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VOLUME 54 ISSUE 49 ADDRESS PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE 202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT CHRIS KANE ckane@washblade.com extg 8083 INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com ext. 8093 POP CULTURE REPORTER JOHN PAUL KING PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com ext 8084 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DANIEL ITAI, EDICIÓN CIENTONCE, QUORUM, WDG, STEPHANIE MONDRAGÓN, ISAAC AMEND , TINASHE CHINGARANDE, DUNIA ORELLANA, REPORTAR SIN MIEDO, PARKER PURIFOY, PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZÁLEZ, LYNARE ROBBINS, PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN, KATLEGO K. KOLANYANE-KESUPILE, KAELA ROEDER, TREMENDA NOTA, ALBERTO J. VALENTÍN, MAYKEL GONZÁLEZ VIVERO, ORGULLO LGBT. CO, ESTEBAN GUZMAN, ANDRÉS I. JOVÉ RODRÍGUEZ, WINTER HAWK, ISABELLE KRAVIS, CAL BENN CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown at 202-747-2077, ext. 8075.

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‘Behind-the-scenes’ activist Paul Kuntzler marks 62 years in D.C.

Inspired by Kennedy, Michigan native played key role in early LGBTQ movement

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

In reflecting on his many years of involvement in U.S. politics and the LGBTQ rights movement, Paul Kuntzler points out that Dec. 28 of this year will mark his 62nd year as a resident of Washington, D.C. And he also points out that two days before that, on Dec. 26, he will celebrate his 82nd birthday.

Those who have known Paul Kuntzler over the years say that while his is not a household name in politics and the LGBTQ rights movement, he has played a critical role as an everyday hero and behind-the-scenes organizer for the Democratic Party and the local and national LGBTQ rights movement.

PAUL KUNTZLER is the last surviving member of the original 17 members of the D.C. Mattachine Society.

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Among other things, Kuntzler served as campaign manager for D.C. gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny’s 1971 role as the first openly gay candidate for the U.S. Congress when Kameny ran for the newly created position of non-voting Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for D.C. In his role as campaign manager, Kuntzler is also credited with arranging for more than a dozen volunteers from the then-Gay Activists Alliance and Gay Youth group of New York City to come to D.C. on a bus that the Kameny campaign paid for to help gather the needed 5,000 signatures to get Kameny’s name on the ballot.

“I knew how difficult that was going to be,” Kuntzler said.

“And I recognized we were not going to do this all on our own,” adding that the gay volunteers from New York, who joined forces with local D.C. volunteers, obtained a total of 7,800 signatures of registered D.C. voters to get Kameny’s name on the ballot.

Although Kameny finished in fourth place in a six-candidate race, his run as the first openly gay candidate for the U.S. Congress drew national publicity, including support from actor Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward, who made a $500 contribution to the Kameny campaign while they were performing at the time at D.C.’s National Theater.

Observers of the LGBTQ rights movement at that time considered Kameny’s candidacy an important development in the effort to advance LGBTQ rights both in D.C. and nationwide.

“Looking back, that probably was one of the most significant things I did in my life,” Kuntzler said in recalling his role as Kameny’s campaign manager.

He says his involvement in politics began in the summer of 1960 in his hometown of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., a Detroit suburb, when he co-founded the Grosse Pointe Young Democrats and served as a volunteer on the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy.

“I met JFK at the Detroit airport and shook his hand,” Kuntzler recalls while he joined a crowd of supporters welcoming Kennedy on his arrival for a campaign tour in Michigan. “It was Labor Day weekend – Sunday, Sept. 4, 1960,” Kuntzler said in demonstrating an amazing recall of dates and events.

Kuntzler, who traveled to D.C. to attend the Kennedy inauguration on Jan. 20, 1961, said the idealism of the Kennedy administration prompted him to move to D.C. one year later to become involved in politics and the fledgling gay rights movement.

“I met Frank Kameny at Lafayette Chicken Hut on Sunday, Feb. 25, 1962,” Kuntzler says in referring to the then-popular D.C. gay bar. “And he was then president of the Mattachine Society of Washington,” Kuntzler noted, which was the first significant gay rights group in D.C. that Kameny co-founded.

“He invited me to attend the next Mattachine Society meeting,” Kuntzler recalls. “So, on Tuesday, March 6, 1962, at Earl Aiken’s apartment on Harvard Street, I became the 17th member of the D.C. Mattachine Society.,” Kuntzler continued. “And at the age of 20, I was the only minor involved in the gay rights movement consisting of about 150 people in five American cities,” he said. “I’m the only one still living of the original 17.”

His membership in the Mattachine Society of D.C. was the start of Kuntzler’s 50-plus years of involvement in the local and national LGBTQ rights movement. He recalls that he helped make history when he joined Kameny and other members of the Mattachine Society in April of 1965 for the nation’s first gay rights protest in front of the White House.

Kuntzler said he brought with him a large poster-size sign he made reading, “15 Million Homosexuals Protest Federal Treatment.” He said Mattachine Society of D.C. co-founder Jack Nichols asked permission to carry that sign on the picket line in front of the White House. Kuntzler gave him permission to do so.

To this day, Kuntzler says, he has a large United Press International photo of Nichols carrying the sign with Kameny, lesbian activist Lilli Vincenz, and Kuntzler standing beside him with the White House as a backdrop.

In the following three decades or more, Kuntzler served

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as an organizer and founder of several LGBTQ organizations and projects while pursuing a work career as a manager for several organizations. He served from 1973 to 2007 as assistant executive director for advertising, exhibits and workshop sales for the D.C.-based National Science Teachers Association.

His many behind-the-scenes involvements included serving in 1975 as the first treasurer for the Gay Rights National Lobby, one of the first national LGBTQ rights organizations based in D.C. that later evolved into the Human Rights Campaign in 1980, for which he also served for a short time as treasurer. In 1979, Kuntzler became a co-founder of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, D.C.’s first LGBTQ Democratic organization.

Also in 1979, Kuntzler helped found the National Convention Project, an effort to elect openly gay delegates and secure a “gay rights” plank in the platform at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. The effort resulted in the election of about 100 openly LGBT delegates to the 1980 convention from states across the country, including D.C. and the adoption of an LGBT supportive plank in the Democratic Party’s platform at that time.

Kuntzler said he and the others working on the project, which he called a success, were deeply disappointed when then-Democratic President Jimmy Carter lost the November 1980 presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan. But he said he was inspired to continue his work on behalf of the Democratic Party and LGBTQ rights issues over the next several decades.

The person most important in his life, Kuntzler said, was his domestic partner Stephen Brent Miller of 42 years who died in July 2004.

“Stephen and I met on Friday, March 30, 1962, at Lafayette Chicken Hut,” Kuntzler said. “I was sitting on the side and Stephen was sitting in the middle, and I think he sent me a beer and then came over and sat down and we talked,” Kuntzler recalls. “We had our first date on the second Sunday in April of 1962.”

The two went to brunch before going to see a movie and then took a bus to get to Frank Kameny’s house. It was a housewarming party of the house that Kameny had just secured a lease to rent for his residence and his gay rights endeavors. Miller, a professional stenographer who later started his own court reporting business, Miller Reporting, quickly took on the role of being the loving spouse to a committed activist, people who knew the couple have said.

Kuntzler said his attendance at the Human Right Campaign’s annual Washington dinner last month, which is one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ events, in which President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden spoke, was a further sign of progress for the LGBTQ rights movement as he sees it.

Asked if he has any advice for the LGBTQ community at this time, Kuntzler said, “I think we need to continue to be vigilant … We need to continue to be vigilant.”

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Maryland’s Trone, Alsobrooks pledge to champion LGBTQ rights in Senate Cardin set to retire after serving three terms

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS | mlavers@washblade.com

The two leading Democratic candidates who are running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) have pledged to continue to champion LGBTQ rights in the U.S. Senate.

Jared DeWese, a spokesperson for Congressman David Trone’s campaign, in a statement to the Washington Blade noted the Total Wine & More founder is a member of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and co-sponsored the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights law.

DeWese pointed out that Trone voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act and co-sponsored a U.S. House of Representatives resolution in support of transgender rights.

DeWese also highlighted that Trone helped secure $530,000 in grants from the Department of Homeland Security to develop violence prevention programs for LGBTQ youth in Montgomery County.

Total Wine & More began to offer benefits to employees’ same-sex partners more than 20 years ago. (Maryland voters in 2012 approved the state’s same-sex marriage law.)

“David Trone is the most outspoken and long-standing supporter of the LGBTQ+ community in this race,” said DeWese. “Before marriage equality was a reality in Maryland and across the country, David extended partner benefits to all employees at the company he founded, Total Wine & More, because he believes that equal rights are the bedrock of American democracy and must be extended to everyone.”

DeWese further described Trone as a “consistent ally” in Congress.

“Congressman Trone’s record aligns with his personal values and those of the voters of Maryland, and they can expect that from him in the Senate,” said DeWese.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in a statement to the Blade noted she supported Maryland’s marriage equality law in 2012 and “will continue to stand up for the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, including the right to marry, grow their families, and live free from discrimination, in the Senate.”

Alsobrooks is among those who attended a pro-marriage equality fundraiser at state Del. Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery County)’s home in October 2012.

The Montgomery County Democrat last week told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview that her now wife worked with Alsobrooks when she was Prince George’s

County state’s attorney. Kaiser said Alsobrooks encouraged her wife to propose to her, and toasted them at their wedding in 2013.

“A lot of people were good personally, but not so much publicly,” said Kaiser, referring to Alsobrooks’s support for marriage equality before the 2012 referendum. “She was for marriage equality before it was cool to be for marriage equality.”

