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First woman nominated by major party for president.

Full coverage starts on PAGE 08

JULY 29, 2016 volume 47 issue 31 Americas LGBT News Source washingtonblade.com

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news and information


for washington d.C.
and our nation

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE

CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION

AZERCREATIVE.COM

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Finding an AIDS vaccine takes


innovative research, advanced technology, money
and about 125 cyclists with big hearts.

How Big Is Your Heart?


Were riding 300 miles over 4 days
From Charlottesville, VA to Washington, DC
To raise awareness and money to benefit
Emory Vaccine Center and the UCLA AIDS Institute.
100% of the money raised goes directly to them so they can continue
to research new and innovative ideas to find a vaccine for HIV/AIDS.

Riders, Crew and Volunteers are needed. Want to learn more?


Contact mark@charitytreks.org, or
visit our website at http://www.charitytreks.org/
Charity Treks, Inc., P.O. Box 321, Charlottesville, VA 22902

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Comings & Goings


Beeker joins Church in Bethesda;
Fyala takes over at GMCW
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We
want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us atcomingsandgoings@
washblade.com

Congratulations to Rev. Jeerson C. Beeker who


has begun his new ministry at Church in Bethesda
(churchinbethesda.com). According to Beeker, the
church stands as a beacon of light for new hope
and possibility that through Christs welcoming,
unconditional and inclusive embrace we can all
experience a deep and meaningful relationship with
Spirit/God, as well as with one another. An open and
arming congregation, all are welcome to join in this
amazing ministry.
Beeker was born and raised in D.C., growing up with
a keen interest in theater, government and a passion
for American history. Prior to going into the ministry
REV. JEFFERSON C. BEEKER
PHOTO COURTESY OF BEEKER
he worked in theentertainment industry in D.C., New
York and Los Angeles. Growing up in the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) his family members have
been part of the denomination for six generations.
Beeker received his masters in divinity degree from
San Francisco Theological Seminary in Pasadena.
I am gay, single and excited to be living again in
Washington, D.C., he said. To me, it is one of the
most thrilling cities I have ever lived in. Growing up gay
I never thought a life in ministry would be possible.
Congratulations to Justin Fyala, who was named
the new executive director of the Gay Mens Chorus
of Washington, D.C. (GMCW) eective Aug. 15. Fyala
joins the Chorus with more than 12 years of nonprot
JUSTIN FYALA
PHOTO COURTESY OF FYALA
management experience. He spent the past ve years
leading the Windy City Gay Chorus and Treble Quire,
The Youth Choral Theater of Chicago, and Bella Voce,
focusing on fundraising and organizational growth.
Rob Hall, chair of the GMCW board said, We are
delighted to have found someone with such a full
complement of talents. Justins work in Chicago with
a great LGBTQ chorus, an impressive youth group and
other choirs impressed the selection committee and
board leaders.
Choral singing has been a part of my life every day
since I was 10 years old, Fyala said. My voice changed
early and my teacher didnt know what to do with me,
so she made me the narrator. Instead of being rued
JOSEPH PODUSLO
PHOTO COURTESY OF PODUSLO
by the experience, I began to devour recordings and
books to learn all I could about this magical art form.
I am deeply honored to bring my experiences to the
GMCW family and to work with some of the most inspiring choral artists in the nation.
Fyala holds a masters in arts management from Carnegie Mellon University, studied
voice at the University of North Texas, and has a bachelors in choral music education
from the Pennsylvania State University.
And nally, congratulations are also due to Joseph Poduslo, who was recently promoted
to senior vice president at TTR Sothebys International Realty. Poduslo has earned a
reputation as a leader with a genuinely caring and personal approach and has more than
12 years of experience in the D.C. Metro real estate market. Poduslo is also a 10-time top
producer and is ranked one of the top real estate professionals nationwide.
When Poduslo is not working, you might nd him at one of the many charities he is
involved with. He enjoys golf, tennis, sailing and music.

LO CA L N E W S

FreeState Justice sues on behalf of trans boy


FreeState Justice attorneys led a federal lawsuit July 19 against Talbot
County Public Schools for its refusal to allow a 14-year-old transgender boy to
use restrooms and locker rooms that are consistent with his gender identity.
In M.A.B. ex rel. L.A.B. & L.F.B. v. Board of Education of Talbot County,
FreeState Justice asked the United States District Court for the District of
Maryland to nd that the school systems policy violates Title IX, the Equal
Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and the Maryland Declaration of
Rights, and to order the school system to allow the student immediate access
to restrooms and locker rooms consistent with his gender identity, on the
same terms as all other students.
The student, who is required by federal court rules to be identied in court
documents only by his initials, M.A.B., is a rising ninth grader at St. Michaels
Middle-High School in St. Michaels, Md.
Requiring a transgender boy to use a girls locker room or to use a
separate and substandard facility that lacks benches, lockers, and showers
violates equal access protections mandated under federal and state law,
said Jer Welter, M.A.B.s attorney and FreeState Justices Deputy Director
and Managing Attorney in a statement. School systems in Maryland should
know the law, and should be protecting students who are transgender from
discrimination, not singling them out for separate and unequal treatment.
Welter added, Transgender students have an equal right to access all school
facilities, including locker rooms. Schools in Maryland will be held accountable
if they violate the law by stigmatizing and segregating transgender students.
STEVE CHARING

John F. Aloi dies at 78


Anthony John F. Aloi, a longtime Washingtonarea oral designer, died at the Williams House
hospice of the Washington Home on June 9 of
kidney failure and complications from prostate
cancer, according to his partner, John Bekeny.
He was 78.
Aloi, born Feb. 20, 1938, was a native
Washingtonian and lifelong resident, having
been born at the old Providence Hospital.
In oral design, he worked for the Kelsey,
Dove, Palace, Friendship, York and Caruso
ower shops. His plant maintenance business
serviced clients including the National Football League Players Association,
the National Catholic Educational Association, the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education, and the Mathematical Association of America.
Prior to entering the oral design industry, he worked for Mitchell
Construction on the D.C. Stadium and Central Intelligence Agency headquarters
building projects. When he learned the next project was to be the Rayburn
Oce Building, he decided that he didnt want to work construction during
another winter and answered an ad for a orist trainee. In the years that
followed, he did the owers for the weddings of scores of Washingtonians
and also did owers for prominent residents of the time, including Elizabeth
Taylor and Lynda Carter.
He volunteered his oral design services for many years, rst at St.
Matthews Cathedral and for the past 15 years at Immaculate Conception
Church. Years earlier, he volunteered oral design services to help decorate
the White House for the holidays.
In January 2014, he received an ocial apostolic blessing from Pope Francis.
Recently he was honored to be selected by the Order of Malta to journey
to the prominent Catholic pilgrimage site of Lourdes, France, from which he
returned in May 2016.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Marines.
Aloi was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, where he provided continuing
support to others in the fellowship. He celebrated his 31st anniversary of
sobriety on June 3, 2016, while in Williams House.
He is survived by his partner of 31 years, John Bekeny of Washington, his
brother Ross Trimarchi of Navarre, Fla., and sisters Victoria Hull of Ft. Walton
Beach, Fla., and Jean Winchester of Bowie, Md., as well as four nieces, two
nephews, and 17 cousins.
A funeral was held in June.
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO

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LO CA L N E W S

Dozens turn out for Gays Against Guns meeting


D.C. chapter plans ACT UPstyle protests targeting NRA
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
More than 85 people turned out
Tuesday night for the kick-o meeting
of a D.C. chapter of Gays Against Guns,
a group founded last month in New
York City by LGBT activists responding to
the June 12 shooting rampage at a gay
nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that claimed
the lives of 49 people.
In a resounding voice vote, meeting
participants approved a proposal by gay
activists Phil Attey and Michael C. Adolph,
who organized the meeting, that the new
D.C. chapter should follow the lead of
the New York group in staging creative
and attention-grabbing direct action
protests and sit-ins.
The two said the protests would be
modeled after those conducted by the
nationally recognized AIDS protest group
ACT UP in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of
those protests involved non-violent civil
disobedience actions that resulted in arrests.
The July 26 meeting took place at the
D.C. gay nightclub Town Danceboutique,
which organizers said oered its space
free of charge.

PHIL ATTEY is one of the organizers of D.C.s


chapter of Gays Against Guns.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

We cant just be complacent anymore,


said Attey. When I saw Gays Against
Guns emerge at New Yorks Pride I really
took a good look at it, he said, adding
that existing groups focusing only on
lobbying for better gun control polices
arent doing enough.
Attey was referring to the New York

groups participation in New York Citys


LGBT Pride parade along Fifth Avenue
in Manhattan in which more than 850
people marched with the Gays Against
Guns contingent.
The National Rie Association; the
National Shooting Sports Foundation,
which serves as a trade association for
the rearms industry; and members of
Congress who do the bidding of the
two organizations, will be among those
targeted for protests by the D.C. chapter
of Gays Against Guns, organizers said.
Name, blame, and shame will be the
theme of many of the protests targeting
pro-gun groups and lawmakers, Attey
told the Washington Blade.
In a slide presentation, Adolph showed
photos of a die-in staged by the New
York Gays Against Guns group that
targeted two Reebok stores in Manhattan
last week. The protest was organized after
news surfaced that the Cross Fit Games,
an annual athletic competition sponsored
by Reebok, was giving away Glock pistols
to the winners of the competition.
Reebok issued a statement saying it
disagreed with giving away rearms as a
prize in the popular athletic competition.
The die-in, a protest action started by
ACT UP, consisted of protesters lying on
the ground outside a building or location
targeted for the protest displaying signs

saying the death was caused by improper


action or inaction by the targeted party.
Adolphs slide presentation included a
rationale for protest actions in response
to incidents like the Orlando shooting,
where LGBT patrons of the Pulse
nightclub made up most of the victims.
Actions speak louder than petitions,
lobbyists,
prayers,
thoughts,
and
moments of silence, one of several
principles adopted by the New York
groups said.
The NRA doesnt know whats in store
for them, Attey said in assessing the
enthusiasm of those who attended the
meeting and who expressed interest in
participating in upcoming protests.
Organizers said the D.C. chapter is the
latest among Gays Against Guns chapters
that have formed in 12 U.S. cities since
June.
The forming of the D.C. chapter comes
one month after the founding of a D.C.based LGBT political action committee
called the PRIDE Fund to End Gun
Violence. The groups executive director,
Jason Lindsay, a former congressional
staer, said the group will focus on raising
money to help elect LGBT-supportive
members of Congress who also support
improved gun safety legislation. Lindsay
said the PAC would also work to defeat
those who oppose such legislation.

Gay Air Force lieutenant faces August court martial


Sexual assault charges
stem from alleged
3-way encounter
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaror@washblade.com
A gay former U.S. Marine lieutenant who
has accused gay Air Force Lt. Joshua Seefried
of sexually assaulting him in a New York
hotel room in 2012 testied at a pre-court
martial hearing for Seefried on Monday that
he has served recently as a military trainer in
forums about sexual assault.
The former Marine testied that he
served as a panelist in military forums
addressing the issue of sexual assault in
the military prior to his discharge from
the Marines last year, which he said was
based on his decision not to re-enlist for
another term.
The former Marine discussed his role as
a trainer and occasional speaker on sexual
assault issues in response to questions by
Seefrieds attorney, Richard Stevens.
Stevens didnt say why he raised the
issue of the former Marines role as a
trainer on the subject of sexual assault

during the part of the hearing that was


open to the public.
But Stevens, among other questions,
asked the former Marine, Did you discuss
your case or your personal experience in
these trainings?
No, the former Marine replied.
Stevens said later in the hearing
after the former Marine completed his
testimony that the defense is concerned
that the former Marine could have
developed a false assumption that
consent for sex was not possible under
certain circumstances.
The judge presiding over the hearing,
Lt. Col. Andrew Kalavanos, asked
members of the public and a Washington
Blade reporter to leave the hearing room
at Bolling Air Force Base in Southeast
D.C. so that two closed sessions could
be conducted. Neither Kalavanos nor the
opposing attorneys in the case disclosed
why the two sessions were closed.
Air Force prosecutors have charged
Seefried, who in 2010 cofounded the LGBT
military group OutServe, of engaging in
wrongful and abusive sexual conduct and
forcible sodomy. The charges stem from
accusations by the former Marine that

Seefried allegedly performed sexual acts


on him in Seefrieds New York hotel room
while the then Marine was intoxicated
and unable to give consent.
A military investigator who presided
over two proceedings similar to a civilian
grand jury known as Article 32 hearings
in the Seefried case concluded after both
proceedings that there was insucient
evidence to prove the allegations against
Seefried and that a court martial would
most likely result in an acquittal.
The investigator, Col. Robert Preston,
issued his second recommendation
against a court martial and for dropping
the charges against Seefried after a U.S.
Coast Guard ocer testied that he had
been with Seefried and the Marine at
the hotel room when the sexual assault
allegedly occurred. The Coast Guard
ocer, Lt. Commander John Fiorentine,
testied that the Marine had consented
to a three-way sexual encounter with him
and Seefried.
Despite this testimony and Prestons
recommendations for dismissing the case,
Maj. General Darryl Burke, commander
of the Air Force District of Washington,
overruled Prestons recommendations and

ordered that the case go to court martial.


During an April 4 arraignment for
Seefrieds case, his military attorney
disclosed that Seefried had submitted a
request to resign from the Air Force in
lieu of a court martial, but the attorney,
Capt. Allen Abrams, didnt disclose
the response to that request. Sources
familiar with the case, however, said Air
Force prosecutors and Burke agreed
to the resignation request but were
overruled by Air Force Secretary Deborah
Lee James, who insisted that the case go
to court martial.
Also testifying at Mondays hearing was
Fiorentine who, like the former Marine,
was dressed in civilian clothes, indicating
that he, too, is no longer in the military.
In response to questions by Stevens,
Fiorentine described his own training in
the Coast Guard as an investigator with
skills in interviewing and interrogating
Coast Guard members in military policerelated matters.
Fiorentine is expected to be one of
as many as 20 witnesses called by the
defense, along with the former Marine,
at the court martial, which has been
scheduled to begin on Aug. 22.

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Experience Cirque Italia


A magical show like no other
Come experience the magical world of Cirque Italia a show like no other. We
are proud to be the first traveling WATER circus in the United States.
Our extraordinary stage holds 35,000 gallons of water and features a dynamic
lid that lifts 35 feet into the air, allowing water to fall like rain from above as fountains
dazzle below. This incredible show takes place under our majestic white and blue
big top tent that came all the way from Italy and was made by Ferrari. Inside we
have such a theatrical and intimate setup, you just might forget you are under a
circus tent.
Once inside, its hard to say what will stand out first. The plush curtain backdrop,
the wooden floors, the souvenir corner, or the ever appealing look and smell of
the fabulous concessions. As they enter, guests have the opportunity to get their
faces painted, visit the concession stand, or check out the custom souvenirs, which
include Italian masks, circus history books, and more direct from Venice, Italy.
The show owner and founder, Manuel Rebecchi, has a deep history in the
circus industry. When Manuel came to the states several years ago, he decided
that Americans needed to experience a European-style show. He wanted to create
something special and memorable. He was actually inspired to create the water
stage while drinking a bottle of water one day. The result? Something never before
seen in the U.S. a cirque variety show featuring a 35,000-gallon water tank stage
and performers from around the world. The 2016 season is going very well for
Cirque Italia.
So what can you expect to see at this remarkably unique show? How about a
CONTORTIONIST who is able to bend her body in ways you would never imagine.
How high can he go? Youll be asking yourself as our Italian singer stacks chair
upon chair and then balances on top of them on his hands. Our crazy clown, Alex,
PLUNGES off the diving board during his acrobatic trampoline excursion. Our
Laserman will be causing all kinds of explosions with his laser guns maybe to

Cirque Italia comes to the D.C. area July 28.

scare away the large DINOSAUR that has invaded the show. All this, plus thrilling
high-wire feats, twin juggling maniacs, elegant chiffons, and more. Dont forget you
also have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a picture with a MERMAID.
For more information, check out the Cirque Italia website: www.cirqueitalia.
com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Interact with us. Keep up to date
with the latest news. Or shoot us an email at corpteam.cirqueitalia@gmail.com. We
will be happy to answer all of your questions.
You can purchase tickets through our website (cirqueitalia.com/tickets) or by
phone: 941- 704-8572. We also respond to text message.
When: August 4-7
Where: The Great Frederick Fair, 797 E Patrick St., Frederick MD 21701
Under the grand, swirling White and Blue tent!
August 4 THURS: 7:30pm
August 5 FRI: 7:30pm
August 6 SAT: 2:30pm, 5:30pm & 8:30pm
August 7 SUN: 2:30pm & 5:30pm

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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NATIONAL NEWS

Democratic convention gets off to rocky start


Star-studded lineup quells
ap over WikiLeaks release
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
PHILADELPHIA Fanned by nearly
100-degree heat, tensions ran high during
the rst day of the Democratic National
Convention as Bernie Sanders supporters
booed Hillary Clinton at an event designed
to promote her candidacy.
After she took the podium at the Wells
Fargo Center, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio),
chair of the convention, said shes
excited to elect Clinton and her running
mate Tim Kaine to the White House.
The delegates responded with cheers
and chants of Hil-lar-y! Hil-lar-y! but
also audible boos from Sanders supporters
not willing to back the candidate.
I am going to be respectful of you and
I want you to be respectful of me, Fudge
said. We are all Democrats and we need
to act like it.
The rocky start to the convention
followed controversy in which Democratic
National Committee Chair Debbie
Wasserman Schultz announced her
resignation as a result of an email dump
on WikiLeaks revealing the organization
favored Clinton in the primary as opposed
to staying neutral.
Wasserman
Schultz
announced
she would have a limited role at the
convention and gavel in the event, but
even that was eliminated as the day
progressed. Her role at the convention
was completely cut and the convention
gaveled in without her.
Speaking at an event earlier in the day,
Sanders himself was booed when he
told supporters to vote for Clinton, even
though he admonished them with the
message, This is the real world that we
live in.
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb
sought to calm things down by saying both
Clinton and Sanders are good candidates
and telling supporters three times in a
row, They both deserve our praise.
In an attempt to mitigate the disunity,
the DNC issued an apology to Sanders
supporters for the way their candidate
was treated in the primary. The Sanders
campaign texted supporters urging them
not to boo Clinton during the convention.
Diane Russell, a Maine delegate
pledged to Sanders, took the stage and
appeared to mollify Sanders supporters.
She urged delegates to ratify the unity
commission, which seeks to reform the
Democratic primary process. Among
other things, the commission is pledged
to reduce the number of superdelegates
by two-thirds.
Russell said Democrats are working to

