Washington Blade, Volume 54, Issue 13, March 31, 2023

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

In exclusive interview, first Gen Z congressman denounces anti-LGBTQ attacks, page 10

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Bill calls for designating D.C. street in honor of gay former slave Black resident called ‘early pioneer’ for LGBTQ rights in 1880s

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

The D.C. Council is expected to approve a bill that calls for designating Swann Street, N.W., near Dupont Circle in honor of William Dorsey Swann, a little known Black gay D.C. resident and former slave who is credited with leading a group that organized drag shows in the late 1800s.

A statement released by D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), who introduced the bill along with 10 other Council members, including gay Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), says William Dorsey Swann was an early pioneer in LGBTQ rights who referred to himself as “The Queen of Drag.”

“Beginning in the 1880s, William Dorsey Swann ran a group known as the ‘House of Swann’ and organized balls, largely attended by queer, formerly enslaved men who would gather to dance and cross dress,” according to Pinto’s statement, which she released on Feb. 28 at the time she and the other Council members introduced the bill.

“William Dorsey Swann was persecuted by the authorities and arrested multiple times for ‘impersonating a woman’ and ‘keeping a disorderly house,’ and was the first American activist to lead an LGBTQQIA+ resistance group,” Pinto’s statement says. “Swann eventually sought a pardon from President Grover Cleveland, becoming the first American on record to pursue legal action in defense of LGBTQQIA+ rights,” the statement says.

Her statement cites the Jan. 24, 1912, edition of the Congressional Record for the U.S. Senate as saying that Swann Street, N.W. had originally been named for Thomas Swann, an “enslaver” who served as mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland.

“Officially designating this street in honor of native Washingtonian and trailblazing LGBTQQIA+ rights activ-

Excerpt from the National Star, Jan. 13, 1896.

(Image courtesy National Archive)

ist William Dorsey Swann is an opportunity to ensure that our streets honor those who embody the District’s value of social equality and human dignity,” the statement says.

“The location of Swann Street, N.W. provides a physical and symbolic representation of the District’s Black Queer community, sitting both within the Strivers’ Section Historic District, a historic Black neighborhood, and the Dupont Circle neighborhood, the historic epicenter of D.C.’s LGBTQQIA+ community,” it says. The street would maintain the current nomenclature and signage as ‘Swann Street,’” the statement concludes.

Swann Street is located between 14th Street, N.W. and 19th Street, N.W. and parallel to and between S Street, N.W. and T Street, N.W. Pinto’s statement says William Dorsey Swann is believed to have been born in 1858 and died in 1925.

At the time of its introduction, the bill, called the William Dorsey Swann Street Designation Act of 2023, was sent to the Council’s Committee of the Whole, which consists of all 13 Council members.

In addition to Pinto and Parker, the Council members who co-introduced the bill include Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Robert White (D-At-Large), Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7), Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), and Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3).

One potential problem for the immediate passage and implementation of the Swann Street bill surfaced in a March 21 memo prepared by D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee and sent to Council Chair Mendelson.

Lee says in his memo that the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation has determined it will cost $30,000 to fabricate and install a commemorative sign called for under the bill explaining the historic background of William Dorsey. It says the sign is to be located at the intersection of Swann Street, New Hampshire Avenue, and 17th Street, N.W. “Funds are not sufficient in the fiscal year 2023 through fiscal year 2026 budget and financial plan to implement the bill,” Lee says in his memo. “Department of Parks and Recreation will need to work with ANC 2B to design the sign and then will fabricate and install it…The fabrication and installation will cost $30,000 and the agency is unable to absorb the cost within its existing budgeted resources,” the memo says.

A spokesperson for Mendelson couldn’t immediately be reached to determine if the Council is prepared to appropriate the $30,000 needed to implement the bill.

Former Trump official elected president of D.C. Log Cabin Republicans Says GOP group welcomes ‘wide spectrum’ of conservative adherents

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

Log Cabin Republicans of D.C., the local chapter of the national LGBTQ Republican organization with the same name, earlier this month elected former Trump administration official Thad Brock as its new president.

Brock replaces longtime GOP activist Adam Savit, who served as the D.C. Log Cabin group’s president for the past two years. The local group held its officers election on March 7 during a meeting in which U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) appeared as a guest speaker.

Brock served from 2018 to 2019 during the Trump administration as Assistant to the Administrator at the U.S. General Services Administration, according to his LinkedIn page.

His LinkedIn page says he served from 2019 to January 2021 as Special Assistant to the CEO at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. agency that works with the State Department to help facilitate foreign trade and assistance for developing countries.

Brock told the Blade the two positions were presidential appointments.

Information released by the D.C. Log Cabin group says its members also elected Andrew Mink as vice president, Matthew Johnson as secretary, Greg Wallerstein as trea-

surer, and Andrew Desser, Tyler Stark, and Jaime Varela as at-large board members.

“Long Cabin Republicans is the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies,” the national Log Cabin group states on its website. “For more than 40 years, we have promoted the fight for equality through our state and local chapters, our full-time office in Washington, D.C., and our federal and state political action committees,” the statement says.

“We believe in limited government, strong national defense, free markets, low taxes, personal responsibility, and individual liberty,” the statement continues. “We believe equality for LGBT Americans is in the finest tradition of the Republican Party,” it adds, an assertion that many LGBTQ Democrats strongly dispute.

Asked what he thought about the Trump administration’s record on LGBTQ rights, Brock said he would defer that question to Charles Moran, president of the National Log Cabin Republicans.

In discussing plans for the D.C. Log Cabin group, Brock said he and the newly elected board members will continue the types of activities and emphasis of the former

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board and former President Savit.

“We will definitely continue to build off the success of the former board members and continue with speakers and events that are representative to the interest of our membership,” he said. “But one of our big focuses will be meeting people where they are,” he said, noting that plans were underway to hold events in different D.C. neighborhoods.

“I think one of the things that we’re also really looking forward to doing is a really big recruitment push to get a lot more members on the conservative spectrum that share a wide variety of ideas,” he said.

But Brock said he and his fellow board members will likely retain a policy put in place by Savit and the previous board in which most of the group’s meetings and events are closed to the press.

“The culture of our membership is strengthened by an open and honest dialogue with our speakers,” he said, which have included GOP members of Congress. “For a better free-thinking environment, we have limited access for the press to attend,” Brock said. “If there is an event that warrants press availability, I will certainly let you know,” he said.

Washington National Opera honors Katherine Goforth Award recognizes an artist who identifies as transgender or non-binary

By LAURA FARMER

Katherine Goforth was recently announced as the inaugural recipient of Washington National Opera’s True Voice Award. This award was created to provide training and increase the visibility of opera singers who self-identify as transgender and non-binary. Each recipient will receive a financial award and the chance to participate in career training, artistic coaching, and a performance with the Cafritz Young Artists. Recipients will also be presented by the Kennedy Center in a recital at the Millennium Stage. Goforth’s recital will take place in May 2024.

The Washington Blade chatted with this talented singer about her artistic journey, experience as a trans opera singer, her future plans for her own career, and how she hopes to shape the field of opera.

Washington Blade: Can you share about your journey as an artist? How did you begin this journey and eventually pursue opera?

Katherine Goforth: I had an interest in music and singing for my entire life, but I looked at it as more of a hobby until my high school choir teacher required me to take voice lessons. After a few months of lessons, I started winning prizes and getting special attention for my singing, which meant a lot to me at the time because I was struggling a lot socially and at home. It was easy to dedicate myself to singing after that and hard to imagine pursuing another career. …

Since I was a kid, I felt like I had something to prove and have always tried to do more than what others thought possible in my performing and creative work. It has only

been since I transitioned that I really started to feel like I was enough. The part of me that wanted to prove myself could calm down and I learned that it is enough for me when I stand in my own values and desires.

Blade: What has been your experience as a trans person in the field of opera?

Goforth: As a young person coming into a sense of trans and gender non-conforming identity, opera was a damaging space to be part of. At the time, I believed there was no way to actualize my gender identity and continue working.

Sure, there were queer people in opera, but almost all of them were straight-presenting men—and those who weren’t, didn’t seem to get the same opportunities. I have a strong memory of seeing the news about the premiere of As One [a chamber opera with a sole transgender protagonist] in 2014. It was the first time I had heard anyone mention trans people in an opera space. I don’t know how much this has changed for students, but I do think that fewer people are postponing their transitions for the sake of working in this industry, which is good.

I haven’t worked in opera very much since I came out and it will be interesting to see how that develops over the next few years. I’ve heard a lot of people say that major opera companies aren’t ready for trans singers yet, but I hope they’re wrong. My struggle is that I feel much happier playing female characters, but I’m not capable of singing soprano-alto roles on stage right now. That’s something I hope will change in the future, but I think it’s important for me to

KATHERINE GOFORTH, the inaugural recipient of Washington National Opera’s True Voice Award, performing in the Portland Opera Gala, with pianist NICK FOX. (Photo courtesy Goforth)

accept my voice and try to find affirming projects to work on with the voice that I have.

Blade: Congratulations on being the inaugural True Voice Award recipient. How do you hope to use this award as a platform to further your career, and more broadly, shape the field of opera?

Goforth: I’d like to thank Washington National Opera, Kimberly Reed, Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and the rest of the selection committee for choosing me for this award. When I decided to come out, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to work in this industry again. It seems to me that trans people have never had this level of institutional support in our industry. I’m honored to receive it, but I’m also aware of all the other people who competed for this award and ways that my selection leaves them out.

Whitman-Walker announces leadership change

Dr. Ryan Moran, who has served since 2021 as CEO of the Whitman-Walker Health System, an arm of D.C.’s longtime LGBTQ and HIV health services provider Whitman-Walker Health, will be leaving his position next month after being named as Deputy Secretary of Health and Healthcare Finance and Medicaid Director for the State of Maryland.

According to a March 21 statement released by Whitman-Walker, Moran will begin his new job as a member of the Maryland Department of Health’s senior leadership team effective April 12.

The statement says Cindy Lewin, an official with nonprofit organizations for more than 25 years and who previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at the AARP, will serve as interim CEO at Whitman-Walker

Health System beginning April 10.

Around that time, the statement says, Whitman-Walker will begin a nationwide executive search “to secure a permanent CEO” for the top position at Whitman-Walker Health System.

The statement points out that Naseema Shafi will continue in her role as CEO of Whitman-Walker Health, the other component of Whitman-Walker that directly provides and oversees medical and health care services to patients and clients, including those from the LGBTQ community.

“I am deeply grateful to Whitman-Walker for the opportunity to steward our mission-driven organization as a regional and national leader in LGBTQ+ care, advocacy, research, and education,” Moran said in the statement.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Dr. RYAN MORAN is leaving his role as CEO of the Whitman-Walker Health System.