Alsobrooks in her statement to the Blade said she will “strongly oppose Republican efforts to undermine equality and promote discrimination including the recent wave of anti-trans legislation in some Republican-led legislatures.”

Cardin earlier this year announced he will retire from the Senate after three terms.

Gov. Wes Moore; Lieutenant Gov. Aruna Miller; Comptroller Brooke Lierman; U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.); Maryland Congressmen Glenn Ivey, Steny Hoyer and Kweisi Mfume, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones, state Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City), Somerset Mayor Jeffrey Slavin and Howard County Registrar of Wills Byron Macfarlane are among the officials who have endorsed Alsobrooks. Emily’s List and the Congressional Black Caucus PAC are two of the organizations that have also backed her campaign.

Maryland Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger and state Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick County) are two of the dozens of current and former elected officials in the state and across the country who have endorsed Trone.

IBEW Locals 24, 26 and 307 and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers have also backed his campaign.

Campaign finance records indicate Trone and/or his wife have previously supported anti-LGBTQ Republicans. These include a $38,000 donation to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s election campaign in 2014, two $4,000 contributions to former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory in 2008 and 2012 and $2,500 to U.S. Sen. Tom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Total Wine & More between 2007-2022 contributed $272,971 to Republican officials, candidates and state parties.

Trone in 2015 stepped down as the company’s CEO. His campaign on Tuesday noted to the Blade that he “has had no involvement in the company’s contributions since becoming

Prince George’s County Executive ANGELA ALSOBROOKS and U.S. Rep. DAVID TRONE (D-Md.).

(Photos courtesy of the campaigns)

a member of Congress.”

“Prior to stepping down from Total Wine & More, David made contributions to support his company’s efforts to protect tens of thousands of jobs across the nation,” it said.

“While our opponents may attempt to distract from David’s proven track record as an ally and advocate for LGBTQIA+ Americans, the facts are clear: David Trone is the only candidate for United States Senate in Maryland who has taken bold action to support the LGBTQIA+ community,” added the campaign. “That’s why the Human Rights Campaign has given David a 100 percent rating and was honored to endorse him in 2022.”

His campaign further noted Trone “has supported causes to strengthen and expand mental health access for the LGBTQIA+ community across the country.” They include $8.5 million in donations to the Democratic Party and pro-LGBTQ candidates. Trone, according to his campaign, has “also been a decades-long supporter of the ACLU, one of the first organizations to fight for marriage equality and equal rights in the nation.”

Prince George’s County Councilwoman Krystal Oriadha, who is bisexual, in June criticized the decision not to hold a ceremony for the raising of the Pride flag over the county administrative building in Upper Marlboro.

Pastor John K. Jenkins, Sr., of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, the Upper Marlboro church that Alsobrooks attends, in 2012 urged his congregants to vote against Maryland’s marriage equality law. Shirley Caesar, a well-known gospel singer, during a 2017 appearance at the church defended Kim Burrell, another gospel singer who referred to the “perverted homosexual lifestyle” in an online sermon that has been removed from YouTube and social media.

“You (Burrell) should’ve said something four years ago when our president made that stuff alright,” said Caesar.

Alsobrooks’s campaign told the Blade she “does not agree with those sentiments.”

Comings & Goings

Jimmy Alexander joins WTOP News as a feature reporter

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations, and other achievements.

Please share your successes JIMMY ALEXANDER with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

Congratulations to Jimmy Alexander who has been hired at WTOP News as a feature reporter. Over the last four years Alexander has been covering stories as varied as the Jan. 6

insurrection to the 17th Street High Heel Race. He has been working as a co-host on the Jack Diamond Morning show on Cumulus Media, Manning Media. On his acceptance of the new position Alexander said, “I’m thrilled that at WTOP News, I will be able to focus on events and people that bring hope to your heart and a smile to your face.”

Alexander is a versatile multimedia broadcaster with more than two decades of experience covering both major news events in Washington D.C., and important human-interest stories outside the Beltway. He is an engaging interviewer with a track record of having compelling conversations with the biggest names in government and show business, from presidents to Paul McCartney. Prior to this he worked as a freelance feature reporter with WDCW50-DC News Now.

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He is also with Writer-20, Twenty Country Countdown, United Stations Radio Networks. There he developed a concept for a countdown show featuring country music’s weekly top songs on-air and online and prepared weekly scripts for a three-hour show.

Alexander conducted the only Jan. 6, 2021 interview with “The QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley. Since 2016, he has served by request of the D.C. mayor as official host of the 17th Street High Heel Race, the city’s second largest LGBTQ event of the year. He is featured in the documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” and is a frequent guest on CNN’s Morning Show “New Day.” He covered White House visits by Queen Elizabeth, the Pope, and the yearly Easter Egg Roll. He also won $10,000 on the game show “Pyramid.”

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Hearing postponed for gay D.C. gym owner charged with distributing child porn Prosecutors call for Everts to be held in jail until trial

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

A detention hearing scheduled for Monday, Dec. 4, in which a judge would decide whether gay D.C. gym owner Michael Everts should remain in jail or be released while he awaits a trial on a charge of distribution of child pornography was postponed with no immediate date set to reschedule it.

However, records with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, before which the case is being held, show that Everts’s defense attorney later in the day on Dec. 4 filed a motion in which Everts waived his right to a detention hearing and requested that a preliminary hearing be scheduled on Jan. 10, 2024.

In his motion, defense attorney David Benowitz says the lead prosecutor with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. does not oppose this request. As of Tuesday morning, the magistrate judge presiding over the case had not ruled on Benowitz’s motion, but judges usually approve this type of motion when both sides agree to it.

Everts has been held without bond since the time of his arrest on Nov. 29 on a single charge of distribution of child pornography following a joint D.C. police-FBI investigation that led to his arrest.

He has owned and operated the FIT Personal Training gym located at 1633 Q St., N.W., near Dupont Circle since its opening in 2002.

Court records show that Benowitz filed a motion on Dec. 3 seeking a one-day postponement of the detention hearing to give him time to review the evidence presented by prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s office. But Benowitz’s second motion waiving Everts’s right to a detention hearing and calling for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 10 appears to have voided his first motion and will result in Everts being held in jail until at least the time of the preliminary hearing in January.

“Mr. Everts has been advised of his rights under the Speedy Trial Act (“STA”) and agrees to toll the time under the STA until the next hearing in this matter,” Benowitz’s second motion states.

Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey apparently agreed to the postponement, but as of Tuesday morning, court records showed a date for the preliminary hearing had not yet been posted on the court docket.

On Dec. 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond, the lead prosecutor in the case, filed a 20-page Memorandum

In Support of Pretrial Detention that describes the government’s evidence against Everts and argues strongly in favor of having Everts held in custody at least until the time of his trial.

MICHAEL EVERTS will likely remain in jail until a Jan. 10 hearing in his case. (Blade file photo)

“Distribution of Child Pornography is a crime of violence and there is no condition or combination of conditions that will reasonably assure the safety of children in the community – both in the physical world and online – if Mr. Everts is released,” the memorandum states.

The memorandum notes that Everts’s arrest came about after an employee at the gay and bi hookup site Sniffies alerted the FBI that a Sniffies user was exchanging messages with other users expressing an interest in images of underage boys for sexual gratification. A joint FBI and D.C. police investigation traced the messages to Everts, according to an arrest affidavit and the U.S. Attorney’s memo.

The affidavit and memo point out that an undercover D.C. police detective working with the FBI and posing as someone interested in underage boys contacted Everts through the Sniffies site and a social media messaging address of @ethaneffex. The undercover detective, who is identified in charging documents as the “online covert employee” or “OCE,” engaged in messaging with Everts that prompted Everts to send the OCE video and photo images of child

Walk to End HIV raises $550,000

Whitman-Walker Health held its 37th annual Walk to End HIV on Saturday, Dec. 2. Participants gathered in Anacostia Park in heavy fog to run or walk along the The 2023 Walk to End HIV was held Anacostia River on Dec. 2. (Blade photo by Michael Key) Walk Trail. A short stage program at the finish line was emceed by NBC4 Washington’s Chuck Bell and included speakers from Whitman-Walker Health, Gilead Sciences and AARP. Whitman-Walker Health CEO Naseema Shafi announced from the stage that over $550,000 had been raised to help fund programs and research to combat HIV. MICHAEL KEY pornography, the arrest affidavit and memo state.

The memo seeking pretrial detention for Everts says Everts went beyond just expressing interest in viewing or sending the OCE child porn videos or photos but also described his interest in interacting with and possibly having sex with underage boys he knew.

“On multiple occasions he discussed his sexual interest in actual children that he encountered in his life, particularly emphasizing his desire to sexually abuse Minor 1 and noting that he had surreptitiously recorded Minor 1 at the playground in the past,” the memorandum says.

“Not only did he send photos of these children to someone whom he had reason to believe also had a sexual interest in children,” the memo states, “but he sent multiple voice messages to the OCE reiterating his sexual interest in Minor 1 – as well as in Minor 2 and other unknown minors — and describing the specific sexual acts he wanted to engage in with these minors.”

The memo adds, “Only amplifying his danger to children, Everts then bragged about having previously engaged in sex with a minor and his willingness to sexually abuse a child as young as 10 years old.”

Benowitz, Everts’s attorney, didn’t immediately respond to a request by the Washington Blade for comment on the case and whether he or his client dispute any of the allegations against Everts brought by prosecutors.

Close to 200 turn out for LGBTQ+ Housing Summit

Close to 200 people turned out on Nov. 29 for the first day of a two-day D.C. LGBTQ+ Housing Summit held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library’s upper floor conference center.

