Washington Blade, Volume 53, Issue 18, May 06, 2022

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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VOLUME 53 ISSUE 18 ADDRESS PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE 202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 REPORTER & INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com POP CULTURE REPORTER JOHN PAUL KING PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS TINASHE CHINGARANDE, DUNIA ORELLANA, REPORTAR SIN MIEDO, PARKER PURIFOY, PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZÁLEZ, LYNARE ROBBINS, PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN, KATLEGO K. KOLANYANE-KESUPILE, KAELA ROEDER, TREMENDA NOTA, ALBERTO J. VALENTÍN, MAYKEL GONZÁLEZ VIVERO, ORGULLO LGBT. CO, ESTEBAN GUZMAN CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 ACCT. EXECUTIVE JOE HICKLING jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown ext. 8075. Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC

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Philadelphia bouncer charged with 3rd degree murder for punching gay man Video shows suspect hitting former D.C. resident outside gay bar

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

A bouncer working at a Philadelphia gay bar who was captured on video punching a gay former D.C. resident in the head outside the bar on April 16, resulting in the man’s death one week later, has been charged with third degree murder in connection with the incident.

Philadelphia police on April 27 issued a warrant for the arrest of Kenneth Frye, 24, after police homicide investigators determined that Eric Pope, 41, a long time D.C. resident who recently moved to Philadelphia, died from a fatal head injury he suffered after Frye allegedly punched him in the head, knocking him down and causing his head to hit the pavement.

ERIC POPE died after being punched by a bouncer.

(Photo courtesy Pope’s Facebook)

Police said the fatal assault took place shortly after Frye escorted Pope out of the Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar in the heart of a gay neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia on grounds, according to the bar, that Pope allegedly was intoxicated.

A surveillance video of the incident broadcast by Philadelphia TV news stations shows Pope appearing to be dancing in the street by himself in front of the bar seconds before Frye can be seen walking toward him, pulling back his arm and swinging a forceful punch to Pope’s head, knocking him down.

The video shows Pope lying unconscious on the street for a minute or two before Frye and another bouncer pull his limp body out of the street and onto the sidewalk in front of the bar. He is seen lying on the sidewalk for a few minutes before a small crowd of people gather around him. At that time the video ends.

A police statement says Pope was unconscious when emergency medical technicians arrived and took him by ambulance to a hospital in critical condition, where he died one week later on April 23.

A spokesperson for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sent the Washington

Blade a statement that the District Attorney’s Office released at the time a warrant was issued for Frye’s arrest and one day before Frye turned himself into police on April 28.

“Following investigation by Philadelphia Police Homicide, the District Attorney’s Office is charging Kenneth Frye with Murder in the 3rd Degree for an incident that occurred in the early morning hours of April 16 outside Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar in the Gayborhood section of Center City,” the statement says.

“Frye is alleged to have punched a patron with such force that it knocked him to the ground,” the statement says. “The victim, Eric Pope, passed from his injuries, which included trauma to the brain, on Saturday, April 23,” says the statement, which adds, “A District Attorney’s Office Victim/Witness coordinator and member of the DAO LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee established contact with family members of the victim last week [days after he was hospitalized] and has been offering supportive services.”

Tim Craig, one of Pope’s friends from D.C., said that Pope bought a small house in Philadelphia shortly before the start of the COVID pandemic and had been going back and forth from D.C. to Philadelphia during the pandemic while continuing to work at his job with the D.C.-based U.S. Federal Reserve Board. Craig said he thought that Pope recently sold his D.C. house and may have been living full time in Philadelphia at the time of his death.

A Zoominfo profile of Pope’s career says he worked as a project coordinator at the Federal Reserve Board’s Monetary Affairs Division.

“Eric worked at the Federal Reserve Board for more than seven years and is remembered by his co-workers as an energetic, gentle, and empathetic person who was strongly motivated by his desire to help others,” a statement released by a Federal Reserve Board spokesperson says. “He was instrumental in helping to advance the Board’s diversity and inclusion goals and helped set up a mentoring program,” the statement says. “We are thankful for all of his positive contributions and will miss him.”

Craig and others who knew Pope have said they are skeptical over claims that Pope had to be escorted out of a bar for being intoxicated.

“Everyone who knew him is quite shocked,” Craig told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Because he really wasn’t the type of person you would think would be kicked out of a bar. He didn’t get involved in fights,” the Inquirer quoted Craig as saying. “He wasn’t belligerent.

He didn’t get involved in fights. It’s truly a shock to anyone that knew him.”

One of the owners of the Tabu bar told local news media outlets that Frye was not employed by Tabu but worked for a private security company that the bar retained to provide bouncers. “When it was reported to them, they immediately called 911 and are cooperating with the police investigation,” Philadelphia’s Fox 29 TV news station reported the Tabu owner as saying.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in an April 26 story that the security company retained by Tabu Lounge & Sport Bar, Mainline Private Security, has been sued a dozen times since 2020, “frequently over bouncers’ alleged use of force or failure to summon medics in response to injuries.”

The Inquirer reports that officials with the company that the newspaper tried to reach did not respond to requests for comment. But in response to some of the lawsuits, the company has disputed claims that its employees acted improperly, according to the Inquirer.

Student turns Blade into art Diana Burrows, a student at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in D.C., turned to the Blade for inspiration for a recent assignment. Students were asked to create a collage and then to replicate the collage in paint. Burrows used Blade clippings to create her project and her professor thought we might be interested in featuring it. Indeed, we are and here it is. Thanks, Diana!

Burrows, a lesbian, is a freshman at George Washington University majoring in psychology. She also enjoys painting and drawing and takes classes at the Corcoran.

“I love to use my art to tell a message, and putting my art into a newspaper spreads that message even farther,” she said.

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JR.’s owner Eric Little dies

Beloved figure supported LGBTQ charities, started iconic high heel race Eric Little, longtime owner of the iconic 17th Street gay bar JR.’s and the recently closed gay bar Cobalt, also located on 17th Street, died peacefully in his sleep on May 1 at his home in Hollywood, Md., of unknown causes, according to his partner Barry Spencer.

Under Little’s stewardship, JR.’s has been the recipient of multiple neighborhood and community awards, including the Washington Blade’s Best Neighborhood and Best Happy Hour bar. Little has also been credited with arranging for JR.’s and the nearby gay bar Cobalt that he owned from 1999 to 2019 to host fundraisers for local LGBTQ charities, including Casa Ruby.

Little began his involvement with JR.’s since the time it opened in 1986 as an employee and manager for its original owners. He bought the bar in 1996, according to David Perruzza, who began working at JR.’s under Little in 1997 and continued working there as manager until 2018.

Little owned the popular gay bar Cobalt, located at 17th and R Streets, N.W., for 20 years before he closed it in 2019 after the owners of the building in which the bar was located sold it to developers who planned to convert it into residential occupancy. Cobalt featured dancing and live entertainment as well as a restaurant with outdoor seating at various times during its 20-year run.

Perruzza said Little started the annual Halloween high heel race on 17th Street, which now draws thousands of spectators, in 1986 when he first came to work at JR.’s. In 2018, Perruzza left JR.’s to open his own gay bars Pitchers and A League of Her Own in Adams Morgan. He has cred-

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

ERIC LITTLE (left) with longtime friend PAUL WILLIAMS (right).

(Photo courtesy Williams)

ited Little with serving as his mentor.

“I spent 22 years with Eric Little and he taught me everything I know about the bar business,” Perruzza said in a Facebook post. “He was my gay dad and helped me make a lot of life defining moments.”

D.C. nightlife advocate Mark Lee said he recalls that Little started out as a server and bookkeeper at JR.’s and later as manager under the previous owners before buying the popular gay bar.

“Like nearly every other operator of our city’s nightlife hospitality establishments, Eric Little started out working in service and support staff positions,” Lee said. “He exempli-

fied the best and the beauty of what is an industry of opportunity, in which servers and bartenders and bookkeepers become managers and operators and owners, both leading local venues and creating new ones,” said Lee, who now coordinates the non-profit advocacy organization D.C. Nightlife Council, a trade association.

“He employed and mentored others who have continued that expanding chain of commerce by going on to open new venues or grow as nightlife professionals,” Lee said. “Eric’s legacy will be long-lasting and much-appreciated, remembered for his straight-up straight-talking leadership helming the socializing and entertainment venues, past and present, that have been his gift to the LGBT community.”

“I considered Eric my best friend and muse for nearly 30 years,” said longtime friend and D.C. resident Paul Williams.

“He helped many, and our laugh sessions together likely annoyed many. But they remain priceless as do the many shenanigans we brought upon ourselves together all over the world,” said Williams. “He will be deeply missed by all.”

“We are blessed that there are so many people who love him, and we feel the warmth and prayers of our Southern Maryland friends and our JR’s family,” said Spencer in a Facebook post announcing Little had passed away. “Thank you to all who have reached out today.”

Spencer said he and Little’s family would share more information on Little’s life in the coming weeks. Little’s brother, Rick Little, said he and his family would release more information about Little’s life soon.

D.C. mayoral, attorney general candidates cite LGBTQ support Bowser absent from virtual LGBTQ candidates forum

Three of four candidates running in the city’s June 21 Democratic primary for mayor and two of the three candidates running in the primary for the office of D.C. Attorney General cited what they each said was their strong record of support on LGBTQ related issues at a May 2 LGBTQ candidates forum.

The forum was the third in a series of five LGBTQ candidate forms organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest local LGBTQ political organization.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a longtime LGBTQ rights supporter whose administration includes more out LGBTQ appointees than any previous D.C. mayor, did not attend the Monday night forum due to an apparent scheduling conflict.

Bowser instead attended a Ward 3 “Meet & Greet” reception for the mayor co-organized by gay Democratic activist Kurt Vorndran at a restaurant in the city’s Tenleytown neighborhood. Vorndran said the event was scheduled before he received word that Capital Stonewall Democrats would be holding its mayoral forum at the same time and date.

Those attending the Stonewall mayoral forum included the three other mayoral candidates on the June 21 primary ballot — D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large), D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8), and former trial attorney and civil rights advocate James Butler.

