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Protests, travel bans

emerge after rise of
anti-LGBT bills
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
A national backlash emerged this week
after several states passed religious
freedom and other bills that enable
businesses and schools to discriminate
against LGBT people.
Lawsuits, boycotts and travel bans
have emerged following passage of such
laws and may have helped persuade at
least one governor to veto a measure. In
Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday
vetoed a religious freedom bill that critics
contend would have allowed anti-LGBT

I SS U E 14

AM E RI C A S GAY NE W S S OURCE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

discrimination.
Georgia is a welcoming state lled
with warm, friendly and loving people.
Our cities and countryside are populated
with people who worship God in a myriad
of ways and in very diverse settings, said
Deal during a press conference in Atlanta.
Our people work side-by-side without
regard to the color of our skin, or the
religion we adhere to. We are working to
make life better for our families and our
communities. That is the character of
Georgia. I intend to do my part to keep
it that way.
Georgia lawmakers had approved
House Bill 757 that would have allowed
faith-based organizations to deny
services that violate such faith-based
organizations sincerely held religious

Flier reveals 2009 voyeurism

arrest of gay Council candidate

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com
A gay attorney and civic activist running for a seat on the
Baltimore City Council says hes being targeted by iers
mailed to residents of his district that mischaracterize
the circumstances surrounding his 2009 arrest in D.C.
on a misdemeanor charge of voyeurism.
Kelly Cross, 38, told the Washington Blade he
believes the anonymous iers, which falsely describe
him as a convicted sex oender, are homophobic

CONTINUES ON PAGE 13

A new lawsuit has been led against the anti-LGBT law in North Carolina.

and aimed at discrediting his campaign to become

Baltimores rst out gay member of the City Council.
Cross is one of seven candidates competing in the
citys April 26 Democratic primary for the 12th District
Council seat being vacated by longtime incumbent
Carl Stokes, who is running for mayor.
D.C. Superior Court records show that in September
2009 Cross pled guilty as part of a plea bargain
agreement with prosecutors to a misdemeanor
charge of voyeurism. The plea came after he admitted
he clandestinely recorded video of a partially nude
man changing his clothes in the locker room of the
Washington Sports Club gym at 738 7th St., N.W.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 06

SCREEN CAPTURE COURTESY OF WRAL

KELLY CROSS pled guilty to a charge of voyeurism in D.C.

in 2009.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CROSS

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LO CA L N E W S

Department will be vigilant in making sure all insurers comply with the law.
Stewart announced the new regulation nearly three years after Gov. Jack Markell
signed a law that bans discrimination in Delaware based on gender identity and
expression.
Equality Delaware applauds this life-saving action by the Delaware Department
of Insurance, said Lisa Goodman, president of Equality Delaware, a statewide LGBT
advocacy group, in a statement. Excluding coverage for medically necessary care for
transgender individuals remains one of the most frequent examples of anti-LGBT
discrimination.
The Maryland Insurance Administration issued a bulletin last month that said
insurance plans sold in the state must cover trans-specic care. Then-D.C. Mayor Vincent
Gray in 2014 announced health insurance companies doing business in the nations
capital must provide full coverage of sex-reassignment surgery and other treatments
that allow trans people to change their gender.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

U.S. Senate candidate with

lesbian daughter opposes marriage

Gay comedian LESLIE JORDAN will perform during Pride weekend in D.C.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN

Leslie Jordan to perform,

serve as Pride grand marshal
Emmy Award-winning actor, playwright and activist Leslie Jordan will perform
a D.C. show, then serve as a grand marshal of the 2016 Capital Pride Parade in
June.
Jordans show, presented by the Washington Blade, is slated for Friday, June
10 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at washingtonblade.com/leslie.
On Saturday, June 10, he will serve as a grand marshal of the Pride parade,
which kicks o at 4:30 p.m. Jordan is also scheduled to attend the Crack of
Noon Pride Brunch at noon that day. Those tickets will be released in early April.
He is also scheduled to appear at Team DCs Nationals Night OUT on Tuesday,
June 14.
Jordan is best known for his Emmy-winning role on Will & Grace, as well as
his role in Sordid Lives, the lm and the series, among many others. In addition,
he also has a long history of LGBT activism. His volunteer work goes back to the
early days of the AIDS crisis, when he helped with AIDS Project Los Angeles, and
a regional food delivery program.
Ive seen a great deal of pain, and Ive seen a great deal of progress. The
desire to celebrate is inherent, and for me to be a grand marshal in the nations
capital for Pride moves me greatly, Jordan said in a statement.
We are thrilled and honored to have Leslie Jordan as one of this years Parade
grand marshals, said Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance.
His tremendous talent as both a writer and actor is equaled only by his energy,
commitment, and ability to make people laugh.
For more information, visit capitalpride.org or washingtonblade.com/leslie.
STAFF REPORTS

Del. bans trans health insurance bias

Delaware last week became the 15th state to ban insurance companies from
discriminating against transgender policyholders.
State Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart on Wednesday released the
bulletin that announced the new policy. It prohibits the denial, cancellation, termination,
limitation, refusal to issue or renew, or restriction, of insurance coverage or benets
thereunder because of a persons gender identity or transgender status, or because the
person is undergoing gender transition.
All Delawareans should have access to quality health care, regardless of their
gender identity, said Stewart in a press release on the states website. The Insurance

A Republican who is seeking to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
last week said he opposes marriage rights for same-sex couples, even though he has a
lesbian daughter.
I have a lesbian daughter, said Richard Douglas during a debate on WBFF in
Baltimore, according to the Washington Post. I love my daughter, I want no harm to
come to her, but our traditions matter and tolerance is a two-way street.
The Washington Post reported that Douglas said he didnt celebrate the extension
of marriage rights for same-sex couples in Maryland in 2012.
I didnt agree with the result, he said, according to the Washington Post.
Douglas is running against Chrysovalantis Kefalas, state Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore
and Harford Counties) and Anthony Seda in the April 26 Republican primary.
The Washington Post reported that Kefalas, who is gay and former Maryland Gov.
Bob Ehrlichs legal counsel, said in response to Douglas comments that marriage rights
for same-sex couples is an issue of individual liberty, equality and dignity.
This was a divisive issue in the past, said Szeliga, according to the Washington Post.
But its denitely been settled. What Marylanders care about now are taxes, jobs and
the economy.
Larry Jacobs, chair of the Equality Maryland board of directors, criticized Douglas.
I feel for his daughter, Jacobs told the Blade. While I agree that traditions matter,
it is sad that he puts them ahead of the needs of his own family. If he were my father, I
would disown him. So should the voters of Maryland.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Crenshaw named interim head of Alston Foundation

The Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing-related services for homeless
LGBT youth in D.C., announced last week that it has named veteran LGBT rights advocate
June Crenshaw as its interim executive director.
The announcement says Crenshaw will replace Kenneth Pettigrew, the foundations
executive director for the past two years, following Pettigrews decision to take a new
job with the D.C. Department of Healths HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis
Administration, known as HAHSTA.
The announcement says the foundation has begun a search for a permanent
executive director. Crenshaw is scheduled to begin as interim director on April 1.
The Wanda Alston Foundation, among other things, operates the Wanda Alston
House for homeless LGBT youth. The foundation and house were named in honor of
the late lesbian and womens rights activist and mayoral aide Wanda Alston.
As a result of Kens leadership, the Wanda Alston foundation is in a great position to
expand and grow, said Chris Hartmann, president of the foundations board. We are
honored to have June join us as we go through a period of transition, he said.
The statement released by the foundation notes that Crenshaw has a long history of
volunteer leadership in the D.C.-area LGBT community, including her role as a member
of the Advisory Board of the D.C. Mayors Oce of LGBT Aairs.
She has also served as a member and as chair of the board of Whitman-Walker
Health; as chair of the board of Rainbow Response Coalition, which advocates on behalf
of LGBT domestic violence victims; and currently serves on the Board of Governors of
the Human Rights Campaign.
It couldnt immediately be determined whether Crenshaw would become a candidate
for the permanent executive directors position.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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LO CA L N E W S

Baltimore candidate says hes victim of gay baiting

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Cross has said the man in question

posted an ad on Craigslist expressing
interest in meeting another man for a
sexual encounter at the gym on Aug. 19,
2009, the day he recorded the man. Cross
and others familiar with the gym say it
was notorious at the time as a cruising
place for gay men.
But prosecutors said the man
himself an attorney, former Boston police
ocer and former prosecutor with the
D.C. Oce of the Attorney General
claimed he didnt know Cross and was
unaware that he was being recorded as
he disrobed in the locker room.
Police charging documents also say
that the man accused Cross of entering
a bathroom stall at the gym next to the
stall the man was in and placing a small
toiletry bag on the oor between the two
stalls. Seconds later, the man told police,
he noticed a camera lens inside a hole cut
out of the side of the small bag that was
pointed up at him, leading him to believe
Cross was attempting to photograph him
or record video of him while undressed
in the stall.
According to the charging documents,
the man grabbed the bag out of Crosss
hand, allegedly prompting Cross to leave
his own stall, force open the door to the
stall where the man was sitting, and start
a struggle to retrieve the bag and camera
from the man.
As a result of the suspect grabbing the
complainant, the complainant suered a
bruised arm and forearm, a police arrest
adavit says. Police and prosecutors
cited the mans bruised arm as grounds
for also charging Cross with simple
assault. That charge was later dropped as
part of the plea bargain agreement.
Cross denies he ever entered the
mans stall. He calls the assertion that he
struggled to retrieve the bag a complete
lie, and says he placed the bag near the
man between the two stalls because the
man appeared to be masturbating inside
the stall and appeared to be interested in
a possible sexual encounter with him.
The man, who currently practices law
in Springeld, Mass., did not respond to
a call from the Blade seeking comment.
At the time of his guilty plea, Crosss
attorney
led
a
pre-sentencing
memorandum asserting that Cross
realized he mistakenly thought the man
was consenting to a irtation between
the two and that his decision to briey
record video of the man changing in the
locker room was a mistake.
Court records show that police viewed
the video taken on Crosss camera and
observed several seconds of video of
the man changing in the locker room but
there were no video images found on the
camera of him in the bathroom stall.

A Superior Court judge on Oct. 23,

2010 sentenced Cross to 180 days, which
he suspended in full, three years of
supervised probation, and a $50 ne.
One of at least two versions of the
anonymous ier disclosing Crosss
2009 arrest includes links to two
online news articles that report on the
recommendation of a D.C. Bar disciplinary
committee that investigated Crosss arrest
and guilty plea for possible violations of
the standards governing the practice of
law in the District of Columbia.
In a 47-page report released in May
2015, a Hearing Committee of the D.C.
Court of Appeals Board on Professional
Responsibility found that Crosss actions
related to his arrest and guilty plea
violated at least two standards required
for lawyers pertaining to criminal acts
reecting adversely on honesty, tness,
or trustworthiness.
The committee recommended that
Cross be suspended from practicing law
for three years and required to prove
his tness to practice law as a condition
for reinstatement. However, the full
Board of Professional Responsibility and
the Court of Appeals, which must ratify
or make changes to the committees
recommendations, have yet to act on the
recommendations.
Meanwhile, Cross told the Blade that
he now feels his initial decision to accept
the oer to plead guilty may have been
a mistake. He said the decision came
at a time when police and prosecutors
exerted tremendous pressure on him
to plead guilty to the single charge of
voyeurism. He noted that police raided
his and his husbands apartment in
Silver Spring, Md., shortly after his arrest
and conscated all of his electronic
equipment, including computers, laptops
and cell phone.
A short time later, police informed the
D.C. law rm where he worked at the
time that if Cross did not plead guilty they
would place a freeze on all of the rms
computers while they conducted forensic
tests on them to determine whether
Cross had stored improper videos on
the computers. Nothing improper or
illegal was ever found on any of Crosss
computers or electronic devices searched
by police, Crosss lawyer stated in a court
document.
Cross said his attorney advised him
not to make an issue of the Craigslist
posting by the man at the gym because it
would be hard to prove in court. Among
other things, Cross said that police
wiped clean the hard drives on all of his
computers after they conscated them,
removing his copy of the Craigslist prole
of the person he believed to be the man
he recorded at the gym.
In retrospect I should have done that
probably fought harder, Cross said.

But it seemed like it was going to be too

much money and too little upside, he said.
Especially when all theyre saying to you is
pay this ne and take probation and well
leave you alone. It was just like OK, ne,
leave me alone. This whole thing is going to
go away, he said. But it hasnt.
Since moving to Baltimore more than
ve years ago, Cross has started a new
career as a legal technical consultant, he
said. He has also worked as a volunteer
civic activist. He is a former board member
of the Charles Village Civic Association
and currently serves as president of the
Old Goucher Community Association,
according to his campaign website.
He said he has a suspicion of who
might be responsible for the anonymous
iers attacking him, but he doesnt want
to identify the suspected source of the
iers at this time. Cross also said he
has begun the process of ling a formal
complaint against the person he suspects
of creating the ier, but he declined to
elaborate.
Jared Demarinis, director of candidacy
and nance for the Maryland State Board
of Elections, said the ier is in violation
of the states campaign nance reporting
law, which requires all campaign ads or
literature distributed to voters to have
an authority line, which identies the
organization or individual who creates
and distributes such a ier.
He said if the sender of the ier spent
$5,000 or more to create and distribute

it the individual or organization behind it

must register with the Board of Elections.
Expenditures less than $5,000 do not
require registration but the iers must
include the authority line identifying
the person or group behind it, he said.
Failure to do so would subject the party
responsible for the ier to a $500 ne,
according to Demarinis.
Maryland State Del. Mary Washington
(D-Baltimore City), whose district partially
overlaps the 12th City Council district,
said shes troubled over the anonymous
iers attacking Cross. Washington is the
only out LGBT African-American member
of the Maryland Legislature.
She said she has decided not to endorse
candidates for mayor or City Council, but
noted that she is aware of what she called
Crosss strong record of advocacy for the
community through his civic activism.
We have moved so far in our state
on the LGBT rights front, she told the
Blade. And to use these homophobic
scare tactics to dissuade people from
electing the rst out City Council
person in Baltimore City would be really
unfortunate, she said.
People should be assessed on their
willingness or their value and what they
can do in the oce and their vision for
the oce, she added. I know Kelly has a
great track record of working hard in the
community. For his community I know he
would do a great job advocating as the
City Council person.

McAuliffe vetoes religious freedom bill

Virginia Gov. Terry McAulie on
Wednesday vetoed a religious
freedom bill that critics said
would have allowed anti-LGBT
discrimination.
McAulie said in a statement that
Senate Bill 41 is nothing more than
an attempt to stigmatize.
This legislation is also bad for
business and creates roadblocks
as we try to build the new Virginia
economy, he said. Businesses and
job creators do not want to locate
or do business in states that appear
more concerned with demonizing
Virginia Gov. TERRY MCAULIFFE
people than with creating a strong
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY LEE WHITMAN
business climate.
Legislation that immunizes the
discriminatory actions of certain people and institutions at the expense of samesex couples would damage Virginias reputation for commonsense, pro-business
government, added McAulie. We need only look at the damage these types of
laws are doing in other states to understand the harm this bill could bring to our
Commonwealth and its economy.
State Sen. Charles Carrico (R-Galax) introduced SB 41 that received nal
approval earlier this month.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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NATIONAL NEWS

Lawmakers in House Speaker PAUL

RYANs hometown have approved a
nondiscrimination ordinance.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Ryans hometown approves pro-trans ordinance

JANESVILLE, Wis. Lawmakers in the hometown of House Speaker Paul Ryan
(R-Wis.) have approved a nondiscrimination ordinance that includes gender
identity.
Media reports indicate that members of the Janesville City Council approved
the measure which would allow people to use public restrooms that are
consistent with their gender identity by a 6-1 margin.
The Janesville Council members did the right thing by passing protections
that ensure none of their constituents can be denied a job or refused services
because of who they are, said Freedom for All Americans Executive Director
Matt McTighe in a statement.
Wisconsins statewide nondiscrimination law includes sexual orientation, but
not gender identity. A bill that would have banned trans children from using
school facilities consistent with their gender identity was before state lawmakers
during their 2016 legislative session. They adjourned without considering it.

