Washingtonblade.com, Volume 46, Issue 41, October 9, 2015

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Content

OCTOBER

09

2015

VOLUME 46

ISSUE 41

Grassi says Francis will make big changes in ‘small steps’ By LOU CHIBBARO JR. [email protected] Yayo Grassi, a native of Argentina, has known and admired Pope Francis since the future pontiﬀ was his high school teacher at a Catholic school in a city about 200 miles north of Buenos Aires. Grassi, 67, told the Washington Blade in an interview at his home in D.C.’s Petworth neighborhood on Tuesday that he never imagined his friendship with the Pope would become the subject of international headlines. He has been besieged with requests for media interviews

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AMERICA’S GAY NEWS SOURCE

since news surfaced that he and his boyfriend of 19 years met with Francis at the Vatican Embassy in Washington on Sept. 23 during the Pope’s visit to the United States. According to Grassi, who owns a D.C.-based catering business, he initially struggled over whether to talk to the media about what he considered a private matter. But he said he decided to go public about his Washington visit with the Pope after news surfaced the previous week that Francis met with Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who a judge sent to jail for refusing on religious grounds to approve marriage licenses for same-sex couples. “One of the things that upset me extremely and profoundly was that people who were so much in love with this Pope immediately turned against him” after CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

Democratic leaders present LGBT vision in speeches to HRC By CHRIS JOHNSON [email protected]

President JOSEPH BIDEN gave HILLARY CLINTON and CLINTON and Vice President JOSEPH BIDEN gave competing speeches to HRC on Saturday. WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTOS BY MICHAEL KEY

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joseph Biden laid out their visions for the work ahead on LGBT rights in separate speeches to Human Rights Campaign supporters on Saturday. First up was Clinton, who declined an invitation to headline HRC’s annual National Dinner to appear on “Saturday Night Live.” She spoke instead at a morning event organized by HRC to about 800 supporters and staﬀ of

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YAYO GRASSI, GRASSI, a friend of the Pope, says Francis wrote to him, saying, ‘In my pastoral work there is no place for homophobia.’ WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

the advocacy group. She laid out a multi-faceted vision for advancing LGBT rights that includes transgender visibility, passage of federal nondiscrimination protections and addressing disparities in health care. “You know the obstacles that remain better than I do, but I want you to know that I get it, I see the injustices and the dangers that you and your families still face, and I’m running for president to end them once and for all,” Clinton said. In a high-proﬁle 30-minute speech, Clinton made the remarks at the Mayﬂower Hotel in D.C. before an estimated 800 supporters of HRC. The crowd, predominately male and dressed in CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

02 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

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04 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

LOCAL NEWS

Attorney General Mark Herring,, right, on Oct. 6, Herring 2014, presided over the ceremony during which Carol Schall, ﬁrst from left, and Mary Townley renewed their vows.

A board position, new scholarship and career change

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF THE VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

Va. V a. mar marks ks on one e ye year ar of ma marri rriag age e equ equali ality ty Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring on Tuesday said the commonwealth has issued 2,670 marriage licenses to same-sex couples over the last year. Herring made the announcement a year to the day after gays and lesbians won the right to marry in Virginia. The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 6, 2014, announced it would not hear a case that challenged the commonwealth’s constitutional amendment banning nuptials for same-sex couples. The decision not to accept the lawsuit also prompted Virginia to recognize same-sex marriages that had been legally performed in other jurisdictions. “That day, the constitutional right of Virginians to marry whomever they love was secured and loving couples and families across the commonwealth were able to unite under the law for the very ﬁrst time,” said Herring in a statement. “It aﬃrmed that Virginia is open and welcoming to all and that discrimination would not be tolerated, and no longer sanctioned by the commonwealth. Those are true Virginia values.” Herring also said Virginia over the last year has issued 70 birth certiﬁcates to same-sex couples. “That day was certainly groundbreaking, but the historic nature could not compare to the faces of people who could ﬁnally marry the one they loved, the mothers and fathers who would ﬁnally be named on their baby’s birth certiﬁcate, and the fact that love and our constitution prevailed,” said Herring. MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Welcome to the ﬁrst Comings & Goings column, where we will share the professional achievements and milestones of our LGBT readers with the community. Have you started a new job or business? Landed a new client? Looking to hire a new employee or add a member to your board? We are interested in all of that and more. Send your tips and story ideas to us at [email protected]. Please let us know what you or your friends are doing and when exciting things happen in your career and in your life.

KEVIN KELLER

scholarship of its kind in the Oﬃ ce of Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio State.” In making the donation, Keller said, “I was fortunate to have numerous opportunities and the support of my family and others within The Ohio State University community throughout my academic career. This is my way of expressing my appreciation to the University and giving back to our LBGTQ students is my passion and area of interest.”

Md. birth certiﬁcate law takes efect A Maryland law that makes it easier for transgender and intersex people to legally change the gender on their birth certiﬁcates without surgery took eﬀect on Oct. 1. Free State Legal Project, a Baltimore-based organization that oﬀers legal services to LGBT Marylanders, in a press release said Ken Jiretsu, a trans man, was the ﬁrst person to request a new birth certiﬁcate under the statute. “It is such a relief to know that my birth certiﬁcate is ﬁnall y changed and will accurately match all of my other documents,” said Jiretsu. “I will no longer have to explain why my driver’s license has a diﬀerent gender marker than my birth certiﬁcate.” The law allows trans and intersex Marylanders to receive a new — and not amended — birth certiﬁcate. It also allows those who wish to receive a new birth certiﬁcate to simply ﬁle paperwork with the Maryland Division of Vital Records, as opposed to obtaining a court order that declares their gender has changed. Free State Legal Project said it expects Maryland judges will also rule the law applies to trans and intersex people in the state who were born somewhere else. “Nearly every transgender or intersex person in Maryland can beneﬁt from this new law, whether they were born in Maryland or somewhere else, and regardless of whether they have previously updated their birth certiﬁcate or if they have not begun the process of updating any identity documents,” said Patrick Paschell, the group’s executive director. Dana Beyer, executive director of Gender Rights Maryland, a trans advocacy group, also welcomed the new law. “I applaud Maryland for improving its documentation procedures for trans and intersex persons, and look forward to working with the legislature this year to make the law consonant with the gender identity law and evolving civil rights standards,” Beyer told the Blade. MICHAEL K. LAVERS

PAUL HAZEN

It has been an exciting month for Paul Hazen, executive director of the U.S. Hazen, Overseas Cooperative Development Council. First he was elected to the board of the National Cooperative Bank. Then on Sept. 29 he spoke at the United Nations at the Sustainable Development Summit. His remarks focused on the need for legal and regulatory reform and increased ﬁnancing for the solidarity economy, including cooperatives. The event was chaired by French President Francois Hollande and leaders from Ecuador, Morocco, Costa Rica, Senegal and a variety of U.N. agencies described the impact of cooperatives around the world. Many in our community understand how hard it was to come out and be true to themselves during their college years. One respected D.C. resident has found a great way to help future generations accomplish their goals. It was announced by Ohio State University that, “Kevin “Kevin Keller, Keller, CEO of the Certiﬁed Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., has endowed the Kevin R. Keller Scholarship Fund for LGBTQ students from rural Ohio. It is the ﬁrst

BRETT ZONGKER

Brett Zongker Zongker has had a busy and impressive career as a journalist. He was with the Associated Press for more than 11 years. At the AP, Brett reported mainly on art, culture and education and his work has been published by the New York Times, MSNBC and USA Today. He has now joined George Washington University as senior associate director of media relations. According to Candace Smith, assistant vice president of media relations at GWU, “Zongker “Zongker will be a spokesperson for the university and will also work on media relations and strategy and other related projects.” In addition to his new position, Zongker will continue to teach classes at American University, where he has served as an adjunct professor since 2012.

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 05

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06 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

KIESHA JENKINS, JENKINS, 22, was beaten and shot twice in the back. PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Trans woman killed in Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police say a group of men attacked a transgender woman before killing her. Capt. James Clark of the Philadelphia Police Department told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Kiesha Jenkins, 22, of North Philadelphia was dropped oﬀ at the intersection of 13th and Wingohocking Streets around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 6. He told the newspaper that several men surrounded Jenkins and beat her. Clark said one of the men shot her twice in the back. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Jenkins died at a nearby hospital. Nellie Fitzpatrick, who is Mayor Michael Nutter’s LGBT liaison, described Jenkins’ death as a “tremendous and tragic tragic loss for our entire city.” Social media users have also been using the hashtags #KieshaJenkins and #SayHerName to pay tribute to the murdered trans woman. Twenty transgender people have been reported killed i n the United States so far this year. These include Lamia Beard, who was shot to death in Norfolk, Va., in January. Police have yet to make any arrests in Jenkins’ death.

White House Press Secretary JOSH EARNEST WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

White House still Wh pondering Equality Act Earnest says bill remains under ‘review’

D.C. to join LGBT student program

By CHRIS JOHNSON [email protected]

WASHINGTON — D.C. is among the school districts across the country that will adopt a pilot program designed to improve the safety of LGBT students. The Los Angeles Uniﬁed School District and the Los Angeles LGBT Center in October 2013 launched the OUT for Safe Schools initiative that trains staﬀ on how to make what a press release described as “schools safer for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) students.” The press release said more than 30,000 teachers and staﬀ within the Los Angeles Uniﬁed School District have undergone the training and wear rainbow badges that “proudly identify themselves as LGBTQ allies and protectors of students who are LGBTQ.” The program will now expand to the nation’s capital along with Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego and Duval County in Florida. “Safe school climates and supportive adults are key to keeping LGBTQ youth in schools and out of the juvenile justice system,” said Geoﬀrey Winder, co-executive director of the GSA Network, which is also involved in the program. “Trans and queer youth who feel valued, important, and supported by out teachers, administrators, and staﬀ are more likely to feel personally connected to school, invested in their own education and, ultimately, to reach out for help if they may need it.”

Despite support expressed by Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joseph Biden over the weekend, the White House said Tuesday President Obama isn’t ready to endorse the Equality Act, although he backs the idea of federal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the Equality Act, which would amend existing areas of civil rights law to include gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, is still under review by the administration. Earnest made the remarks during a routine news brieﬁng when the Washington Blade asked if he’s ready to announce President Obama endorses the Equality Act after positive comments from Clinton, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, and Biden, who’s considering a presidential bid. “I’m not prepared to say that yet,” Earnest said. “This is a piece of legislation that the White House does continue to review. There’s signiﬁcant consequences to this bill going into eﬀect. It has an impact on housing law and a variety of other policies in the federal government, so it’s something that’s still being carefully reviewed by the administration.” But Earnest said even without explicit support for the bill, Obama believes “we must ensure all Americans are treated equally under federal law” and

Former HX Magazine publisher dies NEW YORK — The former publisher of HX Magazine died Oct. 4 after suﬀering an apparent heart attack. The EDGE Media Network reported that Gary Lacinski, 53, came to the publication in the early 1990s. He remained with HX Magazine until it became part of Next Magazine in 2009. Robin Byrd, an adult media personality who lives in New York and on Fire Island, described Lacinski as a “generous, funny smart human being.” DJ Corey Craig and Matthew Bank, founder of HX Magazine, are among those who also paid tribute to Lacinski. Lacinski is survived by his husband, Chris Pagoota.

is still behind the idea of enshrining comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBT people. “The president believes the passage of comprehensive legislation that protects LGBT Americans from discrimination would mark an important step toward that outcome,” Earnest added. “So, we would applaud the eﬀorts of members of Congress to try to advance that goal, but when it comes to this speciﬁc piece of legislation, it’s something that is still under review by the administration.” Asked if the vice president was out of step with the administration when he said Congress “will pass” the Equality Act during his speech at the 19th annual Human Rights Campaign dinner on Saturday, Earnest downplayed the notion of a split between Biden and Obama on the issue. “I think the vice president was certainly expressing a set of values and views that are consistent with the policies of the administration, but as it relates to the administration’s review of this particular piece of legislation, that’s still ongoing,” Earnest said. Earnest talked about the “broad impact” of the Equality Act when asked why the review is still ongoing and why the White House hasn’t yet endorsed it. “It’s just simply that this particular piece of legislation the way that it’s written would have a signiﬁcant impact across a broad set of policies, and so the administration wants to take a careful look to make sure that we understand the broad impact that this particular piece of legislation would have,” Earnest said. “But this is a review that’s ongoing and we’ll keep you posted.”

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08 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Democratic underdog seeks LGBT help in 2016 bid Lessig hoping for spot on CNN debate stage By CHRIS JOHNSON [email protected] Ahead of the ﬁrst Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig is seeking help from the LGBT community to get on stage. The singular issue of his campaign, which is a long shot that has gained some attention in political media, is reform through passage of the Citizens Equality Act. The measure would enact major changes in the governmental,l, campaign ﬁnance and voting governmenta systems in the United States in an eﬀort to make them more equally representative and responsive to the people. “The basic corruption that’s evolved inside of our government makes it impossible for it to address any signiﬁcant issue in a sizable way,” Lessig said. “So, if corruption is the disease, my view is equality is the cure. By that I mean a robust recognition of the equality of citizens in a representative democracy.” Lessig, whose immediate goal is to boost his poll numbers to qualify to make his case on stage at the debates, made his pitch to the LGBT community in an interview on Tuesday with the Washington Blade at the Mayﬂower Hotel in D.C. A campaign that “celebrates and rallies around the importance of equality,” Lessig predicted, would have a positive eﬀect for those who are pushing in a particular area of equality rights, such as LGBT people. “Obviously, the community has earned an extraordinary victory over the course of the last 20 years,” Lessig said. “It’s the most successful equality movement in the history of equality movements in just the sense of the speed with which attitudes were reversed and the law brought about to recognize the importance of granting equal status as a constitutional matter. And now, the ﬁght is going to be as a statutory matter, to secure the same kind of equality protections that other groups such as women and people discriminated on the basis of race have.” The Citizens Equality Act has three major components that seek citizenfunded elections, the equal right to vote and equal representation in Congress. It’s this last component, which would end political gerrymandering and create multi-member districts, that Lessig acknowledges may have a direct impact on advancing LGBT rights. Under the current system, members of the U.S. House are elected on a winnertake-all system, which means legislators only reﬂect the biggest or strongest group that voted for them while leaving

LAWRENCE LESSIG is LESSIG is seeking LGBT help in his presidential bid. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

others behind. This system and lack of accountability, Lessig contends, results in partisan gridlock and a lack of representation for minority groups. This kind of gridlock was felt by the LGBT community last year. The Senate passed the Employment NonDiscrimination Act on a bipartisan basis, but the Republican-controlled House never took up the legislation even though supporters of ENDA said it would pass if votes were present on the House ﬂoor. No bill became law even though a supermajority of Americans support a federal prohibition on LGBT discrimination. The Citizens Equality Act seeks to incorporate the Ranked Choice Voting Act, which would change the system so that instead of voting for one candidate, voters would rank their choice for multimember districts to ensure all voices and elected leaders are more accountable to the people. “If you got a substantial portion of the public behind, if you have ﬁve representatives in the district and you’ve got ranked choice voting, you need 20 percent to be able to get the place that you’re conﬁdent you’re going to be able to win one of those representatives,” Lessig said. “The impact of communities in directing policy in that context is obviously much greater and you’ve got an opportunity for a greater diversity of Republicans and Democrats.” Lessig also predicted the Citizens Equality Act would increase LGBT representation in Congress, which is considered underrepresented. An estimated 3 percent of the population identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, but only 6 of the 435 House members identiﬁes as LGB — slightly more than

1 percent of the U.S. House. No openly transgender person has ever been elected to Congress. “I think it would dilute the eﬀect of targeted bigotry here,” Lessig said. “You have as many districts where targeted bigotry is enough to guarantee somebody can’t get in. So it dilutes the eﬀect of bigotry while it’s reinforcing the proportionality.” The singular mandate of his presidency to pass the Citizens Equality Act, Lessig maintains, would enable him to push the legislation through Congress unlike a diﬀerent candidate who’s made multiple campaign pledges upon his election to the White House. Once the bill has become law under his administration, Lessig said he would resign and turn over the presidency to his vice president, who would then serve as a typical president. Even though he’s running a campaign with a singular focus, Lessig said he’s in favor of LGBT rights as much as he “could possibly be.” Muck like Hillary Clinton or Vice President Joseph Biden, Lessig said he “absolutely” supports the Equality Act, openly transgender service in the U.S. military and cutting oﬀ federal funds for adoption agencies that discriminate against LGBT parents. Asked what should be done about the rash of anti-trans violence in this country that has left 20 transgender people dead this year alone, Lessig said, “I think it makes sense to have the hate crime law focus on transgender as a category of hate that could trigger higher penalties.” Lessig said the issue of transgender rights hits close to home because he has a transgender person in his family: His wife’s cousin is married to a transgender man. “This is something that’s very present in

our life as they raise their own family and have to live in a world which doesn’t quite understand them,” Lessig said. “I think we should be as aggressively supportive of achieving social recognition of the equality of all humans regardless of these characteristics.” Lessig said his wife’s female cousin was in a same-sex relationship with a woman before he knew her family, but was around for this family decision to transition. “He was not yet a he when it began,” Lessig said. “They were two women. And then he went through the process of surgeries and it got complicated because then they decided they wanted to have a child and he was going to carry the child though this process. That all probably happened 10 years ago.” Lessig said he has been a long-time supporter of the LGBT community. One instance he recalled took place in 1989 when he was graduating from Yale Law School. Lessig said he participated in activism organized by a gay man in his graduating class in which individuals wore pink triangles in solidarity with LGBT people. “I was cornered by one of my friends quote-unquote who told me I was ruining my career by wearing a pink triangle like it would destroy my chances in the law,” Lessig said. “You imagine going from a time when a liberal, sane person would advise me of that to the place we are right now and what is that? Thirty years? That’s extraordinary progress. I think it’s going to be as unrecognizable in 30 years as this world would have been unrecognizable 30 years ago.” Becaus e his campaig n oﬃciall y launched just a month ago, Lessig said he hasn’t talked to any groups — LGBT or otherwise — about his candidacy when asked if he’s spoken to LGBT groups like the Human Rights Campaign. “We’re basically three weeks old as a campaign, so we’re ﬁghting to be allowed on the stage for the debates,” Lessig said. “But the assumption is that if I got on stage at the debate and establish a credible campaign, we can staﬀ up to the place where we can reach out and develop policies that reinforce the conception of what this transformation would make possible.” The Blade called HRC on Wednesday to request a comment on whether it would be open to supporting Lessig in his candidacy. It remains to be seen whether Lessig will qualify for the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas next Tuesday. Under Democratic Party rules, for candidates to appear on stage they must earn at least 1 percent in three national polls in the six weeks before the debate, which Lessig has decried as unfair. The latest CNN could announce who would be on stage is Friday, Lessig said.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 09

