Washington Blade, Volume 54, Issue 04, January 27, 2023

Thank you,

Madame Speaker Our exclusive interview with NANCY PELOSI, (Photo courtesy of the Office of Nancy Pelosi)

page 10

A look back at her career in photos, page 11

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VOLUME 54 ISSUE 04 ADDRESS PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE 202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT CHRIS KANE ckane@washblade.com extg 8083 INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com ext. 8093 POP CULTURE REPORTER JOHN PAUL KING PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com ext 8084 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DANIEL ITAI, EDICIÓN CIENTONCE, QUORUM, WDG, STEPHANIE MONDRAGÓN, ISAAC AMEND , TINASHE CHINGARANDE, DUNIA ORELLANA, REPORTAR SIN MIEDO, PARKER PURIFOY, PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZÁLEZ, LYNARE ROBBINS, PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN, KATLEGO K. KOLANYANE-KESUPILE, KAELA ROEDER, TREMENDA NOTA, ALBERTO J. VALENTÍN, MAYKEL GONZÁLEZ VIVERO, ORGULLO LGBT. CO, ESTEBAN GUZMAN, ANDRÉS I. JOVÉ RODRÍGUEZ, WINTER HAWK CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown at 202-747-2077, ext. 8075.

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Blade welcomes new journalism fellow, intern

The Blade Foundation this week announced the recipient of a new 12-week fellowship focused on covering issues of interest to queer youth in D.C. Winter Hawk, a senior majoring in multiplatform journalism at the University of Maryland College Park was named recipient of the fellowship, which is funded by a grant from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

“The Washington Blade and Blade Foundation have been a crucial voice for the LGBTQIA+ community and movement since 1969,” said Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. “Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs believe it is essential to support the next generation of LGBTQIA+ journalism.”

Hawk started her new position on Monday. Her work will be featured in the Washington Blade and she will be mentored by Blade editors and reporters.

“Despite covering LGBTQ+ news in art and culture for the past year, I feel like I’ve only skimmed the surface on true and just LGBTQ+ news coverage,” Hawk said. “As a queer woman, I cover LGBTQ+ stories because I want to highlight the

LGBTQ+ community in ways its community thrives, not only to cover the community when it faces heterosexism. I’m incredibly grateful and excited to delve deeper into the stories that represent and impact the LGBTQ+ community in D.C. through this fellowship, especially as I seek ways to incorporate and elevate disenfranchised voices.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Blade this week welcomed a new winter intern. Andrés Jové Rodríguez is a third-year student at the University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo.

He is majoring in Tele-Radio Communications with an emphasis on News, Production and Direction. Andrés is interning with the Washington Blade this semester as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.

“My goal is to one day be able to report on international and national political news on broadcast media so as to keep the general public informed of the to’s and fro’s of not only our political system, but also the ones abroad,” he said. “Likewise, I believe it’s imperative that as a reporter I properly educate myself on evolving trends that are taking the world by storm in order to have a conscious mode of communicating.”

WINTER HAWK and ANDRÉS JOVÉ RODRÍGUEZ

Blade Editor Kevin Naff welcomed the two new contributors.

“The best part of my job is working with the next generation of LGBTQ journalists and we’re all thrilled to welcome Winter and Andrés to the team,” Naff said. “They will help the Blade continue our mission of telling the stories of our local queer community and elevating underrepresented voices.”

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Whitman-Walker launches yearlong commemoration of 50th anniversary

Whitman-Walker, which describes itself in a newly released statement as a “leader in LGBTQ health, research, education, and policy with special expertise in HIV care,” announced it would kick off its 50th year this month through the launch of “a year-long campaign through special events and initiatives.”

The Jan. 20 statement says the special events and initiatives will “highlight the organization’s vast achievement over the past five decades responding to community needs including LGBTQ healthcare, HIV prevention and treatment and research designed to impact the lives of those they serve.”

Among the events set to take place, the statement notes, is the planned opening this fall of Whitman-Walker’s new health care and research facility on the campus of the city’s Saint Elizabeth’s East development in Southeast Washington.

The statement says the new 118,000-square-foot facility will be called the Max Robinson Center after Whitman-Walker’s existing Max Robinson Center healthcare facility in Anacostia.

The new project will allow the organization to serve an additional 10,000 patients per year when it opens later this year, the statement says, adding that LGBTQ health and HIV care will be among the services provided.

“Beginning in 1973 and named in 1978 after poet Walt Whitman (a former D.C. resident) and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a noted Civil-War era physician in D.C. and women’s rights activist, Whitman-Walker was founded as an affirming

RYAN MORAN, CEO of Whitman-Walker Health System (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

and safe space for the gay and lesbian community,” the statement says.

It says the organization was one of the first responders to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in D.C. in the 1980s and later expanded its mission to become “a leader in HIV/AIDS education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.”

In the years since the start of the AIDS epidemic Whit-

man-Walker has also expanded its mission to include legal services and overall medical and dental services for the LGBTQ community and the broader community, to include heterosexual African-American men and women, Latinx, residents in the D.C. metro area as well as immigrants from all parts of the world, according to information on the Whitman-Walker website.

“We are so deeply honored to lead this organization at this pivotal time,” said Naseema Shafi, CEO of Whitman-Walker Health, and Ryan Moran, CEO of Whitman-Walker Health System, in a joint statement. “Marking the legacy of 50-years’ worth of volunteerism, care and service to community while also looking ahead to our future with the opening of the new Max Robinson Center is thrilling.”

The statement notes that in 50 years of growth and evolution, Whitman-Walker currently consists of “a collective of 501(c)(3) organizations centered around delivering care to community.” It notes that CEO Shafi heads the entity called Whitman-Walker Health that focuses on healthcare and Moran leads Whitman-Walker System, which oversees Whitman-Walker Foundation, Whitman-Walker Institute, and Whitman-Walker Real Property Holdings.

A full description of Whitman-Walker’s history and list of upcoming events and initiatives for its 50th anniversary year can be accessed at whitmanwalkerimpact.org.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Comings & Goings

Osburn to lead Institute for Strategic Dialogue

DIXON OSBURN

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

Congratulations to Dixon Osburn on joining the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) as executive director for ISD-US. Sasha Havlicek, ISD CEO said, “Since 2006 ISD has been at the forefront of analyzing and delivering solutions to weaponized hate, disinformation and extremism around the world. … Dixon brings three decades of policy entrepreneurship and leadership experience to the position from his work at the intersection of national security, human rights and democracy.”

Accepting the position, Osburn said, “I am honored to join the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, whose cutting-edge research and analysis has exposed the threats posed by online extremism, and whose advocacy has pioneered EU legisla-

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tion aimed at mitigating mis- and disinformation. The threats posed by anti-government extremists and hate groups fueled by online manipulation cuts to the core of whether American democracy survives.”

Prior to joining ISD, Osburn served in many roles, including: co-founder of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network; director of Law & Security at Human Rights First; and executive director of the Center for Justice and Accountability. More recently he served as a fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, and published a best-selling book, “Mission Possible: The Story of Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

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Dupont Circle murder alarms ANC commissioner Man fatally stabbed on P Street

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

D.C. police announced last week that a 47-year-old man with no fixed address was found suffering from a fatal stab wound at about 9:39 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the 2000 block of P Street, N.W. According to a police press release and a separate police incident report, the victim, identified as Mubarak Mursal, was taken by ambulance to Med Star Washington Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:27 p.m. that same day.

The police incident report says Mursal was found unconscious lying in the street at the intersection of P Street and Hopkins Street, N.W. close to 2020 P St., N.W., which is where the New Dynasty Chinese Restaurant is located.

“A few detectives said there were multiple stab wounds,” said Jeffrey Rueckgauer, the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner whose district includes the location where the fatal stabbing took place.

Rueckgauer, who lives nearby, said he was on the scene shortly after Mursal was taken to the hospital.

“It is really alarming,” Rueckgauer told the Washington Blade. “This is not a common occurrence in West Dupont.

We don’t know the circumstances of this attack.”

A video shows the victim walking east bound on the 2000 block of P Street, N.W., before he is seen collapsing on the street.

He said that although this was the first murder in the immediate area that he is aware of in the more than 20 years he has lived in the area, crime has been going up in the area since former D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier discontinued police foot patrols in the neighborhood.

The online D.C. news site Popville posted a video on its website taken from a surveillance camera from one of the nearby buildings that shows the victim walking east bound on the 2000 block of P Street, N.W., before he is seen collapsing on the street at the intersection of P Street and Hopkins Street. The video shows him getting up and attempting to walk a few feet before he collapses again and remains still on the street.

The video indicates that Mursal was stabbed at a nearby location west of where he lost consciousness and fell onto the street. The D.C. gay bar Fireplace is located a block and a half west at the corner of 22nd and P Streets, N.W. The police report and press release provide no further information about the stabbing incident or whether Mursal knew the attacker.

Police are calling on anyone with information about the incident to contact police at 202-727-9099. Similar to other homicides in the city, police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder.

Miss Gay D.C. crowned Miss Gay America Tatiyanna Voche’ victorious in Little Rock

By MICHAEL KEY

Tatiyanna Voche’ was crowned the winner of the 2023 Miss Gay America pageant in Little Rock, Ark. on Jan. 21.

Female illusion artists from across the United States vied for the crown in a four-night competition filled with drag entertainment. Qualified hopefuls included Amethyst Diamond and Dezi Minaj, Miss Gay Maryland 2022 and first alternate to Miss Gay Maryland respectively.

Voche’, known as hairstylist Jonathan Jackson of Arlington, Va. by day, qualified to be a contestant for the Miss Gay America 2023 pageant by winning the title Miss Gay D.C. 2022 at a competition held at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.) on May 14.

Voche’ joined 43 other contestants at the Robinson Center in Little Rock, Ark. for two days of preliminaries, followed by a showcase date on Friday and a final competition on Saturday.

“The past week was filled with so much love and admiration for the art of female illusion,” Voche’ told the Blade following the Miss Gay America competition.

