OCTOBER 27, 2017 VOLUME 48 ISSUE 43 AMERICAS LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE WASHINGTONBLADE.

COM

Struggling to make sense of tragedy

Friends, family grapple
with deaths of D.C. gay
couple in Delaware crash
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Family members and a wide circle of
friends of Richard Greg Chittick, 58, and
James D. Jimmy Walton, 53, who were
married in D.C. in October 2016, were
struggling this week to make sense out of
an accident on Oct. 21, in which an out-of-
control SUV struck and killed the two men
on a sidewalk in Dewey Beach, Del.
According to Delaware State Police,
the SUV was driven by a 61-year-old man
who appeared to have lost consciousness
behind the wheel and hit the two men
while they were standing beside their
bicycles on a sidewalk in front of the
Starboard Restaurant on Coastal Highway
in Dewey Beach.
A police statement says the SUV, a black
2017 Chevrolet Suburban, hit Chittick
and Walton at the same time it struck a
utility pole, severing the pole along the
ground. The police statement says the
SUV continued across the sidewalk and
entered the restaurants parking lot,
where it struck an unoccupied Jeep and
nally came to a stop.
The statement says Walton and Chittick
were pronounced dead at the scene. It
says the driver of the SUV, who was said to RICHARD CHITTICK (left) and JAMES WALTON were killed Oct. 21 by an SUV while
standing in front of the Starboard Restaurant in Dewey, Del.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 13 PHOTO COURTESY CHITTICKS FACEBOOK PAGE

Harris emerges as LGBT favorite, despite trans court case

Rising Dem star
argued against gender
reassignment for inmate
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was likely
chosen as a featured speaker at Saturdays
Human Rights Campaign National Dinner
because shes quickly becoming a favorite in
the LGBT community among potential 2020
Democratic presidential contenders.
Sen. KAMALA HARRIS (D-Calif.) is a featured speaker at this To recognize her popularity among LGBT
weekends HRC National Dinner.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
people, just nd the animated picture of Harris
making the rounds on Facebook at the Senate
dais brushing her hair back, clasping her
hands and blinking her eyes wearily as shes
cut o during a Senate Intelligence Committee
hearing. Also check out the widely shared video
of her exchange with U.S. Attorney General
Je Sessions about his Russian connections,
which left the Trump ocial muttering he felt
nervous under questioning from the U.S.
Senates only black female senator.
But a look at her LGBT record reveals one
wrinkle on transgender rights that may surprise
her followers and that has disappointed some
CONTINUES ON PAGE 17

RUN GIRL DECISION TIME BOO!

Mayor Bowser joins Danica Roem condent Area bars and clubs ready
thousands of spectators of unseating Bob Marshall to celebrate Halloween
at annual High Heel Race. in next months election. with parties and more.

PAGES 04 & 38 PAGE 06 PAGE 34

0 2 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
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0 4 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017
The 31st annual High Heel Race was held Tuesday on 17th Street. For more photos, see pages
36-37.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Thousands line
17th Street for
High Heel Race
Mayor, Ruby Corado serve as grand marshals
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
D.C Mayor Muriel Bowser gave the signal for the start of the 31st annual 17th Street
High Heel Race on Tuesday night as thousands of spectators lined both sides of the
street to watch more than 100 runners dressed in drag compete in an event viewed as
the citys largest Halloween party.
Among the public ocials attending the race this year in addition to Bowser were City
Council Chair Phil Mendelson; City Council member Jack Evans, whose ward hosts the
annual event; and D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham.
As has been the practice in past years, in the hour preceding the 9 p.m. start of
the race, many of the drag contestants in the race join dozens of others dressed in
Halloween costumes in parading up and down 17th Street, N.W., between P and R
Streets to the loud cheers of spectators. Many of the spectators view the festivities from
the upper oor windows and balconies of the apartment buildings that line the street.
We celebrate our D.C. values every single day, Bowser told the crowd from a stage
set up at the starting point of the race at 17th and R St.
We are working together to build the best city in the world, she said in noting that
she will be part of a contingent heading for Paris later this week to advocate for D.C. to
be selected as the host city for the 2022 Gay Games.
And I dont care who lives on Pennsylvania Avenue, she said, drawing laughter and
cheers from the crowd. We are ghting every single day to protect and promote our
D.C. values. So are you ready?
Minutes later she gave the signal for a horn to be blown to start the race.
A short time later a young man dressed in drag that identied himself as Sue Pository
became the rst to cross the nish line as the winner.
It was cool coming down the nish line knowing I had a good lead, he told the
Washington Blade. And being able to enjoy the experience and just coming in for the
win was cool. Everyone was cheering, he said.
When not competing in events like the High Reel Race he said he works in D.C. as a
real estate agent.
Newsham said he deployed about the same number of police ocers to patrol the
event and divert trac away from the section of 17th Street closed for the race.
People from all over the city come down here for the High Heel Race, he said. Its an
awesome event. If you look around you can see everybody is having fun, everybody is
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
LO CA L N E W S
smiling. We anticipate were not going to have any problems here tonight.
Joining Newsham at the event were Lt. Brett Parson, who oversees the departments
Special Liaison Division, including the LGBT Liaison Unit; and Sgt. Jessica Hawkins,
supervisor of the LGBT Liaison Unit.
The event was founded and continues to be organized by the 17th Street gay bars
JR.s and Cobalt. But Sheila Alexander-Reid, director of the Mayors LGBTQ Aairs Oce,
said that for the rst time the mayors oce this year became the ocial sponsor of the
High Heel Race. The Washington Blade served as media sponsor.
Organizers named Bowser for the second year in a row as one of three grand marshals
for the race. The other two named this year were Ruby Corado, founder and executive
director of the LGBT community services center Casa Ruby; and drag performer Banaka.
Northam, Roem speak at Freddies Beach Bar
Virginia Lieutenant Gov. Ralph Northam and Danica Roem on Monday spoke
to supporters who gathered at Freddies Beach Bar in Crystal City.
Northam who is running against former Republican National Committee
Chair Ed Gillespie so succeed Gov. Terry McAulie sharply criticized President
Trump over his administrations decision to end the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals program and a host of other issues as he spoke. Northam
also applauded Attorney General Mark Herring who announced in 2014 that
he would not defend Virginias same-sex marriage ban and Justin Fairfax, who
is running for lieutenant governor.
We need to welcome people to Virginia, said Northam. It shouldnt matter
your sexual orientation. It shouldnt matter the color of your skin, the country
you come from or the religion that you practice. We are all in this together. Lets
welcome people to the commonwealth of Virginia.
Northam hugged Roem on stage as he spoke.
Roem, a former journalist, is running against state Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince
William County) in the 13th District of the Virginia House of Delegates. Roem
would make history as the rst openly transgender person seated in any state
legislature in the country if she were to beat Marshall on Nov. 7.
Ive been his constituent for 26 years . . . I interviewed him for a long time,
said Roem, referring to Marshall, who is among the most vocal opponents of
LGBT rights in the General Assembly. I know why he does what he does and I
stood up this year because yeah you know what, Im really upset about (Route)
28 and at the same time I want to make the point to every person throughout
our commonwealth that no matter what you look like, where you come from,
how you worship or who you love, you should be celebrated because of who
you are, not for what politicians like Del. Marshall tell you who you should be.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Trans student defends Frederick school policy
A 17-year-old transgender student in Frederick County, Md., led a motion
in federal court on Oct. 20, to defend the county school board against a lawsuit
seeking to overturn the boards sweeping policy of protecting trans students
from discrimination and harassment at school.
James van Kuilenburg, an honor student at Governor Thomas Johnson High
School in Frederick, led his motion to intervene in the case as a defendant with
the aim of presenting a separate legal argument for why the lawsuit lacks merit
and should be dismissed by the U.S. District Court of Maryland, according to
team of attorneys representing him.
The Frederick County School Board did the right thing they created policies
that arm and respect their students gender identity, said Jennifer Kent,
Managing Attorney for FreeState Justice, a Maryland-based LGBT litigation group
representing van Kuilenburg.
We intend to vigorously defend these polices in the interest of our client and
aected students in Frederick County Public Schools, Kent said in a statement.
The Frederick School Board adopted its transgender nondiscrimination policy
in June, with widespread support from the community, according to LGBT activists.
Among other things, the policy allows transgender and gender nonconforming
students to use school bathrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their
gender identity.
The policy also requires schools to provide separate bathroom and locker
room facilities for any student that may feel uncomfortable using such a facility
where a transgender student may be present.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM
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Roem condent going
into campaigns nal stretch
Republican opponent continues
to attack her gender identity
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
HAYMARKET, Va. There were fewer
than a dozen people eating lunch at
Giuseppes Ristorante Italiano in downtown
Haymarket on Oct. 13 when Danica Roem
arrived shortly before 1:30 p.m.
Roem, who was a reporter for the
Gainesville Times from 2006-2015, told
the Washington Blade as she ate her lunch
that she used to interview local ocials at
the restaurant. A framed copy of a prole
that Roem wrote about Giuseppes hangs
near the restaurants entrance.
I can be a really good advocate for
our localities at the state level, Roem DANICA ROEM told the Washington Blade
told the Blade, noting she covered local during a sit-down interview in Haymarket,
Va., that she is condent going into the nal
government for more than a decade. I stretch of her campaign against state Del.
feel like my skill set is really geared toward Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County)
serving extremely well as a state legislator. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANICA ROEM
Roem is running against state Del. Bob
Marshall (R-Prince William County), who
has represented the 13th District of the Virginia House of Delegates since 1992. Roem,
who would be the rst openly transgender person seated in any state legislature if she
were to defeat the Prince William County Republican, sat down with the Blade less than
a month before Election Day on Nov. 7.
Roem, 33, lives in the Manassas section of Prince William County. She has also worked for the
Prince William Times, the National Journal and the Montgomery County Sentinel in Maryland.
Roem has made transportation, infrastructure, economic development and education
the cornerstones of her campaign.
Marshall, who is one of the most vocal opponents of LGBT rights in the General
Assembly, in 2011 sponsored a bill that sought to ban gays and lesbians from the
Virginia National Guard. Roem told the Blade the measure set the template for Donald
Trump attempting to ban transgender people from not just serving in the military, but
blocking health care coverage for their health care needs not wants, but needs.
He did that to capable, ready, able members of the military who are actively
contributing to the leadership and readiness of our military, including in Prince William
County, at Quantico, at the Marine Corps base, said Roem, referring to Trump.
Marshall has also repeatedly attacked Roem and her gender identity during the campaign.
Voters in the 13th District earlier this month received anti-trans robocalls from the American
Principles Project, an organization that says it supports public policy solutions that respect and
arm: Human life from conception to natural death; the union of one man and one woman as
the denition of marriage; the freedom to practice and proclaim religion; authentic economic
progress for working Americans; education in service of the comprehensive development of the
person; and the legacy of immigrants in contributing to the American story.
Marshall last week in an email he sent to his supporters included a link of a 2015 interview
with American Principles Project Chair Sean Fieler in which he said society is wrestling
with the idea of whether or not we want to accept that people exist independently of their
bodies as really the transgender community is claiming as we should. Fieler, who lives in
New Jersey, donated $20,000 to Marshalls campaign on Sept. 11.
Roem pointed out to the Blade that Marshall last month asked a Prince William Times
reporter why she uses female pronouns to refer to her and if Danicas DNA changed.
Roem said her response to Marshalls comments was to release a YouTube ad that
shows her taking hormones and putting make up on.
The ad also features a trans high school student from Manassas.
My response was to take the high road, Roem told the Blade, while acknowledging
some trans activists criticized the ad. Im communicating to an audience who by and
large is extremely unfamiliar with the day-to-day life of a trans person.
A second ad that highlights Roems experience as a reporter began airing on television
earlier this month.
Roem raised $349,446.62 between July 1-Sept. 30, compared to $121,580.74 that Marshall
raised during the same period. Roem has also received the backing of the Democratic
establishment and LGBT advocacy groups in Virginia and around the country.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
LO CA L N E W S
Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Roem last week.
Roem on Monday spoke at an event at Freddies Beach Bar in Crystal City that featured
Lieutenant Gov. Ralph Northam who is running against former Republican National Committee
Chair Ed Gillespie to succeed Gov. Terry McAulie and other Democratic elected ocials who
included state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette.
Equality Virginias Political Action Committee, the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay
and Lesbian Victory Fund, the Trans United Fund, the National Center for Transgender
Equality and the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence have backed Roem. LPAC on Wednesday
announced it has also endorsed Roem.
Roem told the Blade she expects the Victory Fund, the Trans United Fund and other
LGBT groups to once again help her with voter outreach eorts before Election Day. She
also acknowledged that students and other LGBT people who live in the 13th District
may see her as an inspiration.
Theyve never seen someone like me in their home community who is talking about
x Route 28 and bringing high-paying jobs to Innovation Park and extending VRE out to
Gainesville in a cost-eective way and all the other really important public policy issues
not to mention water infrastructure that we deal with here whos also like them,
said Roem. Theyve never had that and I know that because when I was growing up
here and I realized I was trans and I realized that I was dierent from my classmates, I
didnt have anyone to talk to about it and I didnt have any elected ocials to emulate or
to look up to in Prince William County.
Marshall did not return the Blades request for comment for this story.
As for Roem, she said she is condent that she will defeat Marshall.
Yes, Im a 33-year-old stepmom, Im a life-long Manassas resident, Im a journalist, Im
a transgender woman, Roem told the Blade. Ive got a lot of inherent identiers and
Im well qualied for oce.
Robocalls like that that attack transgender children and Del. Marshalls legislative
record of leaving 3,700 of his constituents uninsured when hes supposed to be the
family values candidate and hes leaving families in danger of dying, that just strengthens
my resolve to soundly defeat him on Nov. 7, she added.
Bowser, Grimm headline Best of Gay D.C. party
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and transgender rights advocate Gavin Grimm
were greeted with tumultuous applause at the Washington Blades annual Best
of Gay D.C. Awards Party at Town Danceboutique nightclubon Oct. 19 when the
two appeared on stage to receive awards.
Bowser, a strong advocate for LGBT rights, was selected by Blade readers for
the award of Best D.C. Public Ocial.
Grimm, 18, who with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union led a federal
lawsuit in 2015 against his school district in Gloucester County, Va., for the right to use
his schools boys restroom and locker room, has emerged as a nationally recognized
champion for trans rights. Blade sta selected him for this years Local Hero Award.
In the 2017 Best of Gay D.C. Awards contest about 3,500 nominations were made
and 20,000 online votes were cast in 100 categories ranging from Most Committed
Activist and Best Local Pro Sports Team to Best Real Estate Agent and Best Straight Ally.
Im very proud to have been voted Best Public Ocial by the Washington Blade
readers, Bowser said after accepting the award. I secretly last year was hoping
that I would make it one day, and we did this year and Im very proud, she said.
One of the things Im proudest of is weve been able to recruit and appoint
so many LGBTQ ocials in my cabinet. And what it reects is that the LGBTQ
community knows that the D.C. government is welcoming and that they will
be recognized and rewarded for their talents, said Bowser, who recently
announced she was running for election to a second term next year.
As Bowser stepped down from the stage the crowd began to chant, Four more years!
Grimm said his selection for the Local Hero Award reected the eorts by him
and trans youth throughout the country to stand up for their rights.
I was incredibly honored, he said. I didnt expect it and it really is an incredibly deep
honor and I was really humbled to be in the presence of so many fantastic people.
Also drawing prolonged applause at the event was the announcement that the
late Jim Vance, D.C.s longtime NBC4 News anchor, was posthumously selected
by Blade readers for this years Best Local TV Personality Award.
Vance, 75, died in January following a prolonged battle with cancer. He worked at
NBC4 for more than 40 years, making him the citys longest serving TV news anchor.
NBC4 meteorologist Chuck Bell appeared at the Best of Gay D.C. Party to
accept the award for Vance. Bell, whos gay, won the Best Local TV Personality
Award in 2015 and was selected as runner-up for the award this year.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 0 7

