JUNE 10, 2016 volume 47 issue 24 Americas LGBT News Source washingtonblade.

com

Full coverage of
Capital Pride
begins on Page 31

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Comings & Goings

McCabes new PR shop; Washington lands consulting gig
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
The Comings and 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 at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

Congratulations to Patrick McCabe on opening his new

public relations agency, McCabe Message Partners. Its focus
is health and the issues that aect it. McCabe, an expert
in healthcare communications, co-founded GYMR Public
Relations, which closed May 31 after 18 years.
When announcing the new rm, he reported all of his more
than three-dozen clients from GYMR have signed on with the
new agency and his entire team of 20 joined him in launching
the new venture. McCabe said, We help clients talk about
health plain and simple whether its how policies aect it,
how care is provided and paid for, or how the health of people
and communities can be improved.
PATRICK MCCABE
McCabe Message Partners provides a wide range of
communications services including media relations, message
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCCABE
development and testing, strategic communications planning,
tailored outreach to inuential policymaker and stakeholder
communities, orchestrating meetings and events, and other services.
The team helps lead communications for the awardwinning Choosing Wisely campaign, in which more than 70
healthcare provider organizations identied common medical
tests and procedures they say are overused and should be
questioned. The team also leads communications for a series
of more than 100 inuential health policy briefs developed by
researchers at The Urban Institute and funded by the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation.
For nearly three decades, McCabe has designed successful,
aordable strategies that reach policymakers, consumers,
STERLING WASHINGTON
healthcare providers, educators and minority populations.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON
His work on the importance of aordable, accessible health
insurance, for example, resulted in coverage in all of the
nations top 100 newspapers and every network news
program. He has been published numerous times on topics including crisis management,
user-tested message development, strategic communications planning, media relations and
training, increasing communications capacity for nonprots and others.
Prior to co-founding GYMR Public Relations, he was a vice president at Fleishman Hillard; a
lobbyist and spokesperson for a health-related trade association; and journalist in metropolitan
Washington, D.C. McCabe graduated with high honors from the University of Notre Dame.
Congratulations also to Sterling Washington who added another consulting position to his
resume. His new role is as a consultant and personal stylist for J. Hilburn Custom Menswear.
The company was started by two young Wall Street executives, who said, We studied the mens
luxury market and saw that nobody was delivering quality custom clothing and personal service
at a price that didnt break the bank. So we set our vision, and J.Hilburn was born.
Washington is currently doing consulting in several dierent areas. He is an editor and writer.
Many in D.C. know him from whenhe served as Mayor Vincent Grays director of the Oce of Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Aairs. While there, his accomplishments included: training
more than 40 percent of District government employees in LGBT cultural competency as well as
numerous federal government employees and sta at several local long-term care facilities; and
coordinating a multi-agency working group that successfully barred discrimination by health
insurance companies on the basis of gender identity and expression.
Washingtons background includes serving as resource and grant development manager
for the Center for Black Equity; working on grants, newsletters and community relations at
US Helping US; serving as a presidential appointee in the White House during the Clinton
administration rst as Special Assistant to the Director, Oce of Administration and later as
the Information Technology Management Team Coordinator. He has a bachelors degree in
political science from the George Washington University, and a bachelors degree in music
history from Howard University where he also led the Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Organization
of Students at Howard.

LO CA L N E W S

Grimm case could be

headed for Supreme Court
A Virginia school district this week said it plans to ask the U.S. Supreme
Court to review a federal appeals courts ruling in favor of a transgender
student who is challenging its bathroom policy.
The Gloucester County School Board said in a statement that its
solution of providing three single stall unisex restrooms that anyone
could use was a practical, nondiscriminatory answer that met everyones
interests and properly balanced the needs of transgender students with
other students right to bodily privacy.
As such, the School Board intends to le a petition with the Supreme
Court for a writ of certiorari, it said.
Gavin Grimm, who is a junior at Gloucester County High School,
alleges in a federal lawsuit he led against the Gloucester County School
Board that its policy barring him from using the boys restroom or locker
room because they are not consistent with his biological gender is
unconstitutional under the 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause
and violates Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972.
A three-judge panel in April ruled in favor of Grimm. The full 4th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals late last month denied the Gloucester County
School Boards motion to reconsider its ruling.
The 4th Circuit on Tuesday stayed its ruling until the U.S. Supreme
Court decides whether to hear Grimms case.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Bowser kicks off June Housing Bloom

Mayor Muriel Bowser has kicked o the June Housing Bloom, a
month-long eort to highlight partnerships between the public and
private sectors to produce aordable housing and revitalize city
neighborhoods.
As part of the eort, the D.C. Dept. of Housing and Community
Development is looking for rms to assist in redeveloping 25 city-owned
properties in Wards 4, 5, 7 and 8. The goal is to build projects that promote
vibrant, walkable, mixed-use and mixed-income neighborhoods, and
combat blight in the District, according to a release.
Since day one, my administration has been working hard to give every
Washingtonian a fair shot. That includes giving residents access to safe
and aordable housing, no matter their zip code, said Mayor Bowser in
a statement. June Housing Bloom will highlight the important work we
are doing to expand aordable housing in our city, spur development in
underserved communities, and ensure residents of all backgrounds can
continue to call the District home.
Several related events will be held in June, including the eighth annual
DC Housing Expo and Home Show, co-hosted by the Greater Washington
Urban League, on June 11.
For details on the properties and other June Housing Bloom events,
visit: dhcd.dc.gov/2016junehousingbloom.
STAFF REPORTS

Gay Mens Chorus heads to N.C.

The Gay Mens Chorus of Washington is traveling to Raleigh, N.C., on
Saturday, June 18 to support the transgender community there and to
protest HB2, the law that bars trans people from using the restroom
consistent with their gender identity.
About 80 members of the Chorus will sing several pop-up concerts,
including in front of the governors mansion, at the State Capitol, and at
Logans One Stop Shop/Trading Center. Joining them will be members
of the Triangle Gay Mens Chorus of Raleigh, and members of the Triad
Pride Mens Chorus of Greensboro, N.C.
We are eager to show our support for the transgender community in
North Carolina and raise our voice for LGBT awareness, said Thea Kano,
artistic director of the Gay Mens Chorus of Washington.
William Southerland, artistic director of Triad Pride Mens Chorus,
said, the local group appreciates the support in overcoming the recent
legislation.
STAFF REPORTS

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

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LO CA L N E W S

Gay candidate 2nd in fundraising for D.C. Council race

Many prominent
LGBT activists backing
rivals campaign
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Although
gay
former
Advisory
Neighborhood
Commissioner
David
Garber has impressed political observers
with the campaign funds he has raised
as a political newcomer, many of the
citys prominent LGBT activists are
backing rival candidate Robert White in
the hotly contested race for the at-large
D.C. Council seat in the citys June 14
Democratic primary.
Garber and White are challenging
incumbent Vincent Orange, who is seeking
re-election to the Council two years after he
received just 2 percent of the citywide vote
in his unsuccessful race for mayor.
Despite that poor showing, Orange is
considered the frontrunner in the race
based on his previous election to two
terms on the Council from Ward 5 and his
two victories for the at-large seat, one in
a special election in 2011 to ll a vacancy
and the other in the regular election in
2012. The Washington Post has endorsed
Oranges current re-election bid, calling
him a moderating force on the Council
and a stalwart of school reform and a
voice for small business.
All three candidates have expressed
strong support for LGBT rights. Orange,
who denounced same-sex marriage
as immoral in 2006 during another
unsuccessful run for mayor, insists he has
changed his position and has become a
strong advocate for marriage equality.
Garber and White have criticized him for
his 2006 position during candidate forums.
According to reports led with the
D.C. Oce of Campaign Finance, Orange
raised a total of $221,465 for his reelection campaign as of March 10, the
most recent campaign reporting period.
Garber came in second place in total
money raised, with $120,483 as of the
same March 10 reporting date.
White, an attorney and former
community outreach director for D.C.
Attorney General Karl Racine, raised a
total of $91,025 as of that date, according
to the nance report he led.
The next candidate nance reports for
the June 14 primary are due on June 10.
Two years after two gay longtime
members left the Council David Catania
(I-At-Large) and Jim Graham (D-Ward
1) Garbers candidacy doesnt appear
to be resonating in LGBT activist circles,
according to activists following the election.
Rick Rosendall, president of the
nonpartisan Gay and Lesbian Activists
Alliance, which rates candidates on their

DAVID GARBER has impressed political

observers with the campaign funds he has
raised as a political newcomer.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

records and positions on LGBT issues, said

the city has evolved to the point where
nearly all of the 13 Council members are
strong LGBT community allies.
Rosendall and other activists have
noted that virtually all candidates for
public oce in the city in recent years
that have any chance of winning have
been supporters of LGBT equality.
Our communitys political inuence
eectively gives us a seat at the table
regardless of the orientation or identity of
those on the Council dais and that has been
true here for a long time, Rosendall said.
David Garber turned in a strong GLAA
questionnaire, but has a limited record on
our issues, said Rosendall. Robert White
is a proven ally, and that is reected in his
strong LGBT support. That is a sign of our
political maturity.
To some degree, the at-large Council
race has been overshadowed by D.C.s
Democratic presidential primary contest
on June 14 in which former Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton is being challenged
by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the
nations last presidential primary.
Also drawing considerable attention is
former D.C. Mayor Vincent Grays decision
to make a political comeback by running
against incumbent Ward 7 Council
member Yvette Alexander for the seat he
once held before becoming mayor.
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club,
the citys largest local LGBT political
group, has endorsed Clinton and Gray. It
has also endorsed the re-election races of
Council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 2),
whos running unopposed in the primary;
Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4), and LaRuby
May (D-Ward 8), all of whom have strong
records of support on LGBT issues.
D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor
Holmes Norton (D) and D.C. Shadow Rep.
Franklin Garcia, who are also running
unopposed in the primary, won the Stein
Clubs endorsement during a candidate
forum earlier this year. LGBT activists

consider Norton a champion for LGBT

rights in the U.S. Congress. Garcia, who
is running for a second term as shadow
House member, has been an outspoken
advocate for LGBT-related issues.
Jack Jacobson, the citys only current
openly gay elected ocial, is running for
re-election for the Ward 2 seat on the
D.C. Board of Education. Because school
board positions have been designated as
nonpartisan, Jacobson wont be on the
ballot until the citys November general
election. So far, no one has surfaced to
run against him.
The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a
national organization that raises money
to support openly LGBT people running
for public oce, has endorsed Jacobsons
re-election bid.
But in a development that has raised
eyebrows among some LGBT activists,
the Victory Fund has not endorsed Garber
for the at-large Council seat. The group
never comments on candidates it does
not endorse, nor does it give a reason
for not endorsing a candidate. However,
Victory Fund ocials have said in the past
that a key criterion for its endorsement is a
demonstration of viability by a candidate.
Garber and his supporters have argued
that his demonstrated fundraising ability,
his long record of civic involvement
in the city in three wards, and his role
as an elected Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioner in the rapidly developing
neighborhood surrounding Nationals
Park indicate he is a viable candidate.
Garber notes on his campaign website
that his background in real estate and
development and his work as a substitute
teacher in the D.C. public schools
have also prepared him to become an
advocate on the Council for education
and improved schools. His website also
includes detailed policy statements on a
wide range of issues, including the use
of new media and technology to advance
city programs.
At a Stein Club candidate endorsement
forum in April, Garber received just
two votes from club members. Orange
received 44 votes, with White coming
in second place with 37 votes. Under a
club rule requiring a 60 percent vote of
support for an endorsement, the club
was unable to make an endorsement in
the at-large race.
Stein Club President Earl Fowlkes said
Stein members and most likely LGBT
voters in general appear to be dividing
their support between White and Orange,
despite Oranges previous record of
opposing marriage equality.
White, however, has released a list
of endorsements by many of the citys
most prominent LGBT activists. Among
them are former Stein Club President
Lateefah Williams, gay Latino activist Jose

Gutierrez, longtime transgender activist

Jeri Hughes, and LGBT seniors advocate
Imani Woody.
At an LGBT meet-and-greet reception
organized by Whites campaign in April,
nearly 100 mostly LGBT people packed
a second oor meeting room at the
Prospect restaurant on U Street, N.W. to
listen to White speak about his views on
LGBT issues.
White, who also has a long record of
civic activism across the city, has been
endorsed by Racine and Council member
Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3).
Other LGBT activists, including gay ANC
commissioners Alex Padro and Lee Brian
Reba and gay activists Alex Morash and
Michael Williams have endorsed Orange.
The Garber campaign has not released a list
of LGBT endorsees. The one known prominent
LGBT person supporting his campaign is Bob
Summersgill, former president of the Gay
and Lesbian Activists Alliance, who serves as
Garbers campaign treasurer.
In its candidate ratings this year, GLAA
gave White a +8.5 rating compared to a
+6.5 rating for Garber and a +4 rating for
Orange. GLAA rates on a scale of +10,
the highest possible rating, to a -10, the
lowest rating indicating a candidate is
hostile to LGBT rights.
In a statement accompanying its
ratings, GLAA said Garber agreed with
GLAA on all issues and showed good
substance in his responses to a GLAA
questionnaire on LGBT and some nonLGBT related issues.
White, who worked for Nortons
congressional oce before joining
the sta of Attorney General Racine,
oered impressive substance in his
questionnaire responses and has a
demonstrated record of support on LGBT
issues in his work with Norton and Racine,
GLAA said in its statement.
GLAA
said
Orange
showed
improvement in his questionnaire
responses and his Council record on LGBT
issues, prompting the group to raise his
rating from +0.5 at the time he ran for the
at-large seat in 2012 to his current rating
of +4. He oered no substance on his
questionnaire responses but has been
an ally on the Council in recent years on
LGBT issues, GLAA said.
GLAA gave Gray a perfect +10 rating in
the Ward 7 Council race, citing what the
group said is Grays reputation as the
citys most LGBT-supportive mayor based
on his extensive record of LGBT-related
initiatives and polices.
The group gave Alexander a +5.5 rating,
saying she oered limited substance in
her questionnaire responses but provided
signicant support for LGBT-related
legislation during the past several years.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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NATIONAL NEWS

GetEQUAL co-director to step down

WASHINGTON The co-director of
GetEQUAL announced on June 7 that
she would leave the organization in
September.
As I reect on my work with
GetEQUAL and what I was feeling
when I began that work exactly six
years ago today, I know without a
doubt that its time for a new leader
to come into this network and shake
things up, wrote Heather Cronk on
the organizations website. The past
HEATHER CRONK plans to step down
six years have been lled with ups and
after six years with GetEqual.
downs, wins and losses, and loads of
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
lessons.
Ive done some things right and a
lot of things wrong, but the movement
has without a doubt changed substantially from the movement I walked
into on my rst day of work with GetEQUAL, she added.
Cronk joined GetEQUAL in 2010.
She noted the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell and President Obamas
executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against their
LGBT employees as among the issues on which GetEQUAL worked during
her tenure. Cronk cited violence against transgender women of color and the
corporatization of Pride celebrations as among the work left to do.

Mass. House approves trans rights bill

BOSTON The Massachusetts House of Representatives on June 1 approved
a bill that would ban discrimination based on gender identity in public
accommodations.
House Bill 735 which would expand a 2011 law that prohibits antitransgender discrimination in employment and housing passed by 116-36
vote margin. The Massachusetts Senateapprovedan identical bill last month.
Today, Massachusetts has bucked a national trend of legislative attacks
against the transgender community and oered a simple but powerful
acknowledgement to transgender young people, adults and our families: That
we are human beings, worthy of respect and deserving of equal protection
under law, said Casey Suredini, co-chair of Freedom Massachusetts, a group
that campaigned in support of the measure.
Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of the Boston Alliance of GLBT Youth,
which serves young people in the Boston metropolitan area, also applauded HB
735s passage.
This was truly a historic day, she wrote onher Facebook page.
Eighteen states and D.C. ban anti-trans discrimination in employment, housing
and public accommodations.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker told the Boston Globe earlier this week that
he would sign the trans rights bill.His comments come less than a month after
the Justice Department led a civil rights lawsuit against North Carolina over its
controversial law that bans trans people from using public restrooms consistent
with their gender identity and prohibits local municipalities from enacting LGBTinclusive nondiscrimination ordinances.

HRC adopts LGBTQ acronym

WASHINGTON The Human Rights Campaign announced on June 3 that it
has ocially adopted the LGBTQ acronym.
The organization noted in a press release that it has been using the Q in
much of our work for years.
HRC has now ocially embraced the words positive evolution, joining other
advocates, supporters and new-generation activists who are taking back queer
from those who still seek to use it as a slur, it said.
GLAD, the New England-based LGBT legal advocacy group, announced earlier
this year that it has changed its name to GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders.
The National LGBTQ Task Force and PFLAG have also changed their names in an
attempt to become more inclusive.

HILLARY CLINTON has the delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Clinton wraps
up nomination
Historic week after big wins,
but Sanders presses on
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
Hillary Clinton claimed on Tuesday
evening the mantle of the Democratic
presidential
nomination
after
a
tumultuous primary season, making her
the rst woman presidential nominee of
a major U.S. political party.
During a speech in Brooklyn, N.Y.,
Clinton declared herself the winner of the
Democratic presidential primary in the
aftermath of reports she has secured the
magic number of 2,383 delegates to win
the nomination over her rival Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-Vt.).
It may be hard to see tonight, but we
are all standing under a glass ceiling right
now, Clinton said. But dont worry, were
not smashing this one. Thanks to you,
weve reached a milestone: The rst time
in the nations history that a woman will
be a major partys nominee for president
of the United States.
With the show apparently over for
Sanders, Clinton thanked the candidate
for his campaign and said it was very good
for the Democratic Party and for America.
This has been a hard-fought,
deeply felt campaign, but whether you
supported me, or Sen. Sanders, or one
of the Republicans, we all need to keep
working toward a better, fairer, stronger
America, Clinton said. Now, I know, it
never feels good to put your heart into a
cause, or a candidate, you believe in, and
to come up short. I know that feeling well.
But as we look ahead to the battle that
awaits, lets remember all that unites us.
Explaining the focus of her campaign,
which includes an improved economy
and reducing income inequality, Clinton
also made a reference to her opposition
to anti-LGBT discrimination.

We teach our children that this is one

nation, under God, indivisible with liberty
and justice for all, not just for people who
look a certain way, or worship a certain way
or love a certain way, for all, Clinton said.
Moving onto the general election,
Clinton drew a contrast between herself
and presumptive Republican nominee
Donald Trump, saying her supporters
believe bridges are better than walls.
Hes not just trying to build a wall
between America and Mexico, Clinton
said. Hes trying to wall o Americans
from each other. When he says lets make
America great again, thats code for lets
take America backwards.
Clinton claimed the nomination as
voters in six states headed to the polls
California, New Jersey, New Mexico, North
Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.
Clinton had secured a majority of the vote
in New Mexico, South Dakota and New
Jersey, but Sanders had wins in Montana
and North Dakota. The biggest prize is
California, which awards a whopping 475
delegates. With 94 percent of precincts
reporting, Clinton led 56-43 percent, a solid
win in a state where Sanders campaigned
hard and polls showed a much closer race.
In a speech early Wednesday in Santa
Monica, Calif, as the results in the state
continued to roll in, Sanders showed
no signs on backing down, pledging to
continue the ght through the D.C. primary
and the convention in Philadelphia.
We understand that our mission is
more than just defeating Trump, it is
transforming our country, Sanders said.
Meanwhile, Trump, whos embattled over
comments he made about the ethnicity of a
U.S. judge of Mexican descent, was ery as
election results rolled in.
Im going to be Americas champion,
Trump said. Because you see, this election
isnt about Republican or Democrat, its
about who runs this country. The special
interests or the people, and I mean,
American people.

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

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NATIONAL NEWS

One year later, Obergefell on joy of marriage ruling

Celebrations tempered
by anti-LGBT backlash,
GOP opposition
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
The one-year anniversary of the U.S.
Supreme Court ruling in favor of samesex marriage is fast approaching, and the
lead plainti inthe litigation responsible
for the decision said he still sees the joy it
brought to LGBT people everywhere.
Jim Obergefell was lead plainti in the
Obergefell v. Hodges decision handed down
on June 26, 2015, which he recognized in an
interview this week with the Washington
Blade for its lasting impact.
I think for the LGBTQ community, it
was such a momentous step forward and
the thing that I have loved over the past
year is just how much joy I see in peoples
faces when they talk about having gotten
married, or they talk about people they
care about or love whove gotten married,
Obergefell said. And I just see more
optimism within the LGBTQ community.
But at the same time, Obergefell said
the year that followed the ruling yielded
backlash, recalling eorts by state
legislatures to pass religious freedom
laws to undermine the decision and
Republican
presidential
candidates
railing against it.
We all expected that there would be
some pushback to the ruling; I just dont
think any of us ever expected it to be
as vicious as it is, Obergefell said. And
thats been incredibly disappointing and
disheartening to realize just how much
hatred is still out there in our country
directed toward our community. So,
its been a year of absolute celebration
and love tempered with just the reemergence of hatred, and the fact
that our transgender community has
been targeted so terribly. Its really just
disheartening and sad.
Obergefells story has become well
known. As his partner John Arthur was
battling Lou Gehrigs disease, the couple
ew from Ohio to Maryland and married
on the tarmac at BWI Airport before
immediately returning home. When
the couple discovered Ohio wouldnt
recognize Obergefell as a spouse on
Arthurs death certicate, they led a
federal lawsuit seeking recognition of their
marriage. Arthur died before the Supreme
Court decision upholding recognition of
the couples marriage was handed down.
On June 26, 2015, U.S. Associate
Justice Anthony Kennedy read from the
bench at the U.S. Supreme Court the
decision arming Obergefells marriage
and guaranteeing the right of same-sex
couples to marry throughout the country.

