Washington Blade, Volume 55, Issue 07, February 16, 2024

Thank you,

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Mayor Parker LGBTQ+ Victory Fund leader stepping down, PAGE 10

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Montgomery County responds to trans health challenges

Maryland earns high marks overall from the Movement Advancement Project for its LGBTQ policy protections, including becoming a “shield” state for transgender health care, but a Montgomery County survey that found trans youth face difficulties in accessing care prompted Council Vice President Kate Stewart and a county health nonprofit to convene a virtual roundtable last Saturday.

“My son transitioned when he was in high school and our local pharmacy regularly did not have the correct size syringes,” Stewart told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview. “I had to take off from work and drive from Takoma Park to Chase Brexton in Howard County.

That’s not a quick drive, and not accessible by public transportation.”

Montgomery County Council Vice President KATE STEWART (Public domain photo)

She said Trans Maryland’s work helped make syringes more available now, but more needs to be done to increase access to equitable care at the local level.

Maryland is one of 15 states, along with D.C., to which the Movement Advancement Project gave a high overall score for its LGBTQ policies. In terms of trans health care equity, 22 states have banned medically advised care for transitioning youth as of 2023, with Missouri banning

similar care for adults. In response, D.C. and 14 states, including Maryland, enacted “shield” laws to protect equal access to health care.

Maryland’s Trans Health Equity Act, effective Jan. 1, requires Medicaid to cover trans-affirming care. However, a Montgomery County survey found 41 percent of those needing such care reported difficulty finding it in the county.

While the report listed three clinics — Planned Parenthood, Mary’s Center and CCI Health Services — trans residents were unaware of their services or where to look for them locally. More familiar were services provided by Chase Brexton Health and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and D.C.’s Whitman-Walker Health, mostly due to their long histories of work and advocacy across the region. But for the gender-diverse leaders on the panel, equity meant having local access to health care.

“Those without transportation or wealth aren’t able to receive transition health care in their community,” said Rev. Ali K. C. Bell, a minister for Congregational Life at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church.

Bell said he was privileged to be able to travel to Baltimore for the health care he needed but was disappointed by the economic disparity.

CCI Health Services, a community health center with a decades-long history in the area, joined with Stewart in hosting the roundtable to address the issues raised by the report.

CCI Chief Medical Officer Dr. Will Giodano-Perez announced a new clinic specializing in sexual and minority health, but acknowledged more could be done to address legacy discrimination and abuse.

“Our mission is to promote excellent health care for everyone,” Giodano-Perez said. “We have to be aware of what kinds of conversations we are not having with our patients and to focus on [addressing] our own biases.”

Trans Maryland Executive Director Lee Blinder spoke of their experiences often educating health care professionals while being treated.

“One day I’m going to invoice that doctor about ‘training’ them on how to treat me and others like me,” said Blinder, who grew up in Montgomery County. “I’d like to have a provider that I don’t have to train. When you’re sitting there in that paper gown, you’re vulnerable.”

Bell also emphasized everyone in the provider’s office needs to be trained in order for the health care experience to be considered affirming. Looking to the future, Amena Johnson, the LGBTQ liaison for the Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships, stated that health disparities faced by LGBTQ seniors should be addressed as well.

“We are not all children or young people. I hope to be an old trans person one day, and it doesn’t look like a great landscape, frankly,” Blinder said before relaying an experience about visiting their grandmothers in retirement facilities and the care teams not being ready to interact with them as a trans grandchild, much less as a future trans resident.

Giodano-Perez acknowledged the pain caused by these difficult health care experiences, but admitted one health organization cannot handle these issues alone and it would take involvement and support from the community.

“We are limited with how much time we have,” he explained, noting the frustration of not being able to address all of the social determinants of health, but also not wanting to see “another of our patients pass from suicide.”

He stated one place to start was to make care respectful and effective for everyone.

“Sounds basic,” he said, “but we’re going to tackle these things.”

Stewart told the Blade her challenges seeking care for her son showed her health equity was about having access to resources where you live.

“On a map it may look like, well, we have Chase Brexton over here and Whitman-Walker in D.C.,” she said, “but connecting with people’s everyday experiences … shows how much work we still have to do.”

PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN

Former Md. Gov. Hogan makes surprise entry into U.S. Senate race

Former Gov. Larry Hogan is a last-minute addition to the race for the open U.S. Senate seat in Maryland, launching his campaign hours before the filing deadline.

Hogan, a Republican, has previously shot down the idea of running for the Senate, saying he didn’t want to be mired in the gridlock of Capitol Hill. Instead, he’s had an off-and-on flirtation with running for president on a third-party effort.

“I am running for the United States Senate — not to serve one party — but to stand up to both parties, fight for Maryland, and fix our nation’s broken politics,” Hogan posted on social media. “It’s what I did as Maryland’s governor, and it’s exactly how I’ll serve Maryland in the Senate. Let’s get back to work.”

In a launch video, Hogan spoke about the need for lawmakers to work together to make progress, rather than engaging in the “performative arts” style of politics.

He claimed that during his tenure as Maryland’s governor from 2015 through 2023, he worked in a bipartisan manner — an assertion that’s likely to be questioned by Democrats who often were at odds with the governor.

“For eight years, we proved that the toxic politics that divide our nation need not divide our state,” Hogan said

in the video.

Hogan invoked his late father, Larry Hogan Sr., who was the first Republican member of Congress to support impeachment of President Richard Nixon.

“Today, Washington is completely broken because that kind of leadership, that kind of willingness to put country over party has become far too rare,” Hogan said in the video, standing in front of a bank of windows in a dress shirt and sport coat, sans tie.

Hogan’s surprise run for the Senate represents a change of course for a man who repeatedly said he had no interest in being in the Senate.

Last year, for example, he told NewsNation: “You’re one of 100 people arguing all day, not a lot gets done in the Senate, and most former governors that I know that go into the Senate aren’t really thrilled with the job.”

In the year since his second term ended, Hogan has moved to a mansion in Davidsonville, maintained a regular presence on national TV interviews and visited universities to talk about politics. He’s also been running his eponymous real estate company.

He weighed in on political issues through his advocacy group, An America United. And until he stepped down

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Former Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN (Public domain photo)

in December, Hogan was also a leader of No Labels, a centrist organization considering putting together a presidential ticket for 2024.

The Senate seat that Hogan is now running for is open due to the looming political retirement of longtime U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat. The Democratic primary immediately drew big names, including U.S. Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

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Meet Tagg magazine’s new editor and owner Sondra Rose Marie takes over from founder Eboné Bell

By OMARI FOOTE

SONDRA ROSE MARIE

(Washington Blade photo by Omari Foote)

Sondra Rose Marie was chatting with friends after attending Portland’s LGBTQ Film Festival when her friend suggested that she take some of her ideas from the table to the media.

Since then, she has written for Tagg magazine and in December was named editor in chief and new owner.

Marie has a background in creative writing, so she had to learn the fundamentals of journalism as she went along.

“‘Ask to record, ask pronouns, ask names,’ that was all stuff that I was learning as I was going,” she said.

Founder and former editor Eboné Bell was a big help teaching her everything she needed to know about the profession, Marie said.

After two years as a freelance writer, she moved up to senior content writer and spent nearly five years in that role before she became editor in chief of Tagg.

“I noticed right away with Tagg that they were speaking to everyone in the community, and so I really wanted to be a part of that,” said Marie.

When Bell approached Marie about the position, she said she was shocked and didn’t see it coming.

“I thought about it for a while and I decided it was an awesome opportunity,” she said. “I love Tagg, I know I am willing to work hard for Tagg, and I know it’s got a lot of

Comings & Goings

Hayashi takes role at National LGBTQ Task Force

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 with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.

Congratulations to Kris Hayashi named Director of Advocacy and Action department, at the National LGBTQ Task Force. The department encompasses the organization’s policy, field, and faith teams. Hayashi is a longtime LGBTQ activist and leader in the fight for transgender, non-binary, and

gender non-conforming members of the community.

Executive Director Kierra Johnson said, “We could not be more excited or honored to welcome Kris Hayashi to our team and the Task Force family. Kris will bring immeasurable expertise to our advocacy and policy work as our community, especially our trans and non-binary siblings, are under unrelenting and unprecedented attacks. Having Kris join us as we launch our Queer the Vote campaign, and more, in this critical election year, bringing decades of leadership and knowledge, is a game-changer for the Task Force at this time.”

Upon accepting the position, Hayashi said, “At a time when trans communities are facing escalating attacks on our rights, lives, and very existence, I am excited to join the National LGBTQ Task Force and support the organization’s work to build a queer progressive movement that centers trans power, resistance, and joy. The National LGBTQ Task

potential.”

Late last year, Tagg stopped printing its magazine and went fully digital. Marie said that in her new position, she hopes Tagg can continue to spread its wings and reach more rural audiences.

“Just because it isn’t as out and loud as New York, LA, or Atlanta, doesn’t mean that people don’t want it or have a need for it,” she said. “If anything it makes connections online even more important.”

As Marie looks to the future, she said she wants to continue to build on Bell’s legacy — one that includes everyone in the queer community.

“As a Black lesbian woman, I know how hard it is when you’re shouting and no one’s willing to listen,” she said.

“Tagg’s the place where women, non-binary and trans folks can go to be heard, that’s really the point.”

Force is a legacy institution that aims to work at the intersections of the multiple identities our trans and queer family members hold and that means the world to me.”

Hayashi has been active in social, racial, and economic justice movements for 30 years and specifically within LGBT movements for the last 20. Most recently Hayashi served as the executive director at the Transgender Law Center (TLC). PreKRIS HAYASHI viously, Hayashi served as the executive director/co-director of the Audre Lorde Project (ALP), a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color organizing center based in New York City. Prior to that Hayashi served as executive director of Youth United for Community Action, California. Hayashi serves on the board of the California Endowment.