Officials with the D.C. LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition and the D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission Rainbow Caucus, the two lead organizers of the summit, said participants, among other things, would be discussing ways to address what organizers say is the disproportionate impact of the city’s shortage of affordable housing on members of the LGBTQ community.

Among those who helped organize and who participated in the event were Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At-Large), who chairs the Council’s Committee on Housing.

White and Japer Bowles, director of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, were among those who gave presentations at the

summit’s opening session on Nov. 29. Also speaking at the summit and pledging support for LGBTQ housing issues was D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member.

“Please come to testify at our Council budget hearings for more funds for housing, “ Parker told summit participants at the opening plenary session. He was among several speakers who called on the city to increase funding for affordable housing programs.

“Finding secure and affordable housing is an increasingly challenging task for many individuals in the District of Columbia,” a statement released by summit organizers says.

“However, for members of D.C.’s LGBTQ+ community, this challenge often reaches near impossible levels,” the statement says.

“Alarming statistics in the District indicate that up to 40 percent of D.C.’s homeless youth identify as LGBTQ,”

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the statement continues. “Furthermore, the absence of LGBTQ+ affirming senior housing in the District is an urgent concern,” it says. “Participants will delve into strengthening LGBTQ+ participation in existing housing programs, identifying LGBTQ+ specific barriers to program participation, and leveraging federal resources to transform DC into a national leader in LGBTQ+ housing policy,” the statement adds.

Heidi Ellis, director of the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition, which consists of more than a dozen local LGBTQ and LGBTQ supportive organizations, pointed out that the twoday summit also included a resource fair in which as many as 20 LGBTQ and LGBTQ supportive organizations would be setting up information tables staffed with people who would provide important housing related resources to conference participants.

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Queen Latifah among Kennedy Center honorees welcomed to White House

Rapper, actor, and singer Queen Latifah was among the honorees who were welcomed to the White House for a reception in the East Room on Sunday prior to the Kennedy Center Honors show, where she joined the latest class of inductees alongside singer Dionne Warwick, comedian Billy Crystal, Bee Gees member Barry Gibb, and opera star Renée Fleming.

“It’s a wonderful tradition at the White House to recognize the President and Mrs. Kennedy’s love of the arts and the culture in America — love that endures 60 years after his death, tragically,” President Joe Biden said in prepared remarks. “The anniversary was marked last month.”

The honor is “not just based on the length of the career or the scope of work or the height of fame but because of their unique place in the conscience and the very soul of our dynamic and diverse nation,” the president said.

“You’re an incredible group.”

After decades of speculation about her sexuality, Latifah publicly acknowledged her partner Eboni Nichols and son Rebel for the first time during an acceptance

speech at the BET Awards in 2021.

She is also the recipient of a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two NAACP Image Awards. Latifah was also nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for her performance in “Chicago.”

Calling her “a natural storyteller,” Biden noted that Latifah released her first album at age 19. “In the studio, she rapped about everything from the pain of losing her brother to the abuse of power, respect for Black women to the respect that Black women deserve, and how infinite love is the only hope for unity.”

“She’s also a skillful storyteller onscreen,” the president said, “The first woman in hip-hop to earn an Oscar nomination, which she did for her role in ‘Chicago’” and also “the first hip-hop artist with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

Biden also celebrated Latifah’s honorary degree in 2011 “from Delaware State University, my HBCU” and her other contributions “from serving as a mentor for young

QUEEN LATIFAH is honored at the White House on Dec. 3.

(Blade photo by Christopher Kane)

women of color to building housing in her hometown of Newark.”

“Tonight, Queen Latifah,” the president said, “you become the first female hip-hop artist to receive a Kennedy Honor, lifting — and fitting because it’s a tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.” The award serves as proof, he said, “that anything is possible when we discover our own voice, write our own story, and share it with the world.”

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Santos expelled from Congress

Lawmakers last Friday voted 311-114 to expel embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress, exceeding the two-thirds majority needed for the resolution to pass with two members voting present.

The third vote to expel the congressman comes after a 56-page report by the U.S. House Ethics Committee found Santos had siphoned campaign contributions to shop at luxury retailers like Hermes and for purchases at OnlyFans, a site used primarily by sex workers who produce pornography.

During the previous votes to expel Santos, critical numbers of members from both parties voted “nay” for fear that it would set a dangerous precedent in the absence of a guilty verdict from a court of law or the committee.

Members who debated the expulsion resolution on the House floor Friday mentioned the many scandals that have enveloped Santos from the time he began serving in January, such as the revelations that he had lied on the campaign trail about having Jewish heritage, ties to the Holocaust, and a parent who was at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

U.S. Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (R-N.Y.) at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 30. (Blade photo by Christopher Kane)

“George Santos is a liar — in fact, he has admitted to many of them — who has used his position of public trust to personally benefit himself from Day 1,” said U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, another Republican from New York.

The number and nature of those lies, along with the al-

legations of financial malfeasance, made Santos a pariah, as well as a liability for Republicans in vulnerable districts, particularly in neighboring parts of New York.

Politico congressional reporter Olivia Beavers posted a photo on X of members talking to news cameras, captioned “NY Rs taking a victory lap.”

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will now schedule a special election to replace Santos, with her party privately lining up behind Thomas Suozzi, who held the seat from 2017 to 2023 and who last year defended Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, calling the measure prohibiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity “reasonable” and “common sense.”

Separately, Santos is facing a 23-count indictment for alleged financial crimes that was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

He walked out of the chamber before Friday’s vote was finalized, stepping into a waiting car as he told reporters “Why would I want to stay here?” and “To hell with this place.”

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Biden honors World AIDS Day 2023

President Joe Biden honored last Friday’s World AIDS Day observance with a proclamation on Thursday night as the red ribbon was displayed at the White House to mark the occasion.

Crediting the “enormous progress” that has been made in the fight against the disease, Biden noted that “about 39 million people continue to live with HIV, including more than one million people in the United States.”

“Far too often, people living with HIV face discrimination that prevents them from accessing the care they need,” he said.

The president then named some of his administration’s accomplishments in tackling this public health issue, including ending discriminatory blood donation bans, reviving the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and launching “a new National HIV/AIDS Strategy — a roadmap for using innovative community-driven solutions to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States by 2030.”

Biden said the White House continues working with “state and community leaders” to combat HIV criminalization laws that “wrongly punish people for exposing others” to the disease and noted that he has asked Congress for

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$850 million “to aggressively reduce new HIV cases, fight the stigma that stops many people from getting care, and increase access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).”

Meanwhile, overseas, “We are also focused on ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat worldwide by 2030 under the bipartisan President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),” Biden said. “PEPFAR is focusing on forging a future where every HIV infection is prevented, every person has access to treatment, and every generation can live free from the stigma that too often surrounds HIV.” CHRISTOPHER KANE

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Climate change threatens LGBTQ resort communities Provincetown, Cape Cod, other destinations face ‘existential’ challenge

By CAL BENN

As the world reckons with worsening impacts of climate change, some LGBTQ communities and destinations are grappling with the “existential” threat posed by the crisis.

The United Nations’ annual climate conference will take place in the United Arab Emirates through Dec. 12.

LGBTQ climate activists, however, are concerned about representation at COP28 because the meeting is taking place in Dubai, which is in a country that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations.

President Joe Biden on Nov. 14 delivered a statement on climate change policy during his administration. Biden spoke on the American Rescue Plan, the Fifth National Climate Assessment, new transparency about the state of the country’s climate and more.

Biden emphasized “advancing environmental justice for disadvantaged communities, because they’re the ones always left behind.” Evidence of this trend can be found in LGBTQ destinations across the country.

Julian Cyr, a gay Massachusetts state senator who represents Provincetown and other towns on Cape Cod, recognizes the state’s importance to the LGBTQ community, stating that “according to the Census, it may be the highest per capita density of LGBTQ+ people certainly in the United States, and perhaps internationally.”

Provincetown, a popular gay destination located at the tip of Cape Cod, is facing worsening storms as climate change advances. These storms reshape the natural environment as well as damage the built environment. A series of Nor’easters in 2018 flooded Provincetown, damaging homes, businesses and the town hall.

“The climate crisis is … already forcing us to do a lot of planning and reevaluation of coastal resilience of our built environment,” said Cyr. All hope isn’t lost yet for Massachusetts destinations.

Then-Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, in 2022 introduced the Climate Roadmap, which aims for zero carbon emissions by 2050. The state also is building the country’s first offshore wind farm, Vineyard Wind.

Cyr said citizens can push for climate change legislation by making the urgency known to their local elected officials.

“This is truly existential for coastal, low-lying communities like those that I represent,” said Cyr. “It’s really important that constituents weigh in with their elected officials and make sure that they know that this issue is crucially important. I don’t know how we not solve this issue.”

Experts are seeing similar effects in nearby LGBTQ des-

tinations, such as Cape Cod. “One thing that we do see already is the effect of storms,” said Mark Adams, a retired Cape Cod National Seashore cartographer. “Those storms are the signal of sea level rise.”

Adams said that as a result of rising temperatures and new, intense storms, he is also starting to see damaged ecosystems, unnatural migration patterns of local wildlife, and planting-zones moving northward. Adams told the Washington Blade these changing ecological relationships may mean an uncertain future for life along the coast: the self-sustaining lifestyle and seafood could be at risk as ocean acidification puts shellfish in danger.

“If you can’t get oysters and clams, that would really change life on Cape Cod,” he said.

In addition to the damage caused by storms, Cape Cod’s natural environment is also facing the threat of littering and plastic pollution. While the area’s beaches keep tourism alive, fishing gear and marine debris washing up on the shore are growing concerns for the community.