“What makes the Miss Gay America system so special is the sense of family that it possesses. It is like a big family reunion that happens once a year. ” Voche’ continued, “the title of Miss Gay America means a sense of validation personally for the hard

work, determination and passion I have had for the system for the last 16 years, a huge celebration for those that have pushed, supported and been with me on this journey and lastly and most importantly it means I get to join a legacy that has been around for 51 years and help other girls achieve their dreams. This year isn’t about me being Miss Gay America: it’s about nurturing and inspiring girls to achieve their dreams.”

Voche’ is no stranger to drag competition, having already claimed the titles of Miss Gay Maryland America 2008, Miss Gay Mid East America 2009, Miss Ziegfelds 2010, Miss Gay Atlantic States America 2010, Miss Gay Mid Atlantic 2011, Miss Capital Pride 2013, Miss Gay Western States America 2021, Miss Freddie’s 2020 & 2021 and Miss Queen of Hearts 2022.

“I was a musical theater performer for a number of years,” Voche’ told the Blade. “And as I started to get burned out, the girls at the theater dressed me up as my favorite superhero, She-Ra Princess of Power for Halloween and took me to the Hippo in Baltimore for the costume contest. I got booked for my first show that evening and the rest is history. Tatiyanna Voche’ was born.”

While the performer is clearly proud of the win, Jackson tells the Blade his favorite title is “uncle to my three nephews.”

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TATIYANNA VOCHE’ is Miss Gay America 2023.

(Photo by TiosPhotography.com; courtesy Tatiyanna Voche’)

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EXCLUSIVE: Pelosi reflects on long career, LGBTQ advocacy Former Speaker credits activists who fought for AIDS funding, marriage equality

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sat down with the Washington Blade in her office Tuesday evening for an exclusive interview just weeks after formally stepping down from leadership, having led her party in the House for 20 years, including as Speaker.

Pelosi reflected on the role she has played in landmark legislative achievements, including milestones in the fight for LGBTQ rights. She also addressed some current events that have earned significant attention from political observers and the beltway press.

So much of the historic progress over the past few decades in advancements toward the legal, social, and political equality of LGBTQ Americans, including those living with HIV/AIDS, was facilitated directly or otherwise supported by Pelosi’s leadership in Congress, but she was quick to credit the tireless work of individual activists and LGBTQ, civil rights, and HIV/ AIDS advocacy groups.

“I attribute the success with [fighting] HIV/AIDS and everything that came after,” from legislation on hate crimes to marriage equality, “to the outside mobilization” of these activists and organizations, she told the Blade.

Despite positioning herself as an advocate for LGBTQ rights well before that position was popular, Pelosi said she is unaware of any instances where she may have suffered political consequences as a result. Regardless, she said, “I don’t care.”

The more she has been criticized for championing LGBTQ rights in Congress, “the more proud I am” of that work, Pelosi added.

Pelosi has always been a strident LGBTQ ally, guided by her commitment to justice, love, and fairness as ordained by the teachings of her Catholic faith. These ideals are in perfect alignment, she said, as opposed to the position held by many opponents of LGBTQ rights who nevertheless claim to believe we are all created in God’s image.

During an interview with Larry King, when serving as the San Francisco Democratic National Convention host committee chairwoman in 1984, Pelosi said the late television host remarked: “I just don’t understand how a Catholic girl who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland is such a champion for gay rights.”

“You’ve answered your own question,” Pelosi told him, referring to his mention of her Catholicism. “It is our faith that tells us that we’re all God’s children, and we must respect the dignity and worth of every person.”

Pelosi’s time in Congress began with the AIDS crisis, and she has kept up the fight ever since After committing herself and the Congress to the fight against HIV/AIDS during her first speech from the floor of the House in 1987, Pelosi said some of her colleagues asked whether she thought it wise for her feelings on the subject to be “the first thing that people know about you” as a newly elected member.

They questioned her decision not because they harbored any stigma, but rather for concern over how “others might view my service here,” Pelosi said. The battle against HIV/AIDS, she told them, “is why I came here.”

“It was every single day,” she said.

Alongside the “big money for research, treatment, and prevention” were other significant legislative accomplishments, such as “when we] were able to get Medicaid to treat HIV [patients] as Medicaid-eligible” rather than requiring them to wait until their disease had progressed to full-blown AIDS to qualify for coverage, said Pelosi, who authored the legislation.

“That was a very big deal for two reasons,” she said. First, because it saved lives by allowing low-income Americans living with HIV to begin treatment before the condition becomes life-threatening, and second, because “it was the recognition

Rep. NANCY PELOSI speaks at the NGLCC National Dinner in 2018. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

that we had this responsibility to intervene early.”

Other milestones in which Pelosi had a hand include the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program, President Bush’s PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) initiative, the Affordable Care Act (which contains significant benefits for Americans living with HIV/AIDS), and funding for the Ending the Epidemic initiative.

The last appropriations bill passed under Pelosi’s tenure as Democratic leader in December contained an additional $100 million boost to HIV/AIDS programs.

These and other hard-won victories over the years – from the biomedical progress made possible by investment in research to foreign aid packages that have saved countless lives overseas – have often come despite staunch opposition from lawmakers, particularly congressional Republicans.

For instance, the late former Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina opposed federal funding for HIV/AIDS research because he considered it tantamount to the government’s endorsement of “the homosexual lifestyle” responsible for the spread of the disease in the U.S. Asked how she might compare anti-LGBTQ members like Helms with whom she worked in the past to those serving today, Pelosi said the most salient difference is the homophobic and transphobic attitudes among lawmakers in previous decades were in many cases borne out of ignorance.

Pelosi said that while the prejudice was “horrible [back] then” and she was “impatient” with lawmakers in the House who exhibited attitudes similar to those expressed by Helms, at that time people who held those views were often “just not up to date on what was happening in the world.”

(Pelosi noted that, for his part, Helms seemed to soften his stance on matters concerning HIV/AIDS. She suspects U2 frontman Bono may have successfully appealed to Helms as a parent, but “I don’t know exactly.”)

By contrast, today’s lawmakers, like the overwhelming majority of Americans, “must have a growing awareness of [LGBTQ] people in their own communities, maybe in their own families,” Pelosi said. “They’re really in a different world,” which means, they “have made a decision that they’re going to be anti-LGBTQ,” she said, adding that hate and prejudice today is most often directed at the trans community. “It’s completely unacceptable.”

Asked to share her thoughts on the many scandals that have unfolded over the past couple of months concerning gay freshman GOP Rep. George Santos of New York, Pelosi pointed out that while the congressman has dominated headlines recently, other members of the House Republican caucus who have weaponized homophobia and transphobia to a far greater extent than he are much more dangerous.

But first, Pelosi said that House Democrats would never do what the Republican leadership has done by tolerating the

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embattled freshman congressman to protect their slim majority control of the chamber.

Santos is “almost a joke; he’s become a punch line,” Pelosi said. “He’s outrageous, and there’s no way he should be allowed to serve” given the extent to which the congressman has failed to exhibit the “dignity” required of members who are privileged to serve in the House of Representatives.

At the same time, “there are people over there who are more seriously dangerous to the freedoms in our country than him” Pelosi said. She pointed to the hate mongering and fear mongering in which many of Santos’s Republican colleagues have engaged, including “the things that that they say about trans families and, just, the injustice of it all.”

The aim of these far-right lawmakers extends far beyond undermining the rights of LGBTQ people, of course. Pelosi noted that, “you have to remember, with all of these things, whether we’re talking about women’s right to choose – we’ve always expanded freedoms. And now with this Supreme Court, they’re narrowing freedoms with women’s right to choose” by the revocation of constitutional protections for abortion via last year’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Breaking the ‘marble ceiling’

During a lecture last year hosted at the University of California, Berkeley, Barbara Boxer, who formerly represented California in the House and then in the Senate, commented on the historic significance of Pelosi’s election to become the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2006.

“The fact that a woman could get into the leadership like this, to win the trust of all these men, it’s more extraordinary than you can imagine,” Boxer said.

Boxer has also been a trailblazer for women in politics. She was the first woman to chair the Marin County Board of Supervisors, and after her election to serve in the upper chamber alongside California’s senior Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the two became the first pair of women to represent any state in the U.S. Senate.

Asked how she managed to secure the votes from, particularly, the older men in her caucus without compromising her values, Pelosi told the Blade, “I just did what I believed” rather than coming to Congress to “change other people’s behavior.”

She said that many of her male colleagues “had to get over their own negative attitudes” concerning the prospect of electing a woman to lead their party in the House, but “I wasn’t going to wait until then.”

At the same time, Pelosi acknowledged that “it took courage to vote for a woman as speaker,” noting that when she was sworn in back in 2007, she took the opportunity to thank the men who had supported her speakership. (She was elected unanimously on the first ballot.)

Pelosi said that prior to her speakership, she had always believed that the prospect of Americans electing a woman president was likelier to happen in her lifetime than members of Congress – who tend to be older men – voting for a woman speaker.

“I thought the American people were more ready than the Congress” to break the “marble ceiling,” she said.

Considering the parallel special counsel investigations into alleged mishandling of classified documents by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Pelosi has perhaps unwittingly strengthened the case for America to elect a woman president by virtue of her unblemished record as a steward of sensitive, top-secret information.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

Rep. NANCY PELOSI marches in the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights on Oct. 11, 1987. (Photo courtesy of the Office of Nancy Pelosi)

Rep. NANCY PELOSI and ELIZABETH TAYLOR testify before the House Budget Committee for a hearing on HIV/AIDS Funding on March 6, 1990. (Photo courtesy of the Office of Nancy Pelosi)

House Speaker NANCY PELOSI hugs activist MIKE ALMY at a ceremony certifying the repeal of the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy in the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 21, 2010.

House Speaker NANCY PELOSI is joined by activists, Members of Congress and Vice President Joe Biden as President Barack Obama signs the repeal on the U.S. military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy in a ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Dec. 22, 2010.

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

House Minority Leader NANCY PELOSI inspects the Christmas tree erected in her honor by bar manager Dito Sevilla at Floriana on Dec. 14, 2018. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Rep. JERROLD NADLER (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker NANCY PELOSI attend the enrollment of the Respect for Marriage Act in the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 8, 2022.

