Washingtonblade.com, Volume 51, Issue 13, March 27, 2020

Ignore this man See inside for fact-based coverage of the pandemic

MARCH 27, 2020 • VOLUME 51 • ISSUE 13 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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MA R CH 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 0 5

At least 5 test positive for coronavirus at Whitman-Walker Health center to engage many patients remotely via ‘telehealth’

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM Whitman-Walker Health, D.C.’s community health center with a special outreach to LGBTQ people and people with HIV, told the Washington Blade on Tuesday that at least five or more of its patients have tested positive for coronavirus.

The disclosure of the positive test results came one day after WhitmanWalker began operating newly launched in-house respiratory clinics at two of its offices to test and treat its patients for coronavirus.

“Whitman-Walker Health has tested nearly three dozen people, but At least five Whitman-Walker patients have the number is changing each hour,” tested positive for coronavirus, officials announced Tuesday. spokesperson Jewel Addy told the Washington Blade photo by Michael Key Blade. “We have had more than five tests come back with a positive result,” Addy said. “We are still waiting on results from two dozen of those tests, as processing is taking as much as seven days.”

Addy was referring to one of two private medical testing companies, LabCorp, which the D.C. Department of Health has recommended private healthcare providers to send coronavirus tests and tests for other illnesses to be processed.

Dr. Sarah Henn, Whitman-Walker’s Chief Health Officer, said Whitman-Walker has a longstanding contract for medical testing related services with LabCorp and the company was working hard to increase its capacity to handle the large number of coronavirus tests at this time. She said the company’s goal is to reduce the turnaround time for the test to three to four days or less.

On Monday, Whitman-Walker announced on its website that its newly launched respiratory clinics are located at its headquarters building at 1525 14th St., N.W. and at its Max Robinson Center at 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., S.E. in Anacostia.

Addy said that due to the health emergency related to the coronavirus outbreak, Whitman-Walker, like other local health facilities, is arranging for most of its patient visits to take place remotely through a “telehealth” system it has put in place that involves consultations by phone and online communication.

“We have moved all scheduled appointments to telehealth from March 23 through May 29,” Addy said. “We are not accepting new patients at this time,” she said.

“We are running a respiratory clinic for any current Whitman-Walker patients who are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19,” Addy said, adding, “All respiratory clinic visits are appointments only. Our health centers are closed for any walk-in services.”

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Mayor extends coronavirus closings until at least April 27 Bars, restaurants, clubs hard hit by pandemic

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

As cases of coronavirus continue to explode across the country — more than 55,000 U.S. infections and 800 deaths as of Wednesday — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced at a news conference that she has extended the city’s emergency order requiring restaurants and bars to discontinue onsite operations and the full closure of nightclubs until at least April 27 as part of efforts to curtail the spread of the disease.

Last Sunday, the city announced the closings and restricted operations of bars and restaurants and other businesses such as health spas and theaters would be in effect until at least March 31.

Bowser also announced that a 59-year-old D.C. man became city’s first coronavirus related death.

The man, whose name was not disclosed, was admitted to a local hospital with a fever and cough as well as with other underlying medical conditions, the mayor said.

City officials launched an emergency $25 million program to provide financial assistance grants to D.C. small businesses adversely impacted by the coronavirus emergency.

Among the businesses that could be eligible for the emergency grants are the city’s 13 gay bars that have been forced to shut down in connection with coronavirus restrictions. Only a few of the gay clubs that have provided food service were immediately equipped to switch to a carry-out operation.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ and LGBTQsupportive organizations continue to announce cancellations and

postponements of events and changes in their operating formats in response to the coronavirus outbreak and emergency actions by local and state governments to curtail the pandemic.

The Washington Blade is maintaining a list of cancellations, postponements and venue changes as we learn about them at washingtonblade.com. We encourage organizations to inform us of these developments via email at knaff@ washblade.com.

Capital Pride released the following statement late last week: “At this time, the Capital Pride Alliance is developing contingencies with regard to the 2020 Celebration of Pride in the Nation’s Capital.

The decision has been made to postpone Capital Trans Pride and API Pride. In addition, some partner Pride events have been postponed, such as Youth Pride Day and Silver Pride. Additional determinations will be made over the next few weeks. We are monitoring the situation carefully along with other Pride organizations, and we will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners as we make decisions to insure the safety of the entire community.”

Cherry Fund 25, D.C.’s largest annual circuit dance party and LGBTQ and HIV/ AIDS fundraising venue, announced it has postponed this year’s 25th anniversary Cherry 25 from April 16-20 to Oct. 1-5.

Officials said tickets purchased for its various events scheduled for different locations the April 16-20 dates would be honored for the October dates.

Visit washingtonblade.com for the full list of cancellations and postponements.

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MA R CH 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 0 7

Hogan closes non-essential businesses in Md. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan this week ordered all non-essential businesses in the state to close.

“Today’s actions of closing non-essential businesses are absolutely necessary to protect the health of Marylanders and to save lives,” Hogan said during a press conference on Monday.

This is not a shelter-in-place order, as clarified by interpretive guidance from the Maryland governor’s Office of Legal Counsel, but “all Marylanders are urged to Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN remain home, and employers are urged to (Photo by Maryland GovPics via Flickr) promote work-from-home arrangements to the greatest extent possible.”

Non-essential businesses are defined by the order as “all businesses, organizations, establishments and facilities that are not part of the critical infrastructure sectors identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.”

Under these guidelines, tattoo parlors, tanning salons, barber shops, beauty salons and recreational establishments are non-exempt and were ordered to close by 5 p.m. on Monday, joining bars, restaurants, movie theaters and gyms that have shut down most services.

Hogan also announced a relief package totaling more than $175 million, which a press release clarified as intended to “assist small businesses and workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

MICHELLE SIEGEL

D.C. holds coronavirus virtual town hall for seniors Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office on Tuesday held a telephone town hall that addressed seniors’ coronavirus concerns.

Tomás Talamante, Bowser’s deputy chief of staff, moderated the event.

“It is important that we stay connected even while practicing social distancing,” Bowser told the virtual participants, which her office estimates numbered more than 4,000.

“Our top priority is blunting the spread of the virus … we especially want to send that message for senior citizens in the District.”

Office on Aging Director Laura Newman stated her agency is working daily to deliver meals “to those who are most vulnerable.”

“It is important that older adults do everything possible to minimize contact with COVID-19,” she explained.

Though the mayor emphasized, “The virus doesn’t discriminate … that’s why everyone needs to stay at home.”

Other panelists included Department of Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt and Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Christopher Rodriguez.

“We currently have 137 cases in our community,” Nesbitt said, reiterating the

mayor’s call for residents to stay home, if possible. “We have very close borders with Maryland and Virginia and we continue to monitor cases in the District and in the capital region.”

All panelists addressed efforts to “flatten the curve” and reduce the number of cases which could quickly overwhelm medical resources across D.C. “We have been working with our medical system,” Nesbitt said. “To have them postpone nonemergency health care services. Elective procedures must be postponed to decrease the number of patients hospitalized and free up personnel, beds and other resources.”

The Washington Blade asked Yabroff if gender-affirming treatments, such as surgery and hormone therapy, were considered nonemergency health care. He stated he wasn’t certain and would look into the matter.

Nesbitt said the public can help free up medical resources by using alternate strategies such as virtual doctor’s visits.

She also stated hospitals are putting up tents outside their buildings to diagnose early and separate patients who may have coronavirus from other patients and further reduce the virus’ spread.

SAGE, an LGBTQ seniors advocacy organization, has noted LGBTQ seniors are particularly vulnerable to isolation due to the legacy of discrimination.

Bowser addressed the issue by

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announcing a new service called Call and Talk.

“We know that being home alone can lead to isolation,” said Newman, explaining with the chatline seniors can “talk about anything from sports to movies to music.

You can still make meaningful connections and stay engaged.”

Bowser invited seniors to call 202-7245626 to learn more about the service.

PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN

Ward 7 gay candidate hit with petition signature challenge Gay Ward 7 D.C. Council candidate Anthony Lorenzo Green is one of four candidates running for the seat whose petition signatures to qualify them for the ballot are being challenged by a supporter of a rival candidate before the D.C. Board of Elections.

A total of five candidates are running against incumbent D.C. Council member and former D.C. mayor Vincent Gray in the June 2 Democratic primary. Board of Elections records show that local attorney Martinis Jackson filed the petition signature challenge against Green and candidates James Leroy Jennings, Rebecca Morris, and Kelvin Brown.

The two candidates who were not challenged by Jackson are Gray and attorney Veda Rasheed. Records from the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance show that Jackson made a $50 contribution to Rasheed’s campaign exploratory committee in July 2019, leading Ward 7 political observers to conclude that Jackson filed the challenges on Rasheed’s behalf. Jackson and Green couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Gray, a longtime strong supporter of the LGBTQ community in his role as both mayor and Council member, is considered the favorite to win the primary and the general election in November.

LGBTQ activists have said Green, a Ward 7 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ rights, is facing the dilemma of running against a popular incumbent who is expected to receive the backing of many LGBTQ voters in Ward 7 because of his pro-LGBTQ record.

The Blade couldn’t immediately obtain information from the Board of Elections to determine the strength of Jackson’s challenge to the petition signatures for Green and the other three candidates. If all four were to be knocked off the ballot for failing to obtain a sufficient number of valid signatures, Rasheed would clearly benefit because she would be the only remaining challenger to Gray without the opposition vote being split among five different candidates.

