable germ labs and one sick person in a home can bring down
everyone, just by sharing the kitchen and bathroom.
The twenty-first century has brought no surefire way of
avoiding the flu, but we do know a lot more about reducing the
risk of catching it and giving it to others. As the season prepares to take hold, consider the following tips and guidelines.
1. FIND A PRICK. The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone aged six months and older. Is it a guarantee? No, especially
since vaccine-makers must guess months in advance which flu
strains are likely to dominate any given season. Nonetheless,
for the vast majority of people, it makes sense to hedge bets by
getting the shot. Pregnant women, those with chronic medical
conditions such as asthma, and anyone over the ancient age
of 50 should always get it. Also remember that if you care for
someone in any of these groups, you should get vaccinated, too.
It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to offer maximum protection, so get it sooner rather than later.
2. KEEP IT CLEAN. Dont underestimate the power of clean
hands. Proper hand washing is proven to help avoid getting and
spreading the flu. If youre using soap and water do it right: soap
up your hands with a little water and a lot of soap, rub the soap
all over your hands for at least 20 seconds, rinse thoroughly, and
then dry with a disposable towel (and use it to turn off the faucet). If you must use an alcohol-based sanitizer: rub thoroughly
over your hands until the gel dries.
3. SIT ON YOUR HANDS. Touching an infected surface and then
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
43
touching your eyes, nose or mouth is an ideal way to give yourself the flu. Keep your hands away from your face and be sure
to wash them thoroughly and regularly throughout the day.
Likewise, if you sneeze or cough, do it into a tissue and throw
it away. If you dont have a tissue, direct germs into your elbow,
not your hands.
4. EMPLOY A NO FLY ZONE. The flu virus is spread by respiratory droplets, so avoid close contact with other people during flu
season (unless its worth the risk). Theres no need to go for the
all-out nerdiness of an elbow bump, but do avoid handshakes and
hugs if possible, especially if someone is ill. Keep up your immunity with a balanced diet, plenty of sleep and regular exercise.
5. FIND YOUR INNER-GERMAPHOBE. Whether at home or work,
avoid sharing drinks, cutlery, computers, telephones, mobile
devices and anything else regularly handled. If you must share,
disinfect the surfaces you touch (before and after you do so). If
you really enjoy entertaining the office, also consider routinely
disinfecting doorknobs, switches, handles, desks and other surfaces that are touched by all and sundry.
6. GO TO GROUND. If you do get the flu, help yourself fight it
by staying home, resting and keeping hydrated. Help others by
staying out of circulation while you are symptomatic and for at
least 24 hours after your fever is gone (without medication). The
American Red Cross offers the following recommendations for
dealing with and containing the flu if you get it:
Keep to your bedroom and out of shared spaces as much as possi-
ble. If you need help, have only one caregiver and be sure they do
not share your glasses and towels with the household. Anything
you use should be washed in very hot water or tumble dried on
high heat. Consider having your caregiver use disposable gloves
44
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
that can be tossed after visits to your room.
Keep your own thermometer, medications and stash of tissues
separate from the household. Dispose of your tissues and other

items in a plastic trash bag that can be tied and tossed. If you
need to circulate either in the house or to the doctors office
consider wearing a face mask. If nothing else, everyone will give
you a wide berth.
complications, the flu can be treated with rest, fluids and

Minus
over-the-counter medicines. A humidifier may make you more
comfortable. Remember that children should never be given
aspirin or products containing aspirin especially with the flu.
medical help immediately if you or someone you are caring
Get
for experience: fast or troubled breathing, a blue tinge to skin,
pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, confusion or sudden
dizziness, severe or prolonged vomiting, or is unable to drink
or eat. In children, warning signs also include difficulty waking,
intense irritability, not wanting to interact, fever with rash, and
no tears when crying and/or noticeably drier diapers.
wary of a flu that seems to subside but returns with fever and a
Be
worse cough as this may be a serious secondary infection.
Finally, many people wonder whether what they have is

