Metro Weekly's 25th Anniversary Issue, featuring NBC4's Wendy Rieger

CONTENTS

May 2, 2019

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Volume 26 Issue 1

ASKING DR. RUTH

Dr. Ruth still wants everybody to have great sex, and to go see her new documentary Ask Dr. Ruth.

Interview by André Hereford

CHEERS TO WENDY!

For more than 25 years, NBC4’s Wendy Rieger has been an advocate for — and best friend to — the LGBTQ community.

Interview by Doug Rule • Photography by Todd Franson

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SPECIAL SECTION: YOUTH PRIDE GUIDE

Everything you need to know about Youth Pride Day this Saturday, May 4, at Dupont Circle.

FROM THE EDITOR p.5 SPOTLIGHT: ASKING DR. RUTH p.9 OUT ON THE TOWN p.14 OUTSIDERS AND UNDERDOGS: KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE p.16 UNBELIEVABLE UNTRUTH p.25 BRAZILIAN BIGOT p.26 COMMUNITY: ARTY QUEERS p.27 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.27 SCENE: CAGLCC’S MEGA NETWORKING EVENT p.30 COVER STORY: AN INTERVIEW WITH WENDY RIEGER p.32 SCENE: AWESOME CON p.38 YOUTH PRIDE GUIDE p.41 FILM: KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE p.48 STAGE: WHITE SNAKE p.49 MUSIC: PINK p.51 NIGHTLIFE: AVALON SATURDAYS p.55 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.56 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.57 A SILVER ANNIVERSARY THANK YOU p.62 Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994 Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla Patron Saint Michael’s Arts & Entertainment Weekly Cover Photography Todd G. Franson Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830 All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.

© 2019 Jansi LLC.

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MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

From the Editor 25 YEARS & COUNTING P

RODUCING A WEEKLY MAGAZINE FOR 25 years — creating a mind-boggling 1,250 issues — has been an amazing journey. It’s a milestone of sorts that has not come easily, but the joys outweigh the challenges. It has been — and continues to be — the most satisfying, meaningful thing I’ve done in my own life, and I feel absolutely blessed to be able to serve the Washington, D.C. LGBTQ community and beyond.

I am indebted to the hard-working people who, over the years, have contributed in ways both large and small to Metro Weekly’s ongoing, steady growth. Each week, as our editorial cycle starts anew, it is a company-wide goal to create a magazine that engages, excites, illuminates, touches the hearts, and enhances the lives of our readers. The core philosophy has always been this: if we are requesting your time to read us, then we are going to make it worth your while.

People often ask me to describe Metro Weekly — what is our mission statement? Honestly, in all these years, I’ve never written one, partly out of laziness, but also in part because I don’t want to be confined. I enjoy watching the magazine expand, evolve, and grow organically. I enjoy watching it find its identity, like any good LGBTQ entity — recent examples being our magnificent portraiture issues and our community forums, the depth of which truly astonishes me (it’s no surprise that LGBTQ people in Washington have something to say, and they say it with a high degree of literacy).

In Doug Rule’s magnificent cover interview with NBC4’s Wendy Rieger this week — a neat coincidence, as the very first issue of Metro Weekly also featured a straight woman as its cover story — the local TV legend notes that she despises a dumbed down approach to reporting, the way they often teach in journalism school.

Well, we’re with her.

We’ve had a lot of talented people pass through these doors over the years — there’s a list thanking them all on page 62 — but for now, gratitude must go to those who have put so much effort into the past few years, helping Metro Weekly and its website metroweekly.com reach dazzling new heights. Some have been with us literally for decades — contributing editor Doug Rule, Scene photographer Ward Morrison, theater critic Kate

Wingfield, webmaster David Uy — while others are newer and have brought their own ideas, talents, and personalities into the mix — online editor Rhuaridh Marr, senior editor John Riley, contributing editor André Hereford, music critic Sean Maunier, photographer Julian Vankim. All work hard every week to make sure the magazine you hold in your hand — or read online — is the best it can possibly be.

And then there’s Todd. Todd Franson began photographing for us in 1995, and has been attached ever since. I don’t know where we would be without his extraordinary gift for portraiture, his eye for clean, clear, vibrant design, and for his willingness (and willfulness) to push the magazine into bold new directions. Metro Weekly is something Todd Franson has poured his absolute heart and soul into for 24 years, and for that I am eternally grateful.

I also must pay special gratitude to our advertisers, past and present (many have been with us over two decades). As a free print publication that relies on the support of advertising, it is their weekly trust in us to create a high-quality product, one worthy of their presence, that keeps Metro Weekly alive and thriving. They deserve your patronage.

The print industry has changed in 25 years, and we have trained our focus online as much as on print. But, to my mind, nothing will replace the tangible experience you hold in your hands now.

That said, for the digitally inclined among you, we now have an online edition that fully replicates the print experience and enhances upon it with links!

Subscribe to it for free at Issuu.com/metroweekly.

I have written about this magazine’s history many times before, and with this 25th Anniversary Issue, I made a purposeful decision not to create another retrospective, as we did five years ago.

While its past is important to commemorate from a historical perspective, these days I’m more interested in where the magazine goes from here. So... what do the next 25 years hold in store for Metro Weekly? Let’s find out together.

Thank you for reading us.

Randy Shulman Editor & Publisher

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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HULU ORIGINALS

Spotlight

Asking Dr. Ruth

Dr. Ruth still wants everybody to have great sex, and to go see her new documentary Ask Dr. Ruth.

Interview by André Hereford

D

OCTOR, AUTHOR, WIFE, MOTHER, HOLOCAUST survivor, army sniper, pop culture phenomenon, the so-called Goddess of Good Sex — Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer has witnessed, learned, and experienced enough to fill volumes of page-turning biographies.

The incredible life story of the sex therapist, born Karola Ruth Siegel to Orthodox Jewish parents in Karlstadt, Germany, already has inspired Mark St. Germain’s acclaimed stage play Becoming Dr. Ruth. Now, a new documentary film, Ask Dr. Ruth, directed and produced by Ryan White, presents the good doctor on camera amid a treasure trove of interviews and archival footage to relay Karola Siegel’s amazing journey, from escaping Nazi Germany as a child to the peak of her success as America’s favorite sex therapist.

Both the play and the documentary capture Dr. Ruth’s remarkable history and influence, but the film works best at demonstrating why she still commands attention today. After decades of blazing a trail for talking openly and knowledgeably about sex and sexuality, Dr. Ruth still keeps it real, advocating on behalf of Planned Parenthood and keeping abortion legal.

In the film, as she does in person, Dr. Ruth delivers her messages firmly, always projecting her famous joie de vivre and indomitable strength. Both qualities are fully in evidence from the moment the spry 90-year old enters the room alongside Ask Dr. Ruth director White, who also directed the docs Serena and The Case Against 8.

Eagerly touting her new children’s book celebrating diversity, Crocodile, You’re Beautiful, Dr. Ruth is on a mission to speak her MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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wisdom to audiences of every generation, and not just about sex.

The voluble therapist also whips out Roller-Coaster Grandma, the 2014 young adult graphic novel tracing some of the darker chapters of her life. “One of the reasons I did that book, and that I did the book about diversity, is that out in the world, there is a tremendous amount of antisemitism these days,” she says.

“I have to stand up and say — for those people who deny the Holocaust, who say it never happened — ‘Stop.’

“And as long as I'm still around, I have to stand up to be counted, that it did happen. I want to be able to tell every journalist that they have to stand up to be counted against prejudice, and we have to start that with small children.”

METRO WEEKLY: In regards to LGBTQ acceptance, a motto that

you expressed in the movie that I agree with wholeheartedly is, “Respect is not debatable."

DR. RUTH: Not debatable.

MW: Growing up did you have any gay friends?

DR. RUTH: No, I didn't know about that aspect of life, not in the children's home that became an orphanage, not in the kibbutz where I stayed. I did not know about gay people.

RYAN WHITE: Didn't you fall in love with a gay guy?

DR. RUTH: No, he fell in love with me.

MW: I would think that gay men would have been flocking to you.

WHITE: You told me that in a separate documentary. I interviewed her for a separate LGBT series. I thought you fell for a guy, then you realized he was very gay.

DR. RUTH: Walter, I know his name, he's not alive anymore.

WHITE: We don't need to out him seventy years later.

DR. RUTH: It's not that Walter. Another Walter.

WHITE: Different Walter.

DR. RUTH: I have to tell you, there was one guy who also was on a Kindertransport, in a group of children coming from Germany.

He was older, so he was in a different group but I have known him a long, long time. I don't remember if I knew him from Switzerland, or maybe then Israel, or maybe then in New York.

I know now that he was absolutely not interested in women, but he wanted to marry me. In those years gay people did want to get married in order to have a cover. And then they did whatever they did, maybe with men, maybe not with men, maybe with women, but in those days nobody was willing to say, “This is my husband,” or like last night, women saying to me, “This is my wife.” Now it rolls off my tongue easy. It took a while to get that language going.

WHITE: You also, she did something really cool which is not in the film, where you trained under that expert in gay sex in New York, because you didn't know enough about gay sex.

DR. RUTH: Charles Silverstein was running a therapy session.

Not session, an institute, called Institute for Human Identity.

And I worked with him, I volunteered, I think maybe two years, at the center where I went once a week to do therapy, and that's the first time that I really realized that the problems between gay people are not different than other people. Even sexually speaking. And then, in those years, lesbians did not come to the clinic. But there was one, and she was a superb social worker and a lesbian, so [Charles] said I should work with her to learn about the gay culture, and I did and for a while we were very good friends. So I went I think once a week to that Institute for Human Identity. Charles Silverstein is the one who wrote the book The Joy of Gay Sex. WHITE: Great book.

DR. RUTH: [And] maybe another one, The New Joy of Gay Sex. 10

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

MW: Speaking of sequels, you said that you were publishing a new

edition of your book Sex for Dummies. So what’s changed, what’s updated?

DR. RUTH: I tell you what the changes are. It's coming out in August, and it's particularly changed in terms of the language for young people. There's also a chapter in there about what has changed in the gay community, and I had two friends who are married and gay, Raul and Michael, read that chapter and see if they wanted to make any changes, if there's anything new. Raul is the chair of the [Spanish] department at Montclair.

The book has two reasons. One is the millennials don't know me because it's a long time ago that I did the radio, so I want to talk to the millennials. And the other reason is that I'm very concerned about loneliness, not only with young people but also with older people, and I'm very concerned about those people who engage in one night stands, and about a new rise of sexually transmitted disease.

MW: Is that your main concern regarding casual sex?

DR. RUTH: I'm not saying the main concern. My main concern is to educate, but under that heading I would say that the loneliness is an issue, and the sexually transmitted disease is an issue because you don't have to worry so much anymore, there's medication. So I'm concerned about that for all ages but particularly the young ones.

And then there's something that has nothing to do with sex.

I'm very concerned about the art of conversation being lost.

Everybody's sitting with their [cell phone].

MW: Did you feel stalked by the camera crew?

DR. RUTH: No. I tell you what I did feel, I had to watch out for Ryan very carefully because he's very sneaky. So I watched out, but I'm very happy.

WHITE: There was a no bedroom rule. Remember, you would never let me back in that hallway?

DR. RUTH: The first sentence out of my mouth in the film is, “Close the bedroom door, I don't want Ryan in the bedroom.”

WHITE: You let me in after we stopped filming. She finally let me see her bedroom. Which was like Narnia.

DR. RUTH: I learned yesterday, which I did not know, that Ryan had to be convinced by me to make the documentary. I did not know that.

WHITE: Power of persuasion.

DR. RUTH: One of the reasons that I convinced him to make a documentary — WHITE: You didn't convince me.

DR. RUTH: You said that when you met me you thought, “Oh my gosh, I'm gonna do that thing with this old lady?” But then you met me and you agreed yes.

WHITE: That's not true. No, I didn't have the time to be making a documentary. And then I met you. I wasn't supposed to be making another feature film, I already had two feature films in production. But I wanted to meet you and at least have dinner with you, and then at the dinner, I fell in love and then decided that I had to do it.

DR. RUTH: Wait, Ryan’s significant other, his partner David — I don't want him to hear that Ryan fell in love with me.

MW: I think he'll learn that from watching the movie.

DR. RUTH: Wait, because I know David and I like him. So careful with your words. l Ask Dr. Ruth is not rated, and opens May 3 at Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinemas. Visit www.landmarktheatres.com/ washington-d-c.

Spotlight JUBILEE

Arena Stage presents a world-premiere a cappella-infused play written and directed by Tazewell Thompson and featuring spirituals including “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.”

Dianne Adams McDowell serves as music director and vocal arranger for this chronicle of the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers, an African-American troupe who shattered racial barriers as they captivated royalty and commoners alike while travelling the globe. The 13-person cast includes Shaleah Adkisson, Joy Jones, Zonya Love, Sean-Maurice Lynch, and Jaysen Wright.

Now to June 2. Kreeger Theater in the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $41 to $95. Call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org.