Records from the city’s Office of

Campaign Finance show that Gray is far ahead of the others in money raised for his campaign. As of March 10, he had raised $137,059 under the traditional campaign finance system rather than the newly implemented public finance system.

The records show Green was in second place under the public financing system. As of March 10, he raised $11,785 in required small contributions qualifying him for $45,065 in public funding, giving him a total of $56,850 for his campaign so far.

Rasheed, who like Gray chose not to participate in the public funding program, had raised a total of $29,324 as of March 10, her report shows.

Kelvin Brown, who is participating in the public financing program, raised $10,258 and loaned his campaign $2,000, giving him a total raised of $12,214 as of March 10, his report shows. The report shows he had not received any public funding at the time his report was filed.

Rebecca Morris’s report shows she had raised just $380 for her campaign as of March 10 and the remaining candidate, James Leroy Jennings, had not raised any money as of March 10.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

DC Eagle charged by liquor agency with ‘misconduct’ violation The D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board was scheduled to review in a March 25 closed meeting allegations that the DC Eagle gay bar engaged in “criminal or civil misconduct or violations of law or regulations,” according to the meeting’s agenda released by the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration.

In its closed meeting set to begin at 4 p.m. on Wednesday the ABC Board was scheduled to review similar allegations against at least 21 other bars, restaurants and other liquor serving establishments, the ABRA agenda shows.

ABRA spokesperson Jared Powell told the Blade the allegations filed against the DC Eagle and the other establishments would become part of the public record during or after the completion of the closed ABC Board meeting. With a total of 23 cases on the meeting agenda, the meeting was expected to last into the evening hours.

Eagle manager Miguel Ayala said the Eagle’s attorney, Risa Hirao, would be the person to comment on any action by the ABC Board and ABRA against the Eagle.

Hirao couldn’t immediately be reached.

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PrEP may be tested on coronavirus if HIV meds shown effective HIV drug Remdesivir being studied in clinical trials

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com With the coronavirus claiming thousands of lives across the globe, medical experts are throwing any and all medications they can against the disease, including drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS that — if effective in clinical trials — may turn attention toward Truvada, commonly used as PrEP for HIV prevention.

One medical expert told the Blade if the early promising results for the HIV drug Remdesivir hold out in clinical trials, the drug Truvada — the more standard medication against HIV/AIDS — could also work against the coronavirus.

David Hardy, adjunct professor of medicine for the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said if Remdesivir works, Truvada could be shown to be effective because the two drugs are in the same family of medications.

“If Remdesivir works, because it falls into the same class of medication as Truvada, then Truvada may be able to be tried as well,” Hardy said.

Hardy said Remdesivir and Truvada — both developed by Gilead Sciences — work by the same “mechanism of action,” hitting the virus in a susceptible point in the virus’ replication cycle.

“I would wager to say that if the clinical studies that are studying Remdesivir in China and then in the U.S. now show some promise, then there’s gonna be a very quick look at Truvada to see if it works,” Hardy said.

Although Hardy said he’s unaware of any clinical trials underway for Truvada against coronavirus as of last week, he predicted that would change soon if Remdesivir is shown to be effective.

Hardy said there’s a key difference between the drugs: Truvada as a pill can be administrated orally, in contrast to Remdesivir, which requires intravenous injection.

“That can be much more complicated for treating large numbers of people than pills are,” Hardy said.

As reported by NBC News, there’s hope for Remdesivir, a drug used to fight HIV, which is still being studied under clinical trials. Based on early tests, the drug “may start working

within 24 hours of the first dose” against the coronavirus.

According to anecdotal reports, at least two hospitalized patients who received Remdesivir started to improve by the next day. One was a man who traveled to Wuhan, China, where the virus originated, then after coming back to his home in Washington State became the first person in the United States diagnosed with COVID-19. And Chris Kane, 55, was diagnosed with the coronavirus and given the drug during his hospitalization at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash.

In both cases, the patients started to improve after taking Remdesivir within one day.

But with this limited sample, questions remain about whether it was the drug that led to health improvement, or whether these two patients would have gotten better anyway.

The drug’s use against coronavirus is now officially in clinical trials at Providence Regional Medical Center and first results are expected in late April, according to NBC News. The hospital didn’t respond to the Blade’s request for comment and offered limited information to NBC News, citing an inability to discuss the drug before trials are complete.

As scrutiny on Remdesivir’s potential grows, Gilead Sciences announced on Monday in a statement it will eventually expand access to the drug, but — for the time being — suspend acquisition under early compassionate use.

“During this transition period, we are unable to accept new individual compassionate use requests due to an overwhelming demand over the last several days,” the statement says. “We are focused now on processing previously approved requests and anticipate the expanded access programs will initiate in a similar expected timeframe that any new requests for compassionate use would have been processed.”

Another exception Gilead Sciences set for compassionate use requests for Remdesivir was for pregnant women and youth under age 18 with confirmed COVID-19 infection and severe manifestations of the disease.

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PrEP may be tested against coronavirus if HIV medications are shown to be effective.

Remdesivir was among the drugs potentially effective against the coronavirus mentioned by President Trump, who touted the medication at a White House news conference last week.

Hardy warned despite reports HIV medication may be effective against the coronavirus, patients taking the drugs either for prevention or treatment may still be susceptible to COVID-19 and able to transmit it.

“People have misinterpreted when they have read this that HIV drugs work against the coronavirus that this means that they are somehow protected against the coronavirus by virtue of taking HIV drugs, and that is not something that anyone should assume at this point in time,” Hardy said. “We have no idea whether they work against the virus in any great numbers of people who have been taking the medications.”

The HIV drug Truvada is used not only for HIV treatment, but also prevention and in the form PrEP is seen as a key tool to ending the HIV epidemic. Asked by the Blade if HIV drugs are, in fact, proven to be effective in treating the coronavirus, that also would mean they would be effective in prevention, Hardy cautiously replied, “Maybe. Maybe.”

“There’s many, many factors that are involved when we study the same medication for two different infections,” Hardy said. “You know the dose of the medication that may work in HIV may not be enough. So, we don’t know whether or not the dose of medication that works for HIV is going to be the same.”

Medical experts across the board are cautious about raising hopes about potential medications against the coronavirus. For example, Trump’s public mention of drugs

tested against the coronavirus without clinical determination they will be effective has inspired criticism from political opponents and from medical professionals.

After Trump tweeted out the unproven claim a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin has a “real chance” to fight the coronavirus, there were consequences.

According to ProPublica, the tweet triggered a run on the medication, which is needed for individuals suffering from lupus, including an estimated 1.5 million Americans and several who reported not being able to obtain the medication.

Trump’s suggested use of unproven drugs against coronavirus led to a now infamous fiery exchange during a White House briefing between NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander, who asked whether it was giving people “false hope.” Trump then attacked Alexander in response to a subsequent question, and said he should be ashamed of himself.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, pushed back against Trump’s untested claim hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin would be effective against coronavirus when asked about it Thursday during the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing.

“I’m not entirely sure what the president was referring to, but believe it was a report of hydroxychloroquine and azythromicin,” Fauci said. “Many of the things you hear out there are anecdotal reports. They may be true – but the only way to know is randomized trials.”

Medications for several diseases are on the table for potential use against the coronavirus, including drugs used to treat malaria, such as chlorquine, which is considered one of the best hopes to fight the disease.

For another HIV drug, Kaletra, which is a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir produced by AbbVie, early tests indicated the drug would be effective, but that didn’t bare out in a major clinical trial.

Early indications Kaletra could be used against coronavirus were tested on an elderly couple from Italy, who were treated in India with the drug and whose test went from positive to negative, as well as a man in Spain.

The results on the couple tested in India were so promising that India’s Union Health Ministry had been recommending the treatment.

But hopes for Kaletra quickly faded, after a study released last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, according to Reuters.

A test in Chinese patients with severe coronavirus infection found the 99 who received Kaletra fared no better than the 100 who received standard care over the course of 28 days. All of the patients had pneumonia and were treated at Jin Yin-Tan Hospital in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic began.

According to Reuters, test participants who took Kaletra showed small improvements in their health, but “the differences were not statistically significant.”

Coronavirus claims life of Terrence McNally Beloved playwright won four Tony Awards

By JOHN PAUL KING The theater community, already hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has been dealt a painful blow with the news that Terrence McNally, the fourtime Tony-winning playwright whose work portrayed a rich range of human emotional experience and broke barriers in its depiction of gay life, has succumbed to complications from COVID-19 at the age of 81.

McNally, who was a survivor of lung cancer and lived with chronic COPD, died on Tuesday at the Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida.

Born in St. Petersburg, Fla., McNally grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where his New York-born parents instilled in him a love for theater from an early age. After earning a bachelor’s degree at Columbia University in 1960, he developed a relationship with author John Steinbeck, who hired the young playwright to accompany his family on a worldwide cruise as a tutor to his teenage sons. Steinbeck would later enlist McNally to write the libretto for “Here’s Where I Belong,” a musical stage adaptation of the author’s classic novel, “East of Eden.”