Obergefell v. Hodges lead plainti JAMES OBERGEFELL (left) reected this week on the year
since the Supreme Courts marriage ruling.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

No union is more profound than

marriage, for it embodies the highest
ideals of love, delity, devotion, sacrice
and family, Kennedy wrote. In forming
a marital union, two people become
something greater than once they were.
As some of the petitioners in these cases
demonstrate, marriage embodies a love
that may endure even past death.
With great detail, Obergefell recalled
how he came to discover the decision
at the Supreme Court. Through the
month of June, he said he was in D.C.
each day at the courthouse so he could
be present when justices delivered the
decision in the marriage case.
On Monday during the week of June 22,
he remembered the court added June 26
as a decision day, which he said made him
think the marriage ruling would happen
that Friday as opposed to the next week
as he earlier predicted.
I was in D.C. and got to the courthouse
early that morning and took my place in
line and from the moment I got there that
morning, things were dierent, Obergefell
said. The attitude of everyone around the
courthouse seemed lighter, seemed more
optimistic than previous days.
When police ocers started handing
out tickets to enter the courtroom,
Obergefell noticed something dierent
from the time of oral arguments and
earlier decision days. Instead of being
bright orange as they had been in the
past, the tickets were lavender, which he
took as a positive sign.
After the entering the courtroom,
Obergefell recalled nearly jumping out of his
seat when, after the buzzer rang, Chief Justice
John Roberts announced Kennedy would
read the decision in the marriage case.
I was sitting between two friends, and
I grabbed both of their hands and just
started squeezing and listened to Justice
Kennedy, Obergefell said. And as he was
reading the rst sentence or so, I thought

we won, then a little bit more, I thought I

think we won but Im not sure, and then
it sunk it then we actually had won, and
I just burst into tears and so many other
people around the courtroom were. You
could hear it, you could see it, and it was
just this beautiful moment of feeling
more like an America, more equal, more
part of our country.
Attempting to join along with his
attorney and fellow plaintis the
celebration outside the Supreme Court,
Obergefell recalled trying to get out of
the main entrance, but being blocked
by police, who said they couldnt leave
there because the crowd outside pushed
past the barrier in celebration. Instead,
they exited from a side door and crossed
to the front of the building.
As we were walking, the crowd parted
like the Red Sea, Obergefell said. Its the
only thing I can come up with to explain
what it was like. But the crowd just
parted and walking through the crowd
and seeing the tears and the smiles
and hearing the cheers. It was such an
amazing experience to feel the incredible
sense of joy on that plaza.
It was a whirlwind day for Obergefell,
as he spoke to onlookers at the Supreme
Court, then received a phone call from
President
Obama
and
conducted
interviews with the mediabefore heading
to Reagan National Airport to catch a
ight to Ohio.
But that evening, Obergefell said his
experience was dierent from that of
many same-sex couples celebrating
everywhere and, in D.C., having their
photos taken outside the rainbow-lit
White House.
I spent my decision day sitting in the
airport because my ight was delayed,
delayed, delayed and nally cancelled
about 1 a.m., Obergefell said. I wasnt
able to really take part in the celebrations
that were going on that night. When

I meet people, so many times I hear

stories about how they were just out
having fun, celebrating, popping bottles
of Champagne that evening, and all I
can think of was I was sitting in Reagan
airport. It wasnt quite that fun.
Despite the cancelled ight, Obergefell
made it back to Ohio the next day for a
parade in his honor in which he said he
toured downtown Cincinnati crying the
entire way, being home and just seeing
that incredible sense of joy on the faces
of everyone who passed.
As the Obama administration comes
to a close, Obergefell said he absolutely
thinks the decision will be part of President
Obamas legacy even though similar
to Hillary Clinton he didnt support
marriage equality until recent years.
I always look at this way: When we
decide to come out, we hope that our
family and friends are supportive, and
we hope that they immediately say that,
You know what. We just want you to be
happy. Im good with this, Obergefell
said. Thats what we hope for. And it
doesnt always happen, but by coming
out and letting people know us, truly
know us, they change their minds. Thats
what happened with Hillary Clinton, thats
what happened with President Obama.
With June 26 the anniversary of
the marriage decision as well as the
anniversary of the 2013 decision against
the Defense of Marriage Act and the 2003
decision of Lawrence v. Texas, Obergefell
said he supportsthe idea of making that
date known as Equality Day.
Its hard not to think the day shouldnt
be marked in some way becausethree
vitally important rulings for LGBTQ
equality on that day, so I think it would be
great to have June 26 known as Equality
Day, Obergefell said.
Currently, Obergefell is on a tour to
promote Love Wins, a book he co-wrote
with Washington Post reporter Debbie
Cenziper about the marriage case. On
June 15, Obergefell will appear at an
event at the Smithsonian to promote the
book the day after its release.
Obergefell is also politically active
and has endorsed Hillary Clinton for
president, raising fears about the
prospect of President Donald Trump.
He hasnt been as overly critical
of us or overly oensive toward our
community, but he has made it clear that
he supports taking our right to marry
away, Obergefell said. So, he would not
be good for us, and unfortunately the
GOP in general isnt incredibly supportive
of our community either so personally
he isnt and the party isnt, so it would be
a sad day, in my opinion if a Republican
took the White House because then they
have the ability to nominate judges to the
Supreme Court. It scares me.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 4 J UNE 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

NATIONAL NEWS

Rep. King seeks to bar trans bathroom use in Capitol

Attorney General LORETTA LYNCH speaks at the Department of Justice Pride event on
June 7.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Lynch reects on LGBT progress at DOJ Pride

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch reected on progress made by the LGBT
community under the Obama administration Tuesday in a celebration at the
U.S. Justice Department observing June as Pride month.
Lynch made the remarks in the Great Hall before LGBT attorneys and law
enforcement ocials at an event coordinated by DOJ Pride, the LGBT anity
group for Justice Department employees.
Over the course of these last eight years, we have made once-unimaginable
progress on issues that have challenged our nation for decades and that have
been deeply felt for centuries by individual Americans who often suered in
silence, Lynch said. In ways large and small through the policies of this
administration, through the undertakings of this department and through the
actions of all of you here in this room today and across the country we have
bent the arc of the moral universe a little further toward justice.
Lynch enumerated advancements on LGBT rights under the Obama
administration, such as enactment of hate crimes legislation, Dont Ask, Dont
Tell repeal and U.S. Supreme Court rulings against the Defense of Marriage Act
and in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide.
The attorney general contributed to that list herself last month by ling a
lawsuit against North Carolinas anti-LGBT law, which prohibits cities from
enacting pro-LGBT non-discrimination ordinances and bars transgender people
from using the restroom in schools and government buildings consistent with
their gender identity.
Referencing the lawsuit against House Bill 2, Lynch said, In just the last few
weeks, we have stood side-by-side with the transgender community to demand
respect, to insist on dignity and to ensure that transgender individuals are able
to live the lives they were born to lead.
So here, in this place and at this time, let us celebrate these achievements
and express our own pride, Lynch said. Pride in this country for drawing closer
to the promise of equality and opportunity that was made at its founding more
than two centuries ago. Pride in this Department of Justice for being a part of an
extraordinary movement that has made its way from a bar in Greenwich Village
to the steps of the Supreme Court to a White House draped in the rainbow ag,
but most of all let us express our pride, admiration and gratitude for all of you
here today and in the LGBT community and its millions of allies who have spent
decades performing small acts of courage who stood up, came out and carried
on every day in the face of antagonism, in deance of threats and in pursuit of
the chance to live freely and without fear.
Shannon Minter, a transgender man and legal director for the National Center
for Lesbian Rights, delivered the keynote remarks at the event, recalling amid
anti-trans attacks the sense of hope he felt listening to Lynch announce the
Obama administration lawsuit against HB 2.
I literally felt my head lift, my back straighten, my spirit restored and my
sense of dignity as a human being return, Minter said. As she perfectly put it
that day, this issue is about a great deal more than just bathrooms. This is about
the dignity and respect for our fellow citizens.
Singing the National Anthem at the event was Rick Knight of the Gay Mens
Chorus of Washington, D.C. The Gerald B. Roemer Community Service Award
was presented to Minter and the James R. Douglass Award was presented to
Ashley Evans, an FBI intelligence analyst and chair of FBI Pride.
CHRIS JOHNSON

An Iowa Republican who has a reputation for being vehemently anti-LGBT has proposed
a measure that would eectively bar transgender people from using the restroom in the U.S.
Capitol consistent with their gender identity.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has proposed an amendment to the scal year 2017 legislative branch
appropriations bill that would prohibit the use of funds under the legislation for allowing any
individual to use any bathroom other than the bathroom of the individuals biological sex.
The measure would eectively bar transgender people from using the public restroom
consistent with their gender identity in the U.S. Capitol as well as the Library of Congress or the
House or Senate oce buildings.
The amendment is but one that King has proposed for the legislation. Others would bar the
hiring of undocumented immigrants, empower the Capitol Police to enforce immigration laws
and allow the lawful carrying of rearms on Capitol Grounds.
The Washington Blade has placed a call to Kings oce seeking an explanation for why the
lawmaker thinks the anti-trans amendment is necessary.
King proposed the amendment at a time of growing national controversy over transgender
peoples use of publicrestrooms. North Carolina enacted House Bill 2, which prohibits transgender
people from using the restroom in schools and government buildings consistent with their gender
identity. The Obama administration issued guidance prohibiting schools from discriminating
against transgender students, including in bathroom use.
David Stacy, government aairs director for the Human Rights Campaign, lambasted King for
proposing the anti-trans measure, calling it an attack on transgender people.
Rep. Kings opposition to basic fairness and equality for LGBTQ people is no secret, Stacy said.
Today hes proposing an amendment that would tell every Members transgender constituents
they arent welcome to visit the Capitol, the Library of Congress, or a House or Senate oce
building. Surely the House of Representatives has important work it should be getting done for
the American people instead of targeting transgender Americans. The House should reject this
harmful and mean-spirited amendment.
The House Rules Committee, which is heavily stacked in favor of Republicans, was set to
consider proposed amendments to the scal year 2017 legislative branch appropriations bill on
Wednesday. Visit washingtonblade.com for updates.
One amendment seeking to bar anti-LGBT discrimination has also been proposed for the
legislation. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) has introduced a measure that would prohibit the
use of funds under the act in contravention of President Obamas 2014 executive order barring
anti-LGBT workplace discrimination among federal contractors.
The amendment, which is bipartisan and co-sponsored by Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and
Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), would be limited to barring anti-LGBT bias among contractors receiving
money under legislative branch appropriations.
CHRIS JOHNSON

Obama observes 35th anniversary of HIV/AIDS

President Obama marked on Sunday the 35th anniversary of the emergence of HIV/AIDS
in the United States, saying in a statement since that time the country has learned stigma
and silence dont just fuel ignorance, they foster transmission and give life to a plague.
As noted by Obama, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention on June 5, 1981
published a report on what would later be understood as the rst documented cases
of AIDS.
Weve seen that testing, treatment, education, and acceptance can not only save and
extend lives, but ght the discrimination that halted progress for too long, Obama said.
And weve rearmed that most American of ideas - that ordinary citizens can speak out,
band ourselves together like a breathtaking quilt, and change the course of our communities
and our nation for the better.
Obama cited initiatives under his administration to confront HIV/AIDS, including the
nations rst comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy; continuation of the Ryan White
HIV/AIDS Program to the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; and enactment of the
Aordable Care Act, which he said has resulted in millions of individuals gaining aordable,
high-quality health coverage all without denial for pre-existing conditions like HIV.
While there is more work to do the economically disadvantaged; gay and bisexual men,
especially those who are young and black; women of color; and transgender women all
continue to face huge disparities Im condent that if we build upon the steps weve taken,
we can nish the job, Obama said.
Obama recalled in 2011 he said an AIDS-free generation is within reach and the global
community is committed to ending the epidemic by 2030.
This will take American leadership, smart investments, and a commitment to ensure that
all communities are heard and included as we move forward, Obama said. So today, lets
call the names. Lets remember those we lost too soon. And lets rededicate ourselves to
ending this epidemic once and for all.
CHRIS JOHNSON

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JUNE 10, 2016 15

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 6 J UNE 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S

Cuba marriage campaign gains traction

Government has obligation
to protect minorities
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
CARDENAS, Cuba Niurca Rodrguez
is a housewife with a gay son, Onasis,
who lives in the Cuban city of Crdenas
that is near the beach resort of Varadero.
She told Victor Manuel Dueas of the
Babel Sociocultural Project, a group based
in the city of Santo Domingo in the province
of Villa Clara that advocates on behalf of
LGBT Cubans and other disadvantaged
groups, in a interview she recorded at
her sons home on May 5 that she is very
proud of him. Rodrguez also expressed
optimism that Cuba will one day extend
marriage rights to same-sex couples.
It has already been approved in
other countries, Rodrguez told Dueas,
referring to same-sex marriage. I wish
for the same thing in Cuba.
Dueas is among the Cuban LGBT
activists who are behind a campaign in
support of marriage rights for same-sex
couples on the Communist island.
The campaign known as We Also
Love or Nosotros Tambin Amamos in
Spanish ocially began last December.
Activists have encouraged Cubans to
sign a petition in support of marriage
rights for same-sex couples. They
ultimately hope to spur members of the
Cuban National Assembly to debate the
issue in December when they hold their
annual meeting in Havana.
I want to get married one day,
Dueas told the Washington Blade on
June 2 during a telephone interview from
Crdenas. This is my dream.
Jos Armando, a 27-year-old gay
man who works for a state-owned
transportation company in Crdenas,
expressed a similar statement in an
interview that Dueas added to the video
that includes Rodrguezs comments in
support of the marriage campaign.
[Same-sex marriage] would give me the
chance to enter into a union with the person
who I love, Jos Armando told Dueas.
The Cuban constitution denes
marriage as between a man and a
woman. It also bans discrimination based
on race, skin color, sex, national origin,
religious beliefs and any other oense
against human dignity.
The Cuban National Assembly in late
2013 approved a bill that added sexual
orientation to the countrys employment
nondiscrimination law. Mariela Castro,
the daughter of President Ral Castro
who directs Cubas National Center for
Sexual Education, voted against the
proposal because it did not include
transgender-specic language.

Members of the Cuban Foundation for LGBTI Rights pose outside their organizations headquarters in Cienfuegos, Cuba, on May 18. The group
is among the organizations that are behind a campaign that seeks to prompt lawmakers to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples on the
Communist island.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

The states institutions educate

everyone from an early age on the
principle of equality of human beings,
reads Article 42 of the Cuban constitution.
Dueas told the Blade that the Cuban
government has an obligation to create
laws to protect minorities. Roydes Gamboa,
a Havana-based lawyer who founded
Free Angel, a group that ghts anti-LGBT
discrimination in Cuba, also referenced
the countrys constitution during a May 20
interview at the Habana Libre hotel in the
Cuban capitals Vedado neighborhood.
It is going to happen in full relation to
the principle of equality, Gamboa told
the Blade.
Gay men were among the tens of
thousands of people that then-President
Fidel Castro sent to labor camps known
as Military Units to Aid Production in the
years after the 1959 Cuban revolution.
The Communist islands government
forcibly quarantined people with HIV/
AIDS in state-run sanitaria until 1993.
Gamboa told the Blade that one of the
marriage campaigns biggest challenges is
homophobic attitudes among lawmakers
and Cuban society.
These legislators are from the triumph
of the revolution with no intention of
politicizing the issue, he said, referring to
marriage rights for same-sex couples.
Mariela Castro, who is Fidel Castros
niece, has previously said she supports
marriage rights for same-sex couples.
She made no public mention of the
marriage campaign in two marches she
led in Havana and in the city of Matanzas
last month that commemorated the
International Day Against Homophobia
and Transphobia. The National Center
for Sexual Education, which is known by
the Spanish acronym CENESEX, and a
representative of the Cuban government

in Washington did not respond to the

Blades request for comment on the
marriage campaign.
Tico Almeida, the gay Cuban American
president of Freedom to Work, gave a
speech in Havana on May 12 that focused
on marriage rights for same-sex couples
and other LGBT-specic advocacy eorts in
the U.S. Mariela Castro and Evan Wolfson,
founder of Freedom to Marry, were among
those who were in the audience.
Wolfson and Almeida both told the
Blade that they were able to have lunch
with Mariela Castro after the event.
It was a very interesting conversation,
Wolfson told the Blade on June 3 during
a telephone interview before he ew
to Australia to meet with activists who
are campaigning in support of marriage
rights for same-sex couples. She (Mariela
Castro) spoke about her hope of moving
forward the importance of Cuba having
the freedom to marry and building on the
steps they have taken.
Almeida expressed a similar sentiment,
noting to the Blade on Monday in an
email that he and Wolfson spoke with
Mariela Castro roughly a year and a half
after President Obama announced the
normalization of relations with Cuba.
We had a very thorough and respectful
discussion about some topics on which we
agree, like marriage equality for same-sex
Cuban couples, as well as some topics on
which I strongly disagree with the Cuban
government, Almeida told the Blade.
Gamboa is among the Cuban LGBT
activists who have criticized Mariela
Castro for not publicly supporting the
marriage campaign.
He told the Blade that he was not
interested in the campaign after she
met with Wolfson and Almeida because
activists who are not aliated with

CENESEX and her fathers government.

The two men met with Gamboa and
other advocates who are campaigning
for marriage rights for same-sex couples
while they were in Cuba.
Wolfson and Almeida also met with
U.S. Chief of Mission Jerey DeLaurentis
at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
I was proud to help organize Cuba travel
for one of my heroes, Evan Wolfson, and I
was determined that we would not make
the same mistakes as too many Hollywood
celebrities and some high-prole LGBT
Americans who have attempted to engage
on Cuba issues, Almeida told the Blade,
without referring to a specic person.
Trans actress Candis Cayne traveled
to Cuba last month. She took part in the
International Day Against Homophobia
and Transphobia march that Mariela
Castro led in Havana on May 14.
Cayne has not responded to the Blades
requests for an interview about her trip
to Cuba.
The U.S. is among the more than a
dozen countries that have extended
marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Two men in the Colombian city of
Cali on May 24 became the rst samesex couple to legally marry in the South
American country. Mexican President
Enrique Pea Nieto reiterated his support
of nuptials for gays and lesbians last week
in the Hungton Post.
Almeida told the Blade that he plans to
organize a delegation of LGBT Americans that
will travel to Cuba later this year. Gamboa
said that he and others who are working on
the marriage campaign have spoken with
activists in the U.S., Chile, Argentina, Uruguay,
Mexico and other countries.
We can bring it to Cuba, he told the
Blade, referring to marriage rights for
same-sex couples.

