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Council hopefuls back LGBTQ rights at Stein Club forum LGBTQ Democrats to choose among friends in online vote on endorsements

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com

All 23 candidates running in D.C.’s June 2 Democratic primary for seats on the City Council and three congressional seats that showed up for the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club’s virtual endorsement forum on Monday night expressed strong support for LGBTQ rights.

Among those participating in the live video streaming forum were D.C. congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C. “shadow” U.S. Sen. Paul Strauss, D.C. “shadow” U.S. House candidate Oye Owolewa, and incumbent D.C. Council members Robert White (AtLarge), Brandon Todd (Ward 4), Vincent Gray (Ward 7), and Trayon White (Ward 8).

Also participating in the forum were the eight candidates running in the primary in the hotly contested race for the Ward 2 Council seat, including former Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans, who resigned from the seat last year following allegations of ethics violations. Evans’ decision to run again for the seat has drawn sharp criticism from many in the city’s political establishment.

But none of the seven candidates running against Evans, including gay candidate John Fanning, raised the matter of Evans’ ethics breaches that prompted his Council colleagues to decide to expel him from the Council had he not resigned.

Instead, Evans and all the other Ward 2 candidates as well as the candidates running for the other Council seats chose to stress the positive steps they pledged to take to advance the quality of life for the LGBTQ community and the city as a whole rather than attack their opponents.

The Ward 2 candidates running in the Democratic primary participating in the Stein Club forum in addition to Evans and Fanning were Patrick Kennedy, Kishan Putta, Jordan Grossman, Daniel Hernandez, Brooke Pinto, and Yilin Zhang. Fanning, Kennedy, and Putta are elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners.

The Ward 4 candidates participating in the forum, in addition to Todd, were Janeese Lewis George and Marlena D. Edwards.

The Ward 7 candidates, in addition to incumbent Gray, were Kelvin Brown, Anthony Lorenzo Green, and Veda Rasheed. Two other candidates running in the primary for the Ward 7 seat – Rebecca J. Morris and James

JOHN FANNING, who’s gay, said it’s time for the LGBTQ community to once again have one of its own on the Council.

Leroy Jennings – did not participate in the forum on Monday, the only candidates out of a total of 25 candidates on the Democratic primary ballot who did not participate.

The Ward 8 candidates appearing at the forum besides incumbent Trayon White included Stuart Anderson, Mike Austin, and Yaida Ford.

Norton, Strauss, and Owolewa are running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Norton and Strauss are longtime vocal supporters of LGBTQ rights, At the direction of Stein Club President Kent Boese and Vice President for Political Affairs Monika Nemeth, the candidates gave opening statements before responding to questions by Washington Post local political reporter Fenit Nirappil, who served as guest moderator.

Boese announced at the start of the forum that the Stein Club’s membership of over 300 LGBTQ and LGBTQ supportive D.C. residents would be voting for the candidate of their choice for a club endorsement online from May 12-15.

“The Stein Club will be using a ranked choice ballot and a contingent vote system to calculate a winner, and we encourage everyone to rank all of their choices and not bullet vote,” a message the club sent to its members by email says. “To receive the Stein Club endorsement, a candidate must receive a supermajority vote of more than 60.0%,” the club says in its email.

The email says the club invited all candidates running in the Democratic primary to submit candidacy statements

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to the club, which would be sent to the membership. In addition, the club was to send its members copies of the candidates’ responses to the D.C. Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance’s candidate questionnaires and GLAA’s ratings of the candidates based on their questionnaire responses and known record on LGBTQ issues.

Although all of the candidates participating in the Stein Club’s forum on Monday expressed support for LGBTQ issues in their opening statements and in response to questions asked by Nirappil, GLAA’s detailed scrutiny of the candidates’ responses to its questionnaire and some of the candidates’ failure to return the questionnaire resulted in several receiving a low rating.

GLAA rates candidates on a scale of +10, the highest possible rating, to -10, the lowest score. It assigns plus or minus two points based on whether a candidate answers “yes” or “no” on questions asking whether they support an important LGBTQ related issue.

A plus or minus four points are given based on what GLAA says is the “substance” of the candidates’ responses to the questions. And a plus or minus four points are given based on a candidate’s public record – good or bad – on LGBTQ related issues.

Candidates that fail to return the questionnaire receive an automatic “0” rating if they have no known public record on LGBTQ issues.

In the Ward 7 Council race, Rasheed received a “0” GLAA rating for not returning the questionnaire and having no known record on LGBTQ issues, GLAA states in a statement accompanying its ratings.

Green, who’s gay and who has expressed strong support for LGBTQ issues in the past, received +4 rating for also failing to return the questionnaire. He received the maximum of 4 points based on his record of support on LGBTQ issues, GLAA said.

Gray, who has a longtime record of strong support for the LGBTQ community as a former mayor and Council member, received a +8 rating, which GLAA considers a strong rating. The group said Gray lost points for not agreeing with GLAA’s position of full decriminalization of sex work in the city and not giving sufficient substance to a few of the other questions with which he agreed

with GLAA. Gray received the maximum points for his past record on LGBTQ issues.

Council member Robert White (D-AtLarge) and Ward 2 Council candidate Jordan Grossman were the only candidates to receive GLAA’s highest rating of +10 in the June 2 primary races. Gay Ward 2 candidate John Fanning received a +9, the second highest of the primary ratings. Ward 2 candidates Patrick Kennedy and Kishan Putta each received a rating of +8.5, the next highest among rating given by GLAA. In an action considered controversial by some political observers, GLAA refused to assign a rating to Evans or to send him the GLAA questionnaire. In a statement accompanying its ratings, GLAA says it has a policy of not issuing a rating for “candidates who, in their capacity as elected officials, were expelled from any elected post, or resigned, for ethics violations that include, but are not limited to, conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and malfeasance.”

Evans received a +10 GLAA rating four years ago when he successfully ran for reelection to the Ward 2 Council seat. His supporters note that Evans is recognized as being one of the Council’s strongest supporters of LGBTQ rights in the 29 years he served on the Council.

During the Stein Club forum on Monday night, Evans said he would continue to be an advocate and “champion” for LGBTQ issues if elected again to the Ward 2 seat.

In a part of the forum in which Stein Club members who signed up in advance were given a chance to express support or opposition to one or more candidates, gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners Mike Silverstein, Japer Bowles, and Randy Downs, gay D.C. School Board member Jack Jacobson, and Casa Ruby founder and CEO Ruby Corado each expressed support for Kennedy, saying he has a longstanding record of support and commitment to LGBTQ issues.

Longtime gay activist and community leader Michael Saint Andres expressed strong support for Fanning, saying Fanning has a record of commitment and support for LGBTQ issues and progressive causes for more than 20 years.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Comings & Goings

Timely new book tackles healing after hard times

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.

Congratulations to the Rev. Earl E. Johnson on the publication of his new book, “Finding Comfort during Hard Times: A Guide to Healing after Disease, Violence and other Community Trauma.”

Johnson is a Disaster Spiritual Care Manager and chaplain. For 10 years he was the national spiritual care manager for the American Red Cross. He recruited, screened, trained, and deployed highly credentialed healthcare chaplains to mass fatality events. Johnson was also part of a team that assessed and planned emotional and spiritual support for the victims and REV. EARL JOHNSON and the cover of ‘Finding loved ones of such horrific unanticipated Comfort During Hard Times’ events. He coordinated professional spiritual care support after fatal domestic aviation incidents, massive Gulf hurricanes including Katrina, Rita, and Gus, the Virginia Tech shootings, and Orlando. He has made numerous TV appearances and lectured at universities including Michigan State, Michigan, and Radford/Virginia Tech at disaster preparedness conferences.

Johnson is an ordained Disciples minister, Yale Divinity graduate, and Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. He served Disciples and UCC parishes in Missouri and New York before his chaplaincy training at Memorial Sloan Kettering/ New York Presbyterian (Cornell), and New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. He was the Protestant Staff Chaplain at Cabrini Medical Center when he moved from lower Manhattan to Arlington, Va., in 2001 to work as a chaplain educator at Washington Hospital Center. For 10 years he was an adjunct instructor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (CUNY).

His book has received rave reviews including one from Tom Viola, executive director, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS who said, “‘Finding Comfort during Hard Times’ is an encyclopedic handbook on how to give care and offer comfort. An incredibly wise, gentle and thoughtful road map on how to survive the trauma, both anticipated and unexpected, of the deep emotional challenges of loss we face as individuals, a family or community so that we, in turn, can provide assistance, solace and hope either as a professional or volunteer. Oscar Wilde wrote, ‘The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.’ Earl Johnson successfully and gracefully provides us with both.”

Congratulations also to Samuel Brinton the Trevor Project’s new vice president of Advocacy and Government Affairs. Brinton said, “In a time when The Trevor Project is needed more than ever and serving more LGBTQ youth than ever before, it’s exciting to be able to fight for LGBTQ youth in Congress, the courtroom, and in state capitals across the country. I am grateful to be named vice president and ready for the next great advocacy adventure.” He has worked for The Trevor Project since 2017 as head of Advocacy and Government Affairs.

Prior to that, Brinton created a consulting SAMUEL BRINTON firm specializing in government affairs contracts on advanced nuclear legislative proposal drafting, nuclear waste disposal regulatory research, and stakeholder communication engagement. They was a senior policy analyst for the Bipartisan Policy Center; and managed a million dollar think tank research project on the subject of nuclear waste with responsibilities for coordination of experts as well as press, policy research and Congress advising Third Way as a Clean Energy Fellow.

