Life of Brian: An interview with Pennsylvania's Brian Sims - Metro Weekly - Nov. 21 & 28, 2019

2

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

3

November 21/28, 2019

18

CONTENTS

Volume 26 Issue 29

SINGING WOMEN’S PRAISES

The Congressional Chorus offers a concert celebrating women composers from yesterday and today.

By Doug Rule

LIFE OF BRIAN

Outspoken, determined, and unwilling to censor himself, Brian Sims is fully committed to equality, justice, and progress for all.

By John Riley Photography by Todd G. Franson

35

28

CUTTING EDGE

The cast, the clues, and the comedy fit together like perfect puzzle pieces in quick-witted whodunit Knives Out.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: NINA WEST p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 COUNTRY’S WILDCARD: MIRANDA LAMBERT p.12 IRON MEN: T COOPER’S MAN MADE p.14 THE FEED: STILL FIGHTING p.23 COMMUNITY: COMMUNITY FEAST p.25 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p.25 FILM: WAVES p.36 STAGE: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN p.37 NIGHTLIFE: PEACH PIT p.41 NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS p.42 SCENE: RUCK THE RUNWAY 3 p.48 SCENE: AVALON SATURDAYS p.51 LAST WORD p.54 Metro Weekly will not be publishing on Thanksgiving so that our staff can enjoy the holiday. See you Dec. 5!

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 Benjamin Franklin Cover Photography Todd G. Franson Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830 All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.

© 2019 Jansi LLC.

4

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Holiday Gift Guide

To Advertise in December's Holiday Gift Guide, visit www.metroweekly.com/giftguide2019 or call 202-527-9624.

6

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Spotlight

I

Nina West

AM A QUEEN OF CHRISTMAS,” EXCLAIMS NINA West. “I have five Christmas trees in my house. I have a classic Santa Claus tree. I have three Disney Christmas trees, and then I have one of a kind classic rustic old-time antique ornaments that I've collected over the years.”

West is beloved by RuPaul’s Drag Race fans as the winner of the Miss Congeniality Award in Season 11. The honor was clearly not without merit, as a phone conversation with West — real name Andrew Levitt — is effervescent and upbeat. She’s polite to a fault.

She’s also talented to a fault. Anyone lucky enough to have witnessed her performance at June’s Capital Pride can attest to that fact, as she roared through a brilliant Disney princess medley with a dazzling (and funny) array of rapid-fire costume reveals.

“The fact the stage was right in front of the Capitol was overwhelming,” she says. “I felt this tremendous responsibility to be uplifting and in the moment, especially in this dialogue and the conversation that's taking place daily within our country. It was important to me.”

West, named in 2019 by New York magazine as one of the “100 Most Powerful Drag Queens” in America, has a particular affection for Disney. “It's the storytelling,” she says. “Disney gives you permission to dream big, and that no dream is crazy or unattainable. It's like that line in the

Cinderella song, ‘A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.’ I am an optimist — glass more full than empty.”

West has just released a holiday EP, The West Christmas Ever, which is as festive and funny as you’d hope. For the narrative portions, West snagged the legendary Jim Cummings, who voices the current Winnie the Pooh. Meanwhile, this Saturday, Nov. 23, West hosts the latest incarnation of “A Drag Christmas: The Naughty Tour,” produced by Murray and Peter Presents, at the Warner Theater.

“It's a golden ticket,” says West of the touring that occupies more than half of her professional life. “I try not to even for one moment second-guess the opportunity. I'm on the ride of a lifetime. I've met more people in the last six months that have changed my life than I have probably in 18 years of performing. I've traveled the globe. I just got back from Australia with plans in 2020 to go to Japan and the Far East for another round of touring.”

Culture wags are exulting drag as a major touchstone that has finally permeated mainstream society, but West has her own feelings on the matter. “Drag will always be a subcultural art form that belongs to the queer community specifically. What I'm doing is that distinctly gay, queer, LGBTQ art form, and sharing it with the world. Having people respond to it so positively is pretty great.”

—Randy Shulman

Nina West hosts “A Drag Christmas” this Saturday, Nov. 23, at The Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $38 to $56. Visit www.dragfans.com for more information and additional cities on the tour.

The West Christmas Ever is available on most streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music.

Visit www.ninawest.com.

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

7

Spotlight DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY MARKET

ROB IVES

Over 150 artisans rotate among sixty tents set up on two blocks in the heart of downtown. Now in its 15th year, the holiday market offers a vast, eclectic, and international assortment of gifts and souvenirs, collectibles and wearables — from prints and photographs, to pottery and glassware, to custom jewelry and accessories. Each day also brings free staged concerts by local musicians, and options for food and non-alcoholic drink. Opens Friday, Nov. 22. Runs daily from noon to 8 p.m. to Dec. 23, except closed on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28. Located on F Street between 7th and 9th Streets NW. Visit www.downtownholidaymarket.com.

A CHANTICLEER CHRISTMAS

LISA KOHLER

The Grammy-winning all-male a cappella group — called “the world’s reigning male chorus” by the New Yorker — returns to the George Mason University Center for the Arts for a festive program of Gregorian chant, Renaissance motets, Gospel melodies, and Christmas carols. Saturday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m.

Concert Hall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax. Tickets are $33 to $60. Call 888-945-2468 or visit www.cfa.gmu.edu.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

SCOTT SUCHMAN

Craig Wallace returns for his fourth year as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in Ford’s Theatre’s cherished annual production of the Dickens Yuletide classic. It really wouldn’t be Christmas in Washington without this music-infused adaptation, conceived by Michael Wilson and directed by Michael Baron. Also featured in the production are Stephen F. Schmidt as Jacob Marley, Rayanne Gonzales as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Justine “Icy” Moral as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Gregory Maheu as Bob Cratchit, and Yesenia Iglesias as Mrs. Cratchit. Now to Jan. 1. 511 10th St. NW. Call 800-982-2787 or visit www.fordstheatre.org.

8

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Spotlight ALICE SMITH

Soul-pop singer-songwriter Alice Smith is understated, sophisticated and every bit as vocally talented as fellow four-octave ranger Christina Aguilera — except her music is better. Smith returns to her hometown of D.C. over the Thanksgiving weekend and on the very evening of her 41st birthday. That’s a cause for celebration all by itself, with the icing the fact that the concert comes in support of Mystery, Smith’s third collection of originals and first since 2013’s astonishingly brilliant She. Saturday, Nov. 30. Doors at 8 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $35. Call 202-265-0930 or visit www.930.com.

MATINA MARKI TILLMAN

In “Humanography: Shifts and Variations,” Greek artist Matina Marki Tillman presents individual, self-as-a-subject, double and multiple portrayals of the human, most created and arranged with a sequential character. In her charcoal and pencil etchings, Tillman focuses on the importance of the motion (or lack of motion), and the weight of the instant. The artist’s goal remains the exploration of the mood, state of mind, and response of the human to life’s events. At the Washington Printmakers Gallery, 1641 Wisconsin Ave. NW, through Nov. 24. A closing reception with the artist will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the gallery.

FROZEN 2

Six years after “Let It Go” conquered the world, Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven are back to try and earn Disney another billion dollars at the box office and billions more in merchandise sales. Songwriting husbandand-wife duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez return, as do writer-director Jennifer Lee and director Chris Buck, so expect more heart-tugging, toe-tapping comedy-drama as sisters Elsa and Anna venture north to find the source of Elsa’s powers. Oh, and Josh Gad promises the songs are “even catchier,” so get ready to hum them for the next six years. Opens Friday, Nov. 22. Area theaters. Visit www.fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr) NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

9

Out On The Town

THE ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS

The American Film Institute presents the exclusive area screening of a feature-length program with an eclectic, international mix of works created by both students and professionals. Shorts included in past incarnations have gone on to win Oscars, so you could say that curator Ron Diamond, a veteran animation producer, knows how to pick them. In fact, three of the 11 films included in the new 21st edition have qualified for 2020 Academy Award consideration: Five Minutes to Sea by Natalia Mirzoyan from Russia, Flowing Through Wonder (Le Jour Extraordinaire) by Joanna Lurie from France, and Daughter by Daria Kashcheeva of the Czech Republic. Additionally, the program features at least one LGBTQ-themed short: the Belgian Géraldine Charpentier’s Self-Narrative (Récit de Soi), focused on a young girl’s journey to self-realization as a transgender person. There are also two mini-documentaries about directors with their own entries in the lineup: Shlomi Yosef’s Portrait of Amit Cohen and Ido Shapira, paired with its Israeli subjects’ dog-centric Hounds, and Marta Trela’s Portrait of Gil Alkabetz, with that German director’s funny, hand-drawn Rubicon. Rounding out the program are two works from Switzerland, Kids by Michael Frei and Mario von Rickenbach and The Fox and the Bird (Le Renard et L’Oisille)

by Sam and Fred Guillaume, and another from Russia, Airship of Unknown Direction by Alexandra Galitskova. Sunday, Nov. 24, at 6:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $13 for general admission plus $1 service fee. Call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi.com/Silver.

Compiled by Doug Rule

FILM A FACE IN THE CROWD

Landmark’s West End Cinema kicks off its December slate of Capital Classics screenings with the 1957 film that made a star out of Andy Griffith, playing a powerful radio and TV personality who becomes a sinister force in American political life. Part rags-to-riches cautionary tale, part-political thriller, and partdoomed romance, Elia Kazan’s film foretold the influence of mass media and celebrity culture on American politics and society. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m.

10

2301 M St. NW. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 each.

Call 202-534-1907 or visit www. landmarktheatres.com.

APOLLO 13

Both Northern Virginia outposts of the Alamo Drafthouse present the final film in a series that the national theater chain has organized for the run-up to the big November holiday. No, not that one, but close: Hanksgiving, as in the famous Hollywood actor. ’Tis the season, according to the Alamo, “to reflect on the things that give us warmth and good cheer [and] make life worth living. We’re speaking, of course, about Tom Hanks movies.”

The Alamo lays it on even thicker as it describes the series as one intended to “give Hanks to the most

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

purely likeable man to ever grace humanity, and spend the holidays enjoying some of his finest films.”

The series concludes with Ron Howard’s sweeping, visceral cinematic experience from 1995, also starring Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris, that dramatizes NASA’s harrowing and ultimately aborted trip to the moon in 1970. Monday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse - One Loudoun, 20575 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn.

Also Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7:20 p.m.

Alamo Drafthouse - Woodbridge, 15200 Potomac Town Place, Ste. 100. Tickets are $10. Visit www. drafthouse.com/northern-virginia.

BEST IN SHOW

Did you know what is now known as the National Dog Show was actually inspired by this dog show spoof (and thus creating another entry in the genre of life-imitating-art-imitating-life)? That fun fact comes courtesy of the American Film Institute, which will screen Christopher Guest’s funny and sharp satire in the days after this year’s real-life show, which NBC turned into a televised Thanksgiving tradition two years after the “dogumentary” debuted in 2000. Best In Show is filled with stellar performances, including Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, now known as the Roses on Schitt’s Creek but here portraying the down-at-heel Florida couple the Flecks and their Norwich Terrier Winky; Parker

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

11

Posey and Michael Hitchcock as the Starbucks-minted neurotic couple the Swans with their Weimaraner Beatrice; Fred Willard as an imbecilic, everyman TV co-host for the fictionalized Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show; and Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Lynch as notquite-secret lovers, connected by Standard Poodle Rhapsody in White aka Butch. Friday, Nov. 29, at 4 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 30, at 1:15 p.m.

AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $10 to $13 for general admission plus $1 service fee. Call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi.com/Silver.

ELLEN VON UNWERTH

NEVER SURRENDER: A GALAXY QUEST DOCUMENTARY

COUNTRY’S WILDCARD

Country superstar Miranda Lambert is more than happy to show support for the LGBTQ community.

L

AST JUNE, MIRANDA LAMBERT GENERATED NOTABLE BUZZ AFTER ATTENDING World Pride in New York.“I've gotten such positive feedback from people saying that really encouraged them, because I'm a country artist who kind of stood up for that lifestyle,” Lambert says. “I didn't realize it would have an impact. But I'm so glad that I can speak up and make someone feel great about who they are.”