British ambassador dedicates LGBTQ mural at Little Gay Pub

About 70 people turned out on Feb. 13 for a ceremony led by the British ambassador to the United States to dedicate a mural painted on the outside wall of the D.C. gay bar Little Gay Pub that was sponsored by the British government.

A statement released by the British Embassy says the mural, entitled “Great Love is for Everyone,” was co-designed by local American artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer, the British Embassy of Washington, and the Little Gay Pub to spotlight the “UK’s ‘GREAT LOVE’ international campaign, which celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and the UK’s values of equality and inclusion.”

Joined by Little Gay Pub owners Dito Sevilla, Dusty Martinez, and Benjamin Gander, British Ambassador Dame Karen Pierce cut a ceremonial ribbon at the outside entrance of the bar to officially dedicate the three-story mural, which provided a dramatic backdrop to the ribbon cutting.

Little Gay Pub opened on March 17, 2023 in a building that once housed a restaurant at 11th and P streets, N.W., near Logan Circle.

Pierce was introduced at the event by D.C. government secretary Kimberly Bassett, who praised the ambassador and the British Embassy for their support of D.C. Bassett said she was attending the event on behalf of D.C. Mayor

In the embassy statement, AmMuriel Bowser. bassador Pierce adds, “The core “Fundamentally, what we are values of equality and inclusion celebrating here is freedom,” that America and Britain share are Pierce told the gathering inside now immortalized on this wall for Little Gay Pub minutes before years to come. We hope the muthe ribbon cutting. “And we’re ral brings a smile to everyone’s celebrating rights and we’re celface and makes everyone feel at ebrating the intersection of those home.” things,” she said.

Local artist and muralist Lisa Ma“And we’re celebrating the rie Thalhammer told the Washingcommunity of this area, of this ton Blade she was selected by the pub, of this wonderful city where British Embassy to co-design and so many people can come togethThis mural was dedicated on Tuesday at Little Gay Pub. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key) paint the mural after she responder with the goal of helping each ed to an embassy announcement other, with the goal of helping evthat it was seeking an artist for the UK’s Great Love internaerybody we realize and recognize as equal, with the goal of tional artist program. She said it took about two weeks for equal access and equal services,” Pierce said. her to paint the mural The statement released by the British Embassy points out Thalhammer is known for her own “The Love Mural” dethat the mural depicts, among other things, a bouquet of sign, which she has and continues to paint in locations in rainbow-colored flowers cascading down from an iconic D.C. with plans to paint similar murals in all 50 states. She British telephone booth. “The Rose of England, the Thistle told the gathering at the Little Gay Pub that she studied art of Scotland, the Daffodil of Wales and Shamrock of Northboth in the U.S. and in England. ern Ireland all come together atop the entrance to the Little LOU CHIBBARO JR. Gay Pub in Washington, D.C.,” the statement says.

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Mayor Parker: LGBTQ elected leaders are ‘strongest line of defense’ Outgoing Victory Fund president on her departure — and urgent need to defeat Trump

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

The Washington Blade connected with former Houston Mayor Annise Parker last week, shortly after breaking the news of her departure from the LGBTQ Victory Fund and LGBTQ Victory Institute after six years of serving as president and CEO. The organizations are, respectively, dedicated to increasing the number of public officeholders who are LGBTQ and providing training and resources for them, whether they are appointed or elected to the positions they hold.

Parker’s exit was planned since last July, in coordination with the boards of directors. “We worked out the timing together,” she said. “I wanted 2024 to be my last year, but I also think we all recognize the importance of this election and what’s going on politically,” and for these reasons “I wanted to [leave] in the least disruptive way possible.”

This means staying on through the end of this year, in part to assist the boards in “a thoughtful search process” for her successor.

Parker told the Blade she agreed to take the helm at Victory at a time when the organization had strong foundations but “lost its way a little bit” by straying from its “really narrow mission,” which is “to put LGBT leaders into public office.”

“In my view, one of the most important things I did was bring us back to where we started,” she said. “We’re the only national organization that only works with LGBT leaders. We love our allies and we respect our allies, but they are not our mission.”

So far this year, conservative lawmakers have proposed more than 400 bills targeting the rights of LGBTQ Americans. The moral panic stoked by the right wing against queer and especially trans people brings into sharp relief the importance of the work in which Victory is engaged, Parker said.

“Because of these ever growing attacks on our community, the need for LGBT leaders who are willing to step up and serve and run for office has never been greater,” she said. When Victory was founded “33 years ago, there were just a handful of folks; most of our community was in the closet.”

Parker remembers, “I ran for the first time in 1991, the year Victory was founded. It was a long time ago. We were pioneers. But now we are the strongest line of defense. And the barbarians are at the gate.”

Then, as now, coming out “in all aspects of our lives” is “the most powerful thing we do,” Parker said — a lesson she first learned as an activist in the 1970s. “It still matters,” she said. Candidates backed by Victory are often voters’ first exposure to gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or genderqueer people, she noted — “and it changes hearts and minds.”

Many begin their careers in public service at school boards or other local offices, but go on to serve in progressively higher-profile roles, Parker said. She pointed to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who is gay, and served as a statewide education official before his election to the U.S.

Congress and then the governorship.

The importance of local races must not be overlooked, Parker stressed. To take the example of school boards, she said, “folks on the other side” like the anti-LGBTQ extremist group Moms for Liberty are “targeting school boards for the same reasons that Victory works in school boards.” So, “we need to be where our enemies are.”

Opponents of LGBTQ rights “see what’s happening demographically, in terms of changing attitudes, about all sorts of things — including the LGBT community,” and while “we have won this war,” generationally speaking with increased acceptance, Parker warned that “we can still lose a whole lot of battles.”

“These overt attacks, you know, they didn’t have to attack us 30 years ago in the same way, because we had no protections,” Parker said. “This is part of the backlash for all of the successes that we’ve had.”

An example of that success: “There is no place in America,” she said, “that is not accessible to the right LGBT candidates with the right mix of ideas and energy and insights for that district to win.”

Parker added, “And part of the reason that we push so hard for our trans candidates that we work with, is that they’re the tip of the spear right now. They’re the ones that are the target of the attacks.”

At the same time, she is clear-eyed about the threat presented by the presumptive Republican nominee for president.

“What keeps me awake is the idea that Donald Trump could again become the president of the United States,” Parker said. “That is horrifying. And I would I would willingly lose every other race to keep him away from — I mean, I just perceive him as an existential threat to democracy in America.”

Here, again, part of the bulwark against this threat will be “our candidates,” who are “mobilizing people who will be in direct opposition to the horrific vision of America that he’s pushing,” Parker said. “I absolutely believe there’s a fundamental difference between the two presidential candidates that we’re going to have. And I also believe that it’s critical for democracy not to have Donald Trump.”

Fight for bodily autonomy

The Victory Fund endorses LGBTQ candidates who are positioned to win and who also believe in bodily autonomy; the right to privacy that undergirds not only protections for LGBTQ people but also reproductive freedoms.

“When we were founded,” Parker said, the attacks on body autonomy were happening on multiple fronts, from restrictions on access to abortion to sodomy statutes that criminalized gay sex acts between consenting adults.

“All these trans issues we’re facing right now are about bodily autonomy,” she said. “We can have a legitimate argument about gender affirming care for people under 18 or even under 21, but for adults, it is about body autonomy.”

Likewise, under the right to privacy rubric, “more and

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Former Houston Mayor ANNISE PARKER, president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund (Blade photo by Michael Key)

more places are rethinking how we deal with those who abuse substances,” she said, adding that anyone who is LGBT has to care about a right to privacy that incorporates body autonomy.

Parker explained that “Over the years, there have been a lot of men that I’ve talked to who asked the same question, ‘Well, why do you have to be pro choice?’ Our candidates don’t have to believe in or want to support abortion, but they must believe that every human being has the right to body autonomy, because they demand it for themselves.”

As a result, and because of the Republican Party’s hostility toward reproductive freedom and the rights of trans people, Parker said “it is really challenging to find Republican candidates” who qualify under the criteria for Victory Fund as an endorsing PAC. Most conservative candidates who object to the criteria about abortion “also have problems with the fact that we are fully supportive of the trans community,” she said.

Feeding the pipeline

Asked about plans for Victory following her departure, Parker said there are concrete goals and metrics that were established in the organizations’ five-year strategic plan, among them, building a roster of “LGBT candidates who are ready for the presidential stage.”

The Victory Fund endorsed former South Bend, Ind., mayor and current U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s presidential run in 2020 — but even though he was the only LGBTQ candidate, the endorsement was hardly a foregone conclusion.

“I am a huge Pete Buttigieg fan,” Parker said. “I think he’s got mad political skills,” but at the same time, she hedged, “when you think of presidential candidates, you think of governors” or folks who are well known on the national stage, often with many years of service in public office.

“From the first notice to his first announcement, we waited six months because — and I had the conversation with him — you have to poll consistently; you have to be competitive financially; and show you can place in these primaries,” Parker said. “And he did.”

The Transportation Secretary has “superb political instincts,” she said. “He is brilliant. He has the ability to connect to people. And he thinks really strategically.”

Also in Victory’s roster of potential presidential candidates are “three governors and a former governor, Kate Brown” along with “other statewide elected officials — so we have two attorneys general, two United States senators,” and “big city mayors; I’m a former big city mayor,” and then “you have [San Diego Mayor] Todd Gloria and [former Chicago Mayor] Lori Lightfoot.”

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Houston police: Lakewood Church shooter was not trans

In the hours after Genesee Moreno, a 36-years-old Latina woman, entered the sanctuary of Joel Osteen’s mega Lakewood Church and opened fire with an assault rifle this past Sunday, there were multiple instances of confusion over her gender identity, in part fueled by unsubstantiated or false narratives from far-right extremists.

