the lgbtq community news source

local local
creating news news
new traditions Sexual assault of EFN Lounge closes
Fox 5’s Roby Chavez and transgender woman abruptly, following
partner Chris Roe to wed this is latest bias crime resignation of its
weekend in stylish, romantic ceremony. in Dupont Circle. longtime manager.
PAGE 25 PAGE 4 PAGE 6

washingtonblade.com • vol. 41, issue 34 • august 20, 2010 • Still sharp after 40 years

An interview with Adrian Fenty

Mayor promises greater visibility in LGBT community
Says hate crimes ‘being
taken more seriously’
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Editor’s note: This is the first of
a two-part series featuring exclu-
sive interviews with the two leading
Democratic candidates for mayor.
Next week, an interview with City
Council Chairman Vincent Gray.
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said
his administration has a strong
record of support on a wide range
of LGBT issues, including mar-
riage equality, but acknowledged
he has not done “as good a job as
I should have” in speaking out in
public forums on issues of con-
cern to that community.
Visit washingtonblade.com
to watch video of the Blade’s
interview with Mayor Fenty.
In an exclusive interview
Tuesday with the Washington
Blade, Fenty promised to be far
more visible in his approach to
the LGBT community as well as
other constituency groups.
“I’ve got to do a much better job
being more visible in my second
term, and I will,” he said. “I’ve got to
get out in people’s doorsteps, at
community events. You name it. I did
not do as good of a job as I should
have in my first term as mayor in
getting out to the community.”
But on the substance of his
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
administration’s policies and
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty pledged to be more visible in the LGBT community if elected to a second term.
Continues on page 14

Casualties of war society that told him his same-

Gay Iraqi, shot helping
U.S., seeks fresh
start in D.C. area
localnews By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
Anti-gay marriage rally featuring Harry Jackson jdiguglielmo@washblade.com
meets counter protest near Capitol. Page 6
Firas Abdulmajeed wants to
make one thing clear up front: He’s
not looking for a handout, just a job.
The 33-year-old gay Iraqi
refugee, who fled to Alexandria,
Va. a month ago with his 68-
year-old mother after living six
years in the United Arab
Emirates, has faced an uphill
battle most of his life. His home
country was ravaged by war for
nightlifeagenda most of his formative years; he
Karen Diehl says goodbye to summer at Bare’s lived under the violent regime of
White Party at Cobalt this weekend. Page 31 Saddam Hussein; and he suf-
fered within a virulently anti-gay
sex desires were demonic.
Things have calmed for
Abdulmajeed since he arrived in
the U.S., but huge obstacles
remain. While fluent in English and
possessing the proper papers to
work here, he suffered a life-
changing gunshot wound in his
native Iraq on July 21, 2003, that
eventually required a below-the-
knee amputation of his left leg.
The loss had an incalculably
negative effect on Abdulmajeed’s
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
life. He sometimes wishes the
wound had been fatal. Firas Abdulmajeed, 33, a gay
He has a bachelor’s degree in Iraqi refugee, has been in the U.S.
computer science that he earned for a month. A computer science
from Al Mansour University in his expert, Abdulmajeed lost a leg to
hometown of Baghdad, but the Shiites while working as a
Abdulmajeed says he’d be happy translator for the U.S. Army in
taking any job that doesn’t require Baghdad. He’s now trying to find
work in the Washington area.
Continues on page 12
2 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 3
4 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
LOCALNEWS
Murder suspect claims self-defense
Police say gay man
stabbed 30 times,
doused in bleach
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A man charged in the Aug. 8
stabbing death of gay federal
employee Delando King told
police he acted in self-defense
after King allegedly held a knife
to his throat and threatened to
kill him, according to a police affi-
davit filed in D.C. Superior Court.
The affidavit says defendant
Marcus McLean, 24, a resident of
Northeast D.C., initially denied
knowing King and denied stabbing
him inside King’s apartment at 1117
10th St., N.W., during the early
morning hours of Aug. 8, when
police believe the murder occurred.
“After being shown a still photo-
graph of video footage showing
defendant McLean and the decedent
walking together at approximately 3
a.m. on Aug. 8, 2010, defendant
McLean admitted that he stabbed
the decedent inside the decedent’s
apartment, but claimed it was in self-
defense,” says the affidavit.
Police charged McLean with
premeditated first-degree mur-
der while armed after arresting
him about 2:30 a.m. Saturday,
Aug. 14, along the 2100 block of
P Street, N.W., within a one-
block radius of three gay bars.
King, 34, an employee of the
U.S. Indian Health Service, was
found dead in his apartment
Aug. 9 by a building maintenance
worker after a co-worker report-
ed he had not shown up for work
and could not be reached, a
police statement said.
The affidavit says the Dupont
Circle gay bar Omega played an
important role in helping investi-
gators solve the case by provid-
Trans woman assaulted near Dupont Circle
A reported sexual assault
against a transgender woman
behind a building near Dupont
Circle on Aug. 13 is the seventh
incident of violence against
LGBT people with a connection
to the neighborhood since June
2, according to police reports.
Police said the latest incident
occurred in an unspecified loca-
tion in the rear of the 2000 block
of P Street, N.W., in the early
morning hours of Aug. 13, when
a suspect approached the victim,
whom police have not identified.
“The complainant reports that
D.C. police Capt. Michael Farish said a surveillance camera captured
images of the ‘person of interest’ in Delando King’s death. That person,
later identified as Marcus McLean, was arrested and charged with murder.
ing police with video surveillance
showing King and McLean
together at the club shortly
before the murder took place.
It says findings of an autopsy
conducted by the D.C. Medical
Examiner’s office show that King
“sustained about thirty (30) stab
wounds, five of which penetrat-
ed the heart.”
Autopsy findings also show
King suffered “chemical injuries
and sustained several cuts to the
arms and legs.” The affidavit
says the chemical injuries
appear to have been caused by
the body being “doused with
bleach” at the time of the murder.
Several of King’s belongings
were stolen from the apartment at
the time of the murder, according to
the affidavit, including his computer,
wallet and cell phone, and investiga-
tors noted that the bedroom where
she was grabbed by the suspect
who placed his hand over her
mouth,” said Sgt. Carlos Mejia,
supervisor of the police’s Gay &
Lesbian Liaison Unit, in an e-
mail to local LGBT activists.
“The suspect removed the com-
plainant’s clothes and sexually
assaulted the complainant,” Mejia
said. “The suspect fled the area on
foot. The complainant is a member
of the transgender community.”
Gays & Lesbians Opposing
Violence, which was among the
groups to receive Mejia’s e-mail,
released the message Monday.
Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key
King’s body was found had been
“searched” by the perpetrator.
The affidavit says McLean
waived his right to remain silent
and agreed to speak with detec-
tives at the D.C. police’s
Homicide Branch offices.
“Defendant McLean alleged
that the decedent was forcing him
to be a male prostitute,” says the
affidavit. “According to defendant
McLean, the decedent held a
knife to the throat of defendant
McLean in the early morning
hours of August 8, 2010 and
threatened to kill him. Defendant
McLean claimed that he began to
stab the decedent in the chest and
then he (defendant McLean)
blacked out and does not remem-
ber the remainder of the stabbing.
“Defendant McLean further
stated that, after the stabbing, he
hid the knife used to stab the dece-
GLOV’s release came on the
same day that court records
became available showing that
the man charged with murdering
gay federal worker Delando King
on Aug. 8 in D.C. had patronized
at least one Dupont Circle gay
bar on the night of the murder.
Court records show that
Marcus McLean, 24, who is
charged with premeditated first-
degree murder while armed in
connection with King’s stabbing
death, was arrested Aug. 14
along the 2100 block of P Street,
N.W., within a one-block radius
dent, took the decedent’s comput-
er, cell phone, and wallet, and
attempted to clean/remove his fin-
gerprints from the apartment.”
Police believe the knife used
to stab King is consistent with a
knife missing from a knife set
they found in King’s apartment.
The affidavit notes that King
was 5 feet, 5 inches tall and
weighed about 140 pounds at the
time of his death. It says McLean
is about six feet, seven inches tall
and weighs about 230 pounds.
McLean’s attorney, Kia Sears,
could not be immediately
reached for comment.
According to the affidavit, inves-
tigators used surveillance video
provided by Omega bar to track the
whereabouts of King and McLean
on the night of the murder.
“The nightclub known as
‘Omega’ is an establishment fre-
quented by members of the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgen-
der communities,” says the affi-
davit. “While viewing the video,
investigators were able to deter-
mine that on Aug. 8, 2010, at
approximately 1:27 a.m., the
decedent and Marcus McLean
were inside the establishment
and that the decedent was in
possession of his wallet.
“On Aug. 8, 2010, at approxi-
mately 2:45 a.m., the decedent’s
check card was utilized at a bar
known as The Passenger located
near the intersection of Seventh
and L streets, N.W., Washington,
D.C.,” says the affidavit. “Shortly
thereafter surveillance footage
from the Washington, D.C.
Convention Center captured the
decedent and Marcus McLean
walking from the direction of the
above establishment towards the
decedent’s apartment located
near the intersection of 10th and L
streets … The video captures the
decedent and Marcus McLean
holding hands while walking.”
of three gay bars.
Four earlier incidents involv-
ing attacks against gay men in
the Dupont Circle area have
been listed as bias-related
assaults that involved anti-gay
name-calling when suspects
attacked the victims. As of earli-
er this week, no arrests had
been made in the five assaults.
The fifth of the string of anti-gay
bias attacks between June 2
and July 30 took place on
Emmerson Street, N.W., outside
the Dupont Circle area.
Police said none of the victims
Capt. Michael Farish of the
police homicide branch told news
reporters Aug. 10 that police were
seeking help from the community
in identifying a man captured on
video surveillance cameras at
King’s upscale condo building
entering the building with King.
The video surveillance also
showed the then unidentified
black man leaving the building
less than an hour later carrying a
bag that he did not have when he
entered the building.
The affidavit, prepared several
days after Farish spoke to reporters,
says investigators obtained bank
records showing that McLean used
King’s bankcard to make purchases
at several stores in D.C. and
Montgomery County, Md.
It also says that at about 12:52
p.m. on Aug. 8, just hours after the
Medical Examiner believes King
was stabbed to death, McLean “is
captured in surveillance video uti-
lizing the decedent’s check card at
the Regal movie theater in Silver
Spring, Maryland.”
“Marcus McLean is observed
still wearing the same clothing
and carrying the same lime green
bag as in the lobby surveillance
footage that captured him leaving
the decedent’s building approxi-
mately nine hours earlier,” it says.
The police affidavit says police
apprehended McLean at 2020 P
St., N.W., which is the address of
Marriott Residence Inn Hotel.
Omega is located in an alley behind
the hotel at 2122 P St., N.W.
Jason James, the Residence
Inn’s desk manager, said Monday
that no arrest took place at the hotel
at that time. A police spokesperson
familiar with the case could not be
immediately reached to confirm the
location of McLean’s arrest.
Court records show McLean is
being held without bond and is
scheduled for a preliminary hearing
in D.C. Superior Court on Sept. 7.
in the five assault cases received
life-threatening injuries.
A law enforcement source,
who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said the transgender
victim in the sexual assault case
knew the suspect and provided
his identity to investigators with
the police’s Sexual Assault Unit,
which is investigating the case.
According to the source, police
listed the attack as an incident of
first-degree sexual abuse, one of
the most serious sexual offenses
under the city’s criminal statutes.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 5
6 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
LOCALNEWS
Rally pushes D.C. ballot measure on marriage
Counter protesters
celebrate local rights
for same-sex couples
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
About 150 same-sex marriage
opponents rallied at the U.S. Capitol
on Sunday, calling for the definition
of marriage as the exclusive union
of one man and one woman.
National Organization for
Marriage officials, who organized
the event and billed it as the
finale to a series of similar rallies
held this summer in locations
across the country, focused on
the group’s efforts to overturn
D.C.’s same-sex marriage law
through a voter initiative.
“Let the people vote! Let the
people vote!” chanted Bishop Harry
Jackson, one of the speakers at the
rally and the leader of a campaign
to oppose D.C.’s same-sex mar-
riage law. The D.C. City Council
passed and Mayor Adrian Fenty
signed that legislation in December.
The rally at the Capitol took
EFN Lounge abruptly closes its doors
D.C. gay bar’s last
night was Monday;
employees shocked
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
jdiguglielmo@washblade.com
A Washington gay bar that
had rebooted with a new name
and concept 18 months ago
closed abruptly Monday night,
just a week after the departure of
its general manager.
EFN Lounge and Motley Bar,
located at 1318 Ninth Street,
N.W., near the Convention
Center, was a two-concept bar
housed under one roof. Former
Manager Bill Gray, who’s gay,
said sales weren’t strong enough
to keep the business afloat.
“We had Bear Happy Hour
every Friday and that was amaz-
ing for revenue, but we realized
that being open every day, we just
couldn’t pull in the revenue we
needed to sustain the building,”
Gray said. “We tried multiple
events. Some things worked,
some didn’t. … We had utilities
turned off and turned back on. It
was just a real struggle financially.”
Employees were informed of
the decision Monday night. Gay
On the matter of same-sex marriage, Bishop Harry Jackson chanted
during a Sunday rally, ‘Let the people vote! Let the people vote!’
place at the same time that a coali-
tion of LGBT organizations staged
an opposing event at Freedom
Plaza, which is located about a
mile away and next to the John A.
Wilson D.C. City Hall building,
bartender Matt Bamford, who’d
worked there four months and is
Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2010,
said the news came as a shock.
According to Bamford, assis-
tant general manager Raven
Cullen, who’s gay and had been
managing the bar with Derrick
Zann in Gray’s absence, informed
him at about 8:30 p.m. Monday
that the bar was closing. Bamford
said he and the rest of the staff —
several of whom were off but came
immediately to the bar upon hear-
ing the news — are angry.
“Company standard there was
always two weeks notice if we
wanted to leave,” Bamford said.
“What they did to not just the
staff but to the community at
large is just unconscionable.”
Gay owners Tom McGuire and
Adrian Massiah, who also work
together as founder/president and
chief operating officer respectively
of WorkSpaces LLC, sent an e-
mail Monday at 8:40 p.m. informing
the staff of the closing.
“With loosing [sic] Bill as gener-
al manager combined with the very
low sales we have been experienc-
ing over the last few months, we
have arrived at the very difficult
decision that the bar must be
closed,” McGuire said in the e-mail.
“My apologies for the abrupt deci-
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
where the City Council passed the
same-sex marriage law.
Organizers of the Freedom
Plaza rally estimated that between
200 and 250 people attended that
event. Among the speakers were
sion and short notice, but we really
have no choice. This is the last
thing I wanted to do. I wish you all
the best moving forward.”
McGuire and Massiah did not
immediately return Blade calls
seeking comment.
Gray admited EFN Lounge was
a tough endeavor and that he’d
“checked out and burned out” in
January. He also said he was tired
of paying business expenses out of
his own pocket. Gray noted a dis-
pute about who should pay to set-
tle a small claims lawsuit with a
concert promoter who’d sued EFN
was the final straw.
“By that point, the slightest dis-
agreement would have made me
resign,” said Gray, 34. “It had con-
sumed all my life and I was starting
to realize it wasn’t for me.”
McGuire said in the e-mail,
“… we had to let Bill Gray go
because of issues and circum-
stances which came to our atten-
tion just the week before last.”
Gray said he left on his own voli-
tion and that he owns the rights
to the EFN name and concept.
Bamford said there were days
that were slow, but “others were
slamming.” He’d never met
McGuire or Massiah until Aug. 9
when they came to the bar, intro-
duced themselves and informed
D.C. Council member David
Catania (I-At Large), author of the
same-sex marriage bill, and
Council member Phil Mendelson
(D-At Large), who headed the
committee that guided the meas-
ure through the Council.
The groups that helped
organize the Freedom Plaza rally
included Equality Across
America, Full Equality Now!
D.C., and Talk About Equality.
“We know what this fight is
about,” said Brian Brown, the
National Organization for Marriage
president, at the Capitol gathering.
“It is about a profound love and
respect for an institution that the
government did not create … that
brings together the two great halves
of humanity, male and female, so
that they can know and be known
by — love and be loved by — any
children that they may bear.
“And this, my friends, is some-
thing worth fighting for.”
Brown denounced U.S. District
Court Judge Vaughn Walker in
California for overturning Proposition
8, which banned same-sex mar-
riage in the state. Brown said he was
nearly certain that a higher court
EFN Lounge abruptly closed Monday, a week after its general manager
departed.
the staff of Gray’s departure.
Another gay EFN bartender,
Aaron Alexander, said in an e-
mail, “I don’t have much to say
on the matter. I’m still trying to
figure things out myself.”
Bamford is concerned about the
bar’s events, including some com-
munity service-oriented such as a
condom campaign that was held at
the upstairs Motley area for the last
eight months. Some events have
moved to Green Lantern. Local gay
event promoter Jacob Pring started
his Code and Poz parties at EFN
would overturn Walker’s ruling.
But Brown noted, as have other
same-sex marriage opponents,
that a U.S. constitutional amend-
ment banning same-sex marriage
will be pursued if Walker’s decision
is allowed to stand.
“If the worst-case situation were
to happen, that this decision goes
all the way to the Supreme Court
and somehow five justices define
out of thin air a right to redefine
marriage, we still have the power to
vote,” he said. “It’s called amending
the United States Constitution to
protect marriage as a union of a
man and a woman.”
Brown added that “the conse-
quences are clear and profound
when our children are taught in the
schools that it’s the same thing for
Jimmy to grow up and marry
Johnny as it is to marry Mary, and
that you, the parents, are bigots for
teaching them otherwise.”
Jackson called same-sex
marriage advocates “out of con-
trol radicals” and compared the
tactics that some have used to
the tactics of “intimidation” used
Continues on page 16
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
but moved them to Green Lantern
several months ago.
“Let’s see, I’m trying to keep
this positive,” Pring said. “It
worked well for awhile but even-
tually got to be a bad scenario.”
Gray said the name came as
a lark during an extensive
remodeling project.
“There was so much stress
involved, I found myself constantly
saying, ‘This fucking bar, I hate it,’” he
said. “So we used that as the name,
though technically it stood for Edgy
Funky Neighborhood Lounge.”
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 7
8 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010

