THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO PRIDE IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL 2019
T H E C A P I TA L P R I D E
H ON O RS CELEBRATIN G OUTS TANDIN G MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNIT Y
MAY 31 2019
Join us for the Capital Pride Honors (formerly the Heroes Gala), a reception prior to the Countdown! Pride Celebration Kick-Off Party, in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We will acknowledge outstanding individuals, leaders, and activists who have furthered the causes important to the LGBTQ+ community in the national capital region and beyond.
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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“...a landmark display that tells a fascinating and inspiring story.” –Washington.org
Presented by
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Flag: Loan, Mark Segal, LGBT pioneer, Publisher Philadelphia Gay News
Contributing support provided by shhhOUT
STONEW ALL AND THE LGBTQ RIGH TS MOV EMENT NOW OPEN
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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The LGBTQ+ community has much to celebrate as we recall the events of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Many people from different groups, backgrounds, and experiences united to take a stand against the anti-gay bigotry that was commonplace and largely accepted at the time. Stonewall occurred at a unique juncture in our nation’s history; just as the Civil Rights movement was advancing forward, members of the LGBTQ+ community came together to demand a seat at the table. As we celebrate Stonewall 50, we must remember the lives of those courageous pioneers who bravely took a stand and would not back down even in the face of intense—and in some cases—deadly opposition. The journey that those leaders and activists began has helped to secure the rights that we enjoy today. That journey, however difficult that it may have been, is not over. Our collective work requires us to lay aside our differences so together we may continue the fight to assure equal rights for everyone. Any disagreements we have are minor in comparison to the goals we share of assuring dignity, equality, and acceptance across the country and around the world for all people. Our common purpose makes us strong enough so that together we can Rise Up united in order to challenge those who would divide us. On behalf of the Capital Pride Alliance Board, staff, and volunteers, we hope that you have a rewarding and memorable experience at all the Pride Celebrations in the Nation’s Capital. It continues to be an honor to work with our great team of volunteers, community partners, and leaders throughout the region to create a Pride Experience like no other. We are excited as we expand our Alliance partnerships this year with the other Prides in the National Capital Region, including Youth Pride, Silver Pride, Asian and Pacific Islander Pride, Capital Trans Pride, DC Black Pride, and DC Latinx Pride. Our continued unity will help to foster great synergy within our community. shhhOUT! PAST, PRESENT & PROUD our 2019 Pride theme, can speak to us all. Those who were shunned, pushed out, forced in a closet, required to lead a hidden life, or who lost their lives are represented by the “shhh.” Today, many of us live out and proud, however, we can never forget those who still do not have the ability to be free and are not able to shhhOUT the truth of their very existence. We hope that through our 2019 Pride Celebration, you will join us in shhhOUTing out to all of those around us about what it means to be a part of this community. We want to share that freedom throughout our country and world. It is critical to recall that we are together on this journey and need each another to make it through. Thank you for participating, and enjoy Pride in the Nation’s Capital today and everyday. We hope look forward to seeing you throughout the year and at our next Capital Pride Celebration—the 45th—in 2020. Ashley
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Ashley Smith President-Board Of Directors Capital Pride Alliance
shhhOUT
WELCOME TO
CAPITAL
PRIDE
As we approach the 2019 Celebration of Pride in the Nation’s Capital we are once again afforded an opportunity— as a community—to recall the struggles we have endured, contemplate the victories that we have secured, and acknowledge that as far as we have come, we still have much work before us. These challenging political and cultural times for the LGBTQ+ community make it important, as we mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, for us to gather in community, solidarity, and resolve to demonstrate that we will not be silenced, rendered invisible, or further marginalized by anyone. The LGBTQ+ community in the Washington, DC area has a rich, important history of activism in both the pre- and post-Stonewall periods, and those efforts continue vigorously to the present day. We look forward to our community gathering for the 44th annual Pride Celebration in the Nation’s Capital. We hope you take advantage of the many opportunities offered throughout the region that are designed to educate, support, and inspire our multi-faceted community. These events and programs, which are part of Pride in the Nation’s Capital, include: Youth Pride Day, Silver Pride, Asian and Pacific Islander Pride, Capital Trans Pride, DC Black Pride, DC Latinx Pride, and the Capital Pride Celebration. We are thrilled and excited to attend the events and community collaborations that will be celebrating Pride through the spirit of our theme, shhhOUT! PAST, PRESENT & PROUD. These opportunities are made possible by an amazing team of volunteers who serve on the Capital Pride Alliance Board, Production Team, and as a small staff. They put in countless hours to produce one the largest Pride events in the United States, and we thank all of them. We also appreciate our amazing partners and advocates (sponsors), who every year step up to help support this empowering celebration. We welcome people from all around the world to experience the rich, vibrant, and diverse LGBTQ+ community here in the Nation’s Capital. We thank you for coming out to be heard, seen, lend support, extend a hand, and press forward to demand the dignity and respect each one of us deserves. Remember that we #HavePride365!
Ryan
Ryan Bos Executive Director Capital Pride Alliance
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
T H E O F F I C I A L G U I D E TO CA P I TA L P R I D E
44th CAPITAL PRIDE 6
Table of Contents
8
Masthead | Contributors
16
2019 Advocates
PRIDE 2019 IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL 23 Youth Pride Dance 24 Silver Pride 25 API (Asian Pacific Pride) 43 Capital Trans Pride 49 DC Black Pride
29
The Courage To Be Out
42
A Name That Means
59
The Army Comes First
58
Qualified, Capable, & Willing
By Doug Rule
Stonewall At 50: A Look At Pioneers In The LGBTQ Movement
By Doug Rule
A History of the LGBT+ Acronym
58 Latinx Pride
The Life of a Trans Army Wife
The Fight For Transgender Service
By Rachel Adams By Captain Jennifer Peace
106 Queer Music For The Soul
WELCOME TO CAPITAL PRIDE
By Kate Wienberg
Amazin Lêthi
127
Going International In Our Own Backyard
Vietnamese Activist And Thought Leader Speaks
4
Ashley Smith, President, Capital Pride
5
Ryan Bos, Executive Director
129
LGBTQ+ Historic Preservation
13
The Speaker Of The House Hon Nancy Pelosi
133
LGBTQ+ Businesses Owners
14
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton
140
Blood Mirror
15
Mayor Muriel Bowser
160
18
Capital Pride Team
Growing, Building, Learning As An LGBTQ+Organization
74
Capital Pride ProductionTeam
ON STAGE AT CAPITAL PRIDE
Unique Opportunity for Capital Pride Alliance
By Maria Jose Flor Agreda
Protecting LGBTQ+ Landmarks Do It On Their Own Terms
The Ban on Gay And Bi Blood
Paving The Way Award
64
2019 Pride Heroes
68
Pride Honorees
Marshmello
71
Capital Trans Pride Engendered Spirits
101 Zara Larrson
76
Capital Pride Events
102 Shea Diamond
91
Pride Feature Events
102 Todrick Hall
94
Affiliated Pride Events
103 Calum Scott
111
Particpants, Parade, & Festival
103 Nina West
146
Festival Map
104 Capital & Dupont Stage Line Up
149
Festival Guidelines
105 Monument Stage Line Up
150
Parade Map
153
Parade Information
99
By Rebecca Miller By Ross Perkins By Jordan Eagles By: Chelsea Bland
PRIDE CELEBRATION INFORMATION 63
Concert Stage Headliners
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Queer bands with soul
120
shhhOUT
Capital One is proud to support Pride capitalone.com/inclusion
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CAPITAL PRIDE T H E
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© 2019 Capital Pride Alliance, Inc. All Rights Reserved. “Capital Pride” is a registered trademark of the Capital Pride Alliance, Inc. All material in the Capital Pride Guide is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Capital Pride Alliance, Inc. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers, and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation of individuals does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of such individual. The Capital Pride Guide is supported by many advertisers, however, the Capital Pride Alliance, Inc. cannot take responsibility for any claims made by advertisers.
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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ADVOCATES 2 0 1 9
CA P I TA L
P R I D E
A S
O F
4 . 1 . 1 9
UNAPOLOGETICALLY PROUD PRESENTING ADVOCATES
RAINBOW ADVOCATES
WASHINGTON DC
COMMUNITY SPIRIT ADVOCATE
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shhhOUT
LOVE WINS PLATINIUM ADVOCATES
TRUE COLORS GOLD ADVOCATES
OUT AND PROUD SILVER ADVOCATES
BE TRUE...BE YOU BRONZE ADVOCATE
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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AARON FISHBACH LOGISTICS
AL PELLENBERG ART DIRECTION
AMANDINE NONGA
ANDRE BEZERRA MARKETING CHAIR
ANTHONY MUSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ASHLEY SMITH BOARD PRESIDENT
BABAK HOSSEINI FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS
BERNIE DELIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BIANCA HUMADY REY TRANS PRIDE CHAIR
BRYAN DAVIS ACCESSIBILITY
CASEY OAKES BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CATHY RENNA COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT
CEDRIC WILSON BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHARLES WRIGHT MUSIC IN THE NIGHT
CHELSEA BLAND VOLUNTEER CHAIR
COREY FISHER PARADE REVIEW STAND
CONNOR COLEMAN TALENT MANAGEMENT
CURTIS WALTER SUSTAINABILITY
IAN BROWN BOARD OF DIRECTORS TRANS PRIDE
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DAVID ARWOOD PARADE STAGING
SPECIAL EVENTS VOLUNTEERS
DEE CURRY TRANS PRIDE REGISTRATION
J. CLARENCE FLANDERS VOLUNTEERS
DEVIN HANSEN
OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE
JAMI VALLESTEROS FESIVAL CHAIR
CHRIS AVERY BACKSTAGE MGR
DON MIKE MENDOZA MUSIC IN THE NIGHT
JERRY HOUSTON ENTERTAINMENT CHAIR
COLIN STEWART BOARD OF DIRECTORS
HOLLY GOLDMAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JESSE BONALES BOARD OF DIRECTORS
shhhOUT
2019 CAPITAL PRIDE TEAM S TA F F
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2019 LEADERSHIP TEAM
JOEY PODUSLO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JONATHON SORGE MONUMENT STAGE
JOSE GUTIERREZ BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JOSHUA BEESON TALENT MANAGEMENT
MARY PARADISE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MAGALY VICENTE PARADE VOLUNTEERS
MARIA JOSE FLOR AGREDA INTERNATIONAL PRIDE
MARQUIA PARNELL MARKETING SNAPCHAT
MICHELLE IRIMIA-BERNBE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MIKE ALEXANDER DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
MIKE GARCIA BLOCK PARTY
OMAR CLARK TRANS PRIDE LOGISTICS
PAM YEE PARADE ANNOUNCEMENT STAND
ROB CORBETT OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
ROBERT FOSTER FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
PETER MORGAN COMMUNICATIONS
ROBERT YORK VICE PRESIDENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MONIKA NEMETH TRANS PRIDE VOLUNTEERS
PETRINA PAXTON-THOMPSON PARADE ROUTE
RON CROGNALE BLOCK PARTY
KEENAN ORR DUPONT STAGE
MATT KUDER HOSPITALITY
KIM BAKER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEGAN EIMERMAN-WALLACE
VIP EXPERIENCE
NATALIE THOMPSON VICE PRESIDENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NICOLE BARNES CHIEF FINANCAL OFFICER
RACHEL GLEISCHMAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RAYMOND PANAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ROSS PERKINS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RYAN BOS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2019 TEAM CONTIUES ON NEXT PAGE
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RYAN MC CARTHAY BOARD OF DIRECTORS API PRIDE
TAYLOR WALLACE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ALEX COLEMAN FIRST PRIDE EXPERIENCE
RYAN WILLIAMS HOSPITALITY
TIFFANY LYN ROSTER PARADE CHAIR
SAVANNA WANZER BOARD OF DIRECTORS TRANS PRIDE ENTERTAIMENT
SKANDER YAICHE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE
TAYLOR CHANDLER MARKETING
VERNON WALL BOARD OF DIRECTORS ENTERTAIMENT
VINCE MICONE VICE PRESIDENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TED EYTAN PHOTOGRAPHY
WHITNEY DAVIS PARADE DISPERSEMENT
WILLIAM HAWKINS SAFETY & HEALTH
ZACH BACHE OPERATIONS
JENNIFEFR HALL LOGISTICS
MATT RANCOURT DEANTHONY BEVERAGE NELSON OPERATIONS VOLUNTEER OUTREACH RANDY MERSKY MARKETING INASTAGRAM
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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YOUTH PRIDE DAY MAY 4 ABOUT
Youth Pride Day typically occurs late April/early May in Washington, DC. The first Youth Pride Day occurred in Dupont Circle Park on April 19, 1997 with over 900 young people coming out to celebrate awareness, visibility and pride. In the past we have drawn over 3,000 young people to our event.
ORGANIZATION HOST:
Presented by Youth Pride Alliance in partnership with Damien Ministries.
MISSION
Youth Pride Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Ally youth empowerment to encourage positive selfdevelopment and expression, as well as leadership, while bridging diverse communities and individuals to address issues of visibility, equality, and social justice. We are dedicated to celebrating the dignity and courage of all young people
CAPITAL PRIDE YOUTH DANCE JUNE 8: 7PM
21 AND UNDER
HOTEL PALORMAR 2121 P ST NW
TEAM MEMBERS
Sarah Blazucki-Treasurer Nikisha Carpenter-President Jeffrey DeShawn Richardson-Vice President Elle Michelle Washington-Damien Ministries
EVENTS YOUTH PRIDE DAY Saturday, May 4 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Dupont Circle
HOSTED BY SMYAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DAMIEN MINISTRIES, CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE, & YOUTH PRIDE ALLIANCE COMMUNITYSPONSORS DC CENTER WE THE PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT ENTERPRISE II TEAM DC WHITMAN WALKER HEALTH CASA RUBY IMPULSE GROUP DC US HELPING US MAYORS OFFICE OF LGBTQ AFFAIRS WANDA ALSTON
PRESENTED BY THE YOUTH PRIDE ALLIANCE, DAMIEN MINISTRIES;SMYAL, and THE CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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SILVER PRIDE 2019 MAY 10 ABOUT
Silver Pride is a free community event in Washington, DC, offering a day of workshops, resources, and social experiences for LGBTQ people 60 and over. In observance of Stonewall’s 50th anniversary year, we celebrate those who have been at the forefront of the movement for LGBTQ rights and liberation.
HOST
Presented by Whitman-Walker Health in partnership with IONA Senior Services and AARP, and in collaboration with Capital Pride Alliance and community partners from the LGBTQ Aging Services Network.
EVENT DIRECTOR
Josh Riley, LPC Director of Community Commitment
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
WORKSHOPS AND RESOURCE FAIR Friday, May 10 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM Human Rights Campaign DANCE PARTY WITH EDWARD DANIELS “DJ SCORPIO” AND HOST RAYCEEN PENDARVIS Friday, May 10 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Human Rights Campaign
PRODUCED BY WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IONA SENIOR SERVICES, AARP, THE LGBTQ AGING SERVICES NETWORK, AND CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE.
ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND PRIDE 2019 MAY 17 ABOUT
API Pride is the newest addition to LGBTQ Pride celebrations in the Nation’s Capital. API Pride is a free community event that showcases the diverse and vibrant Queer API community of the Washington metropolitan area. It builds on a tradition of programming by local API LGBTQ organizations such as Pride & Heritage, celebrating both May as Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month and June as LGBTQ Pride Month.
ORGANIZATION HOSTS
Presented by Capital Pride Alliance in collaboration with: -Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA) -Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs (MOLGBTQA) -Asian and Pacific Islander Queers United for Action (AQUA DC) -Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society (APIQS) -KhushDC, -Korean Queer & Transgender Association of DC(KQTDC) -Act To Change -Asian American LEAD
ORGANIZATION MISSION
API Pride serves to (i) celebrate, support, and empower the Queer API community of the Washington metropolitan area; (ii) facilitate community building and networking between the Queer API community, allies, and friends; and (iii) educate the public on the community’s rich history and contributions.
TEAM MEMBERS
Heejun Choi, KQT DC Ben de Guzman, MOAPIA Kyle Livingston, AQUA Ryan Velandria McCarthy, Capital Pride Alliance Jenny Non, APIQS Mani Soma, KhushDC Thomas Yabroff, MOLGBTQA Jill Yu, Act To Change
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
API Pride: Panel Discussion and Celebration Friday, May 17 Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Xfinity Store by Comcast 715 7th Street NW
PRESENTED BY CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE IN COLLABORATION WITH: MAYOR’S OFFICES: MOAPIA & MOLGBTQA, AQUA DC, APIQS, KHUSHDC, KQTDC ,ACT TO CHANGE, ASIAN AMERICAN LEAD
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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Proud Partners of Progress
The 2019 Nissan Rogue®
In the shared spirit of progress, Nissan proudly supports the LGBTQ community on the road to equality. NissanUSA.com/Pride Always wear your seat belt, and please don’t drink and drive. © 2019 Nissan North America, Inc.
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shhhOUT
THE COURAGE TO BE OUT
STONEWALL AT 50: A LOOK AT SOME PIONEERS & KEY FIGURES IN THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT By Doug Rule
A group of LGBTQ street kids, who considered the bar a kind of refuge and surrogate home, led the rebellion against the police raids, barricades and arrests at the Greenwich Village bar, that many consider the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
Maybe you can’t quite recall the names Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. And maybe Stormé DeLarverie has also not popped up in your news feed. In due time, however—any second now—that should all change. In late June of this year, an estimated four million people will descend on New York City to celebrate this year’s World Pride, but especially to commemorate the half-centennial spark of the modern LGBTQ movement: the successive days of protests known as the Stonewall Riots or the Stonewall Uprising. A group of LGBTQ street kids, who considered the bar a kind of refuge and surrogate home, led the rebellion against the police raids, barricades and arrests at the Greenwich Village bar, joined by Johnson and Rivera, two self-identified drag queens and “transvestites.” Meanwhile, the arrest of Stonewall patron DeLarverie, a lesbian drag king, has been attributed as a—if not the—key factor in escalating the initial altercation into a full-scale uprising. What might get lost or overlooked in all the hubbub and expected media blitz from that commemoration in New York are a few important antecedents, as well as recognition that much of the groundwork for LGBTQ rights was laid in the nation’s capital in the years leading up to Stonewall—including, in fact, the very notion of commemorating Stonewall via an annual gay pride event. So many of us in today’s large and diverse LGBTQ community are able to be out, proud, and as quiet or as loud as we want all because of the pioneers and key figures who have paved the way. We’d like to take a moment to send shout-outs to a select few of them past and present, as well as to highlight a few issues and ideas worth considering for a proud future. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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“GAY IS GOOD”
PIONEERS: shhhOUT TO A HANDFUL OF LGBTQ PIONEERS AND TRAILBRAZERS
Kameny delivers a letter to the White House:1965 Walt Whitman, President James Buchanan, and Jeb Alexander are just three of America’s earliest LGBTQ pioneers who were also longtime residents of the nation’s capital. Yet none of them—nor their contemporaries elsewhere, from Jane Addams to Bessie Smith, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to Gertrude Stein—lived and loved in an openly gay way, at least not relative to today. In their day, “homosexual” was a newly coined term, and the notion of samesex relationships, let alone polyamory, were foreign concepts, unknown and unrecognized. In fact, it wasn’t until roughly a century ago that people began to give more than a passing fancy to LGBTQ rights. And it wasn’t until the mid-20th century, during the Cold War era of post-World War II, that our modern LGBTQ movement started to sprout. That’s when increasing and critical numbers of individual Americans mustered the courage to be
out about their non- or non-exclusively hetero attractions, interactions, and identities, becoming activists of a new cause. Towering above the others in this nascent class of gay activists was Frank Kameny. The New York native also became a guiding force in shaping gay D.C. as we’ve come to know and love it today. Kameny, who coined the phrase “Gay is Good,” was spurred to activism because of the Lavender Scare -- more precisely, because he was a victim of the sweeping, McCarthy-era purge of gay employees in the federal workforce. And his formal appeal in 1958 after being fired for “suspicion of homosexuality,” while unsuccessful, became the first known civil rights claim based on sexual orientation pursued in a U.S. court. Kameny channeled his anger into activism on various LGBTQ fronts, starting by launching and leading the Mattachine Society of Washington. For one thing, he played a part in securing passage of the D.C. Human Rights Law in 1973, one of the nation’s first laws to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians. Two years before he died in 2011, Kameny received a formal apology for his firing from the federal government.
1920s-1930s PROHIBITION & SPEAKEASY CULTURE
Same-sex and queer desire and deeds thrived in the jazz- and blues-fueled urban underworld of the Harlem Renaissance in New York as well as Black Broadway aka U Street in D.C. Widespread government codes against the intermingling of races and sexual activity were defied right along with the federal one prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol at unmarked clubs called speakeasies for those “in the life” and in the know Page 30
shhhOUT
THE COURAGE TO BE OUT
STONEWALL AT 50: A LOOK AT PIONEERS IN THE LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT Kameny’s female counterpart is Barbara Gittings, who effectively became an activist the same year as Kameny in 1958, when she launched a New York chapter of national lesbian organization Daughters of Bilitis. Gittings, who grew up in Wilmington, Del., and made the Philadelphia area her home until her death in 2007, also helped form what is now known as the National LGBTQ Task Force in 1973. Perhaps best known for helping expand and promote LGBTQ literature—chiefly through the gay group she formed within the American Library Association—Gittings was also one of the first out lesbians on network television, appearing in 1970 on the popular syndicated daytime program The Phil Donahue Show. In 1965, Gittings and Kameny teamed up to organize what could be considered the very first national gay pride event. At a time when Gittings recalled knowing of only about 200 openly gay people in the whole country, the duo successfully recruited 40 activists to take to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall for an Independence Day picket for gay rights, with a focus on protesting the government’s ban on gay employees. By 1970, Gittings and Kameny decided to end their Annual Reminders in Philadelphia, shifting the focus to an annual commemoration of Stonewall in New York. They helped lead efforts that saw more than 2,000 people march in the nation’s first and most prominent gay pride affair. Continuing their partnership after Stonewall, Gittings and Kameny had an even greater impact in the movement and on American culture as a result of their farsighted leadership in multi-prong efforts to change perceptions about and policies toward LGBTQ people. On the legal front, the two helped fight against broadscope state sodomy laws that criminalized same-sex sexual behavior— itself a half-century fight that wasn’t truly won until the Supreme Court ruled such laws unconstitutional with the case Lawrence v. Texas in June 26, 2003. Perhaps their most consequential success resulted from work outside the law—specifically, their push to get the American Psychiatric Association to remove “homosexuality” from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, something they finally achieved in 1973. “The sickness label was an albatross around the neck of our early gay rights groups—it infected all our work on other issues,” Gittings shared in the 2007 volume American Psychiatry and Homosexuality: An Oral History. “The sickness label was used to justify discrimination, especially in employment, and especially by our own government.” It’s no mere coincidence that the modern LGBTQ movement dawned in the same era as the one for civil rights. Incidentally, the civil rights movement owes much of its success to Bayard Rustin, a gay man who was nationally outed in the early 1960s by the notoriously anti-gay bigot U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond, no less. Although not an LGBTQ activist per se, the New Yorkbased Rustin, who died in 1987, nevertheless influenced the movement and its leaders through his work in organizing nonviolent protests and peaceful demonstrations—as a key adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. and as the lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In addition to the
Marsha P. Johnson was among the first of the patrons to resist the police that night, and Sylvia Rivera among the first in the crowd of onlookers to take action by throwing a bottle at her police oppressors.