During his early years in New York, McNally also developed a relationship with fellow playwright Edward Albee, whom he met when the two shared a cab; the pair were essentially a couple for four years, during the period in which Albee wrote “The American Dream” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” two of his most important works. It was a romance that would cast a shadow over McNally’s early career, when some critics dismissed him as “the boyfriend” after the premiere of his Broadway debut, “And Things That Go Bump in the Night.” The play, which was McNally’s first effort in three acts, flopped due to poor initial reviews – attributed by author Boze Hadleigh in his book, “Who’s Afraid of Terrence McNally,” to homophobia from conservative New York critics – even after subsequent critical reaction and audience response proved to be more favorable.

After the failure of his foray onto the Broadway stage, McNally rebounded with an acclaimed one-act, “Next,” which featured James Coco as a middle-aged man mistakenly drafted into the army and was directed by Elaine May, and was presented Off-Broadway in a double bill with May’s “Adaptation” in 1967.

Several other one-acts followed, and the playwright gained a reputation for tackling edgy subject matter with sharp social commentary, biting dialogue, and farcical situations. He also attracted early controversy for featuring onstage nudity (from actress Sally Kirkland) for the entire length of his kidnapping drama, “Sweet Eros.”

Success came his way in the 1970s, when he racked up an Obie award for 1974’s “Bad Habits,” and a Broadway hit with “The Ritz,” a risqué farce set in a gay bathhouse where a straight middle-aged business man unwittingly goes into hiding to escape his wife’s murderous mafioso brother. Adapted from his own earlier play, “The Tubs,” it was subsequently turned into a 1976 film version (directed by “A Hard Day’s Night” filmmaker Richard Lester), starring original stage cast members Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, F. Murray Abraham, and Rita Moreno (reprising her Tony-winning role as bathhouse chanteuse Googie Gomez), as well as featuring a blonde-dyed Treat Williams in an early appearance as an undercover cop.

After another series of career setbacks, McNally rebounded again in the 1980s with more Off-Broadway acclaim for his play, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” which starred Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham. The playwright has said that it was his first work after becoming sober, telling the New York Times in 2019, “There was certainly a change in my work. It’s hard to know who you are if you’re drunk all the time. It clouds your thinking. I started thinking more about my people — my characters.”

TERRENCE MCNALLY died Tuesday at age 81.

(Photo by ReadingReed43 via Wikimedia Commons)

It was in the 1990s, however, that McNally blossomed into a master playwright, with plays like “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” which placed AIDS squarely in the backdrop of its story about two married couples spending a weekend on Fire Island, and “Master Class,” a tour-de-force one-woman show about Maria Callas, which featured Zoe Caldwell in a widely acclaimed performance.

It was also during this period that McNally wrote “Love! Valour!

Compassion!,” an expansive play about a group of gay friends who spend three successive holiday weekends over the course of a summer together at a lake house in upstate New York. Transferring to Broadway after a successful debut at the Manhattan Theatre Club – with which McNally had a long association, and where he developed several of his important works – in a production directed by Joe Mantello, it was a pastoral, introspective, Chekhovian drama that offered deeply drawn, non-stereotypical portrayals of

gay characters confronting the various issues in their lives and their relationships; it was also a snapshot of life at the height of the AIDS crisis, exploring the ways in which the specter of the disease was an unavoidable part of day-to-day life that encroached upon every aspect of gay experience.

McNally’s script, bolstered by the richly human performances of an ensemble cast that included Nathan Lane, John Glover, John Benjamin Hickey, Anthony Heald, and Justin Kirk, countered the potential for moroseness with warmth and humor, and the play is now widely seen, alongside plays such as Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” and Paul Rudnick’s “Jeffrey,” as one of the most important theatrical works of the AIDS era. A film version in 1997 reunited most of the original stage cast, though the notably straight Jason Alexander replaced Lane in the role of Buzz, the most outwardly flamboyant of the play’s eight gay characters.

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Coronavirus sweeps through Italy, Spain LGBTQ activists on lockdown as disease ravages countries

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com

A quarantined Italian enjoys the sun on a balcony during the coronavirus lockdown in Milan.

Photo by ML Watts via Wikimedia Commons

Italy and Spain remain two of the countries hardest hit by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine indicate there are 69,176 coronavirus cases in Italy. The disease has killed 6,820 people in the country.

Statistics from John Hopkins University of Medicine as of Wednesday note 47,610 confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain. The disease has killed 3,434 people in the country.

Tiziana Fisichella, coordinator of Milan Pride, spoke with the Blade on Tuesday from her home in Milan, a city in Italy’s Lombardy region that remains the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

She noted Italy has been in a “total lockdown for a few days.” Fisichella also told the Blade via WhatsApp she lost her job three weeks ago.

“Most citizens have not left their house for a few weeks,” she said, using Google Translate to speak with the Blade in English. “Lombardy, where I live, is one of the two regions with the most cases and victims. Almost all commercial and manufacturing activities are stopped.”

Marco Cacciato Insilla is an LGBTQ activist, author and teacher who lives in Florence with his boyfriend.

Insilla told the Blade on Monday he sends video lessons to his students from his home because Italian schools have been closed since March 5. Insilla said his boyfriend is a mechanic and the government has deemed his job essential, but he has not gone to work since last Thursday because “there is little work.”

“Cities are almost empty,” Insilla told the Blade, noting he uses a grocery delivery service so he does not have to leave his home. “The government has ordered everyone to stay at home, and

many people are sticking to the rules.”

Cathy Renna, a long-time LGBTQ activist who lives in Montclair, N.J., on Monday told the Blade during a telephone interview from her home that members of her extended family in Conversano, a medieval town in southern Italy’s Puglia region, remain isolated in their homes.

Renna said her cousin was studying at the University of Milan and “fled” to southern Italy “right before the very serious lockdown.”

Renna told the Blade her cousin has been selfquarantined alone in an apartment her family uses as an office since she returned home.

“She went in there,” said Renna. “She’s probably coming out I think sometime this week; the two weeks is up. She’ll get tested and then she’ll be able to join family.”

“It’s like prison,” added Renna, noting her family leaves food for her cousin outside of the door of the apartment in which she is self-quarantined. “They take this very, very seriously and it’s because up north it wasn’t taken seriously and we’ve seen what happened.”

Renna said another cousin is a doctor who has been transferred to the emergency room in anticipation of more coronavirus cases in Puglia.

“They’re braced down south for what has been slowly, but surely spreading from the north,” she said.

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association has postponed its annual convention that was to have taken place in Milan from May 6-9. Axel Hotels, which caters to LGBTQ travelers, has closed its property in Venice because of coronavirus.

Milan Pride is scheduled to take place from June 19-27. Fisichella told the Blade organizers have not made a final decision about whether to postpone the event, but

she said they “are ready to make the best one for the welfare of all.”

“We would like to able to announce that everything remains as expected, but I fear it is a utopian vision,” said Fisichella.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ Italians are doing their best to cope with the coronavirus lockdown.

Arcigay, an Italian LGBTQ advocacy group, posted to its Facebook page a video that shows men how to properly use a condom.

Insilla said he and his neighbors everyday at 6 p.m. walk out to their balconies or go to their windows and sing together. Insilla also told the Blade they clap for doctors and nurses “who are doing an extraordinary job.”

Fisichella said she is using the lockdown to work on future projects. Fisichella added the only way to stop coronavirus from spreading further is “by limiting social contact as much as possible.”

“This is what all people can and should do,” she said. “Nobody is immune, but we must all feel responsible for the health of others. We stay at home, we go out only if really necessary.”

“There will be a time to hug again,” added Fisichella.

Coronavirus in Madrid is ‘very bad’ Activists in Spain are also trying to respond to the coronavirus pandemic that has prompted Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to place the country under a near total lockdown.

Madrid remains the epicenter of Spain’s coronavirus epidemic with 14,597 cases.

Statistics indicate 1,825 people in the Spanish capital have died from coronavirus.

A source in Madrid with whom the Blade spoke on Saturday said the situation in the Spanish capital is “very bad.” Uge Sangil, president of Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (FELGTB), a Spanish advocacy group, agreed.

“People who live in Madrid are even more scared,” Sangil told the Blade on Tuesday during a telephone interview from the Canary Islands. “There is a lot of uncertainty because we don’t know what our future will be, when this is going to end, how we are going to incorporate it (coronavirus) into our day-to-day life.”

Upwards of two million people were expected to attend Madrid Pride that was scheduled to take place from June 27-July 5. Organizers on Tuesday

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announced they have postponed it.

Uge Sangil, president of Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (FELGTB), a Spanish LGBTQ advocacy group, on Tuesday told the Blade during a telephone interview from the Canary Islands that Madrid Pride was postponed “out of responsibility.”

“It is a decision that was made with a lot of pain, but we also understand it was the responsible thing to do,” said Sangil.

FELGBT has launched Línea Arcoíris, a hotline that allows LGBTQ Spaniards and other vulnerable groups to call or email while they are isolated in their homes. FELGBT has also created Espacio Arcoíris, an online platform that allows LGBTQ Spaniards to participate in events that focus on a variety of topics that include HIV prevention and literature.

“It is a space where the federation offers cultural programs through its social media pages,” Sangil told the Blade. “It is a tool to talk about certain issues that worry us and also get in touch.”

Coronavirus has also had a significant impact on other Spanish LGBTQ advocacy groups.

Rafael Roble Reina is president of Asociación Melillense de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales, an advocacy group in Melilla, a Spanish city on the north African coast that borders Morocco.