SPUNK

An unearthly Guitar Man and Blues Speak Woman interweave three tales based on short stories by the Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston and adapted by Jelly’s Last Jam’s George C. Wolfe. The Signature Theatre production is directed

by Timothy Douglas and stars Jonathan Mosley-Perry and Iyona Blake, with Drew Drake, Marty Lamar, Ines Nassara, and KenYatta Rogers. Mark G. Meadows (Ain’t Misbehavin’) serves as musical director for the show, which is infused with live blues music composed by Chic Street Man. Now to June 23. The Ark, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-8209771 or visit www.sigtheatre. org.

LISSIE

Singer-songwriter Lissie Maurus lives in Iowa, but got her start on the Los Angeles coffeehouse circuit before opening for the likes of Lenny Kravitz and Ray LaMontagne and appearing at the Lilith Fair. Although she doesn’t channel Stevie Nicks quite as blatantly on last year’s Castles as she did on 2016’s My Wild West, Lissie’s fourth studio album is every bit as steeped in the dramatic and folky rock/pop style of her idol, with the biting “Love Blows” and the power ballad “Meet Me In The Mystery” particular standouts. Monday, May 6. Doors at 6 p.m.

City Winery DC, 1350 Okie St. NE. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-250-2531 or visit www.citywinery.com.

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MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight REDISCOVERING BALTIMORE’S FORGOTTEN MOVIE THEATERS

A survey of Baltimore’s movie-going past from 1896 to the present, this Flickering Treasures exhibition at the National Building Museum features oral histories, architectural fragments, theater ephemera, and of course photography — particularly vivid, contemporary shots from Baltimore Sun staff photographer Amy Davis. All of it illuminates themes of memory, loss, and preservation, as well as the importance of movies and movie houses in 20th century American life. While only a handful of more than 240 theaters built in Charm City still function today, many survive in some form, as documented in this exhibition.

On display to Oct. 2019. 401 F St. NW. Call 202-272-2448 or visit www.nbm.org.

NEWMYER FLYER’S DREAM DISCS: BLUE & BLOOD ON THE TRACKS

A wide array of talented pop/folk vocalists from around the area are brought together to perform in their entirety two of the most revered albums by two of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time: Joni Mitchell’s Blue and Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. Presented by the production company Newmyer Flyer, led by BandHouse Gigs co-founder Ron Newmyer, the concert features Lori Williams (pictured), Kenny Wesley, Margot MacDonald, Kipyn Martin, Sara Curtin, Maureen Andary, Luke Brindley, Laura Tsaggaris, Justin Jones, and John Bustine. Saturday, May 11. Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $18 to $40. Call 202-787-1000 or visit www. thehamiltondc.com.

LA-TI-DO

Billed as “Where Spoken Word and Musical Theatre Collide,” this presenting organization showcases local talent regularly on select Monday nights at Bistro Bistro in Dupont Circle. Yet as good as every performance at that venue is, none of them quite compares to the special Saturday show planned for the first weekend in May — at the city’s preeminent performing arts center. All the more so since the Kennedy Center engagement is free, as part of the complex’s nightly Millennium Stage programming. Saturday, May 4, at 6 p.m. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Out On The Town

TIM BURTON’S BATMAN

A bit Avengers weary? Fathom Events marks the 80th anniversary of the DC Comics Caped Crusader with screenings of Batman, Tim Burton’s 1989 blockbuster starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jack Nicholson as The Joker, and Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale. The 30-year-old classic screens only for one day, Saturday, May 4, at 1 and 4 p.m. Also getting one-day-only screenings are the three sequels that followed in the ’90s, including Batman Returns, Burton’s 1992 effort with a returning Keaton and the addition of Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny DeVito as the Penguin, showing on Monday, May 6, at 4 and 7 p.m. The other two films in the series, Batman Forever, starring Val Kilmer, and Batman & Robin, with George Clooney, screen on May 12, at 1 and 4 p.m. and Tuesday, May 14, at 4 and 7 p.m., respectively. Area theaters including Regal venues at Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW) and Potomac Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway).

Visit www.fathomevents.com.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM CHARIOTS OF FIRE

Next up in the popular Capital Classics series at Landmark’s West End Cinema is this glorious 1981 historical drama set in the 1920s in a class-obsessed and religiously divided United Kingdom, and featuring a famous score by Vangelis.

An Oscar winner for Best Picture, Hugh Hudson’s film tells the true story of two athletes who competed in the 1924 Olympics — one an upper-class, devout Scottish Christian, the other an English Jew who’s overcome religious and class discrimination and adversity.

With Ben Cross and Ian Charleson.

Wednesday, May 8, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. 2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

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THE WHITE CROW

Ralph Fiennes’ The White Crow is a magnificent, lush, gripping drama about Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the west and featuring dance sequences, performed by Oleg Ivanko, that are thrilling, to say the least. Ivanko is a revelation, in that this is the Russian dancer’s first film acting role, and he is a dead ringer for the young Nureyev. His performance blazes with passion, showing Nureyev as an alternately arrogant and vulnerable young artist, struggling with a country that attempts to control his every move, as well as grappling with his attraction to men. As skilled a director as he is an actor — and here, he plays legendary ballet instructor Alexander Pushkin — Fiennes has created a portrait of an artist for whom the passion of art, and his desire for full freedom, trumps politics.

Moreover, the movie does not gloss over Nureyev’s homosexuality.

“What I tried to do is to show what

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

I hope is Nureyev’s emerging sense of himself as a gay man,” Fiennes tells Metro Weekly. “There’s this sense of another world that he’s not yet quite able to embrace.” Opens Friday, May 3. Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202966-6000 or visit www.theavalon. org. Also Angelika at Mosaic, 2911 District Ave., Fairfax, Va. Call 571512-3301 or visit www.angelikafilmcenter.com. (Randy Shulman)

UNION MARKET DRIVE-IN: DAZED AND CONFUSED

Union Market revs up its monthly Drive-In Series for a seventh season with Richard Linklater’s comingof-age stoner film circa 1993, which helped launch the careers of everyone from Matthew McConaughey to Ben Affleck, Parker Posey to Joey Lauren Adams. You don’t have to smoke a joint to enjoy the flick — but it would help, allegedly. You don’t even have to drive a car to partake in the experience, as you

can just nab a viewing spot in the free picnic area. Food and beer are available from market vendors and neighboring merchants. The DC Rollergirls will also be on hand to sell and deliver candy. Other films to screen on first Fridays this summer include Con Air, A League of Their Own, Jaws, Coco, and The Wiz. Friday, May 3, with screening starting at 8:30 p.m. In the parking lot at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Free for walk-ups or $15 per car. Call 800-680-9095 or visit www.unionmarketdc.com.

STAGE BECKETT TRIO, PART 2 PINTER REP

Short plays by Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter — two theater giants and Nobel Laureates — are presented in repertory on alternate evenings by Scena Theatre and directed by the company’s

Robert McNamara. Beckett Trio, Part 2 features the Irish architect of absurdism’s black comedy-rich Ohio Impromptu, Come and Go, and Catastrophe, with a six-person cast including Buck O’Leary, Kim Curtis, and Jen Bevarelli. Pinter Rep, meanwhile, finds a nine-person cast, including Christopher Henley, Irina Koval, Karin Rosnizeck, and Robert Sheire, bringing to life a political trio “portraying terror and its consequences” from the legendary British playwright: One for the Road, Mountain Language, and The New World Order. To May 5.

Lab II in the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $14 to $45. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.scenatheatre.org.

GOD OF CARNAGE

OUTSIDERS AND UNDERDOGS Knock Down the House offers a raw, emotional profile of four women who challenged the status quo in the 2018 midterms.

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EOPLE-CENTRIC POLITICS IS AT THE HEART OF THE DOCUMENTARY Knock Down the House, which follows four insurgent Democratic candidates running in the 2018 midterm elections. One is now a household name: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who successfully challenged the fourth-highest ranking Democrat in Congress. Alongside her are Amy Vilela, a Nevada mother who ran after her daughter died from being denied care because she could not provide proof of insurance; Cori Bush, who ran after public outrage over the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.; and Paula Jean Swearengin, a West Virginia environmental activist who advocated for greater economic opportunities and single-payer health care.

“We wanted to find people...who had very personal reasons for running in the first place,” says filmmaker Rachel Lears. “We were very interested in people that were challenging political machines in their districts. We wanted to explore how power works in this country and a parallel between that and the personal story of how to build power in yourself, as well as in the community.”

Even though Ocasio-Cortez is the only candidate to emerge victorious, Lears hopes viewers will be inspired, rather than discouraged by the difficulty of fighting against an entrenched political establishment.

“I wasn’t frustrated by the fact that only one of them won, because it was actually quite remarkable that one of them did win,” she says. “That’s going to be par for the course with any social movement. You win some, you lose some, but the process is also worth something. Every one of these campaigns changed the conversation in their district, and, collectively, the movement that they were a part of is changing the conversation at the national level.

“I really hope the film encourages people to participate in the political process,” she says, adding, “By showing the stories of people who are not typical politicians, who defy the stereotypes of what people think of, I hope it broadens people's sense of what politics is and how they can be part of it.” —John Riley Knock Down the House is rated PG and is now playing at Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. For more information, visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

See review on page 48.

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MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

A playground altercation between two boys brings together two sets of upper-middle-class Brooklyn parents for a meeting to resolve the matter in Yasmina Reza’s Tonywinning play, a shrewd and vicious comedy. Shirley Serotsky directs the Keegan Theatre production starring the company’s artistic director Susan Rhea, Lolita Clayton, Vishwas, and DeJeanette Horne.

Previews begin Saturday, May 4.

Runs to May 25. 1742 Church St. NW. Call 202-265-3767 or visit www.keegantheatre.com.

LOVE’S LABOR LOST

Shakespeare’s spry romantic comedy full of lovers and clowns, foolery and the follies of the heart closes out the season at the Folger Theatre in a production directed

by Vivienne Benesch and designed

by Lee Savage. Set at the time of the 1932 opening of the Folger Shakespeare Library — and pegged to the Folger’s current exhibition about the library’s founding, A Monument to Shakespeare — the production features a cast of 15 led

by Amelia Pedlow from CBS’s The Good Wife as the Princess of France, Kelsey Rainwater as her witty companion Rosaline, Joshua David Robinson as the King of Navarre, and Zachary Fine as Berowne. In previews. Opens Sunday, May 5.

Runs to June 9. 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $42 to $85. Call 202544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

THE 39 STEPS

Rep Stage closes out its 26th season with a production of Patrick Barlow’s Tony-winning spoof of Hitchcock’s 1935 classic thriller.

A joy for anyone who loves the magic of theater, from virtuoso performances to inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps features a cast of four portraying a multitude of characters in a madcap evening. Joseph W. Ritsch directs Robbie Gay as a man racing to solve a mystery and clear his name, aided and abetted by Kathryn Tkel, Michael Wood, and Noah Israel. Opens Thursday, May

7 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $40 to $45.

Call 202-467-4600 or visit www. kennedy-center.org.

PHILHARMONIX

Seven members of two of the world’s best orchestras, the Berlin and Vienna philharmonics, shuck their tuxedos and their inhibitions to perform as a swinging chamber ensemble in a concert presented

by Washington Performing Arts in the acoustically rich main hall of Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.

The repertoire ranges from Satie to Sting, Brahams’ Hungarian Dances to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” plus a smattering of jazz, klezmer, and Latin pop. Saturday, May 4, at 8 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.

600 I St. NW. Tickets are $40.

Call 202-408-3100 or visit www. sixthandi.org.

WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT: EASTER & ASCENSION ORATORIOS

ANNUAL RUNNING OF THE CHIHUAHUAS

Billed as “D.C.’s funniest Cinco de Mayo celebration,” this year’s 8th annual race, planned for the day before the actual Mexican holiday, offers the unexpected joy of seeing 128 Chihuahuas, competing in groups of eight, on a 60-foot “race track.” Don’t worry: You won’t have to squint to see all the little doggies compete for the crown as Fastest Chihuahua in D.C. — which comes complete with an official championship trophy — as the action will be captured on a huge video wall. Anyone with their own personal Chihuahua can register for the race in advance, or until all spots are full, at $30 per dog.

All proceeds benefit Rural Dog Rescue, which works to save canines from high-kill rural shelters. It’s a win-win kind of event for everyone, and every dog, too, whether they’re Chihuahuas, Xoloitzcuintlis, non-Mexican breeds, even all-American mutts. Indeed, all fur babies can compete in the contest for the day’s best-dressed dog. There will also be pet-friendly vendors, a Beer Garden serving cold Mexican beers, food kiosks, and a dance party with live music after the races. Saturday, May 4, from 1 to 5 p.m. District Pier at the Wharf, 101 District Square SW. Free. Visit www.cincodc.com for more information.

2. Runs to May 19. The Horowitz Center’s Studio Theatre at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $15 to $40. Call 443518-1500 or visit www.repstage.org.

THE ORESTEIA

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s longtime artistic director Michael Kahn goes out with a big Greek bang as he directs a world-premiere interpretation of Aeschylus’ potent trilogy of epic Greek tragedies.

Commissioned by the company and three years in the making, Ellen McLaughlin’s The Oresteia weaves together Aeschylus’ stories with stunning poetry. The production features Kelley Curran, Simone Warren, Kelcey Watson, Josiah Bania, Zoë Sophia Garcia, and Rad Pereira, plus an eight-person Chorus. In previews. To June 2.

Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit www. shakespearetheatre.org.