Lambert went to World Pride as a show of support to her younger gay brother. “It was one of the happiest days I've ever had. There were rainbows and glitter everywhere, and everybody was smiling and just being who they wanted to be. It was a really cool day and I got to share that with my brother.”

Lambert’s brother has been out for several years. “I'm so proud of him,” she says. “And I'm so proud of our family for just [accepting that] we are who we are,” says the east Texas native. “We have all kinds of friends from all kinds of places, and so I don't feel like it's ever been that heavy.

But I know in some households it is a divider. Luckily, in our family, it's not that way.”

Lambert touched on her family’s openness in a hit from 2013. “‘All Kinds of Kinds’ is one of my favorite songs I've ever recorded,” she says. “It’s an older song that I had found that just kind of spoke to me, because it was about accepting everybody for who they are. And that's something my mom always taught me, from a little girl: ‘You sit at the lunch table with people no one's sitting with.’ That's kind of how she raised us.”

Not even two decades into her career, the 36-year-old Lambert is already one of the most awarded female artists in country music history — honored as Female Vocalist of the Year a record nine times in a row at the ACM Awards, and six times at the CMAs. She’s also collaborated with several acclaimed country artists who are openly gay — including Brandy Clark, who co-wrote one of Lambert’s biggest hits, “Mama’s Broken Heart.”

Despite widespread critical acclaim, Clark remains relatively unknown and a gay artist has yet to become a bona fide country superstar. “I feel like that’s ridiculous and should change for sure,” Lambert says.

Lambert is encouraged by other changes that she senses are afoot in the industry. “It is just a little harder for us women, for some reason, to get played on the radio — but I think it's changing now.” Things are also getting better on the road. “I’m on tour right now with Maren Morris and Elle King,” she says. “I really enjoy watching them and being inspired by them. And there's something special about having an all-female tour. Definitely a different vibe.” —Doug Rule Miranda Lambert’s seventh studio album, Wildcard, is available on all major streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music.

12

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

A documentary that offers an in-depth look at the impact of Galaxy Quest, the 1999 cult classic credited as contributing to the predominance of sci-fi and fantasy across today’s movie landscape.

With a title referencing the long odds faced by the parody — including “surviving a set fire, the loss of a powerful director [Harold Ramis], and a studio [DreamWorks] that didn’t understand what it had,” Never Surrender features insights from the cast, including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell, Justin Long, Tony Shalhoub, and Rainn Wilson, director Dean Parisot, writer Robert Gordon, and a legion of celebrity fans, chief among them Star Trek fan-favorites Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner and filmmakers Greg Berlanti and Damon Lindelof. A one-night-only screening by Fathom Events also includes exclusive behindthe-scenes footage and a 10-minute introduction from the cast of Screen Junkies, which co-produced the documentary along with Wikia, Inc.’s Fandom. Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. Area theaters including Regal venues at Gallery Place (701 7th St. NW), Potomac Yards Stadium (3575 Jefferson Davis Highway), and Majestic Stadium (900 Ellsworth Dr., Silver Spring).

Tickets are $16 plus fees. Visit www.fathomevents.com.

THE THIN MAN

A loose adaptation of the hit novel by Dashiell Hammett, featuring banter based on his rocky relationship with legendary playwright Lillian Hellman, W.S. Van Dyke’s pre-Code film circa 1934 ranks no. 32 on the 2000 list “AFI’s 100 Years...100 Laughs.” Starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, the Oscar-nominated comedy-mystery also made the “Great Movies” list by legendary critic Robert Ebert, who in particular praised Powell as “to dialogue as Fred Astaire is to dance. His delivery is so droll and insinuating, so knowing and innocent at the same time, that it hardly matters what he’s saying.”

In recognition of the film’s 85th

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

13

anniversary, Landmark’s West End Cinema screens it the day before Thanksgiving as part of its Capital Classics series. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 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 202-534-1907 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Victor Fleming’s timeless adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel has been touted as the mostwatched motion picture in history — and no, not just among gays, appreciating its star Judy Garland as well as the story of a mythical Oz where all misfits are accepted.

The AFI’s Silver Theatre celebrates the 80th anniversary of the family favorite with a run of holiday screenings, definitely something to give thanks for. Thursday, Nov. 28, through Sunday, Dec. 1, at 11 a.m., plus one evening screening on Friday, Nov. 29, at 6 p.m. 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring.

Tickets are $10 to $13 for general admission, plus $1 service fee. Call 301-495-6720 or visit www.afi.com/ Silver.

IRON MEN

T Cooper’s documentary Man Made explores the transgender community through the lens of bodybuilding.

F

OLLOWING ITS AWARD-WINNING FILM FESTIVAL RUN, THE BOLD AND NUANCED documentary Man Made arrives on digital shelves in time to mark Transgender Awareness Week. Directed by T Cooper, the film follows four trans men of very different backgrounds all training to compete at the Trans FitCon bodybuilding competition.

Cooper, who is trans, says that although he has always been into sports and athletics, the sport of bodybuilding eluded him. “I was always pretty fascinated with the sport, whether it be growing up in L.A. and watching the guys at Venice Beach and some women working out there,” he says.

“Even when I was really little, I have really young memories of seeing that, and just being like, ‘What is going on here?’”

The filmmaker — who is also a Young Adult book author and writer-producer on NBC’s The Blacklist — ultimately followed that fascination to Trans FitCon. “I was blown away by the whole notion of these guys just stepping on stage and showing everything they'd worked so hard for, and whatever stage they were at as far as their fitness journey goes, their transgender journeys, their life journeys,” he says. “Obviously, the metaphor of bodybuilding was super interesting and profound for any life endeavor. I think once I found out that [Trans FitCon] existed, I just wanted to know everything about it and figure out how to tell a story about it in the best way possible.”

The film explores everything from gender and relationships, to adoption and homelessness, including families and partners who support their sons through transition, and some who become estranged. The bodybuilding training and competition are merely facets of the complex, vibrant lives the film documents. According to Cooper, that was largely the point.

“I wanted to portray...diversity in age, in race, in geography, in stage of transition, in familial acceptance. I wanted someone who had a kid. I wanted someone who was married, someone who was single. I wanted the gamut and was really lucky to get a really cool handful of guys that if you watch the film and you don't know about trans life and trans culture, you see it and go, ‘Oh, wow.

Like I have a pretty good idea about...trans men as a community.’” —André Hereford Man Made is streaming worldwide on video on-demand platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, and Vimeo. Visit www.manmadedoc.com.

14

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

STAGE AIRNESS

Billie Krishawn stars as Nina, who discovers there’s more to air guitar than playing pretend when she enters an air guitar competition.

Christina A. Coakley directs the D.C. premiere of Chelsea Marcantel’s comedy also featuring Dani Stoller, Drew Kopas, Harrison Smith, Chris Stezin, Gary L. Perkins III, and Forrest A. Hainline IV. The show is a co-production between Keegan Theatre, where the show will run for most of November, and Virginia’s 1st Stage, which takes up the mantle in December. To Nov. 30. 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $41 to $51 plus fees. Call 202-265-3767 or visit www.keegantheatre.com.

AMADEUS

Genius and jealousy collide in 18th-century Vienna as the mediocre Antonio Salieri does everything in his power to destroy his musical rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Folger Theatre offers a production of Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play directed by Richard Clifford and featuring a 13-person cast led by Ian Merrill Peakes as Salieri and Samuel Adams as Mozart. To Dec. 22. 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $27 to $85. Call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu.

EDWARD ALBEE’S OCCUPANT

Susan Rome stars as the renowned sculptor Louise Nevelson, a Jewish immigrant from Russia who became a pioneer for free-thinking women everywhere. Aaron Posner directs a Theater J production of a late-ca-

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

15

ing tunes that sound as if recorded a half-century ago. Featuring the soft, luminous vocals of Marilyn Older, the party jazz group, heralded by NPR and a frequent draw at the Kennedy Center, returns to Blues Alley for “A Very Chaise Lounge Christmas,” a holiday show named after a 2012 album. Wednesday, Dec. 4, 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.

KELLER WILLIAMS

NSO W/RENÉE FLEMING & ROD GILFRY

Celebrated soprano Renée Fleming and Grammy-nominated baritone guest perform with the NSO, under the baton of Music Director Gianandrea Noseda, the D.C. premiere of Kevin Puts’ The Brightness of Light. Inspired by the letters between iconic American artist Georgia O’Keeffe and her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, this NSO co-commission comes as part of a program also featuring Richard Strauss, from the Symphonic Interlude No. 2 from the German Romantic composer’s Dreaming by the Fireside to his epic showpiece Also sprach Zarathustra, immortalized by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 to $99.

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

reer masterpiece by the gay, multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Now to Dec. 8. The Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater in the Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th St. NW. Call 202-777-3210 or visit www.theaterj.org.

COMMUNITY STAGE LAST SUMMER AT BLUEFISH COVE

Jane Chambers’s lesbian love story is brought to life by Virginia’s Dominion Stage in an all-female production directed by Sharon Veselic. Last Summer at Bluefish Cove is set in an idyllic summer resort that becomes invaded by “a female alien from the straight world” — more specifically, a dissatisfied straight woman in search of solitude after leaving her husband who unwittingly and naively wanders into the midst of a group of seven lesbians on vacation. The unpaid and volunteer cast features Lori Brooks, Katie Raymond, Judy Lewis, Heather Plank, Bryna Parlow, Christine Tankersley, Lindsey June, and Gayle Nichols-

16

Grimes. Weekends to Nov. 23.

Gunston Theatre Two, 2700 South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $25.

Call 571-DS-SHOWS or visit www. dominionstage.org.

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH

Susan Nanus offers a stage adaptation of the children’s fantasy adventure by Norman Juster about a 10-year-old boy and his faithful watchdog traveling to Lands Beyond. Jon Gardner directs a community production for the Greenbelt Arts Center starring Harper Chadwick as Milo and Findley Holland as Tock the watchdog. Opens Tuesday, Nov. 29. Weekends to Dec. 15. 123 Centerway. Greenbelt, Md. Tickets are $22 to $24. Call 301-441-8770 or visit www.greenbeltartscenter.org.

MUSIC CAGE THE ELEPHANT, LOVELYTHEBAND

After helping to open the generically named Entertainment and Sports Arena last year, the Grammy-winning punky/blues rock quintet Cage The Elephant returns for “DC101-derland Night 1.” Co-headlined by a young, space-

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

bar-avoiding three-piece pop outfit from Los Angeles, the concert at the Anthem also doubles as a benefit for the Trust for the National Mall.

Tuesday, Dec. 3. Doors at 6 p.m. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. Tickets are $45 to $75. Call 202-888-0020 or visit www.theanthemdc.com.

CAPITAL CITY SYMPHONY: SYMPHONIC FLIGHT

The orchestra continues its 52nd season celebrating “the outdoors as expressed through the joy of music” with a showcase of songs paying tribute to our feathered friends.

Assistant conductor Tiffany Lu leads the symphony in Respighi’s suite for small orchestra The Birds, Sibelius’ tone poem The Swan of Tuonela, and Wagner’s impressionistic Forest Murmurs, while guest violinist James Stern joins to perform “Spring” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Sunday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m.

Sprenger Theatre in the Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $15 to $25.

Call 202-399-7993 or visit www. atlasarts.org.

CHAISE LOUNGE

Six of D.C.’s leading jazz musicians perform sparkling arrangements of standards plus new, original swing-

All Good presents the annual concert “Thanksforgrassgiving,” which is a nod not just to the holiday and to bluegrass but also to reefer.

This Fredericksburg, Va.-based artist will no doubt perform his popular 2009 single “Doobie In My Pocket” as well as other tributes to weed from his repertoire. But as ever the show is intended to become a mind- and time-bending jam session among Williams, plus the trio Keller & The Keels featuring award-winning flat picker Larry Keel and his bass-playing wife Jenny Keel, and special guest Lindsay Lou. Saturday, Nov. 30.

Doors at 6:30 p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. Tickets are $29 to $35. Call 202-787-1000 or visit www.thehamiltondc.com.

NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC: HOLIDAY SINGIN’ POPS

Luke Frazier of the American Pops Orchestra serves as guest conductor for this year’s seasonal offering from Strathmore’s resident orchestra, which will accompany a roster of talented soloists putting fresh spins on traditional and beloved holiday songs. Ali Ewoldt from Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, Hilary Morrow of New York’s legendary Birdland Jazz Club, international vocalist Kevin Rose, and tap dancer Addalie Burns will all play a part in the program also featuring the National Philharmonic Chorale. And the audience will join in for a seasonal sing-along or two.

Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. The Music Center, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $29 to $69. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

SUTTON FOSTER

Though known for her work on TV (Bunheads and especially the current hit series Younger), Sutton Foster has won more accolades for her work on stage, including two Tony Awards for revivals of Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes. After incredible performances with the National and Baltimore symphonies several years back, Foster now returns to the area to make her debut in the intimate, acoustically rich Barns at Wolf Trap. Expect a swinging run through her Broadway repertoire as

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

17

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONGRESSIONAL CHORUS

well as other pop and jazz standards — and maybe even a tap-dance from the celebrated hoofer if the crowd is lucky. Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 and 7 p.m. 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. The few remaining tickets are $85. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit www. wolftrap.org.

THE SELDOM SCENE & DRY BRANCH FIRE SQUAD

SINGING WOMEN’S PRAISES

The Congressional Chorus offers a concert celebrating women composers from yesterday and today.

I

T SOUNDS LIKE A TRICK QUESTION, BUT HAVE YOU EVER HEARD CLASSICAL music written by a woman at a choral concert? “Worldwide, the amount of choral concerts that are programmed, and the percentage of women composers on [choral] programs — even I was shocked and embarrassed how small it is,” says David Simmons, artistic director of the Congressional Chorus. (A paltry 3.6%, according to a recent analysis of the combined programming at major music organizations.) “I do try really hard to make sure every concert has a significant portion of works by women or racial minorities.” But nothing beats this weekend’s offering, with the debut of “a concert of all women’s work.”

With a title partly inspired by a recent political skirmish on the Senate floor, Nevertheless, She Persisted follows programs from previous seasons that addressed social issues, from racial justice to LGBTQ equality. In this case, the focus is on “the fight that women have had as composers to be heard, and recognized, and even acknowledged,” Simmons says. “Because the composing world is still highly male-dominated.”

For starters, the wide-ranging, multi-genre concert proves there’s no actual shortage of contemporary female composers. “About three-quarters of the concert is works by living composers,” Simmons says. “And most of the pieces were actually written in the last four or five years, [with] a couple of pieces actually from 2019.” One example is Jenni Brandon’s America Belongs To Us, a piece written in 2015 that is timelier than every today. Brandon will lead a performance of her work, which is about “welcoming immigrants to our country instead of building walls,” and will be performed in Spanish and English, plus the addition of the Columbia Flute Choir.

In all, 15 women are represented in the program, including Amy Beach, “the first woman to be commissioned to write a major core work, in 1892.” Beach’s groundbreaking Festival Jubilate was not initially well-received, due to sheer gender discrimination. “A few weeks before it was supposed to premiere, an all-male review committee — surprise, surprise — pulled it: ‘We find that there are some problems with this. If we had the chance, we could probably fix them for her,’” Simmons summarizes the men’s critique, adding, “The comments that they made are just horrible.”

Towering over even Beach among the concert’s celebrated composers is the lone non-American in the bunch: Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th Century German Benedictine Abbess. “If Amy Beach is the patron saint of American women composers, Hildegard is the patron saint of all women composers.” Fittingly enough, the concert kicks off with one of Hildegard’s ancient chants, performed by female members of the organization’s acapella chamber ensemble, who will be singing from the church’s balcony. “[The concert] is going to start off in the balcony, sort of like the paths coming forward and inspiring us. And then the music of today will be layered on top of it.” —Doug Rule Nevertheless, She Persisted: Music of America’s Women Composers is Sunday, Nov. 24, at 4:30 p.m. at the Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $39. Call 202-629-3140 or visit www.congressionalchorus.org.

18

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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 another in a string of shows in 2019, concluding with a New Year’s Eve concert. First comes a co-headlining show with a traditional bluegrass outfit founded by its leader Ron Thompson over 40 years ago. Friday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $39.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA: AMBROISE THOMAS’S HAMLET

The Washington Concert Opera launches its season with Ambroise Thomas’ ravishingly beautiful score to an opera based on a French stage adaptation of the Shakespeare classic by Alexandre Dumas and Paul Meurice. Soprano Lisette Oropesa returns to WCO to play the role of Ophelia as part of a one-night-only production also featuring baritone Jacques Imbrailo in the title role, mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti as Gertrude, and tenor Jonas Hacker as Laertes. Sunday, Nov. 24, at 6 p.m. GW Lisner, The George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. Tickets are $40 to $110. Call 202-994-6851 or visit https://concertopera.org.

DANCE MONICA BILL BARNES & COMPANY: HAPPY HOUR

In the dance work Happy Hour, choreographer and performer Monica Bill Barnes will be joined by Elisa Clark for gender-bending vignettes and performances in a wide array of dance styles, including jazz, tap, and ballet. They’ll chiefly work to portray two would-be studs — or really, average, awkward straight men — leading a karaoke-fueled cocktail party. Just as in real life, the party rarely ever lives up to even the lowest of expectations.

Barnes started her company over two decades ago with “a mission to celebrate individuality, humor, and the innate theatricality of everyday life.” The University of Maryland presents this “dance show turned into an after-work office party,” also featuring the company’s creative producing director Robbie Saenz de Viteri as emcee, at an affiliated though not official campus cafe/

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

19

ence. That’s as true as ever with the troupe’s latest performance series, which nods to the Latin American holiday Day of the Dead. Select performances will include a remount of In Lieu of Flowers, a show that comes with an improvised funeral as it works to memorialize the life of a particular audience member.

Each performance also features a different mix of the improvised ensembles that comprise WIT, from on-the-spot musical creations courtesy of iMusical, to the clever antics of the all-female-identifying group Hellcat, plus the groups Poetic Resistance, Nox!, Madeline, Uncle Gorgeous, and Lizard Girl.

Weekends to Nov. 23. Spooky Action Theater, 1810 16th St. NW. Tickets are $15 to $18. Call 202-2480301 or visit www.witdc.org.

READINGS & DISCUSSIONS

GENE SCHIAVONE

DAVID J. SILVERMAN: THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND

ATLANTA BALLET: THE NUTCRACKER

The Kennedy Center offers Washington audiences the first chance to see the production that debuted to much acclaim last year in Atlanta. This new production of the classic tale set to Tchaikovsky hews closely to E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original 1816 tale for a visually inventive showcase of fantastical staging, dominated by oversized storybooks, clocks, and constellations, enhanced by video projections, plus fresh choreography by Yuri Possokhov of the San Francisco and Bolshoi ballets. The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and the Arlington Children’s Chorus will offer live accompaniment to the dancers.

Wednesday, Nov. 27, through Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. Also Friday, Nov. 29, through Sunday, Dec. 1, at 1:30 p.m. Opera House. Tickets are $49 to $249. Call 202-467-4600 or visit www.kennedy-center.org.

This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving puts the November American holiday in proper perspective — that from Indigenous peoples’ side. Silverman, a professor of history at George Washington University, retells the mythical story of the feast marking the Plymouth Pilgrims’ first harvest in 1621 as one marking the beginning of Native peoples’ long struggle for self-determination. Viewed in such light, it’s little wonder many Native Americans observe Thanksgiving not as a celebration but as a National Day of Mourning, according to Silverman. Sunday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-364-1919 or visit www.politics-prose.com.

ART & EXHIBITS 10X10 INVITATIONAL

cabaret venue, where the audience can enjoy snacks, sip cocktails, and serve as de facto participants in the party. Thursday, Nov. 21, and Friday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m. MilkBoy ArtHouse, 7416 Baltimore Ave., College Park, Md. Tickets are $10 to $25. Call 240-623-1423 or visit www.milkboyarthouse.com.

formances Saturday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 24, at THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. The Nutcracker then settles in for a month-long run downtown, opening Saturday, Nov. 30, and running to Dec. 29. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Call 202889-5901 or visit www.thewashingtonballet.org.

THE WASHINGTON BALLET: THE NUTCRACKER

COMEDY

The Washington Ballet’s former artistic director Septime Webre first staged his twist on the family favorite 14 years ago, setting it in D.C.’s historic Georgetown neighborhood with George Washington as the titular figure and King George III as the Rat King. The production launches this weekend with per-

THE SECOND CITY: LOVE, FACTUALLY

The seasonal satire from the cleverly twisted minds of the legendary improv/comedy company returns to the Kennedy Center for another

holiday run. The show, as you might surmise from the production’s title, is a parody of a certain nauseating yet popular movie. Expect original comedy, music, improv, and audience participation. Opens Tuesday, Dec. 3. Runs to Dec. 29. Kennedy Center Theater Lab. Tickets are $49 to $79. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

WASHINGTON IMPROV THEATER: LIFE AND DEATH WITH WIT

No two performances are alike when performed by the Washington Improv Theater — D.C.’s answer to those comedy star-making groups such as Chicago’s Second City and L.A.’s Groundlings — especially since they’re spurred on by the audi-

A hand-picked group of roughly 100 regional and national artists have donated nearly 200 works for the fifth annual exhibition at Maryland’s Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Every artwork is different, ranging in styles from prints to paintings to mixed-media, but all are the same size — 10 x 10 inches — and all are available at the same price: $50. The invitational is billed as a great opportunity for collectors of all levels to get interesting pieces by talented artists at a remarkable price, or at least serve as original holiday gifts. It’s also a constantly rotating stock, with new pieces put on display as works sell from the second floor gallery in Pyramid,

OOTT continues on page 39

20

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

21

22

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

theFeed

STILL FIGHTING

NMAC’s Paul Kawata talks about 30 years of fighting HIV, and the current state of the epidemic. By John Riley

I

PHOTO COURTESY OF NMAC

CAME OF AGE AS A GAY MAN IN THE MIDDLE OF an epidemic,” says Paul Kawata, the executive director of NMAC, formerly known as the National Minority AIDS Council. “It is, and continues to be, the issue that has defined my life.”

Kawata first moved to Washington, D.C. in January 1985 to work on ending the AIDS epidemic. At the time, Margaret Heckler, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, had raised the prospect of developing a vaccine to protect against HIV transmission with five years, and Kawata, then in his 20s, was hopeful.

“I remember telling my family, ‘Okay, five years. I will come to Washington for five years, and then I'll be able to come home because we'll have a vaccine,’” he says. “Well, it’s now 2019 and I’m still here.”

For Kawata, what he calls the “plague years” — when millions of people, including his own partner, died before better treatments for HIV were developed — are “a blur of pain and suffering and loss.”

“It is almost impossible to describe the early days of the epidemic,” he says. “That was the time when people would not bring food into hospital rooms, when we were going to two or three memorials a month, when we would do weekly hospital visits to multiple friends.

“I’m part of a generation of people who has lost more friends than I’ve ever had,” he adds. “We recently did a survey of people over 50 living with HIV. The number-one issue facing them was isolation that leads to depression. At some level, it makes sense, because this is the generation that had to survive the dark days of the plague. This is the generation that had to survive the moments when people were afraid to shake your hand or to hug you or kiss you.

This is the generation that had to survive when there wasn’t treatment. When the only thing you could do was manage the pain.”

While Kawata is encouraged by some of the scientific advances surrounding HIV — including attempts at vaccine

development, or administering medications via implant or long-acting injectables — the current strategy being embraced by most scientific experts and HIV advocates has shifted. Nowadays, it revolves around biomedical solutions — oral medications like PrEP and PEP, which can prevent transmission of the virus, and “treatment as prevention,” in which people with HIV take antiretroviral drugs to ensure their viral load is lowered to the point where it is “undetectable,” meaning the virus cannot be spread to others.

Of course, relying on a daily pill regimen brings its own complications, specifically ensuring people remain compliant by regularly taking the medication so it can be effective.