NATIONALNEWS

Equality Forum asks first lady Same-sex marriages

to launch GLBT History Month
WASHINGTON — Equality Forum has invited first lady Michelle Obama to
launch this year’s GLBT History Month in October.
“GLBT History Month teaches history, provides role models, builds commu-
nity and celebrates the GLBT community’s national and international contribu-
on hold in California California may have sole legal standing to
tions,” said Malcolm Lazin, Equality
Appeals court stays appeal a case like the one involving Prop 8.
Forum’s executive director. “The judge’s Prop 8 ruling California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
White House celebration of GLBT and the state’s attorney general, Jerry
History Month is an important By LOU CHIBBARO JR. Brown, have refused to defend Prop 8, forc-
demonstration of the administra- lchibbaro@washblade.com ing private advocates backing the same-sex
tion’s support of our equality.” marriage ban law to defend it in court.
In connection with GLBT History A federal appeals court has reversed a Schwarzenegger and Brown have said
Month, Equality Forum annually decision last week by a lower court judge they also oppose an appeal of Walker’s
features a different icon each day at to lift the stay on his Aug. 4 ruling over- decision overturning Prop 8 and that the
GLBTHistoryMonth.com. The proj- turning Proposition 8, dashing the hopes state would not be a party to the appeal.
ect presents each icon, which this of same-sex couples in California to “In addition to any issues appellants wish
year includes such people as quickly regain their right to marry. to raise on appeal, appellants are directed to
actress Cynthia Nixon and Houston A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit include in their opening brief a discussion of
Mayor Annise Parker, by way of U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco on why this appeal should not be dismissed for
video and biography. Monday granted a request by supporters of lack of Article III standing,” the appeals court
Equality Forum noted that Obama Prop 8 to keep the stay in place until the panel noted in its ruling Monday.
Photo by Samantha Appleton, courtesy of White House
was asked to help launch this year’s completion of their appeal, which is expect- Officials with the California-based
event in part because she and the Equality Forum has invited first lady ed to continue through December. American Foundation for Equal Rights,
White House have held celebrations for Michelle Obama to launch GLBT History In their two-page order, the judges said which initiated the lawsuit by two same-
Women’s History Month, Black History Month 2010 in October. only, “Appellants’ motion for a stay of the sex couples that led to Walker’s decision
Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. district court’s order of Aug. 4, 2010 pend- to overturn Prop 8, sought to put an opti-
A White House aide told the Blade that Equality Forum’s invitation would be ing appeal is granted.” mistic spin on the appeals court’s deci-
“given careful consideration.” They were referring to the Aug. 4 deci- sion Monday to keep the stay in place.
sion by U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn “This means that although Californians
Only a fourth of troops surveyed on gays respond Walker declaring Prop 8’s ban on same- who were denied equality by Proposition
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department said that only about a quarter of sex marriage null and void because it vio- 8 cannot marry immediately, the Ninth
the troops sent a survey on gays in the military responded. lates the U.S. Constitution’s equal protec- Circuit, like the district court, will move
The Associated Press reported that Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith tion and due process clauses. swiftly to address and decide the merits
said that close to 103,000 service members completed the survey, which asked But in an action viewed as favorable to of plaintiffs’ claims on their merits,” the
questions like how they would react if assigned to a room with a gay person. same-sex marriage advocates, the group said in a statement.
The Defense Department had delivered 400,000 surveys to troops as part of appeals court judges also ordered that Ted Olson, one of the two attorneys that
its study on how it could lift the ban without hurting morale. The deadline to the case move forward on an expedited argued for overturning Prop 8 at the district
respond was Sunday. basis, setting strict deadlines for lawyers court trial earlier this year, called the expe-
Smith said 150,000 surveys will be sent to troops’ family members later this month. on both sides to file their briefs between dited appeals court schedule significant.
September and November. They directed “We are very gratified that the Ninth
Despite early victory, aviator faces ‘Don’t Ask’ discharge that arguments before the court would Circuit has recognized the importance
WASHINGTON — A highly decorated gay Air Force aviator whose pending dis- take place during the week of Dec. 6. and pressing nature of this case and the
charge under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been highly publicized won Monday a The action by appeals court judges need to resolve it as quickly as possible
request to temporarily prevent his expulsion from the U.S. military. Sidney Thomas, Michael Hawkins and by issuing this extremely expedited brief-
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Morrison & Foerster LLP had filed Edward Leavy reversed an Aug. 12 deci- ing schedule,” he said.
the request for a temporary restraining order last week on behalf of Lt. Col. Victor sion by Walker to lift a stay that he put in But one of the attorneys that defended
Fehrenbach, according to SLDN. Fehrenbach is 13 months away from retirement. place nine days earlier. Prop 8 in court had a different assessment of
SLDN and Morrison & Foerster announced Monday that they’d “reached an Rather than allow same-sex marriages Monday’s decision to keep the stay in place.
agreement” with the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Air Force and the U.S. to resume in the state immediately upon “It made no sense to impose a radical
District Court in Idaho, where the case is pending. issuing his Aug. 4 decision, Walker placed change in marriage on the people of
“The agreement prevents the Air Force from discharging Lt. Col. Fehrenbach a stay on his own ruling, saying he want- California before all appeals on their behalf
under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ the discriminatory law barring gay and lesbian serv- ed to give supporters and opponents of are heard,” said Jim Campbell, litigation
ice members from serving openly and honestly, until the court can schedule a Prop 8 a chance to submit briefs arguing staff counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.
hearing on the motion for a preliminary injunction,” says the announcement. why a stay should or should not be kept in “Refusing to stay the decision would only
Fehrenbach previously said he’s been waiting more than two years for the U.S. place during the appeals process. have created more legal confusion sur-
military to “do the right thing” and allow him to continue his service. After considering the arguments, rounding any same-sex unions entered
“I have given my entire adult life to the Air Force that I love,” he said. ”I have Walker ruled Aug. 12 that a stay was not while the appeal is pending.”
deployed six times and risked my life for my country. In the two years that I’ve justified because allowing same-sex mar- Evan Wolfson, executive director of
been sitting at my desk rather than inside my jet, I’ve offered to deploy numerous riage to resume would not cause any Freedom to Marry, a same-sex marriage
times. I’m ready, willing, and able to deploy tomorrow, but I’m barred from deploy- harm to the state or its people. But he advocacy group, called the appeals court
ment, because of this unjust, discriminatory law.” extended his stay to Aug. 18 to give the action “a disappointing delay for many
The injunction was filed after the General Counsel’s Office to the Secretary of Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals a chance Californians who hoped to celebrate the
the Air Force reportedly reviewed Fehrenbach’s case and sent a recommendation to decide the matter. freedom to marry and full inclusion in
to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley. Without action by Donley, Fehrenbach Unlike Walker, who issued an 11-page society as soon as possible.”
could have been discharged within days, according to SLDN. ruling explaining why he believed the stay Wolfson said that while the lawyers
In a statement, Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal should be lifted, the appeals court panel representing same-sex couples continue
Defense Network, urged Donley to employ the new regulations for “Don’t Ask, gave no explanation for its action. to argue the case in court, “we have more
Don’t Tell” implemented earlier this year to keep Fehrenbach in service. However, while it rejected Walker’s months in which to make our case in the
“Lt. Col. Fehrenbach signed up nearly 19 years ago willing to risk all and die for decision to lift the stay, the appeals court court of public opinion.”
his country, flying nearly 90 combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo,” he panel appears to have given credence to Rev. Anthony Evans, a D.C. minister and
said. ”Why and how the hell do we end up firing our best and brightest when we’re Walker’s assertion in his Aug. 12 ruling one of the leaders of the campaign to
fighting in two wars?” that Prop 8 supporters may not have legal oppose same-sex marriage in Washington,
Sarvis said Fehrenbach’s discharge would “dramatically underscore that ‘Don’t Ask, standing to appeal the case. said the appeals court’s action reflects “the
Don’t Tell’ is still the law and all gay and lesbian service members should be on notice.” Walker noted in his Aug. 12 ruling that will of the people and the word of God,”
called for lifting the stay that the State of which he said “will prevail.”
 august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 9
WWW.LIRONEPRO.COM (703) 623-9042
Images by LIRONE Photographer

1517 Wisconsin Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20007
(202) 625-2677

Tysons Galleria
1828G International Drive
McLean, VA 22102
(703) 848-2197

Name: Terry Horner

10 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
NATIONALNEWS
Fla. primary could yield gay milestones
Voters could elect gay
state representative,
member of Congress
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Primary elections set for
Tuesday could yield two milestones
if Florida voters elect a gay candi-
date to Congress and another man
to become the first openly gay
member of the state’s legislature.
Scott Galvin, a North Miami
City Council member, is seeking
to represent Florida’s 17th con-
gressional district in Congress.
Galvin told the Blade last week
he’s “feeling very excited” about
his prospects.
“We had a wonderful debate
last night that went very well and
we had a nice article in the
Miami Herald yesterday talking
about our chances in being able
in win,” he said. “We’re just invig-
orated out knocking on doors
and raising money.”
Galvin is among nine
Democratic candidates seeking
the nomination in next week’s
primary. No Republican candi-
date has filed to run in the gen-
eral election in this Democratic-
Boycott takes aim at Target stores
Gays snub national
retailer after political
donation spurs anger
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
jdiguglielmo@washblade.com
Gay shoppers boycotting Target
for supporting an anti-gay Minnesota
gubernatorial candidate have little
reason to rethink their stance as the
company, the nation’s second
largest retailer behind Wal-Mart, has
done little in response.
Target’s negotiations with the
Human Rights Campaign ended
abruptly this week with the gay
civil rights group releasing a
statement saying Target would
“take no corrective actions to
repair the harm that it caused”
through its political donation.
Based in Minnesota, Target
has been pressured for three
weeks by LGBT activists to make
amends after giving $150,000 to
MN Forward, a group that has run
ads supporting Republican guber-
natorial candidate Tom Emmer. A
straight father of seven, Emmer is
Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key
Scott Galvin, who’s gay, is seek-
ing to represent Florida in
Congress. His primary is Tuesday.
safe seat, so the winner of the
primary is the presumptive U.S.
House member in the district.
Galvin’s campaign achieved
additional notoriety last month
when vandals defaced several
of his campaign signs in North
Miami by spray-painting the
word “fag” on them. Galvin said
the incident had a mixed impact
against same-sex marriage and
supports constitutional amend-
ments that outlaw it.
MoveOn.org, a group of
organizations that works to bring
“real Americans back onto the
political process,” is spearhead-
ing the Target boycott.
MoveOn.org says its members
object to Target “trying to buy elec-
tions” under the U.S. Supreme
Court decision that ruled corporate
funding of independent political
broadcasts in candidate elections
can’t be limited under the First
Amendment. To counter Target’s
donation, MoveOn.org is seeking
$150,000 to “fight back” and “send
an unmistakable message that
Americans won’t stand for corpo-
rations throwing their weight
around in our elections.”
More than 250,000 signatures
have been collected from people
pledging not to shop at Target
again until the company promises
to stop making political donations,
MoveOn.org says. Protestors have
reportedly appeared at 1,100
Target stores across the country.
HRC took no official stance on
the boycott but was in negotia-
on his campaign.
“There were those who found
out that I was gay for the first time
and weren’t aware and there were
those who obviously didn’t care
and were actually motivated more
by it,” Galvin said.
Galvin said his campaign has
seen further acts of vandalism,
where campaign materials were
vandalized, but none of those acts
held such a clear anti-gay bias.
Still, Galvin said he’s feeling
optimistic about his campaign and
noted the difference between the
first-place candidate to the fifth-
place candidate could be “as much
as two to three percentage points.”
Meanwhile, Justin Flippen, a
tourism project coordinator for the
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. area, is seek-
ing the Democratic nomination to
run for a state legislative seat rep-
resenting a district in South Florida.
Flippen, who’s vice mayor of
the city of Wilton Manors, said
he’s interested in pursuing the
seat to bring more effective
Democratic representation to the
Florida state capital.
“We need a strong Democratic
representative from District 92 in
Tallahassee that represents all of
the communities of the district,
including the LGBT community
most particularly,” Flippen said.
tions with Target, encouraging
the company to make a similar
donation to an LGBT-supportive
candidate in Minnesota.
“We were in talks with ways they
could make it right … and were
close to some sort of agreement,
but finally they backed away from
the table and refused to give an
explanation about why they would
talk no further,” said Michael Cole,
an HRC spokesperson.
“I don’t know that we’ve reached
out to them in the last few days, but
their final word to us was, ‘No, we
will not be giving anything to them
to make it right and this is the end
of the conversation.’”
In a statement, Target told the
Blade that a decision was made
to wait before taking action on
the matter.
“Given the current political and
emotionally charged environment,
we have concluded that it is best to
wait before taking further external
action regarding our MN Forward
contribution,” said Jessica Carlson, a
Target spokesperson, in an e-mail.
“We believe that it is impossible
to avoid turning any further
actions into a political issue and
bent
He’s running against incum-
Democratic legislator
Gwyndolen Clarke-Reid for the
party nomination, whom he said
has “not at all” been faithful to
Democratic principles in her seat
as a state representative.
Among Clarke-Reid’s votes
that Flippen criticizes are her
votes for school vouchers and
utility rate hikes for power compa-
nies. Flippen also took issue with
Clarke-Reid’s lack of sponsorship
of any state pro-LGBT legislation
and her opposition to same-sex
marriage, which he noted isn’t
consistent with the national
Democratic Party platform.
“I was a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention
in 2008,” Flippen said. “I voted on
the platform. I think we said that
everyone’s included in the fabric
of American society, particularly
the LGBT community.”
The Clarke-Reed campaign did-
n’t respond to the Blade’s request
to comment for this article.
Flippen said Clarke-Reed’s
lack of support for pro-LGBT bills
isn’t representative of her district
because so many LGBT people
live there. He estimated that the
same-sex couple households
comprise about one-third of the
district’s population.
will use the benefit of time to make
thoughtful, careful decisions on
how best to move forward. We
remain committed to the GLBT
community and will continue to
seek thoughtful ways to demon-
strate the strong support for inclu-
siveness that we have held
throughout our history.”
While no D.C. gay groups
have taken any lead role in the
boycott, local LGBT people have
expressed anger about the situa-
tion and joined the boycott.
Geri Hughes, a Washington
transgender activist, said she
shopped regularly at the Target
stores in Washington’s Columbia
Heights neighborhood and
Virginia’s Potomac Yards shop-
ping center, but won’t now.
“Until this is resolved, I’ll tell
you this,” she said. “I’m not gonna
spend any money there. And if it
doesn’t make the paper, I’ll never
shop there again.”
The news of Target’s donation
supporting an anti-gay candidate
came as a shock to many gays
who recognized Target for its per-
fect score on HRC’s most recent
Corporate Equality Index, which
“You would think that the district
— with such a large proportion of
GLBT same-sex households —
would have a state representative
that is very much in step with the
GLBT community,” he said. “In fact,
we do not have that. That will be
changed in this election cycle.”
Noting that he would be the
first openly gay person elected to
the Florida state legislature,
Flippen said he thinks his voice
will be important when LGBT
issues come before lawmakers.
“There needs to be a voice in
the state legislature that stands
for a community that has never
had a voice before,” he said. “I
will be there at every opportunity
to stand up for equality and the
equal rights for everyone, which
we’ve not seen with great fervor
in the state legislature.”
Flippen said his chances of
winning the seat in November
are “very good” and that he’s
received important endorse-
ments, including from Broward
County Mayor Ken Keechl.
“I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t
think we had a better than good
chance,” he said. “I’m pleased that
we have walked over 60 percent
of this entire district by foot and
met with more than 5,000 voters
in over 2,500 households.”
grades corporations on their
approaches toward LGBT-related
workplace matters. Target also
has given money to the Parents,
Families & Friends of Lesbians &
Gays in Twin Cities and participat-
ed in Minnesota Pride events.
Joel Lawson, a gay
Washingtonian with his own pub-
lic relations business, said the
controversy reminded him of dis-
putes in the 90s with United
Airlines and American Online.
Those incidents involved resist-
ance to enacting domestic part-
ner benefits and a service mem-
ber’s inadvertent outing.
“They think, ‘Oh, we’re fine. This
is a misunderstanding. It will resolve
itself in a short matter of time,’” he
said. “And that’s just not the case.
The hurt is magnified and even
more startling, more newsworthy
and more difficult to resolve. …
Unless they acknowledge the hurt
and injury, it will only linger.”
Lawson said he’s confident,
though, Target will eventually
make right on the matter.
“It’s a very bad moment for a
very good company with very
good LGBT policies,” he said.
 august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 11

Steve Weinberg ATTORNEY AT LAW

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 28 YEARS
• PERSONAL INJURY • PROBATE/WILLS
• PARK ARRESTS • CIVIL LITIGATION
• CONSERVATORSHIPS/GUARDIANSHIPS

202-861-0077
2141 P Street, NW Suite 103 • Washington, DC 20037
E-mail: steveweinbergdc@aol.com
Licensed in DC, MD and VA

se
spou with the right documents.
Protect your partner

Wills & Trusts

Powers of Attorney • Living Wills
Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements
(301) 738-8220 • (703) 536-0220
www.PartnerPlanning.com
Serving the LGBT Community in DC/MD/VA since 1983
Lawrence S. Jacobs & Associates, P.C.
12 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
LOCALNEWS
Gay Iraqi seeks new life in America
Continued from page 1
him to stand and walk for any length
of time. Infection and shoddy med-
ical care after the injury — he’s cer-
tain his leg could have been saved
had he received proper care —
resulted in 17 operations, years of
excruciating pain and a series of ill-
fitting prosthetics that offer little help.
He met James Jorkasky, a
gay Arlington resident, at a gro-
cery store in Northern Virginia
two weeks ago. Jorkasky, a lob-
byist for medical research fund-
ing, could see Abdulmajeed was
struggling to walk and started
their conversation. He’s been
using his contacts to help
Abdulmajeed find a job, see an
orthopedic surgeon and get a
proper-fitting prosthetic leg.
“I’m really pushy and nosy, so
I asked a lot of questions and
found out a lot,” Jorkasky says. “I
just thought maybe I could help.”
Abdulmajeed says knew he was
gay around age 13. He was athletic
and enjoyed swimming. He soon
realized he was attracted to men he
saw at the pool — and thought he
was the only person in the world
who felt this way. Confiding to the
head of his mosque about his
desires proved disastrous.
“He started shouting, ‘You are
the devil,’ and kicked me out. I felt
awful and embarrassed. So it
was a hard time.”
The development came during
Hussein-era Iraq, which natives
regard as something of a mixed
bag. Abdulmajeed says many
Iraqis prefer it to the violence and
chaos that has engulfed the coun-
try since the U.S. invasion. Even
gay life was better then, he says.
“There was a gay community
and a gay cruising area. In the
Saddam time it was better. If you
were gay and don’t talk about the
government or Saddam, you were
safe. Now both the Sunnis and
Shiites are against that and want to
show the Islamic world they are
brave so they kill gay people.”
Abdulmajeed moved to Dubai
after college, working various
administrative jobs, but came back
to Iraq just before the U.S. invasion
in 2002. By March 2003, communi-
cation was down and Abdulmajeed,
who lived with his parents again in
Baghdad, visited a hotel to try to
learn the whereabouts of relatives.
Though Muslim, Abdulmajeed had
attended a Catholic school and
studied English. He also studied in
Dubai and honed his speaking skills
watching U.S. movies.
Abdulmajeed approached a
U.S. Army officer and asked him in
English if it was possible to make
an international call at the hotel. In
turn, the officer gave him an offer to
Firas Abdulmajeed
work for the U.S. as a translator.
Abdulmajeed became one of a
team of Iraqi translators working in
an Army contracting office in the
Green Zone, Iraq’s international
3.8 square-mile zone in Baghdad.
While the work went well, it quick-
ly became obvious to Abdulmajeed,
a Sunni Muslim, that the Shiites did
not approve of his work for the U.S.
His new car was stolen, which he
says may have had nothing to do
with his work, but about three
weeks later, a small bomb was
thrown into his family’s house.
Intimidating notes were sent to him.
Still, he didn’t consider quitting.
“I think I was doing a good job
and the officers in the contracting
office, they were really nice people,”
he says. “I wanted to help the Iraqis,
and they always try to support Iraqi
vendors, so I think it was [a] really
good job, ethically, as I am Iraqi and
also the payment was good.
“I didn’t understand the mes-
sage — or maybe I was ignoring
the message — as I [had] a
chance to have [a] promotion to
work with the USA embassy in
Baghdad, as I was a hard worker.”
‘I’ll never forget his face’
The attack that claimed part
of Abdulmajeed’s left leg hap-
pened quickly.
It was a Saturday in July 2003
and extremely hot. Abdulmajeed
was waiting for a taxi to take him to
his office in the Green Zone. He
remembers thinking it would be a
busy day, more like a Monday
because the office was closed on
Sunday, so there’d be extra work.
On this day, he was to accompany
a U.S. officer to a construction site.
He remembers thinking how
hot it would likely be in the
Humvee without air conditioning.
Without warning, a Shiite he’d
never seen before came face to face
with him carrying a gun. After reciting
a Muslim creed (“I believe in one
god, one prophet Mohammad…”),
he pointed at Abdulmajeed’s left leg
and shot him.
“I’ll never forget his face,”
Abdulmajeed says. “He didn’t cover
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
his face or try to hide. By the chance
that a police [officer] was there it didn’t
matter, because there was no govern-
ment at that time. I didn’t feel it, actual-
ly. I just fell and my feet were moving
kind of automatically. I was confused,
then I start seeing blood over my
jeans and I knew something was
wrong. He was so close to me he
could have easily shot me in the head
and nobody would have stopped him.”
A neighbor helped Abdulmajeed
get to a hospital by taxi, but staff
there had few supplies and said
they could do nothing for him. He
was taken to another hospital where
he stayed for six months. It was the
beginning of a grueling ordeal that
continues today.
Painkillers were in short supply. He
was given one pill a day. He cut it in
half and took half in the morning and
half in the evening. Some of the 17
surgeries were performed without
any anesthetic. His mother stayed
with him around-the-clock at the hos-
pital — a blessing and curse as he felt
he had to mask his true emotions so
she wouldn’t see him in agony.
“You act as if you don’t care
because your parents are watching,”
he says. “They want to know how you
feel and you feel down but you can-
not show it, the things in my heart, so
I just smile and [was] joking.”
Aside from the physical pain,
there were other scars. Just 26
years old at the time, Abdulmajeed
realized he’d never again enjoy his
hobbies of swimming and tennis.
He also thought it would affect his
desirability in the gay world.
“Maybe if I were straight it would
be easier, but as a gay, it’s worse
because it’s hard to be gay and
beauty is so hard, and at that time
I was thinking about my future,
which I lost it already. I lost my job
and every dream I had in my life.”
By July 2003, many doctors had
fled Iraq or had been killed. A steel
rod was inserted into Abdulmajeed’s
leg, but he says that turned out to be
a mistake as the wound should have
been kept open. A gangrene-like
infection set in and the muscle start-
ed dying. The infection caused a foul
smell that scared away visitors. And
though he’d had a boyfriend for
about 18 months prior to the shoot-
ing, Abdulmajeed was dumped
while he was in the hospital.
“He sent a message through a
friend and said, ‘I can’t be with an
amputee guy,’“ Abdulmajeed recalls.
Within a few weeks, he also
lost his Army job, since being in
the hospital prevented him from
performing his duties.
Upon his release from the hos-
pital, Abdulmajeed found a cheap
prosthetic in Iraq, but it required a
size 10 shoe and Abdulmajeed’s
shoes were one size too small. He
was able to walk with the aid of a
stick and also used a wheelchair.
A relative arranged for him to
come to the UAE in July 2004, but he
faced an anti-handicap prejudice.
“It’s the Mediterranean men-
tality,” he says. “They don’t even
call you by name. They just say,
‘Amputee.’ That really affected
me a lot but I don’t have another
choice. I couldn’t go back to Iraq
and I was only allowed to stay in
the UAE as long as I had a job.”
Abdulmajeed’s father, a retired
civil engineer, was kidnapped in
November 2006 after Abdulmajeed
left for the UAE. The circumstances
surrounding his disappearance
remain unclear, but his mother was
ordered to pay $30,000 to get him
back. She followed the instructions
to drive to a spot two hours from her
house with the money. They were
supposed to send her husband an
hour after getting the money. She
never saw him again.
Abdulmajeed says the tragedies
were nearly too much to bear.
“We never even saw his body or
know whatever happened to him.
Surely he’s not still alive after all
these years. So this old lady, she
loses her husband and her son lost
his leg for no reason. I didn’t do any
mistake. If I was fighting or a soldier,
that would be one thing, but I was a
civilian. And my father, a Shiite kid-
napped him because he was Sunni.
“It really affects your way of
thinking, your dreams that you will
get freedom. We don’t even need
the freedom, just safety. And you
can’t imagine the temperature. It’s
110 and there’s no electricity.”
Abdulmajeed eventually was
able to have his mother join him
in UAE in January 2007, but she
was never the same.
“She lost it sometimes,” he says.
“If I come in from work, I go inside
the home and heard her speaking
with my father. She imagines him
there. So this is a problem.”
‘I don’t want charity’
Life stabilized for the two in UAE,
but uncertainty loomed as their abil-
ity to remain there depended on
Abdulmajeed staying employed,
which he was able to do.
In 2007, he applied to a refugee
program with the United Nations to
come to the U.S. It was three years
before his application was
approved, but he and his mother,
who has diabetes, high blood pres-
sure and a heart condition, were
able to come to the U.S. last month.
The two have little between
them. He has a permanent Visa for
refugees and a work permit, a few
pieces of furniture, eight months of
health insurance and food stamps.
“I don’t want charity or a hand-
out,” Abdulmajeed says emphatical-
ly. “I just want a desk job, even data
entry. Nothing fancy, just [enough] to
cover expenses and to live here.
“About this point: I’m not looking
for charity or donation. If someone
wants to help, I need the jobs. Not
because they’re sorry I lost my leg
or am an amputee, but because
he feels I desire a chance to prove
myself. Only that. The day that I
feel I can’t offer the life here, that’s
the day I should go back to Iraq or
wherever, but I don’t want charity.”
Jorkasky says he’s been
amazed at his friend’s drive.
“I’ve never seen such a quick
study on anything,” he says. “He
soaks up everything I give him. I think
somebody would get themselves and
excellent, smart, dedicated worker.”
Jorkasky hopes the local LGBT
community will help Abdulmajeed
get the aid he needs.
Abdulmajeed’s new life is mod-
est by American standards. He and
his mother love the country and
have been amazed by what they
say are friendly, smiling people. He
enjoys simple freedoms like visiting
a garden near the apartment build-
ing where he lives. He’s been to no
gay clubs since arriving. Jorkasky
is his only gay friend. He knows
one other Iraqi here.
“Sometimes I just sit there in the
garden and I have this feeling how
great it is do to anything or talking
about anything gay or whatever in
public,” he says. “I don’t have this
feeling before, so this kind of free-
dom, it’s a great feeling everybody
wants since childhood.
“I think there are a lot of
Americans who may not agree with
the war or the invasion of Iraq, but
whatever your politics are, what
gets lost in the equation a lot of
times are the real casualties. I think
everybody in the D.C. gay commu-
nity should just take a step back
and look at their lives and realize
what they have compared to the
incredible struggle that Firas has
had. One of our brothers is suffering
right now and needs our help.”
Job leads can be sent to Abdulmajaeed
at firasbasil77@gmail.com or
Jorkasky at jamesj@eyeresearch.org.
 august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 13