Baltimore’s City Café closes after 25 years Beloved gay-owned restaurant a COVID casualty

By ED GUNTS

Another gay-owned nightspot has closed in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The owners of the City Café, a popular restaurant and bar that has been closed for two months because of the coronavirus outbreak, disclosed Tuesday that it won’t be coming back.

“After 25 years, this isn’t the ending we hoped for,” owners Gino Cardinale and Bruce Bodie wrote on Instagram.

“Sadly, we notified our employees and landlord today that City Café will not be reopening when the shutdown ends. It breaks our hearts to say farewell, but since there is so much sadness in the world already, let’s focus on the remarkable success this once little coffee shop (founded September 1994) became. For that, we THANK YOU Baltimore and especially Mount Vernon.”

The closing makes City Café the latest of several gay-owned but straight-friendly establishments that have disappeared from the Mount Vernon neighborhood, once the epicenter of gay life in Baltimore. The Hippo nightclub closed in 2015; G. A. Y. Lounge closed in 2017; and Grand Central nightclub has plans to move to the spot vacated recently by Flavor, a lesbian-oriented lounge.

City Café itself occupied the former spot of Girard’s, a disco that was modeled after New York’s Studio 54 and had a large gay following before it was destroyed by fire 30 years ago.

When Baltimore’s LGBTQ community had its annual Pride weekend Block Party on Eager Street, City Café anchored one end of the block and the Hippo and Grand Central anchored the other. Its outdoor tables and diners brought life to an otherwise nondescript intersection.

It was a place to take visitors from out of town if you wanted to impress them.

The business has been closed since mid-March, when Gov. Larry Hogan Baltimore’s City Cafe has closed permanently due to coronavirus. prohibited dine-in service at Maryland restaurants as a way of preventing the spread of COVID-19. The owners initially tried to offer meals-to-go but didn’t get enough business to make it sustainable.

One insider explained online that the layout, with banquette seating that promoted socializing and table hopping, would have made it difficult to space tables six feet apart for ‘social distancing’ if it did reopen. That’s not what City Café was about.

In 2016, the owners bought another restaurant, Tark’s Grill and Bar in Baltimore County. Unlike City Café, Tark’s has been offering takeaway service during the pandemic, including chef’s specials for Mother’s Day Cardinale declined to comment when asked for more information about the status of Tark’s or the decision to close City Café.

Yesterday, City Café’s Facebook page and other social media platforms were filled with tributes from patrons saying how much the business meant to Mount Vernon and what a loss it will be for Baltimore’s LBGTQ community.

“It was THE place to go in the Gayborhood; dinner, drinks, brunch, Gay Pride, birthdays, rainy afternoons, celebrations, fund raisers and the list goes on,” said patron Harry Charles. “This is truly like losing a family member.”

Blade editor Kevin Naff, a 25-year customer of City Cafe, also weighed in.

“City Cafe meant so much to the city, the Mount Vernon neighborhood and the LGBTQ community,” Naff said. “I can’t count how many birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, fundraisers, and other special occasions I spent there. Thank you to Gino and Bruce for creating a safe space for all to come together for 25 years.”

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Expenses up, income down for area LGBTQ nonprofits Casa Ruby, Whitman-Walker, SMYAL, others coping with COVID

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com

Like nonprofit organizations throughout the country, at least seven LGBTQ supportive nonprofit groups in D.C. that provide services for area youth and adults say the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted their fundraising efforts while increasing expenses, at least in part by prompting more people to come to them for help.

An informal survey conducted by the Washington Blade found that the local LGBTQ supportive groups Casa Ruby, Whitman-Walker Health, SMYAL, Wanda Alston Foundation, HIPS, and Food & Friends have experienced an increase in the number of clients reaching out to them for services.

At the same time, officials with several of the organizations have said restrictions put in place to curtail the spread of the coronavirus by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, including a ban on events that draw large numbers of people and the shutdown of hundreds of small businesses, some of which donated money to the LGBTQ nonprofits, have resulted in a drop in revenue for the groups.

The D.C.Center for the LGBT Community has said it, too, could encounter a decrease in revenue if the epidemic’s restrictions force the cancellation of fundraising events later this year. The Center announced on its website in March that restrictions put in place related to the epidemic forced it to temporarily close its offices at 2000 14th St., N.W., but many of its member organizations were holding events remotely online through the video streaming service Zoom.

The Center also announced one of its most popular projects, the Reel Affirmations LGBTQ Film Festival, would offer monthly film showings remotely on demand. This month’s offering, in celebration of Black Pride Month, will be the film “Pier Kids,” which portrays the lives of a group of LGBTQ youth of color, some of whom were kicked out of their homes. The DC Center says a “ticket” for $12 can be purchased to view the film from Friday, May 15 through Monday, May 18, at dccenter.org.

Ruby Corado, founder and executive director of the D.C. LGBTQ community services center Casa Ruby, said Casa Ruby is among the local groups experiencing a dramatic increase in clients seeking, among other things, emergency housing, since the coronavirus outbreak hit the city in full force in early March.

Unlike some of the other LGBTQ groups, Corado said, closing the doors of its headquarters building and community services center at 7530 Georgia Ave., N.W. and working remotely with clients through online “visits” is not an option.

“We cannot close and ask our clients to call from home,” Corado said. “We are their home,” she said in referring to the homeless LGBTQ youth for whom Casa Ruby serves as an emergency shelter.

Corado said the business shutdowns, including the temporary closing of local LGBTQ bars and nightclubs, resulted in a drop in donations for Casa Ruby in the past two months. She said she’s hopeful that others who have not been as severely impacted financially by the epidemic will come forward with financial support.

D.C. gay businessman Anthony Shop has joined forces with gay Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood

‘We cannot close and ask our clients to call from home,’ said RUBY CORADO of Casa Ruby.

Commissioner Randy Downs to launch an initiative called Take-Out to Help Out that the two say is aimed at helping both small LGBTQ businesses and nonprofit LGBTQ groups like Casa Ruby.

Shop told the Blade the Take-Out to Help Out group has raised about $3,000 so far, which it will use to pay local LGBTQ restaurants and bars that offer food service to produce meals to be delivered to the employees and clients of LGBTQ nonprofit groups like Casa Ruby, SMYAL and others.

“Meals will be purchased from LGBTQ-owned businesses that have been affected by the economic effects of the pandemic and provided to nonprofit organizations that serve LGBTQ+ youth at risk of homelessness,” a statement released by the group says.

Whitman-Walker Health, the city’s largest private provider of HIV and other health related services with a large LGBTQ client population, has said its large number of clients and its launching of two COVID-19 testing sites required it to switch most of its non-COVID patients to a “telehealth” remote visit system beginning on March 23.

As of early May, Whitman-Walker has provided nearly 6,000 telehealth visits to patients and clients either by phone or online video streaming. But according to Naseema Shafi, Whitman-Walker’s CEO, the number of telehealth visits were 2,000 fewer than the usual 8,000 in-house patient visits for the same six-week period that occurred before the coronavirus restrictions began.

Shafi told the Blade in an email that in addition to a drop in fundraising activities caused by the epidemic’s restrictions, Whitman-Walker discovered that insurance companies and to some degree Medicare pay less for telehealth visits than for in-person visits, causing an additional loss in revenue.

“We have lost over a half million in revenue impact from COVID in one month,” Shafi said. “We started to see loss in revenue in March and this will continue for the foreseeable future. We will need support from all areas, but especially

1 0 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • MAY 15, 2020 • LOCA L N E W S

from the community,” she said.

Shafi said Whitman-Walker nevertheless will continue its longstanding mission as a first responder providing care for patients and the community. She noted that as of early May, Whitman-Walker tested over 385 people for COVID. Out of those tested, 15 percent were transgender, 42.3 percent were lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and 33 percent were people living with HIV. About 100 of those tested were found to have a positive test result, she said.

SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth and in recent years opened two houses for homeless LGBTQ youth, is hopeful that members of the LGBTQ community will provide the financial support SMYAL needs to continue its programs during the epidemic, according to spokesperson Hancie Stokes.

Stokes told the Blade last month that SMYAL, in response to social distancing restrictions put in place by the city, has had to close its offices and youth drop-in center on Capitol Hill and switch to virtual counseling and other interaction with its youth clients.

“For many of the youth who come to our drop-in and leadership programs, they were in the middle of their spring semester, seeing friends on a daily basis, and the stay-at-home orders were a huge disruption to those routines and community,” Stokes said.

“Youth have talked about how they felt disappointed, sad, or incomplete given that graduations and other milestones that they’ve been working toward have been cancelled or moved virtually,” Stokes told the Blade. “One youth told us, ‘Personally, I know that I am scared. With my school closed, I lack my usual community, support and structure…leaving me alone, isolated, and disoriented,’” Stokes quoted the youth as saying.

June Crenshaw, executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, which among other things operates the Wanda Alston House for homeless LGBT youth in Northeast D.C., said the coronavirus outbreak has had an adverse impact on both the foundation’s finances and the nine youth who reside at the Alston House.

“Obviously, as a shelter we are essential and still open and doing business,” Crenshaw said, adding that new protocols had to be developed to ensure the safety of the staff and youth residing at the Alston House.

“Obviously our residents can’t go to school or go to work and so they may have to shelter in place,” she said.

“And I think that isolation and being disconnected from friends and potentially having to stay in shelter longer is causing all kinds of stress.”

