Washington Blade, Volume 53, Issue 37, September 16, 2022

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Youth activists hold D.C. rally for LGBTQ rights Students call on U.S. Senate to pass Equality Act

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

About 100 youth activists and their supporters from throughout the country turned out for a rally on Monday, Sept.

12, at D.C. ‘s John Marshall Park near the U.S. Capitol to call on Congress to pass the LGBTQ nondiscrimination legislation known as the Equality Act. At least a dozen participants who identified as LGBTQ college or high school students spoke at the rally, with several expressing concern that the Equality Act was stalled in the U.S. Senate by a Republican-led filibuster after being approved two times by the U.S. House during the past two years.

A statement released by Advocates for Youth, a D.C. group that organized the rally, said the youth activists participating in the rally had mounted a letter writing campaign ahead of the event in which more than 200 letters were to be sent to U.S. senators urging them to support the Equality Act. Among the speakers at the rally was Ranen Miao, a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., who identified himself as a gay man.

“Today, if I go back to my campus, I can be denied housing, lose my insurance, or be taken off jury duty because of my sexual orientation,” he told the gathering. “And it’s because Missouri is one of the dozens of American states that refuses to protect LGBTQIA youth, that refuses to institute nondiscrimination protections.”

Miao was referring to the 28 states, including Missouri, that have not adopted LGBTQ rights legislation and which LGBTQ rights advocates say highlights the need for a federal law like the Equality Act, which would ban LGBTQ-related discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, insurance, and other areas.

Another speaker at the rally, Alex Lewis, an 18-year-old

sophomore at Emerson College in Boston, who uses the pronouns they/them, self-identified as “pansexual, transgender, genderfluid, and queer.” Lewis said they grew up in Houston.

“I am here speaking about the Equality Act because it affects me and all my friends,” Lewis said. “As queer people, we’re being refused our rights because of who we are and who we love. Our rights are being undermined, and we are being forced to live in fear because our representatives do not have the decency to uphold the Declaration of Independence,” which they pointed out, says everyone has “unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Aimaloghi Eromosele, who identified herself as a “24-yearold queer Black woman born and raised in Texas,” stated in her remarks at the rally that she is currently living in New York City “getting my Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a special interest in the impact of societal trauma on communities of color.”

She said discrimination and harassment of LGBTQ people made possible by the lack of a federal nondiscrimination law has resulted in a higher percentage of LGBTQ people, especially LGBTQ people of color, experiencing homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health problems.

“LGBTQ+ folks need and deserve a full federally recognized blanket of protection that will explicitly protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity,” Eromosele said. “We deserve the Equality Act.” Maxx Fenning, a resident of Pompano Beach, Fla., and the founder and president of PRISM, an LGBTQ nonprofit organization that supports LGBTQ youth in South Florida, told the rally the so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law passed by the Florida Legislature has had a negative impact LGBTQ youth in

A scene from Monday’s protest in D.C. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

his state.

“I am tired of living in a world where in 55 out of 67 counties, I can be fired, evicted, or denied service at a restaurant just for who I love, along with so many other Americans,” he said. “It has been almost two years since the House passed the Equality Act. It’s time for the Senate to grow a goddamn backbone and do the same.”

The statement released by Advocates for Youth says Monday’s rally was the culmination of a four-day Youth Activist Institute in D.C. that enabled the youth participants to “hone their advocacy skills and share organizing tactics with peers.” The statement says the youth will return to their schools and communities with the tools to organize classmates and neighbors around the important issue of LGBTQ rights other issues such as sex education and abortion access.

Deb Howser, president of Advocates for Youth, told the Washington Blade at the rally she believes a little over half of the youth activists attending the event self-identify as LGBTQ, with the remaining participants being “absolute allies.” She said about a third of the participants were high school students, with about two-thirds being college students.

“This is an amazing group of very compassionate and passionate young people,” Howser said. “And they have the right to live free from discrimination.”

Bowser says new city office to be sensitive to LGBTQ migrants Mayor declares public emergency over influx of those bused to D.C.

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser stated at a news conference last week that city workers and community-based organizations joining the city in carrying out a stepped-up effort to assist thousands of migrants being bused into the District from Texas and Arizona will “absolutely” take steps to ensure that LGBTQ migrants are treated without bias or harassment.

The mayor commented on potential issues impacting LGBTQ migrants in response to a question from the Washington Blade at a news conference in which she announced she has declared a public emergency that will allow her to release $10 million in city funds to support a newly created Office of Migrant Services.

She said the new office, created within the D.C. Department of Human Services, will work with at least three local community-based groups in providing emergency housing and other services for migrants that have been arriving in a dozen or more buses every week since this spring.

“We know this from media reports, and I stress this — these are numbers we can’t exactly verify — but the governors of Texas and Arizona report that they have sent upwards of 9,400 people on buses destined for the District of Columbia,” Bowser said at the news conference. “And we know that they are targeting Washington, D.C. not because of any particular tie to the people boarding the buses have to Washington, D.C.,” she said. “But they want to make a point to the federal government.”

Bowser was referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Arizona Gov. Doug Duce (R), who have announced their intention to bus migrants crossing the Mexican border into Texas and Arizona to the nation’s capital, in part, to highlight what they

Mayor MURIEL BOWSER said on Thursday that the city would take steps to ensure that LGBTQ migrants are treated without bias or harassment. (Washington Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)

claim is the Biden administration’s failure to curtail the unprecedented number of migrants entering the U.S. through the southern border.

In its question to the mayor about LGBTQ migrants, the Blade pointed out that reports have surfaced that LGBTQ migrants, in particular transgender migrants, have encountered harassment and in some instances acts of violence at locations along the southern boarder where migrants were being housed and processed to be sent to other states.

“Thank you for raising that,” the mayor said. “And anybody that we work with we expect to uphold our D.C. values, and that includes in this space,” she said, adding that she “absolutely” would ensure that the city’s programs providing assistance to the hundreds of migrants arriving in D.C. in buses each

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week will be sensitive to the needs of LGBTQ migrants.

“With this plan, we are staying true to our D.C. values and building a system that will support a compassionate, consistent, and well-coordinated response,” the mayor said in describing the aim of the newly created city office.

“This is a new challenge for D.C., but I feel confident that if we lead with our values, and if we put the right systems in place, which we are doing with the Office of Migrant Services, then we will lead a response that makes our community proud.”

The mayor noted that most migrants that have arrived in D.C. in the buses from Texas and Arizona have moved on to other destinations outside of D.C. She said the city is appealing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for reimbursement of some or all of the $10 million the city is allocating for its stepped-up plan to assist the arriving migrants.

Bowser said at least three community-based organizations – the Montgomery County-based SAMU First Response Foundation, and the D.C.-based Catholic Charities and United Way would work with the city to provide services, including temporary housing, for the migrants.

“The Office of Migrant Services will provide support with reception, respite, meals, temporary accommodations, urgent medical needs, transportation to final destinations, connection to resettlement services, translation services, and other needs as they are determined,” a statement released by the mayor’s office says.

Bowser also said she will send legislation to the D.C. Council to extend the emergency declaration beyond the 15-day period she has authority to put in place.

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‘Casa Ruby should be dissolved’: report

Court filing by Wanda Alston Foundation paints grim picture

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

The Wanda Alston Foundation, which a D.C. Superior Court judge named last month as the city’s receiver for the LGBTQ community services center Casa Ruby, issued a preliminary finding in an interim report filed in court on Tuesday, Sept. 13, declaring that “Casa Ruby should be dissolved in an orderly manner pursuant to D.C. Code.”

The seven-page Receiver’s First Interim Report says an ongoing examination of Casa Ruby’s financial records, which it says were in disarray, indicates outstanding liabilities exceeding $2 million.

“Other than an assortment of donated furnishings at the two leased properties, there are no other meaningful assets,” the report says.

It says the Alston Foundation took immediate steps to secure financial records and sensitive documents pertaining to Casa Ruby’s clients and employees that were abandoned in two leased offices in the Dupont Circle area.

“Casa Ruby’s landlords and employees had gone unpaid for some time and both sites were abandoned and appeared to have been ransacked,” the report says. “The documents which remained were in complete disarray and would require time to collect, organize, and analyze,” it says.

“Eighty percent of the critical records and files at 1635 Connecticut Avenue [N.W.] have been secured and removed,” the report says, enabling the receiver to vacate the property prior to an eviction underway by the landlord.

“However, additional time may be required to go through the records and files at 2033 Connecticut Avenue,” according to the report, which says may require the court to order a temporary stop on the pending eviction at that property.

Superior Court Judge Danya A. Dayson issued an order on Aug. 12 naming the Alston Foundation as the Casa Ruby receiver at the recommendation of the Office of the D.C. Attorney General. The AG’s office stated in court filings that Casa Ruby and its founder and longtime executive director, Ruby Corado, had violated the city’s Nonprofit Corporations Act by failing to account for the expenditure funds provided by D.C. government grants and private donors.

The judge’s order came one day after she approved the AG office’s request that Casa Ruby be placed under receivership and two weeks after the judge approved the AG’s request that all of Casa Ruby’s bank and credit card accounts be frozen.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said his office’s action put forward in a civil lawsuit against Casa Ruby came after he opened an investigation that found the LGBTQ community services center had failed to pay landlords more than $1 million in back rent and could no longer pay the salaries of its employees, forcing the organization to cease most of its operations before a full shutdown in late July.

The Alston Foundation, a longstanding LGBTQ organization, has provided housing and support services for D.C. homeless and at-risk LGBTQ youth since its founding in 2008.

In her Aug. 12 order naming the Alston Foundation as the Casa Ruby receiver, Judge Dayson directed the Alston Foundation to submit a preliminary status report by Sept.

13 on its findings on whether Casa Ruby had or could obtain the financial resources to resume operating as an organization supporting LGBTQ people in need, such as emergency housing and immigrant related services, or

JUNE CRENSHAW is executive director of the Alston Foundation, which determined that Casa Ruby should be dissolved. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

whether it should be dissolved in an orderly manner.

The judge also asked that the report assess whether the Casa Ruby board of directors “should be reconstituted” following allegations by the D.C. Attorney General’s office that the board for years failed to provide legally required oversight of Casa Ruby’s finances and actions by Ruby Corado.

“Casa Ruby’s Board of Directors failed to provide any meaningful oversight and Casa Ruby should be dissolved in an orderly manner pursuant to D.C. Code 29-412.23,” the Alston Foundation interim report states.

Alston Foundation Executive Director June Crenshaw and its Board of Directors chairperson, Darrin Glymph, couldn’t immediately be reached to determine whether they might reconsider the recommendation of dissolving Casa Ruby as an organization if new members could be recruited to serve on the Casa Ruby board.

The judge, who is expected to make the final decision on the fate of Casa Ruby, called all parties in the case, including Ruby Corado, to appear in court or appear virtually through a phone or video hookup on Sept. 29 for a status hearing.

Beloved 17th Street bartender Joey Phalin dies at 43

19-year stint at gay bars Cobalt and JR.’s made him a ‘fixture’ in Dupont

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

JOEY PHALIN died on Sept. 8.

(Photo courtesy Miller Funeral Home)

Joseph C. “Joey” Phalin, who worked from 2002 to 2021 as a bartender at the 17th Street gay bars Cobalt and JR.’s and who became a beloved figure to his customers and friends near Dupont Circle, died unexpectedly on Sept. 8 in Rochester, N.Y., where he had moved last year, according to a social media post by

his brother, James Phalin.

For those who may not have seen his brother’s announcement, many who knew Joey Phalin learned of his passing from a Facebook post by JR.’s last weekend.

“It is with a heavy heart that JR’s announces the recent passing of a longtime JR’s bartender, Joey Phalin, who passed away suddenly at the tail end of last week in Rochester, N.Y,” the JR’s announcement says.

“Joey spent nearly two decades behind the bars at both Cobalt (2002-2006) and JR’s (2006-2021) and was a regular figure on 17th Street and in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood,” the announcement continues. “During his time at JR’s, Joey made amazingly strong connections

with everyone he met.”

Although the official announcements have not disclosed a cause of death, friends and others who knew Phalin said he died by suicide.

His brother James’s social media posting says that in lieu of flowers for upcoming memorial celebrations of Phalin’s life, contributions may be made to the Joshua York Foundation, which is dedicated to suicide prevention.

“JR’s will be hosting a ‘Celebration of Life’ for Joey on Saturday, 17 September 2022 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.,” the JR’s announcement says. “We hope that you will come out to share great stories about Joey and toast to his lasting memory,” it says.

“Joey is survived by his loving fiancé Andy [Heline], his dog Bouncer, his family, and innumerable friends,” the JR’s announcement says. “On behalf of the JR’s Bar family and indeed the entire Washington, D.C. service industry, we ask that you keep them in your thoughts at this time.”

The announcement by Phalin’s brother, James Phalin, says a memorial service for Joey Phalin will be held on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. at the Miller Funeral and Cremation Services in Victor, N.Y. “A Celebration of Joey’s life will follow (approximately 6 p.m.) at the Victor Village Inn, 34 East Main Street, Victor, until 10 p.m.,” it says.

The town of Victor is located about 20 miles from Rochester.

The brother’s announcement says Joey Phalin is survived by his father and stepmother, Jim and Terri Phalin;

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his mother, Sue Kimball; fiancé, Andrew Heline; brother and sister-in-law James and Ashley Phalin; niece, Kendall Phalin; nephew, Aidan Phalin; sister, Nicole Wilcox; brother Jason Phalin; brother Brent Kimball; sister, Julie Kimball; and many dear friends in Victor and Washington, D.C. James Phalin’s announcement also mentions the celebration of his brother’s life scheduled to take place at JR’s in D.C. The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately reach Andrew Heline, Phalin’s life partner and fiancé.

Dito Sevilla, a longtime bartender and bar manager at Floriana Restaurant on 17th Street, called Phalin a beloved “fixture” in the 17th Street neighborhood. Sevilla said Phalin and Heline met in D.C. and became a couple before the two moved together from D.C. to Rochester last year.

“Joey Phalin was a friend and co-worker for over 16 years,” said David Perruzza, owner of the D.C. gay bars Pitchers and A League of Her Own in Adams Morgan and who worked for many years as manager of JR’s before opening his own bars.

“When you work at a bar your bar people become your family,” Perruzza wrote. “Joey was family. To everyone who knew him I’m sorry for our loss,” Perruzza wrote, adding, “to his family and to anyone who knew him, he will be missed. RIP my friend.”

Contributions to the Joshua York Foundation can be made through: www.joshuayorkfoundation.org

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Senate may cue up marriage vote soon, but 60 votes not assured Some Republican leaders doubt there’s sufficient support

By CHRIS JOHNSON | cjohnson@washblade.com

Concerns that there aren’t enough votes to advance the Respect for Marriage Act were piqued last week in the aftermath of an article in Politico with the headline: “Samesex marriage bill teeters on verge of GOP filibuster.” The article points out numerous Republicans who are possible “yes” votes, such as Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Lisa Murkowksi (R-Alaska), have yet to declare outright support for the legislation.

Murkowski, who was an early Republican supporter of same-sex marriage, stands out in the group as among the Republicans who have yet to declare a position on the Respect for Marriage Act, although a spokesperson for the Alaska Republican confirmed to the Blade she remains undecided.