703 D St NW 1221 Mass Ave NW*

Washington, DC Washington, DC
202-628-1288 202-628-7979
14 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
LOCALNEWS
Fenty asks for LGBT votes, touts marriage support
Continued from page 1
actions on LGBT issues, Fenty
cited his signing of an historic
same-sex marriage equality law,
policies supportive of LGBT
businesses, the cabinet-level
work of his Office of GLBT
Affairs, and a commitment to
LGBT youth by his public
schools chancellor, Michelle
Rhee, as just some of his admin-
istration’s accomplishments.
“So it’s been a great four
years and we’re really looking
forward to the next four years in
a second term after the
Democratic primary,” he said.
When asked about complaints
by some LGBT activists that Police
Chief Cathy Lanier’s reorganiza-
tion of the department’s Gay &
Lesbian Liaison Unit has made it
less responsive to the community
and that police were not investigat-
ing hate crimes as aggressively as
they should, Fenty said he has full
confidence in Lanier’s leadership
and strategies.
Citing a sharp drop in overall
crime in the city, including homi-
cides, during his term, Fenty said
crimes targeting LGBT people
and others are “being taken
more seriously, handled more
professionally and we’re getting
better results.”
Although he did not mention by
name City Council Chairman
Vincent Gray, his chief opponent in
the Sept. 14 primary, the mayor
said police officials such as Lanier
rather than “politicians” should be
setting strategies for fighting hate
crimes. In campaign appearances,
Gray has attacked Fenty for not
taking a strong enough stand
against hate crimes.
“You want law enforcement
putting together strategy for
keeping people safe,” Fenty said.
“You don’t want civilians and you
especially don’t want politicians
to be the ones who are develop-
ing those strategies. And I
believe Chief Lanier has done a
great job doing that.”
Shortly after his interview with
the Blade, Fenty joined New York
City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a
news conference in a downtown
restaurant in which Bloomberg
gave a ringing endorsement of
Fenty’s re-election bid. Bloomberg
cited the drop in D.C.’s crime rate
as being among Fenty’s most sig-
nificant accomplishments.
Bloomberg also defended
Fenty’s decision to support and
sign the city’s same-sex mar-
riage law, saying government
should not stand in the way of
any citizen’s right to marry.
“They have a right to believe
what they want to believe,”
Bloomberg said of same-sex mar-
riage opponents. “But just as with
religious freedom, I do not believe
it’s the government’s business to
get involved in family lives, particu-
larly when no one gets hurt. And I
think you should have a right to
marry anybody you want, love
anybody you want. It seems to me
it is just as basic a right as every-
body else. Period. End of story.”
Following are excerpts of the
Blade’s interview with Fenty.
Visit washingtonblade.com for
the full transcript and a video of
the interview.
Washington Blade: What do
you see as some of your main
accomplishments in addressing
issues of concern to the LGBT
community?
Adrian Fenty: I think gay mar-
riage and marriage equality is the
biggest thing to happen over the
past three-and-a-half years. When
the bill was introduced, I think it
meant a lot to the people who intro-
duced it and to the community that
I expressed my full support and that
I said I would sign it as soon as it
came to my desk. I think that left a
lot of people feeling very certain
that it would move fast through the
local government, which I think
helped prevent naysayers in the
federal government and Congress
from being opposed to it.
We’ve also been very supportive
of GLBT businesses. We’ve been
very supportive of equality in the
workplace, in hiring. The chief [D.C.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier] has
done a fantastic job in really trying
to address some of the hate crimes
that are sometimes being commit-
ted against our GLBT neighbors.
So it’s been a great four years and
we’re really looking forward to the
next four years in a second term
after the Democratic primary.
Blade: Some of your critics in
the LGBT community who are
backing Vincent Gray say you
have not been as visible as they
would prefer in speaking out on a
number LGBT-related issues,
including hate crimes, and that
you haven’t attended many LGBT
events. Is that a fair criticism?
Fenty: Yes, it is a very fair criti-
cism. It’s actually probably extreme-
ly fair. I’ve got to do a much better
job being more visible in my second
term, and I will.
Blade: Do you mean going to
more events?
Fenty: Doing everything. I
mean I have got to get out into the
community. I’ve got to get out in
people’s doorsteps, at community
events. You name it; I did not do as
good of a job as I should have in
my first term as mayor in getting
out to the community. And I should
be held responsible for that, to do
it better in the second term.
Blade: You’ve been praised
for appointing Chris Dyer as
head of the Mayor’s Office of
GLBT Affairs.
Fenty: I like Chris. He’s great.
Blade: But some in the LGBT
community have expressed con-
cern that while Chris appears
before and speaks at a lot of
community meetings, he’s not
allowed to speak to the press,
including the LGBT press. Under
the administration of your prede-
cessor, Mayor [Anthony]
Williams, the GLBT office direc-
tor was allowed to speak to the
media as a spokesperson for the
administration on LGBT issues.
Fenty: Well, to the extent that
any of our directors have not
spoken directly to the media, it’s
pretty much part and parcel of
either our general communica-
tions strategy or it may just be a
particular issue. It depends. But
we don’t treat the director for
GLBT any different than we treat
any of our other cabinet direc-
tors. Most things go through
communications. There are cer-
tain issues that become very
high profile and we just allow the
communications office to handle
them out of the EOM [Executive
Office of the Mayor]. And that’s
true of Public Works, Motor
Vehicles, and of anything.
Blade: In terms of LGBT-relat-
ed crimes, you and Police Chief
Cathy Lanier held a press confer-
ence last Saturday on Mozart
Street, N.W., to announce arrests
in two recent homicides. One of
the victims was a gay man.
Fenty: We sure did. We sure did
have a press conference. The police
department did a fabulous job clos-
ing a crime on Mozart in less than 72
hours after it occurred. And this is
part and parcel of the police depart-
ment, which under our administration
has raised the homicide closure rate
to about 80 percent. There was a
time in the District of Columbia gov-
ernment where our homicide closure
rate was abysmally low, way below
the national average. And now it sits
very comfortably somewhere in
between 15 and 25 percentage
points above the national average.
Our homicides are down to where
they were in 1966, and that was last
year. This year we’re actually 17 per-
centage points where we were last
year in terms of our homicides. So
we’re talking about Chief Lanier for
crimes that are involving our GLBT
community — or crimes that involve
just about anybody in our city — that
they’re being taken more seriously,
handled more professionally and
we’re getting better results.
One of the reasons why we’re
excited about another four years is
because people like Chief Lanier
are going to have an opportunity to
use everything they’ve learned and
all their accomplishments in the
first term to do an even better job in
the second term.
Blade: Didn’t Chief Lanier bring
up at the same news conference
the arrest of someone linked to the
homicide of a gay man?
Fenty: Yes she did.
Blade: That case followed a
string of anti-gay assaults mostly
in the Dupont Circle area. The
local group Gays & Lesbians
Opposing Violence said that
although there may be an overall
drop in the crime rate, we may be
facing an increase in crimes tar-
geting LGBT people at this time.
Do you have any thoughts on that?
Fenty: I thought the chief said
at that press conference that she
did not believe that one was a
hate crime.
Blade: That’s correct. However,
the police have said the man may
have been targeted for a robbery
in what they call a crime of oppor-
tunity. The other five were listed as
hate crimes.
Fenty: Do you have a question?
Blade: The question, as some
of the activists put it, is can your
office and the police department
more actively and aggressively
fight hate crimes targeting the
LGBT community?
Fenty: Well, you know, as I
said at that press conference, I
am not the policing expert. The
chief and I have met with mem-
bers of all different communities
in Washington, D.C. We want to
hear their issues and concerns.
But it’s up to the chief of police to
develop the proper policing
strategies, not just for hate
crimes involving the GLBT com-
munity but hate crimes in gener-
al and crime in general. You want
law enforcement putting together
a strategy for keeping people
safe. You don’t want civilians and
you especially don’t want politi-
cians to be the ones who are
developing those strategies. And
I believe that Chief Lanier has
done a great job doing that.
Blade: Concerning the city’s
HIV/AIDS Administration, you
and others have pointed out the
reforms and improvements at
that agency under the direction
of Dr. Shannon Hader, who you
appointed to head it. Have you
had a chance to assess how the
AIDS administration is doing
since Dr. Hader resigned earlier
this year to take another job?
Fenty: I think that most of the
reforms that Hader has put in place
continue, pretty seamlessly so far.
Blade: What’s the status of
the search for a new permanent
director of the AIDS administra-
tion? Has a decision been made
on whether to retain the current
interim director?
Fenty: There hasn’t been a
decision yet. That will happen
after the election.
Blade: Turning to the cam-
paign, some of the more outspo-
ken leaders of the LGBT com-
munity are supporting your main
opponent, Vincent Gray. The
Gertrude Stein Democratic Club
endorsed him. What message do
you have for the LGBT voters
who may still be undecided?
Fenty: That the city is working
fantastically and that my team
should be re-elected so that we
can continue the progress.
Blade: Going back to police
issues, Chief Lanier’s changes to
the Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit
have been controversial with
some in the LGBT community.
She decentralized the unit and
arranged to have officers from all
of the police districts become
affiliates with the GLLU, but she
downsized the GLLU’s central
headquarters located in Dupont
Circle. Do you have any prob-
lems with that? Do you think it’s
working as well as it should?
Fenty: Well, I think the results
speak for themselves. The chief
has done a great job addressing
crime. And again, civilians
should have a role in communi-
cating to the government what
results they would like to see.
But on matters of subject matter
expertise as serious as public
safety and law enforcement,
you’ve got to trust and enable
the police department under a
great chief to be able to make
the right decisions. I believe we
have a great chief. I believe we
have the greatest chief in the
country. So if we have the great-
est chief in the country, then let’s
support her in her decision mak-
ing. She obviously cares a
tremendous amount. And I think
she’s obviously, she’s gotten
more results as police chief than
anybody in a long time.
Story continues at
washingtonblade.com.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 15
16 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010

LOCALNEWS

NOM rally met with counter protest over marriage

Continued from page 6
by white supremacists in the
South to oppress blacks during
the 1960s civil rights struggle.
“What we’re experiencing is
injustice American style,” he said.
“A privileged minority with a whole
lot of money and a whole lot of
sway is basically saying to the rest
of you, ‘You sit down. You shut up.
Your opinion doesn’t count.’
“They’re willing to threaten us.
They’re willing to talk down to us.
They’re trying to intimidate us,”
he said. “I’m here to tell you: Do
not be intimidated. Enough!
Enough! Stand up!”
At one point during his remarks,
Jackson held up the book “Heather
Has Two Mommies” and warned
that it would be used to teach chil-
dren about same-sex marriage in
the nation’s schools if opponents
don’t rise up in opposition.
Other speakers at the Capitol
rally included former D.C. congres-
sional Del. Walter Fauntroy and
D.C. Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioner Robert King, who
joined Jackson in calling on the
city government to drop its opposi-
In response to the National Organization for Marriage’s rally Sunday against same-sex marriage, local LGBT
activists coordinated an event supportive of such unions.
tion to a ballot measure that would
allow voters to decide whether to
keep or overturn same-sex mar-
riage in Washington.
The city’s Board of Elections
& Ethics has ruled that a ballot
measure seeking to ban same-
sex marriage cannot be held
because it would violate a law
disqualifying ballot measures
that would lead to discrimination
outlawed by the D.C. Human
Rights Act. The Human Rights
Act bans discrimination based
on sexual orientation.
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
Two courts have upheld the One of that group’s members
board’s ruling. Jackson has said used a bullhorn to express sup-
his side will appeal the matter to port for same-sex marriage. The
the U.S. Supreme Court. group circled back twice before
During the Capitol rally being escorted off of the Capitol
Sunday, about 40 counter protest- grounds by U.S. Capitol police.
ers, including members of local Among the counter protesters
and out-of-state LGBT groups, holding a silent vigil at the
stood silently along the perimeter Capitol were Rev. Mel White,
holding signs that called for founder of the LGBT advocacy
same-sex marriage. At one point, group Soulforce, which has dis-
a separate group of about 30 patched its members throughout
counter protesters marched the country to hold similar vigils
briefly along the Capitol plaza at National Organization for
near the steps of the U.S. Senate. Marriage rallies in other states.
Two of the rally’s scheduled
speakers — National Organization
for Marriage co-founder and board
chair Maggie Gallagher and same-
sex marriage opponent Alveda
King, niece of Martin Luther King
Jr. — did not attend the event.
Members of the LGBT media
appeared to outnumber reporters
from the mainstream press at the
rally, with several LGBT bloggers
engaging Brown and Fauntroy in
interviews that devolved into
heated debates.
White said Soulforce, among
other things, challenges same-sex
marriage opponents like Jackson
on religious grounds, arguing that
same-sex unions are consistent
with Christian beliefs and theology.
“They come in the name of
Jesus,” White said. “And I think it
would break Jesus’ heart to be
here and see them. If Jesus were
here, he would be on the side of
gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-
gender people. Jesus was always
with the outcasts. Jesus was an
outcast himself … and we must
show them that, being here, we
will no longer take second-class
standing in our own country.”

PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1990 PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1990 PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1990
PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1990 PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1990 PROUDLY SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1990

SAVE
Don’tMONEY ON CAR
Save Money OnINSURANCE,
A Haircut.
NOT ON A HAIRCUT.
Save Money On Car Insurance.
Your
Your State
State Farmgot your
Farm® agent’s agent’s ® gottheyour
back with back
right coverage
withand
the right up
discounts coverage,
40% onand
to XX% discounts
car insurance. to 40%
uptoday.
Call me
on car insurance. Call today.

Jonna S. Wooten, Agent

8148 Electric Avenue
JonnaVienna,
S Wooten,VA 22182
Agent
8148 Electric Avenue
703-560-7804
Vienna, VA 22182
Bus: 703-560-7804
jonna.wooten.loy3@statefarm.com
jonna.wooten.loy3@statefarm.com

Like a Good Neighbor, state farm is there.®

statefarm.com®
statefarm.com ®
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (not in NJ),
P060347 1/08 State Farm Indemnity Company (NJ) - Bloomington, IL
 august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 17

Wedding DIRECTORY bladebiz

Sidney W. Binks III, Ph.D. Michael Deninger PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist Licensed Professional Counselor
Certifed in Hypnotherapy and NLP
Individual & Couples Therapy INDIVIDUALS, COUPLES & GROUPS
for the LGBT Community • Relationships • Habits

ASL Used Here

18 years experience!!
• Coming Out • Depression
SidBinks@aol.com • Phobias • Spirituality
202.255.5187 • Traumas • Family Issues
3000 Connecticut Avenue • Anxiety • Intimacy
www.LGBTC.com/staff/sidney_binks.html (703)212-8406 • DrMike@Deninger.com

Becky Carroll, Ph.D.

CATHOLIC WEDDING?
Bishop Charles F. Braun, D.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Interactive Counseling,
Affordable
202-486-3071
StJohnBeloved@aol.com
Psychotherapy and
Somatic Experiencing
Health Insurance
www.LGBTC.com
Plans for individuals, families,
Msgr. Gerald V. Miller, Ph.D. small businesses and the self-employed
202.332.8477
202-554-0870 B.Carroll@mac.com • Replace Expensive COBRA Insurance
drgeraldmiller@comcast.net 3000 Connecticut Ave., NW • Choose your own doctors/hospitals
• Doctor Office Co-Pay Available
• Prescriptions, Disability, Life Call for
• Preventive care benefits a FREE
Quote!
Joel C. Ang, M.D. • Fast, fair claims & great service
Want a subscription to Family Medicine, HIV Diagnosis & Treatment
202-667-5041 William J. McNamara
washington blade? 202.333.8325
Adult Primary Care Since 1993
Contact 1759 Q Street NW, Washington, DC
Red Line Metro • Dupont Circle We offer 25+ plans. We will help you
choose the plan that works best for you.
Lynne Brown at free Wi-Fi • Limited Parking
www.qstreetmds.com
lbrown@washblade.com Same Day Appointments
Insurance Accepted
Copies of records at each visit
Instant HIV/Syphilis/Herpes Testing
CLIA Certified Laboratory

Sylvia R. Medley, M.D., M.P.H.