“One of the things that’s unique about this effort is that we are trying to end an epidemic without a vaccine or without a cure,” notes Kawata. “So the goal here is to move the needle, first for people living with HIV.... The medications are not a panacea for everybody, but for many, many people, they have made a huge difference.

“The goal around PrEP is a little different,” he adds. “It is Kawata to reach people who are sexually active, who could benefit from being on PrEP as a way to prevent getting HIV.” Under President Trump, the federal government has set a goal of eradicating HIV/AIDS in the United States by 2030, an effort to which the administration has promised $290 million.

“I do need to acknowledge and thank the [Trump] administration for understanding that there is the ability to end the epidemic and to put some money behind that,” he says. “That, for me, was not something that we had anticipated. So I’ve thanked them for the money and I thanked them for making this a priority.

“The irony of me doing it with this administration has not been lost on me,” he continues. “But if we wait, 40,000 more people will get HIV every year. We decided that it is in all of our communities’ interest to try to figure out a solution now.”

Yet the numbers of people not in treatment remain NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

23

theFeed daunting: experts estimate that, of the 1.1 million sexually active Americans for whom PrEP would be recommended, only about 200,000 are currently taking the medication.

Additionally, of the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV, nearly 500,000 do not have an undetectable viral load — either because they are unaware of their HIV status, have fallen out of care, or are in care but have not been able to reach undetectable status.

One of the biggest problems associated with PrEP is how it has been promoted to certain communities, with most PrEP users skewing more white and generally more affluent than the general population. Those in urban areas are also more likely to be on PrEP than those in rural or impoverished areas.

“If we have the funds now to end the epidemic, between the U=U [Undetectable = Untransmitable] campaign and PrEP, we have legitimate pathways to achieving that goal,” says Kawata. “If you look at what’s happening in New York and San Francisco and Washington, D.C., we're seeing significant declines of new cases of HIV. “The problem is that those declines are happening in specific communities and they are not happening in all communities. So my biggest fear is that we’re going to end HIV for white people, but it's going to continue to be an epidemic that plagues African-Americans and Latinos, particularly African-American and Latino gay men, the transgender community, black women, and drug users.

So part of the challenge that we have now is: how do we bring the promise of the science to all of the communities who are highly impacted by HIV?” NMAC has focused its efforts on assisting local community organizations undertaking HIV prevention and treatment initiatives, particularly those that reach historically under-served populations. Both at the recent United States Conference on AIDS, held in D.C. in early September, and at its upcoming Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit, scheduled for Dec. 3 and 4 in Houston, NMAC highlights the importance of expanding biomedical interventions to populations like black women, transgender women, and gay and bisexual men of color.

“If you look at who's fallen out of care, and if you look at who’s not on PrEP, it's predominantly people of color. So the challenge and the question that we all have to ask is, how do we modify? These are people who've already fallen through the cracks.... Unless we can reach those folks, we’re never going to end this epidemic.”

To further that goal, Kawata recommends adopting a “trauma-informed lens” that looks at one of the reasons why people from historically marginalized populations fall out of care.

“We have to understand that most of those communities that we need to reach live in a world that minimizes them because of who they are: because of their gender identity,

because of who they love, because of the color of their skin,” says Kawata. “I think when the world tells you that you're not worth anything, there comes a time when you believe that. If you believe that your life is not worth anything, then why should you go to a doctor? Why should you care if you're going to live or die?”

Kawata is also concerned about the seeming lack of urgency when it comes to tackling the HIV epidemic, particularly as antiretroviral treatments have allowed people with HIV to live longer and made the condition more manageable.

“I think in many people's minds, at least in the general public, HIV has completely fallen off the radar,” he says. “They think it's over — [and] partially why they think it's over is because there are effective treatments. We are extraordinarily grateful for those treatments. But what we need to understand is that those treatments are not a cure, and need to be taken for the rest of your life, in a very specific way.”

With the approach of the 31st annual World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, Kawata wants to encourage people to remain vigilant about the risk the virus poses to public health and stresses the importance of public and private funding to implement HIV prevention efforts.

“I would make it a federal holiday and ask people to volunteer at their local AIDS organization, or deliver food to people living with HIV, or go to a housing project, or volunteer and understand what the epidemic is about,” he says. “Because one of the things I’ve learned is that when you are a part of something bigger than yourself, it transforms your life.

“So World AIDS Day, this year, next year and the year after, has to really focus on how do we end this epidemic and that it’s going to require all of us to reach the numbers that we need to reach. I’m hoping [the press does] more than one story a year on World AIDS Day. We need to remind people throughout the year about the options that they have, about the capacity to have a full and healthy life if you stay in healthcare and on your meds.”

Kawata remains hopeful about ending the epidemic over the next decade — bringing him full-circle to the attitude he embraced when he first began working toward a cure three decades ago.

“When I came to Washington, the only thing I wanted to do was to end this epidemic and go home to my family,” he says. “The thought that I could be still alive when that happens, and be a part of that solution, given all of the ugliness of the early days, is something that I live for. I want to heal my soul, and fighting to end the epidemic is how I'm going to heal myself.” l

“My biggest fear is that we’re going to end HIV for white people, but it’s going to continue to be an epidemic that plagues African-Americans and Latinos.”

24

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NMAC’s 4th Annual Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit will be held Dec. 3 and 4 at the Marriott Marquis, 1777 Walker St., in Houston, Tx. Visit www.biomedicalhivsummit.org.

Community FRIDAY, NOV. 22

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.

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.

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.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23 ADVENTURING outdoors

group sponsors a very strenuous 9-mile hike with 2500 feet of elevation gain to spectacular overlook of Mary’s Rock in Shenandoah National Park, near Luray, Va. Experienced hikers only. Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, and about $15 for fees. Carpool at 8:30 a.m. from East Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. For further information, contact Jeff, 301-775-9660 or visit www. adventuring.org.

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.

SUNDAY, NOV. 24 ADVENTURING outdoors

group hikes 7.6 miles with a cumulative 600 feet of elevation gain through the remains of a series of Civil War forts on hills on the eastern side of the

RAWPIXEL.COM

GAMMA is a confidential, vol-

The DC Center hosts COFFEE

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

COMMUNITY FEAST The DC Center offers food and fellowship to LGBTQ locals who are home alone for the Thanksgiving holiday.

T

HE MAIN THING ABOUT OUR THANKSGIVING dinner is that it’s meant to be just a calm, welcoming atmosphere, where anyone can come in for as little or as long as they would like, and really just be able to meet new people, have conversations, and enjoy a nice meal,” says Andrew Zapfel, secretary for the Board of Directors for The DC Center for the LGBT Community.

The annual meal offers a space for those alone on the holiday to come together and socialize with others in similar situations. Originally started as a space for refugees and asylum seekers served by Center Global, the meal’s guest list expanded to include seniors who are part of the Center Aging group, and later, to the wider public.

Starting at 1 p.m., the doors of The DC Center will open for a communal celebration, featuring food prepared and provided by Food & Friends. (Attendees may also choose to bring their own potluck dishes if they so desire.) Everyone is asked to bring their favorite card games, board games, or music to share with the rest of the group.

“We really don’t want Thanksgiving to be a day where people feel alone or that they don't have anywhere to go,” says Zapfel. “This is really that place, where our doors are open, and anyone can attend and be a part of a very welcoming space.” —John Riley The DC Center’s Thanksgiving Day celebration is Thursday, Nov. 28, from 1-5 p.m., at the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Call 202-682-2245 or visit www.thedccenter.org.

noon. 2000 14th St. NW. For more information, call 202682-2245 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, NOV. 26 GENDERQUEER DC, a support

and discussion group for people who identify outside the gender binary, meets at The DC Center on the fourth Tuesday of every month. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 27 The HEALTH WORKING GROUP of The DC Center holds a monthly meeting focusing on LGBTQ health issues, including drug use, safe sex, and HIV prevention and treatment. 6:30-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.

LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB Anacostia River. Itinerary includes a stop at the Anacostia Community Museum. Bring beverages, lunch, good walking shoes, and $2 for the trip fee. Meet at 9:30 a.m. in front of the Anacostia Metro Station on Howard Road SE. Hike ends at Minnesota Avenue Metro. For more information, contact Martin, 202-996-1873, or visit www.adventuring.org.

MONDAY, NOV. 25 Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

meets at The Dignity Center for Duplicate Bridge. No reservations needed. Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721 8th St. SE (across from the Marine Barracks). Call 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

25

THURSDAY, NOV. 28 THANKSGIVING DAY ADVENTURING outdoors group

takes an easy 5-mile pre-feasting hike in Northwest D.C., highlighting parks in Cleveland Park and Georgetown. Bring beverages, snacks, good walking shoes, and $2 trip fee. Meet at 10 a.m. at the top of the escalators of the Cleveland Park Metro on the western side of Connecticut Avenue NW. For more information, contact Joe, 202-2765521, or visit www.adventuring.org.

The DC Center holds a

THANKSGIVING DINNER and

social for LGBTQ people and allies who find themselves alone on the holidays. This event is geared especially to Center Global and Center Aging groups, but all are welcome to attend. Bring your favorite music to share, your favorite board games, and any other holiday traditions.

1-5 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, call 202-682-2245 or visit www.thedccenter.org.

FRIDAY, NOV. 29 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.

affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-3190422, www.layc-dc.org.

SATURDAY, NOV. 30 ADVENTURING outdoors group

hikes several miles to Big Schloss and other scenic overlooks atop Great North Mountain on the Virginia-West Virginia border.

Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, and about $25 for fees.

Carpool at 8 a.m. from the East Falls Church Metro Station Kiss & Ride lot. For more info, contact David, 240-938-0375, or visit www. adventuring.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a

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

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

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

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

Route distance will be 3-6 miles.

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

SUNDAY, DEC. 1 ADVENTURING outdoors group

tice session at Howard University.

6:30-8 p.m. Burr Gymnasium, 2400 6th St. NW. For more information, visit www.swimdcac.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group

Health. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW. For an appointment, call 202-745-7000 or visit www.whitman-walker.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 703-823-4401. www. kiservices.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER

offers free, rapid HIV testing.

Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

hikes 8 miles from Foggy Bottom to Yards Park by the Anacostia River. Bring beverages, snacks, good walking shoes, and the $2 trip fee. Meet at 9 a.m. at the top of the escalators of the Foggy Bottom Metro Station at 23rd and I Streets, NW. Return from Navy YardBallpark Metro. For more information, contact Thang, 505-459-9190, or visit www.adventuring.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-

26

appointment, call 202-849-8029. www.metrohealthdc.org.

visits the National Gallery of Art to see exhibits on the Florence Renaissance artist Verrocchio, early photography, pastels, and other shows. Free; non-members welcome. Lunch in museum cafe. Meet at noon in the 6th and Constitution Avenue NW lobby of the Old (West) Building. For more information, contact Craig, 202-462-0535 or craighowell1@ verizon.net.

MONDAY, DEC. 2 The DC Center holds a monthly VOLUNTEER NIGHT for those interested in giving back to the

local LGBTQ community. Activities include sorting through book donations, taking inventory, or assembling safe-sex packets. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events DC’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, DEC. 3 Weekly Events 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 13-24 meets at SMYAL. 4-7

p.m. 410 7th St. SE. For more information, contact Dana White, 202567-3156, 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, DEC. 4 Weekly Events AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-

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

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a

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

HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH

offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. All welcome.

118 N. Washington St., Alexandria.

703-549-1450, www.historicchristchurch.org.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support program for job entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

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

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.

THURSDAY, DEC. 5 The DC Center holds a meeting of its ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER QUEER SUPPORT GROUP. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.

For more information, visit www. thedccenter.org. l For more Community Calendar items not listed in print, visit www. metroweekly.com/community/calendar. See you on Dec. 5.

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

27

Life of

Interview by John Riley Photography by Todd Franson

Brian Outspoken, determined, and unwilling to censor himself, Brian Sims is fully committed to equality, justice, and progress for all.

W

HATEVER OTHER CRITICISMS PEOPLE MAY direct his way, Brian Sims is no shrinking violet. The outspoken Pennsylvania state representative from the City of Brotherly Love is assured of his opinions when it comes to the political and social issues of the day.