Adams said this is where the choices individuals make to avoid plastics will make a huge difference in the future of these communities.

“There are little choices we can make to get off of the petroleum stream,” he said.

ASPEN GAY SKI WEEK ADAPTS TO WARMER WINTERS

Aspen Gay Ski Week was the first gay ski week, and it is the largest such event in the world, and is the only non-profit gay ski week.

Rising temperatures and short winters are growing concerns for destinations like Aspen, Colo., that depend on snow, according to AspenOUT Executive Director Kevin McManamon.

“As our seasons get shorter … we have to plan for the future,” McManamon said.

Colorado has also faced increased forest fires in recent years.

The Marshall Fire in 2021 devastated the state, destroying buildings and killing two people. Increasingly dry conditions feed into these fires, which will mean more impacts on humans, nature, and infrastructure.

McManamon nevertheless said he is optimistic about Aspen Gay Ski Week’s future due to the organization’s forward thinking. One such initiative is its involvement

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with Protect Our Winters, an organization that advocates for protecting the environment with the support of the outdoor sports community.

“The cool part about being here in Aspen and having a great relationship with Aspen Skiing Company is that they are … on the leading edge of climate change,” said McManamon.

The beach in Fire Island Pines, N.Y., on New York’s Fire Island has been the scene of extreme erosion in recent years.

(Photo courtesy Actum Vice President Savannah Farrell)

STRONGER STORMS THREATEN FIRE ISLAND

Fire Island Pines on New York’s Fire Island has been a safe haven for the LGBTQ community since the 1950s.

Fire Island Pines Property Owners’ Association President Henry Robin notes natural disasters cause more damage in the community as opposed to those that are across the Great South Bay on Long Island because Fire Island is a “barrier island.”

“When Superstorm Sandy hit, or when a Nor’easter hits, or a hurricane hits, the brunt of the storm is first taken by the Pines,” said Robin.

Robin said “the Pines is thriving” just over 11 years since Sandy, but there is no climate change response. The federal government implemented a beach restoration project for Fire Island, and later, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created an engineered beach for the Pines.

Robin also formed three task forces — comprised of community members — to address local concerns, many of which were climate related, according to focus groups and a survey. Robin is also hoping to introduce recycling programs and solar energy to the Pines.

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EXCLUSIVE: Behind the scenes with LGBTQ staff working on Biden’s campaign Senior advisers say contrast between president and Trump will sharpen in 2024

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

(Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series profiling senior LGBTQ staff working on President Biden’s re-election campaign. Part one was published on Nov. 21 and part two was published on Nov. 29.)

WILMINGTON, Del. — Last month from campaign headquarters, the Washington Blade spoke with Sergio Gonzales, senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris reelection campaign, along with senior campaign adviser Becca Siegel.

On the importance of LGBTQ representation in the presidential campaign, Gonzales said, “When it comes to policies that affect the lives of millions of people in our communities across the country, having people who have that experience and that background really does matter.”

Moving into next year, he said, the team is working “to ensure that we have people from across the spectrum of America who are able to both bring their own personal experiences and lives into these roles, but also bring a lot of relationships across the country and being able to engage with the community, talk to the community, persuade the community, turn out the community.”

Gonzales has worked for Harris since she was elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate, and he said her record supporting and defending the LGBTQ community throughout her career was one of the major factors leading to his decision to join the campaign.

“Especially when it comes to issues related to LGBTQ rights and freedoms, this is something [Harris] has such a long history on,” he said. “She has always — both in her office and externally — formed these strong relationships with people in the LGBTQ community and those relationships have always been very, I think, important in not only ensuring her office and the work that she has done reflects the various things that we as a community need, but also just in the way she supports people of color and LGBTQ folks who have worked for her.”

In an election where, as the vice president says, so much is at stake for our fundamental freedoms and rights,” Gonzales said, “that is especially true for LGBTQ Americans. If you look at the number of attacks by GOP leaders at the local, state, and federal level across the country, so much is on the line in this election.”

On the right, Gonzales said, “We have a lot of leaders and a party in this country who are doing their best to try to attack fundamental rights and freedoms of a lot of different folks, including people in the LGBTQ community — and, in some ways, who are trying to turn back the clock on a lot of the progress we’ve made.”

Voters are aware of the fact that, for instance, Republicans elected “a new Speaker of the House who has a very, very alarming and disturbing record of attacking people in our community, including trying to outlaw you know, being gay,” he said.

“Both as senior adviser and personally as a very openly and proud gay man,” Gonzales said, next year’s election “is one of the most important if not the most important election of our lifetime,” because “I see what sits on the other side; I see all of these different states who are trying to attack our rights, who are banning books, who are passing ‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws, who are attacking trans people and trying to undo gay marriage, who are — both through policy and through rhetoric — making the country more dangerous for people like me and our community.”

“I’m glad and proud to work for a principal and work for a campaign that is about continuing the progress and ensuring we don’t turn back the clock and we don’t go back on these things,” he said.

Gonzales noted the Biden-Harris administration’s appointment of record-breaking numbers of LGBTQ folks in senior positions in the White House and across the federal government, but stressed that the commitment to equality runs deeper.

“This administration is an administration that has ensured that not only is there representation for the LGBTQ community, but also has actually driven multiple policy wins, both through the executive level and through Congress, that ensure and afford greater rights and freedoms for people in our community,” he said.

From left: SERGIO GONZALES, senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris reelection campaign; BECCA SIEGEL, senior adviser to the campaign.

(Photos courtesy of the subjects)

Helping voters see the contrast between this and what Republicans — like the party’s frontrunner, former President Donald Trump — would do if elected will be an important part of the campaign’s work moving into next year, Gonzales said. “As things become much more clear and what we are up against, and Donald Trump comes more into focus, I truly believe that we’re going to see a lot of different parts of the country start to engage in this election,” he said.

Voters will also remember “the specific things that [Trump] did in his last administration,” Gonzales said.

“They tried to erase LGBTQ people from the census. They imposed a ban on transgender individuals in our military, which this administration undid. They undid protections for LGBTQ Americans, including transgender individuals, in the workplace, and more broadly,” so, “this is not just bluster.”

And the Biden-Harris administration “has so much to run on” with respect to LGBTQ matters, Gonzales said, “whether we’re talking about health care, whether we’re talking about the Respect for Marriage Act, whether we’re talking about, you know, some of the ways that we’ve addressed bullying in schools — these are very real policy wins for our community.”

Like Gonzales, Siegel has “worked on many presidential campaigns.”

“Your whole life is here when you’re working on a campaign,” she said. “This is your work, but also your social life and your friends,” so “if you are not bringing your whole self to this community, you’re not bringing it any-

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where in your life.”

Our job is to persuade and engage with voters,” Siegel said, “and we have to have a campaign that reflects the voters we are trying to engage with.”

“Core to my approach to this work is respect and empathy for voters,” she said. “That’s what we should think about every day. I think we are much better prepared to do that when we have a staff that looks like those voters.”

Siegel added, “It’s not just so that you walk into the office and it looks like it is a diverse place to work. That’s important, too. But it’s actually about the work.”

With respect to her individual role within the campaign, she said, it comes down to “let’s take that strategy” of using data to find a pathway to victory “and then make sure we are executing a campaign that reflects it.” When it comes to “travel, comms, which radio stations we’re on, what our TV ads say, where we’re allocating our money, where we’re hiring staff — do those things align with the strategy to get us to 270 electoral votes?”

The importance of representation, LGBTQ and otherwise, may not seem self-evident in data-centric roles, but Siegel noted, for instance, the persistent challenge of combatting bias within datasets.

Like Gonzales, Siegel stressed the contrast between the Biden-Harris administration and campaign and those run by the Republican opposition. “LGBTQ rights feel more under attack now than they have in the past,” she said, “and so that rises to the top of concerns for voters — and our policy and position on this is really far away from the Republicans’.”

“That’s a clear contrast between us and the opposition,” she said, adding, “It’s at the top of people’s minds.

It’s something they care about, and we have a pretty unimpeachable record on it compared to the opposition.”

It is not necessarily so simple, however.

“We who work in politics feel like, of course, this is a choice between, most likely, Donald Trump and President Biden and Vice President Harris,” Siegel said, “but voters, especially the voters who are most persuadable, don’t feel that way right now, necessarily.”

The choice voters will face will crystalize and the contrast between the campaigns will deepen moving into next year, she said.

On lots of LGBTQ issues, Americans are on our side.

And when it becomes a choice between, ‘there’s this version of America and then there’s Trump’s version of America,’ — then, that is really clear,” Siegel said.

The campaign is working to reelect the president and vice president to represent the people, the voters, who “have day-to-day things that prevent them from, like, reading Politico,” she said. “They have kids, they have to pay their bills, they have to worry about all kinds of things.”

Siegel added, “I have a lot of faith in voters. They care about their families. They want a good life. They care about people who are different than them. I think most people care about other people.”

For those working on the campaign, she said, “it’s really on us” to make sure to “explain and show and demonstrate to them what you are getting from this administration, from these candidates.”

“We get to run on issues that help people and are popular,” Siegel said. “That’s a great place to start from.”

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LEFT PAGE

DE C E M B E R 0 8 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 9

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

Key West doesn’t need more, or bigger, cruise ships Seeking a balance of ‘environmental protection and sustainable tourism’

There is a fight today about whether they should let more, and bigger, cruise ships dock in Key West. The New York Times recently wrote about it. As someone who has spent many memorable vacations in Key West, I side with those who say “no” to more cruise ships. The organization Safer, Cleaner, Ships, is fighting to keep more, and larger, ships, out of Key West. They have the right idea.