The three mayoral candidates responded to a wide range of questions asked by forum moderator John Riley ranging from LGBTQ housing and homeless related services, anti-LGBTQ violence, special needs for LGBTQ seniors and youth, and the continuing higher rate of HIV infection among black men who have sex with men, MSM.

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

D.C. Councilmembers TRAYON WHITE (D-Ward 8) and ROBERT WHITE (D-At-Large) were among those who attended the virtual forum.

The candidates also addressed additional issues pertaining to all city residents, including gun violence and public safety, the shortage of affordable housing, whether the city’s public school system should remain under mayoral control, and whether sex work should be decriminalized. Several local LGBTQ and transgender rights organizations have expressed support for decriminalization of sex work.

As he had when the issue came before the D.C. Council in a public hearing, Robert White expressed support for decriminalizing sex work for consenting adults with continued criminalization of sex trafficking. Trayon White said he needed more time to learn about the pros and cons and decriminalization and did not have a position on the issue. Butler expressed strong opposition to decriminalization, saying it would lead to more sex trafficking by pimps.

Trayon White said he favors ending the current mayoral control over the public school system and Robert White said he wants an “independent” school superintendent no

0 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • LO CA L NE WS

longer under the control of the mayor. Butler said he supports retaining the current mayoral control over the school system.

Two of the three D.C. attorney general candidates participated in the attorney general part of Monday’s night’s forum.

Those participating included longtime D.C. attorneys Bruce V. Spiva and Ryan L. Jones. The third candidate running in the primary for the attorney general position, local attorney and law firm official Brian Schwalb, did not attend the forum.

Schwalb has been endorsed by current D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who is not running for re-election.

Jones and Spiva each said they have supported LGBTQ equality in representing LGBTQ clients in discrimination cases. The two said they would push hard for the enforcement of the city’s Human Rights Act that bans discrimination against LGBTQ people and other minorities if elected attorney general.

Similar to past D.C. elections, each of the Democratic mayoral and attorney general candidates expressed strong support for the LGBTQ community.

Longtime D.C. gay rights activist Phil Pannell, who said he watched most of the Monday night mayoral and attorney general forum, said this year’s city election was continuing D.C.’s longstanding status of fostering candidates running for public office who strongly back LGBTQ equality. Like other activists, Pannell said this gives LGBTQ voters the “luxury” of choosing which candidates to support based on other important issues.

The Stonewall group will hold its final forum on Wednesday, May 11, for the D.C. Council Chair and at-large Council races.

PRESENT

50TH ANNIVERSARY

DR. JOHN FRYER PANEL DISCUSSION

MODERATOR

Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen.

PANELISTS

PATRICK SAMMON

DR. SAUL LEVIN

DR. KAREN KELLY

DR. AMIR AHUJA

DIRECTOR & FILMMAKER

CEO, AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOC.

RETIRED PSYCHIATRIST

PRESIDENT, ASSOC. OF LGBTQ PSYCHIATRISTS

KATHERINE OTT, PH.D.

SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Commemorating 50th anniversary of John Fryer’s groundbreaking speech to the APA urging it to remove homosexuality from its list of mental health disorders.

THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022 6-8PM

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Blade hosts Judith Light, Amy Schneider at Correspondents’ Dinner Star-studded event returns after COVID cancellations FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Washington Blade, the nation’s oldest LGBTQ newspaper, celebrated the return of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday by hosting a table of renowned guests and celebrities.

Tony Award-winning beloved actress and LGBTQ advocate Judith Light and Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider were among the Blade’s guests.

“Each year we look to honor and thank a group of LGBTQ advocates by hosting them for a fun and memorable evening at the Correspondents’ Dinner,” said Blade Editor Kevin Naff.

“Judith Light was on the top of our list for her impactful advocacy over many years. It was a thrill to escort her and we had a blast.”

Blade guests at the 2022 White House Correspondents Dinner were: • Dr. William Arroyo, Board Chair, AIDS Healthcare Foundation • Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO • Chris Johnson, White House reporter, Washington Blade • Michael Kikukawa, White House Press Aide • Judith Light, actress and advocate • Kevin Naff, editor, Washington Blade • Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider and her fiancée Geneveive • Gunita Singh, attorney, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press • Michael Weinstein, CEO, AIDS Healthcare Foundation “Thank you to all of our guests for their ongoing support of LGBTQ equality,” added Naff.

Washington Blade editor KEVIN NAFF and actress/advocate JUDITH LIGHT walk the red carpet at the 2022 WHCA Dinner on April 30.

(Washington Blade photo)

Jeopardy! champion AMY SCHNEIDER and Blade White House reporter CHRIS JOHNSON at the WHCA Dinner.

(Washington Blade photo)

“It was a fantastic night of not just comedy and schmoozing, but of celebrating our First Amendment freedoms and remembering journalists killed and injured while covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

The Washington Blade became the first LGBTQ outlet to be added to the White House press pool in 2014 and remains the only LGBTQ outlet in the press pool today.

Blade event to celebrate 50th anniversary of historic APA speech Gay psychiatrist John Fryer credited with changing LGBTQ history

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

The Washington Blade, in partnership with the American Psychiatric Association, is holding an event on May 12 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic speech by then closeted gay psychiatrist John Fryer before the APA’s 1972 national convention calling on the group to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.

Fryer, who had a psychiatric practice in Philadelphia and served as a professor of psychiatry at Temple University, disguised his identity when speaking at the APA convention in Dallas by wearing a rubber mask, a wig and speaking through a microphone that distorted his voice.

His compelling argument that scientific research showed homosexuality was not a mental illness, and that gays and lesbians were upstanding members of their communities, including practicing psychiatrists, is credited with playing a leading role in the APA’s decision one year later to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in its official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

The Blade event will take place at Whitman-Walker’s The Corner community exhibition center at 1701 14th St., N.W. beginning with a panel discussion at 6 p.m. followed by a cocktail reception at 7 p.m.

The panel will feature four experts on the topic of John Fryer’s role in changing the thinking on homosexuality and LGBTQ people: Dr. Saul Levin, CEO and Medical Director of the APA; Dr. Karen Kelly, a friend and mentee of John Fryer; Katherine Ott, Ph.D. and curator in the history of medicine at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, where she documents LGBTQ history; and Dr. Amir Ahuja, president of the Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists (AGLP).

The panel will be moderated by award-winning filmmaker Patrick Sammon, who co-directed “Cured,” a documentary film about the LGBTQ activists who successfully fought to convince the APA to remove the “diagnosis” of homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses.

The APA’s partnership with the Blade in celebrating the significance of Fryer’s 1972 speech is viewed as a development symbolizing the APA’s dramatic change from an institution that stigmatized homosexuality to a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights, with its current CEO and Medical Director, Saul

Levin, being an out gay psychiatrist.

“I feel it’s really fantastic that John Fryer and what he did is being remembered by our community,” Sammon told the Blade. “It’s too easy to forget our history and forget where we came from,” Sammon said. “So, it’s wonderful that we’re pausing and reflecting on what he did and how it impacted where we are today in the fight for equality.”

Experts on LGBTQ history have said among the changes brought about by the APA’s removal of homosexuality from its classification as a mental disorder were efforts around the country to repeal state sodomy laws, which made it illegal and in some places a felony for consenting adults to engage in sexual activity with a same-sex partner.

The APA’s action is also credited with boosting efforts to pass laws banning discrimination against gays and lesbians, which were later expanded to include nondiscrimination protections for transgender people.

Out gay psychiatrist Amir Ahuja, who serves as president of the Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists, said the positive outcome from Fryer’s efforts has had a direct impact on his own career.

“I would say I think John Fryer opened the door for me to have a career and many of my colleagues who are LGBTQ+ psychiatrists in order to work in a field where we’re not stigmatized as having an illness,” Ahuja said. “Because we could have lost our job. That’s what happened to John Fryer multiple times,” according to Ahuja. “Before he gave that speech, he had lost two residencies at least. Because of his sexuality, people were discouraging him from continuing in the profession.”

Sammon and Ahuja said it’s also important to remember that Fryer’s groundbreaking speech came at a time when others in the pre-Stonewall early gay rights movement — sometimes called the homophile movement — played a pivotal role in the APA’s decision to change its position on homosexuality.

“It’s wonderful to put John Fryer in the spotlight, but it’s also important to think about all the other people who were involved in this fight,” Sammon said. He noted among those credited with starting the effort to change the APA going back to around 1965 was D.C. gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny, who had a doctorate degree in astronomy from

1 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • LO CA L NE WS

JOHN FRYER, right, spoke in disguise at the American Psychiatric Association’s 1972 national convention.

(Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via New York Public Library)

Harvard University.

As a scientist, Kameny was among the first in the political area to point out that claims by the psychiatric profession that homosexuality was an illness were based entirely on studies of homosexuals who were psychiatric patients undergoing treatment for stress, stigma, and other mental health problems related to society’s condemnation of homosexuality.

Kameny, who referred to the then prevailing thinking on homosexuality as “junk science,” also pointed to a groundbreaking but little noticed study of homosexual men who were not suffering from any mental health problems conducted by Dr. Evelyn Hooker, a psychologist who had gay friends who helped her recruit subjects for her study, which was published in 1956.

The study, which was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, included administering three longstanding tests to assess the mental health of individuals, including the Rorscharch ink blot test, on 30 exclusively gay men and 30 exclusively heterosexual men with no histories of mental illness, according to an American Psychological Association write-up on the study.

The results of the tests were reviewed by mental health experts who were not told which of the test results were from the gay or straight participants. Their conclusion was there were no differences in the state of the mental health of the homosexual and heterosexual participants.

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The kitchen bay window nook is large enough for cafe seating to enjoy your morning coffee with views to the back patio area. Sleek multi-room Sonos ceiling speakers and audio system enhance your entertaining or family time. The second level features two bedrooms, a bath with double sink vanity, full laundry and mezzanine office. Reclaimed wood accent walls and custom shelving add contemporary earthiness to the office area and bedroom. A charming hand-stenciled accent wall adorns another bedroom. One of the bedrooms is currently used as a yoga studio/exercise room and has a window in the walk-in closet for more sunlight. You’ll find extra-deep storage in the bathroom and bay window alcoves in both bedrooms. On the third floor, the Primary suite spans the entire level. As you enter, you are impressed by the tray ceiling with adjustable accent lighting.