“I’m very comfortable and confident in both the morality of my ideology, but also in the breadth of it,” he says. “And I know that a majority of Americans agree with me, a majority of my constituents agree with me, and I believe a majority of my colleagues do.”

Sims became the first openly gay legislator elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2012, and is currently one of two out LGBTQ legislators in the body. Upon his first election, the historic nature of his win — assisted by his football player build, neatly trimmed beard, and piercing blue eyes — instantly propelled him to celebrity status. It also gave the freshman Democrat a national platform that would not be afforded to most other state representatives, regardless of the length of their service.

It’s a platform that the 41-year-old is mindful to use for moral causes: promoting social justice, advocating for equality for historically disenfranchised groups, and asking others to use their relative privilege to donate, volunteer, or vote.

“There was a Latinx out gay man who ran for city council in Philadelphia last year,” says Sims. “He used to often say, ‘Don’t give a voice to the voiceless. Give them a microphone.’ I value that immensely.”

Sims is also not content to stand on decorum or censor himself for the sake of “civility,” if it means compromising principles.

If he believes something ardently, he’ll voice his sentiments.

Take a viral photo last year of Sims sticking up his middle finger to “welcome” Vice President Mike Pence to Philadelphia for a political fundraiser. Sims was criticized by some, but his message to Pence — and the Trump administration overall — was clear. “We’re a City of soaring diversity,” he wrote in a Facebook 28

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

post accompanying the photo. “We believe in the power of all people to live and to contribute: Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, Atheist, Immigrant, we want you and we’ll respect you.”

Sims has directed his harshest criticisms at Republican leaders in Harrisburg — whom he sees as illegitimate, given the gerrymandered nature of Pennsylvania’s legislative districts — for pushing bills to restrict abortion, hinder police accountability, and end assistance programs for needy residents, and for killing progressive legislation calling for LGBTQ equality, a higher minimum wage, environmental protections, and gun reform measures.

A self-described “Army brat” raised by two lieutenant colonels, Sims moved around a lot as a child before his parents retired in Southeast Pennsylvania. The experience instilled a love of adventure in Sims, who was never shy to embrace new experiences.

After graduating from Bloomsburg University — where he was an all-conference defensive lineman for the football team — Sims pursued a law degree at the Michigan State University College of Law. Following graduation, he worked as counsel for the Philadelphia Bar Association, a senior law clerk for the Environmental Protection Agency, and as a civil rights attorney.

During that time, he also served as president of the board of directors of Equality Pennsylvania and chair of GALLOP, the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia.

Appropriately enough, one of Sims’ heroes is Benjamin Franklin, the quintessential Philadelphian, whose First District in the Pennsylvania Assembly overlaps Sims’ current House district. He’s such a Franklin fan that he even has a tattoo of one of the Founding Father’s quotes on his arm.

“When I was a little kid, I had a lawn mowing service. And my parents had told me that I needed to have a business card.

My mom helped me take a brown paper bag and cut it up into little business card sized pieces of paper. On one side I put my name, my parent's address, and their telephone number. And

on the other side, they told me I needed to put the name of my business or a quote.

“We had an Encyclopedia Britannica at the time, and I pulled it out, dug through, and found this great Ben Franklin quote. ‘Be civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with few, friend to one, enemy to none.’ That quote has followed me my entire life. It wasn’t until after I got sworn in that our house parliamentarian came up and told me, ‘You know, you’re in the old Franklin seat.’

It was one of those complete kismet, full-circle moments of my life.”

Unapologetically liberal, Sims says his fellow Democratic party members would do well to embrace and stand firm on progressive principles.

“I don’t think we serve ourselves well as Democrats by watering down the best of our ideologies. We should always be staunchly pro-choice. We should always be staunchly pro-equality. We should always recognize the power, the influence of immigrants. Those are things that I don't think that we should ever be quiet on, that we should ever back off on. Frankly, the Democratic party is the only party that's ever occupied the White House and balanced the budget. We should be loud and proud about those things.”

He also bemoans the fact that legislatures often don’t look like the constituents they represent, and wants to encourage other ordinary people to run for office if they seek to change things, as he did.

“I’m a civil rights attorney that got mad at my government and got mad at the people who were making bad decisions and ran for office,” he says. “Being an elected official was not the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me.

30

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

“I tried for a couple of cycles to elect an out person to our legislature, and it just wasn't happening, and my friend sat me down and said, ‘Maybe you’re the person.’ And it’s not that they had to convince me. It’s that I thought, ‘All right. Can I do this better? I think I can.’”

METRO WEEKLY: Let’s start with your upbringing.

BRIAN SIMS: I come from a military family. My siblings and I are

all Army brats, as are my parents. My mom and dad met during the Vietnam War. My mom enlisted and my dad was drafted.

Both served in the Army. And after getting married right after the war, stayed active duty military for the remainder of my young life. I have an older brother, a twin brother, and a younger sister. And my family, as all Army families or military families do, moved around quite a bit. I was born in Washington, D.C. at Walter Reed, but moved states about every two or three years until I got to high school. I lived in places like Kansas and Alaska.

I lived at West Point, New York, the Military Academy, a little bit of everywhere, and really loved it.

I ended up going to Bloomsburg University, which is a state school, in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, up in the Poconos. I went there to play football, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I was the captain of the team my senior year. That was the year that I came out of the closet.

I got the benefit of both having a really strong family and really strong friends when it came to my coming out. I didn't have to turn to the other because I lost one or the other. My family was very supportive of me and my team was very supportive of me when I came out.

MW: You came out in college, but when did you first know that you

were gay?

SIMS: I knew that I wasn’t straight long before I knew that I was gay. And I know that sounds like splitting hairs to some people, but I think it was clear to me in measuring the differences between how I was interacting with girls when I was a young teenager and how my friends, my male counterparts, my brother, how they were interacting with girls. Anybody who knows me will tell you that I have a beyond healthy respect for women. I’m just not sexually attracted to women.

I don’t know when I actually finally figured out that that meant I was gay. I was probably 16 or 17 when it occurred to me that I definitely wasn’t straight or bisexual; that I was a gay man.

It would be another four years before I came out of the closet, but I didn't have one of those experiences, I’m very proud to say — or lucky to say — that I didn’t have a really haunting closeted experience.

Football was a huge part of my life, as were academics, and I was able to bury myself in those things, which is something I hear from a lot of people about their lives before they came out of the closet. And it was true for me.

I don’t remember having years where I hated myself or I hated my sexuality. I remember being very confused about it at times, but I don’t ever remember any moments of self-hatred, or self-loathing, or really being fearful in the closet.

MW: After college you went to law school. Was that always the plan?

SIMS: When I was 21 years old, I got accepted to law school.

My parents sent me a plaque, and on it is this quote by Lyndon Johnson on the scales of justice. It’s this quote about law giving man mastery over himself. The quote itself is good, but not all

that particularly interesting. What was so interesting for me was on the back of it was a note my parents wrote for me when I was in my early teens, about knowing that I wanted to become a lawyer.

When I was a little kid, when I was 10, 11, and 12, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I was going to tell you I was going to be a feminist lawyer. That was my line. As a little kid, I remember distinctly. And my friends like to razz me about this because it’s something they remember as well. I used to tell people I was going to be a feminist lawyer. As I got older, I knew that that meant women’s and reproductive rights, but for most of my teens, that’s just what I thought I was going to be for a couple of different reasons. And as I look back on those reasons now, I don't know if they were as solid in my mind as they are now, but I grew up in a household that had one of the highest-ranking women officers on any base that I was ever living in. That was my mom.

Most of my friends, their fathers were soldiers or officers, and their moms were homemakers or maybe teachers. I consider my parents relatively alpha people. They went on to become lieutenant colonels. But never, ever do I remember my parents treating each other or treating anybody else differently because of their gender. Nor do I ever remember the power dynamics of male and female power differences in this patriarchal world ever seeping into my own household. And so, it was around my early teens when I started really seeing how differently the girls in my class were treated, how differently women in general were treated, how my friend’s moms were treated differently.

So, I knew what I wanted to do. All through high school and college, everybody that I interacted with knew what I was going NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

31

to do with myself. I took my LSATs I think the first time when I was 16 years old. So when I went off to law school, it was much more of a fulfillment of a lifelong dream than, say, getting elected to office was.

MW: Are you in a relationship right now?

SIMS: I got out of a long-term relationship about a year ago, and 32

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

now I’m dating.

MW: Are there any other relationships in your life that are particularly meaningful to you?

SIMS: Yeah. I have a group of three women that I'm extremely close with. A lesbian woman who is the former LGBTQ liaison to Philadelphia and a trans woman who is the highest LGBTQ vote-getter in Philadelphia history.

She ran for City Council last year, and although she didn't win, she is perhaps one of the most notable LGBTQ activists in my city. The third is a straight cis woman who lives in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia, who was one of the lead organizers of the Women's March on Philly.

What’s so unique about them is, in my life and in their lives, we all interact with people just like us all the time. I interact with advocates and activists, and they interact with elected officials, and we all interact with organizers. But the four of us have formed this very tight-knit group.

There’s not a day that goes by that we're not talking about each other’s jobs, talking about each other’s interactions, professionally and personally. And I have found it to be a group of advisors in my life that have had a tremendously positive impact on me.

MW: Is there anyone in politics that you’re close with? Or is it different in Harrisburg because people have sharp elbows?

SIMS: I’d say it's a lot like it is in almost all workplaces. People will find themselves in a particular business unit, where they kind of have to get along with all their co-workers, but within that group there’ll be people they like more, and people they like less, and they'll probably have a couple of close work friends, and

they'll probably develop a friend or two out of that group that is more than a work friend. And that's been the case for me. I have a couple of colleagues that I consider authentic, true friends that I will have long beyond my time in office. I have a whole bunch of colleagues that we're cordial because we work together and we have common goals, and then of course I have colleagues I don't get along with.

What’s different about my workplace is that us not getting along often has to do exactly with the issues that we’re talking about at work. While there are certainly personality differences, I also work with people who think that I should be a second-class citizen or that I don't deserve civil rights. And so, it’s one thing to not like the food that somebody is microwaving at lunch, or not like how often they're stepping out for a smoke break and leaving the door open. It’s another to work alongside somebody who is actively trying to promote discrimination towards you.

MW: You’ve infamously clashed with Rep. Daryl Metcalfe.

SIMS: Yeah. Chairman Daryl Metcalfe. He is without a doubt, in my now-going on eight years in office, the most racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic bigot that has served in government in Pennsylvania. And I don’t say those things lightly.

When I joined the legislature, I knew who he was, although everything I say about him is based on my personal experiences with him. I knew who he was at the time, and I knew that he was all of those things, but I was uncomfortable using those words, in part because I was afraid about how it would reflect on the General Assembly, how it would reflect on me as a legislator.

But I don’t ever want to let decorum get in the way of substance. And I think people like him, bigots like him, get a pass because of decorum. And I think he counts on getting that pass to get his message across, and I don’t want to be one of those people that buys into that. The word "racist" has definitions, and I think he’s a racist because of his public statements and the legislation that he's put forward. Being a xenophobic bigot isn’t subjective. I think it is based on who he is and what he has said and done, and I think those things are important to talk about.

MW: Pennsylvania House lawmakers were brought up by Democratic and Republican leaders, saying “We need to be more civil,” and using you and Rep. Borowicz and Rep. Ellis as examples of bad behavior. Do you ever worry about offending people so much that they can’t work with you?

SIMS: Of course I do. Yes. And I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t. It’s one thing to be politically minded. It's one thing to have strong values and to know how to use your voice. All of those things are great. And I work with activists and advocates like that every day. I’m also a legislator. I have a job. I have a duty to move forward these things that we share values about. While I think it’s really important that people who have values loudly share them if they can do so with respect, I think it’s equally important that we don’t pretend that these things are two sides of the same coin.

Stephanie Borowicz standing up in front of the first AfricanAmerican Muslim woman being sworn into the house in front of her imam and talking about how there’s only one true God in front of her, that’s very different than me standing up and saying, “Enough of the hypocrisy. Enough denying people equality.” I want to make sure that I push back against this sentiment that we're just talking about: “It’s the same kind of rationale, just on the left, as some on the right.” That’s not what’s going on here.