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0 8 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017
Grenell in 92: Only whores and children wear red shoes
RICHARD GRENELL said in 1992: Only whores and very small children wear red shoes.
SCREEN CAPTURE PUBLIC DOMAIN
Trumps gay nominee has history
of derogatory comments about women
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
President Trumps nominee for U.S. ambassador to Germany the rst major openly
gay appointment of the administration came under re in the recent past for snide
comments on Twitter about the physical appearance of several prominent women
but a 1995 Washington Post prole story on him reveals he was making such comments
long before the arrival of social media.
The more than 20-year-old prole piece on Ric Grenell, sent to the Washington Blade
on Saturday, takes a look at his personality long before the Trump nominee served as
spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations during the George W. Bush
administration or as a Fox News commentator. The piece was written during Grenells days
as press secretary to Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) at the dawn of the Gingrich Revolution.
A key portion of the prole quotes Laurie Blackford, then a producer for Chris
Matthews long before he came to MSNBC, recalling remarks Grenell allegedly made to
a fellow campaign staer on the 1992 Bush-Quayle re-election campaign.
One of our sta people came in and had on a owery dress and red shoes and Ric
looked at her and said, Didnt your mother ever tell you only whores and very small
children wear red shoes? Blackford is quoting as saying.
At the time the prole piece was written three years later, the Post sought a response
on the remarks from Grenell, who acknowledged them as a joke.
You know that was a joke, Grenell is quoted as saying while chuckling. But come
on. Red shoes?
The remarks are consistent with comments Grenell has made about women on
Twitter. One 2011 tweet directed at Rachel Maddow, the lesbian MSNBC host, said she
needs to take a breath and put on a necklace and another compared her look to that
of pop singer Justin Bieber.
One tweet directed at Callista Gingrich questioned whether she snaps on her hair. At around
the same time, Grenell tweeted Hillary Clinton is starting to look like Madeleine Albright.
Grenell, who also has a history of antagonizing reporters on Twitter, deleted and
apologized for those tweets years ago during his brief tenure of several days with Mitt
Romneys 2012 presidential campaign. Although some point to the tweets as the reason
he didnt last long with the campaign, others say the appointment of a gay person to the
GOP campaign was nixed after objections from anti-gay activists.
During Grenells conrmation hearing last week, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) queried
him about his comments on Twitter about women, asking him if he regrets those words
and can understand the concern about the impact theyll have on his role in Germany.
Anybody who knows me knows that I am a very caring person and very sensitive
and I also appreciate good humor, Grenell said in response. Unfortunately, there are
times where what was intended to be humorous turned out to be not so humorous,
and, again, that was never my intention and I regret that.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
The 1995 Post prole piece written before Grenell met his partner of 15 years, Matt
Lashey never mentions Grenells sexual orientation.
Despite Grenells support for Trump and other GOP presidential candidates, the
article calls him a fan of then-rst lady Hillary Clinton.
Grenell didnt respond to the Blades request for comment on the 1992 remarks
about women at the time of his nomination to the Trump administration. Although the
Senate has held a conrmation hearing, it has yet to hold a vote on his conrmation as
U.S. ambassador to Germany.
ACLU, Colo. le briefs for
gay couple in Cakeshop case
Lawyers advocating for the gay couple who insist they should be able to purchase
a wedding cake from a baker under Colorado law whether the baker has religious
objections or not red their opening salvo before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.
In the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, a pair of opening briefs was submitted
by Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which argues the court should uphold
lower court decisions for Colorados Anti-Discrimination Law, and the American
Civil Liberties Union, which is representing the same-sex couple in the lawsuit,
Charlie Craig and David Mullins.
Both briefs argue the Supreme Court should reject the claim by Jack Phillips,
the Christian baker who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop and says can he refuse a
wedding cake to same-sex couples because the making of the cake is inherently
an act of expression protected under the First Amendment.
The 70-page brief from the ACLU makes the case Phillip cannot be free to
discriminate on the basis of his religious views because the Colorado non-
discrimination law is generally applicable to all businesses.
The bakery is not the rst business to claim a First Amendment right to
violate an anti-discrimination law because of its sincerely held religious or moral
beliefs, the brief says. This court has never accepted that premise, and has,
instead, armed repeatedly the governments ability to prohibit discriminatory
conduct over the freedom of expression, association, and religion objections
of entities ranging from law rms, and labor unions; to private schools, and
universities; to membership organizations open to the public; to restaurants,
and newspapers. Retail bakeries should fare no dierently.
The brief also argues a ruling in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop would lead to
a slippery slope of discrimination other than against same-sex couples and in
capacities other than wedding cakes.
If the First Amendment bars a state from applying an anti-discrimination law to
the sale of wedding cakes because they involve artistry, then bakeries could refuse
to provide cakes for an interracial or interfaith couples wedding, a Jewish boys bar
mitzvah,anAfrican-Americanchildsbirthday,orawomansbusinessschoolgraduation
party, the brief says.
Mark Silverstein, legal director for the ACLU of Colorado, said in a statement a
ruling in upholding Colorados non-discrimination law is essential.
As a nation and as a state, we decided decades ago that businesses that are
open to the public should be open to everyone on the same terms, Silverstein
said. A ruling allowing discrimination in this case would have implications far
beyond LGBT people. It would put in jeopardy longstanding protections against
discrimination here in Colorado and across the country.
The other 75-page brief led by Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which
determined Phillips violated the state law, asserts state laws like Colorados have
prohibited discrimination in the United States for more than 150 years.
Phillips demands respect for his religious beliefs, and that respect is secured
by the Constitution, the brief says. But under that same Constitution, a religious
belief is no justication for a State or a business open to the general public
to treat a class of people as inferior simply because of who they are.
Oral arguments will be held in the case on Dec. 5.
CHRIS JOHNSON
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 0 9

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film | NOV 3&4 | 7 : 3 0 P. M .

M O U N TA I N F I L M o n to u r
exhibition now open
ta l k | NOV 14 | 7 : 3 0 P. M .

V I E W F R O M A B OV E : a n WILD: michael nichol s

a s t r o n au t s p e r s p e c t i v e A Legend of Photography. Untamed.
Images of wildlife and wild places by former National Geographic
magazine Editor at Large for Photography Michael Nick
ta l k | NOV 15 | 7 : 3 0 P. M . Nicholsthe photographer who changed the way we see animals.

TO M B O F C H R I S T
exhibition opens nov 15
happy hour | NOV 16 | 5 : 3 0 P. M .
to m b o f c h r i s t
n at g e o n i g h t s : S I L K R OA D
An Interactive Experience
Be transported to the Holy Land via an immersive 3-D exhibition.
ta s t i n g | NOV 30 | 7 : 0 0 P. M . Learn the fascinating story of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
AT L A S O F B E E R an iconic Christian pilgrimage site.

T I C K E T S AT N ATG E O M U S E U M .O R G

| 17TH & M STREETS NW | Farragut North & West

DC F17 - Blade 10/29.indd 1 10/24/17 2:13 PM


1 0 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017
Trans community tries to heal after Caitlyn Jenner controversy
Critics label her a
humanitarian fraud,
protest award
By KAREN OCAMB
LOS ANGELES Meeting face to face
was decidedly dierent from ame
throwing on social media.
As about 50 people crowded into the
emergency trans community meeting at
St. Johns Well Child & Family Centerlast
night, anticipation was high: Would
sparring leaders bash each other in
person or respect Mother Karina
enough to settle down, really listen to
each other, and try to heal from hurt
before celebrating everyones shero
Jazzmun Nichcala Crayton. Trans super
star Laverne Cox presented the actress,
activist, model, and spiritual leader
with the Marsha P. Johnson Trailblazer
AwardSaturdaynight at the TransNation
Eleganza gala atThe Cicada Club.
Despite all the issues and obstacles
Hollywood has historically presented,
Jazzmun a trailblazer herself is
grateful for the transgender talent that has
come before her. Following thedeaths of
Holly Woodlawn, Lady Chablis, and Alexis
Arquette, Jazzmun honors trans pioneers
and legends: They opened doors and
kept doors open so that the rest of us can
continue to walk through them. They did
their job and did it so well that it allowed
people to start thinking about us, putting
us on their radar. They did it so well that
they brought a joy, dignity and pride to
being a person of trans experience,
Addison Rose Vincent wrote about
Jazzmun on HuPost.
But the strife around this years
TransNation Film Festival a benet for
the unique and critical free transgender
healthcare program at St. Johns Well Child
& Family Center in South Los Angeleswas
so intense, Karina Samala, a highly regarded
trans activist for more than 20 years, called
a community meeting to air grievances and
initiate healing with riKu Matsuda, who
works for the LA County Human Relations
Commission, serving as facilitator.
Matsuda established rules that all
agreed to abide by, including no cell
phones, no recordings or video and no
identied direct quotes to the press or
on social media. The exception was Jim
Mangia who could speak briey and in
general terms as theout CEO of St. Johns.
Therefore, this story has been constructed
from pre-community meeting interviews,
transcripts or citation from public
utterances on Facebook and background
conversations with participants.
The LA transgender community is
not monolithic. As with other minority
communities, there is inghting
Some community members were outraged to learn that CAITLYN JENNER was being honored.
prompted by political dierences,
intrigue, gossip, racism, classism, ageism
and all the other isms that plague the
larger society. And as the play and lm
Boys in the Band documented so well,
sometimes the attacks can be vicious and
soul-wounding. But unlike past battles,
deep-claw ghting on social media in
the era of Donald Trump can spread and
generate more chaos, misunderstanding
and retaliation than ever before. These
cuts, often posted on Facebook in the
heat of an argument, can cut to the bone
and leave a festering infection.
Thats what happened after the
TransNation production team selected
Caitlyn Jenner for an honor alongside
Jazzman. Jenner had given two checks
from her foundation totaling $50,000 to
St. Johns transgender program and had
served as a judge for the Eleganza beauty
pageant last year, without incident,
though there were scattered boos when
her name was announced.
Jenner came out as a Trump-supporting
Republican during her reality TV show, I
Am Cait, but it was clear she was clueless
about what Trumps politics actually
meant and was stubbornly certain she
could help. It was often agonizing to watch
the brilliant Jennifer Boylan and trans
diva Chandi Moore try to educate Jenner
about the real ways of the world for trans
folk, when money cant buy you love.
The heat was really on after Trump
surprisingly won the election and Jenner
stuck with the MAGA hat, though she
continued to evolve, learn about and
contribute to the LGBT community, many
of whom viewed her as an unwelcome
rich Trump lackey. Even after Jenner
blasted Trump for his shocking ban on
trans military service members, many
in the trans community remained upset
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
with her for allowing the media to portray
her as one of the two biggest voices in
the transgender community. The other
was Laverne Cox.
The trans community felt that made
Eleganza the Caitlyn Jenner show, highlighting
her rather than Jazzmun, TransLatina
Coalition founder Bamby Salcedo says.
She would steal the show. We didnt want
that, especially since the community didnt
recognize her as a voice for the community.
The media made her into that.
Additionally, Salcedo says, the decision
to honor Jenner didnt come from the
trans sta. Their voice was not counted.
Diana Feliz Oliva, the Transgender
Health Program Manager, explained that
she was away at the US Conference on
AIDS in Washington that early September
when the TransNation Planning
Committee apparently thought it was a
good idea to honor Jenners foundation.
Program sta member Queen Victoria
Ortega, a longtime community activist,
was also not involved in the decision-
making because she was at the clinic.
So Olivia relied on feedback from the
meetings, after which she brought it to
her trans sta of eight.
As you can imagine, I was a little bit
shocked, Olivia says of nding out about
the decision made in her absence.
Jenner had previously visited the clinic
with the Arcus Foundation and met the sta,
who told her how the program was saving
and improving lives. Jenner couldnt believe
more people didnt know about the work
and on the spot contributed a check for
$25,000. The sta concluded she was nice
but a baby trans who could be educated.
Indeed, the trans program has been an
oasis in the hostile desert of persistent
transphobia. The program started after
Karina Samala suggested to Masen Davis,
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
then executive director of the Transgender
Law Center, that he meet with Jim Mangia,
who Samala has known through many
years serving on the Imperial Court. The
Transgender Law Center had a statewide
grant to provide training for sta
at Federally Qualied Health Centers but
no one wanted to participate. Mangia did.
With help from a transgender advisory
council, he hired and integrated trans sta
in all departments.
Some community members were
outraged to learn that Jenner was being
honored. They were already unhappy
with the selection of the new David
France documentary on the life of Marsha
P. Johnson for the TransNation Film
Festival. Transgender activist, lmmaker
and writer Reina Gossett had accused
France in Teen Vogue of stealing her
work, her years of research on Johnson
for a lm that debuted on Netix while
she was borrowing money to pay rent.
They didnt buy Frances explanation on
Facebook that Nothing in the lms
concept, research or execution came
from anyone outside of this process or
our immediate team.
Trans media activist Ashlee Marie
Preston, who had already publicly
challenged Jenner, calling her a
humanitarian fraud, took the lead,
posting a petition on Change.org. The
LGBTQ community has given Caitlyn
Jenner SEVERAL attempts to right her
wrongs, but her cognitive dissonance and
stubborn arrogance have prevented her
from formally apologizing to us and vowing
to do better, the petition said.Therefore;
we (Trans Liberation Now) ask that St.
Johns Well Child & Family Center rescind
their award/honor on 10/21/17. Failure
to meet that demand will result in a
demonstration at the Eleganza Gala.
Preston collected more than 2,000
signatures on the petition. The St. Johns
sta met with Jenner, after which Jenner
said she declined the honor in the spirit
of unity and love. She added: Trans
people understand what its like to be
judged for who we are, and dened by a
world that doesnt understand us, so lets
present a united front in support of St.
Johns Trans Health Program. I am with
you, and I am here to help.
The sta issued a statement
acknowledging their mistake.
For us, it has always been about the
patients who we serve. We have managed
to focus on the human impact over
politics. But, in todays political climate,
we realize that it is increasingly dicult
to separate the two especially because
transgender lives are at risk every day
under this new administration. This
reality has renewed our commitment to
work to create positive change and bring
members of our community together to
heal, the statement reads in part.
 W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 1 1