(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Trans teen shot to death outside Maryland bar

An 18-year-old transgender woman was shot to death in the parking lot outside a Mechanicsville, Md. bar shortly after 1 a.m. on March 24 in an incident that the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s investigators say does not appear to be a hate crime.

But the sister of shooting victim Tasiyah Woodland told News 4 Washington that she and members of her family believe the killing was a hate crime based, in part, on the fact that Woodland had been subjected to “hate” in the recent past because of her gender identity.

A Sheriff’s Office investigator, Capt. Edward Willenborg, told News 4 Washington the shooting took place after Woodland exited the Big Dogs in Paradise bar and grill and “some type of confrontation” occurred in the parking lot.

“Detectives said they’re pursuing strong leads and reviewing surveillance camera video from inside and outside

the bar,” News 4 Washington reports.

“The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division continues to actively investigate the murder of an 18-year-old victim killed in Mechanicville early Friday morning [March 24],” a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office says.

The statement identifies Woodland as a transgender woman and resident of nearby Lexington Park, Md. It says the Sheriff’s Office investigators have been in regular contact with members of Woodland’s family to offer support and updates on the investigation.

“The Sheriff’s Office has also been in contact with members of PFLAG Southern Maryland and the LGBTQ+ community to address concerns of personal and public safety,” the statement says. “At this time, it does not appear that Woodland was targeted because of her gender identity,” it

says.

PFLAG, or Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, is a national organization with chapters in states and cities across the country.

The statement issued by the Sheriff’s Office calls on anyone with information about the case, including anyone who may have taken video images related to the incident with their phone, to contact Sheriff’s Det. David Lawrence at 301475-4200, ext. 78130.

Woodland’s sister, Ty’aliyah Woodland, told News 4 Washington that her sister was an outspoken person who sometimes got others upset.

“She was one of a kind. She had no filter,” Ty’aliyah Woodland told the TV news station. “I mean, she was the true definition of living life to the fullest.”

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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Concern over possible D.C. juvenile crime wave targeting LGBTQ victims Anger, frustration at attorney general’s ‘Listening Session’ in Dupont Circle

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

The rapidly growing number of violent crimes in the nation’s capital committed by juveniles armed with guns and knives that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has called a juvenile crime emergency is surfacing in neighborhoods where LGBTQ people are likely being targeted, according to activists following local crime reports.

Concern over reports of cases where LGBTQ people may have been targeted for armed robberies and carjackings in the Dupont Circle area by juvenile assailants coming to the area from other parts of the city surfaced at a Feb. 28 Ward 2 Listening Session hosted by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb.

The event, held at St. Thomas’ Parish Church in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, included strongly worded presentations from Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Vincent Slatt and former Dupont Circle ANC Commissioner Mike Silverstein, both of whom are longtime LGBTQ rights advocates.

The two told Schwalb, whose office oversees prosecuting juveniles charged with committing crimes in the District, that the city’s juvenile justice system appears to be failing to take adequate measures to address the juvenile crime problem.

Among the main concerns raised by Silverstein and Slatt as well as others is that the city’s criminal law pertaining to juvenile offenders has a strict confidentiality provision that prevents D.C. police and prosecutors with the D.C. Office of the Attorney General from publicly disclosing the outcome and disposition of cases in which a juvenile is arrested for a crime of violence or any other crime.

Activists raising this concern have said they do not want authorities to disclose the identity of juveniles charged with crimes. But what they would like to know, Silverstein and Slatt said, is whether officials like Attorney General Schwalb and members of the D.C. Council will take steps to change the law to allow the disclosure of the outcome of juvenile cases.

“Last year there were 1,400 juvenile arrests and 56 percent of those who were arrested had guns,” said Silverstein, whose remarks were recorded on a video taken by Peter Semler, editor and owner of the Capitol Intelligence Group news organization.

“These are children with guns,” Silverstein continued. “Seventy-five percent of those arrested for carjacking last year were kids, were children,” he told Schwalb. “And people are questioning, you know, where is the prosecution?”

Schwalb responded by saying he would consider asking the D.C. Council to pass legislation allowing the public disclosure of the disposition of juvenile criminal cases, but he did not commit to doing so, according to Silverstein and others who attended the AG’s Listening Session.

A spokesperson for Schwalb did not respond to a request from the Washington Blade for a comment from the attorney general elaborating on any plans he may have to propose a change in the law as requested by activists speaking at the Feb. 28 Listening Session.

In his remarks at the Listening Session, Slatt, who serves as co-chair of the city’s ANC Rainbow Caucus, said he and other Dupont Circle residents were especially troubled that they have not been able to determine the status of the prosecution or whether a prosecution took place for three juvenile males arrested for committing four separate armed robberies in the Dupont Circle area within about 30 minutes on Sunday evening, Jan. 29.

Slatt said he and others alarmed over the incidents have not been able to determine whether any of the victims are members of the LGBTQ community or whether any of the incidents might be hate crimes.

D.C. police released a statement announcing that detectives had arrested three juvenile males for allegedly committing the armed robberies in different nearby locations between 9:45

and 10:14 p.m. on Jan. 29. The police statement says two of the juveniles were 16 years old and the other was 15.

The police statement lists the offenses allegedly committed by the youths as Attempted Armed Robbery, Armed Robbery (Gun), Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun), and Armed Robbery (Gun). It says the 15-year-old was additionally charged with Carrying a Pistol Without a License, and Possession of a Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device.

“The ongoing question about youth crime and youth getting re-released is a major thing in the city right now,” Slatt told the Blade. “And as you know, they won’t release information about these cases,” he said. “And also, they’re not letting us know is this a hate crime?”

Slatt added, “And so we don’t know when they are gay related. And there is no way for us in the gay community to do community impact statements because we’re not allowed to follow these cases because of the anonymity protections on the youth criminals.”

He was referring to the longstanding process in the local D.C. court system for adult criminal cases where victims of a crime and members of the community, including members of the LGBTQ community, can submit to a judge a victim impact statement or community impact statement.

The impact statements usually are submitted at the time a judge is about to hand down a sentence after the person charged with a particular crime has been convicted in a trial or pleads guilty as part of a plea bargain deal offered by prosecutors.

“My thing specifically is, is this a gay issue or not,” said Slatt.

“Are they hiding that data or not? How can we even say these are hate crimes or not if we can’t even follow the cases, if we can’t say what it’s about?”

In a development that may come as a surprise to activists calling for the release of information about juvenile cases without releasing the identity of a juvenile, the controversial 450page D.C. criminal code reform bill that Congress overturned earlier this month does not address in any way the city’s juvenile criminal code.

The Revised Criminal Code Act, which the Council passed unanimously last September and voted 12 to 1 to override Mayor Bowser’s veto of the bill, became the target of criticism from both Democratic and Republican members of Congress and from President Joe Biden because of several controversial provisions.

Among them are language calling for eliminating most mandatory minimum prison sentences, reducing the maximum sentence for crimes such as burglaries, carjackings, and robberies, and allowing jury trials for all misdemeanor cases in which a prison sentence is possible.

Bowser, who said she supported about 95 percent of the bill’s voluminous proposed overall of the city’s antiquated criminal code, has called on the Council to remove the provisions that triggered the reaction by Congress and a Democratic president to oppose the legislation in its original form.

Jinwoo Charles Park, executive director of the D.C. Criminal Code Reform Commission, which played a lead role in helping the D.C. Council draft the criminal code reform bill, said the Council limited the commission’s scope of work to the city’s adult criminal code when it created the commission in 2016.

According to Park, now that the commission finished most of its work on the criminal code bill for adults – with some changes needed to address the objections by Congress and Biden – the commission can look into possible changes in the criminal code’s provisions dealing with juveniles. He said he would support looking into such a revision for the juvenile code.

“I do think going forward there is a whole other part of the law that probably should be revised,” he said in referring to the

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juvenile provisions of the D.C. criminal code. “I’m not taking a position on that at this point. But I think it is an important project that does need to be tackled in coming years,” he said.

Bowser, meanwhile, stated at a Feb. 6 press conference in response to a question from the Washington Blade that she would support a revision in the juvenile code to allow the public disclosure of the outcome of juvenile cases with the identity of a juvenile charged in such a case remaining confidential.

“I would, and I say that with a lot of caveats because it is a complicated issue,” Bowser said. “But I agree with the sentiment,” she said, adding that the current blanket confidentiality in juvenile cases might also have a negative impact on other D.C. government agencies that provide services for juveniles.

Among those who have also said they would consider changing the city’s juvenile law to allow the outcome of juvenile cases to be disclosed to victims and possibly to the community is D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2).

Pinto currently serves as chair of the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, where any legislation calling for changing the juvenile criminal law will be sent for consideration and approval.

“It is something that the committee is looking at very closely and something that we’re going to try to make some actionable improvements on in the coming months,” Pinto told the Blade. But she said her focus would be “from the perspective of victims’ rights and what survivors need to have some resolution to their case.”

When asked if she would commit to having the disposition of juvenile cases disclosed to the public as well as to victims of juvenile related crimes, Pinto added, “I would say I’m committed to looking at it.” An important concern, she said, is to carefully balance the issue of youth privacy and making sure there is a just resolution to a case for all parties.

“The most important dynamic to me that I’m thinking about are the survivors and victims as well as government partners having access to this information,” she said. “But I am open minded to looking at this other piece to make sure that our communities can be kept safe and have the resolution that they need and deserve.”

The other Council members who serve on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee who would join Pinto in deciding on whether to change the city’s juvenile criminal statute include Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7), and Christina Henderson (I-At-Large).

Among those expressing concern over the city’s juvenile justice system is Washington Post columnist Colbert King. In a Feb. 24 column, King reported that in response to his request, the Office of the D.C. Attorney General sent him data showing that out of 462 juvenile arrests made by D.C. police between Oct. 1, 2022, and Feb. 15, 2023, the AG’s office prosecuted only 295, or 64 percent, of the cases. Ninety-four of the cases, or 19 percent, were dropped for insufficient evidence, King said the AG’s office informed him.

According to King, 73 of the juvenile arrests during that period, or 16 percent, were dismissed and diverted to “alternative or no-incarceration programs or deferred sentencing agreements.”

Silverstein, the former Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and LGBTQ rights advocate, raised the issue of how many juvenile cases were being prosecuted or dropped in his remarks to D.C. Attorney General Schwalb at Schwalb’s Feb. 28 listening session.

“There is this growing belief, sir, and I’m not one of those who wants to lock everybody up or anything like that,” Silverstein said, “that people don’t believe it’s anything but catch and release, that people are getting away with this kind of stuff and there is no prosecution.”

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EXCLUSIVE: First Gen Z congressman demands action on LGBTQ rights, gun control Rep. Frost calls on Biden to speak out against wave of legislative attacks

By ANDRÉS I. JOVÉ RODRÍGUEZ

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) during an exclusive interview with the Washington Blade on March 24 called for President Joe Biden to “speak out about” the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country.