The walk-in closet maximizes an already large space with customized built-ins. A size-able soaking tub sits center stage in the bay window well; a substantial oversized two person shower, double sink vanity, extra storage, and private water closet complete this luxurious suite. The lower level is ideal for hosting or relaxing in the rec room and custom built wet bar designed with the home’s original 1800’s banister and cedar wood. This level’s full bath, bedroom and sitting area allows for flexibility as its own suite with entrance to the back patio. Storage galore in the large walk-in storage closet, hall closet, and utility room.

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M AY 0 6 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 1

Roberts verifies leak as Biden urges federal abortion rights law

‘Court has abandoned any pretense of protecting individual freedom’

By BRODY LEVESQUE

The reaction to the seismic leak of a working draft opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court continued Tuesday as congressional leadership, the White House, and political advocacy groups on both sides of the abortion issue weighed in on the potential impact of a likely overturn of Roe v. Wade.

A court spokesperson issued a statement that verified that the document published in the Politico report was authentic, noting that, “Justices circulate draft opinions internally as a routine and essential part of the Court’s confidential deliberative work. Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

In the statement, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. is quoted as saying, “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the Court will not be affected in any way.

“We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce – permanent employees and law clerks alike – intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law. Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court. This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here.

“I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”

President Joe Biden, in a release issued by the White House prior to the high court’s authentication said: “First, my administration argued strongly before the Court in defense of Roe v. Wade. We said that Roe is based on “a long line of precedent recognizing ‘the Fourteenth Amendment’s concept of personal liberty’… against government interference with intensely personal decisions. I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental, Roe has been the law of the land for almost 50 years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned.”

Speaking with reporters Tuesday morning at Joint Base Andrews prior to boarding Air Force One for a scheduled trip Biden in response to a question said: “Well, first of all, I just got a call saying that it’s been announced that it is a real draft, but it doesn’t represent who’s going to vote for it yet. I hope there are not enough votes for it.

“It’s the main reason why I worked so hard to keep Robert Bork off the Court. It reflects his view almost — almost word — anyway. Look, the idea that — it concerns me a great deal that we’re going to, after 50 years, decide a woman does not have a right to choose within the limits of the Supreme Court decision in Casey, number one. But even more equally as profound is the rationale used. And it would mean that every other decision relating to the notion of privacy is thrown into question.

“I realize this goes back a long way, but one of the debates I had with Robert Bork was whether — whether Griswold vs. Connecticut should stand as law. The state of Connecticut said that the privacy of your bedroom — you — a husband and wife or a couple could not choose to use contraception; the use of contraception was a violation of the law. If the rationale of the decision as released were to be sustained, a whole range of rights are in question — a whole range of rights. And the idea we’re letting the states make those decisions, localities make those decisions would be a fundamental shift in what we’ve done.

“So, it goes far beyond — in my view, if it becomes a law and if what is written is what remains, it goes far beyond the concern of whether or not there is the right to choose.

It goes to other basic rights: the right to marry, the right to determine a whole range of things. Because one of the issues that this court — many of the members of the court — a number of the members of the court have not acknowledged is that there is a right to

1 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • NAT I O NA L NE WS

Protests erupted across the country, including at the Supreme Court on Tuesday after the leak of a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

(Blade photo by Michael Key)

privacy in our Constitution.

“I strongly believe there is. I think the decision in Griswold was correct overruling; I think the decision in Roe was correct, because there’s a right to privacy. There can be limitations on it, but it cannot be denied.”

Political fallout over the leaked draft sharpened political divisions over the already increasing polarization between the parties during an election cycle this has created.

On Capitol Hill, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act following media reports of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

“It’s time for Congress to get off the sidelines and protect women’s fundamental right to choose. The draft opinion released last night is an urgent warning of the threat an increasingly far-right Supreme Court poses to women’s rights. We must act now before it is too late,” Padilla said.

“Make no mistake: the legitimacy of the Supreme Court hangs in the balance. The Court’s power rests in the faith that the American people place in it. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it’s hard to see how the American people can trust this Supreme Court to protect other fundamental rights,” he added.

Axios reported that Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Tuesday reacted to the Supreme Court leaked draft document, saying that if it is accurate, it is inconsistent with discussions she had with Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

“If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office. Obviously, we won’t know each Justice’s decision and reasoning until the Supreme Court officially announces its opinion in this case,” Collins said in a statement.

The sharpest reaction came from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a speech on the Senate floor taking aim at progressives and Democrats: “Somebody, likely somebody inside the court itself, leaked a confidential internal draft to the press almost certainly in an effort to stir up an inappropriate pressure campaign to sway an outcome.

“The radical left immediately rallied around the toxic stunt. The cheerleaders for partisan court-packing applauded what they suggested was the work of, quote, a brave clerk making a last-ditch hail Mary attempt to cause a political firestorm and cause the court to reconsider.

“Liberals want to rip the blindfold off Lady Justice, they want to override impartiality with intimidation. They want to elevate mob rule over the rule of law.”

The Blade spoke with Shannon Minter, the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) who said: “That someone leaked this opinion — violating the court’s most sacrosanct rule of confidentiality — speaks volumes about how extreme and dangerous much of the court’s jurisprudence has become. We don’t know if this will be the final decision, but it is shocking to read this assault on an established fundamental right. A court that would issue an opinion like this — if it does — is a court that has abandoned any pretense of protecting individual freedom.”

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Roe leak stokes fears that LGBTQ rights are at heightened risk ‘Calls into question underlying liberty that was underpinning of Obergefell’

By CHRIS JOHNSON | cjohnson@washblade.com

Fears that same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ rights could be on the chopping block are at a new high after a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that would explicitly overturn precedent in Roe. v. Wade, although the degree of perceived danger differs among legal observers.

Although language in the leaked draft by U.S. Associate Justice Samuel Alito, which was published late Monday by Politico and confirmed as “authentic” by the Supreme Court, specifically distances the potential ruling from Obergefell v. Hodges, the general reasoning against finding unenumerated rights in the U.S. Constitution could apply to challenges to the landmark 2015 marriage decision.

Karen Loewy, senior counsel for the LGBTQ group Lambda Legal, told the Washington Blade if the draft decision were to become final it would “have no good implications” for either the Obergefell or Lawrence decisions.

Legal experts diverge on the degree Samuel Alito’s opinion would threaten same-sex marriage.

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

“The analysis that Justice Alito has laid out really calls into question the sort of underlying liberty and dignity jurisprudence that really was the underpinning of cases like Lawrence and Obergefell,” Loewy said. “It requires a really cramped vision of what is constitutionally protected, that is tied to histories of oppression that are really, really concerning.”

Alito obliterates long-standing precedent, as defined in the 1973 Roe. v. Wade decision and subsequently affirmed in the 1992 decision in the Planned Parenthood v. Casey, finding a woman’s right to have an abortion is protected under the 14th Amendment.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito writes. “The Constitution makes no references to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.”

Alito makes clear for the Supreme Court to find any unenumerated rights under the 14th Amendment, the right must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” and “implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.”

Such an analysis would directly impact LGBTQ rights found under the 14th Amendment.

In fact, three separate times over the course of the draft opinion, Alito compares the right to abortion to rights for LGBTQ people as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Those references, however, aren’t to threaten those decisions, but to bolster the case for overturning precedent as established by Roe and limit the impact of the draft opinion.

“Roe’s defenders characterize the abortion right as similar to the rights recognized in past decisions involving matters such as intimate sexual relations, contraception, and marriage,” Alito writes, “but abortion is fundamentally different, as both Roe and Casey acknowledged, because it destroys what those decisions called ‘fetal life’ and what the law now before us describes as an ‘un-born human being.’”

In another instance, Alito includes Obergefell and Lawrence among a multitude of cases in a multi-page footnote giving examples of where the Supreme Court has decided to overturn precedent, which the draft opinion would do for Roe v. Wade. Another time, Alito rejects arguments from the U.S. solicitor general that abortion and marriage are connected, asserting “our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right.”

1 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • NAT I O NA L NE WS

Loewy, however, said the fundamental nature of the draft opinion, despite Alito’s rejection that abortion is comparable to LGBTQ rights, undermines that analysis no matter how many times he articulates it.

“The third time is where he offers a fig leaf saying, ‘This analysis is just about abortion rights. It’s not about anything else,’ and so suggests that it would leave untouched a case like Obergefell, when the analysis that he has offered in this opinion clearly leads to the opposite result,” Loewy said.

Indeed, the sweeping nature of Alito’s reasoning against finding unenumerated rights under the Constitution has led some observers to believe the draft was written by Alito alone and without the input of the other eight justices, which could mean the final decision would be a consensus different from the opinion that was leaked. (Upon publishing the leaked opinion, however, Politico did report the Supreme Court has five justices who will vote in favor of overturning Roe, which means without question such a ruling has a majority.)

Not all observers see the opinion in the same way and are interpreting Alito’s references to Obergefell and Lawrence as less threatening.

Dale Carpenter, a conservative law professor at Southern Methodist University who’s written about LGBTQ rights, downplayed the idea the draft opinion against Roe would be a prelude to overturning Obergefell based on Alito’s words denying the connection.

“The opinion tries to make it clear that it does not affect other unenumerated rights, like Lawrence and Obergefell and other fundamental rights cases, like contraceptive cases and other marriage cases,” Carpenter said. “So that’s comforting, I think, to LGBT rights advocates. Second, it says that there’s a fundamental distinction between those other cases and the abortion cases in that the abortion cases involve fetal life or potential life. And so, that I think, is a ground for setting a difference between them.”

Carpenter, however, conceded the mode of analysis in the opinion overturning Roe “is not very friendly to unenumerated rights like marriage and sexual intimacy,” so while Obergefell and Lawrence may face no immediate threat “there might be a longer term concern about decisions like those.”