During a briefing with reporters this week, Houston Police Department homicide commander Christopher Hassig stated with absolute clarity that Moreno was not a transgender person.

“Our shooter is identified by a driver’s license as Genesee Moreno, 36-years-old, Hispanic female. There are some discrepancies. We do have reports she used multiple aliases, including Jeffrey Escalante. So she has utilized both male and female names but through all of our investigation to this point, talking with individuals, interviews, documents, Houston Police Department reports, she has identified this entire time as female,” Hassig told the media.

In initial coverage, KHOU and the Houston Chronicle reported Moreno, who had used the name Jeffery Escalante, had an extensive criminal history dating back to 2005 according to a Texas Department of Public Safety records search. Prior arrests include failure to stop and give information, assault of a public servant, assault causing bodily injury, forgery, possession of marijuana, theft,

evading arrest and unlawful carrying weapon.

Media outlets including Fox News and even NBC News, which later retracted a portion of its story mistakenly framed the context as “a person who previously identified as male” which led to the incorrect framing of Moreno’s gender identity.

Houston Police Department homicide commander CHRISTOPHER HASSIG briefing reporters on Feb. 12.

(KHOU YouTube screenshot)

Far-right extremist pundits and at least one anti-trans member of the U.S. House of Representatives took up the “shooter was trans” narrative.

Chaya Raichik’s post had a companion extremist an-

ti-trans X post by U. S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (RGa.), who republished a post by far-right media Blaze TV anchor Sara Gonzales, both falsely claiming Moreno was trans. Gonzales’s post appeared to contain a criminal record without attribution of its source.

Raichik also posted the same “criminal record” on her social media accounts.

Fox News also ran misleading and false headlines regarding Moreno’s gender identity.

Alejandra Caraballo, a trans attorney and clinical instructor at the prestigious Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic who also writes on gender and technology issues for Wired and Slate magazines, debunked the Fox News allegations and called out the far-right anti-trans extremists.

“Far right extremist accounts like Libs of Tiktok rushed to call the shooter at Joel Osteen’s church a transgender woman. The police have just confirmed that is not the case and she was the biological mother of the child who was shot. They won’t apologize or retract their lies,” Caraballo said.

Ari Drennen, executive director of Media Matters of America’s LGBTQ Project, cautioned Tuesday the falsehoods and fabrications are “adding fuel to a moral panic” on trans issues as multiple state legislators rush to pass anti-trans laws.

BRODY LEVESQUE

Equality Caucus documents GOP’s 2023 anti-LGBTQ attacks

The Congressional Equality Caucus on Monday released a 36-page report titled “Obsessed: House Republicans’ Relentless Attacks Against the LGBTQI+ Community in 2023,” which meticulously documents a year of anti-LGBTQ legislative activity in the lower chamber.

Trends detailed in the report map onto those seen in legislatures across the country. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, a total of 510 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced last year, 84 of which were ultimately signed into law.

The caucus noted measures targeting the community that were proposed last year are likely to see movement in 2024. And just two days shy of six weeks into the new year, the ACLU is tracking 411 new anti-LGBTQ bills.

“When Republicans took control of the House of Representatives last year, we saw an avalanche of attacks against the LGBTQI+ community,” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who chairs the caucus, said. “In one year, they forced more than 50 anti-LGBTQI+ votes on the House floor.”

“The cruelty is the point,” he said. “You expect bullies in school, but yet there are bullies walking around the halls of Congress. These elected officials target LGBTQI+ youth, especially trans youth, because it helps increase their clout with a small slice of their base.”

The congressman highlighted efforts by his Republican colleagues to prohibit transgender women and girls from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams and to ban medically necessary healthcare interventions for trans Americans.

Pocan added, “Not only have they passed numerous amendments to restrict access to medically necessary care, but 46 Republicans have signed on to a Marjorie Taylor Greene bill to throw doctors and parents in jail for providing evidence based care to transgender youth.”

Along with the more than 50 votes on anti-LGBTQ measures that House Republicans took to the floor of the chamber, the caucus’s report notes that GOP members

filed more than 95 anti-LGBTQ amendments, introduced more than 55 anti-LGBTQ bills.

During more than 40 committee hearings, these lawmakers and the witnesses they brought made disparaging comments about LGBTQ people, according to the caucus.

(Graphic by the Congressional Equality Caucus)

Last year, House Republicans used their majority to pass legislation like House Resolution 5 and House Resolution 734 — which, respectively, “require schools that take steps to respect a student’s gender identity to forcibly out those transgender youth to their parents” and “ban all trans girls and trans women — as young as kindergarten — from participating on school sports teams.”

The bills were destined to fail in the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate, and President Joe Biden vowed never to sign them. Still, advocacy groups warn the introduction of policies targeting LGBTQ people, along with the rhetoric in legislatures where they are debated, heightens the risk of depression, anxiety, self harm behaviors and suicide, particularly among queer youth.

With respect to gender affirming care — which is sup-

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ported by every mainstream scientific and medical society in the U.S. — House Republicans were focused on restricting access for both youth and adults, the caucus’ report notes.

Additionally, nearly every appropriations bill introduced by Republican members in 2023 contained language permitting discrimination against LGBTQ people, the caucus said. “These provisions create a license for people and organizations, especially those receiving taxpayer funds, to discriminate against LGBTQI+ people by preventing the federal government from adequately responding.”

Among the other details contained in the caucus’s report are: • How GOP members hijacked funding bills that have traditionally passed with wide bipartisan margins to demand anti-LGBTQ provisions, despite the near certainty that they would be rejected by the Senate and by President Biden.

• How House Republicans stripped funding from three community-based projects because they supported LGBTQ centers.

• How GOP members are trying to exclude children’s hospitals that provided gender affirming care for patients younger than 18 from eligibility for funding under the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education program, which trains medical residents and fellows.

• The extreme anti-LGBTQ career of the Republican House Speaker U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (La.).

• A breakdown of bills targeting the LGBTQ community, those with anti-LGBTQ provisions, and votes on various amendments on matters including anti-discrimination protections, use of the “Holman rule to reduce the salary of federal employees due to their LGBTQI+ status or because of their support of LGBTQI+ rights,” and HIV/AIDS funding.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

F E B R UA RY 1 6 , 2 0 2 4 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 3

Trans journalist who enlisted in Ukrainian military designated a terrorist by Russia

A transgender journalist from the U.S. who enlisted in the Ukrainian military has been designated a terrorist by Russia.

“The Kremlin added me to Russia’s official international terrorism list,” wrote Sarah Ashton-Cirillo in a Feb. 5 post on her X account.

Russia launched its war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Ashton-Cirillo was a journalist when she began to cover the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Kharkiv Defense Forces. She later enlisted and is now a junior sergeant. Ashton-Cirillo has also traveled to the U.S. several times on behalf of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

Shrapnel from a Russian artillery shell wounded Ash-

ton-Cirillo last February while she was working as a senior combat medic in a trench near Kreminna, a city in eastern Ukraine.

“For Russia to name me as an officially sanctioned terrorist is laughable enough, however what was truly indicative of the hate coming from the Kremlin’s regime was that every press release and article in Russia about my being placed on Putin’s terrorism list was prefaced with the fact that I am trans,” Ashton-Cirillo told the Washington Blade on Friday.

“The Russian government is genocidal and hate ridden and this is why it will collapse.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

SARAH ASHTON-CIRILLO in D.C. on May 19, 2023.

(Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Queer South African man murdered in Cape Town

LGBTQ rights groups in South Africa have condemned the brutal murder of Diego Jacobs, a queer man in Cape Town earlier this month.

Reports indicate Jacobs, 21, was brutally murdered on Feb. 3 while walking home with two friends. A former neighbor who had previously harassed him about his queer identity reportedly attacked him.

The 20-year-old former neighbor who is currently in police custody is alleged to have started uttering homophobic slurs before stabbing him in the neck with a knife. Reports indicate Jacobs tried to avoid a conflict with him.

OUT LGBT Civil Society Engagement Officer Sibonelo Ncanana has urged law enforcement officials to thoroughly investigate the incident and ensure the alleged suspect is given a hefty sentence.

“No individual should ever face violence or discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Ncanana. “This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges and dangers faced

by LGBTIQ+ individuals in South Africa.”

“The attack also highlights the importance of enacting the long-awaited Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill, which was passed by Parliament in December last year. Two months later, the bill continues to await President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature,” added Ncanana. “We once again call on the president to take action and assent to the bill urgently, before any more lives are lost to hate and intolerance.”

Embrace Diversity Movement Secretary General Mpho Buntse said Jacobs’ death was a heinous attack that required law enforcement officials’ urgent attention.

DIEGO JACOBS (Photo courtesy of Jacobs’s Facebook page)

“The EDM is shocked to learn of the brutal killing of Diego,” said Buntse. “This act comes at a time when we had thought that the spike in hate crimes of this nature are a thing of the past. We view this as a deliberate push back to our efforts to end hate related crimes. Beyond this obvious knowledge, we call upon law enforcement officials to ensure that justice is served.”

Buntse, like Ncanana, urged Ramaphosa to sign the Hate Crime and Hate Speech Bill into law “to ensure that hate is punished by law.”

“As a movement we demand that this be done before the upcoming elections,” said Buntse. “Failure to do this will be a clear demonstration that there is a lack of political will to protect the queer community.”

Ruth Maseko of Fantastic Family LGBTIQ said they were aggrieved Jacob’s death and echoed other activists who urged Ramaphosa to sign the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill.

“We are deeply saddened by the needless loss of another young life,” said Maseko. “The fact that these crimes continue based merely on how a person identifies in terms of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and / or expression is an insult to our humanity or lack thereof.”