MICHELLE OBAMAs speech was widely viewed as the highlight of the opening day of the Democratic National Convention after dissent early in
the day.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

make reform within the party and led the


audience in a chant of Not-for-sale! Notfor-sale!
Weve had a real family disagreement
over the role of superdelegates in our
partys nominating process, Russell said.
Working together, it is supposed to be
hard work, but we can denitely do more
as a party to ensure a fairer, more open
process that places everyday voters at
the center.
Jose Nabarrate, a 22-year-old gay
delegate
from
California
pledged
to Sanders, expressed anger to the
Washington Blade over the revelations in
the WikiLeaks email dump and problems
he has with Clinton.
A lot of people are passionate about
Bernie Sanders, Nabarrate said. And
ever since we started receiving this kind
of information especially from WikiLeaks,
and everything that we learn about
Hillarys past, we decided we want to go
with someone we trust and know is going
to get us there, and in a truthful manner.
Nabarrate said hes unsure of whether
hell vote for Clinton in the general
election and that the remainder of the
convention will inform his decision.
Despite the ruckus at the convention, a
recent poll found 90 percent of Democrats
support Clinton in the general election,
undercutting the notion the base isnt
willing to support her.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims
(D-Philadelphia), a gay Clinton supporter
in attendance at the convention, but not a
delegate, denied the discontent reected
any disunity within the party.
Honestly, I think what were seeing on
the oor is in many ways a classic example
of American Democracy, Sims said. We,
as a party, have great candidates to select
from that people were passionate about,
they did re people up, and theyve

brought that passion to the convention


and theyre going to use that passion to
select the candidate that best exemplies
all of us.
Referring to the Republican convention,
Sims said, Yeah, passions are aring, but
its better than anger and hate aring.
The most well-received speech came
from rst lady Michelle Obama, who made
a case to elect Clinton based on her tenacity
and shared commitment to family.
And make no mistake about it, this
November when we go to the polls that
is what were deciding, not Democrat or
Republican, not left or right, Obama said.
No, in this election and every election
is about who will have the power to
shape our children for the next four or
eight years of their lives. And I am here
tonight because in this election there
is only one person who I trust with that
responsibility, only one person who I
believe is truly qualied to be president
of the United States, and that is our friend
Hillary Clinton.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),
a favorite among progressives, delivered
the keynote speech of the night and
sought to take down Donald Trump for
policies as well as a personal history
she said undermines America.
What kind of a man roots for the
economic crash that cost millions of
people their jobs? Warren said. Their
homes? Their life savings? What kind of
a man cheats students, cheats investors,
cheats workers? Ill tell you what kind of
man. A man who must never be president
of the United States.
At one point, Warren slammed Trump
for selecting Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as
his running mate, saying hes famous
for trying to make it legal to openly
discriminate against gays and lesbians.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Clintons

rival during the primaries, sought to unify


Democrats on a day when Bernie-orBust protesters raised their voices.
I remember her as a great rst lady
who broke precedent in terms of the role
that a rst lady was supposed to play as
she helped lead the ght for universal
health care, Sanders said. I served with
her in the United States Senate and know
her as a erce advocate for the rights
of children. Hillary Clinton will make an
outstanding president and I am proud to
stand with her here tonight.
Sanders in part made the case for
Clinton by saying her appointments to
the U.S. Supreme Court would protect
LGBT people.
Her Supreme Court appointments will
also defend a womans right to choose,
workers rights, the rights of the LGBT
community, the needs of minorities and
immigrants and the governments ability
to protect the environment, Sanders said.
A noteworthy appearance was made
by comedian and Sanders supporter
Sarah Silverman. Declaring shell vote for
Clinton in the general election, Silverman
told the Bernie-or-Bust crowd at the
convention, Youre being ridiculous.
Similar to 2012, speakers at the
Democratic
National
Convention
enumerated support for the LGBT
community throughout their remarks.
In a speech titled We Will Rise,
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) referenced
gay people when touting the founding
principles of the nation based on the
Declaration of Independence.
I am so proud that it was upon this
foundation that we built a great nation
and today, no matter who you are, rich
or poor, Asian or white, man or woman,
gay or straight, any religion or none at
all, you are entitled to the civil rights and
responsibilities of citizenship, Booker said.

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1 0 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

NATIONAL NEWS

Democrats ratify most pro-LGBT platform ever


It says were welcome,
were going to make
life better
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
PHILADELPHIA Democrats ratied
a party platform late Monday called the
most LGBT-inclusive in history and a
unifying document after a bitter primary.
As convention chair Rep. Marcia
Fudge (D-Ohio) presided, delegates at
the Democratic National Convention
approved the platform by voice vote.
Although loud nays were heard, the
overwhelming yays in favor of the
platform carried the day.
Jessica Frisco, a Manhattan-based
delegate pledged to Sen. Bernie Sanders
(I-Vt.), said having LGBT inclusion in the
Democratic Party has always been really
important to me.
Not that its become less of a priority,
but I think the Democrats have always
been pretty progressive on the issue,
at least in recent years, and you know,
its been Democrats that have been
supporting that type of legislation in
contrast to Republicans, she said. I
guess I wasnt really surprised to see
that that was a big part of the platform
and I wouldnt be surprised to know
that everyone in the Democratic Party
supports that.
The 55-page document has a specic
LGBT plank titled Guaranteeing Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights
and includes LGBT references in planks
throughout the document.
The LGBT plank endorses LGBT
comprehensive
non-discrimination
legislation (although it doesnt explicitly
address the Equality Act by name),
condemns violence against transgender
people, endorses the U.S. Supreme Court
decision in favor of same-sex marriage
and repudiates state laws seeking to
undermine LGBT rights.
Democrats applaud last years decision
by the Supreme Court that recognized
that LGBT people like other Americans
have the right to marry the person they
love, the platform says. But there is still
much work to be done. LGBT kids continue
to be bullied at school, restaurants can
refuse to serve transgender people,
and same-sex couples are at risk of
being evicted from their homes. That is
unacceptable and must change.
In contrast, the platform adopted
last week at the Republican National
Convention seeks to reverse the Supreme
Court decision on same-sex marriage,
indicates supports for widely discredited
ex-gay conversion therapy and supports

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention meet at the Wells Fargo Arena in
Philadelphia on July 25.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

state anti-trans bathroom laws.


Matt Hughes, a 25-year-old delegate
from Chapel Hill, N.C., pledged to Hillary
Clinton, said the LGBT inclusion is
important to him both as a Democrat and
a gay man.
For me as a Democrat, its important,
but also as a gay man that we have these
ideals in our partys platform about nondiscrimination in terms of employment
and transgender rights and really
everything, Hughes said, especially
when you compare and contrast it to
the Republican Party platform that was
passed last week, which is denitely
the most anti-LGBT platform that the
Republican Party has ever put forward.
Hughes said he helped draft a North
Carolina platform that included similar
language, which he said is important
because of the recently enacted House
Bill 2 in the state. That law bars pro-LGBT
city ordinances and prohibits transgender
people from using the restroom
consistent with their gender identity.
That language says to me that for the
second time in four years, that on LGBT
issues, North Carolina is on the wrong side
of not just fairness and equality, but also
just the wrong side of history, Hughes
said. And I think that the Democrats have
always stood up for the marginalized and
oppressed in our communities, and so
having language that is so strongly in favor
of rights for our transgender brothers, I
think, is very important.
Other language throughout the
document
recognizes
immigration
detention for LGBT people who sought
refuge in the United States can be
unacceptably dangerous. Referencing
the recent end to the ban on transgender
military service and Dont Ask, Dont Tell

repeal, the platform says the U.S. military


is stronger with people of dierent sexual
orientations and gender identities.
Delegates ratied the platform after
the full platform committee reviewed and
made changes to the document during a
meeting earlier this month in Orlando, Fla.
During the meeting, the committee
enhanced the LGBT language further
by adding a plank insisting LGBT rights
should be part of U.S. foreign policy. The
language was based on Clintons 2011
speech in Geneva where she declared,
Gay rights arehuman rights and human
rights are gay rights.
Mara Keisling, a D.C.-based transgender
advocate and member of the platform
committee, called the platform the most
progressive platform on LGBT and trans
rights in the history of the United States.
It says were welcome, it says were
going to make life better to make lots of
dierent marginalized people whether
its supporting the people of Puerto Rico,
people with disabilities or people facing
environment racism or LGBT people,
Keisling said. Were going to work
together and were going to make things
better for everybody.
Although Keisling acknowledged the
platform is symbolic, she said that symbolism
can be a big thing to leverage change.
Its just symbolic, but it gives us a hook,
it again starts getting more and more
people thinking about transgender and
LGBT people and thinking about do they
support or do they not support us, and it
gets some of our issues in front of people
who maybe wouldnt have seen it before,
Keisling said.
In 2012, the platform for the rst
time endorsed marriage equality in
addition to other language rejecting the

anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act and


endorsing a trans-inclusive Employment
Non-Discrimination Act, but the 2016
document exceeds those milestones.
Marveling at the Democratic Partys
progression on LGBT inclusion in
its platforms was Diego Sanchez, a
D.C.-based transgender advocate in
attendance at the convention and in 2008
the rst openly transgender member
of the platform committee. He wasnt a
member in 2016.
The progress has been tremendous,
Sanchez said. In 2008, we didnt have
the word marriage by design. We were
responsible for three things: Bringing
in the denition of same-sex couples as
families, to have gender identity included
in non-discrimination and to include HIV
as a domestic policy priority. Weve come
so far from that place of using language
that is cautious to where we can boldly be
inclusive of the entire community.
But one proposed change that didnt
make it into the Democratic platform was
changing the LGBT acronym throughout
the document to LGBTQ to explicitly
include people who identify as queer.
During the platform committee
meeting, David Braun, a Sanders
appointee from Oakland, Calif., sought
the change, which platform committee
chair and former Connecticut Gov. Dan
Malloy said he would take as a request
for a technical change to the document. It
wasnt immediately clear why the change
wasnt made.
Vincent Harding, a 28-year-old delegate
from Austin, Texas, pledged to Clinton and
chair of the Democratic Party in Travis
County, said advanced LGBT-inclusive
language is important because we need
to make sure we treat everyone equally.
The ability to love who we want to
love is fundamental to all of us, so it is
essential that it is part of the platform,
he said. I dont know what took so long,
but I think things are changing and we
have seen Republicans move a little
bit, were going to keep pushing them a
little bit and hopefully we wont have the
situation like we saw in Kentucky where
people dont want to grant gay marriages.
Hopefully, thatll be universal around
the country and well continue to move
forward together.
Chuck Rocha, a 47-year-old D.C.
delegate pledged to Sanders, said the
LGBT-inclusive language is hugely
important to him because of his
opposition to discrimination in all forms.
Im one of the only Latino delegates in
the nation, the only one from D.C., Rocha
said. Discrimination doesnt know a sex
or a color, we shouldnt discriminate for
no reason, and everybody, no matter who
they love, should be able to get married
and live their lives the way they want to.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 2 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

NATIONAL NEWS

Bill praises Hillary as she claims Dem nomination


2016 hopeful becomes rst
woman pick of major party
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
EDITORS NOTE: The Blade went to press
before Hillary Clinton accepted her partys
nomination on Thursday night. Visit washingtonblade.com for updates.

PHILADELPHIA The second night


of the Democratic National Convention
proved historic as delegates made Hillary
Clinton the rst woman presidential
nominee of a major U.S. political party.
Delivering the keynote address was
former President Bill Clinton. Essentially
auditioning for the role of rst gentleman,
he recalled meeting Hillary Clinton and
the early years of their marriage, followed
by her work seeking to improve the
United States as a lawyer, rst lady, a U.S.
senator and secretary of state.
When I was president, I worked hard
to give you more peace and shared
prosperity, to give you an America
where nobody is invisible or counted
out, Bill Clinton said. But for this time,
Hillary is uniquely qualied to seize the
opportunities and reduce the risks we
face. And she is still the best darn changemaker I have ever known.
At one point when the teleprompter
stopped moving, Bill Clinton ad-libbed,
Shes been around a long time, she sure
has, and shes sure been worth every
single year shes put into making peoples
lives better.
Enumerating
Hillary
Clintons
achievements as secretary of state, Bill
Clinton recalled the 2011 speech in Geneva
in which she pledged to make LGBT
human rights part of U.S. foreign policy
and declared, Gay rights are human rights
and human rights are gay rights.
And as she had been doing since
she went to Beijing in 1995 and said
womens rights are human rights and
human rights are womens rights she
worked to empower women and girls
around the world and to make the same
exact declaration on behalf of the LGBT
community in America and around the
world, Bill Clinton said.
Joey Wasserman, a New York-based
gay rights advocate who attended the
convention, said the speech Bill Clinton
delivered was amazing because it showed
the breadth of Hillary Clintons character.
It was very unifying, Wasserman said.
It was going to the heart of who Hillary is as
a person, as a mother, as a leader both
in foreign aairs and domestic policy.
Among the other convention speakers
was
former
Democratic
National
Committee Chair Howard Dean, who
warned electing Donald Trump instead of

Former President BILL CLINTON speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia
on July 26.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Hillary Clinton would roll back advances


in national health care, including the
Aordable Care Act.
Lampooning the Dean Scream
credited with bringing down his 2004
presidential campaign, Dean concluded
with a battle cry along the same lines.
Help make history and volunteer
because this race is going to be won
on the ground, and its going to be won
in Colorado, and in Iowa, and North
Carolina, and Michigan, and Florida, and
Pennsylvania, and then were going to the
White House, Dean said.
Debra Messing, star of NBCs Will &
Grace, was among the celebrities who
appeared on stage to endorse Clinton,
promoting the candidates work in
securing federal funds to rebuild New
York City after the terrorist attacks on
Sept. 11, 2001.
Nothing could divide us on that day,
and indeed our shared humanity was all
that mattered, Messing said. Christian,
Jewish, or Muslim, black, white, Asian or
Latino, gay, bi, trans or straight, we are
one people.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAulie, who
signed executive orders implementing
marriage equality and barring anti-LGBT
discrimination among state workers, cited
eorts to advance LGBT rights in his state.

We have fought Republican eorts to


discriminate against LGBT Virginians, and
we have stood up for a womans right
to choose, McAulie said. And we are
overcoming obstacles to deny hundreds
of thousands of former felons the right to
vote because history tells us that enemies of
progress can slow the march toward justice
and equality, but they cannot stop it.

Dems anoint Clinton


as nominee

On the same day, delegates at the


convention anointed Hillary Clinton as the
Democratic presidential nominee following
a roll-call vote among the delegations from
all the states and jurisdictions.
The roll-call vote was ocially the nal
act as a presidential candidate for Sen.
Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who when Vermont
was called sought a suspension of the rules
to designate Clinton as the Democratic
presidential nominee. His words echoed
Clintons in 2008, when after she lost the
primary to Barack Obama she called on
delegates to vote for him on the oor.
At
least
four
LGBT
speakers
represented their states during the roll
call. Jim Obergefell, the lead plainti in
the marriage lawsuit that won marriage
equality before the U.S. Supreme Court,

spoke on behalf of his home state of Ohio.


Im proud to be here with my fellow
Buckeyes from the great state of Ohio,
Obergefell said. This Ohio boy helped
love win last summer, and this Ohio boy
and my fellow Ohioans know this: Love
trumps hate.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the
only out lesbian in Congress, spoke on
behalf of Wisconsin when her state came
up during the roll call vote.
Wisconsin is a state where workers still
make things from ships, tools and paper,
to cheese, brats and beer, Baldwin
said. We are home to the Bucks, the
Brewers and Americas team, the Green
Bay Packers and we are home to future
Senator Russ Feingold.
Raymond Buckley, chair of the New
Hampshire Democratic Party, and Rick
Palacio, chair of the Colorado Democratic
Party, are both gay and represented their
states during the roll-call vote.
The
speaker
representing
the
Massachusetts delegation recognized
his state, among other things, for being
the rst state in the nation to pass
equal marriage rights, and the speaker
representing North Carolina pledged to
elect Roy Cooper and repeal HB2, the
recently enacted anti-trans law signed by
Gov. Pat McCrory.
For Democrats Abroad, the speaker
delivering the portion of the vote to
Sanders was his brother, Larry Sanders,
who said he was immensely proud to
deliver support to the Vermont senator.
Video coverage of Bernie Sanders as his
brother spoke revealed the candidate
becomingemotional.
But the failure of Sanders to claim the
nomination after the roll call vote angered
some in the Bernie or Bust crowd.
They were seen bolting from the Wells
Fargo Center in indignation. Sanders
supporters stormed into the media tent
near the convention site and held a sit-in
protest over the result.
Mia Satya, a delegate pledged to
Sanders from San Francisco and one of 28
openly trans delegates at the convention,
fumed over Clintons treatment of the
LGBT community immediately after
the roll-call vote when asked by the
Washington Blade an unrelated question
about Donald Trump.
I think that Hillary Clinton will do a
lot to undermine LGBT rights globally
by continuing to bomb other countries
in which LGBT people live, including our
trans sisters, brothers and siblings in
countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran,
Satya said.
Asked by the Blade whether Trump
would be worse for LGBT people than
Clinton, Satya replied, Were in the
Democratic National Convention not the
RNC, so Im talking about the DNC.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 1 3

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 4 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

NATIONAL NEWS

Gay DNC officials emails part of massive WikiLeaks release


Treasurer Tobias
contacted by Sanders
campaign manager
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Dozens of email messages sent and
received by at least four openly gay
ocials with the Democratic National
Committee were among more than
19,000 private DNC email messages
released last Friday by the cyber protest
group WikiLeaks.
The massive leak included numerous
emails showing that high-level DNC
ocials appeared to be helping Hillary
Clinton over rival Bernie Sanders during
the Democratic presidential primaries
earlier this year.
None of the emails reviewed by the
Washington Blade associated with the gay
ocials DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias,
DNC LGBT Engagement Director Sean
Meloy, DNC National Finance Committee
Chairman Henry Munoz, and DNC LGBT
Caucus Chair Earl Fowlkes were linked
to the alleged eorts to undermine the
Sanders campaign.
But the leaked emails appearing to
show that other high-level DNC staers
were helping Clinton at the expense of
Sanders led to the resignation on Sunday
of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The
revelations
also
triggered
expressions of outrage among many of
Sanders supporters and threatened to
disrupt plans by Democrats for a show
of party unity at this weeks Democratic
National Convention in Philadelphia.
Controversy surrounding the leaked
emails was heightened over the weekend
when Clintons campaign manager, Robby
Mook, cited experts in the eld of computer
hacking who said the DNCs servers were
breached by Russian intelligence agencies.
Mook went further by arguing that the
Russian government arranged for the
release of the emails on the eve of the
Democratic convention to embarrass
Clinton and to support Republican
presidential nominee Donald Trump.
The Trump campaign immediately
denounced that claim, calling it baseless
and accusing the Clinton campaign of
attempting to smear Trump.
Most of the emails linked to Tobias,
Meloy, Munoz and Fowlkes, who also
serves as president of D.C.s Gertrude Stein
Democratic Club, addressed routine eorts
to raise money for the Democrats and
reach out to LGBT voters and party donors.
However, one of the emails received
by Tobias from Je Weaver, Sanders
campaign manager, appeared to create a
stir among other DNC ocials to whom

Emails to and from gay DNC Treasurer ANDY


TOBIAS are among those leaked over the
weekend.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

the email was forwarded.