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10 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

ADVERTORIAL

Nissan Support Supportss Equality Equali ty on Every Road You Travel Proud partner of the 2015 Gay Softball World Series

#SameTeam for Equality This summer, Nissan hit a home run with its partnership with the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) and its 39th Annual Gay Softball World Series event in Columbus, Ohio. The event made GSWS history with more than 185 softball teams competing from 43 cities across the United States and Canada. The multi-division tournament was more than just a ball game. The 9-day event also featured opening and closing ceremonies, community events, celebrity performances and more. “Nissan has the most diverse consumer base of any automotive manufacturer and is eager to champion grassroots LGBT events that give consumers a chance to interact with both our vehicles and our LGBT and ally employees,” said Rick Ash, Senior Manager, Nissan Marketing. “It’s an honor for Nissan to bring more visibility to all of the LGBT athletes who competed.” Since 2013, Nissan has scored a perfect

100 in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index for its LGBTinclusive policies and commitment to the community. The company was among the fastest risers in the history of the index. Nissan’s commitment to the LGBT community starts with its own employees. The company strives to ensure internal policies and benet packages are inclusive of everyone. And Nissan’s Gay Straight Alliance at Nissan (GSAN) is the driving force behind the company’s LGBT outreach eorts, focusing on its hometown of Nashville as well as on other regional LGBT events. DiversityInc Magazine also named Nissan to its 2015 Top 25 Noteworthy Companies list for the second year in a row. The company is an active member of the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce and a sponsor of the annual National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention. Nissan’s Diversity Oce—with the help of GSAN—has sponsored several workshops for area business leaders where they can share diversity best practices for creating an inclusive environment for employees and supporting the LGBT community in Middle Tennessee.

Congratulations to the DC Union for a 3rd Place nish in the B Division of the GSWS 2015

“Nissan has the most diverse consumer base of any automotive manufacturer and is eager to champion grassroots LGBT events that give consumers a chance to interact with both our vehicles and and our LGBT and ally employee employees,” s,” said Rick Ash, Senior Manager, Nissan Marketing. It’s an honor for Nissan to bring more visibility to all of the LGBT athletes who competed. ”

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 11

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COME COM E OUT AND A ND PL P L AY. Nissan proudly sponsors the 2015 2015 Gay Softball World Series.

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Always wear your seat belt, and please don’t drink and drive. ©2015 Nissan North America, Inc.

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12 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Gay inmate says Va. Va. jail slow to prosecute prison rape Former D.C. resident victim of sexual assault in Harrisonburg jail By LOU CHIBBARO JR. [email protected] Gay former D.C. resident Ronnie Runion, 28, who landed in the Rockingham County-Harrisonburg, Va., Jail in April for a series of probation violation charges, says he continues to have nightmares in his cell following the “situation” that happened to him on Aug. 13. In a letter to a friend and former roommate in D.C., which Runion wrote on Aug. 14, he reports that a fellow inmate came to his cell and oﬀered him items from the jail commissary in exchange for sex. “He is much bigger than me,” Runion wrote. “I kindly said no. He then backed me against the wall and threatened me, saying he would kill me if I didn’t consent. He then overpowered me and raped me.” Added Runion, “I don’t want to go into very much detail. It’s very hard to talk about.” But Runion said he wanted to talk about what has happened since the Aug. 13 incident in two phone conversations with a Washington Blade reporter. He said he reported the incident to jail guar guards ds afte afterr anot another her inma inmate te sense sensed d something was wrong and asked the guards to come to Runion’s cell. He said the guards arranged for him to be taken to a nearby hospital, where an examination showing rectal bleeding among other injuries conﬁrmed that a sexual assault occurred. The trauma surrounding the assault itself was heightened, he said, when a nurse informed him he needed to undergo a 28-day regimen of anti-viral medication to ensure that he doesn’t contract HIV. The suspect identiﬁed as the alleged perpetrator in the case is HIV positive, Runion said he was told. Runion said he has tested negative and must undergo HIV tests periodically over the next year before he can be certain the powerful anti-viral medication worked. With that as a backdrop, Runion said the stress he experienced over the assault was once again heighted when he learned that the inmate implicated in the case was returned to the general prison population after a short period of isolation and that authorities had yet to prosecute him on a sexual assault charge. Runion said he has made it clear to jail authorities that he wants to press charges against the alleged rapist. Althou gh jail oﬃcials have ass ured him that the alleged perpetrator is assigned to a separate location in the jail on another ﬂoor, Runion said he continues to fear for his safety. “The guy said he would kill me if I

snitched,” Runion said. “It’s very upsetting. I’ve seen a counsel twice. They investigated. It seems like they are covering it up. It was suggested by the lieutenant here that I was to blame for this.” When asked to elaborate on why a jail lieutenant suggested he might be to blame, Runion said, “He didn’t plain out say that I was to blame but he beat around the bush — because of rule violations and my sexual preference and several things.” He said, “when it comes down to it my safety was not a priority here. So they can say all they want but I’m really upset that this guy is not charged yet.” Rockingham County Sheriﬀ Bryan Hutcheson, who is in charge of the jail, told the Blade that the incident reported by Runion remains under investigation. “I can conﬁrm that our Criminal Investigations Division currently has an open criminal investigation into the incident you mentioned,” Hutcheson said, referring to a Blade inquiry about the incident. “Once that investigation is complete, we will present all ﬁndings to the Commonwealth Attorney for a full review,” he said. “That is all that I can say at this time.” Christopher Bean, the Rockingham County Deputy Commonwealth Attorney, told the B lade that h is oﬃ ce had yet to be contacted about Runion’s sexual assault report. If and when contacted by jail authorities his oﬃce would take immediate steps to prosecute the case if the evidence supports a sexual assault charge, Bean said. Runion’s friends say he has struggled over a substance abuse problem and bipolar disorder which they say have been linked to several bouts with the criminal justice system in Virginia over the past 10 years. He currently faces a charge of grand larceny for allegedly failing to return a rental car. One of the friends, who asked not to be identiﬁed, said budget cuts in the Virginia state prison system prevented Runion from being placed in a mental health facility, as ordered by a judge, rather than in jail in connection with a separate case last year. Alexandra Ringe, a spokesperson for the ACLU’s National Prison Project in D.C., said ACLU attorneys have encountered similar cases where prison authorities take longer than appears to be justiﬁed in responding to cases where inmates are subjected to abuse, including rape. “Unfortunately, as you’re starting to see, any kind of turning the wheels of justice are slow on the outside and even slower and even harder and often just amount to nothing on the inside,” she said in referring to prisons across the country. Recently implemented rules for the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which Congress passed in 2003, require local, state and federal prison oﬃcials to

follow strict guidelines in responding to incidents of prison rape. An oﬃcial with the U.S. Justic e Department division that oversees enforcement of the law, known as PREA, couldn’t immediately be reached to determine whether a delay in the prosecution of the case reported by Runion could be a PREA violation. “It’s been over a month,” Runion told the Blade in discussing the time since he reported the assault. “I think they think

I’m going to forget about it, but I’m not. I think about this every night,” he said. “It bothers me. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and I feel like I’m being restrained. That’s what I told the counselor and he said it’s normal” for someone who experienced a sexual assault, said Runion. “I said no, it’s not normal. I don’t usually feel like that,” he said. “My nerves are very jumpy. And everybody is treating it as if nothing has happened.”

Pennsylvania State Rep. BRIAN SIMS is SIMS is taking on incumbent Rep. Chaka Fattah. WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Sims announces bid for Congress A gay Pennsylvania lawmaker who has led eﬀorts in the state to pass a nondiscrimination bill on Tuesday announced his bid to run for a U.S. House seat. Brian Sims, who represents Philadelphia in the State House, declared his bid for Pennsylvania’s 2nd congressional district. The seat is currently occupied by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), who was indicted in July as a result of alleged roles in a racketeering conspiracy. “I’ve spent my life taking on big challenges in order to do what’s right,” Sims said. “Whether tackling gender and pay equity as a civil rights attorney, or standing up for justice reform in Harrisburg, I’ve never backed down from the big ﬁghts. And I never will.” Sims has the distinction of being the ﬁrst openly gay person elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature, but he’s not the ﬁrst out person to serve in that body. That distinction belongs to former state Rep. Mike Fleck, a Republican who came as gay after Sims was elected, but before he was seated. A civil rights advocate and attorney, Sims is credited with leading on issues ranging from gender and pay inequity to environmental protection. He cosponsors legislation in the House called the Pennsylvania Fairness Act, which would update the state’s non-discrimination law to include sexual orientation and gender identity. “We need a progressive congressman who will stand up for opportunity and justice for everyone, not just those at the top,” Sims said. “In Congress, I’ll ﬁght to invest in our kids and our classrooms, create real economic fairness and opportunity, and stand up to the NRA to get the guns oﬀ our streets.” Among those praising Sims upon his declaration he would pursue a U.S. House seat was Andrea Sanders, a local activist in Philadelphia. “Brian is a ferocious advocate for the people of this community,” Sanders said. “When it comes to ﬁghting for the people he represents, there is no one more dedicated or tenacious than Brian. He’ll make a great Congressman.” CHRIS JOHNSON

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OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 13

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14 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

I N T E R N A T I O NA NA L N E W S

Berry: LGBT advocates ‘watchdog’ ‘watchdog’ for governments governments Envoy has visited more than 20 countries since April By MICHAEL K. LAVERS [email protected] TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Special U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry told the Washington Blade during an Oct. 2 interview in the Honduran capital that advocates have a responsibility to hold their respective governments responsible. “It’s the role of activists everywhere to be a watchdog on the government, even when the relationship is a good one,” he said. Berry spoke with the Blade during the ﬁrst day of an LGBT rights conference that drew more than 300 people from across the Western Hemisphere to Tegucigalpa. The career Foreig n Se rvice oﬃcer during the gathering’s opening plenary highlighted the White House’s eﬀorts in support of LGBT rights around the world that has become a cornerstone of the administration’s foreign policy. Berry noted that President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry speaking publicly about LGBT-speciﬁc issues has been “enormously helpful.” The career Foreign Service oﬃ cer also told the Blade that U.S. ambassadors have also shown “leadership” in supporting them. “I’m able to speak to those issues with some authority,” said Berry. “It’s obvious that I have the backing of the most senior leadership in the administration to back that up.” Berry during his remarks at the conference also made several references to the late gay activist Harvey Milk, who was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when former Supervisor Dan White killed him and then-Mayor George Moscone inside San Francisco City Hall in 1978. “I’m deeply mindful as an openly gay man serving in a senior capacity with the United States government that if it were not for his contributions I would certainly not be sitting here,” said Berry. “Those issues of equality and opportunities wouldn’t have existed for me.” Berry during his interview with the Blade repeatedly applauded Latin American advocates for the “leadership” on LGBT-speciﬁc issues that’s “coming out” of the region. He speciﬁcally praised the LGBT Federation of Argentina for “its pragmatism” and the way it is able to work with other advocates in the South American country and President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration. Berry also applauded the Uruguayan government’s “remarkable leadership”

in advancing LGBT issues, which includes co-sponsoring a resolution against antiLGBT violence and discrimination the U.N. Human Rights Council approved in September 2014. “We tend to look at Sweden and Norway and the Nordics more broadly as the countries generally that are on the right side of this,” Berry told the Blade. “[There’s] this similar movement that’s been underway for years in Latin America.” Berry also noted Chile’s LGBT-inclusive hate crimes and anti-discrimination law named in honor of Daniel Zamudio, a gay man killed by a group of self-described neo-Nazis, that then-President Sebastián Piñera signed in 2012. Berry compared Zamudio to Matthew Shepard, the gay college student who Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson robbed and beat to death outside Laramie, Wyo., in October 1998. President Obama in 2011 signed a federal hate crimes law that bares Shepard’s name. “It’s a sad reality there will be other young men and women losing their lives because of their identity,” Berry told the Blade. “That’s an unbelievable tragedy any way we look at it and doing what we can to prevent that is so important.” The conference — co-sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other advocacy groups and foundations — took place against the backdrop of antiLGBT violence and discrimination that remains rampant in Honduras. Ever Guillén of the Kukulkán Association, a Honduran advocacy group, pointed out during a separate conference that took place at a Tegucigalpa hotel on Oct. 1 that more than 150 LGBT people have been killed in the country in recent years. Two other LGBT rights advocates from the Central American nation turned their backs on Honduran Vice Minister of Human Rights and Justice Karla Cueva and Francisco Martínez of the Honduran Secretary of External Aﬀairs as they spoke at the opening of the Victory Fundsponsored gathering. Berry was sitting next to Cueva on the stage during the silent protest. “There has to be an honest and open conversation about the diﬃ culties that lie ahead,” Berry told the Blade. Berry noted that he and the Obama administrat ion have “a superb relationsh ip” with American LGBT advocacy groups. Berry nevertheless said their job “is also to make sure we’re doing our job.” “That’s all about the accountability of government service,” he said. Honduras is the 20th country to which Berry has traveled since he assumed his post within the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and

Labor in April. The career Foreign Serv ice oﬃ cer who previously served in Amsterdam, New Zealand, Nepal, Bangladesh and a number

of other countries is the ﬁrst person to hold the post of special U.S. envoy to promote global LGBT rights since Kerry announced its creation earlier this year.

More than 300 LGBT rights advocates from nearly two dozen countries gathered in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from Oct. 2-3 for an LGBT rights conference. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Hundreds attend LGBT rights conference in Honduras TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — More than 300 people from across the Western Hemisphere gathered in the Honduran capital from Oct. 2-3 for a conference designed to bolster further LGBT political engagement in the region. Randy Berry, the special U.S. envoy to promote global LGBT rights, spoke at the gathering that took place at a Tegucigalpa hotel alongside gay Peruvian Congressman Carlos Bruce, transgender Venezuelan National Assembly candidate Tamara Adrián, Costa Rican Deputy Minister of the Interior Carmen Muñoz, Honduran Vice Minister of Human Rights and Justice Karla Cueva, Gonzalo Cid Vega of the Chilean Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, gay Long Beach (Calif.) Mayor Robert Garcia and others. Kenita Placide of United and Strong, an LGBT advocacy group in St. Lucia, also attended the conference alongside Marcela Romero of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Trans People and ﬁve Cuban advocates who are aﬃ liated with the National Ce nter for Sexual Education, a group headed by Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro. Maximiliano Ferraro, a gay lawmaker in Buenos Aires, on his Twitter page described the conference as “two days of hard work and exchanges, for more equality and rights.” Diane Rodríguez, a trans woman running for the Ecuadorian Congress, and Erin Greene, an LGBT rights advocate from the Bahamas, were among those who met with Berry during the conference. LGBT Federation of Argentina President Esteban Paulón and Deivis Ventura, a Dominican advocate who is a candidate for the Santo Domingo Municipal Council, also spoke with the U.S. envoy. The Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute co-organized the conference alongside Hivos International, a Dutch group that promotes LGBT and other human rights issues, and Caribe Aﬁrmativo, a Colombian advocacy organization. The Association of Youth in Movement, which advocates on behalf of LGBT Hondurans and other marginalized groups, also sponsored the gathering alongside the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS and other foundations, non-governmental organizations and businesses from throughout the region. Honduran advocates on Oct. 1 held a separate conference in Tegucigalpa that focused on their country’s LGBT rights movement. The two conferences took place against the backdrop of anti-LGBT violence and discrimination that remains rampant in the Central American country. MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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16 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Gay friend says Pope opposes homophobia CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

learning about his reported meeting with Davis, said Grassi. “And I was telling my friends how can you forget everything this guy did? How can we forget these things for some thing that this woman said that we don’t even know is true or not?” Grassi was referring to a statement released by the Vatican saying the Pope didn’t personally invite Davis to meet with him in Washington, that she was part of a larger group of people the Pope greeted brieﬂy at a reception at the Vatican Embassy, and that Davis’s participation in the meeting was not intended to be an endorsement of various actions she has taken related to same-sex marriage. In a development that surprised some Vatican observers, the same Vatican statement disclosed that “the only real audience granted by the Pope” at the Vatican Embassy during his Washington trip “was with one of his former students and his family,” the Washington Post reported. Grassi told the Blade on Tuesday that a New York Times reporter identiﬁed him as the former student and quickly called him for comment. “I said you can understand that this comes completely out of the sky,” Grassi recounted. “I said, ‘Can you give me 10 to 15 minutes to think about it?’ And he said absolutely. We’ll call you after 15 minutes.” During that brief time Grassi said he quickly came to the conclusion that the Pope was being unfairly blamed for helping to support Kim Davis and the marriage equality opponents that had rallied around her. “So I thought it is my friend who is being attacked,” he said. “The least I can do is defend him with the facts that I know. I don’t have to lie. All I have to do is tell exactly what happened.” Among the things he told the Times and other media outlets, including the Blade, is that this was the second time he and his boyfriend had met with Francis since Francis was elected Pope in 2013. Grassi told the Blade that when he informed the newly installed Pope that he and his boyfriend would be in Italy to attend a wedding for a friend that year Francis immediately invited them to greet him at a group ceremony in Saint Peter’s Square. In front of hundreds of people “I remember Francis walking toward me with his arms open and he said, ‘You made it. You make me so happy,’” Grasso recalls. “And so we hugged and I introduced him to my boyfriend and we exchanged some words.” Grassi told the Blade he ﬁrst renewed his friendship with then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope, in