The congressman said the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education “should be heavily involved in investigating what’s going on in Florida and in all these states where these bills are being passed.” Frost added that Biden is “the perfect person” to warn voters about the consequences of extreme anti-equality policies; noting the pro-worker, pro-union “Joe from Scranton” frequently promotes his working-class roots.

“That [message] coming out of his mouth, the story of these policies impact everyone, I think would have a really big impact,” the congressman said.

Frost, 26, in 2022 became the first Gen Zer elected to Congress.

He represents Florida’s 10th Congressional District that includes Pulse, a gay nightclub in which a gunman killed 49 people on June 12, 2016.

Frost co-organized the March for Our Lives, which took place in D.C. on March 24, 2018, less than two months after a gunman killed 17 people in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. His gun control advocacy efforts began when he became a volunteer for the Newtown Action Alliance, a group that formed in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.

DeSantis ‘a dictator’

Frost during the interview spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act — more commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law — which he categorized as a “bigoted law made by bigoted people.”

The law aims to regulate classroom discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation from kindergarten through third grade. It also prohibits public schools from using confidentiality forms in the case of a student disclosing sensitive information that includes their gender identity and sexual orientation and requires personnel to inform their parents if they were to ask for the information.

“They’re starting to change our education system because they want to try to counteract the inherent progressive and, you know, decent values that young people have,” explained Frost.

While Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis focuses on preparing legislation that otherwise helps “take away” history, Frost notes the governor does not put forth measures that seek to improve his state.

“He’s not focusing on raising wages, ensuring people have a livable planet, ensuring that we end gun violence, the rocketing housing prices,” Frost said. “And these things impact everybody.”

The congressman was weary of the overall repercussions that the “Don’t Say Gay” law would have on the mental and physical health of LGBTQ people across Florida, and he went as far as saying it could result in deaths. Frost further pointed out the number of hate crimes in his state has increased since DeSantis took office.

“This is going to have real impacts to LGBTQ+ students, parents, etc. Just people in the district and across Florida, that can result — that will result and is resulting in — trauma

and people being hurt and hate crimes, and we probably will see death from it,” said Frost.

“This [governor] is a dictator,” he concluded.

State lawmakers and other members of Congress have introduced Florida-style ‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws.

Republican Louisiana Congresswoman Julia Letlow introduced a Parental Bill of Rights Act in March that looks “to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the nation’s public schools.” Frost maintains, however, that these types of bills only serve to spread bigotry and hate “under the guise of parental rights.”

Frost perceives what he contends is the extremist overhaul of the country’s educational system as a “long-term plan” from Republican politicians. A plan that, in his view, goes back to the overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson in a statement to the Blade said Biden “has been outspoken in his support of LGBTQI+ Americans and he’ll continue to speak out against vicious political attacks against them.”

Biden earlier this month during an interview with Kal Penn for “The Daily Show” described efforts to restrict the rights of transgender people in Florida and elsewhere as “close to sinful.”

Four LGBTQ advocacy groups earlier this month filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of four families with trans children who are challenging the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine’s ban on gender affirming healthcare for minors.

Patterson in her statement stressed Biden “is grateful for the leadership of Congressman Frost and other leaders who share his commitment to supporting LGBTQI+ Americans and speaking out against dangerous policies that seek to vilify our fellow Americans.”

Frost survived gun violence in 2016

Frost spoke with the Blade a day after Capitol Police arrested Manuel Oliver, whose son, Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, was killed in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.

Officers arrested Manuel Oliver after he and his wife, Patricia Oliver, challenged U.S. Reps. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) during a joint House Oversight and Judiciary Committee hearing on gun control.

The two Republican congressmen asked officers to remove the Olivers from the hearing.

Frost, a vocal gun control supporter who survived a gun violence incident in 2016, told the Blade the hearing was full of “lies.”

“Folks were in town and people came out [because of my recently introduced gun bill]; glad they came to the hearing. And they sat through all of those lies,” Frost said.

“And I think when you hear those lies, sometimes you just want to say something.”

The Oliver family spoke out against Fallon’s defense of guns, saying how guns were the very thing that took their son away. Fallon then insisted that they be taken out of the hearing.

Frost later said the “real story” was the fact that there were “two parents who lost their son who was in high school, because he was shot to death and died in a pool of his own blood.”

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U.S. Rep. MAXWELL ALEJANDRO FROST (D-Fla.) (Blade photo by Michael Key)

Frost, who’s vice chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, recently introduced a gun control bill that, according to a press release, “would bring together those most impacted by gun violence with leaders across federal agencies to advance policy, collect and report data, expand state and local outreach, and maximize existing programs and services related to preventing gun violence.”

Frost introduced the bill alongside U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)

Frost opposes oil drilling project

The congressman also spoke about Biden’s controversial Willow Project, an oil drilling venture that will take place in Alaska. Climate activists are among those who strongly oppose the plan.

“A lot of times in life, but also a lot in politics, you have to hold multiple truths,” Frost emphasized. “And there’s a lot of truths to hold at the same time. The president approving this project is directly against, I believe his values, but also [the] campaign promises that he had made.”

The Trump administration originally approved the Willow Project in 2020, and up to 600 million barrels of oil are located in the area in which the drilling will take place.

The Biden-Harris White House felt it could not do much since Houston-based ConocoPhillips has the existing and valid leases for the area.

Even so, Frost emphasized that although the current administration is in favor of drastically cutting emissions, it also recognizes the fact that “at least for the next decade or two we’ll need a reliance on oil and fossil fuels as we transition, which is another truth.” He did stress, nonetheless, that he does not “subscribe” to the idea that society needs “more capacity to scale back emissions over the next few decades.”

“And we’re also here to tell the administration that, you know, there’s a lot more that can be done, there’s more projects pending,” Frost said. “We’d love to see them do the right thing on that. So, we’re talking with the administration directly. We’re working with organizations, especially like youth organizations, that are really thinking through the climate crisis.”

Christopher Kane and Michael K. Lavers contributed to this article.

Police say Nashville shooter may have been trans

In a press conference Nashville Police Chief John Drake told reporters that earlier Monday morning a 28-yearold local female armed with two “assault-type rifles and a handgun” was killed by responding officers.

“At one point she was a student at that school,” Drake told reporters hours after the shooting at the Covenant School. “But unsure what year […] but that’s what I’ve been told so far.”

The shooter was identified as Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville, according to the chief. Initial reports that Hale identifies as transgender had not been confirmed as of Wednesday and the reported manifesto Hale left behind had not yet been released to the public.

According to Drake, three children and three adults were killed in the shooting at The Covenant School on Burton Hills Boulevard, a private Christian school.

Children’s Hospital Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson John Howser told reporters “We can now confirm three children and two adults from the school shooting were transported to our Adult Emergency Department (the two adults) and (the three children) to the Pediatric Emergency Department at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital,” Howser said adding “All five patients have been pronounced dead.”

Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville. (Photo courtesy Nashville Metro Police Department)

Police identified the three slain students as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age nine.

The three faculty members killed were Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill, both 61, and school head Katherine Koonce, 60.

At his only scheduled public event at the White House, President Joe Biden called the shooting “sick” and renewed

his call for Congress to ban assault weapons.

Drake noted that the shooter was killed on the school’s second floor by his officers acknowledging that the victims were students and staff members of the school.

The school has students from preschool through sixth grade and on a normal day has about 200 students and 40 staff members on campus.

In a statement, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted: “I am closely monitoring the tragic situation at Covenant. As we continue to respond, please join us in praying for the school, congregation and Nashville community.”

NBC News reported that just days ago, a 17-year-old suspect wounded two administrators at a Denver high school before he was found dead.

In February, three students were gunned down at Michigan State University. And in January, two students were fatally shot at a charter school in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Washington Post and other media outlets reporting that U.S. Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.), who represents the Nashville district where the Covenant School is located, said Monday in a statement that he was “utterly heartbroken” by the mass shooting.

BRODY LEVESQUE

House Republicans pass anti-LGBTQ bill

U.S. House Republicans on Friday passed the Parents Bill of Rights Act, a proposal that would require public schools to share educational materials with parents and also contains provisions that would trigger the outing of LGBTQ students without their consent.

Critics say the legislation’s professed purpose, to equip parents with the information necessary for them to better engage with their children’s educators, is a pretext for its ultimate goals: For schools to censor out content addressing race, or materials containing LGBTQ characters or themes, while also discouraging LGBTQ students from being out at school.

The Congressional Equality Caucus noted the likelihood of that outcome in a statement Friday denouncing the bill, which the group’s chair, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), called “dangerous” — pointing to its requirement for “schools to forcibly out transgender students, even if it puts those youth in harm’s way.”

“All children deserve access to a safe and affirming school environment,” Pocan said in the statement. “Transgender youth have enough challenges already due to harassment, bullying, and anti-transgender state laws,” he said, adding, “My colleagues who voted for this bill should be ashamed.”

House members voted 213-208 for passage of the Parents Bill of Rights, or House Resolution 5, with Republican U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.) and Matt Rosendale (Mont.) voting against the legislation with every Democratic member. The bill was first introduced by GOP Rep. Julia Letlow (La.).

With Democrats’ control of the U.S. Senate, movement on

the bill will almost certainly be stopped once it reaches the upper chamber, but it may nevertheless still have a harmful impact on the country’s LGBTQ youth.

For example, the National Institutes of Health published a peer reviewed study last year that found a link between anti-trans legislation and “suicide and depression-related Internet searches” using a dataset comprising 40 bills that were introduced and reached committee, of which three were passed and signed into law.

The caucus’ statement noted HR 5 contains “two provisions that would require schools that take steps to respect a student’s gender identity to forcibly out those transgender youth to their parents” along with another that would allow parents to access their children’s answers to survey questions, answers that might include information about a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The risk that their parents will be able to see their answers will incentivize many students to lie about these and other questions, which the caucus said will undermine the federal government’s ability to collect important demographic, statistical and survey data on America’s LGBTQ youth.

Exacerbating that problem is another provision in the legislation, which requires parents to “opt-in” if their children would be asked to share their sexual orientation or gender identity.

America’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, also issued a statement Friday condemning HR 5.

“The bill, which picks and chooses which families have

rights and which don’t, has occupied the chamber’s time while extremist House leaders continue neglecting the very real and urgent problems facing our schools, such as gun violence, teacher shortages and educational inequality,” the group said in its statement.

HRC also noted the legislation’s potential to trigger forcible outing of LGBTQ youth “would endanger students instead of fulfilling school officials’ obligation to make judgments on a case-by-case basis in the best interests of the students under their supervision.”