Justice Dept. issues trans prisoner guidance

WASHINGTON The U.S. Justice Department has announced that correctional
facilities must consider an inmates gender identity before placing them in
custody.
The new standard, which is under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, was
published on March 24.
Being transgender is a known risk factor for being sexually victimized in
connement settings, it reads. The standard, therefore, requires that housing
and programming assignments be made on a case-by-case-basis. Any written
policy or actual practice that assigns transgender or intersex inmates to genderspecic facilities, housing units or programs based solely on their external
genital anatomy violates the standard.
National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling in
a press release said the new guidance states what should be obvious, except
almost all our state and local governments are getting it wrong.

LGBT Israelis from Ethiopia to visit U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO A group of LGBT Israelis from Ethiopia are scheduled to
travel to the U.S. next month.
A Wider Bridge, which describes itself as an LGBTQ advocacy group building
connections between the Israeli and North American LGBTQ communities,
on March 29 announced that members of Kehila Lahatavit Ethiopit or LGBT
Ethiopian Community will begin their visit to the U.S. in San Francisco on April
17. They are expected to visit D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago and New York before
returning to Israel.
KALA is an extraordinary group of LGBTQ Ethiopian Israelis thatis increasing
its eorts to address the challenges they face, including discrimination, a relative
lack of upward socio-economic mobility and the traditional attitudes of their
own families and communities, said A Wider Bridge Executive Director Arthur
Slepian in a press release, referring to Kehila Lahatavit Ethiopit.
The trip is scheduled to take place less than three months after protesters
forced the cancellation of A Wider Bridge reception at the National LGBTQ Task
Forces Creating Change Conference in Chicago.
Sarah Kala-Meir and Tom Canning of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and
Tolerance, an Israeli LGBT advocacy group, were scheduled to speak.

TED CRUZ has accepted anti-LGBT recommendations from his religious liberty council.
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER HALLORAN; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK

Cruz takes cues from

religious liberty council
Group calls for
rescinding Obama exec
order against bias
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was busy
this week fending o accusations from
the National Enquirer that he had ve
extramarital aairs, but that hasnt stopped
the Republican presidential hopefulfrom
accepting recommendations from his
religious liberty council that would
undermine LGBT rights.
The council, announced last month by
Cruz, among other things recommended
as part of its 15 initial actions an executive
order preventing discrimination against
opponents of same-sex marriage; passage
of the First Amendment Defense Act,
a religious freedom bill seen to
enable anti-LGBT discrimination; and
rescinding President Obamas executive
order prohibiting anti-LGBT workplace
discrimination among federal contractors.
Additionally, the council recommends
that federal agencies not interpret
protections against gender discrimination
under
current
law
to
prohibit
discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation and gender identity.
During this Holy Week, as Christians
prepare to celebrate spiritual freedom in
Christ, we remember also that religious
liberty is the rst American freedom,
Cruz said. I thank this learned and
committed group of leaders for their wise
recommendations, and as president I will
be proud to work with them to protect
our religious liberty. Defending religious
liberty has been a lifelong passion, and
Ive been blessed to help win national

victories, preserving the Texas Ten

Commandments monument, the words
under God in the Pledge of Allegiance and
the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial.
Cruz
never
indicates
the
recommendations
are
now
his
own campaign positions, but that
understanding is implicit by virtue of his
publicly accepting them on his website. In
the context of the Republican primary, the
term religious freedom is seen as code
for enabling anti-LGBT discrimination.
The
Republican
presidential
candidate has already pledged to push
for passage of the First Amendment
Defense Act during the rst 100 days
of his administration and to direct the
U.S. Justice Department to investigate
claims of violations of religious liberty.
As a U.S. senator, Cruz has introduced
a constitutional amendment that would
reverse the U.S. Supreme Courts decision
in favor of same-sex marriage.
As the Blade reported last month, Cruzs
religious liberty council consists of awhos
who ofanti-LGBT advocates, including the
Heritage Foundations Ryan Anderson; the
Bentham brothers;Bishop Harry Jackson,
senior pastor of the Maryland-based Hope
Christian Church and leading opponent
of the same-sex marriage law in D.C.; and
Tony Perkins, president of the anti-LGBT
Family Research Council.
Our constitutional liberties should not
be subject to the whims of the current
administration, Cruz said. Whether Hobby
Lobby or the Little Sisters of the Poor,
people of faith should not be made to bow
down at the altar of political correctness.
As president, I have pledged on my rst
day in oce to rescind every single one
of President Obamas unconstitutional
executive actions, and to direct every
federal agency to respect and protect the
religious liberty of every American.

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NATIONAL NEWS

La. guv to rescind Jindals

religious freedom order

HILLARY CLINTON urged the Senate to move forward with Merrick Garlands nomination.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY DAMIEN SALAS

Clinton cites marriage ruling, urges action on Garland

Urging the U.S. Senate to move forward with the nomination
of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hillary Clinton
invoked the ruling in favor of same-sex marriage and the
story of the plainti who made it possible as evidence for
why lling the postis important.
The Democratic presidential candidate made the remarks
Monday at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, slightly
more than a week before the states primary on April 5.
If were serious about ghting for progressive causes, we
need to focus on the court: Who sits on it, how we choose
them, and how much we let politics partisan politics
dominate that process, Clinton said.
Chiding Senate Republicans, especially Senate Judiciary
Chair Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), for refusing to allow a hearing
for Garland, Clinton accused the GOP of obstructionism and
denying the will of the people.
We chose a president, Clinton said. We chose him
twice. And now Republicans in the Senate are acting like our
votes didnt count, and that President Obama is not still our
nations leader. And Ill tell you, those are not high-minded
principles they are low-minded politics. And today, Im
adding my voice to the chorus asking Sen. Grassley to step
up and do his job.
Clinton interlaced her speech with references to the
milestone Supreme Court ruling last year on same-sex
marriage, saying the court has shaped whether you can
marry the person you love. The candidate identied the
marriage ruling as one of the courts high-prole decisions
in recent years.
But Clinton also went into detail about the story of Jim
Obergefell, the lead plainti in the 2016 Obergefell v. Hodges
decision, whom she said endured a bitter, painful blow
when the state of Ohio told him it wouldnt recognize his
marriage on his spouses death certicate.
As his partner of 20 years John Arthur was battling Lou
Gehrigs disease, the couple sought to wed, but were unable
to do so in their home state of Ohio because same-sex
marriage wasnt legal there at the time. The couple ew in
a specially equipped jet to accommodateArthurs condition
from Ohio to Maryland and wed on the BWI Airport tarmac
before returning home. The couple challenged Ohios ban on
recognition of their marriage in court, but Arthur died before
the Supreme Court ruled in their favor and established
marriage equality nationwide.
That decision is the latest reminder of what the court can
do when it stands for equality, or against it, Clinton said.
When it makes America a fairer place, or rolls back the
progress weve worked so hard to achieve. It depends on
what the court decides, and it depends on whos deciding.
Clinton also took the opportunity to talk about a Trump

administration and what kind of nominees a President

Trump would appoint to the Supreme Court as well as for
U.S. attorney general.
Now every day, another Republican bemoans the rise of
Donald Trump, Clinton said. They say a Trump nomination
will set their party back decades. I agree. It will set the
Republican Party back if Donald Trump is their standardbearer.
Clinton urged attendees to keep these larger issues in
mind when you go to the polls on April 5, even though it
wont be Trump against her on the ballot at that time, but her
rival for the Democratic nomination Sen. Bernard Sanders
(I-Vt.).
Obergefell, whos endorsed Clinton for president, told the
Washington Blade hes humbled Clinton referenced him
during the speech and said he shares the view the Senate
should move forward with the Garland nomination.
Secretary Clinton makes a strong case for why a Republican
president would take our country backward instead of
forward, and yes, I am concerned about a conservative court
overturning Obergefell v. Hodges and stripping away our
right to marry the person we love, Obergefell said. We are
all Americans, and we deserve a Supreme Court that protects
and arms our rights. Im humbled that Secretary Clinton
talked about my husband John and me in this speech, and I
trust her to ght not just for the LGBTQ community, but for
all Americans.
Announced by President Obama earlier this month as
his choice to replace the late U.S. Associate Justice Antonin
Scalia on the Supreme Court, Garland is considered a
moderate choice because of his record as a judge on the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Washington Blade
discovered four cases in which Garland joined rulings against
LGBT parties, although LGBT legal advocates who reviewed
the rulings said they didnt demonstrate any anti-gay bias.
Jon Davidson, legal director for the LGBT legal group
Lambda Legal, issued a statement on Tuesday saying his
organizations analysis of the 359 opinions Garland authored
and co-authored is complete and the time has come for a
hearing so the nominee can answer questions about his
judicial philosophy.
A critical part of our democracy has been sabotaged by
the stubborn antics of some Senate leadership and majority
members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Davidson said.
Partisan politics has been prioritized over this process, and
ultimately the public is left lacking insight into Judge Garlands
ideology. A hearing is needed, not in November, but now.
Senate leadership must do their jobs, not when convenient,
but now.
CHRIS JOHNSON

In the aftermath of the Georgia

governor
vetoing
a
religious
freedom bill seen to enable anti-LGBT
discrimination, Louisiana Gov. John Bel
Edwards has announced hell rescind
an executive order in his state intended
to allow anti-LGBT bias in the name of
religious liberty.
As reported by Deadline Hollywood,
Edwards, a Democrat, intends to undo
the executive order signed by former
Republican presidential candidate and
former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in
addition to issuing a new executive order
barring anti-LGBT discrimination in state
employment.
Gov.
Edwards
will
issue
the
executive order, but it is in the drafting
stage, Edwards spokesperson Shauna
Sanford is quoted as saying. As far
as Jindals religious liberty order, the
governor intends to rescind it in the near
future.
The Washington Blade conrmed
with Edwards oce he intends to undo
the religious freedom executive order.
The governor had already announced
he intends to sign an LGBT nondiscrimination order after his upset win
in the November election. Sanford told
the Blade she doesnt have an exact time
for when the changes would be handed
down.
Jindal signed the order after legislation
that would have allowed anti-LGBT
discrimination in Louisiana in the
name of religious freedom failed in
committee. Amid consternation among
LGBT advocates and businesses, the
American Civil Liberties Union led a
lawsuit challenging the order, which
remains pending in court.
Matthew Patterson, managing director
for Equality Louisiana, said Edwards
decision to undo Jindals executive order
isnt a surprise given Bel Edwards in May
2015 spoke out against the rejected
religious
freedom
legislation
in
committee.
Rescinding the order is the right
choice, Patterson said. To the extent that
it did anything (and its not clear whether
it actually had any actual force), it was
discriminatory and bad policy. The ACLU
led a lawsuit shortly after the order was
issued, which is actually still pending in
court; by far the best (and cheapest) way
to resolve that is to rescind the order and
render it moot.
CHRIS JOHNSON

Start / FINISH
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 2 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S

Report: Saudi authorities seek

death penalty for coming out
A published report indicates that people who come out online in Saudi Arabia could face the death penalty.
Okaz, a Saudi newspaper, reported on Saturday that prosecutors in the city of Jiddah have proposed the
penalty in response to dozens of cases they have prosecuted over the last six months. These include 35 people
who received prison sentences for sodomy.
Okaz reported that Jiddah authorities have prosecuted 50 cases in which men allegedly dressed as women.
A doctor who lives in the port city on the Red Sea has been released on bail after ocials arrested him for
allegedly raising an LGBT Pride ag over his home.
A gay Saudi man who lives outside the kingdom told the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone
interview the enhanced penalties that Jiddah prosecutors have proposed would apply to the entire country.
The man, who operates a Twitter account that publishes LGBT-specic news and other information from Saudi
Arabia, said the proposal has caused fear among LGBT people in the country.
Chanan Weissman, a spokesperson for the State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and
Labor, told the Blade on Tuesday that the U.S. is aware of these reports, but cannot verify their accuracy.
We continue to gather more information, he said.
Social media users in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere have begun to use the hashtag You will not terrorize me.
Im gay on Twitter to express their opposition to the proposed penalty.
Saudi Arabia is among the countries in which consensual same-sex sexual activity remains punishable by
death.
The State Departments 2014 human rights report notes it is illegal for men to behave like women or
cross-dress. It also says the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice the so-called
religious police that enforces Sharia law in Saudi Arabia uses undercover agents to target owners of social
media accounts that distribute pornographic content or served as social networking tools for LGBT persons
in the kingdom.
The man behind the Saudi LGBT Twitter account told the Blade on Monday that agents with the Committee
for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice use people they arrest as bait to entrap LGBT people
who are online.
Its happened so many times, he said.
The State Department report notes that police and agents with the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue
and the Prevention of Vice arrested 35 gay men many of whom were wearing womens clothing at a
Jiddah party in 2014. A judge in the holy city of Medina in the same year sentenced a man to three years in
prison and 450 lashes for soliciting sex with other men on Twitter.
Media reports indicate that authorities in the city of Taif arrested a man late last year at a shopping mall who
was wearing an abaya, a black cloak that women in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries wear.
The man behind the Saudi LGBT Twitter page told the Blade that the sentences that judges impose upon
those found guilty of LGBT-specic oenses are completely random.
It depends upon the judge, he said.
Two Saudi YouTube personalities last month posted a video in which they called for the execution of gay
people after police reportedly raided a same-sex wedding in the kingdoms capital of Riyadh. YouTube removed
the clip after it sparked widespread outrage.
We thought that this was a big step forward, a source in Saudi Arabia told the Washington Blade on Sunday.
The source, who asked the Blade not to publish their name because of safety concerns, said reports that
Jiddah authorities are seeking the death penalty against those who come out online highlights the horric
reality of the situation in the country.
We cant do a thing about it, but try to make some noise so activists from other countries would hear about
it and talk to their politicians to pressure Saudi to change its policies, said the source. The Internet is the only
safe haven to LGBT individuals in the Middle East. If this is taken from us, we wont have anywhere else to go.
The man behind the Saudi LGBT Twitter account agreed.
Its their only outlet, he told the Blade. Theres no other actual space for LGBT people to meet outside the
Internet.
Saudi Arabia remains a key U.S. ally, especially in the ght against ISIS.
The U.S. gives more than $1 billion in aid to the kingdom each year.
The State Department told the Blade earlier this year that it continues to urge Saudi Arabia to respect
human rights. Then-spokesperson Jen Psaki in July 2014 declined to say whether Secretary of State John Kerry
raised the kingdoms LGBT rights record during his meeting with then-Saudi King Abdullah in Jiddah.
I dont think theyve done nearly enough, said the man behind the Saudi LGBT Twitter account.
I want to see an actual punishment against people who preach hatred, he added. I want them to know
they cannot leave the country.
Weissman on Tuesday reiterated the State Departments previous statements that LGBTI rights are human
rights.
No one should be harmed or have their basic human rights denied because of their sexual orientation,
he told the Blade. The United States will continue to raise the plight of targeted LGBTI individuals around the
world and work to protect their basic human rights.
The United States works every day, both here in Washington and at our embassies and consulates around
the world, to ensure that all persons can exercise their human rights, regardless of their sexual orientation or
gender identity, added Weissman.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Argentina joins global