“Sen. Murkowski has long supported marriage equality,” said Hannah Ray, a Murkowksi spokesperson. “She is reviewing the House-passed bill and tracking negotiations in the Senate over possible modifications to the text of the Respect for Marriage Act introduced by Sens. Baldwin and Collins, so at this time she has not announced how she will vote.”

The conclusion of the Politico article that sufficient support remains in question, however, appears largely based on quotes from senior Republicans in the Senate who reportedly cast doubt about whether enough members of their caucus would break away to support the bill. Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) was quoted as saying right now no one knows “the exact answer” on the number of votes; he reportedly added he hasn’t done a formal whip count.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was reportedly more blunt in his assessment: “I don’t see 10 Republicans,” Cornyn was quoted as saying. “I assume if people were inclined to support it, they would have already declared in support of it.”

Blade readers will remember Cornyn was the member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who pressed now U.S. Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearing about the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in favor of same-sex marriage, asking her whether she could understand observers being surprised by the outcome.

Despite Cornyn’s projections, Republicans in the Senate have had a history of keeping their cards close to their vests on measures relating to LGBTQ rights before some ultimately break away to vote in the favor of the legislation. Such has been the case in the past 12 years with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Bolstering the prospects for the Respect for Marriage Act is that the bill would reaffirm existing law as opposed to make changes. The legislation also wouldn’t codify same-sex marriage into the U.S. code, but rather repeal from the books the Defense of Marriage Act, which the Supreme Court struck down in 2013, and require states to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

A final push for the legislation among its supporters was evident in recent days as expectations for a vote increased. The Human Rights Campaign was set on Thursday to deliver to the Pittsburgh office of the undecided Toomney letters urgSen. TAMMY BALDWIN told the Blade she’s continuing her work to build Republican support for the ing him to support the Respect for Marriage Act marriage bill. (Photo by Chris Schmitt Photography) Within the Republican Party, more than 400 prominent Republicans signed a letter organized by the LGBTQ group Freedom for All Americans and issued on Tuesday urging support for the Respect for Marriage Act. Among the co-signers are Whether or not there are 60 votes in the Senate to end a filibuster is another matter. former Republican National Committee chair Ken Mehlman, who’s gay; Mehmet Oz, the Supporters of the legislation have been bullish about obtaining 10 Republican votes to Republican Senate nominee in Pennsylvania; and former president George W. Bush’s aid the united Democratic caucus in cutting off debate to move forward with the bill, but daughter Barbara Bush. only four Republicans have signaled support in some capacity: Susan Collins (Maine), “As Republicans and conservatives, we believe strong families and lasting relationRob Portman (Ohio), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Ron Johnson (Wis). ships strengthen communities, and civil marriage is a fundamental freedom central to “As for vote count, still the same,” one Senate Democratic aide told the Blade on individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the letter says. “We stand with the 71 Wednesday. “We don’t have 10 firm commitments from Republicans, but we are close percent of Americans today, including a majority of registered Republicans, who supand believe that the votes are there without the firm commitments.” port the freedom to marry for all Americans.”

Johnson also has indicated his support would be conditional upon the inclusion of Baldwin, for her part, said in a statement to the Blade on Wednesday she continues language to accommodate objections to same-sex marriage on religious grounds. Lanto remain optimistic about reaching the necessary 60 votes on the Respect for Marriage guage being drafted by Baldwin and Collins for such an amendment, Democratic aides Act and work continues behind the scenes on those efforts. familiar with the bill told the Blade, would affirm the 1993 Religious Freedom Resto“I am continuing my work to build the Republican support needed to pass our biration Act, but go no further. partisan legislation to protect marriage equality and ensure Americans in same-sex A competing amendment on religious exemptions, however, is expected to come and interracial marriages are guaranteed the same rights and freedoms of every other from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), according to a report in Politico. His office didn’t immemarriage,” Baldwin said. “These loving couples deserve this certainty and the American diately respond Wednesday to the Blade’s request to comment on the nature of the people overwhelmingly agree.” amendment or the support obtained for the measure.

Legislation seeking to codify same-sex marriage may be cued up as soon as this week in the U.S. Senate after lawmakers returned from August recess, although reaching the 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster is unassured.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to make the case for the Respect for Marriage Act, which he said was needed in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

“Over the past few months, both sides have engaged in good-faith conversations about how to pass marriage equality into law,” Schumer said. “I truly hope – for the sake of tens of millions of Americans — that there will be at least ten Republicans who will vote with us to pass this important bill soon. Democrats are ready to make it happen — and willing to debate reasonable compromises on the specifics — so I urge my colleagues on the other side to join us.”

The likeliest scenario, as of Wednesday, was for Senate Democrats to start the procedural process Thursday to set up for votes on the Respect for Marriage Act early next week, two Democratic aides familiar with the bill told the Blade.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the only open lesbian in the Senate, has been a proponent of the legislation and would be a likely candidate to go to the floor to seek a vote on the legislation.

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Analysis: Bipartisan approach wins out as marriage vote nears Schumer expects action soon to codify rights into law

By CHRIS JOHNSON | cjohnson@washblade.com

Two strategies for passing legislation have emerged within the Democratic caucus: either build support among Republicans or push it through to expose their position. Both were on full display over the last two weeks over legislation seeking to codify same-sex marriage into law. At the end of the day, the more bipartisan approach appears to have won out.

Sen. CHARLES SCHUMER has appeared to yield to the bipartisan approach to the marriage bill proposed by Sens.

TAMMY BALDWIN (D-Wis.) SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine).

(Blade file photos by Michael Key)

It started amid reports last week, which were confirmed by the Washington Blade, that senior Senate Democratic leadership was considering attaching the Respect for Marriage Act to the continuing resolution, a stopgap that would continue funding the government as lawmakers hammer out a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

It’s unclear why attaching the marriage bill to the continuing resolution was an option. Either as a standalone bill or an amendment, the marriage legislation needs 60 votes to end a filibuster in the Senate. Including the marriage bill in the budget stopgap may have been seen as

a way to act swiftly on the marriage bill during a limited legislative calendar before Election Day. The approach, in fact, could have had the effect of sinking the marriage bill: Republicans who may have been on board could have instead found a reason to vote “no” if the measure were included in the continuing resolution over objections to adding an extraneous issue to the measure.

One thing stands out: The idea of moving forward with the legislation regardless of how Republicans will vote is consistent with the general legislative strategy of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Ever the political animal, Schumer has no qualms about forcing a vote on legislation with no chance of getting 60 votes if it means exposing Republicans, especially when that would occur within two months of Election Day. Take, for example, Schumer’s decision to bring to the floor after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs an abortion rights measure with no Republican support as opposed to another more bipartisan measure. Whether or not the measure actually had 60 votes in support is an afterthought.

In other words, the approach of putting the marriage provision in the continuing resolution was more consistent with the legislative model of Build Back Better and the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed without any Republican votes. But the standalone measure is more consistent with approaches seen with the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the gun reform measure. Each made it to Biden’s desk, but in different ways and with different political fallout.

In the case of the marriage bill, the standalone approach appears to have won out. Schumer, speaking with reporters, said he expects the marriage vote “in the coming weeks” and threw cold water on the idea about including it in the continuing resolution: “We would prefer to do it as a separate bill. We hope there are 10 Republicans to help us with that.”

It’s not hard to imagine Schumer getting a call from

supporters of the marriage bill who had a problem with including the measure as part of the continuing resolution. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis), who’s not only the first out lesbian in the U.S. Senate, but a senator with a reputation for seeking to reach the across the aisle, has been in charge of rounding up votes for some time and has signaled that 10 Republicans are within reach.

Among the original co-sponsors of the bill is Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has publicly commented about working her side of the aisle on the bill.

Baldwin and Collins, following news earlier in the week about the possibility of including the marriage bill in the continuing resolution, published a joint op-ed in the Washington Post on the importance of the measure and getting it done on a bipartisan basis.

“We have worked across party lines to bring the Senate together and build support for the Respect for Marriage Act because we should be able to agree that same-sex and interracial couples, regardless of where they live, both need and deserve the assurance that their marriage will be recognized by the federal government and that they will continue to enjoy freedoms, rights and responsibilities that come with all other marriages,” Baldwin and Collins wrote.

Another factor suggesting a bipartisan approach on the marriage legislation has won out: Schumer in the remarks this week name-checked Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) as one of the leaders in the Democratic caucus seeing to build support for the measure. Although Sinema, the only out bisexual in Congress, is vilified among progressives, she was among the leaders in the cadre of lawmakers who obtained sufficient bipartisan support for the infrastructure deal and gun reform measure.

If the marriage bill passes in the Senate, as supporters of the measure are predicting, it appears the credit would go to the old-school approach of working across the aisle to build a consensus for a more durable legislative solution. The strict party-line approach will have to take a back seat and find another legislative vehicle.

Buttigieg targeted with homophobic tweets

As Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, continues his push for broader adoption of electric vehicle use, he was again targeted with homophobic attacks online.

Meshawn Maddock, co-chair of Michigan’s Republican Party, referred to the first openly gay Cabinet secretary as a “weak little girl” on Twitter Sunday, as many were honoring those killed 21 years ago in the worst terrorist attack ever perpetrated on American soil.

Buttigieg is a decorated war veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2009 to 2017, including in a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. A DOT spokesperson and the Michigan Republican Party did not im-

mediately return a request for comment on Maddock’s tweet.

Meanwhile, on Sept. 10, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus condemned the use of the agency’s official Twitter account for the West Texas region for offensive retweets and likes, including of homophobic posts targeting Buttigieg.

These included a tweet in which the Transportation Secretary was called “Pete Buttplug” as well as content from former President Trump’s far-right senior adviser Stephen Miller.

Reached for comment, a spokesperson from a regional press office shared a statement excerpted from

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that which was tweeted by Magnus, who announced that @CBPWestTexas was deactivated and the offending content was removed.

Bigoted attacks against Buttigieg by conservatives are not new. Last year, when the Secretary took a leave of absence to care for his and his husband Chasten’s newborn twins, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he was “trying to figure out how to breastfeed.”

Bizarrely, at a rally in March, extremist Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) said the couple should “stay out of our girls’ bathrooms,” which appeared to be an attempt to suggest they are sexual predators.

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Gay actor Bartlett wins big at Emmy Awards

The pandemic is over (in award show world anyway,) and glitz and glamour have returned. That was the prevailing impression from this year’s 74th annual Emmy Awards. The show was stunning and exciting from the outset, but even with the pomp and loud noise of celebration, a queer presence was not to be drowned out.

The tone of representation was launched immediately as announcer, queer comic, Sam Jay, looking sharp in her black tuxedo, took the mic. On camera even more than host Kenan Thompson, Jay was a presence and a personality and decidedly queer. If her gay power was not enough, the point was made when Thompson and out actor Bowen Yang joked on stage. Thompson accused Yang of making a comment that was “a hate crime,” Yang retorted “Not if I do it. Then it’s representation.”

The visibility was significant considering, according to the GLAAD’s “Where We Are on TV Report,” out of 775 series regular characters only 92 are LGBTQ (less than 12 percent.) That 11+ percent is a record high of LGBTQ characters in all of TV history. The record was set by an increase in lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters, but a decrease in gay male characters from the previous year.

For the Emmy nominations, 50 percent of the best drama series nominees, 25 percent of the best comedy and 60 percent of the best limited series featured LGBTQ characters or plot lines. As far as queer talent, that was more sporadic, heavily slanted toward “supporting categories” and often with queer talent all in the same category against each other.

Regardless, we showed up, as did other individuals who scored recognition for their identities. Some of the key LGBTQ representative moments included: • Early in the show, Hannah Einbinder did a hard flirt from the stage for Zendaya, saying that she was not on the stage to present, but rather to stare at the beautiful actress.

• Gay actor Murray Bartlett won Best Supporting Actor for a Limited or Anthology Series for “The White Lotus.” He thanked his partner Matt, but did not mention the famous “salad scene.”

• “The White Lotus” also won the Best Limited or Anthology series category, and bisexual Mike White won Best Director for Limited Series as well. White is the son of gay clergyman, author, and activist Mel White. They appeared on “The Amazing Race” as a father and son team.

• Jerrod Carmichael won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing of a Variety Special for his heartfelt “Rothaniel” in which he comes out as gay as part of the show. Carmichael wowed in a brilliant white, flowing fur coat over his bare chest.

• Out actress Sarah Paulsen and Shonda Rhimes,

Gay actor MURRAY BARTLETT won Best Supporting Actor for a Limited or Anthology Series for ‘The White Lotus.’

(Screenshot/YouTube)

who singlehandedly is responsible for 17 percent of all LGBTQ characters on TV, presented the Governor’s Award to Geena Davis for her work with the Institute of Gender in Media. The mission of the organization is to promote representation of women in media. Davis stood before a video featuring various women artists including transgender actress Laverne Cox. The organization is the only public data institute to consistently analyze representations of the six major marginalized identities on screen: Women; people of color; LGBTQ individuals; people with disabilities; older persons (50+); and large-bodied individuals in global film, television, advertising and gaming.

Lizzo broke RuPaul’s streak to win Best Competition program. RuPaul showed up later in the show to present a major award anyway. Lizzo has not felt the need to label herself in the LGBTQ spectrum but has said, “When it comes to sexuality or gender, I personally don’t ascribe to just one thing. I cannot sit here right now and tell you I’m just one thing. That’s why the colors for LGBTQ+ are a rainbow! Because there’s a spectrum, and right now we try to keep it black and white. That’s just not working for me.”

Beyond the rainbow scope of queer representation, intersectional, iconic and historic representation was also on hand: • LGBTQ icon Jennifer Coolidge won Best Support-

ing Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series for “The White Lotus.” It was her first award win ever.

• LGBTQ icon Jean Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for “Hacks,” a series of which its producer called about “women and queer people.”

• Lee Jung-jae became the first South Korean actor and first Asian actor to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for “Squid Game.”

• Zendaya became the youngest person ever to win in the leading acting categories two times as she won for the second season of “Euphoria” • Hwang Dong-hyuk became the first South Korean to win Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for “Squid Game.”

• And Sheryl Lee Ralph won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for “Abbott Elementary” becoming only the second Black woman in history to win in this category after 35 years. Jackée Harry won for “227” in 1987. “I am an endangered species,” she sang as her acceptance. “But I sing no victim’s song.”

Lee Ralph said, “To anyone who has ever, ever had a dream, and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like, this is what striving looks like, and don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”

ROB WATSON

Drag brunch canceled after threats in Texas

The Disney-themed drag brunch scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 11 was abruptly cancelled last week after an onslaught of threats of violence to the venue, the Cool Beans Bar and Grill, an LGBTQ+ friendly establishment.

The threats of violence came after social media posts by the anti-LGBTQ+ Libs Of TikTok and far-right media outlet Blaze TV’s host Sara Gonzales, who invited her viewers to join her in shutting the event down.

Denton is home to two state universities with a combined enrollment of over 55,000 students, the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University, along with North Central Texas College. It is in the same coun-

ty where barely two weeks ago, crowds were gathered outside a family friendly drag show at Anderson Distillery and Grill, in Roanoke, Texas, some with signs accusing the establishment and its patrons of sexually abusing children, or of “grooming” them for abuse.

The owners of Cool Beans Bar and Grill posted a message on its expressing their disgust over being forced to cancel the event.

A former employee, Megan Queen, described the bar the bar as a welcoming place for the LGBTQ community and said she was heartbroken at the threats made against the establishment, according to the Dallas Ob-

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server.