Internal Medicine, HIV, Women’s Health
Weight Management
202-667-5041

Cognitive-Behavioral
Living in Dupont Circle? Find your copy of Therapy
Results-Oriented ▼ Affordable

washingtonblade Larry Cohen, LICSW

22 years serving the glbt community
202-244-0903
socialanxietyhelp.com
at one of the following locations: See website for NPR story on my work

Alpha Drugs • 1638 R St. NW Suite 1 Individuals u Couples u Sex

Annie's Steakhouse • 1609 17th St. NW
Caceres Health Group • 1759 Q St. NW Helping People
Capitol Video • 1729 Connecticut Ave. NW Grow Stronger
Kramerbooks & Afterwords • 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW in Rough Times
Leather Rack • 1711 Connecticut Ave. NW Michael Radkowsky, Psy.D.
Luna Grill & Diner • 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW Licensed Psychologist u 15 years experience
Pleasure Place • 1710 Connecticut Ave. NW Near Woodley & Cleveland Park metro
West End Library • 1101 24th St. NW ( 202) 234-3278
www.personalgrowthzone.com
18 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
VIEWPOINT
Conservatives take lead in marriage fight
Isn’t it ironic that
Olson, Walker have
done more for us
than HRC?
By JESSICA LEE
The news that shook the country,
and the gay community in particular,
on Aug. 3, was that a California U.S.
Circuit Court judge overturned
Proposition 8, which banned same-
sex marriage there. Last week, I
asked Ted Olson, the co-lead attor-
ney of the team that successfully
challenged Prop 8, what motivated
him to pursue the case, and he elo-
quently and movingly replied, “I
agreed to participate because I
believed that Proposition 8 perpe-
trated unnecessary, destructive,
cruel and unlawful discrimination
against gay men and lesbians. I invit-
ed David Boies to join so that our
legal team would have his talent,
expertise and creativity, and to
demonstrate that this cause was
neither conservative nor liberal, but
an issue of human rights, human
decency and equality.”
I could not agree more. And
there is an inconvenient truth in
this for the gay left: conservatives
have taken the leadership role in
achieving marriage equality and
have achieved the most important
success so far as they are the
most willing and most able to take
the case to the Supreme Court.
Olson is a Republican and was
the former Solicitor General for
President George W. Bush. The
judge who ruled against Prop 8 is
Vaughn Walker, who was nominated
by President Ronald Reagan.
Walker’s nomination stalled because
24 House Democrats, led by Nancy
Pelosi, deemed him anti-gay and
hostile to the poor. Walker’s nomina-
tion was re-submitted by President
George H. W. Bush and he was con-
firmed in1989.
I support Olson’s desire to make
marriage equality a non-partisan
issue. And I wish that the leader of
the Democratic Party, President
Obama, along with Vice President
Biden, would drop their opposition
to marriage equality. How much
longer can they hold onto that posi-
tion and remain credible, and why
are they doing that at all?
On the Sunday morning news
shows the weekend after the Prop 8
ruling the White House rolled out
David Axelrod to explain Obama’s
position on the issue. Axe twisted into
a pretzel. Rachel Maddow summed
up Obama’s “impossibly tortured
logic” best: “So the line from the
administration is that Barack Obama
does not want gay people to be
allowed to be married, but when gay
people can be married and other
Photo by Diana Walker, courtesy Equal Rights Foundation
Attorney Ted Olson is leading the fight to overturn Prop 8. He served
as George W. Bush's solicitor general.
people are trying to take away that
right like in California, he doesn’t
want the right to be taken away. But,
he’s not in favor of that right in the first
place. You got it? The president is
against gay marriage but he is also
against constitutional amendments
to ban gay marriage, which means
that he’d apparently prefer that gay
marriage be banned through flimsier
tactical means? That’s the presi-
dent’s position. Clear as mud.”
For a conservative perspective
on marriage equality, I interviewed
Margaret Hoover. She is a straight
conservative who serves on the
American Foundation for Equal
Rights, which supports marriage
equality and gay rights in general
and has been a key supporter of
the fight against Prop 8. She is
also a Fox News contributor.
Washington Blade: As a
straight, self-declared conserva-
tive Republican, why do you sup-
port marriage equality?
Margaret Hoover: Discrimination
is deeply un-American. When the
government sanctions discrimination
against a group of citizens, it gives
permission for other citizens to do the
same. This isn’t a partisan issue.
As a conservative, I identify
with the tradition of American
Individualism, the notion that
individuals, not the government,
are the most important units of
our society and culture. The
proper role for government is to
protect individual freedom and
liberty, through the Bill of Rights
and our Constitution. There’s
never been any question to me
that gays and lesbians are indi-
viduals that deserved the same
rights and freedoms that I
enjoy. The fact that gays and les-
bians don’t benefit from the
same freedoms that I enjoy is
unjust and bothers me deeply.
Our country is better than this
discrimination, and our laws are
supposed to protect the freedoms
of every individual, not deny those
freedoms to a minority that is differ-
ent in some unimportant way.
I don’t have a gay sibling or rela-
tive. I have lots of gay friends. But I
can’t say that I came to this issue
because of a family member whose
bout with discrimination I’ve seen
up close. It’s just always struck me
that this is fully consistent with the
conservatism that I value — one
that champions individual free-
dom. This is the brand of conser-
vatism to which I subscribe.
Blade: Many conservatives
decry what they call judicial
activism and call Judge Walker’s
ruling just that. What is your
response?
Hoover: Judicial activism is a real
problem. There are judges who use
their position on the bench to sculpt
public policy decisions that reflect
their own worldview, rather than inter-
preting and deciding the law as it’s
written. I favor judicial restraint, when
judges go to great ends to interpret
and rule on the law as it is written. My
view is that judges ought to rule nar-
rowly, informed by existing laws and
guidance from higher courts on con-
stitutional issues.
Roe for example, is the classic
example of judicial activism where-
by the Supreme Court created a
right to privacy that doesn’t exist in
the Constitution. My understanding
is that Justice Blackmun, who
wrote the majority opinion, saw
himself as a change agent on
women’s reproductive freedom.
Perry v Schwarzenegger, on
the other hand, is a straightfor-
ward example of interpreting the
law as it is. Judge Walker has not
invented new rights out of thin air.
Since 1888, the court has ruled 14
times that marriage is a funda-
mental right — just as freedom of
speech, freedom of the press,
freedom of assembly are also fun-
damental rights. Judge Walker
didn’t create a new “right,” but
rather reviewed the evidence in
the case and ruled that indeed
gays and lesbians are being dis-
criminated against for no good
reason, and as a result the laws
make them second-class citizens,
and that this law denies them their
constitutional rights to marry.
Blade: Do you think that gays
are better off as Republicans or
Democrats?
Hoover: Well, I’m biased because
I think that when Republicans are act-
ing like Republicans should — being
true to their principles of fiscal disci-
pline and individual freedom — all
individuals regardless of their sexuali-
ty or ethnicity are better off as
Republicans. Of course we can
debate whether the Republican Party
in its current incarnation actually rep-
resents these principles.
To people who might say gays
and lesbians are marginally better
off with Democrats, they should
think twice. Clinton passed DOMA
and signed DADT.
I think the reason gays support
Democrats over Republicans by about
70 to 30 percent is that Democrats
pander to us and want our money and
votes by telling us what we want to
hear. Yes, there are many anti-gay
Republicans who should never get a
gay vote and I fully oppose them.
But when you look beyond the
rhetoric and examine the anti-gay
legislation that has passed, there is
only one administration that looks
really bad, and it is Clinton’s. And
Obama is not looking very good
right now as he refuses to support
marriage equality. And let’s admit,
with all of the money that we throw
into expensive dinners and
fundraisers to gay organizations,
isn’t it ironic that this unfunded
group from the outside has had
more impact than the
organizations to
which we donate?
Jessica Lee is a new
board member of
GOProud and regular
contributor to the Blade.
Reach her at
jlee@goproud.org.
washingtonblade
Vol. 41, Issue 34
Address: 1810 14th St., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20009
Phone: 202-747-2077
E-mail: news@washblade.com
Internet: www.washingtonblade.com
Publisher: Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc.
PUBLISHER
LYNNE J. BROWN
lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075
EDITORIAL
Editor
KEVIN NAFF
knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088
News & Multimedia Editor
JOSHUA LYNSEN
jlynsen@washblade.com ext. 8086
Features
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
jdiguglielmo@washblade.com ext. 8081
Sr. News Reporter
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079
News Reporter
CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083
Editorial Intern
JULIETTE EBNER
Staff Photographer
MICHAEL KEY
mkey@washblade.com
PRODUCTION
Creative Director
ROB BOEGER
rboeger@washblade.com ext. 8074
Graphic Designer
GEORGE BETANCOURT
SALES & ADMINISTRATION
Sr. Acct. Executive
BRIAN PITTS
bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089
Acct. Executive
JERYL PARADE
jparade@washblade.com ext. 8072
Marketing Sales Executive
DION JORDAN
djordan@washblade.com ext. 8084
Classified Advertising
PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH
prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092
Advertising Intern
MALCOLM SCOTT
For distribution, contact Lynne Brown
at 202-747-2077, ext. 8075
Accounting services provided
by Martin & Wall, P.C. C.P.A.
Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC
All material in the Washington Blade is protected by
federal copyright law and may not be reproduced
without the written consent of the Washington
Blade. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photog-
raphers, writers and cartoonists published herein is
neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of
names or pictorial representation does not neces-
sarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person
or persons. Although the Washington Blade is sup-
ported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept
responsibility for claims made by advertisers.
Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by the
Washington Blade, but the paper cannot take
responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the
right to accept, reject or edit any submission.
A single copy of the Washington Blade is available
from authorized distribution points, to any individual
within a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C. Multiple
copies are available from the Washington Blade
office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to get to
a convenient free distribution point, you may
receive a 52-week mailed subscription for $175 per
year. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to
Phil Rockstroh at prockstroh@washblade.com.
Postmaster: Send address changes to the
Washington Blade, PO BOX 73647 Washington, DC
20056. The Washington Blade is published week-
ly, on Friday, by Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc.
Individual Subscriptions are $175 per year for 52
issues (only $3.37 per issue mailed to you USPS).
Rates for businesses/institutions are $350 per year.
Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and
additional mailing offices.
Editorial positions of the Washington Blade are
expressed in editorials and in editors’ notes as deter-
mined by the paper’s editors. Other opinions are
those of the writers and do not necessarily represent
the opinion of the Washington Blade or its staff.
To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be
fewer than 400 words; commentaries should be fewer
than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for con-
tent and length, and must include a name, address
and phone number for verification. Send submissions
by e-mail to knaff@washblade.com.
©
2010 Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc.

VIEWPOINT
Kwame Brown for City Council chair
Community should
support our
committed ally
By JEFFREY RICHARDSON
I am proud to live in a city that
is at the forefront of the fight to
extend fundamental rights to our
community. That progress was no
accident. Our gains would have
been impossible without commit-
ted leadership from elected offi-
cials who believe in our struggle.
And Council member Kwame
Brown has been such a leader.
Brown has been a consistent and
committed ally because he
believes our community is entitled
to the same rights extended to all
people. That is just one reason
why Kwame Brown is the clear
choice for DC Council chair.
In the time I have known
Kwame, he has demonstrated a
keen interest in the issues impor-
tant to our community and has
taken action on our behalf. He
won the overwhelming support of
the Gertrude Stein Democratic
INSIDELGBTWASHINGTON
Hate crimes continue unabated
Fenty’s silence,
dismantling of GLLU,
make us vulnerable
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
Hate continues to rear its ugly
head in the District of Columbia.
Since the reduction in the core
Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit by
Police Chief Cathy Lanier, there
is no longer a regular posting of
crime reports and the cases han-
dled by the unit in the
Washington Blade. These
reports were important because
they alerted the community to
what was happening and where.
Because these incidents are
no longer reported on a regular
basis many, including me, were
surprised to learn about five anti-
gay attacks that occurred in the
last two months. After the Blade
and others contacted the
Metropolitan Police Department,
an alert was issued to the com-
munity in an effort to raise
awareness and solicit informa-
tion from the public.
‘ ’
Marriage equality could still face challenges
… We can count on Kwame Brown to fight
any effort to turn back the clock.
Club in the race for Council chair
because Kwame has always
fought for us and stood with us.
He stood with us in calling on the
owners of the Washington
Nationals to address alleged dis-
criminatory employment prac-
tices toward members of our
community. He stood with us in
calling on other city leaders and
MPD to take our concerns about
increasing hate crimes seriously.
And, he has stood with us to
make sure that our community is
included in the economic devel-
opment of the District.
Brown stood with us before
he was elected to public office.
He supported marriage equality
when he challenged and defeat-
ed a well-funded incumbent in
his first race for At-Large
Council. At that time, Council
member Brown’s stance on
marriage was not widely
embraced by the voters widely
But this alert was issued in
August; the first anti-gay attack
occurred on June 2 in the 1500
block of R Street, N.W., and then
there was one on July 6, another
on July 24, yet another on July
27 in the 1400 block of R St.,
N.W., and then one on July 30.
There are other major incidents,
one a beating and two murders
that are potentially hate crimes,
including the one reported in the
Blade last week.
It is time for our community to
demand concrete action. While
Vince Gray recently met with
GLOV and promised to work
closely with it and other communi-
ty organizations when he is mayor,
our community can’t wait for a new
administration before action is
taken. We need to wake up the
current one and tell them that we
want action now. We need to hear
from the mayor and the police
chief each time one of these inci-
dents occurs and we need regular
updates on what they are doing
about it and what they are doing to
protect our community. We should
know why it took two months to
alert the general community from
viewed as his natural political
base. Yet, Kwame Brown took a
stand. He won that election with
the strong support of our com-
munity and the backing of voters
across the entire District.
Brown continues to stand
with us now, as he has commit-
ted himself to ensuring targeted
inclusion of the transgendered
community in job training and
employment programs. He sup-
ports strengthening the LGBT
unit in the Metropolitan Police
Department and has advocated
for stiffer penalties for those
who commit hate crimes. Brown
also backs mandatory LGBT
sensitivity training for firefight-
ers, police officers and
Emergency Medical Services
personnel. Our concerns as well
as the concerns of all D.C. resi-
dents are important to him.
He was one of three Council
members to push through legis-
‘ ’
A part of the responsibility of leadership
is to speak out when people in your
community are being hurt.
the time the first of these recent
attacks occurred.
More than a year ago, Lanier
made the statement on WTOP
that because we are such an “out”
community in D.C. that maybe we
were attracting more of these
crimes. At the time I said that was
an outrageous comment and I still
think it is. But if she really believes
that, then what additional efforts
have been taken to protect us
because clearly we aren’t going
back into the closet.
The District of Columbia has
one of the largest and most open
LGBT populations in the nation.
Leaders in the community have
fought long and hard to make the
city LGBT friendly and welcom-
ing. Those efforts culminated this
year with securing civil marriage
equality. Those in power have a
responsibility to ensure that we
are not targeted by those who still
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 19
lation to refurbish our schools.
He led the fight to make voca-
tional education and job training
a major focus of the government.
When no one else was talking
about protecting victims of
domestic violence, Kwame
Brown fought to expand shelter
space and make it easier for vic-
tims to get restraining orders vir-
tually at any time.
Kwame Brown is the Council
chair candidate best prepared to
continue the progress being
made in our city. My view is
shared by a large and diverse
group of important organizations
backing his campaign. Kwame’s
leadership has been recognized
by 11 of his Council colleagues
– including David Catania and
Jim Graham – who have
endorsed him to be their next
chair. The Gertrude Stein
Democratic Club is but one of
more than a dozen major organ-
izations that have endorsed
Council member Brown. This
coalition – from the Sierra Club,
to the Chamber of Commerce,
to labor unions, to the Tenant
Advocacy Council – knows
hate us. We know that hate is
learned and no one is born hat-
ing. We must educate everyone
from children in school to seniors
about the LGBT community and
how we are a vital part of the
diversity in our city that has made
D.C. a better place to live. We
need to do that education our-
selves but we must also demand
of our political and supportive
faith leaders that they recognize
their responsibilities in this area.
Each time a hate crime occurs
it is a teaching opportunity. I ask
the White House, whose current
occupants have said they want
to be a part of the community in
which they live, to look at the sta-
tistics on hate crimes in the
District and use them as an
opportunity to educate people.
It isn’t too much to expect, in
the capital of the United States,
that we have leaders who are will-
Kwame is a leader who will con-
tinue to move our city forward on
issues like education reform, job
growth and public safety.
This is no time to celebrate
our successes or consider our
victories as set in stone. Events
around the country constantly
remind us why we need to sup-
port candidates we can count
on. Marriage equality could still
face challenges from Congress
as well as from national organi-
zations that continue to seek a
referendum in D.C. on marriage
equality. We can count on
Kwame Brown to fight any effort
to turn back the clock.
I honestly believe that our com-
munity — and our city — will be
better off with the leadership of
Kwame Brown on the City Council.
I hope you will join
me in voting for
Kwame Brown for
Council chair on
Sept. 14.
Jeffrey Richardson lives
in Ward Six and is president
of the Gertrude Stein
Democratic Club. Reach him
at jeffdrndc@yahoo.com.
ing to use the bully pulpit to speak
out on issues of fairness, diversity
and equal rights. I know that some
actually do. Our delegate to
Congress has been a beacon of
light in this area. She never hesi-
tates to address these issues. But
others, such as the mayor, think it
is enough to delegate the respon-
sibility to low-level staff he rarely
communicates with. We should no
longer accept that.
A part of the responsibility of lead-
ership is to speak out when people in
your community are being hurt. It is
not acceptable, as the mayor did at
last week’s forum hosted by DC
MAP and the Capital Area Gay and
Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, to
respond to a question on the GLLU
and violence against the LGBT
community by saying, “I am not an
expert in public safe-
ty so I leave that
to my managers
do deal with.”
Peter Rosenstein is
a D.C.-based LGBT
rights and Democratic
Party activist. He writes
regularly for the Blade.
 realestate
washingtonblade
Baltimore: The Big City Next Door
By WAYNE CURTIS
One of the biggest local real
estate stories of the decade now
ending is the exodus of middle
class urbanites from the District.
Most DC residents can tell a story
of a particular neighborhood, just
pick one, where property values
skyrocketed to seemingly unafford-
able levels in the first half of the
decade. Those lucky few who got in
early, bought low and renovated,
now sit on properties worth much
more than their original investment
— even after the economy col-
lapsed and the housing bubble
burst. The good news for them is
that the Washington market has
already seen the bottom, and real
estate prices have once again
started to rise. For anyone invited
late to the party, buying in the
District of Columbia isn’t an option
on many average workers’ salaries.
Where do these city lovers
end up?
For many people, the answer
is not the suburbs. They want an
urban environment, the cultural
institutions and walkability that
defines city living. Many of them
have decided that if they are
forced to commute to their jobs
in DC, the answer is Baltimore,
the big city right next door.
Baltimore’s home prices also
saw an amazing escalation in the
past ten years, but started from a
much lower price point. In calen-
dar year 2009 — according to sta-
washingtonblade.com • vol. 41, issue 34 • august 20, 2010 • Page 20
Image by stock.xchng/DutchProof
tistics from our regional Multiple
Listing Service (MRIS) — the
average sold price in Washington
was nearly $485,000. In Baltimore
the figure was just under
$160,000. At the same time, the
2010 census is projected to show
that Baltimore’s population will
have grown significantly for the
first time in 50 years, to an esti-
Jeremy Stewart
Office: 703-549-8700
Direct: 703-879-4131
JeremyStewart@Weichert.com
The Realtor for our Community!
Alexandria/Old Town office of Weichert Realtors
Specializing in the buying and
selling needs of our community.
mated 657,000. Starting with the
revitalization of the Inner Harbor
40 years ago, the city has seen
significant investment in neighbor-
hood after neighborhood, creating
a patchwork of diverse, interesting
— sometimes quirky — and reli-
ably delightful places to live.
Most Washingtonians are famil-
iar with downtown Baltimore, the
Inner Harbor, and the surrounding
post-revolutionary neighborhoods
of Otterbein, Federal Hill, and Fells
Point. They originated when
Baltimore was a major seaport, ter-
minus of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad and major immigration
point-of-entry to the United States.
These small brick rowhouses,
while renovated and quite popular
with today’s urban buyer, are some
of the smaller residences that were
built for the working class in a city
that was the seat of significant
wealth in 19th century America.
So where did the wealthy cap-
tains of transportation and industry
build their mansions? You’ll find them
today in neighborhoods rarely fre-
quented by the average visitor —
Butcher’s Hill, overlooking the har-
bor; Mount Vernon, where the first
Washington Monument still stands;
and Bolton Hill, which served as the
summer residence for many of
Washington’s diplomatic community
when Foggy Bottom was still a
swamp. One current listing on Bolton
Street in Bolton Hill —3,300 sq. ft. of
renovated five-bedroom Victorian
beauty — is offered today at
$450,000. A comparable renovated
property near DC’s Logan Circle, for
instance — same interior size and
level of renovation — is currently list-
ed at three times that amount.
Continue north up one of
Baltimore’s tree-lined thorofares
and you will find yourself in what
were originally streetcar suburbs.
Charles Village boasts richly-
detailed Edwardian townhomes
that were the most expensive
ever built in Baltimore when they
were offered to the public a cen-
tury ago. Fully renovated, a large
3,200 sq. ft. three level model is
currently available for $389,000.
Too much house? Then you’ll
want to see the two story, 1,600
sq. ft. version a few blocks away
for $170,000. Charles Village is
one of Baltimore’s most walkable
areas, near parks, Johns Hopkins
University, the Baltimore Museum
of Art, Pennsylvania Station (for
commuters!), and a vibrant busi-
ness district with restaurants,
shops, and everyday services,
such as hair salons and dry
cleaners. Visualize Northwest
Washington, just affordable.
There are so many more neigh-
borhoods to explore in Baltimore,
and every style of housing under
the sun! I’ve been selling the
charm of Charm City for 12 years,
and I can find what you’re looking
for: condominiums and fixer-
uppers, mansions and cottages,
historic districts and efficient, green
21st-century architectural master-
pieces. Its all right here, close by, in
the big city right next door.
Wayne Curtis, ABR, is a
Realtor® with RE/MAX Advantage
Realty. Visit his website at
www.charmcityrealestate.com, or
give him a call at 410-467-8950 to
find out what Baltimore might have
waiting for you.
REALESTATE august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 21

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

sells over 50% of all properties over
$1 million in the nation!
Owned and Operated Unmatched Resources; Impeccable Service; A Track Record of Distinction
by NRT Incorporated Dedicated to your Luxury Real Estate Property Needs!