South Africa is the only African country that constitutionally recognizes LGBTQ rights. The country’s LGBTQ community, however, continues to face attacks based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity that often lead to death.

The attacks have largely been attributed to religious and cultural beliefs that run counter to LGBTQ rights.

Activists who support the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill say it will help curb homophobic and transphobic attacks. Some religious leaders, however, have criticized it and urged Ramaphosa not to sign it.

DANIEL ITAI

Houthi court sentences 13 people to death for homosexuality

Reports indicate a court in Yemen has sentenced to death 13 people who had been charged with homosexuality.

Agence France-Presse reported the court in Ibb Governorate, which Iran-backed Houthi rebels control, announced the sentences on Feb. 4. The province’s main city is roughly 125 miles south of Sanaa, the rebel-held Yemeni capital.

The State Department’s 2022 human rights report notes Yemeni law criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations, “with the death penalty as a sanction under the country’s interpretation of Islamic law.” The report also indicates there were “no known executions of LGBTQI+ persons in recent years.”

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The Houthis have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea since Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, launched a surprise attack against southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. The U.S. and the U.K. last month launched air strikes against the Iranbacked rebel group.

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PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

Pinto shepherds ‘Secure D.C.’ crime bill through Council Republicans in Congress are closely watching measure

Council member Brooke Pinto is shepherding the comprehensive crime bill, Secure D.C., through the Council. This is not easy considering some Council members are always looking to ensure we aren’t too tough on criminals, especially juveniles.

In talking with Council member Pinto, she is cognizant, and reminding her fellow council members that the Republican Congress is watching this closely.

I know Mayor Bowser is concerned about this as well. She submitted a bill, most of which is now included in the comprehensive bill, and wants to see it passed without additional amendments. On Feb. 6, the bill was passed on a first vote by the Council 12-0, with Ward 8 Council member, Trayon White, Sr., not voting. It is in his Ward most of the crime is being committed. Those living there deserve to be protected as much as those who live in Ward 3.

As the Council now moves toward a second vote, which is needed before the mayor can sign the legislation, the plan is to do that in March. The mayor has asked that it be done sooner and that there are no more amendments weakening the bill. Once it is passed and signed, it will go to Congress for the review period and everyone is aware of what they did to the rewrite of the criminal code. Not only the Congress, but the people of the District, want a strong, tough on crime bill. People are afraid.

Last year was a tough year for D.C. with crime running rampant in parts of the District. There were 274 homicides, a 20-year high. Carjackings were epidemic. There were 906, more than double the previous year. People are scared. A good friend recently told me it is the first time in years he looks behind himself when walking in Dupont in the evening. There was the recent shooting near the Dupont Metro on Connecticut and Q Street. The police have still not released detailed information on that. It was rumored to be a road rage incident, but the facts aren’t out. Again, people are scared, and that is not how anyone wants to live.

I am not naïve. There are many reasons one can point to for the spike in crime, including juvenile crime. The pandemic had a lot to do with that. There are young people who weren’t in school for two years, many without any supervision. Their parents were the ones out working, making a living, having to leave home to go to work. They didn’t have the option to stay home and work remotely so they could monitor what their kids were doing. Many juveniles committing crimes come from homes where there is food insecurity, and other issues impacting their lives. Clearly, we must deal with those issues if we are to change things in the long term. But the reality is we cannot wait to do that, the Council must act now. We must make those who are thinking of committing a crime understand there will be serious repercussions for what they do.

The bill the Council is considering makes carjacking a more serious offense, as well as any crime committed with a gun. We also need to deal with the parents, or guardians, of children, like the recent 9- and 13-year-olds, who threatened a woman with a knife. Someone must be held responsible for those kids. Do they need to be removed from the situation they are now in? What is that situation? We need to involve the faith community, as well as all city resources, in this effort. However we do it, we must pass a serious crime bill that will pass muster with both the people of the District, and Congress.

There are issues about the bill that are still being debated. One relates to drug free zones in which loiterers would be subject to arrest. Then they have removed the section that would have allowed all people arrested to be swabbed for their DNA. One issue being debated is how long one can hold both adults and youth in detention while awaiting trials. The bill would make it a felony to discharge a firearm in public, making permanent something that was put into emergency legislation last summer.

Again, the bottom line is, for both the mayor and the Council, they must do something about crime. The debate is simply how tough to be on criminals, and what programs need to be funded that will make a difference, and make people safer.

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Real Agency for Community Development was established by a group that fled persecution due to their sexual orientation and now live in the Nakivale refugee camp.

Helping LGBTQ Ugandans who have fled country

Ugandan President YOWERI MUSEVENI last year signed the country’s anti-homosexuality act. (Photo courtesy of the State Department)

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Real Agency for Community Development was established by a proactive group of people who have fled persecution due to their sexual orientation in their respective districts of origin (Isingiro, Mbarara and Ntungamo) and now live in the Nakivale refugee camp where they hoped to find greater safety and freedom.

Homosexuality, however, is illegal in Uganda and they face new challenges: Arbitrary arrests, discrimination, corrective rape, kidnapping, robbery, stigma, homophobia, harassment and bullying. RACD has identified more than 123 LGBTQ Ugandans and other refugees living in the Nakivale and Oruchinga refugee camps. The organization provides them with services depending on their unique situations.

The legal and social marginalization experienced by these people results in many violations of LGBTQ persons’ liberty and threats to their safety.

Since the beginning of this year, we have already seen three people arbitrarily arrested for being LGBTQ. Another two LGBTQ community members were brutally attacked by a gang of 10 homophobic neighbors in Kampala. One of them had his jaw shattered and had to get a surgery to insert a metal to his jaw. HIV prevention drugs and equipment are always a necessary part of the work with LGBTQ people and female sex workers. The general economic situation in Uganda is decreasing rapidly, and LGBTQ persons suffer the most. Many members reported that they pass many days without being able to obtain any food.

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‘Blindspot’ reveals stories of NYC AIDS patients that haven’t been told Former Blade reporter’s podcast focuses on POC, women, trans people

By KATHI WOLFE “We said that people had The Monster, because they had that look,” activist Valerie Reyes-Jimenez, said, remembering how people in her New York neighborhood reacted when people first got AIDS. They didn’t know what to call it.

“They had the sucked in checks,” Reyes-Jimenez, added, “They were really thin...a lot of folks were saying, oh, you know, they had...cancer.”

“We actually had set up a bereavement clinic where the kids would tell us what they wanted to have when they die,” Maxine Frere, a retired nurse who worked at Harlem Hospital for 40 years and was the head nurse of its pediatric AIDS unit said, “How did they wanna die?”

“Nobody wanted to come on,” said former New York Gov. David Paterson, who in 1987 was Harlem’s state senator.

At that time, Manhattan Cable Television gave legislators the chance to do one show a year. “So I decided to do my show on the AIDS crisis and how there didn’t seem to be any response from the leadership in the Black community,” Paterson added.

These unforgettable voices with their searing recollections are among the many provocative, transformative stories told on Season 3 of “Blindspot,” the critically acclaimed podcast.

“Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows” is co-produced by the History Channel and WNYC Studios. The six-episode podcast series, which launched on Jan. 18 and airs weekly through Feb. 22, is hosted by WNYC’s Kai Wright with lead reporting by The Nation Magazine’s Lizzy Ratner.

The show is accompanied by a photography exhibit by Kia LaBeija. LaBeija is a New York City-based artist who was born HIV positive and lost her mother to the disease at 14. The exhibit, which features portraits of people whose stories are heard on “Blindspot,” runs at the Greene Space at WNYC through March 11.

If you think of AIDS, you’re likely to think of white cisgender gay men. (That’s been true for me, a cisgender lesbian, who lost loved ones to AIDS.) From the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic, most media and cultural attention has been focused on white gay men – from playwright and activist Larry Kramer to the movie “Philadelphia.”

“Blindspot” revisits New York City, an epicenter of the early years of the HIV epidemic.

The podcast reveals stories of vulnerable people that haven’t been told. Of people of color, women, transgender people, children, drug-users, women in prison and the doctors, nurses and others who cared and advocated with and on their behalf.

“Blindspot,” through extensive reporting and immersive storytelling, makes people visible who were invisible during the AIDS epidemic. It makes us see people who have, largely, been left out of the history of AIDS. Wright, 50, who is Black and gay, cares deeply about history. He is host and managing editor of “Notes from America with Kai Wright,” a show about the unfinished business of our history and its grip on our future.

Recently, Wright, who worked as a reporter at the Washington Blade from 1996 to 2001, talked with me in a Zoom interview. The conversation ranged over a number of top-

ics from why Wright got into journalism, to how stigma and health care disparities still exist today for people of color, transgender people and poor people with AIDS to the impact he hopes “Blindspot” will have.

“I came to work at the Blade in 1996,” Wright said, “the year after I got out of college.”

He’d done two six-month stints at PBS and “Foreign Policy.” But Wright thinks of the Blade as his first proper journalism job.

KAI WRIGHT, a former Blade reporter, hosts the podcast ‘Blindspot.’ (Photo courtesy Matthew Septimus)

From his youth, Wright has been committed to social justice and to understanding his community. Reporting, from early on, has been his connection with social justice.

“I often say, journalism has been my contribution to social justice movements,” Wright said.

His first journalistic connection to the Black community came when he was 15. Then, Wright became an intern with the Black newspaper, the Indianapolis Recorder.

“That’s how I got the [journalism] bug,” Wright said.

Since then, Wright said, he’s worked almost exclusively with media that have a connection with the community.

Wright grew up in Indianapolis and went to college at Emory University in Atlanta. He didn’t intend to be a journalist, he wrote in an email to the Blade. At Emory, he studied international politics.

Wright’s life and work changed direction when he began working at the Blade. “I was a kid,” Wright said, “I’d just come out. I used journalism to find out what it meant to come out.”