A follow-up ruling from the Supreme Court rolling back the right for same-sex couples to marry would be consistent with a 2020 dissent from Alito and U.S. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas essentially declaring war on the Obergefell decision, urging justices to revisit the case to make greater accommodations for religious objections.

Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the marriage equality case and now a candidate for a seat in the Ohio state legislature, said in a statement after the leak of the draft Alito opinion he was fearful that the same forces seeking to overturn precedent for abortion rights would go after LGBTQ rights next.

“It’s also concerning that some members of the extreme court are eager to turn their attention to overturning marriage equality,” Obergefell said. “The sad part is in both these cases, five or six people will determine the law of the land and go against the vast majority of Ohioans and Americans who overwhelmingly support a woman’s right to make her own health decisions and a couple’s right to be married.”

The Supreme Court, of course, couldn’t willy nilly reverse the Obergefell decision, which would require some case or controversy to wind its way through the judicial system before justices could revisit the ruling. Mostly likely, such a hypothetical case would be a state passing a law banning same-sex marriage or simply declaring it would no longer allow same-sex couples to wed in defiance of the Obergefell decision.

No state, however, is engaged in a serious effort to challenge marriage rights for samesex couples. The last such challenge was in 2020 and from the solicitor general of Indiana, who was seeking to challenge the decision on the basis of birth certificates for the children of women in same-sex marriages. Even the current 6-3 conservative majority on the court declined to hear the case.

Additionally, as polls demonstrate, the nation is in a different place with abortion rights compared to the right for same-sex couples to marry. A recent Fox News poll found six in 10 registered voters still think the U.S. Supreme Court should uphold Roe v. Wade, but more than half of those responders favored banning abortions after 15 weeks. Comparatively, a Gallup poll in September 2021 found support for marriage equality is at a record high of 70 percent and, for the first time, a majority of Republicans back same-sex marriage.

A question also remains about what the draft opinion means for decisions on LGBTQ rights that have yet to come before the Supreme Court but may come at a later time, such as a legal challenge to the “Don’t Say Gay” measure recently signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Carpenter said he doesn’t think the observers can glean anything about a potential ruling on the “Don’t Say Gay” law based on the fact the legal challenge would be different than challenges to abortion or same-sex marriage.

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State Dept. says Russia ‘wrongfully detained’ Brittney Griner

WNBA star BRITTNEY GRINER (Screenshot via Russian television)

The State Department has determined Russia “wrongfully detained” WNBA star Brittney Griner earlier this year.

Russian authorities in February took Griner — a center for the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is a lesbian and married to her wife — into custody at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Officials said customs inspectors found hashish oil in her luggage.

Griner is among the WNBA players who play in Russia during the league’s off-season.

“The Department of State has determined that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Brittney Griner,” a State Department spokesperson told the Washington Blade on Tuesday. “The U.S. government will continue to provide appropriate consular support to Ms. Griner.”

The spokesperson said Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens “will lead the interagency team for securing Brittney Griner’s release.”

Russia announced Griner’s detention shortly after it invaded Ukraine.

Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine who had been in a Russian custody since 2019, returned to the U.S.

last week after the Kremlin released him in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian citizen who had been in an American prison on drug trafficking charges. Griner is scheduled to appear in a Moscow court on May 19.

“Brittney’s status change is an important moment in the movement to bring her home safely and swiftly,” said National Black Justice Coalition Deputy Executive Director Victoria Kirby York in a statement. “It means there is now a two pronged approach focused on both legal and political strategies.”

“It has become clear that Brittney’s legal team has acted in good faith to clear her name through Russia’s legal system, and that the Russian government has been actively trying to leverage Brittney’s detainment for political purposes tied to their war on Ukraine,” added York. “This is unfortunate, especially because Griner’s status as a Black, lesbian, woman leaves her vulnerable to increased discrimination and abuse at the hands of the racist and homophobic Russian government. We urge the U.S. government to do all it can to bring her home before she is no longer able to maintain her safety in a nation at war.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

LGBTQ lawmakers seek to protect trans kids in 19 states

Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), LGBTQ Victory Institute, Equality California and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California this week announced the national, LGBTQ-led rollout of trans refuge state legislation in 19 states.

In response to recent executive and legislative action in states like Alabama and Texas, these trans refuge laws will shield trans kids and their families from penalties when seeking gender-affirming care.

In addition to already-introduced legislation in California by Wiener, in New York by Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Harry Bronson, and in Minnesota

by Sen. Scott Dibble, 21 LGBTQ lawmakers representing 16 additional states (19 states total) publicly committed today to introduce trans refuge state bills in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

“Today, we’re proud to announce that over a third of

the states in our country — 19 — are pushing back hard against the horrendous anti-trans legislation we’re seeing in Texas and elsewhere,” said Wiener. “Starting with our legislation in California, we are building a coordinated national legislative campaign by LGBTQ lawmakers — a rainbow wall — to provide refuge for trans kids and their families. We’re making it crystal clear: We won’t let trans kids be belittled, used as political pawns, separated from their families, or denied gender-affirming care. We won’t let their parents be criminalized or have their kids taken away. This first of its kind legislative effort sends a clear message both to our community and to those who are attacking our community: We’re all in this together and we’re ready to fight.”

“When trans kids’ lives are on the line, playing defense doesn’t cut it. It’s time to play offense. We are using the collective power of LGBTQ state legislators all across the nation to launch a counter-offensive that aims to protect trans kids and parents while also demonstrating that there is a positive agenda for trans people that lawmak-

ers can support. While LGBTQ elected officials will fight tooth and nail to get these passed in every state, now we need allies to step up to help us get it done. And even in states that have little chance of these bills advancing, the message it sends is still incredibly important: trans kids need to know they have leaders standing up and fighting for them,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute.

“Parents should not live in fear of being hunted down by the government for loving and supporting their child.

As a native Texan, I’m ashamed of Governor Abbott’s hateful attacks against trans kids and their families. But as a Californian, I’m so proud of our state for serving as a beacon of hope and a place of refuge for those children and their parents. We are thankful to Senator Wiener, the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus and our partners at Planned Parenthood for standing with trans youth and their families in this fight,” said Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California.

BRODY LEVESQUE

Louisiana lawmakers reject ‘Don’t say gay’ bill

A sweeping bill that would bar school employees from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in K-12 classrooms in the state was killed in the Louisiana House Education Committee on Tuesday.

House Bill 837, introduced by state Representative Dodie Horton, (R-District 9-Bossier) would enact a law that: “No teacher, school employee, or other presenter shall cover the topics of sexual orientation or gender identity in any classroom discussion or instruction in kindergarten through grade eight. No teacher, school employee, or other presenter shall discuss his own sexual orientation or gender identity with students in kindergarten through grade twelve.”

Horton, speaking with ABC News’ Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ-2, at the time she introduced the legislation told the station: “I wasn’t aware of the need [for this legislation] until I looked at some things on Twitter and Facebook. It just solidified for us to protect our Louisiana children, as well.”

“I started to pray about how we could protect our children here from inappropriate conversations until they are able to dissect it and old enough to understand it,” Horton explained. “I talked to my pastor and he challenged me and said, ‘we definitely need to do this.’”

This legislation follows passage of a similar bill in Flor-

1 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • NAT I O NA L NE WS

ida and efforts in Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia and 16 other states in at least 40 bills have been introduced to ban classroom discussion of LGBTQ+ people which opponents charge leads to erasure of LGBTQ+ identity and increased risks of suicide by LGBTQ+ youth.

Passage was opposed by LGBTQ advocacy groups as well as Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards whose office released a statement: “Some of the bills being brought up this session do nothing to make lives better. Nothing to continue moving us forward. They only serve to divide us. And frankly, some are reminiscent of a dark past that we should learn from, not relive.”

BRODY LEVESQUE

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Opening Tuesday

KEVIN NAFF

is editor of the Washington Blade.

Reach him at knaff@washblade.com

First they came for Roe; Obergefell is next Leaked draft reveals another marriage fight on the horizon

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1 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • V I E WP O I NT

The unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning 50 years of precedent in Roe v. Wade shocked the country Monday night.

In it, Justice Samuel Alito writes the apparent 5-4 majority opinion that will lead to roughly half the states outlawing abortion, returning poor women to the back alleys for dangerous makeshift procedures.

But Alito doesn’t stop with abortion. He has his sights on two other landmark cases, Lawrence v. Texas and Obergefell v. Hodges. In Lawrence, the court recognized a right to private, consensual sex, and Obergefell legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.

Alito’s draft opinion ominously cites Lawrence and Obergefell several times. And although Alito writes, “Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion,” he adds, “None of these rights has any claim to being deeply rooted in history.”

Alito and fellow arch-conservative Justice Clarence Thomas have publicly called for the court to revisit Obergefell. Make no mistake that the far right conservative legal movement has made overturning Roe its No. 1 priority for 50 years. Obergefell and Lawrence are next.

And let’s be clear about the origins of the Lawrence case: Two gay men, John Geddes Lawrence, Jr. and Tyron Garner, were having sex at Lawrence’s apartment in Harris County, Texas.

Garner’s ex-boyfriend called the police, falsely alleging that someone had entered the apartment with a gun. The police showed up and found Lawrence and Garner engaged in sex and arrested them under the Texas anti-sodomy law. That’s right: Two gay men were arrested for having consensual sex in a private home in 1998. Think about that for a moment — and the mind-numbing hypocrisy of Republicans who are supposedly anti-government intrusion into our private lives, until gay lives are involved. It took a Supreme Court ruling to validate the right of two consenting gay adults to have sex in a private home.

Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in the landmark case Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned the previous ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), where the high court failed to find a constitutional right to privacy in sex.

The court in Lawrence v. Texas explicitly held that intimate consensual sexual conduct was part of the liberty protected by the substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment.

The decision in this case was a breakthrough for the gay rights movement and helped to set the stage for Obergefell v. Hodges, which recognized same-sex marriage as a fundamental right under the United States Constitution.