(Photo courtesy of the Office of Nancy Pelosi)

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Global HIV vaccine trial ends in disappointment Experimental vaccine called safe but ineffective

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

A worldwide clinical trial of an experimental HIV vaccine involving 3,900 volunteer men who have sex with men and transgender people that some researchers were hopeful would finally result in an effective HIV vaccine was found to be safe but ineffective in preventing HIV infection.

According to a Jan. 18 statement released by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which partially funded and helped organize the trial, the vaccine trial is being discontinued and participants were being notified of the findings, with further analysis of the study data planned.

The NIAID statement says the Janssen pharmaceutical company developed the experimental vaccine based on what researchers call “mosaic” immunogens or vaccine components featuring elements of multiple HIV subtypes. It says the goal was to induce immune responses against a wide variety of global HIV strains.

The statement says the investigational vaccine regimen consisted of four injections over a period of one year for the volunteers, who were based in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. It says an independent data and safety monitoring board, referred to as DSMB, analyzed the data obtained from the vaccine trial, which began in 2019.

“In its scheduled data review, the DSMB determined there

were no safety issues with the experimental vaccine regimen,” the statement says. “However, the number of HIV infections were equivalent between the vaccine and placebo arms of the study,” the statement continues. “During the clinical trial, all participants were offered comprehensive HIV prevention tools, including pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP,” it says.

“Study staff ensured that participants who acquired HIV during the trial were promptly referred for medical care and treatment,” according to the NIAID statement.

The NIAID study findings prompted the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, known as UNAIDS, to issue its own statement this week calling for the aggressive deployment of existing HIV prevention and treatment options as efforts to develop a vaccine continue.

“The disappointment of the vaccine trial further underlies the importance of rolling out available HIV treatment and prevention innovations, including oral PrEP, long acting injectables and the vaginal ring,” UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said in the UNAIDS statement.

“The research for a vaccine must continue, but it’s important to remember that despite this setback the world can still end AIDS by 2030 by delivering all the proven prevention and treatment options to all people who need them,” she

A worldwide trial of an experimental HIV vaccine involving 3,900 volunteers resulted in disappointment.

(Image of HIV courtesy of the NIH)

said.

“Global research efforts into vaccines and a cure must carry on,” the UNAIDS statement says. “At the same time, the world cannot wait for, or depend on, a vaccine or cure. The end of AIDS by 2030, as promised, is still possible, but leaders have no time to wait.”

An organization called the Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, which keeps track of HIV vaccine studies, shows on its website that at least a dozen other HIV experimental vaccine trials are currently taking place in the U.S., Latin American, Europe, and Africa. Two of them in the U.S. are being sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the website shows.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Pelosi on Santos, classified document scandal, and more

“I have 30 years of experience in intelligence. I have been on the [House Intelligence] Committee, the top Democrat on the Committee, ex officio on the Committee, a speaker and [Democratic] leader [in the House],” Pelosi said.

She distinguished the rules by which she and other members of Congress are governed, which prohibit the removal or relocation of classified documents, from the policies that the Commander in Chief must follow, which are comparably more permissive.

Rep. NANCY PELOSI visits the site of the Pulse massacre in 2016. (Image courtesy of Pelosi’s Office)

Regardless, Pelosi said, “the documents are to be respected,” along with the rules and procedures for how they should be handled.

There are also important distinctions to note between the allegations against Trump and Biden, Pelosi said. “When you see the former president obstructing access to the documents, and you see this president saying, ‘I’ve instructed my lawyers to look for whatever is there and make them available to the Justice Department,’ that’s two different things,” she

said.

Additionally, Pelosi said, from the information that has been made available so far, it seems that Trump was in possession of a greater volume of documents whose contents were more sensitive than those at issue in Biden’s case.

Pelosi’s LGBTQ fans celebrate her accomplishments

In November, the Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, issued a statement following Pelosi’s announcement of her plans to step down from Democratic leadership but continue to represent her constituents in California’s 11th Congressional District in the House.

“Speaker Pelosi has been the tip of the spear on watershed advancements for the LGBTQ+ community,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement, pointing to her 1987 speech on the AIDS crisis and “forceful advocacy for marriage equality long before its mainstream popularity,” both before she was elected as speaker.

The Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act, which banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages, was signed into law in 1996 with overwhelming support from both parties in both chambers of Congress; 342 members of the House voted for the proposal, with Pelosi joining only 64 other House Democrats, one independent, and one Republican in her opposition.

“During [Pelosi’s] tenure as Speaker,” HRC noted, “the House of Representatives passed an historic hate crimes law [the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act], repealed the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law, led the fight to enact the Affordable Care Act, and vocally opposed bans on transgender members serving in our nation’s military.”

Pelosi’s leadership was bookended with Congress’s passage late last year of the Respect for Marriage Act, which is credited as the greatest legislative victory for LGBTQ Americans since the 2010 repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Outside the U.S. Capitol building, Pelosi has also been cel-

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ebrated by the LGBTQ community for signaling her support through, for example, her participation in some of the earliest meetings of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, her meeting with the survivors of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre, and her appearance at a host of LGBTQ events over the years.

Of course, at the same time, Pelosi has been a constant target of attacks from the right, which in the past few years have become increasingly violent. During the siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, her office was ransacked by insurrectionists who shouted violent threats against her. A couple of weeks later, unearthed social media posts by far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) revealed she had signaled support for executing Pelosi along with other prominent House Democrats.

And last October, the speaker’s husband Paul Pelosi suffered critical injuries after he was attacked by a man wielding a hammer who had broken into the couple’s San Francisco home.

Pelosi told CNN last week that her husband is “doing OK,” but expects it will “take a little while for him to be back to normal.”

Among her fans in progressive circles, Pelosi – who has been a towering figure in American politics since the Bush administration – has become something of a cultural icon, as well. For instance, the image of her clapping after Trump’s State of the Union speech in 2019 has been emblazoned on coffee mugs.

“What is so funny about it,” Pelosi said, is rather than “that work [over] all these years as a legislator,” on matters including the “Affordable Care Act, millions of people getting health care, what we did over the years with HIV/AIDS in terms of legislation, this or that,” people instead have made much ado over her manner of clapping after Trump’s speech. And while the move was widely seen as antagonistic, Pelosi insisted, “it was not intended to be a negative thing.”

Regardless, she said, “it’s nice to have some fun about it, because you’re putting up with the criticism all the time – on issues, whether it’s about LGBTQ, or being a woman, or being from San Francisco, or whatever it is.”

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Gallego announces run for Sinema’s Senate seat

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona announced plans to run for the Senate in 2024, setting up a possible three-way race if newly declared independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decides to seek reelection for her seat representing the Grand Canyon State next year.

Gallego disclosed his forthcoming senatorial bid on Monday, sharing a video on Twitter in which the congressman accused Sinema of breaking her promises to Arizonans in favor of advancing the interests of multinational pharmaceutical companies and financial institutions.

A spokesperson for Sinema’s office declined to comment. On Friday, Sinema told Arizona Radio Station KTAR: “I’m not really thinking or talking about the election right now, although others are,” adding, I’m staying focused on the work.”

If elected, Gallego, whose announcement video was recorded in English and Spanish, would become Arizona’s first Latino senator.

Sinema became the first bisexual member and, after Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the second LGBTQ woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in 2012 and 2018, respectively.

Last year, she was widely credited for her role in the Senate’s passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, hailed as the most significant pro-LGBTQ legislative achieve-

ment since the 2010 repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

However, since her election to the Senate, Sinema has often earned the ire of many of her Democratic colleagues for stymying progressive legislation by refusing to abandon the filibuster and tacking to the right on fiscal issues.

The Arizona Democratic Party executive board voted to censure Sinema last January for voting with Republicans to preserve the filibuster at the expense of a voting rights bill.

On Dec. 9, Sinema announced her decision to switch her party affiliation from Democrat to independent, pledging not to caucus with Republicans and promising that “Nothing will change about my values or my behavior.”

Sinema has also come under fire during her tenure in the Senate for taking positions seen as favorable to the drug industry and Wall Street, seemingly in exchange for financial backing from those and other affiliated interests.

For instance, in 2021 The Guardian reported that “In the current Congress, Big Pharma appears to have zeroed in on Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat from Arizona, as one of their lead obstructionists to help kill or gut the Democrats’ drug pricing plan. In the 2020 election cycle, pharmaceutical political action committees

Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA hasn’t said whether she intends to seek re-election, this time as an independent.

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

suddenly funneled more money to her than they did the whole six years she served in the US House.”

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Gay Rep. Santos: Same-sex couples undermine families

Two years ago, embattled gay Republican U.S. Rep. George Santos (N.Y.) told the host of a conservative YouTube show that same-sex couples and parents are harmful to children and undermine the family.

Children who are raised by single parents or gay and lesbian couples tend to grow up “troubled,” Santos said during the hour-long interview on “Indivisible with John Stubbins.” Clips from the conversation were excerpted and shared Thursday on Twitter by Patriot Takes.

“The family unit has been under attack for decades in different ways,” Santos told Stubbins. “The flavor of the decade is same-sex couples. They’re teaching in schools that

Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (Public domain photo)

kids don’t need a mommy and a daddy, you can can have two mommies and two daddies. That’s an attack on the family unit.”

“I think that’s a little much for kids,” the congressman added.

According to the show’s YouTube page, “Indivisible with John Stubbins” “endorses” My Pillow founder and farright conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell and has a modest 3,690 subscribers.

The video featuring Santos’ interview earned six likes and no comments.

Also on Thursday, Reuters reported claims by former acquaintances that Santos was a drag performer in his native Brazil 15 years ago. Despite the online circulation of photos appearing to show the congressman

dressed in drag, Santos tweeted that the reports were untrue.

The matter earned significant media attention given Santos’ far-right positions on LGBTQ issues, consistent with comments from his interview on “Indivisible,” as well as his allyship with the most extreme anti-LGBTQ members of the House Republican Caucus.