Wright, when he came to Washington, D.C., was, as he recalled, just a kid. He didn’t know anyone in D.C. and

2 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 16 , 2 0 2 4

there was a Black, queer community. This helped Wright to come out. “I couldn’t have told you that at the time,” he said, “but in retrospect I can see that I moved to D.C. to come out.”

Journalism was Wright’s way of finding his way through coming out.

“I didn’t know if the Blade was hiring,” Wright said, “I just walked in.”

He didn’t have a deep resume but he had a lot to say.

The Blade hired him and immediately put him to work reporting on AIDS. “It was a pivotal cultural and political moment – a pivotal moment for the community,” Wright said.

That year, when Wright began working with the Blade, life-saving treatments (early drug cocktails) were emerging for AIDS. “There was no way that HIV and AIDS wouldn’t become a central part of my journalism,” Wright said, “I really wanted to report on it.”

With the emergence of treatments, white gay men with health insurance began to feel that they were turning the page and that AIDS was no longer a death sentence.

“But, as a reporter, I was meeting Black gay men who were going into emergency mode about the AIDS epidemic,” Wright said.

Black people, poor people, drug users and others without health insurance and access to treatment were still dying and transmitting AIDS. “‘This is getting more and more dire,’ the activists said,” Wright recalls.

They told Wright, “The rest of the community is starting to turn the page. We can’t turn the page.”

In D.C., Wright could see, through his reporting, the racial discrimination in the community at large in the AIDS epidemic, and in the queer community.

Two things are true simultaneously, Wright said, when asked if there is still stigma and discrimination around HIV and AIDS today.

“Science has made so much progress,” Wright said, “It’s no longer necessary for any of us to die from HIV.” “I take a pill once a day to prevent me from catching HIV,” he added, “I can do that. I am a person with insurance...with a great deal of social and economic privilege.”

But many people in the United States don’t have health insurance, and exist outside of the health care system.

The divergence in treatment and stigma that he saw as a young reporter in 1996 are still there today, Wright said.

“The divergence in class and race has grown even more profound,” he said, “among people of color, young people – transgender people.”

Wright hopes “Blindspot” will make people who lived through the epidemic and whose stories weren’t told, feel seen. And that “they will hear themselves and be reminded of the contributions they have made,” Wright said.

The queer press plays an important role in the LGBTQ community, Wright said. “We need a place to hash out our differences, share stories and ask questions that put our experience at the center of the conversation,” he emailed the Blade.

“There’s more space for us in media than when I started my career at the Blade,” Wright said, “but none of it is a replacement for journalism done by and for ourselves.”

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SATURDAY, MARCH 9 @ 8PM F E B R UA RY 1 6 , 2 0 2 4 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 1

Friday, February 16

CALENDAR |

Center Aging Friday Tea Time will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. For more details, email adam@thedccenter.org.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social” at 7 p.m. at DIK Bar. This event is ideal for meeting new people and making new friends in a casual, facilitated environment.

Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, February 17 LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space the strives to be safe and judgement free. For more details, visit thedccenter. org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This event is ideal for meeting new people and making new friends in a casual, facilitated environment. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Sunday, February 18 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

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

of cultures. Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Coffee” at 12 p.m. at As You Are. Guests are encouraged to come enjoy an evening of Italian-style dining and conversation with other LGBTQ folk on the enclosed front patio. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, February 19 Wicked Mondaze POP-UP Happy Hour will be at 5 p.m. at Wild Dayzs. This event will feature a performance from DJ MIM accompanied by renowned drummer Asha Santee. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 6 p.m. at Palette 22. This event is ideal for meeting new people and making new friends in a casual, facilitated environment. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Tuesday, February 20 BiRoundtable will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This monthly roundtable is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as bi individuals in a private setting. For more details, visit Facebook or Meetup.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social” at 6 p.m. at Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant and Bar. This event is ideal for meeting new people and making new friends in a casual, facilitated environment. Admission is free and

OUT & ABOUT The biggest drag stars are coming to town “Drag Me to the Disco” will be held on Saturday, March 2 at 10:30 p.m. at the Howard Theatre.

This event will feature “Drag Race” stars Jaida Essence Hall, Kylie Sonique Love, Vanessa Vanjie Matteo, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, and Luxx Noir London, and D.C. queens Cake Pop!, Crystal Edge, Dreux Sidora and Crimsyn will open the show. After the drag show, there will be a dance party with NYC’s DJ Boyyyish spinning disco house music.

Tickets start at $50 and can be purchased on the Howard Theatre’s website.

CAKE POP! will be among performers at ‘Drag Me to the Disco.’

(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

2 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 16 , 2 0 2 4

more details are available on Eventbrite.

Wednesday, February 21 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.

Thursday, February 22 The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box.

No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

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

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THEATER

Deaf, gay actor on gripping, funny ‘Private Jones’ Musical makes premiere at Signature with Obie winner Dickie Drew Hearts

By PATRICK FOLLIARD Set against the harsh vicissitudes of the Great War, “Private Jones” a new musical written and directed by Marshall Pailet, is currently making its world premiere at Signature Theatre in Arlington.

Touted as gripping, unexpectedly funny, and purportedly true, it’s the story of Gomer Jones, a young Deaf Welshman who after wriggling his way into military service becomes a celebrated sniper only to learn there might be more to life.

The production features a cast of hearing, Deaf, and hard-of-hearing actors including Dickie Drew Hearts, the Deaf, gay, and affable actor who recently won an Obie Award for “Dark Disabled Stories” at the Public in New York, and is probably best known for his performance of Mateo in Netflix’s “Tales of the City” (2019 miniseries).

Gathered around the end of a long conference table in the Sondheim Multipurpose Room at Signature Theatre, Hearts and I along with two top notch interpreters (one to sign my questions and another to voice the actor’s replies) dive into conversation.

Hearts plays Henry, a Deaf munitions factory worker whose sister Gwenolyn (Leanne Antonio) becomes the love interest of Gomer (played by hard-of-hearing actor Johnny Link). It’s Henry who teaches Gomer sign language and essentially introduces him to Deaf culture, which isn’t unusual, says Hearts. It’s often through other Deaf people that the Deaf themselves get introduced to the Deaf community and signing world.

When the actors met in 2018, says Hearts, “Johnny [Link] was just learning sign language. I assured him that those who are hard-of-hearing are automatically very welcome members of the deaf community. Point blank.

There are no qualifications.”

And now, six years later, Hearts is thrilled to be working with Link. “It’s amazing to see Johnny again, and to be having full conversations with him in sign language both on and off stage.”

Not only is “Private Jones” a physically demanding show, but because it’s performed in spoken English as well as some American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) it presents some extra difficulties.

To play Henry, Hearts – a native ASL user since child-

hood – has had to learn BSL, tantamount to doing the show in an entirely new and different language. Hearts says, “I hope people recognize that. And signing along musically in BSL adds a layer of challenge beyond signing BSL dialogue.”

DICKIE DREW HEARTS (Photo by Matthew Murphy)

Of course, he remains undaunted. It’s about the job and getting the character right. And for the thirtysomething actor that means going deep.

“I would like to think Henry is a closeted gay man. Henry has ‘a roommate,’ is how I thought of his backstory.”

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Hearts adds, “I know that queer people have always been here and I like to infuse that into the characters I play whether or not it’s stated. I look for those moments of where it might be hinting at sexuality, and ask what was it like at the time, was it safe to be out?”

Born Deaf in Queens, New York, into a hearing family who’d recently immigrated from formerly British Guyana in South America, Hearts grew up in Newport News, Va. A childhood spent watching captioned TV shows taught him both English and how to impersonate characters, an obsession that he took out into the neighborhood. “Eventually, somebody said there’s a thing for what I do. It’s called theater,” he signs with a grin.

While attending Gallaudet University here in D.C., Hearts focused on film until his senior year when he randomly auditioned for the musical comedy “Urinetown” and landed the lead role of dashing Bobby Strong. A love for acting resurfaced and took hold.

After graduating, Hearts came out and promptly moved to L.A. where he spent the next six years skirmishing over a dearth of Deaf parts. When a gig led him to New York in 2018, his luck changed.

“Being a Deaf, gay, BIPOC actor was amazing for finding stage and film work in New York. But just when a lot of doors were opening for me, the pandemic hit and everything stopped.”

Slowly things picked up. And in 2021 he became part of a new project. He was soon reporting to a nondescript high rise in midtown Manhattan workshopping what would become “Private Jones.”

Now at Signature, Hearts is busy bringing Henry to life.

“It’s been an amazing journey and I’m really fortunate to have witnessed its evolution from the beginning. It’s become grander, more elevated, and the characters more complex. It’s a wonderful thing”

‘Private Jones’

Through March 10 | Signature Theatre

4200 Campbell Ave. | Arlington, Virginia 22206 $40-$99 | Sigtheatre.org

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DINING

Pastry chef Alex Levin creates desserts with global influences And now he’s on a quest to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie

By EVAN CAPLAN A decade as a decorated pastry chef in Washington, D.C., and Alex Levin knows how to create a global realm of desserts. But he also knows that the whole is tastier than the sum of its parts.

Levin serves as Executive Pastry Chef and as part of the executive team for Schlow Restaurant Group, where he’s worked since 2017. He’s crafted desserts for the group’s breadth of restaurant cuisines, from Spanish at Tico (recently rebranded as Japanese Nama Ko), American at now-closed Riggsby, Japanese at Nama and Nama Ko, and Italian at the several Alta Strada spots. He also throws an annual sold-out bakery popup for Thanksgiving and for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. “There’s something fun and so meaningful to spend nine straight days making food that will be a part of so many people’s celebrations,” he says.

ALEX LEVIN

Yet as a gay man, he also strives for representation and a focus on supporting the LGBTQ community.