Andy I want to share something
with you that is probably going to make
you angry, but then I want to give you an
opportunity to do something about it,
Weaver told Tobias in his May 3, 2016 email.
Weaver pointed to a story published by
Politico that claimed most of the money
raised by a political fund created by the
Clinton campaign called the Hillary Victory
Fund, which was intended to raise money
for state Democratic Party organizations
for the November general election, was
being used to support Clintons primary
campaign against Sanders.
Heres your chance to send a message
about our distaste for big-money in
politics, Weaver told Tobias in the email.
Sign our petition calling on the Clinton
campaign to stop bending campaign
nance rules to their breaking point,
and immediately transfer all the money
allowable to the state parties participating
in the Hillary Victory Fund, Weaver wrote.
No email could be found in the
collection of emails released by WikiLeaks
consisting of a response by Tobias to
Weaver. But at least one email from
Tobias to three other DNC ocials asks
whether the DNC nance division was
aware of Weavers allegations.
Seems awfully unfair and inaccurate,
Tobias said in his email to the other
ocials.
This is beyond inaccurate, said Amy
Dacey, the DNCs Chief Executive Ocer,
in her reply to Tobias. I think we need a
more aggressive approach to push back
on what is just total MISINFORMATION,
she wrote. Can we have an internal

discussion on what needs to happen


here? We cant let this continue on.
A follow-up email on Daceys call
for addressing the matter couldnt
immediately be found.
Tobiass reputation as a dedicated
fundraiser for the DNC surfaced in a
separate email from him on May 18, 2016,
in which he asks Munoz and DNC supporter
Stephen Bittel to consider not attending a
scheduled June 8 DNC fundraising dinner
in Manhattan. President Obama was the
guest of honor at the event, which was
held at a private home.
I havent seen POTUS [the president] in
several months and so was planning to go
to the June 8 dinner, right up the street from
me, Tobias said in his email. [B]ut happily
its going to be literally sold out so each nonpaying attendee costs us ten grand, he said.
So Im going to skip it -- Ka-Ching! and
invite you to do the same if you think that
makes sense. Big hugs all around.
In separate emails, Meloy addressed a
concern raised by Munoz about whether
the DNC and Meloys LGBT Engagement
division were reaching out to LGBT
young people and young people in
general to ensure that they vote for the
Democratic presidential nominee and
other Democratic candidates in the states
in the November general election.

In his response, Meloy pointed to the


DNCs Millennial Engagement Plan, which
he said he would forward to those raising
the issue of reaching out to young voters.
Im also of the belief that LGBT
issues could help bring in some of the
voters they are concerned about losing,
considering millennials are very strong
allies and refuse to support anti-LGBT
candidates, Meloy said in his reply.
A WikiLeaks website page devoted to
the leaked DNC emails includes a search
box that allows viewers of the site to enter
a name to determine whether or how
many emails were received or sent by
that person. Upon entering the names of
the four gay DNC ocials, the site reveals
the ocials received, sent, or were the
subject of these numbers of emails:
Andy
Tobias:
271 Sean
Meloy:
121 Henry Munoz: 85 Earl Fowlkes: 38
The four, who were expected to
attend the Democratic convention in
Philadelphia, couldnt immediately be
reached for comment.
In a statement on its site, WikiLeaks says
most of the 19,252 leaked DNC emails
came from the accounts of seven key DNC
gures, one of whom is identied as the
DNCs Finance Chief of Sta Scott Comer.
The DNC website says Comer also serves
as the DNCs LGBT Finance Director.

Pa. group highlights lack


of discrimination law
PHILADELPHIA A Pennsylvania advocacy group is using the Democratic
National Convention to highlight the lack of discrimination protections for
thestates LGBT residents.
We have spent the past several years working on a campaign to pass
nondiscrimination so that LGBT people in Pennsylvania cannot be red or
evicted or denied public accommodation, said Equality Pennsylvania Executive
Director Ted Martin on Tuesday during a fundraiser for his organization that
took place in downtown Philadelphia. We have worked so hard to build that, to
educate the public.
State Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Alleghany County) is among the four lawmakers
who introduced the PA Fairness Act, which would add sexual orientation and
gender identity to Pennsylvanias Human Relations Act, last August.
Equality Pennsylvania notes on its website that the measure has 81 cosponsors in the state House of Representatives and 26 co-sponsors in the state
Senate.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in April issued an executive order that bans
discrimination against state employees based on their sexual orientation,
gender identity and HIV status. He also signed a second mandate that prohibits
state contractors from discriminating against their LGBT employees.
Its 2016 and nobodys working harder than Equality Pennsylvania to make
sure that LGBT people are included in this states nondiscrimination laws, said
gay state Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) during the Equality Pennsylvania
fundraiser. Yet we still dont have it.
Equality Pennsylvania on its website notes that 34 municipalities in the state
have adopted anti-LGBT discrimination ordinances.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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1 6 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

NATIONAL NEWS

Sanders supporters protest DNC, Clinton


Vt. senator says
one-time rival must
become president
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
PHILADELPHIA Supporters of Bernie
Sanders were among the thousands of people
who protested in Philadelphia on the rst day
of the Democratic National Convention.
Zack Spielman of Media, Pa., was
holding a Sanders sign as he stood
inside the passageway that leads from
Philadelphia City Halls courtyard to Broad
Street before the March for Our Lives
march began. Another protester was
holding a large caricature of the Vermont
senator, while others had Sanders masks
and other campaign items.
Spielman told the Washington Blade
before he and other protesters began
marching towards the Wells Fargo
Center in which the Democratic National
Convention is taking place that he may vote
for Jill Stein, the Green Partys presumptive
presidential nominee, in November.
I want to vote with my conscience,
said Spielman.
Many of the protesters chanted, Hell
no DNC, we wont vote for Hillary as they
marched the nearly four miles between
Philadelphia City Hall and the site of the
Democratic National Convention. Stein
and Cornel West, a prominent civil rights
activist who also participated in the
protester, spoke at a post-march rally
that took place in a park adjacent to the
Wells Fargo Center.

Pro-Sanders protesters took to the Philadelphia streets on Monday after damaging emails were
leaked suggesting the party favored Hillary Clinton in the primaries.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Suzanne Simmons of Houston marched


with a homemade sign that read, Im
sticking with Bernie.
He represents us, the people, she
told the Blade while standing outside
Philadelphia City Hall. Hillary has proven
with her track record that shes dishonest,
shes a war hawk.
If she were to get the nomination it
would just continue to enable her to do
what she has done in the past and will
continue to do in the future and nothing
will change, added Simmons. We have
to turn the system upside down.
Sanders on July 12 formally endorsed
Clinton during a rally in New Hampshire.
He reiterated this support on Monday
during his speech at the Democratic
National Convention.
Hillary Clinton must become president

of the United States, said Sanders.


These comments come a day after U.S.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)
announced her resignation as chair of
the Democratic National Committee in
response to a series of leaked emails that
appeared to show party ocials favoring
Clintons campaign over his.
The Atlantic reported that some of
Sanders delegates booed him loudly
when he told them to support Clinton
during a meeting at the Pennsylvania
Convention
Center.
The
Vermont
senators supporters also booed Clintons
name when it was mentioned during the
Democratic National Convention.
The election was stolen from him, said
Anthony Uhrich of King of Prussia, Pa., as
he marched from Philadelphia City Hall to
the Wells Fargo Center. It was rigged and

its not fair. Im here supporting Bernie


and protesting the DNC.
Sara Wiedmaier of Albuquerque, N.M., told
the Blade as she sat outside the Wells Fargo
Center that she was torn about whether she
would vote for Clinton in November.
Were not judging Hillary based on
her competence or her ability to be
a politician, said Wiedmaier. Were
questioning the fact that she is not
representative of the people and
Democrats are supposed to be the party
of the people.
Allie Steineckert of Portland, Ore., who
identied herself as queer, was wearing
a white tank top with Sanders last name
written on it in rainbow colors as she
stood outside the Wells Fargo Center. She
told the Blade that she remains adamant
in her support of Clintons one-time rival.
I want to support the man that
supports me and supports the things that
I care about, said Steineckert.
She described Donald Trump as a
chauvinist and Clinton as a fraud who
doesnt care about the LGBT community
and womens health issues. Steineckert
also criticized U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
as Clintons running mate because he is
a pro-life man that is also very bigoted.
Kaine, a Catholic who speaks Spanish,
has voted in favor of abortion rights
despite his personal opposition to them.
The former Virginia governor has been
largely supportive of LGBT-specic issues
in the U.S. Senate.
I ew across the country, Steineckert
told the Blade. I want to support
what I believe in. I want to support my
community and I want to represent my
community and I want rights for us.

DNCs LGBT Caucus honors Rep. Honda


California Dem speaks
about trans granddaughter
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
PHILADELPHIA The Democratic National
Committees LGBT Caucus on Tuesday
honored U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) for
his support of transgender rights.
A number of the 28 openly trans
delegates to the Democratic National
Convention
joined
the
California
Democrat
on
stage
inside
the
Pennsylvania Convention Center as
Barbra Casbar Siperstein, a member of
the Democratic National Committees
Executive Committee, presented him with
the Jane Fee Award, which is named after
the rst trans delegate to a Democratic
National Convention.

Honda, who represents Californias


17th Congressional District, spoke
about his trans granddaughter after he
accepted the award.
Im still learning terminology, because
thats the age that Im in, said Honda.
The California Democrat criticized
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory over
his continued defense of his states
House Bill 2, which prohibits people from
using bathrooms in public buildings that
correspond to their gender identity and
bans municipalities from enacting LGBTinclusive nondiscrimination measures.
Honda also spoke about last months
massacre at the Pulse nightclub in
Orlando, Fla., that left 49 people dead
and more than 50 others injured.
When I see things like Pulse, the
mowing down of people who are enjoying
themselves in a nightclub, I think of Melissa,
he said, referring to his granddaughter.

I dont want that to happen to her and I


dont want that to be in her future. I want
that sense of security, safety for her as she
moves through her life.
The meeting began with a moment of
silence in honor of those who died inside
the Pulse nightclub.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) noted
she was among the members of the U.S.
Senate who supported a libuster in support
of two gun control measures in the wake of
the massacre inside the gay nightclub.
This was gun violence, said the
Wisconsin Democrat. This was terrorism
inspired by terrorism. This was also a
hate crime.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made
a similar point, noting his state plans to
build a memorial in lower Manhattan
that will honor the victims of the Pulse
nightclub massacre and other victims
of anti-LGBT violence. GLBT Community

Center of Central Florida Executive


Director Terry DeCarlo was with Cuomo
when he made the announcement during
a June 27 press conference in lower
Manhattan that took place before New
Yorks annual Pride parade.
That was not just a terrorist attack,
said Cuomo, referring to the Pulse
nightclub massacre. That was a terrorist
attack on gay Americans.
Cuomo in June issued an executive
order that directs the divestment of state
funds from organizations that support
a boycott, economic divestment and
sanctions against Israel over its policies
towards the Palestinians.
A woman holding a sign that read,
Boycott Israel for peace & justice
heckled Cuomo after he took the stage.
Many of those who were attending the
meeting loudly booed her before security
escorted her out of the room.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NEWS

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 1 7

FDA notice suggests reconsideration of gay blood ban


Soliciting public feedback
on deferral policy
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
The Food & Drug Administration
has announced it is seeking comment
on
deferral
policies
for
blood
donations, suggesting its reconsidering
the prohibition of blood donations from
gay and bisexual men.
In a seven-page notice set for ocial
publication in the Federal Register
on Thursday, the agency indicates its
opening a public comment period on
policies intended to keep HIV out of the
blood supply.
As part of the eort to continue
to assess its donor deferral policies,
FDA is opening this docket to provide
a mechanism for the public to submit
additional
information
regarding
potential blood donor deferral policy
options, the notice says. Specically, we
invite interested persons to submit to the
docket comments supported by scientic
evidence regarding possible revisions to
FDAs blood donor deferral policies to
reduce the risk of HIV transmission by
blood and blood products.
Currently,
the
Food
&
Drug
Administration requires gay and bisexual
men to abstain from sex with other men
for one year before donating blood. That
policy, implemented last year, replaced
the lifetime ban on blood donations
from men who have had sex with men,
although LGBT advocates have said
the new deferral requirement is still
essentially a ban.
Observing that opponents of the
current policy of deferral have sought
to replace it with one that evaluates
individual risk, the FDA poses six
questions to potential commenters and
encourages stakeholders to provide
scientic date to back up their comments:
1. What questions would most eectively
identify individuals at risk of transmitting
HIV through blood donation? 2. Are there
specic questions that could be asked
that might best capture the recent risk
of a donor acquiring HIV infection, such
as within the 2 to 4 weeks immediately
preceding blood donation? 3. How specic
can the questions be regarding sexual
practices while remaining understandable
and acceptable to all blood donors? For
example, could questions about specic
sexual behaviors be asked if they helped
to identify which donors should be at
least temporarily deferred because of risk
factors? To the extent the questions are
explicit about sexual practices, how willing
will donors be to answer such questions
accurately? 4. Under what circumstances

U.S. Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-Wis.) said the


FDA notice is an encouraging step in the
eort to lift the gay and bisexual blood ban.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

would a short deferral period for high


risk behavior be appropriate? For each
short deferral period identied, please
specify the duration of the deferral and
provide the scientic rationale. 5. What
changes might be necessary within blood
collection establishments to assure that
accurate, individual HIV risk assessments
are performed? 6. How best to design a
potential study to evaluate the feasibility
and eectiveness of alternative deferral
options such as individual risk assessment?
Tara Goodin, an FDA spokesperson, said
the notice establishes a formal process
by which the agency solicits comment on
the idea of moving from current policy to
alternate deferral options including the
use of individual risk assessment.
The recommendations revised in
December 2015, which are based on risk
behaviors and not sexual orientation,
are founded upon the best scientic
information currently available, and
included a rigorous examination of several
alternative options, including individual
risk assessment, Goodin said. Opening
of the public document means that were
seeking information and data on the
feasibility of potentially moving toward
individual risk assessments, if scientic
evidence supports such a change.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the
only out lesbian in Congress, said in a
statement the notice is an encouraging
step in an eort to lift the gay and bisexual
blood ban.
I have long fought to end
discriminatory blood donation policies
and improve them, including for healthy
gay and bisexual men, Baldwin said.
It is encouraging that the FDA is taking
another step forward to develop better
blood donor policies that are grounded
in science, dont unfairly single out one
group of individuals, and allow all healthy
Americans to donate. I will continue to
push for policies that secure our nations
blood supply in a scientically sound
manner based on individual risk.
In the aftermath of the mass shooting
at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.,
last month, which claimed the lives
of 49 people and wounded 53 others,
lawmakers had called on the Obama

administration to lift the ban in favor of a


policy based on individual risk.
In June, Baldwin was among 24 U.S.
senators to sign a letter urging the
Department of Health & Human Services
to change the policy. In a separate letter,
U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Mike
Quigley (D-Ill.) and Debbie Wasserman
Schultz (D-Fla.) were among more than
100 House lawmakers who signed a
separate letter calling for an end to gay
and bisexual blood ban.
White House Press Secretary Josh
Earnest defended the one-year deferral
requirement on blood donations from
gay and bisexual men in the aftermath of
the Orlando shooting as a policy based on
scientic advice. On Tuesday, the White

House didnt respond to the Washington


Blades request to comment on the notice.
Brandon Lorenz, a spokesperson for
the Human Rights Campaign, said his
organization is hopeful the FDAs request
for comment indicates an upcoming
change in policy.
The FDAs current policy cannot be
justied in light of current scientic
research and updated blood screening
technology, Lorenz said. We are
committed to working towards an
outcome that both minimizes risk to the
blood supply and treats gay and bisexual
men with the respect they deserve. Were
hopeful this call for comments represents
the next step toward changing an
outdated and short-sided policy.

