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Top 10 local stories of 2021

Hate crimes, book bans, and Nellie’s protests

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

It’s that time again — our annual countdown of the biggest stories of the year. #10: Gay Asian man, parents assaulted in Northwest A gay Asian man and his parents were treated and released from a local hospital after they were attacked and assaulted on Aug. 7 on a street near the Washington National Cathedral by a male assailant who shouted homophobic and antiAsian slurs, according to D.C. police and court records.

SEAN LAI, 30, an out gay Charging documents man of Chinese ancestry, filed in D.C. Superior Court was beaten in August.

(Photo courtesy of Lei) state that D.C. police, who arrived on the scene a short time after the attack, arrested D.C. resident and American University graduate student Patrick Trebat, 38, on one count of felony assault, two counts of simple assault, and one count of destruction of property. The charging document says Trebat allegedly damaged the cell phone of Sean Lai, 30, an out gay man of Chinese ancestry, as he allegedly punched and kicked Lai and Lai’s elderly parents on the 3700 block of Fulton St., N.W. while shouting the words “faggots” and “You’re not Americans.”

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office changed the charges to two counts of felony assault with significant bodily injury and listed the incident as an anti-Asian bias related crime. American University in October announced Trebat was no longer a student at the school. #9: D.C., Md, Va. pass laws banning panic defense The D.C. Council and the Maryland and Virginia General Assemblies each passed their own laws in 2021 banning the use of the so-called LGBTQ panic defense in criminal trials.

LGBTQ rights organizations and legal experts have said attorneys representing defendants charged with committing violent crimes against LGBTQ people, including murder, have used the panic defense to confuse juries into finding them not guilty by arguing that their clients committed an act of violence against an LGBTQ person in a form of self-defense in a state of “panic” after they learned that the victim was an LGBTQ person.

Supporters of banning the defense say it improperly places the blame for a violent act on the LGBTQ victim.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed the legislation banning the panic defense after expressing strong support for the measures.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) declined to sign the Maryland bill but announced he would allow the bill to become law without his signature. #8: Gay men arrested under Md. sodomy law in bookstore raid Harford County, Md., Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested four men on a charge of Perverted Sexual Practice under the Maryland sodomy law during a May 20 raid on the Bush River Books & Video store in the town of Abington, located 25 miles north of Baltimore.

Four other men were charged with indecent exposure, and another was charged with solicitation for prostitution for a total of nine arrests during the May 20 raid that was prompted by complaints from nearby residents, according to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office.

An attorney with the LGBTQ litigation group Lambda Legal said the sodomy arrests appeared to be a violation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 ruling declaring state sodomy laws unconstitutional. Lambda attorney Greg Nevins said that although the Supreme Court ruling does not cover acts of sodomy committed in public places, the men arrested in the May 20 raid engaged in alleged consenting sexual acts in a locked video booth, which Sheriff’s deputies unlocked after obtaining keys from a bookstore employee. He said it would be up to a judge to decide whether the video booths could be considered a private space as argued by attorneys representing the arrested men, who were released while awaiting court appearances.

The bookstore raid, meanwhile, drew attention to a little noticed development that the Maryland General Assembly in 2020 repealed only one of Maryland’s two antiquated sodomy statutes, the one outlawing anal sex.

At the request of conservative Republican lawmakers, the General Assembly left in place Maryland’s Unnatural or Perverted Sexual Practice Act, which outlaws oral sex.

LGBTQ supportive Maryland House of Delegates Member David Moon (D-Montgomery County) said he plans to introduce a bill in 2022 to repeal that statute. #7: Loudoun County schools’ trans nondiscrimination policy under fire The Loudoun County, Va., public school system’s policy of allowing students to use the bathroom or locker room that matches their gender identity came under fire in October after news surfaced that a 15-year-old “gender fluid” boy allegedly sexually assaulted two girls in different high schools.

Law enforcement officials said one of the assaults allegedly occurred on May 28 in the girl’s bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Va., while the boy was dressed in a skirt. The other assault allegedly occurred on Oct. 6 in a vacant classroom at Broad Run High School, also in Ashburn, after the boy was transferred there while facing charges for the first assault.

“The sexual assault on our daughter and the subsequent sexual assault by the same individual were both predictable and preventable,” the parents of the girl involved in the first alleged assault said in a statement released by their attorney. “Subsequent to the sexual assault on our daughter, Loudoun County Public Schools formalized the policy regarding restroom use that was easily exploitable by a potential sexual assailant,” the parents’ statement says.

The LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Loudoun released its own statement saying sexual assault cases should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identity of the perpetrator.

However, the group said allegations that the perpetrator of the two school assaults was transgender or genderfluid had not been verified. “Attempts to shift the blame of this incident to any individual, group, or policy – other than the alleged perpetrator – does a grave disservice to the victims of these crimes and already marginalized youth in our community,” the Equality Loudoun statement says.

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A court ruled that GAVIN GRIMM had a legal right to use the men’s bathroom at his high school.

(Photo courtesy of the ACLU)

#6: Supreme Court upholds Va. trans rights ruling The U.S. Supreme on June 28 refused to hear an appeal by the Gloucester County, Va., School Board challenging a lower court ruling that transgender former high school student Gavin Grimm had a legal right to use the men’s bathroom at his high school. The high court’s decision not to hear the case leaves in place U.S. district court and U.S. appeals court rulings declaring the school board violated federal law and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution by prohibiting Grimm from using the same bathrooms as other boys and forcing him to use separate bathrooms. The ACLU, which represented Grimm in his more than five-year legal battle that continued after his high school graduation, called the development a major victory for the rights of trans students.

Four months after the Supreme Court’s action, the Gloucester School Board agreed to settle the case by paying Grimm $1.3 million to cover attorney’s fees that the ACLU says the school board is responsible for. #5: Casa Ruby shakeup RUBY CORADO stepped down this year after a dispute with the D.C. government.

(Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Ruby Corado, the founder and executive director of D.C.’s LGBTQ community services center Casa Ruby, announced in a Facebook live broadcast in October that she had resigned from her executive director’s position.

Corado stated in her broadcast that her resignation was in response to an ongoing dispute with the D.C. government that resulted in a decision by the city one week earlier to discontinue an $850,000 annual city grant to fund Casa Ruby’s emergency low barrier shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth and adults.

Corado called the decision by the D.C. Department of Human Services not to renew the grant for fiscal year 2022 an act of retaliation based, in part, on what she says was her refusal to agree to a request by the city agency to move the Casa Ruby shelter to a neighborhood unsafe for trans women and LGBTQ youth. The DHS has declined to disclose its reason for ending the grant, saying only that it has arranged for other LGBTQ supportive organizations to carry out LGBTQ-related homeless services.

Longtime D.C. transgender rights advocate Alexis Blackmon, who had been serving as Casa Ruby’s Government Affairs Director, was named the organization’s interim executive director. Corado said that, following a six-month sabbatical, she plans to organize fundraising efforts to support Casa Ruby’s programs independent of D.C. government funding.

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Top local stories of 2021

#4: GOP victories in Va. could endanger LGBTQ rights The close but decisive wins in the November election in Virginia by Republicans Glenn Youngkin as governor, Winsome Sears as lieutenant governor, and Jason Miyares as attorney general and Republicans winning control of the Virginia House of Delegates raises questions about whether the recent sweeping advances in LGBTQ rights in Virginia put in place by the outgoing Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly could be in jeopardy.

Youngkin, who defeated Democratic candidate and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAulliffe, expressed opposition to nondiscrimination protections enacted by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly in 2020 for transgender and nonbinary students in the state’s public schools. He has also expressed opposition to same-sex marriage while saying he would not likely take steps to repeal the legal standing of marriage equality.

But of greatest concern among Virginia’s LGBTQ activists is Attorney General-elect Miyares’s voting record on LGBTQ issues in his role as a member of the state’s House of Delegates from the Virginia Beach area since 2016.

Since Democrats took control of the legislature in January 2020, Miyares has voted against nearly all of the LGBTQ supportive bills passed during that time, including bills adding LGBTQ people to the state’s anti-discrimination law, adding LGBTQ people to the state’s hate crimes law, banning the use of the so-called LGBTQ panic defense in criminal trials, restricting the use of conversion therapy for minors, and repealing the state’s longstanding but unenforceable statute banning same-sex marriage.

With Democrats retaining control of the Virginia Senate, Republican elected officials hostile to LGBTQ rights cannot — without the unlikely defection of Democratic lawmakers — repeal these and other LGBTQ supportive laws in the state. But activists have expressed concern that, as attorney general, Miyares might be in a position to curtail the enforcement of the LGBTQ supportive laws.