According to Crenshaw, 75 percent of the Alston Foundation’s revenue comes from city government grants, with the remaining 25 percent coming from private contributions from supporters. She said the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a decrease of between 25 and 30 percent in private donations, in part because of the cancellation of planned fundraising events.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Trump’s love affair with Ric Grenell Acting DNI one of the most senior openly gay officials in history

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Aides to President Trump fall in and out of favor depending on various factors — including whether they bring positive headlines for the administration. One official now riding high is Richard Grenell.

Despite the anti-LGBTQ reputation Trump has built over the course of his presidency, he praised the openly gay Grenell — who now wears two hats as U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence — during an interview last week on “Fox & Friends.”

“Ric Grenell is doing a fantastic job, an absolutely fantastic job as our No. 1 person on intelligence,” Trump said. “He has been incredible.”

Trump had a frostier relationship with Grenell’s predecessors — including Dan Coats, who publicly criticized Trump after he downplayed Russian interference in the 2016 election during a joint news conference with Vladimir Putin — a contrast Trump referenced in his praise for Grenell.

“It’s too bad the people that were sitting before him — I won’t use names — didn’t do anything,” Trump said. “They didn’t do a thing. It was like they just sat there in the office.

‘Hello, goodbye.’ That would be a meeting. But Ric Grenell is doing a fantastic job, and this country owes a lot to him.”

Much of Trump’s praise was based on Grenell’s recent decision as head of intelligence to make public the transcripts of the closed-door hearing before House Select Committee on Intelligence on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In conservative circles, it was a big deal. In the aftermath of the Mueller report finding no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, the transcripts depict Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in an unfavorable light, aggressively going after Trump administration officials, who all denied collusion with Russia before the committee.

That’s a different story than the other side tells of a fearless Schiff defying the wrath of Trump and his supporters by getting to the truth about the 2016 election and holding the administration accountable.

Conservatives also seized on a quote from former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates indicating President Obama was aware of the FBI’s interview with Michael Flynn, which they say is evidence of wrongdoing. Trump accused Obama of committing the “biggest political crime in American history,” although Trump himself has been unable to articulate any particular crime Obama allegedly committed.

Grenell is backing up Trump. On Tuesday, ABC News reported Grenell has declassified and delivered to the Justice Department a list of former Obama administration officials who were allegedly involved “in the so-called ‘unmasking’ of former national security adviser Michael Flynn in his conversations with the former Russian ambassador during the presidential transition.”

In a significant way, Grenell is having an influence on the Trump administration’s communications strategy as the administration is assailed for its response to COVID-19 and Trump vies for re-election. That’s coming from a person who’s a member of the LGBTQ community.

Grenell came into the position of acting director of national intelligence in February, while retaining his job as

President DONALD TRUMP has a good relationship with acting DNI RICHARD GRENELL. (Photo via Instagram)

U.S. ambassador to Germany.

Trump never sought Senate confirmation for Grenell as director of national intelligence and kept him in an “acting” role. Even top Republicans, such as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), have cautioned he lacks the requisite experience for the job. Grenell has said his role is temporary and he expects to step down after the Senate confirms John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence.

But the relationship between Trump and Grenell goes back further than his appointment as acting director of national intelligence. A Trump loyalist in practice and policy, Grenell as ambassador to Germany publicly browbeat U.S. allies to spend more on defense and meet their NATO obligations to spend at least two percent of GDP on the military.

The spending has markedly increased. Starting in 2021, Germany will increase its contribution to the NATO budget by $36 million to match the U.S. contribution, according to foreign press reports.

Previously, Grenell’s name was floated for potential appointments by Trump to high-level roles, including national security adviser and secretary of state. A look at Grenell’s Instagram account reveals images of Trump as well as a picture of him with Trump during a recent trip to Berlin.

One gay D.C.-based national security expert, who has known Grenell for years and spoke on condition of anonymity for greater candor, said the consensus is the relationship between Trump and Grenell is good and the two have “talked tons” since Grenell took on the new role.

“The combination of Ric just lowering the decibel level on Biden/Ukraine and other matters and just keeping a low profile for most part gave Trump some cover on his back side while dealing with the COVID crisis,” the expert said.

Grenell’s influence can be seen early on after his appointment as acting director of national intelligence.

Shortly after media reports emerged Russia is once again seeking to meddle in the 2016 election to support Trump, Trump indicated Joseph Maguire would step down from his role as director of intelligence and Grenell would assume

1 2 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • MAY 15, 2020 • NATI ON A L N E W S

the role. Reports subsequently emerged that the depiction of Russia’s meddling in the 2020 election was overblown.

In his new job, Grenell has tangled with Schiff, who has voiced objections to Grenell’s restructuring of intelligence agencies. In a recent letter, Schiff said he was making changes without congressional consent “in a manner that undermines critical intelligence functions.” Grenell took Schiff to task on Twitter for alerting the media to the letter before transmitting it (such practice is common for House members).

One recent change Grenell has made is the creation of an intelligence community “cyber executive,” which will oversee four consolidated, previously separate ODNI organizations focused on cybersecurity. Other changes are closing out the directorate of national security partnerships and establishing a DNI adviser for military affairs. Grenell on Twitter said “more changes to come” and “reforms should have been done before I arrived.”

Much like Trump, Grenell also has a combative relationship with the media — and the LGBTQ media is no exception. Grenell didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article, and his influence seems so extensive that neither did gay conservatives in his circles. Even Log Cabin Republicans, where Grenell formerly served as a board member, declined to comment for this article.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere, however, confirmed to the Washington Blade via email Trump’s relationship with Grenell is strong.

“As the president has said before, he and Ambassador Grenell have a good relationship built on mutual trust – a trust that has only grown as the ambassador has delivered results,” Deere said. “The president has enormous confidence in Ambassador Grenell to tackle any challenge put in front of him, including keeping the American people safe as the acting DNI, and is grateful for his service to the administration and the American people.”

Faced with accusations the Trump administration is anti-LGBTQ, Republicans have pointed to the appointment of Grenell as evidence to the contrary. After all, as a Cabinet member, even though he’s serving in an acting capacity, Grenell is arguably the highest-ranking openly gay presidential appointee in U.S. history.

Democrats have responded that one openly gay appointment does not a pro-LGBTQ administration make, especially compared to the transgender military ban, judicial confirmations with histories of anti-LGBTQ views, religious freedom carve-outs to LGBTQ regulations and arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that LGBTQ people don’t have non-discrimination protections under federal law.

But Grenell’s mark on LGBTQ rights isn’t limited to being an openly gay presidential appointee. As ambassador to Germany, Grenell has spearheaded a global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality in the more than 70 countries where it remains illegal. Trump himself brought up the initiative, even explicitly mentioning the LGBTQ community, during an address last year before the United Nations.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Trans trailblazer Aimee Stephens dies at 59

AIMEE STEPHENS speaks to reporters at the Supreme Court.

(Blade photo by Michael Key)

Aimee Stephens, the funeral home director fired for being transgender and the center of a Supreme Court case that will determine whether anti-trans discrimination is prohibited nationwide, has died at age 59, the American Civil Liberties Union announced Tuesday.

Stephens died at her home in metro Detroit with her wife, Donna Stephens, at her side as a result of kidney failure and related complications, an ACLU spokesperson said.

An unexpected leader in the LGBTQ movement, Stephens was terminated from her job in 2013 at Harris Funeral Homes for being transgender after she announced she’d transition. Her case led to litigation that is currently pending before the Supreme Court and could see a decision as soon as this week.

Chase Strangio, deputy director for Trans Justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, said in a statement Stephens “did not set out to be a hero and a trailblazer, but she is one.”

“Being a part of Aimee’s team at the Supreme Court has been one of the proudest moments of my life because of the amazing person behind the case,” Strangio said. “As a member of her legal team, I am deeply sad for this loss. As a transgender person and an advocate, I am filled with both grief and rage that we have lost an elder far too soon.”

Stephen’s case will determine whether anti-trans discrimination is a form of sex discrimination, therefore illegal in the workplace under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The litigation, Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, was consolidated before the Supreme Court with cases of gay workers alleging discrimination — Zarda v. Altitude Express and Bostock v. Clayton County. The three cases will determine whether discrimination in the workplace against the entire LGBTQ community is illegal.

Stephens attended oral arguments at the Supreme Court after addressing the crowd on the steps and was seen ushered around in a wheelchair by transgender actor and activist Laverne Cox. In October 2019, Stephens told the Blade she wasn’t sure she’d attend because of health concerns, but said the journey has “been an eye-opening experience.”

CHRIS JOHNSON

1 4 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • MAY 15, 2020 • NATI ON A L N E W S

Lawmakers seek LGBTQ protections in int’l COVID efforts A bicameral group of congressional lawmakers led by Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) are calling on the Trump administration to ensure international efforts to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic overseas include relief for LGBTQ people.

In a letter dated May 7 obtained exclusively by the Blade, the 47 members of Congress — all Democrats — make the case the U.S. response to the coronavirus overseas “will be seen as a test of our country’s commitment to the protection of human rights and American values of fairness and equality.”

The lawmakers urge the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development to protect LGBTQ human rights overseas during the coronavirus crisis in three ways: First, the letter calls on the Trump administration to “intervene at senior levels with governments that are using the COVID-19 crisis to persecute or discriminate against LGBTQI and other marginalized communities.”

As an example, the letter cites Ugandan authorities in March raiding a homeless youth shelter, arresting 19 LGBTQI people and charging them with “a negligent act likely to spread infection of disease.”

Also, the lawmakers seek the inclusion of LGBTQ people in both short- and longterm response and recovery programs in addition to calling on partner countries to adopt the same approach.

“Restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 have placed a large

burden on those in the informal economy, cutting off income streams and preventing them from obtaining food or secure shelter,” the letter says. “As a result, the pandemic has heightened the vulnerability of LGBTQI and other marginalized populations to poverty, food insecurity and homelessness.”