Belize top court expected


to rule in sodomy case
The Belize Supreme Court this week is expected to announce a ruling in a case
that is challenging the countrys sodomy law.
The case focuses on Section 53, a statute in the Belize criminal code that
criminalizes anyone convicted of carnal intercourse against the order of nature
faces a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment.
Section 53 is an artifact of Belizes colonial past that dates back to the 1880s.
The Belize Supreme Court heard the case in May 2013, but is still awaiting
ruling from Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin.
Caleb Orozco is a Belizean gay activist and executive director of the United
Belize Advocacy Movement or UniBAM, a public health advocacy group in Belize
for the LGBT community.
Orozco became an outspoken gay rights activist at the age of 31 after attending
a workshop for gay men and people living with HIV/AIDS at a public conference
in Belize City.
I realized that you perpetuate your own mistreatment by remaining silent,
he told the New York Times magazine in 2015. And I decided I would not be
silent anymore.
Lawyers from the University of the West Indies Rights Advocacy Project, which
focuses on human rights in the Caribbean, lead the case. The Human Dignity
Trust, in collaboration with the International Commission of Jurists, and the
Commonwealth Lawyers Association were admitted as interested parties to
argue in support of Orozco.
Orozcos lawyers argue that Section 53 violates rights guaranteed in the
Belizean Constitution; including the right to human dignity, personal privacy,
right to equality before the law, equal protection of the law and freedom from
discrimination.
This provision denies gay men both of recognition as equals citizens and the
protection of the state. It also indirectly stigmatizes and discriminates against
lesbian women, bisexual people and trans people, who face similar human
rights abuses from both the state and non-state actors, a statement of the
case published on Human Dignity Trusts website said. The law fosters and
perpetuates an environment in which all people engaging in same-sex intimacy
are marginalized.
The Roman Catholic Church of Belize, the Belize Church of England Corporate
Body and the Belize Evangelical Association of Churches were admitted as
interested parties in opposition to Orozcos case.
In order to counter the Orozco campaign for equality under the law, Christian
leaders have launched a nationwide campaign called Belize Action to denounce
the homosexual agenda.
JIMMY DE LA CRUZ

Keep your promise to protect each other.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

18 J U L Y 29, 2016

BA LT I MO RE N E W S

Baltimore shows its Pride despite heat

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As Baltimore Prides rainbow-hued parade meandered along Charles Street in


the Mount Vernon neighborhood under a blazing cloudless sky, Reginald Morris
remarked, More people should come, its a fun day. The Baltimore resident
received his wish as an estimated 10,000 sweat-drenched souls braved blistering
heat to view more than 100 units marching in the parade a new Baltimore
Pride record, according parade coordinator Donald Young.
The 41st Baltimore Pride that encompassed several events throughout the
week culminating with the grand two-day celebration in Mount Vernon on
July 23 and Druid Hill Park on July 24 was themed One Baltimore. Pride is a
program and principal fundraiser for the GLBT Community Center of Baltimore
and Central Maryland (GLCCB).
An eclectic mix of service organizations, entertainers, drum-beating bands
and corporations participated by marching on foot or on rainbow-decorated
motor vehicles. Johns Hopkins Medicines contingent alone had 300 members.
Elected ocials, such as Democratic candidate for Baltimore mayor Catherine
Pugh, senatorial candidate Chris Van Hollen, Rep. John Sarbanes and Del. Mary
Washington marched as well as Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and other local
ocials.
Longtime activist and one of the community centers founders Jim Becker and
popular Baltimore DJ Rosie Hicks served as the parades grand marshals.
Julia, a 14-year-old from Baltimore who identies as bisexual was attending
her rst Pride event and was gleefully snatching beads and snacks tossed into
the crowd by parade participants. Her mother Ann told the Blade, She really
wanted to be here today. Who was I to deny her?
There were some references in the parade to the massacre in Orlando that
occurred six weeks ago, and more police and security presence was noted. Colin
Riley of Ellicott City, Md., said that he was glad to see such a diverse crowd come
out especially because of what happened in Orlando.
A small group of anti-gay born-again Christians protested prior to and during
the parade but were largely ignored and drowned out by the drumbeats from
a band.
Following the parade, the high-energy block party ensued with dancing and a
long list of entertainers and headliners performing well into the evening.
On Sunday, the festival in Druid Hill Park attracted thousands to browse a
variety of vendor booths and enjoy the entertainment.

Community Center to leave Mount Vernon

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore


and Central Maryland (GLCCB) announced on July 22 that it is scheduled to
move from its long-time home neighborhood of Mount Vernon and into new
Some things we all have in
headquarters in lower Charles Village on Aug. 6.
common.
The centers new location, the third oor of 2530 North Charles St., will provide,
Theres nobody like me to protect the
according to GLCCBs leadership, a larger, upgraded space for Baltimores LGBT
things we all value. Like a good neighbor,
community to gather and receive services.
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WeP have
the Waxter Center, said GLCCB President and Acting
ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12
SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com)
Director Jabari Lyles in a statement. Aside from moving away from the many
physical limitations of our current space, we are excited to begin a new chapter
REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of
proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of
as a stronger, smarter organization on which our community can rely. The new
the
date
of
proof.
Revisions
will
not
be
accepted
after
12:01
pm
wednesday,
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week
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publication.Brown
naff
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space features spacious community rooms and oces, upgraded amenities and
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EVISIONS
any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any
plenty of parking, said Lyles.
copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair
/LOGO REVISIONS
competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation,
GLCCB moved into its current location on the third oor of the city-owned
or
any
other
right
of
any
person
or
entity.
Advertiser
agrees
to
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By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the
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washington blade newspaper. This includes but
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by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations
payment and insertion schedule.
and warranties.
sell its building at 241 West Chase St., a structure that had served as GLCCB
headquarters since 1980.
Volunteers are welcomed and needed for the move, and a move-out party is
Jonna S Wooten, Agent
set
for August 6 at 11 a.m. at the Waxter Center address. Lunch will be provided.
Bus: 703-560-7804
We need our community more than ever during this time, said Tasha Stennett,
www.jonnawooten.com
newly installed oce manager at GLCCB. Community members interested in
volunteering should call 410-777-8145 or email tstennett@glccb.org.
GLCCB plans to host an ocial grand opening event once settled in their new
home.
STEVE CHARING
1101022.1 State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

HE A LTH NEW S

J U L Y 29, 2016 19

Calif. officials expand vaccine recommendations


LOS ANGELES Health ocials in Los Angeles and Orange counties are
now recommending that all gay and bisexual men here receive meningitis
vaccinations whereas before only men considered high risk were urged to do
so, the Los Angeles Times reports.
We acknowledge this broadens our prior recommendations, but, after careful
consultation with the CDC and health ocers in other aected jurisdictions, we
consider that this expansion of the vaccination recommendations is a necessary
step to suppress this outbreak, said Dr. Jerey Gunzenhauser, L.A. County
Interim Health Ocer, in a statement Tuesday.
In L.A. County, there have been 13 meningitis cases this year, not including
those in Long Beach and Pasadena, which have their own health departments.
Seven of L.A. Countyscases were men who have sex with men.
The L.A. County health department only reported 12 meningococcal disease
diagnoses in all of 2015 and only one of those identied as a gay or bisexual
man, according to county ocials, the Times reports.
If not treated, the infection can cause brain damage, seizures or cankill within
a few hours.

Seattle to consider conversion therapy ban


SEATTLE The Seattle City Council is slated to vote Monday on banning
conversion therapy after a bill, which Mayor Ed Murray supports, made it out
of subcommittee this week, KOMO News and other regional outlets reports.
Council member M. Lorena Gonzalez sponsored the bill, which will prohibit
licensed mental health providers from practicing conversion therapy on
minors. Once enacted into law, anyone caught practicing conversion therapy on
children could face a fee of up to $1,000, KOMO reports.
The bill would also make advertising for such services in Seattle a potential
criminal misdemeanor, council sta said.
If the ban passes Seattle will become the fourth city in the United States to
outlaw conversion therapy, joining Cincinnati, Miami Beach and Washington,
D.C., according to the council. While supporters have attempted repeatedly to
have a statewide ban they say they have not been successful in the legislature,
the article notes.
What we do know is its not medically sound and it has essentially be debunked
by all the medical and psychological associations, said Monisha Harrell, from
Equal Rights Washington, according to the KOMO article.

Eating disorders plague LGB youth


VANCOUVER Eating disorders continue to plague LGB youth while their
straight counterparts have seen their rates decrease according to a University of
British Columbia study reported on by the Canadian Press.
The research involved 26,000 students in Massachusetts, but the results
for the grades 9 to 12 students are the same as an even larger and yet-to-be
published British Columbia survey among students in grades 7 to 12.
The Massachusetts study, based on data collected between 1999 and 2013,
was published this week in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Watson said Massachusetts is one of the few states that since 1991 has asked
youth about sexual orientation as part of its regular surveys on adolescents,
according to the Canadian Press article.
The study said that in 2013, lesbians were twice as likely to report purging and
fasting than they were in 1999. For that year, the prevalence of purging among
bisexual girls, at 33 percent, was higher than for lesbians, at 22 percent, but
stayed nearly the same in 2013, when it jumped to 36 percent for lesbians girls.
In comparison, eight percent of straight girls reported purging in 1999, but the
rate went down to ve percent in 2013. Straight boys had the lowest rates of the
behavior, and it declined further over the years.
Ryan Watson, a post-doctoral fellow at the universitys school of nursing, said
its not known why theres such a disparity among the dierent groups of youth,
but its clear that sexual minority kids need targeted programs, the Canadian
Press article notes.
He said the research suggests healthy eating and body-image programs that seem
to be working for straight youth havent reached lesbian, gay and bisexual kids.

PFLAG promotes the equality and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual,


and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
Support to cope with an adverse society.
Education to enlighten an ill-informed public.
Advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.
Trained facilitators lead the Arlington Support Group and confidentiality is maintained. For
further information about the Arlington Support Group, contact us at arl.pflag@gmail.com.
Our groups meet on the second Sunday of each month, from 3 4:30pm at the Unitarian
Universalist Church in Arlington, at George Mason Drive & Route 50.
A.L.Y. is a group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Youth and Allies in
grades 7-12. Our goal is to give LGBTQ youth a safe place to gather. Trained facilitators lead the
youth group. Confidentiality maintained. For more info, contact: aly.pflagdc@gmail.com.
Our Washington DC Chapter of PFLAG may be reached at 202-638-3852.

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47

ISSUE

31

ADDRESS

Trumps GOP inherits the wind


Time to turn back a fascist mob

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.


Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

On July 23, Sen. Je Flake (R-Ariz.)


tweeted a response to Hillary Clintons
choice for vice president: Trying to count
the ways I hate @timkaine. Drawing a
blank. Congrats to a good man and a
good friend.
Alas, Flakes graciousness is not representative of his party. He was rebuked by
fellow Republicans on July 20 for responding to the Lock her up! chant at the Republican National Convention, @HillaryClinton now belongs in prison? Cmon. We
can make the case that she shouldnt be
elected without jumping the shark.
Moderation is unwelcome in Flakes
caucus. Lyndon Johnson (D-Texas) and
Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.), who could cross
party lines to work together in the 1960s,
are long gone. Republicans have obstructed President Obama from day one

even when he embraced their ideas. The


madness to which they will stoop to gain
power was on jaw-dropping display in
Cleveland.
The right-wing gathering was as entertaining as a car wreck. Trump could
make a new fortune selling tours of the
dystopian American hellscape described
by speaker after speaker, resembling
the post-apocalyptic world of the movie
Blade Runner. (Ivanka Trump did use
Twitter to hawk replicas of the dress she
wore to introduce her dad.)
The Cavalcade of Crazy went from
Rudy Giulianis ranting to Chris Christies
lynch-mob prosecution of Clinton, Laura
Ingrahams Nazi salute, and Melania
Trumps plagiarism of Michelle Obama. A
preacher screamed All Lives Matter! Ben
Carson bizarrely accused Clinton of ties to
Satanism. Ted Cruz provoked outrage by
saying, Vote your conscience.
PayPal founder Peter Thiels speech
added to the incongruity. His statement
that he was proud to be gay contrasted
with the party platform, which not only
urges repeal of marriage equality but
continues the transphobic bathroom
trolling and endorses conversion therapy quackery. Openly gay D.C. delegate
Rachel Ho tried in vain to soften the
documents bigotry. Putting icing on
the cake was a New York Post headline,

E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

Male escorts are making crazy money at


the RNC.
The day after Trump shouted an acceptance speech that evoked a fascist rally,
Clinton announced her running mate was
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a former governor,
mayor and DNC chair. Kaine has perfect
scores from Planned Parenthood and
NARAL Pro-Choice America, a 90 percent
score from the Human Rights Campaign,
a 91 percent lifetime score from the
League of Conservation Voters, and has
demanded greater presidential consultation of Congress on major military deployments. He earned zero percent scores
from the American Conservative Union
and Heritage Action, and an F grade from
the NRA. As a young attorney he fought
racial redlining. He wowed a Miami rally
audience on July 23 with a tough and engaging speech.
Progressives know they will face a
friendlier climate with a Democratic White
House and Senate. Anti-war activists have
their work cut out with the hawkish Clinton, but they will be far better o with an
experienced diplomat than with an intellectually lazy man who admires dictators,
promises indiscriminate bombing in the
Mideast, and thinks our defense alliances
are charity unrelated to American interests.
Trump only knows self-interest. Reports
by Talking Points Memo and Slate paint
a disturbing picture of Trumps business
dealings with Russia, his dependence on
Russian capital, and his embrace of foreign policy positions friendly to Vladimir
Putin. Defense One reports on the DNC
emails, Considerable evidence shows
that the Wikileaks dump was an orchestrated act by the Russian government,
working through proxies, to undermine
Hillary Clintons Presidential campaign.
The DNC server hack aside, Trump and
campaign chair Paul Manafort are caught
in what is at best a reckless association
with an American adversary.
The choice in this election is illustrated
by the stark contrast between running
mates: the religious bullying of Mike
Pence, who signed a law requiring funerals for aborted fetuses (I am not making
that up), versus the humble faith that
drove the young Tim Kaine to teach carpentry and welding as a missionary in
Honduras.
Elections can be clarifying. A hint of
what Republicans have done with their
descent into ignorance, intolerance, and
fanaticism may be found in the book
Trump waves at rallies but shows no sign
of reading: He that troubleth his own
house shall inherit the wind. (Proverbs
11:29)
Copyright 2016 by Richard J. Rosendall.
All rights reserved.

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V I E W PO I N T

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 2 1

Why Stonewall still resonates


National Park site will honor
contributions of LGBT community
By KEVIN JENNINGS

Last months horric shooting in Orlando was a tragedy on a scale previously


unseen in the LGBT community, or anywhere else in modern American history.
This event was an attack on diversity, on
the LGBT community and on the very values that many of us hold dear.
Much of my 30-year career in education, government, and now philanthropy
has been focused on creating a reality where dierence is valued and recognized for its worth. And as a gay man, I
have worked hard to ensure that our
LGBT young people are able to grow up
without fear of violence or discrimination
and reach their full potential. A great deal
remains to be done, but we have come a
long way compared to my own childhood
experiences in the 1960s when Stonewall
gave birth to the modern-day LGBT rights
movement.
Thats why I join thousands of citizens
across the country in celebrating Presi-

dent Obamas designation of Stonewall


as a national park site. National parks,
memorials, and museums allow us to
learn about our past, can help us connect
with and shape our own self-identity, and
can teach us all about important aspects
a part of American history be they good
or bad.

primary gathering spot for thousands of


mourning New Yorkers, just as it served
as a place of celebration last year when
the U.S. Supreme Court ruled marriage
equality as the law of the land.
In his second inaugural address, the
president made it clear that Stonewall is
no less signicant than Selma or Seneca

A national park site at the Stonewall Inn


has the power to reach those
unfamiliar with the origins of
the modern LGBT rights movement.
In the case of our history, a national
park site at the Stonewall Inn has the
power to reach those unfamiliar with the
origins of the modern LGBT rights movement and to educate those about the
larger LGBT experience in our country.
Already, Stonewall, site of the 1969
New York City uprising, has become a
symbol of the ongoing global struggle for
LGBT rights and a sacred spot to honor
events in the LGBT community. After the
Orlando shooting, Stonewall became a

Falls. It is both righteous and tting that


he followed through in recognizing that
LGBT history is American history and that
it needs to be preserved so that we can
continue to learn from our past and, so
that generations from now, the struggle
wont be as dicult as it was for so many
of us.
For more than two years, a number of
LGBT organizations have called for Stonewall to be designated as a national park
site, including philanthropists, govern-

ment leaders and celebrities. All of us


recognize that this national park site will
honor the history and contributions of
the LGBT community and allow younger
generations of all sexual orientations
and gender identities to learn about
the actions and events that led to todays
ongoing successes and struggles toward
LGBT equality and justice. We know this
site has the potential to foster understanding and encourage acceptance for
all kinds of dierence in communities all
across America.
Recent events have shown that LGBT
Americans are still suering from injustice nearly 47 years after the Stonewall
uprising. I call upon the LGBT community
and those who stand with us in solidarity
to continue to advocate for equality and
justice and to support national eorts to
incorporate LGBT experiences into our
countrys civil rights history, storytelling
and education.
The Stonewall story isnt over. It has
only just begun.

KEVIN JENNINGS is executive director of The


Arcus Foundation. www.arcusfoundation.org.

CO MM UNI K A TE

Postcards from Provincetown


Theme weekends, oral
splendor and Girlsplash!

KATE CLINTON is a longtime humorist and


regular Blade contributor.

Greetings from the tiny island nation


of Provincetown, Mass.
Provincetown is the town that theme
weekends built. Thematically, we have
already cycled through Film Festival, Portuguese Festival, Circuit Party/Fourth of
July, and Bear Week. Of course while famous for our separatist-crowd-pleasing
theme weeks, we have also been cycling
through many other phases.
Florally, we have cycled through crocus, daodils, tulips, lilac, wisteria, iris,
rose, day lily, and hydrangea. Maritime-

ly speaking, if seal-shark-orca is a food


chain cycle, we are in its jaws. Heartbreakingly, we have cycled through the
caterpillar-pupa-gypsy moth life cycle.
In spring, caterpillars defoliated wide
swaths of mid-Atlantic and Cape trees.

overshadowed by news from the Republican National Convention. Hillary Clinton managed to unite the convention
and yet ungrateful delegates wanted to
burn her at the stake. They should have
called the convention Burning Woman.