POPE FRANCIS created

a stir after meeting Kim Davis but it turned out he spent more time with an old gay friend who lives in D.C. WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

2008 when he visited Buenos Aires and met with Bergoglio, who held the title of Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Francis responded to an email message Grassi sent to the Pope this past June asking if the two could meet to catch up on things during the Pope’s visit to Washington – only if the pontiﬀ had the time to do so. “And he replied back almost immediately – I think the same day or the following day saying ‘oh, absolutely, I want to see you,’” Grassi said. He said Francis told him in his email reply that Grassi should write back in early September when the Pope’s Washington schedule would be known and ﬁnal arrangements could be made for their meeting. But Grassi said that when he saw media reports this summer of how busy the Pope would be in Washington he wrote back saying he would fully understand it if Francis would be too busy to meet with him. Then, to his astonishment, about three weeks before he was scheduled to arrive in Washington Francis called Grassi by phone. “It was my cell phone and I thought it was a joke,” Grassi said. “I was absolutely surprised that this person called me Obdulio,” the nickname that his high school teacher Bergoglio gave him nearly 50 years earlier. “So I said who’s calling? And he sai d well who else calls you Obdulio?” said Grassi, who added, “Then I knew this is the real thing…And we had a 10- or 15-minute conversation. We talked about politics. We talked about President Obama. We talked about Cuba.” Before the call ended Francis insisted he would have the time to meet with Grassi in Washington, according to Grassi. When Grassi mentioned that he would rather the Pope meet with four of his friends, some of whom were having health problems, so the Pope could bless them, Francis said, “Bring them with you.” One of the friends captured the visit on video with her phone, which dozens of news media outlets have shown, including a scene where the Pope hugs Grassi and

kisses Grassi’s boyfriend on both cheeks while displaying a broad smile. “To me it was a meeting with a friend of mine,” Grassi said. “It was a meeting between two friends…who love each other and I admire him deeply. That would have been the end of the story and I wouldn’t have you here sitting in my kitchen if it wasn’t that this lady Kim Davis came out with this information saying she got a private audience with him,” he told the Blade. Like others who have defended Francis, Grassi said he believes Francis was “fooled” into agreeing to include Davis among the group that he greeted during the Vatican Embassy visit. Concerning reports that the Pope has been a longtime opponent of same-sex marriage and opposed a same-sex marriage law passed by Argentina’s Congress in 2010, Grassi said he and then Cardinal Bergoglio discussed the gay marriage issue in an email exchange at that time. “In 2010 when the Congress in Argentina was debating the marriage equality law I read in the news that he had said quite strong and negative things about gay marriage,” Grassi said. “I was extremely surprised when I saw that,” he said. “So I ﬁred an email to him explaining to him how much I owed him, what an important person he was in my life, how much he developed my most progressive thoughts in my life and that I was disappointed to hear that he was saying these negative things about gay people and about gay marriage.” Added Grassi, “It was a pretty long letter. And I mentioned my boyfriend by name and told him at that time we were 14 years together.” Bergoglio, less than three years before becoming Pope, responded with a “beautiful reply – a very loving reply,” Grassi said. “He started by apologizing because he had hurt me, because I was hurt,” said Grassi. “And immediately after that he said I have never said any of those things that the press is publishing about me,” Grassi recalls. “He said as a matter of fact he never

expressed himself about this question. And he ended up by saying something that to me is so important,” said Grassi. “He said believe me, in my pastoral work there is no place for homophobia.” Some gay activists in Argentina would likely take exception to Francis’s comments to Grassi in that 2010 email. At the time Francis was elected Pope, a prominent Argentinean gay leader told the Blade that media outlets had obtained a copy of a letter that then Cardinal Bergoglio wrote to four Argentine monasteries at the time the national Congress was debating the gay marriage law. According to media reports, Bergoglio stated in his letter that the proposed law was “the work of the devil,” it would “spark God’s war,” and was a “machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.” Grassi moved to the United States in 1978 at a time when a military-run dictatorship was ruling Argentina and persecuting LGBT people. He said he admires gay activists in Argentina and the U.S. He said one of the reasons he chose to stay in the U.S. rather than live in Europe, where he initially thought he would end up, was the 1978 encounter he had with then-D.C. mayoral candidate Marion Barry at the Dupont Circle gay bar Mr. P’s. “I was there with some friends and suddenly this tall black guy comes in with a lady and does a speech to the people there on P Street,” Grassi recalls. “So I asked one of my friends, who’s that? And he said he is running for mayor and his name is Marion Barry and that’s his wife.” “And I remember it was to me the most revealing to think that that there was this country where somebody who was running for mayor would try to get the support of gay people and would actually walk into a gay bar with his wife and ask people for their support and say if you support me I will protect you and I will ﬁght to do positive things for you,” Grassi said. With that as a backdrop, Grassi said he understands where gay activists are coming from concerning the Pope. But he cautions them about the resistance he says Francis is facing as he deals with a 2,000-year-old institution. He said he believes Francis is making a genuine eﬀort to change the church for the better for LGBT people and other oppressed peoples. “What I can say is we have to recognize the small steps that Pope Francis has taken and that considering the place where he comes from are actually giant steps,” Grassi said. “It’s not that the man does not want to do it. He has a timing for things. He has a way of saying things that are so extraordinary and making them with small steps.”

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 17

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18 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Clinton, Biden lay out LGBT vision in in speeches CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

suits, was energetic and applauded Clinton throughout her speech. Months after the Supreme Court decision in favor of same-sex marriage in June, Clinton recalled, “it felt like all of America was dancing in the streets” at the time of the ruling. She thanked marriage plaintiﬀ Jim Obergefell, who was present in the audience, as well as Defense of Marriage Act plaintiﬀ Edie Windsor. In terms of legislation, the most concrete pledge Clinton articulated was passage of the Equality Act, which she already endorsed upon its introduction in July. The legislation would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the prohibited categories of discrimination under the Civil Rights Act and Fair Housing Act. “It’s a great, noble piece of legislation that deserves to become the law of the land,” Clinton said. “As president, I will ﬁght for it. I hope many of you will be with me when I sign it into law.” Making an example of recent news of a drug company raising the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750, Clinton also pledged to keep drug companies in line to ensure the medications are widely available. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed, but Clinton said she’d take further action on behalf of LGBT service members. Among the initiatives she proposed is ensuring the discharge paperwork for service members expelled solely for being gay is designated as an “honorable discharge.” For the ﬁrst time, Clinton also clearly articulated support for lifting the ban on transgender service, calling the current policy an “outdated rule.” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has announced a review of current policy. In May, the Pentagon is expected to lift the regulation to allow transgender transgend er people to serve openly. “They’re just keeping this core part of their identities under wraps because they are so committed to defending our nation,” Clinton said. “They shouldn’t have to do that. That’s why I support the policy review that Secretary Carter recently announced at the Pentagon. It’s why I hope the United States joins many other countries that let transgender people serve openly.” But Clinton went further on transgender rights, calling for attention to the rash of anti-trans violence throughout the country that has left at least 19 transgender people dead just this year. “We need to say with one voice that transgender people are valued, they are loved, they are us,” Clinton said. For same-sex parents, Clinton said an end to discrimination in adoption is on her agenda, saying she’ll push to cut oﬀ federal funding for child welfare agencies that discriminate against LGBT people.

HRC presented Apple CEO TIM COOK with a visibility award for coming out as gay last year. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

The candidate also said protecting LGBT rights overseas is important, taking note of the Zimbabwe president’s recent remarks before the United Nations that the country has no gays. “I’m guessing that the LGBT activists in prison in Zimbabwe would disagree with him if ever given a chance to have a platform,” Clinton said. The Democratic candidate delivered the speech amid a perception by some LGBT critics that she came too late to embrace LGBT rights or has only done so for political reasons. After all, she only went public with her support for samesex marriage in 2013. At one point, Clinton made passing reference to her evolution on LGBT rights, telling the audience, “You’ve helped change a lot of minds, including mine, and I am really grateful for that.” Clinton also dismissed the notion that her position in support of LGBT rights was the result of political calculation. “I know that you’ve had your share of politicians speaking out, courting your support at election time and then disappear as if your lives, your rights are just a political bargaining chip,” Clinton said. “Well those who know me know that’s not me. I’ve been ﬁghting alongside you and others for equal rights — and I’m just getting warmed up.” Following Clinton’s speech, Biden took the stage that evening at the HRC dinner, where a change in tone could be heard as the focus of LGBT advocacy shifts away from marriage. The dinner on Saturday night was the ﬁrst to take place since the Supreme Court’s ruling months ago that struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, leaving in the wake of the decision other agenda items such as non-discrimination protections and transgender visibility.

Biden, who delivered the keynote address, touted the signiﬁcance of the court ruling on marriage, but also turned toward other issues relevant to the LGBT community. “The great arc of justice is the journey of this nation, and it continues to move in the right direction,” Biden said. “We’re moving closer and closer to the animating spirit of America because of all of you, not me, because of all of you.” Although he’s previously articulated support for comprehensive legislation prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination, Biden took the opportunity of his speech to explicitly endorse the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity. “I strongly support the Equality Act, and it will pass, it will pass,” Biden said. “It may not pass this Congress. It will pass because it’s simple and it’s straightforward.” Biden’s support for the Equality Act makes him the ﬁrst oﬃ cial in the Obama administration to explicitly endorse the bill. The White House has yet to say formally that President Obama backs the legislation. (See related story on page 6.) Biden in 2012 dubbed transgender rights the “civil rights issue of our time,” an assertion he repeated at the dinner as he commended Defense Secretary Ashton Carter for starting a review expected to lead in May to an end of the ban on openly transgender service. “It took the secretary of defense about 10 minutes,” Biden said. “In July 2015 no longer is there any question, transgender people are able to serve in the United States military.” “All Americans who are able to serve physically should be able to serve,” Biden added. Addressing LGBT human rights issues

overseas, Biden said, “There is no cultural justiﬁcation for prosecuting, persecuting, putting in jail the LGBT community in any country anywhere in the world.” The vice president, who is considering a presidential bid, early in his remarks started to say, “A number of you have spoken to me over the years,” when an audience member interrupted him, shouting, “You should run!” Biden tried to tamp it down, saying. “No. You didn’t say that,” then returned to his remarks. HRC Presid ent Chad Griﬃ n pointed to various marginalized groups in the LGBT community left behind after the marriage ruling during his introduction to Biden. “For that transgender woman in Baltimore seeing her friends murdered in the streets, for that lesbian couple raising two kids in Mississippi and for that teen living with HIV on the streets of this very city, our nation’s capital, they can’t wait,” Griﬃ n said . “We can’t wait. And wit h your continued support and leadership, I promise you won’t wait.” Previous dinners have featured plaintiﬀs in marriage lawsuits, such as those behind the Defense of Marriage Act and Prop 8 lawsuits. The lead plaintiﬀ in the marriage case, Jim Obergefell, was a speaker this year. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was presented by HRC with a visibility award for coming out as gay last year, indicated in his acceptance speech that gay visibility is just as important as trans visibility. “People near need to hear being gay is not a limitation,” Cook said. “People need to hear that being gay doesn’t restrict your options in life. People need to hear that you can be gay or transgender and be whatever else you want to in life: a CEO, or a senator, an Olympic athlete, an award-winning actor or actress, an amazing husband, wife, father, mother.”

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OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 19

SCIENTIFIC TRUTHS

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20 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

BALTIMORE NEWS

Thirion leaving Equality Maryland

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Keith Thirion, acting director of Equality Maryland, is departing the organization to take a position at a D.C.-based non-proﬁt. Thirion joined Equality Maryland’s staﬀ in January 2014 as director of advocacy and programs before assuming the role of acting director in June 2015 when the previous director, Carrie Evans, was laid oﬀ as a result of the organization’s ﬁnancial diﬃculties. Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein, chair of the Equality Maryland Foundation Board, said in the statement, “Keith Thirion has worked tirelessly, eﬀectively, and passionately on behalf of the LGBT community in Maryland during his time with Equality Maryland. In conducting training sessions for police o ﬃcers and educators on LGBT issues, Keith has had an enormous impact on public servants who interact with the LGBT community. Keith has worked eﬀectively with other social justice organizations in Maryland, and with the General Assembly and the Maryland Attorney General’s Oﬃce, to advance equality for Maryland’s LGBT community.” “The organization’s work is incredibly important, as members of our community continue to face discrimination, violence and harassment in daily life,” said Thirion. “There will continue to be a need for advocacy and education until every Marylander including our most vulnerable youth, transgender people and communities of color, are free to live their full lives.” Thirion’s last day will be Oct. 14. The boards will launch a search for a new director for the organization. The job description is available at equalitymaryland. org/director-search.

Former mayor speaks at LGBT book launch

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More than 50 people who have had a role in shaping Baltimore’s LGBT history attended a book launch and celebration for the recently published book “LGBT Baltimore.” Former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke was the principal speaker at the event held on Sept. 28 at the University of Baltimore Student Center. Schmoke, a three-term mayor beginning in 1987, is currently the president of UB. He was a key ally in attaining non-discrimination legislation in the city despite robust opposition from several members of the Council. Schmoke recalled how he issued an important executive order for beneﬁts for gay and lesbian city employees after discussing the measure with local clergy leaders and framed the issue in terms of fairness. “I tried to advance civil rights in the LGBT community,” Schmoke said. “Please help me in addressing transgender issues in our community.” Author Louise Parker Kelley described “LGBT Baltimore” as “a tantalizing glimpse of what our community accomplished.” The book, published by Arcadia, is a soft cover, 96-page pictorial work that contains photos and captions depicting the ﬁght for LGBT rights and showcases those who stood on the frontlines as well as scenes from past Pride and other events. City Council member Mary Pat Clarke and Del. Mary Washington were among those in attendance. STEVE CHARING

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LOS ANGELES — Danny Pintauro, the former child star of “Who’s the Boss” fame who came out as HIV-positive in an Oprah Winfrey interview last month, told US Weekly this week he contracted the virus through oral sex. “Believe it or not, with this guy I was actually safe,” the 39-year-old said in an interview with his husband, Will Tabares. “We did use condoms,” Pintauro said. “I got it another way, which was through oral sex. When you put all of these nasty things together, like a compromised immune system, having been up for a long time, drugs, rough sex, all of that combined with lesions in your mouth, bodily ﬂuids, it’s that easy.” Pintauro’s comments, including those he made on an appearance on “The View,” have drawn concern in some sectors. In a Huﬃngton Post Post op-ed, op-ed, radio host Ken Schneck writes that Pintauro has “muddied” HIV issues in his messaging. Pintauro is on a “Beacon of Light Tour” to “spread awareness about HIV and the dangers of crystal meth” use and is participating in HIV Equal Campaign, an eﬀort to eliminate HIV stigma.

Minister concedes ‘ex-gay’ therapy shortcomings

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NEW YORK — A prominent Southern Baptist theologian this week spoke out against psychological counseling aimed at turning gay people straight, saying homosexuality cannot be turned oﬀ like a switch, ABC News reports. Instead, he said, the “sin” of being attracted to a person of the same sex can be changed by turning to the Bible’s teachings. The Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said so-called conversion or reparative therapy doesn’t carry the redemptive power of prayer, ABC reports. “In the case of many people struggling with this particular sin, we do not believe that some kind of superﬁcial answer whereby they can turn a switch from being attracted to persons of the same se x to being attracted to persons of the opposite sex,” ABC News quoted Mohler as having told reporters at the start of a three-day conference on homosexuality and how to oﬀer pastoral care to gays, hosted by the Louisville seminary. “By God’s grace, that might happen over time as a sign of God’s work within the life of that individual. But ... for many, many people struggling with these patterns of sin, it will be a lifelong battle,” Mohler said. Ahead of the “Homosexuality: Compassion, Care and Counsel for Struggling People” conference, Mohler also said he was unwavering in the belief that marriage is only between a man and a woman. He said he believe s homosexuals can change by accepting biblical teachings, ABC News reports. Several dozen gay-rights advocates denounced the conference by holding a protest next to the seminary. Their protest included a prayer for love, inclusion and respect. Some demonstrators held up signs that said: “Love Needs No Cure,” the ABC report noted.

Sweeping new guidelines for HIV drugs issued

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NEW YORK — The World Health Organization last week issued new guidelines that recommend that millions more people should be on HIV drugs than are currently, the New York Times reports. The recommendation could have signiﬁcant impact on halting the epidemic but would cost billions of dollars. Those with HIV should be put on three antiretroviral therapy drugs immediately upon being diagnosed, the agency said, and everyone at risk of being infected should be oﬀered “protective doses” of similar drugs, the Times reports. Immediate treatment has become the standard o f care in America and much of the developed world, but the agency’s new HIV treatment and prevention guidelines increase by nine million the number of infected people who should get it worldwide, the Times reports. The health agency did not estimate how many at-risk people would beneﬁt from its new prevention guidelines, but Unaids, the United Nations AIDS ﬁghting agency, made a back-of-the-envelope calculation that 10 million could be helped, including many women and girls in Africa not previously covered, the Times article notes.

