Washingtonblade.com, Volume 49, Issue 23, June 8, 2018

Supreme disappointment in Masterpiece Cakeshop case, PAGE 10

JUNE 08,

2018

VOLUME 49

ISSUE 23

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AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE

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LO CA L N E W S

Delaware trans student policy creates controversy

Delaware Gov. JOHN CARNEY instructed the Department of Education to draft an antidiscrimination policy.

DOVER, Del. — A proposed regulation that would have allowed Delaware students to self-identify their gender and race without parents’ knowledge, has been abandoned after igniting an intense controversy.

The Delaware Department of Education is now planning to revise the regulation, mandating that transgender students request permission from a parent or guardian before changing their gender identity.

Revised DDOE Regulation 225 also plans to rescind its commitment to equal athletic opportunities provided for students regardless of gender identity and delete initiatives designed to encourage the reporting of discriminatory behavior. Additionally, revised Regulation 225 does not make any attempt to prohibit policies that isolate transgender students, which could make them vulnerable to bullying, critics say.

“I think the proposed changes discriminate against transgender youth,” said Kathleen MacRae, executive director of the ACLU of Delaware. “I think there’s widespread ignorance about people who are transgender.”

MacRae said the regulation will increase the chances that transgender students will face the risks of family rejection and school violence. In a statement, MacRae said that students should not be forced to choose between abuse at home or basic dignity in school.

It is possible that the Carney administration and the DDOE are responding to the pressure they have received about the original proposed policy. More than 11,000 comments were filed about the proposal, many of them critical and citing locker room and bathroom issues.

“You can’t split hairs,” MacRae said, accusing the administration of trying to appease both sides by making revisions to Regulation 225.

The Delaware Department of Education is now seeking public comment on the proposed changes to the regulation. Feedback is encouraged and the comment period in which the public can share their thoughts on the matter will be open until July 6. Comments must be submitted to DOEregulations.comment@doe.k12.de.us or by mail to Tina Shockley, Department of Education, 401 Federal St., Suite 2, Dover, Delaware 19901.

The ACLU said Friday it will wait to see how the public comment period plays out before making a decision on a potential lawsuit.

BLAKE CHAMBERS

Newseum announces plans for gay rights exhibit The Newseum, the D.C.-based museum that focuses on the U.S. press and First Amendment related issues, announced on Tuesday that it plans to open a “groundbreaking” LGBT exhibit early next year called “Rise Up: Stonewall and the Gay Rights Movement.”

The exhibit, which is scheduled to open March 1, 2019, will consist of a “yearlong program series featuring journalists, authors, politicians and other newsmakers who have led the fight for equality,” according to a statement released by the Newseum.

The statement says the exhibit is being made possible by a $250,000 gift from Wells Fargo financial services company and bank.

“With their help, thousands of Newseum visitors, at our building in Washington, D.C. and through the traveling exhibit, will experience the rich story of how leaders in the movement used the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to fight for change,” said Sergio Furman, chief development officer of the Newseum.

“The ‘Rise Up’ exhibit traces the gay rights movement in the United States, sparked by the June 1969 police raid of the Former Rep. BARNEY FRANK’s coming out in 1987 is among topics to be addressed in the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Newseum’s upcoming gay rights exhibit.

Village,” the Newseum statement says.

“Through powerful artifacts, images WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY and historic print publications, the exhibit explores key moments of gay rights history, including the 1978 assassination of Harvey Milk, one of the country’s first openly gay elected officials,” says the statement. Other issues covered are the AIDS epidemic; U.S. Rep. Barney Frank’s coming out in 1987; the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;’ and the fight for marriage equality, the statement says.

Frank, the former congressman from Massachusetts, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin were scheduled to speak at the Newseum on Tuesday on the “legislative and societal challenges and victories that helped shape the long struggle for LGBTQ right,” the statement says.

The Newseum says the LGBT exhibit will be on display through Jan. 5, 2020 after which it will begin a three-year traveling tour to museums across the country.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

AIDS Healthcare opens Temple Hills Wellness Center

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the nation’s largest AIDS services and treatment organization, announced this week that it is opening a Wellness Center in Temple Hills, Md., to provide free and confidential testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

A statement released by the LGBT supportive organization says the Wellness Center will operate out of AHF’s existing Temple Hills Healthcare Center, which provides HIV/AIDS related treatment and services, at 4302 St. Barnabas Road.

“We are excited to add our Wellness Center services to our Temple Hills Healthcare Center and expand our ability to offer STD and HIV screenings for sexually active adults in a convenient, confidential environment,” said Mike McVicker-Weaver, AHF’s regional manager for the D.C.-Baltimore areas.

“With cultural changes and the rise of mobile dating apps helping to fuel the rise of sexually transmitted diseases – especially among young adults – we want people to make routine STD screenings a key component of their plans for healthy living,” McVicker-Weaver said.

McVicker-Weaver said that similar to its facilities in locations throughout the country, the Los Angeles-based AHF’s Health and Wellness Centers throughout the country provide services to a large number of LGBT clients. He said the screenings at the Temple Hills Wellness Center, which was scheduled to begin operating on May 30, will be for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis as well as HIV testing.

The AHF statement says the group operates an additional 20 Wellness Centers in the U.S., including in D.C. and eight states. The AHF Health Center in D.C. is located at 2141 K St., N.W., Suite 606.

Information about the times and dates for screenings at the Temple Hills Wellness Center can be obtaining by calling 301-423-1071.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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Comings & Goings Schleusener joins Fractal Industries; Cendana to Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop!

By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

Congratulations to Lucas Fox Schleusener on joining Fractal Industries as the director of public policy. Schleusener is a veteran of the Obama White House having worked in the Presidential Personnel Office as an associate vetting and recruiting for national security personnel and then worked in the Defense Department.

Before joining Fractal Industries, Schleusener worked for Avicenna Strategy as a speech writer/ editor. As a speechwriter for the Secretary of Defense during the Obama administration LUCAS SCHLEUSENER PHOTO COURTESY OF SCHLEUSENER he worked on a number of issues including enhancing U.S.-Indian security cooperation through drafts of speeches and op-eds for both Indian and American audiences as well as direct bilateral engagements, carefully selecting newspapers in both countries reflecting a range of economic and political preferences. He also worked on a study begun under Secretary Leon Panetta to consider combat roles for women where he analyzed, tested and strengthened the communications strategies for the Women in Service Review.

Schleusener has published “From Blog to Street: The Transformation of the Bahraini GREGORY CENDANA PHOTO COURTESY OF CENDANA Public Sphere,” in Arab Media and Society, in 2007 and is currently working on a piece, “We Have Always Fought: The Lives of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Soldiers in the American Military from the Civil War to the War on Terror.” He was a Penn Kemble Fellow, National Endowment for Democracy; and is founder and director, Washington, D.C., Middle East Round Table. Schleusener serves as vice chair of the Board of No One Left Behind, a non-profit that supports Iraqis and Afghans who’ve received Special Immigration Visas following their work for the U.S. government. He received his bachelor’s in history from Wesleyan University and his master’s in Middle East Studies from the University of Chicago.

Congratulations also to Gregory Cendana now working full-time as president and co-founder of Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! a consulting firm working with nonprofits, philanthropic organizations and diverse leaders across the globe. Their goal is to ensure that historically marginalized communities feel empowered within campaigns, organizations and the world writ large to excel their power to make social and cultural change, work and live in inclusive and nurturing spaces, and break down systemic barriers to socio-economic and societal freedom.

Prior to this, he was executive director of the Asian Pacific America Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, D.C. He has also served as president of the United States Student Association & Foundation; and was a Resident Assistant with the UCLA Office of Residential Life.

Cendana has been an active member of the LGBTQ+ community in D.C. for many years. He has volunteered with 18MillionRising.org; the D.C. Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus; was a co-founder of Inclusv, a diversity hiring initiative; and in 2012 was an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Cendana has been honored by a number of groups, including The Young and the Guest List: Washington’s Most Influential 40-and-under leaders, Washington Life; Washington, D.C.’s Inaugural Power 30 Under 30 Award; and he was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame, New Leaders Council. He is also the founder and co-captain of SOULcial Justice Dance Team.

He earned his bachelor’s in sociology, labor & workplace studies, from the University of California Los Angeles.

LO CA L N E W S

Rehoboth Commissioner Gossett won’t seek re-election Commissioner Patrick Gossett of Rehoboth Beach will not seek re-election later this summer after nine years serving as a city commissioner. Gossett served on the planning commission for nine years prior to his time as a city commissioner.

“I think we have accomplished a great deal in those 18 years, preserving what is best in our city while providing for sensible growth,” Gossett said in a statement.

During his time as commissioner, Gossett sought Commissioner PATRICK GOSSETT of Rehoboth to improve upon issues such Beach announced he won’t run for re-election in August. as traffic, transportation, communication and the overall health of the city’s lakes. Back in 2012, Gossett initiated the push in the Planning Commission to draft ordinances regulating building around Silver Lake. Regarding communication, Gossett believed that in addition to meetings and the city website, Rehoboth needed better ways to inform and connect with residents. Management and staffing are necessary for improved communication, he told the Cape Gazette in an interview in 2012.

In his statement, Gossett also said that he thought his greatest accomplishment was hiring City Manager Sharon Lynn. He was proud to serve as chair of the Personnel Committee and lead the search that hired Lynn.

“I wish him well,” said Kathy McGuiness, a fellow commissioner. “I respect anyone who takes time away from their family and the people they love to run for and serve in public office.”

After serving the city of Rehoboth for 18 years, Gossett, who is gay, says it’s now someone else’s turn to be at the Commissioners’ table. The three candidates looking to take his place are Pat Coluzzi, Gary Glass and Richard Byrne. Coluzzi served on the Board of Commissioners from 2007 to 2013, while Glass and Byrne are newcomers.

The Rehoboth Beach municipal election is slated for Saturday, Aug. 11.

BLAKE CHAMBERS

Bi candidate hopes to make history in Maryland A Maryland House of Delegates candidate is hoping to become the first openly bisexual person elected to the state’s General Assembly.

Mila Johns would represent House District 18, which includes Chevy Chase and North Kensington.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund last month endorsed Johns. She told the Washington Blade on May 29 during an interview that she “would be thrilled” if she were to become the first out bisexual person elected to the General Assembly.

“More than anything it’s just a sad commentary that it’s 2018 and I would be the first,” she said. “I’ve never hidden it, but I’ve never particularly stressed it. It’s another part of my identity.”

Johns added she is “really thrilled” to receive the Victory Fund’s endorsement.

“It opens up a conversation about the bi erasure issue,” she said.

Johns, who lives in Chevy Chase with her husband and their 11-year-old daughter, previously worked at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses. She told the Blade she had accepted a position to vet Syrian refugees, but she declined the offer after President Trump’s election.

“I sent an email saying I’m sorry, I can’t take this job,” said Johns.

Johns told the Blade she decided to run for the House of Delegates to protect Marylanders’ access to health care. Johns said expanding education funding and tackling climate change are among her other top priorities if she were elected.

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LO CA L N E W S

Massive crowds expected for Capital Pride festivities Dissident group mum on possible parade disruption

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com

More than 300,000 people from the D.C. metropolitan area and the Mid-Atlantic region are expected to participate in D.C.’s annual Capital Pride Parade on Saturday and the annual Capital Pride Festival and Concert on Sunday, according to Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes the Pride events.

Similar to recent years, the parade, festival, and concert serve as the finale to a month of LGBT Pride-related events in the nation’s capital, including the annual Black Pride, Trans Pride, Youth Pride and Latinx Pride.

As the city’s largest LGBT community event of the year, the festival was expected to include at least 300 booths representing LGBT organizations and LGBT-friendly groups, businesses, food and beverage vendors, and corporate sponsors, including many supportive churches and faith based groups.

Capital Pride officials expect between 300,000 and 350,000 people to show up at the festival throughout the day on Sunday.

It takes place on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. between 3rd Street and 7th Street.

With D.C.’s primary election scheduled to take place June 19, less than two weeks after this weekend’s Pride festivities, several D.C. Council members up for reelection and a number of their challengers will be marching in the parade and setting up booths at the festival. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is also up for re-election, was also expected to participate in the parade.

The concert, which is held on the festival’s main stage on Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol, was to include entertainment from nationally recognized headline performers, including singer, songwriter and actress Keri Hilson and Kim Petras and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Asia O’Hara.

Also scheduled to perform is 22-year-old singer, songwriter and actor Troye Sivan.

Following the concert, which is scheduled to last until 8 p.m., a dance party will take place in front of the main stage from 8:1510 p.m., according to Capital Pride officials.

Capital Pride organizers were hopeful that the unusual spell of protracted rainfall that has hit the D.C. area in the past few weeks would subside before the start of the weekend Pride events. Weather forecasts as of midweek showed a 40 percent chance of rain for Saturday and a 30 percent chance of rain on Sunday.

Capital Pride Executive Director Ryan Bos said all Pride events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, including the parade, festival and concert, would proceed “rain or shine.”

Bos said at least 200 contingents consisting of floats, vehicles, marchers, and entertainers were expected to participate in the parade, which was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at 21st and P

It’s Pride weekend, meaning hundreds of thousands will descend on D.C. for myriad events.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY DANIEL TRUITT

Streets, N.W. near Dupont Circle.

The parade’s 1.5-mile route will take participants from the starting point to Dupont Circle, where it will turn onto New Hampshire Avenue and continue to R Street before turning right on 17th Street and proceeding along the 17th Street restaurant and entertainment strip. From there it will turn left on P Street and continue to 14th Street where it will head north before ending at 14th and R Street, N.W. For the second year in a row, a block party will take place next to the parade route on 15th Street just north of P Street, according to Capital Pride officials. There will be a parade reviewing stand with bleacher seating along New Hampshire Avenue and an announcement stand on 14th Street just north of Church Street.

Disruption by protesters?

One of the unanswered questions surrounding this year’s Capital Pride Parade just days before it was scheduled to take place was whether the dissident group No Justice No Pride planned to block the path of the parade as it did last year as part of a protest against various policies and practices by Capital Pride.

D.C. police last year chose to reroute the parade rather than arrest the protesters, who blocked the path of the parade by linking arms to create a human barrier from one side of the street to the other.

The group said its civil disobedience action was aimed at what it claims were Capital Pride’s refusal to agree to its demands to ban police participation in the parade, ban corporate sponsors involved in the defense industry, and restructure the Capital Pride Board of Directors to include greater participation of transgender people of color and Native Americans.

Earlier this year, Capital Pride released a statement saying it had made a number of changes in its operations, including adding more people of color to its board and restricting corporate sponsors to corporations that have records of support for their LGBT employees and LGBT rights.

No Justice No Pride released its own statement a short time later in April saying it carefully reviewed the Capital Pride statement

and concluded that “no substantive changes have been made to address the concerns of those who feel they have been left behind and pushed out” of the Pride festivities.

But the statement, which reiterated the group’s earlier demands, did not say what, if any, action No Justice No Pride would take in response to what it believes was Capital Pride’s failure to carry out those demands.

Two of the leading organizers of No Justice No Pride, Emmelia Talarico and Brittany Walsh, didn’t respond to an email from the Washington Blade this week asking whether the group planned to stage a protest against this year’s parade similar to its action last year.

The statement noted that Capital Pride’s criteria for screening corporate sponsors would not exclude those to which No Justice No Pride has objected, such as banks that lend money to projects the group believes have built oil pipelines on lands deemed sacred

by Native Americans or defense contracting companies that manufacture weapons of war. The group said it also strongly objected to the presence of uniformed police officers in the parade or other Pride events based on what it says has been police mistreatment of LGBT people of color, especially transgender women of color.

Bos, the Capital Pride executive director, said all of its corporate sponsors have records of strong support for LGBT employees and LGBT rights. He said nearly all of the large corporations with contingents in this year’s parade, including the defense contracting company Northrop Grumman, were organized by LGBT employee groups within those companies.

The Capital Pride statement describing the changes it has made to increase its inclusivity and diversity among its board and leaders made no mention of any change in policies related to police or law enforcement agency presence in the parade or festival. One of No Justice No Pride’s demands called for barring from participation “in its festivities recruiters from any local, state, and federal law enforcement department or agency.”

The most recent list on the Capital Pride website of parade contingents and festival booths does not include a D.C. police contingent in the parade or a D.C. police booth

at the festival. In past years the D.C. police LGBT Liaison Unit has operated a booth at the festival, and police officers in past years have marched in the parade.

The Capital Pride list, however, shows that the Fairfax County Police Department will have a contingent in the parade.

The Capital Pride list of parade participants also shows that U.S. Department of Justice Pride and FBI Pride, two LGBT employee groups, would be marching in the parade. The list shows that the CIA would have a booth at the festival.

In past years, an LGBT employee group at the CIA staffed the intelligence agency’s festival booth. Among other things, the CIA staffers at the booth sought to recruit festival goers for possible jobs at the CIA, a development that many LGBT rights advocates considered an important breakthrough for LGBT equality.

Matthew Shepard’s parents chosen as grand marshals Among the notable contingents in this year’s parade will be the vehicle carrying the parade’s grand marshals, Dennis and Judy Shepard, the parents of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, who was beaten to death in a secluded field outside Laramie, Wyo., in 1998 in one of the nation’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes.

A short time later, Dennis and Judy Shepard founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation in their son’s honor to advocate, among other things, for antihate crime laws and for ways to curtail hatred and violence against LGBT people.

A Capital Pride announcement says the Shepards would be leading a contingent organized by Marriott International, the lead sponsor of the parade, along with representatives of Casa Ruby, the D.C.based LGBT community services center.

Others scheduled to join the parade were the Capital Pride Heroes, individuals nominated by the community and recognized for their work that has had “a positive, significant, and lasting impact on the LGBTQ+ community,” according to a Capital Pride announcement. They include Gregory A. Cendana; Jessie Garcia; Patrick Grady; Jorge Hernandez; and Samantha Master.

Those selected for Capital Pride’s Engendered Spirits Award, which recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the transgender community, were Karen Kendra Holmes and Linda Roberts.

Bianca Humady Rey was selected this year by Capital Pride for its Bill Miles Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. Pixie Windsor was chosen for the Capital Pride Larry Stansbury Award for Outstanding Service to the LGBTQ+ Community.

The full list of all parade and festival participants along with a detailed list of entertainers and events associated with Capital Pride’s weekend activities can be viewed at capitalpride.org.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Supreme Court sidesteps major ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop case Justices cite hostility to religion by Colorado commission

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com The U.S. Supreme Court sidestepped a major decision Monday in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, issuing a narrow decision based on the facts of the lawsuit in favor of a Colorado baker sued for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

In the 7-2 decision written by U.S. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court vacated the decision by the Colorado Court of Appeals against baker Jack Phillips on the basis the state commission handling his case displayed a religious bias against him.

“When the Colorado Civil Rights Commission considered this case, it did not do so with the religious neutrality that the Constitution requires,” Kennedy writes.

Kennedy concluded his ruling by making clear it provides no precedent for cases in which individuals and businesses assert a First Amendment right to refuse service to same-sex couples, insisting that determination must come at a later time.

“The outcome of cases like this in other circumstances must await further elaboration in the courts, all in the context of recognizing that these disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market,” Kennedy wrote.

As evidence of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s hostility toward Phillips’ religious views, Kennedy cites language the commissioners used as they heard the case in 2014, including one commissioner’s words that religious views are “one of the most despicable pieces of rhetoric that people can use.”

During oral arguments in the case before the Supreme Court, Kennedy has expressed concern over these words from the commission, prompting observers to speculate the court might issue a decision punting the case and remanding it for reconsideration without hostility toward religion.

In the decision, Kennedy writes those words from the commissioner demonstrates hostility toward Phillips’ religion both by describing as despicable and by characterizing it as merely rhetorical.

“This sentiment is inappropriate for a commission charged with the solemn responsibility of fair and neutral enforcement of Colorado’s antidiscrimination law — a law that protects against discrimination on the basis of

The Supreme Court issued a narrow decision for an anti-gay baker in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

religion as well as sexual orientation,” Kennedy wrote.

But the decision keeps in place Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act. Kennedy writes the ability to refuse wedding-related services to same-sex couples under the First Amendment should be restricted to clergy and laws against anti-LGBT discrimination are valid.

“If that exception were not confined, then a long list of persons who provide goods and services for marriages and weddings might refuse to do so for gay persons, thus resulting in a communitywide stigma inconsistent with the history and dynamics of civil rights laws that ensure equal access to goods, services, and public accommodations,” Kennedy writes.

Kennedy cites the 1968 decision in Newman v. Piggy Park Enterprises in which a business cited a First Amendment right to refuse to serve black customers with white customers despite then-recent passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In that case, the Supreme Court found that laws of general applicability are valid businesses are subject to penalty under them despite any objections based on freedom of religion.

The timing of the ruling on Monday was a surprise to legal observers, many of whom predicted the Supreme Court wouldn’t be hand it down until the final day of its 20172018 term at the end of June.

The decision will means the Colorado Civil Rights Commission is vacated, but there’s no reason to think Phillips wouldn’t face additional penalties if he refuses service to same-sex couples down the road.

James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT and HIV project, said Monday in a conference call with reporters Phillips doesn’t get a free pass to discriminate in the aftermath of the ruling.

“If a new same-sex couple walks into that business, I see no reason in this opinion that Masterpiece Cakeshop is free to turn them away because they

asked for that right, and they didn’t get that right,” Esseks said. “The only reason that they might win is if Colorado’s civil rights commission once again engaged in the kinds of comments the court viewed as anti-religion. Since I think that’s very unlikely to happen, I don’t think Masterpiece Cakeshop can think it is free to discriminate in the state of Colorado because I believe it is not.”

The ruling also means the long-running case against Masterpiece Cakeshop, filed

by Charlie Craig and Dave Mullins back in 2012 when Phillips refused to make them a custom-made wedding cake, has reached its finish line.

In a joint statement, Craig and Mullins expressed disappointment with the ruling, but said they’d continue the fight.

“Today’s decision means our fight against discrimination and unfair treatment will continue,” Craig and Mullins said. “We have always believed that in America, you should not be turned away from a business open to the public because of who you are. We brought this case because no one should have to face the shame, embarrassment and humiliation of being told ‘we don’t serve your kind here’ that we faced, and we will continue fighting until no one does.”

After the couple sued six years ago, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled in their favor in 2014 and the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld that decision a year later. Phillips filed a petition before the U.S. Supreme Court to review those rulings, which the Supreme Court accepted last year shortly after the confirmation of U.S. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Attorneys representing both sides in the case declared victory to some extent. The ACLU, which represented the couple, insisted non-discrimination principles were upheld and Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented Phillips, called the decision a victory for “religious freedom.”

Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the ACLU, said in a statement the Supreme

Court essentially punted without making a sweeping decision.

“The court reversed the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision based on concerns unique to the case but reaffirmed its longstanding rule that states can prevent the harms of discrimination in the marketplace, including against LGBT people,” Melling said.

Kristen Waggoner, who argued the case for Phillips before the Supreme Court as senior counsel to Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement the ruling was a win for her client.

“Government hostility toward people of faith has no place in our society, yet the state of Colorado was openly antagonistic toward Jack’s religious beliefs about marriage,” Waggoner said. “The court was right to condemn that. Tolerance and respect for good-faith differences of opinion are essential in a society like ours. This decision makes clear that the government must respect Jack’s beliefs about marriage.”

U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco had argued before the Supreme Court in favor of Phillips on behalf of the Trump administration, asserting baking a custom-made wedding cake amounts to artistic expression, and therefore is free speech protected under the First Amendment. Neither the White House, nor the U.S. Justice Department, responded Monday to the Washington Blade’s request for comment on the court’s decision in the case.

Joining Kennedy in the decision was U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts as well as U.S. Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas. Dissenting from the ruling was U.S. Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was joined by U.S. Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders hailed the ruling Tuesday as a win for religious freedom.

“When it comes to the bakers, we were pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision,” Sanders said. “The First Amendment prohibits government discriminating on the basis of religious beliefs, and the Supreme Court rightly concluded that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission failed to show tolerance and respect for his religious beliefs.”

Sanders also alluded to support in the lawsuit for Masterpiece Cakeshop by the Trump administration. The U.S. Justice Department submitted a friend-of-thecourt brief in favor of Colorado baker Jack Phillips and U.S. Solicitor General Neil Francisco argued before the Supreme Court on his behalf.

“In this case and others, the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously defend the free speech and religious freedom First Amendment rights,” Sanders said.

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Democratic Primary June 19 When so many things in the world divide us, here in DC, we know our diversity is what makes us stronger.

Together, we will continue to celebrate our differences while recognizing our many similarities. –Muriel Bowser MURI E L B OWS E R.COM / T E AMMURI E L DC @ MURI E L B OWS E R Paid for by Reelect Muriel Bowser Our Mayor, PO Box 90668, Washington, DC 20090. Jodi Ovca, Treasurer.

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One year later, organizers say Equality March had lasting impact LGBT march on Washington drew thousands to nation’s capital

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com This weekend’s Capital Pride festivities in D.C. will take place on the one-year anniversary of the June 11, 2017 Equality March for Unity and Pride, an LGBT protest march that drew as many as 80,000 LGBT people and their allies to the nation’s capital from across the country.

Dozens of affiliated LGBT marches that same day took place in cities and towns throughout the country as well as in a number of countries in Europe and Asia.

Several organizers and supporters of the Equality March told the Washington Blade this week that the Washington march and the numerous affiliated marches motivated many LGBT people to become politically active over the past year that would have a beneficial impact for LGBT rights in the November 2018 midterm elections on the state and national level.

“We here in D.C. were already activated in our community,” said Ashley Smith, a D.C. LGBT rights advocate and one of 13 co-chairs of the Equality March.

“But from the Washington march and the marches that took place across the country and across the world, we have seen and are hearing about people who have been continually engaged in their communities,” Smith said.

“So have more people become engaged in the election process? Yes,” said Smith.

“Have more people become aware of the importance of knowing what is taking place on the state and local levels are just as important as what is taking place on the national level? Yes,” he said.

He said he believes the Equality March played a role in bringing about that increase in activism and involvement among LGBT people.

Brian Pendleton, who initiated Los Angeles’ version of the Equality March, which organizers called the Resist March, said that march and many others across the country also had the effect of bringing together a diverse cross section of the LGBT community that sometimes had not worked in unity.