Rustin, a key advisor to Dr Martin Luther King Jr was the lead organiser of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
1950-EARLY 1970s THE LAVENDER SCARE
An offshoot of McCarthyism and the anti-communist Red Scare, this was a moralpanic campaign that chipped away at gays in the federal workforce and beyond. This purge of any and all deemed “sexual perverts” started at the State Department in 1950, quickly spread to other federal agencies, contractors, even private businesses, and lasted for an entire generation into the early 1970s. As the federal capital, D.C. in particular was said to be “a community under siege” at the time, decimating what had been a burgeoning gay scene since the start of the New Deal. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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on the National Mall as well as other protests that came in the decades that followed, Rustin’s work in the civil rights movement also helped inspire and influence much of the tactics and approaches taken in the fight for fair treatment and equal rights of LGBTQ people—from building coalitions with other civil liberties groups to seeking publicity for their actions. In 1986, Rustin declined the opportunity to contribute to In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology. “While I have no problem with being publicly identified as homosexual,” Rustin wrote at the time, “I fundamentally consider sexual orientation to be a private matter.” Even without Rustin, the anthology was a groundbreaking collection of essays, journal entries, short fiction and poetry by black gay men edited by Joseph F. Beam, who died from complications due to AIDS just two years after publication. 1960s Beam’s lover Essex Hemphill PRE-STONEWALL would go on to complete his planned sequel, 1991’s Brother LGBTQ PICKETS to Brother: New Writings by & PROTESTS Black Gay Men, which garnered a In addition to Lavender Scare Lambda Literary Award. “I live in legal challenges, the Mattachine a town / where everyone is afraid Society of Washington also raised / of the dark,” writes Hemphill awareness about LGBTQ rights in one stanza of his provocative by initiating the practice of poem “Family Jewels” about the pickets outside federal agencies, nation’s capital, which the poem’s with the White House the first protagonist holds accountable for target in 1965. (“Russia, Cuba the racism and homophobia he’s and the United States Unite to faced. Raised in Southeast D.C., Persecute Homosexuals,” read Hemphill once described his one sign at the protest.) New York’s Mattachine Society and the largely autobiographical poetry as lesbian Daughters of Bilitis would “sexually political and politically sexual,” and the work retains soon join and expand the list its power and relevance today, of targets to include the United although much of it remains Nations and Philadelphia’s woefully out of print. Before Independence Hall. This he died from complications same coalition of activists and with AIDS in 1995 at the tender organizations also helped spread age of 38, Hemphill gained the concept of pride, and June as further attention by virtue of the pride month, by joining the cause prominent inclusion of his poetry to commemorate Stonewall. in two acclaimed documentaries about the black experience from Marlon Riggs, 1989’s Tongues Untied and 1992’s Black Is… Black Ain’t, as well as Looking for Langston, the 1989 documentary exploring the gay undercurrent of the Harlem Renaissance by British filmmaker Isaac Julian, who called Hemphill “a modern black Genet.” Nearly a decade after Hemphill’s death, Wanda Alston, an AfricanAmerican lesbian, opened the doors to D.C.’s first Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs under the administration of Anthony Williams. This was a small but not insignificant sign of the political progress the local LGBTQ community had made in the 40 years since Kameny came to prominence. The office has lived on through several mayoral administrations since— yet sadly Alston hasn’t, the victim of a senseless homicide in 2005, not even a year into her tenure. A native of Newport News, Va., who had overcome a tumultuous childhood and struggles with drug addiction, Alston is now remembered by her namesake house and foundation, Page 32
Essex Hempill, Author
Wanda Alston, Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs
located in Northeast’s Deanwood neighborhood, providing transitional living and support services to the city’s homeless and at-risk LGBTQ youth. Instrumental in Alston’s appointment as director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs was Jim Graham, who was the second out member elected to the Council of the District of Columbia (after David Catania’s election in 1997). Graham served as the city’s Ward 1 representative from 1999 to 2015. Graham arguably left an even bigger mark on gay Washington in his work prior to becoming a council member. During the worst of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s, he led the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the LGBTQcentered health care organization now known as Whitman-Walker Health (and named after Walt Whitman and fellow Civil War-era D.C. resident and women’s activist Dr. Mary Edwards Walker). “[Graham] was a leader who put together a community response to fight back and resist and push down stigma and discrimination and fear, and drove a community response through community and political activism,” Whitman-Walker Health’s Chief Executive Officer Don Blanchon told Metro Weekly in the wake of Graham’s death in June of 2017. Jim Graham, DC Councilman shhhOUT
THE COURAGE TO BE OUT STONEWALL AT 50: A LOOK AT PIONEERS IN THE LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT
More Than Good:
Living Legends In A Gay-Is-Great City A half-century ago, in D.C. as elsewhere, the police and law enforcement in general were the problem, the main adversary of the budding LGBTQ movement. They were also the chief provoking force, of course: the riots at New York’s Stonewall Inn in 1969 were a reaction to the police raids and roughhousing of patrons that had become commonplace there. At the time in D.C., LGBTQ people were also targets of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department, chiefly through its Prostitution, Perversion and Obscenity Squad, aka mole squad, which routinely made arrests and entrapped those at known gay cruising areas and hangouts— thereby serving as an important enforcement mechanism for the federal government’s Lavender Scare purges. That was only curtailed in the early 1970s as a result of high-profile protests or legal activities of a few courageous, organized activists—among them L. Page “Deacon” Maccubbin, founder of the now-defunct Lambda Rising Books, not to mention the forerunner to Capital Pride. Lambda Rising Bookstore on Connecticut Ave
At the turn of the millennium, the MPD took a big leap forward by creating a division with a focus that couldn’t be more different than that of its former mole squad. And what is now called the LGBT Liaison Unit is credited as the first of its kind—not just a division for obvious outreach to the LGBTQ community, but one also empowered to investigate crimes, make arrests and exercise full police powers. “No longer are the police our enemy,” LGBTQ pioneer Frank Kameny said in 2003, when the key founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Activist Alliance personally gave a GLAA Distinguished Service Award to the unit, then known as the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, or GLLU. After reviewing the often contentious relationship he had with the MPD in the early years of his activism, Kameny remarked at the awards ceremony: “I find it comforting to have the GLLU there.” “Distinguished service makes it sound like we’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty. What’s ironic here is that we really haven’t,” Sgt. Brett Parsons of the MPD said in accepting the award from Kameny, whom he called his “friend and mentor.” “What we’ve done is simply what police officers and other law enforcement should have been doing all along, which is treat a community with respect and professionalism.” The person most associated with it, Parsons headed up the LGBT Liaison Unit for most of last decade and has overseen it along with other community liaison units since 2016. A gay native Washingtonian, Parsons has also served as a trainer on LGBTQ-related issues for the entire department as well as police forces elsewhere.
Sgt. Brett Parson
(Photo by Todd Franson)
The LGBTQ movement, not to mention the local community, has been further boosted over the past 50 years or so by a strong presence of LGBTQ reporters and publications covering developments from here. Foremost among these is Lou Chibbaro Jr., the Senior News Reporter at the Washington Blade, touted as the nation’s oldest LGBTQ news outlet, one that is also celebrating its 50th year. Arguably the longest-serving and without doubt the most widely known reporter covering LGBTQ politics in Washington, Chibbaro started his career in 1976, when he used the pseudonym Lou Romano as a protective measure. He’s served as a
1950-1960s THE MATTACHINE SOCIETY
Ironically, the more the Lavender Scare whipped up anti-gay fervor and persecution, the more progay bonding and activism it engendered as well. Case in point: The first sustained gay organization in the U.S. was launched in part as a reaction to the growing gay purges taking place especially among defense contractors in Southern California. Ultimately, a decade would pass before Mattachine became the kind of political force needed to end the Scare, per the political and legal challenges mounted by a new D.C. chapter in the 1960s.
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THE COURAGE TO BE OUT
STONEWALL AT 50: A LOOK AT PIONEERS IN THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT 1960s CHALLENGES TO LGBTQ MENTAL HEALTH
In tandem with the ramped up political and legal activism, several LGBTQ pioneers also pushed for improved LGBTQ+ awareness, practices, and policies among academics and professionals in the mental health field. More than two decades after famed Indiana University sexologist Alfred Kinsey first suggested that same-sex attraction and behavior was not only natural but widespread, the American Psychiatric Association finally declassified homosexuality as a “mental disorder” and “illness” in 1973. That hardly stopped those purporting to be able to “cure” homosexuals, of course -- but it did transform the way the mental and medical fields viewed and treated, as well as merely interacted with, their LGBTQ colleagues and patients. firsthand witness to the LGBTQ movement’s biggest news and events over the past 43 years—from every LGBTQ March on Washington to the rise of the AIDS epidemic to LGBTQ advances (and retreats in the Trump era) in all branches of government as well as the military, law enforcement, organized religion and local entities. Chibbaro has donated many of his notes and related ephemera over the years to George Washington University. Also working to ensure the history of the movement and the local community are welldocumented is José Gutierrez, a writer/poet and Mexican immigrant who in 2000 helped co-found the Rainbow History Project, which works to preserve and promote the history and culture of D.C.’s LGBTQ+ community, and also the Latino GLBT History Project, serving as the latter organization’s first president. As Gutierrez told the Washington Blade in 2010: “I believe sometimes our names are erased from history by the gay community in general. We are a passionate community and a community with lots of needs, barriers and limitations.” You can’t help but get personal when referring to the trailblazing work in documenting the movement from self-taught photographer Joan E. Biren, who started what became her life’s work with a kiss. “I really, really wanted to see a picture of two lesbians kissing,” says Biren, known as JEB, adding with a laugh, “I just needed to see the image. Badly. Desperately.” So she borrowed a camera and kissed her lover for a selfie, taken in the early 1970s, that was featured in Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians. JEB believes her 1979 publication to be “the first book of lesbian photography that showed names and faces ever, anywhere in the world.” By the 1990s, the Washington native had also taught herself documentary filmmaking and her work in video, among other achievements, helped to generate wide public attention to the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Like Chibbaro, JEB has shown a real commitment to donating her work for purposes of posterity—donating most of her slides and negatives to Smith College in Northampton, Mass., with the LGBTQ-focused Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and
Lesbian Art in New York another major JEB beneficiary. It was also through photography that another seminal figure in today’s LGBTQ movement got his start. Soon after Ron Simmons moved to D.C. for Howard University, the New York native started assisting Sidney Brinkley at Blacklight, billed as the first black gay magazine in the country. He later served as a field producer, photographer, and cast member of Tongues Untied, the 1989 film about black gay life by Marlon Riggs. Yet Simmons—also a widely published poet— has made his biggest mark as a nonprofit leader and community provider through his work with Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc. Touted as one of the largest, oldest and most well-established black gay organizations, UHU was founded at a time when there was little hope or help for HIVpositive black men. During his 24-year tenure as president and CEO starting in 1992, Simmons grew UHU from a volunteer-run support group for black gay and bisexual men living with HIV into a nationally recognized health and wellness center assisting men, women and transgender persons and offering HIV prevention as well as treatment services. The same year Simmons took the helm of Us Helping Us, Sheila Alexander-Reid launched Women In The Life, an entity that eventually grew from an organization throwing club parties and concerts to a social-justice nonprofit -- all the while catering to black lesbians, which Alexander-Reid has referred to as a historically underserved “silent segment” of the LGBTQ community. She was inspired to take up the social justice cause as a result of urging by Wanda Alston. And when the LGBTQ pioneer died without a will in 2005—thus allowing Alston’s homophobic family to strip out memorial references to her lesbian identity and legacy—Women In The Life started the
Lou Chibbaro Jr. (Blade file photo/Michael Key)
Joan E Biren Know as JEB (pboto by JEB)
OCT. 11, 1987 THE GREAT MARCH” & GREATER AIDS AWARENESS
It wasn’t the first LGBTQ-focused March on Washington -- that took place in 1979 -- but the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights is still widely considered the Great March due to its size, scope, and historical importance. A few years into the AIDS epidemic, activists were mobilized like never before to push for change and compassion, with widely publicized protests from the newly formed outfit ACT UP as well as the first public display of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, memorializing those who died of AIDS-related causes, right on the National Mall. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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One of the newer and most visible leaders in today’s local LGBTQ community is Ruby Corado, founding director of Casa Ruby, the bilingual LGBTQ-focused community center, service provider and overnight shelter. Begun in 2004, Corado’s organization employs several dozen people serving several hundred of their fellow LGBTQ neighbors in any given week. Casa Ruby exists to help all kinds of people, but especially those whose lives and experiences reflect that of the organization’s founder, who arrived in D.C. as a “young feminine boy,” a homeless immigrant from El Salvador in the mid-1980s. “I have seen a lot, but I have also seen what change looks like,” says the 49-year-old transgender woman. “We live in a city, although not perfect, where LGBTQ people have dignity and protection in the eyes of the law.”
The Future Is Now! Shelia Aledaer Reid
Photo by Ron Simms Jr
Everyone knows about Matthew Shepard, whose tragic murder in Wyoming in 1998 helped focus attention on important issues of homophobia, anti-LGBTQ violence, and hate crimes. Prior to helping shape publicity and news coverage in the wake of Shepard’s death, however, event and crisis communications guru Cathy Renna was working on behalf of GLAAD on a similarly tragic case, that of Tyra Hunter. Hunter was a 25-year-old African-American transgender woman who died of internal bleeding as the result of EMTs denying her care at the scene of a car accident and ER staff at the former DC General Hospital providing dilatory and inadequate care upon arrival—a lethal one-two punch of anti-trans discrimination. The fire department and the hospital were fined for violating the D.C. Human Rights Act as well as for their negligence and medical malpractice, with a jury awarding Hunter’s mother a whopping $2.9 million. “I think that was a real turning point around trans issues in Washington, D.C.,” Renna says.
Earline Budd
Photo: Todd Franson/Metro Weekly
Wanda’s Will Project to prompt others in the community to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to them. A former board member of DC Black Pride, Alexander-Reid has been further inspired by Alston since 2015 through her work as Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Director of LGBTQ Affairs—the position that Alston originated 15 years ago. The name of another notable pioneering activist and advocate in D.C. “has been synonymous with providing direct services to the District’s transgender community,” as Metro Weekly put it in a 2016 profile of Earline Budd. A founding member and former director of Transgender Health Empowerment, Inc., the native Washingtonian was the first transgender woman appointed to the city’s Office of Human Rights and currently works at the advocacy organization HIPS, Inc., as well as serving on the Mayor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS. Budd was also a 2002 recipient of a GLAA Distinguished Service Award.
Cathy Renna
NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY ESTABLISHED OCT. 11, 1988
The late psychologist Robert Eichberg and longtime activist Jean O’Leary decided to commemorate the Great March of 1987 by launching this annual day a year later. As novel and important as the official day is all its own, the general concept at the heart of its name has had an impact arguably greater than anything else in the movement and in our standing with the broader society. People don’t typically fear or discount those they know and love. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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SUPREME COURT: MARRIAGE EQUALITY 2013-2015
A series of 5-4 rulings, which included United States v. Windsor, which struck down the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in June of 2013, culminated with Obergefell v. Hodges, which effectively ended restrictions of same-sex marriage in the U.S. on June 26, 2015. That evening, the White House was famously illuminated in the colors of the rainbow per order by President Barack Obama
For sure, lessons were learned and progress was made as a result of both tragedies and the attention that Renna and other media and PR personnel helped train on them. Yet 20 years later, we’re still dealing with sadly similar situations and issues— including a recent spate of murders of black trans women of color in D.C. And while police officers don’t entrap and arrest gay or bisexual men for pursuing or soliciting sex now as they did in the Stonewall era and before, they do entrap and arrest sex workers, who are disproportionately trans and of color. It’s for this reason a growing number of LGBTQ organizations and progressive activists are advocating for the decriminalization of sex work, viewing it as a tool to help advance our community’s poorest and most vulnerable people. “That stigma is something that we as a community need to talk about,” says Renna, who notes that Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, “talks about how trans women of color are targeted all the time and no one pays any attention in the media.” In fact, Judy and her husband Dennis have been re-energized in recent years. “They were going to retire [from the limelight], and then Trump got elected,” Renna says. “They saw the escalation in hate and hate violence, and they feel it’s just absolutely imperative to continue to leverage their platform and educate and resist.”
“We have to come out into the open and stop being ashamed, or else people will go on treating us as freaks” -1970 the first gay pride parde - New York City
It’s absolutely imperative that we all do that, Renna asserts, when asked how the average LGBTQ person could or should get involved in the cause. “Everyone can do things either on an individual level, on an organizational level or on a community level. First The reality is that the AIDS epidemic eleveated the visuablity of all, just paying attention to the world around you of our community in a way tha would never have happend otherwise. ACT-UP Die-In in front of the FDA as an individual.” And if you see something, say something—speak up and stay firm. “If somebody says something offensive, I’m not going to back down, I’m going to say something. And I’m not going to stay in an environment where it’s tolerated.” Above all else, she implores: “Everybody vote. I know there are questions and challenges around voting for a perfect candidate and gerrymandering, but look at last year’s midterms. The reality is: voting matters, voting makes a difference.” Reflecting on the history and progress of the community, Renna puts things in perspective. “Fifty years is a blink of an eye historically. And frankly, the progress we’ve made in 50 years is extraordinary,” she says. “The reality is that the AIDS epidemic elevated the visibility of our community in a way that would have never happened otherwise. And then, because nobody was helping us, it coalesced different parts of the LGBTQ community that had not been working together, like lesbians and gay men, and out of that grew the LGBTQ movement in many ways, and in work on other issues.” Of course, we still have a long way to go.
PULSE NIGHTCLUB JUNE 12, 2016
This deadliest incident of violence against LGBTQ people and second deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11 occurred at a gay Orlando nightclub amidst pride celebrations nationwide, including Capital Pride. While not as clearly anti-gay as anti-American, the tragic hate crime that killed or injured more than 100 mostly young, mostly Latino, mostly LGBTQ citizens was an historic assault on the notion of gay club as community safe haven, motivating LGBTQ activism for greater gun control. Pulse is expected to reopen as a memorial site and museum in 2020. Page 40
A similar value-in-community and strength-in-numbers message is something that Ruby Corado, the local trans woman who runs Casa Ruby, stresses again and again. “No matter how vulnerable you feel, no matter how alone sometimes you feel,” she counsels, “we need to be reminded that we’re part of a big community. A community of resilient people. A community of fighters. We are beautiful in our own ways. We are brilliant. We are some of the most amazing people on earth. And we’ve got one another. When we come together in community as LGBTQ people, we can fight anything that comes our way.”
OUT IN THE OPEN
“We have to come out into the open and stop being ashamed, or else people will go on treating us as freaks.” Those were the words of one activist quoted in the New York Times at the 1970 Gay Liberation Parade—the world’s first gay pride parade, organized in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots that occurred exactly one year earlier. “This march is an affirmation and declaration of our new pride.” It’s incredible to stop and reflect on the fact that, 50 years after Stonewall, we’re living in an era when there is a viable, openly gay candidate running for president, one who has become a veritable media sensation—Pete Buttigieg a/k/a Mayor Pete. And yet, for all the progress that has been made over the last half-century in regards to LGBTQ+ rights and realities, and for all the problems we still face, coming out and being out has never wavered as our strongest individual arsenal or as our community’s bedrock principle. As Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, who in 2017 became the first-ever trans person elected to the Virginia State Delegate, put it to Metro Weekly earlier this year: “The simple act of coming out can almost seem benign for those of us fortunate enough to have found love and embrace. But that courage to be vulnerable enough to be visible in the first place still matters so, so, so much to that person still looking for hope to say, ‘If they can do it, so can I.’” Doug Rule is a longtime D.C.-based freelance writer and editor covering LGBTQ shhhOUT arts and culture and a Contributing Editor to Metro Weekly.
It gives me great representing Dupont Circle and Logan Circle, home to the , for the past 28 years! I have been, and will continue to be, an ally to the LGBTQ community on the Council.
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A NAME THAT MEANS ALL OF US
by Doug Rule
It’s only been approximately three decades since the movement started using an acronym—or more precisely, initialism—as an umbrella term, intended to represent all those who stray from heteronormativity when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity. Sometimes today’s LGBTQ is referred to as an alphabet sandwich or soup—especially when it’s extended beyond today’s common handful of letters. A half-century and more ago, however, there were only loaded individual terms—“homosexual” and “transvestite”— used to describe those of us who fall into the 1960s-coined group “sexual minorities.” “Homophile” was adopted by early pioneers as a substitute for the negatively connoted “homosexual,” before “gay” (joined a bit later by “lesbian”) became widely used through efforts such as the “gay is good” campaigning of pioneer Frank Kameny. By the early 1990s, the desire to be more inclusive led to formation of the original initialism representing the movement’s four central pillars—gay, lesbian, “bisexual,” and “trans.” A decade later, GLBT quickly gave way to LGBT—a subtle switch that was meant to make women in general feel more welcome and respected in the community, and also an indirect nod to the movement’s roots in the push for women’s liberation and feminism. The term is generally understood to include community members not otherwise accounted for per specific initials—such as “pansexual,” which can be considered a bisexual offshoot, or the transgender-adjacent “intersex.” That notion has been further solidified in recent years with the addition of the fifth letter. Q chiefly stands for “queer,” a rather all-encompassing if not catch-all descriptor particularly in vogue with millennials and other younger members of the community who don’t have the kind of negative associations older members have with the word. (It can also stand for “questioning” to paint the community with an even broader brush.) It’s not uncommon to see other variations—among them LGBTQ+, with the “+” referring to “related communities,” and LGBTQIA to call out “intersex and asexual”—but LGBTQ has increasingly become the preferred standard, used by journalists and authors who abide by the GLAAD Media Reference Guide, which adopted the five-initial moniker in 2016. It’s quite possible a different initialism or word will come into fashion as the movement and the community matures further. While it can become a tad exhausting every now and then trying to keep up, the beauty of language is that it is an ever-changing, ever-adaptive thing—and one reflective of progress, So if you ever think it awkward saying “LGBTQ,’ for example, just try substituting the word “homophile” instead. Progress, indeed.” Page 42
Lynn Cothren, leading the 1991 protest marches and rallies stemming from the firing of Cheryl Summerville because she was a lesbian. Cothren lead the Atlanta chapter of Queer Nation , one of the first groups to use QUEER as a positive! shhhOUT
CAPITAL TRANS PRIDE MAY 18-19 PRODUCED BY CAPITAL TRANS PRIDE CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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CAPITAL TRANS PRIDE MAY 18-19 ABOUT
Capital Trans Pride draws together members of the transgender and gender non-conforming community, allies, colleagues, family, and friends for a weekend of celebration, workshops, networking, and panel discussions on a variety of issues important to the Trans community.
ORGANIZATION HOST
The Capital Pride Alliance, located in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its partners through educational events, entertainment, community outreach, and celebrations of diversity. Capital Pride produces each year Trans Pride and the Pride Celebration in the nation’s capital, one of the largest Pride events in the country, plus a variety of educational and community events throughout the year.
ORGANIZATION MISSION
The Capital Pride Alliance, through its stewardship of diverse programming and events, specifically year-round LGBTQ+ Pride festivities centered in Washington, DC and the National Capital Region, serves to celebrate, educate, support, and inspire our multi-faceted communities in order to grow and preserve our history and protect our rights for current and future generations.
TEAM MEMBERS TRANS PRIDE
Bianca Rey – Trans Pride Chair Ian Brown - Exec. Producer, Trans Pride Workshop and Speaker Taylor Chandler - Exec. Producer, Trans Pride Social Media Omar Clark - Exec. Producer, Trans Pride Logistics Dee Curry - Exec. Producer, Trans Pride Registration Ted Eytan - Producer Monika Nemeth - Exec. Producer, Volunteer SaVanna Wanzer - Exec. Producer, Trans Pride Entertainment
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CAPITAL TRANS PRIDE MAY 18-19 KEYNOTE ADDRESS CECILIA GENTILI
Originally from Argentina, Cecilia Gentili found her passion for advocacy working as an intern at the LGBT Center. She headed the Transgender Health Program at Apicha from 2012 to 2016, served as the Director of Policy at GMHC from 2016 to 2019, and currently functions as Principal to Trans Equity Consulting defining policy to the benefit of the TGNC/NB community. She was a contributor to Trans Bodies Trans Selves and is a board member at Translatina Network. She is passionate about advocating for her community, specifically for trans women with a Latino background, sex work, drug use and incarceration history.
SIGNATURE EVENTS WORKSHOPS, SPEAKERS, AND RESOURCE FAIR SATURDAY, MAY 18 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Eaton Hotel DC 1201 K St NW
HAPPY HOUR AND ENTERTAINMENT HOST: RAYCEEN PENDARVIS SATURDAY, MAY 18 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM TBD Check On-Line for Venue
MOVIE SCREENING THE GARDEN LEFT BEHIND
SUNDAY, MAY 19 5:00 PM: Reception 6:00 PM: Movie followed by panel discussion with cast members. The Studio Theatre 1501 14th St NW
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MAY 24-27
DC BLACK PRIDE 2019 PRODUCED BY THE CENTER FOR BLACK EQUITY photos by tagg magazine
DC BLACK PRIDE 2019 Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27 are the official DCBP 2019 dates. There are some special pre- and post-DCBP events. Events, times, and locations are subject to change. ABOUT
In 1991, a group of men, Welmore Cook, Theodore Kirkland and Ernest Hopkins saw a need to rally the community around the HIV/ AIDS epidemic happening in Washington, DC. Little did they know that their clear mission to combat and educate the community about HIV/AIDS would lead to a movement that would impact the lives of millions of Black LGBTQ+ men and women around the world. Almost 30 years after the first DC Black Pride drew 800 people to Banneker Field for a day themed “Let’s All Come Together,” more than 300,000 members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of African descent and their allies have come to Washington, DC during Memorial Day Weekend to celebrate the beauty of a shared community and raise awareness and funding for HIV/ AIDS in the name and spirit of Black Pride. Equal rights have increased in the United States and many places around the globe over the 30 years. Yet many LGBTQ+ men and women of African descent continue to feel the need to develop community to stand against HIV/AIDS, homophobia inspired violence and the bigotry that exist in the world. DC Black Pride fulfills this need. DC Black Pride was the catalyst for what is now referred to as the Black Pride Movement. Since the birth of DC Black Pride, more than thirty other Black Pride celebrations now take place throughout the world, many using DC Black Pride as the model. DC Black Pride is so much more than just parties. This is DC Black Pride...