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

JUNE 10, 2016 17

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1 8 J UNE 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S

State Dept. condemns murder of activist in Honduras

XULHAZ MANNAN was hacked to death on May 5.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Obama writes to murdered

Bangladesh activists family
President Obama last month personally expressed his condolences to the
family of a prominent Bangladeshi LGBT activist who was hacked to death.
The Daily Star, an English newspaper in the South Asian country, reported last
week that Obama wrote to Xulhaz Mannans family on May 5.
Michelle and I join you in heartbreak and grief, and we extend our deepest
condolences, wrote Obama, according to the Daily Star.
The pain of a loss like this is indescribable, he said. Guided by his
commitment to shaping a more just and equal future across Bangladesh, Xulhaz
devoted his life to service.
The Daily Star reported Obama wrote that Mannans courageous, compassionate
spirit will endure through all who knew and loved him, and in all who are inspired by
the dierence he made now and for generations to come.
A group of men hacked Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, a friend and
fellow activist, to death inside an apartment building in the Bangladeshi capital
of Dhaka on April 25.
Mannan launched Roopbaan Bangladeshs rst LGBT magazine that
shares its name with a local advocacy group in 2014. He worked for the U.S.
Embassy in Dhaka for eight years before joining the U.S. Agency for International
Development last September.
Ansar-al-Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida, claimed responsibility
for the murders of Mannan and Tonoy. Islamists have killed several secular
academics, writers, bloggers and members of religious minority groups in the
predominantly Muslim country since early 2015.
Myles Caggins, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, conrmed to
the Washington Blade on Friday that Obama expressed his sincere condolences
to the family of Xulhaz Mannan through a personal letter.
USAID Administrator Gayle Smith oered her condolences to Mannans
family during a May 4 meeting with USAID staers and employees of the U.S.
Embassy in Bangladesh. Assistant USAID Administrator for Asia Jonathan Stivers
and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Aairs Nisha Desai
Biswal were also in attendance.
Secretary of State John Kerry less than a week before the May 4 meeting spoke
with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and urged her government to thoroughly
investigate the murders of Mannan and Tonoy and others for which Islamists
have claimed responsibility. Biswal met with Hasina and Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal while she was in Bangladesh.
The murders of Mannan and Tonoy highlighted the anti-LGBT violence and
discrimination that is rampant in Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi police last month arrested a militant in connection with the
attack, but activists with whom the Blade has spoken have expressed doubt
their countrys government will thoroughly investigate the murders. They also
said Hasinas administration will use them to further crackdown on freedom of
assembly and other basic human rights.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

A State Department spokesperson on Monday condemned the murder of a prominent

LGBT activist in Honduras.
We condemn in the strongest possible terms the apparent murder of Rene Martnez,
Elizabeth Trudeau told the Washington Blade during her daily press brieng. We do
oer our condolences to his friends, his family and his colleagues.
Honduran media reports indicate that Martnez disappeared on June 1 after he left his
home in the city of San Pedro Sulas Chamelecn neighborhood. His relatives identied
his body which showed signs of strangulation two days later.
Martnez, 40, was president of Comunidad Gay Sampedrana, a San Pedro Sula-based
LGBT advocacy group that worked throughout northern Honduras.
He ran an outreach center in Chamelecn through Youth Alliance Honduras, an
organization that is part of an anti-violence program the U.S. Agency for International
Development helped to develop. Martnez was also a well-known member of Honduras
governing National Party.
A leader in the LGBTI community in San Pedro Sula and a rising political gure in
Honduras, his death comes as a great shock, said the U.S. Embassy in Honduras in
a statement it released shortly after news of Martnezs murder broke. We oer our
condolences to his friends and family, and expect a full and thorough investigation into
the circumstances of his death.
San Pedro Sula Mayor Armando Calidonio and diplomats from the E.U. and other
countries have also condemned Martnezs murder.
The Embassy in its statement said the U.S. has already oered our assistance to
Honduran authorities working to bring justice in this case. Trudeau on Monday
reiterated this point to the Blade without providing specic information.
We have actually in fact already oered our assistance to the Honduran authorities
to bring justice in this case, she said.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Mexican president reiterates same-sex marriage support

Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto has reiterated his support of marriage rights
for same-sex couples throughout the country.
Pea wrote in the Hungton Post on June 2 that he announced a series of initiatives
that promote equality last month during an International Day Against Homophobia and
Transphobia event. These include a proposed amendment to the Mexican constitution
that would allow gays and lesbians to marry.
Pea noted the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that laws banning same-sex
marriage were indeed discriminatory. He wrote in the Hungton Post that amending
his countrys constitution is the only way to guarantee every persons full rights
because states are not legally bound to the decision.
Pea last month also announced proposed changes to the countrys national legal
code that would address discrimination against LGBT Mexicans.
It was thus a suitable time to announce these initiatives, which arose out of my
governments and my own personal conviction, to advance toward a more inclusive
society, said Pea. The overall goal is to achieve a society of rights in which all Mexicans
are guaranteed equal rights under the law.
Mexico City in 2010 became the rst jurisdiction in the predominantly Roman Catholic
country to allow same-sex couples to legally marry.
The Associated Press reported last month that two-thirds of the Mexican Congress
must approve the proposed amendment. A simple majority of states need to ratify it
before Pea can sign it.
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Mexico City last month sharply criticized the
proposed amendment, pointing out to the Associated Press that same-sex couples are
unable to procreate.
Alex Al Mndez Daz, a lawyer who has spearheaded same-sex marriage eorts
in Mexico, told the Blade on Sunday that he supports the proposed constitutional
amendment. He nevertheless said he plans to continue working with gay and lesbian
couples who are seeking marriage rights through the countrys judicial system.
We can continue to get married, whether the reform passes or not, Mndez told
the Blade.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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

JUNE 10, 2016 19

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Drinkery re-opens after liquor board reversal

Warner Brothers

Divas Outdoors
presents

Shall We Dance
Friday, June 17

See this classic film under the stars

like nowhere else in DC!
Let Fred and Ginger sweep you off your feet. With the sumptuous
1930s film and the special exhibition, Deco Japan,
as inspiration, plan a glamorous picnic on the Lunar Lawn in
art deco style.
78:30pm:
79:45pm:

88:30pm:

Mansion, gardens, and Deco Japan open.

Hillwood Caf open for wine, beer, sandwiches,
and more.
Picnicking on the Lunar Lawn.
Best picnic spread judging and winners
announced.

Film begins around 8:45pm.

PFLAG chapter names 10th scholarship winner

Presented rain or shine. In the event of rain, the film will be moved to
fabulous indoor locations.
Divas Outdoors is supported by the Dina Merrill Film Program and
presented in partnership with Art Deco Society of Washington.

The Howard County chapter of PFLAG held its 10th annual scholarship
ceremony last month. Azariah Kurlantzick, who was enrolled at Winston
Churchill High School in Potomac, and will attend Clark University in Worcester,
Mass., was honored. A $2,000 scholarship was presented by Del. Trent Kittleman
(R-Western Howard Co.).
We are very proud of our 2016 PFLAG Scholarship Award winner and wish
him well next year at Clark University, chapter president Susan Garner told
the Blade. Azariah has already made meaningful contributions to the LGBTQ
community and we know he will continue to do so.
The scholarship is awarded each year to a deserving student who is LGBT or
an ally.
STEVE CHARING

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Just two weeks after the Baltimore City Board of Liquor License Commissioners
voted 2-1 to close The Drinkery, a gay bar in the Mount Vernon neighborhood,
the decision was reversed on June 2.
Those protesting the license renewal at the hearing on May 19 complained
about alleged rowdiness, excessive noise, drug activity and violence in and
around the establishment, which has operated for 44 years. This was presented
through a signed petition; letters sent to the board by residents, nearby
businesses and local politicians; and testimony at the hearing.
Commissioners Dana Peterson Moore and Albert J. Matricciani had voted not
to renew The Drinkerys liquor license; Aaron Greeneld voted for renewal.
In declaring her vote then, Moore stated, What matters are the facts and
cited contempt by the owner toward the community.
However, it was Moore who reversed her decision on June 2 following a
motion for reconsideration by The Drinkerys 87-year-old owner Frederick Allen.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Allens motion noted that Jason Curtis, who
signed a petition and testied against the Drinkery in the May 19 hearing, is
listed on the liquor license of another Mount Vernon establishment, Hotel
Indigo. The boards rulesspecify thata protest against a licenserenewal can be
signed by residents,commercial tenants (who are not holders or applicants for
a liquor license), or real estate owners in the immediate vicinity of the licensed
place of business.
The Sun stated that Curtis failure to disclose his liquor license was sucient
to change the boards mind. Curtis, who was the former president of the Mount
Vernon-Belvedere Association that led the eort to prevent The Drinkerys
license renewal and in 2012 ran unsuccessfully to be the rst openly gay man to
be elected to the City Council, did not respond to a request from the Blade for
comment.
The Community Law Center, which represented the MVBA in its eorts against
The Drinkery, could appeal the decision, according to the Sun.
News of the reversal was welcomed by many in Baltimores LGBT community.
This is a great day for an inclusive Mount Vernon, Mark McLaurin, a Baltimore
resident and a frequent patron of The Drinkery, told the Blade. Special thanks
to Commissioners Moore and Greeneld for being willing to reconsider a hastily
reached decision.
Another customer, RJ Ladd, lamented the loss of gay bars in Baltimore. Im
glad that the liquor board reconsidered the matter. Our gay bars are a dying
breed. Lets keep the remaining few around, he said.
The Drinkery re-opened on Saturday at 11 a.m. to much relief and jubilance
by its patrons.
However, there had been considerable disquiet and nger pointing following
the initial vote to close the bar. Community members were angry that three gay
men testied to close the longtime gay establishment.
The gay men who organized the eorts to close The Drinkery created a lot
discord and distrust in the community, activist Brian Gaither told the Blade. To
get their way they exploited anti-gay prejudice in a way that undermines decades
of work by activists in the city. The whole thing is shameful and appalling.

6/7/16 5:47 PM

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

JUNE 10, 2016 21

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

22 J U N E 10, 2016

H E A LT H N E W S

Northern Ireland to lift gay blood ban

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BELFAST, Ireland Northern Irelands health minister said last week that her
oce is lifting a ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood, ve years after the
rest of the United Kingdom did the same, the Telegraph, Washington Post and
many other outlets report.
The 35-year-old rule was instated in 1981 at the beginning of the AIDS
epidemic, then considered a disease concentrated among men who had sex
with men.
Medical research presented to the British parliament in 2011 showed that
the ban was unnecessary, but it stood in Northern Ireland and went through a
series of appeals in court, culminating in Thursdays decision. Northern Ireland
had already been receiving donated blood from the rest of the United Kingdom,
which may contain blood donated from gay and bisexual men, the Post reports.
A BBC investigation in February found that the Northern Ireland government had
no independent evidence to uphold the ban. A judge in Northern Irelands High
Court wrote that the ban was infected byapparent bias, the Telegraph reports.
Men who disclose that they have had sex with other men still have to wait
through a one-year deferral period across the U.K. before donating blood.
Northern Ireland Health Minister Michelle ONeill emphasized safety concerns.
My rst responsibility in this matter is patient safety. Evidence from across
the UK has provided assurance that the risk is lower with a one-year deferral,
she was quoted as having said. My decision is based solely on the evidence
regarding the safety of donated blood.

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LONDON A survey conducted by a gay mens health non-prot through a

magazine found that nearly half of gay and bi men learn about sex through porn
leading to concerns from activists that doing so results in risky sexual practices,
Pink News reports.
GMFA, a London-based gay mens health charity, surveyed 1,023 via FS
Magazine and found that 82 percent said they got no education about gay sex
in school. About 41 percent reported learning about anal sex through porn and
34 percent reported learning about oral sex through porn. About 13 percent of
respondents said they had unprotected sex after watching bareback porn while
56 percent said they found bareback porn more appealing, Pink News reports.
Its an indictment of the lack of inclusivity in our sex education that so many
gay men feel they got little or nothing of value to them from school, Matthew
Hodson of GMFA said in a statement to Pink News. Considering the high levels of
health inequalitiesthat gay and bisexual men and women suer, ensuring that all
pupilsreceive honest, inclusive sex and relationship education should be apriority.

Medicare retains trans surgery policy

WASHINGTON The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued
a memo this week that said it plans no changes to its 2014 policy regarding
gender reassignment surgery or other treatments for gender dysphoria.
The 2014 ruling found that excluding coverage of sex-reassignment surgery is
unreasonable and contrary to current science and medical standards, however
coverage is determined on an individual claim basis. The CMS said it does not
plan to issue a national coverage determination at this time. CMS ocials said
research on the matter was inconclusive for the Medicare population at large.
The low number of clinical studies specically about Medicare beneciaries
health outcomes for gender reassignment surgery and small sample sizes
inhibited our ability to create clinical appropriateness criteria for cohorts of
Medicare beneciaries, they said.
Dan Bruner, senior director of policy for Whitman-Walker Health, said the lack
of change was very disappointing and said theres enough evidence available
to warrant an expanded coverage.
Our experience caring for over 1,200 transgender patients each year has given
us ample evidence that coverage of gender transition-related care is medically
necessary, he wrote in a statement. Out of all the obstacles transgender
people face in their daily lives, one of the biggest is lack of insurance coverage
for needed care, which forces many to postpone the treatments they need and
exacerbates suering. We urge CMS to reconsider its proposed decision and
hope that Medicare contractors will approve coverage in all cases in which solid
medical justication is provided.

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

JUNE 10, 2016 23

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

24 J U N E 10, 2016

F I T N E SS

Same old boring workout?

Goal-oriented exercise can be a game changer

When did it become working

out?
Thats a question I frequently ask
myself about the mindset behind the
average persons tness training. It
seems like a simple question. But
think about it. Working out is simply
exercising.
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Think back to when you were in high school. It wasnt working out. It was
practice. Or more accurately, it was training. You were preparing your body
for a very specic endeavor. It might have been to ready yourself for the rigors
of a soccer game or a track meet. Maybe it was a basketball game or a swim
meet. But you had a specic goal in mind every single time you prepared for
that practice.
When did we lose that purpose? And more importantly, what can we do to
get it back?
You graduated high school and you went o to college. Maybe you participated
in competitive sports at that level, maybe not. But you probably gained access to
a tness center of some kind where everyone began doing essentially the same
thing.
Rows of people on treadmills and elliptical machines trudging along through
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you need to revert back to the mindset that got you there.
Your goal cannot just be to lose weight or tone up. Those arent goals.
Those are the byproducts of proper training and hard work.
Some things we all have in
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No pride in backing Trump

Billionaire Thiel cynically puts
money before reason
Gay billionaire Peter Thiel, co-founder
of PayPal and a
board member at
Facebook, is slated
to serve as a California delegate for
Donald Trump.
KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade
His support for
and can be reached at kna@washblade.com.
the
presumptive
GOP nominee puts
him at odds with every underrepresented group in the country,
as well as with his own peers in Silicon Valley.
Mark Zuckerberg, who founded and leads the company Thiel
advises, recently said, I hear fearful voices calling for building
walls. Instead of building walls, we can help people build bridges.
Additionally, Trump has feuded with Amazons Je Bezos and
demanded that Apple manufacture its iPhones in the United
States. Thiels PayPal co-founder Elon Musk is a Hillary Clinton
supporter.
In each election, it seems there emerges a prominent gay
supporter for the Republican of the moment, raising the quesED ITOR IAL C A R T OON

tion: Are we a monolith or is it OK for LGBT people to vote

Republican, seemingly against their own interests? Of course
there are principled Republicans Allan Kittleman in Maryland comes to mind, along with the New York Republicans
who helped pass marriage equality.
Sen. John McCain has been on the wrong side of most LGBT
priorities, but he struck a more inclusive tone after winning his
partys nomination in 2008, granting an interview to the Blade (a
rst for a GOP nominee) and speaking eloquently about the gay
people in his life who have impacted him and shaped his views
of the community.
Trump isnt one for such thoughtful discourse, famously deriding McCains military service because he got caught. Trumps
campaign has dodged our interview requests for a year and he
hasnt had much to say about LGBT issues. But make no mistake
that the prospect of a Trump presidency should strike fear into
LGBT people from all walks of life even the billionaires among
us.
He has pledged to immediately revoke President Obamas
executive orders, which could include the order that bars discrimination against LGBT employees of federal contractors. That
order covers about 20 percent of the entire American workforce.
Trump has also promised to nominate Supreme Court justices
who would overturn the Obergefell ruling and end marriage
equality. He has endorsed the First Amendment Defense Act,
a federal version of the so-called religious freedom bills that
would legalize discrimination against LGBT Americans.
With one Supreme Court seat vacant and three more justices
aged 77 or older, it is imperative that Trump not be allowed to
make selections to the high court. The names hes oated so far
for the high court are a whos who of anti-LGBT bigotry.
In addition, the Center for American Progress has compiled
a list of eight executive actions beneting LGBT rights enacted under the Obama administration that Trump could undo.
Among them, as the Blade reported this week, is a rule prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination in health care and insurance, a
Department of Housing & Urban Development regulation prohibiting anti-LGBT bias in government-sponsored housing and
endorsement of federal LGBT non-discrimination legislation
known as the Equality Act.
With such ominous signs of how a President Trump would
treat LGBT Americans, why would Thiel (or any other LGBT person) support him? Its impossible to know for sure in Thiels case,
because hes declined interview requests on the subject.
Thiel describes himself as a libertarian. Forbes magazine reported that he was a large donor to 2012 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul and contributed money to Ted Cruzs 2012 race
for the U.S. Senate in Texas. He also contributed in 2015 to a political action committee raising money for the 2016 presidential
candidacy of former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
More alarming than his pro-Trump leanings, Thiel was recently revealed to be the mastermind behind the Hulk Hogan sex
tape lawsuit against Gawker media. He is reportedly nursing a
nine-year grudge because Gawker outed him in 2007. The $140
million judgment against Gawker could spell bankruptcy for the
gossip site, a frightening prospect that will likely have a chilling
eect on media outlets looking to report on the vindictive and
thin-skinned businessman.
Its unconscionable that wealthy and prominent gays would
support Trump and enable his overtly racist, nationalistic and
homophobic promises. Thoughtful people of all stripes should
recognize Trumps views for what they are incoherent racist
rants and vote for Hillary Clinton in November.

202-747-2077
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V I E W PO I N T

JUNE 10, 2016 27

Why Pride?
AIDS prejudice, police
harassment werent so long ago

BROCK THOMPSON is a D.C.-based freelance

writer. He writes regularly for the Blade.

It happens. Every so often, around June,

around the start of Pride month, you hear
some arguments. Why Pride? Is it necessary? Isnt it just a big excuse for public
drinking and, perhaps, is it even necessary given our recent gains in equality?
There are even those completely crass arguments you spot on social media, often
from people back home, asking why isnt
there a straight pride?
There are so many arguments for
Pride, its almost hard to sort them all out.
Nevertheless, lets just take a glance at
two articles from our collective past, from
the Blade archive, where we get a glimpse

of where weve been.

Pride encompasses so much and over
the years it has evolved to meet the
changing needs of our community. The
very rst issue of the Washington Blade,
then known as the Gay Blade, one page,
front only, was published in October
1969. The rst column at the bottom
contained a small note reading, warning to Dupont Circle people: Cars seen
too frequently in the Circle area are
having their license plates taken down:
their owners later are being harassed
and blackmailed.
Can you imagine a Washington where
the rst question youre asked at a party
or social gathering isnt what do you do?
At one time, it used to be are you out?
When the rst Pride was held 41 years
ago on a single block of 20th St. just o
Dupont Circle, simply showing up at the
festival was an extreme act of political
courage. Attendees put so much on the
line personally and professionally by just
being there.
As the 1980s came, and with it, AIDS,
the Blade begin photographing the effects of the virus and our ravaged local
LGBT community. One photo that haunts

An ambulance board, date unknown, warns

emergency vehicle drivers to stay away from
homes of people known to have AIDS.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO

me is of an ambulance board, date unknown, warning emergency vehicle drivers to stay away from homes and addresses of people known to have AIDS.
Looking at the photo is a chilling reminder
of the cruelty people faced when all they
needed was compassion. A reminder of
darker days when the threat of blackmail
seemed so small and Pride shifted to instead matters of life and death.

These are just two items from our past

I wanted to share. Im sure if I spent more
time in the archive, I would nd more articles and images that would help remind
me of what previous generations had to
endure. And I know that things change
over time Pride as an act of political
courage, to matters of life and death, to
sheer celebration of what it means to be
us. And maybe Pride can get out of hand
at times. But from the drag queen who
threw the rst bricks at Stonewall, or to
the ACT UP protesters motivated by President Reagans absent AIDS policies, we
havent really achieved much as a community by keeping cool and not getting
out of hand.
And as for the idea that there should
be a straight pride of sorts, if you
ever encounter someone who utters
those insensitive words, remind them
that they are lucky they have never
needed one. Also, Im not so naive as
to think the issues highlighted above
are squarely behind us. But the difference is hope, pride and celebration
are squarely in front of us. As for now,
let the celebrations commence. Weve
earned it.Happy Pride.

I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON

The enduring importance of Pride

Humbled to be named a
Hero, hopeful for future

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

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

Surprised, humbled and proud. That

was my reaction after being told I was
named a Capital Pride Hero. A couple of
months ago, Kevin Na, my friend and
editor at the Blade, asked if I had ever
been honored by Pride and now know he
was the one who nominated me. Thanks
Kevin for all your support over the years.
You, Lynne Brown and Brian Pitts, who
together resurrected the Washington
Blade, make a dierence in so many peoples lives.
My thoughts go back to all the Pride
celebrations of the past. My rst one in
1980 when it was the P Street Festival

and hiding behind a tree hoping no one

would take a picture of me that ended up
in the newspaper as I wasnt out. That is
still the case for many who come to Pride
for the rst time and why Pride is still so
important today.
Even though young people are coming out earlier because of the strides we
have made many still live in communities
where it isnt easy or with parents who
dont accept them. Some may still feel like
I did growing up in New York in the 1960s
when I thought I was the only person in
my high school of 5,000 more interested
in boys than girls.
Even after Stonewall, my connection
to the LGBT community was non-existent. My rst real contact came in 1972
when I began working for Rep. Bella S.
Abzug (D-N.Y.), author of the rst LGBT
civil rights bill, and meeting the many
gay men who supported her. I was still
deep in the closet and wouldnt actually
come out until more than 10 years later.
It was being at Pride events that helped
me to do that. Always an activist ghting for civil rights and womens rights it
was just natural when I came out to become an LGBT activist. Suddenly it was
very personal.