“The Resist March was a great vehicle to get people to come together and march on the streets and be together and support each other,” Pendleton said. “I think people still remember fondly marching down the streets of Los Angeles, over 100,000 of us, making sure that not only the president of the United States but the world knew where we stand,” he said.

Pendleton was referring to concerns among LGBT rights activists over the policies of the Trump administration that have in a number of areas rolled back policies and

Organizers estimated between 50,000-80,000 participated in the Equality March last year.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

programs supportive of LGBT rights put in place by the Obama administration.

In a development that surprised some LGBT rights advocates, the Equality March got its start when a gay man in New York City, acting on his own, created a Facebook page calling for an LGBT march on Washington modeled after the Women’s March on Washington, which took place on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after President Trump’s inauguration.

New Yorker David Bruinooge, the Equality March’s founder, said he became inspired by the women’s march, which drew hundreds of thousands of women and their supporters to Washington to protest the expected polices of Trump and his administration on a wide range of issues, including women’s rights.

The response to Bruinooge’s Facebook page quickly mushroomed, with thousands of people expressing support for an LGBT march along the lines of the

women’s march. Shortly after Bruinooge set June 11, 2017 as the date for the march, which was the day already set for D.C.’s Capital Pride Festival, other LGBT activists stepped in to help Bruinooge organize the march.

Bruinooge couldn’t immediately be reached for comment this week.

In April 2017, Equality March organizers announced that 13 co-chairs for the march had been chosen who represented diverse segments of the LGBT community, including African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and transgender people, among others.

One of the co-chairs, Jose Plaza, who at the time served as president of the D.C. Latino GLBT History Project, said this week that he, too, believes the Equality March would have a lasting impact on the effort to advance LGBT equality.

“It built a great momentum to carry over long after the march,” he told the

Blade. “It was a catalyst for mobilizing people to the polls in elections and for other things,” he said. “This is a longtime fight for LGBT rights and the fight is moving from a march to the polls.”

Stephen Peters, national press secretary and spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, agreed with Plaza that the Equality March and its affiliated marches throughout the country would have a positive impact for LGBT rights in the upcoming elections.

“Over the past year, HRC has been working to harness the momentum from these marches to focus on action and turning out the vote,” Peters said. He said HRC recently launched a program aimed at mobilizing “10 million LGBTQ voters and allies across America to turn out and vote this November and help ensure we hold this administration accountable by electing a pro-equality majority to Congress.”

Stacy Long Simmons, director of the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Advocacy and Action Department, said the Task Force was proud to have taken part in the Equality March.

“Looking back on the march a year later, the Equality March was a point in time that marked a clear turning point for activism within the LGBTQ community,” Simmons said. “The march was inspired by the country’s mood after the 2016 elections and acts of resistance were happening everywhere,” she said.

“For the first time, whether it was people of faith, immigrants, queers of color, transgender people, women, or those living with disabilities, the Equality March was an amalgam of diverse voices that more accurately reflected today’s LGBTQ movement with unity and pride,” she said.

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Orlando to mark two years since Pulse massacre Rubio, did not respond to the Blade’s request for comment.

“We have made the gun violence conversation part of the LGBTQ conversation in our state,” said Smith.

Christine Leinonen also remains a vocal gun control advocate.

She and Dru Project Vice President Brandon Wolf, who was with Christopher “Drew” Leinonen and Guerrero when they were killed inside Pulse, marched with a Human Rights Campaign contingent at the “March for Our Lives” that took place in D.C. after the Marjory Stoneman massacre. Christine Leinonen on Tuesday said electing “strong Democrats” and encouraging parents not to keep guns in their homes are among what she described as her seven “practical steps to make us safer from mass shootings.”

“Our homes have been robbed because of gun violence,” Wolf told the Blade on Tuesday.

June 12 marks two years since a gunman killed 49 people inside Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. This photo was taken Oct. 5, 2016.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Survivors, victims’ families remain vocal gun control advocates

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com June 12 marks two years since a gunman killed 49 people inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs are expected to attend a ceremony at an interim memorial that opened last month at the nightclub.

Equality Florida, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, and the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence on June 11 will hold a rally at Orlando City Hall in support of gun control.

Organizers of the annual Pride parade in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan on June 3 held a moment of silence for the victims at the U.S. commonwealth’s first LGBTspecific monument that Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz formally unveiled two weeks after the massacre.

Nearly half of those who were killed inside Pulse were LGBT Puerto Ricans. The June 3 ceremony took place less than nine months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico.

Christine Leinonen, whose son, Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, was killed inside Pulse alongside his partner, Juan Guerrero, does not plan to participate in any of the commemoration events. Christine Leinonen described her son as “definitely one of the good guys” when she spoke with the Blade on Tuesday.

“He made life easy,” she said. “He made life easy for everyone around him.”

Axel Rodríguez, an Orlando resident who was born in Puerto Rico, was friends with Xavier Serrano Rosado, who was killed inside Pulse.

“I have not forgotten any of the 49 souls that died,” Rodríguez told the Blade on Tuesday. “I will never, ever forget my friend Xavier.”

Rodríguez said he has visited Serrano’s grave in the Puerto Rican city of Ponce.

Rodríguez told the Blade he is “still not able to visit” Pulse.

The Associated Press reported the onePULSE Foundation, of which Pulse owner Barbara Poma is executive director, will begin its search for architects who will design a permanent memorial next month. This year’s commemorations are also taking place against the backdrop of renewed calls for gun control.

A gunman on Valentine’s Day killed 17 students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The Pulse nightclub massacre had been the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history until a gunman killed 58 people and injured more than 500 others when he opened fire during a country music festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott — who, along with state Attorney General Pam Bondi, faced widespread criticism in the days after the Pulse nightclub massacre when they did not specifically mention the LGBT community — after the Marjory Douglas shooting signed into a law a $400 million bill that, among other things, banned the sale of bump stocks and raised the minimum age to buy a gun in Florida from 18 to 21.

Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith — who is a vocal critic of Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) over gun control and other issues — on Tuesday told the Blade the fact that Scott signed the bill the National Rifle Association opposed “tells you there’s a loosening of” the organization’s “grip.”

Spokespersons for Scott, who is running against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and

Shaheen: Recall Grenell if political statements continue Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) on Monday warned U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-ranking openly gay person in the Trump administration, his position “should be recalled immediately” if his political statements continue.

“An ambassador’s most critical responsibility is to advance our national interests by developing relationships and trust with their host country,” Shaheen said.

“They should not meddle in local or regional politics by backing U.S. Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.) said political parties, candidates or Ambassador Ric Grenell should be recalled if causes. If Ambassador Grenell his political statements continue. is unwilling to refrain from political statements, he should be recalled immediately. The United States does not accept foreign meddling in our elections, and we shouldn’t have an ambassador attempting to intrude in another country’s political affairs.”

Shaheen made the statement in reference to comments from Grenell during an interview with Breitbart London on Sunday in which he said he wants to “empower other conservatives” to rise up against “elites.” Those comments caught the eye of officials in Europe and the United States, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who said on Twitter he warned Grenell about “politicizing this post,” but received assurances he’d stay out of politics.

According to Politico, a State Department spokesperson said Grenell didn’t attempt to endorse political candidates in the interview.

“Amb. Grenell clarified his comments via Twitter and noted it is not U.S. policy to endorse candidates or parties,” the spokesperson said. “He was making general observations in the interview.”

It’s the not the first time Grenell has made controversial comments as ambassador. Within a week of Senate confirmation, Grenell instructed German companies via Twitter to stop doing business in Iran immediately on the same day President Trump withdrew from the Iran deal Grenell’s nomination as ambassador was controversial. The Senate approved him on party-line basis after his nomination stalled for months. Democrats objected to mean tweets for which he has since apologized about the appearance of women and comments downplaying Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Gregory Angelo, president of Log Cabin Republicans, chided Shaheen, accusing her of misinterpreting Grenell’s comments.

“Sen. Shaheen needs to get off the partisan soapbox and re-read what Ambassador Grenell said before making hyperpartisan statements seeking to score cheap political points,” Angelo said.

CHRIS JOHNSON

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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NATIONAL NEWS

After 34 years, trans lawyer quits DOJ under Trump for LGBT legal group Diana Flynn is Lambda Legal’s new LGBT litigation director

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com After working for the Justice Department for 34 years, a transgender attorney who objected to the Trump administration’s anti-LGBT policies has left her leadership position for work at a prominent LGBT legal group.

In an interview with the Washington Blade during her second week on the job at Lambda Legal’s D.C. office, Diana Flynn, who formerly served as chief of the appellate section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, talked about her experience over the decades as a transgender attorney and the anti-LGBT policies of the Trump administration.

Flynn also discussed her decision to depart DOJ to continue the fight as litigation director at Lambda Legal.

“I want to see a situation where in society as a whole, it is no more acceptable or legal to discriminate based on LGBT status or HIV status than it is on the basis of any other pernicious classification, like race or sex or anything else,” Flynn said. “We’ve made a lot of progress on that, but we have to go a lot further and nail that down.”

Flynn, AGE, earned a law degree from Yale University after receiving her bachelor’s from the University of Rochester in political science. After serving in private practice in D.C. and New York City, Flynn was hired by the Justice Department in 1984 after applying for an opening in the appellate section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“So I started representing the United States, mainly in court of appeals cases and working with the solicitor general in the Supreme Court in cases of enforcement of civil rights law,” Flynn said.

The work, Flynn said, consisted of enforcement of a wide variety of civil rights laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination in employment, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Fair Housing Act and the Voting Rights Act. Additionally, Flynn was charged at the division with enforcement of criminal law, such as the Rodney King police brutality case of the 1990s, as well as human trafficking cases.

“One thing that has always been true — until recently — is that regardless of whether it was a Republican or Democratic administration, we always found cases to bring and I always felt like we’re moving the ball forward on civil rights abuse to some extent,” Flynn said.

But it wasn’t until the mid-2000s during the second term of the Bush administration when Flynn publicly transitioned, which she recalled as a “very

challenging” time.

“I was very nervous about it,” Flynn said. “Most people are. Often, there are many of us that get to the point where you have little choice in it. It just becomes an imperative to just finally get it done, and it’s easier to transition even when there are obstacles than it is to remain in the misaligned sex.”

Flynn said she doesn’t think she experienced “any illegal discrimination” on the job as a result of her transition, but acknowledged “there were obviously challenges.”

“People were less familiar with trans people at the time,” Flynn said. “I would say there were some issues about bathroom usage and things like that, but on the whole, I was in a fairly powerful position being a section chief, and I was able to get through it with relative ease. I think it’s much more difficult for a trans person who is not in a position of such privilege.”

In the Obama years, things began to ramp up in the fight for LGBT rights.

Flynn said a highlight of her career was working with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on a memo declaring the U.S. Justice Department would interpret the provision against sex discrimination in Title VII to bar anti-trans discrimination in the workforce.

“It was a very proud day when he changed the longtime litigating position of the United States to find discrimination based on gender identity or trans status was illegal under Title VII,” Flynn said.

“That was a great satisfaction when we got there; it took a lot of work to get us there.”

Flynn also praised former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who filed a lawsuit against North Carolina’s anti-trans House Bill 2 and for her “we see you” speech announcing the litigation. As part of the team spearheading the litigation, Flynn said Lynch “did wonderful work in this regard.”

“I can recall a couple years ago when she made a really dramatic speech that really rang out in the trans community about she was with us, and the authorization of the HB2 suit was proof of that,” Flynn said.

Although Flynn never met former President Obama personally, she said she attended events with him, such as the ceremony in which he signed an executive director barring federal contractors from engaging in antiLGBT workplace discrimination. As part of that executive order, Obama also explicitly prohibited anti-trans discrimination in the federal workforce.

“It was one of the proudest days of my career,” Flynn said. “I don’t take any responsibility for that because there was a number of us working to persuade the federal government to do it, but I was thrilled he did it and was honored I was invited to the ceremony.”

But the Justice Department changed during the Trump administration with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the helm. Now instead of enforcing civil

DIANA FLYNN quit working for the Justice Department under the Trump administration to join Lambda Legal.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

rights law to protect LGBT people from discrimination, the U.S. government was taking the opposite position and sought to exclude them from protections.

Flynn said the policy change was made “without any kind of consultation with me or, as far as I know, any of the people that took the lead in developing that theory” under the Obama administration.

“That was reversed and there were a number of other decisions made by the Trump administration that made it very clear to me that I was no longer in a position to be able to move the ball forward, particularly on LGBT rights, as long as I was part of the Justice Department at this time,” Flynn said.

Sessions revoked Obama-era guidance instructing schools to allow transgender kids to use the restroom of their choice and issued a memo indicating the Justice Department would no longer interpret Title VII to protect transgender workers. As a result of an executive order signed by President Trump, Sessions also issued “religious freedom” guidance widely seen to enable anti-LGBT discrimination under federal law.

But the straw that broke the camel’s back, Flynn said, was the friend-of-thecourt brief the Justice Department filed before the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Zarda v. Altitude Express. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division — in contrast to the view of another U.S. agency, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — argued Title VII affords no protections against sexual orientation discrimination, therefore under federal law, employers should be able to fire workers simply for being gay.

Flynn recused herself on that case because she’s an officer with the American Bar Association’s Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Commission, which had also filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case. Although the Trump administration brief came from within her division, she only found out about it after news reports.

“I was hopeful that it wouldn’t be a

disaster, but when I saw the brief, I saw that it was,” Flynn said. “It was something I vehemently disagreed with, and it was yet another indication that the Department of Justice wasn’t going to be moving the ball at all on LGBT rights. Now, it was moving backwards, and I didn’t want to stand by and watch it either, particularly at this important time.”

At this point, Flynn said she would have left the Justice Department even if she hadn’t found new work, but started looking and found an opportunity at Lamdba Legal, which she said was “very fortuitous” because it was consistent with her earlier civil rights work.

“I’m delighted,” Flynn said. “This is a great organization. I know some of the lawyers here. I knew them even before I came and they’re some of the best lawyers I know, and I was just ecstatic to have this opportunity, and very happy when national selected me.”

Under the threat of rollback under the Trump administration, Flynn said her priority at Lambda Legal is consolidation of LGBT rights gains. Three important areas, she said, are using laws against sex discrimination to apply to cases of antiLGBT discrimination, defending the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of samesex marriage nationwide and litigation of behalf of people with HIV/AIDS. “I’d also like to see that equal marriage no longer be subject of attempts to curtail it or push it into what Justice [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg called a ‘skim milk’ marriage without the full rights afforded to socalled traditional unions,” Flynn said.

The newest addition to Lambda Legal comes after workers under new leadership of executive director Rachel Tiven unionized with the WashingtonBaltimore News Guild. Amid high turnover at the organization, workers have cited concerns over changes to benefits and management practices disregarding employee opinion.

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Women politicos to take center stage at DNC LGBT gala running for office and fighting back,” Perez said. “Attorney General Maura Healey, Mayor Annise Parker and Gina Ortiz Jones are trailblazers in their communities and I’m proud that they know that building Democratic infrastructure helps LGBTQ candidates at every level, from school board to Senate.”

CHRIS JOHNSON

Eighth-grader wears trans flag for DeVos visit

Women politicos that include Victory Fund President and CEO ANNISE PARKER, Texas congressional candidate GINA ORTIZ JONES and Massachusetts Attorney General MAURA HEALEY are set to speak at the annual DNC LGBT gala.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO OF PARKER BY MICHAEL KEY; PHOTO OF JONES BY ANA ISABEL PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY JONES CAMPAIGN; PHOTO OF HEALEY BY EDAHLPR VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

At a time when female candidates are taking center stage in the 2018 congressional mid-term elections, a quartet of women politicos are set to speak at an upcoming LGBT gala hosted by the Democratic National Committee in New York City, the Washington Blade has learned.

Three of the women — Annise Parker, Gina Ortiz Jones, Maura Healey — are lesbians, and the other, Danica Roem, is a transgender woman. Each of them is running or has run a political campaign of special significance for LGBT people.

All of them will speak before high-dollar donors to the Democratic Party at the DNC’s 19th annual LGBT gala in New York City, which is set to take place June 25 at Ziegfeld Ballroom. The tickets range from $1,200 to $5,000 per seat, according to an online invitation.

Annise Parker, a former three-term mayor of Houston, holds the distinction of being one of the first openly gay mayors of a major U.S. city. She now serves as executive director of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Institute.

Gina Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer who served in the Iraq war, is running to represent the 23rd congressional district in Texas against incumbent Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas). Democrats have made her race in the Hispanic-majority district a priority. Hurd narrowly won re-election in 2016 and political observers have rated it as a toss-up.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who will be the keynote speaker at the DNC gala, won election in 2014 and became the first openly gay state attorney general in the United States. She’s seeking re-election in the 2018 election.

The other speaker, Virginia State Del. Danica Roem (D-Prince William County), is the first openly transgender person elected and seated to a state legislature in the United States. The DNC had already announced last month her plans to attend the gala.

Another speaker already announced for the event is Gus Kensworthy, a gay freestyle skier who refused to attend the ceremony at the White House with fellow members of the 2018 U.S. Winter Olympic team out of objections to the Trump administration’s anti-LGBT policies. Another guest is Taylor Trensch, who’s gay and the star of the stage musical “Dear Evan Hansen.”

According to the DNC, the annual gala began in 1999 as a small dinner held by Andrew Tobias, who’s gay and a former DNC treasurer, but has grown to one of the biggest events for Democrats. Last year, former Vice President Joseph Biden was the keynote speaker.

DNC Chair Tom Perez hailed the newly announced women speakers as leaders in the LGBT movement and the women’s rights movement.

“In the face of sustained Republican efforts to roll back the progress we’ve made, leaders within the LGBTQ community, LGBTQ women in particular are stepping up,

An eighth-grade student wore a transgender Pride flag during Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ visit to their Grand Rapids, Mich., school.

Torin Hodgman, 14, a student at Grand Rapids Public Museum School, donned the transgender flag like a cape for DeVos’ arrival.

Hodgman identifies Eighth-grader TORIN HODGMAN and BETSY DEVOS as gender-queer and SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE uses the preferred pronouns “they” and “their.”

DeVos visited the school for a roundtable discussion that Hodgman hoped would include a discussion on safety for LGBTQ students. Hodgman wasn’t able to ask DeVos a question but told MLIVE they hope DeVos recognized the flag.

“Public schools are a place for all children,” Hodgman said.

Hodgman was able to stand next to DeVos, who was presented a series of science and environmental projects by students. In a video captured by MLIVE, Hodgman is seen observing a project with DeVos but it is unclear if DeVos was aware of the flag’s meaning.

MARIAH COOPER

California adds Oklahoma to travel ban Red states like Oklahoma and Kansas might not care that California is calling them out for their explicit LGBT discrimination, but the state’s taxpayers do, Attorney General Xavier Becerra said at a news conference last week.

As of June 22, state-funded and state-sponsored travel will be prohibited to Oklahoma in response to Gov. Mary Fallin signing a “religious freedom” law on May 11 allowing taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to deny child placement services to same-sex parents and to refuse to place LGBT foster children in homes based on religious or moral grounds related to sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer also signed an anti-LGBT bill the next day, on May 12, but that state is already on the California travel ban list. Kansas’ previous governor, Sam Brownback, had a long history of anti-LGBT attitudes and actions, including signing an anti-LGBT student bill in 2016.

Oklahoma’s law, Senate Bill 1140, is scheduled to go into effect on Nov. 1. At the news conference, Becerra said he wanted to give fair warning to Californians and others who might be planning conferences in Oklahoma with significant California participation.

“California law requires that my office identify and maintain a list of states which are off limits for state-funded or state-sponsored travel,” Becerra said.

“California will not use state resources to support states that pass discriminatory laws.”

The following states are currently subject to California’s ban on state-funded and state-sponsored travel: Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and as of June 22, Oklahoma.

KAREN OCAMB

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Global Pride events celebrate progress, highlight challenges Guyana’s first parade took place on June 2

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com LGBTI rights activists around the world will hold Pride celebrations this year against the backdrop of recent legal and political advances and lingering challenges.

Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination Guyana, an LGBTI advocacy group in Guyana, organized the South American country’s first-ever Pride parade that took place on June 2.

Activists in Swaziland, a small African country that borders South Africa and Mozambique, are organizing their nation’s first-ever Pride event that is scheduled to take place on June 30. All Out, a global LGBTI advocacy group, has launched a campaign to help activists raise money.

LGBTI refugees who live in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya are organizing a Pride event that is scheduled to take place on June 16. Moses Mbazira, who is from Uganda, on Monday told the Washington Blade organizers hope the event will “awaken” the U.N. Refugee Agency and organizations that work with it about the plight of LGBTI refugees who live in the camp.

“It promotes unity amongst the LGBTIQ refugee community members,” said Mbazira.

The Seoul Queer Culture Festival will hold its annual parade and festival in Seoul on July 14. J-FLAG, a Jamaican LGBTI advocacy group, is organizing a series of Pride events that will take place in the country’s capital of Kingston from July 31Aug. 6.

Jamaica and Guyana are among the more than 70 countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is among the heads of government and state over the last year who have formally apologized to those prosecuted under their country’s anti-LGBTI laws.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on June 3 apologized for the persecution and discrimination that gay men suffered at the hands of the Nazis and in the decades after World War II. British Prime Minister Theresa May on April 17 said she “deeply” regrets colonialera laws criminalizing consensual samesex sexual relations the U.K. introduced in Commonwealth countries. A judge on Trinidad and Tobago’s High Court five days earlier struck down the country’s sodomy law.

The New Zealand Parliament last July formally apologized to men who were convicted under the country’s sodomy law.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights in January issued a landmark

Guyana’s first Pride parade took place on June 2.

PHOTO BY PAUL PERSAUD OF SOCIETY AGAINST SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISCRIMINATION GUYANA

LGBTI rights advocates at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya are planning to hold a Pride event on June 16.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOSES MBAZIRA

ruling that recognizes same-sex marriage and transgender rights in the Western Hemisphere. The European Court of Justice on Tuesday ruled gay couples should receive the same residency rights that married couples have in the European Union.

Openly bisexual Colombian Congresswoman Angélica Lozano in March became the first openly LGBT person elected to the country’s Senate.

Enrique Sánchez, the first openly gay man elected to the Costa Rica National Assembly, was sworn in on May 1.

A law that repeals marriage rights for same-sex couples in Bermuda took effect on June 1, even though a lawsuit challenging it was still before the British island territory’s Supreme Court. Mariela Castro, the daughter of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, last month said she and her organization, the National Center for Sexual Education, will submit proposals to the Cuban National Assembly that would extend marriage and other rights to LGBTI Cubans.

Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination Guyana Education Coordinator Anil Persaud on Monday told the Blade that LGBTI people in Guyana “continue to be discriminated against and severely stigmatized,” even though the country’s sodomy law is not “constantly enforced.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his Pride month statement made a broad reference to laws that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.

“In many parts of the world, LGBTI individuals and their supporters continue to face violence, arrest, harassment and intimidation for standing up for their human rights, participating in peaceful marches and rallies, expressing their views and simply being who they are,” he said. “LGBTI persons — like all persons — must be free to enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, without fear of reprisal. As Americans, we place a high value on these rights and freedoms, which all persons deserve to enjoy fully

and equally.”

Pompeo during his confirmation hearing did not specifically answer a question about whether he thinks “being gay is a perversion.” Pompeo’s opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” also came under scrutiny.

American embassies and consulates around the world are nevertheless commemorating Pride month, even as President Trump’s record on LGBTIspecific issues in the U.S. continues to face criticism.

Activists around the world are also using Pride month to highlight violence and discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

Mônica Tereza Benício, the widow of Rio de Janeiro Councilwoman Marielle Franco, a bisexual human rights activist who was murdered earlier this year, is among those who spoke at São Paulo’s annual Pride parade that took place on June 3. Trans rights advocates on the same day interrupted the opening of a civil society forum at the annual Organization of American States General Assembly that was taking place in D.C. A declaration the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Trans People, which is known by the Spanish acronym REDLACTRANS, released includes, among other things, a call that Trump respect “the right to residence of all trans people who have lived and contributed to their country for many years and today face a harsh situation of immigration persecution by their policies.”

“We are very concerned about the situation of trans people in the region,” REDLACTRANS Regional Coordinator Marcela Romero told the Blade on Monday in a statement. “Forced migrations have been increasing in recent months with a surge of violence against trans people.”

The OAS protest took place less than two weeks after Roxana Hernández, a trans woman with HIV from Honduras, died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hernández was among a group of trans women who were part of a caravan of Central American asylum seekers who entered the U.S. last month.

The Los Angeles Blade previously reported Hernández had been in ICE custody since May 13. She was transferred to a facility in El Paso, Texas, before ICE placed her in a trans housing unit in the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, N.M., on May 16.

“The persecution of trans people in the United States has been increasing with Trump’s immigration policies, which have put us on alert,” Romero told the Blade. “We demand that all countries in the region implement real policies to protect trans people and end stigma, discrimination and death.”

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In adults with HIV on ART who have diarrhea not caused by an infection IMPORTANT PATIENT INFORMATION This is only a summary. See complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or by calling 1-844-722-8256. This does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or treatment.

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Mytesi is a prescription medicine used to improve symptoms of noninfectious diarrhea (diarrhea not caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on ART. Do Not Take Mytesi if you have diarrhea caused by an infection.

Before you start Mytesi, your doctor and you should make sure your diarrhea is not caused by an infection (such as bacteria, virus, or parasite).

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Mytesi (crofelemer): • Is the only medicine FDA-approved to relieve diarrhea in people with HIV • Treats diarrhea differently by normalizing the flow of water in the GI tract • Has the same or fewer side effects as placebo in clinical studies • Comes from a tree sustainably harvested in the Amazon Rainforest What is Mytesi?

Mytesi is a prescription medicine that helps relieve symptoms of diarrhea not caused by an infection (noninfectious) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Important Safety Information Mytesi is not approved to treat infectious diarrhea (diarrhea caused by bacteria, a virus, or a parasite). Before starting you on Mytesi, your healthcare provider will first be sure that you do not have infectious diarrhea. Otherwise, there is a risk you would not receive the right medicine and your infection could get worse. In clinical studies, the most common side effects that occurred more often than with placebo were upper respiratory tract (sinus, nose, and throat) infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).

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• Studies in animals show that Mytesi could harm an unborn baby or affect the ability to become pregnant • There are no studies in pregnant women taking Mytesi • This drug should only be used during pregnancy if clearly needed A Nursing Mother?