ORGANIZATION HOST
DC Black Pride is a program of the Center for Black Equity. The Center for Black Equity is recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service, and is a non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia.
ORGANIZATION MISSION
Our mission is to promote a multinational LGBTQ+ network dedicated to improving health and wellness opportunities, economic empowerment, and equal rights while promoting individual and collective work, responsibility, and self-determination.
TEAM MEMBERS
Kenya Hutton DC Black Pride Director Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr. Center for Black Equity President/CEO Genise Chambers-Woods DC Black Pride Director of Volunteers and Vending
HOST HOTEL
Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW
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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Transgender Reception Monday, May 20 Time TBA Pepco Edison Place Gallery 702 8th St NW
Poetry Slam Saturday, May 25 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW
Awards Reception Tuesday, May 21 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM The Park at 14th 920 14th St NW
Pride Exhibit Hall with Vendors Saturday, May 25 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW
Unity Ball Thursday, May 23 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW
Leather University Saturday, May 25 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW
CommUNITY Opening Reception Friday, May 24 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW Enrichment Workshops Saturday, May 25 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Renaissance Washington Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW
DC
Interdenominational Service Sunday, May 26 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Renaissance Washington DC Downtown 999 Ninth Street NW
More information and full schedule of events:
d c b l a c k p r i d e . o rg
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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THE W O H S ERICK
RILEY
ROSE KANE
JOHN
DC LATINX PRIDE JUNE 1-2, 4 & 6 THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
PRODUCED BY THE LATINO GLBT HISTORY PROJECTPage 55
All Photos Courtsey Metro Weekly
DC LATINX PRIDE 2019 ABOUT
Every year, the Latino GLBT History Project coordinates and executes multiple working components of DC Pride in collaboration with Capital Pride. This collective is known as Latinx Pride, and is a staple track of D.C. Pride festivities and events.
ORGANIZATION HOST
The Latino GLBT History Project (LHP) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit volunteer-led organization founded in April 2000 and incorporated in May 2007 to respond to the critical need to preserve Latinx LGBTQ+ history and promote tolerance and acceptance of the community by the public.
ORGANIZATION MISSION
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
TEAM MEMBERS
DC Latinx Pride: LGBTQ+ History Tour Sunday, June 2 Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Adams Morgran Columbia Rd NW & 18th St NW
Collect and document a unique and diverse array of Latinx LGBTQ+ stories and artifacts; provide safe and sustainable preservation of Latinx LGBTQ+ stories and artifacts; and educate the public on the rich history and contributions of the Latinx LGBTQ+ community to promote tolerance and acceptance. Nancy Canas Latino GLBT History Project, President Steph Niaupari Latino GLBT History Project, Vice President
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13th DC Latinx Pride: La Fe Saturday, June 1 Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM MCC Washington, DC 474 Ridge St NW
DC Latinx Pride: La Platica Tuesday, June 4 Time: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM Human Rights Campaign 1640 Rhode Island Ave NW DC Latinx Pride Official Dance Party: Gritando Orgullo Thursday, June 6 Time 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM The DC Eagle 3701 Benning Rd NE
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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QUALIFIED, CAPABLE, & WILLING By Captain Jennifer Peace
Qualified, Capable, Willing
These are the standards we have used to fight for open transgender service in the military for the last five years. They represent what I believe we must ask of all those who serve our country. Each time trans service members stated their case to serve authentically it was based on this idea; that we wanted no special treatment, no lowered or altered standards, no waivers, but simply the chance to compete on our own merits because each of us is qualified, capable, and willing to serve. Until recently, it was all I believed was necessary for the opportunity to succeed in the United States Armed Forces. Although not perfect, each day we have moved a step closer to allowing all those who are qualified, capable, and willing to have the opportunity to serve, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Diversity is our strength as a nation and it is our strength as a military. With the ban on transgender individuals in the military now in place once again we have lost part of that diversity. Those who remain in service are an endangered species with fewer and fewer serving as time goes on. Soldiers will no longer serve under transgender commanders. Airmen will no longer fly with transgender pilots. Marines will no longer be treated by transgender medics. Sailors will never receive supplies from transgender logistics officers. And so it goes. Over time, as representation diminishes, there will be less interaction and old stereotypes will reassert themselves. The myth that trans people are somehow less capable than their cisgender counterparts becomes reality in the minds of those who have never knowingly met a trans person. When any minority loses representation, opportunity, and equality our entire community loses. Our country loses. It is up to all of us to fight back. There are many reasons to stay silent this year as an LGBTQ+ person. Hate crimes are on the rise across the country targeting almost every minority population. Sexual orientation and gender identity continue to be erased from federal protections while states pass further restrictive and discriminatory laws. From a personal standpoint there are concerns over relationships with family, friends, spouses, and coworkers. We desire acceptance but fear rejection so deeply that fear holds us captive and silent. If you are afraid of the consequences of coming out, you are not nearly scared enough of the consequences of staying silent.
Silence = Death
Coming out is an act of courage and an act of aggression against those who would attempt to erase and deny our very existence. Sharing our stories with the world is both an act of love for our community as well as a weapon aimed at those who would silence us. Our voices, our stories, and our lives, as mundane as they may seem, carry an extraordinary amount of power. We forego no small comfort in visibility, as it is not a cloak that we can shed if the weight becomes too heavy to bear. But that is why coming out and being visible is such a powerful act. It is an act of love. Not for ourselves, but for others. Coming out gives something of ourselves so that one day others will not need to. It plants a tree that will grow over time, but whose shade we may never sit under. The “It Gets Better” project tells LGBTQ youth that it will get better, but that is true only up to a point. We must make it better.
Visibility Matters
I see the impact every day. Friends and coworkers who would have been indifferent at best to trans issues send me emails of support each time there is a development in the fight for open service. Visibility creates advocates. Nothing breaks down cultural, religious, or political divides with more devastation than seeing someone you know in pain on the other side. Visibility creates allies. What is the alternative—inaction? There is little room for bystanders. We make a decision each time we allow violent and bigoted language to go uncontested, or permit stereotypes to go unchallenged, or abstain from changing the narrative. We make a bet that there exists greater safety in silence than in taking action—no matter how difficult that is. Rather than keeping us safe, silence Page 58
allows the disease of bigotry to grow and spread without a positive resolution. Invisibility may feel safe, but it is nothing more than a comforting illusion that allows the real dangers to grow unchecked. No one can implore you more deeply than Harvey Milk’s words from the summer of 1978. He made these statements in support of the lesbian and gay community, but I believe they are just as important for us today. “I ask my family to make the commitment to fight. For themselves, for their freedom, for their country. . . . We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets. We are coming out to fight the lies, the myths, the distortions. We are coming out to tell the truth for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I’m going to talk about it. And I want you to talk about it. You must come out.”
Are you willing?
Each of you reading this is qualified and capable to speak out. You can share your story and the stories of others. Share with your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors. I ask you to be out and open, to speak against hate and bigotry when you hear it, to be proud of who you are even in dark times. Just as each raindrop feels that it cannot be responsible for the flood, each individual can add to the coming wave of equality. Every day the waters grow higher until they can no longer be contained, can no longer be silenced, and the flood becomes not just unstoppable, but will inevitably reshape the world. All of us are qualified and capable to be a part of changecapable to be a part of change. Are you willing? shhhOUT
THE ARMY COMES FIRST by Rachel Adams
Like many military families, my husband, a soldier, and I don’t see each other that often. He’s up early for formation and PT, 0900 work call, dismissal when the work is done. Then it’s home to shower, shave, and pack a bag for the next day, unless he has 24-hour staff duty or is heading out on a mission. Most nights, I eat dinner by myself and keep a plate warm for him. We might have time to watch an episode of whatever TV show we’re hooked on or have a quick chat, but then it’s off to bed because that alarm starts blaring at 0500 whether we’re ready or not. Nic, my soldier, has missed birthdays, anniversaries, and get-togethers with friends because he must work or is on a mission. The first eight months of our marriage we lived in separate states; he attended Advanced Individual Training in Maryland while I packed up our former life in Kentucky. Our spare bedroom is completely overrun by his gear: bags, uniforms, camera equipment, a bunch of stuff that I can’t identify but I know is important. I Google acronyms that he slips into his speech: DONSA, TDY, NCO. And, as my father-in-law told me on the weekend that Nic and I got married, I’ve learned my place in the hierarchy of my soldier’s life. Army first. Mission first. Duty first. Then, maybe, me. But this isn’t a piece about the uniquely stressful position of being a military wife. This is a piece about what came after “I do” and the 2016 repeal of the existing ban on transgender soldiers. Because, while our lives are quite similar to those of other military families, there’s one key difference to our story: my soldier is transgender. When Nic and I first got together back in early 2011, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was still in effect. As a lesbian couple, we rejoiced when it was repealed later that year. We knew Nic was destined for military service, and we were thankful he’d be able to serve openly. He left for Basic Training in October 2013, we got engaged when he was on leave in December 2013, and a giddy girl and her soldier got married on a patio of a Washington, DC Starbucks in April 2014. DOMA had been repealed less than a year prior, and same-sex marriage still wasn’t legal in Kentucky, where we were living before he joined the military. Nic was halfway through Advanced Individual Training when he met an instructor who would change his life. Jessie Shipps was a closeted transgender Air Force Staff Sergeant who became a mentor to Nic. Through their conversations Nic realized that he was transgender—but, like Jessie, he was unable to move forward in his transition because transgender service was banned in the military. For two years, Nic and I sat and waited. Rumor had it that President Obama was about to end the military ban, so we prepared as best we could without knowing for sure if it was going to happen. Finally, in May 2016, Nic got the green light. With the support of SPART*A, a group for active-duty transgender servicemembers, he went through all the proper channels to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria and given a prescription for testosterone. On an afternoon in May, a family friend showed Nic how to inject himself with T. He took the first shot like a champ, then put on his uniform and went to work. Army first. Mission first. Duty first.
SPART*A, the organization that’s helped us so much. He’s never deployed but is 100% deployable. And he is dedicated. The day that the now-infamous tweets came out, he went to work. The day the Supreme Court upheld the ban on transgender soldiers, he went to work. He recently re-enlisted to continue serving this country as long as he is permitted to do so. Army first. Mission first. Duty first. As his wife, I’ve become adept at managing my everyday life while worrying. Before Nic was permitted to transition, I worried that I might accidentally slip up and tell the wrong person. Once the ban was lifted and he began his transition, I worried that he was in a “gray zone,” where he was taking testosterone, but his gender marker still said female. It took almost nine months for his gender marker packet to be accepted, and I worried. Would it be denied? How long would he be able to withstand the stares, the whispers, and the outright confrontations in the women’s room? What if someone hurt him? Then his marker changed, and he was allowed to use male facilities. During his first mission as an “official” male, he lodged in male barracks with open showers and doorless toilets. I wanted to throw up every day he was gone. I worried that someone would notice his chest scars and start asking questions or put two and two together. And all the while, Nic grit his teeth and gutted it out because that’s what a good soldier does. Army first. Mission first. Duty first. We are lucky to have a community behind us. Nic’s fellow soldiers and superior officers have been phenomenally accepting, even protective. We’ve created a tight-knit group of friends in the DC area who support, love, and care for us. Every time the transgender service ban makes headlines, people check in on us and reaffirm that they’re fighting for us all the way. As a member or an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community reading this, there are ways you can support us as well. Contact your representatives. Stay informed on the issues. Watch the “TransMilitary” documentary and share it with your friends. Donate if you can. Remember that the fight for equality didn’t end with the legalization of same-sex marriage. Respect pronouns and identities. Vote. Nic and I will march with SPART*A in the Pride Parade and celebrate who we are: a transgender Army soldier and his proud lesbian wife. And on Monday, Nic will do what he does best: put on his uniform, lace up his boots, and serve our country. After all, the Army comes first.
In the years since, Nic has excelled at his craft. He’s completed several missions, graduated from the basic leadership course, become promotion-eligible, and attended Intermediate Motion Media Course at the Defense Information School. He’s in charge of Digital Media Services for THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
http://www.transmilitary.org/
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All Toes Are Welcome in Our Sand
VisitVirginiaBeach.com
PAVING THE WAY AWARD
The Paving The Way Award acknowledges an individual who or organization that has provided exemplary contributions, support, or advocacy that impacts the larger LGBTQ+ community. They will have provided a positive substantial impact within or beyond the larger LGBTQ+ community.
CAPITAL PRIDE CELEBRATION HONOREES
THE WASHINGTON BLADE
The Washington Blade was founded in 1969 as a black & white, one-sheet community newsletter. In 2019 the Blade celebrates its 50th anniversary as America’s LGBT News Source. The Washington Blade was selected to join the pool rotation for the White House Press Corps, becoming the first LGBT publication to participate in these duties. Readers locally and globally rely on the Blade’s unmatched coverage, which has garnered scores of local and national journalism awards. The Blade is recognized as the nation’s “Newspaper of Record for the LGBT Community.” “As the only LGBTQ outlet in the White House each day and in the president’s pool rotation, the Blade plays an important role in holding the administration accountable on our issues,” said Kevin Naff, Editor, Washington Blade. OCTOBER 1969 The Gay Blade first published as a monthly newsletter. JUNE 1972 Blade publishes first multi-page edition. JULY 1974 Blade printed in newsprint for first time. 1979 Blade changes publication from monthly to bi-weekly. OCTOBER 1980 Name changed to The Washington Blade. JANUARY 1983 Washington Blade publishes weekly. SEPTEMBER 1995 Online edition of Washington Blade launched. OCTOBER 2008 John McCain becomes first Republican presidential nominee to do an interview with an LGBT publication. APRIL 2010 Washington Blade purchased by Brown, Naff, Pitts Omnimedia. 2013 Washington Blade admitted to White House pool rotation (first LGBT publication ever). 2019 Washington Blade celebrates 50th Anniversary.
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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2019 HERO:
KIMBERLEY BUSH
2019 HERO:
REA CAREY
Kimberley Bush, the Director of Arts and Cultural Programs at The DC Center for the LGBT Community, hails from Westchester County, NY and moved to the DMV in 1989. She has passionately lived many professional lives that range from a successful realtor to ceramic artist to executive director of two non-profit arts organizations. Kimberley works tirelessly in the DC LGBTQ+ community as an arts advocate dedicated to providing opportunities and support to creatives and their craft. Kimberley thoroughly believes and fights for inclusion, diversity, and equality for all LGBTQ+ folxs by routinely bringing people together to celebrate ourselves through the myriad of programs she oversees, manages, and co-curates such as Center Arts Gallery, Arty Queers: DC’s LGTBQ Indoor Art Market, Outwrite: DC’s LGBTQ Literary Festival, DC Queer Theatre Festival, and Reel Affirmations: DC’s International LGBTQ Film Festival and Monthly Film Series. Her fierce perseverance will pay off with a groundbreaking move, relocating the film series to Landmark’s E Street Cinema. This move represents the next level in presenting LGBTQ Cinematic stories at a mainstream arthouse. During Reel Affirmations’ 26 years, it has been ranked in the top five LGBTQ+ film festivals in the country. Kimberley’s intense involvement has spanned 15 of those 26 years fulfilling roles of Film Festival Director, Director of Programming, Marketing, Development, Outreach, Board Member and chairperson of its grant program which raised seed and finishing funds for filmmakers. Fast forward to 2018, when The DC Center needed an interim Executive Director, the Board of Directors appointed Kimberley who enthusiastically stepped into that challenging role—while maintaining her position as Director of Arts and Culture—to continue The Center’s efforts to educate, empower, celebrate, and connect the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities through our four core areas: health and wellness, arts and culture, social and peer support, and advocacy and community building. Kimberley personally believes that #ArtChangesLives. Her commitment to providing multiple artistic platforms/venues for creatives to share their vision, talent, and life stories with the community—in the hopes of positively impacting one life at a time—is paramount. Kimberley’s Mantra: Walk through the world authentically with empathy and gratitude.
Rea Carey is a proud D.C. resident who has spent three decades serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community, and is one of the most respected leaders in the movement. Shortly after moving to D.C. in 1989, Carey got involved in the direct action activist groups OUT! and ACTUP/DC. As a volunteer with Whitman-Walker Clinic, she provided HIV/ AIDS education, helped create a safer-sex training for lesbian and bi women, and helped to develop health services for women, including a gynecological clinic. In partnership with other activists, Carey co-founded D.C.’s Gay Men and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV). Through her leadership at the National LGBTQ Task Force since 2004—first as deputy executive director and, since 2008, as executive director—Carey has advanced a vision of freedom for LGBTQ+ people and their families that is broad, inclusive and unabashedly progressive. She grounds her work solidly in racial, economic, gender, and social justice. This approach to leadership has delivered results as diverse as: winning an LGBTQ+-inclusive federal hate crimes prevention law; defeating multiple state anti-LGBTQ+ ballot measures; fighting discrimination against transgender people; winning marriage equality; positioning reproductive rights, health, and justice solidly as an LGBTQ+ issue. She has also worked to center voting rights as an LGBTQ+ issue; build stronger support for immigration reform within the LGBTQ+ movement; and, successfully secure scores of changes in federal agencies to attend to the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Prior to her work with the Task Force, Carey worked extensively in HIV/AIDS prevention locally and nationally, on issues affecting homeless and LGBTQ+ youth, and in organization and leadership development. She was the founding executive director of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition, an LGBTQ+ youth leadership organization. Carey is a Hunt Alternatives’ Prime Movers Fellow and serves on the boards of directors for the Flamboyan Foundation and the Freeman Foundation.
All Photos: Denis Largeron Photography Page 64
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2019 HERO:
BEN DE GUZMAN
2019 HERO:
MARTIN ESPINOZA
Ben de Guzman is the Acting Director of the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA). He comes to MOAPIA from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, where he served as the Community Outreach Specialist. During his tenure there, he helped execute two major first-time events for the Office: the “District of Pride” LGBTQ cultural performance event, and the 32nd Annual 17th Street High Heel Race, presented by the Mayor’s Office as lead organizer. When he first moved to the District in 1997, he connected with the newly formed group AQUA—Asian Pacific Islander Queers United for Action. He helped AQUA form a strong pan-ethnic, multi-gender Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) LGBTQ coalition that included organizations such as APIQS (API Queer Society) and KhushDC (South Asian LGBTQ organization). The coalition built community, provided advocacy, and recognized leaders via an annual Pride and Heritage event—a forerunner to this year’s Capital Pride AAPI event. In 2015, he received a Community Service Award from Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Nationally, he was principal staff at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) for almost 10 years. As Co-Director of the federation of 40 Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander LGBT groups around the country, he authored articles and op-eds that have appeared in mainstream and special interest media, anthologies, and academic publications, including the Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today. As an advocate for equity and recognition for Filipino veterans of World War II, he played a key role in two of the most significant legislative victories on their behalf. In 2009, he organized a national legislative campaign that led to the creation of the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund. He led communications and outreach strategies for the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project that led to the passage of the Filipino Veterans of WWII Congressional Gold Medal Act in 2016. Ben is the son of Filipino immigrants and while he was born and raised in New Jersey, he is proud to be a resident of the LeDroit Park neighborhood of Ward 1.
Martin Espinoza is the co-founder and President of Stonewall Sports, a notfor-profit national volunteer organization that was established in 2010 to serve the LGBTQ+ community; it is currently located in 16 cities with over 12,000 participants nationally. Martin, who is formerly from Arizona, has been living in Washington, D.C. for over 11 years. Off the field, he works at United Fray/ On Tap Media as Senior Director of Events making fun possible for clients and constituents across the DC Metro, Phoenix, Jacksonville, and New Orleans markets. Over the course of 10 years, Martin has brought thousands of LGBTQ+ athletes and participants together to build an inclusive community that recognizes and celebrates our diversity in organized sports and events. Through organized competition in various sports, mental wellness in the form of yoga, running, and other community programming, Stonewall Sports has allowed a safe space for many people to be themselves. In 2018, Stonewall Sports introduced an initiative around education and training that started with the first Summit Day, which took place on the day before the annual Tournament weekend. It included over 1,000 players and friends from around the country and Canada. Summit Day included keynote speakers and breakout discussions focusing on current issues faced in our community, such as mental health, diversity, and inclusion. The program was such a success that it will continue at this years’ Raleigh, North Carolina Tournament, with a full day of programming at no cost to attendees. In addition, Stonewall Sports has been able to raise and dedicate over $10,000 to fund programs and materials to go beyond the one-day summit. Martin has continued to explore new program needs and support continued growth in existing cities with more cities to come, as Stonewall Sports regularly receives expansion interests across the country. The volunteer team has a goal of reaching 20 cities in 2020, after which Martin plans to “retire” from the board in celebration of 10 years of Stonewall Sports—though he may not get too far. He wants to launch global experiences and travel site that includes volunteer service in communities while enjoying different cultures.
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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2019 HERO:
2019 HERO:
AMANDA HACKETT ANTHONY NELSON Amanda J. Hackett is an immigration attorney based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She provides affordable legal advice and counsel on immigration matters for individuals. Ms. Hackett’s practice focuses on LGBT/ Sogi-Minority-based asylum claims, and marriage-and-family-based petitions. She was a member of the Peer Review Committee for “Stronger Together: A Guide to Supporting LGBT Asylum Seekers,” which is a vital resource for practitioners unfamiliar with the particular needs of our communities. Amanda’s work is truly transformational. She helps people who are living in the shadows, some who may be afraid to come out, and those who are fighting for their lives. Immigration is a long and arduous process under any Administration, and is particularly difficult for people to navigate without assistance now. Ms. Hackett is working diligently to specifically serve queer people and provide a safe space for them to tell their story. She is truly a hero in our community. Amanda started her law firm for the express purpose of helping LGBTQ+ folks seeking asylum from places where they face persecution. No one should face death for the simple act of living in truth. Her work is priceless to those who seek it. In this current political climate her work is especially needed to protect some of the most vulnerable in our community. Ms. Hackett is a graduate of Smith College and the Howard University School of Law. She has been heavily involved with the LGBTQ+ community in D.C. Amanda has enjoyed her time playing with multiple leagues through Team DC, learning new dance styles with the QT Fusion Dance Community, and continuing to engage in a variety of volunteer and pro-bono projects benefiting the local LGBQ+T community. You can join her in song with Theatre Washington’s showTunes & Cocktails most months. Amanda is an enthusiastic student of Bahas Indonesia. She is a proud aunt and future dog owner.
Tony “And I Thank You” Nelson has been one of DC’s leading and most respected emcees and comedians for two decades. His second moniker—Ms. WTF? —was given to him by the legendary Empress of Atlanta Niesha Dupree while they hosted a forerunner to Black America—the oldest Black Pageant in the country. Tony’s style is unique: he’s not the typical drag performer. He often jokes he isn’t a drag queen, just “a man in a dress.” Donning a full beard, jewels, and elaborate wigs, he is in a league of his own. He started the bearded-drag gig in the DMV, and was featured in “Drag Dolls, Dames and Divas,” the book by acclaimed photographer James Hicks. Tony is a highly sought-after emcee in DC and the rest of the country. He was the first emcee to host a drag show on the National Mall, and to host a regular drag show in Georgetown: MASCARA. He also hosted Shiqueeta Lee’s first show at the Howard Theater. For 10 consecutive years he has been the emcee for DC Black Pride and Daryl Wilson Entertainment’s Main Stage. He is also the longest running host of the Sunday show at Bachelor’s Mill—sixteen consecutive years. His regular gigs include Stronjai’s Lipstick review at Mr. Henry’s, and Daryl Wilson’s first and third Fridays at Ziegfeld’s. Leaving the costume at home, he co-hosts The Swerv Show on WLVS. Tony is proud to be the lead emcee and Board Member/COO for Black National Pageantry Systems and founder/mentor of Black National Prince and Princess—a system designed to help cultivate careers for aspiring young performers. The spirit of giving back and community bonds define Tony’s legacy. As a lifelong community advocate, he has served on the board of Transgender Health Empowerment, and is the proud parent to 21 sons, and mentor for numerous others. He is affectionately referred to as Ma, Mother, Pops, Dad and Unc by many young people of DC’s LGBTQ community. Many benefit from his love, counsel, and—because he was taught that no one should go hungry—his dining room table.