As an example, the letter cites governments such as Panama and Colombia are using gender to determine when people are allowed to leave their homes for essential services. As reported by the Blade, critics say those policies in Latin American countries have resulted in arbitrary arrests and harassment of trans and gender non-conforming people.

Finally, the lawmakers call for access to health services the United States provides overseas, such as “treatment for HIV and other COVID-exacerbating conditions, as well as other necessary healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health.”

“LGBTQI people and other vulnerable populations face stigma and discrimination in obtaining healthcare services, especially in countries where same- sex sexual conduct or non-normative gender expression is criminalized,” the letter says. “This hinders access to lifesaving healthcare services and puts their lives at even greater risk during this pandemic.”

The State Department declined to comment on the letter, citing a general practice of no comment on congressional correspondence. USAID didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Supreme Court weighs religious carve-outs in LGBTQ case The U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to grant religious schools an expanded ministerial exemption in employment decisions based on oral arguments Monday in litigation that could have significant bearing on LGBTQ teachers at these institutions.

The cases, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, Agnes and St. James School v. Darryl Biel, were brought by Catholic schools seeking immunity under the law to conduct employment practices for nonministerial jobs — such as the hiring and firing of teachers — consistent with their religious beliefs under the exemption granted by the First Amendment.

The schools raised the claims in response to a lawsuit from teachers alleging wrongful termination. One alleges she was terminated based on age discrimination, the other based on disability after having to request time off to treat cancer. The schools have maintained the terminations

were the result the teachers not fulfilling their ministerial roles at the schools.

Predictably, the five conservative justices on the bench seemed amenable to the idea of an expanded ministerial exemption, while the four liberal justices were against it.

U.S. Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was blunt in her questioning about the possible implications of a ruling in favor of Catholic schools, calling it “staggering.”

The cases have broad implications for workers at religious schools, including LGBTQ teachers. The ruling could impact whether gay teachers have a legal right to sue a Catholic school if they’re terminated for entering into a same-sex marriage, or transgender teachers if they’re fired for undergoing a gender transition.

A decision in the case is expected before next month at the end of the term for the Supreme Court.

CHRIS JOHNSON

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PETER ROSENSTEIN

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Jack Evans for Ward 2 D.C. Council Equality leadership, constituent service, fiscal expertise merit support Some Ward 2 residents consider the former D.C. Council member who long represented the cross-town swath of six center-city neighborhoods a scoundrel.

Yet after squandering what will total more than a million bucks in campaign cash to keep him from winning back the seat for the next full term in the determinative Democratic primary election concluding on June 2, seven novice competitors have failed to impress voters or gain traction in the race.

Seasoned observers are betting a demure electorate will surprise pundits. Let’s hope they’re right.

Jack Evans is the best choice.

His constituent services set the standard for responsiveness. Recognition as an advocate for LGBTQ equality from his first day in office before gay rights were popular and often weren’t approved have earned Evans a legacy of accolades for being the lead sponsor or cosponsor of virtually every LGBTQ-supportive legislation in Council history.

Equally important, Evans is the experienced hand and knowledgeable guide needed as the District confronts major economic challenges and massive financial deficits in coming years.

Evans helped lead the city out of bustedbroke bankruptcy and a federally imposed Financial Control Board that took over government operations, navigate steady fiscal management during the recession, repair a basement-level bond rating, encourage revitalization of the downtown core, and foster major developments fueling the District’s economic recovery and providing public amenities.

These achievements are what have and will continue to comprise and contribute the required financial foundation necessary to generate the revenues and resources that enable the District to sustain programs, strengthen social services, and create opportunities for building economic equity across the city. An empty civic wallet won’t finance any of that, but smart fiscal policies and a positive entrepreneurial environment is what will.

The current pandemic’s already

devastating and surely lasting impact on small businesses, the destruction of household finances, and the dangerous reality that numerous jobs offering stability and a path to sustainable futures may be lost requires savvy approaches to rebuilding the local economy. Evans can, and will again, provide that leadership during a fiscal crisis likely to be the worst ever.

This is not a time for try-to-keep-up learning. Residents don’t have the luxury of waiting around while an inexperienced newbie with inadequate qualifications fumbles with jamming fresh batteries in their calculator. Tough times are ahead and sparse skills from the B-squad aren’t going to get the job done.

Evans understands city budgets in excess of the collective knowledge of the entire ballot of opposing contenders.

With only a small sliver of monies available for discretionary spending for popular programs and policy initiatives, lingering economic contraction will affect shared objectives a commonsense progressive like Evans knows how to actually achieve.

In early March, before the virus shutdown order changed everything, all eight Democratic contenders addressed an unusually large crowd of nearly 500 voters.

“I made some big mistakes. I am here tonight to ask you for your forgiveness, and I’m here tonight to ask you for a second chance to represent you as I have, as your Council member,” Evans said.

Evans resigned in January before a final vote by colleagues to expel him for ethics violations associated with additional employment as a consultant, allowed by Council rules but without always providing adequate disclosure or advisable recusal on specific matters. He was sanctioned by financial penalties but not charged with a crime.

The catcalls and booing primarily emanating from the numerous candidate campaign coteries when Evans offered his heartfelt apology would lead local news stories. Overlooked was that Evans, in his first public appearance since resigning, was the candidate most came to hear. Their respectful ear proved predictive of the near-majority still undecided in only two polls released among multiple surveys conducted.

Ward 2 voters have a decision to make that will affect the future of the city. Let’s make our choice Jack Evans.

1 6 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA DE.COM • MAY 15, 2020 • V I E W POI N T

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

Obama enters fray against Trump We need an army of volunteers to defeat president in November Last week, former President Barack Obama entered the fray with an attack on President Trump and Attorney General William Barr. It was reported, “Former President Barack Obama, talking privately to ex-members of his administration, said on Friday ‘the rule of law is at risk’ in the wake of what he called an unprecedented move by the Justice Department to drop charges against former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.” He went on to say, “When you start moving in those directions, it can accelerate pretty quickly as we’ve seen in other places.” He also called the “Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic ‘an absolute chaotic disaster.’” President Obama once said he “would only weigh in on his successor’s actions when he believes ‘our core values may be at stake.’”

I guess he finally reached the point where he couldn’t stay quiet.

The election between Joe Biden and Trump should be a no-brainer. Yet many are left questioning why the polls are still so close? How people see the pig in the White House apparently depends on where you live; partially on your economic circumstances; and often on your education. But that’s not the full answer. Some are so loyal to Trump, even when they are being hurt by his policies, it resembles a cult — people responding positively to him and staying loyal without rhyme or reason.

Add to that the host of sycophants who once were the members of the Republican Party, now the Party of Trump, who are afraid of him. The members of Congress who know if they speak out against him they will likely lose the 35 percent of the voters so dedicated to Trump no matter what, they will lose their elections. It’s hard to explain rationally why Biden will win more than 90 percent of the vote in the District of Columbia but be lucky to get

35 percent in Oklahoma. We are left to wonder how people can see things so differently.

We have reached a point in the United States where people on both sides can’t communicate with each other. With all the hurt, pain and death caused by the COVID-19 pandemic you’d think it would make a difference in how people would see and react to each other but that hasn’t happened.

Looking at current polling it doesn’t seem to matter what happens, how crazy and dangerous Trump is, how many people will die, the cult of Trump goes on.

So those of us who see Trump as the disaster and dangerous despot I believe he is must join to find the way to ensure he is defeated in November.

We are fighting a man who will stop at nothing to win.

We need to raise our own army of volunteers and station them at every polling place in every state that will make the difference in this election. It is possible Biden will win the popular vote by between five and seven million yet could still lose. We know there are a few states in which the outcome will be decided: Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Ohio. In those states we will have to station our army at the polls and in Post Offices, if there are mail-in ballots, to make sure each vote is counted.

If the coronavirus allows us to go to the polls we need our army to get our people out on Election Day and be with them at polling places to ensure they can cast their ballots. The reality is Trump knows we have the numbers to win if they can and do vote. We will have the army if President Obama and others who people trust speak out early and often and the Biden campaign steps up and organizes this volunteer army.

This election will be about jobs, healthcare, education and human decency. We must convince our voters Biden will make their life better. They must once again see hope for a better future.

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CARLOS GUTIERREZ

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

is Deputy Director & General Counsel for the LGBT Technology Partnership & Institute, which works to improve access, increase inclusion, ensure safety and empower entrepreneurship for LGBT communities around technology. Debra Berlyn is executive director of the Project to Get Older Adults onLine (Project GOAL) and president of Consumer Policy Solutions.

is a writer and activist. Reach him at rrosendall@me.com.

Presidential poison pulling us apart Justice demands rejecting racial incitements The neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia where Ahmaud Arbery was stalked and killed in February for running while black is 900 miles south of Queens, but it reminds me of Lionel Jefferson and Archie Bunker of “All in the Family.”

It has been nearly 50 years since Lionel, in Norman Lear‘s groundbreaking sitcom, explained he could not run by himself in their Queens neighborhood because as a black man he would be assumed to be criminal.

As Sarah Goodyear wrote in New York Daily News in 2016, “Archie’s house wasn’t so much located in a real Queens neighborhood as it was positioned in a state of mind: urban, white, male, blue-collar, confused and angered by the chaotic cultural transformation.”