The question that should be asked is: “What kind of an island do the people living on Key West want?” And the answer should drive the decision of the Florida Legislature, and Governor DeSanctimonious. Unfortunately, it may be decided based on political donations the governor received. One resident of Key West, Christopher Massicotte, co-founder of Duval Street Media, said, “Key West voters overwhelmingly supported reducing cruise ship size, and the number of daily disembarkations. Then greedy Mark Walsh, who owns the dock, went straight to the governor and the legislature asking them to overturn the will of the people for his own financial gain, greased with a $1 million contribution to DeSantis’s campaign for president. The citizens of Key West aren’t trying to stop all cruise ship traffic, or bring the city back to ‘The good old days.’ We are trying to create a balance of environmental protection and sustainable tourism.”

I cruise regularly and love it and have traveled to Alaska on a cruise and woke up one morning on the ship in Ketchikan, to step out on the balcony and see six massive ships, and hundreds of busses on the pier, ready to take passengers on tours. In Key West, that won’t happen. Instead, the thousands of passengers will not get on busses, rather throng the main street (Duval), from one end of town to the other, making it look more like Times Square, instead of a sleepy little island, which is what always attracted people to the idea of Key West. It is what attracted Hemmingway. It attracted President Truman to set up his winter White House. Everyone going to visit Key West heads to the Southernmost Point in the U.S. to snap their photo. One doesn’t need thousands more people heading there all at once. Just the thought of this would have Hemmingway and Truman turning over in their graves.

I always thought Key West did fine with an airport, and people coming to visit by car, then staying in a hotel, or guesthouse. I often stayed at one of the great little guesthouses, or some of the smaller hotels, on the island. I remember the larger ones being on both ends of Duval Street. There were great bars and restaurants, and you could amble down Duval slowly, enjoying the sound of the music coming out of the bars — think Jimmy Buffett.

I loved Key West when it was a gay Mecca, having the first openly gay mayor of a city. At the time there were lots of gay guesthouses and clubs. I remember dancing at the Copa, and there was the dock on the southern side of the island, next to the one tiny beach, which locals called ‘dick dock.’ It was a great spot for nude sunbathing, as was the pool at the Southernmost Motel. That period ended when the gay community moved to South Beach in Miami. Key West is still welcoming to the LGBTQ community.

There is the iconic La Te Da hotel, on Duval Street, with its tea dance. Performing there is another Key West icon, Christopher Peterson, a female impersonator extraordinaire.

Christopher said, “Unfortunately I don’t think we need to dredge again the beautiful coral reef we live on, just to have 10,000 more people here for six hours, adding nothing to the economy because they eat and drink on the ship for free.” He added, “Bigger is not always better unless it’s in the bedroom.... king-size bed.... dirty minds!”

Numbers can always be used in many ways, but the Times column reported “Before the pandemic, nearly a million people a year were visiting Key West aboard cruise ships. But when Covid-19 brought that to a halt, the city’s $2.4 billion tourism industry, responsible for 44 percent of its jobs, did not collapse. Instead, hotel tax revenue rose 15 percent, and with 1.4 million arrivals, the airport set a record in 2021.”

If that is enough revenue to keep Key West being the wonderful place it is to live and visit, it seems adding thousands of more day trippers out of cruise ships isn’t going to make the place better. Rather, it will hurt the environment, and make things worse.

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GUY ANTHONY

is president and CEO of Black, Gifted & Whole.

Hospitals are abusing this drug discount program Congress must step in to help low-income patients

Hospital chains are unfairly profiting off a program meant to help low-income patients afford their medicines. If policymakers don’t reform this system soon, I worry that many of the marginalized patients I’ve devoted my career to protecting won’t be able to access the care they need.

The program, known as 340B, gives drug discounts to hospitals in underprivileged areas so that they can better serve their communities. Yet, with little oversight, the hospitals can divert the savings to their own bottom lines.

A recent report from the Drug Channels Institute exposed just how big the problem is.

The analysis found that under 340B, hospitals took discounts worth $52.3 billion in 2022 with scant evidence that those savings went to help low-income patients. The report also found that the 340B program continued its exponential growth during the pandemic, swelling by 22% between 2021 to 2022.

In short, money intended to help marginalized communities is instead being funneled into hospital profits in ever-greater amounts. Having spent much of my career helping Black men with HIV, I find this gravely concerning. But the impact of the exploitation extends far beyond my own work, to all communities grappling with chronic disease and unaffordable health care.

The solution is for Congress to bring some much-needed oversight and regulation to the 340B program.

It all started three decades ago when lawmakers launched a seemingly benevolent plan: In order to help non-profit “safety net” hospitals in poor communities, 340B required pharmaceutical companies to sell them drugs at big discounts. The idea was that this would lower drug prices for low-income patients and also help the hospitals, so that they could reinvest in facilities, equipment, and staff to serve disadvantaged patients.

Unfortunately, the 1992 law failed to codify any rules about what hospitals should do with the savings, so no proof of reinvestment is required. Soon enough, even hospitals serving prosperous communities realized they could use the law’s loopholes to turn 340B into a profit center.

Many hospitals have multiple locations. Under current regulations, a hospital can use its facility in an underserved community to qualify for the 340B Program, take millions of dollars in drug discounts, then resell the drugs in more affluent neighborhoods.

Consider the Cleveland Clinic, known as one of the best hospitals in the country. It uses satellite “rural referral centers” to qualify for discounted drugs under 340B, then sells them at full price through its Cleveland-based flagship hospital.

The profit from such maneuvers can be substantial. For instance, 340B hospitals sell top oncology drugs at a median of 4.9 times their discounted price, according to a report from the Community Oncology Alliance.

It’s no wonder that 44% of U.S. hospitals now report that the 340B program is a substantial revenue source. It may have also contributed to industry consolidation in recent years, encouraging hospitals to merge in order to acquire qualifying facilities.

Despite the program’s rapid expansion, there’s little evidence that it’s benefiting marginalized patients. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the “financial gains for hospitals have not been associated with clear evidence of expanded care or lower mortality among low-income patients.” Another study, in the journal Health Services Research, concluded that when new hospitals join 340B, it doesn’t lead to any change in the amount of uncompensated care they provide.

In fact, 340B may actually increase healthcare costs for low-income patients. Because hospitals benefit from the difference between the discounted drug price and the sale price, they are incentivized to prescribe more expensive drugs, which yield higher profit margins than lower-cost generic alternatives.

This appears to be happening with the PrEP drugs that prevent transmission of HIV. A report from the American Action Forum, a think tank, found that 340B likely incentivizes hospitals to prescribe more expensive brand-name PrEP over generic versions. This means some patients are paying more than they should for this lifesaving medicine.

Hospitals chains’ continued abuse of 340B also takes critical resources away from the healthcare facilities the program is meant to help. For instance, Ryan White HIV/AIDS providers help low-income people living with HIV access medications and support services. But letting hospitals exploit loopholes in 340B could leave fewer discounted drugs for Ryan White and similar safety net programs.

Congress needs to reform the bloated and unaccountable 340B program as soon as possible. Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree that eligibility standards must be tightened and reporting requirements improved. Hospitals must use 340B profits to help our most vulnerable patients.

DE C E M B E R 0 8 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 1

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

DE C E M B E R 0 8 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 3

Meet the ‘CEO of Everything Gay’ who just bought the Abbey

Tristan Schukraft, who owns Mistr, takes over iconic LA nightclub

By ROB SALERNO WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Tristan Schukraft laughs BLADE: Can you give any kind of sneak peek at what when I suggest he’s building a gay empire, but he doesn’t you’re thinking? deny it.

SCHUKRAFT: East Coast. That’s your sneak peek right When it was announced last month that the owner of now. East Coast. the iconic Abbey and Chapel nightclubs in Los Angeles I think you’ll see in a couple months what I’m gonna do had entered into an agreement to sell the business to with the Abbey. But you know as far as taking it outside of Schukraft, it seemed like a strange move for the jet-setWest Hollywood, I see there’s opportunities on the East ting tech CEO. Coast right now.

But the portfolio he’s building – founder and owner I think that’s where David [Cooley, the founder and curof the telemedicine app for gay men Mistr, owner of the rent owner of The Abbey] and I really we both appreciate queer nightclub Circo and Tryst Hotel in Puerto Rico – apthe value of The Abbey brand. I think it’s world famous, pears to be bent toward Hoovering up more pink dollars right? It’s the biggest gay bar. It’s one of the longest lastby getting involved in an ever wider section of queer life. ing. Obviously you have the Stonewalls of the world. But The Los Angeles Blade spoke to Schukraft at The Abthis is like a bar where people go on a regular night verbey during its annual tree-lighting fundraiser for the Elizsus a tourist attraction. Maybe for some it’s a tourist attracabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation about what he plans to do tion, but I mean, it really is an institution. It’s a community with the storied nightclub, and how he became one of gathering point. It’s a name that people recognize that America’s most visible gay moguls. we can bring into other communities.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

BLADE: Why the Abbey?

SCHUKRAFT: Well, I wanted to make sure it stayed in the hands of the gay community. You know, it’s an institution. It’s a cornerstone of West Hollywood gay life, but more importantly, it’s I think it’s a cornerstone of the gay community far beyond West Hollywood, right?

BLADE: Looking at your background in tech companies, your recent shift into the nightclub and hospitality industry seems like a bit of a left turn.

SCHUKRAFT: You know, I’ve been drinking here for a long time. So now, after all that investment, I’m actually gonna start getting money back. I basically bought it so I can get free drinks.

You know, at the end of the day, I’m an operations guy.

I’m a technology guy. I own hotels. With hotels, you have bars and restaurants, so it’s not too far off the track. It’s a little off track. Why not? Right?