For most, its time to be on vacation,


unaware of and uninterested in politics.
Good times.
Naturalists blame the devastation on
the lack of moisture that is essential to
grow a caterpillar-killing fungus. Trump
campaign manager Paul Manafort
blames it on Hillary Clinton.
Last weeks theme was Girlsplash!
And yes, the organizers trademarked
the exclamation point before poor Jeb!
even thought of it.
For some of us, it was an unfortunate
bit of planning that the joy and fun of
having lots of scantily clad younger
women in town for Girlsplash! might be

For most, its time to be on vacation,


unaware of and uninterested in politics.
Good times.
Their o-the-grid liberatory joy and a
love for my town, inspired me to pitch
an idea to the Provincetown Business
Guild for the last theme-less week of the
summer. It would be called Analogue
Week.
When you come to town, you surrender all your devices iPads, iPhones,
computers, avatars, light sabers etc.
The border guard will put your gear in

a zip-lock bag and label it. Of course


well have to put up a wall between
Truro and Ptown and make Truro pay
for it. If you come by ferry, you turn
it all into the Town Crier at the pier.
If you fly into Ptown Intl Airport, the
TSA people will collect and tag your devices. It wont take long because there
are 120 TSA people at our little airport.
That explains why there are only three
at OHare.
During Analogue Week, organizers
encourage visitors to have experiences
that involve at least three senses. Words
with friends actually involves talking.
Chiropractors and free neck collars will
be available to adjust necks to an upright position. Organizers envision creating a troll-free space, a Shamecation
for all. For one week youll be able to
have a thought and not feel compelled
to share it online.
The PBG seemed especially excited. I
was this close to sealing the deal. Then
along came the damnable augmented
reality of Pokemon Go and the deal was
o. Im not giving up.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 2 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

VIEWPOINT

Stonewall monument ensures our history isnt closeted


Honoring brave pioneers who
fought back against injustice
By GENE KARPINSKI
Pride month gave us the opportunity
to reect on a year of historic victories
for the LGBTQ community and the overarching equality movement. After last
Junes landmark Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which gave
the fundamental right for all couples to
marry, regardless of gender, the march
toward equality has never looked so
promising. Across the nation, reinforced
by the court system, public opinion has
shifted toward freedom and acceptance.
This June there was one more reason
for all of us to be proud: thanks to the
tireless eorts of community leaders, activists and President Obama, the historic

site of the Stonewall uprising is now a


national monument.
The Stonewall National Monument is
the rst site in the National Park Service
focused on commemorating the LGBTQ
rights movement. The monument recognizes the importance of the June 28,
1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New
York City when LGBTQ patrons stood
up to police raids and led days of public demonstrations to bring attention to
the ght for equal treatment. One year
later, on June 28, 1970, the rst Pride
Parade took place in New York to commemorate Stonewall, and it continues to
serve as a symbol for the modern LGBTQ
rights movement. This monument honors all who fought, and all who continue
to ght, to advance LGBTQ equality, and
demonstrates how we can use conservation law to ensure that our nations LGBTQ history isnt kept in the closet.

President Obamas creation of the


Stonewall National Monument is an important step toward protecting historic
cultural sites that represent the diverse
history of this country in addition to their
more traditional use in protecting more
land and water for future generations.
We are grateful that President Obama
has not only used the Antiquities Act to
protect more land and water for future
generations than any other president in
history, but has also used it to protect
sites that highlight our diverse heritage.
When announcing the designation, he
said, I believe our national parks should
reect the full story of our country, the
richness and diversity and uniquely
American spirit that has always dened
us. We completely agree.
There is, of course, more work to do.
In spite of this step forward for the LGBTQ community as well as many oth-

ers we must remember that LGBTQ


Americans still face discrimination every
day, and the community still lacks basic
civil rights protections enjoyed by many
others in our country. As the tragic attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando
just six weeks ago reminded us, LGBTQ
people in this country continue to face
violence in their daily lives.
Our national parks should tell stories
from the rich tapestry of the American
experience. We celebrate the designation of the Stonewall National Monument as a vital step toward a more inclusive and representative park system,
building on the spirit of the uprising decades ago.

GENE KARPINSKI is president of the League of


Conservation Voters Education Fund. (This oped was written in cooperation with Rep. Jared
Polis.)

I N SI D E LG BT W A SH I N G T O N

Clinton and Kaine making history together


Most progressive platform
Democratic Party has ever had

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights


and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.

Democrats made history when Hillary


Clinton became the rst woman to be
nominated for president by a major political party. It only took 240 years. With
our unwavering support, Hillary will make
more history when she is sworn in as
president on Jan. 20, 2017.
Last week, she made her rst major
decision as a candidate preparing to be
president. She chose Sen. Tim Kaine (DVa.) to stand by her side. Kaine has had
a stellar career and can proudly claim to
have never lost an election. He won in a
southern state sticking to his principles
and proving a progressive can win in the
South and govern eectively.
With Kaine, Hillary got a two-for-one.
The Washington Post, writing about his
wife Ann Holton Kaine, said, as a schoolgirl in 1970, she was on the front lines of
the ght to desegregate Virginias public

schools.Holton isthe daughter of Virginia


Gov. A. Linwood Holton (R), who championed integration in a state that was
known for its vigorous eorts to resist
it. To drive home this point, he sent his
daughters to a historically all-black Richmond City public school. The pair met at
Harvard Law School, from which they both
graduated. She became a legal aid lawyer
representing low-income clients in Richmond and eventually a judge in the citys
juvenile and domestic relations court. Gov.

Jesuit. He took a year o from law school


to live in Honduras. He worked as a missionary, and he taught welding and carpentry to teenagers. While in Honduras,
he became uent in Spanish. His experience in Honduras has had a huge impact
on his view of the world of the haves and
have-nots. They went on to report he is
use to ghting big insurance companies
When Kaine was mayor of Richmond, he
won a huge settlement against insurance
giant Nationwide.It turns out, Nationwide

We can give in to the fear and darkness promoted


by Trump or we can vote for a vision that sees us
moving toward a brighter future.
Terry McAulie (D) chose her as the states
education secretary in 2014.
Tim Kaine has a 100 percent rating from
both NARAL and Planned Parenthood
and proudly boasts an F rating from the
National Rie Association. He supports
immigration reform and early childhood
education. When he was governor of Virginia it was rated both the best place in
the nation to do business and to bring up
children. Raw Story reported after his rst
year at Harvard Law School, Kaine lived
abroad for a year, and the experience
changed his life.Kaine was educated as a

is on your side if you were white. In 1998,


Kaine won a $100.5 million suit against
the insurance company for redlining,
the discriminatory practice of restricting
insurance provision in minority neighborhoods.
Clinton and Kaine will campaign on
what Bernie Sanders called the most
progressive platform the Democratic Party has ever had. When Kaine becomes
president of the Senate he will help Hillary ght to make the platform a reality.
While the focus this past week has
been on the Clinton/Kaine ticket, let us

never forget this election is between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton between
the man Sanders suggested is running to
be Americas rst dictator and the woman
who for 20 years has been the most admired woman in the world. The woman
who is not only brilliant and experienced
but will be a symbol to the world the United States is nally making good on the
promise of our Constitution to become a
more perfect union.
This election is about the future of the
United States and our place in the world.
When Donald Trump suggests he would
not always come to the aid of our NATO
allies he totally compromises the mission of NATO and our allies around the
world were incredulous. His complimentary comments about Vladimir Putin and
other dictators led to a column by Anne
Applebuam actually questioning his loyalty to the United States and suggesting
a Trump presidency could destabilize Europe. His constant use of the term America First should frighten all of us.
The choice for Americans couldnt be
clearer. We can give in to the fear and
darkness promoted by Trump or we can
vote for a vision that sees us moving toward a brighter future. Hillary Clinton has
spent a lifetime working for children and
families. She understands the world and
its problems and knows we can make a
positive dierence but that it will take all
of us to do that. She understands we are
stronger together.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

V I E W PO I NT

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 2 3

Exelon-Pepco merger will benet D.C. customers


Blade column offered
one-sided view of deal
By DONNA COOPER
A recent column in the Blade (Pepco/
Exelon merger will burden customers,
July 6 by Peter Rosenstein) misstated the
facts around the merger of Exelon and
Pepco and may have unintentionally left
readers with a one-sided view of what
the deal means to them.
The merger will deliver a wide range
of benets to District customers, including $78 million worth of bill credits, rate
relief, energy eciency programs, workforce development credits, aordability
assistance and expansion of solar programs. Better still, the merger will mean
fewer and shorter outages, building on
the historic performance levels by Pepco
that have led to higher customer satisfaction scores as we improve reliability.
Pepco has always been a proud supporter of this community and our em-

As part of the merger,


Pepco and Exelon
agreed to provide a
guaranteed
$19 million in
charitable
contributions
in the District of
Columbia
during the next
10 years.

ployees volunteer their time on boards


and in the community. As part of the
merger, Pepco and Exelon agreed to
provide a guaranteed $19 million in
charitable contributions in the District of
Columbia during the next 10 years.

And contrary to what the column argued, we have never had our customers
pay for the contributions that Pepco provides to community and non-prot organizations.
Pepco is proud of the role we play in

2016 NGLCC INTERNATIONAL


BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

CALIFORNIA

AUGUST 23-26

www.nglcc.org/nglcc16

the District and elsewhere and we look


forward to delivering continued excellent service for many years to come.

DONNA COOPER is Pepco regional president.

2 4 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

Verizon Center August 18th


Buy tickets at

.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

31

JULY

29,

2016

PAGE

25

Hillary s historic moment


LONG-TIME FEMINISTS SAY GENDER IS A FACTOR IN THIS YEARS RACE
By JESSE ARNHOLZ

Some lesbians say the historic nature of HILLARY CLINTONs presidential run has gotten lost in
the political drama of this years election.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Benghazi! Hillarys e-mails! Trump! At


danger of getting lost in the overheated
discourse of this years U.S. presidential
election is the historic fact that Hillary
Clinton is now the rst woman to capture
a major-party nomination for president.
There was Shirley Chisholm (who ran
for the Democratic nomination in 1972),
Geraldine Ferraro (Walter Mondales
running mate in 1984), even Sarah Palin
(John McCains running mate in 2008), but
no woman has ever come as close to the
presidency as Hillary Clinton.
In the wake of this achievement, what
does it mean for the lesbian community,
a group that has always been one of her
strongest supporters? And why has the
historic nature of her candidacy felt like
little more than a footnote this year?

Hillary fatigue?
Out political comedian Kate Clinton
thinks its because Hillary has been
around so long since 1978. Still, she
says, its exciting to see Hillary win the
nomination.
I think its absolutely very, very
exciting, Kate Clinton says. And add
to the fact that she is the rst woman
nominee for a major party, is astounding.
As the rst out lesbian and AfricanAmerican mayor in the United States,
Denise Simmons of Cambridge, Mass.,
is used to her gender, race and sexual
orientation making headlines.
Simmons expected Hillarys nomination
to get much more attention than its

received. She agrees with Kate Clintons


assessment.
I do wonder if perhaps part of this is
simply because she has been a national
gure for such a long time, Simmons
says. And therefore the sense of novelty
just isnt there.
Elizabeth Birch, who served as
executive director of the Human Rights
Campaign from 1995-2004 and is also a
friend of Clintons, says Clinton does not
want the fact that shes a woman to be
the sole reason for anyone to vote for
her.
I think thats why shes been painstaking
about amassing her credentials over
the last two decades, Birch says. She
absolutely wants [her election] to be on
her merit, but nevertheless, none of us

should forget what an extraordinary


breakthrough this will be.
Clintons gender, Birch says, is treated
like a distraction from the political
theater going on.
Blues singer and LGBT and black rights
activist Gaye Adegbalola agrees with
Birch. She thinks Clintons nomination
isnt headline news because Trump has
hijacked the headlines.
Hes the story, Adegbalola says.
Kate Clinton says that any time some
excitement is generated for Clinton,
Trump will say something controversial,
Benghazi and the email scandal are
brought up and Americans become
xated on her purported failures.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 40

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 6 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R BE N LE V I N E

How long have you been out and who


was the hardest person to tell?
I started coming out to friends my
sophomore year of high school.My
parents were the hardest people to
tell, even though theyve always been
supportive of me.
Whos your LGBT hero?
The amazing choreographer Elizabeth
Streb. Her gravity-defying work and use
of large-scale scenic elements is a huge
inspiration for Kitchen Sink Fest.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEVINE

BEN LEVINE
By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
If youre concerned about whether or not you have the attention span to
devote to a modern dance presentation, the Kitchen Sink Fest this weekend
may allay your fears.
Its comprised of 50 fast-paced, one-minute pieces mixed with 10 meditative
installment works in an event that organizers say combines design, technology
and dance. Producer Ben Levine will oversee a team of 22 local dancers on
Saturday, July 30 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 31 at 7 p.m. at Dance Place (3225
8th St., N.E.). Tickets are $15-30. Details at danceplace.org.
Levine got started in theater in elementary school and majored in it in college
but became interested in modern dance while earning his theater degree.
I now identify more as a dance artist than a theater artist, says the
31-year-old D.C. native. I like to say that Ive gone over to the dark side.
Over 10 years at Dance Place, where he works as technical director, hes
worked on nearly 500 shows of all genres. He hopes Kitchen Sink will spur
audiences to consider their relationship with time and technology.
Levine is single and lives in Bloomingdale.

Whats Washingtons best


nightspot, past or present?
They dont let me out of the theater
often.Im more likely to be found getting
a late night margarita at El Camino in
my Bloomingdale neighborhood than
out dancing at Town. Even though Im a
dancer, I dont actually enjoy going out
dancing in a club or social situation.I
need choreography!Go gure.
Describe your dream wedding.
I have very little interest in getting
married.
What non-LGBT issue are
you most passionate about?
Treatment of artists in society how no
one seems to value or want to provide
funding for amazing, creative people
doing their lifes work. When Metro put
out a call for artists to perform at Metro
stations this summer, notice there was
no mention of a performance fee. Would
you ask an electrician to repair Metro
stations and not expect to pay them?
What historical outcome
would you change?
Right now Im more worried about our
countrys political and social future.
Whats been the most memorable pop
culture moment of your lifetime?
My friends make fun of me because
I have no knowledge of pop culture.
Literally the only celebrity I know
randomly is Wentworth Miller,
another gay icon.
On what do you insist?
Editing your work, people.
What was your last
Facebook post or Tweet?
Telling everyone I know about my
upcoming show, Kitchen Sink Fest! Im
the producing director of the show and
have been working on it for over two
years. Its coming upJuly 30-31at Dance
Place. I hope youll come out!

202.747.2077

If your life were a book,


what would the title be?
Gradients of Blue, the Story of Ben

Levine (I really like using gradients of


blue in my lighting designs.)
If science discovered a way
to change sexual orientation,
what would you do?
Nothing! OK, maybe make all blonde
boys gay.
What do you believe in
beyond the physical world?
Theater magic!
Whats your advice for
LGBT movement leaders?
They should check out some of the
amazing work that artists like Sean
Dorsey and the Theater Oensive are
creating, which are perfect examples
of how art can speak to politics in a
dierent way.
What would you walk across
hot coals for?
An iced mocha in the morning (at
Zekes or Big Bear) and pastries from
Grassroots Gourmet.
What LGBT stereotype
annoys you most?
That gay men are delicate and cant do
hard labor. This stereotype is especially
present for gay male dancers.My work
in the theater requires a ton of totes
masc carpentry and heavy lifting, as well
as down and dirty painting, dying and
general mess making.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
Um, see my previous comment on pop
culture.
Whats the most overrated
social custom?
Standing ovations at shows.Every show
gets one regardless of if its deserving, and
if Im in the audience of a show and I dont
feel like it deserves a standing ovation,
then I feel like a jerk for being the only one
sitting in a sea of standing people.
What trophy or prize
do you most covet?
A MacArthur Genius Grant.So many
amazing dance artists whose work I
value (Elizabeth Streb, Shen Wei, Liz
Lerman, Kyle Abraham) have received
this award.
What do you wish youd known at 18?
How to dress better.
Why Washington?
While the arts might not be the rst
thing non-Washingtonians associate with
D.C., our nations capital has an amazing
theater scene. D.C. is a great place to
make and to see performance and Im
proud to call it my home.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 2 7

LIVE

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28 JU L Y 29, 2016

O U T & A BO U T

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

STOOGES

BRASS
BAND
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THURSDAY JULY

28

the
REVIVAL
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FRIDAY

JULY 29

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RICH ROBINSON W/ KELSEY WALDON


SUN, JULY 31

JERRY GARCIA BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION


FEATURING

SPLINTERED SUNLIGHT
FRI, AUG 5

GEORGE PORTER &


THE RUNNIN PARDNERS

By SELENE SAN FELICE


PHOTO COURTESY OF ATV MARKETING

W/ THE CONGRESS
SAT, AUG 6

THE JELLY JAM W/ THE CLOX

Todrick Hall goes to Oz

WED, AUG 10

FISHBONE

THEHAMILTONDC.COM

Todrick Hall (American Idol, MTV) brings his Straight Outta Oz show to the
Howard Theater (620 T St., N.W.) on Monday, Aug. 1.
The show tells the story of his life, including coming to terms with his sexual
identity, moving to Oz Angeles and struggling with the entertainment industry
and his family. Based on his visual album, the show also examines Black Lives
Matter, police brutality and gun violence while paying tribute to Christina
Grimmie, Trayvon Martin and the Orlando shooting victims.
The show will be taped for a documentary on Hall. Seating is rst-come-rstserved. Emerald pass holders can reserve seating and meet the cast. Doors
open at 6 p.m. for the 7:30 show. For more information, visit todrickhall.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PENDARVIS

Ask Rayceen tapes


Wed., Aug. 3

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CENTER

Savor
the Summer
on Our Patio

M-Th 11:30aM-10pM F-SaT 11:30aM-11pM


Sun. brunch 11aM-3pM / dinner 3-10pM

322 MaSS. ave. ne 202.543.7656

caFeberlin-dc.coM

OutWrite returns Aug. 5-7


The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., no. 105) hosts OutWrite, a nonprot
festival celebrating LGBT literature, Friday, Aug. 5 through Sunday, Aug. 7. The
event includes readings, panels, workshops, book release parties and book
vendors from LGBT authors. Workshops for LGBT writers will be held on Sunday.
The opening event is a book launch for Love Unites Us: Winning the Freedom
to Marry in America edited by Kevin M. Cathcart and Leslie J. Gabel-Brett. It will
be followed by a panel discussion. Other authors scheduled to appear include
M-E Girard, Joanna Cifredo, Regie Cabico, Michael Nava (seen here), Tim Murphy
and Alexis de Veaux, winner of a 2015 Lambda Literary Award for lesbian ction.
For more information, visit outwritedc.org.