Roble told the Blade on Tuesday during a WhatsApp interview from Melilla that he and his colleagues “take turns” working in their office. Roble said most of the LGBTQ asylum seekers with whom Asociación Melillense de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales works are not allowed to leave the facility in which they currently live because of the lockdown.

“They cannot leave from there during the quarantine,” Roble told the Blade.

“They are now confined.”

Sánchez on Sunday announced he wants to extend the lockdown until April 11, which is the day before Easter. Sangil told the Blade the Spanish government is “doing everything it can do” to try to stop the coronavirus.

“The government has taken the correct decision to extend the lockdown until after Holy Week to also prevent the flow of people who leave for vacation,” she noted. “There have certainly been mistakes, but I think that we are in a very serious situation.”

Coronavirus leaves migrants more vulnerable at border Advocates along the Mexico-U.S. border say they are increasingly concerned about the coronavirus’ impact on migrants.

Jaime Antonio Marin Rocha and his mother, Yolanda Rocha, run Jardín de las Mariposas, a shelter for LGBTQ migrants in the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

Marin told the Blade late last week during a telephone interview from Tijuana the shelter has implemented new personal hygiene procedures. Marin said the shelter currently has enough cleaning supplies, “but we don’t have anything that would

Activists demand ICE release detainees with HIV

Mexico under the Trump administration’s controversial “remain in Mexico” policy and await the outcome of their U.S. asylum cases.

Resource Center Matamoros, cofounded by Gaby Zavala, was the first group to bring clean drinking water into the camp. Resource Center Matamoros, among other things, has also installed hand washing stations and launched a campaign that promotes personal hygiene among the camp’s residents.

Zavala spoke with the Blade from

Upwards of 2,000 people live in a migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico. The Blade visited the camp on Jan. 14.

myriad groups that have urged ICE to release from its custody people with HIV/ AIDS and other detainees who are at heightened risk for coronavirus.

Louisiana’s Ouachita Parish in which Richwood Correctional Center is located has four confirmed coronavirus cases. There are no confirmed cases in the state’s Winn Parish where Winn Correctional Center is located.

Arizona’s Pinal County in which La Palma Correctional Center is located has 16 confirmed coronavirus cases. There are no confirmed coronavirus cases in the county where the IAH Secure Adult Detention Facility is located.

ICE on its website says as of March 17 there were no confirmed coronavirus cases in any of its detention centers. A guard at a New Jersey jail tested positive for coronavirus last week, but officials said none of the 250 ICE detainees who are currently at the facility were exposed to the disease.

Visitation at all ICE detention centers has been suspended. Lawyers, lawmakers and/ or members of their staff who visit an ICE detention center are now required to wear disposable gloves, marks and eye protection.

An ICE spokesperson on Monday referred the Blade to their agency’s coronavirus guidelines in response to a request for comment about Immigration Equality’s complaint.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Washington and the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project last week filed a federal lawsuit that calls for ICE to release detainees who are at high-risk for coronavirus. U.S. District Court Judge James Robart on March 19 ruled against them.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

State Dept. urges no travel abroad

(Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

be for long-term like four months or six months if we have to self-isolate ourselves.”

Marin also said 90 percent of the shelter’s residents have an underlying medical condition that makes them more vulnerable to coronavirus.

“If they were to get this disease, they would basically be more at-risk,” he told the Blade. “That’s why I want to see if we can take any actions to create a preparedness plan so we can have a response in time.”

Upwards of 2,000 migrants live in a camp in the Mexican city of Matamoros, which is across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. Many of the camp’s residents have been forced to return to

Immigration Equality on Monday demanded U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release detainees with HIV who are at increased risk for coronavirus.

Immigration Equality in a complaint it sent to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties notes the six men who are named as complainants are at higher risk for coronavirus, in part, because of inadequate health care that includes inconsistent access to antiretroviral drugs and a failure to adequately treat opportunistic infections. The men are currently detained at the Winn and Richwood Correctional Centers in Louisiana, IAH Secure Adult Detention Facility in Texas and La Palma Correctional Center in Arizona.

The complaint also notes Immigration Equality has received reports that indicate “a failure to provide information on COVID-19, including how to protect against transmission.”

“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the continued detention of these individuals puts them at even graver risk,” reads the complaint. “As experts have noted, immunosuppressed individuals, like those with HIV, are at heightened risk of serious medical issues with COVID-19, including death. This is particularly troubling for people in detention where they are at even greater risk of transmission.”

All six complainants are asylum seekers who fled persecution based on their sexual orientation and HIV status.

Acting ICE Director Matthew Albence and Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan are also named in the complaint. Both of their agencies fall under the Department of Homeland Security’s jurisdiction.

Immigration Equality is among the

Matamoros shortly after the Trump administration announced the U.S.-Mexico border will remain closed for 30 days after its closure at midnight last Saturday.

Zavala noted Resource Center Matamoros and Global Response Management are the only two organizations that are currently working on the Mexican side of the river because all other non-governmental organizations have pulled their staff out of the city. Zavala told the Blade that groups in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley continue to donate money and make donations to them.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

The State Department has urged U.S. citizens not to travel abroad because of coronavirus.

“In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period,” reads the advisory. “U.S. citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel.”

The advisory notes many countries have their own coronavirus outbreaks and are “implementing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines, closing borders,

and prohibiting non-citizens from entry with little advance notice.”

“Airlines have cancelled many international flights and several cruise operators have suspended operations or cancelled trips,” it says. “If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite timeframe.”

The coronavirus continues to inflict a serious blow to the LGBTQ travel industry with cancelled cruises and flights and hotel and restaurant closures.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

KEVIN NAFF

Blade’s mission continues amid crisis We have been here before and must persevere

Despite the economic chaos and uncertainly unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic, the Blade staff continues to work hard bringing our readers the local, national, and international news needed to navigate this crisis.

On Tuesday, the White House pool report for the world’s press was written by the Blade’s Chris Johnson, who spent the day shadowing President Trump, even as Trump continues his reckless attacks on journalists.

Also this week, our own Lou Chibbaro Jr. is working hard to cover the virus’s impact on D.C., just as he covered the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. And Michael K. Lavers is interviewing LGBTQ activists around the world, including in hard-hit Spain, to assess the unique impacts on our community overseas.

Sure, we’re all in this together, but the LGBTQ community suffers unique challenges. Our elders are more likely to live alone and suffer from isolation and depression; our youth are more likely to be homeless and thus susceptible to the disease; we are disproportionately entrepreneurial, putting many of our businesses in jeopardy; the HIV-positive among us are more susceptible to infection; LGBTQ and HIV-positive migrants face considerable risk. We’re working to cover all of these stories and more impacting the LGBTQ community.

Small businesses, including the Blade, are particularly vulnerable right now, as the government ponders massive bailouts for undeserving cruise lines and airlines, while tossing crumbs at small businesses, the backbone of the U.S. economy. If you are in a position to donate to support our work, please visit bladefoundation.org.

Indeed, as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told the Los Angeles Blade’s Karen Ocamb last week, “This community has been through tougher days than this and the most important thing is to not only be resilient but to be calm … The

overwhelming majority of people are going to not only make it through this but we will come back, but we can be leaders.”

He’s right. When the world turned its back during the height of the AIDS crisis, it was LGBTQ activists who led the way, fought for new drugs, held the government accountable, and shamed religious and political leaders into action.

We must take up that role again today, telling the truth about President Trump’s irresponsible and dangerous approach to coronavirus. He uses the power of the bully pulpit to spout misinformation that proved fatal to one man who ingested chloroquine based on Trump’s ill-informed recommendation.

Worse, Trump ignored warnings in his security briefings about COVID-19 for weeks in January and February, costing us precious time that has led to the deaths of more than 600 Americans as of mid-week. The final toll will be far higher and likely more than the death toll of our deadliest war, the Civil War, which claimed roughly 750,000 American lives.

He talks about being a “war-time president,” yet refuses to invoke the Defense Production Act to procure desperately needed personal protective equipment for hospital staff and first responders. His failure to supply adequate tests for the virus is an inexcusable dereliction of duty. We are seeing the full scope of what it means to elect a realty TV show host with no government experience to run the country. We can only hope the latest polls showing Joe Biden with a landslide-scale lead hold up.

In the meantime, stay safe and off the streets and practice social distancing.

The Blade will publish in print as long as is feasible as well as online. Stay informed via our social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletters at washingtonblade.com/subscribe.

Advertise if you can (email my colleague Brian Pitts at bpitts@washblade.com).

Most importantly, don’t panic. We’ve survived a pandemic before and will persevere again.

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is a writer and activist. Reach him at rrosendall@starpower. net.

Evading ‘covidiots’ and riding out a plague Hunker down, others are worse off Once in the snack bar at the Labor Department I saw a lady touch several crullers before deciding which one she wanted. I told her that she shouldn’t touch pastries that she wasn’t going to buy. Naturally she became indignant, while I lost my appetite.

Now we endanger one another with unsanitary habits less blatant.

If the COVID-19 deniers, or covidiots (to adopt a new coinage) only harmed themselves, we could chalk them up as Darwin Award contestants and let nature take its course. Alas, they are but a few degrees of separation from the rest of us, in a society full of people with whom we have to plead just to wash their hands.