The organization said it expects House Republicans to move “in coming weeks” on House Resolution 734, “a bill to ban participation by transgender youth in school sports,” and drew parallels between the Parents Bill of Rights Act and the “curriculum censorship seen in harmful, unnecessary bills passed in state legislatures recently.”

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stanbury (D-N.M.), a member of the Equality Caucus, echoed that message in her statement Friday, writing that HR 5 was “modeled after bills passed at the state level, which have censored the teaching of American history, allowed book bans, and violated the safety and privacy of transgender and LGBTQ+ students.”

The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy on Monday addressing the bill, writing “the administration does not support HR 5 in its current form because the bill does not actually help parents support their children at school” and “moreover, instead of making LGBTQI+ students feel included in their school community, it puts them at higher risk.”

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Kemp signs trans healthcare ban

Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed a ban on guideline-directed gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and nonbinary youth that was passed earlier this week by the GOP-controlled state legislature.

The law threatens to revoke the medical licenses of physicians who administer treatments for gender dysphoria in minor patients that are overwhelmingly considered safe, effective, and medically necessary by every scientific and medical society with relevant clinical expertise.

A previous version of Senate Bill 140 applied exclusively to

surgical interventions, but the version signed into law Thursday also prohibits hormone replacement therapies, although treatment with puberty blockers is still allowed.

The move by GOP legislators to expand the healthcare interventions covered by the legislation follows pressure from conservatives like far-right U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represents Georgia’s 14th Congressional District in the House and urged the state’s lawmakers last week to make the bill more restrictive.

At the time, Greene also objected to the draft bill’s “limited

exceptions” carved out for cases where patients are treated for conditions other than gender dysphoria, including those diagnosed with “a medically verifiable disorder of sex development,” provided the physician can attest they are medically necessary.

These provisions were kept intact in the bill’s final iteration, which contains additional exceptions for the treatment of partial androgen insensitivity syndrome and in circumstances where the minor patient was being treated with hormone replacement therapies prior to July 1, 2023.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

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Netanyahu postpones efforts to ‘reform’ Israeli judiciary

opened.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Today (3/27), the Histadrut, IsraNetanyahu on Monday announced el’s largest labor union, instructed he has postponed efforts to reform all government employees to go the country’s judicial system. on strike, including Israel’s diploThe announcement, which Netmatic missions around the world,” anyahu made during a prime-time tweeted Strohmayer. speech, came after a nationwide The Associated Press notes the strike paralyzed the country. proposed reforms would “inNetanyahu on Saturday fired crease” the coalition government’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after “control over judicial appointments he publicly criticized the proposed LGBTQ activists participate in a protest against and diminish the (Israeli) Supreme reforms. Asaf Zamir, the Israeli conproposed reforms to Israel’s judiciary.

(Photo courtesy of George Avni) Court’s ability to strike down laws” sul general in New York, resigned in the Knesset approves. protest.

Netanyahu’s coalition government took office in December.

Elad Strohmayer, the openly gay spokesperson for the IsCritics of the proposed reforms, among other things, have raeli Embassy in D.C., on Monday in a tweet acknowledged noted Netanyahu is pushing for the proposed reforms in orthe embassy will be closed “today until further notice and no der to avoid his conviction on fraud and corruption charges for consular services will be provided.” The embassy has since re-

which he is currently on trial.

WDG, the Washington Blade’s media partner in Israel, has reported LGBTQ and intersex people and advocacy groups have joined the protest movement against what has been described as an attempted “coup d’état” since it began in January. Aguda Chair Hila Peer during a demonstration that took place in Tel Aviv earlier this month said the current “government has a clear agenda and the LGBTQ community is one of the first in line.”

“This is not legal reform, it is a gun that is being held to the head of the LGBTQ community. They are destroying the only body that protects human rights, so that later they can enact whatever they want against us,” said Peer. “This government has brought up the worst haters of freedom, of equality and of the LGBTQ community, It gave them power over our families, over our rights. We faced crazier, meaner, more violent and broke every closet they ever dared to try build for us.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Harris to visit 3 African countries where homosexuality is illegal

Vice President Kamala Harris this week will visit three countries in Africa that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.

Harris and her husband, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, arrived in Ghana on Sunday. They will travel to Tanzania and Zambia before returning to the U.S. on April 2.

Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia are among the dozens of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.

The Washington Blade last week reported LGBTQ and intersex Ghanaians remain in limbo as lawmakers continue to debate the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that, would among other things, further criminalize LGBTQ and intersex people and make advocacy on their behalf and allyship illegal. A Ghanaian representative who spoke during a March 20 meeting that focused on the integration of LGBTQ and intersex rights into the U.N. Security Council’s work said the body is not an appropriate venue to discuss them.

“You know that a great deal of work in my career has been to address human rights issues, equality issues across the board, including as it relates to the LGBT community,” said Harris on Monday during a press conference with Ghanaian President Nana Afuko-Addo that took place in Accra, the Ghanaian capital. “I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting the freedom and supporting and fighting for equality among all people and that all people be treated equally. This is an issue that we consider and I consider to be a human rights issue and that will not change.”

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, with whom Harris is scheduled to meet on Thursday, last month described LGBTQ rights as “imported cultures.” The Tanzanian government has also banned children’s books from schools because of their LGBTQ-specific content.

A senior administration official told The State Department in 2019 rereporters during a conference call that called then-U.S. Ambassador to Zampreviewed Harris’ trip that she “is very bia Daniel Foote after the Zambian much focused on opportunities in Afgovernment sharply criticized him for rica and a positive message and the publicly defending a gay couple who great things we can do in partnership had been convicted of violating the with African countries. And you’re gocountry’s colonial-era sodomy law and ing to really see that as the theme of sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Vice President KAMALA HARRIS arrives the trip, given Africa’s role in the world Then-Zambian President Edgar Lunin Accra, Ghana, on March 26.

(Photo courtesy of Harris’ Twitter page) and what we think can be done with gu later pardoned the couple. Current Africans, for the sake of Africans in the Zambian President Hakainde HichileUnited States and the rest of the world.” ma, which whom Harris will meet on “But that doesn’t mean that she would shy away from disMarch 31, last September reiteated his government does not cussing difficult issues, and you know her track record on the support LGBTQ and intersex rights.

LGBTQ issue,” added the official. “She spent her whole career Harris arrived in Africa less than a week after Ugandan fighting for rights of overlooked and marginalized people, inlawmakers approved a bill that would further criminalize hocluding LGBTQ people.” mosexuality and LGBTQ and intersex people. White House The official further stressed the Biden-Harris administration Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the measure if signed “is very clear about the right for all people to live free of harm “would impinge upon universal human rights, jeopardize and discrimination and to realize their full potential and to fulprogress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, deter tourism and ly participate in society.” investment in Uganda, and damage Uganda’s international “The vice president has been clear about that throughreputation.” out her engagements in the United States and elsewhere in “The bill is one of the most extreme anti LGBTQI+ laws in the world, and it won’t be any different when she is in Afrithe world,” she said on March 22 during her daily press briefca,” added the official. “We have said, you know, including ing. “Human rights are universal — no one should be attacked, in recent days — expressed the concerns we have about cerimprisoned or killed simply because of who they are or who tain developments that we’ve seen on the African continent, they love.” whether it’s laws or practices that are anti-LGBTQ. And that’s President Joe Biden in 2021 signed a memo that commitnot consistent with what this administration stands for.” ted the U.S. to promoting LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad The official also said they “don’t think that is a choice beas part of the White House’s overall foreign policy. Then-State tween taking a firm stand on that set of really important issues Department spokesperson Ned Price later told the Blade the and the big positive opportunity that the vice president sees decriminalization of consensual same-sex sexual relations is in Africa and she’s going to emphasize on this trip.” one of the Biden-Harris administration’s five priorities as it reMICHAEL K. LAVERS lates to LGBTQ and intersex rights overseas.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 08

D.C. juvenile crime wave targeting LGBTQ victims

Silverstein concluded his remarks telling Schwalb about an anti-gay hate crime that took place several years ago involving juvenile attackers.

“A gang of between 10 and 15 kids set upon two young gay men on U Street and beat the hell out of them, called them all kinds of homophobic names, and broke the bones around one of their eyes,” he said. “We never found out what happened to the kids – the three who were arrested. The rumor was they had

to write a paper.”

Added Silverstein, “There’s no trust, sir, in the consequences.

It breaks my heart because it plays to those who want to lock everybody up. I’m sorry if I had to spill my guts, but it scares the hell out of me.”

The audio part of the video recording of Silverstein’s remarks became mostly inaudible when Schwalb responded to Silverstein.

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“He said he would consider the possibility of supporting some change in the confidentiality laws regarding the disposition phases, that he would consider supporting it,” Silverstein told the Blade in an interview. “And it was just word salad. It’s totally nonspecific and it is not a promise at all,” said Silverstein.

The Washington Blade will report Schwalb’s positions in greater detail on these issues if his office responds to the Blade’s request for comment by the attorney general.

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When the fascists came to Wadsworth, Ohio ‘Bombarded with the most hateful things’

Matthew Asente wasn’t sure what to expect when he arrived at Memorial Park in Wadsworth, Ohio. His wife first heard about the gathering on Facebook.

A charity Drag Queen Storytime, organized by local Aaron Reed, whose proceeds would go to victims of the Club Q massacre in Colorado Springs. Recently approved by Wadsworth City Hall, the event’s location was moved from Wadsworth Brewing Co. due to violent threats. Nonetheless, Matthew thought it was important to attend alongside his son, because he wanted “to try and make sure our kids are being raised with the right values.” Matthew knew there’d be counter-protesters, predicting a smattering of “10-20 people,” mostly “locals from our town.” But this image was shattered when Matthew was confronted by an attendee, who warmed him not to bring his son to the park. The stranger gave one reason: “there are literal Nazis down there.”

Asente’s guide wasn’t exaggerating. The images that would eventually arise from Wadsworth were shocking. Hundreds were attending the event, with rightwing cells having a considerable presence, including a coalition of far-right groups, ranging from the Proud Boys to Patriot Front and White Lives Matter.

Most notable among them were the “Blood Tribe,” Neo-Nazis clad in black and red, who chanted “Sieg Heil,” and shouted racial slurs. The situation quickly descended into violence, as members of the far-right coterie clashed with the “Parasol Patrol,” a LGBTQ group used to defend attendees at events like this one. Two would eventually be jailed because of an altercation, with three unrelated medical emergencies, and three pepper spraying incidents, adding to the chaos. Pasha Ripley, who co-founded Parasol Patrol, recalled the counter-protesters “following us while we escorted kids to their cars.” Asente remembered how, as he and his son entered the pavilion where the storytime was held, they were “bombarded with the most hateful things.” They were “chanting about the final solution,” which created “a sense of tension throughout the entire day.”