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Two faces of Pope Francis Miracles can happen but change comes slowly to church

KATHI WOLFE, WOLFE, a writer and a poet, is a regular contributor to the Blade.

Alas, most starry-eyed lovefests don’t last. Pope Francis, 78, with the star quality of Madonna, wowed everyone from Speaker of the House John A. Boehner to President Barack Obama to the thousands of people who waited for hours to see him last month on his ﬁrst visit to the United States. Yet due to recent events, aﬀection for his papacy has dimmed for many of us who are LGBT and our allies. First, the pope secretly met with Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis who’s refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Then, the Vatican ﬁred Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, a Polish priest who came out as gay the day before a threeweek worldwide meeting of bishops be-

gan in Rome on Oct. 4. Don’t get me wrong: I’m no Pope Francis hater. I’m not Catholic. But, I’d bet that many of us, believers or non-believers, would ﬁnd it hard not to respect or love a pope who lives in a guest house, eats with street people, advocates for migrants and was a club bouncer (in his youth) in Argentina. From having lunch with homeless people in Washington, D.C. to visiting prisoners in Philadelphia, Francis showed his empathy and identiﬁcation with people living on the margins. “We can ﬁnd no social or moral justiﬁcation whatsoever for lack of housing,” the pope said. “We know that Jesus wanted to show solidarity with every person.” “That guy really does what Jesus did,” my brother, who’s worked in soup kitchens, told me, “He hangs out with poor people.” Two years ago, Francis (pleasantly) surprised the LGBT community when he said, “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis’ charisma, compassion and commitment to economic social justice have made many of us forget that he and the Vatican consider queer sex (though not homosexuality) sinful and oppose same-sex marriage. The ouster of Monsi-

EDITORIAL CARTOON

gnor Charamsa and the meeting with Kim Davis have brought this reality into stark focus. In the aftermath of Francis’ meeting with Davis, the Vatican has said that this shouldn’t be taken to mean that the pope knew the nuances of Davis’s situation or endorses her views on same-sex marriage. But even if he didn’t know the details of Davis’ situation, it’s hard to believe that the pope didn’t sympathize with her perspective. The Vatican ﬁred Charamsa, who had been on the Vatican’s Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, on the eve of the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of the Bishops on the Family. This meeting at the Vatican of some 300 bishops and other delegates at the Vatican is now discussing divorce, the church’s position on LGBT people and other issues. Charamsa revealed that he’s in a same-sex relationship in an interview with the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera.” The Vatican said that he was let go because the interview, which took place just before the Synod, was “grave and irresponsible.” On the opening day of the Synod, Francis clearly opposed same-sex marriage. “This is God’s dream for his beloved creation: to see it fulﬁlled in the loving union between a man and a woman, rejoicing in their shared journey, fruitful in their mutual gift of self,” he said. Despite the homophobia of this position, the pope seems to have friendships with LGBT people. During his time in the U.S., he had a warm meeting in D.C. with a gay man and his partner of 19 years. Yet, it seems unlikely that the Catholic Church’s position on LGBT people will change any time soon. “The Synod is fatally ﬂawed,” Mary E. Hunt, a lesbian, feminist theologian and co-director of Women’s Alliance for Theology Ethics and Ritual, told the Blade. “No women can vote. There are 17 heterosexually married couples and 17 individuals who are auditors. They can listen, participate in the discussion at points, but not vote.” Any expectation that a meeting with this group will produce anything meaningful is misplaced, Hunt said. “It would be better to convene regional gatherings to discuss matters ... and then gradually and with deep respect move toward new consensus,” she added. Miracles can happen. Let’s hope that a new consensus will be reached.

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A Tale of Two Pilgrimages Francis and Farrakhan go to Washington Washin gton

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at [email protected].

Autumn is a lovely time to visit the nation’s capital. Here I look at contrasting visits by two prominent faith leaders. 10.10.15 Justice or Else Gathering. Minister Louis Farrakhan has long been a ﬁgure of controversy. Of the Nation of Islam (NOI), which he leads, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) writes, “Its theology of innate black superiority over whites and the deeply racist, anti-Semitic and anti-gay rhetoric rhetoric of its leaders have earned the NOI a prominent position in the ranks of organized hate.” Farrakhan’s old provocations, however, are absent from the promotion for his Oct. 10 gathering on the National Mall to mark the

20th anniversary of the Million Man March. The 1995 event was a peaceful call to unity and self-improvementt whose proposed actions inself-improvemen cluded harnessing black economic power and registeringvoters. The 20th anniversary event invites men and women regardless of race or creed to demand racial justice from the federal government. The proposed action this time is withdrawal of black money from what it calls the commercialism and exploitation of the Christmas season. It also calls for an end to fratricidal violence within the black community. The event’s website (justiceorelse.com) includes the directive “No Guns - No Alcohol - No Drugs.” Its text and videos carry a constructive message. Granted, when I hear “Justice or else,” I immediately ask, “Or else what?” The threat, however, involves economic action, not competition with gun-toting white supremacist groups like the Oath Keepers. My diﬀerences with NOI aside, its 10.10.15 gathering promises to be another peaceful public engagement. Unless you demand docility (in which case you should wake up), I see nothing to fault. Pope Francis and gays. Turning from Islam to Catholicism, the bumpy aftermath of the Pope’s American visit appears to have resolved itself into a clearer message of welcome to

LGBT people, though without any hint of doctrinal change. During his visit, Francis toned down the culture-war rhetoric. One positive gesture was having openly gay Mo Rocca do a scriptural reading during the Mass at Madison Square Garden. Less so was the sole gay speaker at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Ron Belgau, who embraces celibacy in acceptance of the Catholic Church teaching that gay lovemaking is a sin. Belgau can suit himself, but demanding lifelong denial of intimacy is a prescription for misery. On his ﬂight back to Rome, Francis defended “conscientious objection,” which some interpreted as endorsing the refusal by Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis to issue marriage licenses that went against her faith. Mat Staver, the Liberty Counsel attorney for Davis, then claimed that Davis had met the Pope in Washington. The Vatican conﬁrmed this, but said she was but one of several dozen people who were given a blessing and a rosary. The only real papal audience in Washington was with the Pope’s gay former student Yayo Grassi and his family, which included his 19year partner Iwan Bagus. A video shows Francis warmly embracing both men and kissing them on their cheeks. The papal nuncio who invited Davis, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, appears to be in

hot water for marring the visit with a politically charged invitation that was inﬂated in importance by Staver. No sooner had the ﬂap over Davis begun to quiet down when Monsignor Krzystof Charamsa, an oﬃ cial with the Vatican’s doctrinal oﬃce, came out as gay and criticized the Roman Church’s homophobia on the eve of its Synod on the Family. Charamsa was quickly ﬁred. This was a reminder that expressions of pastoral care erase neither the church’s love of control nor its condemnation of gay folk. Indeed, notorious homophobe Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council was invited last November to a Roman gathering called the “International Interreligious Colloquium on the Complementarity of Man and Woman.” The notion of complementarity derives from Plato, except that Plato was gay-inclusive. Francis, at the U.S. Capitol, asked people to pray for him, and urged those who could not pray to send him their best wishes. In that spirit, and despite our disagreements and my continued skepticism, I send him and Minister Farrakhan my sincere hope that their eﬀorts will advance justice. Prayers avail nothing without action. Copyright © 2015 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

INSIDE LGBT WASHINGTON

Banner day for Human Rights Campaign Group raises $1 million, buoyed by Clinton, Biden appearances

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a longtime Democratic

Party and LGBT rights activist. He is a regular contributor to the Blade.

The Human Rights Campaign hosted Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton at breakfast and Vice President Joseph Jos ephBid Biden en at din dinner ner on Oct Oct.. 3. It was a gr great eat day for the LGBT family. HRC is the nation’s leading LGBT civil rights organization and has been at the forefront of the ﬁght for the rights of the LGBT community. It has at times been attacked for its lack of diversity and sometimes seems to have had a hard time moving on from the days when it was known as HRCF and nicknamed the Human Rights Champagne Fund. But the reality is running a major organization like HRC takes a

lot of money and rich people with money in our society are still too often only white and male. The organization has been making strides to become more diverse and we need HRC to be strong and successful. As marriage equality has become a reality, HRC is leading the ﬁght for a comprehensive civil rights bill and has undertaken a southern strategy and a global strategy to help members of the LGBT community here and around the world. In the morning it was Hillary’s turn to speak to the board and active members of HRC. Introducing her to hundreds who crowded into the ballroom of the Mayﬂower Hotel in D.C. Chad Griﬃ n, HRC’s president, reminded eve veryone he has known Clinton from his days in Arkansas and shared some slides of him as a teenager with Hillary. He quipped Hillary was actually the “ﬁrst HRC he worked for.” Hillary spoke passionately of her wideranging commitment commitment to LGBT rights and to all human rights. She reiterated the statement she made in Geneva on Human Rights Day in 2011 “gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” She talked about needing to stay vigilant to protect the rights the LGBT community has won as we move forward to guarantee all our rights. While we in the LGBT community strive to be

more inclusive it was rewarding to hear Hillary speak of the need for inclusiveness in government, the military and society. Anyone who has followed Clinton’s career from her days at the Children’s Defense Fund knows she has spent her life ﬁghting for all people’s rights, including African Americans, women and LGBT people. One of her loudest applause lines came when she said about her ﬁght for civil rights, “I am just getting warmed up.” She spoke in support of transgender individuals, to allow them to serve openly in the military, and to protect them from violence and our judicial system. She spoke of the need to remember we do this work not only for ourselves but for our children and our grandchildren, reminding all her grandchild just turned one. She spoke of our need to be vigilant and not to slide backwards and to protect the gains we have made including those made through executive orders signed by President Obama. She committed to working with HRC to pass new comprehensive civil rights legislation. It was the most heartfelt speech on LGBT rights she has ever made. Then Saturday evening it was Biden’s turn to speak. Biden has been a longtime passionate supporter of LGBT rights. He spoke of the administration’s ongoing eﬀorts to ensure members of the LGBT community were serv-

ing in every area of government. He mentioned Eric Fanning, who was in the audience, had just been nominated as the ﬁrst openly gay Secretary Secretary of the Army. Army. Biden reminded reminded us it was he in 2012 who supported marriage equality before the president seemed ready to do it and got an ovation from the audience. His two funniest lines were when he began “after that people started to say to him” at which point someone in the audience yelled ‘run Joe run’ and Biden replied, “No that wasn’t it.” And when he talked about there still being homophobes and said, “Most of them seem to be running for president.” He said the LGBT community would get full civil and human rights sooner than we think and most people don’t realize we don’t already have them. Biden spoke out for transgender rights and allowing trans people to serve in the military and for banning conversion therapy for minors. He committed his continuing support for the work ahead and was given a thunderous ovation. It was another successful day for HRC. Tim Cook, Apple CEO, received an award at the dinner and Carly Rae Jepsen entertained. It was announced the sponsors of the dinner collectively donated more than $1 million for the evening.

26 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

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All your rainbow resources

Books, fertility specialists, welcoming schools and more available to LGBT parents By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO [email protected] [email protected]

Raising a rainbow family or thinking of starting one? There’s no lack of resources, both in the Washington area and all over. “Gay & Lesbian History for Kids: the Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights” Rights” by Jerome Pohlen was released by Chicago Review Press last week. It’s for ages 9 and up and was timed to coincide with this month’s Gay History Month. It features 21 activities and is a good primer for any age with a great time line that goes all the way back to 570 BC (death of the Greek poet Sappho) to the present day. Along the way are easyto-digest entries on da Vinci, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde all the way through to Harvey Milk, Larry Kramer, Matthew Shepard and the Supreme Court ruling this year. It’s 192 pages and retails in trade paperback for $17.95. Details at ipgbook.com. Any Washington-area family, LGBT or straight, will ﬁnd it worthwhile to check out dcschoolhub.com,, a local site dedicated dcschoolhub.com to helping parents ﬁnd the right childcare, preschool or private school in the D.C. metro area. The site has a search engine, weekly blogs, a parent forum, chat rooms and a section where parents can search for current and anticipated spots by age or grade. Founder Trevor Waddington is looking for local LGBT parents to blog about their experiences for the site. He’s interested in hearing about experiences ﬁnding child care and school activities and how rainbow families have been received in various schools and programs. He can be reached at [email protected]. Interested in pursuing fertility/in vitro fertility (IVF) treatments but don’t know where to start? You may want to check out the services of Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg, Steinberg, a pioneer in the ﬁeld who works with same-

Dr. JEFFREY STEINBERG STEINBERG works with same-sex couples to help them start families. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEINBERG

sex couples through his four locations which are in Los Angeles, New York, Guadalajara and India. Find out more at fertility-docs.com. After 15 years of all-night gay dance parties, Sean O’Donnell and his partner Todd decided in August, 2012 to start a family. They walked into a Pittsburgh adoption agency and said, “We’d like a child please.” Thus began a long adventure of parenting classes, background checks and “enough paperwork to reforest the whole of the Amazon River basin,” as O’Donnell describes it in his new book “Which “Which One of You Is My Mother?,” Mother?,” a humorous memoir that has been called “brilliant” and “touching” by other gay authors. Find out more at seansbiggayblog.com or look for Sean Michael O’Donnell on Amazon. Another good resource is “Gay “Gay Parent,” Parent,” which bills itself as the “longest-running, nationally distributed publication to LGBT parenting.” It was launched online in Sept., 1998 and started a print edition a month later. Published Published bi-monthly and distr ibuted mainly free at LGBT community centers and bookstores, its focus is “to support and empower LGBT parents and LGBTs wishing to become ﬁ rst-time parents.” Print editions are mainly available in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. D.C.-based

singer/songwriter Stewart Lewis, also a gay dad, is a columnist for the publication and is also the author of four novels. Its current issue features a story on Christa and Holly Ortego of Louisiana and their twins Miah and Collin. Details at gayparentmag.com. Rainbow Families D.C. D.C. is a must for any local LGBT families. The group has an active schedule and is a great go-to stop for all kinds of resources. In November, they’ll make their annual visit to Cox Farm’s Fall Festival in Centreville, Va., for hay rides, pumpkins, farm animals, a corn maze, live music, hot cider, kettle corn and more. Keep up with all their events at rainbowfamiliesdc.org. is another great resource. This COLAGE is COLAGE Seattle-based organization “unites people with (LGBT) parents into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, selfconﬁdent and just leaders in our collective community.” Each summer, the group has a huge “family week” for youth in grades three through 12 in Provincetown, Mass. More information is at colage.org. Several local LGBT-welcoming schools offer open houses this fall. Among them are: • Beauvoir School School (3500 Woodley Rd., N.W.) with open houses on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 9:15 a.m.; Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1

p.m.; and Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 9:15 a.m. Full details at beauvoirschoo.org. • Bridges Public Charter School (1250 School (1250 Taylor St., N.W.) is a free public school open to all D.C. residents. Non-residents can apply and attend for a fee. A lottery is held and a waiting list is maintained. Details at bridgespcs.org. • Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, Va., has its annual fall fair on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Open houses are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 9 from 9-11 a.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 11 from 9-11 a.m.;Saturday, Dec. 5 from 2-4 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 10 from 2-4 p.m. Details at burgundyfarm.org. • Capitol Hill Day School School (210 South Carolina Ave., S.E.) has various open houses. Details at chds.org. • The Lowell School School (1640 Kalmia Rd., N.W.) has tours for pre-primary and kindergarten on selected Fridays; tours for ﬁrst through eighth grades are held on selected Wednesdays from October through January. The school’s fall bazaar is Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Contact the school for more information. • Washington International School has two locations. Its Primary campus is at 1690 36th St., N.W. and the Tregaron Campus is at 3100 Macomb St., N.W. To schedule a tour, visit wis.edu and go to “schedule a tour” under the admissions bar. Fill out the ﬁelds that apply to your prospective student’s age and submit. The school will contact you when the next applicable tour is to be held. Want to treat your tweens and teens to a family-friendly night out at the theater? “Girlstar Girlstar”” by Anton Dudley and Brian Feinstein stars Signature favorite Donna Migliaccio in a show about legendary record producer Daniella Espere who discovers the next international sensation in her long-lost niece Tina. With its pop score, the musical invites audiences to “follow one girl’s breathtaking journey and ask, ‘How far is too far to go to become a star?’” It runs Oct. 13-Nov. 15. Details at sigtheatre.org.