Among the few positive outcomes of the Virginia election, according to LGBTQ activists, was that the three openly LGBTQ members of the House of Delegates, each of whom are Democrats, won re-election, including Danica Roem of Manassas, who is the first openly trans person to be seated in any state legislature in the U.S. #3: LGBTQ books removed, reinstated in Fairfax schools The Fairfax County, Va., Public Schools announced in November that it had returned two LGBTQ-themed books to the libraries of the school system’s high schools after temporarily removing the books in response to objections from some parents who claimed they included sexually explicit content inappropriate for students.

The two books, “Lawn Boy,” a novel by author Jonathan Evison, and “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” an autobiography by non-binary author Maia Kobabe, were deemed to be important works of literature suitable to young adults following a thorough review by two school system committees, according to an announcement by Fairfax Public Schools officials. The officials said that although the books include descriptions of sexual acts, they do not constitute pornography and do not promote pedophilia as claimed by some parents and others opposing the books.

The decision to reinstate the books “reaffirms Fairfax Public Schools’ ongoing commitment to provide diverse reading materials that reflect our student population,

Vice President KAMALA HARRIS and her husband joined a Pride Walk in June. (Screenshot of coverage from WJLA 7 Washington DC)

allowing every child an opportunity to see themselves reflected in literary characters,” a statement by school officials says.

News of the controversy surrounding the two books in the Fairfax County school libraries triggered efforts by conservative groups to ban LGBTQ-themed books in other school districts throughout the country.

#1:

Nellie’s hit with protests after Black woman dragged down stairs

A June 13 incident in which a black woman was dragged down a flight of stairs by a security guard during a brawl that broke out at the D.C. gay bar Nellie’s Sports Bar led to a boycott and months of protests against the bar, an investigation into the incident by the city’s liquor board, and charges by some LGBTQ activists that Nellie’s and other D.C. gay bars had racially biased policies and practices.

The action by the security guard was captured on video taken by one of the customers on their phone that went viral on social media, prompting LGBTQ activists and Black Lives Matter organizers to demand that Nellie’s take appropriate action to review its security procedures.

Nellie’s issued an apology for the incident the following day and announced it had fired the private security company whose employee, who is Black, dragged college student Keisha Young, 22, down the stairs. Nellie’s also announced it would temporarily close for business to assess what happened and develop plans to reopen as a safer space for all members of the community.

After two months of staging Friday night protests outside Nellie’s from June through most of August, protest leaders announced at a community meeting that they would discontinue the protests but continue to ask the community to boycott Nellie’s.

Nellie’s reopened 35 days after its self-imposed closing.

But on Oct. 20, the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, following an investigation into the June 13 incident, approved a compromise agreement with Nellie’s that called for Nellie’s to pay a $5,000 fine and serve a sevenday license suspension for violations that liquor board investigations found had occurred in Nellie’s handling of the fight on its premises that led to Young being dragged down the stairs.

An order issued by the ABC Board said the license

#2: D.C. LGBTQ bars and events rebound as COVID restrictions eased Owners of the city’s gay bars and LGBTQ friendly bars and restaurants joined nightlife businesses across the city in rejoicing over D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s announcement in May that restaurants and bars could resume operations at full capacity and return to pre-pandemic operating hours on May 21.

The mayor’s announcement followed what nightlife businesses said was severe financial hardship caused by the earlier full business shutdowns due to COVID public health restrictions followed by a partial reopening with strict limits of only 25 percent of the normal number of customers inside bars and restaurants and a ban on standing in bars or sitting at bar stools.

The lifting of the bar, restaurant and other nightlife business restrictions in May was followed by the city’s decision to lift all restrictions on indoor and outdoor events on June 11. That cleared the way for D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance to organize several scaled back LGBTQ Pride events, including a June 12 Pride Walk, which began at Dupont Circle and traveled to Freedom Plaza, where a rally was held. The Walk drew widespread attention when U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband joined the walk as it approached Freedom Plaza.

The enthusiasm over the full reopening of LGBTQ nightlife venues, especially the bars, became evident with long lines of patrons waiting to get into some of the bars Protesters outside Nellie’s earlier this year. that were filled to capacity.

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(Blade file photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)

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Top 10 national news stories of 2021

Capitol insurrection, COVID cancellations, and a new president

By CHRIS JOHNSON | Blade photos by Michael Key

#10: RNC creates Pride outreach coalition Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, in a video announcement at a Log Cabin Republicans dinner honoring Melania Trump and attended by former President Trump, announced the creation of the LGBTQ outreach Pride coalition — much to the consternation of internal critics.

Following calls on her to resign from anti-LGBTQ conservatives like Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, McDaniel defended the coalition by saying it was a continuation of the LGBTQ initiative set up with Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign — which had enjoyed success by doubling the LGBTQ vote for the Republican candidate after the previous election.

McDaniel wrote an apology letter for poor communication over the creation of the new initiative, which led Democrats to criticize Republicans over the perceived backtracking on LGBTQ outreach. #9: Caitlyn Jenner makes waves as gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner, in a free-for-all recall election in California seeking to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom, made waves as a Republican gubernatorial candidate, breaking new ground as a transgender candidate while facing criticism for being out of touch.

Early on in her candidacy, the former Olympic champion said she was against transgender kids in sports, citing a need to protect women in athletics. Jenner later modified her position by saying potential players who had gone through the transition process should “of course” be allowed to compete.

Jenner became an unlikely popular figure in conservative media, appearing on Fox News and Newsmax. At the end of the day, Jenner performed poorly at the polls, taking two percent of the vote as Newsom survived the recall effort. #8: Supreme Court issues non-ruling in Fulton case The U.S. Supreme Court, amid fears it would render a decision this year that would enable sweeping discrimination against LGBTQ people, instead handed down a ruling in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia limited to the facts of the case at hand and with no major impact.

In a unanimous ruling, justices issued a decision in favor of Catholic Social Services, which sought a First Amendment ruling to refuse child placement with same-sex couples over a religious exemption, but it was based on the approach of the City of Philadelphia enforcing its contract with the foster care agency.

Both sides claimed a small victory. The American Civil Liberties Union, which had argued before the Supreme Court in the case and sided with the City of Philadelphia, said the ruling “will not affect any foster care programs that do not have the same system for individualized exemptions that were at issue here.” #7: In grim record, at least 46 trans people killed In a grim milestone, at least 46 trans people were killed by the time of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, reaching a new record in the time the deaths have been recorded.

The violence has consistently had a disproportionate impact on transgender women of color. Among the deaths that brought the tally to a new record was Marquiisha “Quii” Lawrence, a 28-year-old Black transgender woman who was shot and killed in her home in Greenville, S.C.

President Biden, who had brought attention to the issue of anti-transgender violence as a presidential candidate, issued a statement recognizing the 46 deaths and was briefed on the issue in the days preceding the Transgender Day of Remembrance. #6: HRC president fired after being ensnared in Cuomo affair The president of the Human Rights Campaign was terminated from his role this year following a public dispute with the board after being ensnared in the damning report detailing accusations of sexual misconduct against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Alphonso David, who had previously served as counselor to Cuomo, was revealed in the report by New York Attorney General Letitia James to have kept a personnel file of one of the female employees alleging sexual misconduct, then having assisted in efforts to leak that file to the media in an attempt to discredit her.

Although the Human Rights Campaign board initially stood by David, the organization later announced an independent review of the matter, which David said he welcomed. David took to Twitter and criticized the board for having privately asked him about resigning, which prompted his termination. #5: Equality Act all but dead in Congress Although LGBTQ rights advocates had hoped President Biden would be able to deliver a campaign promise to sign into law a long-sought update to federal civil rights law that would include LGBTQ people, legislation known as the Equality Act is all but dead in Congress.

The U.S. House, acting quickly on Biden’s campaign promise to sign the Equality Act into law within the first 100 days of his administration, approved the legislation in February, although it had fewer Republican votes compared to when the chamber last passed the measure.

But the Equality Act, contorted by critics who claim it endangers women’s rights and privacy, went no further in Congress. In the Senate, where Sen. Joe Manchin has declined to support the bill and Sen. Susan Collins has withdrawn her support, the legislation never got a vote — either on the floor or in committee. No route appears open for the bill. #4: Buttigieg, Levine confirmed by Senate in historic firsts In a pair of historic votes, the U.S. Senate this year confirmed two presidential appointees — Pete Buttigieg and Rachel Levine.

Buttigieg was confirmed as transportation secretary, making him the first openly gay person to win Senate confirmation for a Cabinet-level role, while Levine was confirmed as assistant secretary for health, making her the first openly transgender person to win Senate confirmation for any position.

Although Buttigieg was confirmed with bipartisan support, that quickly faded as the supply chain crisis emerged and Buttigieg faced criticism for his approach to the issue.

For Levine, the road was different. During her confirmation hearing, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), began his inquiries with the words “genital mutilation,” which formed the basis of

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CAITLYN JENNER ran for California governor but won just 2 percent of the vote.

HRC President ALPHONSO DAVID was fired in September.