You know, after watching “The Birdcage,” I always wanted my own hotel [like Robin Williams’s character in the 1996 film] and somebody shattered my dreams the other day by telling me it was a nightclub. I’m like, what? It was a nightclub? And then I watched it, and it’s true, it was a nightclub. So, now I have a nightclub. Yeah, so it all started with “The Birdcage.”

BLADE: You’re known for being a disrupter of the things that you invest in. Is there a disruption plan for the Abbey, or for Weho? Are you planning to change things here?

SCHUKRAFT: Not a major disruption here at The Abbey. I’m gonna put my touches on it. But yeah, it’s a pretty well-oiled machine. We’re definitely going to focus on our values of being LGBTQ. I got some ideas for new nights and I definitely want to make it an epicenter of the gay community. And I think there’s opportunities to take it beyond West Hollywood.

BLADE: Do you have any plans to put a hotel somewhere here?

SCHUKRAFT: [Laughs] People are like, “Are you gonna paint it blue for Mistr?” Or, “You’re gonna make it a hotel?” But no, we’re not building a hotel here. That would be terrible to build. I mean build a hotel and Abbey would be out. I don’t think the Abbey’s ever closed in 33 years, besides COVID. Minus that, it’s never closed for construction. You know, when David did his expansion, it was always open.

I was looking at those old photos and I’m like, oh my God, I remember the wall of candles. I’ve been coming here a very long time.

So you’re more or less like keeping the same sort of operation going here, keeping the team in place?

The team, I mean, I think that’s what kind of really makes The Abbey unique. It’s like a place where everybody knows your name.

When I bought the hotel in Puerto Rico, obviously I don’t know anyone. Buying here. I’m like, oh, yeah. I know Todd. I know everybody, right? Not everybody, but a majority of people. And I think that’s why people come here.

Because it’s their staple. They go every Sunday. They know they have their favorite bartender. So, you know, everybody will be kept in place, no changes to personnel.

BLADE: You gave an interview to Authority Magazine where you said you promised your partner that you wouldn’t be starting up any new businesses. How did you get him on board with jumping into becoming a WeHo nightlife impresario?

SCHUKRAFT: I broke that promise two or three times since I said that. I mean, no, I just buy him gifts to make him happy.

I work long hours, right? And he’s like, I don’t know why.

BLADE: You’ve created and run several tech compa-

2 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • DECEMBER 0 8 , 2 0 2 3

TRISTAN SCHUKRAFT with equine friend at the Varian Stable in Newmarket, United Kingdom in 2019.

(Photo courtesy Schukraft)

nies. How did you get started in that business? Where did that money come from?

SCHUKRAFT: I started my very first company at 21 with a $10,000 loan. I was living in Hong Kong at the time. I think my father really wanted me to come back [to California]. My dad’s a corporate guy, not a big risk taker, but he’s like, ‘I’ll give you $10,000 to start your company.’ It wasn’t enough to start the company, so I imported 437 Razor scooters and I thought I was gonna sell out in two weeks. It was very popular at the time – this is like 23 years ago. It took me six and a half weeks. I was selling them out of my truck. I went to every swap meet in Southern California. Sold the last six on Christmas Eve and learned a couple lessons in business from that. But with the money I made from selling those scooters combined with the loan, I started my first company, which was like an Expedia for airline personnel.

And then I got into e-ticketing, and at that time, I didn’t know how to turn on the computer. So, I really surround myself with people that know what they’re doing, that are experts. So, do I know how to run a bar? No, but I’m an operations guy and I hire the talent to make it happen.

That’s how I got started and I built that company and others along the way.

BLADE: Other than that first $10,000 loan from your parents, you’re basically self-made then?

SCHUKRAFT: Yeah. You know, I looked for investment.

I did end up raising $18 million for my second company, but I put in a lot of money. I mean at 25, my first company was going really well, and there was this e-ticketing mandate and I said, oh there’s a real opportunity here. And I had a home and was doing good for a 25-year-old, and I kind of leveraged it all. And I thought, “Oh my God, what did I do? I just fucked up my whole life. Why did I do this?”

Anyways, I got that first investor, got that first client, and it just kind of took off from there.

BLADE: And now with Mistr, The Abbey, your Puerto Rico clubs, are you starting a gay empire?

SCHUKRAFT: The CEO of Everything Gay, yes. I have a few more things. You know, all the businesses are very complementary, right? So, you come to The Abbey, then you go to the Tryst Hotel or Circo in Puerto Rico, and obviously all of the people that come here or the Tryst, they’re all perfect candidates for Mistr. So yeah, so it looks a little weird. But it is very complementary to our various business units.

DE C E M B E R 0 8 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 5

BOOKS

Our favorite books for holiday gifts Hitchcock, Britney, Barbra, and more!

By KATHI WOLFE Few memoirs have been more When it gets dark early, it’s cold eagerly anticipated than Barbra outside and you want to spice up Streisand’s “My Name Is Baryour life, what’s more intriguing bra.” In its nearly 1,000 pages, than a book? Here are some holEGOT-winning (Emmy, Grammy, iday gift ideas for book lovers of Oscar and Tony), divine, queer all ages. icon Streisand, 81, tells seemingWho isn’t fascinated by the ly everything about her life. She dark, twisty, sometimes, mordantly quarreled with Larry Kramer over witty, movies of Alfred Hitchcock, filming “The Normal Heart.” It or by Grace Kelly, Tippi Hedren, didn’t work out: Streisand thought Ingrid Bergman and the other acmainstream audiences would be tresses in his films? “Hitchcock’s turned off by explicit sex scenes.

Blondes: The Unforgettable Marlon Brando and Streisand Women Behind the Legendwere good friends, she loves Braary Director’s Dark Obsession” zilian coffee ice cream and her

by Laurence Leamer, author of mother was a horror show. Con“Capote’s Women,” is an engrosstrary to how some lesser mortals ing story not only of Hitchcock, but see her, she doesn’t see herself of the iconic “blondes” he cast in as a diva. The print version of “My some of his most beloved movies Name is Barbra” is fab. The audio from “39 Steps” to “Rear Window” version, a 48-hour listen, which to “Vertigo” to “Psycho.” $29. G.P. Streisand narrates, is even better.

Putnam’s Sons. $47. Viking. $45 on Audible.

Reading about Hitchcock, no “Chasing Rembrandt,” by matter how intriguing the book, Richard Stevenson is a terrific is never as good as watching his gift for mystery lovers. Richard films. “Alfred Hitchcock: The Stevenson was the pseudonym Essentials Collection” (Blu-ray for Richard Lipez, the out queer author, who wrote witty, en$39.96. DVD: $32.40) features “Rear Window,” “North by gaging mysteries featuring the openly gay detective Donald Northwest,” “Psycho” and “The Birds.”

Strachey. Sadly, Stevenson died in 2022. But, “Chasing Rem“Corona/Crown,” by D.C.-based queer poet Kim Robbrandt,” a novel featuring Strachey and his romantic partner erts in collaboration with photographer Robert Revere, is a Timmy, was published this year. The idea for the story was fab present for lovers of photography, museums, and poetry. sparked by a real-life incident when paintings were stolen Revere and Roberts were deeply affected by the closure of from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. “Robbers wreak museums during the COVID pandemic. In this lovely chaphavoc, smashing the glass covers protecting masterpieces book, they create a new “museum” of their own. “This is what and slicing paintings out of their frames,” Stevenson writes I learned when the pandemic struck,” Roberts writes, “when I at the beginning of this entertaining story, “They make off couldn’t stop thinking about the artwork in all the museums, with thirteen works, including three Rembrandts and a Verbereft of human eyes.” $21.25 WordTech Editions meer, worth more than half a billion dollars and beloved in Few things are as scary and/or captivating as a good ghost the world of art. It is arguably the greatest property theft in story. “The Night Side of the River,” by acclaimed lesbian human history.” writer Jeanette Winterson, author of “Why Be Happy When With the repartee of Nick and Nora and the grit of Philip You Could Be Normal?” and “Oranges Are Not the Only Marlowe, Strachey works to solve this mystery. $16.95. ReFruit,” is a provocative and engrossing collection of ghost stoQueered Tales. ries. These deliciously chilling stories feature spirits, avatars, Some books never get old. “The Wild Things,” the bea haunted estate, AI and, pun intended, lively meetings beloved children’s picture book written and illustrated by actween the living and the dead. $27. Grove. claimed gay writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, was pub“Blackouts,” a novel by queer writer Justin Torres that relished in 1963. Sixty years later, the Caldecott Medal-winning ceived this year’s National Book Award for fiction, is a breathclassic is still loved by three to five-year-olds, their parents, taking book about storytelling, queer history, love, art, and siblings, aunts, and uncles. A new digital audio version of erasure. A perfect gift for aficionados of characters that be“Where the Wild Things Are,” narrated by Michelle Obama, come etched into your DNA. $30. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. was released this fall. Who can resist the Wild Things, when “The Woman in Me,” the memoir by Britney Spears will they plead: “Oh, please don’t go–we’ll eat you up–We love be devoured by queers of all ages – from tweens to elders. you so!”? Widely available in hard cover, paperback and Much of Spears’s story is known – from her youth in Louisiana e-book format. Audio: $5.50. to her rapid rise to fame to her conservatorship (when her What’s more fun than playing a festive album while you’re father controlled her life). Yet the devil, as the saying goes, reading during the holidays? Deck the halls! This year, queer is in the details. In this riveting memoir, Spears reveals the icon Cher has released “Christmas,” her first holiday album. horrifying and exhilarating aspects of her life: from how her Highlights of the album include: Cher singing with Cyndi Laufather controlled what she ate and when she took a bath to per on “Put A Little Holiday In Your Heart,” Stevie Wonder on the restrictions put on her ability to see her sons to her love “What Christmas Means to Me” and Darlene Love on “Christof singing, dancing, and creating music. Spears writes of the mas (Baby, Please Come Home)” and the rapper Tyga on queer community’s “unconditional” love and support for her.