Ask Rayceen, a free monthly variety


show, will take place on Wednesday, Aug.
3 at the HRC Equality Center (1640 Rhode
Island Ave., N.W.).
The event includes its annual poetry
slam, where the audience favorite will
receive $100 cash prize. Singer Chris
DeLoatch and belly dancer Asala will
also perform. Doors open at 6 p.m. with
music by DJ Honey and free catered
food provided by the AIDS Healthcare
Foundation.
For more information, visit facebook.
com/askrayceen.

Pulse performers to visit D.C.


Town Danceboutique (2009 8th St.,
N.W.) hosts a special drag show with the
drag cast from Pulse Nightclub in Orlando
on Saturday, July 30 at 10:30 p.m.
Funds from the show will be raised
for the employees of Pulse. Special
performances will be given by Axel
Andrews, Karl Kaija-adonis Winslow and
Adrian Padron. Doors open at 10 p.m.
with a $12 cover. The show is 21 and over.
For details, visit towndc.com.

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J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 2 9

QUATTROPORTE S
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THEATER

PHOTO BY ST. JOHN BLONDELL

BLACKWELL ROGERS as Guroy and CHELSEA MAYO as Anna in The Lady With the Little Dog.

Chekhov short story adapted


to the stage at Quotidian
By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Photo of Mark G. Meadows by Christopher Muelller

Russian writer Anton Chekhov is known


foremost as a dramatist.
His quartet of classics The Seagull,
Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The
Cherry Orchard all ensemble pieces
noted for their focus on character and
mood rather than plot are among
The dazzling, high-energy musical about one of jazzs
theaters most-produced and adored
most notorious entertainers: Jelly Roll Morton
plays. But Chekhov was also a masterful
and prolic writer of short ction. His
melancholy romantic tale Lady with the
Dog (1899) ranks among his best and is
now tailored for the stage at Quotidian
Theatre Company in Bethesda.
Lovingly adapted as The Lady with the
Little Dog and staged by Quotidian cofounder Stephanie Mumford, the hourlong play is an imaginative take on the
original work. Fortyish banker Dmitry
Gurov (Ian Blackwell Rogers) is sliding
into middle age. Long bored with his
wife and uninterested in family life, hes
had many aairs and expects to have
many more. Vacationing alone in Yalta,
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F
seaside resort,
ISSUE DATE: 05.09.14
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Gurov is charmed by Anna Sergeyevna
(Chelsea Mayo), a much younger woman,
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Gurov is aware of their age dierence:
he notes his graying hair and increasingly
plain looks and that Anna is not long out
of school, but he remains undaunted. The
condent philanderer is certain he will
have her. As they become acquainted,
From the director of La Cage aux Folles and West Side Story
Gurov says, I own two houses in Moscow
but I no longer sing. In that short
sentence, Gurov imparts the essence of
his secure but joyless existence. That will
Free Parking 16 Nearby Restaurants
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soon change, however. What starts out as

August 2 September 11 | Pride Night: August 26

a irtation grows into a passion and then


something more.
As director and costume and set
designer, Mumford deftly captures the
atmosphere of Chekhov and late 19th
century bourgeois Russia. Her crowded
set includes the compartments that
make up Gurovs life. Stage left is Gurovs
Moscow home complete with three
cardboard cutout children. On stage
right is the hotel room where he and
Anna secretly meet. Bridging those two
worlds are Vernets coee pavilion and
the seaside promenade public spaces
where the lovers rst met.
Mumford further adds to the mood
with projections of paintings depicting
the natural glories of Yalta, and live
classical Russian music played beautifully
by pianist Zach Roberts and violinist
Christine Kharazian. Roberts doubles
as Annas ambitious husband and
Kharazian brings humor to the role of
Gurovs bespectacled wife, a solemn, selfdescribed intellectual.
Mayo is compelling as guilt-ridden
but determined Anna. Rogers gives a
nuanced performance as restrained
Gurov whose occasional wild eyes reveals
his inner turmoil. David Dubov narrates
the action as Chekhov, and plays various
waiters and friends of Gurov.
Like ambiguity lled real life, Little
Dog ends on an uncertain note. And it
seemed that, just a little more and the
solution would be found, and then a new,
beautiful life would begin; and it was clear
to both of them that the end was still far,
far o, and that the most complicated
and dicult part was just beginning.
Nothing is tied up neatly with a bow.
Thats the way Chekhov liked it.
THE LADY WITH THE LITTLE DOG
Through Aug. 7
Quotidian Theatre Company
4508 Walsh Street in Bethesda, Md. 20815
$30 (discounts for seniors and students)
301-816-1023
Quotidiantheatre.org

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

M US I C

J U L Y 29, 2016 31

M I D C I T Y
D O G D A Y S
AUGUST 67, 2016
PHOTO COURTESY OF VENFIELD 8

Out singer/songwriter TOM GOSS veers into unchartered creative waters with his new album,
slated for an Aug. 2 release.

SHOP THE HEART OF DC

facebook.com/MidCityDogDays / @midcitydogdays
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Bears singer has edgy,


experimental album ready
By CHRIS GERARD
Tom Goss should be a familiar name
to D.C.-area music fans. The LGBT singer/
songwriter/guitarist was a longtime
mainstay of the local scene before
relocating to Los Angeles a few years ago.
We last heard from Goss earlier this
year when his haunting reimagining
of the Dusty Springeld classic Son of
a Preacher Man, set to a stirring and
provocative video in support of the Trevor
Project suicide prevention initiative, went
viral and received enormous acclaim. That
success set the stage for What Doesnt
Break, Goss sixth full-length album and
his rst since 2014s excellent Wait. He
returns to the region for a show at Iota
Club and Cafe in Arlington on Sunday,
Aug. 7 (details at tomgossmusic.com).
What Doesnt Break, slated for an Aug.
2 release, is a departure for Goss, who is
known for his often buoyant acoustic-guitar
based power pop. The new album is a
progression into deeper and more personal
material with an edgy and experimental
vibe. He collaborates with producer Marr
Zimm, who helps create a complex and
dense soundscape of electronic elements,
brass and strings weaving through the
layers of Gosss excellent guitar-work. The
ambition of the music is matched by the
intensely personal songwriting and powerful
vocal performances. What Doesnt Break
exhibits clear artistic progression for Goss
while retaining the genuine heart, sincerity
and strong melodic sensibility for which hes
always been known.
Goss expresses raw emotion and
vulnerability on a level far beyond what
hes presented previously, and it wasnt

always an easy process.


The album opens with the jittery Wake
Alive, with Goss singing the verses in his
resonant lower register before breaking
into an anthemic arena-rock chorus.
Thirteen is a harrowing stare into the
rearview at sometimes painful youthful
turmoil and how those experiences
shaped the man he is today. Holes in
the Wall is a heartrending break-up song
set to shimmery strings, keyboards and a
lushly beautiful choral vocal arrangement.
The ominous Someone Else is a tense
and piercingly direct rocker seething
with rage and venom. In a bit of inspired
sequencing, he follows the angriest piece
on the album with perhaps the loveliest
and most heartbreaking, Mama. Goss
delivers arguably the albums nest vocal
with a song that begins as an exquisite
acoustic ballad with soaring strings
before exploding into a propulsive,
wrenching catharsis that explores the
painful reality of the vast distance that
can engulf families over divergent beliefs
and an inability to come to terms with
love as its meant to be.
The synth-driven All My Love is a late
highlight, an achingly devotional ballad
layered with sublime vocal harmonies.
The biggest sonic departure on an album
loaded with them is the electro-pop
nale Long Way Back Home. It ends the
collection with a philosophical and nostalgic
bent, appropriate for the poignant musical
journey that has unfolded over the course
of these 10 songs.
Some fans may be startled by the
intensity and restlessness that Goss
delivers here, but the emotion is so real
and the songs are so expertly crafted that
its hard to avoid getting caught up in the
albums dramatic sweep. Its a triumph
for Tom Goss, a leap forward thats both
intimate and exciting.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 2 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

A RT S & CU LT U RE

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com


MUSIC

THE GREEKS: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great


Thru Oct 10. National Geographic.
nglive.org.

Featuring collections from 22 national museums in Greece, THE GREEKS


tells the unique story of one of the worlds greatest ancient civilizations. This
exhibition features more than 500 priceless treasuresmany of which have
never been on display outside of Greece.

Kitchen Sink Fest


Jul 30-31. Dance Place.
danceplace.org.

The evenings 50 fast-paced, one-minute pieces, juxtaposed with 10 meditative


installation works, will emerge from collaborations between producer Ben
Levine and DCs most daring dance-makers, including Erica Rebollar, Tia Nina,
Sarah Beth Oppenheim, Sharon Mansur and Hayley Cutler.

The Phantom of the Opera


Thru Aug 20. Kennedy Center.
kennedy-center.org.

Bigger and better than ever before! This fresh and dazzling production of
Andrew Lloyd Webbers perennial classic comes to D.C. as part of a brand-new
North American tour.

Straight No Chaser
Aug 4. Wolf Trap.
wolftrap.org.

This a cappella groups musical cocktail blends pop hits and classics with a mix
of top-shelf collaborators from Elton John to Sara Bareilles.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

THEATRE
The Second Citys Almost Accurate
Guide to America. Thru Jul 31.
Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.
Penn Jillette: Presto! Aug 4. GW
Lisner Auditorium. lisner.gwu.edu.
Jellys Last Jam. Aug 2-Sep 11.
Signature Theatre.
signature-theatre.org.
The Hub Theatre - Redder Blood.
Thru Jul 31. JCCNV. jccnv.org.
The Mikado. Thru Aug 21. The Pirates
of Penzance. Thru Aug 21. Olney
Theatre. olneytheatre.org.
Hand To God. Thru Aug 7. Studio
Theatre. studiotheatre.org.
Upright Citizens Brigade: We Know

How You Die! Thru Jul 31. The Trump


Card. Aug 2-Aug 7. Woolly Mammoth.
woollymammoth.net.
Playback In The District! Thru Oct
26. HBC Playback Theatre. The Den.
thehbctheater.com.
Twelfth Night. Thru Aug 7. Synetic
Theater. synetictheater.org.

DANCE
Capital Fringe Festival: A
Midsummers Burlesque Dream.
Jul 28 & 30. Trinidad Theatre.
capitalfringe.org.
Target Family Night: National
Dance Day. Jul 30. Kennedy Center.
Millennium Stage. kennedy-center.org.

The Tone Rangers & Flo Anito. Jul 29.


AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.
Free Summer Outdoor Concert:
Cissa Paz. Aug 3. Strathmore.
strathmore.org.
Jazz in the Garden: Eastern Standard
Time. Jul 29. National Gallery of Art.
nga.gov.
Summer Concerts: Trilio Tango
Trio. Aug 4. Glen Echo Park. Bumper
Car Pavilion. glenechopark.org.
DC Highlife Stars. Jul 29. CAZ.
Jul 30. The Grandsons. Jul 31.
Arlington Cultural Aairs. Lubber Run
Amphitheater. arlingtonarts.org.
Still Surn-Beach Boys tribute
band-Free Concert. Jul 31. The Alden.
McLean Central Park.
mcleancenter.org.
Music on the Mall: Eric Powell and
Brian Forehand. Aug 4. DCCAH.
National Mall. dcarts.dc.gov.
Global-Phonic at the Library: Elena &
Los Fulanos. Aug 4. Arlington Cultural
Aairs. Westover Library.
arlingtonarts.org.
Tchaikovsky & Debussy - Chad
Hoopes, violin with NSO. Jul 29. Star
Trek Into Darkness with NSO. Jul 30.
Wolf Trap. wolftrap.org.

MUSEUMS
National Archives. Amending
America. Thru Sep 4.
archivesfoundation.org.
National Gallery of Art. In
Celebration of Paul Mellon. Thru Sep
18. Hubert Robert, 17331808. Thru
Oct 2. Intersections: Photographs and
Video from the National Gallery of Art
and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Thru
Jan 2. nga.gov.
National Geographic. The Geeks. Jul
29. nglive.org.
National Museum of Women in the
Arts. She Who Tells a Story: Women
Photographers from Iran and the
Arab World. Thru Jul 31. Alison Saar
In Print. Thru Oct 2. Priya Pereira:
Contemporary Artist Books from India.
Thru Nov 18. nmwa.org.
Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.
Twelve Years That Shook And Shaped
Washington: 1963-1975. Thru Oct 23.
anacostia.si.edu.
National Portrait Gallery,
Smithsonian. The Four Justices. Thru
Oct 16. One Life: Babe Ruth. Thru May
21. npg.si.edu.

GALLERIES
The Art League Gallery. Not a Box.
Thru Jul 31. Kathleen Best Gillmann:

Vision at Waters Edge. Thru Aug 7.


theartleague.org.
Arts Club of Washington. Members
Summer Exhibition. Thru Jul 29.
artsclubofwashington.org.
District Architecture Center. Built to
Scale. Thru Aug 27. aiadac.com.
Foundry Gallery. Art Exhibit -- Take It
Outside. Thru Jul 31.
foundrygallery.org.
Glen Echo Park. Triple Vision: Mimi
Betz, Marylouise Roach, and Madeleine
Schaller. Thru Aug 28. Movement
and Balance: Abstract Drawings of
an Internal Life. Thru Aug 28. Rising
Scaold: Sondra Arkin. Jul 30-Aug 28.
glenechopark.org.
Hill Center. Hill Center Galleries
Regional Juried Exhibition. Thru Oct 2.
hillcenterdc.org.
Honeur Gallery. 10th Annual East
of the River Exhibition. Jul 29-Sep 16.
anacostiaartscenter.com.
Korean Cultural Center DC. POP of
Kolor: Kwangyeon Song & Kyungjoo
Park. Thru Aug 1. koreaculturedc.org.
Torpedo Factory. Wade Kramm:
Dotted Space. Thru Aug 28.
torpedofactory.org.
Washington Project for the Arts.
Broken Scissors, a Ghost, and Some
More Old News. Thru Aug 20.
wpadc.org.
Zenith Gallery. Art for All. Thru Sep 3.
zenithgallery.com.
Zenith Sculpture Space. Movers and
Shakers. Thru Oct 2. zenithgallery.com.
DCAC. 1460 Wall Mountables 2016.
Thru Aug 28. dcartscenter.org.
Flashpoint Gallery. Kathryn Thibault:
Cultivation/harvest/neglect. Thru Aug
13. culturaldc.org.
Gallery Underground. Suite
Inspirations All-Media Series
Show. Thru Jul 29. BLUE: AllMedia Juried Show. Aug 1-Aug 26.
arlingtonartistsalliance.org.
Joan Hisaoka Gallery. Exhibition:
OUTSIDE - IN. Jul 29-Sep 2.
smithcenter.org.

AND MORE...
Dinner, Fashion Show and Evening
at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
Aug 4. Embassy Experiences.
Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
embassyexperiences.com.
Josephine Baker: March on
Washington, 1963. Jul 30. Smithsonian
Anacostia Museum. anacostia.si.edu.
The New Rijksmuseum. Jul 30. Film
Event: Cin-concert: People on
Sunday (Menschen am Sonntag). Jul
31. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.
Gallery Talk: Collection Selections.
Aug 3. National Museum of Women in
the Arts. nmwa.org.

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202-332-2691 or 1-888-888-3269 info@bestbus.com www.bestbus.com

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SP O RT I N I N D . C.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FILIPOWSKI

MARTY FILIPOWSKI crossing the Rottnest Channel with his husband, SONNY, paddling alongside him.

Out swimmer goes for


triple crown next month
in Manhattan
By KEVIN MAJOROS
To gain membership into the triple
crown of open-water swimming, one
must have authenticated completion
of three famous marathon swims: the
English Channel between England and
France, the Catalina Channel in Southern
California and the Manhattan Island
marathon swim.
On Aug. 15, 53-year-old openly gay
marathon swimmer Marty Filipowski
will attempt to complete the triple
crown when he swims 20 bridges, a
circumnavigation swim of Manhattan that
is 28.5 miles in distance.

Jewel number one


In August 2013, his crossing of the
English Channel was 31 miles in rough
water that was 59 degrees. He was the
only swimmer to nish the crossing
that day and he was awarded the most
meritorious swim of the year by the
Channel Swimming Association. His time
was 14 hours, 39 minutes.
The English Channel swim absolutely
changed me in terms of how I approach

my life, work and swimming, Filipowski


says. Everything takes a great plan, and
you have to have initiatives step by step
to complete your plan.
Filipowski grew up in Valparaiso, Ind.,
and was in competitive swimming until
his sophomore year of high school. He
left the sport because he felt he didnt
t in and turned his extracurricular
attentions to working as the yearbook
photographer.
After graduating with a degree in
journalism from Indiana University, his
work took him to several states including
a stint in D.C. as press secretary for U.S.
Sen. Connie Mack of Florida.
He credits the LGBT swimming
community for getting him back into the
sport as he swam with Atlanta Rainbow
Trout and Team New York Aquatics during
his work assignments. He is now living in
Sydney, Australia and has been with Dell
since 2006 working as corporate director of
communications for Asia Pacic and Japan.
It was after he joined Vladswim in
Sydney that he became interested in
marathon swimming. Its members train
four days a week in the pool and longer
open-water swims on weekends.
Vladswim had people training for
triathlons and open-water swimming so
I started competing in Sunday races in
distances of 1.5K to 10K, Filipowski says.
There were also people training for the

English Channel and I gured if they could


do it, so could I.
He started his marathon training in 2011
and during his rst attempt at an eight
hour training swim in 59 degree water, he
was pulled out at four-and-a-half hours. It
was a lesson that led to Filipowski working
with a dietician to add weight, becoming
more comfortable training in cold water,
adopting feeding plans and working with a
massage therapist.
You are able to train all year long
in Sydney, but you really need a good
support network to accomplish the
training needed for a marathon swim, he
says. There are time management issues
as well and that support extends to my
boss at work and my husband at home.