PETE BUTTIGIEG and RACHEL LEVINE won Senate confirmation this year.

his rude, invasive questioning. Levine was confirmed by a narrow vote of 52-48. #3: States enact measures against trans kids in sports, health care Drawing on anti-trans fears, states defied federal laws against discrimination and enacted measures against transgender kids in sports and access to health care, leading to a wave of litigation in the next battleground for the LGBTQ movement.

Among the most stringent measures was a law in Arkansas, enacted by the legislature overriding a veto of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, instituting criminal penalties for providing transition-related care to youth. Other states, including Florida, Texas, and West Virginia, enacted laws prohibiting transgender girls from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity.

LGBTQ legal advocates were quick to file litigation against the measure in court, arguing they violate the prohibition on discrimination based on sex in schools under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Judges have blocked measures from going into effect as litigation moves forward.

#2: Coronavirus continues to rage, nixes LGBTQ events Despite hopes the coronavirus would fade with the emergence of vaccines, the pandemic continues to rage amid breakthrough infections and refusal of a large percentage of Americans to get the shot, leading to additional deaths and cancellation of LGBTQ events.

More than 386,000 deaths due to coronavirus were reported this year, making it deadlier than the previous year in terms of sheer numbers, as hospitalization rates continued to climb to new highs.

Pride celebrations were among the events cancelled as the pandemic continued through the summer. Large cities like Los Angeles and Boston opted not to have not to have events at all, while D.C. had a much scaled-down event in which Vice President Kamala Harris participated.

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The Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol shocked the world.

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After insurrection, Biden inaugurated and reverses Trump anti-LGBTQ policies

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Top 10 international news stories of 2021

Out Olympians, conversion therapy bans, Polish crackdown

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS | mlavers@washblade.com

The Biden administration’s pledge to champion LGBTQ rights abroad was the dominant international story in 2021, but anti-LGBTQ crackdowns and efforts to expand rights also made headlines around the world over the past year. Here are the top 10 international stories of 2021. #10: Botswana Court of Appeals decriminalizes same-sex sexual relations The Botswana Court of Appeals on Nov. 29 upheld a ruling that decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations in the country.

Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) challenged the colonial-era criminalization law.

Botswana’s High Court in 2019 unanimously ruled the law was unconstitutional. The Batswana government appealed the decision.

“Today is a momentous day in history, a victorious win in ascertaining liberty, privacy and dignity of the LGBTIQ persons in Botswana and definitely, this judgement sets precedence for the world at large,” said LEGABIBO CEO Thato Moruti after the Court of Appeals ruling. #9: LGBTQ athletes compete in Summer Olympics A record number of openly LGBTQ athletes competed in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, became the first out trans person Out diver TOM DALEY medaled to compete in any at the Summer Olympics.

Olympics.

Quinn, (Screen capture via Instagram) a non-binary trans person who is a member of the Canadian women’s soccer team, won an Olympic gold medal.

Tom Daley, a British Olympic diver who is married to Dustin Lance Black, also medaled during the games. #8: LGBTQ activists, journalists arrested in Cuba LGBTQ activists and journalists were among the hundreds of people who were arrested during anti-government protests in Cuba on July 11.

Maykel González Vivero, director of Tremenda Nota, the Washington Blade’s media partner in Cuba, was violently arrested near Havana’s Revolution Square during one of the protests.

Yoan de la Cruz, a gay man who live-streamed the first protest that took place in San Antonio de los Baños, remains in custody. He faces an 8-year prison sentence.

The protests took place against the backdrop of mounting food shortages, a worsening economic crisis, human rights abuses and criticism over the government’s response to the pandemic. Thousands of Cuban Americans on July 26 marched to the Cuban Embassy in D.C. in support of the protesters. #7: Gay Games in Hong Kong remain in doubt The 2023 Gay Games that are scheduled to take place in Hong Kong remain in doubt amid growing concerns over China’s human rights record.

Gay Games Hong Kong in September postponed the event until 2023 because of the pandemic.

Hong Kong’s National Security Law, which human rights activists say makes it easier for authorities to punish anyone in the former British colony who challenges the Chinese

government, took effect in 2020. Upwards of 2 million Hong Kongers took part in pro-democracy protests the year before.

The Women’s Tennis Association has suspended tournaments in Hong Kong and throughout China in response to the disappearance of Peng Shuai, a Chinese tennis star, after she publicly accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Diplomats from the U.S. and other countries will also boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

“The Federation of Gay Games continues to monitor the situation in Hong Kong regarding COVID-19, the National Security Law and all other aspects that affect the safety and security of our event,” Sean Fitzgerald, co-president of the Federation of Gay Games, told the Blade in a statement after the Women’s Tennis Association announced it had suspended all of its tournaments in China. “We are committed to hosting Gay Games 11 in Hong Kong in November 2023.” #6: Anti-LGBTQ crackdowns continue in Hungary, Poland The governments of Hungary and Poland in 2021 continued their anti-LGBTQ crackdowns.

The European Commission in July announced legal action against Hungary after a law that bans the promotion of homosexuality and sex-reassignment surgery to minors took effect. Hungarian lawmakers in November approved a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on LGBTQ issues.

The European Commission in September threatened to withhold funds from five Polish provinces that have enacted so-called LGBTQ “free zones.” Polish lawmakers have also sought to ban Pride marches and other pro-LGBTQ events. #5: LGBTQ candidates elected throughout the world LGBTQ candidates won elections throughout the world in 2021.

Two transgender Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister IDAN ROLL, who’s gay, is women — Tessa the youngest person in his Ganserer and Nyke country’s new government.

Slawik — won seats in (Blade photo by Michael Key) the German Parliament in September. Emilia Schneider in November became the first openly trans person elected to the Chilean congress.

Victor Grajeda in November became the first openly gay man to win a seat in the Honduran congress.

Openly gay Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Idan Roll is the youngest person in his country’s new government that formed in June after long-time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ouster. Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz is also openly gay. #4: Efforts to ban conversion therapy gain traction More countries moved to ban so-called conversion therapy in 2021.

A Canadian law that prohibits the widely discredited practice in the country will take effect in January.

French lawmakers on Dec. 15 approved a bill that would ban conversion therapy in their country.

Measures to prohibit conversion therapy are also before legislators in Finland and New Zealand. The British Parliament in 2022 is expected to debate a bill that would ban conversion therapy in England and Wales.

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Brazil and Malta are two of the countries that already ban conversion therapy. #3: VP Harris acknowledges anti-LGBTQ violence as cause of migration Vice President Kamala Harris throughout 2021 acknowledged that anti-LGBTQ violence is one of the “root causes” of migration from Central America.

Harris in June raised the issue during a meeting with Visibles Executive Director Daniel Villatoro, Ingrid Gamboa of the Association of Garifuna Women Living with HIV/AIDS and other Guatemalan civil society members that took place in Guatemala City. State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who is openly gay, a few weeks earlier told the Blade that protecting LGBTQ migrants and asylum seekers is one of the Biden administration’s global LGBTQ rights priorities.

Immigrant rights activists who remain critical of the Biden administration’s immigration policy note Title 42, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule that closed the Southern border to most asylum seekers and migrants because of the coronavirus pandemic, remains in place. The so-called Remain in Mexico policy that forces asylum seekers to pursue their cases in Mexico has also been reinstated under a court order.

“To be a trans person is synonymous with teasing, harassment, violence and even death,” Venus, a transgender woman from La Ceiba, Honduras, told the Blade in July during an interview in the city. #2: LGBTQ Afghans desperate to flee after Taliban regains control LGBTQ Afghans remain desperate to flee after the Taliban regained control of the country on Aug. 15.

Two groups of LGBTQ Afghans that Stonewall, Rainbow Railroad and Micro Rainbow evacuated with the help of the British government arrived in the U.K. in the fall. Some of the Afghan human rights activists Two men in Kabul, who Taylor Hirschberg, a Afghanistan, in July 2021 (Photo courtesy of Dr. Ahmad Qais Munzahim) researcher at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health who is also a Hearst Foundation scholar, has been able to help leave the country since the Taliban regained control of it are LGBTQ. A Taliban judge in July said the group would once again execute gay people if it were to return to power in Afghanistan.

Rainbow Railroad and Immigration Equality are among the groups that continue to urge the Biden administration to do more to help LGBTQ Afghans who remain inside the country. #1: Biden commits U.S. to promoting LGBTQ rights abroad The Biden administration in February issued a memorandum that committed the U.S. to promoting LGBTQ rights abroad.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who is gay, in May told the Washington Blade the decriminalization of consensual same-sex sexual relations is one of the five global LGBTQ rights priorities for the Biden administration.

The White House in June named then-OutRight Action International Executive Director Jessica Stern as the next special U.S. envoy for the promotion of LGBTQ rights abroad.

The State Department in October announced it would issue passports with an “X” gender marker.

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In memoriam: Remembering queer lives lost in 2021 Activists, artists, and politicos who changed the world

By KATHI WOLFE

including lesbian bar Phase 1 and gay nightclub The many acclaimed LGBTQ+ people and allies Ziegfeld’s-Secrets, died at 79 on April 14 from heart who died in 2021 include: failure.