Conservative members of my legislature have gerrymandered the legislature more than any in America. It’s illegal, and it’s unconstitutional, and it hasn’t stopped yet. And it will soon, as evidenced by the [redistricting] ruling from our federal courts.

“I’m here to do a job, and one of the side effects of having to do this job in this era is that I have to do deal with an inordinate amount of hate. YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW ANYBODY THAT GETS CALLED A FAGGOT AS MUCH AS I DO.” But until then, they’re trying to do everything they can to undermine equality. Equality of opportunity, equality for LGBTQ people, equality for African-American people, equality for women, equality for immigrants, equality for all people. That’s a far cry from loudly demanding equality for all people.

MW: Some people have criticized you for being more show horse than workhorse. How do you feel when you hear those criticisms directed towards you?

SIMS: First of all, I’ve introduced 17 major pieces of legislation. I serve on four separate committees in the state house. I also serve on the policy committee. I’m the chair of the LGBT Caucus. I’m the co-chair of the State System of Higher Education Caucus, and I hold a town hall roughly every 45 days or so. I’m a workhorse. As for a show horse, I don’t know what that means. What I do know is that my colleagues view power in three different ways: the ability to get votes, which we can only do every couple of years; the ability to raise money, which most of us only have to do every couple of years; and the ability to get your message heard. And I have a disproportionate ability to get my messages heard.

I have a platform unlike any other state legislator in the country. And it was a part of this platform that I brought to the campaign trail and said, “This is among the things that I can offer.

I’m not just going to sit here and be a freshman, sophomore, or junior member that sits in my office or sits in the Capitol and hopes for change. I’m going to do everything with the power I have to make that change.” I have a very unique ability to draw attention to issues. And as someone who is in the minority party in a gerrymandered state, from the least-liked city in my state by Republicans, having this platform is an antidote to their unethical, immoral, and — I believe — unconstitutional control of my legislature.

MW: You were involved in a recent controversy where you filmed a video of yourself confronting protesters outside a Planned Parenthood Clinic, leading to a backlash from pro-life groups.

Republicans brought a censure resolution against you, although they have since withdrawn it. Did you learn anything from that incident?

SIMS: I’ve lived across from that Planned Parenthood almost my entire time in Philadelphia, and it is perhaps the most heavily protested Planned Parenthood in America. It was the Planned Parenthood that took a U.S. Supreme Court case that decided the trimester system back in the ’80s. It is what I consider to be one of the most racist corners in my district. And what I mean by that is, on any given day, you can go there and you'll see a couple of people lined up, or just one person, making sure that every NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

33

“I HAVE A PLATFORM UNLIKE ANY OTHER STATE LEGISLATOR IN THE COUNTRY. Having this platform is an antidote to [the Republicans’] unethical, immoral, and unconstitutional control of my legislature.” person of color that goes in and out of that Planned Parenthood for health care hears about why it’s shameful, or hears a bible verse yelled at them, or gets handed a small, black plastic fetus that they hand out there.

The horrendousness of it is something that will impact the rest of my life. I will never unsee or unknow the things that I saw living next to that Planned Parenthood. As a patient escort there for seven years, I had to stand there and really see it all firsthand.

But I am also extremely well-trained in why not to interact with them in the way that I did. I had watched them harass two young girls of color, I had walked away, and I got very mad at myself for doing it.

I spend so much of my day and my time and my life trying to ask people who have privileges that I don’t have to do something with that privilege. We're always asking men to be better allies to women and actually defend women. And what I thought I was doing was using my white privilege, my male privilege, to voice up and defend people who were not being defended at the time.

And I know better now.

There are hundreds of better ways to use that energy, that ideology, and while I do believe that bullies need to be pushed back against, and that’s not going to change — and while I do believe that driving into inner city Planned Parenthoods so that you can harass young girls who are seeking health care, young girls of color especially, is heinous and wicked — I also know that sometimes when you’re a fighter, everything looks like a fight, and that’s not the case. And in this case, I was wrong.

MW: You did apologize, not only to the protesters, but to Planned Parenthood because it prompted anti-abortion protesters to hold a rally outside the clinic.

SIMS: Absolutely. Planned Parenthood is perhaps the organization, other than The Victory Fund in this country, that I most closely align myself with. I feel like I know virtually every single person that works at that Planned Parenthood. I certainly know every volunteer that had to show up that day and put on a yellow jacket and stand out there and protect patients that were coming and going because of something that I did. I know them very well, and I am very, very sorry to them for how this played out.

And it was something I should’ve foreseen and would never do again.

MW: Were you ever worried about having a civil suit brought against you?

SIMS: No. I’m a lawyer, and I know better.

MW: You’ve spoken before about having received death threats or having people call you a fag. Does your sexual orientation still rankle the average person in the way that it did when you were first elected?

SIMS: A little bit more. Actually, I’m not going to lie. Not a little bit more — a lot more.

34

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

MW: Why do you think that is, especially since you’ve been around

for a while?

SIMS: I think that’s the reason why. It didn’t make me go away when I started. Seven years ago, getting my first round of death threats at my office was scary. It was scary for my staff, it was scary for my family, and I moved, and I moved offices. And as it continued to happen, I learned more about it. The police around me learned more. My staff learned more. And I learned how to approach it. Here I am, now in my fourth term in office, running for a fifth term, and I think that there are more people with whom my messages are resonating. And I think there’s more people realizing that I’m not somebody that gets bullied or that takes well to it.

I’m here to do a job, and one of the side effects of having to do this job in this era, in this time period, is that I have to do deal with an inordinate amount of hate. You probably don’t know anybody that gets called a faggot as much as I do. You probably don’t know anybody, and you’ve probably not spoken to anybody that actually gets as many death threats as I do. That’s not something I take any pride in whatsoever, but I will tell you that it’s not because I’m sitting on my ass and doing nothing.

MW: Two things that come up when others talk about your personality is that you get very excited and passionate about what you’re dealing with or talking about, and the other is something you said back when you first ran for the legislature, which is you have “a mouth like a truck driver.”

SIMS: By the way, I used to say that all the time, but when you say it to a gay crowd, it always sounds different. [Laughs.]

MW: That definitely has a different connotation. On that point, though, have either of those traits been a help or a hindrance to you?

SIMS: Maybe they're a hindrance. There's no question that there are certain audiences that I’m in front of that hear me say “Oh, fuck” who don't want to hear that. But by and large, I'll tell you why I think it's helpful. Maybe I should spend more time thinking about this and have a better answer, but I don’t think there’s anybody who walks away from meeting me, or hearing me speak in front of an audience, who doesn't think, “That guy believes in the things that he's doing. He cares deeply about making sure that those things happen in this world, and I'm a lot more like him than I would think that I am.”

Yeah, I curse sometimes, but you know what? Most people curse sometimes. I’ll tell a crowd: “I want you all to run for office,” or, “Look around, and if it’s not you, you know somebody that should.” I can’t tell you the number of people who will come up to me afterward and say, “I really would love to run for office,” or, “My friend really should run for office,” except that they aren't a lawyer, or they dropped out of college, or they’re a single mother, or they have a history of addiction, or they’re in recovery.

All of these things that somehow people think are negatives, I know, both in real life and statistically, make people more relatable. Nobody reads a list of your accomplishments and thinks, “I’m just like that person.” They do feel that when they hear about your struggles, your foibles, the things that you’ve had to overcome.

I talk a mile a minute. I’ve got kind of a foul mouth sometimes. But I don’t think anybody thinks I’m anything other than who I say I am — and if nothing else, that’s a bit refreshing in politics these days. l Follow Brian Sims on Twitter and Instagram at @BrianSimsPA. Learn more at www.sims4pa.com.

LIONSGATE FILMS

Movies

Cutting Edge

The cast, the clues, and the comedy fit together like perfect puzzle pieces in quick-witted whodunit Knives Out. By André Hereford

T

HE SNAPPY ALL-STAR COMIC MURDER-MYSTERY IS A CINEMATIC feat requiring such a high level of execution that it is rarely attempted — and more rarely done well. Cult fandoms and cable TV have kept the much-quoted 1985 farce Clue in constant rotation, along with Neil Simon’s 1978 Murder By Death, and those basically are the only two examples of the genre that anyone remembers. Clue was smart, oddly kinky, and a pristine microcosm of ’80s comedy character actors mixing murder and laughs. But despite all the talent onboard, the movie flopped at the time.

Knives Out (HHHHH), on the other hand, should make a killing at the box office. An impeccable addition to the genre, this film won’t have to wait years to be appreciated for its clever blend of whodunit, social satire, and gigawatt movie stars inclined to play a tangy mystery for every juicy twist.

Writer-director Rian Johnson made his career breakthrough with his well-received, indie update of film noir Brick, before graduating to the helm of one of the most gargantuan vehicles in the film galaxy, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Where the overloaded Last Jedi presented a rough narrative climb to an intriguing finish, Knives Out proves a nimble trip from beginning to end. A seemingly airtight mystery, the film hums along to an engaging pace of dramatic reveals, surprising confessions, and potent, timely jabs at the madly wealthy family of backstabbers treading this high-wire act.

The extended Thrombey-Drysdale family comprises a vividly realized collection of eccentrics, kooks, and possible criminals, headed by mystery writer Harlan Thrombey.

Christopher Plummer lends the demanding patriarch a likable twinkle to make up for the man’s mean streak, both of which flow to some degree through Harlan’s progeny, as those qualities also do through the film. Of Harlan’s adult children, proudly self-

made mogul Linda (an on-point Jamie Lee Curtis) better reflects his impish sense of humor, while crabby Walt (Michael Shannon), whom Harlan allows to run the family publishing empire, appears to have inherited the old man’s bitter edge.

Harlan’s third son is deceased, but left a widow, Joni (Toni Collette), who assuaged her grief by focusing on her lifestyle and beauty brand Flam — or, Flan — something ridiculous.

The bickering Thrombeys assemble — along with Linda’s shallow husband Richard (Don Johnson), her rakish, ne’erdo-well son Ransom (Chris Evans), and Harlan’s trusted home healthcare worker Marta (Ana de Armas) — at the sprawling family estate for an intimate birthday celebration, and of course someone dies. Most auspiciously, Knives Out boxes itself into a corner very early on by revealing what could be construed as too much information too soon about the central murder plot. Then, undaunted, the film dances adroitly around that bombshell plot point towards a suspenseful and unexpected conclusion.

It’s a masterful backflip, abetted by awards-caliber editing and an ensemble that fully gets into the spirit of slinging insults and accusations. And none in the cast seems to be having more fun slinging

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

35

accusations, usually in the form of backhanded compliments, than Daniel Craig, as the renowned private detective on the case, Benoit Blanc. The private eye’s honey-dripping South’un accent is as ostentatious as his name. Benoit is like an Agatha Christie creation by way of Tennessee Williams, and it’s a kick to hear James Bond relishing the character’s fastidious, Foghorn Leghorn turns of phrase as the detective leads the chase.

The biting script, meanwhile, targets the family’s glib, spoiled obliviousness, particularly through their inclusion of nominal servant Marta at the family table. After years of service, the Thrombeys can’t seem to agree which Latin American country Marta comes from, but they’re very happy to inform her she should consider herself “part of the family.” They comport

themselves, more or less, like a family she might long to be part of, except for the lying, cheating, stealing, and murdering.

Dutiful Marta and detective Benoit, aided by police Lieutenant Elliot (LaKeith Stanfield), are the eyes and ears on the outside looking in at this family of vipers, trying to extract truth from the web of lies and manipulation.

The film emphasizes Marta’s outsider status by depicting her as apparently the only member of the Thrombey household not guided by self-interest. But even her decency can seem suspect at times. What does Marta really want? Knives Out teases as well as it entertains. It not only refreshes an old-fashioned genre, but generates laughs with its modern, funhouse reflection of a family that might be stabbed in the heart by greed. l

Knives Out is rated PG-13, and opens in theaters everywhere on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Visit www.fandango.com.

