Betty Who - Metro Weekly - September 26, 2019

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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September 26, 2019

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CONTENTS

GLOBAL INFLUENCER

Ian Brennan’s latest book looks at international musicians who would be silenced by their own countries.

By Randy Shulman

BETTY WHO

We can’t get enough of the dynamic pop star, returning for a third consecutive performance at the All Things Go Fall Classic.

Interview by Doug Rule

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Volume 26 Issue 21

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GET SAPPY

In Judy, Renée Zellweger brilliantly channels the great Judy Garland, even though her singing chops aren’t up to the task

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: BLISSPOP p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 THE DEMAGOGUE WHISPERER: WHERE’S MY ROY COHN? P.12 THE FEED: TROUBLING TRANSPHOBIA p.19 THE FEED: THERAPEUTIC DECISION p.19 THE FEED: FRIENDLY FIRE p.20 COMMUNITY: NATIONAL TRANS VISIBILITY MARCH p.21 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.21 WOMEN FIRST: ALL THINGS GO p.30 GALLERY: ART INSPIRED BY THE TWILIGHT ZONE p.33 STAGE: CATS p.37 STAGE: SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY p.38 NIGHTLIFE: AVALON SATURDAY WITH DJ DAN SLATER p.39 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.40 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.41 LAST WORD p.46 Washington, D.C.’s Best LGBTQ Magazine for 25 Years

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 Illustrators David Amoroso, Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, 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 Chrissy Amphlett Cover Photography Ben Cope 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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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Spotlight

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Blisspop Disco Fest

THINK DISCO HAS REALLY MADE A HUGE RESURgence in our popular culture,” says Will Eastman, citing last year’s Netflix documentary Studio 54 as one example. "The beauty of what that club and disco brought about [was that] you had straight people and queer people dancing together. You had white people, black people, people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. It was a real sort of watershed moment in American history and culture, and disco was at the nexus of that."

Eastman has organized this weekend’s second annual Blisspop Disco Fest, named after his blog and former dance party. “The shorthand version I've been using to describe it is, imagine glitter raining on your soul,” he says. “That’s the vibe we're going for.

It's for everyone. You can be you. You can be yourself there. And that was the beauty of a place like Studio 54.”

Last year’s inaugural festival featured the “father of disco” Giorgio Moroder, so this year Eastman went for "somebody who is at the very DNA of disco, but who hasn't played a lot.”

He landed on Cerrone, the Italian “Supernature" hitmaker from the disco era who will mark "his very first time playing in Washington, D.C.” on Saturday, Sept. 28, at U Street Music Hall. Opening for Cerrone is Jellybean Benitez, "a resident DJ

at Studio 54 who helped discover somebody by the name of Madonna."

Both U Hall and the 9:30 Club host Blisspop parties this Friday and Saturday with headliners The Black Madonna (pictured), Chromeo, and Crazy P. The fifth and final party is presented by Pittsburgh’s popular gay party Honcho on Sunday night at U Hall.

"The Honcho parties always have a fantastic vibe, and they just do attention to detail — to the decor, and vibe, and music of the night — that is very rare amongst promoters.” The DJ lineup includes Gay Marvine, Tommy Cornelis of TNX, and D’Adhemar. That party will attract its fair share of the LGBTQ community, but Eastman is hoping that’s the case for all the weekend’s parties. "That was the case last year,” he says. "Disco was birthed from black and queer culture. When you talk about contemporary dance music, you cannot separate it from its black and queer roots.

"The Blisspop Disco Fest is a safe space for anyone to be who they are,” he says. "Last year I was super delighted with the vibes of the parties. It was young people, old people, queer people, straight people. It was a great mixture of people, which is what every good party should be." —Doug Rule

Blisspop Disco Fest runs Friday, Sept. 27, to Sunday, Sept. 29, at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW and the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Ticket prices vary, from $10 to $15 for Honcho’s U Hall party to $40 to $50 for Saturday night at 9:30 Club.

Call 202-588-1889 or visit www.ustreetmusichall.com.

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Spotlight SIR BABYGIRL

Kelsie Hogue draws from a mix as sundry as Charli XCX, Hole, Robyn, and Ashlee Simpson, and uses a made-up genderfuck alias — “somewhere out there, in between a girl group and a boyband” — to churn out music that is “unabashedly bubblegum, unashamedly queer pop for a future free of genre boundary and the gender binary.” The result, as evidenced on Sir Babygirl’s EP Crush on Me, is a style of synth-pop as sunny and sugary as all get out, making her dance party starting forebears, most notably the great feminist DIY punk trio Le Tigre, seem like angst-riddled, buzz-killing posers in comparison. Nyssa and Shunkan open. Sunday, Sept. 28. Doors at 7 p.m. Songbyrd Music House, 2477 18th St. NW. Tickets are $12 to $14. Call 202-450-2917 or visit www.songbyrddc.com.

TRYING

TERESA CASTRACANE

Virginia’s 1st Stage offers the regional premiere of a play by Joanna McClelland Glass, who drew on her real-life experience working for Francis Biddle at his home in D.C. in the 1960s. Biddle, the former U.S. Attorney General under President Franklin Roosevelt who also served as Chief Judge of the American Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, was notoriously hard on his staff as he worked to cement his legacy. Alex Levy directs stars Amanda Forstrom and Scott Sedar.

To Oct. 20. 1st Stage is located at 1524 Spring Hill Rd. Tysons, Va. Tickets are $42. Call 703-854-1856 or visit www.1ststagetysons.org.

DISTRICT IMPROV FESTIVAL

Washington, D.C.’s only longform improv festival, produced in alliance with Washington Improv Theater and Dojo Comedy, returns for a 7th year with over 31 teams from across the country, 11 of which are D.C.-based. These range from the gay-focused ensemble Ugh — who will “turn your real-life stories into a big, gay mess” — to the iMusical troupe, to the all-Spanish Sábado Picante team, which attempts to top the over-the-topness of a telenovela, to the science-based “edutainment” group The Hypothesis.

Kevin Mullaney, formerly of New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, is a featured guest who will perform as part of Mullaney Chain, a show in which each performer is invited by someone else in the cast. Thursday, Sept.

26, through Sunday, Sept. 29. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $5 to $25, plus some pay-what-you-can performances. Visit www.districtimprov.org for full schedule and more information.

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Spotlight ENTER THE DRAGON

Considered one of the greatest martial arts films of all time, Robert Clouse’s Enter The Dragon was the final completed work by its producer and star Bruce Lee, who died one month after its release in 1973.

Co-starring John Saxon and Jim Kelly, the James Bond-styled action pic was entered into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2004. It returns to the big screen as part of the Capital Classics series at Landmark’s West End Cinema. Wednesday, Oct. 2, 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 each. Call 202534-1907 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

MERCE CUNNINGHAM’S BEACH BIRDS, BIPED

CHARLOTTE AUDUREAU

Longtime Cunningham dancer and collaborator Robert Swinston will honor Cunningham’s legacy with two masterworks performed by the dance company Swinston currently leads, Compagnie Centre National de Danse Contemporaine-Angers. Cunningham’s Beach Birds, premiered in 1991, transforms the movements of a flock of birds into dance, while BIPED, circa 1999, unites technology and performance by incorporating projections of animated images superimposed on dancers. Performed as part of the Kennedy Center’s “Merce Cunningham at 100” series. Thursday, Oct. 3, and Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $25 to $79.

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

MATT MURPHY

GAVIN CREEL

A few years ago, Creel starred in the touring version of The Book of Mormon that hit the Kennedy Center. Now a Tony-winning sensation for his work opposite Bette Midler in the recent Hello, Dolly! revival, Creel returns as the next artist getting a prestigious spotlight in the Renée Fleming VOICES series. Expect a cabaret with songs from Hair, La Cage Aux Folles, She Loves Me, and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and also including some of his originals, such as those found on his stunning 2012 pop album Get Out, whether the Adam Lambert-channeling title track, the Indigo Girls-esque tender rocker “Sooner or Later,” or especially the captivating electro-tipped gem “Enough.” Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Terrace Theater. Tickets are $69 to $99. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

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Out On The Town

FOUR BY HITCHCOCK

The Smithsonian presents a quartet of Hitchcock classics, starting with one of the most ambitious and entertaining films of his career, North by Northwest, Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1:15 p.m. It’s followed by Psycho, at 3:40 p.m., which redefined horror for generations to come and made a star out of Tony Perkins. The next day, Sunday, Sept. 29, brings Dial M for Murder, in 3D, at 1:35 p.m., followed at 3:30 p.m. by one of cinema’s greatest films of all time, 1963’s The Birds. If you’ve never seen it on the screen with an audience, you’ve simply never seen this harrowing cautionary tale in which nature takes its rage out on humankind. The special effects alone, especially for the time, are astounding (the bird’s eye view of the burning gas station as flocks descend still boggles the mind). But pay close attention to that jungle gym scene — its construction is a master class in editing. The Birds and Northwest will be shown in 35mm, a rarity these days. The Warner Bros. Theater in the American History Museum, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Tickets are $12 plus fees for individual screenings, or $20 plus fees for both films each day. $29 plus fees for all four films. Call 202-633-1000 or visit www.si.edu/theaters. —Randy Shulman Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM DC SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL

One of the largest festivals of its kind, the 16th annual DC Shorts International Film Festival and Screenplay Competition features more than 150 shorts running an average of 5 to 15 minutes in length apiece. The films are presented in 19 Official Selection Showcases and 11 Special Interest Showcases, all screening at the Landmark E Street Cinema. The festival concludes this Saturday, Sept. 28, with two Best of the Fest Showcase screenings at The Miracle Theatre. Individual Showcase tickets are $15. All Access

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Festival Passes are $140 and provide access to all showcases and the parties. Call 202-393-4266 or visit https://festival.dcshorts.com for more details.

DIAL M FOR MURDER

The area’s two Angelika theaters launch another “Hitchcocktober” series of classics by the Master of Suspense, with screenings of this sophisticated thriller from 1954.

Featuring unforgettable performances by Ray Milland and Grace Kelly, Dial M for Murder will be shown as it was originally filmed, in 3D. Hitchcock’s approach to 3D is decidedly non-sensational (apart from one of the most famous shots in his canon, during a brutal stran-

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

gulation scene), and he deploys furniture and lamps to create a sense of depth. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE. Also Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m.

Angelika Film Center - Mosaic, 2911 District Ave., Fairfax. Tickets are $10 athe Pop-Up, $14.50 at Mosaic.

Call 800-680-9095 or visit www.

AngelikaFilmCenter.com.

LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

The AFI Silver Theatre presents one of North America’s largest and longest-running showcases of Latin American cinema, including films from Spain and Portugal. Now in its 30th year, the festival celebrates Ibero-American cultural connec-

tions during National Hispanic Heritage Month. The festival concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 2, with the world premiere of Days of Light, featuring the work of six promising young directors from across Central America, with stories seamlessly interwoven together for a moving, honest snapshot of life across the region. Tickets are $15 general admission and $13 for AFI Members, or $200 to $225 for an all-access “Pase Especial” allowing for priority access to every film in the festival, including opening and closing night and festival happy hours. 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Call 301-495-6700 or visit https://afisilver.afi.com/laff.

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STAGE BIGGER THAN MYSELF

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Breaking Ground offers a musical theater production based on the real, complex, and unique life experiences shared by area LGBTQidentified youth and young adults who participated in the organization’s summer theater program.

Bigger Than Myself follows stories of young queer individuals of color navigating life and helping others with coming out, living with HIV, dealing with transphobia, sexual abuse, mental health challenges, addiction, and racism. Friday, Sept.

27, and Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m.

Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lang Theatre, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $10 to $15. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

CANDIDA

THE DEMAGOGUE WHISPERER

Where’s My Roy Cohn? exposes the private life and presidential connections of the infamous pretender.