LGBT rights initiative
Argentina has become the third Latin American
country to join a U.S. initiative that seeks to promote
LGBT rights around the world.
The White House on Wednesday said that Argentina
agreed to join the the Global Equality Fund, a publicprivate partnership the State Department manages with
the U.S. Agency for International Development. The
announcement coincided with President Obamas visit to
the South American country.
The United States and Argentina are committed to
supporting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals, reads the
White House announcement.
Then-Argentine President Cristina Fernndez de
Kirchner signed a same-sex marriage bill into law in 2010
amid strong opposition from Pope Francis, who was the
then-archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Argentina has one of the worlds most comprehensive
transgender rights laws under which people can
legally change their gender without surgery. The South
American country also allows gay and bisexual men to
donate blood.
The news about Argentinas support of the Global
Equality Fund, as part of the cooperative actions between
our country and the United States is great news, LGBT
Federation of Argentina Vice President Esteban Pauln
told the Washington Blade on Thursday in an email.
It means taking a step in the direction of exporting
the rights that we have achieved in our country, and
cooperating regionally on this issue.
The Global Equality Fund has given more than $17
million to LGBT advocacy groups since its 2011 launch.
Uruguay and Chile joined the initiative last November
and 2014 respectively. Croatia, Germany, the
Netherlands, Sweden, the Arcus Foundation and the
Human Rights Campaign are among the other countries
and organizations that also contribute to the Global
Equality Fund.
The White House on Wednesday announced that
Argentina supports the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights special rapporteur on LGBT-specic
issues. The Obama administration also said the South
American country backs a similar body within the U.N.
Human Rights Council.
The support that the country has expressed for
the special rapporteur for LGBTI rights in the OAS
(Organization of American States) and the creation of a
similar body in the United States is a step in the right
direction, Pauln told the Blade.
The Argentine government has not returned the
Blades requests for comment.
Obamas visit to Argentina comes less than four
months after President Mauricio Macri took oce.
Diana Sacayn, a prominent trans rights advocate,
was found stabbed to death inside her Buenos Aires
apartment last October. She was the third trans woman
who was reported killed in Argentina in the span of two
months.
An appellate court last December ruled the two men
who allegedly killed Sacayn can go on trial for her
murder.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

N A T I O NA L NEW S

A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 1 3

Lawsuit seeks to overturn anti-LGBT law in N.C.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

belief. Disney and several other

companies had urged Deal to veto the
controversial measure.
But the biggest controversy erupted in
North Carolina, where the governor last
week signed into law what many consider
the nations worst anti-LGBT law. This
week, North Carolina Attorney General
Roy Cooper announced he would not
defend in court the recently enacted
measure.
Cooper, a Democrat whos running to
become the states governor, declaredhe
would not defend House Bill 2 in courtat
a news conference at his oce in Raleigh.
Over the last 15 years, our oce
has defended the state, its ocials
and agencies when theyve been sued,
Cooper said. Our oce will continue
to do that, except it will not defend the
constitutionality of the discrimination in
House Bill 2.
House Bill 2, signed into law last week
by Gov. Pat McCrory after an emergency
session of the state legislature, undoes all
pro-LGBT city ordinances in North Carolina,
including a recently approved measure in
Charlotte, and prohibits transgender people
from using public restrooms consistent
with their gender identity in schools and
government buildings.
Cooper said his decision is based on
LGBT non-discrimination policies in place
both in his oce and the North Carolina
treasurers oce, which he said are in
direct conict with House Bill 2. The
treasurers oce, Cooper said, asked him
to represent the oce in court to defend
the policy in opposition to House Bill 2.
In order to protect our nondiscrimination policy and employees
along with those of our client, the state
treasurers oce, part of our argument will
be that House Bill 2 is unconstitutional,
Cooper said. Therefore, our oce will
not represent the defendants in this
lawsuit, nor future lawsuits involving the
constitutionality of House Bill 2.
Citing the potential economic penalty
and loss of business for North Carolina,
Cooper said McCrory should call on the
state legislature to x House Bill 2 to
eliminate what he called discrimination
enshrined into state law and avoid
litigation altogether.
The fact is we shouldnt have to be
dealing with these lawsuits in the rst
place, Cooper said. This shameful,
new law has brought them upon us.
Discrimination is wrong. Period. The
governor and the legislature should
repeal this law. Repeal will save needless
litigation costs and will begin to repair our
national reputation.
Invoking Deals veto of religious
freedom legislation in Georgia, Cooper
said McCrory should have done the

New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO has banned government travel to North Carolina after
passage of what many consider the countrys worst anti-LGBT law there.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

same thing.
He saw what happened in the state
of Indiana when that state passed laws
that discriminate, Cooper said. He saw
that Indiana lost business and millions of
dollars of revenue, and every day working
people there were hurt. Gov. Deal didnt
want that for his state.
On Monday, LGBT advocacy groups
Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties
Union, the ACLU of North Carolina and
Equality NC led a lawsuit in federal
court arguing the law is unconstitutional
on the basis it violates equal protection
under the Fourteenth Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution and Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972, which
prohibits gender discrimination in schools.
In a joint statement, the four
organizations
behind
the
lawsuit
commended Cooper, saying he stands
on the right side of history for declining
to defend House Bill 2 in court.
North Carolina Attorney General Roy
Cooper, the states top law enforcement
ocial, has concluded House Bill 2
is unconstitutional and harms North
Carolinians without justication, the
statement says. As our lawsuit highlighted
yesterday, House Bill 2 singles out the
LGBT community for discrimination.
Thats not only incompatible with the
states constitutional and legal obligations
but also our shared values as North
Carolinians.
Elsewhere, city and state ocials
enacted travel bans in response to the
passage of anti-LGBT legislation. New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomohasannounced
his state will join at least three major cities
to ban government-sponsored travel to
North Carolina over its recently enacted
anti-LGBT law.
On Monday, Cuomo saidin a statement
he has signed an executive order
instituting the new policy, which requires
New York state agencies to review all
requests for state-funded travel to North

Carolina and bar any such travel not

essential to the enforcement of state law
or public health and safety.
In New York, we believe that all
people regardless of their gender
identity or sexual orientation deserve
the same rights and protections under
the law, Cuomo said. From Stonewall
to marriage equality, our state has been
a beacon of hope and equality for the
LGBT community, and we will not stand
idly by as misguided legislation replicates
the discrimination of the past. As long
as there is a law in North Carolina that
creates the grounds for discrimination
against LGBT people, I am barring nonessential state travel to that state.
The orderis similar to the oneCuomo
signed last year barring governmentsponsored travel to Indiana after Pence
signed a religious freedom bill seen to
enable to discrimination against LGBT
people. After Pence signed into a law a
x to the measure, Cuomo rescinded
the travel ban.
The Washington Blade has placed
a request with Cuomos oce for an
estimate on how much state-sponsored
travel New York typically conducts
toNorth Carolina.
Cuomo, who became the rst governor
in the nation to institute a travel ban
over North Carolinas anti-LGBT law, joins
at least three major cities in banning
government-sponsored travel to the
Tar Heel State, including New York City,
Seattle and San Francisco.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also
announced this week he has initiated a
non-essential travel ban for North Carolina.
I think its quite clear that voices
of conscience all over the country are
expressing outrage at these decisions,
which are re-instituting discrimination
against the LGBT community, de Blasio
said. And its also quite clear that a lot
of the corporate sector is making clearer
that it will not participate in states that

have such laws.

Making the remarks in the aftermath
of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal vetoing a
religious freedom bill seen to enable
anti-LGBT discrimination in the state, de
Blasio threatened to institute a travel ban
to that state as well if the state legislature
overrides the veto.
So, my hope is that both these states
will relent, but we certainly are not
going to have any non-essential travel
to those states if these laws do continue
in eect,de Blasio said. In terms of any
entities that we do business with, we
are always looking to make sure that
there are no instances of discrimination.
We have a very vigorous Human Rights
Commission as you know. And so thats
something were constantly looking for
any complaints or concerns about.
On the same day, Seattle Mayor Ed
Murray, whos gay, announced he had
signed an executive order banning citysponsored travel to North Carolina over
the anti-LGBT law.
It is my hope for our nation that we
do not allow issues of discrimination to
divide us, Murray said in a statement.
Our union is only made stronger when
all Americans are treated equitably.
Over the weekend San Francisco Mayor
Ed Lee announced his city would also ban
government-sponsored travel to North
Carolina, making him the rst mayor in
the country to make that declaration.
With other states like Georgia on the
verge of passing more discriminatory
laws, let me be clear that San Francisco
taxpayers will not subsidize legally
sanctioned
discrimination
against
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people in any city or state,Lee said.
Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), who
represents portions of Charlotte in
Congress, said in a statement she was
proud of ocials outside of North
Carolina taking action against the states
anti-LGBT law.
Its appalling that in 2016 North
Carolinians are still ghting for basic
human rights, Adams said. HB2
legalizes discrimination and strips away
simple guarantees of equal treatment
from the LGBT community. Im proud
New York Citys Mayor Bill de Blasio, San
Franciscos Mayor Ed Lee, organizations
and corporations in North Carolina and
across the country have denounced
this blatant act of discrimination. North
Carolinas governor and the Republican
controlled legislature would rather put
our local economy at risk than grant
law abiding citizens equal rights. We
should be working together to move our
state and our nation forward, not taking
steps back. I will continue to stand with
Charlotte and the LGBT community in the
continued ght for equality in our state.

Keep your promise to protect each other.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 A PR IL 01, 2016

BA LT I MO RE N E W S

Gay teacher honored in Anne Arundel

Music teacher Patrick Alexander, whos gay, was
presented with the Elementary Educator of the Year
award by the West County Chamber in Anne Arundel
County as part of the Spirit of Community Awards
ceremony. The presentation took place on March 14
at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover.
I was totally surprised to win this award, Alexander,
who has been teaching instrumental music in Anne
Arundel County elementary schools for 10 years,
told the Blade. The other teachers in my category
seemed like amazing educators. I was very honored.
I also thought this was a nice win for music teachers
in general.

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PATRICK ALEXANDER
won the Elementary
Educator of the Year
award in Anne Arundel
County.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXANDER

Cloudburst to be screened in Columbia

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The LGBT Older Adults Task Force of Howard County and the 50+ Bain Center
are co-sponsoring the lm Cloudburst on May 12. The event takes place at the
Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keaton Way in Columbia from 6-8:30 p.m. with doors
opening at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Cloudburst is a 2011 Canadian-American adventure comedy-drama lm
by American-Canadian writer and director Thom Fitzgerald. It stars Olympia
Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as a lesbian couple who travel from Maine to Nova
Scotia to get married after one is moved into a nursing home. Along the way,
they encounter a young hitchhiker travelling home to Nova Scotia to visit his
dying mother, and the three bond as they travel.
A discussion will follow the presentation covering such topics as family
dynamics, aging, loss and love. This program qualies for 2.5 Category I
continuing education units in Social Work.
Admission is free but reservations are required by May 9 by calling the Bain
Center at 410-313-7213. For more information about the LGBT Older Adults Task
Force of Howard County, email lgbthoco@gmail.com.

Moveable Feast seeks riders for fundraiser

FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN

ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS

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The Ride for the Feast is a major fundraising source for Moveable Feast. The
Baltimore-based non-prot is looking for bike riders to participate in the 140mile, two-day event that will take place on May 14-15.
Moveable Feast is the sole provider of free nutritious meals for people living
with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and other life-threatening conditions in Baltimore
City, the ve surrounding counties and the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Riders commit to raising $1,500 per person and the scenic ride goes from Ocean
City to Baltimore.
One hundred percent of the funds that each of the riders and crew raise will
go directly to programs and services and not costs associated with the ride.
Teams are welcome.
For more information, visit rideforthefeast.org or call 410-327-3420.

ADVERTISING
ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12

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any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any
copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair
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by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations
and warranties.

PROOF

LGBT choral groups band together

Presented by the Tiany Series, three diverse ensembles will perform in an

LGBT Choral Celebration this Sunday. Included will be Baltimores New Wave
Singers; D.C.s Potomac Fever (the 14-voice a cappella close harmony ensemble
ADVERTISER SIGNATURE
By signing this proof you are agreeing to your
contract
that
isobligations
part with
of the
the Gay Mens Chorus of Washington); and Philadelphias SheWho,
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payment and insertion schedule.
a feminist womens vocal ensemble.
Each of the groups will perform individually and then come together at the
concerts conclusion in a mass chorus song that will also involve audience
participation. This is an opportunity to hear three of the mid-Atlantic regions
LGBT choral ensembles in one show.
The event takes place at 3 p.m. at the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church,
1316 Park Avenue in Baltimore. A free reception will follow the concert.
Tickets ($15; students $5) are available at browndowntown.org/currentseason/ and at the door. Parking and shuttle service will be available.
STEVE CHARING

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

16 A PR IL 01, 2016

H E A LT H N E W S

PrEP app debuts in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO A new San Francisco-based app called Nurx allows healthy
residents to order a three-month supply of PrEP thats delivered to their door
and requires no doctors visit, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Dr. Bradley Hare, director of HIV Care and Prevention at Kaiser Permanente
San Francisco, said such a delivery service, launched last week, could increase
patient access to the important medication.
Taken daily, pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, medication can reduce a
patients chance of contracting HIV by more than 90 percent. PrEP use already
is so common among gay men in San Francisco that some list it on their online
dating proles, but Nurxs founders say many people who should be on the
regimen still face obstacles when trying to get a prescription. Some primary
care doctors dont know about PrEP or view it with suspicion, said Nurx cofounder and CEO Hans Gangeskar, and local clinics that oer the regimen are
overcrowded, according to the Mercury News article.
The current health care system has failed to get PrEP to the people who need
it, Gangeskar said.
Nurx has been oering on-demand delivery of birth control pills in California
since mid-December, and recently expanded to New York. The company also
delivers emergency contraception, the article notes.
Supporters say by eliminating time-consuming and potentially embarrassing
face-to-face doctors visits for PrEP, Nurx may prompt more at-risk people to protect
themselves from HIV. Others, such as sta at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation
advised against any service that would circumvent contact with a medical provider.
Although follow-up doctors visits are not required by Nurx, some supporters say
its not intended as a replacement for a doctors visit, the Mercury News reports.

LGBT primary care clinic to open in Portland

PORTLAND The Cascade AIDS Project, a 31-year-old Portland organization,
plans to open a new 8,500-square-foot primary care clinic focused on LGBT
patients, the Portland Tribune reports.
The clinic appears to be the rst of its kind in the city.
They have the same health issues as the general population, but they have
additional issues we need to address, says Peter Parisot, director of development
and communications for the Cascade AIDS Project (CAP).
Parisot says the idea for a standalone clinic catering to the needs of Portlands
large and growing LGBT community rst came about after the Aordable Care
Act and other forces made funding for CAPs wrap-around services for sexually
transmitted diseases unstable, the Tribune reports.
Strategic planning to determine where the organization should focus its
eorts began three years ago with the nonprot ultimately deciding to focus on
what it felt best at: providing medical care to sexual minorities.
The clinic will accept private health insurance as well as Medicaid and Medicare.
Patients are not required to be LGBT, but the clinic, from doctors to billing sta,
will be aware and sensitive to their unique needs, Parisot told the Tribune.
The clinic will focus on primary care and as such will not oer surgeries of any kind.
The yet-unnamed clinic will open in early 2017 after a half-million-dollar renovation
project. It aims to eventually serve 3,000 to 4,000 patients, with a conservative goal
of serving 1,000 patients by 2020, the Portland Tribune reports.

More
criticism
of conversion therapy
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MILWAUKEE, Wis. The worlds largest organization of mental health professionals

last week called for an end to the discredited practice of conversion therapy, also
known as ex-gay therapy, the Wisconsin Gazette and other news outlets report.
In a statement issued on March 23, the World Psychiatric Association said,
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discrimination ourish, and they can be potentially harmful. The provision of
any intervention purporting to treat something that is not a disorder is wholly
unethical, the Gazette quoted him as having said.
Lessthan a year ago,the Oce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights released a report calling for all member countries to end conversion therapy.
That report followed the UN Committee Against Tortures historic decision to
raise the issue as a potential violation of human rights just after the National
Center for Lesbian Rightsdelivered testimony at the 2014 review of the United
States. And last October, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
released a report condemning the practice.