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MUSIC CAPITAL CITY SYMPHONY: SONGS OF THE UNIVERSE

The orchestra concludes its 51st season with a musical ode to our planet and what lies beyond it — chiefly via Gustav Holst’s famous orchestral work The Planets with video projections from NASA. The program also includes works by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo inspired by the northern lights and the mythical power of his homeland. Sunday, May 5, at 5 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $25. Call 202399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

MARY LOU WILLIAMS WOMEN IN JAZZ FESTIVAL

Now in its 24th edition, this festival, named after the pioneering female jazz pianist/composer, features two evenings of performances by some of contemporary jazz’s leading women, hosted by NEA

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Friday night, May 10, is dedicated to the prolific pianist and composer Geri Allen, whose recent death at the age of 60 shocked and saddened the jazz world.

Grammy-winning drummer Terri Lynne Carrington, a close friend of Allen’s, curates and performs this “Feed The Fire” tribute alongside NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland on bass, Jason Moran on piano, and Ravi Coltrane on saxophone, plus tapper Maurice Chestnut and DJ Val-Inc (Val Jeanty). Saturday, May 11, offers performances by two pianist-led ensembles: the Joanne Brackeen Quartet also featuring Ugonna Okegwo on bass, Rudy Royston on drums, and Greg Osby on saxophone, and the Renee Rosnes Quartet with Steve Wilson on saxophone, John Patitucci on guitar, and Lenny White on drums.

Performances both nights start at

Artistic Director Dana Marsh leads a concert featuring the magnificent oratorios Johann Sebastian Bach composed honoring two of Christianity’s high holidays and the 40-day period between when Jesus is said to have risen from the dead and when he entered heaven. The organization’s namesake classical composer demonstrated his versatility with these works, juxtaposing the full force of the orchestra and chorus in expressions of unbridled joy with more intimate music conveying Jesus’ sacrifice for humankind. As such, the oratorios highlight the power and range of the consort’s chorus, orchestra, and soloists, the latter of whom include Katelyn G. Aungst, soprano, Sarah Davis Issaelkhoury, mezzo-soprano, and Richard Giarusso, baritone.

An hour before the performance comes a free Talking Bach lecture by renowned Bach scholar Dr. Michael Marissen, and afterwards comes a complimentary reception with the artists. Sunday, May 5, at 4 p.m. National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 to $69. Call 202-429-2121 or visit bachconsort.org.

WEILERSTEIN, BARNATAN, KHACHATRYAN, CURRIE: TRANSFIGURED NIGHTS

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein, pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist Sergey Khachatryan, and percussionist Colin Currie are all “transcendent musicians” and classical stars in their own right. They’ve teamed up for a Washington Performing Arts concert anchored by works that have been “transfigured” through the act of transcription, or arranged for different instruments than what was originally composed. This “Transfigured Nights” program derives its English name from Verklärte Nacht, an early

to its future. To Jan. 5. 201 East Capitol St. SE. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

LIS ZADRAVEC: FROM THE ARTIST’S HAND

Zadravec’s colored pencil portraits capture both the human expressions of her subjects as well as their momentary spirit, rending texture and light with precision while maintaining a whisper of the pencil stroke to remind viewers of the artist’s hand. Now to May 26.

Invitational Gallery, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-5815100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

ALL HALLOWS GUILD

MICHELLE PETERSONALBANDOZ: NEW WORK

WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: FLOWER MART 2019

Since 1939, Washingtonians have flocked to the city’s grand neo-gothic edifice the first weekend in May in a nod to Spring. A plethora of plants and flowers are on display as well as for sale, with proceeds benefiting the organization All Hallows’ Guild, responsible for the upkeep of the cathedral’s beautiful gardens and grounds. Yet the greenery alone isn’t what draws thousands of people to the historic 59 acres in Cathedral Heights. There’s also the gifts, collectibles, and food available from local artisans and vendors set up at over 70 booths. Add to that the garden tours, gargoyle walks, and many games and activities for children, most notably riding the Guild’s historic carousel dating to 1890. And of course people come to visit the nave — decked out in an International Floral Display by area embassies — and/or to climb to the top of the Cathedral for a bird’s eye view of the city.

(Tower Climb tickets are $20 to $25.) There’s also the option of a Taste in the Tower seated luncheon in the South Tower. (Advance reservations are $35 per person.) Live music will also be performed throughout. Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Call 202-537-2937 or visit www.allhallowsguild.org.

masterwork from Schoenberg written for string sextet but famously adapted for a piano trio by Edward Steuermann. The concert also features Rolf Wallin’s Realismos Magicos for Solo Marimba, a work inspired by the stories of Gabriel García Márquez and commissioned for Currie. Piano trios from Beethoven and Shostakovich round out the program. Thursday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $65 to $75. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

DANCE JANE FRANKLIN DANCE: COMPLETE DOGNESS

Barky is a dog with bad habits who learns new tricks in this family-friendly work from choreographer Jane Franklin’s local dance troupe incorporating spoken word, imaging and animation by Hong Huo, and interactive participato-

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ry activities for young children, along with movement and music. A quartet of female dancers — Andie deVaulx, Kelsey Rohr, Brynna Shank, Rebecca Weiss — perform some gymnastic style moves as they work to bring to life the dog’s tale, complete with dog sounds of barking, whining, and growling. John Kamman and David Schulman provide proper musical accompaniment. Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m.

Theatre on the Run, 3700 South Four Mile Run Dr. Arlington.

Tickets are $10 to $15, or $45 for a family of four. Call 703-933-1111 or visit www.janefranklin.com.

LUCKY PLUSH PRODUCTIONS: ROOMING HOUSE

A MacArthur Award-winning dance company from Chicago makes its Kennedy Center debut with an insightful and surprisingly humorous dance/theater “whodunit,” one that marries intimate conversations among friends

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

with the tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. A creation of Lucky Plush artistic director Julia Rhoads and frequent collaborator Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, Rooming House features the company’s signature style of layered choreography, palpable liveness, and socially relevant storytelling. The work pursues the question: What makes a person do something that could lead to shattering and irreparable consequences? Thursday, May 2, and Saturday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m. Terrace Theater.

Tickets are $39. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

ART & EXHIBITS A MONUMENT TO SHAKESPEARE

A temporary exhibition highlighting how Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily Folger set out to create their shrine to the Bard as a gift, in 1932, to the American people — examining the Folger Shakespeare Library’s architecture and looking

One of the most popular artists regularly presented by LGBTQ-run Long View Gallery, this Chicagobased lesbian artist creates large, hanging-wood sculptures made from reclaimed wood, often found in dumpsters and back alleys in revitalizing urban neighborhoods. Runs to May 26. 1234 9th St. NW. Call 202-232-4788 or visit longviewgallery.com.

QUEENS OF EGYPT

A new exhibition at the National Geographic Museum puts a rare spotlight on the queens of ancient Egypt, including Hatshepsut, Nefertari, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra VII. The life and leadership of these legendary figures, whose rule ranged from the New Kingdom (1539-1514 B.C.) to the Ptolemaic dynasty (51-30 B.C.), is told with the help of more than 300 ancient Egyptian artifacts, including monumental statues, sparkling jewelry, and impressive sarcophagi — plus the use of advanced virtual reality technology providing a 3D flythrough tour of one of the most well-preserved tombs in the Valley of the Queens, that of Queen Nefertari. Many of the objects on display come courtesy of the Museo Egizio of Turin, Italy, one of the international cultural partners in the exhibition. And much of the research is based on the work of renowned Egyptologist and National Geographic Explorer Kara Cooney, author of the companion book When Women Ruled The World: Six Queens of Egypt, published by National Geographic Books last fall. To Sept. 2. The museum is located at 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $10 to $15. Call 202-857-7588 or visit www.ngmuseum.org.

TARGET GALLERY’S 2019 EMERGING ARTISTS

The contemporary exhibition space in Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory Art Center is championing up-and-coming regional artists in its annual exhibition series.

Four stylistically diverse artists were selected by a jury panel to be

I’VE GOT A LITTLE TWIST

Victorian-era dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan jointly created 14 comic operas, including the masterpieces H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado. The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players are the leading interpreters of the repertoire and return to the area to perform a twist on the usual cabaret, one in which the timelessness of the comic opera masters shines in rewritten lyrics to their tunes as well as mash-ups with modern-day examples — from Spamalot to Sondheim’s Company — and of course a selection of untouched Gilbert & Sullivan classics. Saturday, May 4, at 7 p.m.

The Robert Ames Alden Theatre at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., Mclean, Va. Tickets are $35 to $40. Call 703-790-0123 or visit www.aldentheatre.org.

featured in the second year: Kate Gorman, Kim Sandara, Madeline A. Stratton, and Sean Sweeney. The artists and the members of the exhibition’s jury panel — Adah Rose Bitterbaum of Adah Rose Gallery, Philippa Hughes of the Pink Line Project, and Dawne Langford of Quota — will take part in a discussion on Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. On view through June 5.

Target Gallery, 105 North Union St. Alexandria. Free. Call 703-838-4565 or visit www.torpedofactory.org.

TODD G. FRANSON

A few memorable photos that you may remember from covers of this very magazine — Jim Graham as Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra, say, or the infamous Leather Kewpie for MAL — will be on display as part of the latest exhibition at the DC Center for the LGBT Community, all from Franson, Metro Weekly’s central portrait photographer for most of the past 23 years as well as the magazine’s longest-serving Art Director. Yet the focus is on artworks the professional photographer and graphic designer has created for other projects and pursuits, all of which are available for sale. The exhibition goes

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as far back as Franson’s days as a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, with four stylized gloves from the series Wear & Tear: Inspired by Irving Penn, newly reborn and printed on aluminum.

A more recent passion of Franson’s has been capturing artistic shots of foliage, blooms, and landscapes at the National Arboretum. And then there are the dazzling and quirky photographs that come closest to conveying Franson’s personal sensibility — perhaps none more so than Dancing Bear, a vividly colored image of a bustling amusement park at dusk foregrounded by a giantsized teddy bear wearing a propeller beanie. Ongoing. The Center Arts Gallery, 2000 14th St. NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www. thedccenter.org.

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

ABOVE & BEYOND AROUND THE WORLD EMBASSY TOUR

Every year more than 40 embassies open their doors to visitors to show off their impressive edifices and especially to showcase their cultural and culinary traditions, artifacts, and eccentricities.

Organized by the Cultural Tourism DC nonprofit coalition, the 2019 lineup includes the embassies of Afghanistan, the African Union, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, and Turkey. Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free, no tickets required, though government-issued photo ID recommended. Call 202-355-4280 or visit www.culturaltourismdc.org.

DC SHORTS SINGS! A NIGHT OF LIVE MUSIC & FILM

The newest program from the local presenting organization DC Shorts offers seven music-themed films to be introduced via musical performances from three area stage professionals associated with the local LGBTQ-led cabaret outfit

La Ti Do Productions: Ava Silva, Krystle Cruz, and Jarreau Williams.

The program will be hosted by La Ti Do co-founder Don Mike Mendoza, with musical accompaniment by Paige Rammelkamp. A natural extension of the popular DC Shorts Laughs program held in June, which mixes comedy shorts with live standup, DC Shorts Sings features one specifically LGBTQthemed film: Brad McDermott’s Silver Light, about a man who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his male high school sweetheart. All seven films share an underlying theme of celebrating the triumph of self-identity over preconception and bias. The most lighthearted of the bunch is Aria for a Cow, Dan Lund’s animated musical comedy about a bovine diva who pleads for respect beyond her dairy output, and is moved to sing a previously unreleased number from Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast). Saturday, May 4, at 8 and 10 p.m. Miracle Theatre, 535 8th St. SE. Tickets are $20, including pre-show open bar for beer and wine. Call 202-4003210 or visit www.themiracletheatre.com.

MAY THE 4TH: AN OUTER SPACE DANCE PARTY

On Saturday, May 4, sometimes known as Star Wars Day, local DJ company Scorpio Entertainment plans to transform the historic Terminal A Lobby at Washington National Airport into a spaceship-inspired cosmic dance party.