“Drop Top Sleigh Ride.” The perfect gift for Cher aficionados. $32.99. Gallery.

2 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • DECEMBER 0 8 , 2 0 2 3

More queer books we love

For the person on your gift list who’d love a boymeets-boy story, wrap up “Bellies: A Novel” by Nicola Dinan (Hanover Square Press), the tale of a playwright and the man who loves him wholly, until a transition threatens to change everything.

If there’s a romantic on your list, then you’re in luck: finding a gift is easy when you wrap up “10 Things That never Happened” by Alexis Hall (Sourcebooks), the story of Sam, whose job is OK, and his boss, Jonathan, who should have never hired Sam. Too late now, except for the romance. Wrap it up with “Time Out”

by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner with Carlyn Greenwald (Simon & Schuster), the story of a basketball player who’s newly out of the closet, and a politically minded boy who could easily get his vote.

For the person on your list who likes to read quick, short articles, wrap up “Inverse Cowgirl: A Memoir”

by Alicia Roth Weigel (HarperOne). It’s a collection of essays on life as an intersex person, and the necessity for advocating for others who are, too.

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

DE C E M B E R 0 8 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 7

CALENDAR |

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Friday, December 08

Tuesday, December 12

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 12 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. For more information, contact adam@thedccenter.org.

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area. For more details, visit WiTT’s Facebook group.

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more details, visit Facebook.

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

Saturday, December 09 Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. Guests are encouraged to come enjoy brunch with other LGBTQ+ folk. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

“Dynamic Lesbians Ugly Sweater Party” will be at 5 p.m. at Kiki. Guests should come ready to rock their ugliest sweater for a night of dynamic fun, laughter, and fabulousness. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Sunday, December 10 Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 6 p.m. at Clare & Don’s Beach Shack. This event will be a fun happy hour with other LGBTQ folk. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

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

Monday, December 11 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.

Wednesday, December 13 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.

OUT & ABOUT Film about queer icon to premiere in Virginia The film premiere of “Slayed: The Untold Story” will be on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.

The film is a riveting documentary that charts the audacious journey of Kai ‘Stud Slayer’ Brown, a fearless queer icon who shattered taboos about Black masculine women in an unforgiving era.

Following the screening there will be a discussion panel and question and answer session. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Gay Men’s Chorus is here with Christmas cheer The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington will host a holiday singalong on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. at Hotel Zena.

The event will begin with drinks in the Hotel Zena bar followed by the singalong. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Thursday, December 14 Virtual Yoga Class with Charles M. will be at 12 p.m. online. This is a weekly class focusing on yoga, breathwork, 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 p.m. the day before.

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

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

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington will host a holiday singalong on Tuesday, Dec. 12. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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DE C E M B E R 0 8 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 9

THEATER

Actor finds fulfillment raising money for queer non-profits

Aidan Wharton’s latest beneficiary is D.C.’s Rainbow History Project

By PATRICK FOLLIARD spired “chug song” somewhat reinterpreted. “It’s a sort of surLast summer while travelling with his fiancé to San Franreal moment and my favorite part of the show. To say anything cisco and parts of Europe, out actor Aidan Wharton faithfully else would be a spoiler,” he says. reported on the queer history of each destination in his newsThe energetic actor has been on tour since it kicked off in letter Queer Buffet (Queerbuffet.substack.com).

October in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre, an historWhen autumn rolled around and Wharton went back to ic venue once owned by work touring with the Dylan. On Broadway he Broadway hit musical was a swing, covering “Girl From the North appointment@citydentaldc.com Elias as well as five othCountry,” he decided not er parts. He knows the only to continue writing show well. about queer history but Before playing Elias, also to raise money for 1221 Massachusetts Ave., NW Wharton, 28, knew a LGBTQ non-profit in Dylan’s music mostly each tour stop.

703 D St., NW from repurposed takes He’s rather brilliantly 2075 L St., NW on film and TV, and he aldevised a way to comways liked what he heard. bine showbiz with his 955 L’Enfant Plz., SW PR #325 Since joining the show, new interests. he’s listened to the origThroughout Noveminal recordings in large ber in Cleveland, Wharpart to know just how ton focused on Margie’s they’ve been re-imagHope, an organization ined for the show. dedicated to providing “It’s a folky musical resources and services that still lives in the world for transgender, non-biof Dylan,” he says. “While nary, and gender expana lot of the songs are taksive people in Northeast en out of his style, audiOhio. And when the ences seem pleasantly show soon lands at the surprised. Not long ago Kennedy Center’s Eisena couple stopped me on hower Theatre (Dec. 12the street. They’d been 31), he plans to fundraise Dylan fans since the ‘60s. for the Rainbow History They said hearing this Project whose mission is show made feel like they to collect, preserve, and were hearing his words promote the history and for the first time.” culture of D.C.’s queer “Some juke box mucommunities. sicals try to shoehorn Using social media, the plot around songs, Wharton, with the help but ‘Girl From the North of like-minded influencAIDAN WHARTON (Photo courtesy of Wharton) Country’ doesn’t.

It ers, creates awareness feels like a play with a while asking supportive soundtrack. The songs don’t necessarily progress the plot but folks to give just $5 to the designated organization. they accentuate what’s happening on stage; both the script During a recent chat via phone from chilly Des Moines, he and the music seem to benefit from each other.” explains that his bourgeoning project stems from a desire to DVER T I S I and N G often P R Othankless OF At 17, Wharton left Hawaii where he was raised in a yurt in help thoseA doing selfless nonprofit work 23-02-03 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: PHIL ROCKSTROH related prockstroh@washblade.com the middle of the jungle to attend Pace University in New York to enriching the lives of LGBTQ people during this for a year followed by Penn State where he finished up a deEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of wave of anti-LGBTQ sentiment. And, he adds, “the pandemic f. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 s of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication. hasn’t made it any easier…a lot of the funding has dried up.” gree in theater and then back to New York City. He’s currently wn naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or based in Astoria Queens where he lives with his intended.

Written and directed by Irish theater maker/screenwriter material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as ADVERTISER SIGNATURE In addition to a lot of musical theater, he’s done some film McPherson, Tony Award-winning “Girl From the North” ngement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other Conor By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the rietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of washington blade newspaper.

This includes is not limitedtroubadour to placement, brity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser is built including back-to-back parts in queer flicks “Fire Island” and around 20 songs bybuticonic and Civil Rights payment and insertion schedule. es to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts imedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes “Bros.” tion, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia activist Bob Dylan. Set in a rundown guesthouse in 1934 Dulurising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.

“When the tour ends next October,” says Wharton, “whatevth, Minn., (Dylan’s hometown), the action unfolds over a week er this nonprofit venture becomes will become a bigger part around Thanksgiving, chronicling the triumphs and tragedies of my life, possibly my career. I’ll always love acting and that’s that take place in residents’ little microcosm. ending for me, but there’s something about this new project Wharton plays Elias, who along with his parents, is staying in particular that’s made me feel fulfilled in a different way.” in the guesthouse. His song is “Duquesne Whistle,” a train in-

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FILM

‘Maestro’ captures passionate essence of queer musical giant Cooper’s titanic performance honors the legendary composer

By JOHN PAUL KING It’s hard to think of a modern celebrity that holds an equivalent place in popular culture to the one held in his day by Leonard Bernstein – the subject of Bradley Cooper’s ambitious biopic “Maestro,” now in theaters ahead of a Dec. 20 drop on producing studio Netflix’s streaming platform.

A “highbrow” musical prodigy who gained mainstream recognition after a spectacular debut as a substitute conductor for the New York Philharmonic made him a celebrity, he forged a path as an orchestral leader and composer of masterpieces across a range of genres, from symphonies to film scores to Broadway musicals.

Youthful, erudite, passionate, and handsome, he brought classical musical education to the masses via popular television broadcasts, becoming identified with the sophisticated culture of intellectual humanism epitomized by the hopeful “Camelot” of the Kennedy era.

Of course, the Bernstein known to the public in those heady days was not the real Bernstein – or not all of him, anyway – and the story behind the scenes is part of what Cooper, who not only directed and stars in “Maestro,” but co-wrote the screenplay with Oscar-winner Josh Singer (“Spotlight”), aims to illuminate. Picking up the narrative in the early days of its subject’s fame, it conveys the essence of his professional career in broad strokes, but concerns itself mostly with his private life. More specifically, it focuses on his marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), whom we meet as she enters his life in the wake of his sudden success. There’s a definite chemistry – but there’s also Bernstein’s involvement with musician David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer), with whom he shares both an apartment and a bed.

Nevertheless, and with knowledge of what they’re getting into, the two eventually marry; through specific episodes in their life, it tracks the inevitable ups and downs – from the soul-mate joy of their special intimacy to the strain imposed on their couplehood by a parade of male companions brought into the household across the decades – to present a portrait of an unorthodox marriage between two unorthodox people whose bond ultimately transcends conventional notions of love, sexuality, and commitment.

That doesn’t mean that things don’t get messy, however, and it must be admitted that the last third of the movie devolves a bit into domestic melodrama tinged with a touch of histrionics, and then threatens to go full tearjerker, to boot. But then, sometimes, so does life, and “Maestro” brings enough compassion, insight, and authenticity to the complex emotions at play that it is able to go deep, in the end, for the save.