~
202.319.8541 www.lgbtc.com Se habla espanol

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

FI T NES S

A PR IL 01, 2016 17

The power of 30 days

Giving yourself a clear stop date
does psychological wonders
At the beginning of the year I
asked myself a question.
Gerard, can you abstain from
alcohol for 30 days?
I always thought and knew I
could, but on principle I have always
steered clear of any 30-day diet, 30day challenge or 30-day anything. I
GERARD BURLEY is a D.C.-based personal
trainer. Reach him via @CoachGFit or coachg@
have always felt that they teach the
coachgtness.com.
body to be temporarily healthy and I
hate temporary solutions. My whole
philosophy to tness, nutrition and wellness has always been take small steps
that last for a lifetime so they can become long-term changes.
Despite my skepticism, through challenging myself, testing it out on my clients
and doing a little research, I have learned that a lot can happen in 30 days. Here
are my reasons on why I now support 30-day challenges and you should too.
30 days vs. diets Weve all been at that point before starting a new diet,
usually around New Years, when we say to ourselves, Theres no way Im going
to be able to do this. Reluctantly we move forward into a diet that we one, dont
want to do and two, dont think we can do. Two weeks later we have failed once
again, feeling terrible about ourselves we turn to food for comfort and the cycle
restarts.
The rst mistake we made with this diet is that we entered something that
seemed unattainable, in part because there is no specic nish line. Thirty-day
challenges instead have a clear-cut nish line and most people like that. Theres
something condence building about knowing that at the end of the month one
can go back to more comfortable things. This totally switches the attitude that
people, including my clients, had when presented with a wellness challenge to
eat healthier or to not drink alcohol. As with many obstacles in life, half of being
successful is just having a positive mindset and believing that you can achieve it.
Does it last? OK, time for the million dollar question: Did it work? Short
answer, yes. Long answer, it works twice. I went 30 days with no alcohol and
felt better, looked better, slept better and did basically everything better except
drink. In my clients I saw the same improvements: they lost weight, had more
energy and overall just felt better at the end of the 30 days.
This is to be expected. I mean, lets be real if you go from eating cheeseburgers
or drinking wine every night to eating grilled chicken or pumping lemon water,
your body is going to change. The amazing thing is what happened on days 31
and 32. I didnt drink and my clients didnt sprint to Pizza Hut. Surprisingly to
me, I had started a new healthy habit and drinking wasnt as necessary as it
was before. The body, and more importantly the mind, has an amazing way of
creating a habit no matter what the stimulus is.
After just repeating something for as little as four days a week, its more likely
to become a habit. Though I did my own little study, the Wall Street Journal
reported on a 2010 UK study that showed that people who went on 30-day
challenges were more likely to stick with it for the entire 30 days and to keep up
the changes after the 30 days than people who just decided to start a diet. Most
habits take 66 days to become automatic, but with a 30-day challenge, youre
half way there.
The biggest takeaway I learned and want to pass on is that its important
that no matter what challenge, diet, lifestyle change, or whatever you call it
you decide to take on, that completing it is realistic. If 30 days seems too long,
then make it 15 or even a week, but start somewhere. By giving yourself an end
date, youll go into the change condently, which will aect your commitment to
the program. I encourage you to get out there this spring and take on a small
challenge for yourself and your health.

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VIEWPOINT

Trans Iraqi refugee gives back

I feel so blessed to be in this land
By ALI ALWAN
Living in a free land that treats me equally
and gives me the right to make my choices
thats why I am here in the USA. I am a 30-yearold female-to-male transgender Iraqi, born
and raised in Baghdad. In 2013, I arrived in
the United States as a refugee from Lebanon,
where I was waiting on UNHCRs decision for
my resettlementcase. As a transgender refugee, my case moved much more quickly than
many others I waited for nine months, but
many people wait for several years.
I lived my whole life in low profile in my home
country, because I was transgender in a war
zone that was ranked as one of the most dangerous places to live as an LGBTIindividual. After
a March 2012 brutal campaign of attacks and killings of LGBTI individuals, fear and hopeled me
to seek help through the International Refugee
Assistance Project, which studied and helped my
case, and UNHCR, who guided me into a safe
place to live in the United States.
Living as a transgender refugee comes

with many challenges. The biggestchallenge

is where to start and how to pick up your life
from where you left it in a totally dierent
world where everything looks new. In my new
home I nally started the female-to-male transition to live as the man I have always been
from the inside.
For me, it was never an easy step to leave
everything behind to be a refugee walking
toward the unknown future, but the situation in my home country forced me to leave
with tears in my eyes. On the other hand, I feel
blessed to be here in the USA. In this country,
everybody is equal and if you work hard you
can achieve your dreams. There is something
here I have never experienced before, which is
the rule of law.
As a Muslim, my rst reection is that this
nation accepts everybody with an open heart.
I did not feel I was an outcast because everybody here represents a dierent background
and people of all backgrounds join together
in loving this county. As a refugee, I feel welcomed by the people I meet, and I have been
treated with respect because so many people
here were refugees once.

In the few years that I have lived here, I have

been able to live as a man, marry the woman
I love, continue my studies, work as an IT specialist and volunteer for refugee causes in my
state.
Unfortunately, most media here show only
the bad side of a few individuals, and I view it
as my role to reect the real image of a Muslim refugee. However, this is a big responsibility to represent my home country, reect my
religion, and show people that refugees are
hardworking people. I feel so proud to represent the refugees, simply because I had lived
a very hard life in Iraq and this has made me
very strong. I appreciate all the little things I
have now.
I feel so blessed to be in this land, and it is
my job now to return the favor, and be a productive citizen who helps to build this nation
and reect the American spirit and values to
the whole world.
ALI ALWAN (name changed for privacy), lives
with his wife in the Northeastern United States.
He works in information technology and serves
as an advocate for LGBTI communities and
refugee resettlement.

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V I E W PO I N T

A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 1 9

U.S. silent on anti-LGBT attacks in Ukraine

State Dept. mum as equality
festival shut down
By LEV GOLINKIN
Recently, Ukraines LGBT community attempted to test the countrys new Western
path by holding an equality festival in the city
of Lviv. The outcome was deplorable: Lviv,
which markets itself as the most European city
in Ukraine, tried to prevent the festival by taking the organizers to court. When the roughly
70 participants gathered in a hotel, it was surrounded by a mob of 200-300 masked thugs
chanting, Kill, kill, kill, at which point the attendants were evacuated by police.
Afterward, Misanthropic Division, a neoNazi organization, claimed responsibility for
showing the degenerates who are in charge
of Lviv. The group celebrated by displaying
photographs of members giving the Nazi salute on its Facebook page.
LGBT activists have good reason to be
pessimistic when confronting persecution
in Eastern Europe. The regions entrenched
homophobia, reinforced by decades of Communist dictatorships as well as burgeoning
far-right movements, makes it tempting to
concentrate equality eorts on more realistic
goals. Ukraine, however, is a unique case.
Ever since the 2013-2014 Euromaidan revo-

lution brought a new government to power,

Ukraine has aimed to break away from Russia
and join a free and democratic Europe. In recognition of this goal, the U.S. and the EU are providing Kiev with enormous amounts of aid. For
the past two years, Ukraine has been a nation
in flux, with a government in close contact with
Washington, and a significant percentage of the
population ready to adopt Western values.
The road toward embracing these values
has been slow. When two men lmed themselves holding hands in Kiev last May, they
were quickly assaulted by thugs. Last June,
members of Right Sector (another far-right
group with neo-fascist leanings) brutally ended a Pride parade in Kiev, injuring police and
participants alike. Several LGBT activists told
Western journalists that violence against the
community has risen after the revolution.
Support from the Kiev government has
been patchy at best. Prior to last years Kiev
Pride parade, Ukraines president Petro Poroshenko publicly stated that the LGBT community had a right to conduct the march the
announcement was a giant, almost unbelievable step for Ukraine. And yet, many lawmakers have either remained silent or issued horrendous statements backing the far right. Our
ancestors would have trampled these people
with their horses, is how one parliament deputy responded when Ukraine was working to
pass a simple workplace non-discrimination

law in November.
The most disappointing response has been
not of Ukraine, but of the West. Over the past
two years, American and European leaders
have vociferously condemned the homophobic policies of the Russian government of Vladimir Putin. When it comes to violence against
the LGBT community in neighboring Ukraine,
however, the West has been largely restrained.
To be fair, Moscows actions from its
shameful homophobia during the 2014 Sochi
Olympics to the criminalization of promoting
homosexual propaganda to minors have
given the West plenty of opportunities for condemnation. But if America is tough on Russia,
why does it remain oddly silent when it comes
to Ukraine, a nation that receives billions of
dollars in aid precisely because it seeks to embrace democratic, Western values?
One may be tempted to think Washingtons
reticence stems from the fact that America
is so heavily involved in Ukraine; after all, its
never politically expedient to criticize an ally.
In reality, however, D.C. has a track record of
taking Kiev to task in a harsh and unequivocal
manner just not on human rights matters.
The United States has repeatedly criticized
Ukraine for failing to root out the endemic
corruption, which continues to paralyze the
country. Last December, Vice President Joe
Biden ew into Kiev to warn a parliament full
of stone-faced lawmakers that this was their

last chance to reform the government. After

politicians continued scuttling reforms, the
IMF froze the release of an aid package crucial
to keeping Ukraines economy aoat. Earlier
this month, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland testied to the Senate that dirty
money and dirty politics are threatening to
ruin the country.
These harsh statements by high-level diplomats stand in sharp contrast to the silence
surrounding the Lviv events. In fact, the closest thing to an ocial Washington response to
300 neo-Nazis attacking LBGT activists came
via several tweets by Georey Pyatt, the U.S.
ambassador to Ukraine. Neither the State Department nor the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus issued so much as a press release.
If Washington plans to continue investing sizeable resources into Ukraines nascent
democracy, it needs to address not only economic wrongs, but also human rights violations especially when they are as glaring as
what happened in Lviv.
Many speak of human rights; the organizers
of Lvivs festival risked their lives for the cause,
and will continue doing so in the future. Surely
the U.S. government can recognize their courage with more than a tweet.
LEV GOLINKIN is a New Jersey-based writer
who specializes in human rights and immigrant
experiences. His work has appeared in the New
York Times and other outlets.

I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON

Under Bowser, state of the District is good

Looking forward to more
progress after strong start

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights

and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.

Muriel Bowser delivered her State of

the District speech last week at the beautiful Arena Stage Theater in Southwest, D.C.
Having lived in Southwest after moving to
the District in 1978, seeing the changes that
have taken place and those still coming
is incredible.
There will always be those unhappy with
government. Bowser began her speech saying, The thing about being mayor is that
on any given day, you dont always set your
agenda. You dont get to pick the issue, the
call, or the emergency that requires your attention, or requires you to make a decision,
one that could aect hundreds of thousands

of people.
It is clear after 14 months in oce that Mayor Bowser has dealt with a lot of issues she
didnt choose but has done so with compassion, intelligence and aplomb, always putting
the interests of the people of the District rst.
The mayor has begun to make progress on
her campaign promises. One of the biggest
was committing to close the homeless shelter
at D.C. General. Others included adding additional funds to build aordable housing; getting a handle on crime and improving public
safety; and continuing to reform and improve
the Districts education system. These are all
areas dicult to impact but we are seeing
positive changes and progress is being made
on all of them.
The mayors recently released plan to close
the D.C. General homeless shelter is a case in
point. It is a comprehensive plan she submitted to the public and the Council for review
and while it isnt perfect it deals with the issue
in a smart way.
In her speech, the mayor spoke of elected
ocials having three choices when building
the city. One is to reject growth and accept
decline; two is growing without regard to our
roots, and risk losing what makes D.C. great;
and the third is to balance change with preservation and growth. She has chosen the third

and most dicult and is making progress in all

eight wards of the city.
The mayor gave credit to members of the
Council and her predecessors Williams, Fenty
and Gray when she spoke about changes that
have occurred in the past 10 years, including
school reform and school modernization. She
touted existing successful programs, like having 500 mentors for boys who need it most;
the money saved by families when Kids Ride
Free on public transportation; 8,200 families
reading to their children beneting from the
Books from Birth program; and various Cornerstone, Common Core and Career Academies.
Bowser highlighted statistics showing today there are 15,000 more students in public
schools than in 2007 and student achievement rising. What wasnt discussed is despite
all this we have a growing achievement gap.
In D.C., the achievement gap is between white
children and African-American and Latino children. Changing this must be our primary focus but we have to recognize that the schools
alone cant x this. It will only change when we
do something about every factor that impacts
a childs life, including economics, housing, nutrition, community and parenting,
The mayor has been out in the community
hosting budget engagement forums and giv-

ing residents a chance to speak out on what

they see as priorities. Bowser has always
prized community input and she isnt only talking the talk but walking the walk in this regard.
Based on community input, the mayor added
$75 million to the school budget.
With regard to public safety, she rightfully
took credit for keeping Chief of Police Cathy
Lanier in the District and luring the Districts
new Fire Chief Gregory Dean from Seattle. She
has budgeted $500,000 for security camera
rebates for businesses and implemented the
Body Worn Camera program for MPD ocers
with a commitment that by the end of the year
every MPD ocer will be wearing one.
The mayor touted the citys continued
economic development from St. Elizabeths
in Ward 8 to Columbia Heights, City Center
and progress on the Walter Reed campus
redevelopment. She made news when calling on the Council to increase the Districts
minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020.She
touted her support for budget autonomy
and then reminded everyone that based on
the court decision this will be the rst budget in which the city will control the funds it
raises on its own.
In all, this has been a great start for the
Bowser administration and we can look forward to more progress under this mayor.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 0 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

VIEWPOINT

El inujo de Obama en Cuba

El presidente trae
inspiracin, esperanza a la
isla comunista
Por NELSON GANDULLA DAZ
Ya hace seis das que march, sin
embargo sus palabras siguen teniendo
replica en la mente y el corazn de los
cubanos. El raulismo lo percibe, por ello
apenas el presidente tomo el avin para
darse un salto hasta Argentina, la maquinaria ideolgica del rgimen comenz
una furibunda campaa propagandstica
tendiente a inocular en la psiquis de mis
coterrneos la idea que Obama es un
lobo con piel de oveja.
Su condicin tnica, (en Cuba el 65 por
ciento de los ciudadanos son negros o
mestizos) su historia de xito, (Como sin
ser rico lleg a ser el hombre ms poderoso del planeta,) la imagen familiar que le
acompa, y sobre todo, su discurso cargado de esperanza y con la mira puesta
en el futuro, encaj en el imaginario de
un pueblo que por dcadas solo ha venido escuchando el monoltico discurso de
plaza sitiada que insiste en postergar los

sueos y aspiraciones de los caribeos a

un maana paradisiaco que nunca ven
llegar y que se prolonga en el tiempo indenidamente.
El presidente le dio la espalda al lenguaje protocolar que caracteriza al mbito diplomtico y se vino sin medias tintas
a hablarle al cubano promedio. Le habl
de t a t al hombre a la mujer al negro
al homosexual. Para nuestra comunidad pidi respeto y enmarc el tema de
nuestras libertades dentro del respeto a
los derechos humanos universales.
Ya luego tuvo a bien dialogar en un mbito privado con algo ms de una docena
de activistas de la sociedad civil independiente cubana. Entre estos estuvieron
presente representando a la comunidad
LGBTI y a quienes bregamos por conquistar los derechos que a ese segmento le
son negados, dos conocidos lderes, que
conocen de primera mano, los vejmenes
que este rgimen de machista nos ha
propinado.
Nuestros compaeros expusieron en
apretada sntesis el abultado expediente
de abusos y violaciones que los Castros
han implementado por dcadas en el
afn obsesivamente homofbico de er-

radicarnos.
De paso se pidi que las histricas exigencias en la que nos abanderamos sean
tratadas en los dilogos que sostienen
sobre derechos humanos ambos gobiernos.
Si algo sobr de cuanto dijo quien hoy
reside en la Casa Blanca, fue su aclaracin
que el destino de la isla deba ser moldeado por los cubanos. Y es que, dentro del
movimiento civilista independiente cubano, particularmente de organizaciones
pro derechos LGBTI como la que presido,
no existe nadie pensando que la sper
potencia que vendr a salvarnos.
Nos queda claro, aunque agradecemos a Obama por recordarlo, que los
cambios sociales deben ser concebidos y
ejecutados por los propios cubanos. Sin
embargo esta perogrullada no est divorciada de lo deseado y conveniente que
es la solidaridad de gobiernos y pueblos,
con causas como laque propugnamos.
No corresponde a Obama hablar de
los campos de trabajo forzoso en el que
fueron recluidos miles de homosexuales, ni de la marginacin que sufren
los transexuales en centros educativos
y laborales o de los intentos que hace

el ocialismo para tabularnos dentro de

una organizacin como el CENESEX cuya
agenda real es la de lanzar fuegos de articios para crear la ilusin de que Cuba es
inclusiva con el homosexual.
La visita de Obama sirvi en todo caso
para visualizar a este sector de la comunidad homosexual que ha sido marginado por mantenerse equidistante del
poder. Ha sido el nico presidente que
ha visitado a Cuba mencionado en un discurso pblico la necesidad de respectar
los derechos de los homosexuales, de reunirse con activistas LGBTI y escucharles.
Sacando cuentas he de concluir que por
primera vez en dcadas, las palabras de
un poltico forneo se dirige al pueblo cubano no al gobierno. La satisfaccin que
me embarga no es exclusiva, es la misma
que ahora mismo afecta a millones de
mis hermanos. El inujo que dejaron las
palabras del presidente norteamericano
Bama les aseguro que dejarn sentir a lo
largo de muchos aos.