28 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

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Sister JEANNINE GRAMICK , co-founder of the Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, speaks to MICHAEL TOMAE from Owning Our Faith, left, and STEPHEN SEUFERT of Keystone Catholics at the John C. Anderson Apartments in Philadelphia on Sept. 26. Gramick is among those who attended a meeting of LGBT Catholics in Rome that took place over the weekend. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Seeking ‘pastoral care’ for LGBT Catholics, families Rainbow groups meet in Rome to address needs By MICHAEL K. LAVERS [email protected]

An inclusive community of life-long learners in which each individual is valued and respected

•

More than a dozen organizations that advocate on behalf of LGBT Catholics met in Rome over the past weekend. The Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, DignityUSA and 11 other groups that are part of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics took part in the coalition’s inaugural meeting from Oct. 1-4. The European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups, the Christian Association of Gays and Lesbians of Catalonia in Spain, LGBT Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council in the U.K., the Dette Resources Foundation in Zambia and Pastoral de la Diversidad Sexual in Chile are among the other organizations that attended the gathering. New Ways Ministry Executive Director Frank DeBernardo told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview from Rome the meeting caps off efforts to launch the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics that began two years ago. He said these groups “felt it was time for an international organization since there are so many of us.” Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, and former Irish President Mary McAleese, who has a gay son, are among those who spoke at a conference in Rome on Oct. 3 that focused on “pastoral care” for LGBT Catholics and their families. “A pastoral approach is better than an ideological one for promoting peaceful and fruitful relationships with LGBT people in the everyday life of Roman Catholic communities,” reads a description of the

conference. “Beginning from the common humanity LGBT people share with all people and leaving ideology aside for a while can yield important discoveries for both the LGBT people and t he church.” The gatherings coincided the beginning of a three-week meeting meeting of Catholic bishops in Rome during which they will vote on a document that speciﬁcally addresses the family. Leaked drafts of the document indicate it will reiterate the church’s opposition to unions between gays and lesbians. Krzysztof Charamsa, a Polish monsignor who had worked in the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2003, came out as gay on the eve of the meeting and revealed he has a boyfriend. The Holy See on Oct. 3 removed Charamsa from his post. The Associated Press reported the Polish monsignor is no longer able to work at the Vatican or pontiﬁcal universities in Rome where he had taught theology. “Notwithstanding the respect due to the events and personal situations, and reﬂections on the issue, the decision to make such a pointed statement on the eve of the opening of the synod appears very serious and irresponsible,” said Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, in a statement. “It aims to subject the Synod assembly to undue media pressure. pressure.”” Charamsa’s decision to come out coincided with the revelation that Pope Francis met privately with Yayo Grassi, an Argentine man he taught in the 1960s, and his partner at the Apostolic Nunciature in Northwest D.C. on Sept. 23. The Vatican continues to downplay the meeting between the pontiff and Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs, that took place in Washington the following day.

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 31

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This past May I anxiously boarded a ﬂight to San Francisco to undergo genital reconstruction surgery. Upon landing, I was greeted by my mother who ﬂew in from Florida. In her hands she carried the bedazzled binder I mailed her weeks earlier with all the information she would need in the coming days; the binder cover read “Operación de Joanna.” I spent 15 days in intense recovery, of which my mother could only be there for ﬁve. The remaining time a girlfriend of mine thoughtfully tended to my needs. Upon returning home I was blessed to be cared for by my roommate. For transgender people who pursue a medical transition that includes surgeries — sometimes multiple surgeries — planning to take care of yourself and cover your ﬁnancial responsibilities while unable to work takes some serious creativity. The month prior to my California voyage a blessing in disguise came in the form of a layoff: I was given the opportunity to collect unemployment while recovering through this life changing moment. This enabled me to fully focus on healing and not how I was going to pay rent. Unfortunately, my situation is not reﬂective of most trans people. Many within the trans community do not have the privilege to take weeks off work to recover from a medical procedure and, due to the pervasiveness of family rejection, our familial constructs are often not recognized by employers or the state. This places trans people in a precarious and vulnerable position. As Washingtonians, we pride ourselves on having some of the most progressive LGBTQ policies in the country. The interpretation of Mayor Gray’s 2014 Bulletin on Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance on the Basis of Gender Identity or Expression has, to date, been the most progressive trans-inclusive healthcare policy in the nation. However, implementing that policy is a battle many are still ﬁghting. In the midst of this struggle by trans health activists, local legislation was

The love and support I received when I needed it most and the time I had to focus on getting back on my feet is not an experience that should be reserved for the privileged few.

proposed just this week that may have signiﬁcant impacts on members of the transgender community. The Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015 would ensure that anyone living or working in D.C. could take up to 16 weeks of paid leave when caring for the health of themselves or their loved ones, or when welcoming a new child. The bill deﬁnes family broadly but we’ll likely still need to push for it to include chosen family, the people our community often turns to ﬁrst for care. With this groundbreaking policy, D.C. would join the ranks of every industrialized nation and lead the way as the only U.S. city to provide paid family and medical leave. The implications for the transgender community extend beyond beneﬁts for those who undergo medical procedures. Paid family leave is a reproductive rights issue too. Trans people and same-gender couples are all too often overlooked when it comes to building our families, whether through birth, surrogacy, adoption, or foster placement. D.C.’s paid leave program supports us by providing gender equal parenting leave for all. Reproductive equity is essential to any paid leave program. On May 27, I woke up to my mother’s warm hand on my forehead. In the coming days she tended to me as if I was a newborn experiencing life for the ﬁrst time: She helped me walk, use the bathroom, and, yes, even changed my diaper. The love and support I received when I needed it most and the time I had to focus on getting back on my feet is not an experience that should be reserved for the privileged few. It should be a basic human right for all. JOANNA CIFREDO is a writer and health equity

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CAMP Rehoboth serves the local LGBT community in and around the popular beach resort.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Community center founded by gay couple that met at White House By LOU CHIBBARO JR. [email protected]

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — As it celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend, CAMP Rehoboth, the LGBT community center and community services group here, is continuing its role as a well-known and highly regarded operation in Delaware and in the Mid-Atlantic region. Before Steve Elkins and Murray Archibald, who have been a couple for 37 years, moved to Rehoboth Beach in October 1990 and founded CAMP

Rehoboth less than one year later they had been vacationing there since the summer of 1981. Like the large number of other LGBT people who began to ﬂock to the Delaware beach resort town in the 1970s the two noticed that at least some longtime, year-round residents had become uncomfortable as Rehoboth became increasingly known as a gay destination. According to Archibald, he and Elkins along with some of their friends sensed the need for an LGBT support and advocacy group in the town around 1989 or 1990. That’s when the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Association produced and circulated a bumper sticker that said, “Keep Rehoboth A Family Town.” Everyone knew that message was

aimed at the town’s LGBT visitors and growing number of LGBT residents, implying if not saying so openly, that they were not welcome, Archibald and Elkins told the Washington Blade. “And I always said we wanted it to be a family town as well but families come in all sizes, shapes and orientations,” Elkins said. Following a series of meetings in late 1990, Elkins and Archibald in 1991 launched CAMP Rehoboth, the town’s ﬁrst LGBT advocacy and civic organization whose name was an acronym for ‘Create a More Positive’ Rehoboth. “We thought everybody was focusing on the negative and we said, ‘Let’s create a more positive Rehoboth,’” said Elkins in reﬂecting on the group’s and the town’s evolution in gay-straight gay-stra ight relations since that time.

Archibald said in addition to concerns over the hostile message from the bumper sticker, the atmosphere for gay men in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s was still being shaped by the AIDS epidemic, and he and Elkins thought an LGBT organization would provide support services on that front. “We were just coming out of that period where so many people were dying and were still dying,” said Archibald. “We were ﬁghting some resistance in town against so many gay people coming to town,” he said. “And you knew we needed something.” In its ﬁrst two years, the then allvolunteer group operated in a small rented space on Baltimore Avenue in CONTINUES ON PAGE 49

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36 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

Q U E E R Y : 2 0 Q U E S T I O N S F O R KIDD O’SHEA

KIDD O’SHEA How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? I came out when I was 18. The hardest people to tell were my parents. They were extremely accepting. Then in 2012, I came out publicly on the radio to my audience in Milwaukee. They too were extremely accepting and showed me how successful you can be when you’re being who you truly are. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGULIELMO [email protected] Kidd O’Shea always thought he’d end up on the West Coast, but when the opportunity to go into TV full-time presented itself he made the leap from Milwaukee, where he lived and worked for 19 years in radio and TV — primarily the former as he hosted a morning radio show — to Washington. “I couldn’t be happier than I am on the East Coast,” the 35-year-old Milwaukee native says. O’Shea arrived in Washington in mid-August to start his new jobs as social media anchor for “Good Morning Washington” at WJLA-TV ABC 7 and as host of “Let’s Talk Live” News Channel 8. O’Shea lives in Adams Morgan and enjoys a good libation in his free time. “Is drinking cocktails a hobby,” he asks. He likes to spend Friday nights, “on the couch with a bottle of wine and [reality show] ‘Shark Tank.’”

Who’s your LGBT hero? All the people who have fought and continue to ﬁght for equality in our community. I’m forever grateful for your amazing contribution contributions. s. What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present? I get up for work at 3:30 a.m., so “nightspot” is more like “happy hour” for me and I choose Annie’s. Describe your dream wedding. Cancelled What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about? I’ve spent last decade working with Feeding America and fully support their eﬀorts to end hunger in our communities. What historical outcome would you change? Any event in our history that has led to the meaningless death of humans. What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? Oprah leaving the air. I still miss her. On what do you insist? Treat others how you want to be treated.

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If your life were a book, what would the title be? “Dreams Really Do Come True.” When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was be on radio and TV. Prior to coming to D.C., I hosted my own morning radio show in Milwaukee and today I get to play on TV every day. I can’t believe I get to do this for work. If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do? I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m proud to be a gay man. What do you believe in beyond the physical world? Karma What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders? To continue teach LGBT youth the importance of safe sex. What would you walk across hot coals for? A martini. What LGBT stereotype annoys you most? That we all know how to decorate. You should see my apartment. What’s your favorite LGBT movie? “A Single Man” What’s the most overrated social custom? The constant need to be connected. What trophy or prize do you most covet? Men of Radio Top 100 by Regis & Kelly What do you wish you’d known at 18? That you’ll never wish you were 18 again, so have fun but don’t lose sleep over anything. Life truly does get better. Why Washington? I love this town.

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 37

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38 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

THEATER

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Like many addicts, “Bad Dog’s” protagonist Molly Drexler (played by out actor Holly Twford) can be charming and manipulative. And she likes to do things her way. So when she falls oﬀ the wagon with a thud after 10 years of sobriety, it’s not surprising she resists all urges to go to rehab. “I know how to get sober,” she insists. Whether that’s still true remains to be seen. While Molly’s relapse wasn’t minor (it involved driving her Prius through the wall of her living room and a stint at the hospital for a broken arm and facial cuts), she makes like it was nothing. Yet despite her eﬀorts to minimize the situation, Molly’s immediate and extended family swoop down on the Los Angeles home she shares with her wife Abby (Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan), oﬀering “support” ranging from hugs to money to varying degrees of criticism. When Molly drove her car through that wall, she certainly opened her life to everyone with an opinion. “Bad Dog” is Olney Theatre’s contribution to the citywide Women’s Voices Theater Festival, and a Rolling Worldwide Premier that ﬁrst played at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre in the spring. Its author is out writer Jennifer Hoppe-House, one of the writers of Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie” and “Damages,” and the Netﬂix series “Grace and Frankie.” And like much of HoppeHouse’s TV writing, “Bad Dog” is a blend of comedy and drama. Staged by Jeremy B. Cohen, the play unfolds over three days in the fall of 2014. It’s a gathering of concerned relatives who, though well meaning, might have done better to stay home and sort out their own issues. Since she was a girl, Molly has been a source of trouble for her middle-class Jewish family. And now as a 40-ish, underemployed TV writer, she’s upsetting the family again. After a decade clean she’s slipped. No one is quite sure why. Maybe it’s because her

beloved dog Love Child was just killed by the neighbor’s Rottweiler, or was it the Ativan she popped for sleeplessness that set her on a destructive bender? Molly strikes it up to relapse just being a part of ongoing recovery. Whatever the reason, her supportive and serene wife wants it ﬁxed fast. Soon on the scene are Molly’s sisters Becky (Amy McWilliams), a cash-strapped mother of two whose dream is to own her own home; and Linda (Emily Townley), an exacting print journalist who is also gay. It’s Linda who both knows Molly the best and resents her the most, and Linda who ultimately takes Molly and the play to its darkest corners. Also on hand are Lois (Naomi Jacobson), Molly’s tightly wound mother, and Walter (Leo Erickson), Molly’s ostensibly agreeable but self-centered father who wants to help but has his limits. Rounding out the crowd is Sondra (Gladys Rodriguez), Walter’s casually racist and not terribly bright second wife of 30 years who believes a good moisturizer and a strong joint are the key to contentment. It’s a dysfunctional group, and not surprisingly when gathered under the same roof — Tony Cisek’s open concept design worthy of an HGTV reveal — things go horribly awry. Some parts of the play feel a little improbable. Barring an intensive care situation or a formally organized intervention, it seems unlikely the farﬂung family would quickly rush to L.A. Also, it seems odd that this gathering marks Lois and Sondra’s ﬁrst meeting. In three decades you’d think they might have crossed paths. But despite the plotline improbabilities, the family dynamics ring true. The humor, the frustration, ﬁghts and resentments are familiar and the cast is excellent. ‘BAD DOG’ Through Oct. 25 Olney Theatre Center 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road Olney, MD $42-65 301-924-3400 Olneytheatre.org

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FILM

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 39

‘Freeheld’ ﬁnds lesbians ﬁghting cancer and court By BRIAN T. CARNEY

“Freeheld” is a moving ﬁlm that reminds us both how far we have come and how hard we still have to ﬁght to protect our rights. “Freeheld,” which opens Friday, Oct. 9 at Landmark E Street Cinema, is about the real-life struggle of Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore), a decorated but deeply closeted New Jersey police detective, to assign her pension beneﬁts to her domestic partner Stacie Andree (Ellen Page) after she is diagnosed with terminal Stage IV lung cancer. After the Freeholders (the elected county commissioners for Ocean County) turn down her request, Hester and Andree decide to ﬁght the decision as ﬁercely as they are ﬁghting the disease. They are aided by an unlikely duo: Hester’s straight and straight-laced police partner Dane Wells (Michael Shannon) and gay rights activist Steven Goldstein (Steve Carell), the passionate founder of Garden State Equality. In the end, after a lot of

protests, speeches and political wrangling, the Freeholders decide to allow registered domestic partners to be recognized as pension beneﬁciaries. Hester was present in the courtroom for the ﬁnal vote, but died the following month. Peter Sollett (“Nick and Nora’s Inﬁnite Playlist” and “Raising Victor Vargas”) directs with a conﬁdent and steady hand. He smoothly blends the movie’s many moods, matching Hester and Andree’s romantic love story with their wrenching medical melodrama, as well as the fascinating dramas of the police squad room, the behind-closed-door battles of the Freeholders and the Goldstein’s brassy activism. Cinematographer Maryse Alberti makes the Jersey shore shine, capturing dreamy sunlit beach scenes, gritty drug busts, boardrooms and hospital rooms, and ordinary domestic life with remarkable ﬂair and style. Based on the 2007 Academy Awardwinning short documentary by Cynthia Wade, the script by openly gay ﬁlmmaker Ron Nyswaner (“Philadelphia”) is solid, eﬃcient and respe ctful. He eﬀo rtlessly condenses the arc of their relationship

PHOTO BY PHIL CARUSO; COURTESY OF LION’S GATE

JULIANNE MOORE and ELLEN PAGE in ‘Freeheld,’ a satisfying and capably made lesbian-themed drama based on a true story.

and court battle (Hester and Andree met in 1999 and Hester died in 2006) into a tight screenplay that honors a heroic struggle without becoming weepy or preachy. Moments of deep emotion are leavened with moments of laughter and scenes of political machinations and the shifting moods are beautifully captured in the surprisingly subtle score by Hans Zimmer. But, the heart of “Freeheld” is in the ﬁne performances by a generous ensemble cast. Julianne Moore is luminous as the reluctant activist. Her bravery in catching crooks is matched by her bravery in ﬁghting cancer and her passion for justice (for herself and others) is visceral. She embraces the many quirky

facets of Hester’s character: her pride in being a decorated detective, her instinct to control and protect Andree, the deep fear that keeps her in the closet, and the insistence that she is ﬁghting for equality and not marriage. Moore’s outstanding acting (and shaved head) may mean another Oscar nomination. Ellen Page turns in a strong quiet performance as Hester’s younger lover who gets swept up in personal and political passions beyond her control. Her work is limited by the somewhat underwritten character, but she brings a moving raw passion to the role. Page, who also was a producer of the movie, says working on the ﬁlm inﬂuenced her decision to come out.

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON VISIT US AT CFA.GMU.EDU

RIOULT Dance NY

Turtle Island Quartet

Aquila Theatre

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 AT 8 P.M. Over more than two decades this exquisite ensemble has established a sterling reputation for blending breathtakingly beautiful movement with luminous symphonic works by Bach, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Mozart, creating contemporary dance that is truly sublime. They enchanted our audience three seasons ago, and we are very pleased to have them return, this time with an all-Bach program that includes such awe-inspiring World , City City,, Polymorphous Polymorphous,, and works as Views of the Fleeting World Celestial Tides. Tides.

with special guest Cyrus Chestnut

Romeo and Juliet

$48, $41, $29

TICKETS i

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Jelly, Rags, & Monk SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 AT 8 P.M.

Ragtime meets the string quartet for a lively journey through the history of ragtime music in a genre-crossing concert revealing the sweet, soulful connections between the two. Grammy Award winning Turtle Island Quartet Quartet collaborates with acclaimed jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut to explore ragtime music from its beginnings with the music of Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin to the modern genius of Thelonious Monk. $48, $41, $29

888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU i

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 AT 7 P.M William Shakespeare’s Shakespeare’s immortal tale of the star-crossed lovers falling victim to family hatred is brought to our stage by the acclaimed British-American troupe. Filled with romance, hope, and tragedy – and Shakespeare’ Shakespeare’ss delicate prose – Romeo – Romeo and Juliet  has has saddened but also pleased the hearts of theater lovers for centuries. “Beautifully spoken, dramatically revealing, and Yorker Yorker ) crystalline in efect.” New (

$44, $37, $26

Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit 54 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

40 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

OUT & ABOUT

October 24-25, 2015 Washington Convention Center PLE . SA M

S H O P S I P .