really the flu or just a bad cold. With the flu you can expect such
symptoms as a high fever, severe body aches, extreme tiredness,
headaches, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, and vomiting and/or diarrhea (more common in children). Whatever it is,
nobody else wants it. Quarantine yourself with soups, screens
and a large dose of self-pity and everyone will thank you for it. l
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
45
46
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
NIGHT
LIFE
LISTINGS
THURS., 11.12.15
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection
Music videos featuring
DJ Wess
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call
Martini, $3 Miller Lite,
$4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm
$3 Rail Drinks, 10pmmidnight, $5 Red Bull,
Gatorade and Frozen Virgin
Drinks all night Locker
Room Thursday Nights
DJs Sean Morris and
MadScience Ripped Hot
Body Contest at midnight,
hosted by Miss Kristina
Kelly and BaNaka $200
Cash Prize Doors open
10pm, 18+ $5 Cover
under 21 and free with
college ID
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Highwaymen TNT presents
Hot Jock Night Men in
jocks drink free, 8-10pm
Hot Jock Contest at
11:30pm, with prizes for
winner Thursday Night
Football on Big Screen
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
METROWEEKLY.COM
47
48
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
scene
Miss Ziegfelds 2016 Pageant
Sunday, November 278
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
Photography by
Christopher Cunetto
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Ladies Drink Free Power
Hour, 4-5pm Shirtless
Thursday, 10-11pm DJs
BacK2bACk
JR.S
All You Can Drink for $15,
5-8pm $3 Rail Vodka
Highballs, $2 JR.s drafts,
8pm-close Throwback
Thursday featuring rock/
pop retro hits
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., 11.13.15
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
ANNIES
Martinis Upstairs open,
5-11pm
COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail and
Domestic, $21 Call &
Imports, 6-9pm White
Party Kick-Off Event featuring DJ Hansell Leyva
Chance to win 2 VIP
Muscle Beach Party tickets
DJs MadScience and
Keenan Orr in the lounge
$10 cover 10pm-1am, $5
after 1am 21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Potomac MC on Club Bar
for Triskaidecaphobia $2
Draughts on Club Bar and
Peters Famous Jello Shots
Men in uniforms receive
$2 off prices from 8-10pm
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Smirnoff, all flavors, all
night long
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1,
4-9pm $2 Skyy Highballs
and $2 Drafts, 10pmmidnight Retro Friday
$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
Open 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
TOWN
DC Bear Crue Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm No
cover before 9:30pm
21+ Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by Lena
Lett and featuring Miss
Tatianna, Shi-QueetaLee, Epiphany B. Lee
and BaNaka DJ Wess
upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
downstairs GoGo Boys
after 11pm Doors open
at 10pm For those 21
and over, $10 For those
18-20, $15 18+
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm No Cover
before 10pm Cover after
10pm (entry through Town)
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
hosted by LaTroya Nicole
Ladies of Ziegfelds,
9pm Hosted by Miss
Destiny B. Childs DJ
Darryl Strickland in Secrets
VJ Tre in Ziegfelds
Cover 21+
SAT., 11.14.15
9 1/2
drink, 3-9pm $5 Absolut
& Titos, $3 Miller Lite
after 9pm Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover Music videos
featuring various DJs
METROWEEKLY.COM
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Drag Yourself to Brunch at
Level One, 11am-2pm and
2-4pm Featuring Kristina
Kelly and the Ladies of
Illusion Bottomless
Mimosas and Bloody
Marys Happy Hour: $3
Miller Lite, $4 Rail, $5
Call, 4-9pm Imperial
Court of Washington, D.C./
Collaborative Arts Party/
NYC Takes Over DC
Featuring DJs Mickey Mo
and Sidewalk Drink
specials all night Doors
open 10pm $10 cover
21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 4-6pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Highwaymen TNT on Club
Bar $ 2 Bud Draughts
Highwaymen TNT $2
Oversized Jello Shots $2
off prices all night for men
in club colors
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
49
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Drag Queen Broadway
Brunch, 10am-3pm
Starring Freddies
Broadway Babes Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Freddies
Follies Drag Show,
8-10pm, hosted by Miss
Destiny B. Childs No
Cover
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long JOX: The
Green Lantern Underwear
Party, 9pm-close
Featuring DJ David Merrill
$5 Cover after 10pm
(includes clothes check)
JR.S
$4 Coors, $5 Vodka
Highballs, $7 Vodka Red
Bulls
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
50
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
NUMBER NINE
TOWN
DC Rawhides host Town
& Country: Two-Step, Line
Dancing, Waltz and West
Coast Swing, $5 Cover
to stay all night Doors
open 6:45pm, Lessons
7-8pm, Open dance
8-10:30pm SERVED:
NYC Dance Party, 10pmclose Featuring DJs
Escape and Razor-n-Guido
and a live performance
from Alan T. Music and
video downstairs by DJ
Wess Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Miss Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Epiphany B.
Lee and BaNaka Doors
open 10pm $12 Cover
21+
TOWN PATIO
Open 10pm (entry through
Town) $12 Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion with host
Ella Fitzgerald, 9pm
DJ Steve Henderson in
Secrets DJ Don T. in
Ziegfelds Doors open
8pm Cover 21+
SUN., 11.15.15
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
$4 Stoli, Stoli flavors
and Miller Lite all day
Homowood Karaoke,
10pm-close No Cover
21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 2-6pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Sunday Night at the Meat
Rack Buffet, 2-7pm
$2 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts all day and all
night Sunday Football
NUMBER NINE
Pop Goes the World with
Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
any drink, 3-9pm No
Cover
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Champagne Brunch Buffet,
10am-3pm Crazy Hour,
4-7pm Karaoke, 8pm1am
ROCK HARD SUNDAYS