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O AN AMUSING IF DISTURBING DEGREE, THE FAMILY, ASSOCIATES, AND experts interviewed about the venomous Roy Cohn in the savvy new documentary Where’s My Roy Cohn? often sound as if they might be describing the late, closeted lawyer’s most famous protégé.

They speak of Cohn’s lack of ethics, and his “total failure to sympathize with the emotional element of life,” and arguably one’s mind doesn’t immediately draw a connection between Cohn and his close friend and pupil who was elected president in 2016. But then that other Cohn-head, Roger Stone, appears on-camera to share that his mentor respected only one rule — “Never admit you’re wrong, never apologize.” — and that seals the deal on the film’s argument that Cohn’s tactics are still being put to use by his most devoted disciple.

“What I realized is that if you just told the story of Roy Cohn, you would be, in effect, telling the story of Donald Trump,” says Matt Tyrnauer, the film’s director. Known for sex-drugs-and-scandal exposés Scotty’s Secret History of Hollywood and Studio 54, Tyrnauer lends just a hint of that salaciousness to this incisive chronicle of Cohn’s path from Commie-hunting, homo-hating attack dog of Senator Joe McCarthy, to mobbed-up New York City attorney and mentor-in-chief to Donald J. Trump.

Along Cohn’s political and criminal path, Tyrnauer points out, “there were lots of boyfriends and lots of hustlers, and escorts, and tricks. Part of the irony and hypocrisy of him was that he remained in the closet, and persecuted gay people, certainly very intensely early in his career. [He] never really owned up to the hypocrisy of that.”

While the film explores Cohn’s little-known relationships with his handsome, onetime right hand David Schine, and an ex-boyfriend who is interviewed on-camera, Tyrnauer wasn’t aiming for a kiss-and-tell bio. Rather, he strove for an informed look at Cohn’s enduring political influence.

“Trump learned all of his political tricks from Cohn,” says Tyrnauer. “Cohn's really the original thinker here, Trump is the mentee. So what we're seeing is this bizarre posthumous elevation of Cohn from footnote to political history, transformed into modern Machiavelli.”

Some folks revere Machiavelli precisely for what he teaches about ruthless amorality. And Tyrnauer acknowledges that Cohn might still have admirers, too, but, “if there are, I don't want to know them,” he admits. “Roger Stone and other kinds of politico pranksters are always going to exist, and they'll always have a perverse attraction to people like Cohn who are amoral. I think there's a certain fascination in it. I mean, Lucifer is really one of the most fascinating characters you can contemplate. And even for that reason alone, Cohn is endlessly compelling. Whether it's admirable is far from an open question. He's really one of the most evil and disreputable people in the second half of the 20th century.” —André Hereford Where’s My Roy Cohn? is rated PG-13, and opens Friday, Sept. 27 at Landmark’s E Street and Bethesda Row Cinemas. Visit www.landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c.

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

The Washington Stage Guild launches its new season with an 1894 comedy by George Bernard Shaw. Candida questions Victorian notions of love and marriage, having the audacity to ask what a woman desires from her husband, and ultimately give a woman a choice between her husband, a preacher, and the poet who wants to woo her away. Laura Giannarelli directs Emelie Faith Thompson in the title role. Pay-what-you-can previews are Thursday, Sept. 26, through Saturday, Sept. 28. Opens Sunday, Sept. 29. Weekends to Oct. 20. Undercroft Theatre of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Tickets are $50 to $60. Call 202-900-8788 or visit www.stageguild.org.

ESCAPED ALONE

In Caryl Churchill’s dark comedy, three old friends are joined by a neighbor to engage in amiable chitchat with a side of apocalyptic horror. Holly Twyford directs. In previews. Runs to Nov. 3. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit www.sigtheatre.org.

FENCES

Craig Wallace and Erika Rose star in one of August Wilson’s most famous and profound works, in a Ford’s Theatre production directed by Timothy Douglas, one of the foremost interpreters of Wilson's work. Previews start Friday, Sept.

27. Runs through Oct. 27. 511 10th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $52.

Call 202-347-4833 or visit www. fords.org.

LIFE IS A DREAM

Hugo Medrano directs one of the essential works of Spanish Golden Age theater, Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s timeless play that explores free will, fate, and tyranny. Nando López adapted the work for a world-premiere production to kick off the 44th season of GALA

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Theatre. Daniel Alonso de Santos, Mel Rocher, and Soraya Padrao lead a cast of actors who will perform in Spanish with English surtitles.

To Oct. 13. Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

SURFACING: AN INVENTORY OF HELPLESSNESS

GLOBAL INFLUENCER

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Ian Brennan’s latest book looks at international musicians who would be silenced by their own countries

DON'T HAVE A LOT OF FEEDBACK YET,” SAYS IAN BRENNAN OF HIS JUST-REleased book, Silenced by Sound: the Music Meritocracy Myth. “But today, John told me he really liked it. That matters to me a lot, because I was afraid he wouldn't.” The John whom Brennan, a Grammy-award winning music producer, is referring to is none other than Charm City treasure John Waters. Brennan has served as producer of the iconic filmmaker’s live-comedy shows for nearly two decades (think the annual Christmas show at The Birchmere). And Waters will be on hand to converse with Brennan live at the Politics & Prose on upper Connecticut Avenue this Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

Silenced by Sound, Brennan’s fifth book, is a rallying cry for those immensely talented international musicians who are often neglected by major labels in favor of the latest pop sensation. Many of the artists are persecuted in their own countries, or have emerged from difficult situations, including those who have been imprisoned “for dubious reasons” such as witchcraft or homosexuality.

“What we have been doing is going out and actively trying to find music in countries with populations that are underrepresented or even persecuted — and in some places, maligned, like the Tanzania Albinism Collective in Tanzania, where they're hunted, they’re killed, they're sexually assaulted and mutilated, in some cases.”

Brennan is bringing The Good Ones, a pair of Rwandan folk musicians, to perform a miniset at Politics & Prose after the discussion, ahead of a larger concert appearance later that evening at Rhizome. In addition to juggling other projects, he remains an active producer, and his work — such as the Zomba Prison Project — has garnered front-page attention on the New York Times and in an Anderson Cooper-reported segment of 60 Minutes, which won the program an Emmy.

“I am always actively producing,” says Brennan, who has also worked with such mainstream artists as Fugazi, Merle Haggard, Sleater-Kinney, and Green Day. “The outlets are dwindling a little bit. Record labels are shrinking and closing, that sort of thing. But the output is really more than ever, meaning we just continue to do it. We take leaps of faith, because with all of these, there's never been any promise of a record coming out. We just do it — kind of the cart before the horse — and then we try to find somebody to put it out.” —Randy Shulman Ian Brennan appears with John Waters and The Good Ones on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Visit www.politics-prose.com.

The Good Ones appear at 9 p.m. at Rhizome, 6950 Maple St. NW. Visit www.rhizomedc.org.

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

ExPats Theatre presents a 60-minute work by Russian/Austrian writer Julya Rabinowich, in which three characters live in captivity, invisible to the world. There’s the female refugee, hiding underground for fear of deportation and traumatized by her cross-cultural journey, a kidnap victim locked in a basement at the mercy of her perpetrator, and a young man imprisoned in his own home due to the threat of blood-revenge against his family. Billed as a “thought-provoking production [that] opens our eyes to the plight of the marginalized, disposessed, and downtrodden.” Closes Sunday, Sept.

29. Lab Theatre 1, Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $35. Call 202-399-7993 or visit www.atlasarts.org.

MUSIC CIARA

Four years ago, the artist born Ciara Princess Harris, one of pop music’s more underrated starlets and a natural successor to Janet Jackson, gave a dazzling performance at the Fillmore Silver Spring via her first headlining tour in six years. The “1, 2 Step” hit singer returns for another Saturday night outing — Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. — in the intimate venue, this time in support of her seventh album, Beauty Marks, featuring the hyperfast club hit “Level Up” and the sweet mid-tempo R&B hit “Thinkin Bout You.” The tour is billed as “Ciara & Special Guests” — though whomever the guests might be joining her isn’t clear — and presented by Femme It Forward, a LiveNation series of female-curated shows spotlighting female artists. 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $34. Call 301-960-9999 or visit www.fillmoresilverspring.com.

K.FLAY

She scored two Grammy nominations earlier this year for her 2017 set Every Where Is Some Where and single “Blood in the Cut.” Now, the LGBTQ-identifying, L.A.-based altpop/hip-hop artist born Kristine Meredith Flaherty is already out promoting her follow-up, Solutions, also released on an Interscope Records imprint founded by Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons. Sunday, Sept. 29. Doors at 6:30 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit www.930.com.

MARYLAND FOLK FESTIVAL

Livingston Taylor is the fourth of five in a family where pretty much

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Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 day-of. Call 703-255-3747 or visit www.jamminjava.com.

STORM LARGE

The brassy, bisexual cabaret performer who moonlights as a featured vocalist with Pink Martini returns to Maryland’s Amp by Strathmore for another no-holdsbarred evening of humor and music.

“I have no mouth cap,” Large said to Metro Weekly a few years ago.

“When I talk, sometimes it’s dirty; I’m not that kind of girl who’ll just put on a pretty dress and sing.”

Thursday, Oct. 3, and Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. 11810 Grand Park Ave. in North Bethesda. Remaining tickets are $35 to $45. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.

TEAM DRESCH

AUDRA MCDONALD

One of the most divine voices of our generation, Audra McDonald glides back through our area this weekend, appearing as part of George Mason University’s annual “Arts by George!” celebratory gala of its talented student body. Her concert, in which she’ll be accompanied by a trio, is designed to enthrall audiences with a hand-picked selection of favorites. “Some of it is based on my last album, Sing Happy,” she says, adding that her visit will include “a chance to spend a little time with some of the students [earlier in the day], doing an educational Q&A session where they can ask me questions about my journey and career advice.” For the past two years, the Tony and Grammy-winning artist has been starring alongside fellow Broadway vets Christine Baranski and Delroy Lindo in The Good Fight, CBS’s stunningly good follow-up to The Good Wife. The show far surpasses the original in terms of how it deals with topical events — the Trump presidency, race relations, sexual malfeasance — currently embroiling this country. McDonald, who is honored to be part of the series — which recently concluded its third season on CBS All Access — has never been one to shy away from sharing her feelings about the state of the world. “I fear that we’re losing our humanity,” she says. “We’re falling into a lack of empathy as a nation, a lack of humanity. We’re not seeing each other as equals and as human beings. That keeps me up at night.” An Evening with Audra McDonald is Saturday, Sept. 28, at 8:30 p.m. at the Center for the Arts at Mason, 4373 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax, Va. Tickets are $50 to $100.

Call 703-993-2787 or visit www.cfa.gmu.edu. —Randy Shulman everyone has worked as a musician or singer at some point and in some fashion — although none of them as famously as the second-born James. As it happens, James and Livingston work and perform together every now and then, and the two-years-older Taylor has even had a few hits with songs written by Liv, including “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman.” Taylor returns to the area to headline a festival that otherwise focuses on featuring “the best local folk musicians.”

Presented by Key West Productions, the lineup this year also includes Dry Town, The Hazards, Lea and Keith Koan. Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. Frederick, Md. Tickets are $31.75 to $41.75 plus fees. Call 301-600-2828 or visit www.weinbergcenter.org.

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SHEILA E

Sheila Escovedo came to fame more than three decades ago as Prince’s drummer, songwriter, musical director, and paramour. In recent years, Sheila E. has toured through the area with her electrifying solo show featuring her Latin-flavored soul/pop hits (“The Glamorous Life,” “Love Bizarre”) as well as the hits-that-should-have-been — with a focus on songs from 2013’s Icon.