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1 2 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017
KARLA AVELAR has sought refuge in Ireland after she and her mother received threats in El
Salvador.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KARLA AVELAR
Trans activist from El Salvador seeks refuge in Ireland
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador A transgender activist in El Salvador has sought refuge
in Ireland.
Karla Avelar made the announcement in a letter she addressed to her colleagues in the
countrys LGBTI rights movement and at Comunicando y Capacitando a MujeresTrans, a trans
advocacy group known by the acronym COMCAVIS-TRANS that she founded and directed.
Avelar in her letter said she left El Salvador because of concerns about her safety
and that of her family. The activist and her mother were subject to threats to their
physical and mental security, and she felt obligated to seek refuge outside the country
as a result.
I strongly believe that my activism was pure and genuine but it is time to think a
little about my safety and the security of my family who accompany me in this new
challenge, said Avelar in her open letter.
She was the victim of two attacks with a rearm in the 1990s. The U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights has urged the Salvadoran government to protect the
LGBTI human rights defender.
In spite of this adversity, Avelar always emphasizes how proud she feels that she is a
human rights defender for trans women in El Salvador, work that she has done since 1994.
To work in the ght for the human rights of my community is part of my conviction,
Avelar told the Blade during an interview on Sept. 22 of this year. This is the vision that
I have for the future, to see that my country gets better.
Avelar is the rst trans nalist in the history of the prizes that the Martin Ennals
Foundation awards to human rights defenders.
She was the victim of extortion by gang members two days after the foundation
announced her nomination.
Avelar led a complaint with the attorney generals oce and an article about it
appeared on the front page of a local newspaper the next day.
The same prosecutor leaked the information, Avelar told the Blade. A system that is
supposed to be safe for all citizens who le a complaint is the same one that is violating
you and makes you visible to your aggressor.
Avelar took additional security measures after she was threatened: She moved and
changed her cell phone and used two passwords to protect her email account. But all of
this protection was not enough, and her main concern was for her mother.
What truly worries me right now is the last time that I had contact with them they
emphatically told me that they were going to look for me in October, when I was
presumably going to return from the awards ceremony, Avelar told the Blade.
Avelar was notied about a request for refuge made on her behalf while she was on
a world tour as part of her nomination for the Martin Ennals Award.
According to statements made by Cruz Torres, director of sexual diversity for El
Salvadors Secretary of Social Inclusion, approximately 600 LGBTI people have been
killed in the country since 1993.
Michael K. Lavers contributed to this article.
ERNESTO VALLE
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S
Panama judge rules against
marriage equality: report
A judge on the Panama Supreme Court has reportedly issued a draft ruling on
whether to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.
La Estrella, a Panamanian newspaper, reported Justice Luis Ramn Fbrega has
concluded the two portions of the countrys family code that prevent gays and
lesbians from marrying in the Central American country are not unconstitutional.
La Estrella also reported the draft ruling leaves the door open for members of the
National Assembly to legislate on civil unions between people of the same sex.
Equality must be constitutionally guaranteed via the law, wrote Fbrega, according to
La Estrella. It is incumbent upon the Assembly to pass the necessary laws to comply with
the purposes and the exercise of the states duties as outlined under the constitution.
A Panamanian television station reported it obtained a copy of the draft ruling from
sources within the countrys judiciary, even though it has not been released publicly.
A gay couple led a lawsuit in which they seek formal recognition of their
U.K. marriage in Panama. A second lawsuit challenges the provisions of the
Panamanian family code that bans same-sex couples from marrying.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in both lawsuits over the summer.
They have been combined into one case.
Carlos Ernesto Gonzlez, a lawyer from Morgan & Morgan, which is the largest law
rm in Panama, represents the plaintis in the marriage cases. Freedom to Marry
founder Evan Wolfson; Hunter T. Carter of the New York City Bar Association, who
works with advocates throughout Latin America who are seeking marriage rights for
same-sex couples in their respective countries, and Herman Duarte of the Costa Rica-
based Fundacin Igualitos are among those who led amicus briefs with the court.
Ivn Chanis Barahona, a gay Panamanian lawyer who once lived in D.C., is
working pro bono on the cases.
He told the Washington Blade last month during an interview in Panama City
that Fbrega will share his ruling with the eight other judges on the Supreme Court.
Chanis said he was optimistic the Supreme Court would rule in favor of the plaintis,
even though it remains unclear when it would release their nal decision.
We have a really solid case, Chanis told the Blade.
Neighboring Colombia is among the Latin America countries and jurisdictions
in which same-sex couples can legally marry.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2012 ruled in favor of Karen
Atala, a lesbian judge from Chile who lost custody of her three daughters to
her ex-husband because of her sexual orientation. The landmark decision
established a legal precedent throughout Latin America.
Panamanian First Lady Lorena Castillo who was the grand marshal of Panama Citys
Pride parade in July and Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo are among the ocials who
publicly support marriage rights for same-sex couples. The Panamanian Roman Catholic
Church and evangelical groups have spearheaded the opposition to the issue.
Chanis noted to the Blade that President Juan Carlos Varela who is Catholic
has never gone all the way to say yes or no to marriage equality. Chanis said Varela
irted with the idea of civil partnerships for same-sex couples during an interview.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Situation for LGBT Chechens remains perilous
Advocates say that the situation in Chechnya remains dire roughly six months
after initial reports of arrests, torture and killings of LGBT Chechens emerged.
It should not be like this. We are all people. We all have rights, Maxim
Laponov said in a press conference on Monday outside the Moscow oces of
Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper that broke the story of the
crackdown. If those rights can be violated [in Chechnya], it could happen in any
region. And no one knows whose son or daughter will be next.
Lapunov is the rst of the victims of the Chechen gay purge, as it is commonly
called, to come forward formally with his story.
The only charge they made was that I was gay, Lapunov said at the press conference.
I could hardly walk. I was sure they were going to kill me, I was preparing for that.
He spoke about his 12 days in captivity, telling reporters how he was thrown in
a blood-soaked cell and could hear the screaming and groans of other captives
receiving brutal beatings as ocers interrogated him.
They beat me with a stick for a long time: In the legs, ribs, buttocks and back.
When I started to fall, they pulled me up and carried on, Lapunov said. Every
day they assured me they would kill me, and told me how.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
L O CA L NEW S
Gay D.C. couple killed in Delaware SUV crash
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
have suered an acute medical event,
was taken to Beebe Hospital in nearby
Lewes, Del., for treatment.
Neither impairment nor distraction is
believed to be a factor in the crash, says
the statement, which adds that the driver
was from New York but the vehicle had a
Florida registration.
The statement also says the driver,
whose name wasnt released, had not
been charged by police as of early Sunday.
Authorities were continuing to investigate
the crash and issued an appeal to the
public seeking witnesses to the incident,
police said.
Investigators are requesting that
anyone who may have witnessed the
crash or otherwise encountered the
involved vehicle prior to the collision
occurring, to please contact Corp. N.
DeMalto of the Collision Reconstruction
Unit, Troop 7, at 302-703-3267, the police
statement says.
In a Facebook posting on the day
following the crash, Waltons sister, Kendra
Walton Adair, said her brother and Chittick
were married and lived in D.C.
My heart is broken, she wrote in her
posting. Yesterday my brother Jimmy
Walton and his husband Greg Chittick
were killed in a tragic accident in Delaware.
I cant even begin to wrap my head around
this, she wrote. Our families desperately
need your prayers as we mourn the loss of
two beautiful people.
In interviews on Tuesday, Kendra
Adair and Greg Chitticks brother, Bruce
Chittick, said they and Greg and Jimmys
wide circle of friends in D.C. and Rehoboth
Beach, where the two had a home, were
struggling over the loss of two people
who were beloved by so many.
Bruce Chittick, whos a minister, said he
performed his brother and Jimmy Waltons
outdoor wedding in October 2016 at a
small picturesque park in D.C.s Kalarama
neighborhood called Spanish Steps.
In reminiscing about his brother, Bruce
Chittick said, I would just say that he loved
Jimmy and he loved his friends and loved
spending time with his friends. And they
really found a sense of community and
family there in D.C. and Rehoboth. And
that was incredibly meaningful for them.
He and Kendra Adair said Greg Chittick
and Jimmy Walton spent many weekends
in a home they owned in Rehoboth. They
said the couples primary residence was
in D.C.s Beekman Place condominium
development in Northwest D.C.
Adair and Bruce Chittick told the Blade
that friends of the couple along with their
respective family members planned to
arrange a memorial service for the two
men in D.C. in the near future. They
said their families would rst arrange
for funeral services for Greg Chittick
and Jimmy Walton in their respective
hometowns of Alpena, Mich., for Chittick,
and Newport, Ark., for Walton.
Bruce Chittick said his brother was born
in Pontiac, Mich., and grew up in nearby
Alpena, Mich., where he graduated from
Alpena High School. He later graduated
from the University of Michigan at
Dearborn. After moving to Los Angles
shortly after college, Chittick moved to D.C.
in the late 1990s, his brother said, where
he worked as a nancial analyst for one
or more consulting companies that did
contract work for the federal government.
Friends from Washington and
Rehoboth have said Chittick changed
careers in the mid-2000s when he started
a home renovation company. Those
who knew him said he established a
reputation as an excellent contractor for
home renovation work. His brother said
that about three years ago, however,
he went back to his original career as a
nancial analyst.
Adair said her brother Jimmy worked
as a graphic designer for consulting
companies that had contracts with
the government.
She said she and her family enjoyed
visiting Greg and Jimmy at their homes
in D.C. and Rehoboth, especially in
August of 2014 when Greg organized a
big celebration for Jimmy Waltons 50th
birthday. She said she witnessed Gregs
skills in home renovation when he and
Jimmy visited her home in Arkansas and
Greg immediately went to work adjusting
the doors to her kitchen cabinets so they
opened and closed without making noise.
Adair said the pain she and her family
are experiencing over Jimmy and Gregs
untimely death has been eased a little by
the outpouring of supportive messages
shes been receiving on Facebook. Many
who are writing supportive messages
never knew her brother or his husband but
read about their deaths in the newspapers
or happened to see her initial Facebook
posting about the fatal crash.
Complete strangers sent touching
messages, she said. Its unbelievable.
And it means so much to my family.
Some of those who sent messages were
employees or customers of the Starboard
Restaurant where the accident occurred.
My sister and I have every intention
of going there to the Starboard in person
just to thank them, she said. She noted
that some of the restaurants employees
and customers have placed owers and
pumpkins at the site where the crash
took place as a memorial for her brother
and Greg Chittick.
D.C. LGBT rights advocate John Klenert,
who knew Chittick and Walton and
attended their wedding, said the couple
was widely known and liked in both
Rehoboth and D.C.
They stayed at my rental place in
O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 1 3
Rehoboth before they got their own said at least one media report that the
house there, Klenert said. And since driver had died was incorrect.
then they have invited me to stay at their If I had run over and killed two
Rehoboth place. Everybody that knew people I think I would be reaching out
them liked them, he said. to the families and I would want to be
Adair said her mother called Delaware accountable in some way and I would do
State Police to inquire about the driver everything humanly possible to nd out
of the SUV that hit her brother and Greg what happened and make sure it would
Chittick. Her mother told her a police never happen again, Adair told the Blade.
representative said the driver had been And I just need to know, she said,
released from the hospital but declined about what really happened and why. Its
to provide any additional information. killing us. Im a Christian. My family, were
A State Police spokesperson, when Christians and we are all about forgiveness.
contacted by the Blade, declined to And Im perfectly willing to forgive him,
provide information about the driver she said. But I just dont know if Im going
other than what police had released in two to be able to sleep at night knowing that
written statements on the day following this person has just left the hospital and
the crash. However, the spokesperson thats that, you know?
Walk to End HIV slated for Saturday
Stand With Us, the
31st annual Walk/Run
to End HIV is Saturday,
Oct. 28 starting and
ending at Freedom
Plaza at the intersection
of Pennsylvania Avenue
and 13th St., N.W.
Check-in begins at 7
a.m. The 5k begins at 9:15
a.m. The walk begins at
9:20. Post-event activities
start at 10.
Packet pick-up is The Walk/Run to End HIV is Saturday.
Friday, Oct. 27 between
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
11 a.m.-7 p.m. at Pacers
(1821 14th St., N.W.) so
participants will have their T-shirts ahead of time. If unable to do so, T-shirts will
also be available at Freedom Plaza.
Although online registration has closed, runners can register in person at
Pacers or on site starting at 7 a.m.
Both individuals and teams may participate. Top teams so far this year
include Team PwC with $14,458 raised, Gilead Sciences with $50,000 raised and
Whitman-Walker Health with $66,988 raised. Top-raising individuals are Kevin
Waldorf-Cruz with $5,198, Dave Kirkland with $8,500 and Randy Pumphrey with
$8,825 raised as of Wednesday.
At last years event, held Nov. 12, 2016, about $715,000 was raised and about
3,200 walkers and runners participated. Whitman-Walker ocials say theyre on
track to get similar numbers this year. Proceeds have held steady in that range
for about the last ve years, Whitman-Walker ocials said.
The Walk & 5k to End HIV is Whitman-Walkers largest annual fundraiser,
said David Mallory, director of annual giving for Whitman-Walker Health. The
generosity of the community through supporting the walk allows us to continue
to provide critical and lifesaving HIV care to thousands.
On both Saturday and Sunday, a Brunch to End HIV will also be held for the
second year. Participating restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds
both days to Whitman-Walker. Participating restaurants include the Lincoln,
Quarter+Glory, Shaws Tavern, Teddy & the Bully Bar, Dirty Habit, Declaration,
Exiles, Brabo and Compass Rose.
Whitman-Walker oers high-quality, culturally competent health care in
Washington with a special expertise in LGBT and HIV care. Full details at
walktoendhiv.org.
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
NATIONAL NEWS
Harris called LGBT champion, despite trans court case
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01
trans people.
To be sure, Harris has a staunchly
pro-LGBT record. As California attorney
general, she declined to defend
Californias ban on same-sex marriage
Proposition 8 in court. When the U.S.
Supreme Court restored marriage
equality to California, she ociated at
the wedding of Kris Perry and Sandy
Stier, the rst same-sex wedding after
the ruling, and instructed clerks to marry
same-sex couples seeking a license with
no exceptions.
Also as attorney general, Harris in 2015
refused to certify a Kill the Gays ballot
initiative proposed in California that
would have (unconstitutionally) instituted
the death penalty for homosexual acts.
Despite a legal challenge, a federal judge
agreed to relieve her of duty to prepare
a title and summary for the measure
before it advanced to the signature-
gathering stage.
Harris also co-sponsored a bill in
the California Legislature with former
Assembly member Susan Bonilla to
eliminate the gay panic defense in
cases of murder or violent crime against
LGBT people. Gov. Jerry Brown signed
the legislation in 2014, making California,
along with Illinois, one of two states in
the country to ban the plea.
Upon beginning her term as a U.S.
senator this year, Harris continued to
advocate for LGBT rights. A co-sponsor
of the Equality Act, Harris also demanded
answers from the Trump administration
on the decision to omit questions in
the U.S. Census allowing responders to
identify their sexual orientation or gender
identity. The Trump administration never
provided a direct response.
Harris has signed friend-of-the-court
briefs arguing transgender people
should be allowed to use the public
restroom consistent with their gender
identity. As California attorney general,
she led briefs in favor of Obama
administration guidance supporting
transgender students and against North
Carolinas notoriously anti-LGBT House
Bill 2. As a U.S. senator, she signed a brief
before the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of
transgender student Gavin Grimms case.
Rick Zbur, executive director of
Equality California, said Harris record on
LGBT rights in her capacities as attorney
general and a U.S. senator are nothing
short of impeccable.
Weve known her since she was the
DA in San Francisco, and then of course,
when she as attorney general was more
engaged than any attorney general has
been with us in the LGBTQ community,
Zbur said. [She] really engaged with us
and has a really strong commitment and
understanding of our issues.
On transgender issues in particular,
Zbur noted Harris as attorney general
appointed last year a transgender
woman of color, Mariana Marroquin, to
the California Racial & Identity Proling
Advisory Board.
Harris will likely tout her record on
LGBT rights during her remarks at the
21st annual Human Rights Campaign
National Dinner.
But one part of her record she might
avoid is her role as California attorney
general in 2015 in arguing on behalf of the
state to withhold gender reassignment
surgery from two transgender inmates
who were prescribed the procedure while
serving out their sentences. Advocates
have made the case that transgender
inmates are entitled to receive the
taxpayer-funded procedure because
denying them medical treatment amounts
to cruel and unusual punishment a
clear violation of the Eighth Amendment
of the U.S. Constitution.
One case involved Shiloh Quine,
whos serving a term of life for rst-
degree murder, kidnapping and robbery.
The other case involved Michelle-Lael
Norsworthy, who was serving time in
prison in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione,
Calif., for second-degree murder. Both
were prescribed gender reassignment
surgery, but the California Department
of Corrections & Rehabilitation refused
to provide the procedure.
The process of the Norsworthy
case was quite public as it proceeded
through litigation. Although U.S. District
Judge Jon Tigar ordered California to
grant Norsworthy gender reassignment
surgery, Harris in her capacity as attorney
general appealed the decision to the U.S.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and fought
to reverse the decision.
One 29-page brief in the case, signed
by Harris, urges a stay on the court
order for Norsworthy because the
hormone treatment the inmate receives
is sucient at least for the time being.
The core of Ms. Norsworthys complaint
is that Defendants have not provided
the particular treatment she wants sex-
reassignment surgery and unspecied
additional treatment, Harris writes. But
the Constitution does not guarantee to
a prisoner the treatment of his choice.
The Eighth Amendment requires that an
inmate be aorded reasonable measures
to meet a substantial risk of serious harm
to her, not that she be given the specic
care she demands. The essential test is
one of medical necessity and not one
simply of desirability.
Ultimately, both the Norsworthy and
Quine cases resulted in settlements.
Norsworthy reached an agreement with
the state in which she obtained parole. As
a result, she was able to obtain surgery
through Medi-Cal, a state health care
system in California. In the Quine case,
the state agreed to grant her gender
reassignment surgery as well as clothing
and items consistent with her gender
identity. The California Department
of Corrections & Rehabilitation also
agreed to review and revise its policies
writ large for transgender inmates and
medical treatment, including gender
reassignment surgery.
But Harris actions in the Norsworthy
case have inspired consternation in the
transgender community and on Twitter,
including from Chelsea Manning, who
fought to receive gender reassignment
surgery though litigation during her time
in prison after the Army initially denied
it to her. (A Washington Blade article
on Harris brief against the court order
is among the papers top 10 tracked
stories this year the only story not
from 2017 to hold that distinction.)
Zbur said criticism of Harris role in the
litigation, however, is really misplaced
because as attorney general she was
compelled to represent the position of her
client, which in this case was the California
Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.
As a lawyer for the government,
she was constrained in what she could
publicly say and do and her client was
making decisions, but with us she really
working hard to understand the issue,
providing information, and I think she
was a big part of the resolution, which
resulted in the really signicant policy
changes that were implemented by the
Department of Corrections when she
was attorney general, Zbur said.
But the argument Harris was compelled
to ght the court order granting gender
reassignment surgery to an inmate
because that was her responsibility as
attorney general raises the question on
how she got out of similar duties in an
eort to uphold LGBT rights. If Harris
could get out of defending Proposition 8
or certifying the Kill the Gays initiative,
why couldnt she also opt out of litigation
seeking to bar transition-related care to a
transgender inmate?
Zbur said the dierence between
the transgender inmate litigation and
the other two situations was that in
the former, Harris had a specic client,
namely, the California Department of
Corrections & Rehabilitation.
When you have a client, you basically
have ethical duties to represent the
clients interest, Zbur said. You take productive for transgender rights. After
direction from the client. And so, she did
really have constraints in terms of what
she could do, but I think the bottom line
is that during that period of time, she
was working hand-in-hand with us on
a process that resulted in changing the
O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 1 7
policies at the Department of Corrections,
and thats a really signicant thing.
At the time Harris engaged in the litigation
in 2015, Jon Davidson, legal director for
Lambda Legal, said the attorney generals
actions were her own choice.
Even where the decision is made to
defend an unconstitutional practice,
theres nothing that dictates the tactics
of that defense, particularly once a
court has found there are likely ongoing
constitutional violations, Davidson said.
The choice to appeal a preliminary
court order and to seek to delay its
implementation is just that a choice.
Its also a very unfortunate one, given that
what is at stake here is potentially life-
saving treatment that is widely recognized
as medically necessary for some people
suering from gender dysphoria.
It seems the cases werent on Harris
radar, even though her name is on each
of the legal briefs, until much later in the
process of litigation.
Nathan Barankin, whos chief of sta
for Harris and served as her deputy
attorney general, said around 1,100
attorneys are working on cases like these
and Harris wasnt personally aware or
involved in the litigation until a later time.
She did learn about our oces
involvement in this case by reading
about it in the newspaper, Barankin
said. Her reaction to the way the case
was being litigated was to work very
closely with all of the parties involved
to reach what we consider a successful
conclusion, which was a permanent
change in state prison policy on the
treatment of transgender inmates.
Two years later after the settlements were
reached, Lambda Legal struck a dierent
tone on Harris handling of the lawsuit.
Peter Renn, a senior attorney in the
Western Regional Oce of Lambda Legal
who works on transgender cases, said the
situation changed in the lawsuits as Harris
became more involved in the litigation.
The California AGs oce shifted its
handling of these cases signicantly after
now-Sen. Harris took over, Renn said.
Initially there was language in brieng
for the state that glaringly misunderstood
the medical necessity of transition-
related medical care and was patently
oensive. But then, there was a dramatic
change, which seems to have gone along
with important policy shifts.
Supporters of Harris point to the
settlements that were reached in the
cases as evidence that her role was
all, those agreements created precedent
in the state and new policy ensuring
transgender people in California prisons
can receive gender reassignment surgery.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

18 OC T OB E R 27, 2017 H E A LT H N E W S

Minneapolis may lift bathhouse ban

MINNEAPOLIS About 50 residents gathered at a gay bar this week to discuss
the possibility of lifting Minneapolis ban on bathhouses, City Pages reports.
OutFront Minnesota representatives oered a legal analysis and the Red Door
Clinic sta gave a health perspective. Audience members said gay group sex parties
are common here, often taking place at homes or hotel rooms. Now that PrEP has
been embraced as a reliable HIV-prevention technique, some argue that a centralized,
clean, controlled site that oers shame-free regular testing would be welcomed.
Educated at Brown, Harvard, But the city is holding to a 30-year-old city law that denes HIV as an irreversible
and uniformly fatal disease that led to the closing of the citys bathhouses in
and Johns Hopkins 1986 and prevents new ones from being able to open.
Minneapolis used this so-called bathhouse ordinance last year to raid and
Washingtonian Magazine Top Doc close down a popular, unlicensed gay sex club operating out of a warehouse
US News & World Report in north Minneapolis. The owner had to move the weekly parties to a smaller,
private residence. The sex went on, just without testing that the Red Door Clinic
Top 1% of Doctors in USA health workers used to oer at the former location, City Pages reports.
At the time, city ocials spoke of rewriting the ordinance and researching
Dual Board Certified: Minneapolis appetite for a commercial sex venue. But as the year winds toward
Facial Plastic Surgery its close, the city has not oered the expected changes.
Body Plastic Surgery Speakers implied that the citys refusal to address scientic prevention
advances has an anti-sex, anti-gay undertone, City Pages reports.

Porn affects how gay men view themselves

NEW YORK Gay and bi men who watch porn report greater body-related stress
and anxiety, body dissatisfaction and eating disorders as well as negative body
analysis compared to straight men who watch porn, a new study has found.
A survey of more than 1,000 gay men published in the Archives of Sexual
Behavior last month found that between 96-99 percent of gay men watch porn
vs. 72-76 percent of straight men.
In an interview with Vice, one of the studys authors Jerey T. Parsons, a
professor at Hunter College and founder of its Center for HIV Educational
Studies and Training, said that the links between negative body image, engaging
in risky sex and not taking HIV medication on time stem from from the broader
mental health issues that gay men still grapple with on a daily basis: stigma,
discrimination, stress from being part of a marginalized group.
Greater consumption of porn was directly related to more negative body attitude
and both depressive and anxious behavior. There was also a signicant indirect eect
of porn consumption on depressive and anxious symptoms through body attitude.
One Supreme Court decision didnt reverse decades of discrimination, he
Laser Liposuction told Vice. If you add Trumps daily threats to the LGBT community and overlay
that with the feeling I feel bad about my body, the idea of then taking your
Pec and Ab Etching HIV medications its like, Well, maybe Ill just put that aside because Im feeling
Facial Rejuvenation so depressed and anxious and unhappy with how I look. Some people really
Gynecomastia allow the negativity they feel in their body to limit how well they take care of
their health.
Laser Hair Removal
Botox & Skin Care
Anti-gay church teaching takes toll: study
Transgender Surgeries
Ultherapy SYDNEY, Australia Faith leaders who insist same-sex couples should not be able
to marry even those who also promote love and support for LGB people may be
causing serious harm to the mental health of LGB individuals, the author of a new study
CALL TO ASK on the impacts of religious anti-gay prejudice has said, ABC Online in Australia reports.