After the events of March 11, the counter-protesters tried to distance themselves from their Neo-Nazi compatriots. One of the counter-protest’s primary leaders was Kristopher J. Anderson. Formerly a candidate for the Ohio statehouse, he lost to Democratic incumbent Tavia Gulonski, and has since re-branded as a grassroots activist. Anderson amplified the protest on social media, writing, “all hands on deck this weekend,” and “arrive early if you can,” on March 8, four days before the story hour. “If you care about children, it is your duty to show up,” Anderson Tweeted on March 9.

Repeatedly, Anderson has referred to the presence of Nazis and white supremacists as an unwelcome surprise. “No normal person wants to see Actual Nazi’s in Medina County or on this earth in 2023 or ever,” he wrote on Facebook after the event, later replying to an outraged commenter in another post that “Lumping in normal anti-groomer protesters with crazy people, white supremists, and Nazi’s,” is “unacceptable.” Anderson echoed this sentiment to the media. “We weren’t all on one side,” Anderson is quoted as saying by the Columbus Dispatch. Despite publicly lambasting the Nazi attendees, protest organizers shared a different view on Telegram. Messages from a private Telegram channel obtained by the Washington Blade show counter-protesters saw the Nazis as a nuisance, but a useful one, which could be used to intimidate their enemies as anti-LGBTQ policies are institutionalized.

“Just let the Nazis handle the pedos while we try to pass legislation,” wrote one user. Speaking about White Lives Matter, a self-identified Proud Boy noted “using those guys as part of the push for legislation,” can be “just as effective,” as demonizing the drag events themselves. Though the same user admonished Blood Tribe as “cringe,” they applauded them for having “stressed out and demoralized PP (Parasol Patrol).” Yet another poster wrote, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” telling their fellow users to “have some fun with the

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Nazis showing up.”

Likewise, cross pollination between the 18+ Get Rid of US Telegram Channel and the message board of Project 171 — populated by members of the White Lives Matter chapter, and avowed Nazis — is frequently shown. “I’m one of the lead admins for WLM (White Lives Matter),” noted one user on Project 171’s public chat. Another user shared an image of a blonde woman holding an assault weapon dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe. Regardless, the Project 171 channel’s administrator promoted his group on 18+. “Don’t forget to join the Project 171 chat,” the administrator wrote. Although organizers tried to spread misinformation about the Nazis’s origin, the Project 171 administrator was more honest. “Aaron didn’t have the Nazis come. They got invited through WLM.” Kristopher Anderson didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Unity among extremist sects against the queer community was an outcome of the Wadworth rally noted by Ford Fischer, a freelance documentarian, made famous by his coverage of Jan. 6 and the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville.

No matter the minor ideological differences of factions like The Proud Boys or Patriot Front, on March 11, they were “all on the same side of this issue.”

Only 36 hours away in Columbus, Ohio, a collection of hate groups led by the Proud Boys rallied against a drag story hour organized by Red Oak Community Schools, holding a victory rally after the event was canceled. According to Fischer, the “presence of a common enemy has been more effective than anything else in recent history.” Relating Wadsworth to his experiences in Charlottesville, Fischer diagnosed Unite the Right a failure, and the “common cause of protesting Confederate statues,” insufficient to prevent far-right infighting. Unlike Wadsworth, where the far right showcased a united front. “This event, that happened Saturday, fulfills the goal of the people at Charlottesville,” Fischer said.

Similarly, the topic of drag queen story hours has gone from a fringe issue on the right discussed by the likes of Alex Jones to a prominent talking point.

Anti-drag bills have been introduced in 14 states since the passage of Tennessee’s law prohibiting drag performances in public, or where children may be present. Unsurprisingly, violent threats against drag performers have also increased, with GLAAD documenting 141 incidents of anti-LGBTQ threats targeting drag events. Aaron Reed, who conceived what would become the story hour in Memorial Park, believes conservative pundits are complicit in the violent actions and rhetoric wrought by hate groups. “Fox News is basically doing this,” Reed said, describing the alt-right as merely “following their lead.” Matthew Asente shared Reed’s sentiment, criticizing Republican politicians for “talking about outlawing these people.”

Aaron Reed’s memories of March 11 mainly concerned what happened inside the pavilion, rather than outside. Reed praised his team, and Parasol Patrol for trying to do “everything we could to block the kids from the hate,” and supportive locals, their children “laughing, singing, dancing,” as storyteller River Rose read and sang. Specifically, Reed named the father of a “three-year-old local trans girl,” who said to him after the show it was “the first time he saw her smile in two years,” since beginning her transition.

Weeks have passed since the incident at Memorial Park, and Matthew Asente is still shaken. He has a “close trans friend,” with whom he plays Dungeons and Dragons. Asante admitted “I’d be lying if I said I understood it wholly at first,” but experiencing the hatred directed at the queer community on March 11 has given him a new perspective. For the first time, Asante recognized that the protesters at Memorial Park wanted to “eradicate,” the LGBTQ community, and called the vitriol directed at the attendees “terrifying.” However, Asante made clear what he went through was nothing compared to LGBTQ people who must withstand it daily, saying “I felt that for an hour.” Aaron Reed views March 11 as a

M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 5

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

This opinion was signed by the board of directors of GLAA, an organization of D.C. residents committed to advocating for equality and liberation for LGBTQ and affiliated communities in our city, and is the oldest continuously active political LGBTQ rights group in the country.

Democrats’ collusion with Mayor, Council set D.C.’s GOP to overturn D.C.’s criminal budget, then Congress can act code will cause harm There’s less money to go around, so let’s use it in the best possible way

Mayor Bowser proposed a budget the people and Congress can approve. Now it’s the Council’s turn. An executive’s budget is never accepted as proposed. That is fine.

But D.C. does not have budget autonomy, so unfortunately, Congress could have the last word.

I urge the mayor and City Council to work closely on this year’s budget. Considering the threat to home rule based on Congress overturning the criminal code, it will be important to have a rational, balanced budget. Like it or not, and I don’t like it, Congress has legislative and budget oversight of D.C. Next time Democrats control both houses of Congress, we should ask them to change that; even if they won’t do the right thing, and give us full statehood. I recently exchanged emails with D.C.’s Shadow Sen. Michael Brown, and he wrote he wouldn’t ask for that and said he was elected to get us statehood. My response was since he has failed at that, the people of the District would be happy if he made some progress toward it, and this would be progress.

The mayor submitted a $19.7 billion budget laying out her vision for the District based on available funds. It is not all she wants, but with revenue from taxes going down, and federal pandemic money drying up, this is the reality we face.

All in all the mayor has presented a strong starting point with her budget proposal. No one expects the budget presented by the executive will pass without changes.

Council members are already stating their opinions and laying out their desires. My fear is the Council will make changes without enough thought to the global picture, each wanting money to fund their own priorities.

I already heard Council member Charles Allen and others, will try to fund their free bus legislation at the full $42 million. I recently shared this email with them. “I think providing free bus fare for District residents who can’t afford the bus, those needing it to go to work or other reasons, is a very good idea. But that can be done in many ways more targeted to those who really need the help. Funding free rides for those who don’t need them makes no sense. Giving free rides to Virginia and Maryland commuters on their way home, to tourists, and too many residents of the District who can easily afford the cost, those like myself, is totally irresponsible.”

Another fight will be over the education budget and the mayor’s intention to give more to schools with more at-risk students to help them recover from the pandemic.

Then there will surely be a debate on how much to put into the housing trust fund. Prior to the pandemic the mayor had committed, and did, put in at least $100 million each year. In the last couple of years, with the very generous federal funding coming into the city, that amount was doubled. This year, with federal money drying up, the mayor proposed going back to $100 million. Council member Robert White has already attacked that amount demanding more. The question for White will be what other programs he intends to cut to get it. Then there is the debate, already beginning, over housing vouchers and rent relief. All these things are clearly very important, but it is clear none will be funded to everyone’s full satisfaction. So, it will be crucial for the Council to work closely with the mayor on all these issues.

The main voice on the Council will be that of Council Chair Phil Mendelson. He used to be a rational voice in these debates. However, as we have seen recently, including on the criminal code revision debate, it is not so clear where he stands. I hope he will once again become a voice of reason.

There are those in Congress just waiting to attack the District for their own political gains. Congressman Andy Harris (R-Md.), one of the bigger right-wing a-holes, has already said he will try to put amendments into bills the president will have no choice but to sign. He has done that before and is already threatening it with regard to D.C.’s poorly written legislation on letting non-citizens vote. Let us not give him more opportunities.

Again, it behooves the Council to work closely with Mayor Bowser so even though there is less money to go around, we use it in the best possible way to meet the needs of all the people of the District.

1 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 31, 2 0 2 3 • V I E WP O I NT

Tossing a local law passed through democratic process is a betrayal

President Biden’s decision to sign the resolution of disapproval for the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, which sought to establish proportionality and consistency in sentencing and modernized outdated parts of D.C.’s criminal laws, is incompatible with his professed support for D.C. statehood and the right of D.C. residents to self-government. Overturning a local law passed through the democratic process is a betrayal of District residents and democracy itself.

The surrender of the president and congressional Democrats on this issue poses a deep and far-ranging threat that reverberates far beyond the Revised Criminal Code Act. Biden’s words and actions play into racist narratives that mischaracterize cities as awash in chaos and crime, which have reemerged in tandem with — and opposition to — the recent surge in support for racial justice, particularly criminal justice reform. By supporting the disapproval resolution, President Biden and congressional Democrats undermined our local efforts to advance racial justice, ameliorate the effects of centuries of racist policies, and engage in the hard work of addressing the roots of violence.

Congressional Republicans are already targeting another of those efforts, seeking to overturn D.C.’s common-sense police reforms implemented in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.

Disturbingly, some District residents and companies also supported this congressional interference in our local lawmaking. This also has a frightening historical precedent — in the 1870s, powerful groups of white residents who felt that Black and poor people had too much power in local government organized to call for an end to home rule.

The insidious effort was successful: Congress stripped local control from D.C., putting unaccountable commissioners and Congress members, including avowed racists, in charge of the city for the next 100 years. Now, incredibly, some members of Congress are advocating to attack home rule yet again.

Rather than stand up to the racist rhetoric of Republicans, President Biden and congressional Democrats caved, missing the opportunity to highlight the importance of local determination of criminal justice issues and underscore that a more just, less racially biased system provides better safety. They also squandered the chance to counter Republicans’ cartoonishly apocalyptic caricature of D.C. and other U.S. cities with the truth: despite real issues with crime, cities are largely safe. In fact, a recent poll of D.C. residents found that more than three out of every four feel safe here.