All Photos: Denis Largeron Photography Page 66
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THE FUTURE IS
HERE, QUEER & OURS At Booz Allen, there isn’t a solution or innovation that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and gender-expansive hands, hearts and minds have not touched, led or activated. In 2019, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of GLOBE, our employee forum dedicated to empowering LGBTQ people with resources to shape an equitable future.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR • Cybersecurity Engineers • Data Scientists • Geospatial Analysts • Intelligence Analysts • Software Engineers
Let’s create tomorrow together. BoozAllen.com/Pride
Dom, Steve, Crystal, Michael, Regina, Taylor, Sudipa and Andrew, GLOBE Board of Directors
• System Engineers
BILL MILES AWARD:
OUTSTANDNG VOLUNTERER SERVICE TO PRIDE
BILL MILES AWARD:
OUTSTANDNG VOLUNTERER SERVICE TO PRIDE
ALAN THOMPSON DONALD BURCH In the late seventies and early eighties Alan lived in and around New York City. It was the heyday of the gay community, but it was also the beginning of the AIDS crisis. He watched as thousands died, and figured if God let him make it through, he would dedicate his remaining years to helping others.
When Alan arrived in the D.C. area in late 2010 he thought that the best way to meet people was to volunteer, get to know others, and build a relationship of trust. He started with Burgundy Crescent Volunteers, which included work for The Point Foundation, Casey Trees, Food & Friends, and the DC Central Kitchen. Alan also worked with the DC Center HIV Working Group at a time when HIV was on the rise, especially among younger people. That led to his work with other organizations such as the Cherry Fund. Alan then began volunteering for the 17th Street Festival and Capital Pride. During the Parade his first year, the head of security told Alan, “I’ll give you Dupont Circle.” Alan didn’t know what that meant, but for the ensuing six years Alan’s work for Capital Pride has included “owning Dupont Circle,” which means keeping control of one of the largest parts of the Parade crowd and knowing where every inch of bike rack is supposed to go. Alan also volunteers at nearly every event that Capital Pride produces. In addition, he works with the annual Miss Adams Morgan Pageant, the 17th Street High Heel Race, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, Northern Virginia Pride, and New York City Pride. When he returned to New York last year he recalled the city he had come to six months before Stonewall occurred in 1969. Having lived through the AIDS crisis, Alan was finally able to march down Fifth Avenue proudly remembering all those he knew and never knew who are no longer with us. When he arrived in New York City he was a scared young gay kid from late sixties. He has no reason to be scared any more.
Donald Burch, III grew up in Detroit where he attended public schools and then received a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University in 1984. He moved to Washington, DC in 1986 and since then has had a long career, including volunteer work, in social services. He received an MSW from Howard University School of Social Work in 2002. He retired from DC government as a licensed independent clinical social worker in 2013. For more than three decades, Donald has been the quintessential volunteer in DC’s diverse LGBTQ+ communities. Donald is a pillar of the community and a dedicated volunteer. In addition to his work with Reel Affirmations, Capital Pride, DC Black Pride, Trans Pride, and “May is All About Trans,” Donald has contributed his time and skills to the DC Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gay Men, Inner City AIDS Network, Us Helping Us, Inner Light Unity Ministries, Faith Temple, Whitman Walker Health, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Center Global and Center Aging programs at the DC LGBTQ+ Center, Metropolitan Community Church, Unity Fellowship Church, and the Rainbow History Project (RHP). Donald’s active involvement in so many of our LGBTQ+ communities has made him indispensable part of RHP as that organization seeks to accomplish its mission to collect, preserve, and promote diverse history, arts, and culture in the DMV. Donald is a regular volunteer at The Ask Rayceen Show and other Team Rayceen events, as well as ManDate, Adodi. He also volunteers at events affiliated with The DC Center, including Reel Affirmations and OutWrite. Donald loves theater and volunteers at several local venues, including Arena Stage, Studio Theater, Alan Sharpe and the African American Collective Theater, and Monte Wolfe and Brave Soul Collective Theater. An event producer with whom Donald regularly works reports that Donald’s contributions cannot be overstated. He is one of the most reliable, competent, and trustworthy volunteers she has ever encountered. He is kind, generous, and an inspiration to younger generations of activists and volunteers.
All Photos: Denis Largeron Photography Page 68
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LARRY STANSBURY AWARD: OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE LGBTQA+ COMMUNITY
TEAM DC
Team DC is the Association of LGBTQ+ sports clubs in the greater Washington DC region that began in 1990 and was formally incorporated in 2002. Currently there are 40 member teams and leagues with an estimated 7,000 participants. Team DC began as a vehicle to build support for a bid to host the international Gay Games and has now evolved into, perhaps, the most active LGBTQ+ sports association in the world.
BREAKING BARRIERS:
COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD
NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY
In addition to serving as a clearinghouse for information about local sports options, Team DC sponsors various events to help fulfill the mission of “Building Community Through Sports.” These efforts include a College Scholarship Program for local LGBTQ+ high school student-athletes which has now awarded scholarships to 78 students from across the region. Team DC also hosts the annual Night OUT Sports Series, which organizes “Pride Nights” at all of the local pro sports teams. The biggest being the annual Night OUT at the Nationals, which is not only one of the largest such events in pro sports, but is the longest consecutive Pride Night in Major League Baseball. Team DC also sponsors the annual Night of Champions Awards Dinner that recognizes local LGBTQ+ sports leaders who have been nominated by their teammates. While all member clubs operate independently, Team DC supports its members by helping with fundraising, recruitment, advocacy and community engagement. Team DC appreciates the need for strong community partnerships not only within the sports world, but with other LGBTQ+ groups, including the Capital Pride Alliance. Such partnerships help build bridges to best meet the broader needs of the community that any one single organization simply cannot do alone. The quarterly Sports Council meetings are great opportunities for teams to identify mutual needs and collaborate for success. Team DC recognizes that our strong sports community helps to create a safe and welcoming place for everyone who wants to play a sport whether they are rookies, old pros, or just looking to have fun and meet people. Team DC is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit agency registered in Washington D.C. More about the organization can be found at www.teamdc.org.
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) was founded in 2003 by transgender activists who recognized the urgent need for policy change to advance transgender equality. With a committed board of directors, a volunteer staff of one, and donated office space, NCTE set out to accomplish what no one had yet done: provide a powerful transgender advocacy presence in Washington, DC. Today, NCTE has more than 20 staff members who—alongside our nationwide community of transgender activists and allies—advocate to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice. NCTE has an extensive record of winning life-saving change for transgender people, including more than 160 federal policy wins under the Obama Administration. In addition to advocating for and defending pro-trans policies at the federal level, NCTE has a number of programs that strengthen the transgender community. In 2015, NCTE conducted the US Transgender Survey (USTS)— the largest survey examining the experiences of transgender people in the United States—with almost 28,000 respondents. Results from the USTS have been cited everywhere from US Supreme Court briefings to Time Magazine. NCTE conducts the survey every five years, with the next one scheduled for 2020. NCTE also has a robust ID Document Center, which provides resources for trans folks across the country. The organization also actively works with state administrative agencies to change state ID and healthcare policies to be more trans-friendly. Additionally, NCTE’s Voices for Transgender Equality and Families for Transgender Equality programs have created a strong network of individuals willing to share their own stories to help advance trans equality both nationally and within their local communities. NCTE envisions a society in which transgender people not only survive, but thrive, with accepting families and communities, full self-determination over their identities and bodies, and freedom from disrespect, discrimination, and violence. For this vision to become a reality, NCTE also strives to create equity, equal opportunity, safety, health, and economic well-being for all people over their entire lifetimes.
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COMING TOGETHER WITH THE COMMUNITY TO HELP END THE HIV EPIDEMIC
We are united with the community— rallying together to correct misperceptions, erase false beliefs and to make prevention a priority for all those affected by HIV. This common goal is what unites us to never give up until the end of the HIV epidemic. GILEAD IS PROUD TO SUPPORT CAPITOL PRIDE
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GILEAD and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. © 2019 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UNBC6340 03/19
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ENGENDERED SPIRIT
ENGENDERED SPIRIT
LARRY VILLEGAS-PEREZ
XEMI TAPEPECHUL
OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
Larry Villegas-Perez, a mixed race Native American-Hispanic born in Venezuela, is an activist and mental health practitioner with about 20 years in the public health field. He has provided training and technical assistance on community engagement, project management, sustainability, substance abuse, and transgender visibility topics to programs in at least 22 cities in the U.S., and within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). He is an early pioneer on the importance of transgender visibility and representation in all levels of society, having spoken on the matter on the shows of Christina and El Padre Alberto in Miami. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with emphasis in psychiatric nursing and oncology, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling-Psychology, psychoanalysis training, life coaching, and he is also a certified Hypnotherapist. As a community volunteer he participated in programs at the former WhitmanWalker Clinic, Advocates for Youth, AIDS Walk, DC AIDS Ride, One in Ten Film Festival, SMYAL, Family Place, Sasha Bruce and initiated his work at Casa Ruby in the summer on 2012 as a support group peer-counselor volunteer. Though his volunteer work for the past 18 years he has acquired a skill set like very few cisgender community leaders when working and meeting the needs of the transgender community in the Washington DC area. Currently, he is the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Data Officer at Latinos en Accion/Casa Ruby, where he manages holistic programs helping homeless youth, refugees, victims of crime, and HIV related programs to create success stories among LGBTQ2+ individuals. Larry VP is a member of the ICH Solid Foundations DC Comprehensive Plan to End Youth Homelessness, and is planning to complete his PhD in Psychology in the near future. Larry VP is a highly motivated and socially engaged DC Freemason, the Master of Federal Lodge #1, and SW of Justice-Columbia #3. Through his work in the fraternity he has raised thousands of dollars, and organized volunteerism to engage freemasonry in helping communities like Casa Ruby.
CAPITAL
TRANSPRIDE
Xemiyulu Manibusan Tapepechul, or Xemi the Two-Spirit, is a Nawat Trans Femme from Kuskatan, the land known internationally as El Salvador. She is a playwright (Yultaketzalis; Protect & Preserve; Illegal NDN; The Cosmic Twins; Siwayul (Heart of a Womxn)), spoken word artist, a published author (Metzali: Siwayul Shitajkwilu; My Woman Card Is Anti-Native & Other TwoSpirit Truths; The Cosmic Twins; Siwayul (Heart Of A Womxn)), the Director of Art and Culture of Trans-Latinx DMV, the Artistic and Development Director of Nelwat Ishkamewe Two-Spirit Artist Collective, the Ask Rayceen Show 2018 Poetry Slam Champion, the recipient of the 2018 Latino GLBT History Project’s Heritage Legacy Award, and has been recognized as a “40 Under 40 Queer Women of Washington” in 2019 by The D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the Washington Blade and the Mayor’s Office of Women and Policy Initiatives. Xemi has been published in Cultural Survival, Efniks.com, the Washington Blade, Indige-Zine, La Horchata Zine, Yellow Medicine Review Fall 2018—Our Stories, Our Breath, Our Stage: The Native Playwriting Issue, and others. Her book, My Woman Card is anti-Native & Other Two-Spirit Truths was nominated for the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry. Xemi, along with 178 other Womxn worldwide, was featured in Project #ShowUs by Girlgaze, Dove, and Getty Images, as a USA Market Feature. Xemi is consistently making space for transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming Native American and POC artists and advocates. The spaces she creates help heal, protect, uplift, and nurture the community, and help educate those outside of the community. Her passion and powerful voice, is inspiring to many people, young and old. All of the programming she creates, curates, and manages centers the transgender community, especially the Native American and POC transgender communities. She ensures that all of her events have a diversity of transgender people featured, including transgender women, transgender men, non-binary people, intersex people, and more. She has directed, written, designed for, and acted in many plays that center the transgender community, including participating in the DC Queer Theatre Festival, NextStop Theatre Company’s DarkNights, Artomatic@Frederick, and the DC Black Theatre Festival.
CAPITAL
TRANSPRIDE
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
All Photos: Denis Largeron Photography Page 71
HAPPY PRIDE 2019 FROM RAINBOW FAMILIES
TM
Supporting, Educating, Empowering and Connecting LGBTQ+ Families in the Mid-Atlantic Region for Over Twenty Years MAYBE BABY PATHWAYS TO PARENTHOOD WORKSHOPS CAMPING TRIPS | PICNICS | THEATER OUTINGS | ANNUAL FAMILY CONFERENCE | COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM | STORY TIMES PLAY GROUPS | WEEKEND GETAWAYS | FALL PUMPKIN MADNESS MEMBER DISCOUNTS | FAMILY DANCES | SUPPORT GROUPS TM
AND SO MUCH MORE
Visit Us Today! www.RainbowFamilies.org
Connect on Facebook @OurRainbowFamilies Instagram Rainbow.Families
Rainbow Families envisions a nation where all LGBTQ+ families can legally, openly and safely live in full equality Page 72
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MAY 31-JUNE 9
CAPITAL PRIDE CELEBRATION 2019 Photo: TMD Enterprises
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
PRODUCED BY THE CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE Page 73
CAPITAL PRIDE 2019 TEAM
THE VOLUNTEERS THAT ENTERTAINMENT
Jerry Houston – Chair Chris Avery - Exec. Producer, Capitol Stage Manager Joshua Beeson - Exec. Producer, Talent Management Geoff Bible - Producer Connor Coleman - Producer, Talent Management Music In The Night-Stage Manager Chelsea Cranshaw - Producer Will Cruttenden - Producer Teal Dye - Producer John Foley - Producer Amanda Gamage - Producer Kurt Graves - Producer Matt Kuder - Exec. Producer, Hospitality TC Lind - Producer Angela Love - Producer Don Mike Mendoza - Exec. Producer, Music in the Night Keenan Orr - Exec. Producer, Dupont Stage Jonathon Sorge - Exec. Producer, Monument Stage Melvin Thomas - Producer Vernon Wall – Exec. Producer, Entertainment Ryan Williams - Exec. Producer, Hospitality
MARKETING
Andre Bezerra - Marketing Chair Taylor Chandler - Exc. Producer, Twitter Don Mike Mendoza - Producer Randy Mersky - Exec. Producer, Instagram Marquia Parnell - Exec. Producer, Snapchat OPERATIONS Zach Bache - Exec. Producer, Operations Aaron Fishbach - Exec. Producer, Logistics Jennifer Hall - Exec. Producer, Logistics Bryan Davis - Exec. Producer, Accessibility Benny Llamas - Producer Accessiblility
FESTIVAL
CAPITAL
Jami Vallesteros – Festival Chair Alec Buckley - Producer, VIP Experience Michiel De Houwer - Producer, Festival Experience Megan Eimerman-Wallace - Exec. Producer, VIP Experience Maria Jose Flor Agreda - Exec. Producer, International Pride Initiative Robert Foster - Exec. Producer, Festival Experience Michael Graham - Producer, Capitol Garden James Haluczak - Producer, Festival Experience William Hawkins - Exec. Producer, Safety & Health Babak Hosseini - Exec. Producer, Festival Volunteers Matt Rancourt - Exec. Producer, Beverage Operations Curtis Walter - Exec. Producer, Sustainability Anthony Wisniewski - Producer, Capitol Garden Skander Yaiche - Exec. Producer, Festival Experience SPECIAL EVENTS Ed Bailey – Opening Party Chord Bezerra – Celebration Dance Party Kurt Graves – Celebration Dance Party Aaron Riggins – Celebration Opening Party Allen Sexton – Celebration Dance Party
VOLUNTEER WITH PRIDE
Chelsea Bland – Volunteer Chair Issac Bellamy - Producer J. Clarence Flanders Exec. Producer, Volunteer DeAnthony Nelson Exec. Producer, Volunteer Outreach Amandine Nonga - Exec. Producer, Special Events Volunteers Chris Tran - Producer
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MAKE
PRIDE
HAPPEN
PARADE AND BLOCK PARTY
Tiffany Lynn Royster – Parade Chair David Arwood - Exec. Producer, Parade Staging Ron Crognale - Exec. Prodcuer, Block Party Whitney Davis - Exec. Producer, Parade Dispersement Yadiell Deautriell - Producer, Staging Corey Fisher - Exec. Producer, Parade Review Stand Mike Garcia - Exec. Producer, Block Party Sean Holloway - Producer, Parade Staging Marquia Parnell - Exec. Producer, Bleachers Petrina Paxton-Thompson - Exec. Producer, Parade Route Anya Randall - Producer, Review Stand Jay Soriano - ProducerParade Staging Brock Thompson - Producer Parade Magaly Vicente - Exec. Producer, Parade Volunteers Magaly Vicinte - Exec. Producer, Volunteers Pam Yee - Producer, Parade Announcement Stand
PRODUCTION PARTNERS
Avalon Saturday’s DC Brightest Young Things Busboys and Poets CAGLCC Center Faith Chorus.DC Damien Ministries Dirty Goose Flashy Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington LURe Queen Vic Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs Rainbow Families Sex Worker Advocates Coalition (SWAC) Smithsonian American Art Museum Stonewall Kickball SMYAL TAGG Magazine Team DC Trade The Cherry Fund Uproar Wanda Alston Foundation Washington National Opera shhhOUT
2019 CAPITAL PRIDE CELEBRATION FRIDAY, MAY 31 through SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2019 ABOUT
LGBTQ+ people have made DC their home since the day our city was founded. It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th Century that we began to be noticed and to take action for our rights. Since then, we have come a long way in our journey toward equality. Capital Pride is an annual LGBTQ+ pride celebration held in early June each year in Washington, D.C. It was founded as Gay Pride Day, a oneday block party and street festival, in 1975. In 1980 the P Street Festival Committee formed to take over planning. It changed its name to Gay and Lesbian Pride Day in 1981. In 1991, the event moved to the week prior to Father’s Day. Different organizations have been responsible for the planning of the celebration. One In Ten was the prominent organization in the 1990’s, with Whitman-Walker Clinic, now known as Whitman-Walker Health, joining as a co-sponsor in 1997, at which time the event’s name was changed to Capital Pride. Whitman-Walker became the sole sponsor in 2000, and continued through 2008. In 2008 Whitman-Walker Health past the torch to Capital Pride Alliance, a newly formed organization from past volunteers of the annual pride celebration. The annual Capital Pride Celebration has grown from 2,000 people its first year and grew to 10,000 people covering 3 blocks in 1979. By 1984, it had expanded to a week-long event and by 1987 an estimated 28,000 attendees came to the street festival and parade. Attendance has continued to grow becoming one of the largest pride celebration in the United States, with activities focused on celebrating, educating, supporting, and supporting our LGBTQ+ community.
ORGANIZATION HOST
The Capital Pride Alliance, located in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its partners through educational events, entertainment, community outreach, and celebrations of diversity. Capital Pride produces each year Trans Pride and the Pride Celebration in the nation’s capital, one of the largest Pride events in the country, plus a variety of educational and community events throughout the year.
ORGANIZATION MISSION
The Capital Pride Alliance, through its stewardship of diverse programming and events, specifically year-round LGBTQ+ Pride festivities centered in Washington, DC and the National Capital Region, serves to celebrate, educate, support, and inspire our multi-faceted communities in order to grow and preserve our history and protect our rights for current and future generations Photo: Denis Largeron Photography THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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FRIDAY
MAY 31
THE CAPITAL PRIDE HONORS 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Smithsonian American Art Museum 8th St and G St NW
Join us for The Capital Pride Honors (formerly the Heroes Gala), a reception prior to the Countdown! Pride Celebration Kick-Off Party, at the Luce Foundation Center in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We will acknowledge outstanding individuals, leaders, and activists who have furthered the causes important to the LGBTQ+ community in the national capital region and beyond. Enjoy complimentary cocktails, tastings from our culinary partners, and following the Honors join the party at Countdown! Pride Celebration Kick-Off! THE PAVING THE WAY AWARD The Washington Blade HEROES Kimberley Bush Rea Carey Ben De Guzman Martin Espinoza Amanda Hackett Tony Nelson ENGENDERED SPIRITS Xemiyulu Tapepechul Larry Villegas-Perez LARRY STANSBURY AWARD Team DC BILL MILES AWARDS Donald Burch Alan Thompson BREAKING BARRIERS Community Impact Award National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) Page 76
Photo: TMD Enterprises
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FRIDAY
MAY 31
COUNTDOWN PRIDE CELEBRATION KICK-OFF PARTY: 8:30PM-1:00AM
21+
Smithsonian American Art Museum 8th St and G St NW In Partnership with: SAAM, BYT IT’S A COUNTDOWN TO PRIDE! Join SAAM, BYT, and the Capital Pride Alliance on the eve of Pride as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Celebrate our LGBTQ+ community, honor our outstanding leaders and activists, and launch the 2019 Capital Pride Celebration. Join us for an OPEN BAR KICK-OFF PARTY like you’ve never seen before with music, dancing, art activities, and plenty of other reveals! You will also be able to learn more about LGBTQ+ artists in SAAM’s collection. Be sure to take a look outside the museum when you arrive, as the building will be bathed in rainbow lights – an awesome opportunity to take the perfect Pride pic with your friends.
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Photo: TMD Enterprises
JUNE 3 OUT SPOKEN: Women’s Spoken Word and Other Queer Expressions MONDAY
Busboys and Poets (Brookland) 625 Monroe St NE
Enjoy the live DJ music, special performances, plus 2 hours of mic open to women-identified folks of all backgrounds to share their story through words or music. Audience can expect a diverse chorus of voices, and an array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, and acoustic musical performances.
Photo: TMD Enterprises
THURSDAY
JUNE 6
ROOFTOP RALLY
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM VIDA Penthouse Pool and Lounge (The Yards) 1212 4th St SE 21+
Kick-off the Capital Pride Celebration Weekend under the stars for a relaxing evening with volunteers, partners, donors, advocates, and supporters of Capital Pride Alliance. DJ’s will be spinning the beast as you enjoy some cocktails, and appetizers, not to mention mingling with some special guests and cooling off in the pool.
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FRIDAY
JUNE 7
RIOT: PRIDE CELEBRATION OPENING PARTY: 9:00 PM - 3:30 AM
ECHOSTAGE 2135 Queens Chapel Rd NW PARTNERSHIP WITH: TRADE 18+ On June 28, 1969, following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a RIOT broke out that lasted for several days. A united LGBTQ+ community-one that was diverse with regard to sexual orientation, gender identities, and race, and that included queer icons such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera - sparked a revolution of activism that would lead to the rights we have today. As we mark the 50th anniversary of the RIOT that started it all, we are able to celebrate, dance, and be true to ourselves because of the heroes who came before us and gave rise to our powerful community with a RIOT. While our work is not done, collectively through Pride we are able to create a powerful foundation that will help advance the cause of human dignity, equal rights, and a world free from discrimination and prejudice. FEATURING: Vanessa Vanjie Mateo PERFORMANCES BY: Ana Latour, Donna Slash, Jane Saw, JaxKnife, KC B. Yoncé, Citrine, Pussy Noir, SHÉ. Sippi, Sylvana
Photo: Denis Largeron Photography
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
DJS Honey Dvonne Ed Bailey Page 79
CELEBRATE EDUCATE SUPPORT INSPIRE
Donate to Capital Pride Alliance to support the Capital Pride Legacy Fund and help the LGBTQ+ community in the National Capital Region celebrate, educate, support and inspire our multi-faceted communities to grow and preserve our history and protect our rights for current and future generations. Consider making an annual gift of $60 or more to become a PRIDE365 Friend, or join the Capital Pride Legacy Circle with an annual gift starting at $1000. The Capital Pride Legacy Fund: • Provides direct financial support to community organizations to participate in their first pride! • Provides direct financial support to community organizations and individuals to expand access to events and activities!
capitalpride.org/donate Venmo/PayPal: donate@capitalpride.org
• Supports the annual volunteer program in recruitment, training, and recognition! • Helps keep marque events such as the Pride Parade, Festival, Concert, and Trans Pride FREE to the public!