Stir-crazy from social distancing, I think of friends in Africa suffering greater isolation. A gay refugee named Desire has emailed me from Khartoum, where he is held by Sudanese police who apprehended him on his journey from Kenya to Egypt, which he somehow decided was a welcoming place. I wonder at his bravery and resourcefulness in trekking 1,200 miles from Nairobi to Khartoum.

The image of Huck and Jim on a raft comes to mind, only in this case it would be the Nile, not the Mississippi. I imagine lighting out for the territory myself. But where would that be? West Potomac Park? The National Arboretum? The banks of the Anacostia?

I do not light out for the territory. The farthest I go, other than to the grocery and the pharmacy, is two flights up to the roof deck, where I get sun and fresh air. I talk pleasantly to a blackbird that lands on the white fence and squawks at me. I do not take it as an omen; it is just a blackbird. If I had grapes, I would offer it one.

Few of us other than molecular biologists anticipated this virus. Jelani Cobb, writer for The New Yorker and journalism professor at Columbia, tweeted on March 19, “Just how much of other people’s saliva were we inhaling before?” I replied, “Now there’s a sentence I bet you never expected to write.”

I submit these commentaries electronically, with no micro droplets of spittle involved. We are used to receiving payments by ACH transfer. For all our filthy spraying and pawing, we do a lot of sterilizing and over-packaging. We devise ever new ways of avoiding direct interaction. At the same time, most of us cannot bear being isolated like people in The Matrix or the severely immunodeficient child raised in a bubble As Gov. Cuomo said, we don’t know how long this will take. It depends on what we do. Nor do we know how many people we will lose. I think of Stella (real name Tom) from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington in an ICU at Washington Hospital Center in 1986, telling an elaborate joke for which he periodically removed his oxygen mask.

He also told us of a nurse apologizing that she needed to give him a suppository, and he laughed and told her, “Honey, go right ahead,” that it wasn’t exactly an untrafficked country lane.

Thus we who are old enough recall vanished friends as we balk at a second plague, like my father being asked to reenlist for the Korean War after surviving a German POW camp. He was able to decline. We merely hunker down with provisions. Food delivery services must be ramping up. My coffee shop group and Saturday breakfast club have gone on hiatus just as spring arrives and outdoor seating beckons.

Lest I bewail these deprivations, I remember Desire in Khartoum, and the other LGBT refugees languishing in Kenya. They are people without a country in a hostile land. UNHCR has suspended refugee resettlement flights due to the coronavirus. I text my displaced friends via WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, which briefly alleviates their isolation.

My iPhone needs recharging, and my empty can of Arizona Iced Tea skitters across the table in the breeze. I pick it up and think of Trayvon Martin, who carried a similar drink on that terrible night in 2012 in Sanford, Fla., and I count my blessings as I wipe the doorknob and head back downstairs.

Copyright © 2020 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST?

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST?

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There are times when nothing short of the best will do. A memorial service is one of them. It is a final expression, the culmination of a lifetime orchestrated into a singular event. What leaves a lasting impression?

A ceremony that is as unique as the individual. We’ll help you plan ahead and design every detail of your own remarkable send-off.

MA R CH 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 1 5

KATHI WOLFE

PETER ROSENSTEIN

is a regular contributor to the Blade and winner of the 2014 Stonewall Chapbook competition.

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

Trump’s epic fail – a moron is president

Turn to the movies to escape coronavirus

He is to blame for many American deaths

Spend some time with Eve, Oz and more classics

Watching and listening to Donald Trump, you can’t be faulted if you think you entered an alternate universe.

You imagine this must be someone’s idea of a sick joke. Then when you realize he is the actual president and responsible for handling this crisis you can’t help but get a sinking feeling in your gut. You know with overwhelming dread we will be hearing from him until noon on Jan. 20, 2021.

Trump just can’t help himself. He is an incompetent bully; an egomaniac with no trace of empathy. He sounds like a carnival barker and every time he opens his mouth, he’s saying, ‘Come one, come all, to the Donald Trump show.’ In every press conference he rambles and blusters endlessly. It is only fortuitous if we are lucky experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci speak for a few minutes and give us the facts we need before Trump reclaims the podium.

Last week he was asked by NBC Reporter Peter Alexander “What do you say to Americans that are scared?” Instead of offering calming words, he barked, “I’d say you are a terrible reporter. I think that’s a very nasty question, and I think that’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the American people.” He then went further and “blasted NBC News and its parent company, Comcast, in general.” Once he got that off his chest he went on another tirade about all the terrible reporting he is seeing, fake news and how awful the press is. Not one word to the American people about how he hopes they are coping with this crisis and staying healthy.

Trump won’t change. As the federal government works to catch up with this pandemic we rely on governors and mayors to take the lead. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been a stalwart as has Gov. Larry Hogan in Maryland, Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York, and Gov. Gavin Newsom in California. All are waiting for and begging Trump to bring the full power of the federal government to bare. The problem is he doesn’t know what to do. He waited until

Friday, March 20 to invoke the Defense Production Act, which could help with production of ventilators, masks, gowns and all the PPE our medical professionals and first responders need to do their jobs safely, yet he hasn’t actually used its powers.

Remember as late as February 28th in South Carolina Trump was still calling the coronavirus a “Democrat hoax.”

The New York Times reported Trump first publicly talked about the virus in Davos, Switzerland when he was asked by a reporter, “Are there worries about a pandemic at this point?” The president responded: “No. Not at all. And we have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

Had we begun planning and acting then we would be much better off than we are today. So do I hold Trump responsible for what is happening today? You bet I do and so should all the American people.

The Washington Post reported “on January 24th the Senate Health Committee holds a private, all-senators briefing featuring Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield and infectious disease expert Anthony S. Fauci. Then on February 7th Senator Burr (R-NC) in a Fox News oped with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) says Americans are “rightfully concerned” about coronavirus but that, “Thankfully, the United States today is better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats, like the coronavirus, in large part due to the work of the Senate Health Committee, Congress, and the Trump Administration.” Clearly all lies and neither they nor Trump acted in any urgent way.

Many will contract the virus and many will die and some of those deaths will be on Trump’s hands. Instead of acting, he stuck his head in the ground hoping it would all just go away. While we should take our anger out on him on Nov. 3, today we must support each other, follow rules to keep us safe, and move forward. We are strong and will get through this together.

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“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Dorothy says in the “Wizard of Oz.” Who doesn’t feel like Dorothy these days? The coronavirus has wreaked so much havoc, we don’t know what hit us. Only that we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.

There’s no escaping this scary, sixfeet-apart new normal. Yet, I find myself looking for some comfort, diversion and connection. As has happened for me at other difficult times in my life, this search has led me to the movies.

Especially, classic movies. Thanks to streaming, even stuck at home, I can hang out with Margo Channing, join Dorothy and her pals in Oz and check out Alfred Hitchcock’s soirees.

I’m far from alone in turning to movies for consolation, commiseration and laughter.

Especially, among LGBTQ people. As it’s often been said, Hollywood wouldn’t exist without us.

Tinsel Town classics from “Now Voyager” to “Pillow Talk” are embedded in the DNA of many of us in the queer community. Their divas from Bette to Judy, camp, music, wit, and, sometimes, even uplift, have kept our spirits alive during times of unspeakable pain and terror.

During the height of the AIDS epidemic, I visited a close friend quite ill with AIDS in a New York City hospital.

I knew it was likely the last time I’d see him and thought we’d say a tearful good-bye. Instead, we laughed as we recited our favorite lines from “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” “Blanche, you aren’t ever going to sell this house and you aren’t ever gonna leave it,” was the last thing my buddy said to me.

Recently, I FaceTimed with a friend from the United Kingdom. She’s in her 70s and has underlying health conditions.

You’d think that she would have talked about her worries about getting sick or

her problems with getting food while living under a lockdown. Instead, her first words to me were, “It’s about time the piano realized it has not written the concerto!” from “All About Eve.” Whether you’re 18 or 80, if you want to lockdown your COVID-19 anxiety (at least for 2 hours, 18 minutes) watch “All About Eve.” The iconic 1950 film (starring Bette Davis, written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz) is streaming on Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play and Vudu. From Margo Channing warning us to fasten our seatbelts to Addison DeWitt, “Eve,” one of the queerest movies ever made, will take you far, far away from the coronavirus crisis. To enrich your momentary escape from COVID-19 worry, check out the riveting book about “All About Eve” by Sam Stagg.

Bette is fab! But, I’m also turning to other divas during this pandemic.

Who, more than Judy, gives us more resilience to keep going – even as our world seems about to end? I feel reassured as I watch “The Wizard of Oz” at home alone, missing my friends and fam. I know that there will be hard, gray times ahead, but that there will be technicolor further on down the road. “‘Oz’ is streaming on several platforms, including YouTube, iTunes and Amazon.

COVID-19’s made me hungry for murder, suspense, witty dialogue and gorgeous hats. I’ve found all this and more in Hitchcock movies from “The Man Who Knew Too Much” to “Rear Window” to “Rope.” I held my breath as Doris Day tried to reach her kidnapped young son by singing “Que Sera, Sera.” Thelma Ritter’s wisecracks in “Rear Window” made me laugh out loud. I drank a glass of bubbly as the impeccably dressed guests bantered at the party thrown in the swanky midcentury apartment of the cold-blooded murderers in “Rope.” These Hitchcock films are streaming on Amazon Prime.