As with many all-ages LGBTQ+ events this summer – from California to North Carolina – hate was ginned up on social media among right-wing extremists who sought to interrupt the event and disband the attendees.

Leading up to the event, word was spread on anti-LGBTQ+ Facebook groups like Texas Family Project and Protect Texas Kids, the latter warning, “We need to show up in full force and show that the majority of us are against children being involved in these disturbing, sexually explicit shows.”

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Remembering Queen Elizabeth’s ‘legacy of compassion’

Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland last Thursday at the age of 96.

Elizabeth assumed the British throne in 1952 after her father, King George VI, died.

Elizabeth, among other things, pardoned Alan Turing, an acclaimed World War II codebreaker and computer scientist who died by suicide two years after his 1952 conviction for “gross indecency.”

Elizabeth gave royal assent to the Sexual Offenses Act of 1967, which decriminalized consensual samesex sexual relations among men in England and Wales who are at least 21.

Elizabeth gave royal assent to the marriage equality law that took effect in England and Wales in 2014. Elizabeth has also urged the U.K. to ban so-called conversion therapy.

New British Prime Minister Liz Truss took office on Tuesday.

“We’re all devastated,” she said outside 10 Downing St. “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built.”

British Ambassador to the U.S. Karen Pierce, who has hosted a number of Pride Month receptions in D.C., in a statement said Elizabeth “devoted a lifetime of dedicated service to her country and was an inspiring role model for everyone across the globe.”

“Her legacy is one of charity and compassion,” said Pierce.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018 said she “deeply” regrets colonial-era laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations the U.K. introduced in Commonwealth countries.

Court rulings in Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis in recent months struck down colonial-era sodomy laws. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last month said his country would decriminal-

QUEEN ELIZABETH II died last week at 96.

Her funeral is scheduled for Monday. (public domain photo)

ize consensual same-sex consensual relations.

Jamaica and Uganda are among the Commonwealth countries in which homosexuality remains criminalized. The Privy Council, a British appellate court, in recent years ruled against marriage rights for same-sex couples in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

The two British territories fall under the Privy Council’s jurisdiction.

“We send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” said Stonewall, a British LGBTQ and intersex rights group, in a statement after Buckingham Palace announced Elizabeth’s death. “At this sad time we reflect on the the end of a very significant era for the U.K.” Mermaids, a group that advocates on behalf of transgender and other gender non-conforming young

people, echoed Stonewall.

We’re very sad to hear of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” tweeted Mermaids. “Our thoughts are with King Charles III and all of the Royal Family at this deeply difficult time.”

“While its unfortunate to hear the family has lost a mother, as an LGBT citizen of the commonwealth, she represented institutions like the Privy Council that have reversed LGBT rights protections for Caribbean Countries and territories that still have the Privy Council,” Caleb Orozco, an LGBTQ and intersex activist from Belize, told the Washington Blade after Elizabeth died. “The death of a queen does not absolve its institutions from its responsibility to show its substantive commitment to LGBT rights in the Caribbean.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is among the myriad world leaders who also mourned Elizabeth’s passing.

“It was with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” tweeted Trudeau.

“She was a constant presence in our lives — and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.”

“As we look back at her life and her reign that spanned so many decades, Canadians will always remember and cherish Her Majesty’s wisdom, compassion and warmth,” added Trudeau. “Our thoughts are with the members of the Royal Family during this most difficult time.”

Elizabeth is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Her eldest son King Charles III, 73, is her heir. Elizabeth’s grandson Prince William is now second in line to the throne.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

EuroPride begins in Serbia amid far-right protests

Officials from EuroPride and Belgrade Pride commemorated the start of EuroPride 2022 in the Serbian capital with a ceremonial flag raising Monday as the event gets underway this week.

Concerns however, have been raised over safety for attendees and participants in the wake of massive anti-LGBTQ demonstrations and the government of Serbia issuing a ban.

During a routine Saturday press conference two weeks ago, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that the international EuroPride event scheduled to be held from Sept. 12-18 was cancelled.

In his remarks the Serbian leader told reporters that his government had come under intense pressure from far right-wing groups and the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church to cancel the event.

Vucic acknowledged that LGBTQ rights and people in the Balkan nation were under siege and threatened. However he deflected on the issue, “It is not a question of whether [those pressures] are stronger,” he said. “It’s just that at some point you can’t achieve everything, and that’s it.”

Undaunted, EuroPride and Belgrade Pride defiantly announced that the event would go on as scheduled.

“President Vucic cannot cancel someone else’s

event. EuroPride is not cancelled, and will not be cancelled,” European Pride Organizers Association President Kristine Garina said.

“During the bidding process for EuroPride 2022, (the) prime minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic promised the full support of the Serbian government for EuroPride in Belgrade, and we expect that promise to be honored,” she added.

The kick-off was also attended by U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher R. Hill who tweeted: “Gratified to see a safe, secure start to #EuroPride2022. Congratulations @BelgradePride, @ CDREurope, and the entire team of organizers behind @EuroPride. Looking forward to a week of great events with safety, security, and basic freedoms guaranteed for all.”

On Sunday, several thousands of protesters took to the streets of Belgrade, many carrying huge Serbian and Russian flags, chanting pro-Russia, pro-Vladimir Putin and anti-LGBTQ slogans and marching to Belgrade’s St. Sava cathedral for prayers.

Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije led clerics and faithful in a prayer “for the sanctity of marriage and family” that accused “invisible forces” of imposing “ungodly and unnatural unions as a substitute for marriage and family.”

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Radio Free Europe/Liberty reported that Brnabic, who is openly lesbian and was a participant in a 2017 Pride event in Belgrade, declined to intervene to support holding the EuroPride events in light of the ban decreed by Vucic.

She responded angrily on Monday to a local newspaper editor who accused Brnabic of selling out the LGBTQ community to become a “Progressive,” a reference to Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party, which she joined after becoming prime minister as an independent five years ago.

Brnabic accused the editor and other “enlightened elites” of cubbyholing gay people as incapable of holding diverse political views. “[To them] if you’re gay, you can only be gay, period.

It’s the only thing that defines you,” Brnabic tweeted.

“You are not the prime minister — but LGBT.” The translation of the tweet below reads: “The essence of discrimination that the “enlightened elite” neither sees nor cares about. If you’re gay, you can just be gay, period. It’s the only thing that defines you. You are not the prime minister — but LGBT. You are not a member of SNS — but LGBT. And they don’t see a single problem with it, they think it’s something smart.”

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The queen is dead — now please kill the monarchy After Elizabeth, U.K. ought to ditch its arcane system

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Most of us respected, even revered, Queen Elizabeth II for her 70 years of service to her country, from World War II to the Cold War and 9/11, right through to COVID and the war in Ukraine.

Her death at 96 comes as the world seems to be falling apart, from climate change to war to growing nationalism and authoritarianism around the globe. Her staid tenure as queen was marked by stoic resolve, love of country, checked emotions, and quiet determination that were sometimes mistaken for coldness. What a contrast to today’s toxic politics of crude insults, knee-jerk social media commentary, and emotional public outbursts.

There’s no question that Queen Elizabeth accomplished much in her unprecedented tenure as monarch, starting with rallying the British people as princess during World War II and the Blitz. On LGBTQ issues, Elizabeth pardoned Alan Turing, the gay World War II codebreaker and computer scientist who died by suicide two years after his 1952 conviction for “gross indecency.”

She gave royal assent to the Sexual Offenses Act of 1967, which decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations among men in England and Wales who are at least 21, as the Blade reported. Elizabeth also gave royal assent to the marriage equality law that took effect in England and Wales in 2014. She has urged the U.K. to ban conversion therapy.

But her legacy is complicated by the monarchy’s long record of racist colonialism; indeed, many anti-LGBTQ laws in Africa and the Caribbean can be traced to the U.K.’s homophobic colonial policies.

Now that the queen is dead it’s time for the U.K. to rethink its anachronistic form of government. It was one thing for new prime ministers — Elizabeth anointed 15 of them in 70 years — to bow and curtsy before her, but can you imagine elected political leaders bowing before the adulterous King Charles and his “queen consort”? Please.

The queen’s family is notoriously dysfunctional. Charles’s adultery and cruel treatment of Princess Diana are well documented. Prince Andrew was linked to pedophile predator Jeffrey Epstein and his civil sex abuse case was settled out of court in New York, sparing the queen yet another public humiliation at the hands of her sometimes sordid family. Her grandchildren haven’t fared much better, with William and Harry not speaking after the latter’s leaving royal duties to cut lucrative Netflix deals and grant endless interviews along with his wife begging for privacy.

Enough already. Elizabeth was one of a kind, a selfless public servant whose likes Britain will never see again. And with her death, the monarchy should end.

Australia is expected to vote for an independent republic in the wake of the queen’s death; the current prime minister supports such a move and Greens Party leaders immediately called for it upon Elizabeth’s passing. Greens Sen. Mehreen Faruqi went even further, saying she “cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire.” At least six Caribbean commonwealth countries indicated earlier this year their intent to leave the commonwealth, following the exit of Barbados in 2021.

It’s odd to read social media posts from Americans this week, declaring “long live the king,” considering we rebelled against the monarchy and are supposed to disdain such arrangements. We can respect Elizabeth’s life’s work without endorsing the outmoded, racist construct that is the British monarchy.

There isn’t much left of the commonwealth and Charles is mostly “playacting,” as Hayes Brown wrote for MSNBC. “The crown and scepter will be costuming, allowing him to uphold the illusion that the monarchy still has a role to play in a modern constitutional republic.”

Charles will serve as a placeholder for King William, who in all likelihood will be Britain’s last king and preside over its inevitable and much-needed dissolution.

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LaPlacaCohen Publication: Insertion date: Size:

PETER ROSENSTEIN

212-675-4106 Washington Blade SEPTEMBER 2022 4.625" x 10.5" 4C

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

Thinking back to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation An unforgettable spectacle even for a six-year-old

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One of the first things I remember watching on television other than the “Howdy Doody Show,” was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. I remember the “Howdy Doody Show” because my mom once took me to be in the peanut gallery. The coronation was a spectacle hard to forget even for a six-year-old.

Contrary to some others I am not waiting for the monarchy to end. I still enjoy all the pomp and spectacle that goes with it and figure it is up to the British people, and those in the commonwealth, to call for it to end if that is what they want. As Americans we have more than enough problems of our own to deal with.

Watching Prince William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan participate in what the royals call a walk-about, in front of Windsor Castle, and chatting comfortably with all the people there makes me think the monarchy could actually exist for a long time to come.

Clearly it may be different but all the children meeting these Royals and taking selfies with them will most likely be supporters all their lives. A statistic I recently heard was 80 percent of the world’s population were born during the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. We will now start to get used to a new generation. King Charles III is in his 70s and will not have the time on the throne his mother did, so William will not be waiting until his 70s to become King.

I have always enjoyed traveling to the United Kingdom and touring many of the palaces including Buckingham and Windsor among others. There is something exciting about seeing history live.

Now some would like to blame the queen for some of the things the government of Britain did wrong during her 70 years on the throne, and there were many, but they must remember Britain is a Constitutional Monarchy or Parliamentary Monarchy considered “a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies (in which a monarch whether limited by a constitution or not is the only one to decide) in that they are bound to exercise powers and authorities within limits prescribed by an established legal framework, which functions within the framework of a parliamentary democracy with the Queen or now the King having very limited powers.”

Back in 1215 the monarchy became a more limited one with the signing of the Magna Carta, which contained the ideas of limited government and common law. The Magna Carta has had a great influence on constitutional ideas about limited government, habeas corpus, and the Supremacy Clause. In 1689, the British adopted the English Bill of Rights.

That document contained ideas of consent of the governed and individual rights. Queen Elizabeth II was, and now King Charles III is, the head of state while the prime minister of the United Kingdom, currently Liz Truss, is the head of government.

Again, I make these points to show blaming Queen Elizabeth II for all the things the British government has done wrong over the past 70 years is wrong. When the queen gave her annual speech to parliament, and now when the King will give it, they are talking about the policy of the government and that speech is either written or approved by the government.

I remember seeing the play “King Charles III” by Mike Bartlett, when it was at the Shakespeare Theater in D.C. “It begins as Charles and his family gather following the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Charles, as the new king, then holds his first weekly audience with the Prime Minister. They discuss a new Bill for statutory regulation of the press, which has passed the House of Commons and the House of Lords and awaits only Charles’s royal assent to become law. Charles is concerned that the law restricts freedom of the press too much, and would allow governments to censor the news and prevent legitimate uncovering of abuse of power by the government. He asks the Prime Minister for alterations to the bill, but the Prime Minister refuses. The two men spar, as the Leader of the Opposition arrives for a weekly meeting with Charles, an innovation the new king has introduced. The Leader of the Opposition expresses his own doubts on the bill, but he sees little alternative but for Charles to sign.” In the play Charles is forced to abdicate and Prince William becomes king. I don’t think we will be seeing any of that play out in real life.

1:02 PM

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MAXIMILIAN SYCAMORE

is a D.C.-based media producer who is originally from London.

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are entirely his own.

Thank you, Your Majesty

British expat in D.C. mourns late monarch

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It was early on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, when the first rumbles came across the pond about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s health.

“Keep calm and carry on” kicked in until her children arrived in Scotland. Nothing screams imminent death in Britain more than the arrival of close family.

When the news finally broke, I went into autopilot.

Saving my yearly tear for the funeral, I put the kettle on to make a cup of tea. Strangely, the kettle had started leaking that week like a very British prophecy. Later I would meet fellow expats in a bar, giving brief hugs of condolence before resuming the national pastime of moaning (the MAXIMILIAN SYCAMORE meets QUEEN ELIZABETH II Pimm’s Cup was not to our at his university in the U.K. (Photo courtesy of Sycamore) standards, even with clear instruction.)

We joined the British public in the impossible task of mourning the loss of such an important woman while maintaining our dignity in the process. Tradition dictates televisions play BBC news non-stop before mourners rest flowers outside the palaces, taking a moment of quiet reflection in the silent embrace of the crowds.

For those of us not home we have to find other ways to feel included. A small collection of Brits gathered on our D.C. roof-deck for a Paddington Bear double bill; enjoying sausage rolls, curry and Pimm’s before the ironically British weather chased us inside.

Keeping up with the proceedings is easy, though with the time difference a lot occurs before I’ve opened my eyes. The hardest day will be the funeral, taking place on a Monday, a bank (public) holiday for the locals but a little more tricky for those of us peppered across the globe.

D.C. isn’t the worst place to be during this time, it’s globally aware and moderately respectful (the large gay community doesn’t hurt.) But Her Majesty was not without detractors, her last few decades tarnished as Meghan-shaped nails were hammered into a Diana-sized coffin, buried underneath the ghosts of a legacy that comes with a monarchy that was once an empire.

When outside the protection of national grief you feel oddly exposed to critical opinion and cruel jokes and begin to second guess your own choice to mourn.

Her death had been long dreaded. Would the nation be able to survive without her?

When His Majesty King Charles III made his first address; we braced ourselves for a fraud, an imitation monarch. So, when we were instead met with a son battling to stay strong as he grieved his mother, our defenses dropped and we were united, rallying behind him.

For those living in Britain the other changes will be gradual. The National Anthem will sound strange, and our money will look foreign. For the rest of us the changes will be a bit more jarring, but we’ll have a cup of tea to steady our nerves and persevere.