Just as worrisome, the inaction of the president and congressional Democrats on D.C ‘s Revised Criminal Code Act could lead to the same result for a GOP-led effort to overturn D.C.’s LGBTQ rights laws. Amid a wave of Republican state legislators introducing anti-LGBTQ bills largely targeting transgender people and drag performers — and prominent conservative activists openly calling for the “eradication” of transgender people from society — a similar push in D.C. by some in Congress is not difficult to imagine. Democrats’ refusal to defend the Revised Criminal Code signals to congressional Republicans that the LGBTQ community’s supposed allies might not put up much of a fight to defend the D.C. laws that protect our rights either.

It gets worse. The chilling effect of the president’s and Congress’s actions will likely make the Council think twice about enacting visionary legislation, out of fear it will be struck down. We have learned this the hard way: this same fear of bold, necessary action led GLAA almost two decades ago to initially oppose the addition of gender identity and expression to the Human Rights Act. D.C. residents, elected officials, and our allies in the federal government need to come together and resist the right’s fear-mongering. GLAA was proud to join the Hands Off DC Rally to protest Congress’ repeal of D.C.’s Revised Criminal Code. Several Washingtonians, mostly LGBTQ and/or people of color, were arrested for protesting federal interference in our self-governance. We are inspired by the actions of these residents and hope to get more LGBTQ people involved in the fight for D.C. autonomy and other issues impacting our communities.

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Mr. Bake on creating space for queer chefs of color Local entrepreneur mentors young gay and Black bakers

Ever since his daily subway ride in high school, textbook in one hand and cake box in the other, Kareem Queeman has been balancing baking, career, joy, and representation.

Queeman, a gay man, is best known as Mr. Bake. Emboldened by his grandmother, who embodied the dynamic spirit of his close-knit family, Queeman took to the Kitchenaid and never looked back.

Known for custom cakes and Southern classic desserts that “give you that nostalgic feeling,” he says, he’s now a James Beard Semifinalist for the 2023 Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, a reality TV baking competition star, and proud bakery owner at the La Fantome Food Hall in Riverdale Park, Md.

By EVAN CAPLAN He also credits his success to high school friends in Harlem, people who “allowed me to shove my experimental baked goods in their faces.”

Yet pursuing his career was not without its challenges.

“At that time, men, especially Black men, showed hyper-masculinity to be respected and not walked over by our white counterparts,” he says. “My queerness was concealed as much as possible because being ‘gay’ at that time in my community was frowned upon.” He turned to spaces like watching cooking shows, following chefs like Kwame Onwuachi and Carla Hall, and taking part in the New York ballroom community.

Queeman left New York, armed with a culinary arts degree, for the D.C. area in 2010 to help open a bakery in McLean, Va., and then later worked the opening of Crumbs Bake Shop. Queeman settled in Prince George’s County in Maryland, finding home in the African-American communities there.

KAREEM QUEEMAN is known for custom cakes and Southern classic desserts that ‘give you that nostalgic feeling.’ (Photo courtesy Queeman)

“I want to make space for Black and queer food business. There’s not many queer people of color in this space, and I want to help open those doors,” he says.

Before he went oven-to-oven against Bobby Flay and started sending his cupcakes across the country, Queeman grew up in Harlem, with a grandmother who gave him space to pursue his passion. He’d watch Oprah – whom he counts as a role model – with an aunt who would bake sweet potato cakes for neighbors during the holidays.

“Like many Black families, food always brings us together and food is what my family was known best for.”

He says.

Queeman is the founder and owner – and brand ambassador – of Mr. Bake Sweets, which has both an online presence and a brick-and-mortar spot at the Le Fantome.

He started Mr. Bake Sweets in 2008 as a catering company, workshop, and wholesale bakery, only recently moving into a physical space.

Mr. Bake Sweets was one of the first vendors at Le Fantome in 2021. Cupcakes in flavors like red velvet and “cookies n cookie,” doughnuts, brownies, and banana pudding topped with Nilla wafers (a recipe borrowed

1 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 31, 2 0 2 3

from one of his aunts) fly out the door.

Soon after Queeman kicked off his bakery, he also expanded his footprint into multimedia, starting a YouTube show, Baking With Mr. Bake.

To continue honing his craft, and challenging himself, Queeman decided to apply for a spot on a baking competition. He made it onto Discovery Family’s “Bake it Like Buddy” in 2018, coming home with the win. Yet having just lost his mother, he almost didn’t move forward with filming.

“From this experience, I noticed the lack of representation of queer chefs of color in the mainstream food industry. And I started on my path of creating space for my community. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to break into the food TV industry, so I did what I knew best: hustled.”

From there, he stepped up to Food Network, where he appeared on a Girls Scout Cookie championship in 2020, followed by Beat Bobby Flay, (“he gave me the BIGGEST praise for being on the show”) “When I applied for Netflix I made sure my team member was Black and queer. I wanted kids to see someone who looks like them baking and being authentic.”

Yet being a competitor didn’t take the cake. Queeman, wanting to truly showcase representation on TV, appeared as a judge on Food Network’s “Buddy vs. Duff.”

Today, he’s one of the subjects of Food Network’s “Bake it Til You Make It.” There, he doesn’t hold back: he uses gay and Black vernacular, purpose-driven in showcasing his identity.

Back at home, Queeman spends time mentoring young gay and Black bakers, teaching classes, and participating in the community. He also notes that half of Mr. Bake Sweets’ employees are queer. He recently launched a dinner series to bring the queer community together through food and curated conversation.

Beyond the food hall, Mr. Bake Sweets’ products can be found in several area restaurants and cafes like Georgia Brown’s, 600 T, and Here’s the Scoop ice cream shop.

“Creating visible space for queer chefs of color in mainstream media within the food industry is important. I want us to walk into rooms taking up space of being our full selves.”

DANIEL HOPE AND THE ZURICH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES CIRQUE FLIP FABRIQUE STATE BALLET Muse OF GEORGIA Friday, Mar. 31 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Apr. 1 at 2 p.m.

Mostly B

Breathtaking artistry and athleticism

Featuring Balanchine’s Serenade and Mozartiana

DANIEL HOPE AND THE ZURICH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m.

America

Sunday, Apr. 2 at 2 p.m.

Featuring music by Copland, Ellington, Gershwin and more

METROPOLITAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA

Jim Carroll, conductor Bobby Floyd, organ

Saturday, April 8 at 8 p.m.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

A swingin’ evening of jazz featuring this remarkable organist

TICKETS:

cfa.gmu.edu

703-993-2787

Located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University.

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

CIRQUE FLIP FABRIQUE

Palm Sunday - April 2 “Jesus rides triumphant into Jerusalem” 8:00 a.m.

Zabriskie Chapel

Palm Sunday Holy Eucharist Rite I

3606 Seminary Road

10:30 a.m. Bagpiper-led Procession with Palms to Immanuel Chapel 10:30 a.m. Palm Sunday Holy Eucharist Rite II with Choir featuring

VTS Post Office Immanuel Chapel

Mozart’s “Lacrimosa”

Maundy Thursday - April 6 “Commemoration of The Last Supper” 10:30 a.m. Weekly Bible Study: The Gospel of Mark 6:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II with Choir and String Sextet featuring Samuel Barber’s “The Adagio for Strings” Foot Washing, and Stripping of the Altar

Online via Zoom Immanuel Chapel

Good Friday - April 7 “The Passion of Jesus Christ: The Ultimate Sacrifice”

Immanuel Chapel 3737 Seminary Road Alexandria, VA (On the grounds of the Virginia Theological Seminary)

12 Noon 6:30 p.m.

Stations of the Cross The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday featuring Puccini’s “Requiem” and works from the Renaissance through modern times (Crécquillon, Gawthrop, Pärt, and Chilcott, among others)

Immanuel Chapel

EASTER SUNDAY, April 9 “Celebrating Christ’s Defeat of Death” Extra Seating Provided in Immanuel Chapel 8:00 a.m.

Zabriskie Chapel

Festival Holy Eucharist Rite I

3606 Seminary Road

Festival Holy Eucharist Rite II with Brass, Choir, and Timpani featuring Gawthorp’s “On the Third Day” and works by Noyona 10:30 a.m. Reception and Children’s Easter Egg Hunt, the Grove at VTS 11:15 a.m. Festival Holy Eucharist Rite II with Brass, Choir, and Timpani featuring Gawthorp’s “On the Third Day” and works by Noyona 9:15 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

ALL Are WELCOME at Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill!

Immanuel Chapel

Immanuel Chapel Chapel grounds Immanuel Chapel

Reception in the Parlor

Anglican/Episcopal

www.ICOH.net

(703) 370-6555

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

CALENDAR

OUT & ABOUT

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Blade editor’s book tour kicks off in College Park

Friday, March 31

Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff is promoting his new book, “How We Won the War for LGBTQ Equality — And How Our Enemies Could Take It All Away,” with a series of events kicking off next week.

Naff will be on campus at the University of Maryland College Park for a book talk and signing on Thursday, April 6 at 6 p.m. at the Eaton Theater. The event is sponsored by the UMD chapter of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association and will be moderated by student Ivy Lyons.

“I’m always excited to talk to young people about the LGBTQ movement,” said Naff. “They will have to defend all of our incredible progress and expand on it in the years to come. I can’t wait to visit the College Park community.”

Naff’s book debuted last week and is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and anywhere books are sold online.

Center Aging: Friday Tea Time will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests can bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam at adamheller@thedccenter.org.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social” at 7 p.m. at Puro Gusto. This free event is ideal for meeting new folks, making new friends, community-building, or just to unwind and enjoy the atmosphere. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Saturday, April 01 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.

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

Sunday, April 02 GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Coffee & Conversation” at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for those looking to meet new faces in the LGBTQ community. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

“Sunday Funday Fam Brunch” will be at 11 a.m. at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant. This brunch will bring a host of family and friends together celebrating the love, passion and work done by LGBTQ rights advocates in the community. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, April 03 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.

Capital Pride Interfaith Service Planning Meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. The Capital Pride Interfaith Service is an “integrated service” that demonstrates the breadth, depth, and sincerity of LGBTQ individuals’ faith and exposes the lie that anti-gay fundamentalists have a monopoly on faith and religion. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Blade editor KEVIN NAFF’s new book is out now and available on Amazon.

Wednesday, April 05 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.

Center Aging Women’s Social & Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This group is a place where older LGBTQ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. To register for the event, visit the DC Center’s website.

Thursday, April 06 API Queer Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom.

This support group for the Asian and Pacific Islander Queer Community is co-sponsored by Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society DC and Asian Queers United for Action. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

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DC Center to host fundraiser for upcoming relocation The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “The DC Center Spring Cocktail Celebration” on Thursday, April 13 at 6 p.m. at Dupont Underground.

This event will raise funds to support the DC Center’s upcoming relocation and new space renovation. The new LGBTQ Community Center will be larger than the current space and will allow an increase in community and service outreach.