Her first studio album in 13 years, Icon fully displays the artist’s skill at songcraft and prowess in percussion, even the vocal kind known as beatboxing, per the impressive, all-vocal track “Don’t Make Me (Bring My Timbales Out).” Her timbales will definitely be out and used to full effect in her return to the Howard Theatre next weekend.

Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m. 620 T St.

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NW. Tickets are $49.50 to $79.50, plus $10 minimum per person for all tables. Call 202-588-5595 or visit www.thehowardtheatre.com.

SHENANDOAH RUN

This nine-member, D.C.-based ensemble focuses on “keeping folk music alive and fresh” — yet also connected to its roots in political protest. The weekend of Trump’s Inauguration, for example, they put together “Songs of Protest, Songs of Triumph,” a program of folk standards that had galvanized activists in earlier times of struggle. Here’s to the group keeping up that fight by maintaining their level of quality musicianship and signature soaring harmonies, which have been known to inspire singalongs. Who could argue with that?

Sunday, Sept. 29. Doors at 5 p.m.

It’s been 24 years since Donna Dresch, Jody Bleyle, Kaia Wilson, and Marcéo Martinez teamed up for Personal Best, the debut record from the Riot Grrrl-influenced queercore punk band out of Portland, Oregon. Team Dresch brings their harmonious musical chemistry and queercore spirit to D.C. to headline a concert also featuring a North Carolina band and a queer Chicago-born performance art duo. Sunday, Sept. 29. Doors at 7:30 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-6674490 or visit www.blackcatdc.com.

THE FOUR BITCHIN’ BABES

Sally Fingerett, comedic singer Deirdre Flint, and former The Hags singer Debi Smith are more than 25 years into their run as a comedic music ensemble, always performing as a quartet, with the fourth performer in regular rotation among Nancy Moran, founding Babe Megon McDonough, or Christine Lavin — who assumes the mantle for 2019. In an interview with Metro Weekly several years ago, Smith summed up the Babes’ songwriting and performing, “We look at life, as it’s happening, usually in a comedic way — [and] through a wacky viewfinder.” A taste of what’s on offer can be found in the title of their most recent show, Hormonal Imbalance v2.5: A Mood Swinging Musical Revue. Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. Frederick, Md. Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 301600-2828 or visit www.weinbergcenter.org.

THE SELDOM SCENE & JONATHAN EDWARDS

Formed 50 years ago in Bethesda, the progressive bluegrass band remains especially popular in its hometown region. The group returns to Alexandria’s seated show palace for one of three more shows in 2019 alone, including a concert to do the honors of ringing in the New Year. The September gig is

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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your iams off,” as in iambic pentameter. Performances begin Tuesday, Oct. 1. Run to Oct. 6. Kennedy Center Family Theater. Tickets are $39 to $49. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

FOOD & DINING

BRITTANY DILIBERTO

DENIZENS BREWING: MAKE IT FUNKY WILD BEER FEST

FOLGER CONSORT: MUSIC FOR MACHIAVELLI

A true Renaissance man, Niccolò Machiavelli was a philosopher, diplomat, playwright, and composer. Of course, his chief legacy is in the realm of politics via the cunning theoretical ways and means he espoused. Yet the Folger Shakespeare Library’s early music ensemble naturally turns instead to his work as a composer, with a focus on the amusing music he created. Kicking off the Consort’s “Bella Italia” season is the program “Music for Machiavelli: Florence Circa 1500,” which features carnival songs Machiavelli wrote for the Medici family as well as music for his comedic stage play The Mandrake, plus works by his contemporaries including Francesco Bendusi, Josquin des Prez, and Heinrich Isaac. In addition to the Consort’s founders, Robert Eisenstein and Christopher Kendall, the concert features instrumentalists Larry Lipnik, Dan Meyers, Mark Rimple, and Mary Springfels, and soprano Emily Noël. Friday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at 4 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m. St. Mark’s, Capitol Hill, 301 A St. SE. Tickets are $42.

Call 202-543-0053 or visit www.folger.edu.

another co-headlining show with a Virginia-reared veteran folk sessions musician who has also dabbled as an actor on Broadway (Pump Boys and Dinettes) and in film, most notably the 2008 romcom The Golden Boys. Friday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $29.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

traditional base of virtuoso jazz vocals, spry string guitars, and lilting drums. Monday, Sept. 30, at 8 and 10 p.m. 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $31, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit www.bluesalley.com.

VERONNEAU

A graduate of Georgetown University and one of the most famous alumni from its Georgetown Players Improv Troupe, Birbiglia has increasingly been making his name in scripted film and TV work.

In addition to writing and directing 2012’s Sleepwalk With Me and 2016’s Don’t Think Twice, Birbiglia has acted in supporting roles in everything from Trainwreck to Orange Is the New Black.

The comedian returns to D.C. to kick off a four-city tour and open a new season at the National Theatre with his latest stand-up show, which just wrapped a Broadway run.

Remaining shows are Thursday,

Led by married couple Lynn Veronneau and Ken Avis, the Wammie-winning international jazz fusion quartet — also featuring David Rosenblatt and Bruno Lucini — returns to Blues Alley to record a live album in the legendary Georgetown jazz club. Expect a multilingual, multi-genre cabaret featuring many originals and standards drawn from Veronneau’s third studio album Love & Surrender, released last year, which added the French accordion, the traditional Senegalese kora, fusion violin, and a touch of harmonica and electric guitar to the band’s

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COMEDY MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE NEW ONE

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept.

27, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 29, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $39 to $114, or $25 through a lottery of 20 seats starting two hours before each performance. Call 202628-6161 or visit www.thenationaldc.org.

THE IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

Yet another renowned improv troupe out of Chicago, this one focused on creating a fully improvised play in Elizabethan style based on one audience suggestion: a title for a play that has yet to be written. The play then develops as if it were springing forth from Shakespeare’s pen whole cloth, taking the form of a tragedy, history or a comedy, depending on where the improvisers’ minds wander. But no matter how serious it might get, there’s guaranteed to be plenty of laughs and hysterical hijinks from this company that the New York Times says will make you “laugh

Maryland’s lesbian-owned brewery hosts its 5th annual festival celebrating the unique style of wild and sour brews — from briny goses to barnyardy brett beers. Held in the upper taproom and outdoor beer garden in Denizens’ original Silver Spring location, the fest features a suitably funky mix of music spun by DJ Kenny M., plus a special food menu, in addition to the tastings of dozens of funky beers from more than 30 craft breweries, most of them local.

Among this year’s participating breweries in addition to Denizens: 3 Stars, ANXO, Bluejacket, Red Bear, and Right Proper from D.C.; The Brewer’s Art, Flying Dog, Manor Hill, Union Craft, and Waredaca from Maryland; and Black Narrows from Virginia. Saturday, Sept. 28, from 1 to 5 p.m. 1115 East-West Highway, Silver Spring. Tickets are $62 online or $75 at the door (if available) and include fees, a souvenir tasting glass, unlimited sample pours, “and all the TUMS you could hope for.” Call 301-557-9818 or visit www.denizensbrewingco.com.

ART & EXHIBITS ANDY WARHOL’S SILVER CLOUDS PLAYGROUND

Tasked by Andy Warhol to make a “floating light bulb,” engineer Billy Klüver developed what the two dubbed “Silver Clouds,” made of helium and oxygen-filled metalized plastic film and presented as part of an interactive installation combining art and technology in which the viewer becomes part of the exhibit. The Kennedy Center currently has the “Silver Clouds” on display as part of its “Merce Cunningham at 100” series. The late, gay modern dance pioneer incorporated Warhol’s clouds into one of his iconic works, 1968’s RainForest. Visitors can view and play with the clouds and also watch a videotaped performance of the Cunningham choreography. On display Wednesday, Oct. 2. To Saturday, Oct. 5. Studio J. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

BOUKE DE VRIES: WAR AND PIECES

A contemporary response to a tradition dating to the 17th century of creating scenic or architectural centerpieces crafted out of sugar and porcelain, this Dutch artist alters course by depicting an epic battle.

The remarkable ceramic centerpiece OOTT continues on page 32

theFeed

TROUBLING TRANSPHOBIA

Ben Carson refuses to apologize for transphobic remarks at HUD meeting. By Rhuaridh Marr

B

EN CARSON, SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND Urban Development, has refused to apologize for describing transgender women as “big, hairy men” during a HUD meeting.

Carson’s comments came to light last week, after staffers at a meeting in San Francisco reported them to the Washington Post.

During a discussion on homeless shelters, Carson reportedly said he was concerned about “big, hairy men” trying to enter women’s shelters, and “lamented that society no longer seemed to know the difference between men and women.”

While a HUD official denied that Carson had used “derogatory language,” a government official in Washington also accused Carson of repeatedly mocking transgender people during meetings.

Carson — no stranger to anti-transgender or anti-LGBTQ rhetoric — refused to walk back the comments during an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

“I simply pointed out the fact that we have to have policies that take into consideration everybody’s rights,” he said.

“Everybody has equal rights, nobody gets extra rights.”

He added: “If I wake up tomorrow and feel like I’m Chinese, it doesn’t necessarily make me Chinese. There are biological and scientific issues. Somebody wants to be transgender? That’s fine, but we also have to take into consideration other people.”

Carson also tried to invoke religion to justify his comments, implying that he was being “persecuted” for sticking to “Biblical principles.”

“They’ve already made up their mind that I hate transgender people, which is completely untrue. The Bible tells us that we have to love everybody, and that Jesus died for everybody,” he said. “I truly believe that. It also tells you that if you stick to Biblical principles, you will be persecuted, so I’m not surprised at that either. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t always try to do what is right.”

He also clarified that he believes women’s shelters should be able to discriminate against trans women, saying, “If you

have a women’s shelter and you’ve been operating well, you get to decide how you’re going to run that. The federal government doesn’t need to be telling people who’s a man or who’s a woman. That’s a decision they can make by themselves.”

According to the Washington Post, Carson also defended his comments in a note sent to his staff, and denied that he had made “hateful statements toward the transgender population.”

He said he had “heard from many women’s groups about the difficulty they were having with women’s shelters because sometimes men would claim to be women, and that HUD’s policy required the shelter to accept — without question — the word of whoever came in, regardless of what their manifested physical characteristics appeared to be.”

He added: “This made many of the women feel unsafe, and one of the groups described a situation to me in which ‘big hairy men’ would come in and have to be accepted into the women’s shelter even though it made the women in the facility very uncomfortable.”

Carson said it was a “danger” to society to “pick one issue (such as gender identity) and say it does not matter how it impacts others because this one issue should override every other common-sense consideration.”

According to an official who spoke anonymously to the Post, Carson penned the note after learning that “folks were upset.”

Under Carson, HUD has sought to rollback protections for transgender people, particularly homeless transgender women. In May, the department announced plans to allow federally funded homeless shelters to discriminate against transgender women. Last year, Carson invoked the “trans shower panic” tactic to justify denying access to shelters to transgender people, inferring that transgender people in showers are a threat to safety and privacy. Carson was also heavily criticized last year after HUD removed language from its mission statement which committed to ensuring LGBTQ people would be “free from discrimination.” l

THERAPEUTIC DECISION

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Maryland’s ban on youth conversion therapy. By John Riley

A

FEDERAL JUDGE HAS THROWN OUT A LAWsuit attempting to overturn Maryland’s prohibition on licensed therapists subjecting minors to conversion therapy. Conversion therapy, also known as “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay therapy,” is aimed at changing a person’s sexual

orientation or gender identity, or preventing them from acting upon their feelings of same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria.

In a decision last week, U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow rejected arguments by prominent psychotherapist Christopher Doyle — cofounder of the National Task Force

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theFeed for Therapy Equality and founder of Voice of the Voiceless, an organization for “former homosexuals and people with unwanted same-sex attraction.”