NELSON GANDULLA DAZ es el presidente de

la Fundacin Cubana por los Derechos LGBTI,
un grupo LGBT cubano independiente.

VIEWPOINT

Obamas legacy in Cuba

President brings inspiration,
hope to Communist island
By NELSON GANDULLA DIAZ
Its already been six days since President Obama left Cuba, but his words
continue to resonate in the minds and
hearts of the Cuban people. The regimes
ideological machinery that we refer to as
Raulismo knows this and began a furious
propaganda campaign to inoculaate into
the psyche of my countrymen as soon
as the president boarded his plane to y
o to Argentina the idea that Obama is a
wolf in sheeps clothing.
His ethnicity (65 percent of Cuban
citizens are black or mixed race), his success story (he became the most powerful
man on the planet without being rich),
the family image that accompanied him
and above all, his discourse that is full of
hope and with an eye toward the future,
ts into the imagination of a people who
have only been listening to the monolithic
siege mentality discourse (of the regime)
that for decades has insisted on postponing dreams and aspirations of the Carib-

bean people to a heavenly tomorrow that

never arrives and is postponed indenitely in time.
The president turned his back on the
protocular language that characterizes the diplomatic realm and he came
to speak to the average Cuban without
mincing words. He spoke one on one to
the man, to the woman, to the black person, to the homosexual. He called for respect for our community and framed the
issue of our liberties within the respect of
universal human rights.
He then saw t to speak privately with
more than a dozen activists from independent Cuban civil society. Representatives of the LGBTI community two
well-known leaders who know rst hand
the humilation that this machista regime
has dealt the LGBTI community were
among those present with whom we
struggle to win the rights that are denied
to this segment of society.
Our colleagues presented a concise
synopsis of the abuses and violations that
the Castros have committed for decades
in the obsessively homophobic eagerness
to erradicate us.
In passing, our colleagues demanded

that the historic excigencies that we

champion be included in the human
rights dialogue that both governments
support.
If anything were to remain behind of
what was said by the person who resides
in the White House today, it would be
his clarication that the islands destiny
should have been shaped by the Cuban people. And that moreover within
the independent Cuban civil society
movement particularly like the one I
preside over there is nobody who is
thinking that the superpower will come
to save us.
While we thank Obama for acknowledging it, it is clear to us that social changes need to be conceived and executed by
Cubans themselves. But this platitude is
not divorced from what is desired and
desirable, that governments and people
show solidarity with causes like those
that we advocate.
This does not mean that Obama should
speak about the forced labor camps in
which thousands of homosexuals were
held, nor the marginalization that transsexuals suer in education and work
centers or the attempts that the ocial

government line makes within an organization like National Center for Sexual
Education, whose real agenda is to create
a smokescreen to create the illusion that
Cuba is inclusive of the homosexual.
Obamas visit in any case served to give
visibility to the sector of the gay community that has been marginalized because
it kept itself independent from the regime. He has been the only head of state
to visit Cuba who has mentioned in a public speech the need to respect the rights
of homosexuals, and meet with and listen
to LGBTI activists.
Taking this into account, I conclude that
for the rst time in decades the words of
a foreign politician were directed toward
the Cuban people and not the government. The satisfaction that overwhelms
me is not mine alone. It similarly now affects millions of my brothers and sisters.
The inuence that U.S. President Barack
Obamas words has left behind will be felt
for many years to come.

NELSON GANDULLA DAZ is president of

the Cuban Foundation for LGBTI Rights, an
independent Cuban advocacy group.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

O U R B USI NES S MATTER S

A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 2 1

Business expands its leading role in LGBT equality

Commerce complements courts,
coming out as force for change

MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur

and community business advocate. Follow
on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at
OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.

Thank goddess for business.

Although it galls left-leaning advocates and
fringe-worthy gay rights political groups, it is increasingly clear that enterprise has assumed a
leading role in both advancing and defending
LGBT equality across the country.
Business does so because it makes good
economic sense. It enables rms to recruit
from an under-35 talent pool in which eightof-10 support civil rights for gays and lesbians
like a sizable majority of all Americans, locate
employees in jurisdictions providing civic acceptance younger and less-youthful workers
alike demand, and streamline human resourc-

es administration while maintaining uniform

benet programs and working environments.
This is especially true as LGBT organizations
dwindle in number, shrink in size, and shrivel
activities as a result of the winning of most
rights and protections among a population
majority and a momentum-fueling Supreme
Court marriage equality ruling.
Most important, the contribution by the
business community has proven particularly
important and uniquely successful in places
least conducive for winning battles or preserving victories.
This dynamic was illustrated two years ago
in Arizona when then-Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed
a so-called religious freedom bill. Brewer acknowledged that strong opposition by the
states business community, including small
and moderate-sized enterprise and national
corporations, persuaded her to halt legislation
that would have allowed service denial to gays
and lesbians if doing so posed a conict with a
business operators religious beliefs.
A similar bill in Kansas was set aside by the
state legislature for the same reason the same
month Brewer wielded her veto pen. Last
week, however, Gov. Sam Brownback signed
into law a narrowly focused bill allowing religious groups at colleges and universities

to deny membership to LGBT students that

failed to generate much advance awareness.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence likely dashed any
hopes he may have had about running for president, or possibly being re-elected this fall, when
blindsided last year by a tidal wave of in-state
business opposition after signing a Religious
Freedom Restoration Act that codified anti-gay
discrimination in excess of protections under the
federal version. He was forced to push the state
legislature to pass a bill granting protections for
LGBT Hoosiers and visitors after a campaign led
by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and engaging businesses both large and small throughout the state, alongside national corporations
and sports leagues, pummeled him.
Pence was further humiliated when Arkansas
Gov. Asa Hutchinson refused to sign a religious
liberty law after state businesses and national
companies, including Walmart, publicly pressured him. Hutchinson later signed compromise
legislation restating existing federal law.
This week, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a religious liberty bill that countenanced
discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people by church ocials, religious
organizations and faith-based groups. He did
so after overwhelming state and national business opposition to the measure grew to a cre-

scendo.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory resisted
entreaties by enterprise in the state and elsewhere to veto a bill passed during a special
statehouse session last week. The measure
preempts local LGBT civil protections, rescinding laws approved in Charlotte and other cities, and requires transgender persons to use
public restrooms corresponding to the gender
on their birth certicate. The latter creates
new social dilemmas and no practical solution
when involving multi-user facilities.
Gov. McCrory did so despite opposition by
state businesses and national corporations,
including an NBA threat to relocate next years
All-Star game, on a likely mistaken gamble
voter support for his reelection required it.
State Attorney General Roy Cooper, running
against McCrory, announced Tuesday morning that he wont defend the law against court
challenge.
In addition to court intervention, there are
now two primary factors that wield the greatest inuence in guaranteeing fair treatment
for gays and lesbians across the country: the
demonstrable eect that knowing us has on
garnering acceptance and the impact of business on advancing assimilation for all.
Nowadays, the rest is mostly u.

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2 2 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

Love is a many-splendored thing

NEW SIGNATURE PRODUCTION EXPLORES TANGLED WEB OF EMOTION
By PATRICK FOLLIARD

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

47

ISSUE

14

APRIL

01,

2016

PAGE

23

From left are EMILY TOWNLEY, XAVIER SCOTT EVANS, SHAYNA BLASS and JEFF STILL in The
Mystery of Love & Sex at Signature Theatre.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN CHIEF; COURTESY OF SIGNATURE THEATRE

Bathsheba Doran wont be attending

the area premiere of her play The
Mystery of Love & Sex at Signature
Theatre. Shes far too pregnant to travel.
Its true, Doran says via phone from
her home in New York. Yesterday I
bought a caftan. I never imagined myself
wearing a caftan and now I never want to
take it o.
The baby will be Doran and her wifes
second child. The rst time around her
wife gave birth, and now its the Britishborn playwrights turn. Still, Doran has
been intimately involved in the lead up to
the production, conferring regularly with
the plays director, Stella Powell-Jones.
The Mystery of Love & Sex is about love
love between fathers and daughters,
husbands and wives, best friends and
ultimately romantic relationships, says
Doran whos familiarly known as Bash. It
charts the turbulent journey of longtime
best friends Charlotte (Shayna Blass) who
is Jewish and African-American Jonny
(Xavier Scott Evans) who was brought
up a strict Baptist. Now college age, they
take their relationship to the next level
despite an absence of attraction. And
while Charlotte attests to love Jonny, she
also thinks she loves a new friend, Claire.
Charlottes parents played by Emily
Townley and Je Still, have mixed feelings.
Doran requests no spoilers, citing the
word mystery in the plays title.
As playwright, Dorans way into the
work was the experience she shares with
Charlotte. The details are dierent yet the
emotions are the same. But, she adds,
its not a coincidence that she wrote this

after she became a parent.

Having a child gave me an ability
to look back at youth with a degree of
omniscience allowing me to write from a
new and dierent perspective, she says.
What still surprises Doran is how much
Charlottes quasi-romantic relationship
with her best friend Jonny resonates with
gay theatergoers. After the play was rst
produced at New Yorks Lincoln Center
last spring, she heard from many people
whod been through the same thing.
Its a really lovely example of a specic
experience becoming general and relatable,
and one thats not dramatized much.
Its something beautiful but has a tragic
element about it too, because it can prevent
you from being who you actually are.
D.C. native Shayna Blass, 25, who plays
Charlotte in the Signature production,
is amazed by her characters growth
throughout the play and relates to her
struggle in dealing with expectations
the struggle between who you are
and who youre supposed to be. While
Blass identies as primarily straight
but open to more (not an uncommon
status among young people in theater,
she says), she nds Charlottes journey
relatable to everyone who is experiencing
or has experienced revelations about
themselves.
Until now, Dorans work didnt include
a lot of gay characters or specically gay
themes. Its partly because a not-verygreat mentor advised me not to, she says.
On some level it had an eect on me. I
had an anxiety that writing gay characters
ran the risk of not being universal. This is

not something I feel now.

Her last play Kin (2011) is about two
dierent kinds of people falling in love.
And though it was inspired by the early
days of her relationship when she met
her wife who was stage managing her
rst New York production, the playwright
chose to write the couple as heterosexual.
I felt not wrongly that if I made it two
women, it would become about two
women and not that. I was more interested
in the machinations of how lovers meet. I
didnt want it to be overshadowed by the
specics of sexuality.
With The Mystery of Sex & Love,
I didnt feel it needed to be about
heterosexuals, Doran says. The play
burst out of me. I wasnt sure it would be
produced. Id thought the moment for
characters struggling with their sexuality
had passed. Well, turns out it hasnt.
We still live in a world of resentment
and hatred. Sometimes I think people
living in the bubble of Manhattan dont
understand that.
Earlier in Dorans career, Signature
produced her play Nest (2007), a
re-imagining of the true story of a
Pennsylvania indentured servant who
murdered her baby in 1809, and the man
who wrote the ballad that was sold at
her hanging. She describes it as a daring
and dicult play that wouldnt have been
written if it wasnt for the support she
received from Signature. Now many plays
and TV writing gigs (HBOs Boardwalk
Empire and Showtimes Masters of
Sex) later, Doran is pleased to have
another Signature production. This type

of support is important to playwrights,

she says.
Director
Stella
Powell-Jones,
granddaughter of famed biographer Lady
Antonia Frazer, is a longtime Doran fan.
I wish I had a more romantic story
about our rst meeting, but the truth is
we have the same agent, Powell-Jones
says. I read the play in London where I
grew up. Bash and I are both English and
that was a wonderful way to meet the
play because its about home and family.
Reading this play I fell instantly in its
clutches.
Powell-Jones was also struck by Dorans
gorgeous dialogue and intelligent
characters. Each is given the full range of
her imagination. I love it when they use
their language. It feels very human. By
setting the play in the American South,
an area where the playwright has spent
a lot of time, Doran not only put things
in a context where society isnt accepting
toward matters of questioning sexuality,
but also opened the door to interesting
language, a world with characters who
use language evocatively.
My job has always been to honor the
truths of the plays, Powell-Jones says.
I hope Ive done that with this work. Its
a rich, dense, and fresh intersection of
race, sexuality and family. Theres a lot of
personal honesty and its also hilarious
funny and sad at the same time because
thats how life is. Its not trying to say this
is the denitive experience of coming
out. It gives you one story and hopefully
from the specics of that story you draw
something broader.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 4 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R RO BE RT W O O D

ROBERT WOOD
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
You know those what if scenarios everyone likes to ponder over drinks?
UrbanArias takes the concept to a new level with its new production After
Life, which imagines Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso sniping at each other
in the hereafter and making excuses for what they did and didnt do during
World War II.
Its being featured in a double bill with Josephine, which depicts dancer/
actress Josephine Baker looking back at her long career on the nightclub
stages of Paris.
The works are by Tom Cipullo and help UrbanArias continue its mission
of producing short, contemporary operas. Founded by Robert Wood in 2010,
the company is committed to exposing D.C.-area audiences to engaging,
accessible and entertaining operas. Wood will conduct the works, which will
be presented April 2-3 and 8-9 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St.,
N.E.). Tickets are $33. Details and times at urbanarias.com.
Wood is a Shaker Heights, Ohio, native who came to Washington eight years
ago after stints in San Francisco, Vienna and Chicago. He lives with his partner
in Arlington and enjoys writing and gardening in his free time.

202.747.2077

How long have you been out and who

was the hardest person to tell?
Since I was 20; my mother.
Whos your LGBT hero?

E.M. Forster

Whats Washingtons
best nightspot, past or present?
The Lincoln Memorial

Describe your dream wedding.

Id skip straight to the dream reception.

What non-LGBT issue are you most

passionate about?
Helping people discover opera.

What historical outcome

would you change?
The 2000 presidential election.

Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
Im pop-culture illiterate. My friends will
conrm this.

On what do you insist?

Putting apostrophes in the right place.

What was your last

Facebook post or Tweet?
It had to do with opera and sheep.