Wrestling Danger A high school athlete finds himself on the verge of destruction in the tense family drama Waves. By André Hereford

T

REY EDWARDS SHULTS KNOWS SUSPENSE. THE FILMMAKER DEMONstrated as much with his acclaimed 2017 psychological horror feature It Comes at Night, about a close-knit family confined to a house in the woods, in constant fear that “It” might come crashing through the door. Steeped in dread, the film fostered an atmosphere of intense anticipation not unlike the suspense rippling through Shults’ latest, Waves (HHHHH), a family drama revolving around a high school athlete on the verge of either glory or utter destruction.

Kelvin Harrison, Jr., the expressive young hero of It Comes at Night, is excellent here as Tyler, a wrestler who proudly enjoys the perks of his status as a star athlete at his suburban Florida high school. Tyler also carries a considerable burden of pressure to win on the mat, to impress his coach and college scouts, and live up to his role as Most Likely to Succeed in the eyes of his teammates, girlfriend Alexis (Euphoria’s Alexa Demie), and his family. He’s most concerned with pleasing his tough but loving dad, Ronald, played by the estimable Sterling K. Brown as an intensely competitive taskmaster. Brown brings a powerful ring of truth to Ronald’s motto for raising a black son to

be a success in America: “We do not have the luxury of being average.”

Ronald and his wife Catharine (Renée Elise Goldsberry) push daughter Emily (Taylor Russell), too, but all the pressure on Tyler might just break the overachiever down. He suffers an injury that he chooses to hide. He and Alexis hit a huge roadblock in their relationship. He starts popping Oxys. The suspense builds to that familiar atmosphere of dread, and it’s only a matter of time before the pressure explodes.

Shults nurtures audience anticipation craftily, by first casting an intoxicating haze of blissful young love around Tyler and Alexis. The film’s opening minutes are a lush wave of scenes streaming past in constant motion, set to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ propulsive score. The choice soundtrack, featuring songs by artists from Kendrick Lamar to Radiohead, encapsulates the kids’ contemporary world of burgeoning freedom and encroaching responsibility. Bliss will come to an end, but when and how?

Tyler becomes more and more wound up, and the film drops us inside heated family squabbles and lovers’ quarrels, teasing danger ahead. Shults handily manages the excruciating tension of watching a wrestling bout aware that one of two competitors is injured and could at any moment be subjected to catastrophic damage. Waves crashes suddenly around the fateful corner of suspense, to wrestle with the fallout of a loss that no one in Tyler’s world sees coming, partly because the teen communicates so little about what’s going wrong. And there in the aftermath, the film demonstrates a tender sense of peace, as the family coalesces around a newfound normal, achieved through pain and renewal. l

Waves is rated R, and opens Friday, Nov. 22 at Landmark’s E Street and Bethesda Row Cinemas.

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

36

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

STAN BAROUH

Stage

Gotta Dance!

Better danced than sung, Olney’s Singin’ in the Rain brings the beloved film classic to life on stage. By André Hereford

T

AKING ON THE UNENVIABLE TASK OF DANCING INTO A MUSICAL role made famous by the peerless Gene Kelly, Rhett Guter acquits himself favorably in Olney Theatre’s exuberant new production of Singin’ in the Rain (HHHHH). Guter has experience stepping into Kelly’s tap shoes, having led a stellar ensemble in Olney’s aces On the Town last year. And he lends a breezy confidence and aw-shucks appeal to his leading man role here, although his take on silent movie star Don Lockwood lacks somewhat for sheer dazzle and showmanship.

The show itself, not at all short on showmanship, could stand to spruce up the razzle-dazzle of its portrayal of Roaring Twenties Hollywood. Director Marcos Santana, a Helen Hayes Award-winner for Olney’s In the Heights, presents the Singin’ stage company as actors and a crew filming a production of Singin’ in the Rain. Setting most of the action and “film sets” inside scenic designer Dan Conway’s voluminous studio soundstage adds a layer of behind-the-scenes buzz, but doesn’t advance the plot. The realistic, but drab, soundstage backdrop robs the visuals of some glamour, while the space’s expansive dimensions swallow up the sound of music director Angie Benson’s 10-piece orchestra.

There are hardly any cinema artists more unsung than the musicians of MGM’s orchestra during the studio’s movie musical heyday. They played brilliantly on some of the most memorable recordings of the last hundred years. It’s easy to forget while watching the 1952 film’s Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor or Cyd Charisse defying gravity onscreen, just how great the music sounds. All that is to say that this production’s live music sounds a bit thin, providing at times only wan accompaniment to Grady McLeod Bowman’s rousing choreography and the performers’ bustling energy.

The dancing in the rain definitely is a greater attraction than the singing. Guter’s

costars, Jacob Scott Tischler in the Donald O’Connor role of Lockwood’s faithful sidekick Cosmo, and Amanda Castro as ingenue Kathy Selden, the role that made Debbie Reynolds a star, are especially pleasing to watch tapping, spinning, and leaping across stage. Tischler captures the outlandishly acrobatic joie de vivre of “Make ’Em Laugh” without hurting himself, and, alongside Guter, more than rises to the occasion of the double-time dance duet “Moses Supposes.” That he punctuates the performance with so many well-timed comic asides is the cherry on top of his fabulous Cosmo Brown.

Castro, a former principal dancer with Urban Bush Women, puts down a wonderful “Good Mornin’,” and dances a sweetly romantic “You Were Meant for Me” with Guter inside that empty soundstage. The pair create credible rapport as sparring strangers-turned-lovebirds. Although, according to the story, we should also believe Guter’s Don Lockwood as onehalf of silent cinema’s biggest box office pairing, Lockwood & Lamont, with platinum-blonde diva Lina Lamont. Guter doesn’t really sell that pairing, or the notion of this guy being a Hollywood star so famous and full of himself that he might crave his own comeuppance. We’re meant to be catching Don as he’s realizing his

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

37

STAN BAROUH

disenchantment with the emptiness of fame, but Guter doesn’t establish that Don ever relished stardom.

As Lamont, “a shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament,” Farrell Parker absolutely sells the role of the jealous, helium-voiced silent film star. Lina, the story’s villain and main obstacle to Cosmo, Kathy, and Don’s plan to turn the latest Lockwood & Lamont picture from a potential silent flop into a musical hit, is and has always been Singin’ in the Rain’s secret weapon.

Jean Hagen, the only member of the original film cast to be Oscarnominated for their performance, played the part to such perfection that Parker, greatly abetted by Rosemary Pardee’s costumes, more or less just serves up Lina-via-Hagen, and it works like gangbusters. The lion’s share of the script’s most pointed comedy runs through Lina’s dense or diabolical mind, raucous slapstick, and her singularly non-sonorous screech, all ably embodied here by Parker, with a voice that sounds just right. l Singin’ in the Rain runs through Jan. 5, 2020, at the Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in Olney, Md. Tickets are $42 to $94. Call 301-924-3400, or visit www.olneytheatre.org.

38

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

OOTT continued from page 20 the nonprofit contemporary art center located in the historic Arcade building in Hyattsville’s Gateway Arts District. Opening Reception is Friday, Nov. 22, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Through Jan. 5. 4318 Gallatin Street. Call 301-608-9101 or visit www.pryamidatlanticartcenter.org.

BECOMING JANE: THE EVOLUTION OF DR. JANE GOODALL

The National Geographic Society has partnered with the Jane Goodall Institute for an immersive, multimedia exhibition celebrating the intrepid explorer and renowned scientist who has done so much to help humankind better understand our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. Becoming Jane tells Goodall’s story through a hologram-like projection, multiscreen experiences, iconic images, and augmented-reality features, including a virtual 3D expedition to the park in Tanzania where she launched her groundbreaking career 60 years ago and ultimately helped pioneer the genre of nature documentary as the subject of National Geographic’s very first television program. The exhibition highlights the key breakthroughs and scientific achievements of Goodall’s career while also showcasing her more recent work in conservation. Opens Friday, Nov. 22. On display through the summer of 2020. National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Call 202-857-7588 or visit www.ngmuseum.org.

SECTION 14: THE OTHER PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Before it became a gay desert mecca and a resort for the rich and famous, Palm Springs was a desert outpost — as well as home to the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The National Museum of the American Indian shines a light on a land battle in Palm Springs, yet another in a long string of conflicts between western expansion and Indigenous peoples’ rights. The focus is on Section 14, a one-square-mile tract in downtown Palm Springs that forms the heart of the reservation. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians created the exhibition, which was organized by the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. On display through Jan. 2020. National Museum of the American Indian, Independence Avenue at 4th Street SW. Call 202633-1000 or visit www.nmai.si.edu.

STEPHEN BENEDICTO

Works by the D.C.-based abstract fine artist are next up to be featured at Art14, the seasonal art series at the Coldwell Banker Dupont/Logan office on 14th Street NW. Benedicto creates works that are unique, dynamic, multidisciplinary, and polymathic, combining traditional hand-made practices with automated systems and machine-rendered designs, all intended “to express the complex ideas of fetishism, transhumanism, and the design of self.” On display all season. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 1617 14th St. NW. Call 202-387-6180 or visit www.facebook.com/CBRBDupont.

THIS TOO IS IBIZA

Esto También es Ibiza is the Spanish title to this photography and video-based exhibition offering viewers a snapshot of the famed sunsets, natural landscapes, hippy style, Balearic music, and renowned club culture of the Spanish island resort.

Or at least, this is Ibiza as presented

by Adrian Loving, a D.C.-based DJ and music historian who curated an audio/visual narrative exhibition using his own contributions along with images from photographers Derek Ridgers, Oriol Maspons, and Violetta Markelou, and oral histories shared by legendary DJ Louie Vega, local DJ Heather Femia, and dancer Dwaine Byrd, as well as video installations and soundscapes. The exhibition is set up in the Staff Association of the InterAmerican Development Bank’s intimate exhibition space. To Nov. 26.

IDB Staff Association Art Gallery, 1300 New York Ave. NW, entrance on 13th Street. Call 202-623-3635 or visit www.idbstaffassociationartgallery.org.

ABOVE & BEYOND BENDELACREME & JINKX MONSOON: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS ATTENTION

After last year’s To Jesus, Thanks for Everything, Jinkx and DeLa comes another “two-queen holiday extravaganza” featuring two Seattle-based veterans of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon and Season 6’s Miss Congeniality BenDeLaCreme. Friday, Nov. 29.

Doors at 6:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $100. Call 202-888-0050 or visit www.thelincolndc.com.

violin act the String Queens and the WPA Children of the Gospel Choir are set to perform around a 30-foot tree decorated with 20,000 lights, intended as a symbol of the friendship between Norway and the United States, with a focus this year on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, all 17 of which will be represented via specially designed ornaments and signage. Santa and Mrs. Claus are also expected to visit. Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Free, registration encouraged.

Call 202-785-9727 or visit www. washingtonperformingarts.org.

ENCHANT CHRISTMAS WASHINGTON, DC

The outfield of Nationals Park will be transformed into a twinkling maze of light displays, the infield will house an ice-skating trail adorned with lit archways, and all around on the concourse will be a Christmas Market stocked with more than 60 local food and artisan vendors. This weekend sees the D.C. debut of a multi-city offering touted as “the biggest and fastest-growing holiday event in North America,” further advertised as “the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze and Market.” Opens Friday, Nov. 22. Runs from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 or 11:30 p.m. daily to Dec. 29 except closed Nov. 25 through Nov. 28, Dec. 2, and Dec. 9. To Dec. 29.

1500 South Capitol St. NE. Tickets, not including fees, are $19.99 to $33.99 for general admission, $78.99 for a multi-day Season Pass, or $89.99 for VIP entrance with free ice skate rentals and access to the PNC Diamond Club box with festive buffet. Visit www.enchantchristmas.com.

SUGARLOAF CRAFTS FESTIVAL

The annual Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, featuring 11 different events taking place throughout the country throughout the year, is considered one of the top craft experiences in the country. The festival returns this weekend to Maryland’s Montgomery County Fairgrounds, where more than 450 artisans from around the country will offer oneof-a-kind handcrafted gifts in various media — including functional and decorative pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, fashion, leather, wood, metal, furniture, home accessories and photography. Gourmet food samples, live music, and interactive children’s entertainment will also be on tap. Friday, Nov. 22, and Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 16 Chestnut St., Gaithersburg, Md. Tickets are $8 online or $10 at the door. Call 301990-1400 or visit www.sugarloafcrafts.com.