All of that precedent is now in question with a 6-3 conservative majority court that lays bare the risk involved in relying on court cases to cement our equality. The LGBTQ movement will need to shift into overdrive to combat the attacks on our rights already playing out with “Don’t Say Gay” bills and the relentless assault on trans rights in state legislatures.

The timing for the LGBTQ movement couldn’t be worse, with many advocacy groups struggling from pandemic related funding shortfalls and some philanthropic groups suspending donations to LGBTQ causes. Earlier this year, the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, a leading supporter of state-based LGBTQ equality work, ended its LGBT Equality program, which has given more than $105 million to such causes. As noted by Inside Philanthropy, “LGBTQ+ people make up at least 4.5% of the U.S. population, yet from 2014 to 2018, nonprofits focused on this community received only about 0.18% of grant dollars from U.S.-based foundations.”

There is plenty of blame to go around for the stunning revelation of this court’s impending ruling, starting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who thwarted President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the court. That blame game ends with our lazy American electorate. In 2016, after a campaign that highlighted what was at stake — namely the Supreme Court and Roe — only about 60 percent of eligible voters turned out to the polls.

So you didn’t like Hillary? Well, now come the consequences.

This is truly a frightening time in our deeply divided country that will now become more so, as blue states pass laws and constitutional amendments enshrining abortion laws and establishing “safe havens,” while the shithole states impose cruel, draconian restrictions on women’s rights, even forcing them to give birth after a rape.

With Roe gone, LGBTQ rights are next on the chopping block. Time to organize, raise funds, and refocus the movement on state legislatures as our far right opponents have effectively done. Let’s hope it’s not too late.

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PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

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2 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • V I E WP O I NT

Last Thursday was Holocaust Remembrance Day. I thought of the grandparents I never got to meet. My father escaped Germany to fight in the American Army; his parents were gassed by Hitler in Auschwitz.

Today another Hitler, going by the name of Putin, used the excuse of saving the Jews for his invasion of Ukraine. Instead, he is trying to kill them along with all Ukrainians, including the president who is a Jew. The world is turned on its head when Jews who survived the Holocaust in Germany are reported to be escaping Ukraine for Germany. “Now elderly and fragile, Ukraine’s Holocaust survivors are escaping war once more, on a remarkable journey that turns the world they knew on its head: They are seeking safety in Germany,” the New York Times reported. “For Galina Ploschenko, 90, it was not a decision made without trepidation. ‘They told me Germany was my best option. I told them, ‘I hope you’re right,’ she said. Ms. Ploschenko is the beneficiary of a rescue mission organized by Jewish groups, trying to get Holocaust survivors out of the war wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Putin is also going after the LGBTQ community as Hitler did. Maybe not as focused on them in Ukraine, but in Russia, which he rules with an iron fist. As reported in the Blade “the Kuibyshevsky District Court in St. Petersburg ordered that Charitable Foundation Sphere be liquidated. In February, Russia’s Justice Ministry filed a lawsuit seeking to ‘liquidate’ [disband and dissolve] Sphere Foundation, the legal entity under which the Russian LGBT Network operates, arguing the group’s activities run contrary to ‘traditional values.’” Members of the LGBTQ community have died along with thousands of other Ukrainians. Those who live will be in danger should Russia win this war.

It was also reported, “Speaking at a press conference alongside Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the fighting, and said the residents of Mariupol need a “route out of the apocalypse.” He went on to say “Today, Ukraine is an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain. I witnessed that very vividly today around Kyiv: the senseless loss of life, the massive destruction, the unacceptable violations of human rights and the laws of war.”

The world had really convinced itself this could not happen again in Europe after 70 years. Yet it is happening and has happened in other places and can happen again. It is clear we can never stop being vigilant in protecting democracy and humanity in any form of government. We have seen the far right make inroads in many places including France and the United States. LePen got over 40% of the vote in France and Trump and his acolytes came very close to overthrowing our government in the United States. Hate crimes against all minorities in the United States are on the rise. Even governments are participating in spreading the hate. According to the Human Rights Campaign “2021 Officially Becomes Worst Year in Recent History for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks as Unprecedented Number of States Enact Record-Shattering Number of Anti-LGBTQ Measures Into Law.” Last week one of the strongest spokespersons for our American values and first woman Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, was laid to rest. Bill and Hillary Clinton, who spoke at her funeral, said in their last phone call with her she was concerned about the world we are leaving to our grandchildren. Hillary added in that call two weeks before she died, “Albright talked about the importance of what President Biden is doing to rally the world against Putin’s horrific invasion of Ukraine, and the urgent work of defending democracy at home and around the world.” Hilary went on to say “She knew better than most — and she warned us in her book on fascism — that yes, it can happen here. And time and courage are of the essence. If Madeleine were here with us today, she would also remind us this must be a season of action. She added, “Stand up to dictators and demagogues from the battlefields of Ukraine to the halls of our own Capitol. Defend democracy at home just as vigorously as we do abroad.”

President Biden says the world and our own nation are at an inflection point, and I agree.

Will we stand up for democracy, human and civil rights, here at home and around the world? We are sharing our weapons of war with the Ukrainians as they fight for democracy and the existence of their nation. We will find out if Americans have the courage and wisdom to use their votes in the upcoming mid-term elections to save our democracy here at home.

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2 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022

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A weekend of art, music, and food in Brentwood John Paradiso among artists featured in Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival

By EVAN CAPLAN

Survival, liberation, and celebration: those are the threads woven through John Paradiso’s work, and ones that also color the entirety of next weekend’s Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival at the Gateway Arts District in Brentwood.

More than 20 musicians, artists, and restaurateurs are joining creative forces on May 14. Paused by the pandemic, the festival is back in action after two years of hiatus.

Paradiso, though, has been crafting visual storytelling through his work for 30 years. Paradiso, a gay man, moved to the D.C. area more than two decades ago, initially working at Whitman Walker Health. He and his partner (also an artist) have made Brentwood their home for nearly as long, enlivening the already-progressive neighborhood.

“It’s a similar vibe to Takoma Park,” Paradiso says, “and we have felt comfortable and open here.”

Paradiso is a mixed-media artist, whose work initially drew from the impact of the early years of the AIDS epidemic and now incorporates themes of homophobia, aging, and sexuality.

“After moving to Washington, D.C.,” he says, “and reflecting on past visits to the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall, I was inspired to make quilts that spoke of survival and sexual liberation.”

Portrait of JOHN PARADISO in front of his studio wall.

His early work coalesced into his Men Working Series, and later his Soft Port and Paper Quilt/Collage series. The three “combine images of men and masculinity, using working methods that are considered traditionally feminine, such as sewing, embroidery, hand quilting, and scrap booking.”

Paradiso plays with gender norms, co-opting embroidery as a medium that channels the stitch work that his grandmothers were so adept at – and creating erotic images in his textiles.

The series removes the raw graphic nature and sexuality of pornography “and places it into the context of nostalgia, the home sewn, and a more romantic point of view,” he says.

While he has shown his work in the area for the entirety of his career, Paradiso more recently took a lead role at the Gateway Community Development Corporation’s Curator of Programs at the Gateway Arts Center. He is now a lead art consultant at the new nearby mixed-use developments, Studio 3807 and Artisan 4100.

Paradiso also oversees several studios in both buildings, in which he invites a rotating list of artists to show their work.

During the festival, these and other temporary exhibits will be on display, including Paradiso’s work at the Studio 3807 building. Other featured artists’ work will come alive at Artisan 4100. There, he and his team are transforming a loading dock into a vibrant arts space. The visual medium will be accompanied by the Beats aspect: Just Rock will play live music during the day from their own studio space.

Finally, the Eats portion takes place at the miXt Food Hall, also located at Studio 3807. Various chefs, bartenders, and others will set up live demonstrations during the day, featuring sessions like making lobster corn dogs and knife-sharpening skills. The hall will also host food and drink specials.

Once the Arts open studios and Beats live music finish at 5 p.m., miXt is hosting an after-party until 8 p.m.

Paradiso is proud to be part of an ongoing tradition of open-door studio work, emphasizing a community of openness and creativity. The miXt food hall, he notes, has held drag brunches for several years. “This is a celebration,” he says.

When the new developments were built in the Arts District, Paradiso worked hard to ensure that this atmosphere remained. “The festival underlines that this is still a dynamic Arts District, reinforcing that this is a gem and that we take care of the community. Having these studios filled with LGBTQ content shows that we can create the art that we want – there is space and something for everyone,” he says.

For more information on the festival, visit artsbeatseatsdmv.com.

(Photo courtesy Paradiso)

Portrait of JOHN PARADISO in front of ‘Proceed with Caution’ collage quilt.

(Photo courtesy Paradiso)

2 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022

A Broadway musical to get you dancing!

Experience the story of the Cuban-American couple who conquered the American Dream, the music charts, and people’s heart.

Book by Alexander Dinelaris Featuring music produced and recorded by Emilio & Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine Directed & choreographed by Luis Salgado Musical direction by Walter “Bobby” McCoy

-World Premiere in Spanish-

Mother’s Day Special!

$20 OFF regular price tickets for Sun, May 8 - 2 pm Use code MOM online Masks & proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test required

202-234-7174 | galatheatre.org 3333 14th St NW, WDC 20010 @teatrogala

Thru Jun 5, 2022 In Spanish with English surtitles

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CALENDAR |

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Friday, May 06

Friday Tea Time and social hour for Older LGBTQ+ adults will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. Feel free to bring your beverage of choice. For the Zoom link or more information, contact Justin (justin@thedccenter. org).

Go Gay DC will host “First Friday LGBTQ+ Social” at 7 p.m. at The Commentary. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. Tickets are free and can be accessed on Eventbrite.

Saturday, May 07 Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 10 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant.

This event is ideal for those who want a good brunch and conversation with other LGBTQ+ folk. Tickets are free and can be accessed on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Sunday, May 08 Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Coffee Shop Mixer” at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is a fun mixer where you can meet and mingle with about 30 LGBTQ+ folk in a spacious setting. Tickets are free and can be accessed on Eventbrite.

Monday, May 09 Center Aging Coffee Drop-In will be at 10 a.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community and online on Zoom. LGBT Older Adults — and friends — are invited to enjoy friendly conversations and to discuss any issues you might be dealing with. For more information, visit the Center Aging’s Facebook or Twitter.