To write a piece like this is not easy, it seems almost naive to form opinions based on a public persona. Luckily for me I was able to meet Her Majesty and speak with her for a brief couple of minutes when she visited my university. As I explained to her in moderate detail my task, I was met with a look of interest that was equal parts understanding and fascination. I couldn’t help but think that she wanted to be there, to learn more about her subjects so she could perform her duties just that little bit better.

And it’s the level of respect she showed us that I will never forget.

Madam, Your Majesty, thank you.

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JAMES FINN

is a columnist for the Los Angeles Blade, a former Air Force intelligence analyst, and an alumnus of Queer Nation and Act Up NY. Reach him at jamesfinnwrites@gmail.com.

Texas Christians attack AIDS prevention drugs Universal at-risk access means an end to the epidemic

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Isn’t it weird that conservative Christians once were the main obstacle to fighting AIDS? Remember how Jesus healed the sick without moral judgment? How he exhorted his followers to love all people as neighbors, even the hated Romans and Samaritans? I learned that in Sunday school as a conservative Christian child, which made my years fighting AIDS in Act Up feel weird and dissonant.

You’d think followers of Jesus would have united to push for treatment and prevention, but that’s the opposite of what happened.

While my friends and family were dying in staggering numbers, the people fighting the hardest against treatment and prevention were ALWAYS conservative Christians — Roman Catholic priests and Evangelical leaders preaching moral condemnation of queer people. They preached that if we just stopped “sinning” we’d be fine, so society shouldn’t waste a penny on us.

As reported in the Los Angeles Blade, Federal District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled yesterday in favor of Braidwood Management, a Texas business that describes itself as Christian and claims the “right” not to “pay for homosexuality.”

Braidwood Management challenged a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obama Care) that requires employer health insurance policies to cover PrEP, an anti-HIV drug formulation that prevents HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS) at a rate close to 100%.

Braidwood and their lawyer claim that since Christians do not commit homosexual acts or take IV drugs, Christians are not at risk for AIDS. Therefore, Braidwood should not have to spend money to cover HIV prevention.

O’Connor handed down three specific findings to support his ruling, one of which directly affirms Braidwood’s argument that their religious liberty has been infringed, that Braidwood has a religious right not to pay for treatment that prevents AIDS. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), the ruling could eventually gut routine healthcare prevention coverage across the board in the U.S. I have decades of experience in AIDS prevention education, so let me give you a basic overview of the pandemic. Please feel free to skip down to the next section if you don’t need a primer.

AIDS, which used to be almost 100% lethal, first came to the attention of doctors in the early 1980s. AIDS is caused by HIV, a virus we now know started circulating in the U.S. by as early as the early ’60s and certainly by the mid ’70s.

Before effective treatment became possible in about 1996, nearly three quarters of a million Americans died, most of them gay or bisexual men who contracted HIV through sex with other men. Meanwhile in Africa, HIV slowly infected a staggering proportion of the continent’s population, as many as one in five adults in some regions of southern Africa, where transmission was and remains primarily heterosexual.

No vaccine exists to prevent HIV infection, and while several are in early safety trials, experts do not think we’ll have one in the near future. The most promising vaccines being tested offer something like a 40% efficacy rate, so even if approved, a vaccine will be a very useful prevention tool, not a silver bullet.

But anti-retroviral drugs like PrEP ALREADY offer something like a silver bullet. Treatment and prevention drugs are tools that let us strangle HIV circulation and end the pandemic without a vaccine.

The consensus U.S. (and Canadian/European/UK/Australian) public health strategy for ending the epidemic is combination drug treatment: Treatment to nearly eliminate the possibility of transmitting HIV among the 1.2m Americans 5 already positive, and …

PrEP to nearly eliminate the possibility of contracting HIV among at-risk people.

The U.S. CDC announced in 2019 a goal to effectively end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by 2030. We’re well on our way to meeting that goal, but PrEP is an essential part of the plan. Without PrEP, the plan fails.

Unlike all other industrialized nations, the U.S. lacks a healthcare network guaranteeing treatment to all. We make due with a patchwork “system” of private-employer and government programs (like Medicare/Medicaid) that leave many vulnerable people out in the cold.

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‘Monarch’s’ hot butterfly: an interview with Kevin Cahoon

Out actor/singer on Fox’s new show and falling in love with Beth Ditto Fox’s new musical nighttime soap opera “Monarch” is to country music as the network’s “Empire” was to hip-hop.

Complete with over-the-top characters, familial intrigue, infidelity, and tragedy. Oh, and a few queer characters, too. Among those characters is hair and makeup artist Earl, played by out actor and singer Kevin Cahoon. In addition to occasionally being the much-needed source of comic relief, Earl also plays the irreplaceable best friend of country music queen Dottie Roman, played by none other than Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon. Fortunately for us, Kevin was kind enough to make time in his schedule to answer a few questions.

By GREGG SHAPIRO

a real person named Earl Cox. He is the premier hairstylist to every country star you can ever imagine. So, the (“Monarch”) creator, Melissa London Hilfers, saw his place in their world and thought, “Let’s create a character that is inspired by him.” So, it’s loosely inspired, but she ran with it. I (Earl) have worked for the family for decades. I have been the best friend of Dottie Roman, played by Susan Sarandon.

The series evolves when you get to episodes six, seven, and eight, more is revealed as to what Earl knows, and how long he’s been around. He lives on the ranch (The Brambles) with the family. We shot on this incredible 140-acre ranch right outside of Atlanta. It was a dream. The job was a dream. I’m praying that I continue to have more of that dream [laughs]. We’ll see what happens when it gets to season two.

BLADE: I first became aware of you as a performer via your music and your band Ghetto Cowboy. Your debut alKEVIN CAHOON stars as Earl in the new Fox series ‘Monarch.’ bum “Doll” won an OutMusic Award in 2006. When you (Photo credit: FOX) BLADE: I’m so glad you said what you did about Earl look back at that time, how do you feel about it? and Dottie. There is a palpable exchange of affectionate KEVIN CAHOON: That’s one of the proudest achievefeelings between them. Would you agree that without their gay hair and makeup peoments I’ve ever had in my life; winning an OutMusic Award for “Doll.” It really is! It’s ple, most country divas would end up looking like Marjorie Taylor Greene? on every bio, every résumé. I was so proud to have received it because, in a way, I was CAHOON: Gay people are the motor in the pickup truck of the country music induscoming from the theater, and to do this as my first foray into music, creating rock ‘n’ roll try. I say that Earl Clark showed up to The Brambles with a suitcase full of rhinestones and pop songs; it just felt like the warmest embrace. I was so honored to receive that. and a dream. His dream was to be in show business. To be close to an iconic diva of That whole period of my life, with Ghetto Cowboy, and playing all of those incredible country music, which is Dottie Roman, played by Susan and he enjoys being that close to venues, like Don Hill and CBGB’s. To have been a part of that and to have been a part of the first lady, and he enjoys his place as the major domo gatekeeper. He will do anything the queer music scene at that time felt special. The LGBTQIA community is still moving he has to do to retain that position. I think he loves getting dressed up. In the show, they forward, trying to gain equality across the board. But at that time this was (during) “don’t have a fantastic rockabilly hairstyle for me and great, sparkly clothes. I told the wardrobe ask, don’t tell.” This was before marriage equality. and hair team that he enjoys getting made-up just as much as he enjoys making Dottie up. That should be part of his essence. That he loves to be seen and he loves to show off BLADE: The early 2000s. and I think they accomplished that with their incredible wardrobe and hair.

KC: Yes, it was even before “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The culture had no understanding about this music and these people that really were making this music. So, it really felt like BLADE: Is there any possibility of Earl having a love interest? the outsiders were crashing their way through the door. I even felt that way naming the CAHOON: There is. If a season two happens, I think that that is in the pipeline. band Ghetto Cowboy. I thought, “People who are disenfranchised and pushed to the outskirts of society are forced to live in a ghetto.” Whether it’s a Jewish ghetto or a SpanBLADE: The queer energy in “Monarch” is powerful with you and singer/songwriter ish ghetto or African American, or even rural people in Appalachia or in rural parts of Beth Ditto, who plays Dottie’s and Albie’s (Trace Adkins) daughter Gigi, representing for this country, they are pushed, pushed, pushed to the boundaries. By naming the band us. What is it like working with Beth? that I thought, “Oh, this is what it is. We’re gonna come in. We’re gonna be cowboys in CAHOON: We fell in love immediately. I’m from Texas, Beth is from Arkansas. We fell this and we are going to stake our claim from the outside.” It was an incredible moment, in love over Zoom. That’s how much I love her. She said to me over the Zoom, “Oh, I can and it was so exciting, and it was one of the greatest times of my life. tell I’m gonna fall in love with you.” And I said, “Well, I’ve been in love with you for years because I know who you are. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”

BLADE: Have you had the time to work on any new original music?

We have a daily text exchange, Beth and I, which I cherish, and it happens late at night, CAHOON: I haven’t, and I want to. I think about it all the time. It’s coming, I promise. I usually, because we’re both night owls. This text exchange can be about how much we have an idea for the long-awaited second album [laughs]. both love Ritz crackers [laughs]. It can go deep, or it can go surface. But I love her and I cherish her, and I’m so lucky that I’ll have her in my life for the rest of my life.

BLADE: As you mentioned, at the same time you were making this music, you were doing a lot of theater and have continued to focus on your acting career. Would you say BLADE: Could there someday be a creative collaboration between Kevin and Beth? you’re a singer who acts or an actor who sings?

CAHOON: Yes! Come on. I would just die and go to heaven. That would be a dream.

CAHOON: I would say that I’m an actor who sings. Even with the rock ‘n’ roll, it was Maybe we can come up with a song for the show. coming from a place of character, and a place of story. I felt like I was playing a character when I was fronting my band.

BLADE: Fantastic. Will “Monarch”’s audience ever have a chance to hear you sing?

CAHOON: Well, I hope that’s another thing in season two. Let’s get a boyfriend and BLADE: You’re currently in the new Texas-set Fox series “Monarch” in which you play let’s get a song.

Earl Clark. What was it about the character of Earl that appealed to you as an actor?

CAHOON: First of all, it’s a network series with Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins.

BLADE: “Monarch” is set in Texas. As a Houston native, how do you feel about the way That was a giant appeal. As an actor, I was connected to the world because I grew up in Texas is depicted in “Monarch,” as well as in other shows set in the state?

Texas, I grew up in the rodeo and I have a real soft spot for it, if there’s a pair of cowboy CAHOON: Texas is such an interesting place. Because you have these hotbeds of boots and a cowboy hat, I’m gonna grab them and put them on. I love the whole aesliberal progressiveness. thetic. I love the world. I love the outsider going out into the plains and staking a claim for himself. That’s the world of “Monarch.” This show biz, country-western family. It is the BLADE: Austin. juiciest of fun soap operas you could ever imagine.

CAHOON: Austin, Houston, Dallas. Then, on the outskirts, it’s pretty red. But I do have to say that within those red pockets, LGBTQIA peoBLADE: It’s very much in the mold of a classic nighttime soap opera. ple are there. They are part of the fabric. They are accepted, they are CAHOON: It is! In the greatest way. Who doesn’t love that? We all loved “Desperate beloved. They are part of the world.

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THEATER

A diverse fall theater season underway in D.C.

Exploring the American workplace, Moms Mabley, abortion access, and more

By PATRICK FOLLIARD At Signature Theatre in Arlington, the fall season has already kicked off with Ethan Lipton’s “No Place to Go” (through Oct. 16), a commentary on the sad state of working in America starring Bobby Smith backed by a cool trio of musicians. In a stunning performance, Smith plays George, a writer/musician juggling artistic pursuits and a day job as an information refiner. When the unfeeling company decides to streamline, George must decide whether to remain in the city that never sleeps or follow his “permanent part-time job” to Mars.

Smartly staged by Signature’s artistic director Matthew Gardiner, the show runs a brisk, effective, and entertaining 90 minutes. With the feel of a nightclub act squeezed into an office, George, the band’s front man, stands mostly center stage, bookended by a standard issue desk and a large copy machine. “No Place to Go” proves a wonderful vehicle for Smith, allowing the out actor to demonstrate his sensational singing range, comedic gifts, and depth as an actor. Sigtheatre.org GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights presents “Revoltosa”/ “The Troublemaker” (through Oct. 2) helmed by out director José Luis Arellano. Alternating between song and Spanish spoken word (with English subtitles), this popular zarzuela is at its heart “a story about an outspoken woman who upturns traditions with her neighbors and delights in exposing social hypocrisies.” Galatheatre.org At Anacostia Arts Center, award-winning performer Charisma Wooten is reprising her celebrated comedy cabaret, “A Night with Jackie ‘Moms’ Mabley” (Sept.

23 – Oct. 9), presented by Essential Theatre. For decades Mabley killed it playing man-hungry Moms, shuffling around stages in a housecoat and slippers. Offstage, often outfitted in silk shirts and trousers with a showgirl on her arm, the famed groundbreaking Black comedian was out to friends and colleagues. Theessentialtheatre.org North Bethesda’s Strathmore Music Center boasts a fall lineup including, among many offerings, music collective Sweet Honey in the Rock (Sept. 16), famed Bossa Nova phenom Sergio Mendes (September 29), and “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” (Nov. 20-22). Strathmore.org At Ford’s Theatre, esteemed out director Michael Wilson is staging Horton Foote’s “The Trip to Bountiful” (Sept. 23 – Oct. 16), an American classic about going home. The much-anticipated (by me for sure) production features D.C. great Nancy Robinette as Carrie Watts, an elderly woman determined to return to her rural hometown. The cast also includes Joe Mallon as Carrie’s overly protective son Ludie, and Kimberly Gilbert as his selfish wife Jessie Mae. Fordstheatre.org Shakespeare Theatre Company opens its season with Tony-winning Mary Zimmerman’s “The Notebooks of Leonarda da Vinci” (Sept. 29 – Oct. 23). Composed entirely of words from da Vinci’s notebooks, the piece brings his glorious genius to vivid life. Shakespearetheatre.org Spooky Action Theatre’s autumn offering is gay playwright Jordan Harrison’s “Maple and Vine” (Sept. 29 –

Oct. 23) a play about a disillusioned urban couple who in pursuit of happiness forsake contemporary trappings for a more 1950s lifestyle. Spookyaction.org

BOBBY SMITH in ‘No Place to Go’ at Signature Theatre.

(Photo by Christopher Mueller)

Mosaic Theater Company opens its fall season with playwright Ifa Bayeza’s “The Till Trilogy” (Oct. 4 – Nov. 20). The three plays (“The Ballad of Emmett Till,” “Benevolence,” and the world premiere “That Summer in Sumner”) reflect on the life, death, and legacy of young Emmett Till, whose senseless murder in 1955 Jim Crow South remains a pivotal moment in American history.

The long-awaited production directed by Talvin Wilks, features ten actors performing in rotating repertory. Included in the cast are talented out actors Vaughn Ryan Midder and Jaysen Wright.

Arena Stage opens the fall season with “Holiday” (Oct. 7 – Nov. 6), a sparkling romantic comedy penned by Philip Barry, followed by retiring artistic director Molly Smith’s directorial adieu “My Body No Choice” (Oct. 20 through Nov. 6), some of America’s leading female playwrights share what choice means to them, through the telling of fiction and non-fiction stories rooted in personal experi-

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ence. Arenastage.org The DMV fall season is more than peppered with plays

by Lynn Nottage, the African-American Pulitzer Prize winner whose work frequently highlights the struggles of working class and marginalized people. Below are two.