Those early Pride festivals were a time

of self-reection and self-awakening coming to the conclusion if I were to fully live
my life I had to be open about who I was
both to myself and the world. So began
the process of telling family and friends.
Surprising to me most of them werent
surprised. In fact, some of my friends
came out to me after I told them. My
world was getting gayer.
Never being one to do things halfway, I
was all in and joined the Stein Club, supported an LGBT group within the organization of which I was CEO, and became a
strong advocate for the LGBT community.
I was lucky and never lost a friend
when I came out and made many new
ones. But this was the early 1980s and
in the ensuing years, like so many of
my generation, lost countless friends to
AIDS. Too many peoples names crossed
out in our address books; books I kept
because I never wanted to forget them.
My response was to raise funds and support organizations like Whitman-Walker
Clinic and US Helping US, attend marches with ACT-UP and shed countless tears
with friends when rst viewing the AIDS
Quilt on the Mall.
My voice became stronger when writ-

ing for the Washington Blade. It gave me

a platform to promote my views and to
push political candidates to be more
supportive of the LGBT community. My
politics allowed me to play a role with the
candidates in D.C. from Charlene Drew
Jarvis to Muriel Bowser ensuring they all
had strong gay rights platforms.
So this honor from Capital Pride is really one that belongs to all my friends
who have stood with me along my lifes
journey those still here and those no
longer with us; all those activists whose
shoulders I stand on; to my sister and her
partner; my parents who are no longer
with us. My mom, from whom I got my activism, and my dad who my mom always
said I got my brains from; she always sold
herself short. To the LGBT community in
Washington D.C., Rehoboth Beach and
around the nation who are always there
for each other. To the friends around
the world who have enriched my life as
a gay man.
May we have many more Pride celebrations where other young men and
women will be able to see in those they
meet how great life will be when they are
true to themselves and live life as God
made them.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 8 J UN E 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

O U R BU SI N E SS MA T T E RS

How David toppled Goliath in D.C.

Unions back down in battle
with tipped employees

MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur

and community business advocate. Follow
on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at
OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.

As a prominent athlete once said, Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.
That describes what happened to the bigmoney attempt by labor unions and unionnanced groups to radically revise the wage
system for tipped employees at D.C. bars and
restaurants that failed miserably at winning
with local legislators in the nations capital
this week.
This latest Big Labor escapade even managed to overshadow the resulting relatively
joyless muted announcement by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council in approving

an increase in the local minimum wage to

$15 over the next four years, joining California and New York in eventually phasing in the
highest rates in the country. Controversy surrounding a usually denied but not-so-secret
desire by labor groups to eventually do away
with tipping and essentially convert all hospitality employees to hourly wage remuneration had eclipsed the broader wage hike.
All it took to dissemble this opaque scheming and the outlandish assertions regarding
the purportedly miserable occupational slavery while toiling in abject poverty were the actual tipped workers interjecting themselves
into the discussion.
In my role as director of a local hospitality business association, I often heard the
frequent frustration from those earning tips
at local establishments that no one was asking them what they thought while a radical
restructuring of their jobs, incomes and livelihoods was being debated. When they became directly and organically engaged in expressing their concern to Council members,
the entire political dynamic was altered.
In the end, no voice proved as powerful as
that of local bartenders and servers in halting
this now unsuccessful union eort.
After all, it seemed inevitable that the attempt to require restaurants and bars in the

District to convert from the tip wage system

long the standard in the vast majority of the
country to an alternate system of paying
tipped employees the full minimum wage,
rather than guaranteeing it, would succeed.
Residents unfamiliar with the tip credit wage
system proved easily susceptible to intentional misinformation and false representations regarding how it works that became the
deceptive tool of labor organizers.
Many dont realize that tipped employees
are guaranteed the full minimum wage in
any rare instance that the base wage and tips
earned do not equal or exceed the minimum.
Any rise in the minimum wage is also a raise
in the guaranteed minimum wage for tipped
sta.
Hospitality tipped employees understand
that eliminating the tip wage system, or even
tripling the base wage as the mayor proposed, would cause prices to skyrocket, tips
to plummet, jobs to be eliminated, shifts to
be reduced and shift hours to be shortened.
Many venues would have no choice but to
switch to a service charge system that would
reduce incomes.
Hundreds of tipped workers, typically
earning good incomes well above minimum
wage, began writing Council members and
meeting with them. The scores of tipped sta

who testied at a marathon public hearing

proered a single simple message for local
politicians, Dont x my job, it isnt broken.
Dont destroy my livelihood and professional
career.
Confronted with shrinking workforce
memberships, labor groups have abandoned conventional organizing eorts in favor of creating virtual unions and negotiating with government ocials as if employers
representing private sector workers. Its a political eort that SEIU has invested $80 million
in targeted cities across the country over only
three years, hoping to eventually garner hundreds of millions in dues payments.
In the District, those facing this type of
workplace manipulation managed to stop
them. As part of a tail-between-their-legs deal
that also saw the mayors proposed increase
in the tip base wage signicantly reduced, the
unions agreed to abandon a planned ballot
initiative.
Although D.C. hospitality is uniquely distinctive in being nearly universally comprised
of independent small business enterprises
unlike other locales, its a lesson for other
jurisdictions: Dont make the same mistake
a handful of other cities have recently made.
Most important, dont ignore the actual
workers.
VIEWPOINT

Hillary, the presumptuous nominee

Bernie supporters holding
on until the convention
By DAVID HOFFMAN
The old maxim about opera isoften repeated. With a sly smirk we say that its not
over until the fat lady sings.
The race fortheDemocratic presidential
nomination between Sen. Bernie Sanders and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
isnot overeither.
And the proverbial fat lady wont sing,
indeed cant sing, until the Democratic
Party delegates including the super delegates, arrive in Philadelphia for theconvention atthe Wells Fargo Center July 25-28.
Its a long way from here to there. The
race to win pledged delegates is notover
not by a long shot. In fact, we whoareregisteredtovote inWashington, D.C., should
have our voices heard and our voices
counted forSanders or Clinton next
Tuesday June 14, with both candidates still
verymuchin therunning.
Anything less than that, such as heeding
louder and louder calls in a headlong rush
to judgment, from many centrists and so

called moderateshugging tight to conventional wisdom is shutting o debate, and silencing voters,which is just unacceptable.
Itsnot acoronation. Weare a democracy, not amonarchy. We have noroyal family. And acontestedconvention is good for
everyone, even for Secretary Clinton, because chokingo debate will also choke o
enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is a forcethat
she notablyhas lacked thus far.
And when the Associated Press and
NBC News and people like House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi say that its over,
they are committing an unforced error,
wrongly making her prematurely not
the presumptive nominee, but rather the
presumptuous one. It is simply (yawn) the
mainstream media including unfortunately also the Blade falling into line (or
anxiously jostling for favorable position)
for the Establishmentcandidate. But this is
notthe time forhuggingthe middle ofthe
road, which inthe old Texas joke that part
of the road isoccupied only bydeadarmadillos and a yellowstripe.
Instead, this is a time inwhich the majority ofvoters want anoutsider, not an insider. A new voice, not an old one.
In therace for the nomination to run as

thestrongest Democrat against thenarcissisticdemagogue Donald Trump, the polls

and surveys are clear its Sanders over
Clinton by acountry mile.
But last week in the Blade, anundertone
of anti-Sanders reporting crept in and exception must betaken.
First, contrary to the Clinton triumphalismof the Blade reporting, it was not
April,but Maythatwas the cruelest month,
for the Good Ship HRC. Quitesimply, a majority of Americans donttrust her.
But now to the specics. The crucialproblem with the article (carried on the
front page of the Blade and written by Chris
Johnson, normally scrupulously fair in his
reporting) is that it is loaded with innuendo and sly hints that Sanders is somehow
homophobic for opposing Barney Franks
inclusionon the convention RulesCommittee, which is pure poppycock.
Ostensibly a news story, it is really an
opinion piece, though notlabeled as such.It
is replete with hypotheticals and shadowy
maybes with tell-tale phrases like could
and it remains to be seen (that one twice
in fact) and ineect, all obvious means to
insert opinions into a newsstory. Although
he does quote supporters ofSanders, over-

all it is heavily slanted toward Clinton. As

such, itis simply mildly under-reported and
wildlyover-written.
Meanwhile, regular Blade commentatorPeter Rosenstein has in the same issue
a typicallysnarkyattack onSanders,calling
him whining and a crybaby and (again)
a whiney old man. Leaving asidethe ageism, his piece is at least openly labeled
opinion, more than can be said for the
Johnsonnews story.
In conclusion, Bernie should stay in the
race all the way to the conventionand Barney should be kicked othe Rules Committee for his clear ad hominem animus against
Sanders, even labeling him McCarthyite.
Barney, youre better than that!
But if forced to choose, for me its clearly
Bernie, not Barney.The Sandersrole at the
convention is topush forstrongerprogressive planks inthe platform. For that reason
alone, vote for him on June 14 when the
D.C. primary is held, the last stop on the
long and winding journey of voters toward picking the strongest candidate to
face Trump in November.
DAVID HOFFMAN is a D.C.-based freelance
writer.

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

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CAPITAL

PRIDE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

24

JUNE

10,

2016

PAGE

31

Caps player, Canadian minister to march in D.C. parade

T H O U SA N DS E X PE CT E D F O R W E E KE N D F E ST I VI T I E S

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com

A member of Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeaus cabinet will lead a
contingent of more than 50 members
of the staff of the Canadian Embassy on
Saturday in D.C.s annual Capital Pride
Parade.
The participation in the parade by
Amarjeet Sohi, Canadas Minister of
Infrastructure and Communities and
a longtime human rights advocate,
represents the rst known time a highlevel ofcial from another country has
participated in D.C. LGBT Pride festivities.
As many as 350,000 people from the
D.C. metropolitan area and the MidAtlantic region, as well as other regions
of the U.S. and Canada, are expected to
participate in the 41st Annual Capital Pride
Parade on Saturday and the annual Capital
Pride Festival on Sunday.
We are a large destination Pride event,
said Capital Pride Executive Director Ryan
Bos. People travel from all over to attend.
In recent years the parade and festival
have served as the culmination of a month
of LGBT Pride-related events in the nations
capital, including Black Pride, Trans Pride,
Youth Pride and Latino Pride.
Sundays Pride festival, which takes place
on Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol
and in front of the Canadian Embassy, has
become D.C.s largest LGBT community
event of the year. More than 200 booths
representing LGBT organizations and LGBTfriendly groups and businesses, including
corporate sponsors and local and federal
government agencies, will be present at this
years festival, according to Bos.
Among the federal government
agencies that have reserved booth space
at the festival are the Department of
Justice, the FBI and the CIA, each of which
were set to be represented by members
of ofcially recognized LGBT employee
groups of those agencies.
Although the White House isnt
participating in the parade or festival, as
he has in previous years, President Barack
Obama submitted an ofcial letter of
recognition, which is published in the Pride
Guide, Capital Prides ofcial publication.
Welcome to the 2016 Celebration of
Pride in our Nations Capital, Obama

Thousands are expected again for Saturdays Pride parade.

wrote in his letter. Courageous lesbian,

gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans
have long harnessed hope in the face of
intolerance to pursue progress standing
up, speaking out, coming out, and sharing
their stories, he wrote.
Bos said more than 180 contingents,
including oats, were scheduled to ride or
march in the parade, which is scheduled to
kick off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at 21st and P
Streets, N.W.
Emmy
Award-winning
actor
and
comedian Leslie Jordan is serving this year
as the parades grand marshal. Jordan will
perform two shows Friday night at Studio
Theatre, sponsored by the Washington
Blade; visit washingtonblade.com/leslie for
details. The Washington Capitals hockey
team and the Washington Nationals baseball
team will have contingents in the parade.
The Capitals released a statement
on Tuesday announcing the teams star
goaltender Braden Holtby will be part of

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

the Capitals contingent marching in the

parade.
I am honored to represent the Capitals
and participate in this important event
that shines light on the contributions the
LGBT community makes every day, the
statement quotes Holtby as saying. I
believe in equality for all people and I look
forward to showing my support along with
our organization and fans.
The statement says the Capitals
contingent also will include the Capitals
mascot Slapshot, Red Rockers, Washington
Wizards Wizard Girls, Washington Mystics
Energy Squad, and Monumental Sports
and Entertainment staff members in
conjunction with the LGBT supportive
sports group You Can Play Project.
In addition to the Canadian Embassy,
contingents from the British Embassy, the
Royal Netherlands Embassy, and the Embassy
of Sweden were scheduled to march in the
parade, Capital Pride ofcials said.

Sohi, the Canadian minister, is also a

member of the Canadian Parliament from
Edmonton, where he has been known as
a champion for the rights of minorities
and an advocate for multiculturalism, said
Christine Constantine, a spokesperson for
the Canadian Embassy.
We have so far 55 embassy staff signed
up, she said of the embassy parade
contingent, which will be led by Minister
Sohi and his wife. We expect many more
will join us.
Constantine said that in recognition of
D.C. Capital Pride events, the Canadian
Embassy will y a rainbow ag outside of
its building from Wednesday, June 8 to
Wednesday June 15. She said during that
same seven-day period the embassy will
illuminate with rainbow colored lighting
during evening hours its Rotunda Pillars,
a group of vertical columns that represent
Canadas provinces and territories.
Also marching in the Capital Pride
parade will be D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser,
D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and
fellow Council members Anita Bonds, Jack
Evans, David Grosso, Kenyan McDufe and
Vincent Orange, according to information
released by Capital Pride.
Gay at-large Council candidate David
Garber and at-large Council candidate
Robert White, who are challenging Orange
in the citys June 14 Democratic primary,
were also listed as having signed up to
march in the parade.
As in previous years, the parade will
travel along P Street to Dupont Circle,
where it winds around the circle to New
Hampshire Avenue and heads to R Street,
where it will turn right on 17th Street.
With thousands of spectators expected to
stand on the sidewalks along 17th Street,
where several gay bars and restaurants are
located, the parade will travel along 17th
Street and turn left on P Street.
From there it will travel east along P Street
past a parade viewing gathering between
16th and 15th Streets until it reaches 14th
Street, where it turns left and travels north to
its end point at 14th and S Street.
Among the numerous D.C.-area
churches participating in the parade will
be the Washington National Cathedral.

3 2 J UN E 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

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

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY CLINT STEIB

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

JUNE 10, 2016 33

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 4 J UN E 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

CA P I T A L P RI D E

Former ex-gay leader to march in Pride parade

ALAN CHA MB E R S SAY S H E R E PE N T E D, H A S N E W MI SSI O N O F I N C LU S I V E N E S S

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com

Alan Chambers says he and many of

his compatriots who operated the nations
preeminent ex-gay organization for 12
years before they shut it down in 2013
have undergone a fundamental, personal
change in their Christian beliefs and views
on homosexuality.
Chambers, 44, an ordained minister who
served as president of Exodus International
from 2001 to 2013, is scheduled to deliver
two sermons at the Washington National
Cathedral on Sunday morning.
But instead of advocating for Exodus
Internationals past call for reparative
therapy to help people change their sexual
orientation from gay to straight, Chambers
says he plans to tell the story of how he and
others involved with Exodus have changed
and now believe God loves and fully
embraces LGBT people for who they are.
And by change I mean we changed our
opinion, he told the Washington Blade in
an interview. Weve changed our beliefs.
Weve changed our understanding in
many respects, he said.
Weve become afrming of people
and supportive and afrming of marriage
equality and feel like there are a lot
of amazing relationships out there,
Chambers said. And we believe thats
something that is a right that people have
and should have and that God can bless
those relationships as much as he can
bless heterosexual relationships.
In a development that would have been
unthinkable during his earlier years at
Exodus, Chambers is scheduled to march
in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday
as part of a contingent organized by the
National Cathedral.
Chambers acknowledges his current
views represent a major break from his
past statements and actions.
During most of his years as president of
Exodus International he fullled the role of
poster boy for the organizations mission
to persuade people who were troubled
over same-sex attractions to change their
sexual orientation from gay to straight by
embracing God and Christian beliefs.

ALAN and LESLIE CHAMBERS have abandoned ex-gay causes and now advocate for marriage
equality.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHAMBERS

Often accompanied by his wife, Leslie

Chambers, Alan Chambers pointed to what
he said was his own success in leaving a gay
or bisexual lifestyle through reparative or
conversion therapy that Exodus International
and other ex-gay ministries promoted but
that was debunked and condemned by the
worlds major medical associations.
In 2013 Chambers shocked many
of the conservative Christian leaders
and organizations he worked with for
over a decade by announcing Exodus
International was disbanding permanently.
To the dismay of those remaining
supportive
of
ex-gay
ministries,
he publicly apologized to the LGBT
community for the pain and hurt that
Exodus had caused.
Chambers said the decision to close
Exodus
International
followed
his
realization that reparative therapy did not
work and often brought about feelings of
shame and despondency when people
were unable to change their sexual desires.
He said he also came to the realization
that LGBT people were fully embraced by
Gods love and that the church in many ways
had failed to minister to their true needs.
While acknowledging and accepting
Chambers remorse of his past role in the exgay movement and his current support for
LGBT rights, some in the LGBT community
have criticized him for not publicly
conrming thats hes gay or bisexual.

Noting that hes happily married and

deeply in love with his wife, with whom
he works closely on projects involving
his public speaking tours and writings,
Chambers said hes not interested in being
conned to a label.
I realized a number of years ago before
we closed Exodus that straight wasnt a label
that I wanted to place on myself, he said. But
gay wasnt either. It doesnt mean gay isnt a
part of my identity or that I mind people using
that as a label to describe me because in
some regards, it absolutely does.
Added Chambers: But someone who
is married happily for nearly 20 years
to a woman, not because I had to be or
because I needed to be but because I
wanted to be. I choose really to stay away
from labels that pigeonhole me into one
identity that makes one group feel better
or another group feel worse.
The full text of the Blades interview with
Chambers follows; visit washingtonblade.
com for the full transcript.
Washington Blade: What was it that
prompted you to shut down Exodus
International?
Alan Chambers: Well there were a
number of factors, the rst of which is it
was always my goal to close down Exodus.
And the reason for that was really what
evolved over the course of time that I
was the president of Exodus. I became

president in 2001. And in the interview

process they asked me what success
would look like for me as the president of
Exodus. I said success looks like Exodus
going out of business because the church
is doing its job.
And the job that I was talking about
drastically changed in my mind to not
helping people change but helping
people be celibate, not pointing to a good
or an evil but simply including people, all
people, LGBTQ plus people into the life,
body, and ministry of the church.
And thats really the passion that we have
today is seeking inclusion, full inclusion
where people can use their gifts and not
be second-class citizens in the church but
be treated as I would treat anyone and that
is as a full-edged member of His family.
And I know something that changed
for us and thats one of the major factors
in closing Exodus was it was founded on
a premise that was faulty in our opinion.
And we couldnt modify our mission. We
couldnt rebrand our mission. In order
to do the maximum amount of healing
necessary we had to shut the organization
down.
And I felt like that message to the church
that people who had been entrenched in
this movement have changed. And by
change I mean we changed our opinion.
Weve changed our beliefs. We changed
our understanding in many respects. And
then to the LGBT community our message
in closing was we pray that this is a huge
healing opportunity for those who have
been hurt, for those who have had different
experiences frankly than I had at Exodus.

Blade: When you say the Exodus

movement was based on a faulty premise,
by that did you mean its not possible to
change someones sexual orientation from
gay to straight?
Chambers: Right and thats the whole
premise that Exodus was an organization
that believed and promoted change.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

JUNE 10, 2016 35

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Stop in and Savor the Flavors of the Mid-Atlantic

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

Heres how Trump could undermine LGBT rights

RISK O F R E VE R SI N G O B A MA S A DMI N I ST R AT I VE O R DE R S F O R E Q UA L I TY
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
As voters ponder the likely choice
of Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton for
president, LGBT rights advocates are
sounding the alarm over just how much
Trump could roll back the progress seen
during the past eight years.
With divided government throughout
much of the Obama administration, many
advancements on LGBT rights camethanks
to executive action. Because they dont
have the force of law, a new president
could undo those with the stroke of a pen.
Chief among those actions is Obamas 2014
executive order prohibiting federal contractors
from engaging in anti-LGBT workplace
discrimination. Obama signed the executive
order after the Republican-controlled U.S.
House failed to pass the Employment NonDiscrimination Act (and after many LGBT
groups dropped support for the bill over a
religious exemption more expansive than one
under current civil rights law).
TJ Helmstetter, a spokesperson for
the Democratic National Committee,
said Trump is reckless, incoherent and
dangerous on a range of issues a poses a
serious threat to advances in LGBT rights
if elected president.
The LGBT community would be set
back decades, Helmstetter said. Trump
would rescind President Obamas proequality executive orders and he would
appoint pro-discrimination Supreme Court
justices. He would sign laws that allow
businesses to kick out gay customers and
ban transgender people from using the
bathroom. The stakes could not be higher
for our community and for all Americans.
The Center for American Progress has
compiled a list of eight executive actions
beneting LGBT rights enacted under the
Obama administration that Trump could
undo. Among them is a rule prohibiting
anti-LGBT discrimination in health care
and insurance, a Department of Housing &
Urban Development regulation prohibiting
anti-LGBT bias in government-sponsored
housing and endorsement of federal LGBT
non-discrimination legislation known as
the Equality Act.
Laura Durso, senior director of the
Center for American Progress LGBT
research and communications project,
said the initiatives show the breadth of

DONALD TRUMP could reverse LGBT advances made through administrative action.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY LEE WHITMAN

leadership on LGBT rights under Obama.