ABOUT OUR
LGBT people have frequently been shown in previous studies to have poorer
mental health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts, resulting in part

LASER LIPO SPECIALS

from the stress that prejudice and anti-gay discrimination can cause.
But in the new study, published this week in the American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, researchers from Macquarie University found both LGB and
heterosexual people who were exposed to even subtle religious anti-gay prejudice,
such as disapproval of same-sexuality among religious groups, displayed higher
levels of stress, shame, depression and anxiety, ABC Online reports.
The four-year study surveyed 1,600 individuals in the United States across a range
of metrics including mental health, the level of perceived conict between religion
and sexuality, social support, experiences of abuse as well as drug and alcohol use.
Respondents were also invited to rate perceived or encountered disapproval of same-
sex sexuality from family, friends, their school and workplace, as well as faith communities.
It found that religious anti-gay prejudice also negatively impacted straight people.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

FITNESS OC T OB E R 27, 2017 19

The coffee question

The good, bad and ugly of pre-workout Joe

For many, coee is a key part of the

morning ritual. A cup of coee wakes
you up, gets you ready for the day
and often can just make us happy.
Coee also can be tremendously
benecial to your workout if used in
the appropriate dosages. Improved
DAVID MAGIDA is founder of Elevate Interval Fit- eciency, fatigue and pain
ness, a member of the Reebok Spartan Race Pro resistance and a boost of energy
Team and author of The Essentials of Obstacle
Racing: A Beginners Guide. You can catch a class
are all noticeable benets from pre-
with him at Elevate on 14th Street or at its new workout coee. However, excessive
location in the Mosaic District in Fairfax, Va. coee use can lead to a number of
issues with your body. Its time to
take the deep dive into the good, the bad and the ugly of coee with your workout.
The good:
Theres no doubt coee can give you an edge in many ways. When you wake
up, coee in the morning may be part of your routine. Establishing a routine and
keeping it allows you to get your day started with a nice rhythm and can help
you focus on attacking your workout head on right out of the gates. So theres
certainly a mental advantage to coee in the morning.
Physically, we all know that the caeine in a cup of Joe can boost your energy,
but did you know it can also provide your muscles with resistance to fatigue?
This enables you to train harder and faster, maximizing your benets and
improving your overall eciency. The caeine can even numb your muscles to
the pain you feel from things like muscular stress, exhaustion and even lactic
acid buildup. Numbing your muscles just a hair enables you to squeeze every
last bit out of them.
The bad:
But lets be honest, coee can boost your performance but it isnt some miracle
drug to make you better. It also has a few adverse eects worth noting. Before
you chug six cups of java and try to knock out your next big training session,
remember that caeine is a diuretic. Simultaneously, it can alter your bodys
PH balance, shifting you to slightly more acidic. In combination, this can lead to
dehydration and even muscular cramping as a result. Theres a ne balance of a
cup or two to create maximum benet without going overboard and negatively
impacting your body.
Coee can also make you jittery and give that achy, anxious feeling when you
drink too much and begin sweating before you even start your workout. Its not
a great feeling. And if you train at night, you risk sacricing sleep just because
you ingested a cup of coee a few hours before bed. That sleep is key for your
recovery, to allow you to absorb as much as you can from your workout. Timing
with your coee is key. And lets not forget, pre-workout caeine presents an
even trickier issue to deal with: accelerating your digestive system.
The ugly:
When you consume large doses of caeine, your digestive system, specically
your gastro-intestinal (GI) tract can start to work on hyper drive. The end result
can vary, but excessive caeine can lead to GI distress, abdominal pain bloating
and even, you guessed it, the runs. This is the type of thing that can completely
derail your workout. Nobody needs a rhythm breaker like that. If youre training
properly, the workout itself is already dicult enough to throw GI concerns into
the mix. The potential associated pain is also nothing to joke about. This can be
the stu of nightmares, so to avoid it, be sure to limit your coee intake to one
or two cups maximum before training. And, to be safe, you may want to leave
yourself an hour or two for nature to run its course before heading to the gym
or out on a run.
This isnt meant to scare you away from your pre-workout java ritual. If it
works for you, absolutely keep on consuming it. But consider the quantity if
your consumption, the length and intensity of your workout and the time gap
until your session begins before chugging that Venti. Youll avoid any potential
disasters. And used in just the right dosage, it will allow you to crush your
workout or even your competition.

2 0 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017
Why is White House
ignoring the Blade?
Press secretary hasnt called
on LGBT outlet since May
CHRIS JOHNSON is chief political reporter for
the Washington Blade.
Time to level with our readers: the Washing-
ton Blade has eectively been iced out from
asking questions in the White House brieng
room under the Trump administration.
Even though I regularly attend the brief-
ings on behalf of the Blade each day theyre
held, the last time a White House press sec-
retary called on me during an on-camera
news conference was in May.
That last question came around the time
of the departure of Sean Spicer who, de-
spite his faults, would call on the Blade
and the rise of Sarah Huckabee Sanders to
the role of Trumps top spokesperson.
Many times during the briengs, I see
Sanders look directly at me as I raise my
hand for a question, but she nonetheless
skips me for another reporter, usually
from a conservative, Trump-friendly out-
let like Breitbart or Newsmax.
Thats a stark contrast from briengs dur-
ing each year of the Obama administration
when press secretaries Robert Gibbs, Jay Car-
ney and Josh Earnest would take my ques-
tions regularly. President Obama called on
me himself during his nal press conference.
The current situation is sadly consistent
with the treatment of the Blade during the
George W. Bush administration. That was
before my time, but the White House out-
right refused to credential the Blade for news
conferences during Bushs second term as he
pushed for a Federal Marriage Amendment.
The Blade has otherwise been credentialed
since the Reagan administration.
Cut to today: The White House refuses to
take inquiries from the only LGBT publication
in the White House at a time when the ad-
ministration continuously rolls out anti-LGBT
policies. Among them is a ban on transgen-
der military service; a rollback of LGBT civil
rights protections at the Justice Department;
sending an attorney to a federal court in New
York to argue ring people for being gay is
perfectly legal; and new religious freedom
guidance that essentially green lights the de-
nial of services to LGBT people.
At rst, I chalked up the inability to get
a question to the expanded presence of
reporters in the brieng room at the start
of the new administration, each of whom
is eager to have the press secretarys at-
tention, combined with the brevity of the
briengs. However, the consistent pass-
ing over of the Blade for ve months now
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VIEWPOINT
suggests something else is at work.
Weve tried to resolve this situation
through email correspondence with Sanders.
She told me skipping over the Blade was not
at all purposeful and said shed make a point
of calling on me during the next brieng. But
when the next brieng rolls around, she still
doesnt call on the Blade. Sanders has given
us repeated assurances shed call on the
Blade, but never follows through.
Given the anti-LGBT actions of the
Trump administration, perhaps it should
come as no surprise the top spokesperson
doesnt want to take ownership of the poli-
cies under questioning from the only LGBT
publication in the brieng room.
But there might be something more to
ignoring the Blade: Sanders herself, as
documented by the LGBT media watch-
dog GLAAD, has an anti-gay record. Is that
inuencing her decision on whom to call
on during the briengs?
Prior to joining the Trump administra-
tion, Sanders headed the American Prin-
ciples Fund, a Super PAC with ties to the
anti-LGBT National Organization for Mar-
riage that essentially attacked Republican
candidates for not being anti-gay enough.
Blade readers may remember in 2013 the
very public feud between Liz Cheney when
she was running for a U.S. Senate seat in Wyo-
ming and her lesbian sister Mary Cheney over
same-sex marriage. To Marys chagrin, Liz op-
posed same-sex marriage even though the
candidate stopped short of endorsing a Feder-
al Marriage Amendment to ban it nationwide.
But that opposition wasnt good enough
for Sanders and the American Principles
Fund, which aired a 30-second TV attack ad
against Liz Cheney and accused of her aban-
doning the GOP on social issues for declining
to support a Federal Marriage Amendment.
The unilateral truce on social issues
within the GOP is bad for our party and
wrong for our country - our core values are
under attack, and we will stand for those
who stand for whats right, Huckabee
Sanders said in a statement at the time.
Huckabee Sanders is the White House
press secretary now. That means engaging
with established, credentialed media outlets
whether theyre towing the Trump line or not.
The Blade has been around for nearly
50 years and continues to aggressively
cover LGBT news at the local, national
and international levels. Fortunately, our
presence in the White House pool rota-
tion, arranged not through the White
House but the White House Correspon-
dents Association, is unchanged.
LGBT Americans deserve to have our ques-
tions answered at the White House regardless
of which administration is in power and this
freezing out of our publication must stop.
VOLUME 48 ISSUE 43
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

V I E W PO I N T O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 2 1

NFLs embrace of Timberlake a racist, sexist joke concluded: The FCC found nothing to sug-
Super Bowl gig rightly gest they had planned the moment, as ESPN
outrages Janet Jackson fans reported. That nding is consistent with Jack-
sons denials that it was planned.
Ten years after Powell pretended to be of-
fended by the split-second nipple ash in a
series of TV interviews, he nally admitted the
truth to ESPN. I think weve been removed
from this long enough for me to tell you that I
had to put my best version of outrage on that
I could put on, he said, while rolling his eyes.
KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade
Nevertheless, Jackson was immediately
and can be reached at kna@washblade.com. blacklisted by CBS, MTV Networks and main-
stream corporate radio. She was disinvited
Conrmation this week that Justin Tim- from the Grammy Awards that year, despite
berlake will headline the 2018 Super Bowl being a 26-time nominee and ve-time win-
oers further evidence of the NFLs rac- ner. Timberlake was welcomed at the cer-
ism, sexism and ageism. Its craven lunacy emony, accompanied by his mommy. He
that NFL executives would ask Timberlake used the opportunity to apologize, dutifully
back while continuing to boycott all things carrying water for a network and a con-
Janet Jackson in the wake of the duos in- servative Republican administration at
famous 2004 nipple-baring performance. the expense of his one-time friend Jackson.
The black woman took the fall for the acci- It was a cruel stab in the back for Jackson,
dent, while the white boy was celebrated and who did so much to advance Timberlakes
saw his career take o in the aftermath. Yes, I career. Before letting him share her Super
said accident. Amid the endless speculation Bowl stage, Jackson hired Timberlake and
about whether it was planned or not, one his cheesy boyband mates from N*Sync to
fact is always forgotten: the FCC under then- open for her on 1997s acclaimed Velvet
Chair Michael Powell launched a thorough Rope world tour. Many had never heard
investigation into the incident, prodded by of Timberlake before that tour.
angry members of Congress. The senior MTV Timberlake would go on to appropriate
executive in charge of the show was forced Janet and Michael Jacksons style and moves;
to turn over her laptop to investigators, who hes the appropriator-in-chief, stealing lib-
erally from the Jackson playbook and from
other black artists over the years. He once
even wore his hair in cornrows, an uninten-
tionally hilarious and cringe-worthy choice.
When Timberlake was the target of the
MTV prank show Punkd, his true person-
ality was revealed. The gag involved IRS
agents and a moving truck showing up at
Timberlakes mansion as hes told he owes
$900,000 in unpaid taxes and his belong-
ings are being repossessed. He bursts into
tears and again calls mommy for help.
When he realizes its a gag and that camer-
as are rolling, he reverts to his phony bad
boy persona, complete with yo yo yos.
Timberlake is a copycat, a cheap imitation of
talent. Hes an average-looking Mickey Mouse
Club alumnus who rode a wave of 90s teeny-
bop cheese to undeserved fame and fortune.
He is the embodiment of mediocrity. A saccha-
rine, non-threatening, milquetoast pop star
for the white bread Orlando suburbs.
And yet, the NFL is giving him the head-
liner slot at the Super Bowl at a time when
the country is nally beginning to engage in
a dialogue about systemic racism thanks to
athletes taking a knee during the National An-
them. Two steps forward and two steps back.
Virtually no one seems to think Jackson
stands a chance of being invited back to the
Super Bowl, even though shes the much
bigger star by any measure. Timberlakes
four solo studio albums have sold about 27
million copies worldwide, compared to Jack-
sons roughly 160 million records sold. Shes
won every music industry award there is
a total of 370, including ve Grammys, 33
Billboard Music Awards and 11 AMAs. She
even holds nine Guinness World Records,
has an Oscar nomination and was named
MTVs inaugural Icon award recipient.
The next generation of pop stars have
unanimously cited Jackson as a primary inu-
ence and her music has been covered by ev-
eryone from Whitney Houston and Prince to
Buckcherry and most recently Katy Perry.
And though Timberlake is much younger,
Jackson is proving her modern relevance
and staying power. While Timberlakes last
album was released in 2013, Jacksons last
outing was 2015s Unbreakable, which de-
buted at No.1 on Billboards albums chart,
her seventh compared to three solo No. 1
albums for Timberlake. Jackson is currently
on a 56-date State of the World tour selling
out arenas across the country at age 51.
But back to Timberlake. The NFLs em-
brace of this cad, who so blithely tossed Jack-
son under the bus, reinforces all the racist,
sexist and ageist stereotypes about Ameri-
can popular culture. The decision this week
sparked a new trending hashtag, Justice-
4Janet. Jackson gracefully endured years of
ridicule and boycotts, yet has proven herself
the better person and the bigger star, de-
spite the NFLs unfortunate decision.

CO MM UNI K A TE

Halloween? I could take it or leave it

But should I dress as
RBG or Wonder Woman?
KATE CLINTON is a longtime humorist. She
writes regularly for the Blade.
My fathers answer to a lot of things
was, I could take it or leave it. Even
though he had not been asked to do ei-
ther. I am trying to make that my mantra
in my mineeldness practice.
So about Halloween: I could take it or
leave it. OK, once in 6th grade, when I
caused an apple-dunking contest to get a
little rough and tumble, I did enjoy Hallow-
een. All my tumescent girl-crushes became
unwitting runners-up in an impromptu
wet T-shirt contest. That I could take.
But as someone whose full-time job
was concealing my dangerous, hormon-
ally Vesuvian lesbianism, I was not into
costumes as a fun hobby. My daily Catho-
lic school uniform was welcome protec-
tive camouage. It prevented inevitable
gaes like appearing for 5th grade Career
Day dressed in full work overalls, snap
cap, steel-toed Keds and a tool belt.
Thus when I nally came out, my Hallow-
een costuming suered from a distinct lack
of imagination. I wore the same thing every
year. It was with great sadness that I retired
my Marie Curie costume with its ingenious
use of aluminum foil and crackling red cel-
lophane. It was time. No one greeted me at
parties with, Hey, Marie. No one was fooled.
Last year I was so involved in the presi-
dential campaign, I did not have time to
take my go-to Margaret Mead uniform to
the cleaners after Halloween. My dryclean-
er says she is unable to get out the year-
old, set-in blackberry wine stains.
I cant take it. I am as crushed as one of
those little blackberries. When I would duck
into my Margaret Mead muumuu, pop on the
wire-rim glasses, slip into sensible shoes, cut
in some bangs, and pick up my walking stick,
I would become that wise, world-traveling an-
thropologist. O to study other cultures.
This year, deprived of the protective uni-
form of my famous women costumes, I de-
cided to go less Tussaud, more contempo. I
too have been observing the culture.
Unfortunately the young clerk at the pop-
up Halloween store did not understand my
request. Do you carry the Wonder Woman
costume? The Wonder Woman from the
rst 20 minutes of the movie? The one who
was a happy Amazon, trained by the Claire
from House of Cards before she mistook
Botox for acting? The Wonder Woman be-
fore her power was zapped by a crisis of co-
dependency that forced her to rescue that
damn yboy in distress, causing the whole
Amazon Utopia to crumble? That one?
After the election, I was a Prude for Democ-
racy. Always delicately asking, Can he do that?
Sning, Can he talk about federal judges that
way? Wincing, Should he be tweeting? But as
the months have passed, each one a century
long, I have become rude, crude, and lewd for
Democracy. No more Mrs. Nice Gay. My stress
spinner is now brass knuckles.
This Halloween I plan to abandon my
genteel tributes to historical women. The
current totalitarian zeitgeist does not rep-
resent a singularity but a total shit storm
of fractured institutions and identities. And
those white sheets are so over-used. Instead
of full unhidden gures, I am going with a
more ironic, abstract, Picassoan, fractured,
fright-night Halloween costume. There is a
new freedom dressing as an inanimate ob-
ject. And the nice thing is you can still keep a
Mitch McConnell costume as your fall-back.
Hes been dead for years.
Here are some of the ideas Ive been work-
ing on with my designers. A giant orange
tweeting yam. The boom-stock on Harvey
Weinsteins dick. Russian nesting Bobblehead
Pocket Rocket Boy Dolls. Sarah Huckabee
Sanders eyebrows. (But we are having trou-
ble coordinating the hydraulics of the lift and
arch with the lip service). A hologram of the
Cheshire smirk of Jeerson Noregard Sessions
superimposed on a shredder. A purple GAG,A
(Gays Against Guns, Asshole) hat topped with
a Christmas crche, balanced on a rainbow
wedding cake, blaring, Don, we are not now
gay apparel. The thing weighs more than that
belt buckle on Melatonins sheathe dress.
Oh just leave it. Im sticking with the
dames. I still have enough time to get a kick-
ass, spark-spitting Ruth Bader Ginsburg to-
gether. I plan to wear it for a lot of years.