INDIVUDUAL DONORS LEGACY CIRCLE: Jesse Bonales Ryan Bos Bernie Delia Gloria M. Grandolini Jeffrey Horn and Cary Jasgur Vince Micone Anthony Musa Raymond Panas and Richard Barndt Ross Perkins Bruce Rashbaum Colin Stewart Natalie Thompson Joey Poduslo Ashley Smith Vernon Wall Robert York Page 80
PRIDE 365 FRIENDS: d’Artagnan Catellier Clifton Johnson Gregory Kihm Susan Ludwig Mary Paradise
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LEGACY CIRCLE ADVOCATES ADOPTIONS TOGETHER & FAMILYWORKS TOGETHER AVALON SATURDAYS BAY ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY CHORUS.DC DIGNITY/WASHINGTON DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS GAY MENS CHORUS OF WASHINGTON DC HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
LURE RAINBOW FAMILIES SMYAL STONEWALL KICKBALL TAGG MAGAZINE TEAM DC THE CHERRY FUND TRADE UPROAR WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH
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Photo: TMD Enterprises
SATURDAY
JUNE 8
“CRACK OF NOON”Capital Pride Brunch 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM HRC Equality Center 1640 Rhode Island Ave NW
Enjoy Pride Brunch at this lively annual gathering on Parade Day! With delicious gourmet brunch tasting stations and complimentary mimosas and vodka drinks, attendees will dine and hobnob with the Pride Parade Grand Marshals, Pride 2019 Honorees, and other surprise special guests. Photo: TMD Enterprises
SATURDAY
JUNE 8
CAPITAL PRIDE BLOCK PARTY
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM Parade Route 15th St at P St NW 21+
The 3rd Annual Pride Block Party returns for Pride 2019. Enjoy entertainment, food, and your favorite beverage before, during, and after the Pride 2019 Parade. Featuring DJ’s Vodkatrina, Rosie, and Farrah Flosscett. Page 82
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SATURDAY
JUNE 8
PRIDE CELEBRATION PARADE 4:30 PM - 8:00 PM Dupont and Logan Circle Neighborhoods
KICK OFF P St and 23rd St to 14th St and R St NW PRESENTED BY MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL Join the LGBTQ+ community, in the historic Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods to experience the Capital Pride Parade in the Nation’s Capital. More than 200 organizations will traverse the 1.5 mile route expressing themselves with floats, vehicles, signs, banners, and entertainment to commemorate our history and support our community, making this one of DC’s favorite and most impactful parades. This family friendly event is FREE and open to the public.
PRESENTED BY:
Photo: TMD Enterprises
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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SATURDAY
JUNE 8
DEFIANCE DC PRIDE DANCE PARTY 9:00 PM – 3:30 AM City Winery 1350 Okie St NE 21+
To progress in life sometimes we must be defiant and stand up for what we know is right. We must stand up when the powers that be order us to sit down. Let’s celebrate all those before us who were defiant in tough times to press on for equality! The Defiance Dance Party will have 4
floors, 5 DJs, and more! Food available from the culinary experts at City Winery. Please note that bags/backpacks will be subject to search.
SATURDAY
JUNE 8
TRIUMPH CAPITAL PRIDE YOUTH DANCE 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Hotel Palomar, 2121 P St NW
SMYAL, Damien Ministries, Capital Pride Alliance, and Youth Pride Alliance join together to host the 2019 Capital Pride Youth Dance. It will be a night of music, food, dancing and performances. All youth 21 and under are welcome to attend this free event. Page 84
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WE’RE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. LET’S #MARCHONWARD TOGETHER. ©2019 Barefoot Cellars, Modesto, CA. All rights reserved.
SUNDAY
JUNE 9
PRIDE CELEBRATION FESTIVAL
12 NOON – 10 PM America’s Mainstreet Pennsylvania Ave, Between 7th St and 3rd St NW PRESENTED BY LIVE CASINO & HOTEL Join the LGBTQ+ community, on America’s Mainstreet, historic Pennsylvania Avenue, for the Capital Pride Festival in the Nation’s Capital.
Enjoy a full day of entertainment, music, food, drink, education, and celebration. The Pride Festival includes three stages of national and local talent, and will host 300 exhibitors including local community groups and businesses, food vendors, and organizations looking to promote their products and services to our community. Engage, learn, and celebrate with the many diverse organizations that reperesnt the spectrum of our community. *This family friendly event is FREE and open to the public.
Photo: TMD Enterprises Page 86
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Equality and a side of fries McDonald’s of Greater Washington, D.C is proud to sponsor the Capital Pride Parade.
Saturday, June 8th
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
©2019 McDonald’s Page 87
INTERNAL MEDICINE PRIMARY CARE HIV SPECIALTY CARE AESTHETICS
happy pride
Price Medical is proud and honored to serve the Washington, DC LGBTQ+ community. Personalized and expert medical care since 1997. dupont circle/pricemedical.com
PriceMedicalPrideAd_2019.indd 1
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SUNDAY
JUNE 9
PRIDE CONCERT & CAPITOL SUNSET DANCE PARTY 1:00 PM – 10 PM Capitol Stage Pennsylvania Ave at 3rd St NW PRESENTED BY: HOT 99.5/PRIDE RADIO What better way to cap off your Pride Celebration weekend than at the Capital Pride Concert presented by HOT 99.5. You will experience entertainment from international headliners and our best local and regional LGBTQ+ talent on America’s Main Street, Pennsylvania Ave., in front of the U.S. Capitol. The Capital Pride Festival & Concert is the largest annual event in the national capital region attended by more than 400,000 people. You can experience entertainment from three stages while sipping on a cocktail and other refreshing beverages, munching on food at two food courts, and networking with over 300 organizations. The Concert is FREE and open to the public. The Dance Party 8 PM -10PM Pit and VIP zones are available for purchase on line and at the information booths at the festival Alessia Cara Headlined Capital Pride Concert in 2018
Photo: TMD Enterprises THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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HONESTLY My sexual health is worth protecting.
No one wants to think about HIV. But there are things everyone can do. Talk to a healthcare provider and find out about all of your prevention options.
VISIT
HonestlyItsTime.com HEALTHYSEXUAL, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. ©2018 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UNBC5504 06/18
PRIDE FEATURED EVENTS SATURDAY & SUNDAY
JUNE 1-2
GMCW: STONEWALL 50 8:00 PM & 3:00 PM The Lincoln Theatre 1215 U St NW
Join GMCW for a gorgeous, exciting, and powerful celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The concert will include the world premiere of Quiet No More, a one-act musical commissioned by GALA Choruses to celebrate the anniversary of Stonewall and kickoff Pride month.
SUNDAY
JUNE 2
DC LATINX LGBTQ+ HISTORY TOUR 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Adams Morgan Columbia Rd and 18th St NW
Capital Pride Alliance, Empodérate Youth Center of La Clinica del Pueblo, and Latino GLBT History Project cordially invite you to join historian and Capital Pride board member Jose Gutierrez in this educational, bilingual and free walking tour.
SUNDAY
JUNE 2
RECLAIMING THE TEA DANCE: A Festive Afternoon Honoring Hank Chen 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Eaton Hotel DC 1201 K ST NW
An afternoon tea dance party with musical styling by “Oh He Dead” and comedy by Hank Chen to benefit the Wanda Alston Foundation THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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SUNDAY
JUNE 2
DRAGBALL Stead Field 1625 P St NW
Join Stonewall Kickball for an afternoon of fun with team members playing kickball in drag to raise money for our LGBTQ+ community.
TUESDAY
JUNE 4
NIGHT OUT AT THE NATIONALS
7:10 PM Nationals Ballpark 1500 S Capitol St SE
Come celebrate the largest LGBTQ Community Night in professional sports! Proceeds from ticket sales contribute to Team DC’s Student-Athlete Scholarships. Scholarships are awarded each year to local college-bound LGBTQ student-athletes who, through their role in academics and sports, have enhanced the perception of the LGBTQ community.
THURSDAY
JUNE 6
GRITANDO ORGULLO
13th DC Latinx Pride Official Dance Party 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM The DC Eagle 3701 Benning Rd NE (21+)
La Fiesta is the DMV’s largest Latinx LGBTQ party! ¡Únete con nosotros para el décimo tercero Anual DC Latinx Pride! La Fiesta es la noche Latinx LGBTQ más grande del DMV. Page 92
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PRIDE FEATURED EVENTS SATURDAY
JUNE 8
PRIDE FRIDAY NIGHT: After Hours 3:30 AM – 9:00 AM Tropicalia 2001 14th ST NW 21+
Chorus.DC presents a Friday night after hours with super star DJs Aaron Aanenson (NYC) and Renato Cecin (Brazil).
SATURDAY
JUNE 8
FUSE: CAPITAL PRIDE WOMENS PARTY 9:00 PM – 3:00 AM Howard Theatre 620 T St NW
Back at Howard Theatre LURe and TAGG Magazine present teh offiical the official Womxn’s Pride Party. Including DJ Electr()x, DJ Honey, and DJ MIM! Featuring Dystruxion and Pineapple Entertainment
SUNDAY
JUNE 9
ACTION:
SATURDAY NIGHT AFTERHOURS 3:30 AM – 9:30 AM Club Flash 645 Florida Ave NW
The Cherry Fund presents the offiical Saturday night Afterhours with Nina Flowers, Serving Ovahness, and Shane Marcus. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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SATURDAY
JUNE 11
PRIDE INTERFAITH SERVICE 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Adas Israel 2850 Quebec St NW
The 36th Anniversary Pride Interfaith Celebration will feature the theme “Looking Back, Looking Forward” and speakers will include founders of the service Joe Pomper; Allan Armus, Charles Keener. We will also be joined by the LOVE Gospel Choir and Interfaith Community Choir.
SATURDAY
JUNE 1 DC LATINX PRIDE - LA FE 2019
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, DC (MCCDC) 474 Ridge St NW Hosted By: Latino GLBT History Project
2019 PRIDE WOMXN’S KICKOFF PARTY
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM Big Chief DC 2002 Fenwick St NE Hosted By: Whitman-Walker Health, LURe and TAGG Magazine
BRUT DC
10:00 PM - 6:00 AM Exile at The DC Eagle 3701 Benning Road NE Hosted By: The DC Eagle
TUESDAY
JUNE 4 13TH DC LATINX PRIDE: LA PLATICA
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM Human Rights Campaign 1640 Rhode Island Ave NW Hosted By: Latino GLBT History Project
WEDNESDAY
JUNE 5 DECRIMNOW: Sex work is work
Visit capitalpride.org/celebration for more information. Hosted By: Sex Worker Advocates Coalition (SWAC)
“EXPOSED” WITH COMEDIAN LESLIE JORDAN 5:00 PM & 9:00 PMa Union Stage at the Wharf 740 Water St SW Hosted By: The Washington Blade Page 94
THURSDAY
JUNE 6 FLASHY PRIDE WEEKEND KICKOFF PARTY 9:00 PM – 4:00 AM Flashy Sundays 645 Florida Ave NW
Flashy is having a special FREE Thursday night event for Capital Pride! Doors open at 9:00 pm, so come early to avoid the line! DJs TWiN and Sean Morris
FRIDAY
JUNE 7 DYKE MARCH
4:00 PM- 7PM For more details: www.facebook.com/dykemarchdc/
DC FRONT RUNNERS PRIDE RUN 5K
7:00pm Congressional Cemetery 1801 E St SE Hosted By: The DC Front Runners Pride Run Foundation
SATURDAY
JUNE 8 PRIDE ON THE PIER
2:00 PM – 9:00 PM The Wharf 1100 Maine Ave SW Hosted By: The Washington Blade, LURe and The Wharf
AVALON SATURDAYS
10:00 PM – 4:00 AM 18+ Soundcheck 1420 K Street Northwest
SUNDAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 9 PRIDE @ SAAM
11:30 AM.–7 PM., Smithsonian American Art Museum, FREE
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HYDRATE!
MELISSA MOLLET
AARON GILCHRIST
EUN YANG
CHUCK BELL
5PM, 6PM Y 11PM
JOSEPH MARTÍNEZ
CLAUDIA CURIEL
ALBAN ZAMORA
SULEMA SALAZAR
MOISÉS LINARES
PROUD 2019 PRIDE PARTNERS THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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Everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and included. Salesforce is proud to support the LGBTQ community. #EqualityForAlL Salesforce.com/Equality
CAPITAL CONCERT STAGE HEADLINER
MARSHMELLO
Marshmello’s star continues to rise as the famously masked artist breaks boundaries across the industry. With chart-topping singles and collaborations with the likes of Bastille, Selena Gomez, Migos, Khalid, Logic, and more, Marshmello has clocked a staggering 2+ billion streams across Spotify alone and with over 40 million monthly listeners on the platform, he’s the fourth most streamed artist in the world on Spotify. His smash hit single “Happier” with Bastille topped the charts around the world, with cumulative streams nearing one billion. Certified Platinum in the U.S., “Happier” held the No. 1 position for three consecutive weeks on Billboard’s BDS and Mediabase/Top 40 Radio Airplay chart. The song also topped Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Streaming chart and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart. His hit “FRIENDS” with Anne-Marie peaked at #2 at Pop radio making it Marshmello’s highest charting record to date spending over 25 weeks on the Top 40 Charts. Certified double platinum in the US and UK and certified triple platinum in Canada, “FRIENDS” ranked #1 on both iTunes and Shazam’s worldwide charts, with over 500 million overall streams. 2017’s ‘Wolves’ ft. Selena Gomez peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and #5 at Top 40 radio, and Marshmello himself is ranked #4 overall on Billboard’s 2018 Dance List. Marshmello’s latest release is the up-tempo “Here With Me” featuring Chvrches . Additional noteworthy collaborations include his recently released track “Biba,” a Hindi-language crossover with Indian stars Pritam and Shirley Setia described by TIME Magazine as “a dance floor smash, thanks to Marshmello’s signature driving synths.” The music video for the song was directed by top Bollywood director Punit Malhotra and contains tributes to the biggest scenes in Bollywood throughout cinema history. Here is a link to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhYRlI_bpJQ Marshmello recently announced a historic residency deal in Las Vegas for an exclusive two-year engagement at KAOS Dayclub and Nighclub at the Palms Casino Resort. Also featured on the cover of the Forbes magazine “30 Under 30” issue, the world renown DJ / producer is currently nominated for six iHeartRadio Music Awards, including Best New Pop Artist, Best Dance Artist, and Best Producer. He won his first American Music Award for “Best Electronic Artist” at the 2018 AMA’s and a 2018 MTV EMA Award for “Best Electronic Artist.” Marshmello’s tour schedule includes upcoming dates in Japan, Miami, and Mexico before the electronic music producer embarks on a European tour in May. For tour dates, please visit, https://marshmellomusic.com THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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CAPITAL CONCERT STAGE HEADLINER
ZARA LARSSON
Every once in a while, a woman comes along and flips everything upside down. When it comes to pop music, Zara Larsson is that woman. The 20-year-old Swedish singer and songwriter quietly ascended to the forefront of modern pop with undeniable talent, uncompromising attitude, and unbelievable songcraft. As a result, she made history. Her RIAA gold-certified 2017 full-length, So Good, holds the distinction of being “the second most-streamed debut on Spotify by a female artist ever,” eclipsing five billion streams. Among a bevy of smashes, “Ain’t My Fault” went gold, “Lush Life” went platinum and “Never Forget You” with MNEK went triple-platinum. Among numerous accolades, she has won favorite Swedish Star at the Nickelodeon Kid’s choice awards 2016, 2017, and 2018! She also landed best newcomer and worldwide act at the 2016 MTV EMAs. She notably took the stage at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Concert to perform “Symphony” alongside Clean Bandit. Meanwhile, she achieved four Swedish Grammi Awards (2018), including “Best Song,” “Best Album,” and “Artist of the Year.” Zara snagged spot’s on TIME Magazine’s “30 Most Influential Teens of 2016,” and Billboard’s “21 Under 21” of 2017, Maxim’s Hot 100 of 2018. Additionally, she has received nominations at the Teen Choice Awards, MTV VMAs, and more.
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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CAPITAL CONCERT STAGE HEADLINER
SHEA DIAMOND
As early as transgender singer Shea Diamond can remember, she identified as a girl -- and was punished for it. “I got whoopings for walking like a girl, for using the restroom sitting down like a girl,” says Diamond today. “Even singing when I was little, I remember being corrected: ‘Put some bass in your voice.’ It was like robbing me of the only joy I had in this world.” She ran away from home in Flint, Mich., as a teen, and at age 20 robbed a convenience store at gunpoint -- desperate, she says, to fund her gender-affirming surgery. According to records, she was incarcerated at various men’s correctional facilities in Michigan from 1999 until 2009. Behind bars, Diamond found her voice as a songwriter. After her release, she relocated to New York and entered the world of trans activism. When songwriter-to-the-stars Justin Tranter saw a video of Diamond singing a cappella at a Trans Lives Matter event, he reached out. Now, he’s executive producer of Diamond’s first EP, Seen It All, a collection of roof-rattling anthems showcasing Diamond’s soulful voice.
CAPITAL CONCERT STAGE HEADLINER
TODRICK HALL
Multi-talented singer, rapper, actor, director, choreographer, and YouTube personality, Todrick Hall rose to prominence on American Idol. His popular YouTube channel, with over 2.9 million subscribers and 588 million channel views, consists notably of original songs, choreographed flash mobs for Beyoncé, musical collaborations, and appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race as a guest judge. Hall has been in four Broadway shows including starring in Kinky Boots, Chicago, The Color Purple, and Memphis. In addition, he completed two successful tours of Straight Outta Oz, both of which were highly acclaimed by fans and critics alike. Recently, he appeared as a dancer in Taylor Swift’s video Look What You Made Me Do. His recent ‘Todrick Hall American: The Forbidden Tour’ was 60 cities worldwide and included the US, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia.
“Shea transcends labels and limitations, even genre,” says Weagly. “She isn’t just an amazing trans or LGBTQ artist, but an amazing artist overall.” After a hard journey, Diamond has a team on her side. “Frankly, when I close my eyes,” says Seton, “I see her performing onstage at the Grammys.”
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CAPITAL CONCERT STAGE HEADLINER
CALUM SCOTT
CAPITAL CONCERT STAGE HEADLINER
NINA WEST
Born in the port city of Hull in Northern England, Calum Scott is disarmingly direct -- a quality that informs his self-penned, rippedfrom-the-soul songs and that’s apparent even when he is interpreting another artist’s material, as his poignant cover of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” demonstrates.
Hi, I’m Nina. Welcome to my world — a colorful, candy-coated wonderland where dreams come true. Oh yea, guess what? I am also a contestant on season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race! I can’t wait to go on this journey with you. Let’s sissy that walk together!
Shortly after Scott self-released “Dancing On My Own” in March 2016, the song went viral in over 34 countries on Spotify, peaking at No. 2 on the Global Viral 50. The single charted at No. 1 in more than six countries, including the U.S., and ranked in the Top 10 in over 20 countries on Spotify. “Dancing On My Own” has charted in iTunes’ Top 10 in more than 12 countries and has now spent four weeks in the Top 40 of the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart hitting #27 and climbing. The accompanying video is also a viral hit, with views exceeding 23 million.
Hi, I’m Andrew. I have been performing in central Ohio and around the United States for the last 18 years, doing regional theatre and of course, drag. As Nina West, I’ve produced over 35 main stage production shows and raised over two million dollars for local and national charities through my charitable fund The Nina West Foundation. I love all things Disney, cheese, and puppies- particularly my super-pooches, Edgar and Felicity.
“When I recorded ‘Dancing On My Own’ in my bedroom, I never thought for a second that it would reach as far as it has and bring this level of support from literally all over the globe,” says Calum Scott. “I’m so excited about the next chapter because there is so much to come!” Now signed to Capitol Records, Scott is currently working on his debut album. He was a finalist on the 2015 season of “Britain’s Got Talent.”
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
“It’s mind-blowing to know how giving people are. It’s just amazing to me. Columbus is a really giving community and it speaks to how close-knit and tight our LGBTQ community is. One of my favorite things about what I do, now more than ever, is making a connection with families, kids, and LGBTQ families and their children,” Andrew said. “Giving families access to the art of drag is pretty powerful and awesome.” The Nina West Foundation. Nina West, the drag persona of Andrew Levitt, has grown into a legendary figure, creating a platform to lift up and support LGBTQ organizations. He’s done thousands of shows, participates in hundreds of appearances each year, and has given generously in time, talent, and treasure to the community. The charity performance he does at the end of each big show averages about $1,500—an incredible testament to his passion, and the generosity of his audience. Page 103
CAPITOL STAGE
PERFORMERS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER PLEASE CHECK ONLINE OR AT THE FESTIVAL FOR TIME SLOTS DESTINY B CHILDS
HOUSTON HOT 99.5
DJ TWiN
BA’NAKA
BIG DIPPER
BLAIR MICHAELS
CALUM SCOTT
FALSETTOS
THE COOLOTS
DAMARCKO PRICE
ELLA FITZGERALD
FREDDIES FOLLIES
GMC-DC
KRISTINA KELLY
LAITH ASHLEY
MARSHMELLO
MICHI
NINA WEST
SHEA DIAMOND
SASHA SANCHEZ
TODRICK HALL
ZARA LARSSON
TRACY YOUNG
PRESENTED BY
Emcees Jerry Houston Destiny B. Childs DJ Dj TWiN Ba’Naka Big Dipper Blair Michaels Calum Scott The Cast of Falsettos at the Kennedy Center The CooLots Damarcko Price Ella Fitzgerald Freddie’s Follies Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC Kristina Kelly Laith Ashley Marshmello Michi Nina West Shea Diamond Stasha Sanchez, Miss Continental Todrick Hall Zara Larsson Capitol Sunset Dance Party DJ Tracy Young
12-1PM TIM JACKSON
Page 104
1-2PM DJ ANDRE GUTARR
DUPONT DANCE STAGE 3-4PM FARRAH FLOSSCETT
4-5PM DJ ELECTROX
5-6PM KEITH HOFFMAN
6-7 PM H3NRY TR!LL shhhOUT
MONUMENT STAGE
PERFORMERS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
PLEASE CHECK ONLINE OR AT THE FESTIVAL FOR TIME SLOTS
OPHELIA BOTTOMS
JERRY JONES
H3NRY THR!LI
PRESENTED BY
ALISE KING
CHISTINA HOLMES
DC FRONT RUNNERS
Emcee Ophelia Bottoms DJ Jerry Jones H3nry Thr!Ll DC GURLY SHOW
DOLLHOUSE
J.TYLER
J-LINE
JOURDAN FROST
LADY TONI
L’MARCO
MANUEX
MISS KELLI
NATETION
OH HE DEAD
RICKY ROSÉ
SHERRI
SKYE STRICKLER
SEÁN BARNA
STEPHANIE GAYLE
SHADINA
SUSAN ROWE
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
Alise King Christina Holmes DC Front Runners DC Gurly Show DOLLHOUZE J. Tyler J-LINE Jourdan Frost Lady Toni L’Marco Manuex Miss Kelli NateTion Oh He Dead Ricky Rosé Seán Barna SHADINA Sherri Skye Strickler Stephanie Gayle Susan Rowe The 5:55
THE 5:55
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Wicked Jezabel
The CooLots
Black FolksDon’t Swim
Lightmare
QUEER MUSIC FOR THE SOUL By Kate Weinberg
For the Tagg Magazine family, Pride isn’t so much an annual celebration as a yearlong expression of everything under the rainbow. But as Pride season kicks off, there are some bands you should be listening to while on your way to and from events. Take a look at these queer bands with soul, make sure you follow them on social media, and check out their upcoming shows.
WICKED JEZABEL
Wicked Jezabel is an award-winning band that has become known as “the lesbian bar on wheels” in the Mid-Atlantic area since 2004. They’re a band offering retro hits from the Motown 60s, disco and classic rock 70s, wicked 80s, grunge/techno 90s and a “tad” of today too. Pauline and and wife Davi AnsonDross started the band, and have won three Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) awards and the Best of Gay DC in 2013, 2017, and 2018.
BLACK FOLKS DON’T SWIM
The question “Black Folks Don’t Swim?” is as much an introspective inquiry asked of the audience as it is the band’s name. In November 2017, four Black gender expansive musicians formed the group to uplift their stories and voices through music. The group has grown into a world-based movement of artists, songwriters, composers, and activists generating comfortable spaces through their music.