• It is not known whether Mytesi is passed through human breast milk • If you are nursing, you should tell your doctor before starting Mytesi • Your doctor will help you to decide whether to stop nursing or to stop taking Mytesi Under 18 or Over 65 Years of Age? • Mytesi has not been studied in children under 18 years of age • Mytesi studies did not include many people over the age of 65.

So it is not clear if this age group will respond differently. Talk to your doctor to find out if Mytesi is right for you

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If you are taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicine, herbal supplements, or vitamins, tell your doctor before starting Mytesi.

What If I Have More Questions About Mytesi?

For more information, please see the full Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or speak to your doctor or pharmacist.

To report side effects or make a product complaint or for additional information, call 1-844-722-8256.

Rx Only Manufactured by Patheon, Inc. for Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. San Francisco, CA 94105 Copyright © Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Please see complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com.

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• Upper respiratory tract infection (sinus, nose, and throat infection) • Bronchitis (swelling in the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs) • Cough • Flatulence (gas) • Increased bilirubin (a waste product when red blood cells break down) For a full list of side effects, please talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

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H E A LT H N E W S

HIV+ Army sergeant sues to continue serving

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN filed a lawsuit May 30 on behalf of a sergeant in the D.C. Army National Guard who was denied the opportunity to serve as an officer and faces possible discharge from the United States armed services because he is living with HIV, the two agencies announced in a press release.

The lawsuit challenges the Pentagon’s current policies preventing enlistment, deployment or commissioning as an officer if a person is living with HIV, and likely would affect implementation of the new “Deploy or Get Out” policy unveiled by the Trump administration in February.

Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of Sgt. Nick Harrison, a veteran of two overseas combat zones who was denied a position in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps because current Pentagon policy considers service members living with HIV non-deployable, and will not allow them to enlist or to be appointed as officers.

“After serving in Afghanistan and Kuwait, I knew I wanted to become an officer in the U.S. Army and a leader for all of the great men and women in our armed forces,” Harrison said. “I spent years acquiring the training and skills to serve my country as a lawyer. This should be a no-brainer. It’s frustrating to be turned away by the country I have served since I was 23 years old, especially because my HIV has no effect on my service. It was an honor to be chosen to join the JAG Corps for the D.C. National Guard, and I look forward to my first day on the job.”

OutServe-SLDN is also an organizational plaintiff in this case to advance the interests of its members who are living with HIV and serving in the military. In a companion lawsuit entitled Voe v. Mattis, Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN are representing an anonymous service member living with HIV whom the Air Force refused to commission as an officer after he graduated from the Air Force Academy, despite recommendations from medical personnel to do so.

“Nick’s situation is the perfect example of just how archaic and harmful the military policies regarding people living with HIV really are,” said Scott Schoettes, counsel and HIV project director at Lambda Legal.

The “Deploy or Get Out” policy was announced on Feb. 14 and directs the Pentagon to identify service members who cannot be deployed to military posts outside of the United States for more than 12 consecutive months and to separate them from military service. Because current U.S. military policy identifies service members living with HIV as non-deployable, they could face immediate discharge under this new policy.

Study: closeted men more likely to pass HIV

LONDON — Men who have sex with men but are not open about their sexuality are underestimating their risk of contracting HIV, researchers report in a new study published in the June issue of the Lancet HIV and reported on by the Times of London.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have said that public health messages should be targeted specifically at this “neglected” group. A study found that the men tended to mix with, and acquire infection from, each other ADVERTISIN G not P Rfrom O O openly F and gay men. Potentially fearful of stigmatization or prejudice, ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com) they are unlikely to mix in the same social venues as openly gay men and are not likely to disclose that they have sex with other men, the Times reports.

REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of The men are thought to be less likely to receive prevention messages and are a d v i C e • m e d i a t i o N • L i t i G a t i o N • a P P e a L S • C o L L a B o r a t i o N the date of proof.

Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts NS omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is therefore less aware of their HIV risk. responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users GN can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or EVISIONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any Researchers at the university used a national archive of anonymous data to copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair /LOGO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE study patterns of HIV transmission and they analyzed the genetic code of virus SIONS washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the from more than 60,000 HIV-positive people in the U.K. Scientists were liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. This includes samples but is not limited to placement, by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations payment and insertion schedule. and warranties. able to create networks of linked infections to see how the virus had spread, the Times reports.

Earlier work from the same group suggested that 6 percent of men who FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN claimed to be straight at the time of diagnosis had become infected through sex ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS with men.

The new study found that the group of men identified tended to have fewer sex partners and preferred to partner with each other — behavior that could lead to them underestimating their risk, researchers said. Little evidence was at tor N e YS at L aw • d C | m d | va found of them spreading the infection to openly gay men or straight women, the Times reports.

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VIEWPOINT

VOLUME

49

ISSUE

23

ADDRESS

Debbie Downer ruins Pride Trump, Supreme Court, hate crimes putting a damper on annual festivities

KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade and can be reached at knaff@washblade.com.

Pride remains a time to celebrate LGBTQ progress, visibility and history, but it’s also important to remember that even in 2018 the road to full equality remains filled with obstacles.

At the risk of sounding like SNL’s buzz kill Debbie Downer, let’s review where things stand before we head out for the parades and parties.

Just a year ago, outrage at the Trump administration was so intense that Pride celebrations across the country morphed into Resist marches. Thousands protested Trump’s attacks on the LGBTQ community. And those marches were held under the cloud of the first anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre that killed 49 mostly LGBTQ people in 2016.

Not much has changed in the past year. Trump and Defense Secretary

James Mattis continue to pursue a misguided and hateful ban on transgender service members, despite opposition from courts. Trump has taken executive actions in the name of “religious freedom” that would enable anti-LGBT discrimination and the Justice Department announced a decision to exclude LGBT people from enforcement of federal civil rights law, as the Blade reported. For the second consecutive year, President Trump declined to issue a proclamation recognizing June as Pride month and none of his Cabinet secretaries was expected to speak at any of the agency Pride observations, in stark contrast to the Obama years. Things are so bad at the Pentagon that DOD won’t even acknowledge Pride month for the first time since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed. Many LGBT sources at the federal agencies are afraid to even talk to the Blade on the record about Pride plans.

The State Department, meanwhile, issued a statement recognizing Pride month, even though its new leader, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has a long anti-LGBTQ record and has described gay sex as a perversion.

In other recent developments: • A group of 127 House Democrats is calling on the White House to keep intact an Obama-era rule barring medical providers from denying health care to transgender patients.

• A coalition of HIV organizations is asking insurance commissioners and atE DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

torneys general in all 50 states and D.C. to investigate a practice they say is being adopted by health insurers that’s resulting in excessively high out-of-pocket costs for AIDS and Hepatitis C drugs.

• The Department of Health & Human Services disclosed plans to eliminate a question allowing elders to identity as LGBT on the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants.

• Kansas and Oklahoma enacted antiLGBT “religious freedom” legislation enabling taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to deny placement into LGBT homes.

• A gay U.S. Army chaplain is fighting the deportation of his immigrant husband.

• Tony Perkins, head of an anti-LGBT hate group, was named by Trump to a two-year term on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

• References to LGBT programs and resources have been stripped from government websites across agencies.

• A trans woman died in ICE custody after she was unable to obtain HIV/AIDS medication.

• The Supreme Court this week ruled narrowly in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop, which wants to discriminate against same-sex customers. It wasn’t the sweeping ruling in favor of so-called “religious freedom,” but if Trump gets to appoint Anthony Kennedy’s successor, then all bets are off.

And all of that has happened in just the last month. Locally, the Blade has covered similarly bad news.

• In D.C., there have been three violent hate crime attacks reported on gay men since April. Some victims have been reluctant to speak out or even to report the attacks to police. It’s imperative that victims report these crimes so the community can take precautions and so police can better do their jobs.

• In nearby Delaware, a proposal that would have allowed students to self-identify their gender without parents’ approval was gutted in response to a national campaign led by anti-transgender forces.

• And in Baltimore, two weeks before Pride, Mayor Pugh’s administration has no LGBT liaison and no functioning LGBT commission, as reported by Baltimore Brew.

So as we celebrate our many advances, let’s remember that not all are so fortunate. The situation for LGBTQ immigrants remains dire. Our youth suffer disproportionately from homelessness and bullying. And all of our many gains are at risk under an increasingly authoritarian president who will stop at nothing to line his pockets at the expense of the rule of law.

The resistance must continue until Nov. 6.

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202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 FEATURES EDITOR JOEY DIGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com ext. 8081 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 REPORTER & INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com POP CULTURE REPORTER MARIAH COOPER PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, RICHARD J. ROSENDALL, HELEN PARSHALL, ERNESTO VALLE, NICOLÁS LEVY, BUNMI JOHNSON CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 ACCT. EXECUTIVE JOE HICKLING jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown at 202-747-2077, ext. 8075. Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC All material in the Washington Blade is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Washington Blade. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. Although the Washington Blade is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by the Washington Blade, but the paper cannot take responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit any submission. A single copy of the Washington Blade is available from authorized distribution points, to any individual within a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C. Multiple copies are available from the Washington Blade office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to get to a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 52-week mailed subscription for $195 per year or $5.00 per single issue. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Phil Rockstroh at prockstroh@washblade.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Washington Blade, PO BOX 53352 Washington, DC 20009. The Washington Blade is published weekly, on Friday, by Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. Individual Subscriptions are $195 per year for 52 issues (only $3.75 per issue mailed to you USPS). Rates for businesses/institutions are $450 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Editorial positions of the Washington Blade are expressed in editorials and in editors’ notes as determined by the paper’s editors. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Washington Blade or its staff. To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words; commentaries should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address and phone number for verification.

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VIEWPOINT

D.C. Pride parade? The EU will be there Your European allies are committed to universality of human rights

By DAVID O’SULLIVAN On June 9, thousands will march in Washington, D.C.’s signature Pride Parade, making their way from Dupont Circle to Logan Circle in a swarm of rainbow flags, music and positivity.

We’ll be there.

We’ll be there because discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual people is not an issue that merely requires awareness to be raised – it is at the core of our understanding of human rights.

We’ll be there because the European Union is committed to the universality of human rights, and has reaffirmed its position that cultural, traditional or religious values cannot be invoked to justify dis-

crimination against LGBTI persons. This year, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. No better moment this year in D.C. to show our support to those fighting for human rights worldwide.

We’ll be there because we’re proud of the steps we have already taken. The European Union continues to work proactively with third countries to eliminate violence and discrimination against LGBTI persons, carrying out discreet diplomacy in response to specific cases. We were actively involved in organizing the highlevel #Path2Equality ministerial meeting that was held during the 71st UN General Assembly, which brought together global leaders to discuss LGBTI issues and helping to achieve the inclusion of this topic on the official agenda of the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the EU maintains an internal focus as well, and is happy to have recently developed guidance and face-to-face training for staffs to enhance communi-

cation and combat prejudice.

We’ll be there because we recognize the many steps that are still yet to be taken. Currently, prejudice and misconceptions about homosexuality and transgender people still litter many EU Member States. Under EU law, people who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or gay are protected from discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation – but only in the field of employment. A recent research poll by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency showed that LGBTI people too often face discrimination in all areas of life, which unfortunately results in many individuals choosing to keep their true selves invisible, fearing negative consequences. We must work to extend our efforts, ensuring that LGBTI protection is not only a workplace reality, but a commonplace one.

We’ll be there because we oppose national restrictions of sexual orientation and identity. Currently, same-sex relationships are criminalized in 73 countries, 13 of which see homosexual acts as punishable by death.

Such discrimination is condemned by international law, yet remains an international problem seeking an international solution.

We’ll be there because we believe that this solution can (and should) start with the European Union and the United States. Together, the EU and the U.S. carry an influence that is felt around the world, as we actively seek to promote the ideals of peace, prosperity, and democracy – ideals we both share that we hope to make the global norm. The rights of LGBTI persons are no different.

We’ll be there because we are proud to fly the rainbow flag every May 17 in honor of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. We’ll be there because we are proud to have marched last year, and the year before that.

We’ll be there again this year. And we hope to see you there as well.

DAVID O’SULLIVAN is the European Union Ambassador to the United States.

V I E WPO I N T

Don’t ignore the icing on the cake This was not the win our opponents were praying for

By JON DAVIDSON Many LGBTQ individuals’ immediate reactions on social media to the Supreme Court’s much-anticipated decision in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case expressed alarm and fear. While there are reasons to be concerned about ongoing efforts to pit religious freedom against equal rights, the decision is far better than many people thought it might be and contains much that the LGBTQ community should cheer.

The court ruled 7-2 in favor of the baker who appealed a ruling that he had violated Colorado’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to sell a wedding cake to a samesex couple. Nevertheless, the baker’s victory is extremely narrow.

The Supreme Court refused to endorse the broad constitutional right to discriminate being sought by anti-LGBTQ forces, even in the charged context of weddings.

Rather, it ruled for the baker on grounds unique to his case. The court concluded that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s decision needed to be reversed only because, in the majority’s view, the commission denied the baker neutral and respectful consideration of his claims.

The court pointed to one commissioner

who called the baker’s position “despicable” rhetoric and to what the majority saw as inconsistent reasoning between the commission’s rejection of the baker’s claims and the commission’s acceptance of what the court saw as analogous arguments in other cases.

While one can disagree with that criticism of the commission, it’s hard to disagree that government decision-makers should treat all who come before them fairly, even-handedly, and without hostility.

But the Supreme Court did not stop there. Instead, Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion powerfully reaffirms the conclusion underlying his landmark rulings in Lawrence v. Texas (striking down state sodomy laws), United States v. Windsor (requiring federal recognition of same-sex couples’ marriages), and Obergefell v. Hodges (concluding that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry) that “gay persons and gay couples cannot be treated as social outcasts or as inferior in dignity and worth.”

Indeed, the opinion goes on to conclude that: “For that reason the laws and the Constitution can, and in some instances must, protect them in the exercise of their civil rights. The exercise of their freedom on terms equal to others must be given great weight and respect by the courts.”

Most importantly, the decision un-

equivocally reaffirms the Supreme Court’s 50-year-old precedent that religious or philosophical objections to treating others equally “do not allow business owners and other actors in the economy and in society to deny protected persons equal access to goods and services under a neutral and generally applicable public accommodations law.”

The opinion explains that claims to religious freedom must have narrow limits: “When it comes to weddings, it can be assumed that a member of the clergy who objects to gay marriage on moral and religious grounds could not be compelled to perform the ceremony without denial of his or her right to the free exercise of religion…. Yet if that exception were not confined, then a long list of persons who provide goods and services for marriages and weddings might refuse to do so for gay persons, thus resulting in a community-wide stigma inconsistent with the history and dynamics of civil rights laws that ensure equal access to goods, services, and public accommodations.”

Such constraints on religious exemption claims are necessary, the majority agreed, “lest all purveyors of goods and services who object to gay marriages for moral and religious reasons in effect be allowed to put up signs saying ‘no goods or services will be sold if they will be used for gay marriages,’ something that would impose a serious stigma on gay persons.”

Those are all heady words for a decision over which some, in my view, prematurely hit the panic button.

While the decision leaves much to be resolved for another day, this was not the win our opponents were praying for. No doubt they will double down in their efforts to win exemptions from anti-discrimination laws. We need to do everything we can to fight back against those efforts. At the same time, we have to pass both the federal Equality Act and state laws that provide LGBTQ people protections against discrimination in the 32 states that still lack such express, comprehensive, statutory shields against denials, in the words of the opinion, of our equal “dignity and worth.”

I believe those efforts will be helped, not hindered, by the court’s decision. The opinion affirms that government entities have the authority “to protect the rights and dignity of gay persons who are, or wish to be, married but who face discrimination when they seek goods or services.”

Now, we just need to get them all to clearly do so. Equality demands nothing less, and, this decision reestablishes that the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom does not stand in the way.

JON W. DAVIDSON, former legal director of Lambda Legal, has been a leading LGBT legal rights advocate and constitutional scholar for more than 30 years.

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VIEWPOINT

‘RBG’ doc celebrates life of rock star justice A staunch defender of women’s rights and marriage equality

KATHI WOLFE, a regular contributor to the Blade, was the winner of the 2014 Stonewall Chapbook Competition.

“I couldn’t believe it,” my 70-something cousin told me after a recent visit from her teenage grandson. When they were deciding what movie to see, he told her, “We have to see ‘RBG’! She’s cool!”

I’d believe it in a heartbeat! The coolest, most dope superhero on screen now isn’t the Avengers. It’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a.k.a. RBG, the 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice. Ginsburg, the subject of the engaging new CNN documentary “RBG,” is such a rock star that Lady Gaga is al-

most a warm-up act in her wake. Everyone from third wave feminists to hetero granddads is flocking to see the film. (The doc has grossed over $4 million, Vanity Fair reported. Most documentaries gross less than $1 million.) When I saw it, everyone aged from eight to 80 applauded not only when Ginsburg argues for equal rights (for women and men), but when she, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Super Diva,” pumps iron!

The release of “RBG,” co-directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, coincides with the 25th anniversary of Ginsburg’s appointment to the Supreme Court. (Ginsburg was appointed to the court by former President Bill Clinton in 1993.) As anyone not living on Mars knows, Ginsburg, beloved by liberals, feminists and the LGBTQ community for her support of women and marriage equality, is a popular Tumblr meme. We who are her fans can’t resist calling her the “Notorious RBG.” The moniker, a riff on the rapper Notorious B.I.G., was the title of a book about Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik. “We were both born and bred in Brooklyn,” Ginsburg says of the rapper.

It’s hard to think of Supreme Court jus-

tices as living in this world rather than on Mount Olympus. “RBG,” through interviews with her friends, family and colleagues as well as archival footage of her late husband Martin (Marty), shows Ginsburg in her humanity. Her granddaughter calls her “bubbe,” and Marty says that her cooking is so bad that she’s banned from the kitchen. Whether listening to Ginsburg arguing cases in support of gender equality before the Supreme Court when she was with the American Civil Liberties Union, or watching her laugh as she views Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon’s impressions of herself, we’re seeing a vibrant, brilliant, woman — not an otherworldly monument. (Ginsburg was a ACLU Women’s Rights Project co-founder.)

It’s almost impossible to imagine today how restricted things were for women when Ginsburg came of age. In 1956, Ginsburg was one of only nine women in her class of some 500 men at Harvard Law School. Though she made the Harvard Law Review, the dean asked Ginsburg (and all the women in the class) why she felt justified in taking the place of a man.

In that era, women couldn’t buy property,

wear pants in public in some cities or eat alone in many restaurants.

Without Marty’s steadfast (and, for that time, exceptional) support, it’s unlikely that Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have been able to raise a young daughter while going to law school. “RBG” makes it clear that her husband was instrumental in having his wife nominated to be a Supreme Court justice. Marty was her “New York Philharmonic,” says the couple’s friend and law professor Arthur Miller. “I became the person whose career came first,” Ginsburg says of her marriage.

Without making your eyes glaze over, “RBG” shows how Ginsburg has been a staunch and pioneering defender of women’s rights, marriage equality and reproductive freedom throughout her career — before and after going on the Supreme Court. “I ask no favor for my sex,” Ginsburg says, quoting 19th century abolitionist Sarah Grimke, “All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off our necks.”

In the Trump era, the feet of our brethren are getting closer and closer to our necks. Here’s to RBG! May you be notorious forever!

BR OCK PA PER SCISSOR S

Pride! It irks all the right people And it inspires many others — like my parents

But why Pride, anyway? Some seem to ask this question every year, or at least some variation of it. As the parade rolls past —what’s with all the corporate spon-

factor into our Pride celebrations? I would answer, have you ever met a gay man before? Of course it should. And we can all smile at thinking about Tom Cotton touch-

My parents were so impressed by last year’s Capital Pride that they went back to their little Methodist church and started a local PFLAG chapter.

BROCK THOMPSON is a D.C.-based freelance writer. He writes regularly for the Blade.

I do love this time of year. Rehoboth Beach for Memorial Day is the official start of summer. But as the sunny skies turned to wind and rain, wigs got strewn along and abandoned on the beach and it looked like drag queens had their own sort of Dunkirk moment.

The fun and good feelings rolling out of Rehoboth and Memorial Day roll right back to the District and into Pride.

And it all feels like a holiday that only we get, that we then share with the rest of the city because we’re cool like that. The whole city seems to get in on it. Rainbow stickers, flags, and banners, seem to unfurl overnight.

sorship? All these politicians I’ve never heard of? Well, good questions. And rather than bore you with some exhaustive list of the myriad reasons to pride it out, I’ve come up with simply two.

It irks all the right people. Mike Huckabee, Mike Pence, all of these folks that secretly wish they could dance in the streets at Pride in Washington, D.C., have to resort to bemoaning it, while privately they dance alone to “Blank Space” or something. Though of course this shouldn’t be our No. 1 priority, it is fun to think of that anti-gay baker getting all huffy at the sight of rainbow flags popping up around his neighborhood. And if you ask, should spite

ing the screen of his television as Pride footage is broadcast, while tearfully enjoying some anti-gay cake or something.

It’s still someone’s first Pride. What was your first Pride? Your first in a large city that seemed to pull out all the stops for it?

Those small-town Pride celebrations, those smaller gatherings in student unions and such are of course important. But there is something about stepping off a train and feeling an entire city alive with the energy of Pride, all those gays and lesbians of all shapes and sizes rushing around wishing you a ‘Happy Pride.’ Remember how liberating and joyful it all felt?

Pride is a reminder that our numbers

are greater than we know, and the power and strength that comes from that revelation. If Pride is in danger of becoming rote to you, the same-old-same-old experience, try to remember the gay kid who drove all night to get to D.C. to experience Pride in the nation’s capital. You might not have noticed him, but he certainly saw all of us. And while it’s often hotter than a gym without air conditioning down at the festival, celebrating with the Capitol dome shining in the background is an incredibly important image.

It’s always someone’s first Pride. Last year, that distinction went to my parents.

Coming all the way up from Arkansas to see what Pride was all about. So impressed, enthralled, and taken aback by it all, they went back to their little Methodist church and started a local PFLAG chapter.

That’s how powerful Pride can be.

This all belongs to you, and you belong to it. And while there are certainly growing pains and setbacks all along the way for us, remember that Pride is our city’s largest celebration, and a true celebration of us. So dance in the streets, if for no other reason but to irk Mike Pence.

Happy Pride!

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Pride protesters should join the parade Ruining the day for thousands of others is not how to get what you want

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

What Pride means to you often depends on where you grew up, how your friends and family reacted to your coming out, what your current socio-economic status is, what your race is, and where you are in the world. It can be how you see yourself as part of, or not part of, the LGBTQ+ community.

For many, Pride is now a big party celebrating acceptance by the at-large community. They watch or march in the parade and celebrate where the LGBTQ+ community is today. Many march under the banner of their employers celebrating the recognition and acceptance they have received from them. Others march with groups they support such as PFLAG, GLAAD, the Trevor Project, WhitmanWalker Health, or the Stein Democratic Club. There are politicians who march to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community and others who march with their

church or synagogue to show how welcomed they are.

It is important for everyone to understand while we have come a long way we still have a long way to go for full acceptance in our society. We must also recognize many members of our community have yet to feel the love or acceptance. For people of color, two-spirit, transgender and others, acceptance has not reached the level it has for gays and lesbians who are born to white privilege.

Last year the Pride parade was stopped

this year. But this year they can no longer make the claim they did last year when they said “For years, Capital Pride has ignored the concerns of queer, trans, Black, Latinx, and Two-Spirit communities in D.C. regarding its complicity with entities that harm LGBTQ2S people. Since March 2017, No Justice No Pride has been working to ensure that Capital Pride addresses our concerns, but time and time again we have been dismissed.”

This year they have not been dismissed. They were invited to every meet-

No Justice No Pride has yet to show it represents anyone other than themselves. a number of times by a group calling itself No Justice No Pride. They claim to be “a collective of organizers and activists from across the District of Columbia who exist to end the LGBT movement’s complicity with systems of oppression that further marginalize queer and trans individuals.

Our members are black, brown, queer, trans, gender nonconforming, bisexual, indigenous, two-spirit, formerly incarcerated, disabled, white allies and together we recognize that there can be no Pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” So their method of protesting and calling attention to their issues was to try to ruin the day for everyone else. I question whether it worked for them.

They threaten to do the same thing

ing of Capital Pride. The president of Capital Pride is African American; trans and other members of the group were offered seats on the board. The chief of police in D.C. offered to meet with them and they turned down a meeting.

So this year we must question what their real motive is and whether it is simply more publicity for the few leaders of the group.

No Justice No Pride has yet to show it represents anyone other than themselves.

D.C. has for years had an award-winning MPD Liaison Unit to the community. They are widely respected and their sergeant is a transgender woman. Demanding they be excluded from the parade or telling them they can’t wear the uniform is nonsense. It accomplishes nothing.

I N SI D E LG BT W A SH I N G T O N

I support actions to make life better for the groups they claim to represent.

As a white queer who was closeted until the age of 34, I can never fully know what life is like for someone who isn’t granted white privilege by society as I have been.

But I can be supportive of their efforts and recognize my privilege also comes with a responsibility to help end racism and the structural racism in our society.

I hope the group takes a long look at what their efforts last year accomplished.

What strides did they make and what changed for the people they represent? It is fine to blame others for not listening or doing anything; but every activist leader, no matter what issue they are fighting for, also has a responsibility to look at themselves and to change their tactics if the ones they are using aren’t benefitting the people they claim to be fighting for.

I don’t know what the group calling themselves No Justice No Pride will do this year but I hope they will realize ruining the day for thousands of others is not be the way to get what they want for the people they claim to represent. They may find instead of protesting and trying to stop the parade that if they marched in it they would have hundreds marching with them and will find they are cheered.

Maybe they should hand out flyers along the parade route to thousands explaining what they stand for and educating people who till now don’t recognize many of the valid points they are making. They could find that a more productive way of moving forward the goal of equal justice for all.

V I E WPO I N T

Re-elect Anita Bonds as At-Large Council member A thoughtful, inclusive and balanced approach to public service

By DAVID CATANIA I am writing to share my support for Anita Bonds in her bid for re-election as an At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia. I was proud to serve on the Council for more than 17 years and during that time had the privilege of getting to know Anita in a number of her capacities; as a staff member in multiple mayoral administrations, the chairperson of ANC 5C, the chair of the D.C. Democratic Party, and as a colleague on the Council.