2 2 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017
NFL protests changed how I view sports
Players are ghting for racial
justice, First Amendment
KATHI WOLFE, a regular contributor to the
Blade, was the winner of the 2014 Stonewall
Chapbook Competition.
Im heartbroken that, once again, the Na-
tionals didnt advance in the playos this
season. Yet, I know as much about sports
as I do about astrophysics. You watch ball-
games like a poet, a friend tactfully said af-
ter I admitted to being clueless about what
a shortstop does. Football and other sports
arent usually on my radar, and I normally
think of athletes as entertainers rather than
as citizens with political views.
Recently, my feelings about sports
have changed. The NFL National Anthem
controversy has altered how I see ath-
Stop talking about Bernie at the DNC
Only Democrats should have
a say in how party is run
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights
and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.
It is time the Democratic National
Committee stopped taking Bernie Sand-
ers into consideration as it goes about
the business of organizing and electing
Democrats. Sanders by his own words,
which he states often and loudly, is not a
Democrat. The leader of the organization
he founded Our Revolution has clearly
stated they have no commitment to elect-
ing Democrats. So its time to get over the
debate within the DNC over who support-
ed whom in the last election.
This time around the criteria for being
on the DNC, which by the way is all volun-
teer, should be you are a Democrat and
enthusiastically committed to supporting
letes and sporting events. Baseball and
football games, tennis matches and other
athletic competitions are highly enter-
taining. Whats more fun than munching
chips and salsa, drinking a few beers and
watching the Super Bowl? Yet, to view
sports as only entertainment is to miss
how intricately it is linked to politics.
For the past year, led by former San
Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kae-
pernick, some NFL players have knelt in
protest during the anthem. Theyve taken
a knee to highlight the unfairness and
racism in our countrys criminal justice
system. Some 49ers protested on Oct.
15 during the anthem at a game against
the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field.
In a notably political stunt, Vice President
Mike Pence walked out on Oct. 8 when
some of the 49ers knelt in protest dur-
ing the anthem in a game against the In-
dianapolis Colts. I left todays Colts game
because @POTUS and I will not dignify
any event that disrespects our soldiers,
our Flag, or our National Anthem, Pence
(who had been ordered by President Don-
ald J. Trump to leave the game) tweeted.
Trump has called the protesting play-
Democrats in the general election. We
need to be realists. Tom Perez won the
chairmanship of the party and has the
right to name people who supported him
to the national committee. Why would
anyone question that? His list of nominees
is diverse and representative of every area
of the country and every group that has
supported Democratic victories. Its time
to stop the squabbling and move forward.
I have been a Democrat all my life. I
have often supported the losing candidate
in a primary. But after the primary I step
up and support the winner going all out
to ensure they win the general election. I
dont wait for them to come to me before I
do that. As a Democrat and someone who
is a progressive I know how important it
is to win as we work toward Democratic
majorities in state legislatures, winning
governors mansions, and taking back the
majority in Congress in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
It appears too many of the insiders in
the DNC have lost track of those goals
and are ghting intra-party ghts that
hurt all of us who want to see progress
made on all the issues we care about. I
have written about him before but a
person to emulate is Tom Perriello who
ran a primary against Lt. Governor Ralph
ers sons of bitches, said that team own-
ers should re them for taking a knee and
tweeted that the NFL should no longer
receive tax breaks because it doesnt re-
spect our Anthem, Flag and Country.
Racism underlies the patriotic gloss
in Trumps tweets. Trump did not want
Blacks living in his buildings or handling
his money, American Civil Liberties
Union deputy legal director and direc-
tor of the Trone Center for Justice and
Equality wrote on the ACLU website, his
encouragement of police brutality and
championing of unconstitutional stop
and frisk policies are not race neutral.
Why do I, a white lesbian who watches
the Super Bowl for the cool ads, believe
that all of us, hetero or queer, should
care about these protests? Being able to
peacefully protest is a constitutional right
for citizens of the United States. Trumps
tweets threaten our First Amendment
right of free expression. Players have a
platform and its his right to do that, NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell said when
Kaepernick began his protests last fall.
But Trumps tweets are having a chilling
impact. Trump has changed that whole
Northam for the Democratic nomina-
tion for governor of Virginia. Though I
thought his race was a waste of money,
I applauded Perriello because after his
loss he immediately turned around and
enthusiastically endorsed Northam. No
negotiation, no waiting, he did it the night
he lost. Hillary Clinton did the same for
Barack Obama in 2008 at the convention.
Then she and Bill went out on the stump
and worked their hearts out to elect him.
She didnt talk about herself or make de-
mands on him, she just worked hard to
elect him.
The only people who should have a
voice in the DNC are Democrats. You can
ght about issues and ght about the way
forward but if you are not willing to join
the party your views dont matter in the
internal workings of the party. The stupid-
ity of some people still claiming the DNC
xed the last primaries is amazing. These
people clearly dont even understand our
electoral system. The DNC doesnt run
primaries, states do. They dont take their
orders from the DNC as to how they actu-
ally run them. In fact what the DNC did in
2016 was generously let a non-Democrat
run in Democratic primaries. Maybe now
they learned their lesson for the future. It
was Claire Boothe Luce who rst said, No
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
VIEWPOINT
paradigm of what protest is, Stephen
Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, told
The Palm Beach Post.
Changing public opinion now, he add-
ed, makes it incumbent for players to
stand during the anthem.
When the right of free expression for
one group is threatened it is diminished
for everyone. The queer community has a
history of achieving social change through
peaceful protest. Any threat to the First
Amendment should be a red ag for us.
Historically and, even now, LGBTQ people
have experienced police brutality and ha-
rassment. Think of entrapment, police raids
on bars (Stonewall) and the unjust treat-
ment of transgender people. How can we
not support NFL players who are protesting
the racism and injustice of our justice system
toward people of color? Who isnt appalled
that Trump is using racism and football as
hes used hysteria over transgender people
and bathrooms to rally his base?
Lets respect our country by supporting
the right to peacefully protest injustice.
I N SI D E LG BT W A SH I N G T O N
good deed goes unpunished.
We have a host of good candidates
across the nation running at every level
of government. Some are already nomi-
nated without opposition, others are run-
ning in primaries. We need the DNC to be
ready and able to support every Demo-
crat who stands for the basic principles of
our party and is committed to voting for
the Democratic leadership whether it be
in their statehouse or Congress. We need
to support Democrats and not get side-
tracked with third-party candidates be-
cause we dont agree with every position
the Democrat may take. There will never
be a candidate with whom you agree 100
percent unless you are the candidate. If
you dont like the options in a primary
get out there and run. But if you run in a
Democratic primary be prepared to com-
mit to support the winner with everything
you have as they should be prepared to
support you if you win.
I have high hopes for the DNC to regain
its footing and move the party forward.
Having recently had the chance to chat
with Jess OConnell, the new CEO of the
DNC, I am sure under her wise direction
and with her wealth of experience, the
party will be successful in 2017, 2018,
2020 and beyond.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
B R O CK PA PE R SCI SSORS
Oh High Heel Race, never leave us
In Trump era, we need our
marquee queer events
BROCK THOMPSON is a D.C.-based freelance
writer. He writes regularly for the Blade.
The mayor, you gotta hand it to her. This
week in her newsletter, Mayor Muriel Bows-
er encouraged all Washingtonians to join
her for one of the citys most unique and
popular events, D.C.s own High Heel Race.
In case youre new to D.C. or have been
living under some rock in Arlington, let
me briey lay it out it for you. Way back in
1986, a plucky Madonna warned us of the
perils of teen pregnancy with Papa Dont
Preach, Oprah Winfrey rst came on the
O UR B USI NES S MATTER S
Are donkeys and elephants now dinosaurs, or dodos?
More moderate independent
voters alienated by
extremism of both parties
MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur
and community business advocate. Follow
on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at
OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.
Line up 10 representative voters to
gain insight into the continuing low level
of aliation with either of the two major
political parties.
The resulting headcount is four vot-
ers identifying as independents, and
three each aligning with the Democratic
and Republican brands. Among those
35 years old and younger, independent
identication consistently comprises fully
half of this age group in polling.
Political estrangement from the Republi-
can and Democratic parties shows no sign
of abating among the public. Neither partys
establishment leadership appears prepared
to adapt to this new era of voter alienation.
scene, and 25 drag queens raced from JR.s
Bar and Grill to Annies Paramount Steak-
house on 17th Street, running upstairs to
take a shot, and back to JR.s. And thats
played out more or less every year since to
larger and larger crowds of spectators all
eager to snap pictures of the best in drag.
Theres no mistaking that two of the citys largest,
most-vibrant celebrations, Pride and the High
Heel Race are also the best parties in town.
From what Im hearing, some gays have
started to pooh-pooh the High Heel Race,
giving the all-too-familiar line of no one sary anymore? Can we sustain them if so?
goes to that anymore, its too crowded.
Has the event become more and more
straight? Has it lost its queer edge? This
column has touched on all this before.
As gay culture becomes more and more
mainstream, as we start to appear in may-
With independents characteristically
more centrist than partisan loyalists, the
shift by both parties toward increasingly
extremist political identities and radical
policy positions is proving unpopular.
Gallups annual poll last month under-
scores this prevalent attitude among in-
dependents and even adherents of both
parties.
A record-setting 61 percent now believe
that a third major political party is needed.
Barely a third, at 34 percent, think that the
current major parties are sucient.
The four-in-10 independents over-
whelmingly support the creation of a
third party, at 77 percent. Only 17 per-
cent of independents take the view that
the Democratic and Republican parties
are adequate.
A majority of Democrats, notably, hold
the same opinion, at 52 percent. A near
majority of Republicans, at a 49 percent
plurality, also agree.
Meanwhile, both parties are in func-
tional disarray.
Republicans, enjoying the partys stron-
gest nationwide position since 1928, con-
trol both congressional assemblies and
the White House, along with an extensive
preponderance of state and local govern-
ments. Yet the party is plagued with in-
ghting and a disruptor-in-chief with little
allegiance to the partys infrastructure, ad-
oral newsletters, do we lose that edginess?
Well, maybe. But there are still a lot of pol-
itics wrapped up in drag. And here are a few
reasons why you should both go to the High
Heel Race and take everyone you know.
First, it helps 17th Street maintain its
gayness. Many in the queer community
have written the obituary of the traditional
gayborhood. Are they even really neces-
celebrations, Pride and the High Heel
London has lost almost half its gay ven-
ues in the last decade. Other cities have
reported similar trends. With the recent
addition of rainbow banners and other
public displays, D.C. it seems has been try-
ing to preserve its stretch of queer pave-
herence to legacy policy positions, or incli-
nation toward standard political conduct.
Democrats, still reeling from a decade
of state-level defeats combined with los-
ing both the national legislative and ex-
ecutive branches, continue to be riddled
with internal dysfunction, lack of a coher-
ent or compelling message, a national or-
ganization burdened with debt due lack-
luster fundraising, an atrophied network
of party leadership, and intense battling
over policy.
The GOP struggles to placate the far
right while Democrats attempt to appease
the extremist left, pushing both parties
out of the mainstream. Each rushes to
their respective outlier postures, primarily
focused on rallying a shrinking core base
of supporters, rather than appealing to a
broader, and more moderate, electorate.
Centrist independents, in particular, are
reduced to wondering why neither party
seems to care much about them.
As a result, the political polarization
between parties has grown ever greater.
Illustrating this race to the extremes is
the Pew Research Centers analysis that
95 percent of Republicans are more con-
sistently conservative than the median
Democrat, and 97 percent of Democrats
are more consistently liberal than the me-
dian Republican the largest dichotomy
in two decades of tracking the rapidly ac-
O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 2 3
ment. The High Heel Race brings focus and
crowds back to our old gayborhood.
Second, in the age of Trump, its still im-
portant. Last week it came to light that Presi-
dent Trump joked that Vice President Mike
Pence wants to hang all gay people. So ter-
ribly funny, right? Maybe we had it too good
under Obama, but Trumps aside reminds us
that there are still plenty of people out there
that would rather not have us around. Pub-
lic displays of queerness in the streets,
on the news, in the papers serves a real
purpose. Theyre still simple acts of deance
and important showcases of queer visibility.
Third, its a citywide, city-sanctioned
queer display. The mayor encourages
people to attend. Theres no mistaking
that two of the citys largest, most-vibrant
Race are also the best parties in town.
Finally, its so D.C. Youd be hard
pressed to nd anything else like it. The
whole display is so very Washington.
And that in itself should be celebrated.
Year after year.
celerating split between parties.
One of the very few issues on which
both Republicans and Democrats have
shifted in tandem is cultural anity and
political support concerning LGBT issues.
For the rst time, strong majorities of both
parties say homosexuality should be ac-
cepted. That stance encompasses 70 per-
cent of all Americans and extends to all
major demographics including by sex,
race, education and age. Likewise, 62 per-
cent support same-sex marriage, a new
high, and includes whites, Hispanics and,
for the rst time, a bare majority of blacks.
The historic dominance of the nations
two parties, and the countrys winner-
take-all electoral system, typically oers
independents little incentive or practi-
cal option other than choosing between
major party candidates. There has been
only slight growth in those voting for can-
didates of a minor party.
The dual danger for Democrats and
Republicans, however, is either more
outsiders like Donald Trump and Bernie
Sanders will pursue hostile takeover ef-
forts or that the inevitable market-driven
opportunity will prompt well-funded and
popular alternative candidates to emerge
and capture voter support.
If that happens the dual-party system
may end up like the dinosaur or, per-
haps more aptly, the dodo.
 2 4 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

Join Us for Our LGBTQ Open House!

Wednesday, Nov 1 @ 9am | 4200 Davenport Street NW Washington, DC

At Georgetown Day School, we

cultivate an inclusive,
purposeful, and joyful
community in which each of
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Send your RSVP to:

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prep for all occasions

The PrEP Clinic at Andromeda can help you decide if PrEP is right for you.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM VOLUME 48 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 27, 2017 PAGE 25

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS will sing hits and new songs at her Saturday evening concert in Vienna, Va.

PHOTO COURTESY NO BIG DEAL PR

Damn! Sophies back

90s hitmaker says her artistic drive is stronger than ever
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com

Singer/songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins
is at a place in her life where shes being
highly deliberate about what she does.
Shes sitting on a nished album but
wants to gure out a way to release it
strategically for maximum impact. A
recurring theme in our lengthy phone
chat last week is that there are lots of
great ideas, but several are just not high
on her priority list right now.
Newly single after nearly two decades
in a same-sex relationship, the 52-year-
old singer known for 90s radio staples
Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover and
As I Lay Me Down is back in New York
focusing on her art and raising her two
young children, Dashiell, 8, and Esther, 2.
She makes a rare D.C.-area appearance
this weekend at Jammin Java in Vienna,
Va., on her fall mini-tour. Her comments
have been edited for length.
WASHINGTON BLADE: How does it
feel to be back in New York again after
so many years in Los Angeles?
SOPHIE B. HAWKINS: Well I was born
and raised in Manhattan so when I get
home to New York or anywhere near, I feel
a certain accessibility to my soul. I feel like
this is where I came into the world, where
Im coming back to and where Im allowed
to be me. I can be my age here, I can be a
single woman, so exotic and excited to be
alive, just in the day, and its not weird. I
dont have to drive a fancy car, I dont have
to wear makeup, I can just live and enjoy
everyones energy and creativity. Thats
the dierence between L.A. and New
York. In California, its harder to connect
with people and harder to connect with
peoples creativity. In New York, its very
much coming up from the ground.
BLADE: What can we expect at your
show this weekend and why are you
doing a mini-tour now?
HAWKINS: This mini-tour came about
for a very specic reason. I wanted to go
out and do solo shows without one single
musician, just me because Id never done
that before until weekend before last. I did
it in Massachusetts and Maine and I really
felt like this was the time for me to just
go on stage and really see if Im a good-
enough musician and good-enough artist
and good-enough storyteller to get out
there and be the person that I am (in my
home studio) working and writing songs.
I loved the last two shows. They were
my favorites in a very long time because
I just got up there with my instruments,
my banjo, my drums, my guitar and my
piano, and I sang the songs and it was
so relaxed and emotional and, of course,
intimate, but it was something more. Sort
of a heightened experience. I wouldnt
say its me being me because Im always
me, but its really one on one. Its scary
but thats where I really like it the best.
BLADE: How was it received?
HAWKINS: Both audiences, and not
that this should ever happen again, but
they both gave me standing ovations and
they all came back and it was a dierent
conversation after the show. It really
could have gone terribly thats why I
didnt do it in New York. I could have walked
o the stage and said, Im never doing that
again, and called my guitar player. But Im
actually excited to do it more.
BLADE: Youre working on a musical,
you have a new album in the can, you
did the Janis Joplin play a few years ago
and said you even wrote some songs
as Janis. What all will you be singing?
Stu from your albums or some of that
stu as well?
HAWKINS: Well, OK, rst of all, Im always
going to do my hits. Theyre beautiful and
I just want people to know they wont get
deprived of that. The second thing is Im
denitely doing some new songs. People
CONTINUES ON PAGE 41

2 6 O CTO B ER 2 7 , 2017 Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R G RE G N E LSO N
GREG NELSON
How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
Twenty-six years. My father.
Whos your LGBT hero?
Congressman Alan Lowenthal
(D-Calif.) the rst member of Congress
to permanently display the Pride ag
outside his oce in the Cannon House
Oce Building.
Whats Washingtons best nightspot,
past or present?
I am the wrong person to ask. I met
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
my partner three hours after moving to
D.C., and while we often eat out and dine
with friends, we dont go to bars and
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO tend to be in bed by 10 p.m. every night.
joeyd@washblade.com
Describe your dream wedding.
Every town seems to have that house. You know, the one where the Getz, Gershwin & Gaynor. Creative
residents GO NUTS decorating for the holidays. black & white attire, private ceremony,
In Washington, it could well be the 1609 16th St., N.W. home of Greg Nelson followed by the best theme music of the
and Jose Cunningham. If you frequent the area, you probably know it its decade. Opening with Signature Cocktails
the one next to Church of the Holy City thats always decked out in wildly & Bossa Nova, followed by Farm to Table
extravagant lawn decor no matter the holiday. Menu & American Standards, ending with
And, of course, Halloween is one of the biggies. Nelson, the self-described Dessert & Disco.
Mr. Holiday, started going all out about nine years ago and says that while
Christmas is his favorite (because its truly the most wonderful time of the What non-LGBT issue are you most
year), Halloween and Easter arent far behind. He also says hed put money passionate about?
on the fact that he has the largest collection of red, white and blue bunting Criminal justice reform
and USA stick ags in the city.
Nelson stores the massive collection in his basement and garage. Each What historical outcome
holiday has its own color-coded plastic bins. The most common comments he would you change?
hears are, Thank you for bringing joy to the neighborhood, This is so cool, My rst relationship and
What is this place and Where do you store all this stu? his subsequent involvement with
Cunningham, he says, is supportive and looks at it as Nelsons hobby while serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
he has his own.
Nelson, 47, came to Washington 21 years ago for work. The Minneapolis Whats been the most memorable pop
native works by day as a marketing consultant. He enjoys cooking, mixology, culture moment of your lifetime?
holiday decorating (of course!) and walking his dog Arbo in his free time. The death of Princess Diana.
On what do you insist?
Treating people with respect. Dont say
you arent judgmental if you only listen
Tenly Bulk to one side of the story. People who
assume without knowing all the facts or
Dump Truck Services the reasons why people are the way they
are should think twice before throwing
stones from their own glass houses.
What was your last Facebook
post or Tweet?
Life lesson learned while on the
Bourbon Trail in Kentucky this weekend:
You call & we haul I like my bourbon straight, but my
garages | backyards | basements | commercial
tree trimmimg | grass cutting | power wash
friends can go either way.
Call for rental information
for 13 foot flat bed If your life were a book,
what would the title be?
Delivered and pick up by company
Life is better with a THEME
To schedule your
haul-away or clean up call
202-437-4413
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you do?
Read that news article in the
Washington Post and then head to the
dog park for my morning walk. In other
words, nothing at all.
What do you believe in beyond the
physical world?
That all dogs go to heaven.
Whats your advice for LGBT
movement leaders?
Have an open mind about stopping the
tribal partisanship between Democrats and
Republicans. I know that is much easier
said than done. However, I also know
rst-hand, misconceptions exist on both
sides. Please take a minute and attempt to
listen to one another as individuals before
making broad, sweeping generalizations
just on the basis of political aliation and
sexual orientation.
What would you walk
across hot coals for?
My Labradoodle, Arbo.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
That all gay men have a air for style
and interior decorating.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
The Normal Heart
Whats the most overrated
social custom?
Presidential turkey pardons.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
The original recipe card for my
mothers Swedish meatballs. They are
delicious and award winning.
What do you wish youd known at 18?
You will have friends for seasons,
friends for reasons and friends for life.
Have fun, love and laugh with others but
dont be disappointed or angry when
friendships end. Find wisdom behind the
reasons why some friends have enriched
your life, while others have brought you
disappointment. But most importantly
cherish, love and show gratitude to the
individuals who have stood by you and
helped to clean up your life messes,
because those are the individuals that are
your true friends and matter the most.
Why Washington?
It is the only place in America where
you can never have too much bunting or
too many ags.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 2 7