At 1st Stage in Tysons, out director Jose Carrasquillo is staging Nottage’s “Mlima’s Tale” (through Oct. 2), a story about an elderly poached elephant whose magnificent ivory tusks embark on a journey across the world, introducing characters connected to the ivory trade. 1ststage. org Theatre J has tapped talented Paige Hernandez to direct Nottage’s “Intimate Apparel” (Oct. 19 – Nov. 13). Set on New York’s Lower East Side circa 1905, it’s the story of Esther, an African-American seamstress, who while sewing lingerie yearns for romance, particularly with one Orthodox Jewish fabric merchant. Theaterj.org With “Judy” (October 22), the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington celebrates the music of the incomparable legend Judy Garland. Fourteen soloists plucked from the Chorus will share stories and sing her tunes, including favorites like “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “The Man That Got Away,” and “Happy Days are Here Again.” Gmcw.org At Olney Theatre, Clare Barron’s off-Broadway hit “Dance Nation” (Sept. 28 – Oct. 30) follows a tweenage dance team from Liverpool, Ohio, as they compete for the top prize at the Boogie Down Grand Prix. Actors of varied ages — including excellent out actor MaryBeth Wise — portray the girls (and one boy) as adolescents and their future adult selves. Not for kids.

And for theatergoers who missed it last season, Olney Theatre is remounting its terrific production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” (Nov. 9 through Jan. 1, 2023).

And fortunately for audiences, out actor Jade Jones, a self-described queer, plus-sized Black woman, is reprising her star turn as Belle. Olneytheatre.org Finally, Theatre Washington has announced the return of Theatre Week, a three-week celebration of the launch of the 2022-2023 theater season in D.C. Theatre Week will be held Sept. 22-Oct. 9, and will offer shows at discounted prices, a Kickoff Fest and Concert on the Southwest waterfront, and other community events.

The 2022 Theatre Week Kickoff Fest and Concert will take place on Saturday, Sept. 24 on the Waterfront in Southwest. The Fest from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Arena Stage (1101 Sixth St. SW), will feature performances, workshops, conversations, free locally made food & drinks, giveaways, and more. The Kickoff Concert will follow on the floating stage (Transit Pier) on the Wharf, and will feature performances from D.C.-area theater luminaries.

Both events are free with registration through Goldstar, the official ticketing partner of Theatre Week.

Throughout Theatre Week, more than 20 area productions will offer discounted tickets at $22, $33, $44 through Goldstar. More information on Theatre Week shows, events, and registration is available at theatreweek.org.

2022-2023 FALL SEASON Revoltosa

Variaciones d e la zarzuela de 1897 para e l hoy In this popular zarzuela (akin to an operetta), bri with secret jeal mming ousies and desi res, an outspoke woman delights n in exposing soci al hypocrisies.

A classical battl e of the sexes w ith unforgettab le music!

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Six contem porary film s by emerg from the M ing directo exican Gold rs and a cla en Age. ssic Join us for exclusive ta lkbacks wit directors, a h producers nd experts , artists, , and recep tions after the screen NOV 30 ings.

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DINING

D.C.’s creative culinary scene thriving post-pandemic The Wharf continues to expand and other highlights

By EVAN CAPLAN Colorful foliage, colorful openings: While the dining industry has struggled under the weight of the pandemic, staffing shortages, supply chain crises, inflation, and a spate of closings over the summer, the spirit of colorful creativity in the District hasn’t slowed. This fall, we look forward to visiting brand-new ideas, creative concept changes, additional spots from beloved chefs, an ever-expanding Wharf, and more. Note that some of these restaurants have opened already, while others have planned opening dates through the rest of the year.

Bar Spero

From the owner of Georgetown’s tasting-menu Michelin-starred Reverie comes Bar Spero to the Capitol Crossing complex. Taking inspiration from San Sebastian, Spain, Bar Spero is named for its owner and chef Johnny Spero, with a dynamic energy, modern dishes, raw bar, and fiery grill that touches nearly all the dishes. Check out highlights like grilled imported Spanish turbot and lobster knuckle tossed right on the embers.

Butter Me Up

The little bakery that could is now opening its second brick-and-mortar shop just off 14th Street, N.W. The breakfast sandwich concept that began as a pop-up in May 2020 at HalfSmoke is now plating its celebrated breakfast sammies on toasted brioche butter rolls baked daily, as well as superfood bowls, toasts, and tots. On the liquid side, look to house-pressed juices, smoothies, and brunch cocktails.

Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips and Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen

Michelin-starred and TV shouter Gordon Ramsay is anchoring himself twice over on the expanding Southwest Wharf with new locations of his Fish & Chips and Hell’s Kitchen chains. Fish & Chips is Ramsay’s take on the classic British pub grub, with cod dusted and deep-fried under a crust of custard powder batter. The massive 14,000-sqaure-foot Hell’s Kitchen, with three other U.S. locations, takes cues from Ramsay’s fiery TV show (and personality). The menu will include the British chef’s signatures like Beef Wellington, the “HELL’S KITCHEN Burger,” and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Don’t miss cocktails like the Notes from Gordon (gin, green tea, peach), complete with a message from Chef Ramsay himself.

Le Mont Royal

French disco is back with a vengeance and a Canadian accent in Adams Morgan. With “the idea of a French wine dance party” in mind, the bar will specialize in “juicy” natural wines, grower Champagnes, and funky cocktails. Look out for offbeat plates like poutine with elevated add-on options like truffle, and a foie gras-ice cream-stuffed twinkie. The first floor will feature velvet banquettes for lounge seating; upstairs will include touches like a pool table, large-group seating, and plenty of space for dancing to enjoy the house collection of soul, funk, and disco vinyls.

Nama Ko

14th Street mainstay Tico has closed its doors after eight years, making way for a new concept by the same owner, Michael Schlow. Schlow also operates sushi restaurant Nama and Italian restaurant Alta Strada. Nama Ko will offer a large cellar of Japanese whiskeys and sakes, plus a raw bar, full

D.C. is getting plenty of new restaurants this fall.

entrees, and its spectacular sushi selection with items like foie gras and golden eye snapper.

Nick Stefanelli at The Morrow

NoMa’s sleek new hotel entrant, the Morrow, will house three dining options care of Michelin-starred chef Nicholas Stefanelli, who runs tasting-menu Masseria in nearby Union Market. The ground-floor French-inspired Le Clou is a chic, brasserie-style restaurant (with an adjoining lobby cocktail bar), while the energetic rooftop bar, Upstairs at The Morrow, pours elegant cocktails and offers wide city views. The sophisticated Vesper lounge, with craft cocktails and live music, will open in the winter.

Philippe Chow

Celeb fave Philippe Chow drops down I-95 from Manhattan to another new spot on the Wharf for Chef Chow’s spin on fine-dining Chinese. Known for his modern and theatrical style, Chef Chow’s brings a menu of lavish, Beijing-style dishes like glazed spare ribs and tableside-carved Peking duck. The restaurant features sweeping waterfront views of the Potomac.

Tigerella at Western Market

The creators of celebrated Mt. Pleasant morning Mecca Elle have opened Tigerella in Foggy Bottom’s Western Market. This all-day locale begins with café-style coffee, toasts, and sandwiches, but the dining room adds shareable snacks, meat and cheeses, and Italian entrees. A happy hour will begin soon. Western Market will also soon welcome a fistful of new openings in the coming months, from Alitiko, a Greco-Middle Eastern concept, to ExPat, a sports betting bar, to Hippo Taco, an Asian-fusion concept.

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MOMIX

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS WITH JEFFREY SIEGEL

Virginia Opera

THE VALKYRIE Saturday, Oct 8 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct 9 at 2 p.m.

Wagner’s iconic dramatic opera from his legendary “Ring” cycle

American Pianistic Treasures Sunday, Sept 18 at 7 p.m.

Featuring Gershwin’s solo transcription of Rhapsody in Blue

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NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 9 Pride Night: September 16

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An irreverant musical capitalist critique starring Bobby Smith

NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 16 Pride Night: September 23 Sondheim’s musical fairytale masterpiece

NOVEMBER 8 – JANUARY 29 Pride Night: December 9 A playful comedy about the roles we perform *Minimum opening deposit is $2,500. Maximum deposit $1,000,000. Deposit must originate from a non-Sandy Spring Bank account. Penalties for early withdrawal may apply. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) as of 8/10/22. The annual percentage yield assumes interest is credited monthly and remains on deposit until maturity. A withdrawal of interest will reduce earnings. The 14-Month CD Special will automatically renew for an 18 month term from the initial and each succeeding maturity date at the interest rate then being offered by us for your type of account. For other provisions applicable to your account, please see our Personal or Business Deposit Account and Electronic Banking Agreement, as appropriate for your account, and your Receipt if you are opening an account.

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MUSIC

D.C.’s live music venues are jumpin’ again Lizzo, B-52s, and Bob Mould all coming to town this fall

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE As summer comes to a close, many venues across the DMV are gearing up for their fall entertainment rosters. Below is a list of must-see music acts in the upcoming months.

Mary J. Blige brings her “Good Morning Gorgeous” tour to Capital One Arena on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $69.50 at Tickmaster.com.

Pet Shop Boys and New Order bring their “Unity Tour” to Columbia’s Merriweather Post Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $29.50-169.50 at Merriweather’s website.

7th Annual Law Rocks Washington DC will be on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 6:30p.m. at 9:30 Club. Law Rocks toured first to D.C. in 2015 and has raised more than $615,000. Eight bands of musically brilliant legal professionals will be rocking out to support local nonprofit organizations.

Tickets are available on Law Rocks’s website.

Don’t miss out performer Lil Nas X at the Anthem on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.

Lizzo performs her “Special Tour” at Capital One Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Tickets start at $69.50 at ticketmaster.com.

Panic at the Disco performs its “Viva Las Vengeance” tour at Capital One Arena on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.; tickets at ticketmaster.com.

The legendary B-52s kicked off their farewell tour earlier this summer and it comes to D.C.’s Anthem on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at the Anthem site.

Two Feet: Fall Tour 2022 will be on Monday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. at 9:30 Club. Brothel will be the opening act. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased on 9:30 Club’s website.

Santigold will be performing as part of her Holified Tour on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. at the Fillmore in Silver Spring. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased on the Fillmore’s website.

Fairfax Symphony and Orchestra will be per-

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LIZZO brings her ‘Special Tour’ to D.C. this fall.

forming work from German composer Brahms and Sibelius on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. Jeremy Denk will be on piano, and Christopher Zimmerman will music direct and conduct. Tickets start at $45 and can be purchased on Capital One Hall’s website.

Judah & the Lion will be performing on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. at the Fillmore in Silver Spring. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased on the Fillmore’s website.

Grammy Award-winning singer Steve Lacy will be performing on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Fillmore in Silver Spring. Tickets start at $235 and can be purchased on the Fillmore’s website.

The Reston Chorale, Piedmont Symphony Orchestra and PSO Rock Band will perform “Bohemian Rhapsody: The Music Of Queen (And Friends)” on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. at Capital One Hall. The music acts will perform some of Queen’s greatest hits, including “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” “Under Pressure,” and of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.

Local gay favorite Bob Mould plays at Wolf Trap on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C. will be celebrating the life and legacy of actress Judy Garland with a cabaret titled “Judy” on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. (ASL) and 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. Fourteen select soloists from the Chorus will share stories as they sing their favorite Judy tunes. Songs include “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “The Man That Got Away,” and “Happy Days are Here Again.” Tickets cost $45 and can be ppurchased on GMCWDC’s website.

Morrissey performs at the Anthem on Monday, Nov. 28 at 8 p.m.

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Ask about our Millenium Scholarship and Fall Expeditions for Grades 6-12!

The annual Boat Races are a great example of project-based learning in action!

Our students in grade 8 learn about buoyancy, friction, and velocity while building and then racing their cardboard boats in the Barrie School pool.

Montessori

Age 1 - Grade 5

Project-Based Learning Grades 6-12

Join us to learn more!

Admission Open House Saturday, October 22

Weekly campus tours are available for those who cannot attend Open House.

Our dynamic learning environment enables students to develop a deep understanding of core content and use that knowledge to solve problems, think critically, communicate effectively, and be selfreflective about their learning.

RSVP: barrie.org/admissions

Visit us at barrie.org

Age 1 to Grade 5 | 9:00 – 10:15am Grades 6-12 | 11:00 am – 12:15pm

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

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BALTIMORE

Baltimore arts preview: John Waters, Tina Turner, and more Busy season in Charm City with ‘Hamilton,’ Randy Rainbow among standouts

By ED GUNTS What sort of art does gay writer and filmmaker John Waters collect? Does it reflect his subversive sense of humor and empathy for outsiders? How did he get to be such a savvy art collector?

Fans will get some answers from “Coming Attractions: The John Waters Collection,” an exhibit opening Nov. 20 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. It’s one of many shows and exhibits coming to Baltimore this fall, including the national touring productions of “Hamilton,” “Jagged Little Pill” and “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” and appearances by Randy Rainbow, Trixie Mattel, Chelsea Handler and others.

“Coming Attractions” will feature about 90 works of art selected from 372 works that Waters, a BMA trustee, plans to leave to the museum upon his death. When his donation was announced in 2020, representatives promised the museum would have a preview of what’s to come while Waters was still alive, and this show is it.

Although Waters’s donation to the museum includes works by himself and others, “Coming Attractions” will focus on art he has collected and displayed at his homes in Baltimore, New York City, and San Francisco.

The guest curators are photographer Catherine Opie and artist Jack Pierson, both of whom have been friends with Waters for years and are represented in his collection. The exhibit is organized by Leila Grothe, the museum’s Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. Among the featured works are paintings, sculptures, photographs, and prints by Diane Arbus; Nan Goldin; Mike Kelley; Richard Prince; Cindy Sherman; Gary Simmons; Cy Twombly; Andy Warhol; Christopher Wool and others.

Part of the exhibit is a grouping of works that represent Waters’s relationships with people in the art and film worlds, such as Brigid Berlin; Colin de Land; Cookie Mueller and Warhol. There’s also the first work of art by a non-human that the BMA has ever agreed to display (or add to its collection) – a painting by Betsy the Chimpanzee, who lived and painted at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in the 1950s.

“We have both known John Waters for years as an auteur filmmaker, a writer, an artist, an art collector, and a friend. We are honored to have the opportunity to curate a presentation of his collection, which so richly reflects his personality and imagination,” Opie and Pierson, who both identify as queer, said in a statement.

“Our hope is to share with audiences another aspect of John’s creative vision by offering a glimpse into what he values: artists who are unafraid to take risks, who do not compromise, and who create their art on the margins.”

Waters’s last major show at the BMA was “John Waters: Indecent Exposure,” a retrospective of his own work as a visual artist, which ran from Oct. 7, 2018 to Jan. 6, 2019. “Coming Attractions” will be on view until April 16, 2023.

Other major shows opening this fall at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, include: “Darrell Ellis: Regeneration,” from Nov. 20, 2022 to April 23, 2023. This is the first comprehensive museum exhibition devoted to the work of a multi-faceted artist who died of AIDS-related causes in 1992 at the age of 33. The show is co-organized with The Bronx Museum of the Arts.