Jewel number two


He picked up the second piece of the
crown by completing the 22-mile Catalina
Channel in August, 2015. His training for
that race included a lot of practicing at night
as half the swim was completed in the dark.
A constant in the journey to complete
both the English Channel and the Catalina
Channel was Filipowskis husband, Sonny,
who paddles alongside him in a kayak. The
two were married at Alki Beach in Seattle
following the English Channel crossing.
During the lead-up to the English
Channel, Sonny kayaked alongside me

during all my long open-water training


swims, Filipowski says. He also did the
same as I trained for Catalina and also
during the actual swim. He spent 13
hours in the kayak for that crossing.

Jewel number three


and beyond

Filipowski wont be hanging up his suit


after he completes the Manhattan swim
next month. While traveling the world
working for Dell, he will continue to train
at pools in China, India, Singapore and
Japan along with pool and ocean training
in Australia.
Next year, he will attempt to cross Cook
Strait in New Zealand which is about 14
miles wide and considered one of the
most dangerous and unpredictable
waters in the world.
I love being a marathon swimmer
because you are swimming against yourself
and the water conditions all while pushing
through mental barriers, Filipowski says.
It gives me balance between my work and
my personal satisfaction.
He also identies himself as an out
swimmer when he receives recognition
for his swims.
I like being a visible gay athlete,
Filipowski says. It would have been
helpful to have a role model when I was
growing up. I want to be visible to others.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A D V I CE

When relationships end,


give yourself time and
space to heal

MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, Psy.D. is a licensed


psychologist who works with gay individuals
and couples in D.C. He can be found online
at personalgrowthzone.com. All identifying
information has been changed for reasons
of condentiality. Have a question? Send it to
Michael@personalgrowthzone.com.

HI MICHAEL,
In January, Caroline, my girlfriend of
four years, broke up with me.She said it
wasnt me; she just didnt want to be in a
relationship anymore.I was stunned. She
moved to the West Coast in February to
start a new job and new life.
Before the shock wore o, I met
someone new. Right away, Emily told me
she was crazy about me.
Going against my better judgment not
to rush into anything, I started dating
her. It felt really good to have someone
care about me again.We got very serious
very quickly and pretty much were living
together by April. Over Memorial Day
weekend Emily dumped me and moved
in with a girl she met in a grad school
class.Supposedly they are in love now.
I dont even know that I loved Emily, but
I am a mess.Its like all the pain of losing
Caroline has piled onto the pain of being
rejected all over again.
Now Im spending my time stalking
Caroline and Emily online. Although
Caroline told me she was done with
relationships, there she is with a new
girlfriend. And Emily and her sweetheart
have their hands all over each other in
Facebook post after Facebook post.
I try not to look but cant help myself.
And I feel like nobody wants to be with
me, that I am unlovable and will always be
alone.How can I help myself feel better?
MICHAEL REPLIES:
Lets start with the masochistic stalking.
You say you cant help yourself, but you
can. Telling yourself you cant gives you
permission to continue making yourself
feel bad.
So quit Facebook for now and block it
from your screens. Youll be giving your
brain a break from the self-torture groove
and an opportunity to develop some new
behaviors that are kinder to yourself. If
thats too much of a shock to your friendship
network, at the very least consider blocking
your exs posts from your daily feed and

J U L Y 29, 2016 35

resist the urge to visit their pages.


Next: When you start twisting the
knife into your heart, what can you do
that will help you feel better instead of
worse? What are your go-to activities
when youre down? Reading? A pet? Being
more sociable or less? Exercise improves
mood, so you could go to the gym for a
vigorous workout. Meditation which
helps our brains let go of intrusive
thoughts would also be helpful. There
are meditation classes throughout D.C. as
well as apps to teach you how to zen out.
While you have reason to grieve right
now, wallowing in thoughts of your
supposed unlovability will not help you
make sense of your loss or help you heal.
So when you are tempted to make yourself
miserable, push yourself toward a path that
lifts you up instead of pulling you down.
But to successfully change what I
suspect are long-standing habits, you
need to understandwhy you keep making
yourself sounhappy.
You say youre unlovable because
two gals in a row have dumped you.But
maybe you have things backward and
you choose gals who are likely to leave
you because you think youre unlovable.
Heres the evidence: You keep making
choices that reinforce your own lack
of self-worth, such as leaping into a
relationship with Emily against your
better judgment and endlessly staring at
painful online photos.
If my theory makes sense, ask yourself
why you believe youre only worthy of a
lousy life where girlfriend after girlfriend
drops you and runs o into the sunset
with Ms. Perfect.
I dont know you, of course, so I cant
speculate as to why you might be making
choices that leave you miserable. There
could be a hundred contributing factors.
But I want to raise just one possibility:
Do you feel OK about being lesbian? I
ask this simply because despite decades
of forward progress, it is still so easy for
a young person to feel shes not good
enough or worse, that shes defective
if she isnt straight. Perhaps this is true
for you, perhaps not.
In any case, you are going to have to
keep a relentless focus on feeling better
and on guring out why you may be
torturing yourself, so that you can make
better choices.
So please nd a therapist who is
skilled at working with self-sabotaging
behaviors, who also possesses some
LGBT knowledge and skills. You need
someone to help you explore and
strategize for a better life.
One more thing to explore: What went
wrong with Caroline? Did you somehow
miss her complaints, her unhappiness, or
just a sense of incompatibility? And, how
might you have contributed to the breakup?

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 6 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

CA LE N D A R

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.


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

TODAY
The National Gallery of Art (Sixth and
Constitution Ave., N.W.) hosts Jazz in
the Garden tonight from 5-8:30 p.m.
in its sculpture garden. Jazz trio Eastern
Standard Time will play songs from their
locally renowned CDs Live in Capacity,
Live in Capacity, Again and So There We
Were. For more information visit nga.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(1400 Independence Ave., N.W.) holds
a Nighttime Farmers Market every
Friday through September from 4-7p.m.
Vendors include farmers, food trucks,
bakers and specialty producers selling
jellies, pickled foods, fresh juices, soaps
and more. All vendors are either growing
their own product or sourcing ingredients
from farms, mostly within the Chesapeake
Bay region. For more information, visit
usda.gov/farmersmarket.
The Postal Museum (2 Massachusetts
Ave., N.E.) hosts a party for its exhibition
PostSecret: the Power of a Postcard
tonight from 8-11 p.m. PostSecret founder
Frank Warren oers an inside look at the
phenomenon, speaking exclusively with
VIP ticket-holders from 7-8 p.m. Guests
can craft their own mail art, post a secret
and explore the museum while enjoying
music and cocktails. Tickets are $25 for
general admission and $35 for VIP with
early access. Prices will increase by $5 at
the door if available. For more information,
visit smithsonianassociates.org.
Toro Toro (1300 I St., N.W.) hosts an
Independencia de Venezuela celebration
tonight at 10 p.m. AP Andres will play
Salsa, Merengue, Vallenato, Sertanejo
and House music until 3 a.m. There is no
cover. No athletic or casual wear. For table
reservations, call 202-520-1303.

SATURDAY, JULY 30
National Dance Day is today at the
Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) from
1-10 p.m. The free celebration features
interactive dance routines and lessons,
outdoor performances and live music.
Activities begin on the North Plaza
and continue into the night. For more
information, visit kennedy-center.org.
Kramerbooks & Afterwords Caf (1517
Connecticut Ave., N.W.) celebrates Harry
Potter and the Cursed Child with a
midnight release party tonight starting at
10 p.m. Those who pre-order the book with
Kramerbooks will receive a special Harry
Potter gift. Costumes are highly encouraged.
For more information, visit kramers.com.
Pokemon GO! players can meet up
today for a PokeWalk around D.C.,
starting at 1 p.m. at the Jeerson
Memorial and ending at the Washington

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

William Merritt Chases At the Seaside (1892, oil on canvas) will be on display at the Phillips Collection starting Thursday, Aug. 4.

Monument around 4:30 p.m. Players are


advised to bring water, sunscreen and
portable chargers. For more information,
visit meetup.com/pokemongodmv.

SUNDAY, JULY 31
Perrys (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts
its weekly Sunday Drag Brunch today
from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95
for an all-you-can-eat buet. For more
details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance
(AGLA) hots a dinner tonight at 6 p.m.
on the patio of Freddies Beach Bar &
Restaurant (555 23rd St. South, Arlington,
Va. ) during the restaurants Gayborhood
night. Guests can bring travel-sized
unused toiletries for homeless support
organization
A-SPAN
or
unused
nonperishable food items for the
Arlington Food Assistance Center. Guests
do not have to be members of AGLA to
attend. For more details, visit agla.org.
Fantom Comics (2010 P St., N.W.) hosts
a Queer Book Club today from 2-4 p.m.
The group will discuss What Is Obscenity?:
T\the Story of a Good for Nothing
Artist and Her Pussy, Japanese artist
Rokudenashikos graphic autobiographical
story of getting arrested and persecuted
for her vagina art. For more information,
visit fantomcomics.com.

MONDAY, AUG. 1
The Ronald Reagan Building and
International
Trade
Center
(1300
Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) kicks o its
Concert on the Plaza series today at
1:30 p.m. with Mowtown tribute band

Brencore Allstars. Almost every day


through the end of September, the trade
center will host free lunchtime concerts
with a variety of jazz, folk and rock
performances. For details, visit itcdc.com.
BloomBars (3222 11th St., N.W.) hosts
its weekly family-friendly Garden Open
Mic tonight at 8:30 p.m. The sign-up list
for performers opens at 8 p.m. Guests
are asked to give a $5 donation. For more
information, visit bloombars.com.

TUESDAY, AUG. 2
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.,
suite105) hosts a FUK!T Packing Party
on the rst Tuesday of the month.
Volunteers help put together safer sex
kits to be distributed at LGBT spaces in
D.C., including Town, JR.s, Green Lantern,
and the Center. Happy hour specials are
available. For more information, contact
brant@thedccenter.org.
An
LGBT-focused
Overeaters
Anonymous meeting is held every
Tuesday at 7 p.m. at St. Georges
Episcopal Church in (915 Oakland Ave.,
Arlington,Va.). The church is handicapped
accessible and newcomers are welcome.
For more information, call 703-521-1999
or email liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.
Back to the Future will be shown at
the Carnegie Library (801 K St., N.W.) tonight
at 6:30 p.m. Moviegoers are encouraged to
bring their own blankets and snacks.
The Hillwood Museum (4155 Linnean
Ave, N.W.) oers a Gardeners Focus tour
today, as well as Thursday and Friday, at
12:45 p.m. The tour, which is limited to
10, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the
intricate, yet naturally wild, Japanese-

style garden. For more information, visit


HillwoodMuseum.org.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 3
Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club
meets tonight at the Dignity Center
(721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge at
7:30 pm. No partner needed. For more
information, call 301-345-1571.
Dirceu Melo performs with the Deltas
at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.)
tonight at 6 p.m. as part of its free
Millennium Stage series. Their music has
blues and Brazilian inuences, combining
the Turkish baglama, melodica, guitars
with open tuning and more. For more
information, visit kennedy-center.org.

THURSDAY, AUG. 4
Penn Social (801 E St., N.W.) hosts a
Pancakes & Booze Art Show tonight
from 7 p.m.- 2 a.m. There will be about
100 emerging artists, body painting and
a free pancake bar. The cover is $5 (cash
only) at the door. The event is 21 and
over. For details, visit pancakesandbooze.
com/washingtondc.
The Phillips Collection (1600 21st St.,
N.W.) hosts Phillips After 5: By the Sea
tonight from 5-8:30 p.m. William Merritt
Chases beach images will be on display
while guests grab dinner at participating
food trucks, sample rum from Cotton
& Reed Distillery and enjoy the sounds
of the Casio Steel Band. Fifteen-minute
gallery talks will occur at 6, 6:30, 7 and
7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 or $10 for
visitors 62 and up and students with ID.
For details, visit phillipscollection.org.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 3 7

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ISSUE DATE: 07.29.16

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 8 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

P H O T O S BY MI CH A E L KE Y

The 41st annual Baltimore Pride celebration was held in the Mount Vernon neighborhood on July 23, 2016 with a parade and block party.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 3 9

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

4 0 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

A RT S & E N T E RT A I N ME N T

Reecting on historic nature of Clintons nomination


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

The Koch brothers, who, I like to call


the cock brotherhood, have targeted
money to just make her unfavorable,
untrustworthy, Kate Clinton says.

Trust issues
Kate Clinton says the fact that Hillary
Clinton is painted as untrustworthy in the
news media is absurd.
But, in many recent polls, conducted
by the Hungton Post, pollingreport.com
and CNN, many Americans say they do
not trust Hillary Clinton.
Is the lack of trust in Hillary because of
her politics, or could it be attributed to
sexism?
Birch doesnt think so.
My diagnosis is that Hillary Clinton
is extremely private for someone in
the public sphere, she says. And she
has, throughout her life, had unrealistic
expectations for privacy.
Birch says that in trying to protect her
privacy and keep her life and decisions
under wraps, Clinton has been misread.
The level of transparency thats
required when you are in a position
like the various positions shes been in
all those steps she took to preserve
privacy only lead to more problems,
she says.You know, its never the actual
crime, its always the cover-up.
This, according to Birch, has always
been Clintons downfall.
The Clintons, as political gures, have
certainly been guarded at many points
throughout the past three decades,
often with good reason, Birch says. And
unfortunately this has opened Hillary
Clinton to charges of having something
to hide.
Simmons disagrees with Birch. She
says the lack of trust among voters has a
lot to do with gender.
Any time a female candidate is painted
as untrustworthy, or shrill or calculating,
one does wonder whether there is some
sexism at play, Simmons says.
Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, minister
and LGBT activist and co-founder of the
National Coalition of Black Lesbians and
Gays, makes a dierent assessment. She
blames populism for Clintons perceived
untrustworthiness.
I think it is blatant populism that
masks sexism, that masks homophobia
and transphobia, that masks racism and
nationalism, Garner says.
Adegbalola says that anyone whos been
in Washington as long as the Clintons will
undoubtedly amass some dirt, but she
says this is just how politics works.

There has to be some bargaining and


there has to be some, Ill kiss your ass,
you kiss mine, kind of stu that goes on,
she says.
When Hillary Clinton ran against Barack
Obama in 2008, Adegbalola donated $25
to her campaign.
I was all, you know, Yay, a woman can
do this, and then Barack started running
and I was so in favor of him, Adegbalola
says. Not necessarily because he was a
black man, but because he hadnt been in
D.C. [for long].
She also liked that he had worked for
social justice in Chicago and that he had
not been in the U.S. Senate for long.
My excitement with him was that he
was an outsider, she says. So now, here
you got Trump, who comes along and
hes really an outsider and an asshole, but
I think a lot of people take to him for that
very reason, that hes an outsider.
Adegbalola thinks its hypocritical,
however, for people to distrust Clinton
but not Trump.
Anybody who makes all that money,
Adegbalola says, theyve got to be doing
some shady stu, too.
Shes astonished by how successful
Trump has been.
Garner is surprised too and thinks that
Trumps success reveals the continued
work for justice and equality that needs
to be done.
As a movement we have focused on
legislative gains and have not given much
attention to the quality of our relationships
with one another, Garner says.
Kate Clinton, on the other hand, does
not think its surprising that Trump has
been so successful. She is tired of people,
especially Republicans, acting as if he is
not representative of certain American
beliefs.
She views Trump as a joke who
desperately wants to be taken seriously.
Thats where the danger is, she says.
Kate Clinton believes that Trumps
desire to be taken seriously boiled over at
the White House Correspondents Dinner
in 2011. Obama referred to Trumps
threat to run for president at that dinner
as a joke. Kate Clinton theorizes that
Obamas barrage of jokes at Trumps
expense is what propelled him to run.
I really think that was the moment he
decided, I am not going to have a black
man making fun of me, Clinton says.
Birch describes Trump as dangerous.
I think the way that human society
stays in equilibrium is to have extremely
predictable institutions and leaders, Birch
says. [If leaders] innovate somewhat in
the structure of the institutions, I think
humans dont want jarring abrupt moves

and they dont want emotions stirred,


played on and exploited.