Conservative Republicans, including these lawmakers, have increasingly attacked drag events and performances, accusing hosts and participants of harming children or facilitating the sexual abuse or exploitation of minors.

Meanwhile, Santos has been buffeted by a host of other scandals, beginning with reporting last month that revealed he fabricated practically everything about his life and identity. Santos also faces investigations by multiple law enforcement agencies over allegations of financial malfeasance and violations of campaign finance laws.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Va. Senate approves marriage affirmation bill

The Virginia Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would affirm marriage equality in state law.

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria)’s Senate Bill 1096 passed by a 25-12 vote margin.

“My bill ensuring that Virginians have the right to marry who they love regardless of their sex, has passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote,” tweeted the openly gay Alexandria Democrat.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia also noted SB 1096 passed with bipartisan support.

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“Virginia is for all lovers,” tweeted the ACLU of Virginia. “Our law should reflect our values.”

Ebbin has also reintroduced a resolution to begin the process of repealing a Virginia constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The resolution is currently before a Senate subcommittee.

SB 1096 now goes to the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

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Pope Francis says homosexuality not a crime

Pope Francis on Tuesday said homosexuality is not a crime and laws that criminalize it are “unjust.”

“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis told the Associated Press during an exclusive interview.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in nearly 70 countries around the world, and Francis acknowledged some Catholic bishops support criminalization laws and other statutes that discriminate against LGBTQ and intersex people. The Associated Press notes Francis said cultural backgrounds contribute to these attitudes, and stressed “bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.”

“These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” said Francis. “[They should apply] tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.”

Francis’ comments are the latest indication of how the Vatican’s tone towards LGBTQ and intersex issues has softened since he assumed the papacy in 2013.

Francis — who vehemently opposed a marriage equality bill in his native Argentina before then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner signed it into law in 2010 — a decade later publicly backed civil unions for same-sex couples.

Francis in 2013 said gay men and lesbians should not be

POPE FRANCIS spoke out in an AP interview.

(Photo by palinchak via Bigstock)

marginalized. The pontiff three years later said the Roman Catholic Church should “ask forgiveness” from gay people over the way it has treated them. Francis in 2017 compared politicians who use hate speech against LGBTQ and intersex people and other minority groups to Adolf Hitler.

The Vatican in 2020 gave money to a group of transgender sex workers in Italy who were struggling to survive during the coronavirus pandemic. Francis in 2021 named Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay Chilean man who is a survi-

vor of clergy sex abuse,to a commission that advises him on protecting children from pedophile priests.

Francis last year during several of his weekly papal audiences met with trans people who were living at a Rome church.

Church teachings on homosexuality and gender identity remain unchanged despite these overtures. The Associated Press reported that Francis referred to LGBTQ and intersex issues within the context of “sin.”

“Pope Francis denounced laws in nearly 70 countries that criminalize LGBTQ people and called on the Roman Catholic Church to take an active role in repealing those laws,” said GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement. “His historic statement should send a message to world leaders and millions of Catholics around the world: LGBTQ people deserve to live in a world without violence and condemnation, and more kindness and understanding. Other influential voices in faith, government, business, sports and entertainment should now similarly speak out on outdated laws that criminalize the lives and relationships of LGBTQ people and that negatively impact travel and business in these countries.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Brazilian LGBTQ lawmakers threatened during conference

The LGBTQ Victory Institute on Tuesday condemned the threat that Brazilian lawmakers received during a conference it co-organized in the country’s capital.

A press release notes São Paulo Legislative Assemblywoman-elect Thainara Faria, a Black bisexual woman who is a member of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party, on Jan. 20 “received a threatening, racist and LGBT-phobic email that indicated that the physical integrity of the representatives-elect at our event was at risk.”

Faria is one of the 18 openly LGBTQ congressional and state legislative candidates who won election last October. She, along with transgender Congresswomen Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert and 11 of the other elected officials, attended the first-of-its-kind conference that took place in Brasília.

The Victory Institute notes VoteLGBT, the main organizer that seeks to increase the number of LGBTQ and intersex people in Brazilian politics, reached out to Fábio Félix, a gay member of the Socialism and Liberty Party who is a member of the Federal District’s Legislative Chamber, and Congresswoman Erika Kokay, a member of the Workers Party who represents the Federal District, after Faria received the threat. Félix and Kokay then contacted local authorities who provided conference participants with a police escort.

Officers patrolled the conference venue, and organizers increased private security. The Victory Institute also notes two Brazilian government ministries — the Human Rights and Citizenship Ministry and the Justice and Public Safety Ministries — have begun to investigate the threat.

The Equal Rights in Action Fund co-organized the conference along with VotoLGBT and the Victory Institute.

Associaçao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals), a Brazilian trans rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, and Associação Brasileira de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis, Transexuais e Intersexos (Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Travestis, Transsexuals and Intersex People) are among the other groups that sponsored the gathering.

Faria, along with the other elected officials who attend-

ed the conference and the groups that organized and sponsored it, in a joint statement said “fascism uses terror in an attempt to paralyze and weaken our fight.”

“They attack us because of our project is powerful,” it reads. “We understand that the best response to this attack — in addition to quickly protecting the threatened representative, reinforcing the security at the event and contacting the competent authorities — is to continue with our agenda and scheduled programming.”

The conference took place less than two weeks after thousands of former President Jair Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Brazilian Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace.

Bolsonaro, a member of the right-wing Liberal Party, sought to discredit the country’s electoral system ahead of last October’s presidential election. Da Silva defeated him in the second round, but Bolsonaro never publicly acknowledged he lost. Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before Da Silva’s inauguation, which took place on Jan. 1.

Both Hilton and Salabert received threats during their respective campaigns.

Hilton, a Black travesti and former sex worker who was a member of the São Paulo Municipal Council before she won her seat in Congress, acknowledged concerns about her safety when she spoke with the Washington Blade shortly after her election. A security guard stood a few feet away from her while she spoke with this reporter at a pro-Da Silva rally in São Paulo’s Praça Roosevelt.

“I am afraid, but I think that this fear is not going to be able to stop me,” Hilton told the Blade. “It is the fuel that motivates me.”

Former Congressman Jean Wyllys, who is openly gay and a vocal Bolsonaro critic, in 2019 resigned and fled the country after he received death threats.

Rio de Janeiro Municipal Councilwoman Marielle Franco, a bisexual woman and single mother of African descent who grew up in a favela near the city’s international airport, and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were murdered on March 14, 2018. Bolsonaro was not president at the time, but one of the two former police officers who have been arrested and charged with the

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LGBTQ elected officials from across Brazil attend an LGBTQ Victory Institute-sponsored conference in Brasília, Brazil, that took place last week. (Photo by Gui Molhallem)

murders lived in the same condominium complex in Rio’s exclusive Barra da Tijuca neighborhood in which the now former president lives. Franco’s widow, Rio Municipal Councilwoman Mônica Benício, last March described this fact to the Blade as “just a coincidence.”

The joint statement that Hilton and the other conference participants signed states the threats against them is “a good example of how political violence works, seeking to silence our voices.”

“Despite the sabotage of many different actors, including some in their own parties, LGBT+ candidates received more than 3.5 million votes in 2022,” it reads.

“Traditional politics needs our voices, because we do not advocate for LGBT+ issues alone; we propose innovative public policies to fight hunger, lack of housing, discrimination and all of the evils plaguing our people.”

“LGBT+ political strategies will continue to flourish in all spaces, despite threats to any elected representative,” adds the statement. “Attacks will be met with investigations and accountability. United and strong, we will continue fighting for a democracy for all.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

D.C. Council passes questionable legislation Some of our elected officials are surely overreaching

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The D.C. Council is passing some questionable legislation. I don’t question their good intentions, most of the time, but some legislation recently passed is not ready for prime time. Two examples are the overhaul of the D.C. Criminal Code, and the Non-Citizen Voting Act. In passing these bills, neither fully thought out, the Council is challenging Congress to use its legislative oversight authority. The GOP has already announced it will fight the Non-Citizen Voting Rights bill. With the mayor’s recent veto of the Criminal Code overhaul, the Council is looking to blame her for possible negative action by Congress on that bill. The mayor was absolutely right. Lowering the maximum possible penalties for burglaries, carjackings (now at their highest) and robberies, while residents are seeing a crime wave, is irresponsible and won’t make the city safer. If Congress takes action on these bills, the Council must accept the full blame. While Congress shouldn’t interfere with D.C. government (I have long advocated for budget and legislative autonomy for the District) we don’t have it yet.

There are other instances where the Council, with good intentions, is passing legislation that could create budget problems. Recent legislation making all bus rides in the District free is a great idea. However, the mayor was right in suggesting it is a budget issue and we should be talking to Maryland and Virginia first, urging them to join us. Under this legislation their residents, working and commuting, can get on a bus here for free and the District picks up the tab, estimated at $42 million annually. Council members suggested it will get cars off the roads yet studies don’t prove that. “A 2016 study in the journal International Journal of Transportation shows people’s decisions about what mode of transport to use are impacted by accessibility more than price. Researchers found eliminating fares in European transit systems increased ridership 13-fold, but had only a “marginal” impact on vehicle traffic since most riders switched from walking or cycling.” So, let’s look at how we help people based on need. There are clearly ways to help people in need without passing bills giving money to those who don’t need it.

Recently, my Council member Brooke Pinto, proposed a bill that would give huge rebates to those buying e-bikes. For poorer citizens paying up to a third, or $1,200 for an expensive bike. For others up to $400. I am all for bike lanes and doing all we can to get people out of their cars. But proposing to spend up to $2 million on this may be unrealistic. Who asked for this bill and who will benefit the most? Those who sell e-bikes? Then we need to do the appropriate additional legislation regarding e-bikes and scooters keeping keep them off sidewalks where pedestrians are now dodging them. Then we are looking at another good idea, giving D.C. residents up to $100 a month to pay for Metro (could include Metro busses) — an idea that needs a lot of thought on how it would be implemented and let’s hope the Council doesn’t get ahead of itself on this one.