If you have recommendations for movies to help us cope with the coronavirus, Tweet me @UppityBlindGirl.

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Milestones and Michelin stars Famed Inn at Little Washington celebrated in PBS doc airing March 27

By EVAN CAPLAN

CHEF PATRICK O’CONNELL in the kitchen at The Inn at Little Washington.

(Photo courtesy The Door)

Patrick O’Connell never had a concern being the only gay in the village. He’s the only Michelin-starred chef in the village, too.

Tucked in the little town of Washington, Va., is the Inn at Little Washington, where founder, proprietor and chef O’Connell says, “everything we do is extraordinary.”

Thanks to PBS, O’Connell can debut a movie star line on his impressive resume.

“The Inn at Little Washington: A Delicious Documentary” airs nationally March 27 at 10 p.m. ET on PBS, pbs.org, and the PBS Video App. Produced and directed

by Show of Force, in association with VPM, Virginia’s home for public media, as well as with chef Spike Mendelson, the

film takes viewers inside the enchanting escape of one of America’s premier dining experiences — one that “every chef and diner dreams to be part of,” according to Washington, D.C.’s own celebrity chef, Jose Andres. The documentary showcases all the ingredients to put together the tasting menu served at the famed establishment ($248 per person, $180 for wine pairings).

O’Connell believes that the Inn’s kitchen is an “incredibly delectable theater and it only feels fortuitous that it … will be played out cinematically in homes across America.”

The documentary details O’Connell’s story, allowing diners to throw open the culinary curtain to learn of the Inn’s history,

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success and myriad challenges. Whether the painful ricochets of homophobia from local residents, or the anxiety of waiting for the phone call from the Michelin guide to see if the Inn might finally earn its exclusive, elusive third star (its highest designation), O’Connell has experienced it all.

Of course, like just about everything, the Inn is currently closed for COVID-19. It closed March 20 and staff are taking reservations again for early May. Under normal conditions, about 170 people are on staff. About 150 can be seated in the dining room on Saturday nights, which, under normal circumstances is full. There are 23 guest rooms which are also typically full every weekend. Inn staff decline

to state its annual operating budget.

Before the accolades poured in like so many glasses of Champagne, O’Connell was just a teenager in Washington, D.C. who fell in love with the restaurant world. A theater major at a local university, he worked in restaurants part-time. One summer trip took him to Europe where he experienced the allure of Paris, where chefs were treated like rock stars. He wanted to become one.

Beyond Julia Child cookbooks, O’Connell realized that his life was a little different than everyone else’s. His theater major had become appropriate for his life.

“It’s very difficult for a young person today to imagine what life was like as

gay man almost 50 years ago. I had to become a skilled actor and live on guard at all times and frankly worry not just about acceptance, but also safety,” he says.

Coming of age in the mid-’70s, O’Connell decamped from the bustling scene of Washington, D.C. for the bucolic Blue Ridge Mountains town of Washington, Va., 70 miles away.

“Everything shifts when you live close to nature. Instead of worrying about where to go out, you just need to stay dry and warm,” he says.

O’Connell found home in an unheated country house deep in the woods with his then-partner, where they founded a small catering company, creating dishes in their wood cabin.

“Cooking was therapeutic; I could be connected like nothing else,” he says. But his dream was to become that Parisian chef rock star.

In 1978, O’Connell took a leap that changed his life, the course of Washington history (the Virginia one), and the understanding of what makes haute American cuisine.

An abandoned gas station in “downtown” Washington, Va., called his name. O’Connell had found a home for his vision.

Replacing clapboard with fine china and gas pumps with tea kettles, he opened his restaurant and inn.

Discussing O’Connell’s background, the film moves into soft-edged black-andwhite frames, painting a pretty picture of the restaurant’s early days. The viewer soon learns, however, that the restaurant was

The main building at The Inn at Little Washington.

(Photo by Gordon Beall)

not without its challenges beyond what to serve each night.

“By opening a restaurant in the center of a village, we became a curiosity,” O’Connell says.

Within a few months, D.C.’s media had discovered and celebrated his talents.

“We made no attempt to disguise who we were, but it became a novelty that the Inn was run by two gay men. It was as if the Siegfried and Roy show appeared,” he says.

After just a couple years, this garagecum-restaurant became the town. One local paper derided it as “the inn that ate

Pepper-crusted duck breast with a puree of autumn vegetables, pomegranate and persimmon, one of Chef O’Connell’s dishes at The Inn at Little Washington.

(Photo courtesy The Door)

little Washington.”

Like any movement, this one came up against stiff resistance and admirably, the directors do not shy away from the Inn’s difficult moments. The producers sat down with local residents who, 40 years ago admitted that, “we heard there was a new (restaurant) with a new menu but also that there were gay people and if you ate at the Inn you might get AIDS.” In Washington and in kitchens across the U.S., acceptance has come slowly.

“I’m happy to have contributed to changing culture of a professional kitchen and allowing it to be accepting,” O’Connell says.

Professional drama follows personal drama, as the film unfolds to follow two major moments in the history of the Inn: its momentous 40th anniversary party in 2018 and its searing wait for a three-star Michelin designation after being “stuck” at two stars — still impressive — for two years (Michelin first awarded stars in the region for 2017).

The Inn is the only establishment in the D.C. area to have a three-star 2020 ranking (minibar in Penn Quarter and Pineapple & Pearls in Eastern Market each have two-star Michelin rankings).

Director Mira Chang says, “Patrick has spent his life in pursuit of the impossible — perfection,” she says, but realized that the film could not simply present as a biopic.

Chang elevates the film’s message as embodying the American dream.

“Few people today, even the staff, don’t know O’Connell’s story. He as gay man

came into a conservative rural town, facing obstacles yet never giving up. It’s a universal theme, larger than just food space,” she says.

Snug in his office — one of two dozen buildings the Inn now owns across Washington — O’Connell is most comfortable in his chef’s shirt and dalmatian-print pants. (Inn grounds serve as a respite for rescued Dalmatians as well).

The Inn at Little Washington, for O’Connell, is “a healing sanctuary where people can escape from harsh realities that we live in.”

O’Connell has become that chef rock star. But O’Connell also has created a uniquely American establishment, reflecting the tastes of his own country and the bounty of its land. The Inn at Little Washington expresses fine dining from an American perspective.

“It’s essential that a restaurant reflect a sense of place,” he says.

The drama for O’Connell and his team does not end eagerly awaiting calls from Michelin. In 2020 and beyond, he is set to open a bakery, a general store and an orangerie in which to throw decadent dinner parties.

Through the drama and the levity, the film wades unintentionally into today’s current health crisis, a prescient note of caution and preparedness.

Introducing what life is like in the back of the house, O’Connell says, “In the kitchen we say hello with elbows. It’s very practical, so you don’t have to wash your hands every time you greet someone.”

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QUEERY Meg Metcalf

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

I’ve been out as queer since high school, but I only came out as nonbinary recently. This may sound cheesy, but I think for me, the hardest person to come out to was myself. I was never ashamed of being queer, but I experienced a great deal of confusion and frustration around my gender identity. I’m so grateful to all the other gender non-conforming femmes out there who gave me the community I so desperately needed.

MEG METCALF shows ‘Queer Eye’s’ JONATHAN VAN NESS around the Library of Congress.

(Photo courtesy Metcalf)

QUEERY: Meg Metcalf The Library of Congress researcher/librarian answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

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Meg Metcalf says the LGBT holdings at the Library of Congress are “incredible.”

“From the papers of gay rights pioneers like Frank Kameny and Lilli Vincenz to the recently acquired AIDS Memorial Quilt Archive, the library is a research destination for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ history and culture,” Metcalf says.

Metcalf is being honored as one of this year’s Queer Women of Washington by the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the Washington Blade and the Mayor’s Office of Women and Policy Initiatives. Look for the full list at washingtonblade.com next week.

“I’m honored to be recognized … for my work in elevating the LGBTQ+ collections at the Library of Congress,” the 31-year-old Milwaukee native says.

Metcalf, who identifies as non-binary, came to Washington five years ago for “my dream job.”

Metcalf works as a reference librarian in the main reading room providing research assistance, both general and with women’s, gender and LGBT studies. Metcalf is also the library’s collection specialist and recommending officer and works in collection development, outreach, teaching and programming. They’re especially proud of a recently launched LGBTQ+ Studies Web Archive Collection, which preserves historical items digitally.

Of course, like just about everything else, the Library is closed now for COVID-19 and Metcalf is working from home. Metcalf says it’s a great time to ask a free question online.

Metcalf and partner Dee Martin live together in Trinidad. Metcalf enjoys reading, spending time outside and exploring D.C. plant life in their free time.

Who’s your LGBTQ hero?

It’s so hard to pick one, but I’m a major Barbara Gittings fan. In addition to being an activist and organizer with the Daughters of Bilitis, she also edited their national publication The Ladder from 1963-66. We have a full run of The Ladder on reference in the Main Reading Room. Come see it and ask for Meg! What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you?

That we don’t grow old or have long-term relationships.

What’s your proudest professional achievement?

I am particularly proud of working with Netflix and the LGBT Congressional Staff Association in April 2019 to bring the cast of “Queer Eye” to the Library for an event focused on LGBTQ+ youth.

What terrifies you?

Greed What’s something trashy or vapid you love?

Apparently the show “Xena: Warrior Princess” isn’t known for being high art? I beg to differ. Xena and Gabrielle forever!