Doyle and his lawyers, from conservative legal organization Liberty Counsel, had argued that banning conversion therapy on minors violated Doyle’s religious freedom and his right to free speech under the First Amendment.

But Chasanow refuted that, saying that prohibiting therapy on minors doesn’t prevent licensed therapists from expressing their personal views about the efficacy of conversion therapy to minor clients, reports The Baltimore Sun. Chasanow called Doyle’s arguments “unpersuasive,” including his attempts to differentiate certain types of conversion therapy — such as aversion therapy or electroshock treatment — from talk therapy. Additionally, Chasanow rejected Doyle’s argument that “[the ban] is not narrowly tailored” and his assertion that “the statute fails to differentiate between voluntary and forced change efforts.”

She wrote that “children under the age of 16 do not have capacity to consent to psychological treatment,” and children over 16 lack the “capacity to refuse consultation, diagnosis, or treatment for a mental or emotional disorder for which a parent, guardian, or custodian of the minor has given consent.”

As such, trying to modify the state’s ban on conversion therapy to allow “voluntary” therapy — where minors could specifically request conversion therapy — would contravene Maryland’s consent laws and the protection of minors.

Chasanow also noted that the law does not have any restrictions on adult patients receiving conversion therapy, and should a child truly wish to change their sexuality or gender identity, they could simply wait until they are an adult and pursue it.

Doyle’s attorneys told the Sun that they intend to appeal the decision.

Raquel Coombs, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Brian Frosh — who was named in the lawsuit — said in a statement that conversion therapy “relies on the false premise that an LGBTQ individual is broken and must be fixed.”

“Advocates of this type of therapy are selling something that doesn’t make people’s lives better, [but] rather, as the court agreed, is actually harmful to minors,” Coombs said.

Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, praised the Attorney General’s office for “an outstanding job defending this lifesaving law to protect youth from conversion therapy. They understood why this is so important, and their briefs [and] argument were flawless.” l

FRIENDLY FIRE

Pete Buttigieg blames “grumpy moment” after criticizing LGBTQ media. By Rhuaridh Marr

D

EMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Pete Buttigieg has reversed course on comments he made saying that he “can’t even read the LGBT media anymore.” In an interview on Buzzfeed News’ AM2DM, Buttigieg attributed the comments to a “grumpy moment” and said he doesn’t want to detract from the “very important work” being done by LGBTQ media outlets.

Buttigieg drew criticism last week after saying on SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show that he doesn’t read LGBTQ media because “it’s all, ‘He’s too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay.’”

Cane had asked Buttigieg about criticism from “LGBT circles” that “more masculine-presenting men have more access,” saying, “How different would it be if you were quote unquote ‘more effeminate?’”

“It’s tough for me to know, right, because I just am what I am, and you know, there’s going to be a lot of that,” Buttigieg said. “That’s why I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore, because it’s all, ‘he’s too gay,’ ‘not gay enough,’ ‘wrong kind of gay.’

“All I know is life became a lot easier when I just started allowing myself to be myself, and I’ll let other people write up whether I’m ‘too this’ or ‘too that.'”

Buttigieg was criticized by media professionals for targeting LGBTQ outlets, particularly because two of the most prominent articles asking if the presidential candidate is “gay enough” appeared in non-LGBTQ media.

AM2DM co-host Alex Berg noted the controversy

20

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Buttigieg’s comments had generated, asking him, “When LGBTQ+ journalism is dwindling despite our rights being threatened at higher rates, why come for queer media?”

Buttigieg said he appreciated the question and “the chance to clear this up.”

“Just to be clear: LGBTQ media plays an increasingly important role, especially at a time like this,” he said. “I had a grumpy moment where I was thinking about some of the coverage that I do get frustrated with that seems to tell people how to be gay.

“And that’s, to be fair, happening in a lot of different sources and places online and it’s one reason why, as a candidate, it’s healthy just not to read too many clips about yourself to begin with,” he continued. “But I don’t want to take away from the very important work that’s being done in the queer media right now.”

Asked whether the criticism over his comments was unfair, Buttigieg said, “Everything you say is on the record and every thing you say has an impact. It’s important to make sure you’re saying things the right way and that they have the right effect.”

Buttigieg has previously addressed questions about whether he is “gay enough,” telling the Associated Press earlier this year that “there’s not gonna be an answer for everybody.”

“The best way I’ve found to deal with that is to just be myself and let other people worry about whether it’s enough,” he said. l

Community FRIDAY, Sept. 27

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW. For an appointment, call 202-7457000 or visit www.whitman-walker.org.

GAMMA is a confidential, vol-

untary, peer-support group for men who are gay, bisexual, questioning and who are now or who have been in a relationship with a woman. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Ave NW. GAMMA meetings are also held in Vienna, Va., and in Frederick, Md. For more information, visit www.gammaindc.org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, 20 S. Quaker Lane, 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 703823-4401. www.kiservices.org.

The DC Center holds its

CENTER AGING MONTHLY LUNCH for members of D.C.’s

senior community. Lunch will be provided. After lunch, there will be a dance workshop, taught by Deborah Riley of Dance Place. 12-2 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org or call 202682-2245.

The DC Center’s TRANS SUPPORT GROUP provides a space to talk for transgender people and those who identify outside of the gender binary. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES (AND THIRTIES), a social

discussion and activity group for queer women, meets at The DC Center on the second and fourth Friday of each month.

Group social activity to follow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

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.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded

by members of the LGBT community, holds Friday evening Shabbat services in the DC Jewish Community Center’s Community Room. 8 p.m. 1529 16th St. NW. For more information, visit www.betmish.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds

a practice session at Howard University. 6:30-8 p.m. Burr Gymnasium, 2400 6th St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER Demmons

MARCHING FOR TRANS RIGHTS Thousands of transgender Americans and their allies will take to the streets of the nation’s capital on Saturday.

I

N WASHINGTON, D.C., THERE’VE BEEN NUMEROUS ATTACKS against the rights of trans people in particular and the LGBTQ community as a whole,” says Shawn Demmons, director of community engagement for this weekend’s National Trans Visibility March.

“There’s an epidemic right now of murders of black trans women.

There have been 19 trans women murdered in the U.S. [this year] and all of them have been black. I don’t hear about this anywhere, other than within our own communities.”

The march, Saturday, Sept. 28, is intended to get the message out about “the ways in which transgender people are marginalized in this country, the way that we feel like even the larger LGBTQ community, and the major media, is not responding,” Demmons says.

Demmons points a finger at the Trump administration for its part in fostering a culture of anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans animosity. “There's been a constant attack since this current Trump administration has been in leadership,” he says. “Holding the government hostage is a better way, I think, to describe it.”

On Friday, Sept. 27, the day before the march, organizers have planned a series of workshops focusing on trans-specific issues and an opening reception that includes the presentation of the Torch Awards, honoring the achievements of 16 trans and nonbinary people from across the country.

Saturday’s march kicks off with a program of speakers from 9 to 11 a.m. at Freedom Plaza. At 11, participants will march to the U.S. Capitol.

Thousands are expected to attend the historic event, which is drawing comparisons to the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Trade will host a party following the march, with proceeds from the sale of “Candy’s Cocktail” — a drink named after one of the characters on FX’s Pose — donated to the event.

“Someone that you love is probably trans and you may or may not know that,” says Demmons, who stresses the importance of allies participating as a way to stand up for their trans brothers and sisters. “This is our opportunity to come out, talk about the issues in our community, engage people, and give people in this community hope that we're going to continue to fight for our rights.

“There are over a million trans people in this country and we will not be erased,” he adds. “We will continue to fight for our rights and we will win. No one can be free with others left behind so no one can be free. It’s incumbent upon our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters to step up.” —John Riley The National Trans Visibility March will take place on Saturday, Sept.

28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting at Freedom Plaza, 1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.transmarchondc.org.

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an appointment, call 202-8498029. www.metrohealthdc.org.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts

LGBT-affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, www.layc-dc.org.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT pro-

vides a social atmosphere for LGBTQ and questioning youth, featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games.

4-7 p.m. For more info, email rebecca.york@smyal.org.

SATURDAY, Sept. 28 Join The DC Center as it volunteers for FOOD & FRIENDS, packing meals and groceries for people living with serious ailments. 10 a.m.-noon. 219 Riggs Rd. NE. Near the Fort Totten Metro. For a ride from the Metro, call the Food & Friends shuttle at 202-669-6437. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org or www.foodandfriends.org.

NATIONAL TRANS VISIBILITY MARCH kicks off from

Freedom Plaza and heads down towards the U.S. Capitol to demand justice for murdered transgender individuals and demand financial equaity and employment opportunities that will allow trans individuals to thrive. Rally starts at 9 a.m., march kicks off at 10 a.m. 1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. For more information, visit www. transmarchondc.org.

The DC Center holds a

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

for Support Desk Volunteers and others who wish to help with operations at The DC Center. Registration required.

Space is limited to 25 participants. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 2000 14th

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St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.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.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.

Visit www.hopeucc.org.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

new age church & learning center.

Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. Visit www.isd-dc.org.

Join LINCOLN

Weekly Events

an inclusive, loving and progressive faith community every Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood. Visit www.lincolntemple.org.

MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH

celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244, www.allsoulsdc.org.

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive and radically inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, www.betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

practice session at Wilson Aquatic Center. 9:30-11 a.m. 4551 Fort Dr. 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.

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman

Catholic Mass for the LGBT community. All welcome. Sign interpreted. 6 p.m. St. Margaret’s Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.dignitywashington.org.

FAIRLINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH is an open, inclusive church. All welcome, including the LGBTQ community. Member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. Services at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. 3900 King Street, Alexandria, Va. 703-6718557. For more info, visit www.fairlingtonumc.org.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST wel-

comes all to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW. For more info, visit www. firstuccdc.org or call 202-628-4317.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Quaker House Living Room (next to Meeting House on Decatur Place), 2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbians and gays. Handicapped accessible from Phelps Place gate. Hearing assistance. Visit www.quakersdc.org.

SUNDAY, Sept. 29

LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS

22

FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for worship,

CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all to

Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m.

Childcare is available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for 25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. Visit www.reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led

by Rev. Emma Chattin. Children’s Sunday School, 11 a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax. For more info, call 703-691-0930 or visit www.mccnova.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted) and 11 a.m. Children's Sunday School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. For more info, call 202-638-7373 or visit www.mccdc.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, inclusive church with

GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW. For more info, call 202-232-0323 or visit www.nationalcitycc.org.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

a Christ-centered, interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. For more info, call 202-5544330 or visit www.riversidedc.org.

ST. STEPHEN AND THE INCARNATION, an “interracial,

multi-ethnic Christian Community” offers services in English, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m. 1525 Newton St. NW. For more info, call 202-232-0900 or visit www.saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-

ing-and-affirming congregation, offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. For more info, visit www.uucava.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING

invites LGBTQ families and individuals of all creeds and cultures to join the church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave. For more info, visit www.uucss.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-

ing and inclusive church. GLBT Interweave social/service group meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m., Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St. NW. For more info, call 202-3873411 or visit www.universalist.org.

MONDAY, Sept. 30 Weekly Events 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.

The DC Center hosts COFFEE

DROP-IN FOR THE SENIOR LGBT COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000

14th St. NW. For more information, call 202-682-2245 or visit www. thedccenter.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black

gay men’s evening affinity group for GBT black men. Light refreshments provided. 7-9 p.m. 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

Visit www.ushelpingus.org.

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.

TUESDAY, October 1 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 environ-

ment, 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.

THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free

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. www.inova.org/gmhc

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS

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.

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, 202567-3165, or visit www.smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a support

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

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

WEDNESDAY, October 2 BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s

gay-literature group, discusses Such Times, Christopher Coe’s 1993 novel, at the Cleveland Park Library. All are welcome. 7:30 p.m.