We know the windfall of federal money that came into the District through appropriations Congress passed during the pandemic is coming to an end. D.C. will again have to rely on the taxes it collects from its residents and we know the population has gone down during the pandemic. Rebuilding the tax base will take time. The mayor is proposing a number of excellent programs to bring more residents into D.C., especially downtown, including turning empty commercial buildings into residences. So, as we look at our budgets in the coming years, we need to determine what our priorities are and the Council shouldn’t be making long-term commitments that maybe can’t be funded. It is all too easy to come up with expensive ideas.

The current Council apparently wants to lead the nation in being progressive, which is fine. But much work and deep thought need to go into all legislation. I recognize with a bill like the Criminal Code overhaul, it took many years to formulate. But standing behind it and overriding the mayor’s veto despite both the past and current chairs of the Public Safety Committee agreeing it will need amendments, was surprising.

I want to see legislation that promotes equality, and gives help to those in the District who need it the most. I also agree we need to get more cars off the streets and promote programs in response to climate change. Yet it appears like Republicans in Congress, some of our Council members are surely overreaching.

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BRYNN TANNEHILL

is a senior analyst at a D.C-area think-tank and author of ‘American Fascism: How the GOP is Subverting Democracy.’

Trans people are in the midst of a second Lavender Scare Legislative attacks becoming more numerous and draconian

To be trans in the U.S. is to know fear. It is a companion that travels with us constantly: from the moment we realize we are trans, to coming out, to transitioning, and now into our lives long past the point where we should have faded away into anonymity in days past.

We are in the midst of a second Lavender Scare, and in many ways this is far more dangerous: even Christine Jorgenson wasn’t barred from receiving hormones or being within 2,500 feet of children simply for being transgender.

I have been called a doomsayer who profits from prognosticating an inevitable end.

This is not precisely true: there is hope, if precious little of it. We can all clearly see the situation deteriorating rapidly in red states, with (at best) spotty resistance from the Democratic Party as a whole. We can see the effects of this deterioration as transgender people not only ask how to flee, but actively do so now. But most in a poverty-stricken community, however, lack the money or resources to flee.

There’s an eerie similarity to 1933, when people sold everything they owned, with no job waiting for them, just to get away from what they saw happening and coming. Others look at what it will take to get to another country, even as those countries are not yet ready to grant trans people asylum or refugee status. Most can only tell you that it’s getting bad, and that they’re afraid of what their government is preparing to do to them, even if they don’t know exactly what that will be. However, with nowhere to go, and no country particularly wanting transgender people, I find myself dreading another S.S. St. Louis moment in history.

There’s an authoritarian party in permanent power in half of the U.S. They’re making it clear that intend to seize permanent federal control and bring their vision of a shiny, godly America to the rest of the country by any means necessary. They’re ready to destroy the Union and our democracy to save it from “wokeness.” And they have sold their base on the idea that the No. 1 threat that the country must be saved from is transgender people.

State level anti-transgender bills are becoming both more numerous and draconian year after year. The Overton Window of anti-trans legislation keeps shifting further and further to the right. For example, first they wanted to ban transition-related health care for everyone under the age of 18. Then the bills started putting the age at 21. Then, this year, we saw Oklahoma propose banning it for anyone under 26. Texas followed by passing a resolution condemning it for people of all ages.

Now Oklahoma has proposed a law that would ban providers who take state or federal money of money of any sort (e.g. Medicare or Medicaid) from providing transition-related care to anyone of any age. This means thousands of people who transitioned years ago will no longer be able to refill their prescriptions. Access to medical care will become a right that exists in theory but not in practice, like suffrage in the Jim Crow South.

It’s not just medical care. It’s sports, bathrooms, birth certificates, driver’s licenses, bans on “drag”, required misgendering, and forced outing. The creativity of this performative cruelty seems endless. Of these though, the “drag” bans are the most devastating. These laws are deliberately written as to be so vague and overly broad that a symphony orchestra with a transgender 2nd clarinet, or a family with a trans child doing a sing-along in the car would be considered obscene. In West Virginia, SB252 and 278 single out transgender people (and not just drag performers) to declare that their mere presence in public is obscene.

Not only are the scope of laws increasing; the sheer number is growing exponentially.

In 2018, there were 19 anti-trans bills proposed in state legislatures. By 2020 it was 60.

Last year it was 155. Now, in 2023, we surpassed the 2022 total by the middle of January and are well on our way to more than 200. Even so, these numbers don’t tell the full tale.

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In years past, only perhaps 10% of these bills would pass, usually after opposition and debate. Now, we’re seeing bills introduced, sent to committee, debated, and sent to the floor in 24 hours. There is simply so much happening so fast that trans people cannot put together opposition in time to speak against these bills, whereas conservative legislators coordinating with religious legal groups always have “experts” lined up and ready, since they know exactly when and where the bills will be heard ahead of time. The result is that in a year where a record number of anti-transgender bills are introduced, a record percentage, and a record total, will be passed.

Trans people are not doomed, but we’re clearly on an accelerating trajectory to the end of the community in at least half of the U.S. Reversing these trends, and preventing a nationwide destruction of the community, requires numerous highly improbable things to happen. This includes Republicans moving on from the moral panic about trans people, deciding that they’ve gone far enough already with their oppression at the state level, or the courts overturning anti-trans laws.

None of these seems likely.

Additionally, there remains the fear that even states with sanctuary laws, like California, will not remain safe forever. Republicans in Congress have made it clear that should they take power in 2024, they intend to pass nationwide laws similar to those at the state level. The odds of the GOP taking full control are frighteningly high: the Senate map in 2024 for Democrats is very bad, Biden’s net approval is where Trump’s was in 2020, and gerrymandering makes taking back the House difficult.

Masha Gessen’s rules for surviving autocracy state that “your institutions will not save you.” This is true for trans people now in several ways: neither courts, the Democratic Party, nor the media seem prepared to stand up for us as the situation goes from hostile to non-survivable. There’s the open question of whether the courts will uphold sanctuary laws. When Texas demands the arrest and extradition of trans people (or parents of trans youth) who have fled to a sanctuary state, it seems unlikely that the current Supreme Court will do anything but what their Christian nationalist masters tell them to. It’s also unknown whether a state like California would defy the courts and break the union over trans people or women seeking an abortion.

Then there’s the news media, the fifth estate that is supposed to be the light of truth shining on darkness. Instead, half of the media ecosystem is leading the charge to brand transgender people as an existential threat to women, children, and society. The other half, like Reuters, the New York Times, and The Atlantic, produce poorly thought out “both-sideism” and concern troll pieces that amplify and reinforce the narratives of the side that believes the ideal number of transgender people in the U.S. is zero.

Trans people have precious few people that they know will go to the mattresses for them. We’re already seeing who on the left and center is stepping aside, or even joining in, to let self-proclaimed Christian fascists like Matt Walsh have their way. Not only can it happen here, but it is happening now, at this very instant, to the sound of deafening silence from the people who swore without irony “never again.”

The American public, for their part, either doesn’t know or doesn’t care. It’s just happening to “those people.” Most trans people cannot enunciate all the factors that have them afraid, and why they form an interlocking system of failures that make recovery from the trajectory we’re on improbable. They just know that things are getting worse, and they don’t see how it will get better. Like animals before an earthquake, they know something is very wrong, even if they can’t explain why, or get anyone to listen.

All they know is that they cannot get out, the unstoppable power of the government is coming, and no one is coming to the rescue. For those who cannot flee, and cannot survive the laws about to be passed, the end comes soon. Drums, drums in the deep.

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Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 1313 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 | 202.386.6330

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Billy Porter tackles new role in ‘80 for Brady’ Fashion icon on the importance of dressing up

By TIM NASSON Carnegie Mellon. I went to graduate school Billy Porter — the Tony, Emmy and Gramat UCLA. To this day, I still take singing lesmy winner — needs no introduction, espesons. I have the patience of Job. My best cially to the many fans of his character Pray advice for anyone who wants to become a Tell on Ryan Murphy’s hit TV series “Pose.” professional is to practice – even when no Arriving in theaters on Feb. 10, Porter one is looking.” will star as a Super Bowl half-time show How did Porter prepare himself for a trachoreographer, opposite Oscar winners jectory in acting and a career in fashion? “I Sally Field, Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda, and decided at a very young age to dress for the Tony winner Lily Tomlin, in the feel-good job I wanted, not the job I have,” he explains. comedy “80 For Brady,” a comic homage The “Oscar” dress, which made Porter a to popular quarterback Tom Brady. viral sensation, wasn’t something that “just Porter rocketed to superstardom when happened.” In 2013, while Porter was in Chihe originated the role of Lola in the Tocago doing previews of “Kinky Boots,” he ny-winning Broadway musical “Kinky met with fans at the stage door after every Boots” just over 10 years ago. But show performance. “It was right at the time when business was always in his blood. social media was taking off, especially Insta“I started singing in church at a very BILLY PORTER’s new film ‘80 gram photos, and I was dressing geek chic. young age,” he says. “By fifth grade the bulfor Brady’ opens Feb. 10.

“When I looked at the news the day after lying had stopped and in middle school I (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures) the first performance I saw pictures of myself got involved with theater. I dreamed about and I looked like a bag lady. From that mobeing on Broadway and becoming the ment on, I dressed up every day. After every show, before male Whitney Houston.”

I went out the stage door to go home, I dressed up.” From Porter knew he was onto something when he won then on, any candid photos that people did take of Porter $100,000 on Star Search, in 1992 but he never expected were not only flattering but trend setting. “For three years, success would come easy. while I was on Broadway with ‘Kinky Boots,’ I dressed up af“I took all of the necessary steps to prepare myself for a ter every performance, just to go out to the car to go home.” career in show business,” he says. “There have been moIn 2019, just a year before the pandemic hit, Porter started ments of frustration, but no one is entitled to anything. to gain attention for some of the most fabulous outfits that “I’ve practiced acting every day for decades. I went to

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BILLY PORTER, RITA MORENO, JANE FONDA, and LILY TOMLIN in ‘80 for Brady’ (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

have ever adorned any human. At the Grammy Awards, he wore an embroidered suit and pink cape. That same year, at the Academy Awards he wore the famous black fitted tuxedo and velvet gown created by Christian Siriano, accompanied by six-inch Rick Owens boots.