“A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” from Oct. 30, 2022 to Jan. 23, 2023. For this exhibition about Black Americans moving from the South to other parts of the United States starting around 1900 and continuing into the 1970s, the BMA and the Mississippi Museum of Art co-commissioned 12 artists to create works that examine the impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life in the United States. Participating artists include: Akea Brionne; Mark Bradford; Zoe Charlton; Larry W. Cook; Tork-

wase Dyson; Theaster Gates Jr.; Allison Janae Hamilton; Leslie Hewitt; Steffani Jemison; Robert Pruitt; James Richmond Edwards and Carrie Mae Weems.

“Baltimore, Addressed: Baker Artist Awards,” from Nov. 13, 2022 to March 12, 2023. Five past winners of the coveted Baker Artist Award — Laura Amussen; David Page; Ernest Shaw; Susan Waters-Eller and Pamela Woolford — respond to “the past, present and imagined future of the city.”

“Omar Ba: Political Animals,” from Nov. 20, 2022 to April 2, 2023. This is the first U.S. museum exhibition of the work of painter Omar Ba, a leading contemporary African artist.

“Stanley Whitney: Dance with Me Henri,” from Nov. 20, 2022 to April 23, 2023. Works on paper by a Philadelphia-born artist whose compositions and use of color and light have strong parallels to the work of Henri Matisse.

More visual arts events: American Visionary Art Museum: The next “mega exhibit” at the American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway, is “ABUNDANCE: Too Much, Too Little, Just Right (Championing good, honest work from the hand and the heart),” from Oct. 8, 2022 to Sept. 2023. The curator is AVAM curatorial and development curator Gage Branda. It’s the first major exhibit at AVAM under new director Jenenne Whitfield, who this month succeeded founding director Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, who retired in April.

Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles St. After cancelling its fall gala last year, the Walters has scheduled its 2022 celebration and fundraiser, An Evening at the Walters, for Oct. 15 from 6 p.m. to midnight. More information about that event and others is on the museum’s website, thewalters.org.

Its current blockbuster, “Activating the Renaissance,” opened in April and continues until February 26, 2023.

The Peale, 225 Holliday St. After a five-year, $5.5 million renovation, Baltimore’s historic Peale Museum reopened in August as The Peale, Baltimore’s Community Museum. Inaugural exhibits include “Spark: New Light,” a collaboration between Towson University and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, featuring the work of more than 20 faculty members and MFA student artists celebrating the building’s reopening with “illuminated and illuminating works of art, until Sept. 25, and Peale Faces, until Aug. 13, 2023, featuring artist and “participatory history specialist” Lauren Muney’s hand-cut silhouette portraits of city residents. More information about Peale events is at ThePealeCenter.org.

Maryland Center for History and Culture: 610 Park Ave. On Nov. 5, the Mount Vernon history center will open “Claire/ McCardell,” a yearlong exhibit about Claire McCardell, an influential designer of women’s clothing from the 1930s to the 1950s and beyond. More information about the history center and its collections is on its website, mdhistory.org.

Performing arts events: Hippodrome Theatre, 12 S. Eutaw St.: Fall shows include Hamilton, October 11 to 30; State Ballet of Ukraine – Swan Lake, November 5; Randy Rainbow: The Pink Glasses Tour, November 11; Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, November 15 to 20; Nutcracker! Magic of Christmas Ballet, December 7 and 8; Paw Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure, December 10 and 11; Little Jagged Pill, December 13 to 18.

Lyric Baltimore, 140 West Mount Royal Avenue: CoComelon Live!, September 16; Trixie and Katya Live, featuring drag stars Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova, September 19; Michael Blackson and Jess Hilarious, September 24; The Price is Right Live, October 7; Baltimore Soul Jam; October 15; Disney Junior Live on Tour, October 21; and Whose Live Anyway?, featuring Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis and Joel Murray, October 29.

Also Joe Gatto Night of Comedy, November 4; Taylor

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Tomlinson, The Have It All Tour, November 5; New Jack City Live On Stage, November 6; Spy Ninjas Live, November 18; Alton Brown Catherine Opie took this portrait-style of Live: Beyond the Eats – the Holiday JOHN WATERS. Variant, November 19; Disney Prin(Image courtesy BMA) cess Concert, November 25; Cameo Featuring the Rolex Band, November 26; Steve-O (from Jackass) The Bucket List Tour, November 30; Steven Crowder and Dave Landau’s Rebel with a Cause Tour, December 3; Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis, December 4, Chelsea Handler, December 15; Eddie B. Teachers Only Comedy Tour, December 16.

Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Avenue: On October 6, drag performer Betty O’Hellno and friends will host two singalong presentations of a 1975 cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Costumes are encouraged. The following two nights, October 7 and 8, Creative Alliance will present “Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror,” a musical performance that promises to take the Rocky Horror experience to “a whole different dimension.” A full calendar of events, including Sidewalk Serenades, Dr. Sketchy’s classes in “life drawing with a twist,” and the popular Art to Dine For series, is at creativealliance.org.

Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert Street: Our Town, September 15 to October 9; Kulu Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble and the Osagyefo Dance Company, September 17; Baltimore Butterfly Sessions, September 19, November 7 and December 5; BCS Sound Check with Michelle J. Rodriquez in Concert, October 21; Ain’t No Mo’ (in association with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), October 27 to November 20; The Rocky Horror Picture Show, featuring EarlOrrin Productions’ Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror, in partnership with Creative Alliance, October 28 and 29; and BCS Sound Check with Eze Jackson in Concert, November 18.

Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette Street: Dinner and Cake, September 6 to October 2; The Lion in Winter, October 18 to November 13; Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, December 6 to January 1, 2023.

Doors Open Baltimore: A popular annual program that allows participants to tour places that aren’t usually open to the public returns on October 1 and 2, with more than 40 sites open this year. Examples include the Arabber Preservation Society; the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower; Chesapeake Shakespeare Theater; the H. L. Mencken House and Humanim at American Brewery. The complete list is at doorsopenbaltimore.org.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: One highlight of the BSO’s fall series is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore on September 16, 1982. To mark the occasion, the BSO has planned a 40th Anniversary Season Opening Celebration for September 17, with Jack Everly as conductor and Ledisi as vocalist. More information about the symphony’s fall schedule is on its website at bsomusic.org.

Baltimore Soundstage, 124 Market Place: Madonna Gaga Britney Dance Party!, September 16; Shrek Rave, September 17; Old 97’s with Vandoliers, September 18; Pusha T, September 20; Wednesday 13, Bag of Humans, Space Lumberjacks, September 22; Dead Like Disco with Brothers Clair, September 23; Maddie & Tae with Sacha and Abbey Cone, September 24; The Get Up Kids, September 27; Nine Inch Naans Tour with Bloodywood, A Killer’s Confession and Iris Divine, September 29; and Japanese Breakfast, September 30.

the trilogy

BY IFA BAYEZA DIRECTED BY TALVIN WILKS

OCT 4–NOV 20 The epic saga of a Civil Rights icon in three dazzling plays THE BALLAD OF EMMETT TILL THAT SUMMER IN SUMNER (world premiere) BENEVOLENCE Tickets & Till Trilogy subscriptions at mosaictheater.org 202.399.7993 x501

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Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight Now open at the National Mall

Follow Raven on a multisensory journey from darkness into light.

Preston Singletary (Tlingit American) tells this Northwest Coast origin story in stunning new glass works.

Organized by the artist and Museum of Glass, Tacoma, Washington. Guest curated by Miranda Belarde-Lewis (Zuni/Tlingit), PhD, and the multisensory visitor experience was designed by zoe | juniper.

Generous support for the exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian provided in part by Dr. Quincalee Brown and Dr. James. P. Simsarian, Uschi and William Butler, and Mary W. Hopkins.

americanindian.si.edu The white raven is a spiritual being. Visitors can follow his journey throughout the exhibition.

Dieit Yéil (White Raven), 2018; blown, hot-sculpted and sand-carved glass; steal stand. Photo by Russell Johnson, Courtesy of Museum of Glass

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REHOBOTH

Fall events in Rehoboth Beach

Everyone’s favorite summer destination keeps the party going

By JACK WALKER As falling temperatures and colorful leaves signal the end of another exciting Rehoboth summer, residents and visitors alike still have much to look forward to in a fall packed with events ranging from performances to parties and more. The Blade has compiled a list of key events in the beach resort this fall to help continue the summer fun into a new season.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 15-20: Other Desert Cities takes to the stages of Clear Space Theatre Company, located at 20 Baltimore Ave. Performances are held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, with an additional matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets range from $20 to $32, and can be purchased online.

Sept. 16: The George Michael Experience, hosted by Todd Alsup, brings back iconic songs and transforms them in the musical stylings of the New York-based singer and songwriter. Held from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Pines, located at 56 Baltimore Ave. Tickets can be purchased online.

Sept. 17: DJ Greggo will host an evening of music and excitement at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, located at 37298 Rehoboth Ave, from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Sept. 24: Riddic, a local DJ, will be performing at a night of fun in Diego’s from 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Sept. 30: ‘90s Night at The Pines brings Mike Flanagan and Lisa Bello to the stage for a live performance and stroll down memory lane. Tickets can be purchased online.

Sundays: Drag Brunch at The Pines brings the weekend to a close as local talent and delicious food come together at 11:30 a.m. each week. Tickets to the event are $15.

Mondays: Flaming Pianos Prime Rib & Show offers an upscale dining experience at The Pines each week for $23.

Tuesdays: Bingo at Blue Moon, located at 35 Baltimore Ave., offers an opportunity for light-hearted fun with this drag recreation of a classic, old fashioned church game from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Fridays: The Spotlight Show at Blue Moon combines good food with spectacular performances from local drag stars. Shows will be held at 7 and 9 p.m.

Saturdays: The Legends Show keeps the weekend busy at Blue Moon, incorporating a cast of celebrity impersonators into a wonderful live singing show held at 7 and 9 p.m.

Saturdays: A Night of Divas, hosted by Mona Lotts and Kristina Kelly each week at The Pines, is a hilarious comedy performance you won’t want to miss. Doors open at 8 p.m., and tickets can be purchased online.

OCTOBER

Oct. 7: Fall in Love with Seth Sikes at this nightclub performance hosted by The Pines, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and tickets available for purchase online.

MAGNOLIA APPLEBOTTOM at the Washington Blade’s Rehoboth Summer Closing Party held at Diego’s Bar and Nightclub on Sept. 9. Diego’s and other venues have events scheduled throughout the fall. (Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Oct. 14 to Oct. 30: Little Shop of Horrors is presented by Clear Space Theatre Company. Performances take place Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, and tickets can be purchased online for $20 to $32.

Oct. 19: The Can’t Fool The Blues concert at The Pines is the best spot for a night of fun and dancing as the Rehoboth jazz band provides musical stylings that blend various genres. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Oct. 21: “Tucking Myself In,” a hilarious comedy show headlined by drag artist Ptown’s Paige Turner, will be the latest addition to the Rehoboth comedy scene. Doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets can be purchased online.

Oct. 28: Rocky Horror Picture Show will be played in an interactive viewing at The Pines, with doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 11 to 13: The Little Mermaid will be shown at Clear Space Theatre for just one weekend in this show spotlighting youth performers. Tickets can be purchased

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online for $20.

Nov. 25 to Dec. 18: Elf: The Musical will ring in the holiday season in this end-of-year musical performance at Clear Space Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online for $20 to $32.

Clear Space announces new season

Clear Space Theatre announced its upcoming season at its annual gala on Sunday night held at the Rehoboth Beach Country Club. Among next season’s shows are “The Spongebob Musical,” the beloved “Kinky Boots,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Godspell,” “Damn Yankees,” and an exclusive new work produced just for Clear Space by alumnus Wesley Cappiello slated for June.

Dogfish Head brewery founder Sam Calagione and his wife Mariah were on hand at Sunday’s gala to accept an award for their support. The new Clear Space season kicks off in January with a production of Stephen King’s “Misery.”

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BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE A DA P T E D A N D D I R E C T E D BY AARON POSNER & TELLER Produced in collaboration with Folger Theatre

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EVENTS

Post-pandemic fall events will keep you busy in D.C. SMYAL Brunch, HRC Nat’l Dinner return along with regional Prides

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Fall means cooler temperatures make it more bearable to go out to town and enjoy all that D.C. has to offer. Below is a list of select fall events you should check out.

BIG FREEDIA headlines Virginia Pride later this month.

(Photo via BigStock)

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Dacha Garden will welcome the fall season with Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept.

17 at 12 p.m. at Dacha Shaw. The Bavarian revelry will continue at 2 p.m. at Dacha Navy Yard with costumes, contests, and a live concert featuring Oktoberfest Queen and Yodeling Superstar Manuela Horn, Capital Chill Band, and Dacha’s own Polka band. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Virginia Pride is slated for Sept. 23-25 in Richmond. Big Freedia and stars of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will perform. Visit vapride.org for information.

Team Rayceen Productions will host Art All Night on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the DC Housing Finance Agency. There will be live music, dance contests and visual artists will sell and create art. This event is free and open to the public, and more details are available on Team Rayceen’s website.

Sparkle, a queer-friendly open-mic poetry night at Busboys & Poets is slated for Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., 2021 14th St., N.W. SMYAL’s 25th Annual Fall Brunch will be on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Marriott Marquis in D.C. This event includes a cocktail reception featuring a fabulous silent auction, a three-course brunch, and a chance to hear from some of our community’s most inspiring leaders. Tickets start at $175 and can be purchased on SMYAL’s website.

“Crossroads, Detours, & Exits” is a personal interrogation from JR “Nexus” Russ of his identities, particularly being Black, Filipino American and Queer, Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) at 3:30 p.m.

Author Kevin Mallinson will discuss “Alarm in the Firehouse: a Memoir of America’s First Openly Gay Firefighter” on Monday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Library. Mallinson’s book highlights the importance of personal values and a sense of humor when facing adversity. Registration is required for this event and more details are available on the library’s website.

The inaugural Laurel Pride will be held 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Granville Gude Park in Laurel, Md. Harrisonburg Pride is set for Saturday, Oct. 8, 1-5 p.m. in Court Square in Harrisonburg, Va. HoCo Pride celebrates the LGBTQ community in Howard County, Md., on Sunday, Oct. 9 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, 10431 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia.

Safe Place International will host Coming Out Celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. at Moxy DC. This event will connect the D.C. community with global leaders and spotlight stories of inspiration and explore what made D.C.’s LGBTQ refugee community resilient, compassionate, and ready to change the world.

Tickets start at $50 and can be purchased on Safe Place’s website.

Mix & Mingle with the Maryland Black Chamber and Maryland LGBT Chamber, Oct. 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at EKO House, 150 Gibbs St., Rockville, MD. The Washington Blade will host the 2022 Best of LGBTQ DC Awards Party on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at Wild Days at Eaton DC. This event is sponsored by ABSOLUT, PEPCO, The Eaton DC, and the Washington Regional Transplant Community. Attendees should be at least 21 years old. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased via washingtonblade.com.

The Reel Affirmations LGBTQ Film Festival is scheduled for Oct. 21-24. More information is available at the DC Center for the LGBT Community website.

Live Tour: Under the Rainbow + High Heel Race will be on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at 748 Jackson Place, N.W. This event is a queer history walking tour exploring the gay community from war heroes to modern day human rights activists. Individual tickets are $35 and can be purchased via capitalpride.org. The annual High Heel Race will begin after the tour.

After a two-year hiatus, Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner will return on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This fundraising dinner will help fuel the work for equality that HRC does. For more information, visit HRC’s website.