There will be a music performance by DJ Jake Maxwell and lively performances by Drag Queen KC B. Yoncé and Drag King Ricky Rosé, and a gallery of friends, family and family. There will also be an open bar for the first hour.

Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased online.

Dupont Underground teams with Swedish Embassy for art exhibit Dupont Underground will join forces with the Swedish Embassy to host the opening night of a video art exhibition, “You Don’t Love Me, Yet” on Friday, March 31 at Dupont Underground.

The exhibition will feature eight Swedish artists from different backgrounds and generations who are united in their interest for current social issues, interpersonal relationships, and the interaction between humans and nature, which they depict through their art.

The video works are displayed in “living rooms,” all designed by Washington-based architecture firms, which create a sharp contrast to the unique and rough character of the abandoned streetcar station under Dupont Circle.

For more information, email Matthew Helfrich, LINK Strategic Partners, at mhelfrich@linksp.com.

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Arab-American playwright delves into queer themes in ‘Unseen’

THEATER

Mosaic production entwined with heartbreak and humor

By PATRICK FOLLIARD New York playwright Mona Mansour is best known for exploring her Arab-American identity, but with her most recent work “Unseen,” now playing at Mosaic Theater, she delves into queer themes, shining a light on her own sexuality.

“Doing a gay-themed play had been nagging at me for a while,” explains Mansour via phone from a cozy coastal town in Connecticut where she’s taking a short break from the city with her girlfriend, a children’s book author.

“So, when I started writing about a woman with a camera, it just seemed to fit.”

Entwined with heartbreak and humor, “Unseen” focuses on Mia, an American conflict photographer who wakes up in her off-and-on girlfriend Derya’s apartment in Istanbul with no idea of how she got there. In a cross-cultural, time-shifting journey, Mia, neither sanctimonious nor self-congratulatory about her work, wends through Istanbul, Gaza, Syria, and an art gallery in Philadelphia, confronting personal and professional challenges.

At turns, the women’s relationship can be described as estranged, fiery, adversarial, sexy, and romantic.

“With each rewrite I increasingly stacked the deck in Mia and Derya’s favor,” says Mansour “Early on, one might have said, ‘boy, I don’t know about these two.’ But now, there’s love along with the contentiousness.”

But will the women make it as a couple? Mansour suggests an after-play thing where the audience makes bets.

“What’s clear is that Mia can’t keep going on as she has been, and though the play doesn’t take us to this, what I think personally is that we as a country can’t keep going in the way we have either. Those are things I think are around the play, but for me as writing, putting those ideas into a play into a character’s mouth, I feel like I shut down.

It’s tricky.

“Theater is a tough business and kicks your ass but there’s a reason we all do it,” she continues. “I’m a cynical person in a lot of ways, but I’m definitely not interested in writing plays that when the lights come up, the first thing people say is ‘where are we going for cocktails?’. Those are fine too, and I’ve done silly plays in the past, but just not now.”

Mansour likes a Washington audience. Her play “The Vagrant Trilogy,” a stunning piece about a displaced Palestinian family in exile, debuted at Mosaic in 2018 before moving to New York’s Public Theater last year. She credits the play with her having recently received the prestigious Arts and Letters Award in Literature from one of the country’s foremost cultural bodies, The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Growing up in a Southern California suburb, the daughter of a Lebanese immigrant father and an Amer-

MONA MANSOUR at first rehearsal for Mosaic’s production of ‘Unseen.’ (Photo by Chris Banks)

ican mother from Seattle, Mansour was obsessed with Patty Hearst’s kidnapping and battles of World War II. She says, “We weren’t the rich family who took off for a week in Tahoe, though sometimes I would have liked that. We had a stream of cousins coming to stay with us during the Lebanese Civil War.” For Mansour, coming out to her parents shortly after meeting her first girlfriend in the mid-90s was a mixed bag: “It was a thing for my ‘moderny’ Lebanese dad,” she says. “But my mother accepted it instantly.” She recalls a gay friend at the time saying “I’m gay for 14 years and haven’t told my mom. You’ve been gay for five minutes and have already come told your mom and hugged it out.”

Before writing, Mansour acted, including a stint studying at Second City Chicago and improvising with the Groundlings Sunday Company: “I was good enough to know when I wasn’t good. I write way above what my own punching ability was, but I always feel like someone else can do it.” And with “Unseen,” she has written three

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meaty tracks for three women, here played by Katie Kleiger, Dina Soltan, and Emily Townley. Directed by Johanna Gruenhut.

“As the bringer of images, Mia is part of a system, a system that I, Mona, think about all the time. But you can’t address a system of endless wars in 90 minutes,” she says.

Without spelling it out, Mansour’s work makes audiences think about the big questions. “That’s my hope,” she adds. “I want them to come to that same psychic space without literally leading them there and plopping them down in a chair. You know, even when I agree with someone, I don’t like to be lectured.”

‘Unseen’

Through April 23

Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas Performing Arts Center 1333 H St., N.E. | $50-$64 | Mosaictheater.org

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easter sunday

April 9 | Worship at 11:00 | 16th & “O” St. NW Celebrate Christ's resurrection with the music of choir, organ, brass, and a message of hope from Pastor Julie. Bring a flower to decorate the Flowering Cross (optional).

Cookie reception on front patio after worship. good friday April 7 @ 7pm | Service of Shadows. Remember Christ's suffering and crucifixion through choral music and the reading of the Passion narratives from Scripture.

1328 16TH ST NW, WASHINGTON DC | FIRSTBAPTISTDC.ORG

2 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 31, 2 0 2 3

BLACK MONA LISA TOUR: VOLUME ONE

FRIDAY, JUNE 2 WARNER THEATRE WASHINGTON, DC

M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 5

TV

For musical fans, the TV series of the spring is ‘Up Here’ A refreshing new addition to a genre that can never get enough love

By JOHN PAUL KING Love stories are never out of season, but if there’s any time when they feel more welcome than usual, it’s in the early blossom of spring.

We’re not talking about just any love stories here, but the kind of sappy, feel-good tales of romance that most of us scoff at but secretly dream of living for ourselves.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the same people who enjoy that oft-maligned sub-genre also tend to be fond of musicals, and if that sounds like you – especially if you’re a nostalgic Millennial or an older Gen-Z-er with a fondness for the Disney classics of the ‘80s and 90s – then congratulations: you’re the target audience for “Up Here,” Hulu’s new series about the young love on the cusp of Y2K!

appeal by delivering that meal with a heaping side of musical meta-commentary. Developed and adapted by Steven Levenson with married songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, it’s based on a 2015 musical by the latter – a married pair responsible, either together or individually with other writing partners, for composing the songs of “Avenue Q”, “Frozen” and “Coco”, along with several other massively successful musical entertainments of the past decade or so. Combined with the track record of Levenson (who wrote the book for Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hanson” and the screenplay for 2021’s “Tick, Tick… Boom!”) and co-Executive Producer Thomas Kail (director of 2020’s filmed “Hamilton” and

CARLOS VALDES and MAE WHITMAN in ‘Up Here.’

(Image courtesy of Hulu)

A musical romance set in the waning days of 1999 New York City, it follows Lindsay (Mae Whitman) and Miguel (Carlos Valdes), two misfits chasing their dreams of success who fall in love and discover that when it comes to finding happiness together, their greatest obstacle might be themselves – or at least, the personified memories that live inside their heads, giving elaborately orchestrated and impeccably arranged voice to the treacherous world of embarrassments, obsessions, fears, and fantasies that influence their behavior and their choices.

It’s not exactly a new concept. From “Herman’s Head” to “Inside Out” and countless other iterations in between, the eminently relatable idea of a “committee” inside our minds – often made up of people whose presence in our past left a significant mark – commenting on and trying to influence every detail of our lives has provided plenty of fuel for onscreen entertainment. It might be a trope, but whether it’s played for laughs or for serious contemplation (it’s almost always a mix of both, though the ratio may vary widely), these stories always give us food for thought.

“Up Here” is no exception, but it hones and targets its

showrunner for the acclaimed FX bio-series “Fosse/Verdon), the Lopez knack for upbeat, stirring, and infectiously clever pop-inflected songs gives the show more than enough promise to ensure any serious musical fan will be on board to at least give it a chance.

When they do, they’ll likely be hooked from the start by a quirky, tongue-in-cheek tone that somehow manages to strike a sustainable balance between self-aware parody and sincere exploration of an art form which, frankly, ends up being the butt of a lot of jokes from those immune to its stylized charms. Musical fans know what we’re talking about, and we feel their pain – but we can’t help also appreciating the more cynical worldview that often makes the genre seem more like feel-good pablum than serious artistic expression. Still, regardless of one’s personal taste for musicals, it’s hard not to respect an approach that acknowledges the inherent absurdity of the format while still committing itself unapologetically to honoring the optimistic romanticism that makes it so irresistible for a legion of die-hard aficionados – many of whom, at the risk of perpetuating a stereotype, happen to be queer, an additional perspective that will surely help the show’s

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tale of romance between two square pegs in a world full of round holes land even closer to home for a substantial percentage of its viewing audience.

It’s also hard not to be won over by the performers, who seem to gleefully embrace – and rightfully so – the opportunity to show off all their triple-threat chops onscreen, not to mention the chance to sing material from the two-time-Oscar winning Team Lopez. Whitman, a former child actress and voice performer who successfully transitioned into “grown-up” roles (most notably opposite Christina Hendricks and Retta on the dark TV crime comedy “Bad Girls”) and came out as pansexual in 2021, turns her unconventional appeal into an anchor for the show’s sometimes far-flung wildness; she wins our hearts by the end of her first scene, and she only becomes more endearing from there. Valdes makes a perfect counter to her offbeat underdog energy, the “Lion King” to her “Little Mermaid”, a swoon-worthy sensitive good guy in disguise who can’t help wearing his heart on his sleeve even as he tries to blend in with the douche-y finance bros in his workplace. Katie Finneran, John Hodgman, Andréa Burns, Scott Porter, Sophia Hammons, and Emilia Suárez comprise the ensemble of voices inside the lovers’ heads, each of them embodying real people with backstories of their own – which affords them all an occasional spotlight moment and allows for plenty of subtle nuance in their performances as they serve as a literal chorus for the “dramedy” at hand.

As for the material itself, “Up Here” boasts an extremely polished, sharply cinematic aesthetic that goes a long way toward softening any resistance to its musical conceits – and making up for a song score that, while solid and suited to the purpose, is largely devoid of the sort of standout “earworms” that typically score big points for musical fans. At times reminiscent of a goofy send-up like “Schmigadoon”, at others more a reverent homage to the screen musicals of classic Hollywood, and at still others approaching the sublimely deconstructed anti-romanticism of French auteur Jacques Demy’s ‘60s masterpieces, it benefits from a refusal to fall back on its potential for camp value – though it occasionally leans hard in that direction, on purpose – by keeping us emotionally invested in its two appealing leads. It also makes sure to keep a healthy balance between musical fantasy and everyday reality, limiting the big, splashy production numbers to 2 or 3 per 30-minute-ish episode.