After graduating from Yale and focusing on a career in management and finance, Levin fled that industry to attend the Culinary Institute of America to follow his

passion for pastry and restaurant management. After graduation, he trained at restaurants like Jean Georges and Cafe Boulud in New York, and moved to D.C. in 2013 to open Osteria Morini as pastry chef. There, he made a name for himself, earning a spot on Eater’s Young Guns in 2015 and in 2016, he earned the title of Best Pastry Chef from the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.

It was a time of invention in the dessert space.

Levin was deeply embedded in some of that boundary-stretching.

“When I first became a pastry chef, all of my mentors were pushing me to create deconstructed desserts. I really fell in love with that approach, because it challenged me to think very far outside of the box to have a guest really understand that a plate with five components on it could be considered a lemon tart.”

Yet at Schlow, running dessert programs across the city for an increasingly demanding clientele, his approach evolved. The deconstructed version might look more beautiful, but he realized that it also has to taste even better than its classic counterpart.

“I realized that sometimes there is no reason to alter a classic dessert but to add perhaps a modern shift.

That’s where I feel most comfortable now. It allows me to continue to express creativity both visually and with flavor to create the best version of a classic dessert.”

At Alta Strada (which has landed in the Washington Post’s Dining Guide for several years), Levin leans in to the restaurant’s homey style, with a touch of his signature flair, in the several desserts he makes. Traditional bomboloni get a glow up, given depth and tang with ricotta, vanilla, and orange in the batter and receiving a liberal dusting of cinnamon sugar; they’re served on a platter with chocolate hazelnut crema (i.e. liquid Nutella). He also crafts a brownie-cheesecake mashup: a whipped ricotta (sense a theme?) cheesecake sits atop a rich brownie, the black-and-white dessert set off by a single Luxardo cherry on top.

At Nama Ko, Levin’s menu is more concise but takes some additional liberties. The star is the Miso Honey Black Truffle soft serve ice cream, drizzled in choco-

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late sauce and caramel, under a shower of chocolate and toffee (there’s also a passionfruit sorbet with ube shortbread crumble). Now an expert at adjusting his soft serve machine to the right ratio of sugar, dairy, and flavor, Levin matches the sushi restaurant’s entrees with the ice cream’s balanced umami. Speaking of matching: he also plates a matcha crème brulee.

“When planning the dessert program for Nama Ko, I wanted to do something totally different for dessert — something the restaurant could be known for all on its own. The program had to be fun and allow the guests to have a Japanese dessert but with a twist. Once we landed on soft serve, the proposed flavors needed to have a level of simplicity and complexity.” The rollout received accolades, including in Washington City Paper and Eater’s Soft Serve map.

Levin, though, also serves as director of Strategic Business Initiatives. He coordinates operations, recruiting, reporting, marketing, menu design, and photography. He is constantly rethinking: refining his rotating selection of chocolate bonbons for special events, using colored cocoa butter for visual effect. He stays up on cookbooks, YouTube, and Instagram as resources for explanations and demos, “even how to braid a challah dough using a new technique.”

After coming out in 2000, Levin says he never encountered much homophobia in the culinary industry.

In D.C., he works to support LGBTQ groups, personally and through his restaurants. “That might mean making Thanksgiving desserts for SMYAL’s annual Thanksgiving dinner for the kids, or even transforming one of our restaurants into a destination for D.C.’s annual Pride.”

Levin also picks up a shift at the special seated dinner tables at the annual Chefs for Equality event, one the largest (and most fabulous) fundraisers for Human Rights Campaign.

Levin won’t rest on his soft serve laurels, continuing to find creative space. Stay tuned to his latest project, going on three years: to create “the best chocolate chip cookie. The current version is pretty close, but I continue to make some small modifications to improve the outcome.”

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FILM

Oscar-nominated ‘Nimona’ an essential gem for queer fans Rescued from oblivion of studio politics, film rings palpably authentic

By JOHN PAUL KING

If you weren’t already a fan of ND Stevenson’s webcomic-turned-graphic-novel, last summer’s release of Netflix’s screen adaptation of “Nimona” likely escaped your notice.

But with its emergence on multiple critics’ choice lists and awards show ballots for 2023, it’s time for you to pay attention.

Created while Stevenson — who has since come out as a trans man — was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art and initially distributed on Tumblr, the comic was published in print in 2015 to become an award-winning bestseller. It’s an adventuresome sci-fi/fantasy blend set in a futuristic world where the fairy tale knights of medieval tradition have been given a high-tech makeover; but what captured its audience even more than its high-spirited, whimsical creativity was its unsubtle exploration of LGBTQ identity, underscored by a same-sex love interest for its hero but resonating most deeply through its shape-shifting title character and a plot that revolves around the systematic suppression of “otherness” by society. Yet, “controversial” elements notwithstanding, it’s fully and unapologetically targeted toward YA readers – the very audience, of course, that is most in need of its messaging in a time when the discourse around queer identities has become an omnipresent source of existential anxiety for young people attempting to come to terms with any non-hetero-normative leanings that might be bubbling to the surface of their developing psyches.

When Stevenson – who went on from the success of “Nimona” in print to become the creative force behind numerous queer-friendly projects in various media, including a stint writing for Marvel (the comics “Thor” and “Runaways”), Disney’s animated “Wander Over Yonder” series, and the acclaimed Netflix reboot “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” – came out as trans in 2020, the themes of queer acceptance in his seminal work were illuminated beyond a shadow of a doubt. In the meantime, “Nimona” had already been optioned to 20th Century Fox Animation as the basis for a film adaptation, produced by their subsidiary Blue Sky Studios; when Disney acquired the rights to Fox and its properties, the movie fell under its control. According to staffers, commenting in the wake of Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek’s clumsy response to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” political campaign, the film had already experienced pushback from studio exec-

utives over its LGBTQ themes, and especially its inclusion of a same-sex kiss – and when COVID-related financial pressures led to budget cuts, Blue Sky, was officially shut down, along with “Nimona” and all the rest of its projects.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the end of the story. “Nimona” was picked up by indie production company Annapurna in 2022, with Nick Bruno and Troy Quane stepping in as directors, and Netflix granted distribution rights. The completed film, with all of its intended queer elements firmly intact, was given a limited theatrical release in June of 2023, debuting as a streamer on the Netflix platform a week later – to the delight of fans who had believed the long-awaited project to be a lost cause barely a year before.

It took another six months or so for the rest of the world to take notice, but thanks to its inclusion on critics’ choice lists and awards-season buzz in the wake of multiple nominations, “Nimona” has become one of last year’s “hidden gems.” and now stands within plausible reach of achieving the highest possible honor from the Hollywood movie industry: the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Of course, whether or not it wins that (or any other) accolade has little objective bearing on its quality as a film; while positive steps toward inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ characters and stories may be a laudable accomplishment in today’s tenuous social environment, they don’t necessarily equate to cinematic excellence from the wider perspective of aesthetic analysis. Fortunately, in this case, the two viewpoints merge perfectly to provide a movie that is at once keenly relevant to queer life in the modern age and defined by an artistic vision that transcends any political agenda or clumsy social engineering in which it might otherwise have allowed itself to become mired. While it may place its queer or queer-suggestive characters front-andcenter in the spotlight, its message is unmistakably aimed toward anyone who feels (or has ever felt) like an outsider in a world that rewards conformity over individual truth – and let’s face it, that means everybody.

In Bruno and Quane’s finished film, there is no effort to obscure or downplay the story’s queer underpinnings: the hero, a newly minted knight named Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed) is unequivocally gay, deeply in a fully requited love affair with fellow knight Ambrosius Goldenloin (YouTube star Eugene Lee Yang), and his shapeshifting sidekick, the titular Nimona (Chloë Grace Moritz), is so ob-

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The two queer protagonists of ‘Nimona.’

(Image courtesy of Netflix)

vious an allegorical avatar for trans-hood that only the most oblivious of viewers could miss it. That’s fortunate: deprived of its deeper purpose of accessibility for those “outside the norm,” there would be nothing all that special about “Nimona” beyond its admittedly stunning visual design, which evokes connections to thematically related movies from “Sleeping Beauty” to “Star Wars” and everything in between.

But though it makes painstaking effort to honor those and other influences within the scope of its pointedly progressive narrative, it establishes and inhabits its own distinctive milieu, carving a space for itself in which it feels neither derivative nor mired in gimmicky conceit - and it achieves this mostly through its loyalty toward (and empathy with) the characters whose status as outsiders to the mandated cultural standard makes them even more relatable.

Admittedly, it’s hard to miss the allegorical broad strokes in the plot, in which Boldheart, the first knight without a direct link to the ancient bloodline of the ruling class, is framed as a political criminal and targeted for elimination by a governing system steeped in long-standing traditions and prejudices, or to its seemingly juvenile title character, a girl with the ability to transform her physical being according to the dictates of whatever circumstance in which she should find herself and is branded and persecuted as a “monster” in the public eye. As the story progresses, revealing even more hidden-in-plain-sight correlations to the “real” world, it’s difficult to imagine even the most obtusely straightforward viewer being blind to the story’s clear message about the corrupting influence of ancient and unquestioned preconceptions on the systems that govern our world.

Its unsubtle messaging, however, is not a detriment; “Nimona,” rescued beyond probability from the oblivion of studio politics and economic obstacles, rings all the more palpably authentic for wearing its agenda on its sleeve.

In its unequivocal and undiluted embrace of the queer experience of “otherness” which lies (barely) beneath its every nuance, it becomes the inclusive, gay-and-trans-affirming parable it was always intended to be, emerging as a front-runner in the yearly race for accolades from a cautiously mainstream industry establishment in spite of its unapologetic queerness.

If that doesn’t make it essential viewing for queer movie fans, we don’t know what would.