District of the Dead delivers a fright-filled Halloween Weekend at three D.C. venues: BLISS Nightclub, Ivy City Smokehouse, and SAX. Three events over three days. Visit Kinetic’s website for ticket information.

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TV

Fall TV offers vampires, royals, and return to Gilead ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ even more essential after fall of Roe

By JOHN PAUL KING Once upon a time, TV premieres were the province of fall, and there was something INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (AMC, Oct. 2) exciting about seeing all the new titles unveiled. In the streaming era, of course, new For the many devoted followers of author Anne Rice, who sadly passed away at 80 last shows debut all year long – but we think there’s still a special excitement surrounding December, this one is huge. Ever since it was first published in 1976, Rice’s gothic tale of the ones that come out at this time of year. Call us old-fashioned. a New Orleans vampire revealing his 200-year history as a denizen of the night has been Here’s our list of the shows we think you’ll find watch-worthy: embraced by queer fans, who saw their own outsider experience reflected in its sensual and sensitive cast of undead protagoTHE HANDMAID’S TALE (Hulu, Sept. nists. The novel spawned an entire series 14) of books – “The Vampire Chronicles” – The critically acclaimed and poputhat enriched and expanded the stories lar series based on Margaret Atwood’s of her beloved characters and spread chillingly prescient dystopian novel just them across a vast historical landscape, dropped the first episode of its fifth seaand branched off into other sagas popson, in which now-escaped refugee June ulated by more of Rice’s supernatural (Emmy-winner Elisabeth Moss, “Mad creations; a 1994 film adaptation starMen,” “Top of the Lake,” “The Invisible ring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, though Man”) works from afar to be reunited successful, felt straight-washed to many with her daughter, while her co-conof Rice’s readers (and the less said about spirators in theocratic Gilead find an 2002’s “Queen of the Damned,” the betunlikely ally in Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd). ter), but series creator Rollin Jones has Meanwhile, Serena Waterford (Yvonne already promised his new adaptation – Strahovski), now a widow in Toronto after modernized from the original’s mid-70s the violent end met by her husband at setting – will be true to the queer subthe end of season four, attempts to raise text of the author’s original work. The her profile as her homeland’s influence involvement of Christopher Rice (the spreads into Canada. The ominous tooauthor’s son) as an executive producer close-to-home quality that made this sebodes well that such promises will be ries tough-but-essential viewing during SAM REID and KACOB ANDERSON star in an updated ‘Interview with the Vampire.’ honored. Starring “Game of Thrones” fathe Trump years has taken on a renewed vorite Jacob Reid as Louis and Australian power with the fall of Roe v. Wade, which actor Sam Reid as Lestat, the 8-episode first season will also feature Bailey Bass, Assad means its latest (and possibly final) installment will likely be a must-watch for more auZaman, Eric Bogosian, Chris Stack, Maura Grace Athari, and Kalyne Coleman. diences than ever. Also starring Max Minghella, Bradley Whitford, O-T Fagbenle, Samira Wiley, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, and Sam Jaeger.

THE YOUNG ROYALS (Netflix, Nov. 2) The popular Swedish teen drama about the inconvenient romance between young MONARCH (Fox, Sept. 20) Prince Wilhelm and his classmate Simon (Edvin Ryding and Omar Rudberg, respectiveSelf-described as “a Texas-sized, multi-generational musical drama about America’s ly) returns for a second season that sees its protagonist embarking on a plan of revenge leading family of country music” and starring Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon “Dead Man meant to win back Simon’s trust, giving rise to complications that threaten the entire Walking,” Thelma & Louise,” “Feud”) as a “tough-as-nails” country music legend, this monarchy. ambitious new offering from creator/writer/executive producer Melissa London Hilfers features a lesbian couple among its principal characters and looks to be cut from the PLANET SEX WITH CARA DELVINGNE (Hulu, Nov. 18) same guilty-pleasure cloth as all the classic primetime soaps the queer community has For those with a taste for the provocative, there’s this promising docuseries, in which always loved. The saga of a fictional country music dynasty with superstars Dottie and model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne goes for a deep dive into some of the biggest Albie Roman at its center, it promises plenty of scandal, sex, bad behavior, and music questions about sexuality. According to publicity materials, the show is an “immersive (both original songs and covers) as it unwinds the secrets and lies at the heart of their journey” in which the star “puts her mind and body on the line in search of answers success and forces them to protect the family legacy – from both rivals and each other. regarding human sexuality, its joys, mysteries, and constantly changing nature.” DelevFeaturing multi-Platinum country music star and three-time ACM winner Trace Adkins as ingne, who appeared in a recurring role on the second season of Hulu’s “Only Murders Sarandon’s other half, the series also stars Anna Friel, Joshua Sasse, Beth Ditto, Meagan in the Building” opposite friend Selena Gomez, came out as pansexual in 2020, telling Holder, Inigo Pascual, Martha Higareda, and Emma Milani.

Variety, “Growing up, I didn’t really see many people like me, so I’m just really grateful to be one of those people representing.” We can get behind that, and we’ll be watching REBOOT (Hulu, Sept. 20) when the show drops later this fall.

From “Modern Family” creator Steven Levitan comes this good-naturedly irreverent In addition to these, there’s A TRIO OF SHOWS from Netflix with TBD Premiere Dates: (and queer-inclusive) send-up of the Hollywood entertainment machine featuring “CraEAST-BAKE BATTLE - Season 1 of a new culinary competition show hosted by “Queer zy Ex-Girlfriend” star Rachel Bloom as a TV writer who gets greenlighted on her pitch for Eye” heartthrob Antoni Porowski. a revival of a beloved sitcom from the early 2000s – a dream come true, until her hopes DEAD END: PARANORMAL PARK - The delightful animated adventure based on for a more “woke” update of the outdated classic are threatened by the involvement of Hamish Steele’s graphic novels about a transgender boy named Barney and his friends, the show’s original creator (Paul Reiser, “Mad About You”). Making things even more who secretly work as the “demon cleanup crew” at a haunted theme park returns for a unpredictable is the original cast (Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, second season. Real-life trans actor Zach Barach provides the voice of Barney. and Calum Worthy), whose complicated history of offscreen relationships and personal WENDELL & WILD - Animated denizens of the underworld also inhabit this new dysfunctions is part of the package deal that comes with reuniting them to reprise their stop-motion series from collaborators Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”) roles. Fast, funny, and full of the rapid-fire comic zingers Levitan’s shows are famous for, and Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) about a scheming pair demon brothers trying to be sumit’s a shrewd and deliciously “meta” satire that pokes fun of all the usual Hollywood flaws moned into the Land of the Living by a guilt-ridden 13-year-old. Voice and foibles – not to mention currently raging generational conflict of attitudes and valtalent includes Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Lyric Ross, Angela Bassett, ues – while making sure its gallery of goofy-but-lovable characters are always the main James Jong, Ving Rhames, and trans actor Sam Zelaya. attraction. This one is a definite gem.

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FILM

After months of hype, ‘Bros,’ ‘My Policeman’ ready to debut Fall film season offers big-budget rom-com, a trans Pinhead, and more

By JOHN PAUL KING This has been a year with an unprecedented number of big titles featuring LGBTQ characters and stories, and given the amount of regressive backlash our community continues to receive from the socially conservative (i.e. bigoted homophobic) crowd, that’s a comforting thing. As we push closer to the year’s close, there are admittedly fewer stand-out offerings on deck for queer viewers – but the ones that are on their way give us plenty to look forward to, anyway. Our list of titles to look for is below:

BLONDE (Sept. 16) Marilyn Monroe is a Hollywood icon who always held a special place in the hearts of the LGBTQ community; maybe it has something to do with being exploited for her talent and beauty while still being marginalized in a hetero-masculine world. Whatever the reason, queer film buffs should be keen to see this screen adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ classic bestselling novel, which boldly fictionalizes Monroe’s life and re-imagines it as a parable about the fate of women in a culture that treats their bodies as a commodity. Following Monroe from her volatile childhood, it blurs fact and fiction as it charts her rise to stardom, emphasizing the ever-widening split between her public and private personas that led to her tragic end. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, the film stars Cuban actress Ana de Armas as Marilyn, with Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel, and Evan Williams; it premieres in theaters on the 16th, followed by a debut on Netflix – which produced it – on Sept. 28.

PETER VON KANT (Sept. 21) Already given a limited theatrical release on Sept. 2, this French romantic drama from writer/director François Ozon was the opening film at February’s Berlin Film Festival and has been eagerly awaited by hardcore film geeks ever since. The reason? It’s a reinterpretation of the play by Rainier Werner Fassbinder, “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant,” which the legendary queer filmmaker himself originally adapted for the screen in 1972 to create a revered classic of European cinema that broke ground for its depiction of same-sex relationships. Now, Ozon has re-imagined the story by swapping the gender of its protagonist – which changes everything yet nothing in this S&M-tinged tale of narcissistic hedonism and obsessive desire. It stars Denis Ménochet in the title role, with an ensemble of players that features Isabelle Adjani, Khalil Gharbia, Stéfan Crépon, and Aminthe Audiard – as well as Hanna Schygulla, the German film legend who also appeared in Fassbinder’s original movie. You might still be able to find a big screen showing somewhere near you, if you’re lucky. Otherwise, don’t worry; you’ll be able to find it streaming VOD from starting on Sept. 22.

THE DREAMLIFE OF GEORGIE STONE (Sept. 22) We don’t often include short films in our preview lists – an oversight we frequently find ourselves regretting – but this one deserves your attention. Spanning 19 years, it tells the story of Georgie, an Australian transgender teen, and follows her on her journey to adulthood as she helps to change laws, affirms her gender, and finds her voice along the way.

Directed by Maya Donna Newell (“Gayby Baby”) as an effort to push back against Australian conservative voices who pointed at children like herself, who grew up with queer and trans parents, as an argument against the country’s movement for marriage equality, it’s the result of a six-year collaborative process (with Georgie and her mom, Rebekah Robertson) that only lasts for 29 minutes – but it’s 29 minutes of inspirational, queer-affirming content you’ll want to experience.

BROS (Sept. 30) Certainly the buzziest LGBTQ title of the year, the ferociously funny Billy Eichner’s romcom about two commitment-challenged men and their attempt to have a relationship has already gotten us excited for its debut by way of a teaser trailer full of laugh-out-loud moments. Written by Eichner, who also stars (opposite rom-com veteran Luke Macfarlane), it’s the first time an openly gay man has been able to co-write and star in his own major studio film; not one to be content with that milestone, he went a step further by casting every principal role – even the heterosexual ones – with queer actors. Apart from these notable points, it will be interesting to see how a queer-themed romance will succeed with mainstream audiences; but there are many purely entertaining reasons to look forward to this Nicholas Stoller-directed romp, which also features TS Madison, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Diaz, Guy Branum, Amanda Bearse, Bowen Yang, Benito Skinner, Matthew Wilkas, Jai Rodriguez, Dot-Marie Jones, and a host of other familiar queer faces. It’s worth mentioning that veteran comedy filmmaker Judd Apatow was co-executive producer (alongside Stoller and Eichner), but though his pedigree is appreciated as a part of the joint effort it took to get this history-making Hollywood romance to the screen, it’s bursting with 5 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 1 6 , 2 0 2 2

so much talent already that his involvement is only icing on the cake.

HELLRAISER (Hulu, Oct. 7) Clive Barker’s 1987 classic horror film (based on his 1986 novella, “The Hellbound Heart”) gets a few new twists in this remake by director David Bruckner, which will premiere on Hulu as part of the streaming platform’s “Huluween” celebration. In this re-imagined and updated version, the story follows a drug-addicted young woman who comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, learning too late that its purpose is to summon a group of sadistic supernatural beings called the Cenobites from the hellish dimension they call home. Inherently queer from the start (Barker himself, who serves as one of the Trans actress JAMIE CLAYTON stars as Pinhead in Hulu’s remake of ‘Hellraiser.’

executive producers on the new film, has long been openly gay), this iteration doubles down with its casting of trans actress Jamie Clayton (“Sense8”) as its sinister main antagonist – affectionately known as “Pinhead” by fans. She’s joined by a cast that includes Odessa A’zion, Adam Faison, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Goran Visnjic, and Hiam Abbass.

MY POLICEMAN (Oct. 21) Last up (but definitely not least) is this hotly anticipated adaptation of Bethan Roberts novel about forbidden love and changing social conventions, which stars “It-Boy” of the day Harry Styles as Tom, a policeman in 1950s Britain at the center of a romantic triangle in which he splits his conflicted love DAVID DAWSON, EMMA CORRIN, and HARRY STYLES star in ‘My between teacher Policeman.’

Marion (Emma Corrin) and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson). The story spans four decades, fast-forwarding to the 1990s to give the now-older trio (Linus Roache, Gina McKee, and Rupert Everett) a last chance to repair the emotional damage of the past. Directed by Michael Grandage, this visually elegant, heart-stopping portrait of three people caught in the shifting tides of history might be the most “prestigious” title on our list. Whether or not it’s worthy of the hype that accompanies its pop-singer star, whose perceived sexual fluidity (he’s never labeled his sexuality, and continues to avoid doing so even two years into a relationship with actor-turned-filmmaker Olivia Wilde) continues to tantalize queer fans, is something we’ll have to wait until Oct. 21 – or Nov. 4, when producer Amazon makes it available for streaming on Prime – to find out.

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BOOKS

Curl up and dive into season’s best new books From drag to dogs to women’s soccer, something for everyone

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Alas, summer is over, finis, done. You had some good times to remember, you saw a few shows you liked and read a few good books. And the latter, well, it’s not over. This fall is absolutely loaded with good books to read, so read on.

SEPTEMBER

Fans of memoirs will want to find “The Black Period: On Personhood, Race, and Origin” by Hafizah Augustus Geter ($27.00, Random House). As the queer child of a Muslim immigrant from Nigeria, Geter has endured a lot in her life, from the loss of her mother to her observances of the Black Lives Matter movement and plenty in between.

It’s a book full of pride and love.

Jann Wenner’s “Like a Rolling Stone” memoir is already out and creating buzz for the gay editor’s name dropping and celebrity tea-spilling.

Young readers (or young-at-heart) will enjoy reading “The Killing Code” by Ellie Marney ($17.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers). It’s a mystery set in Virginia in 1943, and a young code-breaker is asked to help with the War effort. But things happen that they don’t expect, and the hunted killer is on the hunt, too.

OCTOBER

Dog lovers will absolutely howl over “Forever Home: How We Turned Our House into a Haven for Abandoned, Abused, and Misunderstood Dogs – and Each Other”

by Ron Danta, Danny Robertshaw, and Larry Lindner ($27.99, HarperOne). This is a biography by the stars of the Netflix documentary you loved, it’s a sweet tale.

Novel lovers will want to find “Lavender House” by Lev AC Rosen ($26.99, Forge), a suspense novel set in a wonderful old estate; or “Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken”

by Nita Tyndall ($17.99, HarperTeen), a coming-of-age novel set in the years prior to World War II.

NOVEMBER

Another memoir to find is “Life in Lashes: The Story of a Drag Superstar” by Kita Mean ($18.99, Harper Collins). The title says it all, and it starts in a small town in New Zealand, takes a U-turn in Australia and lands onstage with RuPaul. This is a fun, fabulous book but with a good deal of inspiration.