Anita has always impressed me with her thoughtful, inclusive and balanced approach to public service. From my experience working with her, Anita is guided by a genuine desire to improve the lives of all District residents and to expand op-

Council member ANITA BONDS is running for re-election on June 19.

portunities to underserved communities and populations. Like me, she is socially progressive and fiscally responsible.

Well before it was commonplace, Anita was an outspoken and unapologetic ally of the LGBTQ community. Today, she remains a loyal and trusted friend to our community, as evidenced by her legislative record and personal commitment to LGBTQ equality. She recently received a perfect 10 rating from the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance and more votes than any other candidate from the Gertrude Stein Club. In addition, Anita was honored last month at D.C. Black Pride and endorsed

by Ruby Corado for her longstanding support of the transgender community.

Our city is well served by Anita’s honest and compassionate representation. She has earned our support for a second term.

Please vote for Anita Bonds on June 19.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

DAVID CATANIA is a former D.C. City Council member.

E: 01.13.2017

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 33

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CONTESTS ON THE BALLOT: Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives Mayor of the District of Columbia Chairman of the Council At-large Member of the Council Ward Member of the Council for Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6 Attorney General of the District of Columbia United States Senator United States Representative National and Local Party Committee Members Initiative Measure No. 77, the “District of Columbia Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2017”*

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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O U R BU SI N E SS MA T T E RS

D.C. tip-wage initiative exposes unexpected divisions MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur and community business advocate. Follow on Twitter: @ MarkLeeDC. Reach him at OurBusinessMatters@ gmail.com.

When D.C. Council member Vincent Gray announced his opposition to Initiative 77 on Monday, he issued a statement that read, “If Initiative 77 passes, I am concerned it would hurt our tipped workers and discourage restaurants from opening in areas like Ward 7 on the East End of the District.”

His written release may symbolize an evolving awareness now guiding both the haves and the have-nots in a detectable shift toward increasing public disapproval of the voter question.

Gray added that the ballot measure “could also cause cuts in shifts and hours, throwing workers into further economic uncertainty and potentially eliminating jobs.”

Initiative 77 would require bars and res-

taurants, nearly all of whom in the city are locally owned independent small businesses unlike anywhere else in the country, to directly pay the full minimum wage to tipped staff. These employees are currently paid, as in 43 states, a base-wage in addition to tips earned and are guaranteed to earn the full minimum wage in any infrequent instance that the tip-wage and tips do not exceed it, usually by a substantial amount.

Tip-earning bartenders and servers have proven too smart to be tricked by the deceptions, falsehoods, and outlandish claims being served by a national big-money special-interest and union-funded group that has trolled into town to push for passage.

Nightlife and hospitality employees know that upending the economic model of an entire business sector, the second-largest hometown enterprise segment in D.C., will both reduce their actual wages and eliminate current income potential by converting their jobs into ones largely limited to hourlywage earnings. Tipped workers understand it’s really a wage cut in disguise, designed to de-professionalize the occupation.

Gray stated that this proposed change “could easily scare off restaurants from opening because operating costs would be raised,

rendering it difficult if not impossible for restaurants to make ends meet.” The former mayor now representing the mainly workingclass east-side area of the District added that the initiative is “a prescription for failure.”

The respected official and longtime LGBT political ally joined a majority of his colleagues, now numbering eight of the 13 Council members, in urging District voters to reject the ballot measure. Only a solitary Council member, Mary Cheh, has endorsed it. Mayor Bowser is also strongly opposed to the measure, telling voters that tipped workers clearly don’t support it.

Two events in the evening following Gray’s announcement, on opposite ends of an economically divided city, are perhaps emblematic about where the battle over Initiative 77 may be heading in the closing days. All registered voters, including the large number of independents, can vote on the initiative in the primary election on June 19.

The “Ward 3 Democrats” committee, located in sole Council initiative backer Cheh’s tony and upper-income west-side district, narrowly endorsed the ballot initiative by a vote of 21-15 after apparently suspending the rules on the required approval threshold. Local politicos note the political party committee now

has more far-left members, causing observers surprise that the vote was so close.

Simultaneously across town in Southeast D.C., Ward 8 advisory neighborhood commission 8-E unanimously voted to oppose Initiative 77. The community commissioners represent a portion of the working-class and lower-income district with D.C.’s highest unemployment and limited job opportunities or pathways to middle class incomes.

I may not be an objective observer, assisting one of the tipped-worker and venue groups working to defeat the initiative, but I detect a growing divide between slogan-loving hashtag-deploying anti-business leftist zealots and local residents taking a closer look at the initiative and talking with affected workers.

It appears a diverse cross-section of locals with either direct experience or observational awareness are joining with those who know well that wreaking economic havoc on one of the largest employment sources of opportunity for residents of all backgrounds, experiences and skill levels is a really bad idea.

If that’s true, tipped workers might actually win.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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VOLUME

Singer MAX says Pride festivals are his favorite venues to play.

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PHOTO COURTESY CRUSH MUSIC

Masterfully MAX ‘Lights Down Low’ singer loves gay attention — just don’t grab his butt

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Model/actor/singer MAX (aka Max Schneider), 25, didn’t originally think his song “Lights Down Low,” now his signature song, was an obvious single choice from his sophomore solo album, 2016’s “Hell’s Kitchen Angel.”

Four others (“Gibberish,” “Wrong,” “Holla” and “Basement Party”) were released to radio first. “Lights” was released only as a promo single. But

a remix of the song featuring singer gnash became a sleeper hit entering the Billboard Hot 100 a year after its release and eventually earning a Gold RIAA certification. It peaked at no. 20 and the video, which features MAX and wife Emily in an elaborate set piece featuring one angle and a couple’s lifetime of married life over many years, was noted for its detail and special effects.

MAX will perform at the Capital Pride Festival/HOT 99.5 concert Sunday at 2 p.m. on the CAPITOL Concert Stage (3rd & Pennsylvania). It’s free but $50 backstage meet-and-greet passes for MAX (with photo opp) are available through capitalpride.org.

MAX spoke to the Blade by phone last week from his home in the Big Apple.

WASHINGTON BLADE: You were doing a photo shoot today?

MAX: Yeah, we had a little photo shoot and then we’re heading into the studio. It’s just a beautiful sunny day doing all the stuff.

BLADE: How did “Lights Down Low” start to gain steam?

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A RT S & E N T E RT A I N ME N T

MAX found Madonna memorable on D&G shoot CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

MAX: It’s interesting. I always knew it was a really special one and I wanted it to be a single from the beginning but because it’s a ballad and sometimes people are afraid of something that’s not like a surefire uptempo song, it’s maybe a harder sell in some ways. But it was really cool because I always believed in it. It’s the most special song for me, of course, because I wrote it for my wife and proposed to her with it. … People have been slowly come on board over the last two years and realized that it was, maybe more than the other singles, it was awesome to have that — just people continuing to get the message.

BLADE: But how did it gain traction?

When did it first crack the Hot 100?

MAX: It’s been all the little things. It’s everything from my friend gnash joined the song with me about six months after I had released it originally and having him be a part of it brought a new audience to it and it’s all these different things. Amazing people started dancing to it with D-trix and Montana and then people were just putting it out there and listening to it. …

Then we had the Snapchat filter worldwide on Valentine’s Day which really just sort of was unbelievable. It really brought it over the edge, which was amazing. So it was like a series of small things of people just believing in it and all of a sudden, everybody kinda knew the song, which was very humbling and amazing.

BLADE: I understand the video took months of planning, right?

MAX: Yes indeed. It was six months altogether from conception of the idea. … It was such a long process and a lot of that, probably the biggest thing was fighting for the story to be authentic whether that be because the powers that be in music didn’t want me to be open about my relationship with my wife and wanted me to appear single and whatever else, all the cliches in the music world, and I wanted to make sure people knew the story behind it — that I wrote it for her. And then it was about her being in the actual video. I wanted the song to be true to our story down to wearing exactly what we wore when we got engaged to our actual wedding outfits. … People were like, “Oh, it should be some famous DJ from the Netherlands playing your wife,” and I was like, “Screw that — it should

be my actual wife and until everybody is down for that to happen, I’m not gonna make this video.” That’s why it took six months and then like three months to convince everybody to let it be my truth to the vision.

BLADE: You said people were urging you not to be who you were. That’s an interesting phrase — something you’d expect to hear more from a gay singer.

What did you mean?

MAX: Oh, 100 percent — totally.

Everything from what I was supposed to wear. It’s been a lot of things. Like that, it’s a lot of people being, I guess, being out there. I’m a bit eccentric and outright and an energetic kind of person and sometimes people are afraid of something that’s over the edge whether it’s me painting my nails or wearing sequins or all these different things. Everything from the fashion to the story behind it and that’s definitely been something. That’s the biggest message is people don’t have to like you or like who you love or anything like that as long as you love you and people around you are drawn to you because you’re being yourself. Those are the people you want to be with anyway, not the people who think they’re too cool to hand with you because you know, love who you want to love and wear what you want to wear. Those people suck anyway.

They’re boring.

BLADE: So there’s a school of thought that if you’re a hot young singer and you’re married it will pop the fans’ bubble of you being off the market? Even though the odds of them getting with you would have been one in a million, it pops a bubble in their minds knowing you’re married?

MAX: Yes, that was the original fear from the powers that be. But in the end, if I want people who are only loving the music because they think you’re single or you’re on the market — I mean, everybody wants to have that attention, you want as many people to be into your thing as possible, but I’ve accepted that if people aren’t into that because I’m married, then whatever.

Are they gonna come to the shows anyway and be the people who are really invested in the music and message and are stoked that to watch my wife and I sort of be a happy couple and have our sort of ups and downs and be open about that? But yeah, that definitely crossed your mind like, “Oh, man — I hope people don’t not listen to my thing just because of that.”

BLADE: Why do you think you have a gay fan base?

MAX: I grew up in New York City and I went to theater school. I’ve been surrounded by people who are open about their sexuality my entire life so I guess that’s why I’ve always been an ally and an advocate of it because everywhere we go, I’m just always putting that message out there that people should be able to love who they wanna love whether they’re gay, straight, bi, trans or love themselves because when people love themselves and are the most comfortable with themselves, they do the coolest things with their lives and we have a happier world. That’s just something I always believed growing up.

BLADE: But what about “Lights Down Low” resonates with LGBT fans in your opinion? The video is very heteronormative.

MAX: It’s totally because of me being so outright supportive of the community.

It definitely comes from that. The fight of being open with the truth of your own story has connected with people and I have noticed that which is awesome. I love that people have connected with it regardless of sexual orientation.

BLADE: How was Madonna when you did the (2010) Dolce & Gabbana ad/photo shoot? When she’s working is she friendly, imperious, aloof — what?

MAX: She’s super friendly but also — she knows exactly what she wants. My favorite story was the first shot, she walked in with her coconut water in hand, she hands it to an assistant. She was supposed to be playing my mother so she was teaching me how to dance in the bathroom and I was supposed to be like, “Oh, I’m embarrassed, my mother is teaching me how to dance,” and so she danced with me and she was like, “Why are you making those faces?”

And I was like, “I don’t know — I’ll make whatever faces you want me to make, what do you want?” And she grabbed me in the small of the back and she was like, “I’ll teach you how to dance,” and she’s like such a powerhouse. That was sort of the whole day. That story — that’s basically her in a nutshell. There’s kindness there but it’s like her way or the highway and you’re just following her lead and I mean, it was one of the most powerful presences I’ve ever been in. It was really amazing to get that one surreal play date with her. Just awesome.

BLADE: How long did it take? It looked like there were several setups/scenes?

MAX: It was probably 12 hours. I got there like 8 in the morning and I left when it was just getting dark out and it was in the summer so yeah, it was wild. My other favorite story was when we went out in the street we do this shot where I’m carrying groceries and that was unplanned so there was no security for the first time all day. We’re out there and these paparazzi start taking pictures and it’s all crazy and the next day, my dad goes to the gym and picks up a paper and it says on the front page, “Who’s Madonna’s new fetus boyfriend?” And that was why it was so funny. That was her thing. She totally planned it. She knew exactly what she was doing and I was even more impressed that she had learned how to manipulate the media to make sure that her agenda gets out there. That’s a genius skill in itself.

BLADE: Did they let you keep the suit?

MAX: No, I wish. I was so bummed they didn’t let me keep any of this stuff. I was just like, “Can I keep these shoes? I just wore them,” and they’re like, “Nah, nah — we’re taking them back.”

BLADE: What does your pitchfork tattoo symbolize?

MAX: So being from New York, I always kind of represent that acceptance and I like that if you have a symbol and you see somebody else with that same symbol, you know that’s somebody else who has the same beliefs of being who you’re meant to be and accepting people for who they are. And being that I don’t get to be home as much as I’d like, so often I like to make sure that I carry that piece of home with me. I carry that belief, that vision of making sure I don’t fall into other people’s beliefs or accept things that are wrong in the world in other places or that I believe are wrong. That’s sort of the reason it’s so apparent on my arm. I can’t hide it. It’s on my sleeve.

BLADE: Have you played many Pride events before?

MAX: Oh yeah, a ton. I love Pride festivals. They’re the most fabulous humans mostly because of their energy. …

Those are the audiences you want to play for, at least for me. People who are just living their best life. I love all that stuff.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 44

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‘Drag Race’ season 10 favorite to co-headline at Capital Pride Sunday

A RT S & E N T E RT A I N ME N T

The queen has arrived

By MARIAH COOPER mcooper@washblade.com Asia O’Hara took home the titles for Miss Gay USofA in 2007, All American Goddess 2012 and Miss Gay America 2016 but still had to audition three times to compete for the crown on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Hailing from Dallas, the 35-year-old veteran drag queen has now fought her way to the final five on season 10 of the drag competition show and secured her spot as a headliner of the Capital Pride Concert.

O’Hara will perform at the Capital Pride Festival/concert at 7 p.m. on the CAPITOL Concert Stage (3rd & Pennsylvania) as part of the HOT 99.5. It’s free. Details at capitalpride.org.

Speaking with the Washington Blade, O’Hara dished on who she thought went home too soon, the truth behind reality show editing and what it was like getting slapped by RuPaul.

WASHINGTON BLADE: In the beginning of the season you went out of your way to help the other queens during one of the challenges and didn’t leave time for yourself. Do you regret doing that now?

O’HARA: Not at all. My viewpoint in competition is a little different than others. I feel like as long as you make it to the next week, it’s a win. Although it was scary to be that close to the bottom, once I realized that I was not lip-syncing or possibly going home, then I was fine.

It’s like an investment. Sometimes it’s risky and it’s scary at the moment but once you realize that you’re going to be fine and it paid off, then there’s no sense in regretting the risk that you took.

BLADE: Why do you think the judges didn’t connect with your Beyoncé impression in Snatch Game?

O’HARA: The entire goal of the Snatch Game is to make Ru and the judges laugh.

Beyoncé is not somebody that is known for being comedic. On top of that, she no longer does interviews, so it’s hard for people to connect with her personality because people don’t really know her personally. I thought that since her personality is ambiguous it gave me a lot of room to play and do whatever I wanted.

ASIA O’HARA says experience helped her go far on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 10.

Some people that are celebrities just have infectious personalities and they’re successful primarily because people just love them and their personalities. She, unfortunately, is probably not one of them. She’s a celebrity because of her talent. I think that’s why the judges had trouble connecting with her.

BLADE: You were one of the only people that broke down the Vixen’s wall and said you understood where both she

and the others were coming from. Did you feel like she heard you?

O’HARA: Absolutely. I know for a fact that she did. It’s one of those things where approach is everything. I know that she heard me and understood where I’m coming from. I think that I just acknowledged that I understood what she was saying and didn’t think she was just bat crazy is what gave her the ability to be openminded with what I was saying.

PHOTO COURTESY PROJECT PUBLICITY

BLADE: What’s your relationship like with her now?

O’HARA: It’s great. We don’t talk all the time but we text back and forth about funny stuff and talk about our goals in the future. Every time we see one another we hang out. I was recently in Chicago, which is where she lives, and she came out to the show and we hung out in the dressing room. Honestly, it’s no different than CONTINUES ON PAGE 40

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 39

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A RT S & E N T E RT A I N ME N T

Asia says ‘Drag Race’ experience is fairly edited CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

queens. What was it like watching her approach the competition as a more seasoned queen?

O’HARA: It was great. The thing about Aquaria is that although she’s young, she’s more mature than most 21-yearolds and more mature than I was at that age. She’s very talented. It’s refreshing to see someone so young, so talented and so self-aware about their art. Of course when I found out how old she was I didn’t know what to expect. But as the competition progressed and I got to know her I was thrilled to know she was only 21.

how it always was. Other than that brief moment where she was obviously upset that I said her name for who I thought should go home. But we’ve always had a great relationship.

BLADE: Where do you get your life wisdom from?

O’HARA: I don’t think that I’m wise. I was older than everybody. I think that’s just how that works. Mayhem (Miller) and I were the two oldest contestants. “Drag Race” was a new avenue for me but I’ve done drag in multiple facets of the community.

Pageants, being a showgirl, being a backup dancer, being a show director, doing charity drag and now a reality show.

So I’ve seen drag from multiple points of view. I think it’s sometimes easier for me to understand and communicate in the world of drag because I don’t have just a one-sided perspective of what drag is or should or should not be.

BLADE: Another memorable moment in the season was when you got accidentally slapped by RuPaul. What was that like?

O’HARA: To be honest, it was quite fun because it was so great to see her so concerned. She legitimately for a split second was concerned that I was hurt.

She didn’t know what direction that was about to go in. That to me was the funnest part just to see how nervous she was. She was like, “Oh my god is she about to act a fool? Are we going to have to go stop the cameras so she can see the medic?”

That was the funnest part for me because she’s completely in control of every aspect of the competition. So to see her in that brief moment not know what was about to happen was quite refreshing.

BLADE: How do you feel about the way the show has been edited versus how it felt in the moment? Do you think you were fairly represented?

O’HARA: I think everybody is always fairly represented. People love to say that editing changes things. They basically take two or three days worth of filming and condense them into 78 minutes of footage. I feel like everything has been completely accurate for me and everyone.

There were times I was terrible in the competition and it accurately showed that. There were times I was great in the competition and it was accurate as

ASIA O’HARA says Capital Pride audiences will see another side of her this weekend.

PHOTO COURTESY PROJECT PUBLICITY

well. The editing has been exactly how I remember things happened.

her talent level, she was another person I could see making it to the end.

BLADE: Was there anyone that you felt went home too early?

O’HARA: Absolutely. Now, when I say someone went home too early I’m saying they had more to offer the competition. I’m not saying I don’t feel like they deserved to go home based on what they presented that week. But two people I saw going further in the competition were Blair St. Clair and Monét X Change. Blair was one of the only people that on day one I thought to myself, “Clearly, she’s top four material.”

I was really shocked when she went home close to halfway through. Monét X Change also had some great moments. I was surprised that she didn’t make it. Not initially, but as I got to know her and see

BLADE: Speaking of Blair St. Clair, how did you feel when she opened up about her sexual assault? Did it just come out of nowhere?

O’HARA: It didn’t come out of nowhere.

The lead question that prompted that may have gotten missed I don’t recall how that happened in person. As we got to know Blair personally, we knew that there was something there. Unfortunately, what you don’t get to see on television, in any reality competition, is sometimes just being in the same room with someone and having a conversation with them you feel like you need to ask them, “Something else on your mind?”

BLADE: Aquaria is one of the younger

BLADE: Was there any moment that didn’t make the cut featuring you that you wish viewers had seen?

O’HARA: Not really. There are more moments that I forgot happened that I was pleasantly surprised with. One logistic thing that probably just wouldn’t have made sense on television is that during the “Breastworld” challenge when I was playing the Para Salin character, the first half of that challenge they went through multiple times. I was sitting on the sidelines for probably 45 minutes before it got to my part because I was the last character to enter the scene. When I entered the scene the judges just erupted into laugher because I think they forgot I was even there because I was off to the side while they were working with the other girls. I thought that might make the cut but it probably was something production wise than it was an actual piece of the story. I think Michelle (Visage) even said “Oh my god, I completely forgot you were sitting over there.”

BLADE: What can people expect from your Capital Pride performance?

O’HARA: I call myself a chameleon queen. I don’t travel around the world presenting the same creative ideas that I presented in the competition because I feel like people like to be surprised and like something fresh and new. People can expect to be pleasantly surprised and see something that is authentically Asia but not something they’ve seen already on television.

ASIA O’HARA Capital Pride Concert Sunday, June 10 7 p.m.

Capitol Concert Stage 3rd and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Free admission capitalpride.org

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Keri Hilson ready for some ‘Pretty Girl Rock’ at Capital Pride Grammy-nominated hitmaker is psyched for D.C. energy

By GRACE PERRY After a seven-year hiatus dedicated to her personal health and well-being, Keri Hilson is back in the spotlight once again.

The 35-year-old Georgia native has had an impressive singer/songwriter career.

She began her career writing hit songs like Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” and Ciara’s “Like a Boy,” and has since had several Billboard Hot 100 songs of her own.

Released in 2009, her debut studio album “In a Perfect World…” boasts two of these songs: hit singles “Knock You Down” and “Turnin Me On.” This album also earned Hilson her first two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The following year, she released “No Boys Allowed” with the platinum single “Pretty Girl Rock” which has 100 million listens across Spotify and YouTube.

Hilson will perform at the Capital Pride Festival/concert at 5 p.m. on the CAPITOL Concert Stage (3rd & Pennsylvania) as part of the HOT 99.5. It’s free. Details at capitalpride.org.

Hilson called the Blade from Atlanta where she had just returned from a trip to Mexico. She was leaving for L.A. Pride the following day, her final trip before coming to D.C. for Capital Pride. Her comments have been slightly edited for clarity and length.

WASHINGTON BLADE: You mentioned that you’re doing L.A. Pride as well. Have you done other Pride concerts in the past or is this the first year that you’re doing the circuit?

KERI HILSON: Oh no … we’ve done Atlanta a few times, we’ve done Indianapolis last year. Throughout the years, whenever my schedule allows me to do it, I make sure I come out.

BLADE: What has that experience been like, and why do you like to do Pride concerts?

HILSON: You know what, there’s just a freedom in the air, you know, there’s such a good vibe; the energy is always just perfect. I don’t know, I think it’s just the fun. Ever since the first one I did here in Atlanta, maybe seven or eight years ago or maybe even longer than that … it’s just the energy. Like I said, freedom in

KERI HILSON recently spoke out about her personal battle with depression.

PHOTO COURTESY CAPITAL PRIDE

the air, everyone is just completely being themselves — just loud and proud — and I just love that. I love that energy.

BLADE: You also supported the It Gets Better campaign. What inspires you to be an LGBT ally?

HILSON: Well, I think it’s important that people understand that everyone is human and everyone is entitled to believe what they believe, live how they wanna live, love who they wanna love. I mean, that just goes with my beliefs in general about humans — whatever their choices are, whatever their fascinations or preferences are, we all are different human beings and we’re all made to be unique. I don’t know why that’s so hard for the world to grasp. … There’s so much scrutiny and it forces the LGBT community …(to) feel afraid and ashamed to be who they are. … There’s no reason we should live in the closet about anything. We should be who we are; we were made to be unique, we were made the way we are. … It saddens me when I hear stories about — especially the youth — who are trying to figure it out and they may be withdrawn from society in a real way. That just makes me really sad. So, I think that’s my main reason, is just we’re all allowed to be who we are; there’s no person who’s better than another person based on anything.

BLADE: What do you have planned for Capital Pride? Any new material?

HILSON: It’s possible, but I’m not sure at this time, so we’ll just have to wait and see. But I will say we’re gonna have a great time, it’s gonna be a very energetic show, I’m gonna be doing the hits for sure. I just look forward to giving my all and just going hard and making everyone feel the love that I’m gonna feel on stage, I already know, I’ve done it a few times, so I’m just excited to give and receive the love, that’s all. And I love D.C. too.

BLADE: Any updates about the upcoming release of “L.I.A.R.,” your next album?

HILSON: Well, no, but I’m handling the business first. It’s really important to me to make great business decisions, and that has afforded me the luxury of taking my time, the luxury of not having to rush. … I’m really grateful that I’ve made great business decisions in the past, so I just have to handle this first, and then I’m ready to go. Once we handle this, I’m pushing the button, so it should not be long. I can’t wait. I know my fans are waiting and I know people are anticipating and I’m here for them, I hear them. I feel the same, I’m ready, it’s just that I pride myself on doing good business, and that’s just the thing that has to happen first.

BLADE: How did you come to share

your story on the panel for “Silence the Shame” (an initiative working to fight mental health stigma)?

HILSON: As I’m sitting here listening to you ask questions, I’m realizing how much it relates to the community that we’re talking about. I think that there is a lot of depression in the LGBTQ community, so it’s just now becoming aware to me that they can also relate to what I was going through, though it was not the same exact struggles. So, there is purpose in it. I hope that people will understand that they are not alone; we all have an inner struggle. … Since that panel, which was the first time I had ever spoken about it, I’ve realized how impactful it was and how impactful talking about it can be and should be for others, just from the outpour of support and people that related to it. I didn’t expect any of that; these days you expect ridicule. I’ve had a couple here-and-there of, “Oh that’s fake depression, you’re rich and famous,” and I’m like, “Yeah, yeah you don’t get it.” But for the most part, the purpose is in how many people can relate and how many don’t feel alone, and I think that’s what it was all about for me. You know, God wrote my story and I believe he wanted me to share it and that’s the reason why.

BLADE: How do you plan to continue promoting mental health awareness?

HILSON: I plan on doing it through my foundation. … A big part of my foundation deals with mental health and physical health as well — just health in general — through the arts, through physical health meaning sports, physical education and things like that and we plan on giving donations in schools because I believe that the arts are a very powerful tool for our mental health you know, finding an outlet — it being an outlet of expression.

We go through different traumas, people have different life stories, but if you’re unable — you can’t find a way — or you’re not exposed to the importance of expression then you know, that to me is a very sad situation so we want to give education where it’s needed, tools where they’re needed, instruments for the arts, visual and audible arts and things like that.

So that’s where I’m attacking that through the foundation from this point forward because it is a big part of my heart; you’ve seen the tearful story, you’ve heard my words and I’m super sincere about helping women find their way — women in particular and children — finding their way through life and through difficulties of life using the arts.

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 43

OFFICIAL CAPITAL PRIDE AND PARTNER EVENTS

PRIDE CELEBRATION2018 THE MANY ELEMENTS OF US!