The gender-fluid outfits worn by Porter that are now famous the world over were not intended to be labeled. “All of the outfits I have worn aligned with the roles I was playing. The term ‘non-binary’ never occurred to me.”

And now Billy Porter has become an inspiration for celebrities like Harry Styles, who posed on the cover of Vogue last year in a Gucci dress. “You said that, not me,” Porter insists I disclose.

“I have a calling,” he admits. “It is funneled through artistry.

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4835 HUTCHINS PL ACE NW

Introducing the Hidden Gem of the Palisades Tucked away on a tree-lined street nestled at the end of a cul-de-sac, the hidden gem of the Palisades is yours to uncover. Welcome to 4835 Hutchins Place NW, a sprawling 6-bed, 5.5-bath custom-built residence where elegance and privacy collide. Brimming with curb appeal, the home’s charming porch front and picturesque facade give way to a sunlit, spacious interior that makes room for every moment. Step past the front door and into the open main living area, intuitively designed to flow seamlessly from one room to the next. Framed by stylish shelving, the dynamic dining room leads to the formal living room that features a fireplace, soaring windows, and plenty of space to spread out. Across the hall, a second living room boasting backyard access connects with the cutting-edge kitchen, newly updated to serve up gourmet appliances, ample storage, a cleverly-placed island, and an adjoining eat-in area. Reflecting the latest in relaxation, the second level has 4 comfortable bedrooms, including one with a shared jack-and-jill bathroom, a Primary Suite with an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closets, and an additional bedroom that also enjoys its own ensuite bathroom.

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Ascend the stairs to find yet another bedroom and bath along with an enclosed deck, creating the ultimate top-level suite. Back downstairs, the home’s expansive basement comes with a large recreation area, two more sizable bedrooms, and a storage room that can be easily transformed into a personal movie theater. Outside, the home’s immaculate landscaping extends to its backyard, where a deck, slate patio and sizable, flat lot await your imagination. Set in a coveted corner of the Palisades bordered by National Parkland, this home effortlessly blends outdoor living with residential perks. Take the trails at your doorstep to explore the C&O Canal, bike The Capital Crescent Trail, or catch a glimpse of The Potomac River. Equally as convenient, the trendy restaurants of MacArthur Boulevard and the weekly neighborhood Farmer’s Market are just moments away. An address that doesn’t compromise on location or style, 4835 Hutchins Place NW is proof that your next home can actually have it all.

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Friday, January 27

CALENDAR |

Center Aging Monthly Yoga & Lunch will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Lunch will be held in the climate-controlled atrium at the Reeves Center. For more information, contact Adam at adamheller@ thedccenter.org.

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will meet at 8 p.m. on Zoom. This event is a social discussion group for queer women in the D.C. area and a great way to make new friends and meet other queer women in a fun and friendly setting. For meeting updates join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.

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

Saturday, January 28 Virtual Yoga Class with Charles M. will be at 12 p.m. online. This is a weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. Guests are encouraged to RSVP on the DC Center’s website, providing your name, email address, and zip code, along with any questions you may have. A link to the event will be sent at 6 pm the day before.

Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 11 a.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black lesbian. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

OUT & ABOUT Build your professional network

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Sunday, January 29

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Coffee + Conversation” at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for those looking to make more friends in the LGBTQ+ community and trying to meet some new faces after the pandemic. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

AfroCode DC will be at 4 p.m. at Decades DC. This event is an experience of non-stop music, dancing and good vibes, and a crossover of genres and fusion of cultures. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Monday, January 30 Center Aging Monday Coffee and Conversation will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. LGBT Older Adults — and friends — are invited to enjoy friendly conversations and to discuss any issues you might be dealing with. For more information, visit the Center Aging’s Facebook or Twitter.

Not Another Drag Show will be at 8 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. Logan Stone will host the event and there will also be a rotating cast of local DMV performers. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Tuesday, January 31 “CONNECTails: Lively networking for Entrepreneurs & Investors” will be at 6 p.m. at Saigon Noodles & Grill.

This event is the premier networking and professional development organization for more than 25,000 entrepreneurs, VCs and angels, CEOs, and other business leaders in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Two options for yoga this week: Center Aging Monthly Yoga & Lunch is held Friday; Virtual Yoga Class with Charles M. will be Saturday.

Out Professionals will host “Meaningful Networking for LGBTQ Professionals” on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at Number Nine DC. The event will feature color-coded industry badges to help connect guests with people in their industry and a Dot to seamlessly share contact information.

Tickets are $85 and more details about the event are available on Eventbrite.

Catfish Stand-Up features LGBTQ comedians “Catfish Stand-Up Comedy” will be on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. at A League of Her Own. This event will feature performances from D.C.’s funniest and most talented LGBTQ comedians. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

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Wednesday, February 01 Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/ careers.

Comedy & Cocktails - Open Mic Wednesdays will be at 7:30 p.m. at Pure Lounge. This event is an open mic featuring comedians from the DMV. There will be drinking games, free prizes, and music by DJ K-OZ. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Thursday, February 02 The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 pm. .if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

API Queer Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom.

This event is a support group for the Asian and Pacific Islander queer community. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

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FILM

#OscarsSoStraight:

Academy honors queer films but omits queer talent Mixed bag of nominees as heterosexual actors playing gay win nods

By JOHN PAUL KING inclusion list through the involvement of queer ally Lady Gaga, who is co-nominated The race for Oscar — Hollywood’s favorite sport — officially began Tuesday morn(with BloodPop) for writing Best Original Song contender “Hold My Hand.” ing, when past winner Riz Ahmed and “M3gan” actress Allison Williams appeared on While the inclusiveness in some cases could be perhaps described as marginal, at ABC’s “Good Morning America” to announce the list of nominees for the 95th Academy best, and none of the nominated titles are predominantly queer focused, it’s still heartAwards. As always, that list was mostly comprised of established favorites, boosted by ening to see a crop of widely varied films in which an LGBTQ presence is not only visible, the momentum gained from wins and nominations for other film awards, with a few inbut normalized, almost routine. That’s a far cry from 2006, when the high-profile nominaevitable snubs and surprises thrown into the mix just to keep things interesting. tions and wins for “Brokeback Mountain” provoked outrage and outcry among industry From a movie-lover’s perspective, the Academy’s final ballot reflects a year that has old-timers. Progress has clearly been made. yielded a better-than-average crop of films, even as post-pandemic box office numbers Unfortunately, while the Academy has clearly become more comfortable with movies skewed away from the kind of “prestige” movies that usually win Oscars. With plenty of that allow queer people to exist on the screen at all, it’s still prone to some of its old deserving front-runners among the nominees, cinema buffs will have plenty of worthy habits – and this year’s nominations underscore the importance of keeping up pressure choices to root for when the Academy Awards presentation airs on March 12. on the Hollywood establishment to prevent backsliding. In recent years, LGBTQ-themed Looking at the nominations through a queer eye, on the other hand, there’s not much films and out queer performers have increasingly been part of the party on Oscar night, to get excited about. But let’s focus on the good news first. with movies like “Moonlight,” “Call Me By Your Name,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocket Among the movies nominated for Best Picture, several include LGBTQ characters and Man” and more emerging as major contenders and, in some cases, even taking home storylines. In “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the popular indie sci-fi comedy that the prize; but this year, the roster is frustratingly straight. received the most nods (11) of any movie in the pack, the fate of the multiverse hinges This is most telling in the acting categories, where – true to what has become a on – among other things – a woman’s ability to acknowledge and affirm her daughlong-standing Oscar tradition, ter’s queer sexuality; the conat this point – none of the nomtroversial but acclaimed “Tár” inees, including those playing is built around Cate Blanchett’s LGBTQ characters, identify as consummate performance as queer. There’s no argument an acclaimed lesbian symphony against the worthiness of Blanchdirector accused of sexual misett, Fraser, or Hsu, each of whom conduct, and features numerdoes superb work and deserves ous queer characters among recognition for it; what is more the supporting cast; “Women pertinent is the omission of acTalking,” Sarah Polley’s powerful tual LGBTQ people from the rosdrama about victims of sexual ter, like Janelle Monáe of “Glass assault in a Mennonite colony, Onion” or Jeremy Pope of “The includes a transmasculine charInspection,” whose much-laudacter (portrayed by nonbinary ed 2022 performances put them actor August Winter) in a small high on the short list for Acadebut crucial role. In addition, “Elmy recognition. vis” was helmed by queer direcThe LGBTQ community is not tor Baz Luhrmann, who snagged CATE BLANCHETT is favored to win an Oscar for her performance in the acclaimed ‘Tár.’ (Image courtesy of Focus Features) the only one with reason to be a nomination as one of the film’s disappointed. After two consecproducers; and “The Fabelmans” utive years of being won by women, the Best Director category is once again made up was co-written by out gay screenwriter Tony Kushner, who likewise gained a nod as entirely of heterosexual men; female filmmaker Polley, despite the Best Picture nod for producer as well as sharing a nomination for Best Original Screenplay with Steven Spiel“Women Talking,” failed to make the cut – though she did pick up a writing nomination berg. for Best Adapted Screenplay.

As for the acting categories, a handful of performers earned nominations for playRecognition for people of color also took a step backward. This is particularly notaing LGBTQ-identifying characters. Blanchett, in “Tár,” is seen as a shoo-in for Best Acble in the acting categories, where only two Black performers – Angela Bassett (“Black tress; similarly, first-time nominee Brendan Fraser, whose “comeback” performance as Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”), for Best Supporting an obese gay man consumed by grief and regret after the death of his partner in “The Actress and Actor, respectively – received nominations. Among the year’s potential Whale” gained almost universal praise despite controversies surrounding the movie nominees were snubbed powerhouses like Viola Davis (“The Woman King”), Danielle itself, is a strong contender among a slate of other first-timers in the Best Actor race.