3310 Connecticut Ave. NW. Visit www.bookmendc.blogspot.com.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-

gram for job entrants and seekers, holds a special session with Per Scholas focusing on careers in the IT field. Please register beforehand via The DC Center’s website.

6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more info, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers. l

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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Betty Who

We can’t get enough of the dynamic pop star, returning for a third consecutive performance at the All Things Go Fall Classic.

Interview by Doug Rule “I feel very loved by D.C.,”

says Betty Who. “I feel very at home here.”

The Australian native, who moved to the United States at the age of 15, has what she calls an “indescribable” connection to Washington, D.C. The pop star’s history and rapport with the city goes back almost a decade now, and it also happens to be tied up with one of the city’s leading music presenters, All Things Go. “The first time we heard of Betty Who was back when we were running our music blog and we posted a few of her original songs,” says Stephen Vallimarescu, co-founder of the music promotion and production company, which helped present one of Who’s first shows in D.C. “That was in the old Living Social space [downtown], where we hosted a few events. It was like a 100, 200-capacity venue.

“Betty is one of those artists, every time we've seen her, she's put on a phenomenal performance,” he continues. “Seeing her grow and incorporate the dancers [and] additional elements in her set — confetti and some arena-level production elements — has made it more exciting to come back and see her and see how things are evolving. And having the live band is really cool and rare for a pop artist too.”

Who will return for her third consecutive performance at the All Things Go Fall Classic, now in its sixth year, held over Columbus Day Weekend. (For more on the festival, see page 30.)

“It's pretty unique and special to have an artist be a part of a festival for multiple years in a row,” says Vallimarescu. “For us, Betty has become a staple of the festival and I think that represents her impact in D.C. as a whole. She recently did a run of three consecutive sold-out shows at 9:30 Club, which I don't think I've seen many other artists do, either.”

Who is excited to return to D.C. to help usher in fall with All Things Go — which just so happens to fall one week after her 28th birthday.

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“Honestly, my favorite festival probably in the world is All Things Go, because I've never had a bad show there,” Who says.

“They always make me feel like a rock star. Most festivals, I walk on stage and I spend the first 30 minutes convincing everybody that I'm worth their time and worth their attention. And that's cool, that's what it's for, that's what I've been cutting my teeth on for the last seven years, that's what makes me love performing, is winning people over.

“But All Things Go is one of the only places in the world where I get to walk on stage and I know that most people in the audience know why I'm there, and we're ready to have a good time from the first song. And that's such a gift, it's such a pleasure.”

METRO WEEKLY: Let’s go a little bit deeper into your connection to

D.C. in general. How you would describe it?

BETTY WHO: It's sort of indescribable, in a way. I'm very shocked all the time to be honest. I'm pretty blown away by the support I have in the city. I've never really experienced anything like it.

The closest thing I've experienced to it is in New York, where people really, really show up for me.

I do feel that my fans have given me something that I didn't know was possible. Nobody's ever told anybody, "You should listen to Betty Who,” and then they put me on the radio. "Oh I know this song, and now I listen to her.” That's never been the way that my career has worked. I've shown up at venues, and I've had mostly gay men show up, and then we have a good time and the next time they bring their friends. It's just grown like that since then. I find it phenomenal, I've never really seen anything like it.

I've never walked away from a show in D.C. and been like, "I'm worth more than that,” or, "Oh that sucked, I wish people had been more respectful." I've never felt that way about D.C., I've never had that experience, which is really rare and I feel so

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grateful to have a place in the world where I know I can always have a good show.

MW: I had seen a couple of dynamic performances from you prior to your first All Things Go in 2017, but that was a ramped-up production that took you to another level.

WHO: All Things Go might've been my first or second big show with choreography. It's crazy to think about how far we've all come. But yes, it’s very possible that one of the first times I ever had a big festival and I did choreo was at All Things Go. I'm such a fan of pop stars. I have such a love and adoration and care for the people that have come before me and have inspired me to be in this business in the first place. There's a list of things that those people do as performers that I have always looked up to and wanted to do my own version of.

And I think adding choreo to the show was high on that list. It just took me a while to find the right person to do it with.

When I first started doing choreo on stage, I can't imagine comparatively to how I am now, how sort of bad and half-off it was.

I loved dancing when I was young, and every dance teacher I ever had told me that I was already too tall and too big to ever be a professional dancer, so there was no point in me even trying. And when you're 13, you listen to that. You go, "Oh, I thought that I was good at this, but I guess I'm not.” So I stopped taking classes, I stopped taking lessons, I stopped pursuing dance in any way, because I was told I would never be successful. And now, basically what I am trying to do is just make 10-year-old me really psyched.

MW: So 10-year-old girls today who are your height — 6’2” — and are likely being told the same thing in dance class, what would you say to them or to their teacher?

WHO: Their teacher, I would tell them that they are doing it wrong. I understand the teacher saying, “Listen, you’ve got to manage your expectations. To be a ballerina you have to be 5’6” and weigh 80 pounds, and you're already 6 feet tall at 13, so let's talk about it.” I get that there's a realism aspect of it. But also, kids manifest, kids create things for themselves. There's no raw energy like that of a passionate child. And I know that for a fact because I was one of them and I manifested this career for myself. This was literally teenage me going, “I want this.”

If I had waited until I was 25 to listen to that instinct and to follow my path and follow my heart, I don't think it would've worked out the same. There are things that we can do when we're

young people that we don't have access to anymore once we hit a certain age. I love doing this and I think I'm really good at it, and for so long I actually maybe wasn't good at it and I just thought I was. And that was enough — “fake it until you make it” is real.

Literally, I thought I was good and now I look back and I'm like, "Oh my God, how embarrassing for me.” But how lucky I am that I didn't have the tentative mind to know that I was bad, because then I wouldn't have done it. You have to believe in yourself, you have to be your number one fan, you have to think that you're the best. Because if you don't think you're the best, why are you in this business? Why is anybody going to buy what you're selling?

I've always thought that nobody can do what I do, even when I'm certain many, many people could probably do what I was doing.

The magic of how much has to align for any one person in the business to have any minuscule moment of success — it is so unbelievable that it ever happens for anybody. And I try to stay

really, really present to my gratitude for that, because I have lots of friends who want to do exactly the same thing that I am and they don't have the same resources and the same ability. I'm just so grateful.

MW: You were encouraged to pursue all of this by your parents. Did they actually move to America for you?

WHO: They did. I got into a performing arts high school when I was 15 — Interlochen in Michigan — and I had attended two summer camps there. And at the end of the second summer, the cello teacher basically said, "Let's not be coy here, you have lots of work to do, but I think you'd be a really great addition.” I basically got in on my fucking spunk and personality. And I think he knew that I had a musical gift, I think he just knew I wasn't going to be the best cellist in the world, but he was a teacher who saw something special in me.

And so it was between him encouraging me to follow my passion for music and my parents — my mom was the first one who was like, “You're going.” I was 15 and I had two weeks to go back to Sydney, pack up my entire life that I had known and just change it all and go to this school. I was like, "I don't think I'm ready for that, I don't even know if I want it.” And my mom was just like, "Absolutely — we're going.” In her own sacrifice, she did the same thing. She had two weeks to go pack up her life and she threw so much of what she knew away, to come support me.

Going to Interlochen and being around a bunch of creative young people, that's where my love and my passion for not only music and performing, but for people came from. I met these kids who were between 14 and 17, and they're all practicing five hours a day and have these big dreams and know what they want to do. There was so much manifesting going on at that time. To be surrounded by those people, all of a sudden that's what really set me on this path and really helped me go, "Okay, I see what my potential is, I can do anything.” Not a lot of teenagers have that “I can do anything” feeling. And Interlochen and my parents gave me that.

MW: How do your parents feel about your career now?

WHO: Oh my God, are you kidding? My dad is my absolute number one fan. I always thought that my mom would be the really emotional one, and my dad would be quite stoic, with the pat-on-the-back, “You're doing good kid,” and my mom would be crying. It’s quite literally the opposite. My dad is a sobbing blubbering mess, he goes to the front row and the barricade in front of everybody and he'll be crying and singing all the words.

It's such a pure and honest and beautiful reaction. And my mom

is much more at the back of the audience, “That was awesome, good job, kid.”

It's quite mushy but I mean it: My mom is the reason that I am the way that I am. I think her emotional intelligence and her grace is something that I am so inspired by. And my dad, everytime I get on the phone with him, he spends ten minutes telling me how proud he is of me and how he can't believe what I've accomplished and how special he thinks I am.

I am so lucky, my parents are incredibly special people and I think that's the only reason that I've had not only the confidence, the ability to support all of that, but it's like you have to know as a human that you're good enough for something like this. And I think that has informed so much of my art — that's what I write music about. There's no apology in my performance or in my presence. I'm happy to be here.

MW: On that topic, you convey a lot of resolve and determination in your lyrics, yet there's also a lot of heartache and heartbreak. Are you writing from experience?

WHO: I'd say most things I write are 98-percent autobiographical with artistic license. I do write a lot of things about experiences that I've had — whether it's through other people or about how I imagine I made somebody else feel. So if I hurt somebody, I'll often write a song from their perspective — “that sucks that you did that.” That's the therapy in writing for me, a lot of that.

Where I'm kind of working through not only how other people made me feel, but how I make people feel.

MW: You’ve recently come out as a “queer woman,” and I was hoping you’d be willing to elaborate on that.

WHO: Listen, I'm a little afraid to come out as anything, because I don't even know what I am. I know that I'm not just interested in men, I know that I love people unconditionally. It's not really about physical attraction for me. It never has been. But when I was in high school, “bisexual” couldn't have been a dirtier word. And I went to a performing arts high school where basically everybody was something. “Bi now, gay later,” is what everybody said.

I want to lead by example, and I'm not going to lie and tell everyone I'm straight, because I'm not. But it's all been really interesting. I'm engaged to a man — I think it makes people uncomfortable sometimes to listen to me talk about that experience because I have kind of found my life partner, and he happens to be a man. But our lives are very queer together, the people we spend time with, but also both of our sexual preferences. I don't want to speak for him, but I think there's so much more space in sexuality now.

Queer is the word I like the most, but I'm a little afraid of it if I'm being totally honest. I'm a little afraid of people deciding that I'm not queer enough — that's happened before, I've heard people say that. People get mad at me for dating a man. I do know that I have a lot of fans who look up to me, and I want to be really careful about the way that I speak about it, because I never want to undermine anybody else's experience. But what's true for me is true for me — and I'm certainly not straight.

I've had a very queer life. I've found a person that I love, he happens to be a man, and that's true for now.

MW: Would you call him your soulmate?

WHO: Yeah, many, many times over. Oh my God, he's the best. And he understands me in a way that nobody else ever has, and I think that's all you can hope to find in a partner, regardless of their sexual orientation. We get so caught up in boxes and making sure that we all know exactly how to identify and understand someone. As an artist, people say, "Okay, it's like Robyn meets Katy Perry

“I'm a little afraid to come out as anything, because I don't even know what I am. I know that I'm not just interested in men. I know that I love people unconditionally. It's not really about physical attraction for me, it never has been.”

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with a little bit of Pink.” Everybody has to define you in a way that they can understand and wrap their heads around you. And I get that, and it doesn't bother me, I just know that it's true. I don't really know what my definer, what my word is yet, if that makes sense. And I don't know if there is a word, because every time I think I know a word that defines me, there's a huge global conversation about why some people can't be that. Isn’t that the whole point of the LGBTQ community — to not be defined by anything, and get to be exactly who you are? But we're pretty caught up on those words right now and I feel uncomfortable putting myself in any of them because of that.

MW: You certainly put your money where your mouth is. A dollar from every ticket you sold on this year’s tour was donated to the Trevor Project, for example.