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 EARTH, WIND, GLITTER, & FIRE – THE OFFICIAL OPENING NIGHT PARTY PRESENTED BY BYT AND CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE

CASA RUBY’S THE SEVEN DEADLY SIN 6TH IN THE CITY SHABBATT: NATIONAL PRIDE EDITION DC FRONT RUNNERS PRIDE RUN 5K SALVATION CHA CHA PRIDE WITH DJ ABEL

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 IGNITE – THE OFFICIAL FRIDAY NIGHT AFTER PARTY PRESENTED BY WERQ

“CRACK OF NOON” PRIDE BRUNCH

HOST ED BY HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN AND MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

PRIDE AT THE WHARF

WASHINGTON BLADE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LURe DC AND THE WHARF DC

PRIDE – THE DAY PARTY AT THE PARK PRESENTED BY DARYL WILSON PROMOTIONS

THE BLOCK PARTY

PRESENTED BY MCDONALDS

CAPITAL PRIDE PARADE

PRESENTED BY MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 PRIDE YOUTH DANCE

HOSTED BY SMYAL

CAPITAL TRANS PRIDE POOL PARTY

HOSTED BY VIDA FITNESS AND PENTHOUSE POOL CLUB

NATIONAL PRESENTING ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 DC BLACK PRIDE POOL PARTY

HOSTED BY VIDA FITNESS AND PENTHOUSE POOL CLUB

FUSE: CAPITAL PRIDE’S WOMEN’S MAIN EVENT PRESENTED BY TAGG MAGAZINE, LURe DC AND CAPITAL PRIDE

SIN: CAPITAL PRIDE’S OFFICIAL MEN’S PARTY PRESENTED BY DISTRKT C

CHERRY PRESENTS PAGANO AT DC PRIDE

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 ACTION! OFFICIAL CAPITAL PRIDE AFTER HOURS PRESENTED BY THE CHERRY FUND

CAPITAL PRIDE FESTIVAL

PRESENTED BY LIVE! CASINO HOTEL

CAPITAL PRIDE CONCERT

PRESENTED BY HOT 99.5 PRIDE RADIO BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMERICAN AIRLINES AND BILLBOARD

CAPITAL SUNSET DANCE PARTY COBALT PRESENTS THE CAPITAL PRIDE OFFICIAL PRIDE CLOSING PARTY REPENT WITH OSCAR VELAZQUEZ PRESENTED BY DISTRKT C

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13 35TH ANNIVERSARY PRIDE INTERFAITH CELEBRATION

BY CENTER FAITH

FRIDAY, JUNE 15 DISTRICT OF PRIDE: DC’S PREMIER LGBTQ PERFORMANCE ARTISTS

PRESIDENTIAL ADVOCATES

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS VIST

CAPITALPRIDE.ORG

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MAX blending solo/Party Pupils tunes for Pride

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

as they look in some of your photos? How do you maintain that?

MAX: I just kind of dance around at shows. I eat a lot of food and I just dance around. I’m sure eventually I’ll have to do a lot more tan that, but I just kind of wiggle around and try to keep in shape.

BLADE: You have a band or sing with tracks? How long is your set?

MAX: A little bit of both. My partner Ryan, he plays keytar live, we have, you know, talk box, guitar, a lot of fun instruments and then there’s a lot of tracks and stuff too but it’s between 30 minutes and an hour and we like to bring as much energy as possible. I like to call it an emotional party. We got “Lights Down Low,” which kind of gives you the feels, then we do our rendition of “Ms. Jackson,”

by OutKast and all the more sort of hyped-up songs like “Holla,” “Basement Party.” I like people forgetting about everything in their own world and falling into this world of the show. That’s always our biggest want to have people just like lose themselves in this environment.

BLADE: Launching this whole career on the indie route but also having success with Billboard and getting radio airplay and so on, have you often bumped up against the industry gatekeepers, like when you reference the powers that be earlier. What’s that been like?

MAX: No, I just try honestly to give love to people who support us. I think it’s easy to want to suck up to people who can help you but I think you should just take time to be kind to everybody whether they can help you or not. That’s the policy I’ve tried to keep regardless of where things get to.

I give love to anybody whether it’s Spotify or Apple or radio stations. If they’re giving us love, I try to give as much as I can back.

BLADE: Oh, so you’ll be doing some Party Pupils (his side venture with Ryan Siegel) stuff too then?

MAX: Oh yeah, you know it baby.

We’re stoked.

■ A LONGER VERSION OF THIS INTERVIEW IS AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BLADE: So is MAX and Party Pupils always sort of running parallel or is one sometimes front burner, the other back burner? How does it roll?

MAX: We try to balance them equally.

When MAX was going for radio and stuff like that, it sort of was the leader but since Ryan’s always with me, we try to incorporate Party Pupils as much as possible and bring that funky energy.

BLADE: Can you truthfully say, though, that a sea of gay men out there thinking you’re hot at a Pride event doesn’t weird you out even maybe one or two percent?

MAX: Oh no, not at all. It’s the best. I love the energy. At the last Pride festival, I did have a drag queen give me a real solid butt slap which, you know, don’t slap anybody you don’t know. But other than that, as long as there’s no physical butt slap, I love all the love. I love giving love to everybody. That was definitely a hilarious one, though because she really just grabbed one butt cheek and I was just like, “All right — that’s hilarious, but also, please don’t grab my butt cheek.

My wife would not be happy about any human grabbing my butt cheek.”

BLADE: That does sound like a bit much.

CAPITOL CONCERT STAGE (3rd & Pennsylvania Ave.) MCs: Jerry Houston and Destiny B. Childs 1-2 p.m.: Gay Men’s Chorus/Kim Petras 2-3 p.m.: Kristina Kelly and the Cobalt Cast/ MAX 3-4 p.m.: Damarcko Price/Ella Fitzgerald/ Michi/DJ Twin 4-5 p.m.: Ladies of Town/Mykul Jay Valentine/ Freddie’s Follies/The Boy Band Project 5-6 p.m.: DJ Twin/Keri Hilson 6-7 p.m.: Troye Sivan 7-8 p.m.: Asia O’Hara from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”/Alessia Cara 8-10 p.m.: DJ Tracy Young DUPONT DANCE TENT (6th and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) Noon-1 p.m.: DJ Henry Thrill 1-2 p.m: Tim Jackson 2-3 p.m.: DJ Sidekick 3-4 p.m.: Alex DB 4-5 p.m.: DJ Andre Gutarra 5-6 p.m.: DJ Mike Reimer 6-7 p.m.: DJ Strikestone

MAX says balancing his solo material with his side project Party Pupils keeps him musically stoked.

PHOTO COURTESY CRUSH MUSIC

MAX: Yeah, it was but as long as it’s not too much, I’m always down with love.

I’m a very loving person and it’s beautiful

having that transfer of energy.

BLADE: Are your abs always as popping

MONUMENT FESTIVAL STAGE (6th and Constitution Ave., N.W.) Noon-1 p.m.: DJ Jerry Jones/The CooLots 1-2 p.m.: Kristen Ford/Jourdan Frost/Baron/ RYALS 2-3 p.m.: Cheer D.C./Chris Urquiaga/Pitches Be Crazy/DJ Henry Thrill 3-4 p.m.: Brody Ray/Billy Winn/Cobalt Pride Idol Winner/D.C. Front Runners/Sub-Radio 4-5 p.m.: Resurrecting Queenz/Niva the Soul Diva/Miss Kelli/SongRise/Shemuwel 5-6 p.m.: DJ Henry Thrill/AhSa-Ti Nu/Chris Chism/PRIMME/Heather Mae 6-7 p.m.: Leonardo Martinez/Dorothy Milone/ Alise King/DJ Henry Thrill

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JESSE GARCIA Describe your dream wedding.

Being Ricky Martin’s third and final husband.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Jesse Garcia’s LGBT activist cred runs long and deep.

In 2000, he joined the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas. He was on the board of National Stonewall Democrats (2006-2008) and is a former secretary of the Gertrude Stein Democrats. He also started the first LGBT LULAC (League of United Latin-American Citizens) council (the Dallas Rainbow Council) in 2006, which worked on both LGBT and Latinx issues. Garcia is now president of the gay LULAC council in Washington, which he helped launch in 2014.

That group is hosting two free workshops on citizenship (June 16 and 19) at the Marvin Center (800 21st St., N.W.) at George Washington University (details at lulaclambda.org).

Garcia also has his own weekly podcast “The Jesse Garcia Show,” which features LGBT Latinx folks “who are doing amazing things” in politics, culture and art.

And during the 2008 presidential election, he was one of five national co-chairs of Obama Pride, a national voter outreach effort for LGBT Americans, which he says was a “dream come true for this boy from the border.”

He followed that working in Dallas as a special assistant for the Administration for Children and Families from 2008-2011.

“You should leave the world a better place for the next generation,” the 46-year-old Brownsville, Texas native says. “Every LGBTQ and immigrant child should grow up in a safe home and neighborhood where they feel whole, complete and loved. I want to create that society. I want to normalize that in our culture. I want these children to never feel less than.”

For his efforts, Garcia has been named one of this year’s Capital Pride Heroes along with Gregory A. Cendana, Patrick Grady, Jorge Hernandez and Samantha Master. Karen Kendra Holmes and Linda Roberts get this year’s Engendered Spirit Awards. The Gala was held Thursday night.

Garcia works by day as a writer/editor for the Department of Commerce. He came to Washington in 2011 for a presidential appointment. He’s single and lives in Shaw. Garcia enjoys kickball, volunteering and podcasting in his free time.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

I’ve been out since 1991. My mother was the hardest to come out to. I had to wait a whole decade to eventually tell her. One day she asked me for a computer with internet access. I had to book a ticket and fly down to tell her before she Googled my name and saw that I was a big gay activist who lived nine hours away from her.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

Cleve Jones. He advocated for LGBTQ and AIDS causes. He now works with unions and helps Latinx immigrants with labor issues.

What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?

Town Danceboutique. Thank you for the awesome memories!

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

All my issues are LGBT issues.

Reproductive rights, immigration rights, gun violence, poverty, hunger, voting rights and the environment.

What historical outcome would you change?

The AIDS epidemic. We lost so many kind souls, smart people and forward thinkers. If the spread of this disease had been prevented early on, I strongly believe our nation would have been a nicer, more tolerant place by now. Our civil rights movement would have been further along.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

Madonna. Her female empowerment, sexual positivity, ambition, and embracing of LGBTQ culture provide me so many cues on how to be a badass. Her iconic music, especially her “Truth or Dare” documentary showing openly gay dancers being creative, handsome and smart, came out during an important time of my life. I had never seen positive images of gay people before.

It allowed me to believe that there was a future for me being gay.

On what do you insist?

Acceptance

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

“Watching the series premiere of Pose FX. Love the telling of stories long ignored, the ‘80s house and dance music and families that we choose.”

If your life were a book, what would the title be?

“Press Tres for Spanglish” If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

I would welcome all the

new gay folks into our family.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

I don’t. You got one life.

Make the most of it.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

We all have a place in the movement.

1. Work with each other and don’t try to undermine each other. 2. Check your egos at the door. So many people are depending on you. 3. Use your powers for good.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

My mother and sister’s health.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

That we are self-absorbed.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

Not necessarily an LGBT movie, but it really moved me because one of its characters. “I Like It Like That” came out in 1994 about the struggles of a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. It had a beautiful performance by supporting cast member Jesse Borrego who played Alexis, the transgender sister that dominates each scene. Be prepared to laugh and cry.

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Brunch

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Stonewall Kickball Championship.

Come on Ball Busters!

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

All the worrying, late night studying, holding down multiple part-time jobs, trusting your gut instinct and doing the right thing will eventually pay off.

Why Washington?

I love my country, working for the cause, politics and learning more about our history. Of course, I would end up here.

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 51

“HIV, life’s a game, and with treatment, I’m winning it day by day.”

Christopher - Washington, DC Living with HIV since 1987.

HIV

TREATMENT

WORKS

I was only 16 years old when I discovered that I was born with HIV. My mother passed away from the disease, but until getting tested at a community health fair, I had no idea, that I too, was living with HIV. Within a few months of my diagnosis, I got on treatment to control my viral load. Since then, I’ve stayed on treatment and in good health. Getting tested saved my life and I’ve used my experience to help youth learn about HIV prevention, testing and fighting stigma. Today, I enjoy friends, family and living life to the fullest. Christopher 1, HIV 0.

Get in care. Stay in care. Live well. cdc.gov/HIVTreatmentWorks

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DC Housing Expo & Home Show w

Saturday, June 9, 2018 | 10 am - 3 pm |

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The Event Code is 2018expo.

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Pride 24-7 (well — almost!)

Coming days jam packed with concerts, parade, festival, nightlife and more

By MARIAH COOPER Pride Month kicks off with plenty of events in D.C., Maryland and Virginia throughout June.

Jackson 20 (480 King St., Alexandria, Va.) hosts Rainbow Doggy Happy Hour every Tuesday in June from 4-7 p.m.

There will be pup-tinis and doggie treats for the dogs and happy hour cocktails for the owners. For more information, visit jackson20restaurant.com.

D.C. Front Runners hosts its sixth annual D.C. Pride Run 5K at Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.) on Friday, June 8 at 7 p.m. After the race, there will be a Finish Line Party with beer for race participants, a live DJ, entertainment and awards for the race’s top performers. This year’s race benefits the Team D.C. StudentAthlete Scholarship, the Wanda Alston Foundation, Casa Ruby LGBT Community Center and SMYAL. For registration details, visit dcfrpriderun.com.

Capital Pride hosts its “Crack of Noon” Pride Brunch at Human Rights Campaign (1630 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) on Saturday, June 9 from 11:30 a.m.2:30 p.m. There will be gourmet brunch tasting stations and complimentary mimosas and vodka drinks. Pride Parade grand marshals, Pride honorees and other Pride 2018 specials guests will attend. Tickets are $50. Guests must be 21 and over. For more information, visit facebook.com/capitalpridedc.

Washington Blade hosts Pride on the Pier at Wharf D.C. (1100 Main Ave., S.W.) on Saturday, June 9 from noon-3 p.m.

The Pride Parade pre-party will feature specially themed cocktails at a waterfront beer and wine garden and a live DJ. Admission is free. For more details, visit facebook.com/washingtonblade.

Outserve SLDN hosts Pride in the

Sky, a Capital Pride Parade watch party, at Dupont Circle Hotel (1500 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.) on Saturday, June 9 from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $100 and include an open bar and hors d’oeuvres.

For more information, visit outservesldn.org.

Anyone may walk with Mayor Muriel Bowser in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 9. Participants will meet at 23rd and P Streets at 3:30 p.m. RSVP at 2018CapitalPrideParade.eventbrite.com.

The Capital Pride Parade kicks off at P and 23rd Streets N.W. and runs through 14th and R Streets on Saturday, June 9 at 4:30 p.m. A family area will be located on Stead Field and a block party with a beverage garden and entertainment will take place adjacent to the parade route.

For details, visit capitalpride.org/parade.

D.C. Black Pride hosts a pool party at Penthouse Pool Club at the Yards (1212 4th St., S.E.) on Saturday, June 9 from 7-10 p.m. There will be cocktails and a DJ spinning tracks. Admission is $10. For more information, visit facebook.com/ dcblkpride.

Capital Trans Pride hosts its second annual Trans Pride Pool Party at Vida Fitness (1612 U St., N.W.) on Saturday, June 9 from 7:30-11 p.m. Taylor Lianne Chandler and Consuella Lopez will host the event. Light food will be provided.

The first 100 attendees will receive a free drink ticket. Admission is free but tickets are required. For more details, visit facebook.com/capitaltranspride.

Freddie’s Beach Bar (555 23rd St. S Arlington, Va.) presents Freddie’s Follies Drag Show on Saturday, June 9 at 8 p.m.

Karaoke starts at 10 p.m. Cover is $5.

Reservations are recommended. For more information, visit freddiesbeachbar.com.

LURe D.C. hosts Fuse, the Capital Pride Main Women’s Event, at Biergarten Haus (1355 H St., N.E.) on Saturday, June 9 from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ Jai Syncere and DJ Honey will play music. Drink specials run all night. Cover is $15. For more information, visit facebook.com/lurewdc.

Distrkt C hosts SIN, Capital Pride’s official Saturday night men’s event, at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) on Saturday, June 9 from 10 p.m.- 6 a.m.

Suzanne Palmer will perform. The Perry Twins and Deanne will play music. Tickets are $65. Attendees can also purchase the combo pass for $75. The pass includes entry to Sin and Distrkt C’s REPENT party on Sunday, June 10. For more information, visit distrktc.com.

Mixtape hosts a Pride party at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Saturday, June 9 from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ Matt Bailer, DJ Keenan Orr and DJ Tezrah will spin tracks all night.

Admission is $10. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit 930.com.

Women’s Strength Coalition hosts Pull for Pride D.C., a deadlift-only fundraising event for Casa Ruby, at Balance Gym (1339 Green Ct., N.W.) on Saturday, June 9 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Lifters will receive three standard attempts. All gender identities and experience levels welcome. Flights will be determined by first attempts. For more information, visit pullforpride.com.

The Queer Enough Portrait project opens at 1314 Half/Gallery (1314 1/2 9th St., N.W.) on Sunday, June 10 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The exhibit includes photos from photographer Fid Thompson who photographed members of the local LGBT community. Thompson interviewed participants on what queerness means to them and also included handwritten drawings and words from each individual.

The exhibit is also open on Thursday, June 14; Sunday, June 17; and Thursday, June 21. Admission is free. For more details, visit facebook.com/1314halfgallery.

The Capital Pride Festival takes place on Pennsylvania Avenue from 7th to 3rd Streets N.W. on Sunday, June 10 from noon-10 p.m. Exhibitors, including local community groups, businesses and organizations, will be on display from noon-7 p.m. Food and beverage vendors will be open from noon-9:30 p.m.

Entertainment runs from noon-10 p.m.

and includes headlining acts Troye Sivan, Alessia Cara, MAX, Keri Hilson, Kim Petras and Asia O’Hara. The concert will be followed by the Sunset Dance Party from 8-10 p.m. Concert is free. VIP tickets are available for $150 and include a private bar, complimentary beer and wine and more. VIP ticket proceeds benefit Capital Pride Alliance and LGBT partner organizations. For more information, visit capitalpride.org/events/concert-2018.

Distrkt C hosts Pride: REPENT at Ultrabar (911 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, June 10 from 8 p.m.-2 a.m. DJ Alex Cabot, DJ Oscar Velazquez, DJ Matt Bailer, DJ StrikeStone, DJ Devon Trotter and NightFlight (DJs Omar Martinez and Wade Hammes) will spin tracks. Tickets are $40. Attendees can also purchase the combo pass for $75. The pass includes entry to REPENT and Distrkt C’s SIN party on Saturday, June 9. For details, visit distrktc.com.

Center Faith hosts its 35th annual Capital Pride Interfaith Service at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington (474 Ridge St., N.W.) on Wednesday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. The service’s theme will be “Looking Back, Looking Forward.” Speakers will include the founders of the service Joe Pomper, Allan Armus and Charles Kenner. The LOVE Gospel Choir and Interfaith Community Choir will perform. Event is free. For more information, visit thedccenter.org/ events/prideinterfaithservice.

Brentwood Gay Pride Day is Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Bartlett Park (4300 39th Pl., Brentwood, Md.).

There will be a picnic with hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and salsa and soft drinks.

Guests are invited to bring a covered side dish to share. For more information, visit brentwoodmd.gov.

The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs presents District of Pride, a showcase

by LGBT performing artists, at Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Friday, June 15 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more details, visit lgbtq.dc.gov.

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EVERY SATURDAY | 7PM

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“

We do it because we want to encourage more people to test for HIV. We need young people to stand up and make their health a priority.

”

— Benjamin and Christopher

WE’RE

DOING IT Testing for HIV

#DoingIt

Testing is Fast, Free, and Confidential cdc.gov/DoingIt

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TREAT YOURSELF TO A SWEET NEW RIDE. Join DARCARS® and tens of thousands of people at Capital Pride this year.

DARCARS will be at the Pride Parade Saturday June 10th, 2017 4:30PM - 7:30PM Parade route: Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods, Washington, DC

Come ride our mechanical bull at our booth and enter to win a pair of tickets to see Britney Spears!

Visit DARCARS at the Pride 2017 Festival, Booth #435, near the Capitol Stage Sunday June 11th, 2017 12:00PM - 7:00PM

OFFICIAL AUTOMOTIVE PROVIDER OF PRIDE PARADE

DARCARS.com

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‘United We Shine’ is 2018 Baltimore Pride theme

Charm City event next weekend features parade, festival, entertainment and more

By ABBY WARGO

The GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland is celebrating the beginning of Pride month with Baltimore’s official Pride festivities June 15-17.

This year’s theme is United We Shine, which according to organizers represents transforming fear into empowerment and celebrating commonalities and differences in the community.

In 2017, about 30,000 people attended.

The official Pride events directly benefit the center and will help fund more than 40 programs that serve around 800 sexual and gender minority individuals every month in Baltimore.

The festivities begin Wednesday, June 13 with Wine’d Up Wednesday at Flavor (15 E Centre St.) from 6-10 p.m. There will be a wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction. The Maryland LGBT Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the OUTNetworking Loft on the third floor.

Tickets are $40 in advance on Eventbrite and $45 at the door.

The center’s annual benefit evening Twilight on the Terrace is on Friday, June 15 at Gertrude’s at the Baltimore Museum of Art Sculpture Garden from 7-11 p.m. Guests can dance, eat and drink craft cocktails from Gertrude’s and Hendrick’s Gin. Special guests include emcee WJZ-TV anchor Jessica Kartalija, Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh and Gertrude’s owner and chef John Shields.

Performers include Baltimore Pride parade grand marshal and “The Voice” finalist Davon Fleming and Miss Gay Maryland USA Summer Knight. Tickets are $125 on Eventbrite.

The Rainbow Lot, formerly known as the Lez Lot, will be open from 11 a.m.8:30 p.m. In the parking lot behind Graffiti Alley (1915 N. Howard St.). Food trucks such as Jurassic Pork and Kona Ice will be stationed. Tickets are $20 on Eventbrite.

The Pride Parade is on Saturday, June 16 from 1-3 p.m. The parade begins at N. Charles and 33rd St. next to Wyman Park, proceeds 11 blocks, and ends at N. Charles and 23rd St. There is a viewing stage on the corner of N. Charles St. and 24th St. in the Brown Rice parking lot.

Following the parade, the Pride Block Party begins at 4 p.m. at Station North,

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY CHRIS JENNINGS

Scenes from last year’s Baltimore Pride celebration.

Baltimore Pride drew more than 30,000 revelers in 2017.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Scenes from last year’s Baltimore Pride celebration.

with a pre-show at 1 p.m. TT the Artist, Miami TIP and Taylor Bennett headline the event. Davon Fleming, Garek the Queen, Rue Pratt, Kotic Couture will also perform.

The Pride Festival is Sunday, June 17 from noon-6 p.m. In Druid Hill Park.

The festival is family friendly and there will be music and entertainment, a drag stage, exhibitors and local food trucks.

Featured performers include Tish Hyman, Kourtney White and Spykey Van Dykey.

Full details at baltimorepride.org.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Scenes from last year’s Baltimore Pride celebration.

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Join the Taylor Gourmet family and queens Bombalicious Eklaver and Ba’Naka for a DRAG BINGO BASH to kick off Capital Pride week!

F E AT UR ING : 3 DRAG B ING O G AM ES • CO C KTA I L S LI GH T BITES • P R I D E SWAG • DJ • G O O D V I B E S •

J une 7

//

6-9pm

//

19 0 8 14 th St , N W

Brought to you by Taylor Gourmet and the Washington Blade, this event is FREE and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to Casa Ruby, a Bilingual, Multicultural LGBTQ organization in the District.

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Happy Pride!

from Bishop Allyson Abrams & Empowerment Liberation Cathedral

Join us in one of our DMV locations Bishop Allyson Abrams, D.Min, Pastor www.empowermentliberationcathedral.org

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Regional Pride events continue through June and beyond Pittsburgh and Philly are this weekend; Baltimore, New York to follow

By ABBY WARGO Many jurisdictions within a few hours’ driving time from Washington have Pride events planned in the coming weeks.

Apparently there’s drama in Pittsburgh. The Delta Foundation, the group that’s been organizing Pride there since 2008, concludes its 10-day series of Pride events this weekend but several groups have siphoned off planning separate events claiming the foundation is “too focused on cisgender white gay men,” according to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburghpride. org was dead as of Blade press time.

Philadelphia’s is also this weekend. The Philly Gay Pride Parade and Festival is June 10 at 11 a.m. It begins at 13th and Locust Street and ends at the festival location, the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing.

Admission to the festival is $15. For more information, visit phillygaypride.org.

Baltimore Pride “United We Shine,” is from June 15-17. The Pride Parade is June 16 from 1-3 p.m. The procession begins at N.Charles and 33rd St. and ends at N.Charles and 23rd St. Following the parade is the Block Party in Station North. The Pride Festival is on June 17 from noon- 6 p.m. At Druid Hill Park.

The festival is kid-friendly, and features performers, exhibitors, a Drag Stage, and local food trucks. Headliners for the weekend include Miami TIP, TT the Artist, Taylor Bennett on Saturday, and Tish Hyman on Sunday. For more events and information, visit baltimorepride.org.

Eastern Panhandle Pride is also June 15-17 in Shepherdstown, W.Va. There will be a vendor street fair on June 15, as well as a Pride River Float to Harpers Ferry.

The unguided, flat water float is June 16 from 2-6 p.m. The cost is $36 per rider.

Call 304-535-2663 to book. Search for the group on Facebook for details.

Hampton Roads Pride, “Stand Up, Stand Out,” is June 21-30 in Norfolk, Va. The week starts off with the Chrysler Kick-off on June 21 from 6-9 p.m. At the Chrysler Museum of Art (One Memorial Place, Norfolk, Va.).

The festivities culminate with the Pride Block Party at the Norfolk Scope Arena

(201 E. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va.) on June 29 from 7 p.m.-midnight. Tickets are $12 online before June 25 and $15 at the door. On June 30, there will be a Pride boat parade at noon at the Norfolk waterfront, followed by the Pridefest from noon-7 p.m.

At Town Point Park. For more events and information, visit hamptonroadspride.org.