Guests are encouraged to dress for the theme, with supplemental glow wear provided. In addition to music

by DJ Edward Daniels and live entertainment by Baltimore’s hula hoop performer Zbu Hoopism and D.C.’s juggler Christian Kloc, this #Maythe4thDC party will feature an open bar, views of the runway, a Hot Pink Photo Booth, social media projection wall, a galactic LED light show, and the possibility of a surprise “real-life Sharknado moment above the crowd,” to quote Daniels, the company’s founding director, a native of rural southern Virginia who, incidentally enough, got his start in the area by hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar. Party starts with a Twilight Pre-Show at 7 p.m. before Blast-Off at 8 p.m. Tickets are $65, with partial proceeds benefiting the local shelter and homeless-helping nonprofit Change for Good, Inc. Call 202-536-4495 or visit www.Maythe4thDC.com for more information. l

theFeed

UNBELIEVABLE UNTRUTH

Far-right Republicans fabricated a sexual assault allegation against Pete Buttigieg to derail his campaign. By Rhuaridh Marr

A

N ALLEGATION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST ed that he “WAS NOT SEXUALLY ASSAULTED.” Mayor Pete Buttigieg by a young, gay Republican “It’s important for everyone to know that I was not man was fabricated by two far-right activists. Jacob sexually assaulted and would never falsely accuse anyone,” Wohl and Jack Burkman reportedly orchestrated the cam- Kelly wrote. “To keep it brief for now- I was approached by paign against Buttigieg, a rising star among Democratic a political figure to come to DC to discuss political situations candidates for President, and were actively recruiting young from the standpoint of a gay Republican. When I arrived men to make allegations against him, The Daily Beast reports. they discussed Peter Buttigieg and started talking about how On Monday, the men allegedly appropriated the iden- they would be working a campaign against him. tity of Hunter Kelly, a 21-year-old Ferris State University “I went to bed and woke up to a fake Twitter @ student, and wrote a vague post on Medium accusing RealHunterKelly and an article that I in no way endorsed or Buttigieg of sexually assaulting him in wrote,” he continued. “I have since a Washington, D.C. hotel in February. left and am working on a formal Wohl and Burkman intended to statement to give to everyone includstop Buttigieg’s upwards trajectory ing the Buttigieg family. Thank you according to a Republican source, for standing behind me and knowing who told Daily Beast that the pair had that I would never accept or allow approached him to make similar alleany of this.” gations against Buttigieg.

In a statement to Daily Beast, Kelly told The Advocate that Wohl Burkman insisted that Kelly had and Burkman had flown him out to come to him for assistance.

Washington the night before the “While we’re disappointed by Medium article was posted, but that his reaction today, I can’t imagine he had not consented to its content the stress he’s currently under,” nor agreed to be part of their plan.

Burkman said. “This is a difficult Kelly, who said he had stayed in subject for anyone to face and unforBurkman’s home after they collected tunately, as an attorney, there’s only him from Baltimore airport at 12:30 so much I can do.” a.m. on Monday, claims he woke up to Meanwhile, Buttigieg responded find the men had created fake social to the news by saying the accusation –Pete Buttigieg media accounts in his name and postwas false and it wouldn’t derail his ed the article with him as the accuser. campaign.

He claims that Wohl and Burkman “It’s not going to throw us,” he spoke about how to stop Buttigieg’s said. “Politics can be ugly sometimes campaign during the car ride from the airport to D.C., and but you have to face that when you’re in presidential polithat they told him he was the “star and hero” of their plot tics.” after the Medium post went live.

Buttigieg has already tackled anti-gay animosity in his “I woke up at 11 a.m. and spent my whole day saying I did campaign for the Democratic nomination. Earlier this month, not want this to happen,” he told The Advocate. “My sister a far-right columnist branded Buttigieg a “sodomite” and the and her husband came and got me.” “king of cocks,” and claimed Buttigieg couldn’t be president After Kelly claimed he hadn’t actively participated in the because men wouldn’t vote for someone “effeminate.” And false allegations, Burkman posted on Twitter a statement while Buttigieg was campaigning in Iowa, an anti-gay proKelly had signed discussing the alleged assault, and a photo testor dressed up as the presidential candidate and whipped of Kelly holding his student ID. Jesus while Satan watched and encouraged him.

“Very first thing Hunter Kelly did is sign a statement Just last week, evangelical Trump supporter Franklin attesting to his accusation,” Bukrman wrote, adding, “He Graham said Buttigieg should ‘repent’ for being gay, accuswas in full control of all public disclosures, even taking a ing him of flaunting his sexuality and slamming his marselfie with his ID to confirm his identity [for Medium].” riage to husband Chasten. That outburst led to noted antiBut Kelly told The Advocate that Burkman and Wohl gay Republican Rick Santorum defending Buttigieg, telling “basically forced me to sign that and take that photo. I had CNN’s New Day that if evangelicals are going to attack no say in either. In the photo you can clearly see I had been Buttigieg’s homosexuality as a sin, they shouldn’t turn a crying.” blind eye to Donald Trump’s three marriages and alleged In a subsequent Facebook post, Kelly once again reiterat- infidelity. l

“It’s not going to throw us. Politics can be ugly sometimes but you have to face that when you’re in presidential politics.”

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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theFeed

BRAZILIAN BIGOT

Brazil’s president does not want his country to be a “gay tourism paradise.” By John Riley

J

AIR BOLSONARO, THE RIGHT-WING POPULIST and anti-gay president of Brazil, says he does not want his country to become a gay tourism mecca.

“If you want to come here and have sex with a woman, go for your life,” the Brazilian magazine Exame quotes Bolsonaro as saying during a breakfast meeting with reporters. “But we can’t let this place become known as a gay tourism paradise. Brazil can’t be a country of the gay world, of gay tourism. We have families.”

LGBTQ tourists have historically traveled to Brazil for events like São Paulo’s annual Pride parade or Rio de Janeiro’s gay-friendly Carnival celebration, spending significant amounts of money that supports the local economies of those cities. But some worry that Bolsonaro’s comments — not to mention his hostility to LGBTQ people — could cause some tourists to boycott the country or go elsewhere.

“Bolsonaro’s homophobic remarks will have social and economic repercussions for Brazil,” John Tanzella, president of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, told Reuters. “His hate speech not only deters LGBTQ+ travelers, but also their allies around the world.”

Bolsonaro’s comments also sparked outrage from LGBTQ activists. “This is not a head of state — this is a national disgrace,” David Miranda, a Brazilian socialist congressman and activist, told the British newspaper The Guardian. Miranda said Bolsonaro’s comments could endanger members of Brazil’s LGBT community by “putting a target on their backs” and were promoting the sexual exploitation of Brazilian women. “He is staining the image of our country in every imaginable way.”

Jean Wyllys, another activist and Miranda’s political predecessor, who was forced to flee his home country after receiving death threats, also said Bolsonaro’s comments incited hatred against minorities.

“With this unhappy declaration and this unhappy gesture against the LGBT community, Bolsonaro is simply being Bolsonaro,” Wyllys said in a video posted to Twitter.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has made no secret of his disdain for the LGBTQ community throughout the years,

and even when he was campaigning for the presidency. He came under fire earlier this year for tweeting out a sexually explicit video that some believe was an attempt to smear members of the LGBTQ community as degenerates. He said that he’d prefer his son to die in an accident or be a drug addict than be gay.

Bolsonaro has previously threatened to hit gay men if he saw them kissing, claimed that the presence of gays drives down property values, and suggested that parents beat sons who act effeminately.

He also opposes same-sex adoption, accusing LGBTQ people of wanting to recruit children for sex and insisting that gay parents sexually abuse their children. Upon taking office, he issued an executive order barring the country’s human rights ministry from acknowledging, taking into account, or seeking to solve any concerns about LGBTQ equality.

But there is some evidence that his past anti-LGBTQ stances could be backfiring. Bolsonaro was recently invited to New York for the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce’s annual Person of the Year Awards Gala Dinner, where he is slated to be honored with the titular award for, among other reasons, emphasizing “the importance of Christian values and family.”

However, The Financial Times, consulting firm Bain & Company, and most recently Delta Airlines have withdrawn their sponsorship of the Person of the Year gala, pointing specifically to Bolsonaro’s hostility towards the LGBTQ community.

The media advocacy organization GLAAD and openly gay New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan), who represents the district where the Marriott Marquis hotel housing the awards dinner is located, are urging other sponsors of the dinner to cut ties with the event as well.

“It’s imperative that the companies and organizations associated with this event understand the egregious anti-LGBTQ record and rhetoric of the Brazilian President and stand by LGBTQ people in Brazil and everywhere by withdrawing their support,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. l

“This is not a head of state – this is a national disgrace.

He is staining the image of our country in every imaginable way.”

–David Miranda

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MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Community

THURSDAY, May 2

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, 20 S. Quaker Lane,

The DC Center holds a meeting of its ASIAN PACIFIC

Suite 210, Alexandria, Va., offers $30 “rapid” HIV testing and counseling by appointment only. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Must schedule special appointment if seeking testing after 2 p.m. Call 703-823-4401.

ISLANDER QUEER SUPPORT GROUP. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events

METROHEALTH CENTER

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an appointment, call 202-849-8029.

offers free HIV testing and HIV services (by appointment). 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center, 1400 Decatur St. NW. To arrange an appointment, call 202-291-4707, or visit www.andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

session at Takoma Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS run-

ning/walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards. Route distances vary. For meeting places and more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s

LGBTQ square-dancing group, features an opportunity to learn about and practice various forms of modern square dancing. No partner required. Please dress casually. 7:30-9:30 p.m.

National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202-930-1058 or visit www.dclambdasquares.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice. The team is always looking for new members.

All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www.scandalsrfc. org or dcscandals@gmail.com.

THE DULLES TRIANGLES

Northern Virginia social group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston. All welcome. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar.

For more information, visit www.dullestriangles.com.

Ren Laine

Arty Queers is a monthly LGBTQ market for artists to showcase their work, gain recognition, and earn some money.

I

AM ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT NEW WAYS OF BEING able to support our queer artistic community, and different venues or opportunities for them to showcase their work,” says Kimberley Bush, director of arts and cultural programs at The DC Center. “I had started an art market in Alexandria when I was on the board of Del Ray Artisans. And it was pretty successful for five years. And I thought to myself, ‘Why not bring that same opportunity and model to the queer community, and one-up it by making it a monthly market?’”

The result, “Arty Queers,” takes place at The DC Center on the second Saturday of every month. Artists set up at tables to display their works, with most pieces reasonably priced.

“I put out a call for artists on Twitter, Facebook, everywhere,” says Bush. “What that has brought is an amazing, diverse mix of artists — jewelers, textiles, pottery, photography, graphic design, paintings. A lot of the artwork is not only spectacular, but very affordable.”

Artists who wish to participate must apply online, submit three hi-resolution photos of their work, and pay $20 for each month they wish to display. If artists sign up for three or more markets at a time, they receive a discount of $15 per market. All participating artists are asked to donate 10% of sales back to The DC Center. The event is free and open to the public.

“I feel like queer art gives a different perspective and different expression,” says Bush. “And this is an art market that’s by, for, and about LGBTQ artists. Support in the art world can be really hard to come by, and if you’re queer, it can be difficult to get your foot in the door. Here, you get all of that and the chance to share your work with the community and make some money from it.” —John Riley

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE. For an appointment, call 202-745-7000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

Arty Queers, D.C.’s LGBTQ+ Art Market, is held on the second Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105, inside the Reeves Municipal Building. The next market is Saturday, May 11. To register as an artist, visit www.thedccenter.org/events/artmarketregistration.

For general information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

STI TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2-3 p.m. at both 1525 14th St. NW and the Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. Testing is intended for those without symptoms. For an appointment call 202-745-7000 or visit www. whitman-walker.org.

US HELPING US hosts a

Narcotics Anonymous Meeting.

The group is independent of UHU. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. For more information, call 202-446-1100.

FRIDAY, May 3 GAY DISTRICT, a group for

GBTQQI men between the ages of 18-35, meets on the first and third Fridays of each month.

8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.gaydistrict.org.

Join LGBTQ people from all over the D.C. metro area for GoGayDC’s FIRST FRIDAYS HAPPY HOUR SOCIAL at Pinzimini Lounge in the Westin Arlington Gateway.

Everyone welcome. No cover.

801 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, Va. Ballston Metro is two blocks away. For more information, visit www.meetup.com/ GoGayDC.

SATURDAY, May 4 ADVENTURING outdoors

group holds its Spring Potluck Social in the party room of a building near the Potomac Avenue Metro. Bring a dish to share and $5 for admission. 5-9 p.m. For further details, contact Phillip, 202-374-3425 or visit www.adventuring.org.

CENTER GLOBAL, a group

that advocates for LGBTIQ rights and fights against antiLGBTIQ laws in more than 80 countries, holds its monthly meeting on the first Saturday of

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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every month. 12-1:30 p.m. The DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

OutWrite presents THE FUTURE IS STILL VERY QUEER, a series of speculative readings from Rashid Darden, Lara Elena Donnelly, and Nibedita Sen, moderated by Marianne Kirby. Free and open to the public. 5:30 p.m. East City Book Shop, 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org/outwrite.

RAINBOW FAMILIES hosts its

Annual Family Conference, featuring a day full of workshops on topics important to LGBTQ families, a town hall meeting on policy and legal threats, activities for kids, a resource fair, and huge giveaways. Featuring special guests Barbara Harrison of NBC4, Trystan Reese, the DC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the Family Equality Council, and Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Georgetown Day High School, 4200 Davenport St. NW. For more information, visit www.rainbowfamilies.wildapricot.org.

YOUTH PRIDE featuring tabling,

live performances, and a festival-type atmosphere, takes place from 12-5 p.m. at Dupont Circle NW. Followed by the Youth Pride Dance from 6-10 p.m. at the Palomar Hotel, 2121 P St. NW. Ages 24 and under only. For more information, visit www.youthpridealliance.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

practice session at Montgomery College Aquatics Club. 8:30-10 a.m.

7600 Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For more information, visit www. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards.

Route distance will be 3-6 miles.

Walkers meet at 9:30 a.m. and runners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW. For more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

SUNDAY, May 5 ADVENTURING outdoors group

hikes 15 strenuous miles with 2700 feet of elevation gain in the northern section of Shenandoah National Park, near Front Royal, Va. Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, bug spray, sunscreen, and about $15 for fees. Carpool at 9 a.m. from the East Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. For more informa-

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MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

tion, contact David, 240-938-0375, or visit www.adventuring.org.