Pauline sings and plays the guitar, guitar synth, and percussion. Davi also sings, plays percussion, and the keyboard. Band members include Sandra “Jump” Dumas (guitar), Heather Haze (saxophone, keyboard, vocals, triangle), Toné Compito Wellington (bass), Melissa “Twitch” Shaver (drums), Jacki Yuille (drums), Elaine Giles (sound engineer), and their talented substitutes in times of scheduling conflicts. With so much diversity (and not just musical), they are a full line-up of talent.
Responding to a monolithic, cis straight white male-dominated entertainment industry (and society), Black Folks Don’t Swim? uses their art and image to challenge these ideas about music and entertainment. They’re formed by a core ensemble of Black Queer Folk: Dez McNeil (multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer), Kailasa Aqeel de Oliveira (lead vocals) and Shug Sweet a.k.a Clarissa Corey-Bey (bass and backing vocals), as well as the voices and talents of Nithin Venkatraman (guitar and producer), Themba Sipho (drums), Sequoia Snyder (piano and keyboards) and Daniel Campos (flugelhorn and trumpet).
Wicked Jezabel proudly and regularly donates a percentage of their band’s fees to animal rescue organizations, women’s health groups, natural disaster relief agencies, and others, at the local, national, and international levels.
It’s hard to pin down a genre with musicians who move so organically from one place to another. But they describe themselves as “transgenre purveyors of funkified soul bands.” They float from blue-note blue-jazz, Latin sounds, Afro beat, Shout! Gospel, polyrhythmic future funk, rock and roll, and the allubiquitous One (with two-and-four clapping and toe-tapping).
Upcoming Shows: June 19 Women of Rock Show at JV’s in Falls Church July 13 Downtown Cumberland Gay Pride Festival July 20 The Electric Palm, Woodbridge, VA.
THE COOLOTS
The CooLots are a D.C.-based band that has quickly built a name for itself in the LGBTQ community and beyond. They effortlessly move across a spectrum of genres including rock, alternative, indie, soul, and rhythm and blues, just to name a few. Singer Crys C (vocals), Awesome Rita (vocals/bass), Dappho The Flow-er (vocals/bass), Huggie (vocals/electric), and Bloomclak (percussion) are aware of the music industry’s need to put every band in a single, commercial box. But they don’t want to be defined by just one musical genre or style—instead, the members describe their music as “Organic, Rock & Soul-real, and for the people.” They say that they “draw in the hip grinders, the lyrically inclined, the head bangers, and the soul sisters.” In addition to playing at prominent D.C. venues, including the Howard Theatre and the Rock and Roll Hotel, The CooLots have brought their sound to the Brooklyn Museum, Rhinestone Steel in Pittsburgh, and various venues in the Northeast, earning them a national fanbase in the process.
Upcoming Shows: June 9 – Capital Pride Festival Monument Stage THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
To hear a truly remarkable combination of these musicians, you can check out their album release in May 2019.
Upcoming Shows: Aug 1 – with Champion Sound Band at Tropicalia July 21 and Nov 17th -- Garlic Presst
LIGHTMARE
Genre-wise, Lightmare draws from a wide variety of influences from blues, to arena rock, punk, soul, classical and more. They make songs about love, death, and revolution in an ever-overlapping manner. They are smooth and sharp, warm and galvanizing, punchy, political, and personal. They make music meant to shake your bones, squeeze your heart, and roll through your dreams. Lightmare is a six-person soulpunk arrangement out of Washington, D.C. They originally began as a temporary “Hat Band,” which is an annual project where a few dozen strangers are randomly thrown together as bands, later playing a showcase to benefit Girls Rock! DC, a non-profit organization. But after the showcase was done, they remained together, growing the group and going on to blend their rich backgrounds into an explosive sound. Lightmare features Shady Rose (they/them) on lead vocals, Vitamin Dee (she/ her) on keys, Matty K (he/him) on sax, Beck (he/him) on guitar, Josette (she/ her) on drums, and Frankie Goodbye (no pronouns) on bass. They have released their freshman album, Dream Glitch, and the music video to their song “Good Night White Pride.”
Upcoming Shows: TBA. Follow their social media for regular updates! Page 107
Washington Blade celebrates 50 years Revisiting images of Pride through the decades
The Washington Blade is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019. Here we take a look back at how the city has commemorated Pride over the years, from the 1976 block party to last year’s performance from Troye Sivan. For more historic photos from the Blade’s extensive, one-of-a-kind archive, visit washingtonblade.com.
Revelers celebrate the Gay Pride Day block party in 1976.
Gay Pride Day is held in 1978.
A hot-air balloon flies over Gay Pride Day 1980.
A view from above of the Gay Pride Parade in 1987.
Washington Blade photo
Washington Blade photo by John M. Yanson
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
Washington Blade photo by John M. Yanson
Washington Blade photo by Doug Hinkle
Page 108
The Lesbian and Gay Freedom Festival is held in 1995, celebrating 20 years of Pride.
PFLAG marches in the 2001 Gay Pride Parade.
The D.C. Cowboys dance on their float in the 2004 Pride Parade.
Veteran activist Frank Kameny is honored in the 2009 Capital Pride Parade.
The Honor Guard marches at the head of the Capital Pride Parade for the first time in 2014.
Out singer Troye Sivan entertained at the 2018 Capital Pride Festival.
Washington Blade photo by Clint Steib
Washington Blade photo
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
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Washington Blade photo by Clint Steib
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
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PRIDE CELEBRATION PARTICIPANTS
SPONSOR FESTIVAL PARADE PARTNER
AS OF 4.1.19
ACLU of the District of Columbia acludc.org Festival
AXIOS/DC http://axiosdc.org Festival
Capital Area Young Republicans www.yrfv.org Parade
Adoptions Together FamilyWorks Together www.adoptionstogether.org Festival; Parade
BANK OF AMERRICA http://BankofAmerica.com Parade
CAPITAL ONE https://www.capitalone.com/inclusion/ Festival; Parade
AFGE www.afge.org Festival; Parade
Bay Atlantic University https://bau.edu/ Festival; Pride Partner
Capital City MS PCS Parade
AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION www.aidshealth.org Festival; Parade
Beatniks RC Parade
AIRBUS www.airbus.com Festival; Parade All American Grill Festival Food Vendor American Fruit Smoothie Festival Food Vendor Atlantic Home Products https://greentechremodeling.com Festival
Bet Mishpachah http://www.betmish.org Festival Big Ten Alumni of Greater Washington, DC https://dc.alumni.osu.edu/ Festival Bloomberg BNA www.bna.com/ Festival Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar www.bobbymckeys.com Parade
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention National Capital Area Chapter AFSP.prg/NCAC Festival; Parade
BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON www.boozallen.com/apply Festival; Parade
ANCHOR Study www.anchorstudy.org Festival
Bowdoin College https://www.bowdoin.edu/alumni-families/ Parade
Anita Bonds, Councilmember At-Large www.anitabonds.com Parade
BROOKLYN KINGS APAPREL/IOP, INC. Festival
Arlington-Alexandria Gay & Lesbian Alliance (AGLA) www.agla.org Festival; Parade Association of Welcoming & Affirmimg Baptists www.awab.org Parade Attache Corporate Housing www.StayAttache.com Parade
THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
BronyCon www.bronycon.org Festival Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC) www.caglcc.org Festival Capital Area Rainbowlers Association www.carabowling.org Festival
Capital Tennis Association (CTA) https://www.capital-tennis.org Festival Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School www.carlosrosario.org Parade Casa Ruby www.casaruby.org Festival; Parade; Pride Partner Centaur MC www.centaurmc.org Parade Center City Public Charter Schools www.centercitypcs.org Parade Center for Spiritual Living DC https//CSLDC.org Festival Central Intelligence Agency www.cia.gov Festival Chairman Phil Mendelson DC City Council www.chairmanmendelson.com Parade Cheer DC www.cheerdc.org Parade Chesapeake and Potomac Softball (CAPS) www.capssoftball.org Festival; Parade CHOICE HOTELS http://www.choicehotels.com/ Page 111
CITI | AMPA www.citicommunitydevelopment.com City Dogs Rescue & City Kitties www.citydogsrescuedc.org Parade City Winery DC www.citywinery.com/dc Clack That Fan www.clackthatfan.com Festival CliftonLarsonAllen LLP Parade Closet America www.closetamerica.com Festival COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/dupont Festival Community of Christ www.cofchristdc.org Festival COMPASS GROUP INC http://compass-group.com Parade Daftboy daftboy.com Festival DC Boys of Leather Festival DC Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Festival D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking www.disb.dc.gov Festival D.C. Lambda Squares www.dclambdasquares.org Festival DC Area Quakers https://dcquakers.org/ Festival; Parade DC Front Runners www.dcfrontrunners.org Festival; Parade Page 112
DC Office of Human Rights www.ohr.dc.gov Festival DC Preservation League www.dcpreservation.org Festival
country-pays/united_states-etats_unis/ washington.aspx?lang=eng Parade
DC Public Schools www.dcps.dc.gov Parade
EQUALITY UGANDA https://equalityuganda.wordpress.com/ Festival
DC Strokes Rowing Club wwww.dcstrokes.org/ Festival; Parade
EQUITY RESIDENTIAL http://equityapartments.com Parade
DC Water www.dcwater.com Parade
Etna Print Circus www.etnaprintcircus.com Festival
DC’s Different Drummers www.dcdd.org Festival; Parade DC Democratic State Committee dcdemocraticparty.org Parade DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center www.va.gov Festival; Parade DIAMOND RESORTS INTERNATIONAL MARKETING, INC. https://www.diamondresorts.com/ Festival District of Columbia Aquatics Club Inc www.swimdcac.org Parade Denizens Brewing Company ww.denizensbrewingco.com Parade Dignity/Washington www.dignitywashington.org Festival; Parade Dupont Circle ANC 2B www.dupontcircleanc.net Parade
Endgame www.endgame.com Festival; Parade
EY www.ey.com Parade FACEBOOK www.facebook.com Festival; Parade Fairfax County Public Schools Pride fcpspride.org Festival Fairfax Cryobank and EggBank www.fairfaxcryobank.com Festival FANNIE MAE http://fanniemae.com Festival; Parade Fantasia Production www.fantasiaproduction.com Parade Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) www.fema.gov Festival Food & Friends www.foodandfriends.org Festival; Parade
Edmund Burke School www.burkeschool.org Parade
Federal Triangles Soccer Club https://www.federaltriangles.org/ Festival
Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Paul Sexton www.edwardjones.com Festival
Fire Grill www.shishkabobnc.com Festival Food Vendor
Embassy of Canada https://international.gc.ca/world-monde/
FOOD LION https://www.foodlion.com/ Festival; Parade shhhOUT
FREDDIE MAC www.freddiemac.com Festival
HEINEKEN www.heinekenusa.com
Latin Soul DC DC’s Premier Promotion Company www.latinsouldc.com Parade
Freddie’s Beach Bar www.freddiesbeachbar.com Parade
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Falls Church https://www.holytrinityfallschurch.org/ Parade
Free State Roller Derby www.freestaterollerderby.com Festival
Home Fix https://homefixcustomremodeling.com/ Festival
Friendship Place www.friendshipplace.org Festival GAMMA www,GAMMAinDC.org Festival; Parade
Hop DIGGITY Dog Festival Food Vendor
LGBT Congressional Staff Association, Senate GLASS Caucus, and Library of Congress-GLOBE www.lgbtcsa.org Parade
Howluu www.howluu.com Festival
LGBT Democrats of Virginia www.lgbtvadem.org Festival
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC https://www.gmcw.org Festival; Parade; Pride Partner
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN www.hrc.org
LGBTQ Counseling www.lgbtc.com Festival
GIANT FOOD www.giantfood.com Festival; Parade
Immanuel Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia www.ipcmclean.org Parade
GILEAD SCIENCES, INC. https://www.gilead.com/ Festival
Inspired Teaching School www.inspiredteachingschool.org Parade
GLIFAA LGBT+ Pride in Foreign Affairs Agencies https://glifaa.org Parade
Iona Senior Services www.iona.org Festival
GLINT, World Bank GLOBE,Thursday People & International Organizations in D.C http://www.glintdc.com Parade GLOE The Kurlander Program for GLBTQ Outreach & Engagement at the Edlavitch DCJCC edcjcc.org/gloe Festival; Parade GoCanvas www.gocanvas.com Festival Goethe-Institut Washington www.goethe.de/washington Festival HAUTEBUTCH www.hautebutch.com Festival HR Certification Institute (HRCI) www.hrci.org Festival; Parade THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
LEIDOS http://www.leidos.com/ Festival; Parade
Liberation DC Parade Little Sesame http://eatlittlesesame.com/ Festival Food Vendor LIVE! CASINO & HOTEL https://www.livecasinohotel.com/ Festival
KAISER PERMANENTE OF THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION http://www.kp.org
Log Cabin Republicans of DC www.lcrdistrictofcolumbia.nationbuilder. com Festival
Karl Frisch for Fairfax County School Board www.karlfrisch.com Parade
LULAC Lambda www.lulaclambda.org Festival; Parade
KIPP DC Public Schools www.kippdc.org Parade Kitchen Saver https://www.kitchensaver.com Festival
LYFT www.Lyft.com Parade
KQTdc Festival; Parade La Autentica Inc Satisfyed.com Festival Food Vendor Lambda Sci-Fi www.lambdascifi.org Festival
Marcum LLP http://marcumllp.com Parade MCPS GSA-like Clubs Parade Maret School Queer/Straight Alliance https://www.maret.org/ Parade Mary’s Center www.maryscenter.org Festival; Parade Page 113
MAYOR’S OFFICE OF LGBTQ AFFAIRS https://lgbtq.dc.gov/ Festival; Parade
NORDSTROM www.nordstrom.com Parade
Prime Timers of DC www.primetimersdc.org Festival
McDonald’s of D.C. mcdonaldsdmv.com Parade
NORTHROP GRUMMAN Sponsor
Public Justice www.publicjustice.net Festival
Math4cure https://www.facebook.com/Math4cure/ Festival MedStar Washington Hospital Center https://www.medstarwashington.org/ Festival; Parade Metro by T-mobile www.metropcs.com Festival Metro DC PFLAG www.pflagdc.org Festival; Parade METRO WEEKLY www.metroweekly.com Festival; Parade My Manties Festival Nader’s Events Festival Food Vendor National Air Traffic Controllers Association www.natca.org Parade National Holistic Healing Center www.nationalholistic.com Festival National Park Service www.nps.gov Festival Navigant www.navigant.com Parade NCRC Preschool www.ncrcpreschool.org Parade NGPA Washington DC Out on the Runway www.ngpa.org Festival; Parade Noche Ardiente Parade Nordic Embassies www.finland.org Parade Page 114
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL www.dc.nm.com Festival NOVA SALUD INC Festival; Parade Oasis Ice & East Coast Melts www.oasisentertainmentdc.com Festival Food Vendor Olde Towne Pet Resort www.OTpets.com Festival Office of the State Superintendent of Education https://osse.dc.gov Parade ONE MEDICAL www.onemedical.com Festival Out & Equal Workplace Advocates www.outandequal.org Festival; Parade OUTRIDERS Womens Motorcycle Club outriderswmc.com Parade PEPCO, AN EXELON COMPANY www.pepco.com Festival; Parade PETA https://www.peta.org/ Festival Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. www.HarderWeRise.org Festival; Parade
Purple Pride www.purplepride.org Festival Food Vendor Food Vendor Q Media www.qvirginia.com Festival R&B Grill and Concession, LLC www.rbgrillandconcession.com Festival Food Vendor Rainbow History Project Foundation http://www.rainbowhistory.org/ Festival Red Bear Brewing Company www.redbear.beer Parade Redfin http://www.redfin.com Parade REI CO-OP www.rei.com Parade Republic Restoratives Distillery https://republicrestoratives.com/ Parade Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps (ROTC-DC) Parade ROAD TO STONEWALL FLOAT www.dmhfund.org Parade SALESFORCE www.salesforce.com Festival; Parade
Population Connection Action Fund www.popconnectaction.org Festival
Sarin Grill Festival Food Vendor
Potomac Kempo Www.potomackempo.com Festival
Seabury Resources for Aging “Out & About” www.seaburyresources.org Parade
Pride in Federal Service Parade
Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International www.sdakinship.org Parade shhhOUT
SHADY GROVE FERTILITY Festival ShakespeareTheatre Company shakespearetheatre.org Festival Sibley Hospital Johns Hopkins Health System www.sibley.org Festival; Parade Signature Theatre www.sigtheatre.org Festival SMYAL www.smyal.org Festival; Parade
The Brookings Institution www.brookings.edu Parade
U. S. Census Bureau www.census.gov Festival
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington, D.C. www.thechicagoschool.edu Festival
U.S. Intelligence Community https://www.dni.gov/ Festival
The Geneva Foundation www.genevausa.org Festival The ONE Street Company www.onestreet.one Parade
southern fried factory Festival Food Vendor
The Change Project www.embodyprogress.org Festival
Spartan Motorcycle Club spartanmc.com Parade
The DC Center for the LGBT Community thedccenter.org Festival; Parade; Pride Partner
Sportrock Climbing Centers www.sportrock.com Festival
The Field Schools www.fieldschool.org Parade
STATE FARM NEIGHBORHOOD OF GOOD statefarm.com Festival; Parade
The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center www.gwcancercenter.com Festival
St. George’s Episcopal Church - Arlington, VA www.saintgeorgeschurch.org Festival SUNTRUST BANK, INC. suntrust.com TAGG MAGAZINE www.taggmagazine.com Festival TASTE Parade TD BANK www.tdbank.com Team DC www.teamdc.org Festival; Parade Temple Emanuel of Kensington MD www.Templeemanuelmd.org Festival The Barker Adoption Foundation - Project Wait No Longer https://www.barkeradoptionfoundation.org/ Festival THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
The Kennedy Center http://www.kennedy-center.org/ Festival The Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps Marching Band www.lgbac.org Parade The Nature Conservancy www.nature.org/pride Parade The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism https://rac.org/ Parade THE WASHINGTON BLADE washingtonblade.com Festival; Parade
US Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic www.usta.com/midatlantic Festival UNITED AIRLINES www.united.com United Methodist Churches of the National Capital Area www.foundryumc.org/ Festival; Parade Veg Society of DC www.vsdc.org Festival Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau www.visitvirginiabeach.com Festival Virginia Senator Adam Ebbin www.adamebbin.com Parade VT Ex Lapide LGBTQ+ Alumni Society https://vtexlapide.org/ Festival VISA www.visa.com/diversity Parade Walgreens Parade Washington National Cathedral cathedral.org Parade Washington Pediatric Dentistry www.washingtonpediatricdentistry.com Parade Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts www.wolftrap.org Festival
Thompson Creek Windows www.thompsoncreek.com Festival TITO’S HANDMADE VODKA http://titosvodka.com Festival; Parade Page 115
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Proudly covering the best and brightest of Washington, D.C.’s LGBTQ community for twenty-five years! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @metroweekly Sign up for our daily emails and contests at MetroWeekly.com/email Read our new interactive online edition at Issuu.com/metroweekly Browse more than 150,000 photos online at MetroWeekly.com/Scene Premiere Cover Photography: Richard Von Zimmer
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AMAZIN LÊTHI
Amazin LêThi is a Vietnamese activist, thought leader, and the founder of the Amazin LêThi Foundation. Her work is driven by her personal journey of overcoming homelessness, mental health issues, and poverty, combined with her passion for sports. Amazin is a former competitive bodybuilder, entertainment executive, and the first Vietnamese internationally published fitness author. During the Obama administration, she advised the White House Initiative on Asian American Pacific Islanders on rainbow (LGBTQ) Asian issues, and she helped kick-start the White House Initiative Act to Change an awareness campaign that addresses bullying within the Asian American community. In 2012, Amazin became the global ambassador for Vietnam Relief Services, and in 2014 she was appointed the first Asian global ambassador for Athlete Ally. In 2016, GLAAD named Amazin one of only seven Asian rainbow activists accelerating equality globally, and in 2018, the American National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance named her one of four Asian rainbow athletes accelerating sports equality. In 2019, Amazin was listed as one of only two Asians in the Australian Pride Power List and for the second year listed in the Human Rights Campaign Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Honours List. She is a board advisor for S.A.F.E: Safe Asylum & Finding Empowerment (the first New York organization for LGBTQ immigrant and asylum seekers), the world’s first Vagina Museum, Queer Britain Museum, Interim Spaces and the LGBTQ + Venue Forum—Night Czar Advisory Group, Mayor of London. Amazin is no stranger to bullying and discrimination. She was born in Vietnam and grew up in the west, where she was routinely bullied and teased throughout her childhood and teenage years. “I started bodybuilding at 6 years old along with other sports. I was being bullied constantly at school and in society and had very low self-worth and hated being Asian. Sports gave me a sense of community as I was very athletic, and it gave me the strength and self-confidence I needed to feel good about myself and stand up to the bullies. Though I didn’t realize that being Asian in sports presented its own challenges and barriers with the lack of Asian representation and the racism, sexism and homophobia I suffered throughout my sporting career. How I was made to feel in sports became a mirror image as to how I was made to feel in society,” said LêThi.
What are the stereotypes against Asian people that inhibit opportunities to pursue sports, including lack of scholarship opportunities, misconceptions of wealth and culture?
We are the only community that has the stigma of the “invisible model minority.” This myth pits us against other ethnic groups, as it suggests that we are somehow better than everyone else and that we have no issues within our community. Media plays a large role in the continuous reinforcement of damaging Asian stereotypes. Asian men are constantly de-sexualised and Asian women are overtly sexualized as a fetish in the media. This stereotype transcends to the sports world and how we are perceived as athletes. We need to address the unconscious bias towards Asian athletes that starts in the school system. Asian youth have the lowest participation in sports, and when they do participate, they are subject to more hate than any other ethnic group. This unconscious bias and stereotype of Asians in sports is seen at all levels – from school yards to professional stadiums. Given that Asian youth aren’t chosen by sports teams and coaches even where they have the necessary athletic ability and talents, many Asian youth will never know their full potentials or reach professional levels. In addition, Asian athletes face the stereotype that our physical stature inhibits our athletic ability. This stereotype reinforces the troubling perception that, because of our slender smaller frames, Asian men and women are only suited to certain more ‘delicate’ sports like figure skating and not ‘rough’ sports like the American football or sprinting. vThe invisible model minority myth also reinforces the idea that all Asian people are wealthy and never require scholarships. Asian youth, many from difficult backgrounds, aren’t given the chance to go to university via an athletic scholarship because of the widely-held assumption that Asian families are wealthy and can afford to pay their child’s way through school. In reality, the poverty rates among Asian-Americans are greater than the national average. For example, in New York, there are more Asian-Americans living in poverty in the city than any other minority group. The invisible model minority myth highlights the successful Asian immigrant experiences but with very damaging effects and erases the experience of many in our community who are suffering through poverty. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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We need to shift the conversation of sports equality back to the civil human rights movement and that’s what Colin Kaepernick did when he knelt during the US anthem because we have to have these difficult conversations, we need to discuss ‘White Supremacy’ and how it manifests in different forms of hate, discrimination and unconscious bias within sports and how it’s used against people of colour in sports to silence us and shut us out from even playing the game.
Why do you see sports as an important catalyst to make a difference in the fight for equality? Nelson Mandela says it so well: ‘Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair’
Professional athletes have a very unique platform like high profile celebrities particularly in the time we are in right now with the power of social media. Many have hundreds of thousands of followers if not millions and there is power in that to shift society by athletes speaking out in support of rainbow sports equality as fans listen to the opinions of their athletic heroes. When a professional athlete comes out this transcends beyond the athletic community as the sports world is a slice of life as it can shift society from tolerance to acceptance and transform the lives of those still struggling with their sexuality or gender identity and or expression by presenting a positive mirror image of authenticity. Sports is the avenue to equality, it’s a language that everyone understands, it’s a catalyst to highlight the injustices that API (Asian Pacific Islander) rainbow people face within the community. This is why I constantly use sports as my platform as it brings you into my conversation around civil human rights and social issues.
As an Athlete Ally Ambassador, what motivates you to continue the great work you’re doing?