At Barrie School, we acknowledge the dignity and worth of every individual, honor and celebrate the uniqueness of each other, and recognize that differences within our community and the broader world are an important source of enrichment and interpersonal growth.

Where everyone belongs...

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TV

Watch ‘Feud,’ if you like glam and wit doused with betrayal and regret New series focuses on Truman Capote and NYC socialites

By KATHI WOLFE Nothing is more of a pick-me-up in the doldrums of winter than a fabulously acted, incredibly stylish feud. Complete with Champagne flutes and a splendiferous mid-century ball at New York City’s Plaza Hotel. Especially, when it’s part of the ouevre of queer TV producer and creator Ryan Murphy, whose beloved shows include “American Horror Story,” “Glee” and the anthology series “Feud.”

Season 2 of Feud, “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” which premiered on Jan. 31, will air weekly on FX through March 13. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.

“Feud’s” powerhouse cast, which delivers stellar performances, includes: Tom Hollander as Truman Capote along with Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloe Sevigny and Calista Flockhart as Capote’s swans.

Demi Moore plays Ann Woodward, a socialite who Capote falsely said intended to murder her husband. Molly Ringwald portrays Joanne Carson who befriended Capote when nearly no one would take him in. The role of CBS chairman Bill Paley fits the late Treat Williams like a glove.

Hollander makes Capote seem like a brilliant, flawed, cruel, sometimes kind, human being, rather than a “fairy” caricature.

Jessica Lang does a star turn as the ghost of Capote’s mother. Gus Van Sant directs most of the episodes of “Feud.”

“Feud” is based on Laurence Leamer’s book “Capote’s Women.” Playwright and screenwriter Jon Robin Baitz adapted Leamer’s book into the miniseries “Feud.”

“Feud” is the story of how acclaimed queer author Capote, after becoming their best friend betrayed his “swans.”

“The swans,” were the rich, beautiful, New York society women who confided their secrets (from their insecurities about their looks to their husbands’ infidelities) to Capote.

These “swans,” who took Capote into their inner circle, were: Babe Paley (wife of CBS chairman Bill Paley), Lee Radziwill (Jackie Kennedy’s sister), socialite Slim Keith (ex-wife of Howard Hawks and Leland Hayward) and socialite C.Z. Guest.

“You can’t blame a writer for what the characters say,” Capote, once said.

His swans didn’t agree with Capote’s dictum.

Capote’s betrayal of the swans occurred in 1975. That year, “Esquire” published “La Cote Basque, 1965,” a chapter from Capote’s much anticipated novel “Answered Prayers.”

(Capote never completed the novel. An unfinished version was published after his death.)

The “Esquire” story, set in the restaurant where Capote often lunched with his “swans,” hurt and infuriated “the ladies who lunched.” The details revealed in the “Esquire” story were so personal and thinly veiled that the “swans” felt readers would easily identify them.

“Feud” depicts the bonds of friendship that frequently exist between hetero women and queer men. Capote gave his “swans” the love and attention their spouses failed to provide. Babe Paley called Capote her “second husband.”

For Capote, an outsider because he was gay, “the swans” provided acceptance, asso-

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ciation with high society (which he both loved and despised) and material for his writing.

Capote became estranged from the “swans” right after the “Esquire” story was published.

“Feud” goes back and forth in time. At first, this is a bit disconcerting. But, soon, it keeps things moving, and provides fascinating glimpses into Capote and the “swans.”

Bill and Babe Paley think Capote is the “other Truman” (Harry Truman) when they meet him in the 1950s.

‘Feud’ features NYC socialites known as the ‘swans’ and airs on F/X and Hulu through March 13.

In the 1970s, after the “swans” have shunned him, Capote is a washed-up, alcoholic, drug-addicted has-been. (Capote died in 1984 at age 59 of liver disease.)

The third episode is the stand-out of “Feud.” In 1966, Capote was at the height of his power after “In Cold Blood, his “non-fiction” novel, had been published to much acclaim and commercial success. To celebrate, Capote threw a Black and White masquerade ball. The ball, to which Capote invited 540 guests, was the most famous party of the 20th century. Katherine Graham of The Washington Post was the guest of honor.

The episode is shot as a (fictional) documentary of the ball. Shot in black and white, it’s visually stunning. We see interviews with some of the “swans,” who are ticked off, but trying not to show it, because Capote had led them to believe they would be the guest of honor.

Watch “Feud,” if you like glam, hats, white gloves, cocktails and wit doused with betrayal and regret.

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AUTOS

Rugged yet ritzy: Ford Bronco, Nissan Pathfinder One offers retro design, the other an edgy and chic look

By JOE PHILLIPS Both the Ford Bronco and Nissan Pathfinder have rough-and-ready reputations. Each boasts butch bona fides and some nifty off-road capability. But dig a bit deeper into your wallet, and you can step up to higher trim levels for added power and a bit more bling.

FORD BRONCO HERITAGE LIMITED EDITION $70,000 MPG: 17 city/17 highway 0 to 60 mph: 6.2 seconds Maximum cargo room: 77.6 cu. ft.

FORD BRONCO

PROS: Retro design, rousing engine rumble, myriad amenities CONS: Low fuel economy, bouncy ride, pricey IN A NUTSHELL: After a 24-year hiatus, the Ford Bronco came galloping back to showrooms in 2021. Today there are nine trim levels, including the Heritage Limited Edition that I just finished test driving for a week. At $70,000, this Bronco—second only to the $90,000 Raptor—still costs a pretty penny: $30,000 more than the entry-level model.

Yet the higher price is worth it, with a gritty V6 turbo that offers much more giddy-up than the standard four-cylinder engine.

There’s also a rad retro design, with heritage-style graphics, multiple skid plates, and special bumpers and fenders. Exterior colors—especially the Robin’s Egg Blue, coupled with a white grille and white roof—are a nice throwback to the 1960s. So are the removable doors and roof panels for a safari-like look à la an old-timey “Wild Kingdom” episode.

Yes, the Bronco is a truck-based SUV, so expect more bounciness than in a Lexus or a Lincoln. But the stable steering and comfortable seats help make up for it. Ground clearance is high, thanks to large 35-inch mud-terrain tires. Luckily, running boards and numerous rubber-lined grab handles make it easy to climb in and out.

Despite the sound-deadening insulation, there’s still a fair amount of exterior wind noise at high speeds. But this makes it easier to hear the sweet sound of the Bronco’s strong whinny, er, exhaust growl.

Along with a vibe that’s decidedly old-school cool, this mid-sizer comes with lots of modern amenities: keyless entry, remote start, heated seats, ambient lighting, dual-zone automatic climate control, 360-degree surround-view camera and 10-speaker premium B&O stereo. New this year is a larger, 12-inch touchscreen. I also liked the huge stowage area, with convenient cargo straps to hold down gear, a flip-up rear window for easy

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access, and a swing-out door to hold a full-size spare tire.

I guess you could say Ford wasn’t horsing around when it decided to add such a fully loaded Bronco to the stable.

NISSAN PATHFINDER ROCK CREEK $44,000 MPG: 20 city/23 highway 0 to 60 mph: 7.0 seconds Maximum cargo room: 80.4 cu. ft.

NISSAN PATHFINDER

PROS: Roomy, comfy, muted cabin CONS: So-so gas mileage, tight third row, many competitors IN A NUTSHELL: Seeking an SUV that’s more diamonds than denim? Then consider the Nissan Pathfinder, also redesigned just a few years ago and a big step up from the previous model. But instead of retro styling like a Ford Bronco, the look here is a combo of edgy and chic.

That’s especially true with the Rock Creek version, which sports an aggressive front fascia, grille inserts, trendy black cladding, raised off-road suspension, all-terrain tires and tubular roof rack that can hold 220 pounds. “Rock Creek” badging, which is stamped on the side panels and rear liftgate, is also embroidered in stylish orange contrast stitching on the water-resistant seats. All-wheel drive — optional on all other trims — is standard here. And Rock Creek towing capacity, which is 3,500 pounds on most other Pathfinders, is an impressive 6,000 pounds.

The spacious cabin has enough room for up to eight passengers, though third-row legroom is tight. In the second row, you can opt for a pair of captain’s chairs instead of a three-person bench seat. Regardless, those rear seats are heated, which is a nice touch.

Nissan has done a good job of making vehicles that feel as rich and luxurious as those in its high-end Infiniti lineup. On the Pathfinder, that means thicker glass and extra insulation for a whisper-quiet cabin. There’s also brushed-aluminum trim and a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel with paddle shifters. Along with smartphone integration, wireless charging pad and voice-command capability, other tech features include a windshield head-up display, 360-degree bird’s-eye camera, ambient interior lighting, 13-speaker Bose stereo and a slew of safety options.

When comparing the Ford Bronco with the Nissan Pathfinder, it’s hard to resist the rip-roaring ride of a fun and feisty Bronco. But the more practical Pathfinder is still plenty adventurous, especially with all the goodies that come in the Rock Creek.

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If you have questions, call us at 202-727-5355.

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Violentine’s Day

Desirée Dik hosts spooky show at Red Bear Brewing (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Desirée Dik hosted a spooky “Violentine’s Day” drag show at Red Bear Brewing on Friday, February 9. Performers included Venetian, Mota, Sadiah Yasmeen and Johnny Alucard.

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“leaves you at a loss for words” - The Washington Post

THRU FEBRUARY 25 In Spanish with English surtitles

20% OFF

REGULAR TICKETS for any perfomance

THE PALACIOS SISTERS Written and adapted by Cristina Garcia - Directed by Adrian Alea

FAMILY BONDS ARE CHALLENGED AS SIBLINGS NAVIGATE THE CHAOTIC 80s MIAMI

galatheatre.org 202-234-7174

3333 14th St NW WDC 20010

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LEFT PAGE

311 or 315 Chestnut Street, Lewes, DE | MLS: DESU2053526 | $2,195,000

311 or 315 Chestnut Street, Lewes, DE | MLS: DESU2053532 | $2,395,000

BUYER’S CHOICE IN DOWNTOWN LEWES!