The DC Center and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park host GAY DAY AT THE ZOO, a family-friendly event that coincides with the celebration of International Family Equality Day. Events include animal enrichments, live music, selfie booths, and an ice cream social. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. For adults, an after-party featuring cocktails, face painting, and a drag show will be held from 5-8 p.m. at Trade, 1410 14th St. NW. For more information, visit www.facebook. com/gaydayatthezoo.

MONDAY, May 6 CENTER AGING, an LGBTQ

seniors group of The DC Center, will hold its MONTHLY ADVOCACY MEETING to gauge feedback on The Center’s programs and services for older adults, and see what other issues may need to be addressed. This meeting will be immediately after the Center’s regularly scheduled weekly Coffee Drop-In from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (See weekly listings below.) 12:30-1:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

CENTER FAITH, a group of The DC Center, will hold a planning meeting to discuss upcoming initiatives, especially the upcoming annual Capital Pride Interfaith Service on June 11. Planning meetings will take place on the first Monday of each month leading up to June. 6-7 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

The DC Center holds a monthly VOLUNTEER NIGHT for those interested in giving back to the local LGBTQ community. Activities include sorting through book donations, taking inventory, or assembling safe-sex packets. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

practice session at Dunbar Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N St. NW. For more information, visit www. swimdcac.org.

DC’S DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

welcomes musicians of all abilities to join its Monday night rehearsals. The group hosts marching/color guard, concert, and jazz ensembles, with performances year round. Please contact Membership@DCDD.org to inquire about joining one of the ensembles or visit www.DCDD.org.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9

US HELPING US hosts a support

WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP

Whitman-Walker Health holds its weekly GAY MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC. Patients are seen on walk-in basis. No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing available for fee.

Testing starts at 6 p.m, but should arrive early to ensure a spot. 1525 14th St. NW. For more information, visit www.whitman-walker.org.

p.m. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, contact Tom, 703-299-0504 or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit www.wetskins.org.

for newly diagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m. Registration required.

202-939-7671, hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.

TUESDAY, May 7 Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB practice

session at Takoma Aquatic Center.

7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, visit www. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club welcomes runners of all ability levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, with socializing afterwards.

Route distances vary. For meeting places and more information, visit www.dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice. The team is always looking for new members. All welcome.

7-9 p.m. Harry Thomas Recreation Center, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more information, visit www. scandalsrfc.org or dcscandals@ gmail.com.

group for black gay men 40 and older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. Call 202-446-1100.

WEDNESDAY, May 8 The DC Center hosts a GET

EMPOWERED! SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOP on how to defend

yourself if you are verbally or physically harassed. Open to women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people ages 16 and up.

6:30-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. To register, or for more information, visit www.defendyourself.org.

Weekly Events AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-

versation, meets about 6-6:30 p.m., Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

holds a practice session at Dunbar Aquatic Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 101 N St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

HIV testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday.

5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617.

group for LGBT people looking to quit cigarettes and tobacco use, holds a weekly support meeting at The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-

holds an LGBT-focused meeting every Tuesday, 7 p.m. at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from Virginia Square Metro. Handicapped accessible.

Newcomers welcome. For more info, call Dick, 703-521-1999 or email liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.

STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at both 1525 14th St. NW and the Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. Testing is intended for those without symptoms. For an appointment call 202-745-7000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

Support group for LGBTQ youth ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL. 5-6:30 p.m.

410 7th St. SE. For more information, contact Rebecca York, 202-567-3165, or rebecca.york@smyal.org.

gram for job entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more info, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV

testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington.

Appointments: 703-789-4467.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9

p.m. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. For more information, contact Tom, 703-299-0504 or secretary@wetskins.org, or visit www.wetskins.org. l

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

29

Scene

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CAGLCC’s MegaNetworking Event at City Winery - Wednesdat, April 24 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Cheers to We For more than 25 years, NBC4’s Wendy Rieger has been an advocate for — and best friend to — the LGBTQ community.

Interview by Doug Rule Photography by Todd Franson

H

OW DO I LET THEM KNOW I'M COOL?” Wendy Rieger remembers posing that question as a college student, wondering if a gay nightclub in her Norfolk hometown would even let her in as a straight woman, let alone if she could ingratiate herself among the regulars upon entry. But one of her best friends, Andy, who later came out as bisexual, helped convince her to give it a shot — for the love of disco dancing.

“I thought the way to prove myself to the gays was to go out onto the dance floor and just dance with them and with Andy and not to look like a moron. So that was my ticket. It was just, ‘I'm gonna go there. I'm gonna be there every week, every Saturday night, after midnight.’”

Her early strategy for success, in other words, was to show her sincerity and determination, and to prove that she meant business — and no harm. In many respects, Rieger has followed a similar strategy ever since, in her work as a local TV celebrity, as a broadcast journalist of national stature and influence — by virtue of her 30-year career at Washington’s NBC4, where she currently anchors the News4 at 5 broadcast — and especially in her social and volunteer pursuits.

She may be the life of the party and the belle of gay galas, but in person Rieger reveals herself to be humble, genuine, frank, and down-to-earth — a breath of fresh air in a world full of self-aggrandizing poseurs and self-important prima donnas.

For one thing, Rieger isn’t entirely convinced she deserves an award from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, celebrating her status as a longtime ally of the LGBTQ cause.

“I haven't done anything,” she asserts. “I didn't do anything except show up.... I feel like you guys let me have a front-row seat to the revolution.” Yet the 63-year-old has been no mere spectator — she’s served as host and emcee for various LGBTQ organizations over the past two decades, most notably SMYAL and GMCW. And she’s consistently put herself out there as a supporter of the LGBTQ community and an advocate for LGBTQ concerns — to a degree far greater than many of her local TV and media colleagues.

“Wendy's been our emcee for five years, and she's been coming to it for a lot longer than that,” says Justin Fyala, GMCW’s executive director, referring to the organization’s annual fundraiser, Spring Affair. “She's been a great supporter of our orga32

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

nization, and she's so passionate about our mission of singing for equality and justice for all people.”

Or as Rieger herself puts it about the chorus: “It's so wonderful what they're able to do just by singing. And the ambassadors they've become just by singing.”

Next Saturday, May 11, GMCW will bestow its highest honor — the Harmony Award — on Rieger. “We just felt it was time to give back to her in the most meaningful way that we could,” Fyala says. “She really uses her public persona for good. In the D.C. area, people know her right away, they trust her. She brings them the news every night. And so when she puts her name, her face, on an organization's gala, or even on an organization, that's her stamp of approval. And that means the world to us.”

Rieger is one of four Harmony Award recipients this year, along with the local bilingual LGBTQ community center and homeless shelter Casa Ruby, longtime GMCW donor and board member Charles Berardesco, and NBC Out, the national LGBTQ-focused offshoot of NBC News. Emmy Award-winning actress Jackie Hoffman (Feud) will serve as the “creative black tie” gala’s special guest host.

With the gala and the Harmony Award as context, Rieger recently hosted Metro Weekly at her elegant apartment in Friendship Heights. During a wide-ranging, hour-long interview, Rieger reflected on her life and career, her history of participating in and covering LGBTQ causes and events, and the impact such involvement has had. To say the least, it has gone well beyond proving that Rieger is, without a doubt, cool.

METRO WEEKLY: You’re a local gay diva, and a visible, active ally

of the LGBTQ community. What prompted such activism and involvement?

WENDY RIEGER: Well, I did three AIDS Rides in a row — 1999, 2000, 2001. Patrick Bruyere — who just passed away a little more than a year ago — contacted me and said, "I don't know that the gay community is necessarily giving back to the community. So I started Children and the Arts, where I collect books about the arts for local kids, K-12. I wanna go on stage during Reel Affirmations and make a pitch, but I need a figurehead, someone to be the chair, and I need someone from the straight community to give it credibility." I just thought that was really [messed] up. I thought, “Why do you need a straight

endy!

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

33

person? You guys are doing amazing things,” — and when I say, “guys," I use it gender-free — “We straight people are not doing [anything] for you as far as I know. We're busy worrying about ourselves."

But it was reading, and my mother was an English teacher and a reading specialist. I was eight when my parents separated and divorced. Things were rough at times, and reading was a great escape for me. I would go to the library and get five books and couldn't wait to get home from school in fifth grade and read. So I said: "If you think I can help, I'm yours, absolutely."

And that really started it.

I was also excited because now I felt like I was suddenly being given a seat at the cool kids' table. Because what I learned during the first AIDS Ride is that this is just a group of people who are so talented and so driven, smart, and professional.

When you're riding with 2,600 people and most of them are gay, you just really see this community. So Patrick, he was sort of my all-access pass. We started doing that. We did that for a couple

Right around that time, I did my very first SMYAL luncheon, where they asked me to emcee. And the more I got up at gay events, you guys actually helped me get over my horrific stage fright. So then it became where you guys were my oxygen. I needed you guys to breathe and to live.

So when the Gay Men’s Chorus said, "Hey, we're giving you an award, because of all you've done for us,” I said, “Are you kidding? I need to have a little ceremony and give you all an award for all you've done for me.”

MW: You’ve emceed for GMCW’s gala for several years.

RIEGER: I've emceed that for five years in a row. It's been wonderful. And because I've gotten so comfortable, I just really let loose. I just have so much fun. People will ask: "How many drinks have you had?" And I say, “You know what's scary? I haven't had any." I don't know if that's good or bad to admit.

This is actually just me.

I'm so honored that — oh my God, you’re making me cry!

I'm just so touched because, again, I think we straight people, I don't feel like we did anything. What Craig [Cippolini of GMCW] said to me was, "We needed allies, and just the fact that you were an ally and stood with us meant a lot." So, I feel in a way I was there for the party and I was, as someone once joked, “podium candy," at these galas and stuff.

But you guys were the ones who had to come out to your families. You guys had to suffer the consequences of that. And I know from my friends it wasn't always pretty. You had to suffer the rejections just by saying, "These are my basic human rights and I deserve them and I demand them." And deal with the condemnation. We didn't have to go through that. I feel like you guys were out in the trenches while I was back wrapping bandages or serving coffee and donuts at the USO show or whatever. So, in that sense, I'm truly blown away by it. The fact that you would think I did anything is just astonishing to me, because this has been such a fun ride for me. And it has been a no-brainer.

If anyone is denied their rights, then all of us can be denied our rights. We've seen in our current political climate how things can shift — and we forget that Nazi Germany was the ’30s and ’40s. That wasn't that long ago. There's still people alive from that. And we've seen since what happened in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge came through. We saw what happened in Rwanda. We have seen the genocides. We've seen what happened in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The world is constantly telling us that mankind turns on itself, and there's not a religion around today that has not at some time through history been slaughtered. So the fact that anyone would allow anyone on earth, especially in the United States, to be oppressed, or not to give them their rights, is just the dumbest thing. It's dangerous for all of us. And especially if they start using God as a reason. Don't even get me started on that nonsense — and I mean that. That's nonsense, to bastardize the teachings of the prophet Jesus — and I'm not religious, but still.

“I NEVER FELT MORE ATTRACTIVE OR MORE LIKE A WOMAN THAN WHEN I WAS IN FRONT OF A BUNCH OF GAY MEN. You guys appreciate my sexuality more than straight men do. Because straight men are always playing a game with you.” of years. It was great fun.

MW: I recall you being dressed to the nines at Reel Affirmations, one year sporting a sharp black leather jacket. And you effectively stole the show and became the life of the party.

RIEGER: It’s funny, I never felt more attractive or more like a woman than when I was in front of a bunch of gay men.

Isn't that weird? You guys appreciate my sexuality more than straight men do. Because straight men are always playing a game with you. And you guys are just fresh and open. I felt so safe. That was the other thing — I used to have horrible stage fright, where I would be doing everything but throwing up before I went onstage.

MW: On-air is not the same?

RIEGER: No, because a camera is an inanimate object. And you're in a studio with a lot of lights in your eyes. And the studio's not actually very big. When you walk into a theater or even when I give a speech in front of a bunch of people in a room, you can actually see the faces and you can hear them breathing and you can feel their presence. And that more than discombobulated me — I would have almost near-panic attacks. It was horrible.

I couldn't sleep for a couple of nights before I was supposed to get up and talk to some senior citizens at [Silver Spring’s] Riderwood Village. Everyone would destroy me. And I was married at the time, and my husband was a producer at CNN. I told him, "I'm gonna stop doing this." And he said, "No. The only way you’re gonna get through it is if you keep doing it. So, you must do it. You gotta get in front of people so you can get over this, Wendy."

When I walked out on stage at Reel Affirmations and you guys just laughed at my jokes and stuff, I suddenly felt very safe.

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So to be given this award is such an honor. I'm so appreciative. But I'm so humbled by it. I haven't done anything. I didn't do anything except show up.

I feel like you guys let me have a front-row seat to the revolution.

MW: But you’ve shown up and helped and supported the community to a far greater degree than most of your colleagues in the broadcast business.

RIEGER: That's true.

MW: What attracted you to working in broadcast in the first place? And to D.C.?