Laura Weinstein, a transgender activist in Alber Elbaz, acclaimed fashion designer whose Colombia died on Jan. 2 four days after she was celeb clients included Meryl Streep, died at 59 hospitalized with difficulty breathing. She was from COVID-19, on April 24 in Paris. director of Fundacion Grupo de Accion y Apoyo a Paul Kellogg, who led the Glimmerglass Opera Personas Trans (GATT), a trans rights group. in Cooperstown, N.Y. and, later, simultaneously, Siegfried Fischbacher, the magician, who with the led the New York City Opera died at 84 in a late Roy Horn, performed in Las Vegas as Siegfried Cooperstown hospital on April 28. & Roy, died on Jan. 13 at 81 from pancreatic cancer.

Alix Dobkin, the folk singer who celebrated Bob Avian, a choreographer, director and lesbians and made the iconic 1973 album producer died at 83 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “Lavender Jane Loves Women,” died at 80 on from cardiac arrest on Jan. 28. With his frequent May 19 from a brain aneurysm and a stroke at her collaborator, Avian worked with some of Broadway’s Woodstock, N.Y. home. most well-known and longest-running shows, ALIX DOBKIN, JAMES HORMEL, and VENUS THRASH were Kay Tobin Lahusen, gay rights activist and including “A Chorus Line.” among the prominent LGBTQ people who died in 2021. photographer, died at 91 on May 26 in West Sophie Xeon, a.k.a. Sophie, a transgender (Screen capture via ‘This Gay Life’ on Missouri State University Libraries’ YouTube channel) Chester, Pa. producer and performer whose music was known as Rusty Warren, a 1960s comedian, called a hyperpop, died on Jan. 30 in Athens at 30 after an godmother of the sexual revolution, died on May accident.

25 at 91 from chronic obstructive pulmonary Cloris Leachman, the Academy and Emmy disease at a caregiver’s home in Lagura Hills, Calif.

Award-winning actress who performed in numerous . movies and TV shows from “The Last Picture Show” Douglas S. Cramer, who produced “Dynasty” to “Young Frankenstein” to “The Mary Tyler Moore and other popular TV shows, died at 89 from kidney Show,” died at 94 at her Encinitas, Calif. home. failure at his Martha’s Vineyard home on June 4.

Joseph Sonnabend, a physician who helped Madeline Davis, the first openly lesbian to establish the AIDS Medical Foundation (now delegate to a national political convention (the Amfar), died at 88 on June 24 in a London hospital Democratic 1972 convention) died on April 28 at from complications from a heart attack.

80 from complications from a stroke at her Amherst, Carmen Vazquez, a force in the world of LGBTQ N.Y. home. rights died on Jan. 27 in Brooklyn at 72 from Richard J. Meislin, a New York Times editor and complications of COVID-19. journalism pioneer, died at 68 from Merkel cell Sandie Crisp, a.k.a. the Goddess Bunny, a carcinoma at a Manhattan hospital on June 25. transgender actress, model and muse to West (2015 photograph courtesy of Speaker Pelosi Flickr) Paul Huntley, for decades the hair stylist and wig Hollywood’s avant garde, died on Jan. 27 at a Los designer for Broadway stars from Carol Channing Angeles hospital at 61 from COVID-19. to Alan Cumming, died at 88 in London on July 9.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the acclaimed poet, who Mat George, co-host of the podcast “She Rates published gay poet Allen Ginsberg’s groundbreaking Dogs,” died at 26 in Los Angeles on July 17. He work “Howl,” died on Feb. 22 at his San Francisco was hit and killed by a car. home at 101.

Gil Wechsler, who designed the lighting for James Levine, the Metropolitan Opera maestro more than 100 Metropolitan Opera productions, and acclaimed conductor, died at 77 on March 9 died at 79 from dementia on July 9 at a Warrington, at his Palm Springs, Calif. home. In 2018, the Met Pa. memory-care facility. fired him after investigating allegations of sexual Sally Miller Gearhart, a prominent LGBTQ improprieties. rights activist, died July 14 at 90 in Ukiah, Calif.

Robina Asti, a World War II veteran, mutual fund Louise Fishman, an artist whose work expressed executive and oldest active flight instructor, died at her feminist, lesbian and Jewish identity, died on 99 in her daughter Coca Astey’s home. Asti, who July 26 in Manhattan at 82. transitioned in the 1970s and had lived as a woman James Hormel, America’s first openly gay for four decades, applied for survivor benefits from ambassador (to Luxembourg under President Bill the Social Security Administration after her husband Clinton), died at 88 in San Francisco on Aug. 13. died in 2012. Her application was denied. Asti, (Blade photo by Michael Key) Barbara Kannapell, a renowned deaf activist, represented by Lambda Legal, successfully fought died at 83 from complications from hip surgery on against this. As a result of her advocacy, the rules Aug. 11 in Washington, D.C. regarding survivors benefits were changed.

Saleem Kidwai, co-editor of the groundbreaking anthology “Same-Sex Love Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros, resident choreographer of Miami City Ballet, in India: Readings from Literature and History,” died at 70 at a Lucknow, India before he became director of the National Ballet in Peru, died on Feb. 26 at 63 at hospital on Aug. 30. a Lima hospital from COVID-19.

Carl Bean, 77, a minister and AIDS activist died in a Los Angeles hospice on John Stephen Hunt, writer and global rights activist died at 85 in Chicago.

Sept. 7. He helped make the 1970s Motown hit “I Was Born This Way” into a gay Pat Collins, a Tony Award-winning lighting designer, died on March 21 at her Pride anthem.

Branford, Conn., home at 88 from pancreatic cancer.

George Malkemus, who helped Manolo Blahnik’s shoe designs to become Judge Paul G. Feinman, the first openly gay judge to be appointed to New known worldwide, died on Sept. 16 from cancer at 67 at his Manhattan home.

York State’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, died on March 31 at 61 in a Manhattan hospital from acute myeloid leukemia.

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In memoriam:

Remembering queer lives lost in 2021 Tommy Kirk, child star of “Old Yeller” and other Disney movies, died at 79 at his Las Vegas home on Sept. 28.

Ganga Stone, who co-founded God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that delivers meals to people homebound with AIDS and other diseases, died at 79 on Sept. 29 in a Saratoga Springs, N.Y. health care facility.

Marcia Freedman, the first American-born woman to serve in Israel’s Parliament, known as the Knesset, died from renal and heart disease at 83 on Sept. 21 at her Berkeley, Calif. home.

Brian Carney, Blade TV and film critic, died at 58 from complications associated with congestive heart failure and advanced kidney disease on Jan. 28.

Stephen Karpiak, a pathbreaking researcher who advocated for elders with AIDS and against ageism, died from kidney damage from an infection at 74 on Oct. 16 at Manhattan hospital.

Elaine Romagnoli, a fixture of New York nightlife and creator of the lesbian bars Bonnie & Clyde’s, the Cubby Hole and Crazy Nanny’s, died at 79 on Oct. 28 at her Manhattan home.

Etel Adnan, an acclaimed Lebanese American writer and artist, died at 96 in Paris on Nov. 14.

Scott Robbe, 66, a progressive activist and TV-film-stage producer, died in hospice care at his sister’s Hartford, Wisc. home on Nov. 21. He was a prominent founding member of two New York City direct action groups: ACT UP and Queer Nation.

Stephen Sondheim, 91, the acclaimed, award-winning composer – one of the most notable composers of the 20th century – died on Nov. 26 at his Roxbury, Conn. home. His many musicals include: “Company,” “Follies” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Sunday in the Park with George.”

Adolfo Sardina (a.k.a. Adolfo), the fashion designer who won worldwide fame for dressing Nancy Reagan, died at 98 at his Manhattan home on Nov. 27.

Stu Rasmussen, 73, the first openly transgender mayor in America, died on Nov. 17 from prostate cancer at his home in Silverton, Ore. where he served as mayor for two terms.

Antony Sher, a British actor acclaimed for his interpretations of Shakespeare, died at 72 on Dec. 2 from cancer his Stratford-upon-Avon, England home.

Marie-Claire Blais, an acclaimed French Canadian novelist, often compared to Virginia Woolf, died at 82 on Nov. 30 at her Key West, Fla., home.

Venus Thrash, a nationally acclaimed Black, lesbian, Washington, D.C. poet, who wrote her first poem when she was in first grade, died at 52 on June 19 from heart disease at the MedStar Washington Hospital in D.C. Linda Lopez McAlister, a philosopher and founder of the feminist journal “Hypatia,” died at 82 from heart failure at her Albuquerque on Nov. 9. bell hooks, the trailblazing Black feminist writer whose groundbreaking work focused on race, class, gender, justice and discrimination, died at 69 from end-stage renal failure at her Berea, Ky., home on Dec. 15.