Frederick Pride, organized by the Frederick Center, an LGBT nonprofit, is June 23 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. At Carroll Creek Linear Park in Frederick, Md. About 7,000 attendees are expected. There will be bands, drag, DJs and dancing. Children’s activities such as face painting will be in a special Kid’s Tent, as well as organized youth sports and crafts. There will be a food court and a beer and wine area. An official Pride Store will be selling Pride paraphernalia to support programs at the local LGBT community center. Although Pride is only one day, there will also be a week of activities including a silent auction party, a proclamation ceremony at City Hall, Pride film festival, a Pride interfaith ecumenical service and Pride after party.

For more information, visit proudout.com.

NYC Pride, “Defiantly Different,” is June 24. Pride Island, a live music event, is June 23 from 2-10 p.m. and 24 from 2-11 p.m. At Pier 97 Hudson River Park (57th St. and West Side Hwy., N.Y.). This year’s headliners are Tove Lo, Lizzo, DJ Simon Dunmore, Big Freedia, Sasha Velour, DJ Dawson, Kylie Minogue, DJ Grind, DJ Ralphi Rosario, and DJ Corey Craig. Fireworks will close out the event.

PrideFest is June 24 from 11 a.m.6 p.m. At University Place (between 13th St. and Waverly Place, NY.). Ross Mathews is hosting and Alex Newell will perform. Parson James will perform the national anthem. For more events and information, visit nycpride.org.

A few more are later in the year.

Hagerstown Hopes, an LGBT nonprofit, is hosting the Hagerstown Pride Festival on July 14 from noon-6 p.m. The theme is “This is Me.” There will be live entertainment, speakers, vendors, and food. The festival is family friendly. Details on Facebook or at hagerstownhopesmd.org.

The Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival is Saturday, July 21, from 2-8 p.m. In Court Square in Harrisonburg, Va. Details at shenandoahvalleypride.org.

The 26th annual Pride Festival of Central PA is Saturday, July 28 in Harrisburg, Pa. Details at

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Last year’s New York Pride.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Attendees at least year’s Panhandle Pride in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

centralpapridefesetival.com.

VA Pridefest “This is Me” will be held Sept. 22 at Browns Island in Richmond, Va. Details at vapride.org.

The 2018 Northern Virginia Pride

Festival “United in Pride” is Sept. 29.

Details at novapride.org.

No information yet on D.C. Youth Pride. It was held in early October in 2017 after being held in May for many years.

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THEATER

Woolly’s ‘Fire’ reframes famed painter

Signature’s ‘Scottsboro Boys’ revisits grim racial tragedy

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Sometimes illuminations, or at least entertainment, come looking backward through a gay lens.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is offering the American premiere of out playwright Jordan Tannahill’s “Botticelli in the Fire,” a boldly modern and sexy reimagining of historical gay characters in Renaissance Florence.

It opens with Sandro Botticelli (out actor Jon Hudson Odom) staggering boozily through the audience to the stage. The great Renaissance painter is ready to dish, and girl, as Tannahill would have him say, does he have a story to tell. Looking back from the beyond, Botticelli remembers halcyon days as hot art star and darling of the Medici, the de facto rulers of glorious Renaissance Florence. But that was before Botticelli’s 1497 downfall. And, as he reminds us, everybody loves to hear about a downfall.

An enthusiastic voluptuary since birth as his plainspoken mother, Madre Maria (Dawn Ursula), explains, Botticelli believes in excess, pleasure and beauty; and while mostly interested in men, he’s willing to sleep with women too.

Currently, he’s having an affair with the sexually free and beautiful Clarice Orsini (Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan), and because she’s sitting for Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus,” their assignations are frequent. At the same time, Botticelli is falling in love with his artistically precocious, fresh-from-thefarm assistant, Leonardo Da Vinci (James Chrichton). And yet he still makes time to party hard with his outrageous gay bestie Poggio du Chullu (Earl T. Kim).

But there’s trouble in the city state.

Botticelli’s patron and Clarice’s husband, the ruthless Lorenzo de’ Medici (Cody Nickell) is on to their affair. And outside the cossetted confines of Botticelli’s studio and the palace, the plague has resurfaced and the populace is panicked.

Citizens are aligning with conservative friar Girolamo Savonarola (Craig Wallace) and they’re burning gay artists in the town square.

Director Marti Lyons has staged a series of beautiful tableau-like scenes, some of which could stand alone.

Instances include a captive Leonardo calling to God from the bottom of a medieval septic tank: “If I am a Sodomite what are you?” And later, Botticelli lies across his plainspoken mother’s lap (à la Michelangelo’s Pietà) as she spongebathes him. Madre Maria advises her son to choose what he loves most, advice

PHOTO BY C. STANLEY PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY SIGNATURE

LAMONT WALKER II and the cast of ‘The Scottsboro Boys.’

PHOTO BY SCOTT SUCHMAN

a musical drawn from a grim episode in American history. Like Kander & Ebb’s musicals “Cabaret” and “Chicago,” this their final collaboration also takes on social issues with great theatricality. Here, a hideous true tale of Jim Crow injustice unfolds framed as a minstrel show.

Performed beneath a decaying proscenium arch, Signature’s production, staged by out director Joe Calarco with athletic choreography by Jared Grimes is smart and compelling theater. The Depression-era story is familiar. Nine down-and-out young African-American men and boys are riding the rails in search of work when they are falsely accused of rape by two young white women. Immediately jailed in Scottsboro, Ala.,, they are tried and condemned to death. Their fate becomes a cause with New York liberals, prompting famed Jewish defense attorney Samuel Leibowitz to take their case which leads to subsequent retrials and convictions.

Stacked with minstrel stock characters — the Interlocutor, or emcee (Christopher Bloch), who represents the voice of the Old South, and broad comics Mr. Bones (the excellent Stephen Scott Wormley) and Mr. Tambo (Chaz Alexander Coffin) — we’re offered a glimpse into American theater history.

As communicated by Kander and Ebb, the experience isn’t always easy. It’s sometimes uncomfortable to reconcile cake-walking, tap dancing choreography and the score’s upbeat ragtime tunes with themes of racism, anti-Semitism, injustice and brutality.

The focus is pulled on the most defiant of the Scottsboro boys, Haywood Patterson (played gracefully by Lamont Walker II). Other cast standouts include Aramie Payton as 12-year-old Eugene, the youngest of the accused, and DeWitt Fleming, Jr., who plays one of the boys as well as star witness Ruby Bates.

Well into the second act, when the young convicts’ last glimmer of hope for vindication is sufficiently dashed, things become especially heartbreaking.

And the show’s final number in which the actors playing the boys relay their character’s uniformly tragic ends proves even sadder.

JON HUDSON ODOM (left) and JAMES CRICHTON in ‘Botticelli in the Fire.’

that ultimately leads him to burn his own paintings in a dramatic burning of art, books and finery.

It’s not a perfect piece, however. The script is uneven — campy repartee between gay characters gets tired and the actors have to work hard to land some stale jokes. Luckily, the strong cast keeps things afloat.

In the queering (or reexamining history

from a queer lens) of the past, Tannahill takes liberties in creating a compelling gay love story rife with anachronisms — timely and amusing — in dialogue and sublime design. We’re reminded how the rights of artists and LGBT people are, again and again, called into question.

Across the Potomac in Arlington, Signature Theatre presents John Kander and Fred Ebb’s “The Scottsboro Boys,”

‘BOTTICELLI IN THE FIRE’ Through June 24 Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company 641 D Street, NW $20-69 202-393-3939 woollymammoth.net ‘THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS’ Through July 1 Signature Theatre 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington $40-110 703-820-9771 sigtheatre.org

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Lambda Legal in DC June 20, 2018 | 6:30 —10:00 PM The Newseum 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW Keynote Speaker Congressman Joe Kennedy III Honoree Vanita Gupta Special Presenter Senator Cory Booker

Join the Party www.lambdalegal.org/dc

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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F I LM

Inspiration from within

‘Alex Strangelove’ director shares how his Netflix teen comedy blossomed

By BRIAN T. CARNEY

Writer/director Craig Johnson describes his new movie “Alex Strangelove,” which premieres on Netflix today, as a “fun, romantic, somewhat raunchy, high school comedy/drama about a kid struggling with his sexuality.”

The movie centers on Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny), a geeky biology nerd and virgin. At the beginning of his senior year of high school, he meets Claire (Madeline Weinstein) and the two are quickly co-hosting a satiric web series called “Savage High School” which compares their classmates to various wild animals.

Alex and Claire are soon happily dating, but Claire is frustrated by their inability to consummate their relationship. Things get even more complicated when Alex meets the openly gay Elliott (Antonio Marziale) and realizes he is attracted to him as well.

Johnson, who married television writer Adam Roberts in 2015, admits the story is “certainly autobiographical in some ways. I’ve been describing it as the sexual confusion of my teens and 20s crammed into one kid’s senior year of high school.”

A child of the ‘80s, Johnson says that he came out incrementally. He was aware of his attraction to men in high school, but came out as bisexual when he was in college and clung to that label for a long time. “During that time,” he says, “I was mostly dating guys, but I was also dating women, hoping that the sexual attraction I was feeling towards men would eventually transfer over to women.”

“Well, spoiler alert,” he says, “it never did.

Eventually I admitted to myself I was gay and the clouds lifted and it all made sense.”

Looking back on his coming-out process and its impact on his latest movie, Johnson says, “It was a mixture of legitimate confusion and some internalized homophobia and societal heteronormative pressure, mixed in with my legitimate emotional attraction to women. That is so much a part of ‘Alex Strangelove’ and the relation between Alex and Claire.”

Johnson has been out and proud during his entire career in the film industry and hasn’t encountered any obstacles due to his sexuality.

“I am lucky that I am working in the time that I am,” he says. “Society is slowly becoming more progressive, but we still have a lot of work to do.” He says being out, “has helped me tell the stories I tell.”

For example, in Johnson’s 2014 film

PHOTO COURTESY NETFLIX

DANIEL DOHENY, right, as the title character in ‘Alex Strangelove.’

“The Skeleton Twins,” Bill Hader plays a depressed openly gay man who tries to reclaim his life and rebuild his relationship with his troubled sister played by Kristen Wiig. The movie was named the “Unsung Film of the Year” by GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.

The actual spark for “Alex Strangelove” came when Johnson was attending a Mika concert. “I was at the older end of people there and I was surprised by the number of out-of-the-closet gay teens who were there. I realized high school was very different than when I was there.”

Johnson had always wanted to tell the story of a kid who was struggling with his sexuality as a classic high school movie/ high school sex comedy.

“I had never really seen anything like that before. That could be kind of fun.

I mean, what would happen if ‘Pretty in Pink’ and ‘Superbad’ had a gay baby?”

The impact of 2007’s “Superbad,” a raunchy comedy starring Michael Cena and Jonah Hill, is evident in the antics of Alex’s goofy (but supportive) straight friends, but the influence of John Hughes is central to the movie, especially in the soundtrack and fantasy sequences.

Working with music supervisors Maggie Phillips and Christine Greene Roe, as well as composer Nathan Larson, Johnson created a soundtrack that is both a retro throwback to the John Hughes movies and a reflection of the current music scene.

“Those movies had synth-driven

soundtracks and pop scores. That was the music of the ‘80s. In 2018, you’re seeing a synth-pop revival, so we embraced that music as our vibe. It felt youthful and bright and sparkly and it invoked teenage longing in a very real way. … It’s a soundtrack I’m incredibly proud of. Music is so important to me, and this one was just a blast to put together.”

One of Johnson’s favorite musical moments in the film is when is when Elliott, wearing a Keith Haring T-shirt, uses a B-52s song to try and seduce Alex.

Marziale lip-synchs to “Dance This Mess Around,” putting on oversize sunglasses when Fred Schneider sings and a wig when Cyndi Wilson sings.

“Elliott is a kid who is embracing his queer identity. I thought he would be investigating his queer history a little bit and learning about the B-52s and Keith Haring, some of the queer icons of the past.”

Not coincidentally, Johnson is working on a documentary about the B-52s.

The delightful fantasy sequences were also integral to Johnson’s conception of “Alex Strangelove” and another sly throwback to John Hughes. These sequences were in the first draft of the script because Johnson needed a way to get into Alex’s head.

“I knew we were making a comedy about a kid whose having an internal struggle,” he says. “As a filmmaker I was thinking, ‘How do you visually represent that?’ I decided that Alex would have these

PHOTO COURTESY THE KARPEL GROUP

Filmmaker CRAIG JOHNSON mined his own history for inspiration for ‘Alex Strangelove.’

little ‘daydreams’ where his confusion about his sexual identity manifests itself in things like morphing cereal boxes.”

And like Hughes’ movies, “Alex Strangelove” uses narration to set the mood. For example, in the voice-over that introduces the movie, Alex describes himself as a penguin.

For the record, filmmaker Craig Johnson said he’s probably “one of those spindly tree frogs. I’m very gangly with long arms and legs and I have big curious eyes.”

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F I LM

McQueen, trans servicemembers subjects of AFI Docs fest Annual screenings run June 14-17 at various regional movie houses

By BRIAN T. CARNEY An Arkansas town with a passion play and a tight-knit gay community, a slam poetry team, a glimpse at the life of designer Alexander McQueen. These are just a few of the gay highlights and themes in this year’s AFI Docs Film Festival (June 14-17; venues vary).

“The 2018 slate of films showcases an exceptional diversity of perspectives,” Michael Lumpkin, the (gay) director of AFI Festivals, says. “This year’s festival takes us around and beyond the world, each film telling a story that shares a moment of the human experience.”

One of the most interesting LGBTthemed films in the festival (afi.com/ afidocs) is “Alone in the Game,” which reveals how a new generation of queer and transgender athletes are scoring victories on and off the field by standing up for their rights.

In “Don’t Be Nice,” director Max Powers follows the diverse Bowery Slam Poetry Team as they mine their feelings and personal experiences about race, sexuality, gender and popular culture to craft poems for a national competition.

“The Gospel of Eureka” is an amazing portrait of a tiny town in Arkansas that is home to both an annual liveaction Passion Play and a tight-knit gay community. By embracing the values of tolerance, love and inclusion, the residents maintain a peaceful coexistence between two divergent groups.

“McQueen” is a stunning and intimate portrait of the openly gay British fashion designer Alexander McQueen who was known for his exquisite and strikingly original clothes and his legendary runway shows — theatrical spectacles influenced by contemporary art, theater and photography.

The fascinating “This One’s for the Ladies” dives into an unusual subculture in Newark, N.J., where a group of African-American women throw weekly underground parties with male exotic dancers. The film boldly explores the sexual and social identity of contemporary black America through interviews with the women and men who find love and community in these weekly gatherings.

Directors Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson make their feature documentary debut with “Transmilitary” which follows four servicemembers who come out as transgender to top officials at the Pentagon — a brave move that puts their military careers in jeopardy and shows that the struggle for equality that is more relevant than ever.

According to director Michael Sparaga,

PHOTO COURTESY AFI DOCS

A scene from ’Transmilitary’ shows servicemembers en route to the Pentagon.

PHOTO BY ANN RAY, COURTESY BLEEKER STREET

ALEXANDER McQUEEN as seen in ‘McQueen,’ a doc about the openly gay British fashion designer.

“United We Fan” follows the history and evolution of fan campaigns to save beloved TV shows from cancellation. The film includes interviews with fans, stars, creators and even network executives.

One of the shows featured was about a young lesbian whose favorite character will killed off in a prime time show in what has become known as the “dead lesbian trope.”

Beyond these queer films, some of the other great documentaries that will screen include “Love Gilda” about the pioneering female comedian Gilda Radner (of “Roseanne Roseannadanna/

SNL fame); “Studio 54” about the rise and fall of the infamous New York nightclub; “Charm City” about attempts to reduce the soaring rates of violence in Baltimore; “Hesburgh” about social justice activist Rev. Theodore Hesburgh; and “Bathtubs over Broadway” about the wacky productions commissioned by companies to celebrate their products at corporate conventions. In addition, “Dark Money” by transgender director Kimberly Reed explores the hidden role of big money in contemporary American politics.

The festival also includes the AFI DOCS Forum, a slate of networking and

professional development events, and the VR Showcase, which allows viewers to immerse themselves in a wide-ranging selection of virtual reality experiences.

On Saturday, June 16 there will also be a free “Conversation with Chuck Todd and Ann Hornaday” about whether documentaries are “Journalism or Art.” AFI DOCS 2018 will feature 92 films exploring the remarkable people and complicated issues that are shaping our world. No matter how outrageous some of the stories may seem, it’s helpful to remember the festival’s tagline, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

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Center Arts

The DC Center's Art and Cultural Programs Presents

Friday June 22 6-7pm Cocktails and Cinema at HRC

Friday, June 22 7pm at HRC: Ideal Home

Relax and Chill at Reel Affirmations XTRA. Our Monthly LGBTQ Film Series’ Cocktails and Cinema Open Bar Happy Hour What better way to unwind after a long week than to join us from 6pm-7pm every month before our film screenings for a cocktail!

When you purchase your ticket for any of our monthly film screenings you are invited to enjoy our Cocktails and Cinema Open Bar from 6-7pm at HRC at 1640 Rhode Island Ave NW!

Starring Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan star as Paul and Erasmus, a bickering gay couple whose life is turned inside out when a ten-year-old boy shows up at their door claiming to be Erasmus’ grandson. Neither Paul, nor Erasmus, are ready to give up their extravagant lifestyles to be parents, but maybe this little kid has a thing or two to teach them about the value of family.

Wednesday, June 6 at 7pm at the DC Center

Saturday, June 9 at 2pm at The Potters House

Amor Prohibido Appetizers and refreshments, free and open to the public A bilingual panel discussion with Latinx Leather LGBTQ+ leaders discussing their experience in the leather community including issues of identities, sex, kink and art. We will present Master Taino author of the Spanish memoir Mi propio yo/My own self.

Moderator: Jose Gutierrez, International Leatherboy 2002 Panelists: Master Taino, Author of “Mi Propio Yo/My Own Self ” Girl Amelia, Mid Atlantic Community Bootblack 2013 Salvador, Torres-Martinez, Writer Ignacio G. Rivera, Papi Coxxx Pup Juaniorex, Leatherman

Our Queer Mother Earth Free and Open to the Public An ecojustice and climate change reading.

Readers: Danielle Badra, Jen Deerinwater, Danielle Evennou, Devi Lockwood, Sam Mahone, E. Rhōdes Thompson, and Xemiyulu Manibusan Tapepechul.

Moderated by Marlena Chertock.

Now, more than ever, writing about the environment is essential. In this age of rampant global warming denial, the EPA and government denouncing that climate change is a national security threat, and scientists facing banned words and censorship, it’s vital that writers share the truth. The U.S. is at a critical juncture in our approach toward climate change, renewable energy, and environmental stewardship. Engagement with these crucial issues should not be confined to political entities and the scientific community. The panel will begin with readings to set the stage, and conclude with opportunities for the moderator and attendees to ask questions. A panel of poets and prose writers will read ecojustice science work, and discuss what it means to champion truth through fiction.

What is science writing and how can we hone it for good.

For tickets and more information go to www.thedccenter.org/arts/

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Hunky teen’s third album is charming but uneven

MU SI C

Mendes magic?

By THOM MURPHY Scrolling through Shawn Mendes’ Instagram profile, one can’t help but notice work of an extremely careful curator — an almost scientific balance of hair mussing, perfectly captured black and white candids and bare (but never too much) skin.

Social media has changed the way we interact with popular culture so thoroughly, we hardly think about it anymore. If Justin Bieber was the first artist to take full advantage of social media, Mendes is the well-oiled machine, slick and speedy. In less than five years, the 19-year-old Canadian has traveled the well-trodden path from YouTube to mainstream stardom, with albums “Handwritten” (2015) and “Illuminate” (2016) both making it to the Billboard No. 1 spot. His new self-titled album “Shawn Mendes” (also a Billboard chart-topper) treads little new territory, sticking instead with a winning formula: youth, good looks and catchy choruses. Even so, several songs on the new record stand out.

Mendes (who’s straight) grew up in the social media spotlight and was signed to a label at age 15. Bieber is still perhaps the most relevant comparison, and not just because both artists hail from Canada. Bieber, whose first several albums targeted a young demographic, did not come into his own until his fourth and most recent album “Purpose” (2015).

And while Mendes has certainly matured since his debut album, the music seems to be in an awkward growth phase, similar to Bieber’s “Believe” (2012).

Consider Mendes’ single “Lost in Japan,” easily one of the best tracks on the album.

Opening with spacey jazz piano chords, the song smoothly transitions into an up-tempo bass groove, the piano intro somewhat reminiscent of fellow Canadian Drake’s song “Sooner than Later.” Addressing a long-distance lover, Mendes sings the chorus in sensuous falsetto: “Do you got plans tonight?/I’m a couple hundred miles from Japan, and I/I was thinking I could fly to your hotel tonight.” The use of the non-gendered second-person “you” draws listeners into the fantasy.

Yet the album is split between these moments of relative sophistication and the inoffensive pop/rock style of “Stitches,” Treat You Better” and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” The lead single “In My Blood” falls into the latter camp.

Unlike the album’s more inventive songs, it follows in the example of the previous albums, where catchy and palatable triumph over interesting. If anything, it’s

PHOTO COURTESY ISLAND RECORDS

SHAWN MENDES has done a remarkable job blending social media, fashion and music. This is the cover of his new eponymous album, his third.

symptomatic of Mendes’ growing pains.

The single “Youth,” featuring singer Khalid, trends in the opposite direction.

The two young singers harmonize over what appears to be an anthem for the ceaseless tragedies witnessed over social media: “Waking up to headlines, filled with devastation again/My heart is broken, but I keep going.” The chorus strikes a defiant tone: “As long as I wake up today/You can’t take my youth away.” Without a doubt, this is Mendes’ better side.

The album is also an interesting

example of the way we discover, interact with and understand music in the digital age. Music marketing has become as savvy and ubiquitous as fashion advertising, and the two are often indistinguishable.

(See Mendes’ 2016 shoot for L’Uomo Vogue.) Social media platforms allow us to curate our online image in a careful, deliberate way that is impossible under normal circumstances. They have allowed Mendes to cement his identity as the ever dreamy, always fashionable charmer. But as the self-titled album naming suggests,

Shawn Mendes is not just the artist — he is the product.

It is perhaps worth remembering the single greatest truism of marketing: Sex sells. This holds true for music as well as for fashion. While Mendes has made progress in developing his sound, the music remains inseparable from his carefully crafted image — big smiles and Yves Saint Laurent boots. In part, this illusory product is what makes him so addictive to fans. And Mendes makes it hard not to indulge.

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DINING

Freddie Lutz returns to his roots

Long-time Cafe Italia waiter/maitre d’ taking over shuttered bistro

By EVAN CAPLAN

When Cafe Italia, a Crystal City Italian restaurant, closed its doors in April, ending decades of plating overstuffed lobster ravioli, tri-color tortellini and bruschetta on homemade bread, Freddie Lutz, owner of Freddie’s Beach Bar, knew exactly what to do. He would reopen the homey restaurant’s doors, refresh its look and make sure the reincarnation would be a place friendly to all kinds of family.

Breathing new life into the restaurant was no pie-in-the sky idea. Lutz was, in fact, very familiar with Cafe Italia’s history. A Northern Virginia native, Lutz returned to the area after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence. Looking for a place to earn some cash while searching for jobs, he began working in restaurants, soon finding himself at Cafe Italia. He ended up staying there 25 years, as a waiter first, then as maitre d.’

Opened in 1976, Cafe Italia had been a mainstay in the area, as many other restaurants have come and gone. For Lutz, it was a place where he grew up and where he felt at home. Lutz declined to comment on the previous owners.

Arlington Now reports eviction notices signed by the Arlington County deputy sherriff were placed on the door in April.

Before Freddie’s Beach Bar — undoubtedly the best-known gay bar in the Maryland/Virginia suburbs that’s won many Washington Blade Best of Gay D.C. readers’ poll awards — Cafe Italia “was the closest thing to a gay bar in the area,” Lutz says. The restaurant held drag shows at Halloween, flew a gay flag in the entryway, had a number of gay employees and advertised in the Blade.

“It developed into a true place for the gay community,” he says.

Lutz says working at Cafe Italia paved the way for Freddie’s, opened in 2001, success. He says the neighborhood, police and ABC board, welcomed it.

At Cafe Italia, Lutz worked hard to make it a place to call home. With his art background, he coordinated the interior design, marrying warm, old-school Italian with just the right amount of kitsch, such as a long and handsome mahogany bar sporting knick knacks and instruments hung on the walls. Lutz crafted many fond memories over the years and is forever grateful for the influence his time there had over his career. However, over the past few years, the atmosphere has changed.

Lutz is now aiming to turn that around.

“I want to bring it back to its former

PHOTO COURTESY LUTZ

Vintage photo of FREDDIE LUTZ at Cafe Italia.

glory,” Lutz says. “I’ve never felt so confident about a vision for something in my life before.”

From his standpoint, “Café Italia was always gay friendly and Freddie’s was always straight-friendly.” They’ll now be perfect complements.

The backbone of the restaurant is

there, so Lutz hope there won’t be too much work and that he’ll be able to open the restaurant again soon. Having just finalized the lease (along with business partners Adolfo and Bertillio Urrutia) in late May, he’s thrilled at the opportunity to bring the restaurant back to its momand-pop, down-home coziness as soon

as possible, along with a new name, most likely, “Freddie’s Italian Cafe.” He plans to work with other former employees to ensure the new spot reflects its old values and atmosphere as much as possible.

In true romantic Italian fashion, Lutz said that though he loves his work now, he “left his heart at Cafe Italia.”