2 8 O CTO B ER 2 7 , 2017
This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com
Mixed Movement. Nov 1. Dance
Place. danceplace.org.
Washington Jewish Music Festival:
Tararam. Nov 2. WJMF. EDCJCC.
wjmf.org.
MUSIC
Harold Lpez-Nussa Trio. Oct
27. Nellie McKay. Oct 28. The
Everly Brothers Experience. Oct
29. Lydia Loveless. Nov 2. AMP.
ampbystrathmore.com.
NEA Jazz Master Ron Carter Trio. Oct
27. Carrie Mae Weems. Oct 29-Oct 30.
NSO Pops: Pink Martini with China Forbes NSO: Slatkin conducts Bernstein /
Thru Oct 28. Kennedy Center. Stravinskys The Rite of Spring. Nov
kennedy-center.org. 2-Nov 4. Kennedy Center.
With an eclectic, whimsical charm and a repertoire spanning from jazz to kennedy-center.org.
classical to retro pop, the self-described little orchestra and singer China Primary Blues. Oct 28. Victor Provost.
Forbes return to D.C. for a highly anticipated reunion with the NSO. Nov 2. Strathmore. strathmore.org.
Nikolai Lugansky, piano.
Vintage Game Night - Prohibition Edition Nov 1. Washington Performing
Nov 1. Woodrow Wilson House. Arts at Kennedy Center.
woodrowwilsonhouse.org. washingtonperformingarts.org.
Party like its 1917! Commemorate the 100th anniversary of Prohibition in DC Etienne Charles. Oct 28. BlackRock.
with live music by the Foggy Bottom Whomp Stompers, an expanded food blackrockcenter.org.
selection, and a rare glimpse of the historic wine cellar. Tchaikovsky & Roundtree. Oct 29.
Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic
The Book of Mormon
Thru Nov 19. Kennedy Center.
Association. GW Masonic National
Memorial. wmpamusic.org.
kennedy-center.org. Street Scenes: Nicole Saphos,
The nine-time Tony-winning Best Musical follows the misadventures of a Bassist/Vocalist. Nov 2. Hill Center.
mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the hillcenterdc.org.
Good Word. Orlando Consort. Oct 30. Library of
Congress. loc.gov.
Belarus Free Theatre: Burning Doors Warren Wolf and the Wolfpack.
Thru Oct 27. The Clarice. Nov 2. The Clarice. MilkBoy ArtHouse.
theclarice.umd.edu. theclarice.umd.edu.
Pussy Riots Maria Alyokhina stage debut. This blazing new contemporary Pomerium: Flemish Musical Mastery
theatre piece from the refugee-led Belarus Free Theater draws on the in the Age of Bosch and Bloemaert.
companys own experience of political oppression and continues their Oct 29. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.
campaign to stand up for artistic freedom and human rights across the globe. National Philharmonic Chamber
Performed in Russian and Belarusian with English surtitles. This performance Players. Oct 29. Potter Violins.
contains nudity, adult language and scenes of a violent nature. Recommended pottersviolins.com.
for mature audiences. Jacques-pierre Malan, cello; Sahun
Hong, piano. Oct 31. Embassy Series.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KENNEDY CENTER
Residence of the South African
Ambassador. embassyseries.org.
FMMC--Strathmore Mansion Concert
Series. Nov 2. FMMC. Strathmore.
THEATRE The Gondoliers. Thru Oct 29. GMU
Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu.
fmmc.org.
Sachal Ensemble. Oct 27. Maggie
Antony and Cleopatra. Thru Nov 19. The Accidental Pilgrim. Thru Oct 28. Rose. Oct 29. Bernhoft. Nov 1. Wolf
Folger Theatre. folger.edu. A Comedy of Horrors. Oct 27-Oct 28. Trap. The Barns. wolftrap.org.
An Act of God. Thru Nov 26. Signature DC Arts Center (DCAC). Big Band Halloween Scream. Oct 30.
Theatre. sigtheatre.org. dcartscenter.org. The Clarice. theclarice.umd.edu.
The Eect. Thru Oct 29. Studio Shear Madness. Thru Nov 26. Bombay Rickey. Oct 28. M-NCPPC. BSU
Theatre. studiotheatre.org. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org. Performing Art Center.
Our Town. Thru Nov 12. Olney
Theatre. olneytheatre.org.
Youre the Expert. Oct 27. National
Geographic. nglive.org.
mncppc.org.
Sotto Voce. Thru Oct 29. Theater J.
theaterj.org.
AIDA the Musical. Oct 27-Nov 11.
Reston Community Players. RCC.
MUSEUMS
Mean Girls. Oct 31-Dec 3. National restonplayers.org. Folger Shakespeare Library. Painting
Theatre. thenationaldc.org. Shakespeare. Thru Feb 11. folger.edu.
Vicua & The American Epilogue.
Nov 1-Nov 26. Mosaic Theater
DANCE Kennedy Center. Mark Twain Prize:
The Art of Robert Risko. Thru Oct 27.
Company. Atlas. mosaictheater.org. LMnO3. Oct 28-Oct 29. Joy of Motions Fantasy in Japan Blue. Thru Dec 3.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A RT S & CU LT U RE
kennedy-center.org.
Woodrow Wilson House. The
Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay. Oct 27.
woodrowwilsonhouse.org.
Dumbarton Oaks. Highlights from the
Dumbarton Oaks Rare Book Collection.
Thru Jan 1. doaks.org.
Goethe-Institut. Brilliant Dilletantes.
Thru Oct 28. goethe.de.
Hillwood. Spectacular Gems and
Jewelry. Thru Jan 7.
hillwoodmuseum.org.
Library of Congress. LOC Halloween:
Chambers of Mystery. Oct 27-Nov 1.
loc.gov.
National Gallery of Art. Vermeer
and the Masters of Genre Painting:
Inspiration and Rivalry. Thru Jan 21.
nga.gov.
National Geographic. Wild: Michael
Nichols. Thru Jan 12. nglive.org.
National Museum of Women in the
Arts. Makers Mart Arts & Craft Fair.
Oct 29-Oct 30. nmwa.org.
National Portrait Gallery. Celebrating
Fifty Years. Thru Jan 6. Lincolns
Contemporaries. Thru May 19.
npg.si.edu.
GALLERIES
District Architecture Center.
Extraordinary Art by Vlad Zabavskiy.
Thru Nov 17. aiadac.com.
gallery Neptune & Brown. David X
Levine: Painting with Pencils. Thru Nov
18. galleryneptunebrown.com.
Hill Center. Michael Ford: HOMEPLACE.
Thru Dec 30. Joanathan Bessaci: Maps.
Thru Dec 30. hillcenterdc.org.
ISAAG. Engravings and Monotypes
(Argentina and Chile). Thru Oct 30.
idbstaassociationartgallery.org.
Bender JCC. Adi Shani: Notes From a
Journey. Thru Dec 17. benderjccgw.org.
JCCNV. Works in Paper by Ronni Jolles.
Thru Nov 28. jccnv.org.
Korean Cultural Center DC. Hangeul,
the Aesthetics of the Lines. Thru Oct 27.
koreaculturedc.org.
The Art League. Tabletop. Thru Nov
5. M. Jane Johnson: Splendid Fortitude.
Thru Nov 5. theartleague.org.
Waverly Street Gallery. Blooming
by Wanjin Kim. Thru Nov 4.
waverlystreetgallery.com.
Zenith Gallery. Artists Femina. Thru
Nov 18. zenithgallery.com.
AND MORE...
Arabian Sights Film Festival: The
Originals. Oct 27. A Day for Women.
Oct 27-Oct 28. Solitaire. Oct 28. My
Uncle. Oct 28. In Syria (Insyriated).
Thru Oct 29. Foreign Body. Oct 29.
The Worthy. Oct 29. Filmfest DC. AMC
Mazza Gallerie. lmfestdc.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
M USI C
The comeback kid
Singer Billy Gilman plans
weekend show in Bethesda
By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com
Some people ght for years to break
into the music industry but Billy Gilman
became a star at the early age of 11. His
debut single One Voice cracked the
Billboard Hot 100 and led to a Grammy
nomination and plenty of touring.
Gilmans career started with a bang
but began to zzle when he suddenly
seemed to disappear from the music
scene. He reemerged with a coming-out
video on YouTube that went viral in 2014.
Then in 2016 Gilman auditioned for
The Voice by singing When We Were
Young by Adele. He joined Team Adam
Levine and swept the competition to
become season 11 runner-up. Now
Gilman is giving his music career a second
go around but says this time its going to
be more authentically him. Calling from
his oce desk in his home state of Rhode
Island, the now-29-year-old singer spoke
with the Washington Blade about his 10-
year hiatus, coming out as a country star
and if his friendship with Levine was just
for the cameras.
WASHINGTON BLADE: What was it
like achieving success so early? Did
you realize what a big deal it was?
BILLY GILMAN: No. I knew that it
was great. But all I was really concerned
about was getting on a stage and just
having fun. That was my main love. It
was almost like a game. It didnt feel like
a job. It didnt feel like a pressure like,
Oh, weve got to get to number one.
Weve got to sell this many units this
week. The pressure is now. Now that I
know whats going on.
BLADE: What were you doing in the
10-year break between your self-titled
album in 2006 and your The Voice
audition in 2016?
GILMAN: My voice really, I dont know
if it was from all the stress it was under
traveling for so many years as a kid or
whatever, but when my voice changed it
was a very bad time. It took a long time for
it to come back where I knew I could hold
a show on my own and not have to worry,
Oh, is it just going to go and leave me? It
would stay for a song and then it would just
vanish, no sound coming out. We would
go to the doctor but there really wasnt
any damage, it was just the vocal chords
guring out what they wanted to do. It
took two-and-a-half years for me to fully
get back out on a stage and be able to hold
a show. But I lived in Nashville through all
that time co-writing. I raised $2.5 million for
BILLY GILMAN has big plans to release new music hes psyched about.
the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
So, I was very busy I just really wasnt
doing my thing. I had to nd other ways
to work and be out in the public eye and
not letting that ame die, hoping that
my voice would come back. And it did
and that began the process of relearning
it. You cant hit those extravagant high
notes that you used to hit. You have
newer, lower notes.
BLADE: Did you feel like your prior
experience gave you an advantage on
The Voice?
GILMAN: No. The only thing that
helped me was I knew how to hold notes
and get around things if I was sick. That
helped. But youre standing toe to toe
not knowing what the hell is going on
just as much as the person that came
from selling cars or behind a desk. There
really was no advantage and they didnt
treat me any dierent. To the onlooker,
it looks like it maybe played a role but it
really doesnt. Theyre all about quality in
all forms. Everyone is the same. That was
really great because I was a little timid to
talk to anyone in the rst couple of weeks
in the process. I didnt know if the other
contestants would be upset if they found
out or if anyone knew.
BLADE: Your coach was Adam Levine.
Do you still keep in touch with him?
GILMAN: I do. We talk. The ones I talk
to are him and Miley (Cyrus) mostly. Hes
great. He was very black and white. I
like truth and I dont like to be doted or
coddled. It was neat to see someone really
get invested in the situation and not just
when the cameras are on. Hes awesome.
BLADE: Country music isnt known
LOGOmotion, inc.
OC T OB E R 27 , 2 0 1 7 2 9
Branding products
to promote your
business.
PHOTO COURTESY BETHESDA BLUES AND JAZZ
for out artists in the same way a genre
like pop is. Were you afraid of losing
fans coming out as a country singer?
GILMAN: If Im going to lose fans like
that then I dont care. Ill go sing on a cruise
ship. I will always be a singer. If I was losing
fans because I was sending a message
that really was not a good one or I went
into rap or something that has more of a
negative tone I could see that as a hurt.
But me being happy and spreading peace
and helping some other person possibly,
if I lose fans over that then it was meant
to happen. At rst I told my family and
then I slowly started to tell my team. But
then I gured its no one elses business.
No one else deserves to know. Im just
a singer. You put my record on and you Awards
watch my video on YouTube and then you
USB
go about your life. You dont need to know Drives
Tote &
any more about me.
Duffle Clothing
BLADE: Being both gay and a country Bags
singer, do you feel an obligation to Water
speak out on events like the Pulse Mugs Bottles
nightclub shooting and the Las Vegas
shooting? Pens Flash-
GILMAN: The way I feel is every voice
is important at certain times. I think that
lights....
theres a place and time for my ranting. I
could be like one of these artists that get
on Twitter every ve minutes. But what is Robert Safro
that really helping? If you live your truth
and you live to help the cause in your 301.986.0585
everyday life that stands alone as well.
logomotioninc.com
FULL INTERVIEW AT
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
And creative solutions for all your
BILLY GILMAN design, marketing, and print needs
Sunday, Oct. 29
7:30 p.m. The Graphic Issue
Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club www.theGraphicIssue.com
7119 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md.
$45-75
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 0 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017 CA LE N D A R

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

com two weeks prior to your event. Space is lim-
ited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.

TODAY
Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer
performs at the Birchmere (3701 Mt.
Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) tonight
at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45. For more
details, visit birchmere.com.
AGLA and the Imperial Court of
Washington hosts their annual USO Show
at Freddies Beach Bar and Restaurant
(555 23rd St., S Arlington, Va.) tonight
from 6-9 p.m. The social is from 6-7 p.m.
The show is from 7-8:45 p.m. There will
be rae prizes. For more information,
visit imperialcourtdc.org.
Gamma D.C., a support group for
men in mixed-orientation relationships,
meets at Luther Place Memorial Church
(1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) tonight
from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The group is for
men who are attracted to men but
are currently, or were at one point, in
relationships with women. Meeting
locations are in private residences. For
more information about the group and
location, visit gammaindc.org.
Women in Their 20s, a social discussion
group for LBT and all women interested
in women, meets tonight at the D.C.
Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) from 8-9:30
p.m. All welcome to join. For details, visit
thedccenter.org.
SMYAL (410 Seventh St., S.E.) presents
a haunted house today from 4-7 p.m.
Admission is free. Email brandan.
persaud@smyal.org to RSVP. For more
information, visit smyal.org.
SATURDAY, OCT. 28
The Walk and 5K to End HIV kicks o at
Freedom Plaza (1455 Pennsylvania Ave.,
N.W.) today at 7 a.m. Check-in starts at 7
a.m. with a program of music, speakers
and warm-up exercise starting at 8:15
a.m. The 5K begins at 9:15 a.m. and the
walk starts at 9:20 a.m. At 10 a.m. there
will be a post-walk celebration. General
walk registration is $25. Student and
senior walk registration is $15. General
timed run registration is $35. Sleep walker
registration, for those who cannot attend,
is $40 and includes a commemorative
Walk and 5K to End HIV T-shirt. For more
details, visit walktoendhiv.org.
Taqueria Del Barrio (821 Upshur St.,
N.W.) hosts a drag brunch today from
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sylvanna Duvel and Abbi
Kadabra will perform. There will be shows
at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 and
include entry with one brunch entry or
three tacos and one brunch cocktail.
Tickets are for either the 10 a.m. or 1
p.m. show. For more information, visit
facebook.com/delbarriodc.
The 2017 Bloomingdale House Tour is
WRABEL performs at U Street Music Hall Sunday night opening for Leon.
today from 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Check-
in is at Tyber Creek (84 T St., N.W.)
from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be
lectures on the history of Bloomingdales
architecture and workshops with
Bloomingdales designers and architects
from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tours of the homes
will be from 1-5 p.m. The Arts and Letters
reception will take lace at Old Engine 12
(1626 North Capitol St., N.W.) from 4:30-
7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35. Reception only
tickets are $10. For more details, visit
bloomingdalecivicassociation.org.
The 21st annual HRC National Dinner
takes place at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center (801 Mt Vernon Pl.,
N.W.) today at 5p.m. The sold-out event will
feature special guests Sen. Kamala D. Harris
and Orange is the New Black star Uzo
Aduba. For more information, visit hrc.org.
NSO Pops welcomes Pink Martinis lead
singer China Forbes and special guest
Ari Shapiro for a performance at the
Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight
at 8 p.m. The show will be a blend of
genres including jazz, classical and retro
pop. Tickets range from $24-115. For
more details, visit kennedy-center.org.
SUNDAY, OCT. 29
Ladies Tea Dance will be at Annies Ace
Hardware (3405 Eighth St., N.E.) today
from 2-5 p.m. There will be prizes and
activity stations where guests can learn
how to cut glass, repair bikes, rewire
lamps, repair walls and more. The rst
100 people will receive a swag bag. All
guests will receive 20 percent o regular
priced items in store. Food and drink will
be provided from local restaurants. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
anniesacehardwarebl.
Out singer Wrabel performs at U Street
Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.) tonight at
7 p.m. He opens the show for singer/
songwriter Len. Tickets are $20. For
more details, visit ustretmusichall.com.
Team LezLink will walk in Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer at RFK
Stadium (2400 E Capitol St., N.E.) today
from 8:30 a.m.-noon. Join the team for
the walk or donate. For more information,
visit facebook.com/lezlinkevents.
MONDAY, OCT. 30
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave.,
N.W.) holds a support group for gay black
men to discuss topics that aect them,
share perspectives and have meaningful
conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.
TUESDAY, OCT. 31
Queer Women Working Through
Trauma, a support group, meets this
evening at the D.C. Center (2000 14th
St., N.W.) from 6-7 p.m. The group helps
individuals process trauma by learning
therapy techniques and behavioral
processing activities such as art, deep
breathing, stretching and meditation. For
more details, visit thedccenter.org.
DJ Steve Henderson spins onight at
Grand Central Nightclub (1001 N. Charles
St., Baltimore) from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. There
will be a costume contest with $800
PHOTO BY ELIOT HAZEL; COUTESY DONOVAN PR
available in cash prizes. Look for the club
on Facebook for details.
The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of
Baltimore (2530 N. Charles St., Baltimore,
Md.) hosts a Halloween party on Tuesday,
Oct. 31 from 6-9 p.m. There will be
performances by Chris Jay, Sapphire Bleu,
Ariel Von Quinn, Usagi, Bella La Blanc
and Xander Lovecraft. All ages welcome.
Admission is free. For more information,
visitfacebook.com/glccb.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1
Bisexual rapper Lil Peep performs at U
Street Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.) tonight
at 7 p.m. GBC, Bexey and Yawns open
the show. Tickets range from $17-25. For
more details, visit ustreetmusichall.com.
Bookmen D.C., an informal gay mens
literature group, discusses The Best
Little Boy in the World by John Reid, at
the Tenleytown Library (4450 Wisconsin
Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are
welcome. For more information, visit
bookmendc.blogspot.com.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club
meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity
Center (721 Eighth St., S.E.) for social
bridge. No partner needed. For more
information, call 301-345-1571.
THURSDAY, NOV. 2
SMYAL (410 Seventh St., S.E.) hosts
Fight 4 Yr Rights Activist Night today from
5-7 p.m. LGBT youth can come to learn
about historical activist movements. For
details, visit smyal.org.
W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 3 1