Top 10 Blade news stories by web traffic COVID breakthroughs, Equality Act, and anti-trans attacks FROM STAFF REPORTS

Each year our staff gathers in late December to review the highest trafficked stories of the year and there’s more than a little bit of competitive spirit as we review the results. Here are the top 10 stories by web traffic at washingtonblade.com for 2021. #10: Mark Glaze, gun reform advocate, dies at 51 The sad, tragic story of Glaze’s death captivated readers in November. #9: COVID breakthrough infections strike summer tourists visiting Provincetown This one went viral in July after a COVID outbreak was blamed on gay tourists. #8: Thank you, Kordell Stewart, for thoughtful response to ‘the rumor’ This opinion piece thanked the former NFL quarterback for writing a personal essay addressing gay rumors. #7: Elliot Page tweets; trans bb’s first swim trunks #transjoy #transisbeautiful The actor created excitement by posting his first photo in swim trunks back in May. #6: Romney declares opposition to LGBTQ Equality Act Mitt Romney disappointed activists with his announcement; the Equality Act passed the House but never saw a vote in the Senate.

ELLIOT PAGE created excitement by posting his first photo #5: White House in swim trunks back in May. (Photo courtesy of Elliot Page Instagram) warns state legislatures that passing anti-trans bills is illegal The year 2021 saw a disturbing trend of GOP-led legislatures attacking trans people.

#4: Lincoln Project’s avowed ignorance of Weaver texts undercut by leaked communications The Lincoln Project’s leaders, amid a scandal of co-founder John Weaver soliciting sexual favors from young men, have asserted they were unaware of his indiscretions until the Blade obtained electronic communications that called that claim into question. #3: FOX 5’s McCoy suspended over offensive Tweet Blake McCoy tweeted that obese people shouldn’t get priority for the COVID vaccine. #2: Transgender USAF veteran trapped in Taliban takeover of Kabul Among the Americans trapped in the suburban areas of Kabul under Taliban control was a transgender government contractor for the U.S. State Department and former U.S. Air Force Sergeant. She was later safely evacuated. #1: Amid coup chaos, Trump quietly erases LGBTQ protections in adoption, health services And our most popular story of 2021 was about the Trump administration nixing regulations barring federal grantees in the Department of Health & Human Services from discriminating against LGBTQ people, including in adoption services.

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#2

The year in photos

COVID restrictions lifted and tightened in a year of protest and Pride (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

#3

#1

1.) D.C. is on lockdown on the eve of the inauguration following the Jan. 6 coup attempt.

2.) PETE BUTTIGIEG is met with a positive response during his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 21.

3.) This year’s Valentine’s Day brought new challenges to dating.

4.) The Washington Blade holds a number of drag shows at Dupont Underground for the ‘Royals’ photo exhibition.

#4

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5.) A ‘Pride Walk’ culminates in a rally at Freedom Plaza on June 21.

6.) Members of the trans community and allies hold a ‘No Pride in Detention’ protest funeral march on June 23 following the deaths of trans women in U.S. detention facilities.

7.) Westminster Pride is held in Westminster, Md. on July 10.

8.) The Center for Black Equity holds the 2021 D.C. Black Pride Awards Ceremony on July 21 at The Park at 14th.

9.) LGBTQ spectators are welcomed to Nationals Park for Team DC’s Night Out at the Nationals on Aug. 17.

10.) Gay actor and activist GEORGE TAKEI headlines the sci-fi/fantasy convention ‘Awesome Con’ on Aug. 21.

11.) LGBTQ activists join the marches and rallies for voting rights and D.C. statehood on Aug. 28.

12.) The D.C. Different Drummers entertain at the first NFL Pride Night at the Washington Football Team’s game at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. on Sept. 16.

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#16 13.) The tenth anniversary of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal is celebrated in a ceremony on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Sept. 20.

14.) The D.C. Front Runners hold a 40-year anniversary party at Jack Rose on Sept. 25.

15.) The Capital Pride Alliance hosts ‘Colorful Fest’ at Union Market on Oct. 17.

16.) The annual High Heel Race is held in person this year on 17th Street on Oct. 26.

17.) Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. holds a Halloween party complete with drag queens.

18.) Former Va. Gov. TERRY MCAULLIFFE speaks to supporters awaiting the final results in the Virginia gubernatorial election on Nov. 2.

19.) The SMYAL Fall Brunch is held at the Marriott Marquis on Nov. 6.

20.) The D.C. Gay Flag Football League holds championship games on Nov. 14 at Carter Barron Fields.

21.) The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performs its ‘Holiday Show’ at Lincoln Theatre on Dec. 4.

22.) Adm. RACHEL LEVINE speaks at the International LGBTQ Leaders Conference at the JW Marriott on Dec. 2.

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PETER ROSENSTEIN

is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

Out with 2021 and in with 2022

Here’s to a future for all with health, hope, happiness, and peace As we bring 2021 to a close I think back on the highlights, the low lights and those times we just managed to live our lives day-to-day. For many of us that was the majority of the time. I look forward with hope to 2022.

The year 2021 began with the Jan. 6 insurrection. Those of us in D.C. lived with armed national guard troops on the streets for weeks. We had the weird experience of actually thanking Vice President Pence for something — doing the right thing. Then came Jan. 20 and the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. It was a glorious day bringing hope for a better year. Lady Gaga sang and Amanda Gorman recited her poem “The Hill We Climb.” It seemed to all a new day had finally begun. But it wasn’t to be an easy time and Trumpism is always in the background.

President Biden proposed his broad economic agenda, still not completed, but there is hope much of it will happen. Many of the promises he was elected on will be honored.

Politics continue to be nasty and Republicans continue to be the Party of No. Many of their members on the Hill are both disgusting and frightening. School shootings continue with the most recent one in Oxford, Mich., the 28th this year.

For most of us, 2021 was the year we kept hoping the pandemic would finally abate.

We prayed we could get our lives back to normal and once again hug and kiss our family and friends without worrying about catching COVID. For many of us getting the booster shot was the key to that. We know there will continue to be COVID but as I write this we are hearing the booster shot will protect us against the newest variant, Omicron. That gives me hope as we enter 2022.

While not back to normal there is a feeling some things are better. Friends just returned from a trip to New York City and said it’s crowded once again. Restaurants and theaters are packed. In D.C .walking down 17th Street or 14th Street, you see crowds once again. One of the best things to come from the pandemic are all the new eateries, outdoor seating for restaurants. They are packed with diners and when it’s cold they have heaters the city helped fund. By all accounts Mayor Muriel Bowser helped keep D.C. functioning and mostly safe during this past year. Clearly it hasn’t been easy but through perseverance her policies seem to be working. Now we just need more people vaccinated, more back in their offices and more tourists arriving, which will once again make for a thriving downtown.

The highlight of my year was a transatlantic cruise on the incredible Celebrity APEX. Getting to Barcelona to meet the ship was my first time on an airplane since March 2020 and there was something liberating about that. After a few days in that city, where about 80 percent of the population was vaccinated and no one questioned wearing a mask indoors and on public transportation, I felt very safe. Arriving back in time to see Democrats lose all statewide races in Virginia and nearly lose the governorship in New Jersey was not a pretty way to end the year.

I look forward with a positive attitude to 2022. I will spend New Year’s Eve with friends in Rehoboth Beach as I have for many years. I have continued hope the owners of bars and restaurants at the beach will do what’s being done in New York, LA and by many in D.C. and other cities asking for proof of vaccination from their patrons even if it isn’t mandated by government. Not holding my breath for the Rehoboth Beach Commission to mandate it.

Once the ball comes down in Times Square and it’s 2022, Democrats will surely enact some form of the Build Back Better bill so President Biden can talk about all he has done for the people one year into his administration when he gives a report to the nation during his State of the Union speech. In addition to all the domestic advances it will be the first time in 20 years the nation is not at war.

So here’s a toast to 2022, to family and friends, old and new. To remembering those no longer with us and to seeing a future for all with health, hope, happiness and peace on earth.

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Top 10 pop culture moments of 2021

A gay Playboy cover boy, a Satanic lap dance, the ‘Pose’ finale, and Colton’s drama

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO | joeyd@washblade.com

It was a memorable year for pop culture, as productions resumed after COVID lockdowns. Here’s our list of the top 10 pop culture moments of 2021. #10: Lesbian nuns get it on in ‘Benedetta’ Director Paul Verhoeven (“Basic Instinct,” “Showgirls”) delivered his latest film “Benedetta,” which tells of an Italian nun in the 1600s who receives erotic visions of a nude Christ as well as stigmata before having a lesbian relationship with a novitiate in her convent.

The title character (played by Virginie Efira) plays “a randy nun whose religious visions and lustful cravings are rolled into a single ball of blasphemy,” as the New York Times wrote. “Verhoeven might have aged, but his love of the lurid has dimmed not one bit.”

The Times also said the movie “presents lesbianism as a middle finger to church power.”