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PHILLIPS

Join Giada De Laurentiis and

Michael Symon

Phillips exhibit explores black male identity By MARIAH COOPER The Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) presents “Question Bridge: Black Males,” a documentary art installation that’s on display as of this week. The exhibit has one participant ask a question directly to the camera and another participant later answers the question directly to the camera. Questions range from race, sexuality and more. The exhibit will also include a “Join the Conversation” segment where guests will be asked questions and they can write and share their responses in the gallery. There is some LGBT content in the exhibit. Adult tickets are $12, student tickets are $10, senior tickets are $10 and members and visitors under 18 are free. It runs through January 3. For more details, visit phillipscollection.org.

VIP Meet and Greets

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Remembering Mame

Grand Tasting

The Academy of Washington presents “Love, Love, Love: A Celebration of Life for Carl Rizzi and Mame Dennis” at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. Rizzi, whose drag performance name was Mame Dennis, helped form the Academy Awards of Washington in 1973. He was chosen president for life and served as president from 1973 until his death in February. During the 1980s AIDS epidemic, Rizzi organized numerous fundraiser eﬀorts from the Academy for organization such as Whitman Walker. Doorsopen Doors openat at4:30 4:30p.m. p.m.For Formoreinformation, moreinformation, visit theacademyof theacademyofwashington washingtoninc.com. inc.com.

BBQ Bash Book Signings Chef Demos Beer, Wine & Spirits Garden Culinary Classes PHOTO COURTESY OF ISBIN

Shopping and More!

Tickets on sale at MetroCookingDC.com

Sharon Isbin times four Out classical guitarist Sharon Isbin has four performances in the region this weekend. She will perform Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” on a program of classics from France and Spain with the National Symphony Orchestra onThursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 9 at 11:30 a.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) in the concert hall. Tickets are $15-89 for the 90-minute show. Ludovic Morlot will conduct. Isbin is standing in for Milos Karadaglic who was scheduled to perform the work but strained a muscle in his hand. Details at kennedy-center.org. Isbin will also perform on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 4 p.m. in the music room at the Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.). This show is sold out. Details at phillipscollection.org.

Alston House beneﬁt is Oct. 15 The Wanda Alston House hosts its second annual fall reception at Orrick Herrington and Sutcliﬀe (1152 15th St., N.W.) on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 6-9 p.m. Former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams will attend. Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will be served. Event tickets are $50, Host Committee tickets are $200 and Co-Chair tickets are $500. Wanda Alston House is a program in the District that provides housing and other living services to homeless LGBT youth. For more details, visit wandaalstonfoundation.org.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

MUSIC

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 41

High-proﬁle guests can’t salvage mediocre ‘Caracal’ By CHRIS GERARD

The talented young British brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence (21 and 24 respectively) earned instant acclaim for their 2013 debut album “Settle,” an invigorating electro-pop marvel featuring a number of terriﬁc guest appearances and some of the best dance pop in recent memory. Guy Lawrence told PrideSource in 2014 that he and his brother, although straight, were inspired by house and garage music in the gay clubs they visited in their native UK. Those exhilarating sounds informed their stellar debut, which was hailed by critics and was widely recognized as one of 2013’s best albums. They play D.C.’s EchoStage Oct. 21-22. Numerous tracks from “Settle” became club favorites, including in prominent gay venues, and they were even rumored to be working with Madonna on her last album (which never came to fruition). Anticipation for the sequel to “Settle” has been sky-high. Unfortunately, their eagerly anticipated follow-up album “Caracal,” released Sept. 25, falls well short of the lofty standards set by their debut. Trouble begins right away with the opening track “Nocturnal,” feature phenom the Weeknd on vocals. It’s bland and repetitive mid-tempo electro-R&B with very little in the way of a memorable melodic hook. Disclosure puts “Nocturnal” in the prominent opening slot, but the song itself is no more than average at best. It sounds like a Ne-Yo throwaway and drags on for nearly seven tedious minutes. Not a good omen. Speaking of omens, the big reunion with Sam Smith, the openly gay British superstar who exploded on the international pop scene with his feature on Disclosure’s “Latch” from “Settle,” is

PHOTO COURTESY OF PMR/ISLAND

Despite an impressive guest roster, Disclosure ﬂounders on sophomore album.

entitled “Omen.” Unfortunately it lacks the immediacy and excitement of “Latch” and seems little more than an excuse for the team to get back together. The melody is forgettable and the track slinks away forgotten as soon as the last beats stutter out. “Holding On,” featuring esteemed jazz and R&B vocalist Gregory Porter, is surprisingly limp and dated. Its beats and production tricks would have sounded fresh perhaps in 1997. “Hourglass,” with the talented New York-based R&B duo Lion Babe on vocals, has a nice groove and some terriﬁc vocals. Lion Babe adds some elegance and charm, but again the song is betrayed by insipid electronic

rhythms that don’t have much punch. The big guest appearance is New Zealand pop star Lorde, who adds her breathy vocals to the track “Magnets.” It’s stripped down electro-pop similar to what Lorde oﬀered up on her debut album. It’s one of the better moments on “Caracal,” which isn’t saying a whole lot. It’s clear the Howard brothers were intent on emulating Lorde’s sound and while they do an adequate job, it’s also faintly pointless. The track might have been good enough to make the cut on Lorde’s debut album — maybe — but it certainly would not have been a standout. As a high-powered collaboration between two exciting and inﬂuential new artists, it underwhelms.

Miguel is the other high-proﬁle guest appearance, and his vocals on “Good Intentions” are ﬁne, but the song itself is yet another that’s just average. Disclosure brings in some of the most exciting pop artists around and does basically nothing with them. These songs could be sung by anybody and would have the same (minimal) impact. They’re not horrible; just a huge letdown after “Settle.” Artistic exploration is ﬁne. The downside is that sometimes it reveals artistic limitations. While their debut was exciting and bold, “Caracal” feels uncertain and cautious. But they’re young. Hopefully more exciting things are yet to come from this promising duo.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

42 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

ARTS & CULTURE

HOT HITS & HIDDEN JEWELS

THEATRE

From CultureCapital.com YOUR LINK TO THE ARTS IN METRO D.C .

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Musical . Thru Oct 25. Shear Madness. Madness. Ongoing. Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org. Shocked & Amazed: NY Variety AllStars.. Oct 10. AMP. 301-581-5100. Stars ampbystrathmore.com. Girlstar.. Oct 13Cake Oﬀ . Thru Nov 22. Girlstar Nov 15. Signature Theatre. 703-820-9771. signature-theatre.org. Queens Girl in the World . Thru Oct 11. Theater J. 202-518-9400. theaterj.org. Chimerica.. Thru Oct 18. Animal Chimerica Animal.. Thru Oct 25. Studio Theatre. 202-332-3300. studiotheatre.org. Stay Awake. Awake. Thru Oct 12. Atlas. 202-399-7993. atlasarts.org. Aquila Theatre: Romeo and Juliet. Juliet . Oct 11. GMU Center for the Arts. 888-945-2468. cfa.gmu.edu. 600 Highway Men: Employee of the Year.. Oct 9-Oct 10. Intimate Apparel. Year Apparel. Oct 9-Oct 17. Clarice Smith. 301-405-2787. claricesmithcenter.umd.edu. The Guard. Guard. Thru Oct 18. Ford’s Theatre. 800-982-2787. fords.org.

Dance Theatre of Harlem Oct 9-10. Washington Performing Arts at Sidney Harman Hall. 202-785-9727. 202-785-972 7. washingto washingtonperformingart nperformingarts.org. s.org. The historic ensemble returns with a program featuring the D.C. premiere of Coming Together, with choreography by European choreographer Nacho Duato and music by American composer Frederic Rzewski.

Megan Hilty Oct 9. Wolf Trap. 877-965-3872. 877-965-387 2. wolftrap.org. The acclaimed vocalist and actress from Wicked, 9 to 5: The Musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and NBC’s hit musical drama Smash, performs theatrical favorites and songs oﬀ her debut album, It Happens All the Time.

Patti Smith Oct 9. GW Lisner Auditorium. 202-994-6800. 202-994-680 0. lisner.gwu.edu. In M Train, Smith visits eighteen places that have special meaning for her, from the Greenwich Village café where she begins her days to the Michigan home she shared with her late husband and on to the memorials and grave sites of artists that have empowered and inspired her.

Bad Dog Thru Oct 25. Olney Theatre. 301-924-3400. 301-924-340 0. olneytheatre olneytheatre.org. .org. After ten years sober, Molly Drexler falls oﬀ the wagon and drives her Prius through her living room wall. With a hole in the house as big as the hole in their hearts, Molly’s family descends on the house for an “intervention” that doesn’t play out the way anyone thought it would. PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS

Get Out More!

Jason+: Jeremy Denk and Jason Moran Moran.. Oct 9. Jeremy 9. Jeremy Denk, piano. piano. Oct 11. WPA. Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. washingtonperformingarts.org. Turtle Island Quartet. Quartet . Oct 10. GMU Center for the Arts. 888-945-2468. cfa.gmu.edu. Emerson String Quartet. Quartet . Oct 10. Smithsonian Associates. Museum of Natural History. 202-633-3030. smithsonianassociates.org. Rhythm Café: Tribute to the Sounds of Santana.. Oct 10. Smithsonian Anacostia. Santana 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu. White Ford Bronco. Bronco . Oct 9. Daley Daley.. Oct 10. Panteon Rococo. Rococo. Oct 11. Dread Mar-I.. Oct 13. Mac DeMarco. Mar-I DeMarco. Oct 14. Howard Theatre. 202-803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com. Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet. Doucet . Oct 10. BlackRock. 240-912-1058. blackrockcenter.org.

MUSEUMS

Velocity Dance Festival. Festival . Oct 15-17. WPA. Sidney Harman Hall. 202-785-9727. washingtonperformingarts.org. Rioult.. Oct 9. GMU Center for the Arts. Rioult 888-945-2468. cfa.gmu.edu. DC Casineros & Ernesto “Gato” Gatell y su Banda. Banda. Oct 10-11. Dance Place. 202-269-1600. danceplace.org. Nyam chiem & Octavia’s Brood: Riding the Ox Home. Home . Oct 15-Oct 16. Clarice Smith. 301-405-2787. claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

National Gallery of Art. Art . Vermeer’s ‘Woman in Blue Reading a Letter’ from the Rijksmuseum. Thru Dec 1. The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L.. Thru Feb 7. 202-737-4215. nga.gov. National Archives. Archives. Spirited Republic. Thru Jan 10. 202-357-5000. archivesfoundation.org. Museum of Women in the Arts . Vanessa Bell’s Hogarth Press Designs. Thru Nov 13. 202-783-5000. nmwa.org. Smithsonian Anacostia. Anacostia. How the Civil War Changed Washington. Thru Nov 15. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu. National Geographic. Geographic. Indiana Jones. Thru Jan 3. 202-857-7000. nglive.org. Sandy Spring Museum. Museum . Two for One. Thru Oct 25. 301-774-0022. sandyspringmuseum.org.

MUSIC

GALLERIES

Jackie Evancho. Evancho. Oct 10. Under the Streetlamp.. Oct 14. Ronn McFarlane & Streetlamp Mindy Rosenfeld. Rosenfeld . Oct 15. Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton. Baton. Oct 11. Strathmore. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org. Hermès String Quartet. Quartet. Oct 11. National Gallery of Art. 202-737-4215. nga.gov. Not So Silent Cinema’s ‘VAMPYR’ ‘VAMPYR’.. Oct 9. Arlington Cultural Aﬀairs. Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre. 703-228-1850. arlingtonarts.org. Naughty Professor. Professor. Oct 9. Strathmore Jazz Quartet. Quartet. Oct 15. AMP. 301-581-5100. ampbystrathmore.com. A Red Note Evening. Evening . Oct 10. GW Lisner Auditorium. 202-994-6800. lisner.gwu.edu. Chanson Medieval. Medieval. Oct 9-11. Folger Consort. Folger Theatre. 202-544-7077. folger.edu. NSO: Ludovic Morlot, conductor: Miloa Karadaglic, classical guitar. guitar. Thru Oct 10. Organ Recital: William Neil. Neil . Oct 14. Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.

Strathmore. Women Chefs: Artists in Strathmore. the Kitchen. Thru Nov 8. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org. Gallery Neptune & Brown. Brown . Picasso to Kentridge. Thru Oct 18. 202-986-1200. neptuneﬁneart.com. WPA at 1200 First St. NE . Lobby Project: David Bellard. Thru Nov 27. wpadc.org. The Art League Gallery. Gallery. Sheila Harrington. Thru Nov 1. 703-683-1780. theartleague.org. Zenith Sculpture Space. Space. Figuratively Speaking. Thru Jan 9. zenithgallery.com. Target Gallery. Gallery. Angel Soldier Dance Sublime. Thru Oct 18. 703-838-4565. torpedofactory.org. Arts Club of Washington. Washington. October 2015 Art Exhibition. Thru Oct 31. 202-331-7282. artsclubofwashington.org. Robert Brown Gallery. Gallery . Flattening the Form. Thru Oct 17. 202-338-0353. robertbrowngallery.com. Fisher Art Gallery. Gallery . J.T. Kirkland and John James Anderson. Thru Oct 25. 703-534-5726. schlesingercenter.com.

DANCE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

MUSIC

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 43

‘Unbreakable’ is Janet Jackson’s 11th studio album.

‘Unbreakable’ worth the wait, delivering diverse sounds from soul to country By KEVIN NAFF knaﬀ@washblade.com

“I woke up in Heaven in the morning/ With the biggest smile upon my face.” Those are the opening lines to Janet Jackson’s infectious infectious song “Night” from the irresistible new album “Unbreakable” out today from her own label, Rhythm Nation Records. But those lyrics also describe the feeling this morning for many Janet fans, who awoke knowing that her ﬁrst album of new material in seven years was waiting. And make no mistake: This album is for the diehard fans who stuck by her through the Super Bowl ﬁasco, her beloved brother Michael’s death, breakups, blacklisting and more challenges that befell Janet over the past decade. The opening song “Unbreakable” is a soulful tribute to her fans. She sings, “The world can’t break down the connection/Cause our love is divine/and it’s unbreakable.” So it turns out the album’s title is not Janet bragging that she’s unbreakable; rather, it’s a heartfelt fan appreciation. The album feels like a natural com panion to her introspective masterpiece “Velvet Rope.” The arrangements are diverse, from a spare piano accompanying Janet’s whisper smooth voice on “After the Fall” to the house-infused “Night” to the rollicking dance smash “BURNITUP!” featuring Missy Elliott and her memorable rap (“kitty kat, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow”) to a country-inﬂuenced ballad “Lessons Learned.” It’s a more reﬂective and mature Janet, singing mostly about love but also loss, on the poignant “Broken Hearts Heal,” a tribute to Michael who died in 2009. “Life feels so empty/I miss you much,” she sings, while reminiscing about dancing and doing chores with her big brother. It’s a tearjerker. On “Shoulda Known Better” she reﬂects on 1989’s iconic “Rhythm Nation 1814” in which she eschewed pop confections for socially conscious themes. Revisiting that era, she sings, “I had this great epiphany/ And rhythm nation was the dream/I guess next time I’ll know better.” She’s coming to terms with growing older and realizing

that 20-somethings don’t have it all ﬁgured out after all. She wanted to rally a nation of like-minded individuals to overcome social ills like racism, bigotry and poverty. Twenty-ﬁve years later, those problems persist. But Janet still wants to ﬁght, singing “Part of the revolution/We won’t accept excuses/We tolerate no abuses.” Though she realizes now that change comes slower than she once thought. She wisely closes the album on an upbeat note, the giddy “Gon’ B Alright,” which is clearly inﬂuenced by The Jackson 5. After so many years ﬁghting to make it on her own and outdo her brothers, it’s refreshing to hear Janet embrace her family’s legacy and give a shout-out to them. The only ﬂaw in this stellar and musically diverse collection is that it runs a bit long and a couple of tracks could be axed without sacriﬁcing the ﬂow and overall vibe. “Take Me Away,” for example, has Janet imploring her lover to “Take me away from here/To somewhere the air is clear.” It’s schmaltzy and out of step with the rest of the writing on the album. But that’s a small quibble. Thankfully, Janet has moved beyond the graphic and sometimes unfortunate lyrics from previous albums 2006’s “20 Y.O.” and 2008’s “Discipline,” in which she sang about her “spot” and “ﬁrst-day period.” She is joyfully reunited (at last!) with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, aided occasionally by Dem Jointz and the album feels like it was years in the making and well worth the wait. The fact that Janet is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ought to be a national scandal. She’s proven yet again that she can sing, dance, write, inspire — and sell out arenas on an extensive world tour all at age 49. Artists from Beyonce to Britney, Pink to Usher, FKA Twigs to Tinashe have cited Janet as a primary inﬂuence. (Beyonce even dressed as Janet for Halloween last year.) She’s sold an estimated 160 million records, won every award imaginable and survived the racist backlash to her Super Bowl performance to reemerge as a relevant and powerful voice more than 30 years into her career. “Unbreakable” is a contradiction — at once sophisticated and silly; danceable and melan choly; aﬃ rming and haun ting. But Janet makes it work and delivers her best album since 1997’s “Velvet Rope.” As Missy Elliott reminds us in her rap, “Miss Jackson, she wear the crown.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

44 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

SPORTIN’ IN D.C.

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA

Ukrainian tennis champ SERGIY STAKHOVSKY STAKHOVSKY drew ire for anti-gay comments he made this summer at Wimbledon.