If your life were a book,

what would the title be?
Every Time I Think Ive Arrived, It Turns
Out the Train Is Still Moving

If science discovered a way

to change sexual orientation,
what would you do?

Feel sorry for those who wanted to use

it.

What do you believe in

beyond the physical world?
Celestial music that is absolutely mindblowing.

Whats your advice for

LGBT movement leaders?
Stay vigilant. There are plenty of people
who would like to take away the rights
weve gained over the last few decades.

What would you walk across

hot coals for?
The cures to all of mankinds diseases,
especially the one that killed my mother.

What LGBT stereotype

annoys you most?
I t so many of them, its hard to be
annoyed by it.

Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

My Own Private Idaho

Whats the most

overrated social custom?
Workplace decorum

What trophy or prize

do you most covet?
Not a prize, but conducting Wagners
Ring Cycle.

What do you wish youd known at 18?

There are even more good options than
you imagine.

Why Washington?
It needs more artists.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 2 5

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

26 AP R IL 01, 2016

F I LM

PHOTO BY PAUL GRACE

A California family visits their Nebraska relatives in the moody Take Me to the River.

Promising family drama

sullied by dangling
plot points
By BRIAN T. CARNEY
In Take Me to The River, rst-time
director and writer Matt Sobel shows
great promise, even if his feature debut
doesnt quite live up to the promise of its
sinister premise.
In this moody tale of family dysfunction,
gay California teen Ryder (Logan Miller) is
forced by his mom Cindy (Robin Weigert
of Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy and
Jessica Jones) and dad Don (Richard
Schi of The West Wing) to attend a
family reunion in Nebraska. He wants
to come out to his extended family, but
his anxious mother convinces him to be
discreet about his sexuality. He stays
quiet, but rebels by wearing bright red
short shorts and gold sunglasses. He gets
some mild teasing from his male cousins,
but his female cousins are enthralled by
the artsy visitor.
Calamity strikes when 17-year-old Ryder
and his 9-year old cousin Molly (Ursula
Parker) visit the hay barn. Molly runs from
the barn with a mysterious bloodstain on
her dress and a dazed Ryder is unable to
explain what happened. Mollys father
Keith (Josh Hamilton) erupts in a barely
controlled fury and the tension mounts
as Keith plays a cat-and-mouse game
with his sister and nephew.

As a director, Sobel displays an

impressive condence. The movies
pacing is assured and steady. He
eectively ratchets up the tension as
the weekend progresses and a palpable
sense of dread pervades the movie. His
collaboration
with
cinematographer
Thomas Scott Stanton is also powerful.
Sobel and Stanton deliver striking
Midwestern landscapes that are by turns
serene and sinister. They also use natural
light quite eectively to heighten the
mood, whether capturing the oppressive
heat of the midday sun or the creepy
shadows of moonlight.
Sobel also gets robust performances
from his lead actors. Miller adds to an
impressive list of movie and television
credits with his ne performance as a
confused teenager. The self-centered
youth is often clueless to whats going
on around him, but Miller shades the
character with an appealing sense of
decency and bravery. Weigert gives an
interesting performance as the sibling
who escaped to California but can never
really forget her Nebraska roots. Even
Ryder notices that she talks dierently
when shes with her family. While Cindys
desire to placate her Nebraska relatives
can become annoying, Weigert grounds
her characters behavior in a believable
sense of guilt.
Hamilton provides an eective air of
menace that gives the lm much of its
momentum. Keith is a festering heap
of anger, fuming at injuries old (the
division of his fathers estate) and new

(his daughters mysterious bloodstain).

That anger is channeled through a keen
intelligence that makes him dangerous
and unpredictable. Parker fuels young
Molly with an unsettling combination
of childish innocence and premature
sexuality. The city folk are no match for
their creepy country cousins.
Unfortunately, Sobels solid work as
director is not matched by his work as
screenwriter. The smaller roles are never
developed. Schi doesnt get to do much
besides shrug and sigh as the supportive
father and husband. Azure Skye and
Elizabeth Franz are wasted as Keiths wife
and mother, and Ryders threatening
male cousins vanish from the lm too
quickly.
More importantly, the script never
provides an eective outlet for the
growing sense of dread and the rising
tension. Sobels psychological drama is
like a horror movie where the monster
never appears. There is a deep, dark
family secret in play, but its hinted
at, rather than revealed, so theres no
catharsis and no real sense of conclusion.
Its all build-up with no release.
Still, Take Me to the River, which
opens today at the Landmark E Street
Cinema, is well worth seeing on the big
screen. The lm was an ocial selection
of the Sundance Film Festival. The ne
performances and the atmospheric
camera work are worth savoring, and
there will be bragging rights for seeing the
rst lm by the talented new lmmaker
Matt Sobel.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

D I N IN G

A PR IL 01, 2016 27

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPOTLUCK

Spotluck adds a new dimension to D.C. dining.

Spotluck oers discounts

with the spin of an
app wheel
By KRISTEN HARTKE
Its Friday night and you cant decide
where to go out for dinner, a rst-world
problem if there ever was one.
A couple of decades ago in the District,
this was really not an issue because
there werent nearly as many choices,
but nowadays the selection can require
serious contemplation. However, if youve
got a yen for gambling, a smartphone
app called Spotluck is here to make your
dining-out adventures more interesting.
The brainchild of two D.C.-area
entrepreneurs, Cherian Thomas and
Brad Sayler, Spotluck oers randomly
discounted restaurant meals, all with the
spin of a virtual wheel. With participating
restaurants organized into hubs by
neighborhood, including Dupont Circle,
Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill and the
U Street Corridor, the Spotluck apps
discounts are dependent on the day of the
week, time of day and even the weather,
with a premise that meals should be less
expensive during slow times, such as a
frigid Tuesday evening when diners are
less likely to venture out.
We spent a lot of time analyzing
the downsides of existing discounting
platforms, Thomas, Potluck CEO, says,
to create a merchant-centric product that
protected the bottom line while still hooking
consumers up with preferred pricing.
Once users download the free app
ranked no. 1 in the iTunes app store in the
dining category, ahead of GrubHub and
OpenTable they get a chance to try out
a little restaurant roulette, in the form of
one spin a day to receive a random bonus
discount from one of the participating
restaurants in each neighborhood.
We saw the frustration restaurants
had when it was a Monday at 2 p.m. or
if a thunderstorm was on the radar, so
Spotluck discounts surge during periods
of less demand, says Thomas. Its basically

the opposite eect of other demand-driven

services like Uber, because the focus is to
bring customers into the restaurants that
have seats to ll at that moment.
Some of the D.C. restaurants that
you might land on during a spin include
Perrys, Smoke & Barrel, Big Stick, Indique
and Dukes Grocery or even a hidden
gem youve never heard of. The app has
become so popular among locals that
people lined up throughout the day to
nd out more about it when Spotluck
visited last weekends Cherry Blossom
Beer & Wine Festival.
People like telling friends that they
knew about us when we only had 30
restaurants, Thomas says.
Eight of those rst 30 restaurants were
in the Rockville neighborhood where the
app got its start back in 2014. For Spotluck
founders Thomas and Sayler, the app was
both a leap of faith and a labor of love,
taking 18 months to develop, during
which they focused rst on nding out
from restaurant owners what kept them
up at night from rained-out weekends
to negative online reviews and worked
to build a concept that would be useful for
both the merchants and the consumers,
looking to help restaurants build a
consistent customer base while diners
could enjoy up to 30 percent discounts on
food and drink, available only for that day
and maybe even only for an hour or two.
With more than 300 restaurants now
participating in Spotluck and more than
50,000 downloads, the dining discounts
can be found all across the region, from
Annapolis to Leesburg to Tenleytown. A
new hub is being launched in Falls Church
this week, featuring local hot spots like
Lebanese Taverna, Mad Fox Brewing
Company, Caribbean Plate, Panjshir, Tara
Thai and Yayla Bistro. Once Spotluck has
nished mapping out deals in the D.C. area,
theyll start expanding to other East Coast
cities, with an eye on Philadelphia next.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
KRISTEN HARTKE is a D.C.-based food
and beverage writer. Follow her kitchen
adventures on Twiiter, @khartke.

WE NEED YOU TO MAKE

HIV/AIDS HISTORY

TAKE STEPS WITH US:

LIVE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

28 AP R IL 01, 2016

O U T & A BO U T

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

ALL GOOD PRESENTS

TURKUAZ

AND

KUNG FU

THURSDAY MAR

31

SOUTHERN

TROUBADOURS

JOE ELY, RUTHIE FOSTER

AND PAUL THORN

By MARIAH COOPER

IN-THE-ROUND
FRIDAY APR

1
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

SAT, APR 2

JUDAH & THE LION

W/ THE SAINT JOHNS
SUN, APR 3

AN EVENING WITH

YACHT ROCK REVUE

TUES, APR 5

THE ROOSEVELTS
WED, APR 6

POKEY LaFARGE

Miss Freddies contest to anoint new queen

ABC Productions presents A Night in Rio, the Miss Freddies 2016 Pageant, at
Freddies Beach Bar (555 South 23rd St., Crystal City, Va.) on Sunday, April 3 at 8 p.m.
Pageant competition categories will be presentation, swimsuit, talent and a
Q&A session. Winnings include over $400 in cash and prizes. Miss Freddies 2015
winner Gigi Paris Couture will be honored.
For more details, visit freddiesbeachbar.com.

W/ THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS

THURS, APR 7

MAVIS STAPLES W/ THE BROADCAST

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

THEHAMILTONDC.COM

Sampsons comedic strengths

PHOTO COURTESY OF QQQ

Womens Fest runs April 7-10

730 24th St. NW, Ste. 13 WDC 20037

Free ParkiNg Foggy Bottom metro

202-333-3304

Steve Weinberg
ATTORNEY AT LAW

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

FOR 33 YEARS
PERSONAL INJURY PROBATE
WILLS/ POAs CIVIL LITIGATION
CONSERVATORSHIPS GUARDIANSHIPS

202-861-0077

2141 P STREET NW SUITE 103

WASHINGTON DC 20037
E-MAIL steveweinbergdc@aol.com
LICENSED IN DC, MD AND VA

CAMP Rehoboths 16th annual Womens Fest runs from Thursday, April 7
through Sunday, April 10.
Performers this year include musician Emily Saliers from the Indigo Girls,
comedian Poppy Champlin (seen here), comedian Kelli Dunham, musician
Julie Felix, singer/songwriter Angel Haze and more. Womens Fests keynote
presenter is Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Lesbian entrepreneur Judy Dlugacz and speaker Laura Liswood will also
make appearances. Workshops will be available on topics such as genealogy,
philosophy, lesbian dating in the real world and many more.
Tickets range from $10-100. For a full list of events and ticket prices, visit
camprehoboth.com.

Cherry coming April 21-24

The Cherry Fund, a long-running HIV/AIDS dance benet, returns April 2124 and has attracted a wide spate of well-known DJs for its 20th anniversary
festivities. This years theme is Alice in Wonderland.
Morabito and DJ Mike Babbitt spin at Chasing the White Rabbit at Cobalt on
Thursday, April 21. DJ Aron and DJ Sean Morris spin at Welcome to Wonderland
at the Howard Theatre on Friday, April 22. DJ Joe G spins at DIVA, an afternoon
tea dance, on Saturday, April 23 at Town. DJ Micky Friedmann and DJ Kenneth
Riversa spin at Queen of Hearts at Town that night. DJ Isaac Escalante and DJ X
Gonzalez spin at Down the Rabbit Hole, an after-hours party at Flash on Sunday,
April 24. DJ Alain Jackinsky spins at the closing party Through the Looking Glass
at Tropicalia on Sunday, April 24.
Weekend passes are $150. Full details at cherryfund.org.

Last Resort Comedy presents out

comedian Sampson McCormick at the
Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St., N.W.)
for a one-night only show on Friday, April
8 at 7:30 p.m.
McCormicks comedy talks about
religion, sexuality, life and politics. His
comedic style has led to appearances
on BET, MTV and FOX among others.
Reel Armation will screen Sampson
McCormick: A Tough Act to Follow at
Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode
Island Ave., N.W.) on Friday, April 22.
Single tickets for the comedy show are $12
and tickets with a plus one are $20 and
include entry for two people. Tickets will
be available at the door for $18 cash only.
For details, visit lastresortcomedy.com.

Bet Mish to hold

free lecture weekend
Bet Mishpachah presents Equality,
Diversity and Inclusion in a Post-Marriage
Equality World next weekend.
This Shabbaton weekend of free
lectures and study will feature Rabbi
Laurie Green, Chai Feldblum, Rabbi Julia
Watts Belser, Dana Beyers and Harry
Samuels. It runs Friday, April 8-Sunday,
April 10 at the D.C. JCC at 16th and Q
streets, N.W. Bet Mishpachah is an LGBTarming D.C. synagogue.
Full details at betmish.org.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BO OK S

A PR IL 01, 2016 29

PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS DUNNE PRESS

Sweet premise not

enough to save Bracelet

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading

since she was 3 years old.She lives in Wisconsin
with two dogs and 12,000 books. Reach her at
bookwormsez@yahoo.com.

The jewelry you wear tells a story.

A ring on your left hand, third nger, says
to the world that you stood up once and
vowed to love and honor. A brightly colored
stone says you were born in a certain
month. Sparkles around your neck might
tell of a vacation, an apology, or a whim,
and in the new book The Charm Bracelet
by Viola Shipman, the tales of three women
are told by the jewelry on their wrists.
For every milestone day that Lolly
Lindsay had, she received a special gift.
Her mother started the tradition by
giving Lolly a charm for her bracelet one
birthday; that charm, like each to come,
signied a dream or a wish, and was
accompanied by a special poem meant to
remind Lolly that she was loved.
Over the years, the bracelet became
heavy with metal and memories the
summer before her mother died, the boy
she grew up to marry, the best friend
she cherished and when she had a
daughter, Lolly started the tradition with
her own little girl.
Always
a
pleaser,
Arden
was
exasperated with her mother.
Even as a child, she was embarrassed
by Lollys free-spiritedness, her sense
of style and by Lollys idea of what was
fun. As soon as she could, Arden moved
away from her mothers Michigan home
to live a button-down Chicago life that

was comforting to her. But now, in the

twilight of Lollys life, Arden felt guilty for
not spending more time with her mother
or her daughter.
Graduating with a degree is an
accomplishment, but Lauren wished she
could tell her mother the truth: she really
wanted an art degree, not a business one.
Lauren knew that her mother worried
about money; Arden, come to think,
worried about a lot of things, which was
maybe why Lauren was closer to her
grandmother. She and Lolly were like two
peas in a pod.
Like two charms on a bracelet, one of
whom was quietly losing her luster.
Theres a basically good premise to the
story inside The Charm Bracelet. Sadly,
that story begs pleads for help.
Reading this book is rough: names are
employed at a frequency thats distracting
and pronouns are at a premium. The
female characters jump up and down a lot
and it seems as though somebodys crying
more than theyre not. As for the male
characters, ones a stereotypical Mean Dad,
one is predictably hunky (do you see where
this is going?), and a simple farmer-type is
honest-to-goodness called Clem.
I winced a lot while reading this book
and I might have ditched it were it
not for the aforementioned basically
good premise. Author Viola Shipman (a
pseudonym for memoirist Wade Rouse)
oers a sweet generational family,
cabin-in-the-woods story told through
memories and jewelry, which couldve
been really cute.
If you can overlook the aws and not-socharm-ing facets, you might really enjoy
this
mother-daughter-granddaughter
story. If those things bother you, though,
The Charm Bracelet is a gem thats
awfully tarnished.
THE CHARM BRACELET
By Viola Shipman
Thomas Dunne Books
$25.99
298 pages

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 0 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

A RT S & CU LT U RE

HOT HITS & HIDDEN JEWELS

From CultureCapital.com
YOUR LINK TO THE ARTS IN METRO DC

Sean Dorsey Dance

Apr 2-Apr 3. Dance Place.
202-269-1600. danceplace.org.