WHO: Fuck, yeah. That’s something that I really love to support. If I actually had money.... I know that people think once you get to a certain point, you must be rich — it certainly doesn't work like that, for me at least. As an independent artist, I don't have a lot to give, but what I can give is my time and my community, and that's exactly what we did on this last tour, which I was so proud of and so excited about. I can't imagine anybody not wanting to donate, but it's like, “If you're going to come see me, this is something that's important to me, you're going to give a dollar of your money to this organization as well.” I really loved that.

Trevor Project and Planned Parenthood are sort of my favorite two organizations to do stuff for. I love GLAAD as well and I've worked pretty closely with GLAAD. I remember when I was really young and I was starting to do the steady gigs and stuff and my mom asked, "Okay, so what's your cause?”

And I was like, "What do you mean?" She said, "If you're going to do this and you're going to have a voice, you're going to use it for good instead of evil and you're going to have to pick what your thing is. Is it women, is it children, is it hunger, is it water?

What's your thing?”

I thought about it a lot and I didn't really have an answer to it, I just knew that was a really smart way to look at it. And then I played my first show in New York City and 80 gay men showed up and I was like, “Oh here it is, here's my life work. It's to be a part of this community and to be someone who makes people feel seen.” It's not even necessarily that I'm trying to be a warrior for social justice — I mean, I am in my own life personally. I think the thing that has been most important to me is for people to feel like they have somewhere to go, for people to feel like they know that someone cares about them and loves them, that they have self-worth.

I’m a very, very confident person. I have a lot of self-worth and a lot of self-love, and I've got enough to spare. And that's really what I'm trying to put into my music, trying to do with my life and my career — just create a community where people show up and they go, “I feel good now.” I want to bring joy and light

“I played my first show in New York City and 80 gay men showed up. I was like, ‘Oh here it is, here’s my life work.

It’s to be a part of this community and to be someone who makes people feel seen.’”

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into the world. There's so much darkness, there's so much pain.

Every single day someone comes to meet and greet and they have their hearts full of pain and they hand it to me and they go, “Oh my God, can you help me carry this because it's too much?” And I'm like, “Yes, I can. We all can. We can all help each other out, we can all be there for each other.”

I have good energy, I have bright energy, I have light energy.

And I think that's special, and I'm really protective of it. But I give it out in spades to my fans, which is my community, because that's what I think I was put on this planet to do.

MW: How do you stay positive, especially in this dark and depressing era we find ourselves in currently?

WHO: My favorite quote, my favorite thing that ever happened in the 2016 election — before it was over and we all got our asses handed to us — is Obama going, “Don't boo. Vote.” That was my favorite quote. I think about it all the time. I want a T-shirt with it on it. Stop complaining, do something about it.

There's a lot of hurt and a lot of hate, and it's really hard to find and keep and hold compassion for the people that we don't agree with. But I think Martin Luther King, Jr. is a perfect example of somebody who was like, hating them back is not going to do anything. I have a lot of friends, a lot of people in my community, who I hear talk about the way conservatives are, and they're really hateful — you're doubling down on the problem.

“Kill them with kindness” has always worked for me, and I think it's going to keep working. We don't know how to listen to each other, we don't know how to talk to each other anymore. We're just so angry at each other, and then we yell at each other and we think each other is stupid for not thinking what we think. It's so inhuman. We want to be heard, we want to be listened to. And holding compassion and space for the people who don't agree with you I think is the first step to being able to be somewhere in the middle.

MW: Do you have dual citizenship?

WHO: I do, yeah. I'm American and Australian, so I get to vote, which I'm very very happy about. I don't know what I would do honestly if I didn't have citizenship in America. I'd probably have been deported already, to be honest. It's a big generalization, but I have a lot of friends who have had to go back to their home country since Trump has been elected. I'm so grateful for the fact that I'm lucky enough to have dual citizenship. I know what a blessing that is, and it's the reason I've been able to stay in the country with minimal stress. The hoops that my friends and my community have had to jump through to stay in this country — people who have lived here their whole life. It's made difficult on purpose, and it breaks my heart.

MW: Do you go back to Australia often?

WHO: Not often enough. I work all the time. When I do take time off, it's often to go be with my parents who are living in America currently. But I have plans to go back to Australia next year.

MW: Are you big Down Under?

WHO: It's funny, I've had the most commercial success in Australia, because I had a song go #1 on radio. So I got a plaque, that was really exciting. But if I've learned anything, a radio hit doesn't really translate to tickets sold. My success is far greater in America with no radio than it is in Australia with radio. It really is.

I play bigger venues, I sell more tickets, than a lot of people who have Top 10 songs on the radio. I've been pretty shocked, actually, at how much we have been able to achieve, given how little genuine support I have gotten. And I'm so blown away by that all the time — that me, my agent, and my manager, we did that. That was the ground up. We made a decision to continue to work for it, even if everybody else said that it wasn't going to

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happen. And it has worked so far.

MW: I know that Michael Jackson was one of your biggest musical influences.

Have the recent allegations against him made it harder to listen to his music, or diminished your admiration of him?

WHO: Listen, I believe victims.

There have been many, many artists throughout the history of time, most of the best artists are the worst people. I think that has often been true, and we're lucky that sometimes that's not true and that sometimes there's a singer or a painter or somebody who has made art that is spectacular and they also happen to be a good person, like Elton John. But I think that's more rare than not.

I think it's really complicated. I think there's no right answer. I think his genius is not undone by the horrible things that he did. I also think that he was mentally unwell, that he was disturbed. We didn't talk about mental health in the ’80s the way that we do now. I think if he was my age and all of these things were happening, I think he would've probably been in therapy and he would've been able to do some self-work. Or maybe not, I don't know.

I think everything was different — he needed help, he was a sick man. In death, everybody's a saint a little bit, but also death kind of takes the weight off and you get to make snap decisions and judgements about somebody and they're not really here to defend themselves. It's really complicated. I still love his music, that's never not going to be true.

We'll never have another Michael, we'll never have somebody who had that gift. I know that he did terrible things, I know he abused people, and I know he took away things from people that they didn't deserve to have taken away. And that makes me really sad. I still love his music.

MW: Do you still keep in touch with Spencer and Dustin, the couple who married after Spencer proposed via a choreographed flash mob with family and friends set to your first hit “Somebody Loves You?” WHO: Spencer and Dustin — yes, of course! They just adopted these two beautiful boys — oh my God, I'm so happy for them!

I love them so much! Every time I'm in Salt Lake, their whole family comes to the show and I get to give them a hug after the show. I try to be really grateful and present to the fact that this huge moment in their life was also a huge moment in my life.

They shared that with me and that's the reason that I have the life that I have in a lot of ways.

And also, it made me realize how important that kind of connection and that kind of love is. It associated me with something that I didn't realize that I really wanted to be associated with.

And then immediately I was like, this is what I'm here for, to spread love, to be a part of moments like this.

Of course I want to make sad songs and help people heal, but I'm not angry, I want to be there for people, I want it to feel warm and light. And I think Spencer and Dustin were a huge part of

what put me on the path of that.

MW: And now you have a new, more fitting wedding song too, “Marry Me.” WHO: When I wrote it, I was like, “If I don't see a gay wedding video with this song in it within the first six months of this album coming out, I have not done this right.”

MW: And? WHO: Of course I have! There was a proposal during “Marry Me” at one of the shows on tour. And I was like, “This is exactly what I had in mind.” I was sobbing on stage, I couldn't believe it.

I think the moral of my story and my life so far has been how special life is, how important love is, how amazing, when you are dedicated to making people happy, what that'll do for you. I have tried to get back what I put out and I believe in that stuff, I believe that your attitude directly affects the outcome of your situation.

And I think I have learned more about that from my fans and from this work then I have learned from any personal relationship, any personal experience. I have grown 10 times more than I could've ever kind of expected to or wanted to. For better and for worse, in the hard moments and the good moments.

I feel so endlessly grateful for the success that I have had, even though I think even my parents would tell you that it's not enough and that they think I deserve more. And I still want more. I still have so much more I want to do. l Betty Who performs on Sunday evening, Oct. 13, at the All Things Go Fall Classic at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. An Advance One-Day Ticket is $69, or $149 for VIP, if purchased by 11 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 27. Call 888-512-7469 or visit www.allthingsgofallclassic.com.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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DOUG VAN SANT

Women First

One of the cornerstones of the All Things Go festival is its celebration of female artists.

By Doug Rule

I

F YOU LOOK ACROSS THE FESTIVAL LANDSCAPE, lineups are skewed male,” says Stephen Vallimarescu. “You'll see 75 to 80 percent of a bill be male versus female.” That’s not the case at the All Things Go Fall Classic, now in its 6th year, which Vallimarescu helps organize. “We’re really proud to have an all-female day as part of this year’s festival.”

Held over Columbus Day weekend, Melanie Martinez headlines the all-female day, Sunday, Oct. 13, taking the stage immediately after Betty Who. Meanwhile, the first day of the festival, Saturday, Oct. 12, features as many female musicians as male and is headlined by the female-fronted Scottish synth-pop trio, Chvrches. Both days will also feature food and drink from vendors including &Pizza, Arepa Zone, Bun’d Up, DC Empanadas, Insomnia Cookies, Jrink, Nando’s, Rocklands, Shake Shack, Swizzler Foods, and Taqueria del Barrio.

This year’s All Things Go also reprises last year’s women-centric Classic Conversations panel series, taking place the night before the festival on Friday, Oct. 11, at Eaton DC. Notes Vallimarescu: “We've partnered with She Is The Music, which is a really cool organization that kind of amplifies awareness around opportunities in the music industry specifically for women.”

From the outset of the Fall Classic, the focus has been on working “with artists that are forward-thinking and are looking to be part of more of a boutique festival that highlights new and emerging music. We try to separate ourselves from the crowded festival market by focusing on what's going to be relevant, what's going to be exciting, what’s going to be next in music.” Kygo, Sofi 30

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Tukker, Maggie Rogers, and Billie Eilish were all featured at previous All Things Go before rocketing to stardom.

Vallimarescu singles out Mxmtoon as one of this year’s 16-act roster who is most likely to succeed. The artist, a panelist at Classic Conversations as well as a performer on Saturday, Oct. 12, has “gained a ton of popularity on YouTube and TikTok and is now set to release an album. She’s getting a ton of press and is, I think, poised to be one of those artists that's up next.”

A young bisexual woman of color, Mxmtoon is also one of at least four acts with members who identify along the LGBTQ spectrum, including Who, Melanie Martinez, and Muna.

Another highlight of this year’s festival for Vallimarescu is Chvrches. “They’re a band that we’ve been trying to book for many years, [one that] definitely fits in the wheelhouse of All Things Go fans.” While every year’s lineup is diverse in many ways and is not confined to any one genre or style, there is a rather distinctive sound and overarching appeal to All Things Go. “It's pop, but it's pop, alternative, indie, it's a little mix of everything,” he says. “We try to create an eclectic mix of artists that appeal to a wide variety of music fans. But also, if you like one and you don't know the other, you can come out and you'll likely enjoy the whole day.” —Doug Rule The All Things Go Fall Classic is Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13, at Dock 5 at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE. Advance Tickets are $69 for a 1-Day Pass, $99 for 2-Day, or $149 to $239 for VIP, if purchased by 11 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 27. Call 888-512-7469 or visit www.allthingsgofallclassic.com.

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OOTT continued from page 18 features seven sculptural vignettes, using thousands of white porcelain fragments, plus sugar and even pieces of plastic toys, all set up on Hillwood’s grand dining table. Now to April 5. Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Suggested donation is $18. Call 202-686-5807 or visit www.HillwoodMuseum.org.