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Candidate

Yes/No Substance (+/- 2) (+/- 4)

Record (+/- 4)

Total (+/- 10)

MAYOR Muriel Bowser (D-Incumbent)

1.5

2.5

3

7

James Butler (D)

1.5

3.5

1

6

Ernest E. Johnson (D)

2

3

0

5

Martin Moulton (L)

0

1

1.5

2.5

Ann C. Wilcox (SG)

-

-

0.5

0.5*

CHAIR Phil Mendelson (D-Incumbent)

1.5

4

4

9.5

Ed Lazere (D)

2

3.5

2

7.5

Anita Bonds (D-Incumbent)

2

4

4

10

David Schwartzman (SG)

2

2.5

3

7.5

Jeremiah Lowery (D)

2

2

3

7

Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Incumbent)

2

4

3.5

9.5

Kent Boese (D)

2

4

3

9

Lori Parker (D)

1

0.5

0

1.5

2

4

4

10

1.5

3

3.5

8

Charles Allen (D-Incumbent)

2

4

4

10

Lisa Hunter (D)

2

3

1.5

6.5

AT-LARGE

WARD 1

WARD 3 Mary M. Cheh (D-Incumbent) WARD 5 Kenyan McDuffie (D-Incumbent) WARD 6

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 89

Lerner & Loewe’s

Camelot

Alan Jay Lerner Music by Frederick Loewe Directed by Alan Paul

Book and Lyrics by

Original production directed and staged by Moss Hart Based on The Once and Future King by T. H. White

“SENSATIONAL.” – The Washington Post

“HHHHH”

– Theatre Bloom

“ELEGANT.” – DC Metro Theater Arts

“STUNNING.”

–DC Theatre Scene

“EXCEPTIONAL.”

–BroadwayWorld

“SPELLBINDING.” – Metro Weekly

ORDER TODAY! S H A K E S P E A R E TH E ATR E .O RG | 2 02 . 5 47.1 12 2 Musicals at the Shakespeare Theatre Company are made possible by the

Restaurant Partner:

Beech Street Foundation.

Photo of Nick Fitzer as Lancelot du Lac and Ken Clark as King Arthur by Scott Suchman.

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D.C. restaurants get creative for Pride Colorful rainbow cocktails, DJs, endless brunches and more this weekend

By EVAN CAPLAN In an annual tradition, D.C. Brau is giving its cans a queer makeover. The brewery is producing 28,000 cans of “Pride Pils” (dcbraucom) which boast limited-edition can designs of its Brau Pils, “an ideal example of a traditional German pilsner.”

D.C.-based artist Alden Leonard won the 2018 Pride Pils Can Design Contest, presented by D.C. Brau and Washington Blade. His entry was to “show the juxtaposition of Pride, which is both a celebration and an act of protest.” The design, featuring three figures in “defiant poses with their eyes fixed on symbols of tradition and order,” will appear the cans; all proceeds from the sale of Pride Pils cans benefits SMYAL and the Blade Foundation. At least 30 bars, restaurants, and shops will sell the cans, from gay bars (Trade) to 14th Street restaurants (Cafe St Ex, Pearl Dive), to Himitsu in Petworth, and many others.

Republic Restoratives (1369 New York Ave., N.E.; republicrestoratives.com), the lesbian-owned distillery in Northeast, is celebrating Capital Pride all June by offering an exclusive discount to restaurants and bars that use the distillery’s Civic Vodka to craft a specialty Pride cocktail and is asking that proceeds from each drink go to the Transgender Law Center. Participating restaurants include the Gibson, Lost & Found, Dio Wine, Songbyrd, Free State. On Sunday, June 10, Republic Restoratives will host a benefit in honor of the center in partnership with Obama White House alumni.

Again this year, City Tap Dupont (1250 Connecticut Ave., N.W.; dupont. citytap.com) just off Dupont Circle, is hosting weekly Sunday drag brunches throughout June. Drag queen Ba’Naka is playing MC. You’ll find $15 bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys during the brunchtime shows that start at 11a.m.; reservations are encouraged. Both City Tap Dupont and sister restaurant City Tap Penn Quarter will have other specials in celebration of Pride Month, with proceeds benefiting the Trevor Project, including selling Pride Pils. City Tap Dupont will also offer drink specials

during brunch on Saturday, June 9 for guests dining out before heading to the Capital Pride Parade.

Another annual Pride parade supporter, Urbana (2121 P St., N.W.; urbanadc.com) is set to host its annual and anticipated “Pride+Shine” party on Saturday, June 9 from 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

— the entire day. It kicks off with brunch and themed drinks until 3 p.m., and then truly gets going with a fierce dance party

by DJ Trayze. It’ll be offering hearth-oven pizza and the entire bar menu all day, but the real winner is the front-row seating right at the start of the parade. A huge fan favorite from last year, special guest Mike Hot-Pence is back again this year sporting his signature quite short shorts, taking photos with adoring fans and collecting donations to benefit the Trevor Project. Tickets are $50 for the open bar package; otherwise, entry is free.

On Sunday, June 10 from noon-5 p.m., DNV Rooftop (1155 14th St., N.W.; donovanhoteldc.com) will open the pool for everyone to take advantage of its “Pride Hangover Pool Party.” Whether you marched, watched or took your celebration to the next level all night long, this is a spot for recovery. Atop the Donovan hotel, the party includes cocktails, brunch, and yes, a pool, overlooking Thomas Circle. DJ Hamsey will provide the tunes. And because frozen drinks are just too much fun, there will be “DNVLGBTQ Pride Pops” (rainbow boozy popsicles); proceeds will go to the Trevor Project. Entry is $10, waived for attendees of the Urbana “Pride+Shine” brunch party.

Besides flying one of the most enormous Pride flags in the city, Tico (1926 14th St., N.W.; ticodc.com) is hosting an all-day, all-night party. It starts with low tea, moves to high tea, and then shrugs off caffeine for straight alcohol.

Tea time is 3-8 p.m.; the bar is open until 2 a.m. Cocktails run the rainbow gamut: there are lime, banana and watermelon daiquiris; a purple pina colada; a mezcal punch called Smokey Eye; rainbow Jello shots; and the chilled-out Frozen Rainbow cocktail. Mexican snacks like salsa, guac and elote will help soak it up.

Entry is free.

Rainbows and stars make a perfect match at Le Diplomate (1601 14th St., N.W.; lediplomatedc.com), where Michelin-star pastry chef Fabrice Bendano will cool down Parade watchers

on Saturday, June 9 at the restaurant’s Glaces de Diplomate ice cream cart, selling a Rainbow Cone in honor of the D.C. Pride Festival, with all proceeds from the $5 cone being donated to the Capital Pride Alliance. And of course, it’s a prime place to take in the parade action. The restaurant’s will have a fete, with Pride-related cocktail specials and “celebratory revelry.”

At Osteria Morini (301 Water St., S.E.; osteriamorini.com), Pastry Chef Tova Hillman is celebrating Pride with a five-layer colorful rainbow almond cake coated in a silky dark chocolate glaze. All proceeds will be donated to the Capital Pride Alliance.

During the entire month of June, French brasserie BRABO (1600 King St., Alexandria, Va.; braborestaurant.com) will feature “The Rainbow Collection,” a presentation of colorful cocktails that change daily. All sales from these drinks will benefit the Trevor Project.

Spread those wings for the Pride Flamingo Party (in conjunction with Washington Blade) at the Bird (1337 11th St., N.W.; thebirddc.com), a tropicalthemed party that kicks off Capital Pride festivities tonight (Friday, June 8) from 9 p.m.-midnight. Happy hour drinks, themed bites, prizes and specialty cocktails like the Valentina and the Prida Colada Shooter round out the festivities.

Guests are suggested to wear beach attire. Entry is free. Throughout the month of June, all EatWell D.C. restaurants are offering a signature cocktail that will support Transgender Law Center, called “This Is Me” (vodka, prickly pear puree, lime, champagne).

Ever-popular beer garden Dacha (1600 7th St., N.W.; dachadc.com) offers two events this weekend. The first is tonight (June 8) from 4-8 p.m.: the Bells Sparkleberry Silent Disco, in partnership with. with D.C. Fray. Headphones are provided to all revelers; there will be gift bags for early arrivers. On June 9, before the parade, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., is Wigs and Waffles with Whitman Walker. Both a party and a fundraiser, it’s all about wearing wigs without getting hair in your waffles. Dacha will make sure you’re in the spirit of the weekend with a flash tattoo station, a face painter, endless beads, and yes, housemade liege waffles.

Entry is free; you can purchase a bracelet for $10 to receive happy hour prices on Bell’s Brewery beers.

PHOTO COURTESY DKC

How do you capture a rainbow in a glass? The Kingbird at Watergate figured it out and is serving this Pride Punch this month.

Starting June 15, the popular pizza joint &Pizza (multiple locations; andpizza. com) will introduce a limited-edition color “One of One” box to carry out their pies, as well as other related swag. The restaurant is also fueling up marchers on Saturday (June 9) with a free soda to anyone in the parade (the restaurant will be walking the route, too), and taking donations to the Trevor Project via text.

Like last year, Espita Mezcaleria (1250 9th St., N.W.; espitadc.com) will serve a brilliantly hued cocktail in celebration of Pride, all weekend long. This year, it’ll be a bright green Mexican Daiquiri, with rum, mezcal, pineapple and Blue Curaçao, topped with a Pride Flag garnish. Proceeds will go to the Trevor Project.

Rainbows are aplenty at Kingbird, the new upscale restaurant at the Watergate Hotel (2650 Virginia Ave., N.W.; thewatergatehotel.com). All weekend long, the bar will be serving the aptly named Pride Punch for $16. Made from rum, pineapple, Blue Curacao, grenadine, simple syrup, and garnished with mint, the drink represents a ROYGBIV in a cocktail.

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America Now: SOLSTICE EDITION Saturday, June 23 | 5:30–11:30 p.m. | Free NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY & SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM & NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY Keep cool at the summer’s hottest event, America Now, when three of your favorite museums unite for a mid-summer moveable feast featuring a happy hour, block party and live concert.

AmericaNow.si.edu

America Now is a three-museum collaboration between the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of American History, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is made possible by the generous support of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation.

The Washington Post is the media sponsor of America Now.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Lesbian memoir recounts religious struggles

BO O KS

Chapter and verse

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading since she was 3 years old. She lives in Wisconsin with two dogs and 12,000 books. Reach her at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.

It’s official: you now belong.

Being a member of a certain club was something you’ve wanted since you knew of its existence. Joining was a dream come true and now you’re a part of the group but, as in the new memoir “Given Up for You” by Erin O. White, what part of yourself did you relinquish to join?

Missing the last train back to her home was no problem. Actually, Erin White was glad for it. She was anticipating what could happen next.

She’d never slept with a woman, had never even considered it but, on that night she met Chris at a dinner party, it was all she could think of. It was odd but thrilling, so by the time Chris told their hostess that White could stay at her apartment that night, White was “already in love.”

What would she tell her therapist? She “knew he would disapprove” — and he did, but they rarely discussed White’s relationship. Mostly, they “talked about God.” For some time, White had been exploring that which her soul seemed to crave and, at her therapist’s urging, she read the Gospels and was “stunned” by the words. She cautiously attended Catholic services and began learning more about God and religion; eventually, she broke up with Chris, who’d been raised in church and avoided it as an adult, but White couldn’t stay away.

It was difficult to explain, she says.

She was a lesbian, but she wasn’t; in fact, there were times when “lesbian” just felt wrong. As for God, she needed to know him better. White wanted “to love a woman yet avail myself of the opportunities … of straight culture; to break the rules of the church but still feel myself beloved by it.”

But since nobody can have everything both ways, she made her choice.

Two kids, fights, triumphs and a strong marriage later, she sees things in a different light. Church is comfort now. It’s home. But to get to that point, it took the courage to say, “I loved that crazy church, I loved those wild ideas about God and I gave them up because I also wanted you.”

Although it’s already pretty short, “Given

PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS

ERIN O. WHITE

Up for You” could have been shorter.

Maybe that’s because it’s too much: author Erin O. White offers a threepronged memoir of love, faith and motherhood, and that’s a lot to pack into such a small space. But what could be eliminated? Since each prong is dependent on the others, not much.

Still, while readers may struggle with

abundance of story, there’s a lot to come away with. White’s search for faith is universal and easily understood; although she might have explored homophobia a bit more, the subject of gay Christians and her experiences are presented in a way that’s calm and thoughtful.

Enter into this book knowing that it’s sometimes slow. Beware that it’s a

bit long. Read it with a perfectly happy willingness to (gasp!) skip paragraphs and “Given Up for You” may belong on your bookshelf.

‘GIVEN UP FOR YOU: A MEMOIR OF LOVE, BELONGING AND BELIEF’

By Erin O. White University of Wisconsin Press $26.95 192 pages

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LaPlacaCohen Publication: Insertion date: Size:

© Columbia Pictures

212-675-4106 WASHINGTON BLADE JUNE 8, 2017 4.75" x 11.5" 4C NP

REMIX: Get Up, Stand Up

Thursday, June 7 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. | Kogod Courtyard Spend Pride with the Portrait Gallery at an after-hours party celebrating activism, visibility and social awareness.

Smithsonian

8th and F St. NW • Washington, DC • npg.si.edu • #myNPG #GetUpStandUp

Divas Outdoors presents Marie Antoinette Friday, June 15

DJ Ayes Cold by Travis Vaughan.

See this classic film under the stars like nowhere else in DC! Revel in the luscious interiors of Marie Antoinette’s Versailles.

Come early and set out your elaborate spread for the picnic contest. (Hint: our judges love connections to the film.)

7–8:30pm: Mansion and special exhibition Fabergé Rediscovered open.

7–9:45pm: Hillwood Café open for wine, beer, sandwiches, and more.

Picnicking on the Lunar Lawn.

8–8:30pm: Best picnic spread judging and winners announced.

the beauty behind our glasses

Film begins around 8:45pm.

Presented rain or shine. In the event of rain, the screening will be moved to fabulous indoor locations.

Divas Outdoors is part of the Dina Merrill Film Program.

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A D V E RT I S I N G PROOF #1

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REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof.

Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 97

FREE and all ages are welcome!

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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O U T & A BO U T

By MARIAH COOPER

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

PHOTO BY ZORAN JELENIC

Drag ballet troupe returns to Wolf Trap The world’s foremost all-male comic ballet company is coming to D.C. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo will take the stage at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.) on Tuesday, June 19 at 8 p.m.

Established in New York City in the 1970s, the “Trocks,” as they’re now called, perform playful parodies of classical ballet in drag. Though the company began in off-off Broadway lofts, it’s gained international recognition, even performing in the United Kingdom in front of Prince Charles.

Tickets range from $25-65 and can be purchased at wolftrap.org.

Lambda Legal celebrates first year in D.C. Lambda Legal will hold its Power of the Party event the Newseum (555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) Wednesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m.

The event will celebrate its first year in Washington featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and several special guests including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and a keynote address from U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.).

Tickets begin at $195 and can be purchased at lambdalegal.org/dc.

Drag queen story time is June 16

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS; COURTESY KENNEDY CENTER

Long-awaited ‘Hamilton’ opens June 12 in D.C. Winner of 11 Tony Awards in 2016 including Best Musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” has become famous in every corner of America, and the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) is finally bringing the musical to D.C. June 12-Sept. 16.

Those interested in attending can purchase tickets online at kennedy-center.org. So far, only the performance on Thursday, June 14 is completely sold out, but second tier tickets ($99-249) are almost entirely gone for every show. There is a four-ticket limit per household, and tickets range from $99-625. A small number of limited view seats are also available for purchase in person at the box office or by calling Instant Charge at 202-467-4600. There will be 40 tickets sold for $10 each for every performance through a digital lottery that will begin two days prior to each show beginning at 11 a.m. To register for the lottery, visit hamiltonmusical.com/lottery.

The Kennedy Center is “the only authorized source for Hamilton tickets in Washington.” Tickets purchased elsewhere are not guaranteed.

Temple Shalom (8401 Grubb Rd., Chevy Chase) presents “Drag Queen Story Time and Havdalah” on Saturday, June 16 at 5:30 p.m.

The event will include hands-on crafts, dress-up, costume activities and a pizza dinner followed by local drag queens Miss Buffy Wilde and Cherry Snow reading stories centered around tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. The evening will conclude with a Havdalah ceremony and dance party.

All ages are welcome. Costumes are also welcome but not required. Tickets range from $5-25 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com. More information can be found at the Facebook event page.

Joan Armatrading at City Winery June 16 Singer/songwriter Joan Armatrading, known for her ‘70s-‘80s U.K. hits such as “Love and Affection,” “Me Myself I” and “Drop the Pilot,” brings her “46 the Tour” to City Winery (1350 Okie St., N.E.) on Saturday, June 16.

Tickets range from $75 (bar stool)-$125 (VIP) and are available at citywinery.com.

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Garden Retreat bring the tropics home with

Hibiscus, Mandevilla, Caladium Canna Lily, Elephant Ear

Celebrate Capital Pride DC Democratic Primary June 19th! (early voting starts on June 4)

VOTE- Democrats Moving Forward #RESIST National Committeeman Jack Evans

National Committeewoman Silvia Martinez

At-Large Committeemen

At-Large Committeewomen Alexa Wertman Brown Patricia "Pat" Elwood

James S. Bubar Mario Crista/do Dave Donaldson Charles Gaither John C. Green James J. Zogby Ward 2 Committeeman John E. Lazar

The Democrats Moving Forward #Resist Slate Is a diverse group of hard working DC Ward 4 Committeeman activists who have united together to #Resist the hateful and hurtful policies of James J. Sydnor Donald Trump and the Republican Party and move our party, city and nation Ward 5 Committeeman forward. We are Veterans, Latinos, Timothy Thomas Community Leaders, LGBTQ, Black, White, Young and Old. We support statehood and a Ward 6 Committeemen DC Democratic Party that works to ensure that DC is a place where common goals and Donald R. Dinan values such as quality schools, affordable David Meadows housing, and sale neighborhoods are ,,e.. available to residents in all eight wards.

Reta Jo Lewis Latifa Lyles Monica Roache' Christine M. Warnke Ward 2 Committeewomen Susan Baraflano Sherri Kimbel Ward 4 Committeewomen Linda L. Gray Renee J. Johnson Ward 5 Committeewoman Romaine B. Thomas Visit our website: demsmovingfwdresist.com

PAID FOR BY DEMOCRATS MOVING FORWARD #RESIST, 1776 K ST, NW, #800, WDC 20006, MARILYN TYLER BROWN, TREASURER. A COPY OF OUR REPORT IS FILED WITH THE OFFICE OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE.

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Purchase tickets at washingtonblade.com/tickets

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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A RT S & CU LT U RE

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com Lawrence. Jun 8-Jun 17. Step Afrika! at Hartke Theater. stepafrika.org.

MUSIC

Sandra Bernhard “Sandemonium” Jun 8. Washington Blade at Lansburgh Theatre. shakespearetheatre.org.

Sandra Bernhard is a pioneer of the one-woman show and brings a unique and raucous mix of cabaret, stand-up, rock-n-roll, and social commentary to the stage. She has starred in Broadway shows and films and her TV credits include “Roseanne,” “Two Broke Girls,” “Will & Grace,” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” among others.

Barry Manilow Jun 8-9. Wolf Trap. wolftrap.org.

A Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award winner whose catalog includes hits like “Mandy” and “Can’t Smile Without You,” Barry Manilow is one of the top Adult Contemporary artists of all time and “the greatest showman of our generation” (Rolling Stone).

DC JazzFest Jun 8-17. DC JazzFest at various locations. dcjazzfest.org.

Jazz Takes Over The District, with more than 125 performances in 40+ venues, DCJazzFest will present an amazing array of emerging and master-level talent that includes more than 90 bands and 300 artists!

Tango Travelers Jun 14. Gourmet Symphony at Shaw’s Tavern. gourmetsymphony.org.

Explore the history of tango with Gourmet Symphony as we travel to South America, Europe, and Africa via music, food, and drink. As you sway to the intoxicating sounds of bandoneon, cello, and guitar, you’ll also savor fusion dishes and drinks designed by Chef Javier Marquina. The program will even feature demos by two professional tango dancers and, if you’re brave, you can join us for a mini milonga to end the night.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON BLADE

THEATRE Botticelli in the Fire. Thru Jun 24.

Woolly Mammoth. woollymammoth.net.

Broadway Center Stage: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Thru Jun 10. Hamilton. Jun 12Sep 7. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

One Destiny. Jun 13-Jul 12. Ford’s Theatre. fords.org.

Saint Joan. Thru Jun 10. Folger Theatre. folger.edu.

Shear Madness. Thru Sep 30. Kennedy Center. shearmadness.com.

The Invisible Hand. Thru Jun 10.

Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org.

The Remains. Thru Jun 24. Studio Theatre. studiotheatre.org.

Girlfriend. Thru Jun 17. The Scottsboro Boys. Thru Jul 1. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

The Vagrant Trilogy. Thru Jul 1.

Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas. mosaictheater.org.

Trayf. Thru Jun 24. Theater J. theaterj.org.

WIT Road Show: Interplay. Thru Jun 17. DC Arts Center. dcartscenter.org.

DANCE The Migration: Reflections on Jacob

Concert: Bolcom, Debussy, Dvorak & Washington Saxophone Quartet (Alexandria). Jun 10. WMPA. Masonic National Memorial. wmpamusic.org.

Eschenbach conducts Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ Symphony / Walton’s Viola Concerto. Thru Jun 9. Eschenbach conducts Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony / Mozart’s Oboe Concerto. Jun 12-Jun 13. NSO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Birthday Picnic!. Jun 8. Woodlawn and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House. woodlawnpopeleighey.org.

Roger Daltrey Performs The Who’s Tommy with members of The Who Band and Wolf Trap Orchestra. Jun 10-Jun 12. Wolf Trap. wolftrap.org.

18th Annual Concert. Jun 10.

Heritage Signature Chorale.

National City Christian Church. heritagesignaturechorale.org.

Jazz in the Garden: The Slackers. Jun 8. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.

Klezmer Brunch. Jun 10. Washington Jewish Music Festival at EDCJCC. wjmf.org.

Lenny & Friends. Jun 9. The Washington Chorus at Live! at 10th & G. thewashingtonchorus.org.

Boz Scaggs. Jun 13. Strathmore. strathmore.org.

Apollo Orchestra in Concert with NSO cellist Steven Honigberg.

Jun 8. Church of the Little Flower. apolloorchestra.com.

Kennedy Center Chamber Players / Summer Concert. Jun 10. Fortas Chamber Music Concerts: A Night of Schumann and Brahms with Christoph Eschenbach and NSO Members. Jun 11. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

MUSEUMS Dumbarton Oaks. Outside/IN: Martha Jackson Jarvis at Dumbarton Oaks.

Thru Aug 19. doaks.org.

Kreeger Museum. Second Nature: Portuguese Contemporary Art from the EDP Foundation Collection. Jun 13Jul 31. kreegermuseum.org.

Library of Congress. Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I. Thru Jan 1. loc.gov.

National Archives. Remembering Vietnam. Thru Jan 6. archivesfoundation.org.

National Gallery of Art. Heavenly Earth: Images of Saint Francis at La

Verna. Thru Jul 8. nga.gov.

National Geographic. Titanic: The Untold Story. Thru Dec 21. nglive.org.

National Museum of Women in the Arts. Hung Liu In Print. Thru Jul 8. nmwa.org.

Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.

Your Community, Your Story: Celebrating Five Decades Of The Anacostia Community Museum, 19672017. Thru Jan 6. anacostia.si.edu.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers. Thru Sep 3pg.si.edu.

GALLERIES DC Arts Center (DCAC). Judging Me Judging You. Thru Aug 12. dcartscenter.org.

Gallery Underground. Out of the Blue All-Member Exhibit. Thru Jun 29. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

Glen Echo Park. Arigat?, 10 Years at Glen Echo Park. Thru Jul 1. Super America: Paintings and Prints by Ric Garcia. Thru Jul 1. glenechopark.org.

Korean Cultural Center DC. Artistic Records exhibition. Thru Jun 28. koreaculturedc.org.

Metro Micro Gallery. Diary of a Self Important Fat Girl. Thru Jun 30. metromicrogallery.com.

Publick Playhouse. Katherine Hart.

Thru Jun 23. arts.pgparks.com.

Strathmore. Jennifer Kahn Barlow.

Thru Dec 1. strathmore.org.

The Art League. Michael McSorley: ‘’Collections of Perceptions’’. Thru Jul 1. theartleague.org.

Zenith Gallery. Journeys, Memories, and Dreams for the Future. Thru Jun 23. zenithgallery.com.

AND MORE...

Gandhi Memorial Center. A Sufi-Yogi Dialogue. Jun 9. gandhimemorialcenter.org.

Hill Center. Historic Homebrewing Class. Jun 10. Jun 11. Kitchen 101: Pizza + Other Flatbreads. Jun 12. hillcenterdc.org.

The Art League. Art on the Vine: Art Auction & Wine Tasting Party. Jun 8. theartleague.org.

National Geographic. National Geographic Explorers Festival: National Geographic Awards. Jun 14. Film: Jerusalem 3-D. Thru Aug 12. nglive.org.

Folger Theatre. Book Launch for Photographing Shakespeare: The Folger Shakespeare Library. Jun 11. folger.edu.

National Gallery of Art. Hearts in a Heartless World: Access and Community Media. Jun 9. nga.gov.

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HUMAN RIGHTS

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CA LE N D A R kits for the organization’s free, walkin services. To RSVP, email dmagrini@ whitman-walker.org.

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

TUESDAY, JUNE 12 TODAY

The Pride Fund to End Gun Violence hosts a Candlelight Vigil to Remember Pulse tonight from 8-9 p.m. at Dupont Circle, honoring the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting and calling D.C. elected officials to action. D.C.’s Gay Men’s Chorus will perform. Guests should bring their own candles if possible. For more details, see the Facebook event.

Grammy-winning singer Barry Manilow, who finally officially came out in 2017, takes the stage tonight and Saturday at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.) from 8-11 p.m. accompanied by performing artist Michael Lington.

Tickets range in price from $45-125 and can be purchased at wolftrap.org.

SALVATION: Cha Cha Pride is tonight from 10 p.m.-5 a.m. at Living Room D.C. (1008 Vermont Ave., N.W.). Miami is bringing their famous SALVATION party featuring DJ Abel and opening with X Gonzalez to the city in honor of Capital Pride. Tickets are available at chachapride.com and start at $33.

Trans and Nonbinary Latinx Support Group meets tonight from 6-7:30 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.).

Facilitated by Michaé Pulido and hosted

by Center Latinx, this support group offers a safe space for trans and nonbinary latinxs of all races in which to explore their identities and form connections with each other. For more details, see the Facebook event.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 Chateau Remix (3439 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Queeta’s Palace Chateau Remix Drag Brunch today from 11 a.m.3 p.m. Shi-Queeta Lee and her cast will impersonate Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and more. An all-you-can-eat buffet will be featured. Tickets are $40 each and include the drag show, buffet and first mimosa or Bloody Mary. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com.