What’s your greatest domestic skill?

I’m a pretty good cook!

What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show?

“Please Like Me” written by/starring Josh Thomas and more recently, the Showtime series “Work in Progress.”

What’s your social media pet peeve?

Trolls What would the end of the LGBTQ movement look like to you?

We have so far to go, I doubt whatever I could envision would be accurate. I don’t foresee it happening in my lifetime, that’s for sure.

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Events that center drinking. If the only thing to do at an event is drink, I’m just not interested.

What was your religion, if any, as a child and what is it today?

None/none What’s D.C.’s best hidden gem?

Local organizers like No Justice No Pride and D.C. Dyke March and the community they’ve built.

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

Probably the transition to the 21st century. I was in middle school but I still remember the Y2K hype.

What celebrity death hit you hardest?

Toni Morrison, David Bowie and Prince.

If you could redo one moment from your past, what would it be?

I can’t think of a single moment but I have often wished looking back that I would have felt more comfortable asking for help when I needed it or making my boundaries more clear to those around me.

What are your obsessions?

Collecting queer ephemera, especially items published in the 1960s or earlier. I’m also mildly obsessed with my dog Janet.

Finish this sentence — It’s about damn time: … we had affordable housing and health care for everyone.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

As a self-identified hard femme, I wish I had known back then that femmes can be thems, too! Which is to say, that femmes can be non-binary. I was really struggling with my gender identity back then, and I didn’t really feel like I had the language or the community to express those feelings.

Why Washington?

I came here for my dream job at the Library of Congress, but living in D.C. is hard to beat. There’s so much to love here: the thriving dyke community (which I have met primarily through D.C. Dyke March events), the world-class museums, the gorgeous biodiversity — I love it here.

MA R CH 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 3

TRAVEL

Columbus, Ohio — hipper than you’d think Bustling hipster city features art, shopping, two gayborhoods and more

By BILL MALCOLM Editor’s note: Travel is not recommended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This column, written before social distancing went into effect, is intended for future suggestion.

What’s the fourth fastest growing city in the country, the fastest growing city in the Midwest and the biggest city in Ohio? A city that has not one but two gayborhoods?

That would be Columbus, Ohio, another millennial magnet and hangout for the urban hipsters. It’s also a fashion capital. Combine that with Midwest friendliness and affordability (and the huge student scene at Ohio State University) and you’re in for a great long weekend or week-long vacation. And best of all, it’s driveable from many cities.

WHAT TO DO Don’t miss the North Market (59 Spruce St.), an indoor farmers’ market with great specialty shops like Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Also inside the Market is Stauf’s Coffee which makes a strong Moka Java blend. North Market has been in operation since 1876.

Nearby is Goodale Park (also in Short North), perfect for a stroll.

Back on High Street in the Short North.

You can design your own candle at the Candle Lab where you scent your own gourmet candle creations. Also check out Torso.

You will not want to miss the groundbreaking exhibit, “Art After Stonewall: 1969-1989” at the Columbus Museum of Art (480 E. Broad St.). It features everything from Divine to Andy Warhol.

In Germantown south of downtown, you can enjoy the brick streets. Walk among the life size structures at Topiary Park at 480 East Town Street. Get lost in the Book Loft’s 32 rooms of books (bookloft.com). Take a stroll in Schiller Park after your book browsing.

NIGHTLIFE The gayborhoods are the Short North Arts District north of downtown and Historic Germantown Village south of downtown.

In Germantown, you’ll find excellent cocktails at the Tremont Lounge (708 S. High) while you can enjoy the piano bar and neighborhood friendliness at the Club Diversity (4941 S. High). Enjoy the sexy dancers and drag queens at Boscoe’s Bar (224 S. High).

Make your first stop the Union Café at 782 N. High. It’s Columbus’ original video bar and is lots of fun.

Across the street is the Axis Nightclub at 775 N. High. Both are in the Short North. Enjoy the drag show Friday nights at the Axis. I hear it also has dancers and a Sunday tea dance.

In Germantown Village, you can enjoy the dancers at Boscoes (1224 S. High), have a cocktail at the Tremont Lounge (708 S. High), or enjoy the piano player at Club Diversity.

Downtown you will find Slammers, Columbus’s lesbian bar where everyone is welcome.

WHERE TO EAT Ray Ray’s Barbeque Food Truck outside the Land Grant Brewing Company allows you to enjoy the best barbecue in town with the local India Pal Ale beers.

My favorite was the Experimental IPA. The Kitchen (231 E. Livingston Ave.) is a great group experience which they call participatory dining.

Barcelona in German Village (263 E. Whittier St.) has three kinds of paella including vegetarian. It’s located in an old German social hall in use since the mid1890s (barcelonacolumbus.com). Check out the patio. It’s where metropolitan chic meets old world charm.

Also in German Village (716 S. High St.) is Ambrose and Eve which makes a perfect brunch spot. Try the perch sandwich. The brioche home made bread with pepper jack cheese is to die for. After brunch, check out the Antiques on High.

The Service Bar in the Short North (1230 N. Courtland) has unusual menu creations. Try the brussels sprouts salad as well as its version of a taco. The Middle West Spirits Bar inside the restaurant also features craft vodka and whiskey for purchase (middlewestspirits.com).

Also in Short North is the Guild House

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Restaurant, which features farm to table creations by Cameron Mitchell.

Goodale Station Restaurant (77 E. Nationwide Blvd., in the Canopy Hotel) downtown has a great rooftop scene. Try the cheese plate.

Also downtown is The Keep Kitchen and Liquor Bar, which is perfect for brunch. It’s located in Columbus’ art deco high rise, LeVeque Lincoln Tower which now includes a hotel. It was built in the 1927 as the headquarters of an insurance company. The terra cotta exterior is rarely found in the Midwest and the art deco murals in the lobby are a treasure.

GETTING THERE Columbus is a short or mediumlength drive from many cities.

The John Glenn International Airport has nonstops from around the country.

WHERE TO STAY I stayed at the new Moxy Hotel by Marriott in the Short North Neighborhood (just north of downtown at 808 N. High).

The Moxy is Marriott’s millennial brand — boutique and affordable (and fun).

You check in at the bar (and get a free drink coupon). The rooms are fun and functional but you will want to hang out in the lobby or in the new Town House Restaurant (which opens soon). It’s near the bars and shopping in the Short North. If you forgot anything, the United Dairy Farmers convenience store at 900 N. High has food to go, great ice cream, liquor and more. The Moxy features a nice fitness center on the sixth floor as well as well as a balcony with great views.

Also is Short North is the new Graduate Hotel, a small chain found in Big Ten cities throughout the Midwest and beyond. Short North also has a Meridien Hotel and a Hampton Inn. I have also stayed at the Red Roof Inn Downtown, a hotel version of the brand which is very affordable. The Westin Southern Hotel is another favorite. All the major chains are downtown.

Vintage Divine art at the Columbus Museum of Art. (Photo by Bill Malcolm)

FOR MORE TRAVEL TIPS PRIZM Magazine published bimonthly is Ohio’s LGBTQ magazine. It’s full of local news and upcoming events and online at prizmnews.com.

Stop by the Stonewall Columbus Community Center at 1160 N. High for travel tips or read its calendar online at stonewallcolumbus.org.

Experience Columbus publishes Out In Columbus which is on line at outincbus.com.

(614) is a monthly magazine about Columbus which has travel tips as is Columbus Monthly.

Columbus is full of surprises and fun.

Bill Malcolm is America’s only LGBTQ syndicated value travel columnist. He’s based in Indianapolis. His publication is or has been carried in LGBTQ publications from Charlotte, N.C., to Los Angeles. It’s also posted on the IGLTA travel blog.

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‘Almost Love’ almost jells LOS ANGELES BLADE & WASHINGTON BLADE WILL CONTINUE TO PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE DURING OUR NATION’S CRISIS WE HAVE EVEN ADDED MORE STREET-BOXES & DOOR-TO-DOOR DELIVERY

WE WILL KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON IN PRINT AND ONLINE

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Actors do what they can with underdeveloped characters in so-so gay rom-com

By BRIAN T. CARNEY The amiable new rom-com “Almost Love” suggests some guidelines for fledgling feature filmmakers like writer/ director Mike Doyle.

The first is: find the right title. Doyle and his team nailed this the second time around. “Almost Love” played the queer festival circuit last year under the awkward title “Sell By.” That title yoked the movie to the unpleasant premise that relationships, like ground beef, have expiration dates. It’s not a romantic notion and didn’t capture the movie’s bubbly spirit.

The second is: casting is crucial. Doyle, an actor with an impressive list of credits, gets this one absolutely right. The appealing and diverse ensemble cast blends together seamlessly. It’s an effective and inclusive combination of veteran character actors, rising stars and fresh new faces.

The third is: balance. That’s where Doyle gets in trouble. He creates pleasant characters and interesting scenarios, but none of them are strong enough to carry the movie. The cast is great, but there’s only so far they can go with underdeveloped roles.

Doyle’s direction is strong, but his writing doesn’t give him enough to work with.

The central couple is Adam and Marklin. They literally seem to be a pictureperfect couple. Marklin (the under-used Augustus Prew) has struck it rich as a social media “influencer.” He fills their luxurious apartment with brand name baubles and documents every moment of their lives for his followers. Adam (the excellent Scott Evans, a member of the Evans acting dynasty) is a frustrated artist. He makes an excellent living as a “ghost painter” for the famous Ravella Brewer (the wasted Patricia Clarkson) but wants to create his own art.