LEE UFAN: OPEN DIMENSION

An expansive, site-specific installation featuring 10 new sculptures from the celebrated Korean artist, who is primarily based in Japan, marks the first time the Hirshhorn’s large outdoor plaza features largescale sculpture created by a single artist for the museum. The largest single outdoor sculpture project in the U.S. as well as the first exhibition of his work in the nation’s capital, Open Dimension — part of Ufan’s Relatum series — presents works that respond to the museum’s unique architecture while also juxtaposing contrasting materials — such as stainless steel plates and boulders — to heighten awareness of the world. A complementary installation of the artist’s abstract Dialogue paintings is also on view in the museum’s thirdfloor galleries until March 2020.

Opens Friday, Sept. 27, with an Autumn Evenings reception from 5 to 8:30 p.m., including cash bar, plus small bites and gelato available from the onsite Dolcezza Pop-

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Up. On display to Sept. 13, 2020.

Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Call 202-633-1000 or visit www.hirshhorn.si.edu.

THE TRAWICK PRIZE

Named after a Bethesda, Md., community leader and arts advocate, the Trawick Prize, established in 2003, was one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to honor visual artists.

Works by the eight finalists for the 2019 competition factor into an exhibition presented by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District. Oletha DeVane of Ellicott City, Md., was named the 2019 Trawick Prize Best in Show Winner and given $10,000 for her painted container featuring a life-size silhouette of a crouching Henry “Box” Brown, an enslaved man who escaped Virginia in 1849 by having himself shipped to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Mojdeh Rezaiepour of D.C. earned $2,000 and the honor of Second Place, Renée Rendine of Towson, Md., nabbed $1,000 and Third Place, and Monroe Isenberg of D.C. was named the Young Artist Winner.

Also represented in the exhibition

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

are Stephanie Benassi of Linden, Va., Hoesy Corona and Anne Clare Rogers, both of Baltimore, and Muriel Hasbun of Silver Spring.

Closes Sept. 28. Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda.

Call 301-215-7990 or visit www. bethesda.org.

p.m., on the REACH’s Video Wall; and “Let’s Talk Dance: The Artistic Process and Celebrations of Merce Cunningham,” a conversation led

by Swinston on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m., in the REACH’s Justice Forum. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

ABOVE & BEYOND

THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW: RAYCEEN’S GAME NIGHT: CELEBRITY CHARADES

KENNEDY CENTER’S MERCE CUNNINGHAM AT 100 SERIES

The first week of October the Kennedy Center hosts a multi-disciplinary series of events honoring the centennial of the late modern dance legend — in addition to a centerpiece dance program led

by Cunningham’s protégé Robert Swinston. The schedule includes: “John Cage: Music for Merce,” a one-night-only performance by avant-garde pianist and renowned Cage interpreter Margaret Leng Tan, showcasing nine works that Cage wrote in the 1940s for Cunningham, his longtime partner, that Tan will play on toy and prepared pianos, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m., in the REACH’s Skylight Pavilion; “Cunningham on Film,” a two-hour cinematic display of four short works either created for camera or captured on film, culminating in Daniel Madoff’s short doc Merce 100, on Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7

For the latest edition of the monthly show, Rayceen Pendarvis hosts a night of games with special guests, plus live music in the Listening Lounge

by Deborah Bond, guest DJ MIM, and announcer Anthony Oakes.

The evening also includes interviews with guests, a cash bar, free catered food for early arrivals, vendors, and a “free table” featuring new and gently used items, donated by attendees and ranging from books and CDs/DVDs, to office supplies and home decor, to apparel and accessories.

Wednesday, Oct. 2. Doors at 6 p.m. HRC Equality Center, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Free.

Visit www.AskRayceen.com. l

Gallery

Clockwise form top left: Eye of the Beholder by Donna Lee Gallo , Rod by Gordon Thomas Frank, Oracle Box by Zade Ramsey, You Light Up My Life by Kathy Turner, Beauty is Only Skin Deep by Brandon Vernon

Art Inspired By

The Twilight Zone F

OR ITS LATEST GROUP EXHIBITION, ALEXANDRIA’S DEL RAY ARTISANS Gallery invited its member artists to explore humanity’s hopes, despairs, and prejudices in metaphoric ways that go beyond what could be seen on conventional TV. The result are works of art or photography influenced or inspired by or referencing Rod Serling’s classic sci-fi TV show that first started exploring another dimension sixty years ago this year. Opening Reception is Friday, Oct. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. On display to Oct. 27. 2704 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria. Call 703-731-8802 or visit www.thedelrayartisans.org.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

DAVID HINDLEY COURTESY OF LD ENTERTAINMENT AND ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

Movies

Get Sappy

In Judy, Renée Zellweger brilliantly channels the great Judy Garland, even though her singing chops aren’t up to the task. By André Hereford

I

N JUDY GARLAND’S UNDERRATED FINAL FILM I COULD GO ON SINGING, the Hollywood legend played Jenny Bowman, a wayward superstar singer who appeared to be modeled very closely on the wayward superstar that Judy herself had come to be. The London-set 1963 gem also bears more than a passing resemblance to Judy ( ), the new London-set drama starring Renée Zellweger. The Oscar-winner embodies Garland in a dazzling performance that combines, in uncanny fashion, a well-styled physical resemblance and evocative vocal quiver and mannerisms to capture the woman, mother, addict, and wayward superstar.

Directed by Rupert Goold, Judy is based on Peter Quilter’s musical play End of the Rainbow, and paints on layer upon layer of truth and fiction, creating a portrait that’s both credible yet still lacking the thing Judy Garland was most famous for: her booming, one-of-a-kind voice. Zellweger sings passably, but her vocals rarely complete the impression that we’re watching Garland blow away audiences in her 1969 run at London’s Talk of the Town music hall.

A creepy Louis B. Mayer (Richard Cordery) explains to young Judy (Darci Shaw) in flashbacks to the set of The Wizard of Oz that her golden singing voice is the only reason he puts up with her girlish attempts to rebel against his control. Thirty years later, and still much is expected of Garland because she carts around a sound that millions would pay to hear on records and in concert. Talk of the Town’s intrepid owner Bernard Delfont (Michael Gambon) is betting that Garland can live up to the lofty expectations of a month-long run, despite the troubled star having been written off by Hollywood for being “unreliable and uninsurable.” He hedges his bet by assigning an able assistant, Rosalyn (Jessie Buckley), the formidable task of keeping Judy in check, in good health,

and on time for every show. (Good luck with that, Rosalyn.)

Tom Edge’s screenplay doesn’t swerve far off the expected course of Judy’s lonely brick road. The flashbacks to the star’s teen years of studio servitude plant the seeds of Garland’s decades-long dependency on drugs and controlling men, as well as her inextinguishable spark of good-humored willfulness. Meanwhile, a love story between Judy and nightclub manager Mickey Deans (Finn Wittrock) — whom she meets at a party also attended by chic and sensible daughter Liza Minnelli (Gemma-Leah Devereux) — flickers hot and cold, before sputtering to a sudden, overblown conclusion.

The writers of I Could Go On Singing definitely came up with cleverer plotting for their Judy picture, although this Judy might boast better jokes. Humor is one of the lady’s primary defenses, and Zellweger delivers quips and asides with sardonic aplomb. And Buckley, as the always-resourceful Rosalyn, makes for a good sparring partner once Judy’s caretaker feels familiar enough with her charge to be less formal and keep things real. Judy and Rosalyn’s bond, and their often desperate efforts to ensure that Garland’s show does go on, provide the movie’s real rooting

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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DAVID HINDLEY COURTESY OF LD ENTERTAINMENT AND ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

interest. Judy also fights her ex-husband Sid Luft (Rufus Sewell) over custody of their kids Lorna and Joey, but the film strongly suggests that, although she adores her children, Garland isn’t in any condition to take care of them and haul herself onstage every night to do her job.

What comes through loud and clear, however, is how much she needs their unconditional love. She doesn’t find it in the men she attracts, but she is afforded that kind of devotion from her fans.

The movie returns the compliment with a lovely scene between Garland and a pair of her gay London fans who tell their story of persecution and redemption, and help remind Judy that her life was not merely the headline-grabbing tragedy that brought her so much pain. She and her music lit beacons of hope and humanity for them, and generations to come. From the stage and the silver screen, her artistry touched people, many long gone, who needed to know they weren’t alone on their journey through a stormy world. In their memory and hers, Judy might draw in new fans who will find an everlasting friend in Dorothy. l Judy is rated R, and opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, Sept. 27. Visit www.fandango.com.

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

MATTHEW MURPHY

Stage

Cat Fancy

A good production of Cats is still a good production of Cats, whatever that means to you. By André Hereford

W

ATCHING THE TOURING COMPANY OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S Cats (HHHHH) pounce around the Kennedy Center Opera House, it’s hard to imagine seeing the show for the very first time in 1982, and thinking, “Yes, this is gonna run for another twenty years.”

Through economic times good and bad, Trevor Nunn’s original Broadway production did indeed run for two decades, with nearly 7,500 trips to the Heaviside Layer.

Cats only wound down at the turn of the century, before spawning a 2016 revival that begat the current tour, also directed by Nunn. Featuring choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton), based on Gillian Lynne’s original choreography, the show has freshened up its fur and makeup, and the Broadway original’s scenic and costume designer John Napier has gently updated the iconic looks of Grizabella, Mister Mistoffelees, Rum Tum Tugger, and friends.

Yet, however lithe these Jellicle Cats appear in their stripes and tails, or glamorously world-weary singing of bygone days in the sun, Cats, the record-setting, Tony-winning, Now and Forever phenomenon, remains an oddity among all-time hit shows. Summed up by the reaction of one nonplussed patron talking on her phone during press night intermission, “It’s really just a bunch of cats onstage.”

From a cat point of view, that should be the highest praise for any night of theater.

Webber’s musical settings for T.S. Eliot’s knowing, mythologizing poems about the curious creatures beautifully embellish the feline peculiarities expressed in Eliot’s verse. But that tuneful appreciation of the singular nature of cats, and a robust live orchestra led by Eric Kang, cannot compensate for, or disguise, the dated sound of the score’s synths and disco-lite dance breaks. Still, many of the melodies are timeless, from the ear-worm of “Magical Mister Mistoffelees” to the darkly operatic

“Entry of Grizabella.”

As the wearied Glamour Cat Grizabella, Keri René Fuller sings with a force to pierce the darkness. Her voice and talent more than live up to the splendor of “Memory.” Fuller produces chills with a key change, and does her part to tug along the show’s gossamer thread of a plot, as the Jellicle Cats gather to hear sage Old Deuteronomy (Brandon Michael Nase) name which of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn.

The narrative details, like some of the names, generate titters that might not be intended. Meanwhile, much of the comedy that is intended falls flat, or rather, falls victim to a zippy pace that keeps this company of Cats, and the kids in the audience, on their toes, but rarely pauses to really breathe in a good laugh. At least Timothy Gulan shows ’em how to land a joke and let it simmer in his terrific performance as that incorrigible ham Augustus, a.k.a. “Gus the Theatre Cat.” Somehow Gulan’s turn in the role of Bustopher Jones is a bit of a buzzkill, but such is the episodic nature of this beast that enjoyment depends heavily on each successive cat shining in his or her moment in the sun. Some don’t — although McGee Maddox is an electric Rum Tum Tugger, Alexa Racioppi reso-

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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nates as Demeter, Tyler John Logan sings an arresting Macavity, and Caitlin Bond dances an exquisite Victoria, the pirouetting alabaster cat.

Blankenbuehler’s choreographic take on those interpretive cat dances expresses a bevy of feline emotions, most consistently the pure joy of the Jellicle gathering, and the Cats’ pride in their unique mysteriousness. Of course, after almost forty years, not all their moves retain the same mystery. Some of those Cat shimmies and hip swivels appear as passé as the score’s cosmic disco-synth sounds. These aren’t necessarily the coolest Cats.