These actions are in stark contrast to
the outright hostility we have seen in a
conservative-controlled Congress and,
unfortunately, we have no reason to believe
that a President Trump would advocate
for LGBT issues in opposition to these
members, Durso said. It is instructive
that his list of potential Supreme Court
nominees includes demonstrably antiLGBT jurists.
Its hard to say to what extent if at
all Trump would seek to roll back the
advancements under his administration.
After all, Trump hasnt been as vitriolic in
attacks on LGBT people as he has been
with other minorities, including Latinos,
women, the disabled and black activists.
Still, Trump has said hed consider
appointing justices to the U.S. Supreme
Court who would reverse the ruling in
favor of nationwide marriage equality and

would sign the First Amendment Defense

Act, a religious freedom bill seen to enable
anti-LGBT discrimination, if Congress
delivered it to his desk.
Trump has sworn to undo Obamas
executive
actions
that
he
deems
unconstitutional as soon as in one hour or
even two minutes after taking the oath of
ofce on Inauguration Day. At a campaign
town hall rally in December, Trump lamented,
the system is supposed to work with
Congress passing bills that are signed into
law by the president, not executive orders.
And then, all of a sudden, I started
hearing: Oh, well, he tried. He cant do
it. Trump said. And boom. And another
one, boom. And you have these executive
actions. I dont even think he tries anymore.
I think he just signs executive actions.
The candidate was speaking in reference
to Obamas immigration actions and
its unclear he would include initiatives

beneting LGBT people among the

ordershe would undo. The Trump campaign
didnt respond to the Washington Blades
request for comment for this article on
whether pro-LGBT initiatives would be
among the actions he would undo.
But Trump already has vowed to rescind
one LGBT action in particular. In an interview
last month with the Washington Post, hesaid
he would rescind the joint guidance from
the Departments of Justice and Education
prohibiting schools from discriminating
against
transgender
students
and
guaranteeing them access to the restroom
consistent with their gender identity. At
the same time, Trump insisted you have to
protect everybody and said transgender
people are a small part of the population.
One legislative change is also on the table
for Trump to change: Dont Ask, Dont Tell
repeal. When Congress repealed the gay
military ban in 2010, lawmakers left nothing
in its place directing the U.S. military not to
discriminate against or eject troops based
on sexual orientation. Trump could institute
a change that would administratively restore
Dont Ask, Dont Tell.
Matthew Thorn, executive director of
the LGBT military group OutServe-SLDN,
nonetheless said he doesnt think Trump would
be able to reverse openly gay military service.
I think the service chiefs would strongly
object to any administrative action from
Trump on a reinstatement of a DADT, Thorn
said. We are approaching ve years since the
repeal this September. I would nd it highly
unlikely that the Pentagon would reverse and
reimplement a ban and conversations our
organization has had are in line with that.
The real danger, Thorn said, is Trump
rolling back administrative changes, such as
those beneting LGBT veterans or status of
forces agreements allowing service members
to bring a same-sex spouse with them or
overseas, or halting movement on lifting the
ban on openly transgender service.
If a Trump presidency could exist he
would be met with strong objection and
hearty voices from our organization and
I strongly believe amongst individuals
inside the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs
department on any changes or reversalof
CONTINUES ON PAGE 44

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

Advocates sound alarm over

prospect of President Trump
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40

advancements made for the LGBT military

community, Thorn said.
Trump has made one commitment to
advance LGBT rights, but it was made
16 years ago and in this election cycle
he hasnt said whether he would follow
through with it. In a 2000 interview with
The Advocate, Trump said hed support
amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964
to include sexual orientation, which is
similar to the Equality Act pending before
Congress (although hes made no mention
if he supports transgender inclusion, which
the legislation also encompasses).
For months, the Trump campaign hasnt
responded to the Washington Blades
request for comment on whether the
candidate still supports adding sexual
orientation to federal civil rights law, or if
his position has since changed.
Charles Moran, a gay Republican activist
seeking to represent Trump as a California
delegate to the Republican National
Convention, doubted Trump would seek
to roll back LGBT rights because he has
not waded into the messy world of social
politics over the course of his campaign.
I dont think hes going to be keen to
jump in and start reversing President
Obamas executive orders, Moran said.
While President Obama expanded
the use of executive orders for LGBT
protections, there were a number he
simply continued from President Bushs
days. So hypothetically could a President
Trump reverse some of President Obamas
executive orders concerning LGBT
protections or rights? Of course. Is this
likely to happen given his public policy
positions and private business decisions
leading up to this point? Absolutely not.
Moran didnt respond to a follow-up email
to identify an LGBT protection that Obama
continued from former President George
W. Bush, who has a reputation for being
anti-gay. When Obama signed his 2014
executive order against anti-LGBT workplace
discrimination, he left in place a Bush-era
religious exemption permitting religious
organizations thatare federal contractors to
favor co-religionists in hiring practices.
Pointing to contributions Trump made
to HIV/AIDS organizations, as reported by
The New York Times, and the candidates
support for gay rights in 2000, Moran said

8 ways Trump could undo LGBT progress

TH E SE PR O -LG B T A DMI N I ST R AT I VE C H A N G E S A N D PO SI T I O N S
F RO M O B A MA FAC E U N C E RTA I N F U T U R E U N DE R G O P N O M I N E E

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Executive Order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating on the

basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Final rule in May 2016 that protected LGBT people from discrimination in
healthcare and insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Prison Rape Elimination Act implementation regulations in May 2012 to
directly protect LGBT people.
Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual
Orientation or Gender Identity Rule in February 2012, protecting
LGBT people in all HUD-funded programs.
Comprehensive guidance in May 2016 on their interpretation of Title IX,
clarifying that public schools receiving federal funding must treat
transgender students in accordance with their gender identity.
Guidance in July 2013 that all immigration visa petitions led on behalf of
a same-sex spouse would be reviewed in the same manner as those led on
behalf of an opposite-sex spouse.
The Global Equality Fund, launched in 2011, which supports programs that
advance the human rights of LGBT persons around the world.
Public endorsement of the Equality Act in November 2015, supporting
comprehensive federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people.
SOURCE: CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS

Trump is the most LGBT-friendly candidate

the Republican Party ran in 2015/2016.
While he does not have an electoral or
legislative record to point to, he does have
a business and philanthropic track record
to read, and those indications look good
for the LGBT community, Moran said.
At the end of the day, a commitment from
Trump on LGBT rights may not mean much.
As Slates Jordan Weissman wrote earlier
this month, Trump tends not to have policy
positions, but policy moods that change
as easily as the direction of the wind.
Take, for example, Trumps position on
North Carolinas recently enacted House
Bill 2. Trump initially expressed opposition
to the anti-LGBT law, which bars cities from

enacting pro-LGBT non-discrimination

ordinances and prohibits transgender
people from using the public restroom
in school and government buildings
consistent with their gender identity. But
on the same day in a later interview, Trump
backtracked on those views, saying local
communities and states should make the
decision on whether transgender people
should be able to use restrooms consistent
with their gender identity.
A number of safeguards are in place
that would prevent Trump from makingtoo
many changes against LGBT rights, as
least rapidly. The Administrative Procedure
Act a law enacted by Congress in 1946
governing the way in which administrative

agencies may propose and establish rules

prohibits a quick change in regulation if a
hostile administration takes over. Instituting
new nal regulations repealing these
policies would be a multi-year process and
require a justication for overturning them
other than for political reasons.
Other changes are rmly in place
as a result of law or changes by the
courts. Although Trump has said hed
seek to appoint justices whod overturn
marriage equality, that effort would be
a long shot and he unilaterally couldnt
change the right for same-sex couples to
marry because the U.S. Supreme Court
determined thats a right afforded under
the U.S. Constitution.
Trump may rescind the Obama
administration
order
prohibiting
schools from discriminating against
transgender students, but thats based
on case law developed over two decades
determining anti-trans bias amounts to
gender discrimination under federal law.
Courts and the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission have now
begun to make the same determination
for sexual-orientation discrimination.
But despite the independence of the
judiciary, it wouldnt be immune to a Trump
presidency seeking to reverse advances
on LGBT rights.
Jon Davidson, legal director of Lambda
Legal, declined to comment on any
particular presidential candidate, but said
the election is happening in a critical
period of legal understanding of antiLGBT discrimination and the next person
who occupies the White House could
inuence that.
Having federal judges who will rule
fairly on these issues is essential, Davidson
said. Whoever is president will inuence
the future composition of the EEOC,
the Department of Justices leadership,
and the makeup of the federal judiciary.
In particular, given the Senates refusal
to consider the nomination of Judge
Garland to the Supreme Court, a future
president may well choose who will ll
the late Justice Scalias seat. While we can
hope that, regardless of who is elected,
those the future president appoints
will continue to recognize that sexualorientation discrimination is a form of sex
discrimination barred by current federal
statutes, that remains to be seen.

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JUNE 10, 2016 47

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

Pride around the world

ADVOCATE S O R G A N I Z E PA R A DE S, PR OT E ST S A N D F O R U MS T H R O U GH O U T T H E Y E A R
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
Parades, protests and forums are among the myriad ways that LGBT rights advocates
around the world celebrate Pride.
More than 200,000 people took part in the annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade in Israel on
June 3. As the Middle Easts largest Pride event was underway, an LGBT rights advocate
in the Libyan city of Benghazi who survived an attack by militants who later pledged their
allegiance to the so-called Islamic State emailed the Washington Blade a picture of a
piece of paper with rainbow colors and Benghazi Pride written onto it by hand.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet commemorated the International Day Against
Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17 by illuminating her countrys Presidential Palace
in rainbow colors. Russian police less than three weeks earlier detained more than two
dozen LGBT rights advocates who took part in May Day celebrations in Moscow and St.
Petersburg.
The Blade has compiled images that show how LGBT rights advocates commemorate
Pride in their respective countries.

BE LIZE :
Organizers of a forum at the University of the West Indies in Belize City, Belize, on May
17, 2016, that commemorated this years International Day Against Homophobia and
Transphobia served rainbow cupcakes to attendees. Religious groups from the U.S.
continue to oppose efforts to repeal the Central American countrys sodomy law. (Photo
courtesy of Caleb Orozco/United Belize Advocacy Movement)

L I B YA :
An LGBT rights advocate in the Libyan city of Benghazi commemorates Pride month in
his apartment with a handwritten sign. The activist told the Washington Blade during
an interview last month that the three militants who attacked his car in 2014 later swore
allegiance to the so-called Islamic State. (Photo submitted)

CONTINUES ON PAGE 50

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JUNE 10, 2016 49

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48

CANADA:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raises the rainbow ag over the Canadian
Parliament on June 1, 2016. (Photo courtesy of Pam Lambo/Canadian Embassy in the U.S.)

CHILE:
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet commemorated the International Day Against
Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17, 2016, by illuminating the countrys Presidential
Palace in rainbow colors. (Photo courtesy of the Movement for Homosexual Integration
and Liberation)

CUBA:
Hundreds took part in a march in the city of Matanzas on May 17, 2016, that commemorated
the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The National Center for
Sexual Education, which is directed by Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Ral
Castro, organized the event. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

CY P R U S :
A woman participates in Cyprus rst LGBT Pride parade that took place in the countrys
capital of Nicosia on May 31, 2014. (Photo courtesy of Alexandros Ioannou/Accept LGBT
Cyprus)

HONG KONG:
LGBT rights advocates take part in the annual Hong Kong Pride Parade on Nov. 7, 2015
(Photo courtesy of Mia/Hong Kong Pride Parade)

INDIA:
A man holds a sign during the eighth annual Delhi Queer Pride on Nov. 29, 2015, that
acknowledges the LGBT Dalits, who are part of the lowest caste in Indias social hierarchy.
(Photo courtesy of Akhil Kang)
CONTINUES ON PAGE 56

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50

ISRAE L:
A woman dances at a party during Tel Aviv Pride Parade on June 3, 2016. More than
200,000 people attended the event, which is the largest Pride parade in the Middle East.
(Photo by Guy Yechiely)

JA M A I CA :
Two police ofcers stand outside a Pride party in Kingston, Jamaica, on Aug. 5, 2015.
Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in the country, but LGBT rights
advocates have become more visible in recent years in spite of persistent violence and
discrimination. (Photo courtesy of J-FLAG)

LE BANON:
A man takes part in a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, on May 15, 2016, that marked the
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. (Photo courtesy of Beirut
Syndrome)

N E PA L :
Three transgender women participate in the Miss Pink 2016 pageant in Kathmandu, Nepal,
on May 17, 2016. The event took place on the International Day Against Homophobia and
Transphobia. (Photo courtesy of Manisha Dhakal/Blue Diamond Society)

NE THE RLAND S:
The 20th annual Amsterdam Canal Parade took place on Aug. 1, 2015. It is among the
largest and most recognizable Pride events in the world. (Photo by Jeroen Ploeger)

PHILIPPINES:
A group of LGBT rights advocates prepare to march in Manila on May 2, 2016. They
took to the streets a week before their countrys elections to demand that the Philippine
government do more to promote LGBT-specic issues. (Photo courtesy of Dindi Tan)
CONTINUES ON PAGE 58

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JUNE 10, 2016 57

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 56

POLAND :
Msgr. Krzysztof Charamsa speaks about religion and homosexuality at Gay Village, a Priderelated event in Rome, on June 2, 2016. The gay Polish priest came out last October before
Catholic bishops gathered at the Vatican to discuss the family and to vote on a document
that reafrmed the churchs opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples. (Photo
courtesy of Msgr. Krzysztof Charamsa)

P U E RTO R I CO :
Participants in a parade in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that commemorated the International Day
Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17, 2013, carry crosses to highlight religiousbased discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. (Washington Blade
photo by Michael K. Lavers)

RUSSIA:
LGBT rights advocates attended a May Day commemoration in Moscow on May 1, 2016.
Police detained more than two dozen activists who took part in marches in the Russian
capital and in St. Petersburg. (Photo courtesy of Nikolay Kavkazskiy)

TUNISIA:
A sign spray-painted onto a wall asks Tunisian lawmakers when they will repeal Article 230
of their countrys penal code that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations. Those
who have been arrested and charged under the law have undergone so-called anal tests
to determine whether they are gay. (Photo submitted)

UGANDA:
LGBT rights advocates gather in Kampala, Uganda, before a Pride event last year. President
Yoweri Musevenis decision to sign the so-called Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2014 sparked
outrage across the world. (Photo courtesy of Uganda Pride)

UKRAINE:
A Ukrainian nationalist attacks a police ofcer during an LGBT Pride march in Kiev, Ukraine,
on June 6, 2015. Special U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry is
scheduled to take part in Pride commemorations in the capital of the former Soviet republic
this month. (Photo courtesy of Bogdan Globa/Fulcrum)

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JUNE 10, 2016 59

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

Unique-ly Alex

O U T SI N G E R O N G L E E , PR I DE , B E YO N C E A N D MO RE
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Ill forget what I did in each episode. I think
one of my favorites would have to be my
second-to-last one where I sang I Know
Where Ive Been with the trans chorus. It
was just a good moment to have everyone
rally. I also really liked the Grease
episode. I felt that one has so much heart.

Singer/actor Alex Newell, best known

for playing Unique on Glee, is one of this
years headliners on the Capitol Concert
Stage at Capital Pride this weekend.
Look for him in the 2 p.m. slot where
hell showcase his soaring, buttery vocals.
We caught up with the soft-spoken, yet
outspoken, 23-year-old performer by
phone from Los Angeles.

BLADE:
Was
(creator/executive
producer) Ryan Murphy around a lot?
NEWELL: Yeah, we saw him all the time.
He was there as much as someone who
has three shows on TV is there. Its not
like hed be there every day all the time
because he had Glee and American
Horror Story, and then one year he had
Glee, American Horror Story and The
New Normal on TV at the same time. Then
The New Normal got canceled and he
had American Horror Story, Glee and
he was developing Scream Queens and
American Crime Story. So I feel like the
show runner doesnt always have to be
there, but his ear was to the ground. He
knew what was going on the entire time.

BLADE: You have a new song out?

NEWELL: Well right now Im kind of
doing the Pride circuit. Its Pride month,
Pride season. I also have a new song out
today called Need Somebody. It just
came out. This rst week, were donating
a portion of the sales to the Trevor Project.
BLADE: Who produced it?
NEWELL: Cutfather. Hes amazing.
BLADE: You had an EP (Power) out
earlier this year. Do you plan more?
NEWELL: It depends. Were just trying
to see. Theres no set plan. I think were
going to do another, but this is just its
own thing. Were focusing on making new
music and making good songs. The EP
was so good and everyone enjoyed it and
it was successful so now were just trying
to match that or go above and beyond it.
BLADE: How many Prides are you
doing?
NEWELL: I dont know. Maybe four, ve
or six. I dont like to count them because
then it starts to feel overwhelming.
BLADE: Why is Pride important?
NEWELL: Its a time to celebrate each
other and the accomplishments in our
community. Because thats where it starts. It
always starts at home. If we dont celebrate
each other and where we are, it just gets
kind of superuous after a while.
BLADE: You toured with Adam Lambert
earlier this year and played Washington in
March. How was it?
NEWELL: It was amazing. I went on tour
with one of my good friends. I had fun. I
couldnt have asked for a better time.
We played D.C. right after New York. The
audience was warm and responsive and

BLADE: Was he approachable?

NEWELL: Oh yeah. He was amazing. Hes
so sweet and kind. Hes very intelligent.
Hes smart and every time he greeted
me, he gave me a warm hug. Hes known
me since I was like 17, 18. Hes watched
me grow, not just as an actor but as a
performer. Hes always very welcoming
and warm.

ALEX NEWELL of Glee fame says

Pride is important because it gives
the LGBT community a place to
celebrate its accomplishments.

PHOTO BY BRIAN ZIFF

welcoming. It was a good time.

BLADE: What was it like on the Glee
set? Fun and hanging out or nervewracking and hard? All of the above?
NEWELL: It was very friendly like a giant
family. Its basically like a household. Its
dysfunctional, its functional. And at the
same time youre working 16-hour days a
lot of the time and youre with each other
ve days out of the week and sometimes
more than that because were friends at
the end of the day. And youre trying to
make the best product you can whether

youre singing, dancing, acting or having

dance rehearsals and makeup tests and
lming scenes or lming a music number
or having a tting or going to pre-record
the song. Theres so many variables to it so
it was just as crazy as anyone would think it
was. But at the end of the day, we were all
there together and we were just working at
a well-oiled machine.
BLADE: Which Glee episode was your
favorite?
NEWELL: I dont know. They started to
blur together after a while. Like sometimes

BLADE: Were you and Chris Colfer

(Kurt) especially friendly?
NEWELL: I love him dearly. I dont want
to judge it based on other friendships I
may have, but we were very friendly.
BLADE: You got really famous really fast
at something really specic. How hard has
it been trying to funnel that momentum
into other things you want to do?
NEWELL: Well, its always hard and
difcult when youre coming off playing
a specic thing and a role on such a large
scale because after a while, thats all people
can see you for. You kind of have to prove
yourself on another scale. A lot of people
CONTINUES ON PAGE 64

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

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Newell slams Sarah Dash for anti-trans remarks

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 62

representation. Laverne (Cox) is one of my

good friends. We have lunch and talk and
text. Were good. Im always there for it.

say, Well, they pre-recorded on Glee, none

of them are really singers, but in actuality,
the majority of us were actual singers and
weve honed our craft and all. But theres
always that thing of trying to prove myself
even more than just being a TV actor or a
TV personality. That Im actually talented
and that I can do other things than play that
specic role. But this is not exactly news to
anyone. It happened to lots of child stars.
When they grew up, it was always hard for
them to be seen as anything other than the
role theyd been playing.
BLADE: I know you cant quantify this
exactly, but how much of what youve
achieved has been talent vs. perspiration?
NEWELL: I feel like its an even balance.
I work extremely hard for everything that
I have and everything that Ive gotten.
Where Ive been, Ive fought tooth and
nail and just as much as anyone else if
not harder. You have to know that youre
amazing and not get complacent. You
have to remind yourself that youre the
best at what you do and its always good to
know that no one else can do exactly what
you do. They can do it like you, but they
can never do it exactly like you do it. You
bring something special to the table.
BLADE: Youve said youre a big Beyonce
fan. How do you like Lemonade?
NEWELL: Oh, its amazing. Its honest,
its truthful and something we havent
seen. I hear some people wishing the old
Beyonce was back but after a while, you
have to evolve. You have to go places
and I mean, old Beyonce, new Beyonce,
Beyonce is Beyonce. I live for her.
BLADE: How do you feel she stands
up to classic divas like Donna Summer or
Diana Ross? Like when Miss Ross was at her
commercial peak with Upside Down and
Im Coming Out and all that, is Beyonces
stuff in that league?
NEWELL: I think its like a whole other
thing. Its completely different. Its apples
and oranges or like comparing the Civil
War to the Cold War. They happened in
completely different times. I think too
often people want to compare people to
the past when they did it on their own and
made something their own out of nothing.
So Im not a huge person about comparing
things. And with all the changes that have
happened in the industry since then, I feel

BLADE: How do you feel about this

North Carolina stuff with House Bill 2?
NEWELL: Its just people trying to
control others. Its basically a dumbeddown version of segregation like having
a blacks-only entrance and a whites-only
entrance. People are trying to get rid of
something they dont like just because
they dont understand it. I feel like its just
too much. Like when Stacey Dash said
they should just go pee in the bushes. Im
like, Im pretty sure your ancestors were
being hung from trees just like the rest of
us, so why would you say something as
inhumane as that?
BLADE: Is this the tipping point for the
transgender movement?
NEWELL: I cant really speak to that. I
think its a catapulting movement where
this could really put the limelight on things,
but is this the start of the avalanche going
down? I just dont know. I dont know if this
is the last straw, but its poking at that bear.