Celebrate Fall
with New Menus
B runch Weekends!
Champagne Celebrations
Unlimited By The Glass
Saturdays A-La-Carte $29.95
Some think I should dress more like
a woman. Some think I should dress
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Sunday Buet $38.95

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Appetizers, Martinis & Drinks - 4PM-7PM Please treat me the same way any
*** person would want to be treated:
with courtesy and respect.
Sky-Bar Warm Fall Nights Discrimination based on gender identity and
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Live DJ Wed-Sat - Dierent Vibe Nightly If you think youve been the target of
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Season Closing Party: Tues-October 31 or call (202) 727-4559.
Halloween Costume Contest
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Time to Plan Your Holiday Event Great Choices,
New Menus With Something For Everyone

Carol Schwartz Just Released Her Autobiography

(Quite a Life! From Defeat to Defeat ... and Back)

Come hear Carol talk, buy a book & get it signed:

Saturday, October 28 Sunday, October 29
1:30-3:00 Cactus Cantina (Ward 3) 1:30-3:00 Dupont Kitchen (Ward 2)
3300 Wisc. Ave., NW 1637-17th St., NW
3:30-5:00 Players Lounge (Ward 8) 3:30-5:00 Bens Chili Bowl (Ward 1)
2737 MLK Ave., SE 1213 U St., NW
Saturday, November 4 Sunday, November 5
1:30-3:00 Star & Shamrock (Ward 6) 1:30-3:00 Carolina Kitchen (Ward 5)
1341 H St., NE 2350 Washington Pl., NE
3:30-5:00 Dennys (Ward 7) 3:30-5:00 Oohhs & Aahhs (Ward 4)
4445 Benning Rd., NE 5933 Georgia Ave., NW

To buy now and/or host a book party: go to caroldc.com

 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

32 OCT OB E R 27, 2017 O U T & A BO U T

ALL GOOD PRESENTS

MELVIN SEALS
& JGB
W/ SWEET LEDA FEAT. RON HOLLOWAY

FRIDAY OCT 27

RECKLESS
KELLY
W/ CHRIS BERARDO & THE DESBERARDOS
SATURDAY OCT 28 By MARIAH COOPER

WED, NOV 1
A BENEFIT FOR SONGWRITING WITH WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

SOLDIERS AND BOULDER CREST RETREAT

FEAT. DARDEN SMITH, SMYAL Fall Brunch is Nov. 5
RADNEY FOSTER,
AND MARY GAUTHIER SMYAL hosts its Fall Brunch at Marriott Marquis (901 Massachusetts Ave.,
N.W.) on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
THURS, NOV 2
There will be an open bar cocktail reception with Nellies Sports Bar bloody
DEL MCCOURY BAND Marys and Duplex Diner mimosas, a three-course brunch and a silent auction.
Gavin Grimm will receive the Communicate Advocate Award and the Dupont
FRI, NOV 3 7:00PM & 10:30PM
Social Club and Stonewall Sports will receive the Todd Peterson Award. Fall
REBIRTH BRASS BAND Brunch Chairs Gary Duke and Rebecca Miller will also make appearances. NBC4
anchor Wendy Rieger will emcee the event. Registration is at 10 a.m. followed by
SAT, NOV 4 7:00PM & 10:30PM
the cocktail reception and silent auction at 10:30 a.m. The seated brunch begins
REBIRTH BRASS BAND at noon.
MON, NOV 6
General admission tickets are $150. Admiral level tickets with preferred
LIVE NATION PRESENTS seating are $250. For more information, visit smyal.org/brunch.
SUSANNE SUNDFR
W/ SHEY BABA
WED, NOV 8
ALL GOOD PRESENTS
ELEPHANT REVIVAL W/ JOE PUG PHOTO COURTESY PROJECT PUBLICITY

FRI, NOV 10
FRANK SOLIVAN Champ Chad channels Cher
& DIRTY KITCHEN RuPauls Drag Race All Stars winner
W/ TWO TON TWIG
Chad Michaels performs at the La Boum
SAT, NOV 11 Brunch at Saint Yves (1220 Connecticut
NEWMYER FLYER PRESENTS Ave., N.W.) on Sunday, Nov. 5 from noon-
THE LAST WALTZ TRIBUTE 4 p.m.
Michaels will turn back time
SUN, NOV 12 celebrating Daylight Saving Time with a
DOYLE BRAMHALL II Cher impersonation. Gigi Holliday will join
W/ ALTHEA GRACE as co-host. DJ Matt Bailer will spin tracks.
The brunch party includes a buet at
TUES, NOV 14 noon. Food is not guaranteed after 1 p.m.
HABIB KOIT & BAMADA PHOTO COURTESY GIRLIE ACTION Tickets are $45 plus a 20 percent gratuity.
W/ SAHEL For more details, visit laboumbrunch.com.

FRI, NOV 17
Tori Amos to make MGM debut Drummers tackle classic lit
THE DUSTBOWL REVIVAL
W/ SAMMY MILLER & THE CONGREGATION Tori Amos brings her Native Invader Tour to MGM National Harbor (101 D.C.s Dierent Drummers hosts its
MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Md.) on Friday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. Its her debut Capital Pride Symphonic Band Concert at
SAT, NOV 18 performance at the new venue. For years, she played DAR Constitution Hall on the Church of the Epiphany (1317 G St.,
BIG SAMS FUNKY NATION her D.C. tour stops. N.W.) on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
The tour is in support of her 15th studio album, Native Invader, a mellow The shows theme will be Once Upon
and personal album that explores climate change and her mothers debilitating a Time, and will feature pieces from
stroke. It is the follow-up to her 2014 album Unrepentant Geraldines. Tickets dierent eras and styles. The focus will be
range from $45-281. on classic literature. Student and senior
For more details and to purchase tickets, visit ticketmaster.com. tickets are $10. Adult tickets are $20.
THEHAMILTONDC.COM For more information, visit dcdd.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T H E A TE R
ANNIE OTTATI as Nora in Safe as Houses.
Frustrating Houses
Intriguing premise never fully
mined for dramatic heft
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Nora is an unsentimental 15-year-old
lesbian, or so it seems. When reunited
with her father after his mysterious
decade-long absence, shes reluctant to
show vulnerability.
But eventually she expresses her anger
and sadness about how hes missed so
many holidays, her stint in Girls Scouts,
father/daughter dances and that he
wasnt there for her when she came out.
Its a memorable, well-acted scene in
Pinky Swear Productions latest oering
Natalie Ann Piegaris Safe As Houses. classic J.M. Barrie play Mary Rose.
The action takes place on Valentines
Day, 2017. Outside a violent storm is
raging. Inside sullen Nora (Annie Ottati) is
mainly concerned that texts arent going
through to her girlfriend. Noras mother
Isabel (Carolyn Kashner) is oddly calm,
folding plaid shirts. Isabels husband
Henry (Patrick M. Doneghy) is tucked away
in another room doing nerdy things on
his computer. Eventually he emerges
to suggest they follow ocial weather
warnings to move to higher ground.
Isabel, an oil painter who clearly calls the
shots, is unreasonably set against it.
Unexpectedly, a young-looking man,
wet and bogged down with shopping
bags, lets himself in the house. We will
learn that this is Jack (Jonathan Miot),
Isabels former husband and Noras
father who has been missing for exactly
10 years. He says hes carrying the same
groceries and owers that he went out
for on that long-ago Valentines Day, and
has a jug of milk with a 2007 expiration
date to back his claim. Mysteriously, he
hasnt aged a day since then and has no
memory of the time passed.
Isabel is slow very slow in
recognizing her former husband who
remains physically unchanged. Since
his highly publicized disappearance the
family has been taunted by cranks so its
understandable that shed be wary, but
this seems a little strange. In some clichd
exposition, Isabel tells her daughter
OC T OB E R 27, 2017 33
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ENCHANTRESS
BECOMES THE ENCHANTED?
PHOTO COURTESY PINKY SWEAR
Alcina
Angela Meade
STARRING
about meeting Jack in high school while
dissecting a frog or something. Shes not
sure about the details of that anecdote or
a lot of things. Her feelings are revealed
with a furrowed brow.
Safe As Houses (the title comes
from an old English phrase meaning
completely safe) is made up of longish,
uneven scenes connected by some
awkward transitions. The production,
Angela Meade. Photo by Julio Rodriguez
directed by Megan Behm, would benet
from a brisker pace. Plodding domestic
business like when Isabel slowly places
and carefully lights candles (battery
operated) at the top of the second act
doesnt help. And intentional or not, the
play owes a heavy thematic debt to the
Theres a lot left unexplained which
is ne. But whats vexing isnt that the
big questions arent answered, its that
theyre never asked. Why doesnt Isabel
get mad and shout, Where the [insert
expletive] have you REALLY been the
last 10 years, Jack? Why isnt Jack slightly
more freaked out that hes a modern-day,
non-aging Rip Van Winkle?
There are relatable moments too. As Jack,
Miot is particularly eective when he learns
that his mother has died from cancer in his
absence. Also, when he engages in some
territorial rage with Henry.
Jessica Cancinos pleasingly spare set
centers on a projection of nonstop, pounding
rain seen through a huge paned window. A
simple grouping of worn furniture provides
the casual atmosphere suited to the artists November 419 | Eisenhower Theater
modest but orderly home. Sound designer
Music by George Frideric Handel / Libretto by Riccardo Broschi
Kevin Alexander adds appropriately startling
claps of thunder. In Italian with Projected English Titles
The dramas rare ashes of humor
are provided almost entirely by Nora
whose teenage sarcasm and scathing
observations of an insane situation are TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600
welcomed. The determinedly out lesbian Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
teen comes across as playwright Piegaris For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
most authentically written character.
Major support for WNO is provided by WNO's Presenting Sponsor
Jacqueline Badger Mars.
Safe As Houses
Through Nov. 11 David and Alice Rubenstein are the
Pinky Swear Productions Presenting Underwriters of WNO. Generous support for WNO Italian Opera is provided
by Daniel and Gayle DAniello.
Logan Fringe Arts Space: Trinidad Theatre WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of
1358 Florida Ave., N.E.
866-811-4111
Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.
Pinkyswear-productions.com

3 4 O CTO B ER 2 7 , 2017
Booze and boos at weekend parties
The Zoo, Distrkt C,
Synetic among main
Halloween area events
By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com
With Halloween falling mid-week this
year, all the big partying is this weekend.
Here are some regional highlights, many
with a gay twist.
FRIDAY, OCT. 27
Camp Variety Cabaret presents
the Scary Tales: A Grimm Night of
Burlesque tonight at 8 p.m. Burlesque
and variety performers will bring to
life Washingtons scary fairy tales.
Performers include Ophelia Zayna Hart,
Danny Cavalier, Queen Nefertittie, Ginger
Jameson, Delilah Dentata (Rocky), Cherie
Sweetbottom, Carlita Caliente, Phoenix
King. Buster Britches hosts the show.
Zamora the Torture King will be the
special guest.Tickets are $15 in advance
and $17 at the door. Doors open at 8
p.m. For more details, search Camp
Variety Cabaret on Facebook.
Night of the Living Zoo is at
Smithsonians National Zoo (3001
Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-
10 p.m. There will be live entertainment,
performance artists, a bar and food trucks.
There will also be a costume contest, rides
on the Speedwell Conservation Carousel
and snowless tubing. Guests will receive
after-hours access to the Small Mammal
House, Reptile Discovery Center and Great
Cats Circle. General admission tickets are
$30 for members of FONZ and $40 for
non-members. It includes two drink tickets
and complimentary soda and water. VIP
tickets are $65 for FONZ members and $90
for non-members. It includes three drink
tickets, VIP express check-in, a souvenir
tumbler, one ticket for snowless tubing,
private access to the VIP bar and lounge,
complimentary food tastings, animal
demonstrations and a private dance party.
For more details, visit national zoo.si.edu/
events/night-living-zoo.
D.C. Bear Crue hosts its annual
Halloween contest at Town (2009 8th
St., N.W.) tonight from 6-11 p.m. Prizes
include drink tickets and bottles of alcohol.
Line up starts at 9 p.m. and contest starts
at 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit
facebook.com/bearhappyhour.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts
Stranger Queens Halloween Party, for
guests 18 and older, tonight at 10 p.m.
Drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. GoGo
boys perform after 11 p.m. DJ West and
DJ Back2back will play music. There will
be a costume contest at midnight with
The region is teaming with LGBT-friendly Halloween parties and costume contests this weekend.
cash prizes of $500, $250 and $150.
Cover is $15.
Burlesque-a-pades presents
two-night Halloween show featuring
Angie Pontani, the Main Attraction,
Mr. Gorgeous, Ginger Leigh, Cherry
Bomb, Peek-a-Boo Revue and Rosalee
Sweet and other special guests. Albert
Cadabra hosts. The show will take place
at the Creative Alliance (3134 Eastern
Ave., Baltimore, Md.) tonight at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $25. On Saturday, Oct. 28
at 7 p.m., the show takes place at Rams
Head On-Stage (33 West St., Annapolis,
Md.). Tickets are $22.50. For more
information, visit creativealliance.org and
ramsheadonstage.com.
Synetic Theater (1800 S Bell St.,
Arlington, Va.) hosts its 11th annual
Vampires Ball tonight at 8 p.m. The party
will follow the theaters performance of
Peter Pan. There will be an open bar
and costume content. DJ Konstantine
Lortkipandidze will play music. Tickets
include the 8 p.m. performance of Peter
Pan. Tickets range from $25-75.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY ANN LITTLE
SATURDAY, OCT. 28
a Ghosttown, Towns 21-and-over
Halloween party, is tonight at 10 p.m. There
will be a costume contest at midnight with
$1,000, $500 and $250 cash prizes. DJ Ed
Bailey and DJ West will play music. Drag
show starts at 10:30 p.m. Cover is $15. For
more details, visit towndc.com.
Synetic Theater hosts its new Pirates
Ball, a family friendly party, today
at 2 p.m. Tickets include the 2 p.m.
performance of Peter Pan, family
activities, light appetizers and a meet-
and-greet with some of the cast. Guests
are encouraged to come in costume
and to bring a trick-or-treat bag. Tickets
range from $50-70. For more details,
visit synetictheater.org.
Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) hosts
Eighties Mayhem: 80s Halloween Dance
Party tonight at 9 p.m. DJ Missguided, DJ
Steve EP and DJ Killa K will spin tracks.
Costumes are encouraged. Cover is $15.
For more details, blackcatdc.com.
Mamajuana Edibles hosts Tree or
Treat, a Halloween cannabis event,
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
O U T &A BO U T
today from noon-4 p.m. Costumes are
encouraged but not required. There will
be music, vendors, special edition edibles
and more. Smoking is permitted. A $5
donation is required. The address will be
given with RSVP. For more information,
visit facebook.com/mamuanaedibles.
Uproar Lounge and Restaurant (639
Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts House of Horror
Costume Party tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
The party is open theme and all costume
types are allowed. For more details, visit
facebook.com/uproarloungedc.
Skintight USA hosts Hot Horror
Halloween at Green Lantern (1335 Green
Ct., N.W.) tonight from 8 p.m.- 2 a.m. There
will be a costume contest and rae with
$1,000 in prizes including porn, comics,
toys and games. Shirley U. Jest will perform.
DJ David Merrill will spin tracks. Tickets are
$10 at the door. For more information, visit
facebook.com/skintightusa.
Distrkt C hosts Warlock, a Halloween
party, at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning
Rd., N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. DJ
Josh Whitaker will play an extended set.
There will be a midnight costume contest
with a $250 prize. Tickets are $25. For
more details, visit distrktc.com.
Lindy Promotions hosts its 19th
annual Nightmare on M Street bar
crawl today from 2-8 p.m. There will
be costume contests, prizes and drink
specials. Participating bars are Barcode,
the Big Hunt, Blacknn, Decades, Dirty
Bar, Dirty Martini, The Gryphon, Public
Bar and D.C. Taphouse. Tickets range
from $10-20. For more information, visit
lindypromo.com.
SUNDAY, OCT. 29
Flash hosts a Halloween edition of
Flashy After Hours this morning from
3:30-9 a.m. Tickets are $30. Guests with
a wristband to the Cherry Fund party at
Cobalt will receive $5 o. DJ Sean Morris
and DJ Twin will play music. For more
information, visit facebook.com/ashydc.
TUESDAY, OCT. 31
D.C. Gaymers host a Halloween party
at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from
7-10 p.m. The group will be playing
classic games like Smash Bros., Mario
Kart, Tekken, Pokken Tournament
and more. The game Resident Evil will
also be screened. There will be a rae
for prizes and a costume contest with
a grand prize of $500. For more details,
visit facebook.com/dcgaymers.
D.C. Front Runners hosts a Halloween-
themed run kicking o at Union Station
(50 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.) tonight
from 7-9 p.m. Costumes are encouraged.
For more details, search D.C. Front
Runners on Facebook.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
F I LM
MILLICENT SIMMONDS in Wonderstruck.
PHOTO BY MILES ARONOWITZ; COURTESY AMAZON/ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
World of Wonder
New Todd Haynes
feature juxtaposes two
touching tales
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
Wonderstruck, the latest lm from
queer auteur Todd Haynes, is a visual
masterpiece that will surely be a favorite
this awards season. Like his earlier
movies, (Velvet Goldmine, Carol, Far
From Heaven and the HBO miniseries of
Mildred Pierce), the movie is an indelible
delight for the senses. Its also a tonic for
the heart.
The movie is based on the richly
illustrated young adult novel by openly
gay author Brian Selznick, who also wrote
the screenplay. His earlier novel The
Invention of Hugo Cabret was the basis
for the delightful lm Hugo. Haynes and
Selznick tell two interwoven stories that
come together in a magical and moving
nale you have to experience for yourself.
The rst story starts in Hoboken, N.J., in
October, 1927. A young deaf girl named
Rose Kincaid (played by the magnicent
deaf actress Millicent Symonds) is bored
and lonely at home, stied by her over-
protective father. She runs away to New
York City to see her favorite actress,
silent lm star Lillian Mayhew (a delicious
Julianne Moore), who is rehearsing for a
new Broadway play.
The second story starts in Gunint
Lake, Minn., in June 1977. After the death
of his mother (Michelle Williams), Ben
Wilson (Oakes Fegley) is sent to live with
his relatives. In a book about the Cabinet
of Wonders left behind by his mother,
he nds a clue to his fathers identity: a
bookmark from Kincaids Books in New
York City. With money from his mothers
rainy-day fund, he heads to the city to
track him down.
Both children end up at the wonderful
Museum of Natural History. Avoiding the
attention of watchful security guards and
each in their own era, they are entranced
by the lifelike dioramas, make wishes on
the massive meteorite Ahnightito, and
are awed by the amazing exhibits in the
Cabinet of Wonders.
OC T OB E R 27, 2017 35
Working closely with Director of
Photography Ed Lachman and Editor
Aonso Goncalves, Haynes uses two very
dierent visual styles to tell the stories.
Roses story is shot in black and white
and even includes scenes from the Lillian
Mayhew weepie Daughter of the Storm.
Its worth noting that Roses favorite movie
theater is about to be renovated for the
opening of The Jazz Singer, the rst
talkie, a movie that would change the
course of Hollywood history and would
profoundly change the movie-going
experience for the deaf community.
Bens story is told in vibrant color and
his adventures through Times Square are
seen in a gritty urban style that echoes
classics from the 1970s like The French
Connection and Taxi Driver. Both eras
are lovingly recreated in amazing detail
by production designer Mark Friedberg
and award-winning costume designer
Sandy Powell.
Haynes jumps back and forth between
Photo of Evan Casey, Tom Story and Jamie Smithson by Margot Schulman
time periods with supple and charming
dexterity. The cuts are never predictable
and the stories illuminate each other in
surprising and unexpected ways. When
both children are exploring the museum,
the interplay between the two periods is
fascinating as Haynes and his colleagues
explore how the museum has and hasnt
changed over time.
The acting is excellent. Julianne Moore
joyously chews up scenery right and left,
whether appearing onscreen, onstage or
as the towering diva in her dressing room.
Oakes Fegley is solid and sympathetic as
an act of God
Ben. But the real nd of the movie is Millicent
Simmonds. Her winsome face is extremely
expressive and she beautifully captures the
rhythms of the classic silent cinema.
While the movie is excellent, there are [TOM] STORY IS A TRULY WITTY,
some noticeable aws. The role of Bens
EXCELLENT
friend Jamie (Jaden Michael) is sadly URBANE COMEDY
underwritten; its possible that the book THE WASHINGTON POST DCMETROTHEATERARTS
rounds out the character more fully.
More seriously, the pacing occasionally AN IRREVERENT COMEDY SUBLIMELY SATIRICAL AND
lags and the lm could use some cutting. BROADWAY WORLD UNSPEAKABLY FUNNY
It loses some steam once the impressive THEATREBLOOM
novelty wears o and it goes on for a little NOW THROUGH NOVEMBER 26 PRIDE NIGHTS: NOVEMBER 3 & 17
too long after the big reveal.
Nonetheless, Wonderstruck is a lm well- SigTheatre.org | 703 820 9771
worth seeing especially on the big screen.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 6 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017 P H O T O S BY MI CH A E L KE Y A N D T O M H A U SMA N