Cultural transformation is borne of social diversity. We are perpetually on the verge of a rainbow nation, the egalitarian beacon we have long advertised and never permitted. We are a nation of premature celebrations, like George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” banner and Chief Justice Roberts’s 2013 declaration in Shelby County v. Holder that the Voting Rights Act had done its job and its preclearance formula for election changes was no longer valid. We are impatient multitaskers who pretend that performances of concern will magically erase the continuing consequences of bigotry.

What could have saved Ahmaud? Abject submission to any slave patrol wannabe who declared him a suspect and pointed a weapon at him? Two prosecutors professionally associated with one of the killers decided they acted reasonably, before release of a video that contradicted the culprits’ story.

The 1948 edition of the “Negro Motorist Green Book” stated, “There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States.” In 2020, Arbery could have used a guide to where his daily run would not be fatal.

Half a century after the Civil Rights movement,Trump describes non-Europeans’ ancestral lands as “shithole countries,” calls immigrants of color “animals,” and praises armed fascists. Ahmaud, like Trayvon Martin

in 2012, committed a cardinal sin from that perspective: he defended himself. Why are only white people allowed to do that? How can the birthright of citizenship be stolen from people, their lives forfeit at the whim of self-deputized vigilantes? Our soaring values are belied by our low behavior.

We don’t have to be racists to be complicit.

We only have to tsk-tsk at another senseless death and do nothing to stop its repetition.

Ahmaud’s murderers were arrested and charged on May 7, thanks to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation—but only after a nationwide outcry following release of the video. Elie Mystal writes in The Nation, “I don’t know why it takes video. I don’t know how many black men are buried while their killers walk free because nobody happened to record their final, terrifying moments as they succumbed to unrelenting white supremacy.”

We are in an undeclared civil war, waged by a sociopathic president dividing the country for power.

Trump’s MAGA thugs resemble the Catholic Church’s traditionalist bullies in their sense of entitlement that blinds them to their own moral duty and to the worth of others. There is no point in talking about America’s greatness while trashing its norms and portraying its diverse population as monochromatic, any more than is talking about the faithful community while suppressing members with dissenting views. Trump’s rants against reporters are little different from Benedict XVI’s insistence that marriage equality is from the Antichrist and his complaint that traditionalists like him are socially “excommunicated.” Projecting much, Your Former Holiness?

Forced to agree that the earth is immovable at the center of the universe, Galileo purportedly whispered, “And yet it moves.” Princes, prelates, and pageant owners cannot bully or murder their way out of losing arguments, whether they are denying science or societal change.

America’s varied children have no choice but to stand up for themselves. Those who rage at our differences and resort to acts of terror only hurt the country they claim to love.

Governing requires winning elections.

Reactionary vandals will not be won over.

We must defeat them.

Copyright © 2020 by Richard J. Rosendall.

All rights reserved.

1 8 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA DE.COM • MAY 15, 2020 • V I E W POI N T

How technology can reduce isolation for LGBTQ elders A digital divide is plaguing our aging population Today we are all adapting to the complications of COVID-19 and its impact on our daily life. As we abide by current “stay-at-home” orders, we are learning how this reality may affect others in our communities. Researchers have found that social isolation and the subsequent feelings of loneliness can be lethal. The AARP Foundation put some perspective on this when it announced that social isolation can cause similar health effects to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

While we are all experiencing some level of isolation, the difficulty truly is compounded for some at-risk communities. Perhaps these feelings are no greater than for our LGBTQ older adults, who already have a higher percentage of health issues (Williams Institute) that could lead to more serious risks from COVID-19.

Their need for accessible connected technology may exceed those of other communities; a high-speed broadband connection to shop for groceries at home, communicate with healthcare providers without leaving home, and stay informed with news and information from the immediate community as well as broader public health updates.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed existing inequalities, and exacerbated struggles already present for vulnerable populations. Reports estimate that there are around 3 million LGBT adults over age 50, and by the end of this decade the number will grow to around 7 million.

LGBT older individuals’ loneliness and isolation are compounded by several factors: they are twice as likely to live alone; four times less likely to have children; often confront discrimination and social stigma; and are more likely to face poverty and homelessness and be in poor health. The Williams Institute has revealed that older LGBT adults face social and health disparities in a number of critical areas, resulting in worse physical and mental health compared to heterosexual older adults.

The current economic conditions

add another layer of stress to an already burdened community. While many have experienced financial hardship during this pandemic, LGBT people collectively have a poverty rate of 21.6%, which is much higher than the rate for the cisgender straight people of 15.7%.

All of these factors contribute to the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ older adults during this COVID-19 pandemic.

For all LGBTQ individuals, going online has always been a “must-do” activity. Research conducted by The LGBT Technology Partnership has revealed that 80% of LGBTQ respondents participate in a social networking site (such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) compared to 58% of the general public. Searching the internet for health information is particularly important for lesbians whose unique health needs are often overlooked.

The LGBTQ older community are a critical at-risk segment within the larger digital divide plaguing our aging population. With only a little over half of those age 65 who now have broadband at home (Pew Research), the opportunity for older “at risk” communities existing in isolation without a tech “lifeline” raises great concern.

We suggest that a multi-pronged approach is essential to serve this underserved community. First, the policy world needs to increase efforts to expand telehealth services, especially for older patients, to help combat the realities of the coronavirus.

Additionally, as the country moves to contact tracing it is vital to remember that any tech-heavy solution may have a disparate impact on seniors who may be less tech savvy than other populations.

Finally, support must be maintained and even increased to community and social organizations that target older LGBTQ individuals. Community centers, places of worship and social organizations that cater to this community need to receive special training, education and resources that can help protect this vulnerable population.

The COVID-19 virus will continue to affect each of us, but the increased vulnerability of our senior and LGBTQ communities requires unique strategies to ensure everyone stays as safe and healthy.

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An uncertain summer in Rehoboth Beaches, businesses remain under restrictions but there are glimmers of hope

By JOSHUA KELLER For Tim Ragan, owner of the Blue Moon bar and restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, Del., the adjustment to the pandemic economy came immediately.

“As soon as we were closed for dine-in, we started doing carryout the next day,” said Ragan. However, he noted that “it has been a challenge going from a white tablecloth restaurant to putting everything in a brown bag.”

Part of the Blue Moon’s evolution can be seen in its menu.

“We realized early on that people were looking for more value items. They weren’t necessarily looking for a duck breast or a veal chop. Some of the traditional things are on there, but we’ve also added burgers, crab cake sandwiches, things like that. The menu has definitely evolved to be more carryout friendly because some things just don’t travel well. We try to package our food so that it will be something you’ll want to eat when it gets home,” said Ragan.

Transforming into a takeout only restaurant means the Blue Moon can’t make the same money it did pre-COVID, but Ragan said they are “happy to be doing carryout” because they are able to keep all of their kitchen staff employed and “feel like [we] are providing a service.”

Looking toward the future, Ragan does not want his business to rush back to normal operations.

“We are not saying that as soon as they say we can open, we are going to open. We have to make sure that we are comfortable, our guests are going to be safe,

and our staff is going to be safe,” he said.

He expects that, even when restaurants are able to open, he will “continue to do the carryout for people who don’t feel it’s safe to come in or don’t want to.”

Any reopening of restaurants for anything other than takeout will not take place until at least June 1, the date Gov. John Carney set as the target for Delaware’s Phase 1 of reopening, during which restaurants will be able to operate with “strict reopening guidelines.”

Rehoboth Beach’s boardwalk and beaches are slated to reopen on May 15 for walking and exercise after nearly two months of total closures. Swimming won’t be allowed and benches will not be available, but public restrooms will reopen. Visitors will be required to wear face masks and practice social distancing.

Dave Lyons, co-owner alongside his partner, Rick Hardy, of the new Coho’s Market & Grill on Rehoboth Avenue, hopes that they will be able to have a successful first summer for their business after opening in April.

For Lyons and Hardy, this business is the realization of a lifelong dream.

“We have always wanted our own market and grill here in Rehoboth. We have had a home here for more than 20 years. We had been Washington lawyers coming to Rehoboth on weekends and this is something we always wanted to do,” said Lyons.

Despite the challenges of opening during a pandemic, the owners were determined to get their business up and running.

“Our original plan was to be open by April 15.

Rehoboth Beach’s boardwalk is scheduled to reopen May 15 for walking and exercise.

(Photo credit Lee Ann Wilkinson)

Because we’re serving food we can do carryout, we thought we can at least get started doing carryout,” said Lyons.

However, come summer, Lyons is “hopeful the governor is going to loosen up his restrictions for retail.”

He adds that “small businesses are really screaming loudly. There is a lot of pressure now on the town here to help small businesses.”

When businesses are able to more fully open, cabin fever may make customers eager to get to the beaches and boardwalk.

“Do I think the summer will be different? Sure. I’ve been working from home. A lot of folks have been working from home and are getting a little stir crazy,” said Lyons. “I think that as long as people can travel people will come out. I’m hopeful that people will come out this summer. Obviously, it will be different.

People will be socially distant, you may see a lot of masks, but I think people are anxious to get out in the sunshine and get back to some sense of a normal life, whatever normal is going forward.”

Beach season will look very different from past years given the coronavirus. Rehoboth’s beaches remain closed to swimming under the governor’s orders, but restrictions on walking on the beach are set to expire May 15.

(Photo by Michael Key)

Continues on page 23

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Continued from page 21

What will summer bring for Rehoboth?

One challenge facing all of these businesses is the ban on short-term rentals until Phase 2 of Rehoboth’s reopening. That means that they can only provide services to permanent residents and people who own summer homes.

So far, there are some hopeful signs that the seasonal crowd will return later in the summer once the ban is lifted.