Out actor ALEX NEWELL says he doesnt mind getting mistaken for being transgender.

PHOTO BY BRIAN ZIFF

sometimes we have to ght more now

because theres so much that goes on
with pirating and not selling, so you end
up working even harder. It was easier back
in the 60s, 70s and 80s because the only
way you got it back then was if you went to
the store and physically picked it up. The
game has changed so much, its hard to
even start to compare.
BLADE: Name someone who youd just be
beside yourself if she put out a new record.
NEWELL: Chaka Khan. She hasnt done
anything in so long. I feel like everyones
kind of reinventing themselves. Barbras
going back on tour. Cher went back. Its like
everyones kind of reinventing themselves
saying, Im still here, I can still kick your
ass. Id be shocked if one of them came
out with something new, honestly.
BLADE: What do you have planned for
your Pride set?
NEWELL: Im going to do some new
things, Im going to do some old things,
Im going to do some Glee things. I

think its going to be like 30-40 minutes.

Its just gonna be fun. When I do a show I
like to reect. I feel like reections always
really nice and just do the obvious of what
people expect you to do.
BLADE: I know theyre totally different
from your role on Glee, but do you
feel any connection with shows like
Transparent or I Am Cait or keep up
with them?
NEWELL: I do. Im always for
representation because for the longest
of time, there werent many people on TV
who looked like me. Obviously Im African
American, and for the longest time after
the 90s, after shows like Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air and Family Matters and Hangin
With Mr. Cooper went off the air, it felt
like everything got very whitewashed. So
not only was my race not represented,
my sexual orientation wasnt either. I
imagine millions of other people felt the
same way. So I will always stand up for
the trans community because I know what
it feels like to be that person who has no

BLADE: You identify as gay but youre

so heavily identied with a transgender
role. Does that ever get weird or are you
OK with it?
NEWELL: I get mistaken as trans all the
time and its something Im ne with and
welcome it only because it means my role
was so important in helping or it means I
did a good job with it at the end of the day.
Its something I stand for and something I
represent and I want to be a voice with, so
its ne. I mean, Ill correct someone, but its
OK. When Im back in Boston with my mom
and we go out to dinner, theyll often say,
And how are you ladies doing? My moms
like, I dont see a lady, and Im like, I dont
either, but most people do. I have a very
effeminate face and I have long hair and Im
extremely gay, so it happens. I havent really
heard anything negative, like somebody
saying Im pretending to be something Im
not. I havent experienced that.
BLADE: Is there any song you remember
from growing up singing in church that has
stayed with you?
NEWELL: I used to sing a song called
Give Me a Clean Heart. Sometimes I hum
it and when I go back to church, its always
the song they want to hear. So thats kind
of followed me my entire career.

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

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

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JUNE 10, 2016 67

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W E D N E S D AY, J U N E 1 5 , 2 0 1 6 | 6 : 3 0 P M

LEGAL IN DC

2014 SPONSORS*

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SPECIAL GUEST

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To purchase tickets, complete the enclosed form
bdalegal.org/dc2014. DONALD
or visit www.lambdalegal.org/dc2014.
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ebook: bit.ly/lambdalegaldc2014

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LIBE

Karen K. Dixon &

Brian V. Breheny
Duane Pozza and DeVere Kutscher
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Leslie S. Wilkes
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Nan
Schaffer - $4,999
Paul R.Q. Wolfson
ADVOCATE
$2,500
Attorney
ofCthe
States
HOST
COMMITTEE
OINSTITUTION
RUnited
P O R AT
EHicks
SFOR
PandOJohn
NSCIENCE
SORS
Dan
McCall
THEGeneral
CARNEGIE
Peter S. Reichertz
Karen
K.
Dixon*,
CO-CHAIR
Tom
Mounteer
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1530 P STREET
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ADVOCATE $2,500 - $4,999 Lisa Banks
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John F. Olson and Thomas J. Kim
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6:30PM
DOORS
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STARTS
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Kevin Cathcart
Lambda Legal Executive Director

Follow the event on Facebook: bit.ly/lambdalegaldc2014

Holmes Hummel
Mickey Martinez

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FEATURING
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Paul
Wolfson
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andR.Q.
Gregory
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Peter S. Reichertz

FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Karen K. Dixon &

Nan Schaffer

Michael E. Ward
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WilmerHale
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Mike Woods and Greg Jones

TUESDAY,
6:30 $500
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and DeVere
- $1,499

Join us for hors doeuvres and cocktails as we

celebrate Lambda Legals victories for LGBT equality
and commit to the work ahead.
David S. Cohen &
Craig A. Benson

Patrick McGlone and Kevin Taylor

Morrison & Foerster
Gregory Connors
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6:30PM DOORS OPEN;
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and John
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2014 | 6:30 PM 9:00 PM

EYNOTE SPEAKER

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listings as of 5/16/14

HOST COMMITTEE
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Dana Beyer
Brian V. Breheny
Ross A. Buntrock and Shane Bateman
David S. Cohen and Craig A. Benson
Ruth E. Eisenberg** and Letitia Gomez
Steve Elmendorf
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Andrew Han
Paul Hurdle and John Kircher
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Debra S. Katz

Tom Mounteer
John F. Olson and Thomas J. Kim
Daniel Penchina
Luke Platzer
John R. Richards*
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Watson Seaman**
James E. Showen
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Paul Smith** and Michael Dennis
Mike Stanek
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Pepin Andrew Tuma
Jean Veta and Mary Ann Dutton
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Letitia Gomez

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Paul Hurdle &

John Kircher

MEDIA SPONSOR

Stuart S. Kurlander &

David L. Martin

Tom Mounteer

6/3/16 13:35

HOS

Karen
Patric
A. Co
Lisa B
Jim B
Dana
Brian
Ross A
David
Ruth E
Steve
Patric
Melis
Laura
Julie
Andre
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Ross L
L. Lau
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Greg
Floyd
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CA P I T A L P RI D E

Magic 24-7

I T S A L L PR I DE , A L L T H E T I ME T H I S W E E KE N D I N D.C .
From STAFF REPORTS
Puth, Melanie Martinez and Alex Newell
are scheduled to perform at the Pride
Concert presented by Hot 99.5 today
from 1-9:45 p.m. Admission to the festival
is free. Exhibit hours are from noon-7 p.m.

Capital Pride returns for another year

with a slew of events to Make Magic
Happen, the 2016 Pride theme. Some are
ofcial Capital Pride-sanctioned events
while others dovetail with the festivities.
Full details on all ofcial events are at
capitalpride.org.
FRIDAY, JUNE 1 0
Sixth in the City Shabbat: National
Pride Edition, a Shabbat service, is at
Sixth and I Synagogue (600 I St., N.W.) is
this evening at 6:30 p.m. Cocktails begin at
6:30 p.m., service is 7:15 p.m. and dinner
is at 8:30 p.m.
The Fourth annual D.C. Front Runners
Pride Run 5K with Capital Pride begins
at Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St.,
S.E.) tonight at 7 p.m. The timed 5K race
concludes with a Finish Line Party with a
live DJ, beer and awards. Registration is
required.
Leslie Jordan Live! is tonight with
shows at 7 and 9 p.m. at Studio Theatre
(1501 14th St., N.W.) in a show presented
by the Washington Blade. Tickets for
the 9 p.m. show may still be available at
washingtonblade.com/leslie.
Brightest Young Things presents Hex:
the Abracadablous Opening Party at
Dock 5 at Union Market (1309 Fifth St.,
N.E.) tonight from 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m. DJ
Gring and DJ Lisa Moody will play music.
Thorgy Thor from RuPauls Drag Race,
Pussy Noir, Team Peaches, Pepper Mashay,
the Hairy Otter Go-Go Squad and more
will make appearances. Tickets are $25.
S ATU R DAY, JUNE 1 1
Crack of Noon, the parade day brunch,
is at the Urbana inside Kimpton Hotel
Palomar (2121 P St., N.W.) today from
noon-3 p.m. with special guest actor Leslie
Jordan. A gourmet buffet will be served
with complimentary mimosas and bellinis.
Tickets are $100.
The Pride Parade is today from 4:307:30 p.m. The parade route runs from
22nd and P streets through Dupont
Circle and 17th Street, through the Logan
Circle neighborhood and ends at 14th
Street corridor at S Street. Leslie Jordan
will be the grand marshal. Businesses,

Capital Pride and its many co-sponsors have

a bounty of events planned this weekend
from dances for all ages, the parade, festival,
brunches and more.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Capital Pride Heroes and Engendered

Spirit awardees, politicians, community
groups, drag queens and more will make
appearances.
A youth dance is tonight from 6-10
p.m. at National City Christian Church (5
Thomas Circle, N.W.).
The FUSE Womens Party is tonight
from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. at Howard Theatre (620
T St., N.W.). Tickets are $15 for this 21-andup event.
The Distrkt C Mens Party is tonight
from 10:30 p.m.-6 a.m. at the D.C. Eagle
(3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) with DJs Mark
DeMarko and Manny Lehman. Details at
distrkt.com.
SU N DAY, J U N E 1 2
Cherry Fund & Capital Pride after hours
team up for an early morning dance from
3-9 a.m. this morning at Flash (645 Florida
Ave., N.W.). Details at cherryfund.org.
The 41st annual Pride Festival is on
Sunday, June 12 at Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
between 3rd and 7th streets. About 300
exhibitors showcasing community groups,
national sponsors, local businesses, food
vendors and more will be displayed.
There will be concerts on three stages
featuring local performers and national
headlining acts. Meghan Trainor, Charlie

CA PI TO L CO N C E RT STAGE
(3 R D & PE N N SY LVA N I A )
1 P.M.
Gay Mens Chorus of Washington
Michele Raymond Band
Wicked Jezebel
Hot 99.5s Drag Queen Divas
2 P.M.
D.C. Front Runners
Ella Fitzgerald
Alex Newell (headliner)
3 P.M.
D.C. Cowboy
Freddie Follies
Melanie Martinez (headliner)
4 P.M.
Kristina Kelly & the Cobalt Cas
Signature Theaters Le Cage Aux
Folles
Naomi Smalls Rupauls Drag Race
2016 Finalist
5 P.M.
Team Peaches
EnKore Dance Company
Bob the Drag Queen RuPauls Drag
Race 2016 Winner
6 P.M.
Charlie Puth (headliner)
7 P.M.
Meghan Trainor (headliner)
8 P.M.
Capitol Sunset Dance Party with DJ
Tracy Young
MO N U ME N T F E ST I VA L STAGE
(6 T H & CO N ST I T U T I O N )
12:30 P.M.
DJ Andre Gutarra
1 P.M.
Shadina
D.C. Different Drummers
Joey Salinas
Drag Cabaret
Da Dollhouze
DJ Andre Gutarra

See schedule below.

Mother of Dragons, Prides Ofcial
Closing Party is at Cobalt (1639 R St.,
N.W.) on Sunday, June 12 from 10 p.m.-2
a.m. Tickets will be available at the door.
2 P.M.
Crys Matthews
Billy Winn
Drag Cabaret
Chocolate City
3 P.M.
D.C. Gurly Show
DJ Nick Ayler
D.C. Front Runners
Shadina
Aocentric
4 P.M.
Oasis Dance Company
Tori WhoDat
Drag Cabaret
Data Recovery Project
5 P.M.
Dolo Fergari
Matthew Jay Kelly
DJ Nick Ayler
Showtyme Soul
Siren
Drag Cabaret
6 P.M.
Drag Cabaret
Sub-Radio
Fire in the River
D U P O N T DA N C E T E N T
( 6 T H & P E N N SY LVA N I A )
NOON
DJ Jill Jack
1 P.M.
DJ Sean Morris
2 P.M.
DJ Nick Ayler
3 P.M.
DJ Sidekick
4 P.M.
DJ Tim Jackson
4:30 P.M.
DJ Rosie
5:15 P.M.
DJ Keenan Orr
6 P.M.
Madscience

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

JUNE 10, 2016 71

Recovering Latinx LGBT History:

DAN GUERRERO with the
Editors of QUEER BROWN VOICES
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Rasmuson Theater, 6:30-8:30 pm
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
4th Street & Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC

This program is free and open to the public. Please enter via the museums
Independence Avenue entrance. The nearest Metro station is LEnfant Plaza
(Blue, Orange, Silver, Yellow and Green lines).

Join the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Human Rights Campaign
for a Pride Month celebration! This program will feature a
presentation of Activism & the Arts: A Life Journey by director,
producer, and activist Dan Guerrero. Guerrero will then moderate a
discussion with Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latina/o
LGBT Activism co-editors Leti Gomez, Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, and Uriel
Quesada about the history of Latinxs in the LGBTQ movement,
making connections across civil rights struggles.
Share your questions and perspectives during the Q&A! Includes a special
response by Joanna Cifredo (National Center for Transgender Equality).
Followed by a book sale and signing.
Watch the live webcast http://latino.si.edu/Programs
Auditorium doors open at 6 p.m. First come, rst seated! ASL
interpretation will be provided. To request additional access services, call
(202) 633-0925 or email woodamanr@si.edu.

This program received federal

support from the Latino Initiatives
Pool, administered by the
Smithsonian Latino Center.

7 2 J UN E 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

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

Find Your Voice

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GAY GAMES
DANCESPORT, PARIS, 2018!
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DanceSport event on the planet this decade.

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Lambda DanceSport will be fundraising until Showtime for our DC dancers.
Free beginner Thursday & Sunday classes for both competitive or social
dancers during GG X Paris, 2018 ...DONT MISS IT!

Join us annually in P Town, SF, Phillly, Ohio, & other same-gender DanceSport
events, plus semi-monthly DC Rawhides Town & Country, Town Danceboutique.

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www.LambdaDanceSportDC.org Dance@LambdaDanceSportDC.org

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

JUNE 10, 2016 73

How I Built a
Family and Made
a Difference
by Terrence Calhoun

Ive always loved children, but for many years, I didnt have
the desire to raise my own. Then, as I got older, I realized
I was missing out on something special. I knew if I didnt
attempt to become a parent, I would regret it for the rest of
my life. A friend encouraged me to look into fostering. That
was six years ago. As someone who possesses a strong faith, I
knew this was Gods work for me to do.
My first foster children were brothers, ages 5 months and 5
years. They stayed with me for only about three months, but
I could tell I was having a positive impact on them. The older
boy seemed to do better in school. They left to live with their
aunt, but the experience made me want to do more.
Before long, I got another call. A 5-month-old boy needed a
safe home because he had 27 broken bones! I agreed to take
him and slowly nurtured him back to health. I was amazed
at his strength and resilience. I also met his parents. I realized
that my fostering not only gave the child a chance to heal
but also gave his parents time to get the help they needed
to provide an appropriate loving home. The child eventually
returned to his parents. I still see him occasionally. He is
growing up healthy and strong; I am very proud to have
played a part in making that happen.
Next, I took a 10-month-old boy. He was a wonderful child
whose mother said she no longer wanted to care for him.
Even at 10 months, he was feisty and busy. I had the privilege

of seeing many of his developmental milestones, including his

first steps and his first words. He was so active! One day after
putting him in his crib, I went downstairs. But then I heard
crying that was getting louder and louder. I turned around
and saw that he had climbed out of his crib, come down the
steps, and had his arms up wanting me to hold him! In that
moment, I realized we loved each other; I decided to adopt
him. That led to a long, contentious trial. But in the end, we
became a forever family.
Fostering and adopting have made me a better person, a more
compassionate and patient one for sure. This morning when
I dropped my son at school, out of nowhere he said, I really
love you, Daddy. I melted and said, I love you more.
Throughout my journey, CFSA has helped me at every step.
As a single parent, its important to have a support system.
Some of the people at CFSA have hearts of gold. My support
worker is always there to help. And CFSA has a ton of
resources that help make this work possiblegood training
and connections to other foster parents in a supportive
network. CFSA has been extremely inclusive and affirming
of me and my family.
I encourage you to become a foster/adoptive parent. Its a
life-changing experience. You never know what you can do
until you do itand then amazing things happen. I am a
living witness.

For more information about becoming a DC foster parent, call 202.671.LOVE (5683).

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

7 4 J UN E 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

CA P I T A L P RI D E

RuPauls Drag Race ins and outs

SE ASO N E I G H T F I N A L I ST N AO MI SMA L L S TA KE S U S B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
BLADE: So shes not so confrontational
when the cameras not rolling?
NAOMI: Oh for sure. Not so loud.

Once again this year, the top three

queens from this seasons RuPauls Drag
Race will be at both Town and Capital
Pride. Kim Chi is at Town on Friday, June
10 and Naomi Smalls and champ Bob the
Drag Queen are there Saturday, June 11.
Naomi and Bob will also perform on the
Capitol Concert Stage at the festival on
Sunday, June 12.
Naomi Smalls, a 21-year-old Redlands,
Calif., native born Davis Heppenstall, spoke
to us the week by phone from her home in
Chicago.
WASHINGTON BLADE: What was it like
having to wait from the time you wrapped
taping to nding out who won?
NAOMI SMALLS: I was nervous but I
think I was more nervous nding out who
made the top three because we lmed that
last year. For us, it was different because
we were kind of walking on eggshells. The
other girls got to know how they did when
they left and so they all knew when their
bad episode was going to be, but for Bob,
Kim Chi and I, we were all nervous.
BLADE: You dont nd out who wins
until the episode actually airs, so where
did you watch it?
NAOMI: They have a crowning and
coronation in New York and Kim, Bob and I
were all watching it live. It was our rst time
nding out who was going to win. I had a
feeling it was going to be Bob, so I wasnt
super super surprised. But we were happy
to be there and see his reaction in person.
BLADE: How did he react?
NAOMI: Well of course he started
crying. Its the biggest moment of his life.
Im glad Kim and I got to be there for him.
The three of us are actually really good
friends. So any of us would have had the
same reaction no matter who won.
BLADE: It was such a shock the night Ru
sent both Dax and Laila home. What did it
feel like when it was actually happening?
NAOMI: When I was watching it live, I
didnt think either of them were doing very
good. It was a surprise that it was so early
in the competition and she was sending
two people home, but it was probably the

BLADE: Acid Betty was such a bitch too,

and I thought initially she would go a lot
further. Do you think Ru takes the nastiness
into consideration when sending them
home or is it really just how good you are?
NAOMI: I always think of it as kind of
a Big Brother thing where Ru is always
watching and if maybe you get some
news back from an assistant or producer
that someones not giving their all or
grateful to be there, I think that may come
into consideration when it comes to the
judging. I think you should just treat
people the way you want to be treated and
dont be an asshole.
BLADE: But then it turned out that Betty
had reached out to Cynthia when she was
sick, so I guess she has a soft side too.
NAOMI: I think certain people get
into a certain mindset when theyre in a
competition. They could be the sweetest
person but once youre in a room pitted
against 12 other people, they go into
competition mode and you forget about
the way to treat people.

NAOMI SMALLS (aka Davis

Heppenstall) performs at Town
and Capital Pride this weekend.

PHOTO COURTESY OF
NEVERLAND EVENTS

right decision.
BLADE: How do they keep you all from
seeing each other back stage when you
walk into the work room for the rst time?
NAOMI: Well all come from the hotel
in separate vans one by one and we all go
there and wait in a holding room. Like a
very small room with a mirror and snacks.
Then they just tell you when its your time
to go in and you dont see any of the other
queens. Were all in these closed-off rooms
until everyone walks in.
BLADE: So you have to get ready at the
hotel?
NAOMI: Yes.
BLADE: What did it feel like walking into
the work room for the rst time?
NAOMI: I was nervous but also really
excited. Its like this surreal moment after

seeing it on TV for so many years. I really

wanted to be part of it but I was also
nervous to see who else was going to be
there and if the other queens would be
easy to get along with.
BLADE: Derrick was so nasty to you.
Like she was going out of her way to pick
a ght, especially the last episode she was
on. Was that really how it felt at the time or
did they edit it all together to seem nastier
than it really was?
NAOMI: I wouldnt say worse than it
really was. I just think some people make
for really good TV. Derrick is a really good
friend but hes also very good at turning
it on for television. I wouldnt say the
producers had anything to do with editing
it any certain way. Its more of how Derricks
personality comes across on television
when he turns it on.