Wicked Mondaze will be at 5 p.m. at Bidwell Restaurant. Guests are encouraged to come chill with friends or mix and mingle to make new connections while enjoying delicious craft cocktails and food bites during the happy hour vibe. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Tuesday, May 10 Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group and a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more information, visit the Coming Out Discussion Group Facebook page.

Trans Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from each other. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Wednesday, May 11 Job Club will be at 6 p.m. in-person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community and online on Zoom.

The Job Club is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants.”

“Comedy Down at Dupont Underground” will be at 8 p.m. at Dupont Underground. This series brings comedians from all over the world and helps support the Dupont Underground. The featured comedian for this event is Tait Winston. Tickets are $30 and are available on Eventbrite.

Thursday, May 12 The DC Center’s Food Pantry Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. FOr more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

API Queer Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for the Asian and Pacific Islander queer community, and it is co-sponsored by Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society DC and Asian Queers United for Action. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

2 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022

The Blade and the APA commemorate JOHN FRYER, right, who spoke in disguise at the American Psychiatric Association’s 1972 national convention. (Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via New York Public Library)

OUT & ABOUT Blade to celebrate LGBTQ psychiatry pioneer

The Washington Blade will host a panel discussion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. John Fryer’s famous APA speech on Thursday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at The Corner at Whitman-Walker. A cocktail reception will follow at 7 p.m.

Fryer was an American psychiatrist and gay rights activist who delivered a groundbreaking speech to the American Psychiatric Association urging the group to remove homosexuality from its list of mental health disorders.

The panel discussion will feature four experts on the topic: Dr. Saul Levin, CEO and Medical Director of the APA; Dr. Karen Kelly, a friend and mentee of Dr. Fryer; Katherine Ott, Ph.D., a curator in the history of medicine at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History where she documents LGBTQ history; and Dr. Amir Ahuja, president of the Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists (AGLP).

It will also be moderated by award-winning filmmaker Patrick Sammon, who directed “Cured,” a documentary about the activists who fought to convince the APA to remove the diagnosis of homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses.

Tickets are free and can be purchased at washingtonblade.com/ panel.

LGBTQ org to host wedding expo in Baltimore Rainbow Wedding Network will return to Baltimore with its 2022 LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo on Sunday, May 15 at 12:30 p.m. at Pier 5 Hotel Baltimore, Curio Collection by Hilton.

More than 30 companies from all aspects of the wedding industry will be represented, including venues, officiants, photographers, DJs, caterers, jewelers, travel and more.

Event attendees can also sample an assortment of food and dessert items, enjoy music demos, test out a photo booth and gather a selection of fun and unique ceremony and travel ideas.

Tickets are free and you can register for the event on Eventbrite.

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Out actor embraces role in audacious, healing production ‘There’s Always the Hudson’ confronts painful wounds head on

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Healing can be messy, says out actor Justin Weaks.

And in “There’s Always the Hudson,” playwright/actor Paola Lázaro’s audacious and unapologetically healing new work, actors can’t cower and audiences are compelled to experience a little discomfort along with the entertainment.

Lázaro and Weaks play best friends Lola and T (short for Toussaint) who met in a sexual abuse survivors support group three years previously. At some point, the pair made a pact that if things failed to improve, they’d kill themselves. When Lola says today’s the day to die, they agree to first settle scores with some of those who’ve hurt them. The night is about them taking New York City by storm and confronting their wounds headon.

T is Black, gay, a Haitian immigrant, and a survivor of sexual abuse and trauma – identities that can heavily stigmatize in our culture. Throughout the course of the play, the audience watches as T increasingly find his voice.

Weaks, 31, says, “Lola and T have a lot to say and world has told them they’re not interested in hearing from people like them. But this is the night they say the shit that needs to be said.”

And without hesitation, he adds, “Playing T is one of greatest honors of my career, a dream come true.”

The piece is different from anything else he’s done, and for the playwright and star to agree to take this ride with him, he feels, is extraordinary: “You’ve never seen people talk like this on stage, I promise. It’s radical.”

A lean and mean intermission-less 80 minutes, the play covers some heavy terrain but it’s also “funny as hell – and might leave you with a little bit of whiplash,” he says. Its director, Jess McLeod, whom Weaks charmingly describes as “a fiery general with an enormous heart, the perfect person for the job,” keeps the five-person cast on task.

While Weaks has been a part of new works in the past, this time feels unique. It wasn’t until a little over a month ago that T, a character conceived by the playwright four

2 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022

‘Playing T is one of greatest honors of my career,’ says actor JUSTIN WEAKS.

‘There’s Always the Hudson’ May 9-June 5 | 641 D St., N.W. $29-$64 | Woollymammoth.net

years ago, was rewritten as gay.

“The play worked with T straight, but now that he’s gay it’s hitting on so many cylinders,” he says. “I’m not sure that change could have happened if someone else was in the role. I like to think my presence in the process maybe informed that in some way and deepened the work.”

In November 2021, Weaks left D.C. for New York. “It was time, and ‘There’s Always the Hudson’ is the perfect punctuation mark for the end of my time in Washington.”

Just three weeks after coming to D.C. from North Carolina in 2016, the gifted actor was diagnosed with HIV: “I didn’t know anybody yet. Didn’t have community yet. I had come to work, for a year, maybe two. Never foresaw being embraced by the community in the way that I’ve been.

“I understand what it feels like to have an identity that is stigmatized. Part of why I feel connected to T., through playing him, I get to feel. By stepping into his journey, I get to heal a lot of stuff.”

During Weaks’ time in the DMV, he earned multiple Helen Hayes Award nods winning in 2017 for his supporting turn in Theater Alliance’s “Word Becomes Flesh.” Other performances of note, among many, include “BLKS” and “Gloria” (Woolly Mammoth) “G of the Ocean” (Round House) “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea” (Theater Alliance) and “Curve of Departure” and “Pipeline.” (Studio).

“There’s Always the Hudson” was two weeks into rehearsal in March 2020 when production was shut down due to COVID. Everyone involved felt then it was an important and affecting work, and they still feel that way, he says. Now the original cast and creative team have reconvened to deliver on the play’s promise.

“It’s a thrill to create a role that will forever be a part of the American theater canon. When I graduated from college 10 years ago there were no parts like T. I’m excited that he’ll be inhabited by many actors after me, but I’ll always feel protective of Toussaint.”

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New York City is ready to dazzle visitors again

By HEATHER CASSELL

New York City felt like it was almost its bustling self again as I walked through the streets enjoying the warm spring weather during a recent trip.

The city, like many others, is forever changed after more than two years of the COVID pandemic, but in true New York fashion, the Big Apple is coming back. It was my second trip within six months after about a two and a half year break.

New Yorkers rolled up their sleeves (more than 80% are vaccinated [LINK: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/ covid-19-data-vaccines.page]), masked up, and have done pretty much everything they can to get their groove back.

However, COVID subvariants continue to emerge in the ongoing pandemic. Some venues are still enforcing proof of vaccination and masks. Face coverings are still required (https://www.nytimes.com/article/nyc-mask-mandaterules.html) on all public transportation until further notice and in Broadway theaters at least until May 31.

Recently, COVID cases have been on the rise in New York due to the new highly contagious Omicron subvariant, BA.2.12.1. People planning to visit should check the city’s visitor site (under Basic Information) for the latest. (https:// visitnewyork.com/) Some Broadway shows have canceled performances due to COVID. Other shows are taking place. New restaurants are opening, and reservations are harder to get than ever before. New museum exhibits are opening. Big events are coming back like New York Pride [LINK: https://www. nycpride.org/], which returns in-person June 26 with the theme “Unapologetically Us.” “Our community has been through tremendous hardships over the past few years, beginning with the pandemic, and continuing with a reckoning with social justice, threats to our democracy, and more recently armed conflict overseas,” stated NYC Pride’s new executive director, Sandra Perez, in a March 25 news release. “Compounding these struggles is the onslaught of legislation around the country that directly targets LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Queer chef and restaurateur SURBHI SAHNI brings the world of India to New York at Tagmo restaurant in the Seaport neighborhood. (Photo: Courtesy of Tagmo/Brittainy Newman)

“In spite of these challenges and attacks, we are here to tell the country and the world: we will not be erased,” Perez continued, stating that the community will stand together to face the attacks on the LGBTQ community across the country and around the world. “We will continue to love and live our truth and be our full and complete selves – and we are not going to apologize for it.”

NYC Pride board Co-Chair Sue Doster noted the importance of the annual celebration that attracts upward of two

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million people from across the United States and all over the world.

“We’re thrilled to be able to finally invite everyone back,” she stated.

Tourism officials said the city is rebounding.

“The city is as vibrant as ever,” said Chris Heywood, a gay man who’s executive vice president of global communication of NYC & Company, New York City’s destination marketing and convention and visitors bureau. (https:// business.nycgo.com/) The pandemic did not completely stop New York from retrofitting, innovating, and building new hotels, spectacular sites, and opening new restaurants.

“That’s the beauty about New York,” Heywood continued. “Resilience is really our middle name. People are going to encounter a city that is continuing to come back.”

New Attractions

Some of the new things to see in New York are Summit One Vanderbilt [LINK: https://summitov.com/], the Moynihan Train Hall [LINK: https://moynihantrainhall.nyc/], and Little Island, the latest park near the Chelsea Piers. [LINK: https://littleisland.org/] The city’s newest vantage point is at Summit One Vanderbilt. The Summit is a 65,000 square foot space at the top of the 93-story office and residential building at One Vanderbilt adjacent to Grand Central Station.

The observatory deck opened in October 2021. It is much more than the highest view (for the moment) of New York City; it’s an experience with a view. Each room is an art installation accentuating the feeling of being high in the sky or in the clouds. At the very top are Apres and the Summit Terrace, where my girlfriend and I enjoyed a cocktail while admiring New York’s sparkling skyline under the night sky.

Tickets to catch the sunset view cost about an extra $16.