A modest release, it gained steam on the festival circuit and screened in competition at Cannes. #9: Sapphic love in ‘Squid Game’ (SPOILER ALERT) It was subtle but the relationship between players 067 (HoYeon Jung) and 240 (Lee Yoo-mi) on the “Gganbu” episode of “Squid Game,” Netflix’s monster K-drama, was embraced by fans as a tale of doomed lesbian love.

While other teams use the 30 minutes allotted for a nerve-wracking series of marble games, the two young women spent all but the final seconds of their time telling each other their life stories. Player 240 loses intentionally, sacrificing her life for her partner’s. She expresses her love just before getting shot.

The show has been deemed Netflix’s “most watched series.” #8: Olly’s big year It was a big year for Olly Alexander, the Years & Years singer. He drew raves for his role in the five-part British series “It’s a Sin” as Ritchie, one of a group of gay U.K. men dealing with AIDS in the ‘80s.

In March, Alexander announced that his band was now a solo venture. Kylie Minogue showed up as guest artist on a remix of single “Starstruck” in May. In October, Years & Years guested on Minogue’s song “A Second to Midnight.” A full album is expected in 2022.

Alexander performed a sensuous cover of the Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s a Sin” with Elton John at the BRIT Awards in May. #7: Bretman dons bunny ears Bretman Rock, the 23-year-old Filipino YouTuber and beauty influencer known for his makeup tutorials and MTV reality show, made history as the first openly gay man to make the cover of Playboy magazine.

Aside from Playboy’s late founder, Hugh Hefner, Rock is only the second man to appear on the cover (in July, 2020, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny was the first).

Sporting a nipple-baring bustier and the famous bunny ears, Rock called the historic moment “so surreal” on Instagram. Sadly, the issue is digital only as Playboy suspended its print product in 2020 after 66 years citing COVID “disruption.”

Model Ariel Nicholson became the first trans person on the cover of Vogue in September. She was featured with seven other models dubbed “Generation America.” #6: Ewan bends over for ‘Halston’ Straight actor Ewan McGregor drew strong reviews for his portrayal of late gay designer Roy Halston Frowick (who died of AIDS in 1990) in the Netflix miniseries “Halston,” which premiered in May. Another Ryan Murphy-produced project, “Halston’s” five episodes follow the designer’s work with Liza Minnelli, booming business, drug use and comeback.

McGregor, no stranger to screen sex scenes and nudity (he even filmed one with

(Photo courtesy Netflix)

(Photo courtesy ABC)

(Photo courtesy SBS Productions)

(Photo courtesy FX)

(Photo courtesy Netflix)

Jim Carrey in “I Love You Phillip Morris”), gets pounded by soon-to-be-boyfriend Ed (Sullivan Jones) in the first episode, though ultimately, the series focuses more on drugs than sex. He won an Emmy for the role in September. #5: ‘Pose’ wraps The groundbreaking FX series “Pose,” wrapped in June and was lauded for being the first show to center on trans women of color and cast trans actors in its roles.

The show, which depicted New York City drag ballroom culture of the ’80s and ’90s, only ran for three seasons (26 episodes) but followed the characters over the course of a decade.

Created by Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, the New York Times called the show “a celebration, a juicy soap and one of TV’s most kinetic and danceintensive shows.”

Star Billy Porter told the Hollywood Reporter in May he’s been HIV-positive since 2007.

In September, Mj Rodriguez, who plays Blanca, was the first trans actor to receive an Emmy nomination. #4: JoJo makes ‘Dancing’ history YouTuber JoJo Siwa, 18, one of Time’s “most influential people in the world” last year, came out as pan (she’s also comfortable with “queer” and “gay,” she said) in January.

In September, the dancer/singer made history on the 30th season of “Dancing With the Stars” as the first contestant to compete with a same-sex partner. She and Jenna Johnson came in second.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Top 10 pop culture moments of 2021 #3: Marvel depicts gay superhero “Eternals,” the 26th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was released in November, features the franchise’s first LGBTQ superheroes with Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), a genius inventor, who’s married to Ben (Haaz Sleiman) and father of Jack. The couple even gets an onscreen kiss.

Though the movie itself drew mixed reviews but solid box office, the inclusion was widely praised.

“Seeing a powerful gay superhero kiss his husband and feeling the reaction in that theater was a real-life example of why it is important for our stories to be told – especially in films that travel to big cities and small towns around the world,” Variety noted.

Several countries in the Middle East — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, et. al. — denied release; others only agreed to a version that edited the love scenes.

“It made these Arab countries look so ignorant and pathetic,” Sleiman told Variety. “I have no respect for those governments.” #2: Colton Underwood comes out — and it gets messy The 29-year-old former NFL linebacker, whose alleged virginity gave him a novel angle on “The Bachelor” two years ago, came out in April on a “Good Morning America” interview. This month, a six-episode reality show dubbed “Coming Out Colton” arrived on Netflix in which he comes out to family and friends and learns gay culture.

In November, an online petition with more than 35,000 signatures asked Netflix to cancel the series because of stalking and harassment allegations that Underwood’s exgirlfriend, Cassie Randolph (his choice on “The Bachelor,” though they didn’t end up marrying), claimed in a 2020 restraining order. The order was dropped, but the incident as well as the docuseries raised gay eyebrows.

“To some, that appears more like a monetized career move than an unvarnished emotional reckoning,” the New York Times wrote.

(Photo courtesy Walt Disney Studios)

(Photo courtesy Netflix)

#1: Lil Nas X scores big with ‘Montero’ Out rapper Lil Nas X proved he’s not a one-hit wonder when his single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 in April.

Its video, which depicts the artist giving Satan a gay lap dance, won “Video of the Year” at the MTV Video Music Awards and People’s Choice Awards and three Grammys are pending.

The accompanying album, “Montero,” dropped in September at No. 2 to solid reviews and featured two other Hot 100 top-10 hits.

Nas shot to fame in 2018 when his song “Old Town Road” became the longest-charting No. 1 song in Hot 100 history.

(Photo courtesy Columbia)

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Shakespeare Theatre Company reopened in 2021 with ‘Blindness.’

Stages sprung back to life after shutdowns

(Photo by Helen Maybanks)

By PATRICK FOLLIARD sky.”

When everything was closed, Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) took a chance But the big story of latter 2021 was the citywide reopening of indoor performance by reopening in the spring of 2021. venues brought about in large part by vaccinations and audience’s willingness to Theater lovers longed for something, and after a year of unquestionably don masks and present proof of vaccination at the door. In addition to audiences, defensible darkness, (STC) opened the doors of the Harman with Donmar working theaters have mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for performers and theater Warehouse’s gripping production of “Blindness,” an immersive sound and light staff. More theaters are expected to follow suit as they resume operation. installation anchored by Juliet Stevenson’s astonishing recorded vocal performance When autumn rolled around, curtains went up. Arena Stage opened with “Toni heard — jarringly, soothingly, eerily — through binaural headphones.

Stone” (through Oct. 3). Written by Lydia R. Diamon, it’s the remarkable story of the D.C.’s first return to indoor theater involved masks and social distancing, as well first woman to play baseball in the Negro Leagues, also making her the first woman as a stage without live actors and an audience seated onstage. It was a resounding to play professionally in a men’s league in the 1950s. Signature Theatre reopened success. with a newly reimagined interpretation of “Rent” directed by Signature’s Matthew But “Blindness” was a blip on the early summer radar. Most of the year was awash Gardiner. with streamed productions, particularly one-person shows. At Woolly Mammoth And in no time, national tours of big Broadway musicals busted into town with Theatre, out actor Ryan J. Haddad doesn’t hold back. In his refreshingly direct movies to musicals “Tootsie” and “Pretty Woman” (through Jan. 2) at the National autographical one-man play “Hi, Are you Single?” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “Ain’t Too Proud” at the Kennedy In a January interview with the Blade, Haddad said, “The show begins with my Center. shorts around my ankles and I’m rubbing the crotch of my boxer briefs, the audience While many beloved holiday shows returned to familiar stages in December, some sees my walker,” Haddad explains matter-of-factly. “I’m telling you from the start that new works have arrived, too, including Studio Theatre’s “Flight” (through February), these are the terms here. If you can’t get on board with me being disabled and an immersive installation created by Scottish innovators Vox Motus and designed by horny AF then you’ll have a hard time with this play.”

Jamie Harrison. It’s described as “an invitation to bear witness to the personal stories Other especially memorable streamed productions included Theater Alliance’s of two of the 300,000 displaced children who make unaccompanied journeys every production of busy playwright Psalmayene 24’s “The Blackest Battle,” a revolutionary year,” “Flight” is the story orphaned brothers who set off on an arduous journey hip-hop musical that puts an original spin on urban violence. Ingeniously directed across Europe in search of freedom and safety.

by Theater Alliance’s out artistic director Raymond O. Caldwell.