Adam’s best friend is Elizabeth (Kate Walsh of “Grey’s Anatomy”). She’s been married to Damon (Chaz Lamar Shepherd) for 15 years, but they’ve hit an impasse.

He wants kids; she doesn’t. Marklin’s best friends are Cammy (the delightful Michelle Buteau of Netflix’s “Tales of the City”) and Haley (the effervescent Zoe Chao). Haley is a teacher whose student Scott James (the absolutely adorable Christopher Gray) has become infatuated with her. Cammy

The cast of ‘Almost Love.’

(Photo courtesy Vertical Entertainment)

(occupation unclear) has stumbled into an improbable relationship with a homeless man (Colin Donnell from Broadway’s latest “Anything Goes” with Sutton Foster and the CW’s “Arrow”).

The acting is strong, but some of the cast members are more successful than others in fleshing out their underwritten roles. Buteau is dynamite. Without overshadowing her castmates, she dominates the screen with her boisterous energy and crackerjack timing. She has an exciting chemistry with Donnell and smoothly balances the character’s brassy lust for life with a genuine concern for her friends.

The chemistry between Evans and Prew is also strong and Evans nicely underplays the cliché of the frustrated artist. He’s appropriately brooding but never too whiny.

But the relationship between Adam and Marklin is not strong enough to hold the movie together. We never get a good sense of who they are and what holds them together, or what brought them together in the first place. They’re the lynchpin couple who draws everyone else into their orbit, but their bond doesn’t have the gravity to hold the film’s social system together. The characters end up drifting in space.

The movie also lacks a strong point of view.

Is Doyle making fun of Marklin’s social media empire? Is Marklin in on the joke or has he been caught up in the wave of Internet fame?

Is Ravella Brewer a ravenous monster who is devouring Adam’s talent or is she an amiable hack coasting on her fame and making a quick buck for herself and her collaborators?

It’s too bad the screenplay doesn’t give the talented cast more to work with.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Hunker down.

That’s what you’ll be doing for the immediate future: trying to stay well or get well or just waiting. You’ve had enough TV and the pantry’s as clean as it’ll ever get, so maybe it’s time to find something to read. Here are some suggestions: FICTION If you’re a fan of unusual thrillers, look for “Please See Us” by Caitlin Mullen.

It’s the story of two dead women who have not yet been found in their marshy grave. But they know what’s going on, and they know they won’t be alone for long. Oh, and they know who killed them.

Also, thriller fans, get “Journey of the Pharaohs” by the late Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. If you’ve ever read a Cussler book, you know what you’re in for.

“The Love Story of Missy Charmichael”

by Beth Morrey is a sweetheart of a book.

It’s about a 79-year-old woman who’s largely alone; her children are scattered or estranged and she’s old enough to believe that reflection on her past is all she has left.

And then she meets a dog.

The fan of historical fiction will love having “Westering Women” by Sandra Dallas on the sofa. It’s the story of a young seamstress and her small daughter, both of whom travel with a caravan of other women to answer the call for “eligible women” out west in the 1800s. Adventure, love, action, can you resist?

NON-FICTION Music fans will love hunkering down with “The Beatles from A to Zed” by Peter Asher.

It’s an easy-breezy book on the Fab Four, but indirectly, which means you’ll get some littlediscussed, little-known tales that fans will need to know. Here’s another book that’s perfect for the music fan: “She Can Really Lay It Down”

by Rachel Frankel, a book about music’s female rebels and rockers. Or look for “1973: Rock at the Crossroads” by Andrew Grant Jackson, a book that’s part history, part music history and all perfect nostalgia.

For the reader who loves a good truemedicine tale, try “The Open Heart Club” by Gabriel Brownstein. Written by a man whose life was saved by cardiac surgery when he Wooded 2.37 private acres. was just a small child, this book looks at heart $189,900. surgery in the distant past and what’s being done to cure the heart now. Another book Dee Cross, Associate Broker, CRS, e-Pro, GRI, SRES to look for, whether you’re thinking it’s time Callaway, Farnell and Moore, Inc. to quit smoking, you’re fascinated about why 500 W. Stein Hwy, Seaford, DE 19973 anyone would start or you’re just plain in need Cell 302-381-7408 Office 302-629-4514 of something different is “The Cigarette: A Fax 302-536-6254 Political History” by Sarah Milov.

Website www.deecross.com E-mail dee@deecross.com For parents or parents-to-be, how about something different: “Designing Babies”

by Robert L. Klitzman, M.D. is a guidebook of sorts, filled with choices that potential noms and dads can make when taking that big step toward parenthood. But it’s also a book about how tomorrow’s generations are being affected by technology today. Also, try “9 Months In, 9 Months Out” by Vanessa Lobue, a scientific look at pregnancy and being a parent, written by a scientist.

The reader who hates the fact that church has to be missed will enjoy having “The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History” by Andrew T. Walther and Translation: No public transportation nearby.

Maureen H. Walther around. It’s a large, beautiful retrospective on the “K of C,” its VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI, Director of Education & Mentorship contributions, and many of the leaders who Dupont Circle Office • 202-518-8781 (o) • 202.246.8602 (c) influenced the Knights through the decades.

Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com • www.DCHomeQuest.com Hang on to hope that this will be over soon, but reading “Nomad: Designing a Home for Escape and Adventure” by Emma Reddington. This heavy, beautiful book is filled with ideas for the person who ADVE RT I S I N wants to convert a bus, van, or boat into a permanent living space that’s PROOF #1 movable. You ISSUE DATE: 200327 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: can dream, can’t you? While you’re reading REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. that one, keep “Making a Life” by Melanie 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 REVISIONS llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for Falick nearby; it’s a book on crafting, art and REDESIGN 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, subsisting on that which you create.

TEXT REVISIONS 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, IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS Depending on the view from your bed or invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person ADVERTISER SIGNATURE or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown NO REVISIONS naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes By signing this proof you are agreeing to yo sofa, “On Flowers” by Amy Merrick might of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising washington blade newspaper. This includes out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties. payment and insertion schedule. be something to lift your spirits. It’s filled with photos and its words reflect an appreciation for all things colorful. The book to read after that: “White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows” by Bernd Heinrich, and learn about your feathered friends.

REALTOR®speak

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MA R CH 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 7

Housing in the time of COVID-19 Realtors are adapting to the times as spring market arrives

By JOSEPH HUDSON

The spring real estate market is the busiest of the year but coronavirus is changing that in 2020.

There are lots of questions out there now for buyers AND sellers or people who were thinking about getting into the market and are now wondering if that’s a good idea. There are also lots of buyers wondering what happened to a good chunk of their investments in the last month, and lots of sellers wondering “Is anyone going to buy my house this year?”

Simultaneously we have the following happening: Low interest rates. Some of the lowest we have seen.

A huge stock market crash. One of the largest in the shortest amount of time in our lifetimes. Then a large rally.

Reduced ability to leave our homes, go to open houses, look at houses, fear of looking at a house that is inhabited, and fear of the unknown.

The spring market – traditionally the busiest time of year for real estate as the days grow longer, and the weather gets

better – more buyers AND more sellers.

Basically, to paraphrase FDR who helped us through another tough time in our nation’s history, is “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Not to minimize the real risks of the economy crashing, not following the advice of the epidemiologists and public health professionals around us, and all the domino effects that are potentially going to happen. Our mental health is also at stake here too. Isolating ourselves to prevent spread of the coronavirus is hard! Many of my friends and colleagues are in some ways relishing some of the down time, but also missing their friends, missing being able to sit on patios and rooftops and go out for dinners.

This week I watched an Instagram post by Ellen DeGeneres where she calls Michelle Obama, and they mention that one of the (few) positives going on is that people are getting back in touch with themselves and their loved ones. We all aren’t rushing from

2 8 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA DE.COM • MA RCH 27, 2020

one event to another.

What can we do in these times? Well, if you are a buyer, you are positioned like at no other time in history to have a virtual tour, a Facetime or video sent to you of the property you are considering. We have the technology now that makes showings easily and quickly coordinated. Most of the documents can be e-signed. If you are a seller, the same applies; we can take videos of your home, the yard, the views, the walk-in closets, the countertops, the two-car garage, the HOA amenities, the new carpet. We can transmit SO MUCH information about your home. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

We also have new language provided to the Realtors and the title companies and lenders involved from the various Realtor associations in the area that state there are protections for both the buyer and seller if one party gets the coronavirus or can’t leave their house to perform settlement.

Delays can be agreed upon or voiding the contract is possible. There is now language that basically states that the contracts being written today address the possibility that a transaction could be affected by the coronavirus at no fault to either party involved in the transaction.

Title companies are also exploring their options to e-notarize documents as legally allowed, and to have minimal crowds gathering for settlement. They are pledging to sanitize meeting spaces and let people keep the pen they used. As always, industries adapt to the environments they are in, and we are once again in an adaptation moment. Best of luck to you all, and please stay healthy and well.

Joseph Hudson

is a Realtor with The Oakley Group at Compass. Reach him at 703-587-0597 or Joseph.hudson@compass.com.

We are open and here if you need us.

Please stay safe and continue to social distance.

MA R CH 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 9

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