BLADE: You seemed one of the nicest

queens this season, though. Is that just
your personality?
NAOMI: I grew up in a big family so Im
good with treating people the way I want
to be treated. Unless someone comes for
me, Im not going to come for them.
BLADE: When you all saw all the
kimonos coming out for the Madonna
episode and realized almost everybody
was doing Nothing Really Matters, why
didnt some of you switch gears? Was it
too late? Were you all thinking, Oh shit?
NAOMI: When you get called for the
show, you only have two weeks to prepare
so once we got there and we found out
who everyones Madonna look was, we
were all freaking out. I actually think there
were three other kimonos from the girls
who went home before that challenge. I
CONTINUES ON PAGE 76

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JUNE 10, 2016 75

No matter how you define yourself, at

Whitman-Walker Health we treat every person
with compassion, respect and pride.

WHITMAN-WALKER.ORG

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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CA P I T A L P RI D E

I love being in front of the camera

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 74

a recap episode. I didnt see it.

think Naysha, Laila, I think Dax and I want to

say maybe even Cynthia were all planning
that too, but theres not really much you can
do because you dont nd out the runway
category until the day before. So yeah, trust
me, I denitely regret doing that runway.

BLADE: Had you seen (season seven

winner) Violets gown before she came out
at the nale? Oh my God, that dress!
NAOMI: I saw the dress rehearsal but I
didnt see the full-on with makeup and all
that amazingness until she came out. I was
just as gagged as everybody else.

BLADE: So they did tell you to bring a

Madonna look before you left home?
NAOMI: We knew there was a
Madonna category, we just didnt know
what everyone else was going to do.
Everyone was trying to be original, picking
something not super obvious, but it just
didnt pan out very well.
BLADE: So that was just a huge
coincidence?
NAOMI: I didnt really know that many
Madonna references. Just Music and
Hung Up, so I thought, Oh, Ill do darkhair Madonna, no one else is going to do
that. And it bit me in the butt.
BLADE: How tall are you out of drag?
NAOMI: 6, 4
BLADE: You often go without boobs in
your drag. Is that like a little genderfuck
thing or what?
NAOMI: I always grew up lusting over
the 90s supermodels who were bone
thin with like no tits and no hips and thats
what I kind of based my drag off of. Its
just proportion to me. Ive worn the pads,
Ive worn the boobs, but it just doesnt
really work for me. I like my look the way
it is. I never try to be androgynous or
genderfuck. I just think it suits my look and
my silhouette better.
BLADE: What are you planning for
Capital Pride?
NAOMI: Im actually really excited to do
it. I didnt know til today that it was with
Bob on Saturday, so thats going to be a
blast. Im just excited. I love Pride. Its the
best energy you ever have when youre
performing because everyones just there
and proud to be who they are so Im just
excited to be there with everybody whos
celebrating.
BLADE: Usually the episode before the
nale is highlights with the past queens
commenting. Did they not do that this
year?
NAOMI: I dont think they did. Yeah, like

BLADE: Was that amazing or what?

NAOMI: I think its like the most
legendary look thats ever been on
RuPauls Drag Race period. All seasons.
It was amazing.
BLADE: Do you know Violet at all?
NAOMI: The rst time I really got to
meet her was at the nale but I looked up
to Violet ever since she was on the show.
So getting the chance to hang out with her
and pick her brain a little was just really
nice. Shes one of the sweetest queens. I
think very highly of her.
BLADE: Where do you even get a dress
like that?
NAOMI: I think somebody who mades a
lot of her clothes made it but I dont know
his name.
BLADE: Were you intimidated to be in
the group photo with all the past queens
at the beginning of your season?
NAOMI: It sounds cocky, but once I
found out I had to do a photo shoot, I was
like super happy about it. I love being in
front of the camera and taking photos so
I wasnt super intimidated by the other
queens.
BLADE: Did you get to say anything to
them or was it just like shoot, on with the
next girl?
NAOMI: Just shoot and on to the next
girl. Ive worked with Raja and Sharon
(Needles) before and theyre all very nice.
So I wasnt too scared.
BLADE: How do they make the
commentary seem like its happening as
the show is unfolding? Obviously you cant
really be commenting in real time. Is that
just really good editing?
NAOMI: We do our interviews at the
end of the week and were supposed to
keep a journal but its really hard to do that
because when you get back to the hotel,
youre so tired after lming you just want
to go to bed. You dont really want to stay

up all night writing in a journal. But after

you do the rst round, you kind of get used
to it.
BLADE: They always make it seem so
nerve wracking and like youre so pressed
for time but then you see something like
Kim Chi gluing a lotus blossom headpiece
together blossom by blossom so you
obviously have time to do something
painstaking like that. Is it really as big a
time crunch as they make it seem?
NAOMI: Its denitely nerve wracking.
You guys pretty much see all the time we
have to work on things. We might get
like an extra hour and a half. But yeah, its
denitely not an easy competition.
BLADE: Is it about what you thought it
would be or easier or harder?
NAOMI: It was about what I thought it
would be. I knew it was going to be very
stressful and theres no way you can really
prepare for it. It just kind of happens.
BLADE: Who was your favorite celebrity
guest judge?
NAOMI: Probably Marc Jacobs. Hes just
so legendary. So a chance to get critiqued
by him was such an honor, especially on a
design challenge. That was awesome.
BLADE: Do weirdos and stalkers come
out of the woodwork once youve been on
the show?
NAOMI: Most people have been pretty
respectful. The only thing thats annoying
is drunk people at the clubs but thats at
every single club. You cant really avoid
that.
BLADE: Whats your type? Whos a celeb
who would be a good reference point for
the type you like?
NAOMI: I like guys like Hugh Jackman
or Jake Gyllenhaal.
BLADE: Are you seeing anyone?
NAOMI: Dating, but nothing
boyfriend status.

like

BLADE: So you like guys who are

different from you?
NAOMI: My motto is if youre cute,
youre cute. If youre attracted to someone,
youre attracted to them no matter if they
t your type.
BLADE: Was there anybody you felt
went home too soon?

NAOMI: I would say Laila is one of the

most amazing performers and makeup
artists I ever met. I would have loved to
have gotten to know her better while
she was on the show. I dont think her
personality really got a chance to shine.
Shes super funny and super bubbly and
just hilarious and I think the fans would
have loved to have seen that.
BLADE: Do you think the judges are
ever too harsh in their assessments?
NAOMI: I think theyre very accurate.
They tell you exactly what you need to
do. They give it to you 100 percent,
especially Michelle (Visage). I think shes
one of the best people to be in that
position. She doesnt say anything to bring
you down.
BLADE: What did it feel like with your
glam Scarecrow look when Ross said, This
is how you win this competition.
NAOMI: Up until that moment, I still
didnt know if Id done well that week, so
when he said that, it was like this huge load
off my shoulders. I was still scared I might
be in the bottom two again, so it was a nice
stamp of approval.
BLADE: That episode was such a turning
point for you. Is that what you had planned
for that look all along?
NAOMI: I had planned something a
little shorter, a little leggier but when Ru
came around and was like the judges want
to see something different from you, that
put off a lightbulb in my head that I should
step it up, so I really wanted to put all my
energy into that one because Id been in
the bottom two the week before. There
was a lot of pressure to get it together.
BLADE: The fans seem really divided on
Kim Chi. Some people were saying they
couldnt believe she was still in it, she cant
even walk and so on, but others thought
she was just brilliant at painting and there
was so much depth and nuance. What do
you think of her drag?
NAOMI: Im a huge fan of Kim and even
before the show. So to see this beautiful
image and this quirk of like, I cant even
walk in heels, Im a big nerd, is just so
lovable and I think the audience gets that
too. We all have our strengths. I cant get on
a stage and entertain a crowd like Bob can,
I cant create portraits like Kim can but I can
do things they cant do, so its all different
skill sets and I think thats amazing.

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

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

7 8 J UN E 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

CA P I T A L P RI D E

JIMMY ALEXANDER
How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
It was tough to walk into the radio station
after people found out, and I was worried
what everyone would think. I told Jack
Diamond how I felt, and he said to me,
Jimmy everybody there loves you and if
they dont now, fuck em. It was like the
weight of the world lifted off me. Im not
sure if he knows how much his advice
helped me.
Whos your LGBT hero?
I believe we cant underestimate how
important Cam and Mitchell from
Modern Family are. They show people
who may not be the most open minded
about LGBT issues that gay couples are
more like them than not.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

The Mix 107.3

co-host answers
20 gay questions
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com

Stop by the Washington Blade booth at the Capital Pride Festival Sunday from 3-5 p.m.
and you could win tickets from MIX 107.3 for a Nick Jonas concert at the Verizon Center
on July 26.
Jimmy Alexander, co-host of the stations Jack Diamond Morning Show will be on
hand. The Ocean City, Md., native (he grew up mostly in Graham, N.C.) joined the show
in 1997 when he was 23 and has been there ever since, save a two-year stint (2012-2014)
he spent in Atlanta.
His work has taken him around the country where hes interviewed everyone from Paul
McCartney to Kim Kardashian. Thats made dating difcult, but hes pragmatic about it.
Ive been engaged to a woman and have had long-term relationships with men,
Alexander says. Ive realized the common problem has been me.
Alexander lives in Glen Echo, Md., and enjoys running, hiking and going to presidential
homes and libraries around the country.
Ive been to more than 130, he says. Now you know why Im single.

Whats Washingtons best

nightspot, past or present?
I get up at 3:45 a.m., so I know
NOTHING about nightspots.

Describe your dream wedding.

One that I dont have to attend. Why ruin
a great friendship?

What non-LGBT issue are

you most passionate about?
Right now Im on a big kick about how
with all the issues Metro is having, the city
raises the rates on parking. What a nice
way to help the people of the city.
What historical outcome
would you change?
Hitler would have become a successful
artist instead of going into politics.

Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
Living it right now. A reality show host may
become president! That means in four
years, Jeff Probst could be president.
On what do you insist?
You must be able to laugh at yourself.
What was your last Facebook
post or Tweet?
I Tweeted that the Hound is back on
Game of Thrones.

If your life were a book,

what would the title be?

Ill Have the Surf and Turf

If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you do?
Try to invest in the company. Not saying I
would take it, but money will be made.

What do you believe in

beyond the physical world?
Karma is a bitch.

Whats your advice for LGBT

movement leaders?
If Trump wins, reach out to him, because
a guy who has a gold-plated apartment
must have gay friends.

What would you walk

across hot coals for?
Coke Zero. And Makers Mark.

What LGBT stereotype

annoys you most?
That were all obsessed with porn stars.

Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

The Birdcage.
(And anything with Johnny Rapid.)

Whats the most

overrated social custom?
Having to smile when the staff sings
Happy Birthday to you at a restaurant.
Especially if youre made to wear the
sombrero. Do they ever clean that thing?
What trophy or prize
do you most covet?
This young guy came up to me at New
Years Eve party last year and told me that
he just came out to his parents and his Mom
smiled and said to him, Jimmy from The
Jack Diamond Show is gay too. That guy
has no idea how much that meant to me.

What do you wish youd known at 18?

The things you worry about most, never
happen.
Why Washington?
The people. There has not been a time
that the people of Washington, D.C. didnt
help us at MIX 107.3 raise money for
countless local charities. When I moved
away, I saw the opening credits for House
of Cards and I was homesick. Im so
happy to be home.

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

JUNE 10, 2016 79

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COUNTRYS GAY MUSIC STAR EMBRACES NEWFOUND AUTHENTICITY

By KEITH LORIA

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

Early in 2015, Ty Herndon was two

weeks removed from making what was
possibly a career-ending announcement,
when a 17-year-old kid showed up at one
of his shows with his parents. The dad
told Herndon that his son just came out,
wanted to be a country artist and didnt
know what to do so they drove three
hours to meet him.
It was only 19 months ago that
Herndon himself became the rst male
country music superstar to publicly come
out as gay.
It was in that moment I understood
what was ahead of me, Herndon says. I
told him his job was no dierent if he was
straight or gay. You just need to come
to town and be the best you can be, and
to your mom and dad, you just need to
continue being great parents and support
him no matter what. Im 54 years old, and
I guess I learned a little bit in my life, and
I felt those words were important. I got
emotional after that kid walked o.
While the country stars sexual
orientation was something of an open
secret in Nashville, his decision came
because it got to the point that he knew
he had to be true to his fans.
Coming out last November, the shows
have gotten more authentic now, he
says. If I knew what I knew today, I would
have done it 20 years ago.
Coming out was quite a risk on
Herndons part, as country music wasnt
known for being supportive of gay artists,
but he has found plenty of support from
both fans and those in the business.
Im still going out doing fairs and
honky-tonks, and am very much the
same country artist I have ever been. The
dierence is people know more about me
now, he says. I am the country star who
happens to be gay, but some days I am
also the gay country artist because I need
to be. Especially when there are 15,000
people out there some nights, and I am
seeing straight people and LGBT people
the true modern family. Im not feeling
pigeonholed, but I feel I have a job now
to imprint that were all one. Everyone is
dierent and getting people to embrace
each other through music I feel is my job
and its a tremendous honor to be able to
do that.
Since breaking on the country
music scene in 1995 with his hit debut
What Mattered Most, Herndon has

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

24

TY HERNDON says some may consider him a legacy artist, but hes hoping his summer album
will nd a spot on country radio.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FIFTEEN MINUTES

been a xture on the charts. Over his

career he has charted 17 singles on
the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts,
including reaching No. 1 with Living in a
Moment and It Must Be Love.
Last week, Herndon celebrated his 21st
year at the CMA Music Festival and is
astounded that its been so long.
I feel extremely fortunate that I get
to make a living making music, he says.
I always say when I do shows, The very
idea that I get paid to come up here and
tell stories about my life and sing songs
that I wrote, still blows my mind.
On Monday, June 13, Herndon plays the
GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington,
with a 90-minute set starting at 6 p.m.
Were bringing a lot of good music
to D.C., doing the hits and songs from
my 14th studio album, which is coming
in August, Herndon says. I have really
been looking forward to this show. Ive
played there about 10 times and getting
to come back is just going to be great.
Later this month, Herndon will release

his rst song since the announcement,

Sweet Way to Go, written for his longtime partner, Matt Collum. Then later,
his album, House on Fire gets released,
created in a non-gender way sans the
words he and she.
Country music has always been the
music of the people, but its just been
based in traditional values over the years,
but what does that mean today? Its what
we make them, he says. Im a Christian
gay man and my values are the same.
For me to put out an album for a certain
person seemed dumb to me. It became
a non-gender album because people put
their lives in your music, and I wanted
whoever slips into this music to say, Oh
my, that happened to me. And that was
really important for me.
Ironically, the recently cancelled ABC
drama Nashville featured a storyline
this year about a country singer Chris
Carmacks Will Lexington who came
out, and the show called on Herndon to
oer guidance in telling the story.

JUNE

10,

2016

PAGE

83

My buddy Will Chase directed a couple

of episodes and really wanted to get it right,
and I appreciated that, Herndon says.
Hey, Ive been hit in the head by a beer
bottle before and had a couple of stitches
and Ive been crucied in the media before,
and its about how you get through that
and maintain your sanity to get to a place
in your life that its not so much a battle,
but its about changing peoples hearts and
minds and how you handle a situation with
grace and dignity. I think they did that on
the show and I was very pleased to have
some small part in that.
Herndon feels Nashville (the place, not
the show) has changed a lot in the last
ve years, and thinks its great that the
city is growing up a bit.
Country radio is a dierent animal out
there today and from what I understand,
some of the labels are courting the idea of
signing an openly gay artist, and sending
it out to country radio, he says. Im
probably going to be the closest thing they
have to that in the next little while, and
my expectations with my song are pretty
simple. Im considered a legacy artist now
because Ive done it, and I had no plans to
go back to country radio, but there seems
to be some pressure to do that, so were
going to and see how it goes.
Looking ahead, Herndon is more
interested in developing and working
with young gay artists who come to town
and want to be country artists, and is
in the early stages of starting his own
production company.
The biggest misconception is that
theyre going to be a big, out country
artist, but its not that; its about being
an artist thats the best the best song
writer, the best singer putting out a
quality product needs to be rst. Who
you are is only going to make that better
because youre being authentic.
Not that hes giving up on music any
time soon.
I feel like I am just hitting my stride
with authenticity and musically, Herndon
says. Once the new album comes out, we
will tour in the fall, and then Ill take a little
time o and start writing again.
COUNTRY IN THE CAPITAL
STARRING TY HERNDON
Monday, June 13
GALA Theatre
3333 14th St., N.W.
6 p.m.
capital country.eventbrite.com

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

84 JU N E 10, 2016

O U T & A BO U T

By MARIAH COOPER

Pride nearby
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KENNEDY CENTER

Kinky Boots comes to Kennedy Center

Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots opens at the Kennedy Center (2700
F St., N.W.) on Tuesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, July 10.
Kinky Boots is inspired by true events and tells the story of Charlie Price who
teams up with drag queen Lola to save his shoe factory. The hit Broadway show
features songs from Cyndi Lauper, who won a Tony for the music. Tickets range
from $49-99.
For a complete list of showtimes and to purchase tickets, visit kennedy-center.org.

Stop by the Washington Blade

booth Sunday, June 12th at the
Capital Pride Festival for your
chance to win a pair of tickets to
NICK JONAS & DEMI LOVATO
and CIRQUE DU SOLEIL!
3:15PM:
BEST ABS
3:45PM:
THE MOST PUSHUPS IN 107S
4:15PM:
WHO CAN TIE A CHERRY STEM
WITH THEIR TONGUE THE
FASTEST
4:45PM:
WHO CAN HULA HOOP THE
LONGEST ON ONE FOOT
5:00PM:
MOST SPIRITED/BIGGEST
NICK JONAS FAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARPERCOLLINS

Obergefell in D.C. for book signing

Jim Obergefell appears at S. Dillon Ripley Center (1100 Jeerson Dr., S.W.)
for How Love Won: Jim Obergefell and the Landmark Supreme Court Marriage
Equality Decision, an evening program and book signing, on Wednesday, June
15 from 6:45-8:15 p.m.
Obergefell will be discussing his book Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers
Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality, co-authored with Debbie
Cenziper, about the road to same-sex marriage equality. The book covers Supreme
Court case Obergefell v Hodges and follows Obergefells journey to becoming a
civil rights activist. Tickets are $25 for members and $35 for non-members.
For more details, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

Pride events are taking place all over

the East Coast in the coming weeks.
New York City Prides main events
begin the weekend of June 24. Singer Mya
will perform at Teaze, a womens event,
on Saturday, June 25. The event runs
from 3 p.m.-10 a.m. Dance on the Pier,
a New York City Prides fundraiser, is on
Sunday, June 26 and begins at 2 p.m. with
a performance from Fergie. The New York
City Pride March is on Sunday, June 26 at
noon. Details at nycpride.org.
Baltimore Pride is Tuesday, July 19
through Sunday, July, 24. The annual High
Heel Race begins on Cathedral Street
from Read Street to Eager Street on
Saturday, July 23 at 1:30 p.m.
The Pride Parade is on Saturday, July
23 at 2 p.m. The parade route travels
down Charles Street from Madison Street
to Chase Street and takes place rain or
shine.
Pride Block Party is on Saturday, July
23 from 4-10 p.m. Baltimores Queen
of Comedy Shawna Alexander will host
and George Lovett and Band, Crystal
Waters and CeCe Peniston are the
headliners. Details at baltimorepride.org.
The Pride Festival is at Druid Hill
Park (2600 Madison Ave., Baltimore) on
Sunday, July 24 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. There
will be local performers, vendors, a family
zone and more.
Frederick Pride is at Carroll Creek
Linear Park on Saturday, June 25 from
11 a.m-7 p.m. There will be a beer and
wine tent, music, free Buy Pride bracelet
for discounts for local businesses
and other entertainment. Details at
thefrederickcenter.org/frederick-pride.
The second annual Panhandle Pride is
at Morgans Grove Park (4198 Kearneysville
Pike, Shepherdstown, W.Va.) on Saturday,
July 11 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Performers
include Kipyn Martin, Luscious Purr, New
Wave Singers of Baltimore and more.
There will be information booths and free
HIV testing. Details at panhandlealliance.
wix.com.
The Hampton Roads Pride Love
Unites block party and Pridefest is
June 17-18 in Norfolk, Va. Organizers
have events all month. Details at
hamptonroadspride.org.

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

JUNE 10, 2016 85

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SP O RT I N I N D . C.