@THE HOUSE
NIGHTCLUB
3530 Georgia Ave. NW
Diverse group of all male,
all nude dancers Doors
open 7pm Shows at
8:30 and 10:30pm $5
Domestic Beer, $6 Imports
Happy Hour 7-8pm
$10 cover For Table
Reservations, 202-4876646 rockharddc.com
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Mamas Trailer Park
Karaoke, 9:30pm-close
JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights and
$3 Skyy (all flavors), all
day and night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am3pm $20 Brunch Buffet
House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
11am-close Buckets of
Beer, $15
TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm Corn Hole,
Flip Cup and Giant Jenga
inside, 4pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
8pm Cover 21+
MON., 11.16.15
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
Cover
ANNIES
Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Monday Nights a Drag
show, hosted by Kristina
Kelly Doors open at
10pm, show starts at
11pm $3 Skyy Cocktails,
$8 Skyy and Red Bull
$8 Long Islands No
Cover, 18+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Sports Night Monday
Night Football Happy
Hour, 8-10pm Jersey
Night support your
favorite team Free Pool
all night
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long
Michaels Open Mic
Night Karaoke, 9:30pmclose
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1,
4-9pm Showtunes Songs
& Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ James $3 Draft
Pints, 8pm-midnight
NELLIES SPORTS BAR