This powerful show is a love letter to a forgotten generation of survivors

those who witnessed and experienced the loss of part of an entire generation
of gay and transgender people to AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s.

Moment
Thru Apr 24. Studio Theatre.
202-332-3300. studiotheatre.org.

In the suburbs of Dublin, a long-absent son returns home to visit his ailing
mother. Riveting and insightful, Moment considers the slippery nature of
memory and forgiveness, and how the consequences of one tragic decision can
ripple through an entire family.

Anoushka Shankar
Apr 1. Washington Performing Arts & GW Lisner Auditorium.
202-785-9727. washingtonperformingarts.org.
AnoushkaShankar is now a mature sitar virtuoso and renownedheadline
artist, captivating audiencesworldwide with repertoire including
traditionalHindustani ragas and a custom blend of worldmusic uniting
Indian styles with jazz, amenco,Western classical music, electronica, and
othergenres.

The Boys in the Band

Apr 1-Apr 16. Dominion Stage. Gunston.
571-377-4697. dominionstage.org.

In his upper eastside Manhattan apartment, Michael is throwing a birthday

party for Harold, a self-avowed 32 year-old, pock-marked, Jew fairy, complete
with surprise gift: Cowboy a street hustler. As the evening wears on, fueled by
drugs and alcohol, bitter, unresolved resentments among the guests come to
light when a game of Truth goes terribly wrong.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DANCE PLACE

Get Out More!

THEATRE
Superman 2050. Apr 1-Apr 3. Shear
Madness. Ongoing. The Kennedy Center.
202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
The Flick. Thru Apr 24. The Mystery
of Love & Sex. Apr 5-May 8. Signature
Theatre. 703-820-9771.
signature-theatre.org.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Apr
7-May 8. GALA Hispanic Theatre.
202-234-7174. galatheatre.org.
The Nether. Apr 4-May 1. Woolly
Mammoth. 202-393-3939.
woollymammoth.net.
Falling Out Of Time. Thru Apr 17.
Theater J. 202-518-9400. theaterj.org.
Marjorie Prime. Thru Apr 10. Dial M
for Murder. Apr 6-May 1. Olney Theatre.
301-924-3400. olneytheatre.org.
American Idiot. Thru Apr 9. Keegan
Theatre. 202-265-3767.
keegantheatre.com.
110 in the Shade. Thru May 14. One
Destiny. Thru May 20. Fords Theatre.
202-347-4833. fords.org.
1984. Thru Apr 10. Othello. Thru Apr
2. Shakespeare Theatre Company.
Sidney Harman Hall. 202-547-1122.
shakespearetheatre.org.
The Island of Dr. Moreau. Apr 7-Apr 9.
Theatre Lab. 202-824-0449.
theatrelab.org.

DANCE
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte
Carlo. Apr 7. The Alden. 703-790-9223.
mcleancenter.org.
Spring 2016 Choreography Festival.
Apr 1-Apr 2. Workhouse Arts Center.
703-584-2900. workhousearts.org.
Orange Grove Dance: Un castell
built for two. Apr 1-Apr 2. Joes
Movement Emporium. 301-699-1819.
joesmovement.org.

MUSIC
Metropolitan Opera: Rising Stars. Apr
1. Seth Kibel. Apr 2. Johnny Mathis.
Apr 6. Patti LaBelle. Apr 7-Apr 8.
Strathmore. 301-581-5100.
strathmore.org.
Washington Toho Koto Society. Apr 3.
National Gallery of Art. 202-737-4215.
nga.gov.
The Felice Brothers. Apr 1. AMP.
301-581-5100. ampbystrathmore.com.
NSO: Nikolaj Znaider, conductor:
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano. Apr 7-Apr
9. NSO: Cristian Macelaru, conductor:
Nikolaj Znaider, violin. Thru Apr 2.
The Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.
kennedy-center.org.
Haydns Lord Nelson Mass. Apr 2-Apr 3.
National Philharmonic. Strathmore.
301-581-5100. nationalphilharmonic.org.
Emerson String Quartet. Apr 3. TSA.
Museum of Natural History.
202-633-3030.
smithsonianassociates.org.
Back to the 80s Dinner and Dance.

Apr 2. Embassy Experiences. Ft.

Myers Ocers Club. 301-519-8030.
embassyexperiences.com.
Alfredo Rodriguez Trio. Apr 1. 10th
Annual Mens Chorus Invitational.
Apr 2. The Clarice. 301-405-2787.
claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.
Chad & Jeremy. Apr 1. Sean Watkins.
Apr 2. Robyn Hitchcock. Apr 6. Aoife
ODonovan. Apr 7. The Barns.
877-965-3872. wolftrap.org.
Vassily Primakov, piano. Apr 1. The
Embassy Series. Residence of the
Russian Ambassador. 202-625-2361.
embassyseries.org.
FMMC Concert. Apr 3. FMMC. The
Lyceum. 202-333-2075. fmmc.org.
Sakura Taiko Fest: Japanese
Drumming Performance. Apr 3.
NCBF. Ho Theater. 301-314-8488.
nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

MUSEUMS
National Gallery of Art. Louise
Bourgeois: No Exit. Thru May 15. Three
Centuries of American Prints. Apr 3-Jul
24. 202-737-4215. nga.gov.
Folger Shakespeare Library. Americas
Shakespeare. Apr 7-Jul 24. folger.edu.
National Archives. Amending
America. Thru Sep 4. 202-357-5000.
archivesfoundation.org.
Museum of Women in the Arts.
Salon Style: French Portraits from the
Collection. Thru May 1. 202-783-5000.
nmwa.org.
Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.
Twelve Years That Shook And Shaped
Washington: 1963-1975. Thru Oct 23.
202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu.
National Portrait Gallery. Mathew
Bradys Photographs of Union Generals.
Thru May 8. 202-633-8300. npg.si.edu.
National Geographic. Photo Ark. Thru
Apr 10. Crocs. Thru May 8. 202-857-7000.
nglive.org.
Sandy Spring Museum. The Agrarian
Transformed. Thru May 7. 301-774-0022.
sandyspringmuseum.org.

GALLERIES
The Art League Gallery. Fritz Desroches.
Thru Apr 3. 703-683-1780.
theartleague.org.
BlackRock. Sheldon Scott. Apr 2-Apr 23.
301-528-2260. blackrockcenter.org.
JCCNV. Local Color and More. Thru Apr
4. After the Holocaust. Apr 5-May 19.
703-323-0880. jccnv.org.
District Architecture Center. Hany
Hassan, FAIA. Thru May 7. 202-347-9403.
aiadac.com.
Embassy of Japan-Japan Information
and Culture Center. Exhibition on
Japanese Kogei Metalwork, Ceramics,
Glass & Lacquerware. Apr 5-May 6.
nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.
Fisher Art Gallery. Jessica Kallista. Thru
Apr 24. 703-534-5726.
schlesingercenter.com.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 3 1

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& SUNDay 1-4Pm

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3 2 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

CA LE N D A R

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.

loving men of color are invited to read or

recite their own works or prose and poetry
or the works of someone else. For more
details, search BRUHS on Facebook.

TUESDAY, APRIL 5

TODAY
Artists & Makers Studios (11810
Parklawn Dr., Rockville, Md.) presents
the opening reception for Finding
My Own Voice Inaugural Victims
Rights Art Exhibit tonight from 6-9
p.m. Paintings, drawings, mixed media
art, writings, sculpture and more
from survivors of crime and those
aected by crime will be featured.
The exhibit runs through Wednesday,
April 28. For more information, visit
artistsandmakersstudios.com.
NOVA Gay and Lesbian Professionals
hosts an LGBT social event at Pinzimini
Restaurant at the West Arlington Gateway
(801 N Glebe Rd., Arlington, Va.) tonight
from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The social is open
to various LGBT professionals, allies and
their friends. Guests are asked to bring
travel-sized unused soaps, shampoos
and lotions to donate to A-SPAN, an
organization that provides services for
Arlingtons homeless. For more details,
visit facebook.com/gogaydc.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.)
host Otter Crossing tonight at 10 p.m. DJ
Tommy Cornelis will spin tracks. Smirno
drinks are $5. Cover is $5. For more
information, visit greenlanterndc.com.
Butch Queen, a gay dance party, is at
Tropicalia (2001 14th St., N.W.) at 10 p.m.
DJ Kris Sutton and DJ Sam Blodgett will
play hip-hop, house, 90s music, vogue
house and more. Admission is free. For
more details, search Butch Queen DC
on Facebook.
A LGB support group meets today
from 10-11:30 a.m. at 16220 S. Frederick
Rd., Gaithersburg, Md., for individuals
in Montgomery County. The group
will discuss coming out of marriage,
homophobia, parenting issues, nding
intimate relationships, LGB resources
in the suburbs and more. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 2
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer
organization, volunteers for Food and
Friends (219 Riggs Rd., N.E.) today from
8-10 a.m. Volunteers will chop vegetables
and pack groceries. To volunteer, email
jonathan@burgundycrescent.org.
For
more details, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Capitol Improv hosts International
Pillow Fight Day today at 3 p.m. on the
National Mall (900 Ohio Dr., S.W.) meeting
in the small park at the northwest corner
of Independence and 14th Streets
between 14th and 15th streets. Bring
pillows to swing but down pillows are
discouraged. The event is all ages but
children are recommended to stay
outside of the main pillow crowd. For

Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.)

hosts its weekly FUK!T Packing Party from
7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit
thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts a
transgender and non-binary support
group today from 5-7 p.m. For more
details, visit smyal.org.
Bachelors Mill has half-price drinks
from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. tonight. They also
have pool, video gaming systems and
cards. Admission is free. For more details,
visit bachelorsmill.com.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6

PHOTO BY KARL SIMONE

LYNDA CARTER returns to the Kennedy Center with a new show Saturday night.

more information, visit facebook.com/

capitolimprov.
RuPauls Drag Race alum Robbie
Turner performs at Town (2009 8th St.,
N.W.) tonight at 10:30 p.m. Doors open at
10 p.m. Cover is $12. Tickets for premium
seats and a meet and greet are $20.
Doors for the meet and greet open at 9
p.m. For more details, visit towndc.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) presents
Funkytown, a 70s, 80s and 90s dance
party, tonight at 10 p.m. DJ Ed Bailey
will spin tracks. Cover is $12. For more
information, visit towndc.com.
Lynda Carter performs her new show
Long-Legged Woman at the Kennedy
Center (2700 F St., N.W.) in the Terrace
Theatre tonight at 7 p.m. Carter will give a
cabaret performance of jazz, country, blues
and original music. Her backing band will
include Paul Leim and Blue Lou Marini.
Tickets range from $25-75. For more
information, visit kennedy-center.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 3
Perrys (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts
its weekly Sunday drag brunch today

from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95

for an all-you-can-eat buet. For more
details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts a
drag brunch today with one show at 10:30
a.m. and another at 12:30 p.m. For more
information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

MONDAY, APRIL 4
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts coee drop-in hours this morning
from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT
community. Older LGBT adults can
come and enjoy complimentary coee
and conversation with other community
members. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave.,
N.W.) holds a support group for gay black
men to discuss topics that aect them,
share perspectives and have meaningful
conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.
BRUHS, a literary club for same-gender
loving men of color, hosts Prose, Bros
and Homos, a poetry gathering, at Martin
Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St.,
N.W.) tonight from 6-9 p.m. Same-gender

Team Rayceen presents The Ask

Rayceen Show at Martin Luther King
Library (901 G St., N.W.) tonight at 6 p.m.
There will be a mini ball with categories
such as best dressed, vogueing with
a prop, runway, female face, butch
realness and more. DJ Vjuan Allure will
play music for the ball. Live music will be
by musician Durell Arthur and there will
be a special performance by Usagi Bum
Bum. Rayceen Pendarvis hosts the event
and Curt Mariah will be the announcer.
Admission is free. For more details, visit
facebook.com/askrayceen.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge
Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the
Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social
bridge. No partner needed. For more
information, call 301-345-1571.
SMYAL hosts an open mic night today
from 5-7 p.m. Gay youth can come to
talk openly about the issues they face
with their sexual orientation or gender
identity. For more information, visit
smyal.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7
Legendary songstress Patti LaBelle
gives a two-night performance at Music
Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman
Ln., North Bethesda, Md.) tonight at 8
p.m. and Friday, April 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets
range from $65-150. For more details,
visit Strathmore.org.
Team D.C. hosts its Spring Sportsfest
at Room and Board (1840 14th St., N.W.)
tonight from 6-8:30 p.m. Come learn
about local LGBT and LGBT-friendly sports
teams such as Triathlon, bowling, running,
softball, volleyball, football and many more.
For more information, visit teamdc.org.
Gamma MD, a support group for men
in mixed-orientation relationships, meets
today from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 25 E 2nd St.,
Frederick, Md. The group is for men who
are attracted to men but are currently or
were at one point in a relationship with a
woman. For more information about the
group and location, visit gammaindc.org.

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A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 3 3

Deep Creek Lake Maryland...Come to the Good Life

Only 3 hours from DC Metro area. A four season resort offering the maximum to those who enjoy the outdoors, tranquility or who value
down time from busy lives. Affordable homes for your vacation and/or rental income. Most properties are high income producing rentals
used for personal use as well as rental use. Our huge freshwater lake, Wisp Ski Resort, 7 State Parks, Watefalls, Rivers, and mountain trails
offering something for everyone no matter which season. No traffic, live music, hopping bars and restaurants, historical attractions and
more! Contact me if you would like an information package, map, or additional information about the lake or properties for sale. There are
excellent buys here from $150k - $3m. We have something for everyone. Lakefront, Lake Views, Lake Area or beautiful nearby small farms,
Bed and Breakfasts, or Commercial space. Come to the good life. Come to Deep Creek Lake.

2443 MARSH HILL RD. $1,600,000

Entertainers delight! Fabulous 8,600 sq. ft. lakefront
estate on approx. 1 acre. 5 beds, 7 baths. A must see!

815 CHADDERTON SCHOOL RD. $899,000

Remarkable lakefront home with fantastic lake views
from most every room in the home. 5 beds, 3.5 baths
on over an acre.

357 MOUNTAINTOP RD. $750,000

5 beds, 3.5 baths perched high up on the hill with
spectacular views! Private community near lake
with private lake access.

39 BARBARAS WAY $449,000

Located just minutes from WISP slopes, golf course, and
the lake. 5 beds, 3 baths, private community near lake.

145 SILVER TREE LN. $445,000

Lakefront community next to marina, restaurant and
nearby amenities. 5 beds, 4 baths shows beautifully!

24 SKI HARBOR DR. $385,000

TH close to everything Ski Harbor has indoor pool,
tennis court, docks and is lake front. 3 beds, 2.5 baths.

247 WINDING TRAIL LN. #6B $378,000

Gorgeous TH in private community near the lake. Over
3,300 sq. ft. of open living space. 5 beds, 4.5 baths,
great location.

2849 BUMBLE BEE RD. $369,900

Perfect serenity on 50 acres very close to the lake,
WISP Ski Resort, and other amenities. Cute house 3
beds, 1 bath, barn, pond, pastures, lovely views.

30 SILVER RIDGE CT. $328,800

Silver Ridge is located near movies, store, restaurants,
and night life. Great community across from the lake. 4
beds, 3 baths, shows beautifully.

14 HIDDEN VALLEY LN. $299,000

Darling house with 5 beds, 3 baths in lake community
with tons of amenities! Adjacent to public golf course,
docks, play area, and more! Youll love it.

20160 GARRETT HWY Call for Prices

We have several condominiums, fireplaces, lake front
with boat slips, beach, restaurant, by movies, night life,
and more. 1, 2 & 3 bedroom units are for sale.

214 I ST. $94,900

Lovely 3 bed, 1.5 bath Victorian loaded with stained
glass, carved wood, and all you would expect in a turn
of the century restored home. Large corner lot in town.