RIEGER: I came up here in 1978 from Norfolk and Old Dominion University to finish my schooling at American University. I was on that six-year plan, because I had dropped out to become an actor for awhile, and then decided to go back. Back in the day we were more mission-oriented. We felt like it was a calling, that you were there to tell people what they needed to know so that they could be informed citizens.

And you didn't have a lot of time to do that. So we were very selective. We were better curators, I think. And we really took it very seriously. We didn't have a lot of folderol.

What has kept me going is that it keeps me informed. I had a Southern mother. I always say, "If my mother hadn't been born, Tennessee Williams would have created her." She was this fast-talking, cussing, hard-drinking — at times — really bright woman who was born ahead of her time and the era for women.

My mother always said — her Maxine Manifesto was — "Pull your own weight, make your own money, and depend on no one for your happiness." And she sort of instilled in me “You never want to be boring.” And in order to not be boring, you need to constantly be continuing to feed your intellect so that you are constantly changing and evolving. So, for me, journalism was perfect, because every day I learn several things. I was usually the dumbest person in the room when I went to a news conference, but that was fine: I needed to go in the way a viewer was gonna be coming to the story, and then I would get all the information and then retell it. And that was [gratifying], especially if you're a storyteller.

I was in radio in the beginning, so it wasn't about showing myself. In fact, I didn't like the idea of someone looking at me. I thought that would dilute the process, because it's not about me.

And if you're looking at me, then you're gonna be saying, "Oh, her hair’s longer. Oh, her hair's shorter. What is she wearing?

Has she put on weight?" And you're not listening to the story. I was really a purist at the time and thought I would stick to radio

as opposed to TV. MW: You not only started in radio, you started in public radio, at WAMU. Do you think that has had a lasting impact on your outlook on the news or on what you cover?

RIEGER: Maybe. The whole NPR ethic of news is, "Always assume the audience is smarter than you, and bright." Make sure you rise to their level.

MW: Which is the opposite of what we were instructed to do in journalism school. The guidance is to dumb it down, to write at an eighth-grade level. I like the NPR way better.

RIEGER: I like it better, too. It’s more respectful. As a result, I've never written down to the audience. I've always wanted them to understand, “Why am I telling you this? Why is this important?”

I wouldn't know how to dumb it down. I really wouldn't. You wanna tell someone a story. You wanna tell them, “This is why this is kinda cool — even in its awfulness — because it says this about us. Or it just reminds us of our basic humanity.” We're all having a human experience, and it's not easy. It’s not easy for any of us.

In a lot of ways, the other thing that I appreciate about gay people is that, I’m around people who had to go through a struggle. Well, we’re all individually going through our own struggles, but you had to do it being made to feel that you weren’t normal. But your struggles — all of our struggles — are normal.

They’re our struggles. They're the human struggle that we all are going through.

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

35

MW: Why can't some people see that?

RIEGER: Because they’re stupid. That’s the other thing. For

people who are ignorant, I actually feel a lot of compassion for them because something made them ignorant. Or they were not allowed to reach their full potential. And you have to feel that that's a tragedy. That they’ve gone through life and they’re afraid — afraid to think, afraid to be independent. They haven't been taught how to think independently. So when someone just

that they do no harm. You can do plenty of harm, as we've seen, in the voting booth. But you just hope that they do no harm.

I’ve got a story to tell you. It was in the early ’90s — ’92? — where I had a confrontation with some people in the gay community at Dupont Circle that really shook me. And it was a time when the gay pride parade was coming up, and for many years it was very burlesque. It was a lot of scantily clad guys with long balloons between their legs, and it was very risque and crazy.

And this was as the gay community was pushing for political rights and was really becoming more politicized. And of course you had the AIDS crisis, which was exploding. And political leaders in the gay community were starting to say, "We've really gotta change our public perception.” We had a discussion at Channel 4 [and decided that] we were now no longer gonna video those floats. We were gonna focus on messages.

So they sent me out Friday evening when everybody was coming in for Pride. I was at Amtrak waiting for people [but] a lot of the trains from New York hadn’t come in just yet. So I went to Dupont Circle, and there were a whole bunch of people with brochures out at the Metro’s north entrance. And everyone looked regular, there was no one outlandish-looking except this one guy who had a Mohawk painted in the rainbow colors. So I walk up to the people manning the other tables with pamphlets and stuff to see if they would want to be interviewed, and no one did: "No, I'm just here hanging out. I don't wanna be interviewed." And I thought, "Okay."

So this guy came up to me from his booth, the guy with the mohawk. He was a lovely man, and he goes, "I'll talk to you."

And I actually [hesitated]: “We're trying not to do this. I'm trying to be a friend of Pride with a different message. We had the talk in the newsroom and we're trying....” I just had one of those awkward moments where I said, "Okay," but I was uncomfortable. But the poor man — this was his self-expression. So it was interesting, because even I was now prejudiced against him because of the gay political leaders had made me prejudiced against this guy.

I started talking to him, and out of nowhere, this lesbian and a couple of other people came up and started heckling me.

They started going, "Oh, you people in the media. Really? You're interviewing him? That's all you guys care about is the flamboyant people among us. You don't wanna hear that we're not all the same. We all don't look like that, but that's the stereotype you keep pushing.”

Suddenly there's a crowd around us, and I just said, "Wait, do you know me?" And she kinda stopped. I said, "Do you know anything about me? Have you ever seen my work?" And I wasn't an anchor then. I was still just a fill-in anchor. "Why are you prejudging me? This man is manning one of the booths here. Do you want me to say no to him? Because of his hair? You don't know me. Why don't you wait and see the report I do tonight.

“IF ANYONE IS DENIED THEIR RIGHTS, THEN ALL OF US CAN BE DENIED OUR RIGHTS. We’ve seen in our current political climate how things can shift — and we forget that Nazi Germany was the ’30s and ’40s. That wasn’t that long ago.” doesn't get it, I don't want to condemn them, because then we're now in this vicious, toxic cycle of condemnation and judgment. I wanna talk them through it, so that they understand.

MW: What would be an example of that?

RIEGER: Here's something I love about gay marriage. Gay marriage taught us contract law. I got married in a Justice of the Peace. My husband was Jewish and I'm Pagan — go figure that out. And we got married at a Justice of the Peace. You don't need God. You don't need a Minister. It's a commitment, but in the eyes of the law, it's just a contract, because you don't have to go to a church to get a divorce and God's not gonna help you if your divorce is nasty. God's not gonna help you divide the property and he's not gonna help you with custody disputes or whatever. God's not gonna help you with that. It is basic contract law.

And that's one thing that just made me nuts about gay marriage, about people opposing it. It's like, don't oppose this, this is stupid. Besides — and I'm not the first person to say this — we heterosexuals have ruined marriage. We don't know what to do with it. We don't do it well. It's awful. If someone actually wants to be married, let's let them so that maybe we can be reminded of why we got married. You talk to heterosexuals who are divorced, what do they all say? “I'm never getting married again.” We don't need it. Let's give it to someone else. Let them have it.

That's what makes me nuts about ignorant people. There's enough [stuff] that's gonna come at you that you can't control — from cancer and diseases to the car hitting you or the plane that you're on, that Boeing Max jet. If you're open, you can at least control your compassion. Compassion and empathy have got to be the cornerstone and bedrock foundation for our human emotions. It has to be, because you never know when it's gonna flip, and the crowd is gonna come after you.

MW: Is it possible to teach an old dog new tricks, though? Can you sway a close-minded person toward compassion or empathy?

RIEGER: Yes, of course! But some people are just never going to, because they just can't. They're just too afraid. And they don't understand — it somehow rocks their world in some way or their feeling of safety. So then what you wanna do is make sure 36

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

And if you don't like it, then you can call me and chew me out.

But right now you are stereotyping me in the same way you are asking people not to stereotype you. I'm not just someone in the media. I am an individual. And I work at Channel 4 News and my name is Wendy Rieger and if you don't like what you see at 11 o'clock tonight, then you can chew me out."

She said, "You know, you're right." Then I stormed off. I just left my cameraman [Harry] and I just stormed off.

MW: Did you finish the interview with the guy?

RIEGER: No! I asked him one question when they, the mob, appeared. As I was waiting to cross the street, some woman who was about to cross too, she looked at me and said, "You didn't deserve that." And I said, "Well, I know they're mad, and I know they're trying to change their message. But people are still gonna wanna be who they are. And isn't that a message as well?

Can't he be included?”

MW: How did your piece turn out?

RIEGER: Well, then I was even more emboldened. Harry caught up with me, we got in the car and we went to Union Station. And I asked him, “By the way, did you roll on that?" He said, "No. I turned off the camera because I didn't think you wanted people yelling at you." And I said, “Ahhh! Roll on everything. If I'm being hit by a bus, roll on it! Don't even save me. Just take pictures of it.”

So that became my story. I referenced that I was just in Dupont Circle and people got all up in my business because I was interviewing some guy with a rainbow mohawk. And everyone wanted to talk about that. It was a real sea change in the politics of Pride.

That was the first time I felt like I'd come through the fire. I had this angry lesbian yelling at me, and I really felt like that's when things clicked with me in the gay community as a reporter. Because I thought, "I am here to tell your story." I'm here to tell everyone's story, but I think that night I got this story right.

MW: Was that the first gay event you covered?

RIEGER: That's the one that stands out because it was just so, oh my God. I wanted to start crying. “Don't yell at me."

MW: And subsequent to that, as your and others’ reporting on the gay community and gay issues evolved and improved, the public’s perceptions also evolved and improved.

RIEGER: Sure. And I don't think that was just Channel 4. I think everyone. All you have to do is ask us. I mean, we all need to be educated. And I think the political leaders in the gay community were smart. They went to the local TV stations and they said, "Could you do us a favor? These are the issues we're trying to get out. Could you please tell this story and not just make us look like a bunch of clowns."

MW: It surely helped that there were a lot of LGBTQ people working either in journalism or in the communications field generally.

RIEGER: Right, and you had more [LGBTQ] publications coming out at the time.

MW: What does the future hold for you?

RIEGER: I actually see myself probably retiring from television

in the next couple of years and going back into radio — which is now called podcasting. There are so many interesting people I'd like to talk to without the burden of trying to match video to it. I'd like to be able to sit down and have a conversation with interesting people, whether it's 15 minutes, or 30 minutes, or an hour, and let's chop it off and throw it up to a podcasting site and [people] can download it whenever they want. That's what I'd like to do.

I also wanna go live in the country. I wanna go live in Rappahannock County — where I’m [currently] building a house — full-time, and I want to see what life is like without hair and makeup.

MW: Back to the present, though, I wanted to ask whether the charge of “fake news” has had any impact on your newsroom or on your work in any way.

RIEGER: No, it really hasn't because we're local news and people trust us. When they come home and there's yellow police tape around their neighbor's house, they're not gonna go to the New York Times or to Fox News, they're gonna come to us. And we're gonna tell them what's going on in the street where they live.

I WALKED OUT ON STAGE AT REEL AFFIRMATIONS AND I SUDDENLY FELT VERY SAFE. And the more I got up at gay events, you helped me get over my horrific stage fright.

It became where you guys were my oxygen. I needed you guys to breathe and to live.”

We tell them what's going on with the nuts and bolts of their lives. And so it hasn't impacted us.

Plus, I think it became such a cliché. It's been two years. We got over it. I think it was a great dog whistle for people who wanna hate. And that's Trump, and you know what? I think he's brilliant in the way he is communicating. I don't think it's good for us as a country, but I think he's brilliant and I think it's frightening. I have friends in the business who just dismiss him.

Don't dismiss this man. He's masterful. But it's been two years and I think it's starting to wane a little bit. And I think people are just getting exhausted by his nonsense. I hope they are.

Because I think we are better than this.

Going back to what I said earlier, if someone doesn't have rights, we all cannot have rights because look what's happened in the last two years with just the hatred. It doesn't take much.

We need to support everyone. If someone doesn't have their civil and their human rights, fight for them! l The GMCW Spring Affair: Legends of Olympus is on Saturday, May 11, with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., and a three-course dinner at 8 p.m., at The Ritz-Carlton, 1150 22nd St. NW. Tickets are $225 per person. Call 202-293-1548 or visit www.gmcw.org.

Follow Wendy Rieger on Twitter at @NBCWendy.

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Awesome Con - Saturday & Sunday. April 27 & 28 - Photography by Ward Morrison & Randy Shulman See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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Youth Pride Letter from Board

O

N BEHALF OF YOUTH PRIDE ALLIANCE, WELCOME TO THE 2019 YOUTH PRIDE DAY. For more than 20 years, Youth Pride Day has been anevent where lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning youth and their allies can learn about their community, enjoy the day and just be themselves. Our goal is to create a safe, supportive space for youth of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or whether you are from Ward 2, Ward 8, PG Country or Northern Virginia.

The board would like to extend a special thank you to our partner Damien Ministries; sponsors such as D.C. Department of Health, Capital Pride, and Whitman Walker Health; Metro Weekly; and exhibitors and volunteers for 2019. Without your support, Youth Pride Day could not happen. Please take a look at our program guide and note the organizations and individuals who help make Youth Pride Day possible. The next time you visit one of these organizations, thank them for helping to make Youth Pride Day happen.