Deadwyler (“Till”), Gabrielle Union (“The Inspection”), as well as the aforementioned Stephanie Hsu, who portrays the above-mentioned lesbian daughter in “Everything,” Pope and Monaé, any of whom might have helped to even the balance. also became a first-time Oscar nominee, for Best Supporting Actress; lastly, though it Don’t get us wrong; there are plenty of reasons to be happy with this year’s Oscar might be a bit of a cheat, it’s worth mentioning that “Everything” also depicts – quite contest, not the least of which is the element of surprise – though there are definite memorably – versions of the characters played by Best Actress nominee Michelle Yeoh favorites, there are no clear winners in most of the categories. Returning to our focus and Best Supporting Actress nominee Jamie Lee Curtis as [SPOILER ALERT] a same-sex on the positive, there’s a strong showing of Asian-American nominees in the mix, thanks couple in an alternate universe. to “Everything,” and it’s worth adding that, with queer-inclusive films scoring high in Other notably queer-inclusive films in the overall Oscar lineup include: “Close,” directtotal nominations, some of them are sure to win – and that will give us ample reason to ed by filmmaker Lukas Dhont, a Belgian coming-of age drama nominated for Best Intercelebrate. national Feature; “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” the comedy crime caper sequel It won’t keep us, however, from expecting Oscar to do better next year. Until then, that confirms the queerness of detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig), earned don’t be surprised if this stumble on the road to real LGBTQ equality in the movies writer-director Rian Johnson a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay; “Babylon,” Damien spawns a new hashtag: #OscarsSoStraight.

Chazelle’s ambitious ensemble drama about 1920s Hollywood, which was snubbed in The complete list of Oscar nominations is on page 34. the “major” categories but earned nominations for Justin Hurwitz’s original score and its costume and production designs; and incredibly enough, “Top Gun: Maverick,” which scored multiple nominations including Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay, makes the CONTINUES ON PAGE 34 3 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3

FEB 2 - 26

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The location of a garden fence between two Latino neighbors in NW DC turns into a hilarious border dispute that reveals class, cultural, and generational rifts.

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FILM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

The complete list of Oscar nominations is below: Best picture

- “All Quiet on the Western Front” - “Avatar: The Way of Water” - “The Banshees of Inisherin” - “Elvis” - “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - “The Fabelmans” - “Tár” - “Top Gun: Maverick” - “Triangle of Sadness” - “Women Talking”

Best director

- Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin” - Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans” - Todd Field, “Tár” - Ruben Östlund, “Triangle of Sadness”

Best actor

- Austin Butler, “Elvis” - Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin” - Brendan Fraser, “The Whale” - Paul Mescal, “Aftersun” - Bill Nighy, “Living”

Best actress

- Cate Blanchett, “Tár” - Ana de Armas, “Blonde” - Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie” - Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans” - Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best supporting actor

- Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin” - Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway” - Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans” - Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin” - Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best supporting actress

- Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” - Hong Chau, “The Whale” - Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin” - Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best original screenplay

- “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh - “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - “The Fabelmans,” Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg 3 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3

- “Tár,” Todd Field - “Triangle of Sadness,” Ruben Östlund

Best adapted screenplay

- “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell - “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Rian Johnson - “Living,” Kazuo Ishiguro - “Top Gun: Maverick,” Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks - “Women Talking,” Sarah Polley

Best cinematography

- “All Quiet on the Western Front” - “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” - “Elvis” - “Empire of Light” - “Tár”

Best international feature film

- “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) - “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) - “Close” (Belgium) - “EO” (Poland) - “The Quiet Girl” (Ireland)

Best documentary feature film

- “All That Breathes” - “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” - “Fire of Love” - “A House Made of Splinters” - “Navalny”

Best animated feature film - “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” - “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” - “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” - “The Sea Beast” - “Turning Red”

Best live action short film

- “An Irish Goodbye” - “Ivalu” - “Le Pupille” - “Night Ride” - “The Red Suitcase”

Best documentary short film - “The Elephant Whisperers” - “Haulout” - “How Do You Measure a Year?”

- “The Martha Mitchell Effect” - “Stranger at the Gate”

Best animated short film

- “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”

- “The Flying Sailor” - “Ice Merchants” - “My Year of Dicks” - “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”

Best original score

- “All Quiet on the Western Front” - “Babylon” - “The Banshees of Inisherin” - “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - “The Fabelmans”

Best original song

- “Applause” from “Tell It like a Woman” - “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” - “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” - “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” - “This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best film editing

- “The Banshees of Inisherin” - “Elvis” - “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - “Tár” - “Top Gun: Maverick”

Best production design

- “All Quiet on the Western Front” - “Avatar: The Way of Water” - “Babylon” - “Elvis” - “The Fabelmans”

Best costume design

- “Babylon” - “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” - “Elvis” - “Everything Everywhere All at Once” - “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”

Best makeup and hairstyling - “All Quiet on the Western Front” - “The Batman” - “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” - “Elvis” - “The Whale”

Best sound

- “All Quiet on the Western Front” - “Avatar: The Way of Water” - “The Batman” - “Elvis” - “Top Gun: Maverick”

Best visual effects

- “All Quiet on the Western Front” - “Avatar: The Way of Water” - “The Batman” - “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” - “Top Gun: Maverick”

Be one of the first to order the all new, fully electric 2023 i4 eDrive 35 and enjoy $2,750 in incentives if order is placed by January 31st!

This brand new model starts at just $51,400, and you can save an additional $2,750.

• Save $750 just for placing the order by Jan. 31st • Save an additional $750 when leasing with BMWFS • Save yet another $750 when trading another BMW for your new i4

*$51,400 excludes $995 destination charge. Savings are a combination of discount and BMWFS rebates. All orders and BMWFS approvals must be exceeded by January 31st, 2023.

JA NUA RY 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 5

“INGENIOUSLY DARK AND FUNNY MUSICAL” — The Washington Post

RIDE THE CYCLONE A CO-PRODUCTION WITH MCCARTER THEATRE CENTER BOOK, MUSIC & LYRICS BY JACOB RICHMOND AND BROOKE MAXWELL DIRECTED BY SARAH RASMUSSEN ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY BY JIM LICHTSCHEIDL ADDITIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY BY TIGER BROWN

NOW THRU FEBRUARY 19 Photos of Ride the Cyclone by Margot Schulman.

BUY TICKETS!

ARENASTAGE.ORG/CYCLONE | 202-488-3300

3 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3

SUMMER OVERVIEW Grades 5-12 June 20 - August 25

GREAT LOCATION Connecticut Ave NW 2 blocks from Van Ness Metro

EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTORS Burke Faculty Guest Artists & Coaches

burkeschool.org/summer

June 20-August 25 | summer@burkeschool.org | 202-362-8882 ext. 637 | @summeratburke

JA NUA RY 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 7

BOOKS

A balanced look at whether to have children

New book, ‘So When are You Having Kids?’ makes no judgments

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Your mother lingers way too long in the children’s department.

She sighs over tiny suits and little sneakers, running her fingers along soft blankets, hugging plush animals. You know what she wants but you’re not ready; she might be sure but you’re not. Maybe baby for you or, with the new book “So When are You Having Kids?” by Jordan Davidson, maybe not.

It’s the thorniest of decisions, “one of the biggest you’ll ever make.” It’s personal, but even strangers want to know; the questions start in your 20s and end when you’ve acquiesced or aged, although having kids is not a given or a thing-by-committee. So how do you quiet the busybodies and make the right decision for yourself?

First, says Davidson, ask yourself if you even want children, and after you’ve looked inward, “it’s worth looking outward” at expectations, culture, and things that “shape our understanding of parenthood.” Ask around, to see why others had children but don’t be surprised if you get cliches. Throw out the idea that children fulfill you or that they’ll take care of you when you’re old. Know that genetics, religion, and your parents’ parenting styles will affect you; and that if you’re queer or Black, there’ll be other factors involved in having and raising a child.

Should you decide to the positive, you may still have reservations.

Don’t give in to the romance of having kids; it’s hard work, and expensive in both money and time. Remember that perceptions of good parenting have “shifted over

time” and that having a childhood exactly like yours probably won’t be an option for your kids. If you have a partner, communicate your thoughts, hopes, and divisions of household labor and childcare.

Finally, decide how you’re going to become a parent.

Will you give birth, choose IVF, adopt, foster, or kick the decision down the road?

Says Davidson, the mere ability to ask these questions and decide “is in many ways a privilege.”

Chances are that if you hear a screaming baby, you have one of two reactions: you cringe and look for an exit, or you notice and shrug. Either way, “So When are You Having Kids?” is a book for you.

There are many, many parenting books on miles of shelves, and a number of books on being childless, but author Jordan Davidson pulls the two subjects together here with thoughtfulness, candor, inclusiveness, and a refreshing lack of judgment. This is a book that doesn’t promise answers, though: it’s meant to give readers – whether they want kids, don’t, or are ambivalent – an inone-place, balanced look at myths, truths, pros, cons, and rarely-considered points for an informed decision. It also, perhaps most importantly, offers comforting reminders that there is no right or wrong, no matter what Mom says.

“So When are You Having Kids?” is like having a big sister to bounce ideas with, or a break-out session in your living room. It’s like asking Baby Maybe questions you didn’t know you had. It’s help when you need it in that department.

‘So When are You Having Kids?’

By Jordan Davidson

c.2022, Sounds True, Macmillan | $28.99 | 356 pages

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES The Acting Company Virginia Opera

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Saturday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m.

A world-premiere adaptation that “mixes hip-hop and swords in a retelling that hews closer to Dumas’ Haitian roots” (New York Post)

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE

FELLOW TRAVELERS

Saturday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.

“A near-perfect example of fast-flowing musical drama” (The New York Times)

Mason Artist-in-Residence

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE

Uplifted Voices with special guest Pura Fé

Sunday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m.

A musical tapestry connecting sounds of indigenous North America to the World

TICKETS: THE THREE MUSKETEERS

3 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3

cfa.gmu.edu

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

703-993-2787

Located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University.

For information on health and safety protocols, visit cfa.gmu.edu/expect.

One of a kind. Now two.

More apartments. More fun.

More Remy.

Ultra-equipped, finely appointed, meticulously kept apartment homes available now in Lanham, Maryland’s new Harkins District.