“We have had cancellations, but most of the cancellations have involved this month and June, there has been no real significant mass cancellation in July or August,” said local real estate agent Bryce Lingo.

However, David Bediz, a Realtor who just bought a house in Rehoboth that he is currently renovating, thinks that it is unlikely that his property will “get very much if any beach rental time.”

Despite the obvious immediate challenges brought to the real estate market, Lingo believes longterm sales might be a silver lining of the pandemic.

“The sales market, shockingly, is good. One reason for that is because the inventories are so low. Believe it or not, people are buying properties virtually without physically seeing them,” he said.

He said this may be due to the pandemic causing people to see the appeal of living full-time in Rehoboth Beach.

“When somebody is buying a house, it’s not a spontaneous decision. I am hearing a lot of comments about people relocating to this much less dense area, which could have a very large impact on the market,” he said. “There are many people down here isolating and I think they have a much better idea of the easier, less stressful, calmer lifestyle that this area offers.”

Blade summer kickoff party postponed Editor’s note: The Blade’s summer kickoff party in Rehoboth Beach has become a popular tradition and one we all look forward to each year. This year’s 13th annual event was postponed due to coronavirus. It was to feature a speech from Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and the introduction of our second Blade Foundation-Steve Elkins Journalism Fellowship recipient, Joshua Keller.

The good news is that Keller is hard at work covering issues important to Delaware’s LGBTQ community. Send him news tips at jkeller@washblade. com. And the Blue Moon has agreed to let us reschedule this year’s event as a summer closing party on Friday, Sept. 11, assuming large gatherings are permitted by then. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy all Rehoboth has to offer — from behind a mask and at least six feet away. —KEVIN NAFF, Blade Editor

MAGNOLIA APPLEBOTTOM and Blade Editor KEVIN NAFF at last year’s Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party.

(Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt

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What would the end of the LGBTQ movement look like to you?

When everyone who represents the letters of LGBTQIA, etc., are all treated equally and fairly!

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Small talk.

QUEERY Charles Bounds

What was your religion, if any, as a child and what is it today?

I grew up in a very Christian home (like church three-four times a week). I’d say now that I’m more spiritual leaning toward Christianity.

What’s Rehoboth’s best hidden gem?

I don’t know if it’s hidden, but it’s the people/community. Generally speaking, everyone here is amazing. It’s why people come back year after year.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

Drag becoming mainstream.

What celebrity death hit you hardest?

Whitney Houston. I’m still not over it!

(Photo courtesy Bounds)

QUEERY: Charles Bounds

The Rehoboth Beach drag performer and COVID-19 survivor answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

Like many, Charles Bounds isn’t sure how he contracted COVID-19.

“We’re still not sure,” the 36-year-old Salisbury, Md., native says. “But it was probably mid-March.”

Bounds had a particularly nasty time with it. He was sick all told for about a month and was hospitalized in the Rehoboth area for 15 days, an experience he calls “intense, scary and life changing.”

“With that said, though, everyone at Beebe Healthcare was amazing,” he says.

“I’m feeling much better now. I’d say I’m at about 80 percent.”

Bounds grew up going to Rehoboth with family and loved it for its beaches. He returned after college and discovered it was also a gay resort town.

“And I fell in love all over again,” he says.

He’s lived there full time for nearly a decade.

Drag was on his bucket list. He entered a competition 12 years ago and “caught the bug,” as he puts it. Now it’s his full-time

work. Pre-lockdown, Bounds performed as Roxy Overbrooke at the Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.). Roxy hosts bingo on Tuesdays, karaoke on Thursdays, a drag show on Fridays and celebrity impersonation show on Saturdays. She can also be seen on Sundays monthly at the Purple Parrot.

The Blue Moon’s dining room and bar are currently closed but has carryout and delivery options. Details at bluemoonrehoboth.com.

Bounds says he’s “very single.” He enjoys singing, cooking and eating in his free time.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

I came out when I was 17. The hardest person to tell was my mother, who already knew. She literally said, “Yeah I know. What do you want for dinner?”

Who’s your LGBTQ hero?

Anyone who has the courage to be

unabashedly themselves and live in their truth!

What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you?

That as a gay man I have to be masc or femme. People are more than one thing.

What’s your proudest professional achievement?

That I get to do what I love for a living — something I know firsthand a lot of folks can’t say.

What terrifies you?

Snakes and bad wigs.

What’s something trashy or vapid you love?

“The Masked Singer.” It’s so stupid but I love it!

What’s your greatest domestic skill?

I’m a really good cook.

What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show?

There are so many but if I have to pick one, “To Wong Foo” wins everytime.

What’s your social media pet peeve?

That people are too busy looking at their phone to have a conversation with a person right in front of them.

If you could redo one moment from your past, what would it be?

Nothing — everything happens for a reason.

What are your obsessions?

Drag, my friends, music Finish this sentence — It’s about damn time: … that people stop killing black people for just trying to live their lives What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That it gets better, everything you thought was the end of the world won’t matter in a year or two. Also taking a couple dance classes would be very helpful for your future.

Why Rehoboth Beach?

It’s my happy place.

Editor’s note: Doing something interesting or creative during lockdown?

The Blade is always looking for compelling Queery subjects. To be eligible, the subject must be a D.C.-area resident, openly LGBTQ and someone who’s never previously done it. Trans folks, queer women and people of color are especially encouraged to participate. Send Queery suggestions to Features Editor Joey DiGuglielmo at joeyd@washblade.com.

M AY 1 5 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 5

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How to Celebrate Your First Pride & Coming Out

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CALENDAR

OUT&ABOUT

BY PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN

Trans months continue virtually

Former presidential hopeful PETE BUTTIGIEG will be honored at the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s Sunday Social this weekend.

(Blade file photo by Michael Key)

TODAY

Sunday, May 17

Reel Affirmations on Demand presents “Pier Kids” today until Monday at noon.

Virtual tickets are $12 for unlimited access to this Black Pride month film selection about what it means to be black and queer decades after Stonewall. For tickets and information visit thedccenter.org.

May is? All About Trans hosts a transmasculine conversation tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. This free event is limited to those who identify as transmasculine and features a panel discussion, breakout rooms and giveaways for attendees. For more information on this and other May events, visit mayistransdc.com.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund’s Sunday Social on Facebook Live featuring Victory Fund President and CEO Anniese Parker and former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is today at noon.

Virtual tickets start at $50. More information is available at facebook.com/victoryfund.

DJ Darryl Strickland hosts We Love the ’70s tonight at 5 p.m. Viewers can request their favorite ’70s videos to watch via Twitter and Periscope. Visit the Sunday ’70s Facebook event page for more information.

Saturday, May 16 May is? All About Trans hosts a Native American community conversation tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. This free event is to celebrate and share contributions from the trans Native American experience. For more information on this and other May events, visit mayistransdc.com.

Janet Nation hosted by DJ Travis Island is tonight at 9 p.m. via Twitter live stream at twitter.com/vj_tre. This virtual party event features Janet Jackson’s music and benefits JR.’s wage relief fund.

For Venmo details and more visit the event Facebook page.

Monday, May 18 Stay-At-Home Showtunes, a weekly streaming benefit show for JR.’s bar, continues tonight at 8:30 p.m. A rotating cast of drag performers, hosts and more participate in this virtual event to support JR.’s staff during the crisis. More information is available on jrsbar-dc.com and its Facebook event page.

Tuesday, May 19 A Virtual Writing Hour hosted by the National Portrait Gallery is today at 5 p.m. via Zoom. This event creates a virtual shared space for writers to create, connect and draw inspiration from the

gallery’s online exhibitions on Google Arts and Culture. The gallery will provide writing prompts and will end each session with a discussion or reading.

For free tickets and information, visit the event’s Facebook and Eventbrite pages.

May is? All About Trans hosts an evening of music and poetry tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. This free event celebrates the trans community with interactive entertainment.

For more information on this and other May events, visit mayistransdc.com.

Wednesday, May 20 LULAC Lambda hosts its May meeting virtually tonight at 6 p.m. The group has invited the president of Friends of Puerto Rico to discuss their work and their grant application. For more information and Zoom details, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Thursday, May 21 Politics and Prose Live presents Jia Lynn Yang, author of “One Mighty and Irresistible Tide,” tonight at 8 p.m. via Facebook Live.

Yang’s work is about the struggle for the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act which opened the door to increased nonwhite migration. Visit crowdcast.io/e/JLY-MightyTide/register to register for this event.

A virtual Trans Town Hall hosted

by May is? All About Trans and We the People is Saturday, May 23 at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Registration is encouraged for this free event.

During this online town hall, the trans community and allies will discuss community needs and how best to solve them to increase safety and visibility while addressing other pressing community concerns.

Other virtual events include a Trans Latinx Institute on Tuesday, May 12; a transmasculine conversation on Friday, May 15; Native American and Master Makeup discussions on Sunday, May 17; music and poetry on Tuesday, May 19; and youth gaming on Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30.

To register for these events, visit mayistransdc.com.

OutWrite competition seeking entries OutWrite’s Second Chapbook Competition runs until June 5. There is no fee to enter works of LGBTQ fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Writers may only submit one entry per category.

This year’s judges include 2019 PEN Open Book Award winner Tyrese Coleman for nonfiction, Hurston/ Wright and Lambda award finalist Rivers Solomon for fiction, and 2019 Lambda Literary Fellow Faylita Hicks for poetry.

The winner in each category will receive 25 copies of their winning chapbook, a print publication offer from Neon Hemlock Press, and an opportunity to read their work at the OutWrite 2020 LGBTQ literary festival held July 31-Aug. 2.

For more information, visit thedccenter.org/outwrite.