Rainbows and Rooftops takes place today from 10 a.m-1 p.m. at the Farm (55 M St., S.E.). Hosted by Daybreaker D.C. in honor of Capital Pride, the event includes yoga from 10-11 a.m. and a dance party from 11 a.m-1 p.m. with FDVM spinning the tunes. All tickets ($19-35) include cold brew coffee, juice and breakfast treats provided by Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods and can be purchased at daybreaker.com.

Bier Baron Tavern and Comedy Loft (1523 22nd St., N.W.) presents #PrettyBoiPride: Brunch Edition today from noon-3 p.m. Pretty Boi drag kings will perform, DJ Tezrah will spin and bottomless mimosas and other breakfast items will be available. Early bird tickets, which do not include food and drink, are now on sale for $15 while supplies last; regular admission tickets will be available for $20 online or $25 at the door. Visit the event on Facebook for additional details.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13

PHOTO COURTESY WOLF TRAP

BARRY MANILOW is at Wolf Trap for two shows this weekend.

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 Little Theatre of Alexandria (600 Wolfe St., Alexandria) performs “The Nance” today at 3 p.m. Winner of three Tony Awards, the show tackles the nuances and challenges of gay life in New York City in the 1930s. The theater is Metro accessible and tickets are $22 each. To purchase tickets, visit thelittletheatre.com.

Millennial Pink party, featuring live music by 10 artists, takes place today from 4-10 p.m. at Dew Drop Inn D.C. (2801 8th St., N.E.). Partygoers should bring $10 cash for the entry fee at the door. The event is restricted to people 21 and up. See the Facebook event for more details.

1314 Half/Gallery (1314 ½ 9th St., N.W.) is hosting the Queer Enough Portrait Project this month and is open today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Queer Enough showcases 20 powerful portraits of LGBT people and explores queer imagination and representation. The gallery is free and open to the public. For more details, visit facebook.com/queerenough.

Not the White House Pride Party is today from noon-4 p.m. at Republic Restoratives (1369 New York Ave., N.E.).

Obama White House alumni and Republic Restoratives are hosting a brunch to close out Pride weekend, featuring food by local LGBT vendors and beats from

a local DJ. Tickets are $20, and all funds raised will be donated to TransLaw, an organization working to provide legal services to transgender people in the D.C. metro area. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com.

MONDAY, JUNE 11 The Potter’s House (1658 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts Queer Magic Book Event tonight from 6:30-8 p.m. Published in March, “Queer Magic: Power Beyond Boundaries” explores how LGBT identities offer a powerful lens in tackling and deconstructing the world of magic with a collection of 43 diverse and passionate excerpts. Attendees will meet some of the book’s authors and editors and hear book readings. It’s free and open to the public.

Coffee & Conversation for Older LGBT Adults takes place today from 10 a.m.noon at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.). Stop by and enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee over conversation with fellow LGBT community members.

For more information, email david@ thedccenter.org.

Whitman-Walker Community Volunteer Night is tonight from 6-8 p.m. at Whitman-Walker Health (1525 14th St., N.W.), a non-profit community health center with a focus on HIV/AIDS and LGBT health care. Assemble STI self-testing

Freddie’s Beach Bar (555 23rd St., Arlington) presents Beach Blanket Drag Bingo tonight from 8-10 p.m. Hosted by the drag queen Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, the event includes drag bingo with free entry, prizes and karaoke. Burgers are also half price. If you plan to dine, call ahead at 703-685-0555 to reserve a table.

The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for Duplicate Bridge. For several decades now, the Lambda Bridge Club has provided a social space for gay bridge players. No reservations are required and newcomers are welcome.

Call 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

The Big Gay Book Group meets tonight at 6:45 p.m. at East City Bookshop (645 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.), one block from the Eastern Market Metro station. The group will discuss Armistead Maupin’s memoir “Logical Family,” which chronicles Maupin’s personal transformation from curious adolescent to gay rights forerunner and author. Newcomers are welcome, and the event is free. To RSVP, email biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com.

Prime Timers of D.C. meets tonight at 6:15 p.m. at Windows about the Dupont Italian Kitchen (1627 17th St., N.W.). The group is a social organization for mature LGBT men ages 21 and older. Nonmembers are encouraged to drop by.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14 LGBTQ Latinx Arts Activism takes place tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gallery (Independence Ave. at 7th St., S.W.).

Hosted by the Smithsonian Latino Center, the event includes an onstage discussion between artists and activists moderated by scholar and curator V. Gina Díaz. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and seats are available on a first-come, first-come basis. ASL interpretation will be provided. To request additional services, call 202-633-0925.

Pretty Boi Drag presents #AmateurKingNight tonight from 8-11 p.m. at Bier Baron Tavern and Comedy Loft (1523 22nd St., N.W.). Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The event is restricted to people 21 and older.

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SC IE NTISTS EXP LO R E R S I N N OVATO R S C HANG EMAKER S

a n d YO U

JUNE 14 -17 WA S H I N GTO N , D C T i c k e t s a n d f u l l s c h e d u l e a t N A T G E O . O R G / F E S T I VA L

F E AT U R I N G : J O E L S A RTO R E N AT I O N A L G EO G R A P H I C P H OTO G R A P H E R | A N D R E W R E V K I N S C I E N C E J O U R N A L I S T | C O RY D O C T O R O W T E C H N O B L O G G E R | M I C H E L L E B A C H E L E T F O R M E R P R E S I D E N T O F C H I L E | M A J U N E N V I RO N M E N TA L I S T | LY N D O N R I V E C O - F O U N D E R O F S O L A RC I T Y | V I C T O R I A H E R R M A N N N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C EXPLORER | A RT H U R H UA N G ENGINEER | I A I N S T E WA RT GEOLOGIST

C A R O L Y N P O R C O P L A N E T A R Y S C I E N T I S T | P E T E R R AV E N B O T A N I S T A N D A U T H O R R AV I P AT E L A C TO R A N D D I R E C TO R |

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES BY

MELISSA ETHERIDGE, BEN HARPER, AMBER RILEY, THE SUFFERS

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 109

Synetic Theater Presents

The Wonderful Wizard of

July 11 >> August 12

Oz

A Wizard stuck in a land far from home A Scarecrow tied to a pole A Tinman rusted in a forest A Lion afraid of his own shadow ...their world turned upside down and inside out when Dorothy lands in Oz.

Tickets: synetictheater.org 866.811.4111

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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P H O T O S BY MI CH A E L KE Y

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performed its “TransAmerica” show alongside the GenOUT Chorus at the Lincoln Theatre on Saturday. For tickets and showtimes, visit gmcw.org.

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JUNE 08, 2018 • 111

Entertainers.

Chefs.

Drag queens.

Librarians.

Trainers.

Activists.

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Heroes.

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REALESTATE

The elements of a home Determining the features that will transform your house into something more

By VALERIE M. BLAKE If I were to ask what elements make up a house, some of you might rattle off a list that includes a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and perhaps a foyer or hall. Others might add a basement, an attic or a garage.

A foundation contractor would include form boards, concrete, rebar and anchor bolts. A construction foreman would certainly tell you that a house is made of joists, decking and studs. (After all, what’s a house without a few studs?)

A roofer would bring up trusses, shingles, fascia boards and drip edges.

An HVAC contractor would think first of BTUs, heat pumps, thermostats and flexible ducts.

A plumber would likely mention pipes, stacks and elbows, an electrician would have breakers, receptacles and switches on his list, and we certainly can’t forget windows, doors, flooring and masonry.

But if I were to ask what elements make up a home, I suspect the answers might be somewhat different.

You might cite a common phrase such as: “Home is where the heart is,” or “Home

Are you really going to cook in that gourmet kitchen or is it just for show?

PHOTO COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK

is not a place, it’s a feeling.” And who among us has not donned our ruby red slippers, clicked our heels together, and whispered, “There’s no place like home?”

Sometimes I get the opportunity to see how people turn the houses I sell them into homes, but often, the plans they had to

“make it their own” don’t seem to get done.

Why is that? Are we afraid of taking on do-it-yourself projects? Are the costs of our dreams for a renovated kitchen too high? Are we too tired to do anything but binge watch TV when we get home from work? Or does life simply get in the way?

I purchased my first house in the suburbs of Detroit in 1977 for $22,200. It had two bedrooms, one bath, a den, and funky angles that made each room feel as though it was an afterthought. It had no personality, so I set about to give it one.

After all, I wanted a home.

The living room and dining room were perhaps the most sedate, with beige carpet and walls, rust and black plaid sofas and the requisite painting of Elvis on velvet. The first-floor den had blue carpet and white, blue and silver metallic wallpaper. I gave the kitchen a fresh cover of indooroutdoor carpet in blue and brown paisley, with complementary striped wallpaper.

As if that weren’t enough, I installed gold shag carpet upstairs with green, gold and orange plaid accent walls in the bedrooms and brown and silver metallic paint in the bathroom. The home was certainly “me” and I’m thankful the “me” of those days is gone.

Still, I was one of the few people in my age group who owned a house. I shared it with a boyfriend, hosted parties, baked goodies for the office and gabbed over

the back fence with the neighbor.

Now, when people tell me what they’re looking for in a house, I spend more time digging into the why behind the what, determining the elements that will make their house a home.

For example, if you want a gourmet kitchen, will it be just for show or will you really use six burners, a double oven, and a warming drawer? If you need a wine fridge do you have someone to share a bottle with, or should I be worried that you’re drinking alone? Will you be grilling on the patio and hosting friends and family gatherings or sitting on a balcony to wind down after a bad day?

If children are on your agenda, do you need a place for them to do their homework? Will there be an extra bedroom with en suite bath for an au pair or an aging parent? And will that garage you insist on house the Ferrari, the kayak, or the boxes you will someday get around to unpacking?

Whatever your needs, remember the immortal words of Burt Bacharach: “a house is not a home when there’s no one there to hold you tight and no one there you can kiss good night.” We could all use a little more of that.

VALERIE M. BLAKE is a licensed Associate Broker in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and Director of Education & Mentorship at Real Living| At Home. Call or text her at 202-246-8602, email her at Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com, or follow her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.

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REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.

SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Bdrm 3 Ba property is nestled on 2.4 acres - a “heartbeat” away from and VRE. Meticulously maintained landscaped, REVIEWHistoric AD FOR COPYF’Burg AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the dateand of proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof.

Revisions will not be acceptedand after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts REVISIONS this home is warm, inviting features numerous upgrades - incl. but omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users REDESIGN can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement willthe not violate any criminalGranite, laws or not limited to: Family/Sunroom floating in trees, Stainless TEXT REVISIONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONSappliances, competition,Upgraded defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of more. anti-discrimination law or regulation, baths and so much $384,500.00 or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE ADVERTISER NO REVISIONSSIGNATURE

ISSUE 1806083 ThisDATE: beautiful

washington blade) By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations payment and insertion schedule. and warranties.

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5520 Colonial Drive, Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732

An adorable cottage overlooking the Chesapeake Bay in a community of 19 homes. Lovingly renovated by Owner/Agent.

One bedroom (but sleeps 5-6), Jack 'n Jill bath with shower, living room with entertainment wall, kitchen with mother of pearl tile and butcher block counters, sunroom and deck with water view, utility room and storage, 2-car parking, community pier and beach. The perfect getaway less than an hour from DC!

VALERIE BLAKE c: 202.246.8602 o: 202.518.8781 valerie@dchomequest.com dchomequest.com

Valerie M. Blake’s

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1015 33rd St, NW #505 Georgetown

List price: $925,000

Private Placement, Brokers Honored

1177 22nd St, NW #6L West End

List price: $1,499,000

1212 M St, NW Logan/Shaw

List price: $597,000

1111 24th St, NW #67 West End

List price: $1,295,000

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1111 24th St, NW #PH107 West End

List price: $1,395,000

1177 22nd St, NW #9A West End

1177 22nd St, NW #4H West End

List price: $1,929,000

List price: $929,000

CHAUVIN HOUSE TEAM Mobile: 202-256-9595 Office: 202-448-9002 chauvinhouse@compass.com

Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 12323 1st Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 202.448.9002

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Looking to buy or list your home this summer?

Call me anytime for a free consult. With over 23 million in sales last year and a masters in architecture, my background and commitment to service will help you find, sell or buy the home that is perfect for you.

PROUD to be one of

www.alterurban.com/group

Just Listed

Washington’s top real estate agents, where LOVE is LOVE!

1375 Maryland Ave. NE, Unit H $2,900,000 Sold

1729 Park Rd. NW $1,565,000 Sold

John Coplen 410.591.0911 | johncoplen@alterurban.com Licensed Real Estate Agent D.C. / MD. / VA.

1219 O St. NW $1,180,000

1509 22 nd Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 | 202.464.8400 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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16239 Willow Creek Road | Lewes Offered at: $1,895,000 Mix Business & Pleasure at the Beach!

Attention: Experienced Innkeepers, Aspiring Innkeepers, Investors & Connoisseurs Unmatched in style and now rich in potential, this design sanctuary recently earned approval for operation as a B&B. Intrinsic colonial character welcomes you; modern cosmopolitan chic draws you in.

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“Peaceable: The Millman Homestead” is an incomparable setting in Coastal Delaware, offering a unique opportunity. Minutes to dining, nightlife, shopping, beaches, entertainment and natural beauty of Delaware’s beach resorts, this idyllic property is impeccably curated with 6 bedrooms - a remarkable 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath main home, sprawling manicured grounds, in-ground pool, and 2 guest cottages (a pool house and a log cabin) each with sleeping area and full baths – and now both can be rented. Complete with event-worthy pool, patio and entertaining areas for gatherings that deserve the perfect venue.

Majority of interior & exterior furniture available for purchase outside of real estate offering.

CALL FOR A PERSONAL APPOINTMENT TODAY.

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4801 Yorktown Blvd, Arlington, VA 22207 $1,049,900 | Open Sunday, June 10th, 1 to 3pm Mid Century Modern Brick Home! Renovated Updated. Take a breath when you open the front door to panoramic soaring views of a fairytale yard.

Light filled, Expansive kitchen: Cherry, granite and Reclaimed Brazilian Wood floors. Easy entertaining: Two dish washers and ovens. Open floor plan spacious rooms. Separate heating and air in lower level rooms. XL two car garage. A Wow #10.

Marcia Bowlds

703-507-1635

mbowlds@mcenearney.com

20 Garfield St S, Arlington, VA 22204 $1,024,000 | Open Sunday, June 10th, 2 to 4pm This is an amazing custom Craftsman Bungalow w/ many wonderful features. Lush professional landscaping leads to a welcoming front porch which ushers you into a lovely living room w/ wide plank flooring, gas FRPL & deep moldings. The open concept gourmet kitchen & great room overlook peaceful back yard. UL has superlative MBR w/ en suite delux bath. Perfect for entertaining. One light to DC.

Susan Lunde Minnick

703-585-1861

sminnick@mcenearney.com

4720 Lee Highway Arlington, VA 22207 | 703-525-1900 McEnearney.com

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CATERING TO ALL OF YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS! $1,295,000 Bartlett Pear Inn, Historic Landmark Inn in Downtown Easton, Md. Guest List and management system convey along with all furnishings.

Great Investment.

$1,695,000 Waverly Island Retreat!

Great Family Home, 430’ Bulkhead on Deep Water.Boat Lift, Open Floor Plan with guest rooms on second floor above kitchen/ Family room! 9’ deep Gunite Pool.

$459,000 Fishing Creek Waterfront, Great Westerly Views, Priced to Sell.

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$312,500 Great Family Home just outside Downtown Easton,4 Bed 2 Bath.

$485,000 309 Manor St. Completely Updated, 1/2 Block to Harbor, 3 Blocks to Restaurants and shopping, county address, no town taxes.

$639,900 Dolvin, 1760-1864, Grand Manor House on 6.2 acres, 20 minutes to Bridge. 4 Bed/ 2 Bath, 5 Fireplaces, Lovely Pool, 3 level Barn for livestock or horses, Surrounded by 450+/- acres of Farmland in Conservation.

Wye Mills, Md Photos courtesy of Chesapeake Pro Photography

A Native of the Eastern Shore, I was raised on my Great Grandfathers farm where I gained a great respect for this “Cherished Land”. I spent many of my early years fishing & crabbing on the tributaries of Talbot & Dorchester counties. I am currently a resident of Easton, MD and formerly of Oxford, MD. I have spent the last several years working in the Hospitality industry and learned much from providing a high level of customer service. I look forward to providing the same high level of service as your Real Estate Agent.Whether you are relocating or making a lifestyle change, I hope you find the Joy and Comfort of “The Shore” that I have enjoyed for a lifetime. My Husband, Chef Hugo Ruesgas (Mason’s Redux) and myself have lived on the Shore since ‘03 and were married in Oxford in 2013. Life is “Fabulous, Here on The Shore”

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SEX IS...

PRIDE Be proud of your sexuality.

Visit SexIsDC.org LEARN. SHARE. BE.

@SexIsDC

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www.bediz.com

202 642 1616 I info@bediz.com

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM So They Can Be Included in That Week’s Edition of Washington Blade and washingtonblade.com

SHARE ADS ARE FREE. Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.* *25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

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SHARE ADS ARE FREE

Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.* *25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

MASSAGE

COUNSELING

ROSSLYN - CMT available for massage in Arlington, Sun-Tues or DC, Wed, Fri & Sat. Call or text Gary 301-704-1158. mymassagebygary.com.

COUNSELING FOR GAY MEN. Individual/ couple counseling w/ volunteer peer counselor. Gay Men’s Counseling Community since 1973. 202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling. org. No fees, donation requested.

ISO EMPLOYMENT LOOKING FOR PART-TIME CONCIERGE, receptionist, front desk, lobby attendant position. Gina Blake 202-956-9549.

SWEDISH MASSAGE with deep tissue/stretching & reflexology elements. EZ parking/5 min walk from metro. 202-731-9737. $90hr.

BODY & SOUL ARE YOU LONELY? DO YOU NEED cuddling?. Men In Arms will provide you with a relaxing M2M cuddling experience. Book a session at www. meninarms.com today!

EMPLOYMENT OFFICE/ ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT

needed in Bethesda.

Duties: administrative support, bookkeeping, website. Hours are weekdays, 8:30 – 11:30am.

Job closes 6/15. Respond to alim@rruuc.org.

WHOLISTIC SERVICES, INC. seeking Full Time Direct Support Professionals to assist intellectually disabled adults with behavioral health complexities in group homes & day services throughout DC. Requirements 1 year exp., valid drivers license, able to lift 50-75 lbs, complete training program, become DDS Med Certified within 4 months of hire, ability to pass security background check. Associates degree preferred. For more information, please contact the Human Resources (HR) Department at 202-832-8787.

LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay men’s naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring Locker Room Attendants. We all scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You must be physically able to handle the work & have a great attitude doing it. No drunks/druggies need apply.

Please call David at (202) 319-1333. from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

LEGAL SERVICES ADOPTION & ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer Fairfax represents clients in DC, MD & VA. interested in adoption or ART matters. 301221-9651, JFairfax@ jenniferfairfax.com.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Results-Oriented • Affordable

Larry Cohen, LICSW

30 years serving the LGBT community

202-244-0903 socialanxietyhelp.com

See website for NPR story on my work

Dr. Melvin L. Phillips, Jr., Ed.D., LICSW, LCSW, CSAC

Offering psychological solutions for depression, anxiety, chronic pain and illness

(202) 544-5440

www.drleephillips.com

DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES Top 1% Nationwide NVAR Life Member Top Producder

703-593-3204

WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET ENTHUSIASTICALLY SERVING DC & VIRGINIA

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM Representing the GLBT community for over 35 years. Family adoptions, estate planning, immigration, employment. (301) 891-2200. Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.

SP-Law. com.

LIMOUSINES KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE Since 1987.

Gay & Veteran Owner/ Operator. 2016 Luxury BMW 750Li Sedan.

Properly Licensed & Livery Insured in DC. www.KasperLivery.com.

Phone 202-554-2471.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE O’TOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Art Photographer for Portraits & Weddings & more! Check out my website - www. steveotoolephotography. com. Specializing in Bears & Big men.

Steve 703-861-4422.

CLEANING FERNANDO’S CLEANING: Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/ Move-Out. (202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183.

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM washingtonblade.com

TELL ‘EM YOU SAW THEIR AD IN THE Blade classifieds!

ELECTRICIAN ELECTRICIAN FOR RESTORING

power outages, installing recessed lights & ceiling fans, wall mounting TVs, AV system configurations, electrical repairs & renovations 202-294-5000

HANDYMAN PLASTERING & STUCCO QUALITY WORK. DC licensed http://www. rtbullard.com. 703-845-1565.

PLUMBERS DIAL A PLUMBER, LLC - FULL SERVICE PLUMBER JUST SAY: I NEED A PLUMBER! Bathroom Sinks, Tubs, Vanities, Kitchen Sinks, Disposals, Boilers & Furnaces, Hot Water Heaters, Drain Service!

202-251-1479. Licensed, Bonded & Insured.

DC Plumbers License #707. Visa, MasterCard, American Express accepted.

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM So They Can Be Included in That Week’s Edition of Washington Blade and washingtonblade.com

SHARE ADS ARE FREE. Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.* *25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

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Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.* *25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

SALE / MD DEADLINES

ELEGANT 1920’s COLONIAL REVIVAL

GREAT SCOTT MOVING INC. Local & Long Distance, Pianos! A Great Move at a Great Price call (301) 699-2066. Highly` rated by Consumer Check Book, Better Business Bureau, Yelp & Angie’s List. We’ve moved the Blade, let us move you!

Hagerstown $765,000 Architect-designed Colonial Revival on treelined boulevard in Oak Hill Historic District.

Grand center hall, manicured landscaping, stone walls, charming porches, Vermont slate patio. Small city location, commutable to D.C. metro area.

Convenient to City Park, Maryland Symphony; walk to Gordon’s Grocery. $765,000.00, Hagerstown, MD. Cathy Wantz, Realtor, 301-791-9046. http:// www.realestatetoday. pro/#/1165-the-terrace/

PEST CONTROL

SALE / WV

AROUND TOWN MOVERS. Professional Moving & Storage. Let Our Movers Do The Heavy Lifting. Mention the ‘Blade’ for 5% off of our regular rates. Call today 202.734.3080. www. aroundtownmovers.com

Playmates and soul mates...

Washington:

202-448-0824

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM washingtonblade.com

MOVERS

ENHANCE YOUR AD WITH OUR UPGRADES PICTURES BOLD TEXT LARGE TEXT COLOR AND MORE CONTACT US AT 202-747-2077

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM So They Can Be Included in That Weeks Edition of Washington Blade and washingtonblade.com

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

EJ’S PEST CONTROL

Insect, Rodent, & Critter Control. Effective Experience Detecting & Eliminating All Types of Household Pests including Ants, Bed Bugs, Termites & Rodents.

Schedule your Pest Inspection Today (202) 455-9924. DC, MD, VA, DE.

RENT / DC CAPITOL HILL 1BR $1,539.00

+ util/mth. 1122 F St. NE #4. Call or email Joel Martin at 202-498-1065 jn1martin@aol.com

LUCAS IS BACK 5’ 9”, 170 lbs, 36 yo, Latino

BERKELEY SPRINGS B&B DREAM Spacious 1890 Victorian 5BR, 2BA w/ original woodwork, hdwd floors, 9’ Ceilings, over 2900 sq. ft. 79 S. Green Street.

Only $145,000. Teresa White, Perry Realty, 304-258-3681 (Office), 304-676-7832 (Cell).

Masseur offering Swedish to Sensual massage on my heated table, in a private atmosphere. In/ out, Hotels welcome, Parking Available, 24/7.

Call Lucas, 240-462-8669. fromlucas@yahoo.com.

PLACE YOUR FREE AD ONLINE WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

18+ MegaMates.com

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Alexandria - $399,000

Alexandria City - $649,900

No excuses. Just results. TalktoRay.com

Ft. Washington, MD - $340,000

RE/MAX’S #1 REALTOR® in the DC metro area.

703-824-4731

TALK TO RAY

RAY GERNHART

AND ASSOCIATES VA, DC & MD

www.TalktoRay.com

RE/MAX Allegiance, Each office Independently Owned and Operated.

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Best Small Town Cultural Scene

SA Today recently ranked Easton #7 on its "Best Small Town Cultural Scene" list, a compilation of the top ten communities of under 30,000 people around the country with active arts programs and events calendars.

said. "Easton's arts organizations and businesses are and have been great contributors to the town's cultural vibrance for many years. It's the work of those partners and our great patrons that this award really recognizes."

According to USA Today, the list focuses on towns that pack a "big cultural punch," evaluating criteria such as quality and quantity of museums, art galleries, performing arts, and other community events. Editors at USA Today nominated twenty towns for the honor, and the top ten list was narrowed down by reader votes and participation.

According to USA Today, nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA Today; editors from 10Best.com; relevant expert contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties.

"It is a great honor for Easton to be named to this nationwide list, but I wouldn't consider it a surprise," Easton Business Alliance manager Ross Benincasa

This honor comes shortly after RewardExpert, a leading travel review site, named Easton the “#2 Top Wine Destination in the United States.” Although Easton does not grace the top of many wine destination lists,

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RewardExpert stated that the area's 23 wineries and vineyards for under 175,000 residents rates in the 95th percentile for wineries per capita. In addition, the region's wines earned an average rating of 94 (out of 100), making it one of the top destinations with an abundance of high-quality wines.

This week Easton was also named to the "20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2018" by Smithsonian Magazine, a national list of towns built by the prestigious institution that offer a great mix of amenities, culture, shopping, and history in a laid-back atmosphere.

All of these honors come during a busy season for the Eastern Shore's commercial hub. On June 16, the town celebrates Juneteenth at the Academy Art Museum, the celebration of the emancipation of slavery. Also on that date, the third annual Chesapeake Children's Book Festival comes to Easton at the Waterfowl Building, featuring

over 30 authors and illustrators signing their books and performing readings for families. And on July 15, head to Easton for the 14th annual Plein Air Easton arts festival, the largest outdoor arts competition in the United States, lasting until July 22.

For more information on Easton's businesses and events, head to www.discovereaston.com.

Check Out the NEW DiscoverEaston.com

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www.DiscoverEaston.com

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Making its debut 6/6/2018 dclottery.com DC Scratcher games may continue to be sold even when all the top prizes have been claimed

DCL1551 | DC Love - Pride | Washington Blade | 9.75x11.5 | 4C