Probably the most intriguing aspect of the series, however, is its narrative structure, in which it shows us things through the experience of one of its characters – including their inner dialogues with their respective mental critics and commentators – and then replays them from the perspective of another. Again, it’s not an innovative concept, but it makes for a musical that has the space to go deeper than the not-entirely-accurate preconception of the genre as insubstantial “fluff” might deem possible.

Is that enough to make it appealing for people who don’t like musicals? It would be tempting to say yes, but there’s no denying that “Up There” is a show designed for a certain type of audience. If that DOESN’T sound like you, it’s probably best for you to skip it. For the rest of us, however, it’s a refreshing and surprisingly thought-provoking new addition to a genre that, for our money, can never get enough love.

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TRAVEL

This Zurich bar was once a meeting place for a secret gay society Barfüsser is now Kweer and attracting a new generation of diverse patrons

By DAN RENZI if they did not disclose the names In 1942, as the Nazis were of their members. The publishers bombing their way around Eunever caved to the threats, but the rope, a quiet revolution was harassment led to the demise of forming in Switzerland. The Swiss The Circle, which ceased producgovernment decriminalized hotion in 1967, and those legendary mosexuality that year, and the leparties disappeared. gal victory emboldened a group All is not lost to history, howevof gay men who had been secretly er. In the 1950s, a bar opened in publishing a magazine. Der Kreis, Zurich’s Old Town historic district; a.k.a. The Circle, featured news, called Barfüsser, it was owned by sexy stories and artwork, all about a liberal-minded husband and gay life in Switzerland, and most wife couple who defiantly hired importantly there were details for a waiter who had been fired from upcoming parties at a nightclub his previous job for being gay. in Zurich. With pages published That bit of gossip spread quickly, in German, French, and English, mostly among the waiter’s gay The Circle was a lifeline for its subfriends, and business flooded in, scribers, perhaps serving as their leading to Barfüsser quickly beonly glimpse of life beyond their coming one of Zurich’s first gay oppressive reality. bars. Women sat in the front, and With the absence of anti-gay men congregated in the back laws in Switzerland, and the soroom, and it was in that back room cial scene created by The Circle’s where The Circle held meetings, publishing team, Zurich became amid the antics of dancing boys one of the gay capitals of the midand drag queens and other she20th century, where bands played nanigans occurring around them. for raucous parties and attendees Barfüsser soldiered on for dedressed as their gender of choice.

Kweer in Zurich has a long history as a gay-friendly bar. cades and eventually closed in Just to the north in Germany, the (Photo courtesy Dan Renzi) the early 2000s after the owners Nazi regime arrested suspected retired. The space was leased to a homosexuals and imprisoned new business, a sushi restaurant, them in concentration camps, but but in 2022 the restaurant moved gay Germans could take trains to out, and two local nightlife imZurich and spend the weekend, presarios claimed the historic dancing and drinking and enbuilding. Marco Uhlig, who owns gaging in taboo activities of the the nearby nightclub Heaven, a night. hotspot for Zurich’s twink scene, Zurich’s police tolerated the and Sam Rensing, who owns publishers of The Circle, on the restaurants outside of the city, condition that members had to worried that “the space might be be at least 20 years old. But social occupied by a big gastro-chain,” attitudes in Switzerland were still as explained by Rensing, and predictably conservative, and any they wanted to return to its roots public exposure of a homosexual in European gay history. So they lifestyle was grounds for immediopened a bar there once again, ately losing your job and eviction (Photo courtesy Dan Renzi) now with the new name in the from your home. The Circle’s parGerman spelling, Kweer. ties were cloaked in secrecy. AtThe new Kweer is a beautiful lounge, with long serpentine tendance was restricted to registered members, and those regcouches and a small stage for shows, and the space opens early istration lists were stored in a member’s home, in an oven filled in the day as a coffeeshop, then changes to a posh cocktail bar with wood, ready to ignite should the police invade looking for in the evening. As progressive as it was in the 1950s when they evidence for blackmail. hired their first gay employee, the bar is just as progressive now: Those blackmail attempts began in the 1960s. Several gay instead of the self-imposed split of women in one room, men men in Zurich were murdered by male prostitutes, but the killers in the other, the crowd is entirely gender-friendly, with young claimed the “gay panic” defense, as if they had been coerced patrons embracing their chosen pronouns and giving the place into being paid for sex by predatory older men, and the Swiss some fresh energy. courts set them free. Mainstream press jumped on the story, “We made sure to pivot the place as a queer space,” said Rensalso portraying the killers as the victims, and painted an image ing. “We really thought that it was imperative, that this place beof Zurich as a pit of debauchery, which riled up the public. The came a thriving queer space again, as it had been police, embarrassed by the city’s distasteful image, interrogatin the second half of the last century.” ed The Circle’s publishers and threatened them with exposure 2 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 31, 2 0 2 3

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Miss Charm City Stormi Skye crowned the winner

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The Miss Charm City pageant was held at the Baltimore Eagle on Friday, March 24. Stormi Skye was crowned the winner. Both Skye and first alternate Sorority Heights qualified to compete in the upcoming Miss Gay Maryland competition later this year.

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Annual

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REAL ESTATE

If you can buy real estate now, then do it

With banking and retail in state of flux, housing market remains consistent

By JUSTIN NOBLE

Doom and gloom goes the economy as of late. Trust me, I am right there with ya! I had coffee with a friend last week who is in the consumer banking industry. They were saying how a large majority of their customers were pulling funds from their bank given the most recent banking revelation.

It seems when issues occur with the banking industry, folks panic and pull. This past weekend I had impromptu drinks with a good friend of mine who is in the luxury retail industry. She mentioned that her company’s district has begun to experience a consumer pull back, which I recall happening in my old retail days as well. When the economy is currently trudging through rocky waters - a majority of consumers will halt all points of buying in retail settings aside from what they might deem as essential. For me EVERYTHING is essential…but that’s a conversation between my therapist and me.

While they say that history repeats itself, it’s difficult to see a global pandemic that has caused such a ripple effect on so many industries and continues to do so many months after inoculations began. With so much hesitation in the banking industry and retail industry – several of my colleagues and I have seen an increase in purchase power within the real estate market. I can speak of this as an agent in the DMV metro area in addition to an agent in the nearby Joe Biden homeland of Delaware. When consumers are sluggish to move in the stock and banking markets typically we see them pull money together and invest in the real estate market, which in the end causes a new issue of compounding an already low inventory market.

You might hear real estate agents speak to you and say that “Anytime is a good time to buy,” which is not always the truth, but just take a moment to Google my name, look into my eyes, and say to yourself, “NOW is a good time to buy!”

After you rid yourself of all the feels and butterflies you receive from looking into my eyes – please believe me when I say now is a great time to buy if you can.

That “if you can’’ part at the end is key. Interest rates have gone down substantially during the past month. For the week ending March 23, the nationwide average for the popular 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.42%, according to Freddie Mac. That’s down from last week—and it’s the lowest level in more than a month. Housing prices have remained steady, inventory super low and demand super high – the real estate industry has been experiencing these same trends since the pandemic started. While the banking and retail industries lay in a state of flux, the real estate market remains consistent as of late.

According to Realtor.com the median listing price has increased +6.3% and new listings have decreased by 20% based on last week’s numbers. With the real estate market truly being a constant positive or neutral trending marketplace - to me it sounds like a great place to park some money, right? Whether you are looking to buy or sell a piece of real estate in this current economy just remember that people always need a roof over their heads. Typically said people will pull back on the luxury items that are not always needed in tougher times, however we always need a place to call home with a roof over our heads.

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3 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 31, 2 0 2 3 • B US I NE S S

Inventory is low but rates are coming down so if you can afford to invest in real estate, take the plunge this spring.

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.

Equal Housing Opportunity

WE MOVED! The Irmer Group is proud to announce its move to McEnearney Associates.

We are excited to continually and successfully help all of our clients with their Real Estate needs.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Martine Irmer

703.346.7283 mirmer@mcenearney.com

Alex Irmer

703.403.2465 airmer@mcenearney.com

109 S Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 | Office: (703)549-9292 M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 5

LEGAL NOTICE

CLEANING

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2023 FEP 000026 Date of Death 10/22/2020 Name of Decedent: Michael Leroy Williams Sr. NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS Katharyn A Phelps whose address is 103 Graiden Street, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20774 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Michael Leroy Williams Sr, deceased, by the Orphan’s Court for Prince George’s County, State of Maryland, on December 30, 2020.

Service of process may be made upon David Roberts 1717 N Street NW, Ste 1 Washington, DC 20036 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, DC. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 1900 2nd Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Date of first publication: March, 31, 2023 Katharyn A. Phelps, Personal Representative, 240-839-0035 A True Test Copy Nicole Stevens, Register of Wills

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

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LEGAL SERVICES

ADOPTION, DONOR, SURROGACY

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

240-863- 2441,

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please email the text & image for your ad to: classifieds@washblade.com or call 202-747-2077 x 8092 & we will assist you!

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LIMOUSINES KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE

Brand new reno! 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 level, end unit, rowhouse in Ivy City. New flooring, paint, kitchen, appliances, hardwoods, open floor plan, washer/dryer, solar panels, energy efficient, large private fenced back yard, goodsized closets, 2-zone heating/ cooling. Lots of living space. Near distilleries, breweries, art galleries, Union Market, and parks. Click link in online ad for full details. Listed by owner.

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LEFT PAGE

29545 Patrick Henry Circle, Millsboro, DE

37494 Pettinaro Drive, Ocean View, DE

MLS: DESU2036358

MLS: DESU2035544

PRICE - $624,900

PRICE - $345,000

GORGEOUS, LIKE NEW HOME IN MAINTENANCE-FREE INDEPENDENCE!

A lovingly maintained Schell Brothers’ “Whimbrel” 3BR/2BA home located on a premium corner lot in the award-winning 55+ community, is waiting for you! This home features an open floor plan with high-ceilings & luxury vinyl plank flooring, a gourmet kitchen, wet bar, three-season room, energy efficient solar panels and so much more!

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This highly desirable 1st floor END UNIT 2 BR/2BA condo offers beautiful water views of wetlands and streams. Newer luxury vinyl plank flooring, HVAC system, hot water tank, washer and dryer, ceiling fans and stove. Detached garage included in this sale. Bethany Bay community offers a boat ramp, fishing pier, 9-hole golf course, pool, gym, walking paths, tennis, basketball, pickleball and volleyball courts!

This condo is a turnkey investment that’s ready for spring and summer!

106 New Road, Lewes, DE

121 Breakwater Reach, Lewes, DE

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PRICE - $1,299,000

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