The Summit does not itemize what the extra amount is at checkout, but it’s for experiencing the Summit at the golden hour, the optimal time of day.

It wouldn’t be New York City without the many opportunities to see art. This spring and summer visitors can catch the 80th edition of the Whitney Museum of American Art [LINK: https://whitney.org/]’s “Biennial 2022: Quiet As It’s Kept [LINK: https://whitney.org/exhibitions/2022-biennial],” which opened April 6. The two-floor exhibit brings together a survey of 63 American artists exploring the darkness and disruption of 2020. The title is a colloquial phrase taken from the late novelist Toni Morrison. The show runs through September 5.

Henri Mattise lovers can take in a rare exhibit of the French artist’s early works that formed modern art at the Museum of Modern Art [LINK: https://www.moma.org/] exhibition “Mattise: The Red Studio [LINK: https://www. moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5344],” which opened May 1. The show runs through September 10.

The Brooklyn Museum [LINK: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/] is featuring “Andy Warhol: Revelation” [LINK: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/andy_warhol_revelation], showing now through June 19.

Brooklyn Academy of Music [LINK: https://www.bam. org/] is featuring the DanceAfrica Festival [LINK: https:// www.bam.org/danceafrica-festival2022], which is celebrating its 45th anniversary through the end of this month.

I rarely leave New York without seeing at least one show on Broadway [LINK: https://www.broadway.com/]. Right now, it’s all about the classics and some new musicals (“Wicked,” “Chicago,” and “Funny Girl”) and plays (“Plaza

A new view of New York City from The Summit at One Vanderbilt. (Photo: Heather Cassell)

Suite” and “To Kill A Mockingbird”).

Dining & Drinking

Food draws my girlfriend and I to New York just as much as Broadway’s musicals. For this trip, I sought out restaurants that were old favorites that survived the pandemic, some that were reborn, and others that were new.

During the day we lunched at the fun, cheeky and very gay diner Cafeteria [LINK: http://cafeteriagroup.com/]; a Chelsea neighborhood staple, Elmo [LINK: http://elmorestaurant.com/]; and famed chef and restaurateur David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar [LINK: https://momofukunoodlebar.com/].

At night we hit the town enjoying dishes crafted by some of New York’s finest lesbian chefs. Chef and restaurateur duo Rita Sodi and Jody Williams’ beloved Via Carota [LINK: https://www.viacarota.com/] lived up to the hype. You can’t go wrong with pasta, but this is exceptional pasta. I also dined at the culinary couple’s newest venture The Commerce Inn [LINK: https://www.thecommerceinn.com/]. It veers away from the chefs’ usual turf, French and Italian cuisine, exploring and modernizing American Shaker dishes that hit the mark.

Lesbian executive chef Hillary Sterling crafted a distinctive Italian menu at Ci Siamo [LINK: https://www.cisiamonyc.com/], restaurateur Danny Meyer’s latest culinary venture. Lesbian executive chef Mary Attea at the Michelin-rated The Musket Room [LINK: https://www.musketroom.com/] serves a revisioned world on your plate. There was no doubt that I wouldn’t enjoy chef and restaurateur Mark Strausman’s new restaurant Mark’s Off Madison [LINK: https://www.marksoffmadison.com/], which has a warm atmosphere and incredible, flavorful comfort food.

Two unique restaurants that might signal a shift in the queer culinary scene in New York are Tagmo [LINK: https:// www.tagmonyc.com/] and Hags [LINK: https://hagsnyc. com/]. Both restaurants are queer-owned and -operated.

They actively hire LGBTQ staff and are deeply involved in the community.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Two lively, entertaining new books from Deaf creators

DiMarco’s memoir and Novic’s ‘True Biz’ give visibility to oft-ignored community

By KATHI WOLFE

Years later, DiMarco discovered that the legendary athlete was In the 1970s, while riding gay, when he met the sprinter’s Deaf European out male lover. The the T in Boston, a man tried to athlete told his lover that he couldn’t come out. get my attention. He seemed “I wondered how long it would be before I saw him again,” the to be talking animatedly with athlete’s lover told DiMarco, “I never did. Soon after that, he took his hands. Knowing nothhis own life.” ing about sign language, I Despite these sad stories, “Deaf Utopia” is far from a downer. It is thought he might be drunk. filled with moments of pride and exuberance from DiMarco’s mom I ignored him, unfolded my being there when he and Murgatroyd were awarded the Mirrorball white cane and got off at my WWW.GAYDESERTHOTSPRINGS.COM Trophy to when he was asked to be an executive producer of “Deaf stop. I’m legally blind, but U.” have some vision. But, I don’t Coming out, DiMarco had to deal with homophobia and being always recognize people excluded from the queer community because he’s Deaf. He met a whom I’ve met. lot of “cool” gay people at LGBTQ events and he spoke in American Later that day, I learned Sign Language at the 2016 Human Rights Campaign annual dinner. that the fellow on the T’s Yet, “my new gay acquaintances were hearing and didn’t know name was Fred and that he ASL,” DiMarco writes. was Deaf. He’d seen me at a But he didn’t give up. With time and patience, DiMarco taught party and was signing hi to hearing queer people ASL, and hearing LGBTQ people began to me. Fred, I’m so sorry for my include him in their conversations. rudeness!

‘Deaf Utopia: A Memoir–and a “Deaf Utopia” has entertaining dish about what it’s like behind Then, aside from the sadLove Letter to a Way of Life’ the scenes of reality shows. But it’s not a celeb tell-all. sack Deaf character in the

By Nyle DiMarco | c.2022, William Morrow The memoir is an exhilarating mix of stories of DiMarco’s life and novel and movie of the same $22.99 | 336 pages intriguing narratives of Deaf culture. Take just one thing “Deaf Utotitle “The Heart Is a Lonely GAYDESERTHOTSPRINGS pia” made me get for the first time: silent movies, with no spoken Hunter,” Deaf people, like dialogue, were accessible to Deaf people. queer people, largely, weren’t present in books, movies, TV – anyIf you’re hearing, you’ll likely be surprised by one sobering story where in pop culture. Except as victims, villains or metaphors for of Deaf history: Alexander Graham Bell was instrumental in having loneliness or deviance. sign language, the native language of Deaf people, banned from Thankfully, after decades. this is changing. As Troy Kotsur, said of schools for the Deaf. “the Deaf community, the CODA [children of Deaf adults] commuIf you like reality shows, dancing and parties laced with queernity and the disabled community,” when he became the first male ness and Deaf culture, “Deaf Utopia” is the book for you.

Deaf actor to win an Oscar, “This is our moment.”

“True Biz” is the dazzling new novel by Sara Novic, a brilliant Deaf Today, Deaf and disabled people, queer and non-queer, from writer. Like DiMarco, Novic, author of “Girl at War” and “America Is models to artists to filmmakers to authors are pop culture creators Immigrants,” is proud of being Deaf. and icons. Two of the most lively, entertaining, moving books out “To be a member of the Deaf community has been a great source now are by Deaf creators. of joy in my life,” she writes in an “author’s note,” “it has made me a “Deaf Utopia” is a fascinating memoir by Nyle DiMarco with Robbetter writer, thinker, parent, and friend.” ert Siebert. DiMarco, 32, is proudly Deaf and queer. His parents and Schools for Deaf people have been vitally important for Deaf culgrandparents are Deaf. He knows how to keep your attention. His ture, language and community. stories range from his first kiss with a man to auditions with reality “True Biz” is set at the fictional River Valley School for the Deaf. show execs (who want him, a Deaf guy whose native language is Riverdale is facing closure. The novel’s main characters are FebruAmerican Sign Language to “use his voice”) to harrowing accounts ary Waters, the headmistress, and two teenage students Austin and of being abused by his father.

Charlie.

DiMarco is an activist, producer, actor, and model. In 2014, he February is a CODA (child of Deaf adults). She and her hearing became the second male winner and first Deaf contestant on cycle wife Melanie love each other. But like many marriages, their mar22 of “America’s Next Top Model.” riage has its strains. February must deal with everything from teen In 2015, DiMarco, with his professional dance partner Peta Mursex to Riverdale’s impending closure. gatroyd won the Mirrorball Trophy on season 22 of ABC’s “Dancing Austin is a proud Deaf teen. His family has been Deaf for generwith the Stars.” His acting credits include roles on “Difficult People,” ations. Nothing shakes up his life until he meets up with Charlie, a and “Switched at Birth.” DiMarco, a Gallaudet University graduate new student. and Washington, D.C. resident, was executive producer of the NetNovic is a master of creating characters that burn themselves flix docuseries “Deaf U.” into your heart. Charlie, who is Deaf, will tug at your heart the most.

Growing up, he and his twin brother Nico had “gotten a taste of Her divorced parents are hearing. Her folks won’t let Charlie comD V E Rpeople T I S I toward N G Pthe R O O Fwhen childhood bulthe cruelty ofAhearing Deaf municate in American Sign Language. Charlie attends mainstream lies mocked our signing,” DiMarco writes.

2-03-25 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com schools where she meets no Deaf people. Her mom insists that she As with queer people who are mocked as children, DiMarco as AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. have a cochlear implant. he got older came to see that bullying could “take more harmful be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the roof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts When she fails academically, Charlie is sent to Riverdale. Adjustsinister forms: blatant oppression and discrimination.” dia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiserand is ble for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users hrough the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws He learned from his mother that in 1995, five years after the ing is hard for her because the Riverdale students communicate ihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of right, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, with ASL. She has to quickly learn to sign. February asks Austin to Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, his grandfather was dempetition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or SIGNATURE n, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia help her fit in. nied anADVERTISER when hetowas in the hospital. he washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless Byinterpreter signing this proof you are agreeing your contract obligations with the When he went into and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the You’ll miss and root for these characters after reading this payment and insertion schedule. surgery, his family didn’t know if his “life was in danger,” DiMarco g representations and warranties. page-turning novel. You’ll want February and her wife to stay towrites. gether and good things to happen to Austin and Charlie.