MOUNT VERNON SQUARE
910 M St NW # 1007
$409,000
Large & bright 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath unit w/ balcony, extra
storage unit, parking space & steps to Metro! Kitchen
includes island, granite counters, & SS appl. W/D in unit.
Pet-friendly, featuring a front desk 24 hr
a day, party room with billiards, gym,
roof deck with pool & grills!
GEORGETOWN
2716 P Street, NW
$1,499,000
3bedroom + Den. Approx 2400 square feet. Treetops,
now Bank Owned, fully renovated 2003 includes chefs
kitchen w/top-of-the-line appliances and custom cabi-
nets, speakers throughout home; marble & granite, fire-
places, built in office, whirlpool baths,
premium windows. SOLD AS-IS.
CLEVELAND PARK
#207 4007 CONNECTICUT AVE NW
$349,900
Great buy on a 715 sqft 1 Bedroom Condo between
two Red Line Metros w/ a private screened porch, sep-
arate Dining Room, Foyer, large Bedroom, combo
washer/Dryer, & great closet space. The building is
well-run w/ a really nice Fitness Center, Bike Room, &
extra storage (#207’s space is 5’X10’). The $321
monthly fee includes Gas (hot water, heat, cooking),
Cable TV, storage & the use of all
building amenities. Cats OK.

DWIGHT MORTENSEN 202-361-4400 J.T. POWELL MARY LOWRY SMITH

DAVID BEDIZ 202-352-8456 202-465-2357 202-247-5077
WWW.DWIGHTANDDAVID.COM WWW.JTPOWELL.COM WWW.MARYLOWRYSMITH.COM

DUPONT
Marvelous Location!
Offered at $1,395,000
4BR/3.5BA
Historic Brownstone Townhouse with ele-
vator, large 1 BR income apartment, and
LOGAN CIRCLE
CAPITOL HILL 3-car parking. High ceilings, two fire- 1201 Q STREET, NW #1
1321 POTOMAC AVENUE SE places, two decks, lots of light, hardwood $360,000
$525,000 Surrounded by southern facing windows, this cor-
New Price floors, built-in bookcases, many period ner unit with turret is flooded with sun. Fantastic
Unique 2br+den with detached 2 story carriage house/ location only 3 blocks to Whole Foods, 1 block off
garage. Rental Potential on top level? Nicely remodeled details, One block from Dupont Circle Logan Circle. The stone floors, huge closets,
recessed lights, granite counters, extremely low
with wood floors, new kitchen and baths, central a/c.
Located 1 block from Harris Teeter and 2 blocks from
metro. Near Restaurants, shop- condo fee, and the unusually large number of park-
Potomac Ave Metro. Inspections wel- ping, Galleries. ing spaces surrounding the building
come, but sold As-Is. make this a Slam Dunk!

J.T. POWELL J.T. POWELL

202-465-2357 KATHLEEN EDER 202-302-4863 • KEDER@CBMOVE.COM 202-465-2357
WWW.JTPOWELL.COM WWW.JTPOWELL.COM

CAPITOL HILL
223 11th Street SE
$1,279,000
Brilliant
Restoration!
Vacant for 30 years, now
restored to its' former
glory. 3300 sq ft magnif-
icent, light filled (30 win-
dows), open entertain-
ing spaces, marble
counters, stainless steel
appliances, rich wood
LOGAN
floors, 2 car secure
1832 16th St NW
parking, all new wiring,
$1,699,000
plumbing, roof, HVAC, 4
Live luxuriously in grand style and unprecedented space
blks to E Market, 2 to
in the heart of Dupont. The 20-foot wide manse was
metro. In-law suite. Dry
completely restored in 2006 & has roughly 5,000 square
excavated basement
feet of living area & 5 bedrooms, 3 and a half bathrooms
with slab/sump pump.
upstairs, plus a separate lower level unit with an addi-
tional two bedrooms and one full bath-
room. The house also features 2 car
parking & a roof deck.

J.T. POWELL DWIGHT MORTENSEN 202-361-4400

Facebook.com/CBRBDupont 202-465-2357 DAVID BEDIZ 202-352-8456
WWW.JTPOWELL.COM WWW.DWIGHTANDDAVID.COM

“The most tools, the most technology, the most leads, the best working environment. Sound interesting?
Call me to discuss the advantages of Coldwell Banker. We offer more so our agents can do more for our clients.”
Kevin McDuffie, GRI, Managing Broker
kmcduffie@cbmove.com • 202.439.2435 (c) • 1606 17th Street NW cbmove com
22 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010 REALESTATE
Osprey Landing at Love Point
Bay Front Estate

Why drive 3 hours to Rehoboth or Bethany Beach when

you can live in a custom built Chesapeake Bay
Waterfront Home. This Southern Living style home boost
of 5625 square feet with 5 bedrooms with 4 1/2 baths,
heated in ground pool, 2.854 acres, 2 acres fenced with
solar electric gate, Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors on
1st and 2nd floors, kitchen designed with the profession-
al chef in mind, granite counter tops, walls of Cherry
cabinets, a wolf stove, sub-zero refrigerator, imported
foyer and dinning room chandeliers from Italy, imported
Italian tile floors in kitchen, all bathroom are ceramic tile,
two fireplaces, over sizes master suite with sitting room,
custom closet with built-ins, finished full basement.
Home has two family rooms, a formal living room, formal
dinning room 2 offices, professionally landscaped with
circle drive to front door, interior and exterior intercom
system, security system and this large home has been
professionally decorated. To many high-grades to mention
in one ad. Owner and partner relocating to the south and
are willing to sell below 2010 appraised value of $3.2
million. Asking price $2.475,500.00 with cash back at
closing for pier construction; owners would considering
selling fully furnished with an increase in sales price.
For complete sales price details call: Joyce Floyd
(410) 643-9360 or (410) 804-7354.

Argent Heating offers Washington Blade Readers a FREE Energy Audit

for the first 10 people who contact us and mention the Blade.
Argent is expanding its services to offer Energy Auditing services. Size does
matter and the smaller the carbon footprint the better for our customers.

Call 703-281-6300 or contact us through our website: argenthvac.com

We are gay-owned and operated.
REALESTATE august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 23

The Realtors you refer

to your Friends & Family
The Gale Storm Team
571.236.9329 • info@gayrealtors.us.com
www.gayrealtors.us.com

Licensed in DC, MD & VA

24 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010 REALESTATE

PENN QUARTER $950,000

The Clara Barton

RARELY AVAILABLE FLOORPLAN
One of the largest units in the building. Gleaming maple floors, granite counters,
stainless steel appliances, custom built-ins, 2 BR + den, 2.5 baths! Awesome build-
ing amenities: rooftop pool, fitness center, media center, party room and more.
616 E St., NW #214, between 6th & 7th
OPEN SUN., AUG. 22nd, 1-4

Aidan Duffy
202-258-1265
www.aidanduffy.com
Long & Foster 301-907-7600

washingtonblade.com • vol. 41, issue 34
CHRIS ROE (left) and ROBY CHAVEZ plan to marry at the Woodrow Wilson House in Washington this weekend.
Fox 5’s Roby Chavez
and partner Chris Roe
to marry after navi-
gating the wedding
planning process
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
When Washingtonians Roby
Chavez and Chris Roe decided to
get married in December, there
was no hesitation. Figuring out how
to go about it, though, required
months of thought and planning.
“This has been a bit of a struggle
throughout the whole process,” said
Chavez, 46, a reporter for Fox 5
Taunee Grant answers 20 questions.
Queery, PAGE 26
news. “How much of the tradition do
you jump on and how much of your
own do you make up because as a
gay community this is also new, so
we don’t really know what a tradition
is for us. So we’ve been kind of try-
ing to figure out what other people
might want to duplicate, what things
are individual for us.”
Even basics like engagement
rings, required thought. Roe, 45, did-
n’t get one before he proposed the
night same-sex marriage was legal-
ized in the District in December. He
popped the question just before
Chavez was due on the air covering
the story for Fox.
“I’d been watching the news and
the whole community, well, at least
the whole gay community, was real-
arts & entertainment
ly amped,” Roe says. “I just felt the
spirit and said this is what I’m
gonna do. The ring came later.”
As a lark, the two got large,
gaudy costume rings — Roe’s
green, Chavez’s yellow — for a few
weeks before picking out their
wedding bands last weekend.
The two met at a Memorial
Day party through mutual friends
in 2005. Roe is from a family of
farmers and teachers in
Monticello, Wis., but had been in
the San Francisco area for about
10 years. He eventually accepted
a position working in education
policy for the non-profit Business
High Education Forum.
Chavez, born in Denver but
raised mostly in Matthews, La.,
august 20, 2010 • Page 25
ended up in Washington “as a
fluke” after stints in TV journalism
in Atlanta, New York and Dallas.
They say it was love at first
sight though they didn’t immedi-
ately start dating.
“I told him when I first met him,
‘You’re the one,’” Chavez says. “I
don’t know, there was just some-
thing about him. They say you
know. And it’s not really my style to
do that. I’m not the kind of person
who will confess my love automati-
cally but I did. There was just a
genuine sense of his being and I
liked that. I just remember a nice
hug he gave me and it was good.”
Roe says he felt the same.
“I thought it was unusual but I
felt very similarly. I just tend to be
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
more reserved and more shy than
he is. I was freaked out a little but I
also felt that connection as well.”
The couple was affectionate
during a break in wedding plan-
ning at the Wilson House two
weeks ago. Sitting at a makeshift
table in the dining room so as not
to sully the antique-filled home of
the former president, Chavez
and Roe sit close. They’re both
trim and well dressed. They look
at each other and giggle at the
most innocuous questions.
“We started out thinking inti-
mate and small but then we real-
ized our lives aren’t that small,”
Chavez says. “Just with our imme-
Continues on page 42
26 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
QUEERY: 20 Questions for Taunee Grant
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
Taunee Grant wasn’t initially sure if
the marketing/communications job with
the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
was right. The Theresa, N.Y., native had
been in Buffalo for 10 years when
Grant’s partner of six years, Tessa Lew,
was offered a full-time position in the
costume department of Shakespeare
Theatre Company in late 2008.
“I hemmed and hawed a little,” Grant
admits. “It was the first job that was
offered and I didn’t know if I should take
the first one that came along but then
Tessa’s mother said, ‘This could be great
blessing, don’t look a gift horse in the
mouth,’ and that ended up being so true.
It’s a dream job for me. Perfect.”
Grant, 32, identifies as queer and trans
and is transitioning but hasn’t decided if a
name change is in the cards. “It’s kind of an
awkward time,” Grant says. “I probably will
but I don’t know for sure yet.”
So what’s it like being surrounded by
gay men all the time? Grant calls the
Chorus “very warm” and “a big family”
but also keeps a separate social life
with a partner and a group of friends —
mostly gay and straight couples who
share their interests such as organic
gardening, kayaking, whitewater canoe-
ing and the arts.
The Chorus is gearing up for its fall
season after taking July and August off.
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
“Men in Tights: a Pink Nutcracker” opens
in December while Grant toils away at
subscription renewals. Grant admits the
job has challenges but finds it rewarding.
“Working in the gay community just feels
right for me,” Grant says. “I’d kind of been
moving toward it for a while. It just feels
right.” Grant lives in Capitol Hill.
How long have you been out and
who was the hardest person to tell?
I’ve never been really in the closet,
whether I look like a lesbian, transgen-
dered, or like a guy, I just look queer. There
is no option for me to pass as straight
unless I decide to create an elaborate and
ridiculous costume for myself. My mother
asked me if I thought I was gay my junior
year in high school. That was a tough con-
versation. She was so flustered that we
missed our exit on the way home and had
to turn the car around when we found our-
selves at the foot of the bridge to Canada.
Who’s your gay hero?
There are many. Allen Ginsberg. I think
the way that his work has documented a gay
man’s voice in America is profoundly impor-
tant. I think that Michaelangelo Signorile’s
book “Queer In America” was responsible for
inspiring an entire generation of activists. I
have to include John Waters, Dorothy Alison,
Leslie Feinberg, Urvashi Vaid, Sapphire,
Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot,
past or present?
I’m still exploring all there is to offer
but I do know 275 gay men who will be
happy to give you their opinion, perhaps
in the form of a song.
Describe your dream gay wedding.
I don’t dream in gay wedding. If I did, I
hope it would look like a Kenneth Anger film.
What non-gay issue are you most
passionate about?
Sustainable agriculture. Producing food
below the cost of production is bad for
farmers, communities, nutrition and the
environment. I also think it is bringing us
into a state of living where preparing and
sharing quality food isn’t meaningful.
What historical outcome
would you change?
I’d spare the world from eight years
of Bush, Jr.
What’s been the most memorable
pop culture moment of your lifetime?
During my first week of work with GMCW,
the Chorus was invited to sing at “We Are One:
the Obama Inaugural Celebration” at the Lincoln
Memorial. Two weeks later I found myself back-
stage where I met Martin Luther King III, spoke
with a delightful woman who sang in choirs for
at least three inaugural ceremonies and stood
directly in front of Stevie Wonder when he
stopped on the grass to sing a few verses of “My
Cherie Amour” with GMCW.
On what do you insist?
Joy. Fresh air. Honesty. A good hair-
cut. Good shoes. Good pens.
What was your last
Facebook post or Tweet?
“I found out I’m going to the Americans
for the Arts National Arts Marketing Project
Conference this fall. Very exciting.”
If your life were a book,
what would the title be?
“On the Road to Find Out” or maybe
“The Tranny in the Rye”
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would do you?
I’d like to joke that I’d torment Maggie
Gallagher and Bishop Harry Jackson with
the prospect of turning them gay. But in
seriousness, I’ll be writing letters and
making calls to say that homosexuality
should not be treated as a disease.
What do you believe in
beyond the physical world?
There is a common bond that unites
human beings and all natural things. It’s
not an iPhone.
What’s your advice for
LGBT movement leaders?
Keep the words gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender out in the forefront. It is
celebratory, relevant and our unique cul-
ture as LGBT people should be respected.
We change hearts by telling the stories of
all of our lives. I was so inspired by young
LGBT activists at the National Equality
March last October. I think they have the
power to call out the classism in the LGBT
movement and that they are a generation
who sees the dark consequences of
assimilationist ideas in the LGBT move-
ment. To those young leaders, my advice
is to hang on to your ideals.
What would you walk
across hot coals for?
My partner, Tessa. Absolutely. And
maybe at the end of the row of coals
we’d meet in a circle and have that gay
dream wedding you asked me about.
What gay stereotype annoys you most?
Most any stereotype that isn’t “by
gays for gays” for our own enjoyment or
cultural relevance. It irritates me when I
sometimes see straight people sudden-
ly become usually loud, superficial,
catty or flamey in the company of gay
men. It’s so offensive and so very lame.
What’s your favorite gay movie?
“The Cockettes,” “Paris is Burning,”
“Antonia’s Line” and all early Almodovar
or Waters films.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Assigning everything under the sun,
inanimate or living, a male or female or
“appropriated other” gender whether
they want one or not.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
A comment I heard at Nellie’s Sports
Bar made it on Overheard in D.C.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
You are defined by what you do, not
necessarily by your potential to do it.
Why Washington?
Aside from the obvious cultural
tourism stuff, which is fantastic, I love
that I can leave the office and get in a
boat to get a different perspective or
escape for a few hours. I appreciate
Washington’s rich and long standing
cultural diversity. … It’s a great city to
enjoy the company of intelligent, opin-
ionated people who are passionate
about their work, whatever it may be.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 27
28 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010

SOCIALAGENDA
Friday, Aug. 20
Team DC presents HANG-TIME WITH THE
MYSTICS tonight at 7 p.m. at the Verizon
Center as the team takes on New York Liberty
for their last home game of the season.
HARD SUMMER TOUR featuring Crystal
Castles is tonight at 9:30 club, 815 V St.,
N.W., at 7 p.m. This is a sold-out event.
FROST, a white party, tonight at Cloud 9 in
Rehoboth, Del. The club will be turned into
a winter oasis and everyone who comes in
white will be given ABSOLUT shots.
Rihanna: Last Girl on Earth Tour with
special guest Ke$ha tonight at Jiffy
Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Dr. in
Bristow, Va., at 7:30 p.m. To purchase
tickets visit livenation.com.
MATT KAZAM from Last Comic Standing, will
be performing tonight at DC Improv, 1140
Connecticut Ave., N.W., at 8 p.m. and then
again at 10:30 p.m. For more information and
to purchase tickets visit dcimprov.com
CHARLIE MARS with JENNY OWEN
YOUNGS tonight at Rams Head Tavern,
33 West St., Annapolis, Md., at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $22.50 and can be purchased
at tickets.ramsheadonstage.com. Must be
21 or older to enter.
MAISON tonight at Donovan House on Photo courtesy of the band
the Roof Deck, 1155 14 St., N.W., from
8 p.m. to 2 a.m. 21 or older to enter. SCISSOR SISTERS perform Monday at D.A.R. Constitution Hall.
No cover, just say you’re there for Tommy
& Shea’s party or Maison. Center, 1450 P St., N.W. at 4:30 p.m. afternoon dance party featuring DJs 8 p.m. SAGE Metro DC provides support and
Taught by Rob Hess, the class will feature blending classic disco tunes from the ’70s advocacy for the aging LGBT population.
Saturday, Aug. 21 a playlist heavy in D.C. punk legends. and ’80s guaranteed to get those little SCISSOR SISTERS at D.A.R. Constitution
TUTTING AND BOTTING WITH JOSHUA Class is $17 or if you’re a new guest to booties moving and grooving. The fun Hall. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40
DAVIS at Joy of Motion Dance Center Flow, $20 gets you two classes. spills out from all corners of the club: bub- and can be purchased at 930.com.
Friendship Heights, 5207 Wisconsin Ave., ANNIETHING GOES ... WITH THE LADIES ble machines, baskets of scarves and
N.W., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This workshop at Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar, egg-shakers, a chill-out room (with tents, Tuesday, Aug. 24
will cover the basics for popping, locking, tut- 1104 H St., N.E. from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Special books and puzzles), diaper changing sta- DC GAY PROFESSIONALS NET-
ting and finger-tutting with a more up-to-date guest DJs Natty Boom from Anthology of tions, a full spread of healthy snacks and WORKING GROUP HAPPY HOUR
style and look. $25 advanced registration, Booty and Junebellet from She.Rex and First dancing. Tickets range from $20 to $50 LAUNCH PARTY at Black Fox Lounge,
$30 on the day of the workshop. For more Ladies. Hosted by vAnniety kills. No cover. and can be purchased at 930.com. 1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W., from 5 to 8
information visit joyofmotion.org. PRIDE IN THE SKY at The Rooftop, 155 St. Thomas Episcopal Church at Dupont p.m. Learn more about this new net-
BURGUNDY CRESCENT VOLUNTEERS Gibbs St., Rockville, Md., at 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Circle will hold a special service commem- working group and connect with other
will be working with the Lost Dog & Cat DJ Ace will be spinning as well as guest DJ orating the 40th anniversary of the fire that gay professionals.
Foundation at Petsmart, 6100 Arlington Gigi from Apex. There will be drink specials leveled the historic structure, while unveiling
Blvd., Falls Church, Va., from 11:45 a.m. to from 8 to 9 p.m. including $3 beers, wines, plans for a new structure. St.Thomas' Wednesday, Aug. 25
3 p.m. as dog-handlers for adoption events. sangria and rails. 21 and older to enter. $5 Parish, 1772 Church St., N.W., (corner of Mautner Project presents its speakers’
All volunteers get paired with a dog to walk cover before 10 p.m., $7 after. Church and 18th streets), 10 a.m. series ELDER CARE: OUR
around inside and outside the store and be COMMUNITY GROWING OLDER with
given basic information if someone shows Sunday, Aug. 22 Monday, Aug. 23 Leslie Calman and Elizabeth Ide at the
interest in adopting the dog. BABY LOVES DISCO at 9:30 club, 815 V SAGE METRO DC MONTHLY MEETING at Metropolitan Community Church, 474
DC PUNK ROCK YOGA at Flow Yoga St., N.W., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is an the DC Center, 1318 U St., N.W., from 6:30- Ridge St., N.W., at 6:30 p.m.
HOLLABACK is a social and support
group for the transgender community and

Hang-time with the Mystics

will be meeting at the DC Center, 1318 U
St., N.W., at 6:30 p.m.