ZOOLIGHTS

More than 500,000 colorful Christmas lights illuminate lifesized animal silhouettes, dancing trees, buildings, and walkways, plus a light show set to music, during this annual holiday event at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. New at ZooLights this year is “Entre Les Rangs,” an interactive art installation featuring dozens of large, glowing animal lanterns stationed throughout the park, plus “a field of lights that call to mind wheat swaying in the breeze.” Also on hand will be food and holiday vendors and live music performers. The second weekend in December ushers in the Grump holiday market, a Europeanstyle outdoor fair featuring local artisans set up at the Zoo’s entrance that will double in size in its third year. ZooLights runs nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. starting Friday, Nov. 29 (except for Dec. 24, 25, and 31).

Through Jan. 1. National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. Call 202-633-4800 or visit nationalzoo. si.edu. l

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING CELEBRATION AT UNION STATION

The Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Washington Performing Arts, and WHUR 96.3 FM present this annual celebration in the Main Hall of Union Station. The R&B-tipped

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

39

40

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NightLife Photography by Ward Morrison

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

41

Scene

Peach Pit at DC9 - Saturday, Nov. 16 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...

Thursday, November 21 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE $4 Rail and Domestics for guys in L.U.R.E. (Leather, Uniform, Rubber, Etc.) • Lights Dimmed at 8pm 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 • ThurSlay, featuring DJ Jack Rayburn, 10pm 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 42

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, November 22 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

Underwear Dance Party • House music spun by DJs Ben Norman and Phil Reese • Kicks Contest — Winner wins a Free Bar Tab • $5 Cover • One Free Drink before 11:30pm • $5 Fireball, $5 Margaritas, $8 Long Islands

DC EAGLE Meaty Fridays Happy Hour 5-9pm • Free Hot Dogs all night and Pizza at 7:30pm • $2 off all drinks until 9pm • $5 Cover starts at 7pm, $10 after 9pm • Birds of Prey Drag Show at 10:30pm • Open until 3am

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

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

NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Friday Night Piano with Chris, 7:30pm • Friday Night Videos, 9:30pm • Rotating DJs

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 Rail and Domestic • $5 Svedka, all flavors all night long • Kicks & Giggles presents Go Pop!: A Queer

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

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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

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

at 9pm, Shows at 11:45pm • Music by DJ Jeff Eletto • Cover 21+

Hour until 9pm • $5 Cover • LOBO, BRÜT, and Aftershock Parties rotate on 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays

Saturday, November 23

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Saturday Breakfast Buffet, 10am-3pm • $14.99 with one glass of champagne or coffee, soda or juice • Additional champagne $2 per glass • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm • Karaoke, 10pm-close

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS @Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW LGBTQ Dance Party, 10pm-close • $15 Cover, $20 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+ DC EAGLE Open at 5pm • Happy

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 • $8 Cover (includes clothes check) NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted

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 NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

43

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 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 VJs 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 • Noche Latina, 11pm-2am • Food and Drink specials 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 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets upstairs, 9pm-close • Fully nude male dancers • Ladies of Illusion Drag Show with host Ella Fitzgerald in Ziegfeld’s • Doors open at 9pm, Show at 11:45pm

44

• Music by DJs Keith Hoffman and Don T. • Cover 21+

Sunday, November 24 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE Open at Noon • Happy Hour until 9pm • Food served 4-7pm, $10 a plate • Cigar Sundays and Cruisy Sundays • $3 off all Whiskeys & Bourbons, $5 Chivas Regal, $15 bottomless Bud/Bud Light, $20 Bottomless Premium Drafts 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, hosted by John Flynn, 5:30-8pm • Karaoke, 9pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close 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 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 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

Monday, November 25 DC EAGLE Manic Mondays • Happy Hour until 9pm, $2 off all drinks • Free Pool play • $2 Bud & Bud Lights, $15 bottomless premium drafts

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

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

DC EAGLE 2-4-1 Tuesdays • All Drinks, Buy one, Get one free • First Drink Free for Guys in Jockstraps

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

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

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Half-Priced Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm • PokerFace Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards • Ping Pong Madness, featuring 2 PingPong Tables NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover 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 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

Tuesday, November 26 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

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 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 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, November 27 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE Happy Hour until 9pm • Karaoke by D&K Sounds from 9pm-1am • $4 Rails, Wines & Domestic Drafts 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 • Karaoke, 9pm NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • Absolutely Snatched Drag Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • $3 Bud Light, $5 Absolut, $15 Buckets of Beer NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Feastival featuring DJ Jack Rayburn 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 Thanksgiving Eve Piano Bar • 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 • CHURCH: A Church-Themed Dance Party, featuring DJs Wess and Keenan Orr • Hosted

by Geneva Confection • Performances by Cake and Sippi

Thursday, November 28 Thanksgiving Day A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 8pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

DC EAGLE $4 Rail and Domestics for guys in L.U.R.E. (Leather, Uniform, Rubber, Etc.) • Lights Dimmed at 8pm FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Thanksgiving Buffet for $24.99, 11am-8pm • 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 $15 Buckets of Bud Products all night • Sports Leagues Night NUMBER NINE Open at 7pm • No Cover PITCHERS Open 8pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Special Late Night menu till 11pm SHAW’S TAVERN Closed for Thanksgiving

TRADE Doors open at 7pm • XL Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass is served in an XL glass for the same price, 7-10pm • Beer and wine only $5 • Yas, Gourd!

Dance Party, featuring The Barber Streisand and Wess • Performances by BratWorst, Rigatoni, and Geneva Confection ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, 9pm-close • “New Meat” Open Dancers Audition • Music by DJ Don T. • Cover 21+

Friday, November 29 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-3am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE Meaty Fridays Happy Hour 5-9pm • Free Hot Dogs all night and Pizza at 7:30pm

• $2 off all drinks until 9pm • $5 Cover starts at 7pm, $10 after 9pm • Birds of Prey Drag Show at 10:30pm • Open until 3am 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 • ONYX: Spanksgiving, 10pm-2am • Featuring DJ Kudjo 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 • Friday Night Videos, 9:30pm • Rotating DJs

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 Black Friday Lunch with Bottomless Mimosas, 11am-3pm • 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+

Saturday, November 30 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-3am • Video Games • Live televised sports AVALON SATURDAYS @Soundcheck 1420 K St. NW LGBTQ Dance Party, 10pm-close • $15 Cover, $20 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+ DC EAGLE Open at 5pm • Happy Hour until 9pm • $5 Cover • LOBO, BRÜT, and Aftershock Parties rotate on 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

45

46

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.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 • 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 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 NUMBER NINE Doors open 2pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close • Rotating VJs, 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 $16 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 • Noche Latina, 11pm-2am • Drink and Food Specials 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 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+

Sunday, December 1 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 2pm-12am • $4 Smirnoff and Domestic Cans • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE Open at Noon • Happy Hour until 9pm • Food served 4-7pm, $10 a plate • Cigar Sundays and Cruisy Sundays • $3 off all Whiskeys & Bourbons, $5 Chivas Regal, $15 bottomless Bud/Bud Light, $20 Bottomless Premium Drafts 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 • Monthly Zodiac Drag Contest, hosted by Ophelia Bottoms, 8-10pm • $5 Cover • Karaoke, 10pm-close GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Karaoke with Kevin downstairs, 9:30pm-close 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 SHAW’S TAVERN Bottomless Mimosas, $16, 10am-3pm • 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 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 • GLAM BOX: A Monthly Dress-Up Dance Party • Come in a look or find one from our house glam boxes • Walk-Off Contest at 10:30pm • Music by Joann Fabrixx • Special Guest Hosts

Monday, December 2 DC EAGLE Manic Mondays • Happy Hour until 9pm, $2 off all drinks • Free Pool play • $2 Bud & Bud Lights, $15 bottomless premium drafts FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Singles Night • Half-Priced Pasta Dishes • Karaoke, 9pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3 rail cocktails and domestic beers all night long • Singing with the Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke Night with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 9:30pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer, $15 • Half-Priced Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm • PokerFace Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards • Ping Pong Madness, featuring 2 PingPong Tables NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover 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 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

Tuesday, December 3

Wednesday, December 4 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-12am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports

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

DC EAGLE Happy Hour until 9pm • Karaoke by D&K Sounds from 9pm-1am • $4 Rails, Wines & Domestic Drafts

DC EAGLE 2-4-1 Tuesdays • All Drinks, Buy one, Get one free • First Drink Free for Guys in Jockstraps

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

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

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 • Karaoke, 9pm

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

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8-10pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • Absolutely Snatched Drag Show, hosted by Brooklyn Heights, 9pm • $3 Bud Light, $5 Absolut, $15 Buckets of Beer

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, December 5 A LEAGUE OF HER OWN Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything

until 9pm • Video Games • Live televised sports DC EAGLE $4 Rail and Domestics for guys in L.U.R.E. (Leather, Uniform, Rubber, Etc.) • Lights Dimmed at 8pm 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 • ThurSlay, featuring DJ Jack Rayburn, 10pm PITCHERS Open 5pm-2am • Happy Hour: $2 off everything until 9pm • Video Games • Foosball • Live televised sports • Full dining menu till 9pm • Special Late Night menu till 11pm • Thirst Trap Thursdays, hosted by Venus Valhalla, 11pm-12:30am • Featuring a Rotating Cast of Drag Performers • Dancing until 1:30am SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 House Wines, $5 Rail Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas and Select Appetizers • Half-Priced Bottles of Wine, 5pm-close 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+ l For more listings not included in print, please visit www.metroweekly. com/nightlife/drink_specials. See you Dec. 5!

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

47

Scene

48

The Renegades 3rd Annual Ruck the Runway at Red Bear Brewing - Sat., Nov 16 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

49

50

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

Scene

Avalon with DJ Tracy Young - Saturday, Nov. 9 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

51

52

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

53

LastWord.

People say the queerest things

“Let me be clear: transgender people deserve nothing short of full equality.”

— Former Secretary of State HILLARY CLINTON, in a Facebook post affirming that “Trans rights are human rights” and that transgender people “deserve equality, safety, and opportunity.” Clinton was responding to criticism over comments she made to British media regarding cisgender women and transgender acceptance, which some left- and right-wing media interpreted as endorsing transphobia. Clinton rebuffed those claims in her post, reiterating her past support of trans rights both as Secretary of State and in her campaign for president.

“I wouldn’t do it now because there would be real people able to do it.”

— KATHLEEN TURNER, speaking on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live about her role as Chandler Bing’s father on Friends. The character, who was portrayed by Turner as a transgender woman in Season 7, was the subject of a number of jokes now viewed as transphobic. Turner recalled that she was asked at the time, “‘Would you like to be the first woman playing a man playing a woman?’ I said yes, because there weren’t many drag/trans people on television at the time.”

“The LGBT bully mob is unquestionably the most powerful mob in America today. ” — JESSE KELLY, contributor to The Federalist, on Twitter complaining about fast food chain Chick-fil-A’s announcement that it would cease donations to two anti-LGBTQ organizations, the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called the decision “tragic” on Twitter and said Chick-fil-A had “betrayed loyal customers.”

“They should be outraged at themselves and we should send MassResistance the bill. ” — Chula Vista councilmember STEVE PADILLA, speaking to NBC San Diego after the city paid $42,000 for police officers to protect a Drag Queen Story Time event. MassResistance, an anti-LGBTQ hate group, protested the event, but tried to stoke outrage by blaming LGBTQ counter-protesters for the police bill. Padilla retorted, “If an out of town hate group decides not to continue to try to organize protests, then that might reduce costs in the future.”

“It is clear to the AMA that the conversion therapy needs to end in the United States given the risk of deliberate harm to LGBTQ people. ” — WILLIAM E. KOBLER, M.D., board member of the American Medical Association, in a statement announcing that the AMA will push for a federal ban on conversion therapy. “Conversion therapy has no foundation as scientifically valid medical care and lacks credible evidence to support its efficacy or safety,” Kobler added.

54

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 • METROWEEKLY.COM

55