There are no live actors in this production. Audience members experience the The innovative work imagines a world where reparations have been paid to play from individual booths wearing headphones and viewing a handcrafted African Americans yet Black on Black violence rages on. But despite the bellicose diorama in which the story unfolds in intimate miniature. atmosphere, two members of warring rap factions manage to fall in love.

Despite herculean efforts, things aren’t entirely back to normal – far from it. Currently Throughout the summer months, Olney Theatre Center offered myriad, well in New York, newly reopened Broadway shows are cancelling performances citing -attended outdoor performances, including admission-free nights in August titled backstage outbreaks of coronavirus and variants as the culprit. How things “Olney in Drag,” a two-part extravaganza where audiences were asked “enjoy a play out in our town in the coming year, remains to be seen. drink as these fabulous drag queens shine brighter than the stars in the evening 2 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • DECEMBER 3 1 , 2 0 2 1

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DE C E M B E R 3 1 , 2 0 2 1 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 9

Top 10 movies of 2021

Spielberg dazzles and Campion triumphs

By JOHN PAUL KING

As Hollywood struggled to adapt to the ongoing pandemic, 2021 brought us a surprisingly eclectic crop of movies – something clearly reflected by the Blade’s list of our 10 best-reviewed films of the year, which includes three musicals, three documentaries, and a western: #10: tick, tick… BOOM! Lin-Manuel Miranda makes another appearance on the list with his feature directorial debut, this adaptation of an autobiographical work by “Rent” composer Jonathan Larson that is possibly the most perfect movie ever made for musical theater fans.

Following the young Larson as he grapples with the dilemma of whether to give up his Broadway hopes for an easier life and a more secure future, it’s an explosively energetic love letter to musicals that celebrates the joy of theater while honoring the legacy of a groundbreaking artist taken too soon by tragedy. The outstanding cast (which includes Bradley Whitford as the late Stephen Sondheim and a who’s-who of Broadway legends showing up at every turn) is led by Andrew Garfield, who surpasses expectations with a tour-de-force performance as Larson. #9: Ailey More than 30 years after his death, Alvin Ailey is still lauded as a trailblazing pioneer for his breathtakingly theatrical presentations exploring and uplifting Black experience in America – but even among dance aficionados, many people today would be hardpressed to tell you much about his life. Jamila Wignot’s ethereal documentary attempts to correct that with a dreamy portrait of a genius who sublimated his entire being into the creation of his art – and better still, mines a bounty of exquisite performance footage to provide the gift of seeing dancers in motion as they execute the sheer visual poetry of his choreography. #8: In the Heights Onstage, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway musical was an infectious celebration of community, infused with a generous spirit of hope and driven by an irresistible Latin beat. On film, director John M. Chu delivers all that and more with breathtaking cinematic vision and a healthy dose of “magical realism” that does nothing to undercut the material’s streetwise swagger. Recapturing the elusive charm of the old-school movie musical while asserting itself as a product of its own time, it spotlights a dazzlingly talented ensemble (led by Anthony Ramos in an eminently likable performance) and delivers the almost euphoric refreshment of seeing a major Hollywood film populated almost entirely by people of color. That alone is enough to make it one of the year’s most important movies. #7: Swan Song From director Todd Stephens comes this unexpected delight of an indie comedy, featuring underground cinema icon Udo Kier as “Mr. Pat,” an elderly hairdresser who breaks out of his nursing home to style a former client’s hair for her funeral. The improbably cast but brilliant star delivers a master class in subtlety and shade that ceaselessly entertains us as he sashays his way through a small-town odyssey that doubles as a meditation on the forgotten fabulosity of our queer elders – reminding us how much they’ve lived through, how much we owe them, and how much they still have to offer, all while keeping an irresistible smile on our face. #6: Benedetta Veteran Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven returns in top form with this slice of obscurebut-true history about the rise and fall of a 17th century nun, heralded as a prophet because of her intense religious visions until a secret lesbian affair draws the ire of the church hierarchy. True to the “Showgirls” director’s reputation as a provocateur, it’s a blend of social satire, psycho-sexual themes, graphic violence, and near-exploitationlevel erotic imagery – but it’s also full of sly observations about religious hypocrisy, systemic oppression, and the way white heterosexual cisgender men keep the deck eternally stacked in their own favor. #5: Wojnarowicz: F*ck You F*ggot F**ker Chris McKim’s documentary about iconic AIDS-era artist David Wojnarowicz is comprehensive, immersive, and heavy with the almost corporeal substance of the late

3 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • DECEMBER 3 1 , 2 0 2 1

The Jets and Sharks face off in ‘West Side Story.’

(Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox)

artist himself, a valuable historical chronicle made possible by the intensity with which he recorded his own life – and the skill with which McKim compiles that material to deliver him to us nearly three decades after his death. Revealing Wojnarowicz as an incendiary rebel who saw his own body as a weapon against a cruel and indifferent establishment, McKim honors him with a powerful film that not only informs, but inspires us to take up the torch of its subject’s righteous rage. #4: Saint-Narcisse The latest film from Bruce LaBruce is a deliciously subversive adult fairy tale set in the 1970s, in which a selfie-snapping narcissist reunites with his long-lost mother and goes on a quest to rescue his twin brother from a monastery where he is being kept as a sex slave. A blasphemous web of sex, incest, and revenge, it’s a campy, unabashedly queer psychosexual thriller that proves the iconoclastic Canadian director still delights in pushing our buttons. At the same time, it’s a sly satire of our modern, self-obsessed culture that forces us to question societal norms – and a welcome reminder that queer cinema can still be transgressive. #3: Velvet Underground Todd Haynes’ lavishly immersive chronicle of the proto-punk band that rose to ephemeral fame in Manhattan’s Warhol-dominated art world of the 1960s is more than just a music documentary, it’s a piece of pure cinema that exemplifies its genre while transcending it entirely. The veteran queer director doesn’t just give us the story of the Velvets in sights and sounds, he transports us to the time and place that allowed them to exist via a seamless blend of visuals, words, history, and, above all, music, providing a total sensory experience that feels like a direct portal into the era itself. #2: The Power of the Dog Jane Campion’s elegiac western has garnered awards buzz for good reason. In its character study of a domineering rancher who browbeats everyone around him until long-repressed feelings are sparked by his brother’s “sensitive” new stepson, her movie subverts more than one toxic trope, deconstructing the myth of the hyper-masculine cowboy hero while leaning into our pre-conditioned expectations about queer romantic narratives to set up a perversely satisfying surprise ending right before our eyes. With a powerhouse performance by Benedict Cumberbatch at its center, and boosted by sumptuous location cinematography, this visually eloquent period drama draws us in and leaves us shaken like few American films in recent memory. #1: West Side Story Steven Spielberg’s remount of Bernstein and Sondheim’s musical retelling of “Romeo and Juliet” achieves what doubters assumed would be impossible: a rendering that succeeds in bringing a contemporary sensibility to the classic material while leaving it fundamentally unchanged. Sumptuously re-staging this stylized 1950s story of racial conflict and violence for a more evolved era, it’s a new adaptation in which Spielberg’s unparalleled fluency in visual storytelling blends with Tony Kushner’s literate expansion of the original script for an effort that celebrates the original masterpiece while transforming it into something thrillingly new – and showcasing a spectacularly talented young cast, to boot. Purists may quibble and racists may be triggered by the purposeful omission of subtitles in Spanish-language scenes – but this career-capping triumph deserves all its accolades, nonetheless.

DE C E M B E R 3 1 , 2 0 2 1 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 1

The best books of 2021

Our favorites in fiction, non-fiction and children’s lit

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

There’s still a lot of winter left.

That’s the fact staring you in the face. Once the holiday decorations are down, the toys are all put away, and you’ve rediscovered your gift certificates, what do you do with them?

You buy books, of course. And to get you started, here are a few sure-fire picks for the Best of 2021:

FICTION

What would you do if life throws you a curveball? In “The Guncle” by Steven Rowley (Putnam, $27.00), gay man, former TV star, Palm Springs fixture, no-responsibilities Patrick is asked to take care of his niece and nephew for the long-term.

He never wanted kids at all. He never wanted to fall in love with them, either. Cute, sweet, funny, heartfelt – what more could you want?

You don’t have to have read any of the other Cork O’Conner novels to want “Lightning Strike” by William Kent Krueger (Atria, $27.00), which takes readers back to 1963, and a murder in small-town Minnesota. Cork O’Conner is a young teen then, the son of the local sheriff, and he knows that Big John Manydeeds couldn’t have possibly hung himself. But how does a boy go about proving something like that? For fans, that’s a can’t-miss question. For new fans, it’ll send you racing toward the rest of the Cork O’Conner series.

Watchers of “The Handmaiden’s Tale” will absolutely devour “Outlawed” by Anna North (Bloomsbury, $26.00). In a small corner of Texas, at an unstated time, 17-year-old Ada is struggling to give her husband children, which embarrasses him, and that’s something only witches do. And so Ada is cast out of the community and heads north, to safety, where barren women are outlaws. This dystopian, feminist Western is dangerous and delicious.