Team DC and the LGBT community
celebrate women in sports tonight while
cheering on the Washington Mystics at
their last home game of the regular sea-
son against the New York Liberty.
The Mystics are having one of their
best seasons this year. They were 19-12
as of Tuesday afternoon, third in the
Eastern Conference and had already
clinched a playoff berth. The team is 12-
4 at home this season, 7-3 against
teams in their conference.
According to the team’s latest game
notes, Mystics forward Monique Currie
has been perfect from the free throw line
in 13 games so far. In the loss against the
San Antonio Silver Stars on July 29,
Currie shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the free
throw line. She ranks 8th in the league in
free throw shooting (136-for-156, .872).
Mystics forward Crystal Langhorne, for-
mer University of Maryland player, is tied for
first in the league with New York Liberty’s
Cappie Pondexter in minutes per game
(34.1) and first in total minutes with 1,057.
Mystics second-year forward Marissa
Coleman, another former Maryland player,
posted her first career double-double in the
Mystics recent win over the Tulsa Shock on
Aug. 1. Coleman scored a season high 14
points and tied her season and career high
in rebounds grabbing 10 boards.
The New York Liberty was 19-11 as of
Tuesday afternoon, just ahead of the
Mystics in conference standings and
had also clinched a playoff berth.
Tonight is also Fan Appreciation and Back
to School Night presented by AAA Mid-
Atlantic with Camper Reunion brought to you
by INOVA Health System. The first 5,000 fans
get a Mystics team photo and T-shirt and the
first 1,000 fans get Mystics Daily.
Fans can visit the Mystics official web
site, wnba.com/mystics to get more infor-
mation, including game notes with all the
team’s standings, stats and honors.
Tickets are $20 in section 104, rows
G through P. Contact Wanda Wright at
wwwright803@comcast.net for ticket
information.
JULIETTE M. EBNER
Thursday, Aug. 26
PINGPONG MADNESS at Nellie’s, 900
U St., N.W., at 7:30 p.m. Free to play. To
register, e-mail jj@emersonglenn.com. All
equipment is supplied and there will be
cash and prizes for participants.
HOMOTO MOTORCYCLE CLUB, the
Washington, D.C. area’s only gay, lesbian,
and bisexual motorcycle club, will be meet-
ing at Nellie’s Sports Bar, 900 U St., N.W.,
at 6 p.m. All bike types are welcomed.
The Atlas Performing Arts Center pres-
ents SUMMER FILM SERIES: GAY 101
SHOWING “MOMMIE DEAREST” star-
ring Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford,
at the Paul Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H
St., N.E., at 8 p.m. Buy tickets at
atlasarts.org or at the box office one
hour prior to the movie.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 29
30 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
SOCIALAGENDA

D
D
D

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

AVI SOFFER says of his sexual orientation, ‘I am not gay by the way I have sex, but by the
way I love.’

HAPPY HOUR
FOR DOGS! A changing world
(Owners Welcome Too.) Avi Soffer says Israel Today, he’s a professional jewelry
designer with an international reputation
Drink Specials & FREE Giveaways has come a long way and a studio in the village of Bnei Brak just

Larry’s Lounge
2009 Most Pet Friendly Establishment in DC
Corner of 18th & T St, NW
Every Wednesday 4-8pm
on LGBT civil rights
By DAVID J. HOFFMAN
If you’re gay, visit Israel to feel right at
home.
That’s the message from Avi Soffer,
the charismatic leader of Israel’s LGBT
community since it founded its first formal
advocacy organization 35 years ago.
Speaking Tuesday at the D.C. Jewish
Community Center for an event co-hosted by
the Embassy of Israel, Soffer was joined by
about 60 people for a reception and to hear
his talk with Jewish American Leon Wieseltier,
the equally charismatic longtime literary editor
of The New Republic magazine.
Soffer noted that Americans should visit
Israel knowing that Out magazine hailed
cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, Soffer’s home, as
the “gay capital of the Middle East.”
Wieseltier affectionately countered, how-
ever, the “very faint praise.” He said the dis-
tinction is “something, but it’s not a lot” con-
sidering that Arab nations surrounding Israel
are particularly hostile to LGBT people.
Wieseltier also told the audience that
he was glad to join Soffer on stage for a
discussion about life in Israel and LGBT
rights there because, “I believe devoutly
in equality and also in the Jewish people
[in Israel] and I find no conflict between
these two commitments.”
Born in Tel Aviv in 1949, shortly after
Israel declared its nationhood and suc-
cessfully fought against invading Arab
armies, Soffer as a young man married a
girl he had known since she was 14. The
couple had two children, and today Soffer
is grandfather to six.
He said he always knew he was gay,
though, and he “felt cheated” while married,
asking, “Where is the great love, where is
the excitement, the passion? Where is it?”
He was 33 when he first embraced a man.
“We had no sex,” Soffer told the Blade,
“but then I knew everything” about what
had been missing in his love life. He was
divorced four months later, and four
months after that, he said, “I met a guy
and I lived with him for 15 years.”
As for Soffer’s sexual orientation: “I
am not gay by the way I have sex, but by
the way I love.”
outside Tel Aviv. But 35 years ago, Soffer
joined with other people possessing what
he called “a Stonewall orientation” to found
Israel’s first organization to advocate for
LGBT rights. It was called the Society for
the Protection of Personal Rights.
Soffer said in 1975, Israel was not gay
friendly at all. Sodomy laws criminalizing
same-sex relations were on the books.
But things changed. Those laws were
eventually repealed. And the organiza-
tion, which still leads the fight for such
rights in Israel, is now known as the
National Association of GLBT in Israel.
Other changes have occurred. In 1992,
the nation added sexual orientation to its
laws concerning workplace discrimination.
Yitzak Rabin, Israel’s prime minister and for-
mer military chief of staff, announced the
following year that he would order the Israel
Defense Force to abolish restrictions on
LGBT people serving openly in the military.
“I didn’t know how bad it was,” Rabin
explained at the time, referring to discrimina-
tion against gay, lesbian and bisexual people.
Soffer told the crowd at Tuesday’s event
that Rabin’s decision was such an impor-
tant step toward equality because “the mil-
itary is the essence of Israel.” All of the
nation’s citizens must join the military once
they turn 18, with men serving three years
and women serving two years.
“This was the fastest law that was ever
changed in Israel, in just two months,” he said.
“And from there, the gates opened for us.”
But more gates remain to be opened,
Soffer said. There is no right to gay mar-
riage, but then there are no civil marriage
rights. Only marriage under rabbinical law
is allowed, so about 25 percent of Israeli
citizens have no right to wed. Soffer noted
that gay Israelis seeking to marry gener-
ally travel to Canada. In 2006, Israel’s
Supreme Court ordered registration of
same-sex couples married in Canada as
married for civil purposes in Israel.
Today, Soffer heads a new organization
that offers services to the refugee commu-
nity, including people fleeing Darfur in the
Sudan. He said it’s the best way to change
people’s attitudes, “by being and doing, not
by telling and talking.”
“People will ask us when we help
them, ‘Why do you do this for us?’” he
said. “And we say, ‘Why not?’”

NIGHTLIFEAGENDA
Last chance to wear white
Bare’s White Party
set for Saturday
at Cobalt
By LAURA E. LEE
Sticklers for fashion etiquette
have one more chance to don their
white duds and celebrate the end
of summer on Saturday, Aug. 21,
at Bare’s White Party, hosted by
LURe events at Cobalt.
Noting the old fashion faux pas
that “you can’t wear white after
Labor Day,” LURe organizers
decided the event would be an
ideal opportunity to wear white
before summer’s heat fades and
etiquette dictates darker attire.
Karen Diehl, one of LURe’s
organizers, attended white par-
ties all over the United States
and wanted to bring the concept
to the D.C. area.
“I thought this would be some-
thing new and different,” she said.
Though the events are inde-
pendent, white parties are held
annually in New York, Miami and
Palm Springs. The Miami White
Party, now in its 26th year, is a
‘ ’
The names of two celebrity guests
will not be revealed until 9 p.m.,
when LURe will update its Twitter
account with their identities.
weeklong event touted as “the
world’s oldest and largest
HIV/AIDS fundraiser.” Diehl
hopes that D.C.’s White Party will
become an annual event.
Bare, the monthly ladies’ night
hosted by LURe, began in
December 2008. It takes place
every third Saturday at Cobalt at the
corner of 17th and R streets, N.W.
While approximately 600 peo-
ple attend the monthly Bare
events, Diehl expects about 800
attendees for the White Party.
“We firmly believe in word-of-
mouth ... people find out and tell
their friends,” she said.
Go-go dancers will warm up
the dance floor while attendees
enjoy tunes from DJ Rosie, the
local DJ known for spinning
HRC’s “L Word” premiere par-
ties. She will be joined by DJ
Keenan, another Cobalt regular.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 31
Wearing white isn’t just a way
to fit in at the party. The best-
dressed guests win free drink
tickets and white shirts are a
must for the evening’s wet T-shirt
contest. Two celebrity guests will
award the $200 grand prize to
the contest winner at 1 a.m.
The identity of the two celebri-
ties will not be revealed until the
doors open at 9 p.m., when
LURe will update its Twitter
account with their identities.
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
Thirsty party-goers will be
happy to find drink specials Organizer KAREN DIEHL says this weekend’s White Party will be a fun
throughout the evening. “For all way to say goodbye to summer.
my lesbian beer drinkers, from 9
p.m. to 11 p.m., we have $1 pomegranate. Berry bombs, made drink and socialize until 3 a.m.
beers,” Diehl said. with the new flavor, will be $5, as Diehl predicts that the inaugu-
Absolut Vodka will give guests will the more traditional Absolut ral event will be a fun way to say
an opportunity to test out its and Red Bulls. goodbye to summer.
newest flavor: Berry Acai. In addi- Arriving early has its advan- “We have a lot going on all at
tion to the popular acai berry, the tages as the $10 cover turns to $13 the same time. It’s gonna be a lit-
vodka also features blueberry and at midnight. Guests can dance, tle crazy.”
32 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
THE GUIDE TO ARTS & CULTURE
HOT HITS AND
HIDDEN JEWELS LAST CHANCE
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST saturday, august 21
Through August 29 LANFORD WILSON’S SERENADING
SCENA Theatre LOUIE. The American Century Theater at
H Street Playhouse Gunston Theatre Two. 703-998-4555.
703-683-2428 americancentury.org.
scenatheater.org
Thanks to carefully crafted double lives, Jack and sunday, august 22
Algy have it all. Until, love and marriage enter the DISNEY AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH
equation. Jack loves Gwendolyn. Algy loves PRESENT MARY POPPINS. The Kennedy
Cecily. Yet, both women insist on marrying the Center. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
elusive man who is “Earnest”. After “true” identi- GAIA @ THE FRIDGE. The Fridge DC.
ties are revealed, will all live happily ever after? 202-664-4151. gaiadc.com.
NOISES OFF. The Keegan Theatre at
IN THE NEXT ROOM, Church Street Theater. 703-892-0202.
OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY keegantheatre.com.
August 23 - September 19 THE GATHERING OFTHE LEGENDS - PHO-
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company TOGRAPHY EXHIBITION. Del Ray Artisans.
202-393-3939 703-625-2330. theDelRayArtisans.org.
woollymammoth.net
At the dawn of the electrical age, a new medical
device is developed to treat and pacify 'hysteri-
cal' women, but it unknowingly produces a very ONE NIGHT ONLY
different result. Pulitzer Prize-nominated play- friday, august 20
wright Sarah Ruhl, author of The Clean House THE IRISH TENORS. Wolf Trap. 703-255-1868.
and Dead Man's Cell Phone, shares this story of wolftrap.org.
repressed sexuality and physical exploration
with equal doses of humor and emotion. saturday, august 21
THE TEMPTATIONS & THE FOUR TOPS.
ANITA BAKER Wolf Trap. 703-255-1868. wolftrap.org.
Thursday, August 26 TUTTING AND BOTTING HIP HOP
Wolf Trap WORKSHOP WITH JOSHUA DAVIS.
1-877-WOLFTRAP Joy of Motion Dance Center at Joy of
wolftrap.org Motion Dance Center-Friendship Heights.
Eight-time Grammy Award winner, this sensual clients.mindbodyonline.com.
songstress took the R&B world by storm with
her romantically soulful hits including 'Sweet sunday, august 22
Love' and 'Giving You the Best That I Got.í GREAT BIG SEA. Wolf Trap. 1-877-
WOLFTRAP. wolftrap.org.
HISTORY ON FOOT:
DETECTIVE MCDEVITT thursday, august 26
Through October 30 UKE FEST 2010: BEGINNING UKULELE.
Ford's Theatre Strathmore. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
202-347-4833 UKE FEST 2010: INTROTO HULA DANCING.
fords.org Strathmore. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
This walking tour brings Civil War Washington to life!
Join Detective McDevitt as he revisits and reexam-
ines the sites and clues of the investigation into the
Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy and the events of ONGOING
April 14 and 15, 1865. ìInvestigation: Detective LA FEMME. Arlington Artists Alliance at
McDevittî lasts approximately 2 hours and makes at Arlington County Board Offices. arling-
least eight stops throughout the story. tonartistsalliance.org.
TAKE YOU HOME. Gallery plan b.
The Guide to Arts & Culture is supplied by CulturalCapital.com, a program of the Cultural Alliance of 202-234-2711. galleryplanb com.
Greater Washington. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST: Supplied by SCENA Theatre, photo by
Ian C. Armstrong; IN THE NEXT ROOM: Supplied by Woolly Mammoth, photo by Colin Hovde; ANITA
HIGHLIGHTS TOUR. Corcoran Gallery of
BAKER: Supplied by Wolf Trap. DETECTIVE MCDEVITT: Supplied by Fordís Theatre Art. 202-397-7328. corcoran.org.
SKETCHING IN THE ATRIUM. Corcoran
Gallery of Art. 202-639-1700. corcoran.org.
CHALK DRAWINGS. Corcoran Gallery of
Art. 202-397-7328. programs.corcoran.org.
CM DUPRE’S ALICE. The Ar t
League at National Harbor. 703-683-
1780. theartleague.org.
DESIGN FOR THE OTHER 90%.
National Geographic. 202-857-7588.
events.nationalgeographic.com.
BEAT MEMORIES: THE PHOTO-
GRAPHS OF ALLEN GINSBERG.
National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.
SCAPES: THE ANNUAL LANDSCAPE
EXHIBIT. The Art League. 703-683-1780.
DISCOVERING THE CIVIL WAR - BEGIN-
NINGS. National Archives. archives.gov.
DA VINCI - THE GENIUS. National
Geographic. 202-857-7588. events.nation-
algeographic.com.
ART BY THE YARD: WOMEN DESIGN
MID-CENTURY BRITAIN. The Textile
Museum. 202 667 0441. textilemuseum.org.
WOMEN TO WATCH 2010 BODY OF
WORK: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON FIG-
PASSING STRANGE. The Studio Theatre.
202-332-3300. studiotheatre.org.
URE PAINTING. National Museum of
Women in the Arts. nmwa.org.
FROM PRISON TO ARTS CENTER: 100
YEARS AT THE WORKHOUSE.
Workhouse Arts Center. 703-584-2900.
workhousearts.org.
JUNE WAYNE’S DOROTHY SERIES.
National Museum of Women in the Arts.
nmwa.org.
JUYEON KIM: THE IN-BETWEEN.
National Museum of Women in the Arts.
nmwa.org.
THE COLLABORATIVE PRINT:
WORKS FROM SOLO IMPRESSION.
National Museum of Women in the Arts.
nmwa.org.
RARE: PORTRAITS OF AMERICA’S
ENDANGERED SPECIES. National
Geographic. events.nationalgeographic.com.
HISTORY ON FOOT: ELIZABETH
KECKLY. Ford’s Theatre. 202-347-4833.
fordstheatre.org.
EDVARD MUNCH: MASTER PRINTS.
National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.
THE ART OF LIVING: TEXTILE FUR-
NISHINGS FROM THE PERMANENT
COLLECTION. The Textile Museum.
202-667-0441. textilemuseum.org.
TORTURE AT THE WORKHOUSE.
Workhouse Arts Center at The
Workhouse Museum. 703-584-2900.
workhousemuseums.org.
SAMPLES 2003 BY ROBERTO BOCCI.
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. 202-547-
6839. chaw.org.
IN THE TOWER: MARK ROTHKO.
National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.
AMERICAN MODERNISM:THE SHEIN COL-
LECTION. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.
FREE
through august 20
RENEE VAN DER STELT, “DRAWING
MOVEMENT ON LAND.” Montpelier Arts
Center, Library Gallery. 301-377-7800.
pgparks.com.
through august 25
LIFESTRAW DEMONSTRATIONS.
National Geographic. 202-857-7588.
events.nationalgeographic.com.
friday, august 20
JAZZ IN THE GARDEN: PETE BAREN-
BREGGE (ENSEMBLE AVANTE-GARDE).
National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.
saturday, august 21
RUG AND TEXTILE APPRECIATION
MORNING: TWINED BAGS OF THE
COLUMBIA RIVER PLATEAU. The
Textile Museum. 202-667-0441. textile-
museum.org.
LEARNING FROM THE PAST. Surratt
House Museum. pgparks.com.
GALLERY AFTER HOURS: UNITED
STATES MARINE CORPS WIND
ENSEMBLE. Workhouse Arts Center.
703-584-2900. workhousearts.org.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 33
34 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010

FITNESSAGENDA
Alcohol, caffeine, chocolate and sex
How much is too
much when it comes
to our favorite vices?
By KEVIN M. NORRIS
Most things are best con-
sumed or experienced in moder-
ation and some things may even
be better for you the more you
consume or participate.
There is a common notion that
if some things are good for you,
they must be better for you in
abundance. Unfortunately what is
good for you in moderation may
not be beneficial to you in surplus.
Here are some basic guide-
lines to keep you satiated without
going overboard.
ALCOHOL: There can be a
host of benefits of alcohol. Alcohol
in moderation is beneficial for your
heart and red wine in particular is
packed with cancer fighting
antioxidants. But, drink too much
alcohol and you are at risk for
adverse health consequences.
The Mayo Clinic lists the benefits
of alcohol consumption as: reduc-
ing the risk of heart disease; low-
Photo by iStockphoto.com/Rpsycho
Alcohol in moderation has defi-
nite health benefits, but too much
can lead to a host of health prob-
lems, including various cancers.
ering blood pressure; reducing
LDL (bad) cholesterol; possibly
reducing the risk of strokes; lower-
ing risk of gallstones; and possibly
reducing risk of diabetes.
But the risks associated with
excessive drinking can outweigh
the benefits if you drink in excess.
Always drink responsibly and in
moderation. The risk of over con-
sumption of alcohol include: addic-
tion; cancer of the pancreas,
mouth, pharynx, liver and breast;
pancreatitis; heart muscle dam-
age; stroke; high blood pressure;
cirrhosis of the liver; miscarriage;
and depression and suicide.
CHOCOLATE: Can chocolate
possibly be good for you? Yes,
indeed. The Journal of the
American Medical Association
reports that dark chocolate, not milk
chocolate or white chocolate is
good for you. Dark chocolate with
65 percent or higher of cocoa con-
tent is best. The flavanols (antioxi-
dants) found in chocolate are simi-
lar to the antioxidants found in
green teas, berries and red wine.
The main ingredient in choco-
late is cocoa, which appears to
reduce the risk of heart disease.
The flavanols in cocoa beans are
purported to not only behold
antioxidant effects, but also aid in
lowering blood pressure and
improve vascular function. Limit
yourself to 3 oz. of dark choco-
late a day as chocolate is high in
calories. Consume in moderation
and balance the calories by tak-
ing in less of other food.
CAFFEINE: This has been wide-
ly debated for some time and will
continue to be. According to The
Mayo Clinic, caffeine has been
proven to stimulate the central nerv-
ous system, alleviate fatigue and
increase mental alertness and phys-
ical performance. What’s more, caf-
feine can potentially decrease the
chances of Parkinson’s disease,
colon cancer and diabetes.
In excess, caffeine can be detri-
mental to your health according to
Mayo. Caffeine in excess of 4-7
cups a day can cause a litany of
health concerns. With increased
caffeine consumption, you may
experience insomnia, nervousness,
restlessness, nausea, irregular
heartbeat, anxiety and headaches.
SEX: I saved this for last
because I could not find as much
evidence to suggest that sex in
excess undermines health, apart
from the occasional muscle
strain and possibly sex addiction.
All-in-all, sex (with all safer-
sex precautions taken including
the use of condoms) is good for
you with numerous health bene-
fits. According to Newsweek,
“regular exposure to a loving
partner has extraordinary effects
on health and well-being.”
According to a recent Fox News
report, sex increases your libido,
improves cardiovascular function,
burns calories (a little more than
four calories per minute) lowers
anxiety and stress, boosts immuni-
ty (curtailing colds and flu) and
helps you sleep better.
Sex has also been shown to limit
headaches, especially migraines,
as orgasms act as an analgesic.
Sex can promote regular menstrual
cycles in women and increase
estrogen levels, which can lead to
glowing healthier skin.
Frequent ejaculations, espe-
cially in 20-something men, may
reduce the risk of prostate cancer
later in life, Australian researchers
reported in the British Journal of
Urology International.
Remember, however, the penis is
a muscle and requires rest and
recovery. Too much sex in men can
lead to damage of the erectile tissue.
There you have it, some basic
guidelines on just how much to
add to your health regime with-
out over consuming.
Consume responsi-
bly and enjoy.
Kevin M. Norris is a
health and fitness columnist
for DC Agenda and owner
of Mind Your Own Body,
LLC. Personal Training.
Reach him at
kevinmnorris@aol.com.