They are — in the Jellicles’ parlance — practical, dramatical,

allegorical, metaphorical, and a dozen other things, but not hip, if that’s the cat you want.

They also sing that they’re political, but that’s a stretch, too. Cats concerns living, dying, eating, and dancing — but not much loving or learning. The sense of kid-friendly innocence feels not entirely authentic to the species, or as intriguing as, say, Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye notion that your four-legged friend steals into your room at night to inhale your essence while you sleep. These Cats are relatively tame in the end, and, despite Webber’s songs about their fathomless self-possession and mystery, are more ingratiating and eager to entertain than any real cat you’ve ever met. l

C. STANLEY

Cats runs through October 6 at Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $49 to $149.

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

School Daze

Round House’s well-acted production of The African Mean Girls Play makes slight comedy of social satire. By André Hereford

A

HIGH SCHOOL’S PRECARIOUS PECKING ORDER IS THROWN INTO turmoil with the arrival of a headstrong new girl bold enough to challenge the reigning queen bee. Yes, that describes Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, but it’s also the premise for Jocelyn Bioh’s theatrical comedy School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play (HHHHH). Presented in a bright, compelling production at Round House Theatre, Bioh’s play cleverly tweaks Fey’s formula by setting the story in 1986, at a respected, if underfunded, girls’ school in rural Ghana, where the distinct concerns and insecurities of these brown-skinned African girls add unique cultural dimension to an otherwise universal coming-of-age satire.

Nicole A. Watson’s staging often overshoots the satirical target, though, with broad flourishes designed to punch every laugh-line and wring gasps from every insult. Still, the cast gels just fine playing in that sitcom rhythm, mining humor and pathos from the teen beauty pageant rivalry revolving around popular girl Paulina (Kashayna Johnson)

and new girl Ericka (Claire Saunders).

Johnson is especially good essaying the queen bee whose potent sting and imposing posture can’t quite conceal her roiling fear of failing to live up to her own hype.

This is a mean girl we’ve seen before, but Johnson’s assured portrayal is galvanizing to the plot, and lends an essential assist to the four actors playing Paulina’s beauty conscious clique: Moriamo Temidayo Akibu and Debora Crabbe as quirky cousins Gifty and Mercy, Jade Jones as bullied Nana, and Awa Sal Secka as Ama, the girl most likely to learn how to fire back when Paulina goes on the attack.

For a mean girl character we haven’t seen before, Akibu, with her breakneck timing and fresh delivery, turns goofy but shrewd Gifty into the show’s real revelation.

Audiences might be better served by spending more time with her than with the show’s two adult characters, Headmistress Francis (Theresa Cunningham) and Miss Ghana pageant recruiter Eloise (Shirine Babb).

Ex-rivals who both attended the school as girls, Eloise and the Headmistress are ostensibly intended as grownup models for the clique’s potential futures as either sisters or adversaries to other women, but the ladies’ clashes and ultimate showdown fizzle.

Similarly, the show progresses towards an implausible showdown between Paulina and Ericka that feels unearned considering these two haven’t really had time to cultivate the depth of nastiness that plays out between them. The production might hit its highest note when it sets aside all that cattiness to focus on what harmony these girls could cultivate at school — and in the world — if they stopped tearing each other down. As a choir, as a company of equals, or as the future leaders, educators, and mothers of a nation, they could be unstoppable. l

School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play runs through Oct. 13 at The Round House Theatre in Bethesda.

Tickets are $32 to $68. Call 240-644-1100, or visit www.RoundHouseTheatre.org.

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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Scene

Avalon Saturday with DJ Dan Slater - Saturday, Sept. 21 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, September 26 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 • Karaoke, 9pm-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

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 40

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 TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Friday, September 27 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Kicks & Giggles presents Go Hard: A Kickin’ Dance Party, featuring DJs Ben Norman and Phil Reese, 10pm-close • $5 Cover • One Free Drink before 11:30pm • Kicks Contest — Winner gets a Bar Tab • $5 Fireball, $8 Long Islands

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

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.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 • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • 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

CHANELLIE’S DRAG BRUNCH In case you were wondering, there is not, in fact, a new queen on the scene named Chanellie. Rather, Chanellie is the name of the game at Nellie’s Drag Brunch ever since Chanel Devereaux ascended to the throne as queen of queens for the venue’s popular brunch. This weekend, Devereaux will slay, sashay, and serve alongside Alexa V. Shontelle, Deja Diamond Jemaceye, Alexiya-nycole Davenport, and Sapphire Ardwick Ardmore-Blue at four different shows and seatings for the All-You-Can-Eat Brunch Buffet, which includes roast pork, vegetarian pasta, cheesy grits, soups, salads, fruit, and dessert.

Also included in the ticket price is everyone’s first mimosa or mary mixed by “your favorite shirtless bartender,” Andrew Sweeney. Seatings are Saturday, Sept. 28, at 11 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 29, at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Ages 21 and up. Nellie’s Sports Bar is at 900 U St. NW. Tickets are $41.91. Call 202-332-NELL or visit www.nelliessportsbar.com.

Saturday, September 28 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS @Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW LGBTQ Dance Party featuring DJ Hector Fonseca, 10pm-4am • $15 Cover, $20 Cover for VIP • Drink specials • Drag Show, 10:30-11:30pm, hosted by Ba’Naka and a rotating cast of drag queens • $4 Absolut Drinks, 10pm-midnight • 21+ • Visit www.

DougieMeyerPresents.com 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 • Bi Visibility Day Meetup, 7:30pm • 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 • JOX: The GL Underwear Party, 9pm-close • Music by DJs Chaim, UltraPup, and Pup Phoenix • $5 Cover (includes clothes check) 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

DC EAGLE’S BIRDS OF PREY & DANCE PARTY Every Friday night brings a different kind of drag than the standard fare at the DC Eagle, as a flock of resident drag queens take to their perch in the second-floor Exile to put on an over-the-top show after 10 p.m. for all those 18 and older. In addition to Brooklyn Heights, Iyana Deschanel, Sasha Adams Sanchez, and Crystal Edge, the flock for the show this Friday, Sept. 27, also includes special guests Miss International Queen Jazell Barbie Royal, Tiffany Starr, Katja Attenshun, and Chasen D Attenshun, and is styled as a kind of unofficial kickoff to the next day’s National Trans Visibility March. DJ Icy Funk will stir the show queens and the dancing crowd along with Gogo Daddy Reno. The Eagle is at 3701 Benning Rd. NE. Tickets are $10. Call 202-3476025 or visit www.dceagle.com.

WUNDER GARTEN’S LGBTQ OKTOBERFEST PARTY ’Tis the season for beer drinkers, with an Oktoberfest celebration happening in seemingly every other neighborhood, if not every other block. Many of these German-inspired festivals run all weekend long, over multiple weekends — which is certainly the case with the 5th annual shindig launching this Friday, Sept. 27, at NoMa’s popular secluded beer garden. Better still, Wunder Garten will present another dedicated queer night on Thursday, Oct. 3. As with other nights during the seven-day festival, LGBTQ partygoers can choose to drink various German and German-style beers on tap, and can also eat authentic German fare served up from Capitol Hill’s Cafe Berlin, among other food vendors. The party runs from 4 p.m. to midnight. Wunder Garten is at 1101 First St. NE. Visit www.wundergartendc.com.

CTRL: QWERTY The last Saturday of the month at Trade, DJs Adam Koussari-Amin, Dvonne, and Jeff Prior spin vogue house, “queerstep,” and other harder pop/ EDM-focused tunes than the average gay party. Starting at 10 p.m., CTRL: QWERTY welcomes newcomer Cake The Drag Queen as its featured performer this Saturday, Sept. 28. Trade is at 1410 14th St. NW. No cover. Must be 21 or older. Call 202-986-1094 or visit www.tradebardc.com.

THE L WORD TRIVIA AT XX+ CROSTINO Ellie Brigida and Leigh Holmes Foster of the LezHangOut podcast present “a night of talking, laughing, loving, breathing, etc., and a chance to win a big gay prize.” That is, if you and yours are proud, card-carrying experts on all things Ilene Chaiken and the fictional lesbian milieu she created for Showtime. Poet and event producer Jennifer Eden hosts the trivia competition featuring teams of two to six people, held in the “classy, upscale queer womxn’s lounge” and safe space on the second floor of Shaw’s Italian restaurant Al Crostino. SMYAL will receive a portion of proceeds from the Thursday, Oct. 3, event that starts at 6:30 p.m. XX+ Crostino is at 1926 9th St. NW. Tickets are $15. Visit https://xxcrostino.com. l SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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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 • Jawbreaker: Music of the ‘90s and 2000s, featuring DJs BacK2bACk, 9:30pm PITCHERS Open Noon-3am • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 2am SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with $15 Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • D.C.’s

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Art All Night Festival in Shaw comes to Shaw’s Tavern

Sunday, September 29

TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

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

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 DJs Keith Hoffman and Don T. • Cover 21+

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Fabulous Sunday Champagne Brunch, 10am-3pm • $24.99 with four glasses of champagne or mimosas, 1 Bloody Mary, or coffee, soda or juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Gayborhood Night Piano Bar, with John Flynn, 5-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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 • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Guest DJs 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 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

Monday, September 30

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 • Dinner and Drag with Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm • No Cover • For reservations, email shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Singles Night • Half-Priced Pasta Dishes • Karaoke, 9pm

TRADE Doors open 2pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

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

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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

Tuesday, October 1

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, 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 • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5

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 • Tito’s Tuesday: $5 Tito’s Vodka all night 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

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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

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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

Wednesday, October 2 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 and Karaoke with Jill, 8pm TRADE Doors open 5pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 l

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“The cost of inequality for trans people, particularly trans women of color, has now reached a moment of crisis.”

— SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, speaking at an LGBTQ Forum featuring several Democratic candidates for president.

Warren drew a standing ovation after she read the names of all 18 trans women of color killed in the U.S. so far this year, adding, “It is time for a president of the United States of America to say their names.”

“There were a couple of gender-creative kids who told us that they dreaded Christmas Day because they knew whatever they got under the Christmas tree, it wasn’t made for them. ” — MONICA DREGER, head of consumer insights at Mattel, speaking to Time magazine about the company’s new Creatable World dolls, the world’s first gender-neutral doll. “This is the first doll that you can find under the tree and see is for them because it can be for anyone,” Dreger said.

“When he shared with me that he identified as pan, I was, first of all, disappointed...

I was a little hurt.”

— Queer Eye’s KARAMO BROWN, speaking to The Advocate about his son Jason coming out to him as pansexual. Brown said his “initial reaction for the first hour was not as positive as you’d think,” and that he was upset that his son feared telling him about his sexuality despite “[growing] up in a household where his father is a career gay.” Brown added: “I felt betrayed by him lying to me and I had to go on this journey quickly, really quickly, to educate myself and then to remember this is his journey.”

“Wanna hear what is oppressed?

My shotgun ammo because I am wasting it on minorities like you. ” — A 13-year-old boy in Southwest Miami-Dade, Florida, in a group chat message sent to other students at Leewood K-8 middle school, CBS Miami reports. The teenager, who has not been named, is accused of threatening to shoot minority and LGBTQ students, and was arrested on a felony charge of written threats to kill. “Do you think I won’t hesitate to shoot you?” the boy reportedly wrote. “I am tracking your location. I have military training so I can kill you real quick.”

“Being gay is not a choice but not accepting it is a choice.

Homophobia is a choice and we have to fight against it.”

— XAVIER BETTEL, openly gay Prime Minister of Luxembourg, in a speech at the United Nations calling on other leaders to refute hate speech and support LGBTQ people, Reuters reports. “We are all part and we all have a responsibility,” Bettel said.

“This starts from...your politicians but it goes also to a family evening, to dinner with friends, with family.

If they have hate speech you can never accept it.”

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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