Indeed, some of this melodramatic flair might be a function of Cooper’s stylistic approach, which blends fact, fantasy, and flights of fancy – such as a surrealistic “dream ballet” sequence inspired by “On the Town” (Bernstein’s first Broadway hit), as well as shifting from blackand-white to color and presenting much of the movie in an old-fashioned 1:33 aspect ratio – to form a sort of impressionistic view of Bernstein’s life. A significant part of that style derives from the lavish mid-century aesthetic that informed his music as much as it did the cinema that sprung from the same cultural movement. As for the man himself, his florid conducting style, to say nothing of the sweeping and dissonant passion of his compositions,

CAREY MULLIGAN and BRADLEY COOPER in ‘Maestro.’ (Image courtesy Netflix)

were ample evidence that he would never be averse to tugging at a few heartstrings before building to a “wow” finale, so allowing a little indulgent sentimentality to assert itself along the way seems perfectly apropos.

At the same time, there is little about Cooper’s performance in the title role that could be called sentimental, or indulgent for that matter, despite the obvious license to “chew the scenery” when playing a flamboyantly biggerthan-life figure like Bernstein. Executed with a clear attention to detail and a fully invested personal connection to the character, Cooper’s portrayal expertly captures his intelligence and charm, as well as a remarkable level of chameleonic mimicry – enhanced by a dazzling physical transformation from makeup designer Kazu Hiro – that never once feels like “showboating,” but it wins us with an unvarnished candor in depicting his less appealing qualities.

Yet, at neither end of that spectrum does it ever feel as if any judgment is being made, only observation. It’s a titanic performance, even without the reenactments of Bernstein’s conducting prowess, which honors the legendary composer simply by rendering him as a flawed, if exceptional, human being.

Yet as superb as his work might be, and despite “Maestro” ostensibly being about Bernstein himself, the movie’s star turn comes from Mulligan, whose top-billed performance as Montealegre serves as the story’s emotional core. It’s her journey, from bold best friend to supportive muse to estranged “ex” and back again, that give the film its meat. She takes it from start to finish without a misstep, and in the process almost makes Cooper’s Bernstein a foil in his own movie. It’s a testament to his own artistic integrity that he allows, even amplifies, her every opportunity to do it.

For queer audiences, of course, it might be a disappointment that the movie chooses to center itself on Bernstein’s heterosexual marriage instead of exploring

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

any of his now-well-known same-sex affairs – little time or development is spent on any of those relationships, not even with Oppenheim. Still, it makes no effort to hide, judge, or apologize for his sexual identity; in its inherent message of love beyond the constraints of sexuality or gender, it rises above such moralistic notions, and instead celebrates the commitment between two people willing to live beyond them, even when things get tough.

The film is loaded with memorable performances; in particular, Bomer – especially powerful in the scene where he is introduced to the woman he already knows will take his lover away from him – reminds us how good he can be when afforded material that stretches him beyond his pretty-boy looks, and comedian Sarah Silverman has some rich moments as Bernstein’s sister, Shirley. So too, it is distinguished by a comprehensively detailed production design, which traces the evolving look and feel of the era it covers in succinctly evocative detail, delivered through outstanding cinematography by Matthew Libatique. In the end, however, it is Bernstein’s music itself that stands out as the key element in capturing the irrepressible passion – the “singing of summer” inside him – that made him an incomparable artist and informed his life as a whole.

In the end, that’s what “Maestro” wants us to take away, more than any insights into its subject’s musical genius or the difficulties of navigating a divergent sex life among consenting adults in a time where such things were beyond taboo: the importance of embracing and expressing our lives to the fullest, whether by creating art or simply experiencing the raw truth of our existence in the moment, for better or for worse, in all its contradictory, beautiful glory. It’s a big, glossy biopic that – on the surface, at least – sometimes falls into familiar tropes, but it’s worldly and wise enough to get that right, which is enough to elevate it above at least 90 percent of other films in its genre.

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GMCW Holiday Show

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performs at Lincoln Theatre (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performed “The Holiday Show” on Saturday at Lincoln Theatre.

Performances are scheduled for Dec. 9-10. For tickets and showtimes, visit gmcw.org.

3 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • DECEMBER 0 8 , 2 0 2 3

BLADE BIZ

Canino Dog Boutique offers healthful food, accessories

Cati Sesana opens new store on Belmont Street in Northwest

By OMARI FOOTE Cati Sesana was sitting at home trying to help her mom find a local shop in D.C. that would have a cute sweater for her dog but couldn’t find much outside of the big-box stores. Last month, she opened Canino Dog Boutique to solve the problem.

“I was like ‘Let me do some research,’ there are shops like this in New York but I don’t know of one in D.C.,” she said.

However, Sesana had a long journey from researching the pet boutique business to her opening day. Sesana played water polo at George Washington University and majored in music, so she didn’t know much about starting a business.

One of her first tasks was figuring out what she was going to sell.

“Initially I was just going to do accessories or apparel and not treats or food,” she said. “But I got really deep into pet nutrition and what’s going to make your dog live the longest.”

CATI SESANA owns Canino Dog Boutique at 1409 Belmont St., She recalled the iniN.W. (Photo courtesy Sesana) tial trouble she had with finding food for her dog, Aiko and wanted to eliminate that worry for her customers.

“I only carry two dog food brands, so I kind of get rid of that overwhelming decision-making that’s like, ‘What do I do? What’s right for my dog?’ so I only carry brands I know and trust,” she said.

As for her apparel and accessories, she only sells products from small and local shops that don’t have distribution in major retailers. One of the local shops Sesana purchases from told her that she was their first retailer and that since then, business has improved.

“By shopping here, you’re helping other small businesses and it all kind of domino effects,” Sesana said.

As a first-time business owner herself, Sesana knows all about the obstacles of trying to get a small business off the ground.

“The biggest challenge was finding a landlord that would give me an opportunity,” she said.

Sesana visited spaces in a lot of high foot-traffic shopping areas, like Georgetown and met plenty of landlords who loved her concept but didn’t want a first-time business owner.

“I think the pandemic scared landlords from giving smaller businesses a chance, because so many closed,” she said. “But then the personality of a neighborhood kind of disintegrates a lot. … Why would I come to 14th Street when I can shop from Lululemon online?”

Finally, Sesana was given a chance for a space just off of 14th Street on Belmont Street. Conveniently located next to Streets Market and across the street from Doozydog! Club.

On Nov. 6 she opened her doors and has worked every day since then. The store is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sesana is currently the only employee.

“I am the company graphic designer, customer service, and dog walker!” she said, motioning to her dog lying in his doggie bed.

After Sesana closes the store, she is out into the night playing the drums in a band.

She says that being a musician has given her the right mentality to get through the long days at her boutique.

“Slow days are tough, but I can zoom out and see the bigger picture,” she said.

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REAL ESTATE

City inspection codes: How easy is it to fail?

Be sure to check ventilation, smoke detectors, and more

By SCOTT BLOOM

In the District of Columbia, rental properties are required to meet certain health and safety standards. These standards are set by the District’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).

If you own a rental property in the District of Columbia, you may be required to have your property inspected by the DCRA to ensure that it meets these standards. The inspection process typically involves a DCRA inspector visiting the property and checking for any hazards or code violations.

It’s important to make sure that your property is in good condition and meets the District’s health and safety standards, as failing a rental property inspection can have serious consequences. If your property fails the inspection, you may be required to make repairs or upgrades in order to bring it into compliance. If you are unable to do so, you may be forced to stop renting out the property until the necessary repairs are made.

Overall, the likelihood of failing a rental property inspection in the District of Columbia will depend on the condition of your property and whether it meets the applicable health and safety standards. To minimize the risk of failing an inspection, it’s important to keep your property well maintained and address any potential hazards or code violations as soon as possible.

In the District of Columbia, landlords are responsible for maintaining their rental properties in a safe and habitable condition. If a rental property is not in compliance with the

city’s health and safety standards, the landlord may be cited for code violations.

Some common code violations that landlords in the District of Columbia may be cited for include: • Lack of adequate heating or ventilation: Landlords are required to provide sufficient heating and ventilation systems to ensure the health and safety of their tenants.

• Electrical or plumbing issues: Landlords are responsible for ensuring that their properties have functional electrical and plumbing systems. All plumbing fixtures must be properly sealed, in other words, no holes in the walls. All water heaters require pressure relief valves • Structural issues: Landlords must maintain their properties in a safe and structurally sound condition.

• Pest infestations: Landlords are required to address and eliminate pest infestations in their rental properties.

• Lack of smoke detectors: Landlords are required to install and maintain smoke detectors in their rental properties. Detectors must be placed 36” from ceiling fan blades and away from the path of the HVAC registers.

• Proper locks: All exit and security gate locks must be easy to operate and must not require a key to exit.

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It’s important for landlords in the District of Columbia to be aware of these and other code violations and take steps to ensure that their properties are in compliance with the city’s health and safety requirements.

Landlords are required to install and maintain smoke detectors in their rental properties.

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DE C E M B E R 0 8 , 2 0 2 3 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 7

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2023 ADM 001209 Date of Death 07/31/2013 Name of Decedent: Sara Satterthwaite

Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs

Neil Robert Froemming, whose address is 521 8th Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Sara Satterthwaite, who died on July 31, 2013 with a Will and will serve without Court Supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, 515 5th Street, NW, Building A, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001, on or before 06/01/2024. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or to the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 06/01/2024, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: December 01, 2023 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter, Washington Blade /s/ Neil Robert Froemming, Signature of Petitioner 521 8th Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 (202) 491-7174 A True Test Copy Nicole Stevens, Register of Wills

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