If you’re a sports fan, look for “Pride of a Nation: A Celebration of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team” by Gwendolyn Oxenham, David Hirshey, Rob Fleder, Roger Director, and Julie Foudy ($35, Ten Speed Press). Filled with photos and information spanning almost four decades, this book also takes a good look at some of your favorite players, including Mia Hamm, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo, and others. Soccer fans, you just can’t miss this book.

‘Life in Lashes: The Story of a Drag Superstar’ by Kita Mean is a fun, fabulous book.

Who doesn’t love gossip?

You, of course, so look for “Keeping Family Secrets: Shame and Silence in Memoirs in the 1950s” by Margaret K. Nelson ($30.00, NYU Press). In this book, the author reveals how secrets kept some seven decades ago can resonate with individuals and families today. It’s a compelling book, like sneaking a peek in a diary, or eavesdropping on your favorite elderly aunt.

Irresistible.

DECEMBER

Here’s a unique memoir: “Plain: A Memoir of Mennonite Girlhood” by Mary Alice Hostetter ($26.95, University of Wisconsin Press) is a book about the author’s childhood and her dawning realization that she needs to leave the comfortable confines of her religious life in order to be her true self. You don’t often find memoirs like this, but you should.

As for novels, don’t miss “At Certain Points We Touch” by Lauren John Joseph ($26.00, Bloomsbury), the story of first love and unburied memories. Also look for “Secrets Typed in Blood: A Pentecost and Parker Mystery” by Stephen Spotswood ($27.00, Doubleday), which is the third in a mystery series, but that you can read as a standalone.

If these books don’t quite pique your interest, then be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for help. They know what’s coming out in the book world. They’ll know what you want, what you want to give as a gift (the time’s coming!) and what you want to read now.

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Gala of the Americas

Imperial Court holds ‘Coronation XI’ at The Schuyler (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The Imperial Court of Washington, D.C. held its Gala of the Americas: Coronation XI at The Schuyler on Saturday, Sept. 10.

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SEPTEMBER 23-24, 2022 BRING A FRIEND, STAY OUT LATE!

Join 100+ local artists and small businesses across all 8 wards to celebrate art in the District of Columbia. @DCArtAllNight

100+ LOCAL ARTISTS ALL 8 WARDS 22 MAIN STREETS

DCArtAllNight.org

#ARTALLNIGHT22

4 BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS

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AUTOS

Smart haulers: Nissan Pathfinder and Ford Expedition Two big bruisers that won’t break the budget

By JOE PHILLIPS

Electric vehicles are charging ahead, with the passage of a landmark clean-energy bill last month and automakers designing innovative new models. But a world of electric-only vehicles will take time. In the U.S. the goal is 2035, but until then many drivers—especially those looking for huge haulers—will still need to rely on traditional gas-powered rides.

Luckily, there are some smart choices out there, including these two big bruisers.

NISSAN PATHFINDER $35,000 Mpg: 21 city/27 highway 0 to 60 mph: 6.7 seconds

FORD EXPEDITION $53,000 Mpg: 17 city/23 highway 0 to 60 mph: 6.7 seconds

NISSAN PATHFINDER

FORD EXPEDITION

The completely redesigned Nissan Pathfinder is a big step up from the previous model. Although classified as a midsize SUV, this year’s new Pathfinder is now a lot longer, wider, and taller. The result: a spacious cabin with oodles more storage compartments and enough room for up to eight passengers. Another plus: Accessing the third row is much easier here than in most SUVs. Gone is the slouching profile of the previous Pathfinder, last updated 10 years ago (about twice the time most vehicles receive a redesign). The edgier styling is also boxier, but in a good way, with a chiseled front fascia, brawny side panels and strapping rear end—you know, sort of like Luke Evans.

Despite having the same capable V6 engine as before, fuel economy is slightly better.

An updated transmission improves acceleration, while stiffer springs and other tweaks shore up the steering and overall handing. In other words, there’s no mushy bounciness over potholes and speed bumps. Thicker glass and extra insulation create a more muted cabin. And there’s a modish vibe with high-quality materials, including finely stitched seats, faux brushed-aluminum trim and a sporty flat-bottom steering. Most impressive, though, are the high-tech bells and whistles: smartphone integration, wireless charging pad, voice-command capability, windshield head-up display, 360-degree bird’s-eye camera, ambient interior lighting, 13-speaker Bose stereo and scads of safety options.

During a weekend getaway along the East Coast this summer, my husband Robert sat regally in one of the second-row captain’s chairs as he occasionally bellowed, er, gently suggested alternate routes to less congested roads. It may not have been the same as being chauffeured around in a limousine, but it sure felt that way—for both of us.

Speaking of limos, President Biden’s ride—nicknamed “the Beast”—shares dimensions with another jaw-dropping vehicle: the Ford Expedition, which is almost 18-feet long.

(An extended-wheelbase model—the Expedition Max—stretches, incredibly, about 20 feet.) At 5,500 pounds, the Expedition is lightweight compared with the Beast, which weighs four times as much. Gas mileage in the Expedition is decent for such a large hauler. And acceleration is superb, with an energetic twin-turbo V6 available in three configurations.

Slipping behind the wheel, I expected this hulking SUV to be a challenge driving in city traffic. But the composed handling is more akin to the midsize Nissan Pathfinder, which itself performs like a smooth yet sporty family sedan. And the front parking sensors, backup camera, surround-view camera and parking-assist feature help you fit this full-size Ford practically anywhere.

For 2022, the Expedition gets a midlife makeover, with some styling cues that echo a ritzy Range Rover: less exterior chrome, streamlined grille and thin wraparound headlights. Luxe amenities include a tech-laden dashboard, tri-zone automatic climate control, massaging front seats, power-folding second and third seats, and running boards that automatically deploy whenever getting in or out of the vehicle. While a 12-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system comes standard, you can opt for the stunning 15.5-inch vertical display found in the all-electric Mustang Mach-E. Other notable goodies: Wi-Fi hotspot, rear-seat entertainment system, 22-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo and even hands-free driving. Best of all are two new trim levels: the rugged Timberline, with better off-road capability, and the supersonic Stealth, which rockets from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds—faster than a high-performance tuner car.

While the Expedition may not be built for heads of state like that other Beast, this behemoth is affordable and full of fine features. And it came in handy when I drove to Goodwill to donate boxes of baubles and such that had been gathering dust in the basement. But don’t tell my husband — many of those trinkets were his.

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PRICE REDUCTION

NOW - $1,685,000

115 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE

32784 Dionis Drive, Lewes, DE

MLS #: DESU2024748

MLS: DESU2027312

IMPECCABLY MAINTAINED!

This 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath home in the heart of downtown Lewes is just steps away from all the shops, restaurants, and the beach. Features include crown molding, ceiling medallions, wainscoting, double hung windows, breathtaking chandeliers, gourmet kitchen, koi pond and fountain, and finished basement with bar!

WHY WAIT TO BUILD?

This upgraded and well cared for 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath, Schell Brother’s Shearwater model in the “Nantucket” enclave of Coastal Club is waiting for you! Situated on a premium, private lot backing to mature trees, this home has it all in a community with outstanding amenities!

133 AND 131 Madison Street, Lewes DE

320 Captain’s Circle, Lewes, DE

MLS: DESU2025948 MLS: DESU2025950

MLS: DESU2028858

TWO DUPLEXES--AMAZING LEWES LOCATION!

Don’t miss this investment opportunity with these TWO duplexes in downtown Lewes!

Each with 2+ bedroom, 1.5 bath featuring hardwood flooring, fenced yard, screened porch, garden pond, storage shed and more. Steps to all the Lewes attractions and beaches!

$599,900 each or both duplexes together: $1,199,800

MODEL MATERIAL!

This stunning, custom-built 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath home is picture perfect and shows like a model!

There is so much to love about this house: hardwood & tile flooring throughout the first level, spacious great room with a gas fireplace, gourmet kitchen, expansive screened porch and rear paver patio surrounded by lush landscaping.

Just steps to Historic Lewes’s shopping & dining, Lewes Rehoboth Canal, and the beach!

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Memory care communities offer hope with personalized approach Individualized plans help to preserve dignity and health

By MARIANNA BLAGBURN & MAUREEN CHARLTON

While the Alzheimer’s Association reports that more than 6 million people across the United States are currently living with some type of dementia, families, health professionals, and caregivers understand that no two situations are alike, and individualized care plans help to preserve the individual’s dignity and health.

As the field of dementia research evolves, more families are turning toward the programs and support services currently being provided by life plan communities that specialize in the type of comprehensive memory care that their loved one needs.

Since people experience cognitive decline differently, for families looking into memory care options, finding a community focused on a personalized approach, which takes an individual’s needs and preferences into consideration, is important. Memory care staff are specially trained, providing each person with an increased level of comfort, social engagement, and intellectual stimulation.

While there is no singular answer with which to fight back against cognitive decline, we have seen firsthand the positive impact of a structured day, and life enrichment teams who offer dynamic curated programs, cultural experiences, art and music therapy, science and nature programs, and increased physical activity. Pet therapy programs, otherwise known as animal-assisted therapy, provide numerous benefits for those living with cognitive decline, encouraging social interaction, and emotional stimulation.

Family, friends, and caregiver support groups, offer emotional support, balance, and resource-sharing, crucial elements throughout this journey. For those living through the earlier stages of cognitive decline, remaining at home may be the best option at first.

However, cognitive decline is a progressive condition, and the situation may become increasingly difficult over time as the level of specialized care needed ultimately ends up exceeding what is available in the home setting.

While starting the conversation about memory care can be difficult for families, open communication, and asking a variety of questions is a good place to start when considering different care options.

Some of those questions should include:

During this information gathering process, it may also be important to include a dementia screening. As part of dementia screenings, medical experts often refer to a list of symptoms commonly known as the 8 A’s: anosognosia, agnosia, aphasia, apraxia, altered perception, amnesia, attention deficit, and apathy. Further definitions of those terms can be found at inglesideonline.org.

(Ingleside is the supporting organization for three CARF-accredited, SAGECare platinum LGBT cultural competency credentialed, not-for-profit life plan communities and two not-for-profit affiliates in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Ingleside’s family of communities include Ingleside at Rock Creek (Washington, D.C.), Westminster at Lake Ridge (Lake Ridge, VA), and Ingleside at King Farm (Rockville, MD). Affiliates include Ingleside at Home, a home-based care program and Westminster Ingleside Foundation, which supports the communities’ charitable activities.)

• Is your loved one’s current home fully accessible and age-friendly?

• Does your loved one require specialized assistance with the tasks of daily living?

• Would your loved one benefit from a setting that features many opportunities to socialize and make new friends?

• Would your loved one benefit from having a more active lifestyle?

• In their current setting, is your loved one able to exercise their mind and body?

• Have nighttime patterns changed? Is safety a concern?

• Does your loved one have access to a nutrition rich diet?

• Do you have any emerging concerns about your loved one living alone at their home?

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MARIANNA BLAGBURN

is director of Memory Support Services and Programming at Ingleside at Rock Creek.

MAUREEN CHARLTON

is Director of Memory Support Services and Programming at Ingleside at King Farm.

BACK IN PERSON SATURDAY OCTOBER 22, 2022 NEW LOCATION: JOIN ON US ON THE CAMPUS OF ST. ELIZABETHS AT DC GATEWAY PAVILION REGISTER ONLINE AT WALKTOENDHIV.ORG

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LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2022 FEP 000095 Date of Death: June 28, 2012

Name of Decedent: Dorothy Chriscoe Ewbank

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Julie Chrisco whose address is 4401 Tournay Road, Bethesda, MD 20816 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Dorothy Chriscoe Ewbank, deceased, by the Register of Wills Court for Montgomery County, State of Maryland, on July 30, 2012.

Service of process may be made upon Michael Andrews - 1829 California Street, NW, #101, Washington, DC 20008 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 500 N Street SW #N206, Washington, DC 20024. The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, #3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Date of first Publication: 9/2/2022 Julie Chrisco, Personal Representative A True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

MASSAGE KICK BACK & RELAX

with a refreshing massage. Private studio near Courthouse in Arlington, Sun-Wed, 12-9.

Gary @ 301-704-1158 mymassagebygary.com.

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

COUNSELING

COUNSELING FOR LGBTQ People Individual/couple counseling with a volunteer peer counselor. GMCC, serving our community since 1973. 202-580-8661. gaymenscounseling.org.

No fees, donation requested.

CLEANING FERNANDO’S CLEANING Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/ Move-Out. 202-234-7050 / 202-486-6183

LEGAL NOTICES SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2022 ADM 000909 Name of Decedent: DENNIS L. BEAUFORT

Name & Address of Attorney: Erica F. Gloger, GRIFFIN, MURPHY & WIGGINS, LLP, 1912 Sunderland Place, NW, Washington, DC 20036 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

KATHRYN C. RAY, whose address is 4441 Windom Place NW, Washington, DC 20016 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of DENNIS L. BEAUFORT who

died on June 29, 2022 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001, on or before March 2, 2023. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before March 2, 2023, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first Publication: 9/2/2022 Kathryn C. Ray, Personal Representative A True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

LEGAL SERVICES ADOPTION, DONOR, SURROGACY

legal services. Jennifer represents LGBTQ clients in DC, MD & VA interested in adoption or ART matters.

240-863- 2441, JFairfax@Jenniferfairfax.com.

LIMOUSINES

KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE Since 1987.

Gay & Veteran Owner/Operator.

Lincoln Continental Sedan! Proper DC License & Livery Insured. www.KasperLivery.com.

202-554-2471

MOVERS

PROFESSIONAL

MOVING & STORAGE

Let Our Movers Do The Heavy Lifting. Mention the Blade for 5% OFF of our regular rates.

Call today 202.734.3080. www.aroundtownmovers.com

HANDYMAN

BRITISH REMODELING

HANDYMAN

Local licensed company with over 25 years of experience. Specializing in bathrooms, kitchens & all interior/exterior repairs. Drywall, paint, electrical & wallpaper.

Trevor 703-303-8699

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SALE / VA

RENT / VA

GORGEOUS CUSTOM 5BR, 3FB, Craftsman with 50 windows

and hot tub overlooking wooded lot in Alexandria. $5800/month;1year lease. 8122 Stacey Rd, Alexandria. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8122-Stacey-Rd-Alexandria-VA-22308/51981162_zpid/

ADAMS MORGAN/DUPONT Fabulous 1-BR. $389,500 Open 9/18 1:00-3:30 1661 Crescent #609.

Penthouse 1 bedroom with flexible bonus space, garage parking & storage. Pets allowed.

Amy Fisher, Realty Group Inc. 202 544-8762 MEN 4 MEN

WHITE MALE, 6’ 3”, 200 lbs, 9” hung. ISO, short, stocky, white yuppie, professional, athletic, hung, submissive looking for pleasurable evenings. Calls only after 9 pm.

240-457-1292.

BODYWORK

THE MAGIC TOUCH

Swedish, Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts. Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

202-486-6183

EXPECT MORE

Whether you are looking for a vibrant and spirited Independent Living lifestyle, an enriching Assisted Living and Memory Support neighborhood, or the peace of mind and security that comes with a Life Plan Community, Ingleside will exceed your expectations. Discover a rich and diverse community made up of interesting friends and neighbors, living an active and engaging lifestyle.

EXPECT MORE AT INGLESIDE.

INGLESIDE AT ROCK CREEK

202-999-4496 // www.ircdc.org

INGLESIDE AT KING FARM

240-414-8523 // www.ikfmd.org Not-for-profit, CARF-accredited, SAGECare-certified, life plan communities.

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