Nats take on Cubs for

Night OUT event June 14
By KEVIN MAJOROS

laauxcage
folles
Now through July 10 | Pride Nights: June 17 & July 1
Pride Nights catered by Freddies Beach Bar

Signature Theatre 4200 Campbell Ave. Arlington, VA 22206

Free Parking

Last months heckling of the San Diego

Gay Mens Chorus at a Padres game may
have given the community a collective, social
media-infused WTF moment, but while it
was certainly embarrassing for the singers, it
appears to have been more of a snafu than a
malicious joke.
DJ Artform was in the booth when the music
started. He says the chorus planned to sing
along to their own recording of the piece but
he accidentally played the wrong recording.
In a moment of panic I went to the rst
thing I saw that said anthem and unfortunately
the female vocal artist is what played over
the PA system and it was an extremely
embarrassing moment, he said later. Those
are my mistakes and I own up to them. I hold
myself accountable. My stomach was in knots.
I should have intervened. I should have turned
it down. Theres a lot of coulda, woulda,
shouldas that we could have done to avoid
the incident. My heart was racing. Every
second was an hour.
Roughly 100 choir members were on the
eld and they were subsequently escorted o
amidst homophobic heckling from fans.
Major League Baseball (MLB) immediately
launched an investigation and found the
incident to be an unintentional mistake.
MLB ramped up its eorts to address social
conscience in 2014 when organizers hired Billy
Bean as their ambassador for inclusion. He
has since segued into the role of vice president
of social responsibility and inclusion. Bean
came out as gay in 1999, four years after his
nal season as an MLB player.
I have a lot of friends in San Diego and they
were texting me in real time while the incident
was happening, Bean says. I am relieved
that everyone understands that it was an
unfortunate mistake.
Social media quickly picked up on
what happened and it was covered on
all major news outlets. Everyone was
looking for an explanation.
The most frustrating thing was that the
MLB investigation took close to four days
and we were not able to communicate with
anyone on the topic during that time, Bean
says. The immediacy of peoples desire to
get to the bottom of things really speaks to
the nature of how quickly people nd out and
want an answer.
Beans duties with MLB go well beyond the
LGBT community and include other areas of
social responsibility including life skills, issues
with domestic violence, work with urban youth
academies and owners diversity committees.
The closer we get to MLB players, the faster
the message gets to the fans. Its the way the
world works now, Bean says. Being the best
product for our fans is very important. We

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOOD NETWORK

Former Major League Baseball player BILLY

BEAN will be at Night OUT next week.

wouldnt have a platform to get the message

out without being such a great product.
With everything being tracked these days
on social media, MLB players nd themselves
in a situation where their words and actions
are representative of the team for which they
are playing.
I encourage everyone I meet with to leave
baseball better than it was when they started,
Bean says. I try to show them situations
where they will feel some correlation to the
LGBT community.
When Team D.C. held its second Night OUT
at the Nationals event in 2006, organizers
asked to bring in the Washington Gay Mens
Chorus and were met with reluctance by MLB,
club owners at that time.
MLB had never heard of the Washington
Gay Mens Chorus which showed how
uninformed they were about the LGBT
community at that time, says Brent Minor,
executive director of Team D.C. These LGBT
community nights are important parts of
educating the larger community about us
including the fact that we are very enthusiastic
sports fans.
This years line-up of guests at Night OUT
at the Nationals is an indication as to how far
MLB has come in terms of inclusion.
The journey we have been on has been
lled with obstacles but today we are not
getting resistance from my sport, Bean says.
We have been handed a platform and we
have to capitalize on it.
Night OUT at the Nationals will be held on
Tuesday, June 14 as the Washington Nationals
take on the Chicago Cubs.
THIS YEARS LINE-UP INCLUDES:
MLBs Billy Bean special guest
Actor Leslie Jordan rst pitch
Bishop Gene Robinson line-up cards
Congresswoman Krysten Sinema play ball
announcement
Washington Gay Mens Chorus National
anthem (Live)
Singer Ty Herndon With the chorus and soloing
on Take Me Out
Spirit Award Mona Alcazar. Accepted by her wife,
Nancy Bates
If the umpire rotation stays on schedule, MLBs
rst openly gay umpire, Dale Scott, will be handling
home plate duties.

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

JUNE 10, 2016 87

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June 28July 17
Eisenhower Theater
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8 8 J UNE 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

F I LM

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOGO

NAYYED and BTOO in Out of Iraq.

New TV docs explore LGBT life

Films tell of male soldiers
in love, trans-specic suits
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
HBO and Logo are celebrating Pride
Month by releasing two excellent new
documentaries. HBO is oering Suited,
a fascinating prole of the sta and
clientele at Bindle & Keep, a bespoke
tailor shop serving the trans community.
It premieres on Monday, June 20. Logos
Out Of Iraq proles two Iraqi soldiers
who nd love in the unlikeliest of places,
the brutal combat zone in Ramadi. It
premieres Monday, June 13.
Nayyed Hrebid knew he was gay from
a young age, but he also knew it was
dangerous to be out in Iraq. Under Saddam
Husseins regime, the ocial punishment
was 15 years in jail, but gay men were
often the victims of honor killings by
their families. (Under the regime that
replaced Saddam, the punishment for
homosexuality was death.) Nayyed left his
hometown of Basra in 1997 to study ne
arts at the University of Baghdad and to
explore gay life in the capital city. He did
form a circle of very discreet gay friends,
but as he wryly notes, while it was common
in Iraq for two straight men to hold hands
in public as a sign of aection, gay men
would never feel safe doing so.
In 2003, when the war started, Nayyed
moved south and started working as a
translator for the United States Army. In
2004, he met Btoo Allami, a soldier in the
Iraqi Army. The two felt an instant attraction,
but did not discuss their feelings for each
other or share their rst kiss until the

following year when they were on a mission

together. Nayyed, who was known to the
American soldiers as David, did not even
tell Btoo his real name until 2008.
Things become even more dicult for
the couple when Nayyed was forced to
ee the country in 2009. He was able to get
a U.S. visa, but Btoo was forced to desert
the army and become an undocumented
refugee in Lebanon. American refugee
activist Michael Failla helped Btoo get to
the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, but his reception was
chilly. You have an appointment in nine
months, he is told. He is also told, We
dont care about gays here.
As their bureaucratic battles play out,
a series of titles marks the increasing
number of days the men have been
separated. Co-directors Chris McKim and
Eva Orner (who won an Academy Award
for Taxi to the Dark Side) document
the political situation and administrative
struggles with an amazing clarity; more
importantly, they clearly and respectfully
capture the raw emotions of the young gay
couple separated by religious bigotry in
Iraq and political indierence in America.
Produced by the World of Wonder team of
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (HBOs
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures), this
deeply moving and thought-provoking
lm captures an amazing story from the
shadows of the Iraq War.
In 2011, Daniel Friedman founded
Bindle & Keep, a bespoke tailor shop.
He intended to make a lot of money
catering to rich Wall Street clients. Things
changed when the straight tailor met Rae
Tutera, a gender-nonconforming client.
Rae had gotten accustomed to being

invisible, but at the age of 25, decided to

get a custom suit made. The result, Rae
remembers, was transformative: I never
felt so good about myself before.
Rae (who tries to avoid using gendered
pronouns) asked to become Daniels
apprentice and Daniel agreed. As Rae
says, I introduced him to a new world
of people. He taught me how to make
clothes. Friedman responded to Tuteras
challenge by developing a method of suit
design that supports people of all genders
and gender identities whose needs were
not being met by conventional tailors.
Its fascinating to see how Friedmans
skills can subtly change the silhouette of a
garment by emphasizing or masking busts
and hips, two of the traditional markers
of gender identity. It is equally amazing
to see how his clients respond to seeing
themselves in custom-made clothing that
nally matches their inner self.
Director Jason Benjamin cleverly
mirrors Friedman and Tuteras approach
to their clients in his own lmmaking. He
even uses the Bindle & Keep intake form
to introduce each new client. He shows
them at work in the intimate process
of taking measurements, choosing
fabrics and making alterations. More
importantly, and more interestingly, he
shows how they interview each client to
create their perfect suit. His thoughtful
approach makes the movie both a great
portrait of the tailors and a powerful
introduction to the trans and genderqueer community.
For example, Derek, a transgender man,
is introduced when he arrives to be tted
for a suit for his upcoming wedding to a
cisgendered woman. Benjamin follows

Derek to Bindle & Keep for his initial visit

and his rst tting, to his hometown for a
visit with his loyal parents, to the hospital
where he has surgery, and nally to his
joyous wedding with his anc Joanna,
where the happy couple is surrounded by
supportive friends and family.
Aidan is a transgender teenage boy
from Tucson who has decided he wants
to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah (the Jewish
coming-of-age ceremony for boys)
instead of a Bat Mitzvah (the ceremony
for girls). Unable to nd a suit that ts
his needs in Arizona, his grandmother
takes him to Bindle & Keep so he can feel
comfortable and condent at the service.
Everett, a transman who is attending
law school in Atlanta, needs interview
suits that express his identity and give
him condence. Rae and Daniel are able
to provide him with both.
The lm closes with an emotional
runway show where trans and genderuid models strut their stu, looking
great and feeling condent in suits that
reect their personality and their gender
identity. As Daniel learns, Its all about
feeling great in your body, especially
when youve been struggling your entire
life. As Rae notes, everyone has a right
to feel good about themselves. You have
the right to be handsome.
Benjamins superb and condent
documentary is not only a fascinating
picture of unlikely business partners who
brings their unique talents and perspectives
together to help an underserved
community, but a sensitive and moving
portrait of an emerging community
struggling to express their identity in a
world that literally does not t them.

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

JUNE 10, 2016 89

June 17 October 2

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

90 J U N E 10, 2016

THEATER

FOREVER

GERSHWIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF STC

Actor OLIVER THORNTON says it took time to nd his role as Bianca.

FEATURING PORGY AND BESS:

A CONCERT OF SONGS AND MORE!

Actor relishes female

role in Shrew
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Jason Moran

Jos James

Norm Lewis

Alicia Hall
Moran

Heritage Signature
Chorale

ALL-GERSHWIN PROGRAM
Steven Reineke, conductor

CUBAN OVERTURE
GERSHWIN PERSPECTIVES
(arr. JOHN CLAYTON)
Jason Moran and Jos James

PORGY AND BESS: A CONCERT OF SONGS

(arr. ROBERT RUSSELL BENNETT)
Norm Lewis and Alicia Hall Moran
Heritage Signature Chorale

JUNE 17 & 18 | CONCERT HALL

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additional support for the 2015-2016 NSO Pops Season is provided by

The Honorable Barbara H. Franklin and Mr. Wallace Barnes.

After 14 years of doing musical theater in

Londons West End, Oliver Thornton set his
sights on Broadway and moved to New York.
I arrived two years ago without
knowing a single person, but I felt it was
time to shake things up with a big life
challenge. And I was right.
The out actors most recent challenge is
playing Bianca, the younger, fairer sister in
the Shakespeare Theatre Companys all-male
production of The Taming of the Shrew.
While its not Thorntons rst time in heels
in London he donned drag for Priscilla
Queen of the Desert and as Frank N Furter,
the sweet transvestite in The Rocky Horror
Picture Show this time its dierent.
Here Im portraying an actual woman,
Thornton says. Audience members say
they can quickly accept that the male
cast members playing female parts are
women. What I nd so interesting about
doing an all-male is that the lines of gender
blur. You see characters as people.
One of Shakespeares earlier comedies,
Shrew with its treating of women as
commodities isnt the easiest of works.
Its misogynistic, says Thornton, 36.
There are lines and themes that make us
wince. Because the cast is all male, it alters
the perspective to some degree without
changing the content. It doesnt feel as bad.
Staged by out director Ed Sylvanus
Iskandar, the production is immersive, which
means the actors interact with the audience
before the play begins and during the
intermission. Hes also added music to the
classic. The score is from the back catalogue
of singer songwriter Duncan Sheik.
Rehearsing the show was absolutely
epic, Thornton says. Learning songs in
addition to the play was a lot. Im from
musical theater background, but hadnt
sung this type of pop music. Fortunately
the music lends itself to theater. The lyrics
are story telling driven and something
that I could get into.

Thorntons Bianca is a willowy blonde

model circa 1950s la dolce vita. More
precisely, shes the face of the familys
fashion house and her fathers favorite.
Suitors are in no short supply. But the
hitch is that Bianca cannot marry before
her older angry sister Katherina, played
by Maulik Pancholy (best known as
Jonathan from TV 30 Rock), ties the knot.
Sweet and demure, Bianca makes the
perfect foil to her hellcat sibling. The cast
also features out actors Andr de Shields,
Rick Hammerly and Tom Story.
Prior to studying theater in London,
Thornton trained in classical ballet in his
native Wales.
Im convinced that dance sets anyone
up for life better than anything else. It
denitely makes getting the physicality
of a part easier. Understanding the body
and how physicality tells a story helps an
actor immensely. With Bianca I wanted
to create lightness in her character and
give a nish and polish to her. My dance
background made that possible.
Thornton is admittedly smitten with
the vastness and variety of the American
theater world.
In London, he says, the scene is
smaller and productions must turn a
prot unless theyre at one or two of the
government-funded theaters. West End
shows have to make money. Consequently
everyone is reluctant to take risks. In the
U.S., the focus is on whats the hot new
ticket. Everyone wants to create the next
new thing like Hamilton. If you land it, its
going to be huge.
For now, hes enjoying being Bianca.
Some actors like to bury themselves in
research. I nd it a bit stiing. It took time
to relax into Bianca. It was a bit trickier
than I expected. But as time went Ive
gotten to know her, and I like her a lot.

OLIVER THORNTON
The Taming of the Shrew
Through June 26
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Sidney Harman Hall
610 F St., N.W.
202-547-1122
Shakespearetheatre.org

HE

BY

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

92 J U N E 10, 2016

DINING

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOOD NETWORK

ELIZABETH FALKNER says industry pressure for chefs to focus on either dinner or dessert is
arbitrary and aspiring chefs should not limit themselves.

Falkner dazzles with

carrots, lentils at D.C. event
By KRISTEN HARTKE

WINNER!
JUNE 14-JULY 10 | OPERA HOUSE
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KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600
Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.

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Presenting Sponsor

Chef Elizabeth Falkners cropped

bright blonde hair had a beacon-like
quality at Sunday Suppers, a James Beard
Foundation-sponsored event held in
Washington on June 5th, as she worked
with calm intensity to build a nuanced dish
of carrots and lentils to feed 400 people.
I like to cook everything, she says,
and its interesting to get some depth
into vegan and vegetarian dishes, those
elements of surprise.
The carrot dish itself was truly a
reection of the chefs experience, a
multi-layered concept using all parts of
the carrot, including the tops, which were
blended with sunower seeds to form a
pesto, and the unexpected addition of
orange blossom water to the dish, oering
a subtle oral note beneath toasted cumin
and urfa, a dried Turkish chili pepper.
Food is such an expressive medium,
Falkner says. You nd a lot of poetry and
gestures in food making.
It comes as no surprise that Falkner is
attuned to the creative nature of cooking. A
graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute,
the California native worked at the original
Williams-Sonoma kitchenware store while
in college, and began working in restaurant
kitchens in 1990 shortly after receiving her
degree. While she originally got her start
working in pastries where women are
often traditionally found in professional
kitchens Falkner was interested in pushing
those boundaries. Since then, shes worked
as both an executive chef and pastry chef,
not to mention restaurateur and cookbook
author, blurring the lines between sweet
and savory cooking and proving that chefs
can be multidimensional, ultimately leading
to her success on a variety of cooking
competition television shows, where some
chefs are clearly befuddled by ingredients
outside of their comfort zone.
When Im working with young chefs, I
always say, I hope you entertain the idea
of cooking on the other side, she says,
referring to what has long been a division
in kitchens, both literally and guratively,
between chefs who cook dinner and

those who make dessert. Im hoping to

see less of a delineation of that in the
cooking world.
Cooking at the Sunday Suppers event
was an extension of that philosophy;
the fundraiser was in support of the
Executive Education Program for Women
in the Culinary Industry, a program aimed
at female chefs and food entrepreneurs
who want to expand their leadership
roles in the culinary industry. A board
member and former president of Women
Chefs & Restaurateurs, Falkner says, Of
course women are badass chefs. Its a
very powerful time and I think that the
conversations have changed.
The Sunday Supper event itself featured
several women chefs and one male
chef, Nick Stefanelli of D.C.s Masseria.
Nick said he felt a little bit like the odd man
out, Falkner says, but women are used to
being the token female chef at events.
For Falkner, a lesbian, the distinction
of sexual orientation is less of an issue
in restaurant kitchens, in her opinion
especially after working in San Francisco
for more than 20 years.
I have hired every single person you
can think of, she says. Restaurant
people come from all walks of life its a
working class kind of job.
Simply being a woman straight or gay
is probably more of an issue, primarily
because there can be an assumption
that women struggle between family and
work commitments more than men do,
but Falkner dismisses that quickly, saying,
A lot of female chefs have a family and
run multiple restaurants.
After closing her San Francisco
restaurants Citizen Cake and Orson in
2011, Falkner moved across country to
New York City to help open Brooklyn pizza
restaurant Krescendo as a consulting
chef, then went on to win the 2012 World
Pizza Championships, where she was
just one of four women competing out
of 450 men. Its just a game, she says of
cooking competitions. Nobodys better
than anyone else.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
KRISTEN HARTKE is a D.C.-based food
and beverage writer. Follow her kitchen
adventures on Twiiter, @khartke.

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JUNE 10, 2016 93

A D V E RT I S I N G
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94 J U N E 10, 2016

MU SI C

PHOTO COURTESY OF HIND AZENNAR

Mashrou Leila lead singer HAMED SINNO, second from left, says hes never shied away from
controversial lyrics.

HAPPY PRIDE, DC!

Celebrate on our outdoor patio!

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At Guapos, Its All About Family!

ISSUE DATE: 06.10.16

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www.guaposrestaurant.com

in their early 20s, we were thinking about

politics and looking for ideology and trying
to understand the world around us.

By MARIAH COOPER
mcooper@washblade.com

BLADE: Did you ever expect drastic

actions like being banned in Jordan?
SINNO: From Jordan in particular, no.
From other places, yeah. Jordan has really
advanced faster than other places in the
region. So it was a little shocking.

Since its 2008 conception, Mashrou

Leila have used their music to bring
human rights issues, particularly LGBT
rights, to the forefront.
The ve-member group, gearing up for a
sold-out show at the Hamilton on Monday,
June 13, formed in Beirut, Lebanon at the
American University of Beirut. Lead vocalist
Hamed Sinno, 28, says the band members
cite all dierent types of music as their
inspiration. Their eclectic musical taste
doesnt just stop with music, but continues
into their subject matter.
Sinno, who is gay, has written songs
unheard of for a Middle Eastern band like
Shim el Yasmine, a song about Sinnos
desire to introduce a man as his groom
to his parents. Songs with that kind
of content led to authorities in Jordan
banning Mashrou Leila from performing
in the country forever, but the ban was
lifted a few days later.
Changing hearts and minds is no easy
feat, but the groups progressive views
received validation when Lebanon became
the rst Middle Eastern country to declassify
homosexuality as a disease in 2013.
Speaking with Washington Blade from
Chicago, Sinno talked about being an out
Arab, his personal connection to D.C., and
A D V E R T I his
SIN
G PRO
F
thoughts
onODonald
Trump.

Stop by and visit our Express Location!

Dine in or pick up to go.
And enjoy our great margaritas
just like at all our locations!
We also cater!
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can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or
any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any
copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair
competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation,
or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the
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liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred
by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations
and warranties.

Gay-fronted Middle Eastern

band ready for D.C. debut

WASHINGTON BLADE: When you

started Mashrou Leila, was it your
intention to become so political or did it
just happen?
ADVERTISER SIGNATUREHAMED SINNO: To be honest, I think
By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the
were
like
that as people. From the
washington blade newspaper. This includes
but isjust
not limited
to placement,
payment and insertion schedule.
very beginning were all just interested in
politics, social theory and philosophy. I
think also its part of what your early 20s
is like for a lot of people. Essentially when
youre starting out you only know how to
write about whatever organically comes to
mind. You dont sit down and say, I want
to write about subject X so I need to do
my research and write about it. Its just
writing about what youre already thinking
about. I guess typically like a lot of people

BLADE: There are so few openly gay

Arab artists out there that kind of by
default you became a gay Arab icon. Do
you ever feel pressured by that?
SINNO: The only pressure that comes
out of that is when people get the
impression that there is some sort of
representation that needs to happen with
that. Thats not really the way I see it. The
way I see it is more non-heterosexuals
or queer people need to nd their place
in history and the cultural perception in
the region, but it can never become one
of those issues where someone pretends
to speak for other people. I nd that
completely o base. Which I guess is why
the pressure doesnt really aect me that
much. I dont pretend to speak for the
queer community in any way other than
being myself and doing my thing and
asking me for what I deserve.
BLADE: Have you ever written a song
and thought, This song is too controversial
maybe we shouldnt release it?
SINNO: No. At the end of the day its
one thing to sing about certain subjects,
but its another thing to take direct
action. I think that barrier should never
be forgotten. When were talking about
songs, or any other art form, were really
not talking about things that really do end
up aecting things directly. Its one thing
to sing about womens rights; its another
thing to actually get womens rights going.
Im not one to think that anything should
or shouldnt be said. Also, I dont think
weve touched on anything thats like
really that sensitive for us. Weve never
had that thing where were in the studio
composing and stop and think, Oh wait
this is too risqu. Whatever we write
about it really standard for us.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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

JUNE 10, 2016 95

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

96 J U N E 10, 2016

BO O KS

IMAGE COURTESY OF AKASHIC BOOKS

Gay athletic book

illuminating despite
male dominance

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading

since she was 3 years old.She lives in Wisconsin
with two dogs and 12,000 books. Reach her at
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As long as your team wins.

Thats all that matters, isnt it just that
they win? You dont care what they ate f