Trouble ahead?
Birch says unpredictable leaders bring
problems.
I think that waves move through every
community and I think that his rhetoric
has given license to some of this more
acute tension in our country right now,
she says.
Simmons agrees.
I nd it incredibly disappointing that
one of our major parties would see t
to nominate him to potentially lead
the country, she says. He could do
tremendous damage to our nation on a
number of fronts.
Adegbalola says a Trump presidency
could be cataclysmic.
I think its going to be even more
divisive for America, she says. I think its
going to widen the gaps between people
of color and whites and marginalized
people and the white establishment. Im
sure he has a lot of confederate ags in
that audience, Im sure.
Kate Clinton cites Trumps nomination
of Mike Pence for vice president as
representative of his disregard for the
rights of marginalized people.
Pence is hideous toward women, she
says.
Pence came to national attention in
2006 when he said that LGBT couples
represented a societal collapse in the
United States. He has often referred
to being gay as a choice and same-sex
partnerships as a violation of Gods idea.
He made national news again in 2011
when, as a member of Congress, he
pushed for a bill to defund Planned
Parenthood. In May, Pence rejected the
Obama administrations directive for
school districts to allow students to use
the bathroom for the gender they identify
with saying the Obama administration
had no business getting involved in
issues of this nature.
Adegbalola also points out what could
happen to the Supreme Court if Trump is
elected.
Despite all this, there are still many
people who look at Hillary Clintons past
and are disturbed by her voting patterns.
In 1996, she supported the Defense of
Marriage Act that dened marriage for
federal purposes as the union between
one man and one woman, and allowed
states to refuse to recognize same-sex
marriages performed under the laws
of other states. Her support for the bill
haunted her for two decades.
Kate Clinton says that the LGBT

community needs to remember that she


was not president when the act was passed.
That was her husband, Clinton says.
I think she was pretty representative of
very political people weighing everything,
trying to gure out and trying to say the
right thing at the right time and that killed
her career.
In a campaign that many say is
structured around humiliation and
elitism, Garner says that voting for Hillary
Clinton is important.
I believe that she is a champion for
human dignity and justice and I would
expect that as president she would
continue to do the same, she says.
She cites Clintons attitudes toward
children as proof that her presidency
would benet LGBT families.
Her support of health care and even
continued health care reform, will benet
all of us, including women, Garner says.
And her economic policies will also
benet women, who are still underpaid
in the American work force, and her
presidency will be a direct benet to
lesbians as well as to all women.
Adegbalola cites her own experiences
as a self-employed musician and cancer
survivor as one of the main reasons she
plans to vote for Clinton. She says that in
2008 she was paying more than $700 a
month for cancer treatment.
The Aordable Care Act, she says, is of
paramount importance to her and she
knows that under Clinton, Obamas work
will continue.
Birch says that growing up in Canada
and seeing Queen Elizabeths picture
hanging on the wall in all of her elementary
school classrooms and having a female
principal, made her think that women
were in charge.
I just thought, Oh yeah my name is
Elizabeth, the queen is Elizabeth, I guess
I can go far, she says. The psychological
impact it will have on inspiring and
lighting res in young women we can
never underestimate it.
Adegbalola, however, says at this point
she is over Clintons gender.
Im simply looking at who would I vote
for between the two, she says. [Its]
Hillary, theres no question. And shes
smart and shes been there, shes paid
her dues.
Adegbalola doesnt feel that anyone in
the Republican Party, including Trump,
would do anything to look out for
marginalized people.
Im black, Im poor, Im a woman,
Im a lesbian, Im a single parent, Im
old, she says. [Thats] like six kinds of
oppression, so they might lock me up in
a concentration camp.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 4 1

Nominations
August 29 September 6
STAY TUNED...

4 2 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

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The Victoria - Lot 250

The Brownstones Series at Potomac Overlook


The Seneca - Lot 309

The Brownstones Series at Potomac Overlook


The Severn - Lot 295

The Brownstones Series at Potomac Overlook


The Seneca - Lot 287

$879,990 IMMEDIATE DELIVERY


3 Bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half bathrooms | 3,990 square feet
Beautiful End Unit. Gourmet Kitchen with Floor to Ceiling Cabinets,
Granite Counters and Stainless Steel Appliances. Spacious and Open
Main Level. Gorgeous View from Main Level Terrace.

$679,990 IMMEDIATE DELIVERY


3 Bedrooms, 3 full and 2 half bathrooms | 2,508 square feet
Full Sided Brick & Stone. Luxury Rooftop Terrace with Double Sided
Fireplace. Two Car Garage. Gourmet Kitchen with Cherry Cabinets,
Stainless Steel Appliances and 5 wide Hardwood Floors on Main Level.

$534,990 IMMEDIATE DELIVERY


Only 10 Senecas Remain | 1,883 square feet
End Unit in Private Area. One Car Garage and Driveway. Open Floor
Plan with Luxury Interior Finishes. Beautiful Rooftop Terrace and Large
Wet Bar for Entertaining.

$569,990 IMMEDIATE DELIVERY


3 Bedrooms, 4 Full Bathrooms | 1,883 square feet
Luxury Rooftop Terrace, Hardwood Floors throughout Main Level and
Ground Floor, Gourmet Kitchen w/ Stainless Steel Appliances, Colonial
White Granite Countertops and Tahoe Cherry Java Cabinets

500 Rampart Way National Harbor, MD 20745


Integrityhmw.com | 301-749-1652
Prices, terms, features, incentives and savings subject to change without notice. Seller contribution limits apply. See Sales Representative for community specific details.

WA SH I N GTO NB LADE.C OM

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 4 3

REALESTATE

House party unity


Check out River East
before you get priced
out of the market
By VALERIE M. BLAKE
Over the past several weeks theres
been a lot of talk about party unity. Last
Saturday night I experienced it for myself
at my first block party in my new neighborhood. I can guarantee you that after
a shared tub of beer and wine, there was
plenty of party and a ton of neighborhood unity.
People talked about their homes, their
children and their businesses, and shared
stories about the area, its people and its
history. Interestingly, national politics
never came up. Refreshing, no?
Where was all this raising Kaine taking
place, you ask? East of the River, or as its
slowly being rebranded, River East.
Inhabitants of this last bastion of truly
affordable housing have been Feeling the
Bern for years as the media and non-residents continue to refer to neighborhoods
with as many as 40 different monikers as
Anacostia. In reality, each neighborhood
in Ward 7 and 8 that lies east of Capitol
Hill has its own distinct characteristics;
Anacostia is but one of them.
Deanwood, located in D.C.s Northeast
quadrant and served by three Metro stations, features homes built by AfricanAmerican architects W. Sidney Pittman
and Howard D. Woodson. According to
the Metropolitan Regional Information

System (MRIS), 126 homes have changed


hands there this year, including an expanded and renovated detached home
that raised investors eyebrows and
sellers expectations when it sold for
$455,000.
In the southeast quadrant of Ward 7
you will find several neighborhoods that
were invested in heavily by newspaper
publisher and real estate developer Colonel Arthur E. Randle during the late 19th
and early 20th centuries.
With the completion of what is now
the John Phillip Sousa Bridge in the early
1890s, the stately homes that were being
built along Pennsylvania Avenue became
more accessible. One of the most prominent homes The Arthur Randle Mansion
is an expansive, Greek Revival-style residence that has come to be known as The
Southeast White House.
Local real estate agents will tell you
that in the residential, tree-lined neighborhood of Hillcrest you can get the architecture and quality of a Chevy Chase
home with a plus-sized yard for a third
the price.
Homes sold in Hillcrest so far this year
number 63 and range from a two-bedroom bank-owned condominium with a
sale price of $67,000 to $585,000 for an
eight-year-old, five-bedroom detached,
brick home with a two-car garage and a
contemporary interior.
Randle Heights offers some of the lowest and the highest prices in the area, due
in part to the development of Woodmont
Place, where newly built detached homes
have sold for as much as $512,000. Of

the 37 homes sold in 2016, some lucky


investor saved a few Pence by snagging
a bank-owned condominium for a pursepleasing price of $23,000.
You might be tempted to think that Barry Farm in Ward 8 was named for the late
Mayor Marion Barry but youd be wrong.
In 1867, David and Julia Barry sold their
375-acre farm to the Freedmens Bureau,
which subdivided the land and sold oneacre lots to freed slaves and free-born African Americans who built homes there.
Colonel Randle also made his mark on
Congress Heights, which spans parts of
the Southeast and Southwest quadrants
of D.C. With a new Metro stop and fastpaced sales, this area Trumps most other neighborhoods with 74 homes sold,
ranging from $40,000 for a one-bedroom
condominium to $420,000 for a four-bedroom, three-bath, detached home.
And lest we forget, there really is an
Anacostia; its name an anglicized version
of its original inhabitants, Nacochtank Native Americans. Initially called Uniontown,

it was one of the first suburbs of D.C.


In addition to its Victorian and Art Deco
architecture, the redevelopment of the
west wing of nearby St. Elizabeths hospital will draw new residents to the area
when it becomes the headquarters of the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative will
infuse the area with parks, recreation,
shops and eateries to supplement the
cultural resources that already exist, such
as the Washington Improv Theater and
the Anacostia Arts Center, so if youve
been Biden your time wondering where
you can get the best house for the money, heres my advice:
Start Cruzing around River East to find
your new home before you get priced out
of the market and find yourself between
Barack and a hard place.
Valerie M. Blake can be reached at 202-2468602 or Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com. Each
Keller Williams Realty office is independently
owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

SIMPLE
AFFORDABLE
PROVEN RESULTS
CALL TODAY TOPLACE YOUR AD

202.747.2077

DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES


Top 1% Nationwide
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4 4 J ULY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

Move Into a Brand New Townhome for

1,690.85/MONTH* & $1,250.00* DOWN!

Admirals Landing Garage Townhomes in Dundalk


WHY RENT WHEN YOU
CAN OWN?
With these incentives* theres
no better time to buy a
gorgeous townhome. Invest in
your future, build equity and
enjoy the benets of being a
homeowner, all with a
low-maintenance lifestyle.

ADMIRALS LANDING DUNDALK, MD


3-story garage townhomes from the mid $200s
3 BR & 2.5 BA 1,915 sq. ft. Expansive open oor plans & high ceilings Extensive closet space Fully equipped kitchens Finished recreation rooms
Right o I-695, I-95 & I-97 Convenient to the Inner Harbor & Canton Near ne dining, shopping, entertainment & waterfront recreation
Steps to Chesapeake Waterways & North Point Park

OPEN MONDAY, 2 - 6 PM. TUESDAY - SUNDAY, 10 AM - 6 PM. BROKERS WARMLY WELCOMED.


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CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION (301) 683-6419


SEE HOME DESIGNS & MORE khov.com/AdmiralsLanding

Many Desired Options are Included!


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*Based on Sales Price of $249,990, a Loan Amount of $245,461, with a 30-year xed rate of 3.625% (4.742% APR) @ $1,690.85/month PITI (taxes & insurance are estimated). Minimum FICO 660 and 3.5% down payment from a combination of
borrowers funds and down payment assistance from MMP / CDA program (FHA nancing). Must be a rst-time homebuyer purchasing a primary residence. Available only for closed purchase agreements with nancing through Apex Home
Loans, Inc. (Apex NMLS #2884/MD License #4989, for more information reference www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Seller contribution limits apply and closing costs assistance may not exceed 6% of the sales price subject to nal negotiation of
contract terms and is subject to all RESPA guidelines. All loans are subject to qualication, credit approval, income verication and collateral evaluation. Interest rate quoted is not guaranteed and is subject to market conditions and the market
may change or be cancelled without prior notice. Available on select homesites only. See Sales Consultant for details. Prices, terms, features, incentives and savings subject to change without notice. See Sales Consultant for details. Permission
has been granted to use Apex Home Loans, Inc. name and logo on marketing materials by Judy Blank, Chief Compliance Ocer, 3204 Tower Oaks Blvd., Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20852, (301) 610-9600. We are pledged to the letter and spirit
of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We encourage and support an armative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color,
religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. MHBR #3149, 6943.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 4 5

Twice as nice

At the Delaware Shore

Dont Miss These Two Great Delaware Beach Properties!


40 Fillingame
Rehoboth Beach, DE

$1,188,000

Nestled in the back of one of the Delaware beaches


most sought after communities, Canal Corkran, this
5BR/4BA Southern Delaware contemporary features
a chefs kitchen, large stone fireplace in the family
room for warmth and conversation, 1st floor master
and full bath, full basement and a private fenced rear
yard with enough room for a small pool. Contact
Henry McKay at (302) 381-5039 (cell) or
henry@rehobothdreamhomes.com
for
more
information. MLS# 705431

$484,850

1609 Coastal, Unit s-404


The Opal, Dewey Beach, DE
This 2BR/2BA condo comes furnished with
televisions in each bedroom and a 60plasma TV in
the living room. Jump in the community pool or
walk out your door and be five minutes away from
the bay or Dewey Beach! The Jolly Trolley takes you
further into Rehoboth Beach to enjoy shopping,
dining or the boardwalk. BIG BONUS: TWO
COVERED PARKING SPOTS! Enjoy as your own
beach home or rent for the season. Currently
producing income for its owners. For more
information, call Henry McKay at (302) 381-5039
(cell)
or
henry@rehobothdreamhomes.com.
MLS# 701714

Jack Lingo, Inc. REALTOR | 246 Rehoboth Ave. Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 | (302) 227-3883

DEADLINES

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- Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received
By Mondays at 5PM
So They Can Be Included
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4 6 j uly 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

EMPLOYMENT
Interior Designers

Interior Designers needed for


premier contract furniture dedaler
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MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
ROSSLYN. Certified
massage therapist
available in Arlington
Sun-Tues. DC apps
available Wed, Fri, Sat.
Call or text Garyat 301704-1158 or visit http://
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BEST MASSAGE by male
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right off I-395. Days/Eve/
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Hotels welcome. Call
Marval (703) 568-6348.

BODY & SOUL


CHANGES IN BODY,
MIND & SPIRIT

Changing behaviors can be


difficult. Hypnosis can help you at a
subconscious level. Call the American
Wellness Institute for your free
consultation 202-544-5688.

COUNSELING
LGBTQ AFFIRMING THERAPY at
Dupont Circle 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 w/
volunteer peer counselor. Gay Mens
Counseling Community since 1973.
202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling.
org. No fees, donation requested.
TELLEM YOU saw their ad in the
Blade classifieds!

LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS


NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay mens
naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring
Locker Room Attendants. We all
scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You
must be physically able to handle the
work & have a great attitude doing
it. No drunks/druggies need apply.
Please call Richard at (202) 319-1333.
from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

LEGAL SERVICES
ADOPTION & ASSISTED
REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer
Fairfax represents clients in DC, MD
& VA. interested in adoption or ART
matters.301-221-9651,JFairfax@
jenniferfairfax.com.
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM
Representing the GLBT community
for over 35 years. Family adoptions,
estate planning, immigration,
employment. (301) 891-2200.Silber,
Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.
SP-Law. com.

LIMOUSINES / DRIVERS
KASPERS LIVERY SERVICE
BMW 2016 750XI Luxury Sedan
Service; Hourly, Point to Point &
Special Airport Transfer Rates!
Gay & Veteran Owned!
http://www.KasperLivery.com
Phone 202-554-2471.

PHOTOGRAPHY
STEVE OTOOLE
PHOTOGRAPHY Fine
Art Photographer for
Portraits & Weddings.
Check out my new
website - www.
steveotoolephotography.
com. Specializing in
Bears & Big men.
Steve 703-861-4422.

CLEANING
FERNANDOS CLEANING:
Residential & Commercial Cleaning,
Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates,
Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out.
(202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183.

MAID TO CLEAN Gay owned,


awesome, trustworthy & reliable!
Serving the DC/VA area. Mention
this ad for $50 off. Maidtoclean.com.
(703) 299-0101.

DEMOLITION
Duncan Demolition Hauling
Company Serving the DC area since
1985. We get your renovations
contractor ready, from a kitchen
to the entire house. We pull your
permits and supply the dumpsters.
We also haul away all of your
unwanted stuff and construction
debris.We also work well with
contractor. Ask for Anthony
(202)635-7860.

HOME IMPROVEMENT
GIL PAINTING Co. Bonded,
Licensed & Insured. Interior/
Exterior Painting. Plaster & Dry
Wall. Wallpaper Removal, Power
Washing. Carpentry. Roofing &
Remodeling. www.Gilpainting.
Com.Walter (301) 370-9940
Gilpainting@Comcast.Net.
PATRICKS KITCHEN REMODELING 20
years experience, from top of the line
to affordable. Email pmcnulty2010@
hotmail.com, 202 909-5840.

MOVERS
OUR GUYS AROUND TOWN
MOVERS. Professional Moving &
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Call today 202.734.3080. www.
ourguysatmovers.com.
TELLEM YOU saw their ad in the
Blade classifieds!

PAINTERS
FINESSE INTERIOR/
EXTERIOR PAINTING.
Chalkboard & Dry Erase
paint. Wood Staining.
Plaster Repairs. Pressure
Cleaning. Free Estimates.
Elmer 240-462-3760.

TREE SERVICE
BRANCHES TREE EXPERT Company.
Full service certified arborists,
pruning, insect & disease diagnosis,
treatment & removal. 301-589-6181.
www.BranchesTreeExperts.com.
Angies List Award Winner 09, 10,
11, 12.

SHARE / DC
CAPITOL HILL semi-furnished
rooms for rent in well appointed
townhome. 2 1/2 blocks from Eastern
Market Metro. Finished single BR for
$945+ utilities. Available immediately.
Call 202-544-5688.

W A SH I N G T O N BL A D E . CO M
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Private Bath en Suite with guest
room. Cable, WiFi, Utilities, Maid,
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Garden & Outdoor areas to enjoy.
Call Bruce (202) 488-4888.

SALE / MD
CALVERT COUNTY.OPEN
SUN 1-3 PM 4950 Hardesty
Road, Huntingtown, MD.
Gorgeous contemporary
with 3 BR/2BA, 5 acres,
secluded and quiet. 45
min to DC/VA. $499,999.
Jeannine Wayson,
Coldwell Banker.Office
410.224.220 Direct
410.562.3178.

SALE / VA
RELAX & ENJOY COLONIAL
BEACH VA Monroe Bay a
Boaters prime location.
Custom Victorian
Waterfront charmer
features a full front
porch, hdwd floors, 1-car
gar, sunroom, private
dock with 2 lifts and 4.5
ft MLT. conveys with 3+
BRs, 3.5 BAs & waterfront
views. Professionally
landscaped. Possible
owner financing may be
avail. By Appt. Call or
text Bob Swink (Broker)
804-761-0500. Colonial
Beach Real Estate, 501
Washington Ave, 22443.
www.bobswink.com.
TELLEM YOU saw their ad in the
Blade classifieds!

WOMENS PERSONALS
GWF, SOFT BUTCH, attractive,
blue eyes, brown hair. I walk three
miles every day. I like movies, music,
playing cards, tv & pizza. ISO GWF
attractive, feminine, for friendship &
a long term relationship. If you are
interested, call Debbie 703-368-3618.

SHARE ADS
ARE FREE

Place your
housing to share
ad online at
washingtonblade.com
and the ad prints free in
the paper and online.*
*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

TOP RATED MASSEUR Custom


bodywork! Exceptional deep tissue
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texts! Intro Special $99.00.
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com. Silver Spring, Appt
301-785-4181, call /text or
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MENS PERSONALS
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J U LY 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 4 7

4 to 8pm every Saturday @ the houSe Beer $5 / door $10 35350 GeorGia ave NW

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A D V E RT I S I N G
PROOF #1

ISSUE DATE: 07.29.16

REVISIONS
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