And, if you like what you see, we’d love to have you get more involved in Youth Pride Day and Youth Pride Alliance. We are always looking for new ideas and energy. As you celebrate this year, remember that there are many who are unable to come out to join us. It is Youth Pride Alliance’s goal to ensure that every youth -- regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression -- has the right to live, to love and to be loved.

For more information on Youth Pride Day and Youth Pride Alliance and how to get involved, visit www.youthpridealliance.org.

Thank you and Happy Youth Pride Day 2019!

The Youth Pride Alliance Board

About Us

T

HE YOUTH PRIDE ALLIANCE (YPA) WAS FOUNDED IN 1996, AND AS A SMALL, ALL-VOLUNTEER RUN organization, we rely on the support of the community to succeed. The board members and volunteers of Youth Pride Alliance are a committed group of passionate individuals who reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ youth we serve. Our ability to fulfill our organizational mission is enhanced by our board members and volunteers experiences working with youth.

YPA hosts programs like Youth Pride Day, provides leadership training, and facilitates intergenerational partnerships. We are dedicated to advancing a holistic agenda that addresses the cultural, educational, political & social needs of young people in the Washington, D.C. area.

We envision LGBTQQA youth working together for a just society in which generations of representative leaders understand their individual and collective power while celebrating the dignity and courage for all.

Mission Statement The 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 self-development 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.

Youth Pride Board Sarah Blazucki, Treasurer • Nikisha Carpenter, President • Franklin Johnson • Ace Portis, Secretary Jeffrey DeShawn Richardson, Vice President • Sheldon Scott • Tyler Webb• Angela Ferrell-Zabala Damien Ministries - Partners Gail Oliver Elle Michelle Washington

Booths and Sponsors Youth Pride Day is Saturday, May 4, from Noon to 5 p.m. in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. Speakers and performers throughout the day! (Rain date: Saturday, June 1.)

Infatuation: The Youth Pride Dance will be held on Saturday, June 8, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel, 2121 P St. NW. The dance is FREE, but open only to those 24 and under.

Youth Pride Day Booths Adolescent Clinical Research Buergess Clinic American Federation of Government Employees Damien Ministries DC Coalition Against Violence DC Department of Health DC’s Different Drummers DC area Transmasculine Society DL Library DC Office of Human Rights DC Police LGBT

DC Public Schools DC Prevention Center DC Trans Coalition Dignity Washington Brave Trails Eleanor Holmes Norton DC Office of LGBTQ Affairs Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, MPD Human Rights Campaign Latin American Youth Center Latino GLBT History Project-DC Latinx Pride Metro Weekly MoCo Pride Center Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church Parents, Families &

Friends of Lesbians and Gays DC Planned Parenthood Metro DC Real Talk DC Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League Team DC Team Rayceen The DC Center The Trevor Project This Free Life TransParent Youth Pride Alliance Whitman Walker Health

Youth Pride Day Sponsors Platinum Damien Ministries DC Department of Health Gold Capital Pride HRC Whitman Walker Health Silver Ask Rayceen Bronze DC Office of LGBTQ Affairs Dupont Festival Planned Parenthood SMYAL

Movies

House Calls

The astute political documentary Knock Down the House gets somewhat sideswiped by the AOC juggernaut. By André Hereford

A

S THE POLLS CLOSED ON ELECTION NIGHT 2018, AMY VILELA, RUNning for congress in Nevada’s 4th District, saw her upstart campaign end in defeat. Just beginning to process that loss, she received a call from her friend and fellow insurgent candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly elected Representative for New York’s 14th District.

Transmitting comfort and encouragement, Ocasio-Cortez tells her comrade that, in the ongoing fight against a rigged political system, “for one of us to get through, a hundred of us have to try.” The emotion of the moment, captured on-camera from Vilela’s side of the call, resounds powerfully, as do Ocasio-Cortez’s words in summing up the balance of storytelling in the new Netflix documentary Knock Down the House (HHHHH).

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The filmmakers — led by Rachel Lears, who directed, shot, and produced — garnered the access and lucked into the timing to follow the concurrent 2018 narratives of four female, Democratic, outsider candidates for congress, including Vilela and the notorious AOC, along with Cori Bush running for the House in Missouri’s 1st District, and Paula Jean Swearengin running for Joe Manchin’s Senate seat in West Virginia.

While Knock Down the House draws a compelling story from each woman’s uphill primary battle against an establishment male opponent, the film delivers a truly great portrait of only one of the four featured — the obvious one — while continues on page 50

DJ COREY

Stage

Graceful Serpent Solid stagecraft and storytelling serve Constellation’s inventive production of The White Snake. By André Hereford

C

ONSTELLATION THEATRE CONJURES A FITTING TALE FOR USHERING in springtime with Allison Arkell Stockman’s elegant and playful production of the classic Chinese fable The White Snake (HHHHH). Written by Mary Zimmerman and based on ancient folklore, The White Snake evokes history, romance, and fantasy in a story that pits the arrogance of man against the forces of nature. The learned White Snake (Eunice Bae), a serpent who has studied the ways of the universe for more than a thousand years, takes human form in order to seek further enlightenment. As wise as she is old, she might someday transcend her earthly form, and join the immortals, if she can repay a kindness to a humble man, Xu Xian (Jacob Yeh), who perhaps once saved her life.

At least that’s one fork in the road paved by Zimmerman’s nimble script. Like any oft-told tale, the White Snake legend has been interpreted in many different versions.

Opting to address the audience directly, the play illustrates the varying layers of truth, or myth, that get laid onto folk tales, by expressly pointing out that this might not be the most reliable version of the White Snake. It’s certainly not the only one. This is possibly “a dream that [White Snake] forgot, and that we should remember,” we’re told.

The production occasionally feels dreamlike, fusing drama and storytelling with dance. The choreography by Jennifer J. Hopkins nicely complements the action and bits of narration recited by Shubhangi Kuchibhotla, or the exposition sung sweetly by

Linda Bard embodying Doubt and Jordan D. Moral as a Boatman who carries White Snake and her excitable companion Green Snake (Momo Nakamura) along their travels. The whimsical presentation, featuring puppets designed by Matthew Pauli and props by Alexander Rothschild, sparks the imagination as much as the transporting live music composed and performed by Tom Teasley and Chao Tian (who also record as the duo Dong Xi).

The costumes and sets are equally effective, and lit in beautifully shifting hues by Max Doolittle. All the design elements suggest a rich fantasy world, where two serpents might seek knowledge and diversion, or where White Snake might fall in love with Xian, and their potential union might be threatened by the machinations of bitter monk Fa Hai (Ryan Sellers). The ensemble keeps pace with the sweeping tale, but only a few of the performers, like Sellers, capture the richness of imagination that’s achieved elsewhere through the design.

As the ostensible villain of the plot who nevertheless believes he’s doing a good deed by trying to reveal White Snake for

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DJ COREY

what she is, Sellers sells the committed holy man, as well as the play’s foreboding suspense. By contrast, Yeh’s tenuous interpretation of Xian unfortunately doesn’t measure up in opposition to Fa Hai’s mettle and menace.

On the lighter side, Bae and Nakamura develop a delightful rapport performing the puppet-serpent forms of their characters. And Bae further distinguishes herself as an engaging romantic heroine opposite Yeh, while also carrying the sly sense

of humor that floats through this fantasy, like White Snake and Green Snake hitching a ride on a cloud. Joining the magic serpents up in the clouds are on-point supporting players Dylan Arredondo and Andrew Quilpa, who float in and out essaying various characters.

The play’s lightness is entertaining, and the journey, though intriguingly winding, won’t tax anyone’s sensibilities or endurance. It’s a tasteful production, above all else. Maybe the presentation could have been looser, rougher around the edges, to allow whatever lessons underlie this tale to unfurl as freely as the musicians’ melodies. The writer’s wit seeps through the production, but the adventurousness of the play’s makers doesn’t much extend to the play itself.

For all the beauty put on display, the allegory only lightly rings a bell, rather than forcefully striking a chord. Being respectful of nature and other living creatures, even snakes, is the message that registers the strongest impression, but that seems a bit simplistic.

Questions of love and faith are pondered fleetingly, rendering The White Snake an able comic supernatural fable about transcendence that doesn’t quite transcend. Although the Lady White Snake’s sojourn into the human world provides hearty escape, for her and for the audience, the meaning behind her story might easily slip through one’s fingers. l

The White Snake runs through May 26 at Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $19 to $45.

Call 202-204-7741, or visit www.constellationtheatre.org. continued from page 48

somewhat dropping the ball on the other three. Whatever their original intentions might have been to present a broad picture of four fledgling politicians, no one could blame Lears and editor-producer Robin Blotnick for shifting focus to Ocasio-Cortez.

The camera doesn’t lie: AOC’s presence is magnetic, her speeches dynamic. And, of course, she and her team ran a winning race.

Consequently, provides Ocasio-Cortez noticeably more screen time and characterizing detail. It’s worth the added time to see how the young bartender and waitress emerged from among dozens of “everyday people” candidates put forth as part of a grassroots effort by groups Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress to shift power in politics away from corporations.

Vilela, Bush, Ocasio-Cortez, and Swearengin all hit the road on a Brand New Congress national tour that allows the candidates to hone their messages and meet the voters. The film also tracks each woman in her home district, in the living rooms and on the front porches where a grassroots campaign is brought to life. Knock Down the House defines in clear terms what purpose drives the individual candidates, and discovers what epiphany, or tragedy, inspired them to run.

None runs harder than AOC. Touting her experience in hospitality — the good, bad, and the ugly of serving tacos and tequila — as excellent preparation for running a campaign, Ocasio-Cortez does all the grunt work of making calls and going door-to-door, and prepping relentlessly for speeches and debates. She, and the film, also benefit from the low-key portrayal of her opponent, Queens Democratic boss Joe Crowley, as a bumbling villain.

Crowley, who had served the voters of the 14th District since 1999, gives AOC the material to whip him with, so that’s on him.

He skips their first primary debate in the Bronx, and when he does show up for a debate on local TV network NY1, he looks exactly like the kind of candidate who woefully underestimated the competition. Clearly, he hadn’t been paying attention, since one thing that is certain upon seeing Ocasio-Cortez run is that she should not be underestimated. She says at one point that each candidate’s campaign should address the question, “Why you?” And she answers that question here.

The question for others who don’t win might be, “Why not me?” By comparison, Knock Down the House shows who is and is not lacking in star quality while out on the stump. But beyond that “It factor,” it is not entirely clear from this film what other obstacles kept Vilela from winning her race, or might have determined the results of Bush’s or Swearengin’s. Distracted by the shiny, fierce, victorious star on the horizon, the movie leaves the losing candidates in the dark.

Briefly, though, it casts light on the armies of dedicated supporters and volunteers who power a long-shot electoral campaign, and the film definitely adds meaningful perspective to the monumental midterms of 2018. An election that will be remembered by many as a showdown between “the Old Guard versus the Progressive New Guard,” as one newscaster puts it, gets boiled down here to an incomplete, but compelling, playby-play of three political races, and a stealth bio of, and persuasive mission statement for, the historic candidacy of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. l

Knock Down the House is rated PG, and is now playing at Landmark’s E Street Cinemas and streaming on Netflix.

Visit www.landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c.

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SØLVE SUNDSBØ

Music

Thinking Pink

Pink plays to her strengths on Hurts 2B Human, but ends up treading some all-too-familiar ground. By Sean Maunier

P

INK IS A WALKING CONTRADICTION — THE AGGRESSIVELY AUTHENTIC rebel whose very first album went double platinum. The prickly outsider persona might seem disingenuous if it didn’t work so well for her. She initially topped charts by delivering catchy hits and a lot of distinct personality, but she remained there by bucking industry trends and retaining a core of authenticity to her work, essentially writing down whatever was in her head at the time.

For most of her career, her brand has been feisty, defiant pop with a rock sensibility, reliably catchy hooks, and a justified amount of ego and bravado. While she has stayed her course, her genre and indeed the whole industry have undergone massive shifts around her. Compared to the early aughts, it is much more difficult to nail down a “pop trend” in an era when the bounds of what is accessible have shifted so much and pop music has atomized accordingly. In an era of constant reinvention, Pink has stayed remarkably true to her roots, although her last album, Beautiful Trauma, began to show some cracks in the approach, ones that have remained visible on her latest offering, Hurts 2B Human (HHHHH).

The Pink we hear on this album is proud, laid back, and seemingly living her best life, although her preoccupation with the passage of time and her unease about the

state of the world rears its head more than once. Before “Courage” reaches its crescendo, it starts as a distinctly melancholy piano ballad. “Can We Pretend” is equal parts hopeful and wistful, reflecting back on good times but always against the backdrop of a present reality that she hints is less than ideal. The album finds its reason for being on its first single, “Walk Me Home.” Pink nails the perfect combination of swagger and vulnerability with a stomping, triumphant yet still somehow intimate song pleading with someone to reconcile with her and be her bulwark against the dark.

Pink has also realized that having nearly two decades under her belt means that she gets to more or less have her pick of collabs, a perk which she takes full advantage of on H2BH. One of the major strengths of the album is that how well she has integrated the small yet eclectic mix of Khalid, Chris Stapleton, Wrabel and Cash Cash into the album. On “Love Me Anyway,” Chris Stapleton’s distinct vocals could easily have overwhelmed her, but instead they com-

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plement her surprisingly well.