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Looking past lockdown

Gay-helmed Olney Theatre Center is bracing for a robust future

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Olney Theatre Center has long prioritized certain values and COVID-19 hasn’t changed that.

“Our greatest resource is our staff, followed by our audience and then the artistic community in the DMV,” says Jason Loewith, Olney’s out artistic director.

“It’s just as important, if not more so, to remember this during difficult times. When we come back, we want them to come back.”

Not all news is bad. Currently, Olney’s staff is drawing full salary and on Monday, many Olney staff and artists are congregating (via Zoom) to celebrate the company’s 27 Helen Hayes Award nominations on what would have been the night of the awards ceremony. And while summer productions are cancelled, Loewith hopes to present outdoor concerts on Olney’s leafy suburban Maryland campus in late July, allowing a socially distanced audience to enjoy the talents of Felicia Curry, Erin Weaver, Donna Migliaccio and others.

A straight shooter with a sense of humor, Loewith takes a philosophical approach to quarantine. It’s something to navigate, get through, but not be terrified by. Much of his days are spent scheduling and rescheduling a season that may or may not take place as planned. But what’s most important in these times, he says, is transparency. It’s important to be upfront with staff and patrons.

Right now, the future is unclear, he says.

“We certainly hope that we’re able to carry out our season planning as announced but we’re also looking at multiple scenarios. There’s a chance that ‘A Christmas Carol,’ our one-man show with Paul Morella, will open in November as the only show of the fall season. And we may move it from its usual Lab space to our large main stage, allowing for less audience in a bigger venue.”

As the current situation continues, he says, two things are clear: People have grown increasingly hungry for cultural activities. That’s the good news. The bad news is they aren’t eager to race back to indoor venues. But whatever happens, storytelling isn’t going away any time soon.

Olney’s last live performance were Jordan Harrison’s “The Amateurs,” a play set against medieval Europe’s Black Death (an interesting scheduling coincidence).

Due to COVID-19, the production closed early in mid-March. Loewith and senior staff received mail both praising them for staying open as long as they did and condemning them for not closing sooner.

Currently, the company is maintaining an online presence with “Streaming Saturdays: Artists Envision the Future” a weekly series (Saturdays at 5 p.m. on the Olney Facebook and YouTube pages) featuring theater makers in conversation with Loewith and Peter Marks, Washington Post drama critic.

Still, Loewith isn’t looking forward to a future of streamed productions.

“The virtual theater is an oxymoron,” he says. “And now I’ve heard from patrons, unsure if they can come back anytime soon, asking if we can videotape future shows for them to watch at home. It’s prompted a vigorous debate. Do we try to provide home viewing or do we tell them that live theater is live and when you’re ready to come back we’ll be here for you?”

But for the busy artistic director, working at home feels right. Last summer, Loewith and his husband moved from a “teeny rowhouse” on Capitol Hill to a larger place in Bethesda’s verdant Carderock Springs neighborhood and he’s glad they did. Lockdown has been a time of discovery. Recently he noticed a gigantic, blooming clematis growing in a discarded pot behind the shed. And not long ago, while walking his dog, he encountered a loud, gobbling wild turkey.

As one of Maryland’s two state theaters, Olney is well funded. There’s also Montgomery County, and deep-pocketed patrons to help carry them through.

When the time comes, Loewith foresees an eventual, comparatively easy return — lots of parking, a spacious campus and a flexibility across three indoor spaces helps enormously. And of course, the dedicated staff.

JASON LOEWITH says the lockdown has provided vigorous debate about the ethics of streaming theater.

(Photo courtesy Olney)

MAY 1 5 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 9

Engaging new queer streaming options abound ‘Still Waiting in the Wings’ features gaggle of celeb cameos

By BRIAN T. CARNEY

Musical theater fans who need a fresh dose of song and dance can celebrate the release (DVD and digital) of “Still Waiting in the Wings” today.

Written by Arie Gonzalez and Jeffrey A. Johns (who also stars) and directed by Q. Allan Brocka, with songs by several different artists, the light-hearted musical follows the lives of the servers at Café Broadway who are waiting for their big break. The appealing cast delivers the material with infectious high spirits which cover up the occasional weak spots in the writing and directing. The stylish and clever choreography by Cassie Nordgren brings just the right amount of show biz razzle dazzle to the proceedings.

Johns is charming as Anthony, an aspiring Broadway hoofer, although his nasal delivery sounds like he’s auditioning for “Spongebob: The Musical” which can be a little distracting.

The rest of the cast are uniformly strong. Some of the standouts include Joe Abraham as Anthony’s arch-nemesis Bradley; Rena Strober, Tiffany Commons and the electric Rebekah Kochan as three singing servers (their number “Chorus Girl’s Lament is a highlight of the movie) and Harrison White as the drag queen Kelsey who scores big with the scary delights of “Halloween Whore Nights.”

The movie also features great cameos from show-biz legends Cindy Williams, Chita Rivera, Ed Asner, Seth Rudetsky, Sally Struthers, Bruce Vilanch, Carole Cook, Patricia Richardson, Nick Adams and the glamorous Lee Merriweather.

The soundtrack has also been released today.

Acorn TV (acorn.tv/) is an excellent source of binge-worthy drama and documentaries from British and international television. Some of the stand-out series include the delectable crime comedy “Pie in the Sky” starring Richard Griffiths; “Slings and Arrows,” about the hilarious backstage shenanigans at a Canadian theater festival; “I, Claudius” the decadent drama that made out actor Derek Jacobi a star for his portrayal of the unlikely Roman Emperor; “Doc Martin”; “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”; “Foyle’s War”; “Midsomer Murders”; “Vera”; “Poldark” and several series based on the best-selling works of Agatha Christie.

Several outstanding series feature LGBT characters. The award-winning “Janet King” stars Marta Dusseldorp as a crime-solving lesbian prosecutor. The Aussie crime drama

ODED LEOPOLD in ’15 Years.’

(Photo courtesy Breaking Glass Pictures)

3 0 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • MAY 15, 2020

BEN NARNES in ‘Gold Digger.’

(Photo courtesy Acorn TV)

“Deep Water” centers on an investigation into a series of hate crimes. “A Place to Call Home” is a serial Australian drama about a wealthy family in the 1950s; the cast includes a son who comes out to his homophobic family.

Other Acorn series with prominent queer characters include “Still Life,” based on the Armand Gamache mystery by Louise Penny; the popular “Agatha Raisin” series; the turbulent school drama “Ackley Bridge” and “Blood.”

The most recent addition to the Acorn slate is the intriguing family drama “Gold Digger.” Julia Ormond (“Mad Men”) stars as Julia Day, a divorcee who begins a whirlwind romance with 35-year old Benjamin Greene (Ben Barnes) on her 60th birthday. Their affair upsets her dysfunctional family — ex-husband Ted (Alex Jennings), former best friend Marsha (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and her children: lawyer Patrick (Sebastian Armesto), slacker Leo (Archie Renaux) and aspiring stand-up comic Della (an outstanding performance by Jemima Rooper).

Over the course of six episodes, family drama unfolds and secrets old and new are revealed. The script by Marnie Dickens is a little wobbly. Some of the secrets are obvious, the pacing can be a little slow, Julia’s dialogue feels somewhat clichéd and some of the characters are underwritten.

But Della’s storyline is well-written and thoughtfully executed. Della is a lesbian who has been deeply scarred by the family dysfunction and it has affected her relationship with her girlfriend Emily (Maeve Dermody). The emotional ups and downs of their relationship are neatly woven into the overall storyline.

There’s also a great performance by Julia McKenzie as Ted’s acerbic mother Hazel. She delivers her zingers with deadly delight.

Finally, the powerful Israeli drama “15 Years” is available today on DVD and VOD. The movie follow Yoav (a commanding performance by Oded Leopold), a successful architect who is celebrating his 15-year anniversary with his boyfriend Dan (the charming Udi Persi) and a new gallery show by his friend Alma (a stunning performance by Ruti Asarsai). Things begin to unravel when Alma announces she is pregnant and Dan mentions that he would like to become a father.

This sends Yoav into a spiral of self-destructive behavior. Some of the pacing of the movie is uneven, but the ending is fascinating. This is a great movie to stream at home and then discuss over Zoom with your movie club. Does Yoav what he deserves?

Fur-filled memories

Trans memoirist measures time through dogs she’s owned

By KATHI WOLFE Boy,” a fourth memoir, would be overkill.

And in lesser hands, it would be gilding the lily. But, this isn’t the case with Boylan, who’s a brilliant stylist and memoirist.

“My days have been numbered in dogs,” Boylan writes. “Even now, when I try to take the measure of the people I have been, I count the years by the dogs I owned in each season.”

Boylan, a Valley Forge, Pa., native, was assigned male at birth. She was named James, aka Jimmy. Boylan uses the pronoun “he” to refer to herself in youth. Jimmy wasn’t your typical boy.

He was an “adorable nerd who’d spent his days sitting on the banks of a stream in Pennsylvania, fishing for brook trout,” Boylan recalls. He secretly played with his mother’s curlers. Jimmy went to college and graduate school (at Wesleyan University and Johns Hopkins University

If you’re allergic to love or if the smell of a playful puppy sets your teeth on edge, stay clear of this book.

Though infused with wry wit and astute cultural observations, “Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs,” the latest memoir by trans activist and writer Jennifer Finney Boylan, is jam-packed with the warmth of human and canine connections.

Proust had his “little madeleines.”

Boylan, 61, recalls key moments in the life of herself and her family through the seven dogs she’s had in her lifetime.