HAVE IT ALL: HISTORIC LOCATION & BRAND NEW CONSTRUCTION!

Embrace the charm & splendor of Historic Lewes from this to-be-built Schell Brothers’ Mayberry Model, where you’re in the captain's chair to make it yours from the ground up! Offering an array of standard options and upgrades, enjoy a fantastic 2,254+ sqft floor plan that can be custom finished and expanded upon to suit your needs and desires. Standard features include engineered hardwood, plush carpeting, & ceramic tile flooring throughout, granite countertops in the kitchen, spacious owner’s suite with 2 walk-in closets & private en-suite bath, 2-car garage, and so much more. Located in the heart of Historic Lewes, within steps of multiple public parks, boutiques & restaurants! ***NOTE: Provided photos are of recent builds of the same model, and are for illustrative purposes only.

Get swept up in the charm and grandeur of Historic Lewes with Schell Brothers' Waterford Model that's yours to build from the ground up! Offering an array of standard options and upgrades, enjoy a fantastic 3,642+ sqft floor plan that can be customized and expanded upon to suit your needs and desires. Standard features include engineered hardwood, plush carpeting, & ceramic tile flooring throughout, granite countertops in the kitchen, expansive owner’s suite with 2 walk-in closets & private en-suite bath, spacious 2nd level with loft & 2 additional bedrooms & storage space, attached 2-car garage, and so much more. Located in the heart of Historic Lewes, within steps of multiple public parks, boutiques & restaurants! ***NOTE: Photo is a rendering and is for illustrative purposes only.

527 N Boardwalk #420, Rehoboth Beach, DE | MLS: DESU2049970 | $1,099,900

18753 Bethpage Drive, #14B, Lewes, DE | MLS: DESU2051916 | $424,900 OPEN HOUSE - Sunday, Feb 18 1-3 pm

PERFECT BEACH GETAWAY!

Don't miss this 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo directly on Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk!

Renovated throughout the years, this unit features an open floor plan, new flooring, fresh paint, multiple balconies, and ocean views. Perfect to use as your summer home or rent it out! Walk to all the Rehoboth Beach attractions and the beach!

TRANQUILITY MEETS CONVENIENCE!

This 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom townhouse in well-located Heritage Village is not just a residence; it’s an invitation to embrace the beach lifestyle! Freshly painted coastal palette offers a welcoming aura as soon as you step inside. Secure your spot in this lovely community and be prepared to savor the sweet moments of beach life by next Summer.

RIGHT PAGE

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REAL ESTATE

Building dream homes with confidence The pros, cons, and LGBTQ insights of new construction One key advantage of buying a newly constructed home is the ability to customize its finishings.

Buying a new construction home offers a unique set of advantages and challenges compared to purchasing a pre-owned property. Understanding these can help potential homeowners make informed decisions. Here’s an exploration of the pros and cons of buying a new construction home and the importance of professional real estate assistance.

Advantages of Buying a New Construction Home

Customization: One of the primary benefits of buying a new construction home is the ability to customize it according to your preferences. Buyers often have the option to select floor plans, finishes, and fixtures, making the home truly their own.

Modern Features: New homes are built with the latest technologies and materials, offering more energy-efficient windows, appliances, HVAC systems, and construction methods. This can lead to significant savings on utility bills and a smaller carbon footprint.

Less Maintenance: Since everything from the appliances to the roof is brand new, homeowners typically face fewer maintenance issues in the first few years compared to older homes where systems might be nearing the end of their lifespan.

Warranties: New construction homes usually come with warranties that cover the structure and sometimes appliances and systems for a certain period, providing peace of mind to the buyer.

Disadvantages of Buying a New Construction Home

Higher Costs: Often, new construction homes come at a premium price compared to older homes. Customizations and upgrades can also add up quickly, further increasing the overall cost.

Delays: Construction timelines can be unpredictable due to weather, supply chain issues, or labor shortages. This can lead to delays in the move-in date, which can be problematic for buyers with specific timing needs.

Immature Landscaping: Newly developed areas may lack mature trees and landscaping, which can affect the property’s aesthetic appeal and privacy. It may take years for new plantings to grow fully.

Community Development: In new subdivisions, construction can continue for months or years after you move in, leading to ongoing noise, dust, and traffic.

Importance of Connecting with a GayRealEstate.com Realtor

Expert Guidance: A Realtor familiar with new construction can provide invaluable advice on the quality of different builders, potential future developments in the area, and the negotiation of upgrades and closing costs.

Representation: Builders have their own sales agents or representatives looking out for their interests. Having your own real estate agent ensures someone is advocating for your best interests, helping to navigate contracts and warranties.

Market Knowledge: Realtors have a deep understanding of the local real estate market, which can help in evaluating the new construction home’s quality and price against current market conditions.

LGBTQ Friendly: For LGBTQ individuals and families, finding a welcoming and supportive community is crucial. Realtors from GayRealEstate.com specialize in understanding the unique needs and concerns of the LGBTQ community, ensuring a smooth and respectful home-buying experience.

Before visiting a new home community, connecting with a Realtor from GayRealEstate.com can provide you with a competitive advantage. Their expertise, advocacy, and personalized support can help navigate the complexities of buying a new construction home, making the process less stressful and more rewarding. Whether it’s negotiating the price, understanding the fine print of your contract, or choosing the right community, a professional real estate agent is an invaluable asset in your home-buying journey.

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READER SURVEY

YOUR FEEDBACK AND RESPONSES WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE PROVIDING THE VERY BEST INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONTINUED READERSHIP AND SUPPORT!

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T H E R E U N I O N P R O J E C T — B A LT I M O R E

UNIFIED BALTIMORE: POSITIVELY

Living Well

Join us in Baltimore, Maryland, on

Keynote Speaker: Ronald Johnson Chair, US People Living with HIV Caucus

February 23-24, 2024, for a 2-day event for long-term survivors and people aging with HIV.

Plus: Allison Agwu, MD, ScM, FAAP, FIDSA Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

THE EVENT IS FREE

PRE-REGISTER NOW AT https://bit.ly/trpbaltimore reunionproject.net PRESENTED BY

I N PA RT N E R S H I P W I T H

IN C O L L A B O R AT I O N WITH THE

This program is made possible with funding from Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare

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LEGAL NOTICES

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Amended FDOP 2/9/2024

CLEANING

PROBATE DIVISION 2024 ADM 000039 Marshall Peckham, Name of Decedent Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs

Emily Champlin, whose address is 900 5th St NE, Apt 4, Washington, DC 20002 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Marshall Peckham who died on July 28, 2018 without 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 shall be filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. 515 5th Street N.W., Building A, 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001, on or before August 9, 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 August 9, 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: February 9, 2024 Name of newspaper and/or periodical: Daily Washington Law Reporter, Washington Blade /s/ Emily Champlin, Signature of Petitioner 900 5th St NE, Apt 4, Washington, DC 20002 (831)419-8793 /s/Nicole Stevens, Register of Wills, Clerk of the Probate Division

MASSAGE

MASSAGE

FOR FIT & ACTIVE MEN

Low key private spot near Rosslyn. Fri-Mon, 12-9. text 301-704-1158 or visit

www.mymassagebygary.com

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

BULLETIN BOARD

Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

ROOFING CONTRACTOR The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School located in Washington, DC requests proposals for Roof Contractor. Proposals are due March 4th, 2024. You can find the detailed request for proposal and submission information at https://aohdc.org/jobs/

Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

ADVOCACY CONTRACTOR The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School located in Washington, DC requests proposals for Advocacy Contractor.

Proposals are due February 27th, 2024. You can find the detailed request for proposal and submission information at https://aohdc.org/jobs/

CLEANING

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

COUNSELING

COUNSELING FOR LGBTQ People Individual/couple counseling with a volunteer peer counselor. GMCC, serving our community since 1973.

202-580-8661

gaymenscounseling.org

No fees, donation requested.

HANDYMAN

BRITISH REMODELING

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

Trevor 703-303-8699

LEGAL SERVICES

ADOPTION, DONOR, SURROGACY legal services. Catelyn represents LGBTQ clients in DC, MD & VA interested in adoption or ART matters.

MODERN FAMILY FORMATION Law Offices, Slattery Law, LLC.

240-245-7765

Catelyn@ModernFamilyFormation.com

LIMOUSINES KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE Since 1987. Gay & Veteran Owner/ Operator.

Lincoln Continental Sedan!

Proper DC License & Livery Insured.

www.KasperLivery.com

202-554-2471

MOVERS

AROUND TOWN MOVERS & STORAGE Local | Long Distance Residential | Commercial Licensed & Insured Packing | Moving | Unpacking Ask about the Blade discount!

Call Today 202.734.3080 www.AroundTownMovers.com

HOUSING / SHARE DC

CLEAN SAFE SINGLE OCCUPANCY ROOMS

FOR RENT Call 202-329-4736 for immediate occupancy.

Must have proof of income.

All are welcome. No couples.

Females preferred!

WOMEN FOR WOMEN

WILL YOU BE MY SWEET VALENTINE? I am an attractive Caribbean Lesbian ISO love, friendship, and new experiences from 100% lesbian femme female.

Call me: 202-329-4736.

BODYWORK

THE MAGIC TOUCH

Swedish, Massage or Deep Tissue.

Appts. Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

202-486-6183

Use Blade advertisers & tell ‘em,

“I saw your ad in the Blade!”

PLACE YOUR AD AT: WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

& your ad prints in the paper and online or email: classifieds@washblade.com for assistance!

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