The Deaf community isn’t immune to homophobia. As a youth, “True Biz” is an American Sign Language idiom. In English, it DiMarco was told the story of an acclaimed, handsome Deaf track means “seriously” or “for sure.” sprinter. After marrying a woman, having two children and living the Seriously, read “True Biz.” life of the “picture-perfect” family man, he killed himself.

3 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022

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Molly Shannon’s memoir will make you roar Unexpected tragedy and a twist deliver powerful read

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER She couldn’t wait to leave home.

The audience roars.

And yet, through college, a fledgling career, and a popThat’s music to a performer: The best you can ask from ular spot on “Saturday Night Live,” her father was always a group of people expecting to be entertained is approval there, always a touchpoint for her past but also an irritafor your efforts. Laughter, for a comedy. Gasps for a drama. tion; enormously proud of her, but with a short wall beTears for a tragedy and tapping toes for a musical, that’s tween them. what you want. But remember: as in “Hello, Molly,” the new It wasn’t until she was well into her adulthood that Shanmemoir by Molly Shannon, not all of life’s a stage. non realized he harbored a secret, and then everything For most of her life, Molly Shannon’s mother stood off to made sense. one side, a main character with a big role but few lines. She You don’t expect a terrible, gasp-worthy accident to be was killed in a car accident when Shannon was just four, as if the foundation for a funny story, but there it is, the opening she made a cameo appearance and then was off the script. number in “Hello, Molly.”

But not entirely. With the help of family and friends, ShanQuickly, though, author Molly Shannon pulls readers in – non’s father, Jim, raised Shannon and her sister, Mary, to resomewhat awkwardly, at first, but in the same excited way member their mother and to seize life in every way posthat your fourth-grade BFF did when there was something sible, encouraging his girls to be bold and “wild.” Once, important or interesting that you simply had to see. That, in when Shannon was 13 and her best friend was 11 years fact, is the feel you’ll get in the first part of this book: like old, Shannon’s father planted the idea in her head to hop you’ve been taken by the hand and pulled toward somea plane. The girls ended up stowing away in plain sight on thing that was going to make this the best day ever. a flight from Cleveland (near their home town) to New York As you read on, that’s not much hyperbole. If you City. He paid for their trip back home. like Shannon’s work, you’re going to adore this memoir, And yet, being Jim Shannon’s daughter wasn’t all fun and which appears a lot like her skits: hectic, heartfelt, holdgames. He was an alcoholic, as was his father and his fatheryour-sides hilarious, honest, and always, always arms-wide in-law; when he was sober, Shannon recalls parties, spontacharming. Bring your sense of humor here – but bring tisneous trips, loving encouragement, and permission to skip sues, too. school. When he was drunk, she says that she and her sister So, take a look, fellas. Here’s what you want in a book, were always watchful for his mercurial moods and his profellas. “Hello, Molly!” is gonna make you roar. pensity for a different kind of “wild” behavior.

3 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022

‘Hello, Molly! A Memoir’

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Hulu’s joyful ‘Crush’

New film solidifies 2022’s status as banner year for queer representation

By JOHN PAUL KING ymous graffiti art that has been appearing all over the campus. Desperate to find the It’s only May, and already 2022 is shaping up to be one of the queerest years on real culprit, Paige enlists AJ to help solve the mystery and clear her name, and soon record when it comes to film. finds herself facing a dilemma over which of the two sisters she really wants to pursue.

It’s certainly a breath of fresh air, particularly in a cultural environment marked by Written by King and Rackham with the deliberate intention of capturing the joy of increased and aggressive anti-LGBTQ sentiment from the eternally bigoted social and growing up queer rather than usual turmoil and trauma that accompanies so many religious conservatives of the extreme right, and while it’s impossible to ignore (and LGBTQ coming-of age stories, the pair were inspired by their own life experiences. unwise to disregard) their rhetoric and their thinly veiled authoritarian attempts to Cohen, drawn to the project for similar reasons, directs the film with an eye toward legislate us out of existence, we have every right to take a moment to enjoy the fact bringing that all-too-rare positivity to the screen, and the result is an upbeat, infecthat we live in a time when queer lives and queer stories can grace our screens without tiously happy tale of young love that should, as a perhaps ironic consequence, be portraying us as victims, villains, freaks, degenerates or worse. eminently relatable to a mainstream (i.e. non-queer) audience, too. Yes, there is some What’s even more gratifying – and definitely a step in the right direction – is the drama – choosing between multiple crushes is hard, after all, and the threat of punishincreased diversity on display in these queer stories. Where once most of us had to ment over something you settle for mostly seeing didn’t do is enough to gay men (usually white) turn any teenage life into as stand-ins for our entire a Hitchcockian suspense – community, we’re now but none of it ever seems getting a growing number to dim the brightness that of movies that place the shines straight from the focus on the other colors movie’s proud heart. of our rainbow, and it’s a Equal share of credit for welcome reminder of the that irresistible optimism beauty that exists in acis due to the authenticity knowledging and acceptof a young cast that seems, ing the experiences of above all, to be having everyone. a lot of fun; Blanchard Consider, for instance, and Cravalho establish a “Crush,” Hulu’s newest charming chemistry from entry to the LGBTQ teen their first moments toromance genre, which gether onscreen, which started streaming on April keeps us rooting for the 29, and puts a lesbian love inevitable outcome even story in the spotlight. when they can’t yet see it, It’s true that, in an era and Ferreira plays against before LGBTQ characters the stereotype of the could be brought to the ”popular girl” to create a screen with the freedom gracious, genuinely lovely and genuine lived expepersona that makes it easy rience that makes today’s AULIʻI CRAVALHO and ROWAN BLANCHARD in ‘Crush’ (Photo courtesy Hulu) to see why anyone would queer movies feel so auhave a crush on her. Tyler thentic, women in love – Alvarez and Teala Dunn, as a couple who are Paige’s best friends and sidekicks, are or at least, in lust – with each other were often seen as “acceptable” in mainstream engaging and well-drawn enough to keep them from being simply a token “straight cinema. While we had lesbian stories, however, those stories were almost always told couple,” and Megan Mullally proves once more why she’s not only a queer icon but a by men, and straight men at that, leaving us with romanticized (or more accurately, national treasure as Paige’s libido-driven mother, ravenously pursuing her daughter’s fetishized) depictions that were hopelessly tainted by the male gaze. While movies track coach in an amusing reversal of pursuer/pursued gender roles that will keep the like “Basic Instinct” and “Bound” may have been successful films that brought queer grown-ups chuckling, too. women into the public eye, they can scarcely be said to have presented a positive or That’s fortunate, because “Crush,” like many comedies aimed at teens, sidelines its even relatable image in which any real-life lesbian viewers might be able to recognize adult characters and relies on them mostly for comic relief, and while younger viewers themselves. may be engrossed, the movie admittedly eschews sophisticated nuance in exploring Nothing could be further than the case in “Crush,” a film with the advantage of havthe emotional ups and downs of its romantic triangle. Likewise, in choosing to set this ing actual women building it from the ground up. Directed by Sammi Cohen (making lesbian love story in an environment where queerness is normalized and acceptance her feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Kirsten King and Casey Rackham, is seemingly universal, it provides a welcome template for the world we want to see it’s the story of Paige (Rowan Blanchard), a freshly out high-schooler with a passion (not to mention the invaluable contribution of giving young LGBTQ+ people the posand a talent for art. Though she has no interest in sports, she impulsively joins the itive representation they so desperately need), the non-existence of homophobia it school’s track team in a bid to get closer to the beautiful and popular Gabriela (Isapresents will inevitably be a bit beyond the capacity of some adult viewers to willingly bella Ferreira), the team’s co-captain, on whom she has harbored a longtime crush. suspend their disbelief.

She knows nothing about track, however, so the team’s coach (Aasif Mandvi) assigns “Crush” is a movie that is determined to MAKE us believe, however, and to show us her to Gabriela’s twin sister AJ ( Auliʻi Cravalho) for training. As their friendship grows, what life could be like for our children if we did. Thanks to its unmistakable sincerity she begins to develop unexpected feelings – a situation complicated by the threat of and unshakable good will, it goes a long way toward succeeding. potential suspension over mistaken accusations of vandalism due to a wave of anon-

3 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022

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Miss Gay Western Maryland

Dezi Minaj crowned at pageant at The Lodge (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The 2022 Miss Gay Western Maryland pageant was held at The Lodge in Boonsboro, Md. on Friday, April 29.

Dezi Minaj was crowned the winner with Sorority winning first alternate.

Both queens qualify to compete in the 2022 Miss Gay Maryland competition in October.

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Worried about moisture intrusion? If you’re buying a home, you should be.

Rain. On. Me? Flooding a common concern among buyers

Always ask your insurance agent if you have the coverage you need

By JOSEPH HUDSON

One of the many concerns buyers of homes and condos have are moisture intrusion and how well the building is prepared for floods, heavy rains, burst pipes and if they have installed sump pumps and other things to help with moisture intrusion.

To find out how to handle these situations I had a call with a local insurance agent and asked her to give me her advice about being able to make sure you are covered if there is any type of water event that costs you money as a home owner.

In a condo, you will have the master insurance policy that will help if something outside of the walls of your home causes a moisture intrusion. You will also have your own homeowner’s insurance. The agent that I spoke to said to always make sure you SPEAK to your insurance agent and ask specifically about what is covered and what is not. Just getting an internet quote is not the same. There are also third-party companies that can help cover conditions that are considered “exceptions” by the insurance company so you are going to want be educated on that.

There is a difference between being in a flood plain, having a pipe burst, water leaking in around windows, having water back up into a home and having a sump pump fail. There is also a difference in the types of coverage you can get for these situations.

4 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MAY 06, 2022 • B US I NE S S

They are all filed under different types of claims, and you will want your insurance agent to walk you through the various types of protections you can purchase and if you need additional protection from a third-party company. A recent inquiry by a client of mine resulted in him being told that his property was not in a flood zone so the basement (which is finished) would not be brought back to its current condition. Only drywall would be replaced.

Always ask your insurance agent if you have the coverage you need and please shop around. Water issues seem to happen more frequently, so you want to be prepared. I am always available to discuss homeownership and how to make that happen – feel free to reach out.

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