$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Texas Holdem
Poker, 8pm Dart Boards
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
SIN Service Industry
Night $1 Rail Drinks
all night
NUMBER NINE
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
TUES., 11.17.15
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
Cover
ANNIES
$4 Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
JR.S
Birdie La Cage Show,
10:30pm Underground
(Indie Pop/Alt/Brit Rock),
9pm-close DJ Wes
Della Volla 2-for-1, 5pmmidnight
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
Beer $15 Karaoke and
Drag Bingo
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
51
NUMBER NINE
Safe Word: A Gay Spelling
Bee, 8-11pm Prizes to
the top three spellers
After 9pm, $3 Absolut,
Bulleit & Stella
WED., 11.18.15
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
Cover
ANNIES
$4 Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
52
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail,
$3 Miller Lite, $5 Call,
4-9pm Wednesday
Night Karaoke downstairs,
10pm Hosted by Miss
India Larelle Houston
$4 Stoli and Stoli Flavors
and Miller Lite No Cover
21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm $6
Burgers Drag Bingo
Night, hosted by Ms.
Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm
Bingo prizes Karaoke,
10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1 Free, 4-9pm
Trivia with MC Jay Ray,
8pm The Feud: Drag
Trivia, hosted by BaNaka,
10-11pm, with a $200
prize $2 JR.s Drafts and
$4 Vodka ($2 with College
ID or JR.s Team Shirt)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night,
8pm and 9pm Prizes
include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30
Club $15 Buckets of
Beer for SmartAss Teams
only Bring a new team
members and each get a
free $10 Dinner
NUMBER NINE
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Night, 10-11pm,
12-12:30am Military
Night, no cover with
military ID DJ Don T. in
Secrets 9pm Cover
21+ l
SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE
53
I was proud to say that

love is love.
President BARACK OBAMA, speaking with Out Magazine for the annual Out 100 issue. Obama, who was named
LGBT Ally of the Year, is the first sitting president to feature in the list.
The gay characters were idealized,

their edges were smoothed out, the conflict between them was softened.
RON NYSWANER, screenwriter of Freeheld, speaking at Los Angeles LGBT Centers Vanguard Awards as reported by
The Advocate. Nyswaner claimed that producers toned down the lesbian drama because they were fearful, stating,
Over my vigorous objections...the main characters were turned into lesbians with a lowercase L.
That bill is historic legislation that would

advance the cause of equality for millions
of Americans.
White House Press Secretary JOSH EARNEST, speaking about the Equality Act at a press briefing. The Act would
amend the Civil Rights Act to include discrimination protections for LGBT people.
When they asked if it was gay, I said:

Didnt you know all my characters are gay?
JOHNNY DEPP, at the American Film Institute festival, recounting a conversation he had with then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner,
who complained about the actors portrayal of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, saying, Goddammit,
Johnny Depps ruining the film! What is that thing? It is drunk, is it gay? according to Depp.
We are here to say

We are not going to rape you in the bathroom.
OLIVIA MAYNARD, a 41-year-old transgender woman, speaking with the Houston Chronicle at a rally by transgender
Houston residents to show those who voted to remove HERO that they had nothing to fear.
54
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
METROWEEKLY.COM
METROWEEKLY.COM
NOVEMBER 12, 2015
55

Metro Weekly - 11-12-15 - Jonathan Bardzik

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2

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

A Shot to the Arm

Fundraising for Friends

SALES & MARKETING

Bianca Del Rio

OUT ON THE TOWN

Winners and Losers

Apple Family Cycle

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Miss Ziegfelds 2016 Pageant

2015 Jansi LLC.

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

photography by Christopher Cunetto

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

Now online at MetroWeekly.com

Online petition says gay and transgender communities should

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

you use terms like gender expression and sex stereotypes,

A Shot to the Arm

A bimonthly injection may eventually replace daily oral

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

Fundraising for Friends

Rainbow History Project is looking to restore episodes

HERE ARE STACKS UPON STACKS OF CDS PILED

Metro Weeklys Community Calendar highlights important events in the D.C.-area

holds bi-monthly potluck social at

MONTGOMERY COUNTYS 5TH

offered by Rabbi Laurie Green, focusing on discussions about the interplay

BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay vol-

unteer organization, volunteers today

METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.,

p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). Call 202-291-4707, or visit

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Takoma Aquatic

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-dancing group features

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment

GAY MARRIED MENS

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6

commemorating those transgender

FREE HIV TESTING for all interested

individuals. Know your status. 4-7 p.m.

p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707 or andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded by

fidential support group for men who

SMYALS REC NIGHT provides

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP for

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice

adults in Montgomery County offers