Just Say: I Need A Plumber!©

Dial A Plumber, LLC®
Full Service
• Bathroom Sinks, Tubs, Vanities
• Kitchen Sinks, Disposals
• Boilers & Furnaces
• Hot Water Heaters
Kim • Drain Service

Licensed
Bonded
Insured Kenny

202-251-1479
DC Plumbers License # 707
Visa, Mastercard & American Express accepted
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 35
36 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 37
38 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
autoagenda
Sport wagons sizzle again
Hip haulers stage
a comeback
By JOE PHILLIPS
Skinny jeans. Strappy stilet-
tos. Button-up blouses. Blame it
on “Mad Men”— or a longing for
simpler times — but retro is all
the rage. For any of you Don
Draper wannabes, the only thing
missing is a blue and white 1962
Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
As if on cue, automakers are
rolling out something almost as
iconic: station wagons. This time,
they’re called “sport wagons.” And
instead of wood side panels or
clunky dual-hinged tailgates, this
new generation has snazzy styling
and the latest high-tech gear.
These haulers also have fuel-
friendly engines — and that’s the
irony. Gas-chugging wagons of the
past began losing their luster during
the 1970s oil crises. Today,
Americans still need space but
want greener rides to help pinch
pennies at the pump.
That rules out minivans and
SUVs. And crossovers, well, they
look like SUV clones.
So on to wagons, which are
new and different all over again.
Acura TSX Sport Wagon
$32,500 (est.)
Mpg: 21 city/ 30 highway
Cargo capacity: 14 cu. ft. (42 cu. ft.
with rear seats folded)
Audi, BMW and Mercedes
cornered the luxe wagon market
years ago — just look at any
Bloomingdale’s or Whole Foods
parking lot. Now Acura wants in.
Due this fall, the all-new TSX
Sport Wagon is a rebadged
Honda that’s popular in Europe.
The two share the same sure
suspension and four-cylinder
engine, but the TSX’s uptown
interior has steering-wheel pad-
dle shifters, Bluetooth and a
slick nav system with large
eight-inch monitor. In the cargo
bay, under-floor bins can hold a
laptop, and removable side pan-
els allow for golf bags. There’s
also Acura’s trademark tapered
front end, which — love it or
hate it — looks like it has an
overbite. Alas, the TSX only
comes with front-wheel drive
(with no plans to add the stellar
SH-AWD all-wheel-drive sys-
tem), so forget trekking in bliz-
zards and ice storms.
Cadillac CTS
Sport Wagon
$38,500
Mpg: 18 city/27 highway
Cargo capacity: 25 cu. ft. (58 cu. ft.
with rear seats folded)
From automaker-on-the-skids
to Detroit darling, GM is posting
stellar profits after that govern-
ment bailout. One of the reasons:
chic Cadillac product, like the CTS
Sport Wagon. Forget the staid
styling and yacht-like handling
that your granny loved; now
there’s edgy sheet metal, potent
engines and taut Euro handling.
Choice of five trim levels, with
oodles of options: panoramic sun-
roof, heated/cooled seats, 10-
speaker surround-sound stereo,
keyless ignition/entry, rearview
camera, even a heavy-duty pet
net. But beware: the cost for all
those bells and whistles can
reach, ouch, $51,000. Two other
downsides: narrow front-seat
legroom and poor rear visibility.
Subaru Legacy Outback
$23,500
Mpg: 19 city/27 highway
Cargo capacity: 34 cu. ft (71 cu. ft.
with rear seats folded)
Outbacks have always been a
rainbow-sticker fave, and this redo
is no exception. There’s literally
more for gays and lesbians to love
now, with the longer, wider and
taller frame and loads of passenger
room and cargo space.
Unfortunately, the larger size
means handling isn’t as spry and
nimble. Still, crash-test scores are
primo and the rear seats recline —
a nice touch. There are six trim lev-
els, and all-wheel drive, hill-hold
assist and stability control are stan-
dard across the board. Options
include heated side mirrors,
Harman Kardon stereo, rear priva-
cy glass, windshield wiper de-icer
and iPod interface.
VW Jetta SportWagen
VW Jetta SportWagen
$20,000
Mpg: 23 city/33 highway
Cargo capacity: 32 cu. ft. (67 cu. ft.
with rear seats folded)
Low cost, high gas mileage, a
blast to drive. That pretty much
sums up the freshly styled Jetta
SportWagen. Form-fitting seats are
uber comfortable, as is the whis-
per-quiet cabin with panoramic
sunroof, multifunction steering
wheel and nifty blue lights on all the
gauges. There’s also more cargo
room than in many midsized
crossovers. Stability/traction control
is standard, with rear side airbags
an option. A new clean-diesel
engine joins the lineup, boosting
fuel efficiency to a whopping 30
city/41 highway. And while braking
is bit sluggish, the acceleration,
cornering and ability to dart in and
out of traffic are all top-notch.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 39
40 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010

LGBTNIGHTLIFEGUIDE
to the 1960s. Features billiards, regular
washington, dc tournaments and other special events.
Located near the convention center, two
MOVA
1435 P St., NW
30 DEGREES Washington, DC 20005
blocks north of Gallery Place Metro. 202-797-9730
1639 R St., NW
Washington, DC 20009 halodc.com
202-462-6569 DELTA ELITE Trendy Logan Circle bar and lounge pop-
cobaltdc.com 3734 10th St. NE ular with men features regular happy
In Dupont Circle area; popular with men Washington, DC 20017 hour and other specials. Formerly known
but check schedule for other events. 202-546-5979 as Halo, MOVA re-launched in early 2010
thedeltaelite.com as a environmentally friendly bar with an
1409 PLAYBILL CAFÉ Longtime bar popular with African- emphasis on community service.
1409 14th St., NW American men in Brookland
Washington, DC 20005 neighborhood; hosts regular ladies night. NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
202-265-3055 Check web site for special events. 900 U St., NW
Logan Circle area restaurant and bar Washington, DC 20001
(Dupont Circle Metro) popular with the DIK BAR 202-332-6355
theater crowd and featuring open-mike 1637 17th St., NW nelliessportsbar.com
nights, karaoke and other special events. Washington, DC 20009 Sports bar featuring poker events, drag
202-328-0100 bingo, trivia contests and other specials.
ACADEMY dupontitaliankitchen.com Popular bar with massive outdoor deck
OF WASHINGTON In Dupont Circle area, above and plenty of TVs for watching sports.
thewashingtonacademy.com Dupont Italian Kitchen.
Longtime organizers of drag events in the OMEGA
city; most events held at Ziegfeld’s. See DUPLEX DINER 2122 P St., NW
web site for full list of upcoming events. 2004 18th St., NW Washington, DC 20036
Washington, DC 20009 202-223-4917
ANNIE’S PARAMOUNT 202-265-9599 omegadc.com
STEAK HOUSE duplexdiner.com Dupont Circle area bar and club popular
1609 17th St., NW
Washington, DC 20009
Popular restaurant and bar in the
Adams Morgan area; happy hour
with men featuring dancing, drag and
other special events.
JUJUBEE @ FREDDIE’S
specials and many other special events. Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
202-232-0395
In Dupont Circle area; popular longtime See web site for updated schedule. PHASE 1
restaurant and steakhouse with recently 525 8th St., SE
renovated Upstairs Lounge. FAB LOUNGE
1805 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20003
phase1dc.com
baltimore LEON’S/
TYSON PLACE
APEX Washington, DC 20009 twitter.com/phase1dc
1722 870 Park Ave.
202-797-1122 The Phase opened in 1970 and remains 1722 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201
1415 22nd St., NW
thefablounge.com Baltimore, MD 21201 410-539-4993
Washington, DC 20037 a popular lesbian bar and club. Features
In Dupont Circle area; popular with men Multi-level after-hours dance club attracts leonsbaltimore.tripod.com
202-296-0505 regular special events, including Jell-O
but hosts regular women’s events. a mixed crowd but remains gay-friendly. In business for more than 50 years,
apex-dc.com wrestling, ’80s theme nights and more. Leon’s is the oldest gay bar in
In Dupont Circle area; popular with men, but Check web site for details. BALTIMORE EAGLE Baltimore and among the oldest in
check schedule regularly for other events. FIREPLACE 2002 N. Charles St. the country. Friendly bar with jukebox
2161 P St., NW QUEER PULP Baltimore, MD 21218 gets especially busy on Sunday nights.
BACHELOR’S MILL Washington, DC 20037 @ BLACK SQUIRREL 410-82-EAGLE Tyson Place is a restaurant bar
1104 8th St., SE 202-293-1293 2427 18th St., NW Longtime Levi/leather bar not far located behind Leon’s with a
Washington, DC 20003 In Dupont Circle area; neighborhood bar Washington DC 20009 from Mount Vernon offers friendly bar, separate entrance.
202-544-1931 popular with men. Alternative party for queer people billiards, outdoor patio, videos and a
Longtime bar popular with African- featuring disco house, electro, indie pop, full store for your leather needs. PORT IN A STORM
American men in Capitol Hill area. GREEN LANTERN dance and industrial every Friday night. Mostly men, but welcoming to women. 4330 E. Lombard St.
1335 Green Court, NW Baltimore, MD 21224
BANANA CAFÉ Washington, DC 20005 REMINGTONS CLUB PHOENIX 410-534-0014
500 8th St., SE greenlanterndc.com 639 Pennsylvania Ave., SE 1 W. Biddle St. Friendly neighborhood lesbian bar gets
Washington, DC 20003 twitter.com/greenlanterndc Washington, DC 20003 Baltimore, MD 21201 especially popular when the Ravens
202-543-5906 Friendly bar for men hosts regular happy 202-543-3113 410-837-3906 play. Features billiards, music and more.
bananacafedc.com hours and special events, including remingtonswdc.com Mount Vernon-area downstairs bar
Popular Capitol Hill area restaurant and karaoke and shirtless drink special twitter.com/remingtonsWDC attracts men and women; friendly service. QUEST
bar (Eastern Market Metro) for both men nights. Check web site for details. Popular country/Western nightclub in 3607 Fleet St.
and women. Features Cuban, Mexican McPherson Square Metro. Capitol Hill neighborhood with more than
DRINKERY Baltimore, MD 21224
6,000 square feet of space for dancing 205 W. Read St. 410-563-2617
and Puerto Rican cuisine.
JR.’S Baltimore, MD 21201 Neighborhood bar in Highlandtown
and billiards. One half block west of
1519 17th St., NW 410-225-3100 area is popular with men and women
BLOWOFF Eastern Market Metro.
Another of Baltimore’s friendly neighbor- and offers billiards.
815 V St., NW Washington, DC 20036
hood bars in Mount Vernon featuring
Washington, DC 20001 202-328-0090 TOWN billiards, jukebox and welcoming service. SAPPHOS
blowoff.us jrswdc.com DANCEBOUTIQUE 1001 N. Charles St.
Created by musicians Bob Mould and Longtime friendly Dupont Circle area 2009 8th St., NW GALLERY Baltimore, MD 21201
Richard Morel, Blowoff is an occasional bar popular with men; videos, regular Washington, DC 20001 1735 Maryland Ave. 410-752-7133
dance event popular with men. Events are special events. 202-234-TOWN Baltimore, MD 21201 centralstationpub.com
held in clubs around the country; D.C.’s towndc.com 410-539-6965 Part of the Grand Central complex,
Blowoff parties are held at the 9:30 club LACE Dance club and bar popular with men Longtime bar and restaurant popular Sappho’s attracts a lesbian crowd
in the popular U Street corridor. 2214 Rhode Island Ave., NE and women, features regular drag per- with African-American clientele. and offers comfy couches, outdoor
Washington, DC 20018 formances. U Street Metro. patio and more in its second
COBALT 202-832-3888 GRAND CENTRAL floor location.
1639 R St., NW lacedc.com ULTRABAR 1001 N. Charles St.
Every night is ladies night at Lace; 911 F St., NW Baltimore, MD 21201
Washington, DC 20009
202-462-6569
cobaltdc.com
features regular special events for
women in Brookland neighborhood.
Washington, DC 20004
ultrabardc.com
410-752-7133
centralstationpub.com
northern va
In Dupont Circle area; part of complex Check web site for details on happy twitter.com/UltraBar Large entertainment complex featuring FREDDIE’S
of LGBT businesses at this address, hour specials. Large dance club with gay-friendly events and friendly pub, lesbian bar Sappho’s upstairs BEACH BAR
including Level One restaurant on vibe located downtown near Metro Center. and a dance club on the first floor. 555 23rd St. South
street level and 30 Degrees bar. LARRY’S Arlington, VA 22202
LOUNGE WHERE THE GIRLS GO HIPPO 703-685-0555
1 W. Eager St. Freddie Lutz’s Virginia establishment
CREW CLUB 1836 18th St., NW wherethegirlsgo.com
Baltimore, MD 21201 includes a restaurant and friendly bar,
1321 14th St., NW Washington, DC 20009 Queer women's events in the D.C. area.
410-547-0069 regular specials and is popular with
Washington, DC 20005 202-483-1483 Check web site for latest info. clubhippo.com men and women. Crystal City Metro.
202-319-1333 Dupont Circle area bar and restaurant Large club popular with men and women
crewclub.net popular with both men and women. ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS featuring billiards, top DJs/dancing, karaoke,
Men’s 24-hour gym in Logan Circle area,
featuring steam rooms, lounges, MIXTAPE
1824 Half St., SW
Washington, DC 20024
videos and more. Opened in 1972, Hippo’s
motto is “where everyone is welcome.”
laurel, md
private dressing rooms and more. Different locations 202-863-0670 PW’S
mixtapedc.com secretsdc.com JAY’S ON READ 9855 N. Washington Blvd.
DC EAGLE twitter.com/MIXTAPEdc Featuring all-nude male dancers 225 W. Read St. Laurel, MD 20723
639 New York Ave., NW Alternative dance party for queer men Wednesdays-Sundays, drag perform- Baltimore, MD 21201 301-498-8202
Washington, DC 20001 and women featuring electro, alt-pop, ances, large dance floor and many reg- 410-225-0188 pwssportsbar.com
202-347-6025 indie rock, house, disco and New ular special events, contests and more. Piano bar attracts a mostly male Restaurant and bar is popular with gay
dceagle.com Wave. Check web site for 2010 sched- Large parking lot available; located in crowd, though welcoming to women and lesbian sports fans and is known
The popular Levi/leather bar’s origins date ule of events. Buzzard’s Point warehouse district. and straight patrons. for its superb burgers.
 august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 41

Come and see

what you’ve been
missing 24/7
BEST LUNCH EVER!!!
MONDAY - FRIDAY:
1/2 PRICE ROOMS 10 - 2PM
1/2 PRICE TUESDAYS
8AM - 12 Midnight
All Rooms & Lockers 1/2 Price
FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY
Late Night Steams • Afternoon Workouts
Goodlooking Guys • Hot Showers • Videos
Big Steamroom • Sauna
Gym & Cardio • Lounges
Friendly Staff • Very Clean Facilities
Private Rooms & Lockers
Must have valid I.D.

www.inspot.org
All STD/HIV testing Information
42 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010
DCAGENDA
ROBY CHAVEZ (right) and his partner CHRIS ROE are planning an outdoor wedding cere-
mony this weekend, followed by a honeymoon in Greece.
Local TV reporter to
wed partner this weekend
Continued from page 25
diate family and friends, we got to about 200
people just in that. So it’s a little bigger.”
They’re planning an outdoor ceremony on
the Wilson House grounds. Rev. Dwayne
Johnson, pastor of Metropolitan Community
Church of Washington where Chavez some-
times attends, will officiate. Their nieces and
nephews will wave rainbow ribbons and a
surprise entertainer will perform while two
“best couples,” gay couples who have been
friends of the two for years, will stand with
them as they take their vows wearing match-
ing Calvin Klein tuxes. A honeymoon trip to
Greece will follow.
Rob Clemenz has known Chavez
since they were in college together. He
and his partner, Rick DuPlantier, are in
the wedding party.
“When I first laid eyes on Chris, I knew
he was perfect for Roby,” Clemenz says. “I
know this really means the world for Roby
so it’s very poignant and it’s just a special
thing. I never ever dreamed that we would
come this far and something like this
would be in our lifetimes. I’m beyond
happy standing there for their wedding.
It’s just wonderful.”
Chavez says he didn’t call Roe immedi-
ately after meeting him because, despite
the strong initial connection, dating wasn’t
on his radar. He’d been career focused for
many years but finally decided to take
some time off for dating.
“I had three phone numbers,” Chavez
says. “He was the second date. I never
made it to the third.”
They live together at 12th and U streets,
N.W., and make time for each other,
despite disparate work schedules — Roe
works days, Chavez nights. Roe waits up
for Chavez every night until he gets home
around midnight. Chavez promised Roe if
he moved in with him — farther from his job
than he’d been — he’d give him a lift to
work each day, a promise he’s kept.
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
So what makes it work? Chavez calls it
“the brake and the pedal.”
“I’m kind of all over the place and moving
very quickly,” he says. “He’s very methodical
and thoughtful. When I’m going too fast, he
puts the brakes on and when he’s not going
fast enough, I kind of push him along. We’ve
just kind of learned how to connect.”
They also say the small-town values they
grew up with are complementary. And they
get a kick out of hearing a pop song from the
’80s and realizing they both know the lyrics.
There’s only the slightest acknowledgment
of occasional friction during a 40-minute inter-
view. They read together at night and on the
way to work. Chavez mentions a couple rela-
tionship books they’ve used to help through
occasional “issues in the relationship.”
“Ultimately we just talk,” he says. “We talk
a lot. We have 30 minutes here or there or at
night, we talk.”
Chavez says the marriage gives him a
chance to turn the tables on his viewers.
Getty Images photographers have followed
them through the planning process.
“I knock on people’s doors all the time,” he
says. “Tell me your happiness, tell me your
sadness, tell me what’s going on in your life.
I should be able to share with the same
openness. Plus we don’t see a lot of people
talking about gay marriage. I just thought I’m
not gonna miss a chance to let them hear my
story. It would be easier, actually, to just do it
privately, but I feel I have a responsibility.”
The chance to play it big and include
extended family, who have been support-
ive, they say, was strategic in a way.
“They’re the people who’ll have to vote the
next time it comes up on the ballot,” Roe says.
Clemenz says it’s about more than
the couple.
“This is so much more than a mere mar-
riage,” he says. “It’s a symbolic leap of faith
for the progress and the edification of D.C.
and really for the nation. It’s thought provok-
ing and it’s provocative. Roby’s stood up time
and time again in his life. He’s a true leader.”