The Washington Blade held its annual Best of Gay D.C. Awards at Town Danceboutique on Thursday, Oct. 19.
Among the honorees were D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and transgender activist Gavin Grimm.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

P HO TO S B Y M I CHAEL KEY AND TOM HAU SMA N O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 3 7

The 31st annual High Heel Race was held along 17th Street on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Ruby Corado of Casa Ruby and local drag legend BaNaka served as grand marshals.
 WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 8 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017 P H O T O S BY MI CH A E L KE Y A N D T O M H A U SMA N

The Ladies of LURe held their monthly BARE party at Cobalt on Saturday.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
BOOKS
Double whammy
Sloppy editing mars touching
LGBT family memoir
TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading
since she was 3 years old.She lives in Wisconsin
with two dogs and 12,000 books. Reach her at
bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
Always be prepared.
Thats not just a motto to wear on a
badge; it could save you money, time
or health. It might get you where youre
going faster or easier. Being ready for
anything can you feel secure and safe,
it can help you bounce back against
any adversity and, as in the new book
Straight Expectations by Peggy Cryden
(with Janet E. Goldstein-Ball), it can make
you a better parent.
Everything in her life, it seemed, had
readied her for what was to come.
Adopted as a small infant, Peggy
Cryden grew up with a father who was
a genius, but was distant, and a mother
with emotional issues and what Cryden
indicates was probably mental illness.
Cryden didnt completely understand
the latter until she was an adult and
a working therapist and it took many
decades for her to make peace with her
mothers legacy.
Before that, however, as children,
Cryden and her brother were often left to
their own devices. They woke themselves,
prepared themselves for school, learned
to swipe lunch money from their fathers
pocket change and they tried not to be
embarrassed by their moms antics,
eccentricities or melt-downs. Untaught
by her mother, Cryden learned resilience
and basic skills from her grandmother,
her grandmothers black housekeeper
and from a neighbor woman who
obviously noted a child in need.
Though she was generally independent
much earlier, Cryden moved out of her
parents house when she was still in high
school. Later, while attending community
college, she met the man she would
marry, although Cryden indicates that
she sometimes felt she couldnt bond.
That feeling extended to her rstborn
child, a girl she named Julia.
She was a little better centered when
her second child, a boy, Jay, was born.
OC T OB E R 27, 2017 39
http://cliffhyra.com/
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Finally, Cryden had stability and the
family she always dreamed of having: two
children, a girl and a boy, and a supportive
husband. Theirs seemed to be the perfect,
TV-ready, typical family down the block
until Julia, who was just a teen, confessed
to her mother that hed come to the
understanding that he was really a boy.
Shortly after this, fragile Jay, whod always
felt left out, came out to the family.
Though it has steel-strong messages
of armation, unconditional love,
acceptance and healing, Straight
Expectations is a rough read.
Author Peggy Cryden (with Janet E.
Goldstein-Ball, who oers pertinent
information in her introduction) tells an
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT
Ive never been so happy in my life, Hawkins says
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
seem to really love the new songs and Im
doing one I just wrote a couple weeks ago
thats a brand new original Christmas song
so its going to be exciting to do one that I
just wrote. As for the album, Im going to
be totally candid because I always am, I
dont quite know how to get it out. I dont
want it to just be the same old process of
putting all this eort into something and
then making no money from it. Im trying
to nd a new way and really taking my
time. I really love it, I put a ton of energy
into it and the songs are, in my opinion,
phenomenal so I dont want to just throw
it out and have it go nowhere. The musical
is still a work in progress. I may put the
Christmas song out just to have a little
something but I cant just throw things
out there anymore.
BLADE: You did some shows in New
York back in June that you said you
were going to record to try to capture
something elusive you said doesnt
always show up on your studio work.
Did you?
HAWKINS: Yes, well, I dont know if I
captured that elusive whatever but I did
record all three shows and they were
lmed. I dont know if the lming was
good because I havent seen it yet. Im
not sure if Im going to edit them and put
anything out because that takes so much
work. I wish I had another me to do that
kind of work. And sometimes youre just
too close to it. I thought it sounded terrible
when I listened to it in June but then I
heard it again in September by accident
and I was like, No, that sounds pretty
good, I should get to editing that. But
again, it goes back to not wanting to just
put stu out just to do it. Im looking for a
right connection. Im not dying for people
to say, Oh shes great, listen to this, and
then move on to the next thing. Theres no
reason for that. Maybe once I gure out
when the album is coming out, the live
stu could be like the thank you for being
part of my life and here is this gift.
BLADE: What has it been like
rebuilding after going through the
break-up of a 17-year relationship?
HAWKINS: Oh, it was awful. Just so
incredibly sad, I cant even tell you. Its
still so dicult to understand how that
could have happened. I felt like I was
saved when I got back to New York by
the skin of my teeth. Theres this amazing
other part of yourself that says, Ive got
to move before the tsunami hits, I gotta
get out of my bed and start running and
thats what happened. The tsunami was
coming down on me and my son and I
actually got out of bed and said, Were
getting up now, move, move, move, get the
dogs, and we got to New York and boom,
SOPHIE B. HAWKINS at a 2004 Pittsburgh concert.
we would have been dead if wed stayed
a moment longer. And I mean completely
dead emotionally, psychologically,
nancially, everything. Its scary to think
about. Thats one aspect of it. But thank
God I landed and could begin again.
There is still a reckoning Im dealing with
in my art and in conversations with close
friends, you know, walking around going,
I cant believe this is part of my story
now. I never thought it would happen
a betrayal on that level.
BLADE: One song of yours thats
always haunted me is I Need Nothing
Else. I know songwriters hate to
explain what songs are about but can
you illuminate us at all on that one?
HAWKINS: I love that song too because
of the combination of the visceral and
the spiritual and accepting it all as one
and knowing that all things go together
with no boundaries. All these things need
each other and pull each other and tug
each other and theres that feeling of
passion that I really love and then the
phrase, I need nothing else, is what you
do you go through your life and you
eliminate, you start to realize what you
need and what you dont need and you
come back to this very essential quality.
You bring the drama on when you
dont know what you need and you do so
many things to mask and then you nd it
and its unmasked thats that song, its
unmasked, here it is.
BLADE: Its taboo to say you wanna
have sex with Jesus but pop music is
kind of this nice place where you can
entertain both the spiritual and the
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY JOEY DIGUGLIELMO
carnal, which is forbidden in gospel
music. Is that a fair interpretation or
am I o base?
HAWKINS: No, youre so on base and
I love that you said have sex with Jesus.
Yes, its so true and in a way, thats sort of
what were doing. And yes, that is the
great thing about pop music and great
poetry, it connects all these things.
Theres actually a movie out now thats
about all this called The Novitiate. Have
you heard of it?
BLADE: No.
HAWKINS: Its not out yet but I saw a
screening and its really a brilliant movie
but its not with men, its with nuns. Oh
my God.
BLADE: How long did it take to
make Tongues and Tales (1992) and
Whaler (1994)? How long did you
spend recording vocals and how long
were the whole projects?
HAWKINS: OK, well, Whaler took
shorter than Tongues and Tales
because I worked with Stephen Lipson
and he was well, for both albums by
the way, we used my demos a lot, which
was interesting, so wed have to include
that time. Id recorded those songs at
home rst. Like in Did We Not Choose
Each Other when you hear the frying
pans and all the crazy percussion and
the keyboards, all that stu was done at
home. As I Lay Me Down, the percussion,
the keyboards, all that was taken from my
original demo and we just overlaid and
built upon it.
BLADE: You felt youd captured
O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 4 1
something on those that couldnt be
bettered?
HAWKINS: Yeah. There were periods
where dierent producers would try to
get away from it but even the head of the
record company, Don Ienner at the time,
the head of Sony, he said, No, youve got
to use the vocal on her demo, thats why
I signed her. So there were always those
moments where we would go back to
that. So Whaler didnt take a long time
cause Stephen works fast. Tongues and
Tales took a long time because Id never
made a record before and Rick Cherto
is known for taking a really long time.
He wanted demo after demo after demo
after demo. He could spend years on just
a thought. It takes him hours to get a
freaking sentence out. But in some ways,
thats also why hes brilliant. Hes like an
old-fashioned director. Hell take you to
dinner and you have to include all that in
the process. So on Tongues and Tales,
they didnt spend anytime on me. It was all
about the radio, what will happen to the
album, and Rick Cherto takes everything
into consideration but then when it came
time for vocals, believe it or not, they gave
me like a day. I was really upset about
that inside, but I did not wanna complain
because they didnt make me write with
anybody, they completely stayed true to
my vision so I thought, Well, OK, I have
a day, Im just gonna use a day. So the
vocals were very fast. But that worked
out OK because Im one of those people
you cant overdo things too much with.
On Whaler, though, he did take much
more time with the vocals.
BLADE: What happens to all the
alternate takes and photo and video
outtakes when a major label project like
that wraps? Do you get it all or is it sitting
in box in a warehouse somewhere?
HAWKINS: I think Sony probably
trashed it all because, you know, I fought
with them by the third album. I have all
the demos, which is shocking. But they
didnt care about what they didnt use so I
would think by this time they would have
trashed everything. I did get a bunch of
pictures. Great outtakes from sessions
by David LaChapelle, Bruce Weber and
Mark Hanauer. It would be fun to do
something with those but at this point in
my career, I dont want to spend the time
looking through photos.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
ELLIS PAUL AND SOPHIE B. HAWKINS
Saturday, Oct. 28
6:30 p.m. (doors, 5:30)
Jammin Java
227 Maple Ave. E
Vienna, Va.
$25
tickety.com
sophiebhawkins.com
4 2 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

PRICE REDUCED! NEW LISTING!

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FOXHALL The best view in town! Imagine the 4th of July from this home. Apartment 1136/67
Sophisticated home in convenient location. 4,200sf on three levels. is two apartments, merged by award-winning Studio 27 architects. Modern design
Generous main floor includes a light filled 2 story foyer. Walk-out lower level has with customized built-ins, Brazilian granite and sound proofing. Full east and west
2BR/2BA, 2nd family room and private entrance. Gorgeous flagstone patio, exqui- exposure light the home in a unique way. A spacious balcony provides iconic monu-
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W A SH I NGTO N B LA D E.C OM O CT O BE R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 4 3

REALESTATE

Top 6 most hated household chores

Raking leaves, cleaning
bathrooms and more
By VALERIE M. BLAKE
Since my role as a real estate agent in-
volves marketing and promotion, I watch
more television commercials than most
people to get an idea of how companies
attempt to appeal to genders, various ages
and a plethora of socio-economic groups.
Ive recently seen a commercial that
gives me hope for my future as a home-
owner. A young girl named Molly, when
confronted with the tedious task of taking
out the garbage, develops an automated
garbage-taker-outer from a rope, a
pulley and a bicycle. She goes on to au-
tomate bed making, dusting and grass
cutting, with her efforts culminating in a
career in engineering and robotics.
Having been confronted over the years
with more time-consuming, unpleasant
household tasks than enjoyable ones, Ive
come to believe that we need more Mol-
lys in our lives.
I decided to test my assumption by
crowdsourcing on Facebook to determine
which household chores my friends hate
the most. Within a minute of my posting
the question, responses came pouring
in and I found there are plenty of things
many of us just hate to do.
Here are the top 6:
6. Collecting dog poop. Yes, that little
fur baby gives you unconditional love, but
we dog parents know the cycle we deal
with every day: when you feed the dog,
you must then empty the dog. And when
you have a large dog or multiples, as I do,
picking up after them becomes a shitty
chore (pun intended). I expected this to
be higher on the list.
5. Grocery shopping. I hate grocery
shopping and, apparently, Im not the
only one. I will eat any weird item that has
been lounging in the freezer and even
drink lemon Gatorade to avoid going to
the store until I run out of dog food, Diet
Coke and toilet paper.
4. Raking leaves. The futility of raking
leaves came up again and again. As chil-
dren, we used to love to jump in a freshly
raked pile before having to sweep them
into a bag but now, a gust of wind sends
us into a frenzy if it comes along before
the leaves weve raked for hours have
been bagged, especially if those leaves
come from the neighbors trees.
3. Cleaning bathrooms. Not surprising-
ly, cleaning toilets was an unpopular activ-
ity, but consider the dirty shower as well.
You wash the shower with Lime Away
or a bleach product, reaching in or step-
ping in to get at all the corners and angles
and then you run the water to rinse off
wear. And admit it, I know there are some
Raking leaves ranks high on the list of most
dreaded chores.
things we hate to do. Me, Im looking for
BIGSTOCK PHOTO; COURTESY OF INC
the product. The result? Youre dressed
and wet.
2. Vacuuming. Nearly everybody hates
to vacuum. Its noisy, it exacerbates aller-
gies, and it makes pet owners crazy chas-
ing fur balls with a machine while their
pets chase the machine itself. Lumped in
with vacuuming, of course, are sweeping,
mopping floors and dusting.
But the clear winner is
1. Doing laundry. Whether its washing
and drying it, folding it, ironing it, or put-
ting it where it belongs when done, laun-
dry figures prominently on the household
chore hit list.
Many of us can tell you how long we
can go without doing laundry by count-
ing our remaining pieces of clean under-
of you out there who have bought new
undies rather than do another load of
laundry, or have gone to work in wrinkled
attire rather than iron.
So what do we do about all these
chores we love to hate?
Well, we can continue doing these
things ourselves or we can hire someone
to do them. Or perhaps we can form a
chore co-op where we do for others what
we enjoy and have others do for us the
someone to design a robotic personal
shopping, gardening, pooper-scooping
housekeeper. Are you out there, Molly?
VALERIE M. BLAKE is a licensed Associate Bro-
ker in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and Director
of Education & Mentorship at Real Living| At
Home. Call or text her at 202-246-8602, email
her at Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com, or follow
her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.

DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES

SELLERS: Did you know that discounted/poor marketing is paid for out of
your home equity? Let my proven full service marketing plan work for you
to acheive top dollar for your home. OPERATING EXPENSES
TRANSLATION:
BUYERS: Use my experience and free Buyer representation to your DRUGS, ANESTHESIA,
advantage. Dont make one of your largest investment decisions without NURSING STAFF,
competent guidance. Call, email, or text Arlington Weicherts #1 Agent today, SURGICAL ROOM, ETC.
I would love to talk with you!

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VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI, Director of Education & Mentorship

Dupont Circle Ofce 202-518-8781 (o) 202.246.8602 (c) To be used at the bottom of collateral:

703-593-3204 WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET DLREALTYGROUP@GMAIL.COM Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com www.DCHomeQuest.com

4 4 O CTO B E R 2 7 , 2017 W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

SEX IS...
TRUST

Talk to your kids

openly and honestly
about sex.

Visit SexIsDC.org

LEARN. SHARE. BE. @SexIsDC

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ITALIANATE VICTORIAN TOWNHOME
530 N Columbus Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Offered at $1,395,000

OPEN SUNDAY 2-4PM

703.346.7283 703.403.2465
Martine@Lnf.com Ai@Lnf.com
 HIVcare.org
AHF Healthcare Centers

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

2141 K St NW Ste 606

20037
(202) 293-8680

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

Dr. Mark Davis, Warren,

AHF Dental Director AHF Client