Stapleton fading into the background is really what allows this song to work, although a bit of country twang in the background is a nice nod to him. As collaborations go, Pink’s approach on this album is almost textbook-perfect. Each of the four featured artists lends their own flair to their respective tracks, but each one allows Pink to remain completely in the spotlight.

While the rest of H2BH is decent, it is hard to shake the feeling that she has been here before, giving us heavy doses of introspection, nostalgia, and ruminations on what it means to be happy. We have the defiant “don’t fuck with me” vibes of the opener “Hustle” and the aboveit-all swagger of “(Hey Why) Miss You Sometime,” addressed to some unnamed person who hurt her, but not enough that she doesn’t miss him.

Pink just wouldn’t be Pink without her love of introspective confessionals, but here again she fails to deliver anything really memorable. Instead we get “Circle Game,” an aggressively literal

piano ballad that examines the childhood vulnerabilities she has carried with her into adulthood, and “My Attic,” which uses the titular attic as a blunt metaphor for her memories.

H2BH is a well-crafted record, full of the gritty authenticity that we have come to expect from Pink, but underneath all of it is the sense that she has done most of this before. It is hard to fault her for doing what she is good at, and to call her approach up to this point stale would be unfair, since she has been consistently producing good material. This is still Pink we’re dealing with, after all, and there is not really a clunker on the whole album.

The real problem might be that the title track and “Walk Me Home” are just too good, standing as proof that Pink still has it in her to craft a truly remarkable standout hit. By comparison, the rest of the album seems formulaic, and even somewhat indulgent, as she delivers just enough truly fantastic moments to suggest that this album could have been much more than it was. l

Hurts 2B Human can be purchased on Amazon.com and iTunes, and is available on most major streaming services.

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NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

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Scene

Avalon Lights Out - Saturday, April 27 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, May 2 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Gong Karaoke Contest, 8-10pm • Hosted by Labella Mafia and DeeDee Amor Dior • No Cover • Open Karaoke, 10pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • Men in Underwear Drink Free, 12-12:30am • DJs BacK2bACk

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets of Bud Products all night • Sports Leagues Night NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Dancing until 1:30am

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close • Paint Nite, Second Floor, 7:30pm

Friday, May 3

TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Destinations A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.facebook.com/alohodc AVALON SATURDAYS Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW 202-789-5429 www.facebook.com/ AvalonSaturdaysDC 56

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Davon Hamilton Events presents District 1st Fridays: Underwear Party, 10pm-close • Featuring DJ Tryfe • Male GoGo Dancers • $5 Margaritas, $8 Long Island Iced Teas • $5 Cover before 11pm, $10 after 11pm (includes clothes check)

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR 555 23rd St. S. Arlington, Va. 703-685-0555 www.freddiesbeachbar.com GREEN LANTERN 1335 Green Ct. NW 202-347-4533 www.greenlanterndc.com

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Open 3pm • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Weekend Kickoff Dance Party, with Nellie’s DJs spinning bubbly pop music all night NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Friday Night Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • Rotating DJs, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 • Otter Happy Hour with guest DJs, 5-11pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Rotating DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm • Music by DJ Jeff Eletto • Cover 21+

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR 900 U St. NW 202-332-6355 www.nelliessportsbar.com NUMBER NINE 1435 P St. NW 202-986-0999 www.numberninedc.com PITCHERS 2317 18th St. NW 202-733-2568 www.pitchersbardc.com

NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Compiled by Doug Rule

GAY DAY AT THE ZOO AFTERPARTY Where to go after spending the day on Sunday, May 5, exploring the National Zoo for the annual DC Center fundraiser? Down the hill and through the urban wilderness to Trade, of course, where your reward is a drag performance by 17th Street High Heel Race Winner Madame Chevitz at 5 p.m. Other attractions at the 14th Street hotspot include a face-painting booth to channel your “inner gay animal,” free food tasting by Galley Kitchen, and a specialty “Zeebra” cocktail. The afterparty officially ends at 8 p.m., but the bar will be open until the early hours as a refuge for all the nocturnal critters in town. Trade is at 1410 14th St. NW. Call 202-986-1094 or visit www.tradebardc. com.

Saturday, May 4 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS LGBTQ Dance Party, 10pm-close • $10 Cover before 11pm • General admission $15 • Drink specials • Drag Show, 10:30-11:30pm, hosted

by Ba’Naka and featuring Kristina Kelly, Deja Diamond, and Anastasia Dior • Open Bar on Tito’s and Jameson, 11pm-midnight FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Saturday Breakfast Buffet, 10am-3pm • $14.99 with one glass of champagne or coffee, soda or juice • Additional champagne $2 per glass • Crazy Hour,

4-8pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • REWIND: Request Line, an ‘80s and ‘90s Dance Party, 9pm-close • Featuring DJ Darryl Strickland • No Cover NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-3am • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs playing pop music all night

SHAW’S TAVERN 520 Florida Ave. NW 202-518-4092 www.shawstavern.com TRADE 1410 14th St. NW 202-986-1094 www.tradebardc.com ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS 1824 Half St. SW 202-863-0670 www.ziegfelds.com

COUNTRY DANCING WITH DC RAWHIDES The DC Rawhides showcase their boot-scootin’ brand of social dancing every other Saturday — now on both floors of the Ziegfeld’s/ Secrets in Southwest. Starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, the group presents an hour-long session of lessons in intermediate/ advanced two-step dancing taught by Lee and Michael on one floor, with the other open for a solid hour of “your favorite line dances back-to-back.” No worries if you don’t know how to line dance or don’t yet have a favorite: the Rawhides “love beginners and always teach basic two-step.” The evening continues with open dancing to former Remington’s DJ Chris P. until 10:50 p.m. — roughly an hour before Ella Fitzgerald and her Ladies of Illusion take to their regular perch. By then, you’ll also find fully exposed “freestyle” dancers and their admirers shaking it to house music by DJ tim-e upstairs, if you’d like to see and do it all. Ziegfeld’s/Secrets is at 1824 Half St. SW. Cover is $5 until 9 p.m.; $10 after. Call 202-863-0670 or visit www. dcrawhides.com or www.ziegfelds.com.

LADIES TEA AT HANK’S DUPONT This Sunday, May 5, the original Dupont location of the chain of restaurants run by Jamie Leeds kicks off a new season of its monthly summertime party for lesbians and all others “under the rainbow.” New this year to the 21+ event are partnerships with local and national LGBTQ organizations, with SMYAL first out the gate.

Each month will also feature a different color Ladies Tea bracelet in honor of the selected charities, allowing for the truly devoted to #CollectTheRainbow. From 3 to 5 p.m., Ladies Tea has the run of the place, with exclusive drink and food specials at the downstairs bar, finer libations in the upstairs space rechristened Hank’s Cocktail Bar, plus the venue’s new garden patio. The party moves to the Ladies Lounge after 5 p.m. to make way for dinner. Hank’s Oyster Bar is located at 1624 Q St. NW. Call 202-462-4265. Visit wwww.hanksoysterbar.com.

MONTHLY ZODIAC DRAG CONTEST AT FREDDIE’S Ophelia Bottoms hosts an amateur drag competition at Freddie’s in Crystal City on the first Sunday of every month, including this Sunday, May 5. Contestants vie for the most audience applause, with the winner earning the proper zodiac title — in this case, Miss Taurus — plus a $50 prize and a spot in the annual competition to crown the yearly Miss Zodiac. Showtime starts at 8 p.m. Freddie’s Beach Bar is at 555 South 23rd St., Arlington. Cover is $5. Call 703-685-0555 or visit www.freddiesbeachbar.com. l MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

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NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Time Machine and Power Hour, featuring DJ Jack Rayburn, 9:30pm

TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets upstairs, 9pm-close • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald in Ziegfeld’s • Doors open at 9pm, Show at 11:45pm • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Homme Brunch: Britney Edition, Second Floor, 12pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers

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Sunday, May 5 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Ella’s Sunday Drag Brunch, 10am-3pm • $24.99 with four glasses of champagne or mimosas, 1 Bloody Mary, or coffee, soda or juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Monthly Zodiac Contest, hosted by Ophelia Bottoms, 8-10pm • $5 Cover • Karaoke, 10pm-close

NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • No Cover

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close

PITCHERS Open Noon-2am • $4 Smirnoff, includes flavored, $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller Lites, 2-9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

by Chanel Devereaux, 10:30am-12:30pm and 1-3pm • Tickets on sale at nelliessportsbar.com • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-1am • All Day Happy Hour • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Cinco de Mayo Specials All Day! • Dinner and Drag

with Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm • For reservations, email shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com TRADE Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 • GLAM BOX: A Monthly Dress-Up Dance Party, 10pm-close • Come in a look or find one from our house glam boxes • Walk-Off Contest at 10:30pm • Music by Joann Fabrixx • Special guest hosts

Monday, May 6 FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Singles Night • Half-Priced Pasta Dishes • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Singing with the Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke Night with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Half-Priced Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm • PokerFace Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards • Ping Pong Madness, featuring 2 PingPong Tables

NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

Tuesday, May 7

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with Jeremy, 7:30pm

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

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FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco Tuesday • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo with Sasha Adams and Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close

NUMBER NINE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Burgers and Pizzas, 5-10pm

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Wednesday, May 8 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6 Burgers • Beach Blanket Drag Bingo Night, hosted

by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm • Bear Yoga with Greg Leo, 6:30-7:30pm • $10 per class • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • $15 Buckets of Beer for SmartAss Teams only • Absolutely Snatched Drag Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • Tickets available at www.nelliessportsbar.com NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

PITCHERS Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 l

MastHead

A Silver Anniversary Thank You to our Incredible Metro Weekly Staff and Contributors over the Past 25 Years

Publishers Sean Bugg Randy Shulman N. Marcus Slyman Editors-in-Chief Sean Bugg Randy Shulman Art Directors Todd Franson Tony Frye Mike Heffner Dan Olds Nancy Saiz Daryl Wakeley Richard von Zimmer Online Editor Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editors André Hereford Doug Rule Senior Writers Sean Maunier Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Managing Editor Will O'Bryan Political Editors Chris Geidner Justin Snow Assistant Editor Dan Avery Staff Writers Chord Bezerra Will Doig Yusef Najafi Jonathan Padget Contributing Writers Tim Alevizos Kris Bengston David Bianco Daniel Burnett Christina Campbell Dale Carpenter Alan Chasan Edward Cowen

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Richard Cytowic, M.D. David DiZsadin Kara Fox David Garver Chris Gerard Stephen Gorman Alexandra Greeley Brandon Harrison Chris Heller Mark Hayes Bill Keart Kim Krisberg Nancy Legato David "Lena" Lett Jon-Carl Lewis Simon LeVay Patsy Lynch Alex MacLennan Derek MacNally Jeff Mace Paula Martinac Billy Masters Carrie Megginson Bonnie Morris Jolene Munch Dan Odenwald Troy Petenbrink Michael Petrelis Tim Plant Nathan Postell Bob Roehr Zack Rosen Richard Rosendall Ben Ryland Mark J. Schroeder Craig Seymour Daniel Smith Lisa Stewart Tim Swoape Jeff Travers Greg Varner Daniel Villarreal Bailey Vogt Mike Walker Hastings Wyman Editorial Assistants Paul Bonilla Aaron Downing Stuart Haggas

MAY 2, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

Senior Photographers Todd Franson Ward Morrison Julian Vankim Michael Wichita Contributing Photographers Annie Adjchavanich Thomas Castagnola Jeff Code Dylan Comstock Michael Cornelison Christopher Cunetto Michael Dumlao Jackie Hubshman Jai Kapadia Kendra Kuliga Henry Linser Clint Steib Senior Illustrators Scott G. Brooks Christopher Cunetto Paul Myatt Contributing Illustrators Paul Berge Hannah Chertock Jeffrey Everett Nan Fredman Linas Garsys Stuart Haggas Ride Hamilton Kendra Kuliga Sales Bruce Ashcraft Lynne Brown Michael Barton George Block Dylan Comstock Heather Currie Nicholas DiBlasio Dean Gray John-Paul Griffin Rose Jasienski Jim Nides Wayne Roberts Robert St. Genis Tom Ross Charles Sheeler Scott Shumaker Roy Tacy Bradley Taylor

National Sales Rivendell Media Todd Evans Erika Kuck Joe Palmer Bill Zwaskis Ad Design Rick Skippon Julian Vankim Aram Vartian Distribution Managers Dennis Havrilla Erin Keyes Gary Teter David Uy Distribution Hector Cienfuegos Richard Goldsmith Greg Kinosz George Morgan Wayne Roberts Greg Ruth Walter Strobel Brian Wimpee Video Eboné Bell Joseph Ressler David Uy Aram Vartian Interns Kelsey Brannan Frank Carber Christian Cintron Joe Corcoran Danielle Dawkins Clare Shepherd Jake Stone Brian Vetlock Transcriptionists Jan Shulman Steven Woodward Special Thanks Glenn Ackerman Chris Brown Felicia Curry Collin Todd Ingraham Jeff Mace Steve Mercer Robin Smith and ALL of our Advertisers (past and present)