Members rally against anti-gay remarks By KEVIN MAJOROS

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When Athlete Ally was founded in late 2011, one of its missions was to open a dialogue in the sports community to address the rampant homophobia, transphobia and gender inequalities that are pervasive in sports culture. One of its members ﬁrst marks on the sports community came from the creation of Athlete Ally ambassadors which consists of a stable of straight and LGBT athletes standing in unity to support the LGBT sports movement. The ambassadors range from professional, Olympic, collegiate and amateur athletes and represent a multitude of sports. They have become the ‘watchdogs’ of the sports community. In July at Wimbledon, Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky came under ﬁre from the Women’s Tennis Association for anti-gay comments he reportedly made during an interview. According to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Stakhovsky is quoted by Ukrainian sports website XSport.ua as saying: “On the WTA tour, almost every other player is a lesbian. Can you imagine — half of them. So I for sure won’t send my daughter to play tennis.” During the interview, he also stated that he is certain there are no closeted gay men in the top 100. After he arrived in New York for the U.S. Open last month, he was confronted by multiple media outlets in regards to his comments. “If there are 100 guys, or 128 guys, I mean, if somebody’s diﬀerent, he falls out, doesn’t he?” said Stakhovsky, 29 and ranked No. 60 in the world. “In a locker room, where half the guys walking in towels are naked, yeah, you deﬁnitely would see something diﬀerent, no?” One of the things that were disturbing about Stakhovsky’s comments is that he serves on the Association of Tennis Professionals Player Council. “None of us were happy with what he said,” Council President Eric Butorac said during the U.S. Open. “After a lot of deliberations we decided to keep him on the council. We didn’t release a statement,

but I think in the future we would.” Four of the tennis ambassadors from Athlete Ally stepped forward with comments of their own about Stakhovsky’s remarks. Former men’s tour star and Athlete Ally, Jamess Blake Jame Blake,, said, “As a former ATP player and father of two amazing daughters, I would be thrilled if they followed in the footsteps of inspirational greats like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King. Stakhovsky’s comments are out of line, out of touch, and stand in opposition to the values that tennis taught me. And Stakhovsky is kidding himself if he believes there are no gay tennis players in the (men’s) top 100. I hope that if any players inside or outside the top 100 decide to come out, they will be welcomed and supported.” In an interview last month with USA Today Sports, former world No. 1 and Athlete Ally Andy Roddick dismissed Roddick dismissed the comments, saying Stakhovsky did not speak for the tour as a whole. “I’m not going to let one player’s comments deﬁne my sport as a whole. I think that’s a little naïve,” Roddick said. “I’m certainly not going to let someone express their views and let it delete the history of our sport and what we’re proud of. We accept and celebrate our champions regardless of who they are as people.” Rennae Stubbs, Stubbs, a former doubles standout, current ESPN commentator and Athlete Ally, said Stakhovsky’s comments didn’t “deserve a wide audience.” “We’ve had a lot more women come out, so we have an environment of respect,” Stubbs told USA Today Sports in a phone interview. “The ATP hasn’t had that. It would take a Jason Collins, a brave person to come out and be who they are comfortably. I would guarantee you that 85 percent of the guys in that locker room would treat that person with total respect.” “As someone who was out for half of their career, there was never a time in the locker room where I thought about the person who was next to me,” Stubbs said. “It’s an ignorant statement. It’s completely incorrect to say half of the women’s tour is gay. That’s completely wrong. To me, it’s crazy that he’s still on the ATP council. Those are inﬂammatory and outrageous comments.” �

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

ADVICE

Gay newlyweds tired of getting hit on

MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, RADKOWSKY , Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who works with gay individuals and couples in D.C. He can be found online at personalgrowthzone.com. All identifying information has been changed for reasons of conﬁdentiality. Have a question? Send it to [email protected].. [email protected]

MICHAEL, My husband and I have been married for three years. Yet we’re frequently hit on by strangers, acquaintances, casual and close friends. We both wear wedding rings. Even when politely told “no,” some guys are persistent and way too touchy. Last week a fellow volunteer at a gay organization we’re involved in made a blatantly sexual overture to both of us while

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 45

we were chatting after a meeting. This is not the ﬁrst time this sort of thing has occurred. My husband travels frequently for work and every time he is out of town, a friend of mine suggests we hook up. I’ve told him repeatedly to cut it out; his response is that he’s joking and that I shouldn’t take him seriously when he’s drunk. But then of course it happens again and again. We’ve both gotten similar proposals from other friends (including couples), some of whom poke fun at our being monogamous. After all the ﬁghting for marriage equality, I think it’s nuts that a lot of the gay men I interact with don’t actually seem to respect marriage, my marriage included. Lately I’m getting more and more pissed oﬀ and want to tell these people to grow up and develop some sexual boundaries. But I also want to have friends and be part of the community, and I deﬁnitely don’t want to be so angry. What’s wrong with gay men? MICHAEL REPLIES: It would be terriﬁc if more gay men were respectful of other gay men’s sexual boundaries. I hear complaints frequently from gay clients about unwanted advances and even outright harassment.

There’s a sort of Wild West, “anything goes” atmospherearoundsexinthe gaycommunity: Some men are monogamous, some are on Scruﬀ 24/7, many are somewhere in between. With no one standard, there will be guys who tell themselves that they can be as forward — or even pushy — as they like. We have a long history of being sexual outlaws. Lacking much experience with visible, societally approved committed relationships, we’re still ﬁguring out who and how to be. In just a few generations, we’ve gone from hoping to ﬁnd another horny guy somewhere for a furtive encounter to New York Times wedding announcements announcements and legal marriage. That’s a big jump. So it makes sense that some guys would view you as fair game for sex simply because you’regay.Andsincealotofgaymen don’thave monogamous relationships, some guys may think or hope that rules around monogamy don’t apply when they’re interested in you, or in any coupled guys. To top it oﬀ, married men are often especially appealing to those who like breaking boundaries and forbidden fruit. What can you do? You’re not going to change the gay male world singlehandedly, but you can certainly speak up when others disrespect your marriage. While it’s a pain to be an activist,

that’s your best hope for changing the way things are and how you’re treated. That’s how we accomplished marriage equality: by refusing to accept the straight world’s dismissal of our relationships relationships.. While I get that the two of you don’t want to spend all your time giving hell to people who come on to you, you will have to do so at times if you are to get some of these folks to cut it out. In addition, reconsider where and with whom you spend time. I don’t know where you typically hang out, but if there is a lot of hooking up going on and a sexual vibe in the air, expecting not to be hit on is a lost cause. Likewise your friends who keep propositioning you despite your telling them to knock it oﬀ. How many times times do you want to say “no” before giving up on these characters? Keep in mind that despite your experiences, there are plenty of gay men in this world who do take “no” for an answer and who are happy to respect other people’s boundaries. Going forward, one of your tasks is to put some eﬀort into ﬁnding and befriending them. Finally, here’s a bit of good news: It sounds like you two are doing well at living according to your own vision of what’s right for you, despite not getting much support. Doing so is not an easy task, so congratulations on staying strong.

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46 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

CALENDAR

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade. com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-speciﬁc events or those with LGBT participants. Recurring events must be re-submitted each time.

MONDAY, OCT. 12 The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..) hosts coﬀee drop-in hours this hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coﬀee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) holds a support group for gay black men to discuss topics that aﬀect them, share perspectives and have meaningful conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org uhupil.org..

TODAY Not So Silent Cinema presents a screening of “Vampyr” “Vampyr”   with a live score at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre (1611 North Kent St., Arlington, Va.) tonight at 8 p.m. Openly gay 20th century actor Baron Nicolas “Niki” De Gunsberg stars in the ﬁlm. Karl Theodor Dryer directed the 1932 ﬁlm. It tells the story of a man who rents a room and witnesses strange events. Admission is free but tickets are available. For more information, visit arlingtonarts.org. Ricky Martin Martin brings his “One World Tour” to EagleBank Arena (4400 University Dr., Fairfax, Va.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $40.50-$126. For more details, visit eaglebankarena.com. Margaret Cho Cho performs her “psyCHO Tour” at Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Cho will be selling 100 tickets to help beneﬁt Brother Help Thyself at $87.50 each. The ticket includes admittance to the event and the opportunity to meet Cho and pose for a photo. For more information, visit brotherhelpthyself.net. Women in Their 20s, 20s , a social discussion group for LBT and all women interested in women, meets today at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) from 8-9:30 p.m. All welcome to join. For details, visit thedccenter.org. thedccenter.org. An LGB support group group meets today from 10-11:30 a.m. at 16220 S. Frederick Rd., Gaithersburg, Md., for individuals in Montgomery County. The group will discuss coming out of marriage, homophobia, parenting issues, ﬁnding intimate relationships, LGB resources in the suburbs and more. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. The National LGBTQ Task Force and the League of United Latin American Citizens have an event this evening from 5-7 p.m. to honor Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBT History Month. Month . It will be held at the Task Force’s headquarters at 1325 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Suite 600. Guests will “celebrate recent victories and discuss the work that lies ahead to secure full equality for all.” To register, visit thetaskforce.org.

SATURDAY, OCT. 10 Blues singer Mud Morganﬁeld performs at Publick Playhouse (5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly, Md.) tonight at 8 p.m. Morganﬁeld, son of Muddy Waters, performs both classic and original blues songs. General admission tickets are $30. Student and senior tickets are $25. For more details, visit arts.pgparks.com. Mixtape, a Mixtape, a gay dance party, is at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight from 11 p.m.-

TUESDAY, OCT. 13 SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts a rap group, group, a support group for LGBT youth, today from 5-6:30 p.m. For more information, visit smyal.org.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14 The Lambda Bridge Club Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations required and new comers welcome. If you need a partner, call 202841-0279. Metro D.C. PFLAG hosts a Queeroke Night, an Night, an LGBT karaoke night, at Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.) tonight from 9 p.m.-midnight. For more details, visit facebook.com/metrodcpﬂag.

THURSDAY, OCT. 15 PHOTO PHOT O COURTESY OF POINTLESS POINTLESS THEATRE

‘Gimme a Band, Gimme a Banana: the Carmen Miranda Story’ runs Oct. 15-Nov. 14 at Logan Fringe Arts Space.

3 a.m. DJ Matt Bailer and DJ Shea Van Horn will spin. Cover is $10. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit towndc.com The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) has free and conﬁdential HIV testing today from 4-7 p.m. Learn more about the HIV Prevention Working Group, receive HIV test results in 20 minutes and take free items such as safe sex kits and condoms. For more details, visit thedccenter.org. Taste of D.C. D.C. is on 675 Pennsylvania Ave. today and Sunday from noon-7 p.m. Food from more than 50 of restaurants in the District will be available to sample. There will also be more than 50 beers and more than 50 wines to taste test. Entertainment will be provided on multiple stages throughout the street. Entry is $20. For more information, visit facebook.com/taste.of.dc.

SUNDAY, OCT. 11 Gay Day at the National Mall presents Gay Day at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum Museum (Constitution Ave., at 10th St. N.W.) today from 11 a.m.-5

p.m. in celebration of National Coming Out Day. The event is free. For more details, search “Gay Day at the National Mall” on Facebook. Story District and Capital Pride present “Out and About,” About,” a collection of true stories about coming out from local LGBT storytellers, at Malmaison (3401 K St., N.W.) at 7:30 p.m. Storytellers include Mike Boyd, Alex Brewer, Cristina Calvillo-Rivera and more. There will also be an open mic story telling segment at the conclusion of the show. The event is in honor of National Coming Out Day. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit facebook.com/storydistrict. Perry’s (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly sunday drag brunch today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buﬀet. For more details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com. Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts a drag brunch brunch today with one show at 10:30 a.m. and another at 12:30 p.m. Brunch buﬀet is $26 and the ﬁrst mimosa or Bloody Mary is free. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit nelliesdragbrunch.eventbrite.com.

Pointless Theatre presents “Gimme a Band, Gimme a Banana: The Carmen Miranda Story” Story” at Logan Fringe Arts Space (1358 Florida Ave., N.E.) in the Trinidad Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. through Nov. 14. The play tells the story of Brazilian performer Carmen Miranda. Tickets for tonight’s performance are $20. Tickets for other performance times range from $20-$25. For more details, visit capitalfringe.org. SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts Women’s Leadership Institute, a Institute, a group for LBT women and their straight allies ages 13-21 to discuss female sexuality, relationships and women’s rights today from 5-7 p.m. For more information, visit smyal.org. Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) holds a happy hour today from 5-7:30 p.m. All drinks are half price. There will be pool, video gaming systems and cards. Admission is $5 after 9 p.m. DJ Bling, DJ Freaky and DJ Tim-Nice will play music for the night. For more information, visit bachelorsmill.com. Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts its weekly Beat the Clock Happy Hour   tonight from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Drink Hour specials start at $2 and increase by a dollar each hour. For more information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BOOKS

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 47

ELVELD PHOTO BY MARIA FERNANDA; SEGAL PHOTO BY PETER LIEN

KERRY ELEVELD says LGBT progress in recent years has been so important, she had to chronicle it. MARK SEGAL says colleagues urged him to share his ﬁrst-hand experiences of early gay history.

LGBT writers chronicle progress in two new books By MARIAH COOPER

LGBT rights have been fought for in many diﬀerent ways over recent decades from grassroots eﬀorts to riots, but two LGBT journalists have made the pen their weapon of choice. Mark Segal and Kerry Eleveld have both released their own books this month chronicling diﬀerent parts of gay rights history. Segal’s “And Then I Danced: Traveling the Road to LGBT Equality” and Eleveld’s “Don’t Tell Me to Wait: How the Fight for Gay Rights Changed America and Transformed Obama’s Presidency” can both be found on Amazon. Segal, founder and publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News, says many people had asked him to write a book for years. They thought he had a story to tell and should share it. Segal’s story, a ﬁrsthand account of the Stonewall riots, was that he was a teenager inside the Stonewall bar. “And Then I Danced” chronicles what Segal saw during the riots as well as his other activist eﬀorts for gay rights. Encounters with celebrities such as Elton John and Patti LaBelle are also included. Segal says he thinks the most important thing for an LGBT journalist chronicling the gay rights movement is to present correct information. He feels a lot of misconception about the Stonewall riots is due to misinformation. This led to his decision to write about the riots from his perspective. “Make sure to get the facts correct,” Segal says. “I was the only journalist there. I tried to write the night as I saw it.” Eleveld, who has written for Advocate, Huﬃngton Post and the Atlantic, believes that the amount of progress that had

been made for same-sex marriage under the Obama administration was so paramount that she had to chronicle it. She put special emphasis on the grassroots eﬀorts that were involved in the movement. “I was convinced that I had witnessed something extraordinary,” Eleveld says. “In terms of how much progress was made on LGBT issues in such a short amount of time and the possibility that average citizens could really reach and aﬀect the highest levels of government including the White House and the president himself.” “Don’t Tell Me to Wait,” which Eleveld began writing a proposal for in 2012, covers same-sex marriage and the reppeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Eleveld says she recognizes that there were multiple factors that helped gay rights move forward but that the grassroots activism was the “special sauce” that helped things along and led to the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” She says that once she moved away from D.C. in 2013, she was able to fully sit back and analyze the movement. Collectively, Eleveld spent about a year and a half writing and researching her book. She spent her time interviewing people she already knew and was familiar with as well as those she had never met in order to complete the project. Eleveld hopes that “progressive readers” and “progressive Americans” take time to read her book. She thinks that no matter what other cause someone is ﬁghting for, they can learn from the grassroots activism that was used during the Obama Administration to move gay rights further along. “Whether they are interested in labor or immigration or reproductive freedom or black lives matter, I hope that they can read this book and glean lessons from it,” Eleveld says.

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48 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

PHOTOS BY DAMIEN SALAS

The D.C. Gay Flag Football League held its ‘Jocktoberfest’ fundraiser at Town Danceboutique on Oct. 1. Special guests included Acting Under Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), former NFL wide receiver Donté Stallworth, and actress Melissa Fitzgerald.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 49

CAMP Rehoboth celebrates 25 years CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 downtown Rehoboth located two blocks

from the boardwalk and beach. The ﬂedgling group had a budget of about $40,000 from money that it managed to raise among early supporters. It currently has a budget of just under $1 million, with anticipated revenue of $1.1 million for 2015. It has a staﬀ of ﬁve full-time paid employees, including Elkins, who serves as executive director. The group’s website proudly says there are three full-time, unpaid volunteer staﬀ members, including Archibald, who play a key role in its operations. Since 1993, Archibald has served as president of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors. He also serves as producer of the group’s annual Sundance fundraising beneﬁt and as creative director for the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center and for Letters from CAMP Rehoboth. “Letters,” as many call it, serves as the group’s newsletter-magazine that comes out twice monthly during the summer season and once a month during the oﬀ season. The publication is ﬁlled with ads from dozens of local businesses, turning it into an important source of revenue supporting CAMP Rehoboth’s multitude of programs and activities. The ad revenue from Letters; a separate stream of revenue from more than 800 paid members/supporters, which generates about $240,000 annually; and money raised by fundraising events such as Sundance helped the group purchase a complex of several small and larger buildings at the site where it ﬁrst rented space in 1990. The successful revenue generating eﬀorts also helped to fund construction of the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, which now occupies the largest building on the site and the attractively designed courtyard that lies between two larger buildings. The building across the courtyard from the main CAMP Rehoboth building and community center is occupied by a home furnishing and interior design gallery and shop, which rents the space from CAMP Rehoboth, generating further revenue. Similarly, a small ﬁnancial services ﬁrm and the lesbian-owned Lori’s Café, which occupy small annex buildings located in the rear of the courtyard, also rent their space from CAMP Rehoboth. Adding yet another stream of revenue is the community center’s “big” room, which can serve as a catering hall or auditorium with a seating capacity of about 90, and several smaller meeting rooms, all of which are available for rent. Archibald said the “big” room is regularly rented to same-sex couples for their wedding receptions.