Boylan, who was on the GLAAD board of directors from 2011-2018, is one of the most elegant writers you’d ever hope to read. She’s already written three memoirs. Her 2003 memoir “She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders” was the first bestselling work by a transgender American. You’d think that writing “Good

respectively) and fell in love with and married Deedie. They had two children.

In 2000, Boylan came out as a transwoman named Jennifer. Boylan and Deedie have now lived together longer as wife and wife longer than they lived as husband and wife.

Boylan’s never regretted coming out as trans or giving up the shame and secrecy of being closeted.

“But there were times when I remembered my younger self the way you’d remember a dear friend you’d lost,” she writes, “for reasons you no longer quite understood.”

“I wondered sometimes, what had become of him,” she writes. “Would it be necessary, in the days to come, to refer to him only in scare quotes?”

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN uses a clever device to track her life through the dogs she’s owned in her new memoir ‘Good Boy.’ (Photo by Dan Haar; courtesy Celadon Books)

‘Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs’

By Jennifer Finney Boylan Celadon Books $26.99 288 pages

“

Some think I should dress more like a woman.

Some thinkdress I should Some think I should moredress like more like aSome man.think I should dress a woman. more like a man.

I may not fit some I may not gender, fit some ideas about ideasand about I amgender, a proud and I am a proud part of DC. part of DC. Please treat me the same way any persontreat would to be way treated: Please mewant the same any courtesy personwith would want toand be respect. treated: with courtesy and respect.

Discrimination based on gender identity and expression is illegal in the Columbia.

Discrimination based on District genderof identity and expression is illegal the District If you thinkinyou’ve been of theColumbia. target of discrimination, visitbeen www.ohr.dc.gov If you think you’ve the target of callwww.ohr.dc.gov (202) 727-4559. discrimination,orvisit or call (202) 727-4559.

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Green machines

Kia Niro, Lexus hybrid among posh new models

By JOE PHILLIPS

With those stay-at-home orders, some of us have become smitten with clean air and quiet neighborhoods. Call it the Walden Pond effect. But how to maintain that peaceful, easy feeling when the hustle and bustle returns? Here are a few green vehicles that even Henry David Thoreau could love.

LEXUS UX 250h HYBRID $35,000 MPG: 41 city/38 highway Zero-60 MPH: 8.6 seconds As part of Toyota’s grand plan to churn out hybrids galore, the automaker adds the UX 250h hybrid crossover to its Lexus luxury line.

The look is both plucky and posh, thanks to the choppy sheet-metal and high-class cabin.

Sure, the base model is a fine ride, but the F Sport trim level adds enticing extras: brawny bumpers, sport-tuned suspension, LED fog lights and steering-wheel paddle shifters. There’s even an “active sound control” system for a sexier exhaust note.

And the contoured seats are so form-fitting they rival those in a Porsche Carrera.

Sadly, the acceleration isn’t at all Carreralike, though it’s adequate enough for most daily commutes. I initially had a hard time with the thick pillars and small rear window, which reduce driver visibility. But Lexus tossed in a standard backup camera that really helps.

There’s also a front-facing camera and radar system to prevent collisions and detect pedestrians and bicyclists.

The touchy infotainment system was hard to decipher at first, but my oldschool stubbornness prevailed in the end.

All in all, the UX hybrid is a solid vehicle for drivers looking for a touch of luxury without the hefty price tag.

KIA NIRO EV $40,000 Range: 239 miles Zero-60 MPH: 7.8 seconds For years I was skeptical of electric vehicles, mainly because of range anxiety.

Why buy a vehicle that could only travel 60 miles before needing a re-charge that would last for hours? But then I fell in love with more recent EVs like the all-new Kia Niro, which can travel four times as far as those early electrics.

The Niro’s design is clean and understated, similar to a gutsy VW e-Golf (also on my bucket list). The cabin is likewise

Kia Niro EV

unobtrusive, especially the hard-plastic door handles and dash, but still tasteful, with user-friendly gauges and a slew of control switches on the steering wheel.

What’s more, there are plenty of topnotch amenities, including xenon headlights, heated power-folding side mirrors, acousticdamping windshield, heat-reflecting front side windows, tinted rear windows, smartphone integration, Bluetooth and more.

For an additional $4,000, the premium trim level adds ambient lighting, ventilated seats, sunroof and wireless phone charging.

Another plus: the concert-hall acoustics and throbbing subwoofer from the blissful Harman Kardon stereo. The Niro EV may not be as zippy as some other electrics, but it’s still very fun to drive. Think a fancy go-kart for adults, and you won’t be far off the mark.

MINI COOPER SE EV $31,000 Range: 110 miles Zero-60 MPH: 6.9 seconds For some reason, driving a Mini brings out the British secret agent in me (more James Bond than Austin Powers, at least in my mind). It happened again when test driving the SE, the first Mini electric vehicle.

No, there weren’t any rocket launchers or vehicle-cloaking devices. But the need for a passenger-ejection seat did cross my mind when my partner complained, once again, about how quickly I tackle speed bumps. (“Shaken, not stirred,” was my wry reply.)

Luckily, my partner also knows how much I adore Minis: the 1970s door handles, those bug-eyed headlights and a Union Jack emblem tastefully etched into both taillights. Optional 17-inch wheels on the SE come with a wacky design for better aerodynamics. And funky yellow accents on the grille, fenders and side mirrors distinguish this car from a typical Mini.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Coronavirus deals housing market a mixed bag Initial pain followed by increased prices

By DAVID BEDIZ If you followed my last article in the Washington Blade entitled “Home sales in the time of coronavirus” (April 10, 2020), you may have noticed I wouldn’t commit to a full scale panic due to the effects of coronavirus, and the resulting lockdown, on the housing market. In fact, I mentioned a mixed bag of effects: showings were down almost 71% from last year, lending was a little tighter and open houses were made illegal, and yet, prices seemed to be holding steady.

One month later, these effects seem to continue, with one exception: prices actually seem to be rising as a result of coronavirus and the government response.

Yesterday’s article in UrbanTurf explains this as well: while sales are down 20% in the region and 25% in D.C. proper, new listings are also down by even more—as much as 55%. The simple laws of supply and demand prevail in housing, and this sharper reduction in inventory—down to a supply of less than a month and a half—has only one outcome: higher prices.

Certainly, each house is different, as is every block, neighborhood and jurisdiction, so the effects may vary slightly.

But just as all boats rise and fall in the harbor with the changing tides, the effect can be felt generally throughout the region.

Our group found this to be the case, even just in the past five days alone. Three listings of ours, ranging from $1,050,000 to $3,250,000 in Dupont Circle and Mount Pleasant, received no inquiries for a solid three weeks following the lockdown in mid-March. In April, showings were at a trickle.

Last Saturday, we had four showings between two of the properties, and as of today we have one of the two under contract, one is receiving two offers and the third and most expensive has received two inquiries this morning with an offer possible by this afternoon.

It seems coronavirus is doing exactly what I had hoped and predicted: delaying, but not eliminating, the typical spring market rush.

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If you are considering a home purchase now and may be concerned about the long-term impact of the virus and government response policies, it may be a good idea to weigh the facts involved. First of all, interest rates, as I’ve often said before and can say even more accurately now, have never been lower, averaging right around 3% for qualified buyers. Lending is not a challenge for most borrowers: while lending has tightened for developers and some investors, it is free-flowing to purchasers of owner-occupied homes and condominiums.

If your concern is with the effects of the virus itself, remember that even if the virus were to spread unabated, it may not directly impact a large percentage of buyers in most of the D.C. area, since prices are high and there are not a lot of senior communities in our area. In addition, most buyers of higher-price properties in our region have been able to maintain their incomes even while businesses are temporarily closed. In fact, because so many in our area are government employees, there is not the same financial distress that is so prevalent in other parts of the country. As a result, just as in 2008, our area seems to be shielded from more volatile housing price shifts that other parts of the United States, and even the world, might feel. As a buyer, that should give you confidence that you are not buying in a falling market, and indeed, that if you wait, prices may only be higher when you’re ready.

As a seller, you should know that the availability and affordability of lending, combined with the pent-up demand of homebound (and home-cramped) buyers, and most importantly, the greatly reduced housing supply, makes it an ideal time to list your home for maximum results.

Asking a Realtor if it’s a good time to sell, you’ll often hear a hearty “Absolutely!” But with this information in hand, you’ll know that the answer, at least this time, is based on undeniable facts.

Fewer houses for sale in our area means higher prices.

DAVID BEDIZ is the 15-year veteran leader of Bediz Group, LLC, a boutique real estate team at Keller Williams Capital Properties in Dupont Circle. He is licensed in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District and can be reached at bediz.com, david@bediz.com and 202-352-8456.

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Rehoboth Beach Opportunities for Year-Round Living or Summer Getaway FLAWLESS STYLE, PRIVATE RETREAT Embrace luxury and architectural mastery in this custom built, completely renovated home on nearly an acre in Rehoboth with easy East-of-Route-1 access to downtown Rehoboth Beach. Classic Colonial 5BR, 3.5BA home showcases high-end materials and contemporary appeal. Private third-floor features home theater room and balcony with sweeping water views. Kayak from the large backyard to Holland Glade.

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OCEAN BLOCK CONDO Welcome to The Crest and this ocean block condo, just steps to the beach and boardwalk. This desirable 15 unit condo features a sparkling pool, secure entrance, elevator, storage space and off-street parking. Relax on your private balcony to sounds of crashing waves. This 2 bedroom condo has a proven rental history, too!

11 Virginia Avenue, Rehoboth Beach MLS: DESU139430 Offered at $475,000

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