bladeclassifieds
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION 2010 ADM 723
John Howard Marcantel, Name of Decedent
Glen H. Ackerman
1250 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors
and Notice to Unknown Heirs
Jeffrey Paige, whose address is 1418 Nicholson St
NW, Washington, DC 20011 was appointed
Personal Representative of the estate of John
Howard Marcantel who died on February 15, 2010
without a Will and will serve without Court supervi-
sion. All unknown heirs and heirs whose where-
abouts are unknown shall enter their appearance
in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment
shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC., 515
5th St, NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001, on
or before February 6, 2011. Claims against the
decedent shall be presented to the undersigned,
on or before February 6, 2011 or be forever barred.
Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the
decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice
by mail within 25 days off its first publication shall
so inform he Register of Wills, including name,
address and relationship. True Test Copy Anne
Meister, Register of Wills.
IN MEMORIAM
BARRY MARK CRAWFORD (age 45) of Waldorf,
Maryland on August 11, 2010 at the Prince William
Hospital in Manassas, Virginia. Predeceased by his
parents Robert and Mary Crawford, Sister Michele
Crawford and parter Steven Ritter. Survived by his
brothers Robert, Darwin, and Michael Crawford and
many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be
held on Tuesday, August 17th at the Christ Episcopal
Church in LaPlata, MD at 2 pm. Interment will follow at
the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Cemetery in
Temple Hills, MD. Memorials may be made to Capital
Hospice. Arrangements are being handled by Arehart-
Echols Funeral Home, P.A., La Plata, MD.
EMPLOYMENT
FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR HAIR
DESIGNER WITH FLAIR! Full-service salon in
Crystal City wants an experienced stylist.
Following highly desired, license required. Send
resume CCVASalon@gmail.com.
MASSAGE
Professional Massage Therapist offering best
deep tissue massage available. Stretching, Swedish
& Sports massage. Dupont, Special 1st time rates.
Marcio (202) 271-9440. www.MarcioMassage.com
MID DAY / AFTERNOON SPECIAL Only $49/hour
for mid day & afternoon professional massage.
Regular rates are only $55/hour & $85 per 90 min-
utes. Excellent techniques & top quality massage.
DUPONT/ADAMS MORGAN. Ron 202-641-1078
INDULGE YOURSELF WITH RELAXING, deep tis-
sue massage. Feel the stress leave your body. CMT
with 15 years experience. Located in Logan/Dupont
Circle. www.DCMassageTherapist.com. Visa, MC.
David (202) 213-9646 Lic#MT410
N. ARLINGTON CMT - Enjoy your massage in a pri-
vate, in-home studio. Great location. Clean, quiet,
discreet. mymassagebygary.com - 301-704-1158
GREAT TOUCH! Full sensual body massage by
Latin Male. Swedish, deep tissue. Relieve stress!
Parking available. In/out. 703-401-9093.
ITALIAN JOCK Give full body massage. Masculine,
muscular, VGL masseur, offers, full-body, Swedish,
sports, deep tissue massage on a table, including
stretching, shower available. See my photos on
www.massagem4m.com/jockguy. Located down-
town, parking available. Brian 312-961-7724.
PAMPER YOURSELF with a 60 or 90 min. mas-
sage. With 11 years experience let me tailor a
session right for you. Ben 202.277.7097
www.benmassagedc.com
RELAXING, SOOTHING MASSAGE by
experienced massage therapist. Convenient
Arlington location. Evenings and weekends.
$60/hr, $85/90 min. Visa/MC
Errol (703) 525-4616.
www.goodhands2.biz
Experienced, Athletic, Friendly, Certified
Masseur offering excellent therapeutic massage.
Trained in Deep Tissue, Swedish & Sports, near
15th St. NW in Logan www.massagem4m.com/Dale
or call 202 669 1643.
TIME TO RELAX, TAME YOUR TENSION &
improve your health with a professional mas-
sage! Swedish, Deep Tissue, Athletic and Pain
Management massages really can improve your
outlook. J. David Starn, Nationally Certified,
LMT. www.expertlycraftedmassage.com or call
202-257-9726. Ask about weekday specials!
ASIAN MALE MASSAGE Swedish, Deep Tissue,
Sports, Shiatsu, Stretching Techniques. Intuitive,
Therapeutic. Glebe Rd/395. $70/hr; $90/1.5 hrs.
Dant65@hotmail.com. (202) 425-5105.
Deep Tissue Massage for neck/back pain,
injury rehab. All welcome. Last min ok.
7dys/wk till 11pm. NW 17th/Kal next to HT. Tim
202.957.1559
RELAX, REGENERATE, REJUVENATE The
3 Rs to Health. Experienced Certified
Massage Therapist helps you with the 3 Rs:
Swedish, Deep Tissue, Reiki, Energetics. Call
Bruce (202) 491-8306. MT 0697.
THE MAGIC TOUCH: Swedish, Massage or Deep
Tissue. Appts 202-486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7.
BEST TOUCH in ADAMS MORGAN. Deep
tissue, therapeutic sensual combo, all kinds
of pressure, 8 yrs experience. Call VLAD
646-463-2804.
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 43
Get results! Massage treatment to deal with tight
areas, imbalances, & stress release. Licensed
Massage therapist, comfortable, private studio, heart of
DC. Packages available & 1st time discounts. FREE
herbal body oil for your first appt. Call Sam 202-213-
0401 or check my website at www.renacer-fitness.com.
Bee (Asian) and Valentin (European), offer
excellent professional therapeutic massage,
both have 10+ year experience at Qi Spa-3106
M St, NW. www.qispadc.com (202) 333-6345.
Also, Waxing & Skincare....for Men & Women
WHY WAIT TO FEEL BETTER? Enjoy your sum-
mer with a massage. Open 7 days - 10 am to 9 pm.
$75 / hr. VISA/MC/AMEX. (202)293-8484
WEDDINGS & SERVICES
RC priest, American Catholic affiliation, licensed
DC marriage officiant. Many years experience work-
ing with gay & straight couples in secular & religious
services. No venue too small. Let me help you make
your special day simple, elegant, memorable. Call
Ed (202) 445-0366, ed.ingebretsen@gmail.com.
PHOTOGRAPHY
STEVE O’TOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Art
Photographer for portraits, weddings & dating
photos for the internet. Call (703) 532-3031.
www.steveotoolephotography.com
LIMOUSINES/DRIVERS
KASPER'S LIVERY SERVICE Gay owned
Luxury Sedan Service with special rates for
Airport Transfers, Rehoboth Beach, and Charles
Town Casino, 24hrs 202-554-2471, 800-455-2471
www.KasperLivery.com
CATERING
BARTENDERS WITH THAT PERSONAL TOUCH
Bartenders and wait staff ready to assist you with
your next private affair. Contact us at 202-390-
4018 for more information. Our 20th year!
FITNESS
Fitness Matters! DC Fitness Matters, offering
Personal Training, Fitness Boot Camps,
Wellness Coaching. Pvt. Logan Circle studio.
Sean Robinson, ACE Certified Trainer.
www.DCFitnessMatters.com. 202-544-7771.
COUNSELING
LGBTQ Affirming Therapy at Dupont Metro.
Individuals, couples, families, adolescents. Over
15 years serving the community. Mike Giordano, LICSW.
202/460-6384, mike.giordano.msw@gmail.com,
www.WhatIHearYouSaying.com
COUNSELING FOR GAY MEN. Individual/couple
counseling with volunteer peer counselor. Gay
Men's Counseling Community. 202-265-6495. gay-
menscounseling.org. No fees, donation requested.
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY FOR the gay & lesbian com-
munity. Relationships, grief, anxiety, transitions, careers.
Jonathan Kirkendal (202) 550-3589. www.dclpc.com.
LEGAL SERVICES
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM Representing the GLBT
community for over 25 years. Family adoptions, estate
planning, real estate, immigration, employment. (301)
891-2200. Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. &
Kirstin Gulling, Of Counsel. www.SP-Law.com
EMPLOYMENT LAW ATTORNEY - Wrongful
Discharge, Sexual Harrassment, Contract Review,
Whitleblowers. The Law Office of Carl Roller
(202) 531-2777, www.carlroller.com
ADOPTION & REPRODUCTIVE LAW Jennifer
Fairfax handles adoption, donor, carrier & parenting
matters for LGBT families. Experienced. Affordable.
Maryland & D.C. 301-221-9651. JFairfax@jennifer-
fairfax.com. www.jenniferfairfax.com
Lippman, Semsker & Salb. A full-service law
firm serving the GLBT community. Protecting You.
Protecting Your Family. Since 1972. (301) 656-
6905 or www.LSSLawyers.com.
AUTOS
FAST CASH!!! Wanted Cars & Trucks. Don’t
throw your money away, call me! I will buy your
vehicle. Call Marty Salins, at Auto Plaza, in
Rockville, (301) 340-1390.
BUY/USED BOOKS
ALL GAY THEMES. G BOOKS. 1520 U St, NW. 202-
986-9697 Brandonchan99@msn.com. 4pm-10pm.
P.S. our lubes, DVDs & gear cheaper than online.
PETS & SUPPLIES
ADOPT AN ADORABLE PUPPY OR DOG All-breed,
non-profit rescue. 100% volunteer run. Donations wel-
come & needed. www.aforeverhome.org.
BEAUTIFUL SHIH-TZU PUPPIES! AKC reg.
Shots. Born on June 13th (Capitol Pride Day). 4
Males, $550/ea. 1 Female $600. Call (240) 388-
7201. Pics & videos avail.
MOVING
John Henry Movers Since 1990, the area's
favorite gay owned crew. Expert packing, pianos.
Experienced, equipped & punctual as hell.
Cheapskates love us! 703-597-5561
GULLIVER’S MOVERS - Swift & gentle reloca-
tion's. Packing, pianos, antiques. Local & long dis-
tance 202-483-9579 www.gulliversmovers.com
CLEANING
TOO NEAT GUYS INC. Residential & commercial
cleaning in DC & Northern VA. Over 12 years
experience, gay owned, licensed, bonded &
insured (703) 622-5983.
POWER CLEANERS, LLC. Experienced,
dependable service seven days a week. Gay
owned and operated. Call Matt for free esti-
mates at 202-352-0739 or visit www.power-
cleaningdc.com
A CLEANING SERVICE invites you to relax
while our team of experienced, dependable &
friendly professionals provides top-quality
cleaning service to your home or office.
Excellent refs, satisfaction guaranteed.
Licensed, bonded & insured. Reasonable
rates. Call today for a free estimate. (703) 892-
8648. www.acleaningserviceinc.com
FERNANDO’S CLEANING: Residential &
Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free
Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out.
(202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183.
MAID TO CLEAN. Rated #1 in Metro DC. Gay
owned. Serving DC/VA/MD. DC 202-270-2967,
VA (703) 299-0101. MD (301) 656-7171. Visit
www.maidtoclean.com
TREE CARE
Branches Tree Experts has certified arborists
with experience in Spraying, Fertilizing, Tree
Pruning, Root Pruning, Construction Damage,
Storm Damage, Stump Grinding, Tree Protection
Plans, Planting and Consulting. 301-589-6181,
Expert Tree Care Service Since 1988,
www.BranchesTreeExperts.com
44 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010

bladeclassifieds
HOME IMPROVEMENT
CROWN MOULDINGS & CHAIR RAILS - All
facets of interior trim, specializing in crown mould-
ing, chair rails & custom moulding fabrication.
Call Matt 571-238-8366.
TIRED OF THAT DAMN DOOR? Specializing in
older doors, repairing, modifying, weatherstrip,
thresholds, deadbolts and doorknobs. Call Matt
571-238-8366.
CRAFTSMAN with OVER 30 YEARS EXPERI-
ENCE as a British Master Carpenter. Our company
adheres to the highest industry standards & prac-
tices. Murphy & Maguire, LLC. Call Kevin Maguire
(202) 492-8738. www.murphymaguire.com
HISTORIC MOUNT RAINIER
2-3-4 Bedroom Homes! Great
Condition! $199,999 - $329,900
Handy-Dandy House needs Major
Renovation $169,995
LARRY PERRIN, Realtor
301.983.0601 LJPerrin@aol.com
RENT/VA
Walk to Metro in Alexandria! 2BR, 2 BA luxury con-
dos for rent, starting at $2100 per month including park-
ing & storage. Just pay electric. Walk to 2 Metros,
movies, restaurants and shops. Enjoy 2 gyms, pool, ten-
nis, 24-hr security and more. www.brendastone.com or
Brenda Stone, Keller Williams, 703-739-4663.

PAINTERS SHARE/VA
FEMALE PAINTER: over 15 yrs experience. Int. Manassas VA Male-nonsmoker, rent
Ext. Faux paint. Let's keep it in the family. If you room/share house, full privileges, Directv,
Hate to Paint, I'd Love to Help! W/D, Utilities included. Available immediately
Call Claudia 703.898.8835 $550 703-969-8521 joeylambda@verizon.net

SALE/DE
REAL ESTATE DELAWARE Reho 35-40 min! Classic 2-story, excel.
cond. 3BR/1.5BA 1900+sf on 1/4 ac., 9ft ceilings, hw
REAL ESTATE AGENTS flrs, clawfoot tub, all appl. $139,900. Call 302-629-3220

www.GayRealEstate.com
Free On-Line Directory of the Top Gay & Lesbian
Realtors in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia & the Looking to
Nation Instantly on-line at www.GayRealEstate.com.
advertise in
RENT/DC bladeclassifieds?
Contact
Phil Rockstroh at
prockstroh@washblade.com

ROOFING CONTRACTOR
REPAIRS • NEW ROOFS • GUTTER CLEANING
Sheet Metal Certified Applications
Roofing of General Tire &
Beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath (+ den/office) Slate Tile Firestone Products
rowhouse in Ledroit/Bloomingdale. Gutters EPDM
Spacious home features original details and Skylights Tin
great layout for modern living/entertaining. Cedar Shake Copper
Finished basement, 1 car garage, large Shingles Built In Gutter
yard/garden, pets ok. tbeach2k@comcast.net Chimney Restoration Roof Inspections

P.J. McTavish & Co., Inc.

FURNISHED HOUSING/DC Licensed • Bonded • Insured
301-476-8551
EMERGENCY REPAIRS – 24 HOUR SERVICE
Serving the community for over 20 years!
BBB · Washington Checkbook · Angie’s List
NRCA · NSA · Energy Star Rated System

WASHINGTON DC FURNISHED HOUSING

APARTMENTS & LODGING. 1 to 3 blocks to US
Capitol grounds, Supreme Court, LOC. (202)
544-4419. Veteran owned small business
www.capitolhillstay.com

SHARE/DC
CAPITOL HILL 14TH & F STS, NE, Unfurnished
BR for rent $500 monthly + utilities + deposit.
Thomas 202-397-7132.

SALE/MD
BELTSVILLE SPLIT LEVEL $275,000
Sparkling Spotless! Full Party Room Basement!
3 Bedrooms + 2 Baths!

LARRY PERRIN, Realtor

301.983.0601 LJPerrin@aol.com

exotic
Incalls or
outcalls
Discretion assured
For an extraordinary, tender, personal
experience with a masculine man
call 202-495-1091
Beau knows what feels good!
More info at
DCBeau.blogspot.com
WHEN QUALITY COUNTS Male/TV/TS, 202-
487-3660, www.tops69.com
SENSUOUS BOD 2 BOD Friendly, creative, erot-
ic massage…Your willing body, for a toe curling
experience! Chad (202) 329-7097
THAI-AMERICAN – NUDE BODY MASSAGE, 27
yrs., 5'8", 150 lbs., friendly, handsome, smooth,
nice body. In (Alexandria VA)/out 10AM - 10PM
Call Robert (703) 655-2130
Liberate your Libido! Hi I’m Erik, nationally cer-
tified, Irish/Italian US Navy Swimmer/Gymnast,
offering exceptional deep tissue/sensual body-
work for total stress relief. Private studio. (show-
er, Metro 2.5 blocks, parking) Call 202-544-7905.
In calls only.
ALL-AMERICAN BOY 24y/o, 5'9, 138lbs, 29w.
Very cute & clean-cut, w/a smooth lean build.
Affectionate & versatile, loves older guys.
HotDCkid@gmail.com 202-365-9065
Never hired before? Get tips for a good experi-
ence here: http://beforeyoucome.blogspot.com
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 45
BODYWORK
DAVID EROTIC MASSAGE by certified therapist.
Deep tissue also available. On table. Handsome man
with class. Thank you for your repeat business. Days &
evenings. Easy parking or metro. Call 202-421-8900.
MALE MASSAGE by 32 yo, 5’ 9”, 165 lbs, Hot
Latino with a special touch. Offering full body
release in a private atmosphere. In/out. Parking
Available, hotels welcome, Silver Spring/DC area,
24/7. 240-462-8669
BLONDE GI 6’0”, 165LBS Good looking, athlet-
ic, well-endowed. Sensual Massage & More. Eli
(703) 599-2668.
MASSAGE SILVER SPRING Spanish/Irish,
160 lbs, 5'10" great shape, beach tan, strong
soothing hands. Full-body erotic experience,
masculine energy. Stress release. Comfortable
studio, private home. $70/hr. Days/evenings,
metro. BRUNO (301) 580-2716.
The Blacklist Site a tool for escorts.
http://blacklistednow.blogspot.com
Looking to
advertise in
bladeclassifieds?
Competitive Rates,
outstanding results.
BEAR HUNTING Strong sensual paws for your Place your ad today!
willing body. Tom (202) 289-7367.
Erotic Swedish Massage - healthy clean cut guy,
Contact
GREAT MASSEUR in DC. 24/7 to make appts.
6.0 tall 180 lbs. mix latin.
6'1", 160lbs, Dupont Circle, massage table, noon
to 1:00 a.m., indulge your body. Bill 202-728-0238 Phil Rockstroh at
Call me at (202) 413-5952 CESAR prockstroh@washblade.com
bodi contac two and four hand massage all day
and early evenings call kit 240 604 3843
DEADLINES: All Ads MUST be
ADULT received by Monday at 5:00 p.m.
to be included in that week’s
issue. Online ad submissions
through our website are accept-
ed until Monday at 5:00 p.m. for
the same week’s edition.
The deadline for Encounters,
Escorts and Bodywork ads is
Monday at 5:00 p.m. for the
same week’s edition.
HAIRY, HANDSOME, MASCULINE ENDOWED
BODYBUILDER! CALL (202) 714-3030 PERSONAL ADS ARE FREE but
limited to 25 words or less and
EROTIC SENSUAL MASSAGE 30 yo, 5'5", 170
lbs, 8.5", clean, versatile top. Call Robert anytime, must be submitted online. All ads
703-587-2261. will appear on this site. However,
only the first twenty will appear in
the print edition. All Personal ads
must include an e-mail address.
Th e H O L I DAY D E A D L I N E
Get him on the line! fo r Classifieds, Home and
Try free with code 4617 Personals ads for Washington
Call 202-448-0112
InteractiveMale.com Blade is Monday at 5:00 p.m.
ENHANCE your ad with with
Looking to advertise any of the following features:
in bladeclassifieds?
Contact $19.50 for 1st 25 words
ALL NUDE MASSAGE by Lee, smooth olive skin,
fit 5’9”, 185, 30” w, available Aug 20-22 ONLY, Phil Rockstroh at Photo/Logo ($35)
24/7, in/out, 703-507-8742. prockstroh@washblade.com
Hyperlink to any e-mail/
website ($2)
Visit blade classifieds @ washingtonblade.com Headline style MD ($10)
46 washingtonblade.com • august 20, 2010

a cleaning service, inc.

a clean house
a clean mind

satisfaction guaranteed
services provided in DC, VA and MD
commercial and residential
licensed, bonded, insured
free estimates

703.892.8648
www.acleaningserviceinc.com
august 20, 2010 • washingtonblade.com 47