STEVE ELKINS and MURRAY ARCHIBALD founded

CAMP Rehoboth in 1990. WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Among CAMP Rehoboth’s largest programs is CAMPsafe, which for close to 20 years has provided HIV prevention related services, including HIV testing and counseling. Archibald said that although it has catered mostly to gay and bisexual men in the Rehoboth area and eastern Sussex County everyone is welcome to come in for its services. In recent years the program has expanded under a $120,000 contract from the state health department to include testing for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). “We do it for gonorrhea, chlamydia and we have just been selected for doing the ﬁrst rapid test for syphilis in the state of Delaware,” Elkins said. “That will start in January.” The CAMPsafe program along with a general mental health counseling program is directed by Salvatore Seeley, a licensed clinical social worker with a P h.D. in sexual health counseling, Elkins said. Under Seeley’s direction, the counseling program usually involves up to six counseling sessions for any individual client after which Seeley refers them to a clinical therapist if needed. Seeley’s reputation as a trusted counselor in a wide range of areas, including sexual health and couple counseling, has spread throughout the Sussex County area and even straight couples sometimes drop in, said Elkins. “Occasionally it’s a straight couple — a husband or wife — where one spouse comes out and he counsels them on that,” Elkins said. “It runs the full gamut.” Another program is the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus, which has close to 90 members and performs at venues in Rehoboth and surrounding areas, including nursing homes and community events. Elkins serves as head of a longstanding CAMP Rehoboth program that provides LGBT-related sensitivity training for Rehobo th polic e oﬃcers and st ate park police oﬃ cers assigned to the Rehoboth

area. Among other things, Elkins said the trainings have resulted in improved relations with police. Some of the other programs, all of which are listed on the site camprehoboth.com, include a women’s gold league; gallery and performance space for artists; advocacy for and education of local residents, visitors and businesses on LGBT issues; grief counseling; public WiFi access; an annual women’s conference and women’s weekend; and promotion of non-proﬁt local LGBT and general community events. Archibald noted that as CAMP Rehoboth’s visibility increased over the past 25 years, some in the LGBT community called for it to become more activist and aggressive in its advocacy work similar to the model of the 1980s-era AIDS direct action group ACT UP. He said he and Elkins and the original corps of supporterss chose not go in that direction, supporter instead choosing a more conciliatory path. To this day, the group’s mission statement published in each issue of Letters says, among other things, “We seek to promote cooperation and understanding among all people, as we work to build safe, inclusive communities with room for all.” Elkins said he believes that approach has succeeded, helping to make Rehoboth Beach a welcoming place for LGBT people that continues to attract LGBT tourists and new residents to the town. “The thing I’ve always said is once we actually started talking to one another we all realized that we had the same desire – and that’s to have a safe and inclusive community,” Elkins said. “And once we started talking about what we had in common we ﬁnd we have a lot more in common than we have diﬀerence.” Elkins’ and Archibald’s journey that eventually led them to the founding of CAMP Rehoboth began in Washington, D.C., when the two met on Sept. 18, 1978,

and soon fell in love, as Elkins tells it. Elkins had been working as a White House administrator during the Carter administration and Archibald, an artist and painter, was helping a friend in Washington deliver a painting to Elkins’ oﬃce in the Old Execu tive Oﬃ ce Build ing, which is part of the White House grounds. “She called and Steve cleared us all in,” Archibald recalls. “And she said we have to go get another one and he said well Murray’s going to stay here and I’m going to give him a tour of the White House. It was all part of the compound, and he walked me ri ght into the Ov al Oﬃce that day,” said Archibald. “And that was it. From that time on it was the two of us,” he said. When Carter left the White House after losing his re-election bid in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, Elkins, whose job was a political appointment, took a new job as sales manager at a computer company in New York City, where he and Archibald moved. After losing that job in the 1990s when his company went bankrupt, Elkins and Archibald decided to move permanently to Rehoboth Beach, where Elkins became general manager for the Strand nightclub. In 1993, two years after he and Archibald founded CAMP Rehoboth and served on its board as volunteers, the board asked Elkins to become the group’s ﬁrst paid executive director, and he accepted. That set in motion a 25-year journey for him and Archibald that has placed them largely at the center of CAMP Rehoboth’s whirlwind of activities today. Kristen Minor, now 33, was 13 when she ﬁrst began grappling with the realization that she might be a lesbian and ventured into CAMP Rehoboth 20 years ago and was greeted by Archibald, she writes in a column in the current issue of Letters. She tells of how she ﬁrst met Archibald and Elkins at the church she and her family attended in Rehoboth and how CAMP Rehoboth became a refuge for her at a time when she “navigated the terrors of middle and high school” and was able to meet a “handful” of other LGBT teenagers. “The inﬂuence of a community organization is sometime hard to measure,” she wrote. “I don’t know how to measure that CAMP saved my life and the lives of many of my friends; it was our real life ‘It Gets Better’ campaign far before such a thing ever existed.” SILVER GALA

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50 • OCTOBER 09, 2015

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 51

REALESTATE

Ad A dvice for buyers in this seller’s market Hide your love for a property until after closing By TED SMITH

As we enter the last month of the fall real estate season, it’s still a seller’s market out there. So in this column I have some words of advice for buyers and a word of caution for sellers. Last month, I wrote about how to compete in a bidding war, starting with making an oﬀer price at the listing price and including an escalation clause. As you can see from the chart here, properties in Washington overall are selling at pretty much 100 percent of listing price. I have included data from 10 mid-city zip codes to show the minor variations—both above and below that 100% ratio—often within the same zip code at diﬀerent time in the year. For example, in zip code 2005 (Logan/Thomas Circles), properties were selling for more than listing price (101% average) in March through June, but in August were selling for slightly less (97.3%) than listing price. Usually those slight variations above the average are caused by competitive bidding situations, where the sold price of the property gets bid up above listing price through multiple oﬀers on a property. But what if there are no competitive oﬀers? What if the seller just wants more money? In my last three bidding transactions

© 2015 RealEstate Business Intelligence, LLC. Data Provided by MRIS as of Sept. 3, 2015.

representing buyers, we have oﬀered full price along with an escalation clause in the event of multiple oﬀers. However, in all three transactions, there were no other oﬀers; yet the seller still came back with a counter-oﬀer above their listing price. Why? Probably because they had set their original listing price too low, hoping to start a bidding war between multiple oﬀers. So they weren’t really expecting to sell their properties at the original listing price. In two of these transactions, my buyers just walked away. But in the most recent transaction, the buyers accepted the seller’s counter-oﬀer (at 102% of original listing price) because they wanted the property, and because recent sold properties in the immediate neighborhood had sold for 105% of listing price. Additionally, we were still able

to negotiate certain favorable terms to the buyers to oﬀset the additional price. So what’s my advice for buyers beyond caveat emptor (buyer, beware)? Try not to “fall in love” with the property, or at least hide your desire so that the seller can’t take advantage of your emotional connection. If you really want the property, be ready to spend more than listing price but set a realistic limit beyond which you are unwilling to go. Put additional contingencies and terms in your contract oﬀer that you can use to negotiate with the seller if they counter with a higher price. And what’s my word of caution to sellers? Be careful of trying to incite a bidding war by setting an original listing price lower than what you really want. It may backﬁre if you don’t receive multiple oﬀers.

And by setting the price at a level you are willing to accept, you don’t risk alienating your ultimate buyer. After all, you’re going to be dealing with them for for at least 4-6 weeks after the sale contract is ratiﬁed. And to both buyers and seller: Make sure you are dealing with an experienced Realtor you like and trust. They can help you navigate some of these pitfalls.

TED SMITH is a licensed Realtor with Real Living | at Home specializing in mid-city D.C. Reach him at TedSmithSellsD TedSmithSellsDC@rlathome. [email protected] com or via Facebook.com Facebook.com/MidCityDCL /MidCityDCLife ife, Youtube. com/TedSmithSellsDC or @TedSmithSellsDC. You can also join him on monthly tours of mid-city neighborhood open houses, as well as monthly seminars geared toward ﬁrst-time homebuyers. Sign up at meetup.com/DCMidCity1stTimeHomeBuyers/.

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OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 53

LEGAL NOTICES

Estate of Leonard P. Hirsch Deceased NOTICE OF STANDARD PROBATE Notice is herby given that a petition has been led in this Court by Nancy E. Gray for standard probate, including the appointment of one or more personal representatives. Unless a responsive pleading in the form of a complaint or an objection in accordance with Superior Court Probate Division Rule 407 is led in this court within 30 days from the date of rst publication of this notice, the Court may take the action hereinafter set forth. Order any interested person to show cause why the provision s of the lost or destroyed will dated May 19, 2015 should not be admitted to probate as expressed int he petition. Date of rst publication: 10/9/15 Linda S. Perlman, Attorney 6930 Carroll Ave, #610 Takoma Park MD 20912 (301) 891-2200 Anne Meister, Register of Wills, Clerk of the Probate Division.

MASSAGE / CERTIFIED ROSSLYN. Certied massage therapist

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available 12-8 Sun-Tues & Thurs. Call or text Gary at 301-704-1158 or visit http://www. mymassagebygary. com/. DC appointments aailable Wed, Fri, Sat. Please call/text for details. PLACE YOUR CLASSFEDS ONLNE

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AUTOS

NEED A CAR, TRUCK or SUV? Specializing in Second/ Third Chance Financing! All vehicles are from 2010 - 2015 - ncome must gross a minimum $2k monthly or more - 2 Current Pay Stubs & 1 Bill Required. Call Jason @ 202.704.8213, Laurel, MD.

COUNSELING CHANGES ARE EASIER WITH HELP. Small, private practice group of experienced, caring therapists. Safe, condential setting. Oces in Woodley Park Park & Takoma Park near Metro. Licensed professionals. Insurance reimbursable. Washington Therapy Guild. Call 202-483-2660. washingtontherapyguild.com.

All Classied Ads - ncluding Regular & Adult Must Be Receied By Mondays at 5PM washingtonblade.com

LGBTQ AFFRMNG THERAPY AT Dupont Circle Individuals, couples, families, adolescents. Over 15 years serving the community. Mike Giordano, LICSW. 202/460-6384 [email protected]. www.WhatIHearYouSaying.com. COUNSELNG FOR GAY MEN. Individual/couple counseling w/ volunteer peer counselor. Gay Men’s Counseling Community since 1973. 202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling. org. No fees, donation requested.

HEATING / COOLING

LGBTQ2-S AFFRMATvE THERAPY - Downtown Silver Spring. Group, couples & individual. Warm, supportive & interactive. Blue Cross PPO/Out-of-Network/Sliding Fee Scale. Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, DCSW, CGP, [email protected], www. Doctor-Jon.com, 240-507-7696.

EMPLOYMENT

Prestigious OPremise Caterer Hiring Prestigious Catering Company now hiring to work our luxurious (and fun) events around metro area. Highest pay in the industry. You control your schedule. Email Brian @ [email protected].

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

LEGAL SERVICES FULL SERvCE LAW FRM Representing the GLBT community for over 30 years. Family adoptions, estate planning, immigration, employment. (301) 891-2200. Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www. SP-Law. com.

ADOPTON & ASSSTED REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer Fairfax represents clients in Maryland & D.C. interested in adoption or ART matters. 301-221-9651, JFairfax@ jenniferfairfax.com.

LIMOUSINES / DRIVERS KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE BMW 740LI Luxury Sedan Service; Hourly, Point to Point & Special Airport Transfer Rates! Gay & Veteran Owned! http://www.KasperLivery. com Phone 202-554-2471 or 800455-2471.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE O’TOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Art Photographer for portraits, weddings & dating photos for the internet. Call (703) 532-3031. www. steveotoolephotography. com. PLACE YOUR CLASSFEDS ONLNE

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CLEANING TOO NEAT GUYS INC. Residential & Commercial cleaning in DC & Northern VA. Over 20 years experience, gay owned, licensed, bonded & insured. Email: tooneat@ comcast.net, (703) 622-5983. FERNANDO’SCLEANNG: Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out. (202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183. MADTOCLEAN GAY OWNED, MADTOCLEAN awesome, trustworthy & reliable! Serving the DC/VA area. Mention this ad for $50 o. Maidtoclean.com. (703) 299-0101.

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HOUSERVICES, LLC – LICENSED, HOUSERVICES, Bonded & Insured. Family Owned! Serving DC & Northern Virginia since 2000. Weekly or Bi-Weekly, Move-In/ Move-Out Cleaning. Call us now for a FREE ESTIMATE! (703) 929-6463. [email protected].

HANDYMAN / IMPROVEMENTS BRITISHREMODELINGHANDYMAN Local licensed company with over 25 years of experience. Specializing in bathrooms, kitchens & all interior/ exterior repairs. Drywall, paint, electric & wallpaper. Trevor 703-3038699.

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REAL ESTATE AGENTS

WASHNGTON D.C. TOP GAY REALTORS! Instant Free Access to D.C. & Nations Top LGBT Realtors. FREE Buyers Representation FREE Sellers Competitive Market Analysis + FREE Relocation Kit any City, USA. Be Represented! Choose your Perfect Agent On-line at; WWW. GAYREALESTATE.COM

SALE / DC

MOVERS OUR GUYS AROUND TOWN MOVERS. Professional Moving & Storage. Let ‘Our Guys’ Do The Heavy Lifting. Mention the ‘Blade’ for 10% o of our regular rates. Call today 202.734.3080. www. ourguysatmovers.com. ARMY STRONG MOVERS & Storage Local, Long distance, next day deliveries Charlotte NC, Florida, Chicago, NY, Licenced, bonded & insured www. armystrongmovesandstorage. com.571-228-4372.

TREE SERVICE BRANCHES - FULL SERVICE Tree Expert Company. Certied Arborists, pruning, insect & disease diagnosis, treatment & removal. 301-589-6181. www. BranchesTreeExperts.com. Angie’s List Award Winner ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ’12.

SHARE / DC SW DC WATERFRONT GWM ISO same to share home. Cable & WiFi included. Garden & outdoor areas. Utilities, maid, parking included. Call Bruce (202) 488-4888.

SHARE / VA

Alexandria/Del Ray Large 1BR Basement Apt w/ sep entrance. Lots of closet space, w/d in unit. o street parking. Walk to Braddock Rd Metro. $1700 a month incl all utilities, premium cable, & internet. avail 10/1 [email protected] or 703-5190184.

PLACE YOUR FREE AD ONLINE WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/CLASSIFIEDS HILLCREST DC, $730,900 3 BR, 3 1/2 BATHS, 3,825 SQ. FT. One of a kind fully updated California style home w/ swimming pool, 2 Stone replaces, family room, large library, recreation room, deck & possible roof top terrace, 2 car garage. 2902 PARK DR. SE. Owner, licensed Real Estate Agent, Call Sara Campbell, 202-494-8645.

SALE / MD

MOUNT RAINIER $344,000

REQUEST ONLINE PHOTOS! 4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths ! Formal Dining ! Upgraded Kitchen ! Family Room Addition! Deck Overlooks Gardens ! LARRY PERRIN REALTOR ® (301) 983-0601 [email protected].

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE TOWNHOMES

REQUEST ONLINE PHOTOS! -$233,000 3 Bedrooms! 3 Baths, Loft Bedroom with full bath! -$269,999 3 Level Townhouse! 3 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 Bathrooms! Deck! Party Room Basement! LARRY PERRIN REALTOR ® (301) 983-0601 [email protected].

BEACH COTTAGE HOME in N. Beach MD. Updated kitch, 3 BR, 2 BA. Shady, corner lot, wrap around deck, fenced. Walk to beach & Boardwalk, shops, restaurants, & DC commuter bus. $239,900 1,458 sqft. EHO Mary Eldridge, EXIT BY THE BAY REALTY, 301-346-3493.

BODYWORK

THE MAGIC TOUCH: SWEDISH, Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts 202486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

SECLUDED RESORT STYLE CAPE COD on 1.5 Acres, w/ Large DR/ Entertainment Rm w/ Wet Bar, Ice Maker, wood burning stove and stunning water views, great for entertaining. Master suite w/ dual sinks, separate shower, dual closets & sitting room. 4 large BR’s, Wood oors, large pantry, laundry room w/ util sink, Screened porch, Shed/ workshop. Private pier w boat lift. Dormain Green, Realtor, Exit Gold Realty 443-225-9975.

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

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ADULT SERVICES AFTERNOONDELIGHT Custom bodywork! Exceptional deep tissue & sensual bodywork for total stress relief in private studio on the Hill or in my new Dupont location. Call Erik 202-285-5709. No texts. In calls only. Intro Special $99.00 Reg. $130.

SPECIAL LATINO TOUCH 5’ 9”, 170 lbs, Oering full body relaxing, release on my professional table, in a private atmosphere. In/out. Parking Available, hotels welcome, DC/MD/VA, 24/7. Call Lucas, 240-4628669, [email protected].

EROTIC SWEDISH MASSAGE - healthy clean cut guy, 6’1”, 160 lbs, Dupont Circle, massage table, noon to 1:00 a.m., indulge your body. $70 for 1 hour. Bill 202-728-0238. No text messages.

RENT-A-DUNGEON RENT-A-DU NGEON EXPLORE your fantasies! Surprise a BF or FB. Awesome, clean, discrete. Fully equipped private DC playroom. Dungeon Massage Available. (Tutorial/ instruction available). 202-544-8094.

OCTOBER 09, 2015 • 55

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Washingtonblade.com, Volume 46, Issue 41, October 9, 2015

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