“Raft of Stars” by Andrew J. Graff (Ecco, $26.99) is a comingof-age story of two boys who are best friends, and one of them is abused by his father. Tired of seeing his friend hurt, the other boy shoots the man and both boys run away to escape what surely will be legal trouble and maybe even jail time. They’re running toward a lie, though, and they’re heading for a waterfall they don’t know is there. This is one of those books with heartbreakingly beautiful prose in a story that’ll leave you with sweaty palms.

And finally, have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you’d taken a different path? In “The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano” by Donna Freitas (Pamela Dorman Books, $26.00), one woman has many options in her life, each one ending in a way she never thought possible. It’s like “Groundhog Day” with a twist that’ll roll around in your mind for days...

NON-FICTION

For every kid who grew up with a pile of comic books next to the bed, in a drawer, or in the closet, “American Comics: A History”

by Jeremy Dauber (W.W. Norton, $35) is a must-have. Here, Dauber follows comics from their political roots to today’s activist cartoons, and how we went from Katzenjammer Kids to MAD Magazine to comix as we know them. The bonus is that Dauber puts comics into fascinating historical perspective.

Did you buy your lottery ticket this week? If you did, it’ll make a fine bookmark for “Jackpot: How the Super-Rich Really Live – 3 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • DECEMBER 3 1 , 2 0 2 1

and How Their Wealth Harms Us All” by Michael Mechanic (Simon & Schuster, $28.00). You might think twice about the burdens of wealth after reading this book – and you might re-examine your thoughts on what one person’s wealth does to everyone else.

Readers who love memoirs will enjoy “Punch Me Up to the Gods” by Brian Broome (HMH, $26), who writes about growing up, being in love with the boy who abused him, and the father who did, too. It’s a coming-out tale that’s sometimes funny and always graceful, one that will sometimes make you gasp, and that you’ll be glad you read.

You know that feeling you get when you come across a stack of old magazines in the attic? That gentle, hometown, old-time feeling is extra-rich inside “The Ride of Her Life” by Elizabeth Letts (Ballantine, $28). This is the story of Annie Wilkins, aging, ailing, and alone, and the audacious crosscountry ride she decides to take on a horse she’d just purchased. This feel-good story is set in the 1950s, and its neighborliness might make it be the perfect antidote for today’s world.

Lastly, “The Redemption of Bobby Love” by Bobby and Cheryl Love with Lori L. Tharps (Mariner Books / HMH Books, $28) might be the most unusual memoir you read this winter. As a young man, Walter Miller ran away from a prison bus and to New York, where he renamed himself Bobby Love and went into hiding in plain sight. Love kept to the straight-and-narrow, fell in love, got married, and raised a family but 40-some years later, the law caught up with him. This astounding, impossible story, told alternately between both Loves, is one you’ll, um, love.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Based on a real event (the Mexican Revolution), “The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna” by Alda P. Dobbs (Sourcebooks, $17.99) is the story of a young girl who becomes responsible for her Abuelita and her little sister when the Federales destroy their village and their home. This causes the trio to run north, one step ahead of those who wish to kill them, on a race to reach the border and make it to America. It’s an exciting read for 8-to-14-year-olds.

Kids who love silly stories will enjoy “Egg Marks the Spot: A Skunk and Badger Story” by Amy Timberlake, the second in what appears to be a series. A whirlwind named Skunk and his very staid, very reticent friend, Badger are at odds again – this time, over a missing rock from Badger’s collection. There are chickens involved, a bit of a mystery, dinosaurs, and a lot of fun for your 7-to-10-yearold. Hint: find the first Skunk and Badger book; your child will want that one, too.

For teens who enjoy unique memoirs, “Violet and Daisy: The Story of Vaudeville’s Famous Conjoined Twins” by Sarah Miller (Schwartz & Wade, $17.99) is the story of the Hilton sisters and their careers and lives. Born conjoined at the bottom of the spine, Violet & Daisy were “adopted” by a woman who ruled their lives. When she died, the girls were passed on to that woman’s heirs, who mishandled their careers and left them nearly penniless. This is a thrilling tale of legalities, Vaudeville, and two women determined to make their own ways, despite that they were conjoined forever. It’s the perfect read for any 14-and-older reader, including adults who love memoirs.

So now, get to the bookstore. Hunt at the library. Don’t miss these excellent books for adults and kids – and Season’s Readings!

12 Months to Grade 12 Where everyone feels a deep sense of belonging...

You belong here.

At Barrie School, we acknowledge the dignity and worth of every individual, honor and celebrate the uniqueness of each other, and recognize that differences within our community and the broader world are an important source of enrichment and interpersonal growth.

Learn more on Saturday, January 8!

12 Mos. - Grade 5 | 9-10:15 am

Grades 6 - 12 | 10:30-11:45 am

Join us at a Virtual Open House to learn more about our Montessori and Project-Based Learning programs, and how you can become part of the Barrie School family.

Register at barrie.org/admission

barrie.org

13500 Layhill Road • Silver Spring, MD \ Bus Transportation & Extended Day Available \ admission@barrie.org \ 301.576.2800

Where Summers Are Full of Adventure!

Camp Open House

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It was a year of high prices, high demand, and low inventory in 2021.

The highs and lows of the 2021 real estate market A significant increase in large-scale investors

By JEFF HAMMERBERG

As 2021 winds down, and a new year waits just around the corner, it is helpful to look back on what lies behind us and to focus on our hope for what lies ahead. The year 2021 could perhaps be best summarized as a year of highs and lows – both generally, and in the real estate market, too. It was a year of Olympic glories, a year that saw the inauguration of the very first female vice president, and a year that saw the confirmation of the first openly gay United States Cabinet member. Unfortunately, it was also year two of a global pandemic – one that saw great medical advances with vaccines and treatment options, but also one that still brought plenty of pain and loss to families and communities around the world. Highs and lows, on a vast scale indeed.

The 2021 real estate market, in many sectors of the country, also saw its own sort of highs and lows - it brought high prices, high demand, and low inventory. Much of 2020 was a rollercoaster, in real estate and otherwise – one that many people expected to slow down and settle back to normal in 2021. In fact, 2021 turned out to be quite the opposite. A few factors that significantly impacted the 2021 real estate market included: Work-From-Home: 2021 was a year in which work-from-home became not only the temporary “new normal,” but perhaps the new normal for the foreseeable future. Many businesses decided that remote work was an option that was both feasible and flexible, thanks to today’s technology. Some even found employees to be more productive without time spent commuting to and from an office each day, and without the distractions of at-work socializing. As a result, many employees who were once tethered to a particular city because their employer was located in that city found themselves free to move to areas they found preferable for any number of reasons.

Seeking Space in the Suburbs: As a result of the pandemic, either because they were no longer required to live in a certain city for work, because they lost income and needed a more affordable area in which to live, or simply because the pandemic meant that many aspects of busy urban life could no longer be enjoyed in quite the same way, 2021 saw buyers flock to the suburbs in huge numbers. Statistics indicate that in 2020 and 2021, suburban home prices grew more quickly than urban home prices for the first time since 2017. Demand went up, and inventory sold quickly.

Increased Real Estate Investment: 2021 also saw a significant increase in large-scale real estate investors, who saw an opportunity to capitalize on the shortage of homes available by offering cash for many available homes, and turning them into rental properties, or

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flipping them and selling them for an even higher profit.

Statistics indicate that the share of investors in the market was far higher in 2021 than in the last several years preceding it.

More Moves to Tax-Friendly States: As part of the shift to work-from-home for many employees, real estate purchases in tax-friendly states increased significantly.

No longer were employees required to live in big cities or close to any particular office, so states with no income tax, or lower property tax also became increasingly popular, affecting prices and demand in those markets.

These were only a few factors of many that impacted the 2021 real estate market, and the continued impact of those factors waits to be seen in 2022.

Ultimately, however, regardless of whether it is a buyer’s market or a seller’s market, whether you’re a first-time homebuyer, or you’re looking for a retirement home to enjoy your later years, real estate is about community. One important lesson we can all take from the last year or two is that in good times, and perhaps especially in difficult times, having the support and love of a community in which you feel you belong is essential. The real estate process is about buying and selling property, yes – but it’s also about so much more. www.GayRealEstate.com, we are At www.GayRealEstate.com passionate about connecting LGBTQ home buyers and sellers with talented, knowledgeable, and experienced real estate agents across the country who can help them to achieve their real estate goals. But even more than that, we are passionate about helping to build community. We are proud to do our part to help build neighborhoods, and strengthen networks of individuals who can celebrate and support one another across the country.

We’re here for you, and we’re always ready to help. Contact us at any time. Wishing you a bright new year ahead.

Jeff Hammerberg

is founding CEO of Hammerberg & Associates, Inc. Reach him at 303-378-5526 or jeffhammerberg@gmail.com.

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