My drive for always being a #VoiceWithAction to accelerate rainbow sports equality is from my own personal experience as an athlete and former competitive natural bodybuilder and how I was made to feel by being bullied and with racist, homophobic and sexist slurs in sports. I used to be the only Asian athlete on the athletic field and that can be very isolating particularly Page 122
when you are being bullied. Homophobic and transphobic behaviour is common in sports, especially in locker room talk. I never had any rainbow Asian role models to look up to when I was growing up and could not feel comfortable coming out at all. So when I think about what keeps me motivated I think of me when I was a child and a teenager because if we are able to take off our mask and be visible and be our authentic self then you instantly present a mirror image to any rainbow youth in sports who is trying to figure out who they are and if they are feeling insecure about their sexuality, gender identity or expression and reminds anyone struggling that it does get better because they can finally see a reflection of themselves looking back at them through your story. I don’t want any youth to go through what I went through and if I can be that positive possibility role model for any rainbow Asian youth then I should use this amazing platform Athlete Ally has given me as one of their global ambassadors. What message would you like to send to Asian Rainbow (LGBTQ) youth today who are still struggling with their sexuality and gender identity and being openly out in sports? I suffered a tremendous amount of discrimination and bullying as a child and into my teenage years, I’ve experienced homelessness, poverty and depression that lead to contemplating suicide. I understand what it feels like to be marginalized and what many rainbow youths are going through because I have experienced it myself. Success in life comes with your first goal in being yourself, it gives you freedom and liberation. As rainbow people society constantly pushes us into silencing our true self and conforming and performing to other people’s heteronormative expectations of us but this becomes such an unhappy empty space to live and exist in. Without a mirror image of myself in the media, I had to create my own narrative as a child and, as an adult, this helped me stand in my own truth to be brave and unapologetic as an openly out Asian woman. By sharing my story and living authentically and unapologetically gives me the freedom and liberation to realize that my emotions are real, that how I feel inside matters and that I’m worthy of owning the space that I’m in. I want my story to provide a positive message for any rainbow or API (Asian Pacific Islander) person or athlete who wants to be openly out in sports and life. To find out more about Amazin LeThi go to www.amazinlethi.com and www.amazinlethifoundation.org and @amazinlethi on social media.
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GOING INTERNATIONAL IN OUR OWN BACKYARD A Unique Opportunity for Capital Pride Alliance By Maria Jose Flor Agreda, Executive Producer International Pride Initiative
PHOTO: Mieko-Y/by Caplio R3 User/Flickr
Pride is synonymous with a celebration. We celebrate our unity, rights, visibility, love, struggles, and diversity. This celebration of diversity is particularly important to me as a foreign-born person living in Washington, DC—a city filled with people from all parts of the world, who speak different languages and are from different ethnic backgrounds. The city is home to a multitude of international organizations and entities, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, and 175 foreign embassies and missions, that work on a variety of issues ranging from diplomatic relations to human rights. The international community brings cultural diversity and richness to our city and can bring that diversity to our year-round Pride celebrations and events.
Opening our efforts to international partnerships will enable us to widen our capacities and reach more people, we are very strategic in how we are going about it. It is key for us not only to work on an international level, but we will work to ensure that our partner organizations and entities are aligned with promoting LGBTQ+ rights. This makes our international efforts both a strategic way to move forward and the right thing to do. So far, we have been able to contact and start a collaborative partnership with various entities including the British Embassy, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and the Organization of American States (OAS), among others. These partners have a vested interest in visibly promoting LGBTQ+ rights and the concepts of unity and equality.
That has compelled the Capital Pride Alliance to launch an International Pride Initiative, which will allow the organization to open its network and cooperative efforts to international organizations that share the organization’s values. The goal is to foster inter-organizational dialogue and collaboration for LGBTQ leaders involved in diplomatic and international affairs. This initiative will give the members of Capital Pride an opportunity to learn, grow, and expand the work that we do. The decision comes from a strong belief that we are obliged to be as inclusive as possible and to broaden and grow our community. The broadest concept of community provides for open spaces and meaningful interactions with others. It is critical to our goal of inclusion to avidly search and welcome the inclusion of international voices that are pervasive in this city. Through our initiative, this is exactly what we are attempting to do.
Focusing on this initiative does not mean that there is any diminution of the priority we place on other, local efforts. On the contrary, the initiative allows us to broaden our horizons, learn from the experiences of others, and allow others to learn from us as well. The Capital Pride Alliance is committed to working and partnering with local organizations and people, and it will continue to do so. However, given the unique opportunity that this region provides, opening ourselves to international alliances will boost our efforts to broaden and grow the community. The collaborative partnership will enrich our Pride programming and the experiences of our ever more inclusive Pride community. So, we will continue to take advantage of the opportunity that we have in our own backyard and partner with organizations that are like-minded and are willing and happy to work, celebrate, and shhhOUT! PRIDE with us.
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LGBTQ+ HISTORIC PRESERVATION By Rebecca Miller
It is no secret that in the years before and after Pride celebrations began in Washington, DC in 1975, the LGBTQ community in the area faced intense discrimination. As members of the community sought refuge and comradery in local bars, bookstores, and group houses that served as safe spaces, a critical movement was building—one that demanded equal rights and acceptance for every person, no matter how they gender-identified or who they loved. The stories of this civil rights movement and the people who participated in it are diverse, complex, and undeniably underrepresented in the documented history of Washington, DC and the nation. The DC Preservation League— the city’s nonprofit advocate for historic p r e s e r v a t i o n — a n d The Furies, packing and distributing the newspaper, at 219 11th Street, other groups have SE. Left to right: Ginny Berson, Susan Baker (not a Fury), Coletta Reid, partnered with the city’s Rita Mae Brown, Lee Schwing. Photo: Joan E. Biren. 1972 Historic Preservation Office to try to fill the gap. Capital Pride’s 2019 theme “shhOut: Past, Present and Proud” aligns perfectly with the historic preservation community’s renewed commitment to update our LGBTQ friends and allies on both local and national efforts to document and preserve important places and spaces related to the LGBTQ community’s rich history. Notably, two of 10 LGBTQ sites recognized on the National Register of Historic Places are in Washington, DC. These sites are also protected landmarks under DC’s preservation law and listed in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites. The first site is the Dr. The Furies Collective costume party, 2900 18th Street, NW. Franklin E. Kameny Residence Standing: Rita Mae Brown, Sharon Deevey, Joan E. Biren, in Palisades—a neighborhood in unknown, Marilyn Webb (not a Fury); middle row: Helaine Harris, Judy Winsett (not a Fury), unknown, Jennifer Northwest Washington along the Woodul; front row: Coletta Reid, Lee Schwing, Taha Potomac River—was home to the Peterson. Photo: Ginny Berson. 1971 influential gay-rights activist who filed the first equal rights claim based on sexual orientation after being fired from his job in the Army Map Service in 1957. The second is The Furies Collective House on Capitol Hill, which was the center of a lesbian feminist collective from 1971 to 1973. Its members’ magazine and newspaper connected women’s rights and politics with lesbian issues. Both sites represent important elements at the inception of the gay-rights movement. Historians and preservationists alike agree that other sites of significance exist, but have not yet been identified, documented, protected, and preserved. At the local level here in Washington, the DC Historic Preservation Office (HPO) received a grant from the National Park Service to work cooperatively with the Rainbow Heritage Network and the DC Preservation League (DCPL) on a new study that explicates the history and heritage of LGBTQ communities of Washington. A major component of the work is to identify historic resources and heritage sites associated with the LGBTQ community in the District. This study will incorporate resources already produced by HPO, DCPL, and the Rainbow History Project (RHP), and will ultimately result in an historic context statement that includes an inventory of LGBTQ-related sites of significance (each with its own preliminary assessment of eligibility for designation). For example, Washington DC’s Community Building (1228 17th Street, NW) near Dupont Circle will certainly be included. In a city laden with a long history of segregation, The Community Building in Dupont Circle was an example of an all-inclusive meeting place for a diverse set of political and social groups in the 1970s. This site will be one of the focal points for the HPO study. The building housed The Washington Blade, the oldest LGBTQ newspaper in the United States, and the first Lambda Rising bookstore. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
In 1975, LGBTQ organizers planned the first Gay Pride festival in the building. The Black Panthers and other fledgling sociopolitical groups also met in the space. A hotspot for counterculture and antiwar organizing, The Community Building’s relevance crossed racial lines. Context studies, like the one that DC’s HPO is working on, help preservationists prioritize future landmarking efforts. In addition, HPO’s project will produce two new LGBTQ-related landmark nominations for inclusion in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites and the National Register; amend two existing designations to include missing LGBTQ history; develop an online publication to explain in detail the findings of the study; and provide ongoing community outreach to educate locals and promote support for continued inclusion of LGBTQ historic resources in future and amended nominations. As part of a national initiative to recognize LGBTQ heritage, the National Park Service (NPS) released its own thematic study of LGBTQ history in October 2018. Much like DC’s context study and efforts to identify related architectural inventory, this national thematic study systematically reviewed themes in LGBTQ history and tied those themes to specific buildings, structures, sites, districts, objects, and landscapes worthy of national recognition. Included in this NPS study are guidelines on how one might nominate a site for recognition and how educators can incorporate Furies Collective Newspaper, 1972 LGBTQ history into the classroom. As part of this effort, NPS’s National Capital Region, in partnership with the Organization of American Historians, has embarked on its own study to identify the most important LGBTQ sites in this region. The steadfast work of the DC-based Rainbow History Project must also be recognized. This organization’s mission is to collect, preserve, and promote an active knowledge of the history, arts, and culture of metropolitan Washington DC’s diverse LGBTQ+ communities. While RHP’s focus is broader than the studies mentioned above, their volunteer efforts to document and present the LGBTQ experience through archival collections, oral histories, walking tours and public presentations has been undeniably instrumental to the production of these more formal government studies. As you can see, the preservationists of DC are committed to telling LGBTQ stories—though we face some obstacles of our own—first and foremost the urgent need to preserve a variety of existing structures in Washington as gentrification, rising rents, and change of ownership among neighborhoods transform the city. There is no doubt that these studies of LGBTQ history provide a framework to tell the larger story of this important underrepresented group that crossed gender, racial, ethnic, class, and political lines; and to protect and promote, and increase public awareness of resources associated with LGBTQ individuals and their achievements. I encourage anyone who would like to read more or get involved in these Furies Rowhouse ongoing efforts to preserve LGBTQ history to visit websites for the National Park Service (www.nps.gov), the Rainbow History Project (www.rainbowhistory.og), the DC Historic Preservation Office (www.planning. dc.gov/hp), and the DC Preservation League (www.dcpreservation.org). Rebecca Miller is the Executive Director of the DC Preservation League, Washington’s citywide nonprofit advocate for the preservation and protection of the historic and cultural resources of our nation’s capital. She, and DCPL are proud to be long standing allies of the Capital Pride Alliance.
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LGBTQ+ BUSINESS OWNERS Do It On Their Own Terms
By Ross Perkins
A beer brewer. An immigration lawyer. An architect. A maker of fabulous fans. A business leader. These are just a small sample of the many LGBTQ+ business owners and entrepreneurs in the D.C. metro area. And while these entrepreneurs all operate in different industries, they do have one thing in common: they followed their passions to do what they love despite the many challenges of doing it on their own. Often their stories aren’t told, but not today. It’s time to recognize the people behind the small businesses that keep this economy humming along
DENIZENS BREWING CO.
What started out as a life of politics and activism turned to the world of beer brewing for Julie Verratti. Working with her wife and brother-in-law, Verratti opened Denizens Brewing Co. in Silver Spring in 2014. And five years later, she’s getting ready to open another one in Riverdale Park Station in Prince George’s County. Verratti took some time to talk about how the brewery got started, working with her wife, and how she manages a rapidly growing business.. How did you develop the brewery? I started Denizens Brewing Co. with my wife Emily and brother-in-law Jeff. I was a homebrewer, and Jeff was actually a professional craft brewer. Emily and I had typical D.C. jobs, and both she and I wanted to open a business together. We reached to Jeff in 2012 to start putting together the idea of opening a brewery. Two years later, we opened the doors to Denizens What’s it like working with your wife? We’re pretty siloed in what we do when it comes to our responsibilities at Denizens. I spend a lot time on the brand management, developing and building out sales, and visiting with accounts and developing partnerships. And Emily handles the taproom and the company’s financial management. To be honest, some days it’s awesome working with my wife. We obviously have a shared purpose in our professional and personal lives. And making sure there’s some separation at home from what’s happening at work is something we’ve had to work on. But more than that, working in something like beer brewing, everyone wants to ask about it and how things are going. Yes, I appreciate the fact that people are interesting in what I’m doing, but sometimes, I just want to not talk about beer and just drink it. Denizens Brewing Co. continues to expand. What’s on the horizon for your business? taproom just like in Silver Spring, but it will be bigger and there will be a lot more production at that space. The new space will allow us to quadruple our production, which is so awesome. Riverdale Park will have more of our everyday beers at that facility. And the Silver Spring location will be a barrel house and beer garden and there we’ll produce more of the niche beers. With the opening of our new production space, we’re hoping to expand our distribution footprint in Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Where can people find Denizens beer? People can find the beer at a variety of locations in the region. It’s at Pizzeria Paradiso, Roofers Union, Republic, Glen’s Garden Market, and many other places. Check out the website (denizensbrewingco.com) for a list of places to get our beer. This is the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. What does that mean to you? I used to work in LGBTQ+ politics and activism for years before becoming an attorney. It’s been a hard fight. We need to remember the struggles and the fights to get to this point in history, but we also must remember where we came from. It’s been an uphill fight, and those that came before us need to be honored..
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Doing It On Their Own Terms
CHONG IMMIGRATION LAW, PLLC
Cameron Chong is an immigration lawyer with Chong Immigration Law, PLLC in Washington, D.C. who helps immigrants and their families navigate a complex legal structure to acquire visas, green cards, asylum, and a host of other services. A graduate of George Washington and American Universities, Chong practiced in southern Florida before returning to D.C. because of his husband’s work. Chong talks about his love of immigration law, helping members of the LGBTQ+ community with their legal challenges, and how helping an HIV-positive immigrant obtain citizenship remains one of the most impactful legal wins of his career. How did you end up in D.C.? I went to undergrad at George Washington University (GWU) and then to American University for law school. After I graduated, I moved to Miami with my husband and started practicing immigration law in Miami. In 2013 and 2014, I worked for pro bono agencies and many of my clients were LGBTQ+. My husband is an infectious disease doctor, and we wanted to move back to D.C. He ended up securing a position at GWU in 2016, and I continued to work for my Miami firm remotely from D.C. for about a year and a half. Logistically it wasn’t working out, and I decided to open up my own practice here. Where did your passion for immigration law come from? I think the passion was always there. My grandparents were immigrants, and they helped out many families. Initially, my focus in law had been international trade and international business. Then I sort of fell into immigration law, and I quickly fell in love with it. It is work that I feel good about at the end of the day. I can be a source of guidance and expertise for vulnerable populations in key aspects of their lives, and I find that to be really rewarding. Following the 2016 presidential election, I like to support scientists and people who work in different fields to make a positive difference in the world. I also work with non-profit workers who help refugees, and I know they are also able to bring about some difference in the world. What are some of the challenges LGBTQ+ immigrants and families are facing currently? Right now, there’s the general hostility towards immigration overall. With the LGBTQ+ community specifically, there’s been issues with the asylum process. Currently, one has to demonstrate that their home government is unwilling or unable to protect or prevent persecution based on LGBTQ+ status. Many Latin American countries have hate-crimes legislation on the books, but in practice, that legislation is neither followed nor effectively implemented. Often, Latin American governments will claim that discriminatory incidents are the result of actions taken by private individuals. And, as a result of governmental hostility towards asylum seekers, many people don’t reach out to get the help they need and they deserve. What was one of most impactful career wins you had at your practice? Most Recently, I handled a naturalization case for a client. He’s been here since 1991. Prior to 2010, you couldn’t get a green card if you were HIV-positive. He first qualified for a green card in the early 2000s, but it took eight or nine years to get the green card secured. At one point, he was arrested in Los Angeles. If you can imagine, every kind of bad movie trope that could happen to a gay person happened to him. We got him his citizenship and did a name change for him. I had another client not too long ago. He was a drag performer in his home country. He was targeted and assaulted numerous times. When he came to D.C. the first time, he went to Pride and decided to stay here. I worked the case with him, and his asylum case was approved. He is eligible to apply for his green card this summer. He is now living his authentic life—openly without fear. This year is the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. What does this anniversary mean to you? I take it as a reminder of where we’ve come from and how far we still have to go both at large and within the LGBTQ+ community. Pride is this beautiful time of year where we get to be acknowledged and celebrated for being our authentic selves, and we have those who struggled at Stonewall and throughout our history to thank for that. When I see the parade and hear people talk about their Pride plans, I like to think the fighting is done; but when you have things like the Pulse shooting or the Administration’s trans military ban or the constant violence against LGBTQ+ people of color, I’m reminded that we still have to stand up and be accounted for and to use whatever advantages and privileges we’ve gained over the years to help support those who need it. The LGBTQ+ community stood together at Stonewall, and we need to do it still. We need to practice ally-ship within the community so that we can all stand stronger and prouder.
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Doing It On Their Own Terms HILL & HURTT ARCHITECTS
Joshua when he was a young kid blossomed into his career. From working at a larger firm to starting his own firm with his business partner, Hill talks about growing his business, his love of historical restorations, and how the owners of two Victorian homes on the same block in Shaw became one of his most memorable projects Hill is a principal at his architecture and design firm, Hill & Hurtt. What started as a dream for Hill . How did you get started in the architecture field? It was really strange. As a little kid, I loved to draw. It’s interesting to look back now, especially since I do residential projects. When I was young, I looked at elevations and made floor plans. I did this for many years. I was so interested in how houses work and how people live in them. I wanted to be an architect as a kid and I never let that dream go. When you’re a kid, you get excited to be able to draw all day. As an adult, I still get to draw and color and use computer programs and do 3-D renderings. There are a lot of other things that I have to do with the business, but it’s the design that keeps me going. After I finished grad school, I worked for a firm in Baltimore. But I always wanted something with more design focus, and I ended up working with a smaller firm in D.C. that did a lot of highend residential projects. While I was at that firm, I worked on interesting historic projects and got a broad range of experience. I also learned the nitty-gritty of the historic projects. Historic projects are like working on a puzzle, and I love it. How did you meet your current business partner? I met Eric Hurtt while at the D.C firm I was with for fifteen years. Eric and I worked together there for twelve years, and we both went to University of Maryland. We had these connections, but we didn’t know each other well until we started working together. And what prompted you two to start your own business? Eric and I started having this conversation one day where we discussed our desire to focus on residential architecture. At that time, we were working on very large, expensive properties. We wanted to do something with a broader range of clients and with an attention to detail no matter how big or small the project. There were so many people our age buying homes who needed guidance and help. So about two and a half years ago, we jumped ship together to launch Hill & Hurtt Architects. What have been some of your most memorable projects? There are two that jump out to me—and it’s interesting how we found them. There are two large Victorian buildings in Shaw on the same block, and the owners found us separately, despite the fact that the owners didn’t know each other. One found us through Houzz.com, and the other client found us through an acquaintance. Both projects were soup-to-nuts renovations. And because these were in the Shaw historic district, the backs of the properties were changed but the fronts were maintained to preserve the historical character of the homes. This is 50 years since Stonewall happened. What does this anniversary mean to you? My first instinct is that so many of us are now loved and accepted for who we are. My second instinct is to think about the fact that I’m an openly gay man proudly being myself, and our community has so many allies now. And then I think about the brave people who came before us at Stonewall, and I know that without them we wouldn’t be able to do many of the things that we do today.
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June 4-July 7 • Opera House
50 Years Over the Rainbow: A Judy Garland Celebration June 11–23 | Eisenhower Theater
National Symphony Orchestra Pops Steven Reineke, conductor
June 28 & 29 | Concert Hall
Kennedy-Center.org (202) 467-4600
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Groups call (202) 416-8400 For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540
Theater at the Kennedy Center is made possible by
Major support for Musical Theater at the Kennedy Center is provided by
David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of the NSO.
Kennedy Center Theater Season Sponsor
AARP is the Presenting Sponsor of the NSO Pops Season.
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Doing It On Their Own Terms CLACK THAT FAN
Clack. . Clack. Clack. That’s the sound of making a dramatic entrance, and Clack That Fan—founded by Sunggyun Kim in January 2018—can help anyone turn heads. The founder of Clack That Fan and his Director of Operations and Design, Ralph Alston, talk about life before working at the startup, how the LGBTQ+ community has embraced their products, and why we should be grateful for the progress we’ve made as a community while recognizing that there’s still more work to be done. . What were you doing before Clack That Fan? Kim: I was a software engineer for about three years before starting Clack That Fan. This isn’t my first business. I did education consulting, SAT tutoring, AP testing, and other forms of testing. So I’ve been doing side work for most of my professional life. I saw that fans were becoming very popular, but there wasn’t a good place to get any. And when I was growing up, I wanted to have fans that I like. So I sourced a couple of fans for friends, and it grew from there. Alston: What I was doing prior is what I’m still doing. Graphic design is my passion, Song was reaching out via Facebook for graphic designers, and I wrote back. We had already been well-connected working together and singing together with the Gay Men’s Chorus. So he brought me on and the rest is history. It’s been an exciting rollercoaster. How has the LGBTQ+ community embraced your line of fans and accessories? Kim: We’re definitely wellreceived within the LGBTQ+ community. We’re always putting out new and fresh designs. There are different elements of the community that buy our fans. Those in the rave community and for those going to music festivals. So I think we’re definitely growing our brand presence. How has your business grown since launching a year and a half ago? What are some of the new things you’re working on? Alston: A There are always new designs coming out. For every festival we do, we create fans that are on theme. We have products for Pride in so many places. The holsters are great as well. People love them as accessories. They’re sleek and sexy. We just started making the UV-reactive fans that look incredible in black light Where can people get your fans? Alston: We’ll be at the Capital Pride Festival and many parties during Pride. And of course, you can always buy items online at https://clackthatfan.com. For the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, what does that mean to you as a member of the LGBTQ+ community? Alston: I try to carry this forward as a voice for equality for all people. I think that being a member of the Gay Men’s Chorus gave me a platform to do that. And with the fans being such an interesting product, it’s a way for people to embrace who they are and their connection to the world whether they are gay, straight, bisexual. You can identify yourself using our products. Kim: It’s important to consider not only how far we’ve come, but how far we still need to go. We’ve had many victories, but we can still be fired in many states for being gay. And while we should be grateful for what we’ve accomplished, we should continue to push forward to reach that true level of equality for all members of our community.
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Doing It On Their Own Terms
CAPITAL AREA GAY AND LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Van Goodwin wears multiple hats. He’s the managing director of his technology and strategy consulting firm Van Allen LLC and is the president of the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC). Goodwin recounts coming from Mississippi to D.C. in the early 2000s, how the CAGLCC is expanding its advocacy for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs in 2019, and a rebranding of the organization. How did you get involved in the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce? I was a member for years before I joined the board. I was just looking for opportunities in the area to connect with other LGBTQ+ business owners and entrepreneurs because I wasn’t from the area. I’m originally from Natchez, Mississippi, and I went to Louisiana State University. I moved to D.C. in January 2003, but it wasn’t until 2006 or 2007 that I became very involved with CAGLCC. In January 2017 I became president of the organization. Why do you think an organization like CAGLCC is important? For business owners and entrepreneurs, business opportunities often come from social engagement. To find out about a new opportunity, you have to be plugged in. The truth is that finding opportunities comes from who you know. And for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, building those informal connections is important. We can pool our resources, and we can connect people to business opportunities that they may otherwise miss. CAGLCC certainly fills a void. What are some challenges facing LGBTQ+ business owners in the D.C. metro area? I think LGBTQ+ business owners face the same issues that other business owners face. How do I get clients and customers? How do I acquire financing for my business? What’s the best means of marketing my business? How do I manage growth? And that’s where CAGLCC comes in, because we can help with that. For those who are succeeding and building their businesses, it’s a challenge to acquire financing, build systems, and manage the growth and expansion. What are some of this year’s organizational goals for CAGLCC? First, we’re rebranding to change our name to the Equality Chamber of Commerce DC Metro Area (ECCDC). We’re The rebrand is the big change. We’re changing our name to the Equality Chamber of Commerce DC Metro Area (ECCDC). We’re also trying to launch some additional initiatives, such as providing more advocacy within the local government. But those initiatives depend on the resources that we can marshal. And finally, we’re establishing formal procurement efforts with the goal of connecting small and mid-sized enterprises with buyers. Right now, we do that informally, but we want to make it more of a formal process. . How is CAGLCC going to be involved with Pride this year? We do have a booth at the Festival and tend to promote local LGBTQ+ business owners during Pride. And we also send out the CAGLCC Business Directory that highlights and celebrates local LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and business owners. This is the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. What does that mean to you? I’m thankful for the foundation Stonewall started that enabled organizations like ours to focus on something like LGBTQ+ professional and entrepreneurial success. What we do must have been an unfathomable luxury at the time. The Chamber has existed a little more than half the time between Stonewall and now. For much of that time it existed as the “Potomac Executive Network (PEN)” because having “gay” in your name was too much of a liability, and now we’re rebranding because having only “gay and lesbian” is too exclusive. To me, Stonewall is the defining early point on an arc of progress toward the successes I see in our LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs every day.