+

Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartment homes, featuring open floor plans

+

Gourmet kitchens, including quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances

+

Hardwood-inspired flooring and spa-inspired baths

+

Washer and dryer in each apartment

+

TWO Resort-style saltwater pools with cabanas

+

TWO Rooftop bars with lounge seating

+

TWO Clubrooms with billiards

+

TWO Conference and co-working spaces

+

TWO Fitness centers

+

Pet-friendly and pet-free living options

+

Garage parking available for all residents

+

1.5 blocks to New Carrollton Metro and Amtrak

+

Monthly social resident events

Visit TheRemyApts.com or call 301.637.8065 to schedule your tour!

7730 Harkins Rd | Lanham, MD 20706 | TheRemyApts.com | 301.637.8065

JA NUA RY 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 9

4 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3

LEFT PAGE

PRICE - $1,995,000

8 Lighthouse Way, Lewes Beach, DE

PRICE - $950,000

527 N Boardwalk #208, Rehoboth Beach, DE

MLS: DESU2032906

BEAUTY BY THE BAY!

Enjoy Bay views from the 3rd level and rooftop deck from this 4+ bedroom beach house with elevator! Bask in the sun and enjoy the ocean and bay breezes from this 3 story retreat with an inverted floor plan to highlight the property’s coastal location in the coveted community of Cape Shores!

PRICE CHANGE

NOW - $514, 900

25006 Tannin Circle, Milton, DE

MLS #: DESU2030290

PERFECT BEACH GETAWAY!

Don’t miss this 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo directly on Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk! Featuring an open floor plan, multiple balconies, and ocean views. Your summer home OR rent it out! Walk to all the Rehoboth Beach attractions and the beach!

PRICE - $379,900

34677 Villa Circle #502, DE

MLS: DESU2034078

ONLY MOVE-IN READY HOME AVAILABLE IN THE VINES WHY WAIT TO BUILD? WHY PAY NEW CONSTRUCTION IMPACT FEES?

Enjoy the luxury of this LIKE NEW 3+ BR home without the wait, or hassle of new construction costs, in The Vines of Sand Hill. Featuring over $60K in upgrades!

MLS: DESU2032242

LOCATION AND CONVENIENCE!

Don’t miss this pond front spacious townhome in The Villas at Bay Crossing! With easy access to Coastal Hwy, shopping, dining, and the beaches, this freshly painted 3 bedroom, 2 bath features tons of upgrades, new carpeting, 1-car garage, and more! Perfect investment property, year-round, or 2nd home.

RIGHT PAGE

JA NUA RY 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 1

Con Acento

Drag show and dance party celebrate Hispanic heritage (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Evry Pleasure hosted the Con Acento drag show and dance party “celebrating our Hispanic heritage” at JR.’s Bar on Saturday, Jan. 21. Performers included Labianna, Chata Uchis and Whoreslina.

4 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3

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.

JA NUA RY 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 3

REAL ESTATE

Get Covered. Stay Covered.

Spring market readiness: buyer’s edition

Get ready for more inventory and faster sales

By JUSTIN NOBLE

Here in the D.C. metro area there are historically two cyclical “busy” times in the market. Spring market, which falls between February through June/July, and fall market, which is around August until about November. Honestly, the D.C. metro market is historically always pretty active, however the spring and fall markets are those times where we see an increase in inventory, open houses attendance, open house traffic and properties selling quicker. As we are heading into the spring market time (historically begins after the Super Bowl, aka the Rihanna concert for my non-sports folks that is Feb. 12) I wanted to go over a few tips to do NOW in order to make sure you are ready to go.

PICK A QUALIFIED REAL ESTATE AGENT

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

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OPEN ENROLLMENT ENDS JAN 31

DON’T DELAY, ENROLL TODAY DCHealthLink.com/residents (855) 532-5465/TTY:711

4 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3 • B US I NE S S

It is vital to work with a real estate agent that you can trust. I often tell my clients that we are about to get real intimate and basically start dating. The home buying process involves many late night phone calls, weekends spent driving around looking at properties and learning truly what a client wants. For this very reason you should feel comfortable with your agent. You need someone who will speak your language as well as speak the language of negotiating and get you into a home.

Where do you start looking for a real estate professional? For starters, I am sure you know one real estate agent in D.C., but if you don’t, look to friends and family. Ask if they know of a great Realtor and then go from there. It’s not always the agents that are plastered all over bus stops or grocery carts that you should gravitate to; do some homework and seek an agent who writes for the Washington Blade, was voted Best DC Realtor by the Washington Blade readers (aka me - and this is totally a joke – maybe).

PRE-APPROVAL

This is almost more important than selecting a real estate agent. Find a lender who will fight for you. One thing as a listing agent that I love to see is when a buyer’s lender calls me when a purchase offer is submitted to tell me how wonderfully well qualified their clients (aka you) are and that they will fight to keep the transaction on the estimated timeline. This illustrates that you have a team behind you that supports you and your goal of purchasing a home. When I get a call from a buyer’s agent that they have submitted an offer for their clients and this is why they are the most well-qualified buyers and love the home right before I get a call from a lender who speaks highly of their buyer clients and the buyer’s agent —

chef’s kiss — it truly does make a difference.

Where do you start looking for a lender? Well once you meet an amazing real estate agent, ask who they would recommend. Please note that we as real estate professionals are not allowed to receive any kickbacks from lenders or service providers. I always provide a list of lenders that I have worked with in the past that have performed well – it’s your duty to research and speak to those lenders, and more, in order to select the one that is best suited for you.

UNDERSTAND YOUR CURRENT LEASE

This is one that is often overlooked. You should have a look over your current lease.

Reviewing your lease will give you timeline info as to when you can start your search and what timeframes you are working with.

For example, if you are on a month-tomonth lease currently then you can begin your home search now. You will need to give your current landlord a 30-day notice that will likely line up with a 30-day closing period, which is pretty standard here in the D.C. metro market. If you have a lease with a few months left, it’s important to understand what a possible lease break would look like from a financial perspective or if you are not willing to break your lease then it will give you a timeframe of when you can start the home buying process.

DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF THE GOAL

This is super important. While the market has changed in the past few months, we are still not out of the water completely. The ripple effect of COVID and the constraints on the housing market will be seen for a while longer. While you might not have 15 offers on a home it’s likely you could still expect two or three. Even though we are heading into the spring market where there is historically an increase in inventory, we are in such a shortage currently that it’s even more vital now than ever before to ensure you are ready to rock and roll.

The home buying process can truly be a fun process. By following the steps above and ensuring that you are well equipped and positioned to start off the spring real estate market there is little doubt that you will meet your goal of becoming a homeowner this year.

JUSTIN NOBLE

is a Realtor with Sotheby’s international Realty licensed in D.C., Maryland, and Delaware for your DMV and Delaware Beach needs. Specializing in first-time homebuyers, development and new construction as well as estate sales, Justin is a well-versed agent, highly regarded, and provides white glove service at every price point. Reach him at 202-503-4243, Justin.Noble@ SothebysRealty.com or BurnsandNoble.com.

JA NUA RY 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 5

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

MASSAGE

ROSSLYN - RELAX & RECHARGE YOURSELF.

Massage in private studio located near Rosslyn, Fri-Mon, 12-8. www.mymassagebygary.com or text

301-704-1158.

Hope to see you soon!

CLEANING

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Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out

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EMAIL NOW TO PLACE YOUR AD

classifieds@washblade.com

And tell them, “I saw your ad in

The Blade!”

ACADEMY OF HOPE Adult Public Charter School

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Educational Specification & Consolidated Facilities Assessments The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School located in Washington, DC requests proposals for Educational Specification & Consolidated Facilities Assessments. Proposals are due February 10, 2023. You can find the detailed request for proposal and submission information at: https://aohdc.org/get-involved/ jobs/

ACADEMY OF HOPE

Adult Public Charter School REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Fire Panel

The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School located in Washington, DC requests proposals for Fire Panel.

Proposals are due January 31st, 2023.

You can find the detailed request for proposal and submission information at https://aohdc.org/jobs/

YOUR BUSINESS or NAME HERE!

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EMPLOYMENT

COUNSELING

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LEGAL SERVICES

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

HOUSING SHARE & PERSONAL ads are free! Email: Classifieds@washblade.com for assistance.

JFairfax@Jenniferfairfax.com.

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4 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JANUARY 27, 2 0 2 3 • C L A S S I F I E D S

LIMOUSINES KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE

202-486-6183

IT’S TIME TO BECOME SPEAKER OF YOUR HOUSE!

Peter M. Crawford, Realtor

METROPOLITAN LUXURY

Embassy Row ~ 2 Br 1Ba 1,200 Sq Ft Co-Op ~ Now Just $559,900

~ (202) 210-2889 ~

Peter.Crawford@LNF.com

www.longandfoster.com/PeterCrawford Chevy Chase Circle Office 20 Chevy Chase Circle NW | Washington, DC 20015 | (202) 966-1400 Representing Buyers and Sellers ~ Licensed in DC, MD and VA

4 Capitol View 2-Level 3-4 Br Condos ~ Now from $Mid-500K’s

Ask Me About Buying and Selling Strategy, New Listings, and What’s Coming Soon In: • • • • • •

Kalorama ~ 2,500+ Sq Ft Co-Op Foggy Bottom / GWU ~ 750 SqFt 1 Br/1 Ba Condo Van Ness ~ 1,475 Sq Ft 2 Br/2 Ba Co-Op Columbia Heights ~ 2 New 3 Br 2,000 Sq Ft Condos N. Arlington / Lorcom ~ 4,000 Sq Ft 5 Br /4 Ba N. Arlington / Leeway ~ Expanded 3 Br/2 Ba

MY PLEDGE

Giving Back to Our Community!

I am a proud member and supporter of our vibrant arts and LGBTQ+ community! For each completed transaction, I will make a substantial donation to: • The Washington Opera Society • The Hillwood Estate and Gardens • The Trevor Project • Food & Friends • GU Lombardi Cancer Center or other similar non-profit organization.

JA NUA RY 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 7