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ROSS PERKINS: is a co-owner and the Chief Operating Officer of Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. – the country’s largest manufacturer of biscuits that uses real butter, buttermilk, and milk. Before entering the world of biscuit manufacturing, he was in the Peace Corps in Malawi and worked in healthcare consulting for both Booz Allen Hamilton and KPMG. Ross spends his days gardening, going to SoulCycle, and enjoying time with his husband Francisco.
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Brian had his HIV under control with medication. But smoking with HIV caused him to have serious health problems, including a stroke, a blood clot in his lungs and surgery on an artery in his neck. Smoking makes living with HIV much worse. You can quit.
CALL 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
#CDCTips
HIV alone didn’t cause the clogged artery in my neck. Smoking with HIV did. Brian, age 45, California
BLOOD MIRROR, 2015-PRESENT 84 x 28 x 28� 59 human blood donations, blood of Oliver Anene, Blue Bayer, Howard Grossman, M.D., Kelsey Louie, Lawrence D. Mass, M.D., Reverend John Moody, Loren Rice, Ty Spicha, CPT Anthony Woods, 50 PrEP advocates, preserved in UV resin Page 140
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BLOOD MIRROR In 1983, in an early response to the AIDS crisis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. In 2015, the FDA updated its policy to allow gay and bisexual men to donate, but only if they are celibate for a full year. There is no celibacy requirement for heterosexuals, regardless of their risk for contracting HIV, and a recent UCLA Williams Institute study found that lifting the ban completely could save up to a million lives annually. The FDA’s infuriating policy became a jumping off point for artist Jordan Eagles’ recent art and advocacy projects.
Jordan Eagles has been working with blood and resin for over 20 years. Eagles treats blood as a universal life force and his process and work have a strong focus on the material’s physical and dynamic qualities—manipulating and encasing the blood in resin, producing multidimensional forms that reveal the blood’s visceral properties and innate energy. Eagles’ preservation technique permanently retains the organic material’s natural colors, patterns, and textures and, when lit, the works become translucent and luminous, reflecting the many layers suspended throughout the resin. The themes of Eagles’ work vary depending on the project and source of the blood. Eagles’ artworks with animal blood from slaughterhouses address life cycle, corporeality, spirituality, and regeneration. In 2014 Eagles began working with human blood donated from the LGBTQ+ community, advocating for fair blood donation policy, antistigma, and full equality. Blood Mirror is a sculpture and collaborative project, created with 59 blood donations from gay, bisexual, and transgender men. Viewers can see themselves reflected in blood that could have been used for life-saving purposes if the FDA’s policy was fair and based on science, rather than on stigma. Blood Mirror premiered in Washington, D.C. at American University Museum and then traveled to the historic Trinity Wall Street in downtown Manhattan, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and most recently at the Museum of the City of New York. In Eagles’ new body of work, he appropriates pop culture and historical artifacts and pairs them with queer blood to reframe the history and create new entry points for crucial policy conversations that affect the LGBTQI+ community and our country. An example is Jesus, Christie’s, which features an original copy of the Christie’s Salvator Mundi sale catalogue, laser-cut to accommodate twelve medical tubes that were used for collecting the blood of an HIV+ undetectable long-term survivor and activist. The catalogue, tubes, needles, and residual blood are encased in high-polished resin, mirroring the dimensions of the sold painting to create a modern-day reliquary. In 2017, a painting attributed to Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, depicting Salvator Mundi—Jesus Christ as “Savior of the World”—sold for $450,300,000 at Christie’s New York, making it the most expensive artwork in history. In creating Jesus, Christie’s, Eagles views Jesus as history’s greatest blood donor, having shed his blood for the salvation of all humankind. This work asks us to consider how too often we value material objects over human life, and whether Jesus would have wanted $450 million to be spent on a painting of his likeness, rather than dedicated to scientific and medical advancements that could save lives and cure illnesses. Another recent work features two blood collection tubes preserved in an original The Incredible Hulk In The Shadow of AIDS comic book from 1994. The comic book is paired with the tubes from two donors: one who is HIV+ undetectable and one on PrEP. In the story, the Hulk’s friend is dying of AIDS and asks for a blood transfusion to save his life. The Hulk declines, as he doesn’t want his radioactive and mutated blood to turn his friend into an angry and violent individual—and his friend ultimately dies in the end. Eagles is interested in the way pop culture dealt with the AIDS crisis and how much science has evolved since then. In 2019, someone with HIV doesn’t have to die, and being undetectable means that an individual cannot transmit the virus and can live a healthy life, and someone on PrEP is 99.9% protected from contracting HIV and thus also unable to transmit the virus. In this work, Eagles is commenting that essentially a person who’s undetectable and a person on PrEP are the same—neither can transmit HIV. THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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JESUS, CHRISTIE’S, 2018 26.75 x 19 x 3” Christie’s sale catalogue, medical tubes, needles, and blood of an HIV+ undetectable long-term survivor and activist; plexiglass and UV resin
UNTITLED, 2018 14.75 x 11.75 x 3� Incredible Hulk In The Shadow of AIDS, medical tubes, blood from an HIV+ undetectable donor, blood from a donor on PrEP; plexiglass and UV resin
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We Build a Community of Experts We believe open, collaborative communities are spaces to share ideas and expertise. We seek people who are drawn to challenges and go beyond getting it done, to getting it done better.
AGILE | DATA | DIGITAL | MODERNIZATION
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“KNOW YOU ARE WELCOME HERE”
Every year the United States Capitol serves as the iconic backdrop for the last day of Pride Weekend in Washington, DC. For 44 years, our community has banded together to celebrate, educate, support, and inspire one another in our continued progress. Capital Pride is honored to take part in celebrating and advocating the amazing work of hundreds of activists, politicians, community leaders, diplomats, and performances, ranging from local to international notoriety. We’ve been extremely lucky to have the steadfast support of our dedicated volunteers, benefactors, and community leaders through the years. We sincerely hope you enjoy and partake in the many festivities at the Festival on June 9th from
12:00 to 7:00PM.
We hope you #shhhOUT for joy throughout the day, then dance the evening away at the Sunset Dance Party, on the Capitol Stage until 10:00PM.
THE FESTIVAL IS FREE, but it’s not cheap. As you enter, while hanging
out at the bar, or while waiting for the outstanding performers across our three main stages, please consider supporting this event and our year-round initiatives with a $10 or $20 donation.
THE NATION’S AND CAPITAL REGION’S PRIDE FESTIVAL
Our Festival team diligently and intentionally crafts our Festival experiences. Throughout the year we are continuously improving how we think and act on addressing sustainability and accessibility initiatives. We are also proud to help highlight the amazing work going on in and around our nation’s capital. In partnership with many key LGBTQ+ institutions, we are excited to highlight some of this year’s experiences.
SPORTS + CULTURE VILLAGE, presented in partnership with Team
DC. This section of the Festival highlights the amazing breadth and importance of LGBTQ+ sports culture in DC. Includes carefully curated performances and activities with some of DC’s most beloved athletes, entertainers, and community members. Located in John Marshall Park
FAMILY AREA / KIDS FUN ZONE is back again this year! Brought to us in partnership with Rainbow Families and Adoptions Together, this Festival space provides a reprieve and activities for LGBTQ+ families and children.
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NEW: FIRST-TIME PRIDE EXPERIENCE presented by The Capital
Pride Alliance Production Team. Is this your first Pride celebration? Do you want to make new friends? We know that Pride can be overwhelming for individuals coming to Pride alone or for the first time. Get to know other Pride attendees and learn about our community through events and activities throughout the day.
GUIDE FOR FESTIVAL
You are the most important thing at Festival! We’d love it if you come back every year so #TreatYoSelf but #BeResponsible. If you need anything on Festival day, you can visit us at the Information Booths on Pennsylvania Avenue at two locations at 6th St and 4th St. Accessibility services may also be requested here. Our volunteers will do their very best to answer your questions and get you headed in the right direction.
GETTING HERE We highly recommend using the METRO, *wink* it’s also
the most environmentally friendly way to travel. By shortest walking distance: Archives/Navy Memorial (Yellow/Green), Gallery Place (Red/Yellow/Green), Federal Triangle (Orange/Blue/Silver).
QUALITY H20 You’re more attractive when you’re hydrated, and we’re committed to keeping everyone cool and hydrated! We have free water stations in addition to multiple cooling tents around Festival grounds. Who knows, maybe you’ll even see a firetruck produce a rainbow-inducing mist.
NATURE’S CALLING RESTROOMS are located inside each food court,
north of Pennsylvania Avenue on 6th Street, NW, and north of Pennsylvania Avenue near 4th Street, NW. Family changing stations can also be found in the Family Area and Kids Fun Zone.
FOOD: We have a record number of food partners and variety in the food courts this year! Both the Senate Food Court and Monument Food Court include beverage gardens; open to people of all ages.
LIBATIONS & THE LAW: Please drink responsibly! Because alcohol
is being served, ALL beverages must stay within designated, fenced beverage gardens. Drinks purchased inside the gardens must be consumed inside the fenced area; absolutely no beverages (including water) may be taken into or outside the fenced area. Persons under 21 who illegally consume alcohol are subject to ticketing, prosecution, and removal from Festival. Please drink responsibly!
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CAPITOL FOOD COURT
(V) Veg an opti ons avai l a bl e ( G F ) Gl u en Fr ee opti ons ava i l a b l e 12Noon - 10pm Curated by Oasis Concessions Proudly serving Capital Pride since 2013.
MONUMENT FOOD COURT 12Noon - 7pm
OASIS ICES (V GF)
R&B FOOD CONCESSION
EAST COAST MELTS (V)
DC BEN & JERRYS
CAPITAL CATCH
PURPLE PRIDE
CHOICE GRILL
HOP DIGGITY DOG
All-Natural Fruit Smoothies, Hawaiian Shaved Ice, Italian Ice, and More! Craft Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Maryland-Style Crab Cake Sandwiches USDA Choice Gourmet Beef Burgers
DIRTY DOGS
Jumbo All Beef Hot Dogs. So good they’ll make you Woof!
LETTUCELOVE (V GF)
Crisp Greens, Fresh Toppings, and Signature Dressings. Fresh Cut Fruit.
SUGARHAUS (V GF)
Fresh Popped Kettle Corn, Funnel Cakes with Gourmet Toppings, Cotton Candy
LUCKY’S LEMONADE (V GF)
Artisanal Fresh Lemonades featuring over 10 Flavors. Original, Strawberry Basil, Lavender,+Featuring our Famous Frozen Lemonade and Cherry Limeade.
FIRE GRILL (V)
Butterfly Chips, Philly Cheesesteak, Turkey Legs, Polish or Italian Sausage,
NADER’S EVENTS (V)
Gyros, Falafel, Chicken Tenders, Fried Oreos, and other Greek and American Fare
THE TOTTERIE (V)
Quality Southern comfort food
A variety of delicious ice cream flavors, including non-dairy and vegan options American festival fare American grill serving up hamburgers, hot dogs, and Kielbase Smoke Sausage
ALL AMERICAN GRILL
Classic American grill with Mediterranean pairings
TIKI GRILL
Classic American grill with some Polynesian twists
SOUTHERN FRIED FACTORY American festival fare
SARIN GRILL
Thai inspired cuisine with pad Thai, fried rice, Lo-mein, and egg rolls
LAAUTENTICA
Classic Central American fare
LITTLE SESAME
Thoughtfully crafted hummus bowls and pita sandwiches, with seasonal salatim and mezze
FIRE GRILL
Mediterranean specialties-as delicious as they are nutritious, served fast and friendly
Butterfly Chips, Philly Cheesesteak, Turkey Legs, Polish or Italian Sausage,
NADER’S EVENTS (V)
Crisp Golden Tots, served with your choice of Gourmet Dipping Sauce- \
TOPS ‘N BOTTOMS CREAMERY (V)
Choose your Fillings! Your choice of Rich Premium Ice Cream, smashed between our Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies or Oreo Wafers
CHURRASCARIA BRASILIA (GF)
Traditional Brazilian Grill, featuring Picanha, Bife de Flanco, and Bacon Frango.
HYPER-PUP COFFEE (V GF)
Coffee and Woofs and Woofs and Coffee. Lap up our refreshing Iced and Cold Brew Coffees and Teas.
WHAT THE CREPE?! (V)
Sweet and Savory Crepes Filled and Drizzled
BAJA BROS CANTINA
Street Tacos featuring Flame Grilled Proteins and Fresh Toppings
PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY Page 149
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EA E T E! R A F D HE T E SAV
CAPITAL PRIDE PARADE GUIDELINES K I C K
SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST?
S A T U R D A Y J U N E 8 O F F 4 : 3 0 P M
To ensure all Parade and Festival attendees have a great time, the Capital Pride team suggests participants consider the following:
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF:
Wear comfortable shoes and sunscreen. Some attendees are limited in their ability to walk long distances. If you think you might need assistance, consider renting a wheelchair or scooter; or reserve a pedi-cab through national pedi cabs (nationalpedicabs.com).
RECYCLE/REUSE
Capital Pride is committed to sustaining our planet. Please do your part and recycle or reuse.
PARKING
Consider using Spot Hero to reserve and pay for your guaranteed parking space. Check them out at: www.spothero.com.
MPD AND YOU
Be advised, members of the Metropolitan Police Department are responsible for enforcing all applicable laws and ordinances. Such statutes include, but are not limited to, public decency, alcohol, controlled substances, public safety, and standard vehicle insurance requirements. Please note that the recent relaxation of the District’s marijuana laws does not extend to outdoor spaces.
There are times when nothing short of the best will do. A memorial service is one of them. It is a final expression, the culmination of a lifetime orchestrated into a singular event. What leaves a lasting impression? A ceremony that is as unique as the individual. We’ll help you plan ahead and design every detail of your own remarkable send-off.
BE SAFE- ALWAYS!
Have fun and be safe. If you see something, say something! Notify event management volunteers, vendors, or law enforcement officers immediately.
BLOCK PARTY
The 3rd Annual Parade Block Party will be held at 15th and P Streets, NW, between 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM. The block party will feature DJs and dancing, food trucks, beverages, and facilities including port-a-pots, cooling stations, and medical care.
KICK OFF
The Parade kicks off on Saturday, June 8, at 4:30 P.M. From the corner of 21st & P NW. The last float should pass the finish line at 14th and R St NW by 7:30 PM.
REVIEW STAND
Emcee Brock Thompson will call out all of the contingents in the Parade from the Review Stand.
BLEACHER SEATS & ASL
Ticketed bleacher seating returns with a new, more accessible location—it will now be located at New Hampshire Avenue at Q St NW Accessible space is reserved and American Sign Language interpreters are available at all stages.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
The Family Zone, in partnershp with Rainbow Families, is located in Stead Park near the Parade route on 17th and P Streets. The Pride Family Zone offers families with children a break from the heat and the street between 3:00 PM. And 7:30 PM. Fun for kids of all ages, bring your family and make memories with lawn games, inflatables, and more! THE 2019 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO CAPITAL PRIDE
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PARTICIPATE IN THIS…FIRST OF ITS KIND STUDY AND HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD
“Exploring LGBTQ Military Servicemembers Stressors and Lived Experience” To access the survey visit: www.surveymonkey.com/r/79YP5KJ
Are you 18 years or older? Self-admission of being a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer? Prior service members, to include Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard who ETS, resigned, and /or discharged. English speaking and willing to participate in the study POC: 910-643-1921
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Pride Night Out Party with the cast of Hello, Dolly!* 342932
Mention offer number if ordering online, over the phone at (202) 467-4600, or at the Box Office.
Thursday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. | Opera House Join the Kennedy Center as we partner with Capital Pride for a night at Hello, Dolly! starring Betty Buckley, and an exclusive Night Out reception with members of the cast! A limited number of center orchestra VIP seats are available. For more information, go to capitalpride.org/hellodolly
Kennedy-Center.org
Groups call (202) 416-8400
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Pride @ SAAM
Sunday, June 9 | 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m. | FREE Celebrate Pride with a day of LGBTQ+ inspired art events including: • • • •
Brendan Fernandes’s Free Fall 49, a dance-based performance in Kogod Courtyard starting at 3 p.m. All-day screenings of video works and playable video games by LGBTQ+-identifying artists
Local stories presented by Rainbow History Project and the American University’s Humanities Truck Food and beverage available for purchase at the Courtyard Café and wine bar.
More information at AmericanArt.si.edu/calendar Presented by SAAM, Smithsonian Pride Alliance , and The Capital Pride Alliance; supported by Smithsonian Year of Music and Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.
8th and G Streets, NW | Free | Daily 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m. AmericanArt.si.edu | #atSAAM Free Fall 49, 2017, live performance, dance platforms, event lighting, DJ and original score. Collection of Brendan Fernandes, Image courtesy of the J Paul Getty Trust. Photographers Sarah Waldorf and Tristan Bravinder
GROWING, BUILDING, LEARNING AS AN LGBTQ+ PRIDE ORGANIZATION By: Chelsea Bland
It was the summer of 2012 and I was eager to find volunteer opportunities within the LGBTQ+ community. I was volunteering my time at a local museum, but felt I needed to really find my people. Oddly enough, I’d experienced various stages of being out since I was 16 years old, but never really felt as though I’d found “community.” At 27, I was Google-searching LGBTQ+ organizations where I could volunteer. And thus, my volunteerism with the Capital Pride Alliance was born. Through the years I’ve seen the organization grow and, at times, struggle to reflect the diversity of our community. As a general volunteer, I saw all types of folks volunteering on hot summer days and long nights to put on some of the largest events in the city. Now, going into my second year as the Capital Pride Alliance Volunteer Chair, I can still see a broad spectrum of community members who volunteer their time for Capital Pride. As II moved up the volunteer leadership ladder, the level of diversity became less apparent. Sometimes I would find myself being the only black woman in the room helping to shape and plan one of the largest LGBTQ+ Pride events in the country. So naturally, I wanted to see more folks who looked like me taking part in building events for the queer community. I started inviting my friends to volunteer with me; one now serves on our Board of Directors. I followed the leadership of women who were already part of the organization and embraced the women who attended our events. As the Volunteer Chair, I’ve organized a diverse team of leaders who are ready to engage with the community around volunteerism. This type of intentional commitment to welcoming and fostering diverse experiences and voices within the fabric of our organization is what it takes to bring about change. There’s still work to be done at the staff and Board leadership level, and the organization is clear on the work still left to do. The challenge now becomes, how do we do it?
STRENGTHENING OUR FOUNDATION It’s no secret that 2017 was an interesting year for the Capital Pride Alliance. For the first time in recent memory, we experienced a major disruption of the Parade. That action was undertaken in conjunction with nationwide call for similar undertakings aimed at calling attention to issues surrounding the relationship of Pride organizations with corporate sponsors and the police, as well as addressing the issue of diversity within the organizations themselves. Leading up to the disruption, we organized town hall meetings and discussions with community members. During these somewhat tumultuous conversations, we were called on the carpet in a very public way, which contributed to the Capital Pride Alliance taking a step back to look at how far we’ve come and what work is still left for us to do. Over the last few years we’ve made changes to our sponsorship guidelines, added new folks to the Board from diverse segments of our community, and we’re consistently challenging ourselves to do better and be better. We have refocused our energies on building out the “Alliance” part of our name and organization. We’re partnering with Pride organizations in the D.C. area to highlight the work being done within the community. As readers of this Pride Guide can see, we are featuring the diversity of programming that is available to people attending the Celebration of Pride in the Nation’s Capital.
“What I admire about Capital Pride is that we are not afraid to ask ourselves tough questions,” said Capital Pride Board member, Vernon Wall. “I sense a solid commitment to moving toward greater inclusion and advocacy.” We must “be more intentional in creating a space for marginalized communities with events that focus on communities that are not as visible as others, such as trans and gender non-conforming people, people of color, women, and two-spirit communities,” said Capital Trans Pride Chair Bianca Rey. We must settle into being uncomfortable, because that is where the real change happens. It is imperative that we reach out to groups that are underrepresented in our organizations and at our events. This involves creating spaces to truly listen to the voices of those in our community who are most often pushed aside. We need to sit with their feedback, even when it’s critical, and take actions that are consistent with the needs of our community. Capital Pride “should continue to ensure their Board, staff, and volunteers look like the people they are serving (or trying to serve),” said Tagg Magazine Editorin-Chief, Eboné Bell. “Though it might be difficult, Pride should continue to find ways to create more community engagement—like town halls. Also, support and show up for diverse events throughout the year. I appreciate Capital Pride being a sponsor of Tagg’s Enterprising Women event. It’s another opportunity to have visibility and support queer women and queer women of color.”
MOVING FORWARD The path ahead for Capital Pride is full of possibility and promise. I’m committed to continuing my endeavors within the organization to do the foundational work necessary to be a strong and thoughtful leader. Capital Pride has an opportunity to use its position and privilege within the DC area LGBTQ+ community to create spaces for those who need them the most. “The Capital Pride Alliance is constantly striving to improve and transform how we support our community. CPA has been doing the work to meaningfully address many of the concerns that have been presented from previous years,” said Capital Pride Alliance Vice President of Records Management, Natalie Thompson. “Creating an alliance that represents the collective community is the ultimate goal. Our work is not done and we are excited to build stronger relationships and partnerships.” Whether through Pride organizations or community support efforts, we all deserve to be seen, heard, and uplifted. When we are committed to being of service to others, there’s no conversation we can’t tackle, no critique we can’t handle, and no question about our ability to fulfill our mission. “As the Capital Pride Alliance continues to grow and develop, I believe that the need for diverse voices being represented at the table continues to be of paramount importance,” said Capital Pride Alliance Board President, Ashley Smith. “We must build relationships and partnerships, and become the Pride celebration that helps more than just the Pride events, but really truly helps our community.” So, with seven years in and a renewed resolve, I’m ready for another bold year of Pride organizing here in the nation’s capital. Chelsea Bland serves as the volunteer chair for Capital Pride Alliance. She is a proud union member with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2 and is the local’s LGBTQIA+ committee chair. Beyond her volunteer work and full-time job at a national labor union, Chelsea is also a freelance photographer.
CELEBRATE EDUCATE SUPPORT INSPIRE capitalpride.org/donate Venmo/PayPal: donate@capitalpride.org Donate to Capital Pride Alliance to support the Capital Pride Legacy Fund and help the LGBTQ+ community
in
the
National
Capital
Region
celebrate, educate, support and inspire our multifaceted communities to grow and preserve our history and protect our rights for current and future generations. Consider making an annual gift of $60 or more to become a PRIDE365 Friend, or join the Capital Pride Legacy Circle with a gift starting at $1000. The Capital Pride Legacy Fund: • Provides direct financial support to community organizations to participate in their first pride! • Provides direct financial support to community organizations and individuals to expand access to events and activities! • Supports the annual volunteer program in recruitment, training and recognition! • Helps keep marque events such as the Pride Parade, Festival, Concert, and Trans Pride FREE to the Public!
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, IN THE COURTS, IN CONGRESS, IN THE MEDIA, AND ON MAIN STREETS ACROSS THE NATION, THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, AND CONTINUE TO BE, PEOPLE ATTEMPTING TO SILENCE OUR VOICES AND ERASE OUR COMMUNITY. THEY OPENLY CHALLENGE OUR RIGHT TO EXIST AS AMERICANS WITH THE SAME RIGHTS ENJOYED BY OTHERS. WE MUST BE WILLING TO STAND UP AND TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ALL FORMS OF INJUSTICE, DISCRIMINATION, AND VIOLENCE WHEREVER IT EXISTS AND IN WHATEVER FORM IT TAKES. EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW IS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE THAT HAS PROVIDED THE FOUNDATION FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS ADVANCES OF THE PAST TWO CENTURIES. AS WE COMMEMORATE 50 YEARS SINCE THE STONEWALL RIOTS, WE MUST ALL STAND UP WITH PRIDE, AND shhhOUT! WE shhhOUT! PROUDLY ABOUT OUR PAST, OUR PRESENT, AND MOST DEFINITELY AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE!
CAPITALPRIDE.org @capitalpridedc #shhhOUT #PastPresentProud #Pride2019 #DCPride