Would you like to build your own home? There are many lots for sale from which to choose. Whether its on top of the mountain next to
Lodestone Golf Course (a Hale Irwin course), at the ski slopes of Wisp Resort, something with lake views or lake front, we can help. Our team
of seasoned agents can help you identify a property, building lot, land or farm that suits your needs and your dreams. Come to Deep Creek
Lake and experience the outdoors all four seasons. And enjoy one of the many State Parks, campgrounds, or historical sites that surround the
lake area. Trek up to nearby Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Casino to try your hand or have dinner lakeside at one of our many restaurants here.
Theres more to do here than the beach, less traffic, and more seasons of use. Come and visit. Come and stay. Youll love owning a second home
here. Call now or send me an email to receive a free map of the lake area, information packet and list of homes, lots, land or farms. You choose.

Delaine Campbell, REALTOR

Associate Broker, GRI

301-830-6309 800-842-0716 delainesdeepcreek.com delaine@deepcreekrealty.com

Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty 24439 Garrett Hwy McHenry, MD 301-387-5303

3 4 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

e xc e e d i n g

e x p e c tat i o n s i t s w h at w e d o !

contact us today for a free and confidential marketing analysis of your home or business
BR I A N S HO N G
703.929.5764
Br ian.Hong@LNF.c om

JERY D B E A M ER
703.929.5763
Jer y.Be a mer@LNF.c om

hong & beamer

www. b rianandJery.com

414 n. roYaL street

aLexandria va 22314

2212 white oaKs drive

aLexandria, va 22306

OPEN HOUSE, SUN. 1-4PM

COMING SOON

Gibbon Model 3BR/2.5BA End Townhouse with new tile

foyer, gleaming hardwoods on main level. Kitchen with
granite counters. Gas FP in living area of open floor plan
main level. Upper one level features Master suite with
two huge walk in closets and luxury bathroom with new
white Carrera granite countertop. Laundry room on MB
level. Upper 2 features two good size bedrooms and hall
bath with new white Carrera granite countertop. Fresh
paint in bedrooms. 2 garage spaces at your door.

Extraordinary renovation/transformation of this unique home.

Over $400,000 in structural and designer renovations on
two levels. All new Italian made Pendini kitchen with custom
teak cabinetry -Top-of-the-line Miele microwave, oven,
built-in espresso maker, dishwasher as well as a Subzero
refrigerator. All new master bath with top-of-the-line German
made fixtures. Custom 100 year old reclaimed Indonesian
teak bed and headboard. The list goes on and on.

$795,000

7501 caLderon court unit d

aLexandria va 22306

$224,990
CURRENT

$1,200,000

520 John carYLYLe street 314

aLexandria, va 22314

5101e BacKLicK road #29

aLexandria, va 22310

403 princess street

aLexandria, va 22314

CURRENT

COMING SOON

2 story all brick townhouse condo for 1 large business

or set up as 2 separate business spaces. Lower lvll
with reception area and 3 offices/conference rooms.
Upper lvl with reception area and 3 office/conference
rooms. Storage and BA on each level. Plenty free
unassigned parking. Convenient location, on Backlick
and near Braddock intersection. EZ access restaurants, shopping, 395/495/FFX Parkway.

Drop dead gorgeous Chatham Square Jefferson

Model with custom office built-ins. Hardwoods on
main level, beautifully maintained, great kitchen
with living and dining area. Upper 2 level features
bedroom, bathroom, open area and outdoor terrace.
2 car garage parking in OLD TOWN!!!

803 howard street, unit 235

aLexandria, va

525 n. faYette street, unit 406

aLexandria, va 22314

RENTAL

CURRENT

COMING SOON

Exquisite one bedroom home in the best location

in town. Beautiful finishes throughout. Bosch appliances. Washer and dryer in unit. Lots of storage.
Lovely hardwood floors. Unbelievable amenities at
City Center. Balcony. You just cant beat the location.
Furnished or unfurnished.

Spacious 1334 sf 2BR/2BA condo at the Plaza. Unit is in

close proximity to pool, tennis courts, its own huge parking space and large storage bin. Master bedroom features
a large walk-in closet, en-suite bath, and has its own balcony. The second good sized bedroom has a large closet
as well with the bath just across the hall. Public transportation, hospital, shopping and restaurants nearby.

Gorgeous courtyard side 2 bedroom two bath Condo

at the revitalized Henry Condominium. New Stranded
Bamboo flooring throughout (except baths). New light
fixtures. Fresh paint. Custom Closets. New Stackable
LG Washer and Dryer. 2 convenient garage parking
spaces. Restaurants and metro almost at your door.

$2,100
RENTAL

Ground floor two bedroom/two bath condo just outside

beltway. Gas Fireplace. Full size washer and dryer in
unit. Assigned parking and guest and street parking.
Community center, swimming pool and tot lot. Close to
shopping, restaurants and public transportation.

Bright 1 Bedroom Bath Condo for rent. Floor to

ceiling windows in living dining area. Luxurious
contemporary bath. Contemporary kitchen with
stainless steel, granite. Open Floor plan. Hardwood
floors, cement ceilings for that industrial look.
Washer and Dryer in Unit. Garage parking.

3820 9th street, n, unit 703e

arLington, va 22203

925 h street, nw, unit 511

washington, dc 20001

$2,500/month
RENTAL

Bright 2BR/2BA in luxury building. Three sided gas fireplace in living/dining areas. Master bedroom has large
closets. Master bath features whirlpool tub. Washer and
dryer in unit. Open kitchen. Great parking space. Extra
storage. Great building amenities, gym, outdoor pool, grilling area. Your choice of Ballston or Virginia Square Metros. Shopping, dining and lots of entertainment nearby.

$2,900/$3,200

$530,000

$295,000

$1,100,000

$585,000

now accept i n g n e w l i s t i n g s ! l i c e n s e d i n d c , m d, va , & d e .

OLD TOWN HI STORI C
400 K ING STREET
ALEXANDRI A VA 22314
703.683.0400

GEORGETOWN SALES
1680 WI SC ONS IN AVENUE NW
WASHINGTON DC 20007
202.944.8400

WA SH I N GTO NB LADE.C OM

A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 3 5

LEGAL

Oops! Are you accidentally married?

Common law marriage in
the District of Columbia
By EVA N. JUNCKER &
EMILY NEUHAUSEN
Common law marriage can be a confusing concept, and it has gradually been
disappearing as states limit or end common law marriage, if they ever allowed
it at all. Common law marriage tends to
arise in a legal dispute for purposes of divorce or when someone dies. Individuals
often wonder whether being together for
a certain period of time, or holding themselves out as married, makes a couple
common law married. And the answer is,
it depends.
In two of the jurisdictions in which the
Zavos Juncker Law Group practices law,
Maryland and Virginia, common law marriage is not recognized as a type of marriage that can be created within state or
commonwealth borders. However, because of the Full Faith and Credit Clause
of the United States Constitution, Maryland and Virginia, as well as other U.S.
jurisdictions, will afford full and faith and
credit to a valid common law marriage
properly entered into in a jurisdiction
where those marriages are permitted,
unless such a marriage is strongly against

a states public policy.

Nine states and the District of Columbia allow common law marriages to form
within their jurisdiction and afford those
common law marriages the same rights
as marriages entered into with a marriage license. Certain jurisdictions require
a couple to live together for a certain period of time, to hold themselves out as
married, for them to have a reputation
as married, to obtain a certificate indicating they are common law married, or to
consummate the marriage. Some states,
in limiting common law marriages, also
only recognize common law marriage for
probate purposes not for purposes of
dissolving such a marriage.
In the District of Columbia, common law
marriage is recognized by case law, not by
any statute. The District is one of the easiest jurisdictions in which to become common law married. Common law marriage
requires two elements to form in the District express mutual agreement to be
married per verba praesenti and cohabitation. Cohabitation is the easier of the
two elements to prove, and unlike other
common law jurisdictions, there is no requirement for how long the couple must
cohabitate. Express mutual agreement is
trickier to establish. There needs to be a
moment in time that can be identified as
when the couple agreed to be married.

You dont need a wedding ring to establish a common law marriage in D.C.

But there are lots of elements that go into

what that moment meant. And whether
the couple uses terms like spouse or
husband or wife can be part of that
consideration, as well as how they act
or hold themselves out. Of note, these
concepts apply even if they are a samesex couple. Within the LGBT community
specifically, District couples that had a
commitment ceremony many years ago,
or even just exchanged private promises
to be wed, may very well be common law
married and not realize it.
Are, or were, you a resident of the Dis-

trict of Columbia? Do you think you may

be common law married in the District
of Columbia? Please give us a call. Being
common law married can have critical effects on you and your spouse for estate
planning purposes, dissolution of the
marriage, including alimony and property
rights, and other issues.

Eva N. Juncker is a partner and Emily Neuhausen an associate at Zavos Juncker Law
Group, PLLC, a law firm practicing family law
in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.Reach them via
zavosjunckerlawgroup.com.

SIMPLE
AFFORDABLE
PROVEN RESULTS
CALL TODAY TOPLACE YOUR AD

202.747.2077

DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES

Top 1% Nationwide
NVAR Life Member Top Producder

703-593-3204

WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET
ENTHUSIASTICALLY
SERVING DC & VIRGINIA

3 6 A PRI L 0 1 , 2 0 16

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

Meet Mike
Mike Brown has nearly 30 years of experience in sales,
marketing and business negotiations, and he has been a
licensed real estate professional since 1986. Previously, he
was a residential lender for more than eight years with
nationally ranked top-five firm.
Mike offers his sellers and buyers an exceptional crossindustry knowledge and experience so they can make
intelligent and well-informed decisions. His greatest passion
and achievement is providing tangible results for his clients.
A local resident for almost 40 years, Mike currently lives in
Washington, DC. He was born and grew up overseas with
his parents, who were C.I.A. officers. If I wasnt a real estate
agent, Id be a secret agent, he likes to say. Mike earned his
bachelors degree from George Mason University.

Licensed in DC, MD, VA

Mike@MikeBrownMoves.com | 202.340.3340
MikeBrownMoves.com

Custom landscape design

Patios, walkways, pool decks
Outdoor fireplaces and kitchens
Planting and water features
Landscape lighting and irrigation

1803 14th St, NW | Washington, DC 20009 202.903.2200

ARLINGTON N.

MeTRO & WeSTOVeR VILLAGe!

$725,000

Just Listed! 1116 N. OHiO stReet

Expanded 3 bedroom, 3 bath Colonial nestled on a lovely garden
lot in North Arlingtons popular Madison Manor neighborhood. Enjoy
1,999 base square feet, an updated kitchen, formal living and dining
rooms plus a main level sunroom and a fantastic master bedroom
addition with ensuite bath, handsome fireplace, sun drenched
exposure, replacement windows, charming curved archway, fresh
paint, new carpet and flooring, generous upper level bedrooms and a
fully finished lower level. All just steps to the bike trail and extensive
neighborhood park as well as being conveniently located within close
proximity to EFC Metro and the vibrant Westover Village.

OpeN SuNdAy 1-4pM

dAVe LLOYd & AssOCiAtes

4701 Old Dominion Drive Arlington, VA 22207

703-593-3204 WWW.dAVeLOYd.Net

Julie Andrews
on Micro Apartments:
All I want is a room
somewhere far away
from the cold night air.
VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI

Dupont Circle Office 202.243.7700 (o) 202.246.8602 (c)

Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com www.DCHomeQuest.com

ADVERTISING
PROOF #1

ISSUE DATE: 02.26.16

SALES REPRESENTATIVE: SIRIWAT PATHARAPANUPATH (spath@washblade.com)

DEADLINES

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SHARE ADS ARE FREE.
Place your housing to share
ad online at washingtonblade.com
and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*

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By Mondays at 5PM
So They Can Be Included
in That Weeks Edition of
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*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

WA SH I NGTO N B LA DE.C OM

MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
ROSSLYN. Certified
massage therapist
available 12-8 Sun-Tues.
Call or text Garyat 301704-1158 or visit http://
www.mymassagebygary.
com/.DC appointments
available Wed, Fri, Sat.
Please call/text for
details. Thank you.
BEST MASSAGE by male
certified therapist.
Soothing Swedish; deeptissue; stress & pain
release. Safe Atmosphere
in Annandale, VA, almost
right off I-395. Days/Eve/
Wkend. In/Out calls.
Hotels welcome. Call
Marval (703) 568-6348.
RELAX, REGENERATE,
REJUVENATE The 3 Rs
to Health. Experienced
Certified Massage
Therapist helps you w/
the 3 Rs: Swedish, Deep
Tissue, Reiki, Energetics.
Call Bruce (202) 491-8306.
MT 0697.
START FRESH MASSAGE - deep
tissue massage will help you feel like
a new person! Stretching, Swedish &
Sports massage. Athletes, swimmers,
cyclists & runners. Dupont. $10 OFF
90 mins. Marcio (202) 271-9440.

DC MASSAGE THERAPY. near

metro. EZ parking. Email: dcack@
hotmail.com, Dave.

BODY & SOUL

GET YOUR MIND IN SHAPE & your
body will follow. Stop smoking?
Weight loss? Addictions? Fears &
phobias. Changing your behavior can
be difficult. Hypnosis changes your
behavior at a subconscious level. Call
American Wellness Institute for a free
consultation 202-544-5688.

BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY
WASHINGTON COUNTY
RESTAURANT for sale.
8000 sq ft with Bar,
plus 2500 sq ft Living
Quarters. Owners are
retiring. Up to 90%
Financing Possible.
$885,000. Must be PreQualified by Lender
that can do the 90%
.Call me for additional
information. Strata
Realty, MICHAEL HILL
301-992-4777.

COACHING
ADHD COACHING I am a graduate
of the ADD Coaching Academy.
Please call 202-421-8900 for more
info or email:789davidr@gmail.com.
David Rose. Discover and build a
more orderly tomorrowTODAY.

COUNSELING
LGBTQ AFFIRMING THERAPY at
Dupont Circle Individuals, couples,
families, adolescents. Over 15
years serving the community. Mike
Giordano, LICSW. 202/460-6384
mike.giordano.msw@gmail.com.
www.WhatIHearYouSaying.com.
COUNSELING FOR GAY MEN.
Individual/couple counseling w/
volunteer peer counselor. Gay Mens
Counseling Community since 1973.
202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling.
org. No fees, donation requested.

EMPLOYMENT
ACADEMY OF HOPE

Adult PCS solicits expressions of

interest in the form of proposals with
references from qualified vendors for
the following services:
1. Elevator Repair and Maintenance
2. Moving
3. HVAC Repair and Maintenace
4. General Contracting
5. Furnishing
6. Facilities Management Services
7. Security Services
Please visit http://aohdc.org/jobs/ for
full details. Questions and proposals
may be emailed to aoh@aohdc.org
with the subject line of the type of
service. Deadline for submissions
is 12:00pm April 15th. Email is the
preferred method for responding.

LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS
NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay mens
naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring
Locker Room Attendants. We all
scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You
must be physically able to handle the
work & have a great attitude doing
it. No drunks/druggies need apply.
Please call Richard at (202) 319-1333.
from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

LEGAL SERVICES
ADOPTION & ASSISTED
REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer
Fairfax represents clients in DC, MD
& VA. interested in adoption or ART
matters.301-221-9651,JFairfax@
jenniferfairfax.com.
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM
Representing the GLBT community
for over 35 years. Family adoptions,
estate planning, immigration,
employment. (301) 891-2200.Silber,
Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.
SP-Law. com.

LIMOUSINES / DRIVERS
KASPERS LIVERY SERVICE
BMW 2016 750XI Luxury Sedan
Service; Hourly, Point to Point and
Special Airport Transfer Rates!
Gay and Veteran Owned!
http://www.KasperLivery.com
Phone 202-554-2471.

PHOTOGRAPHY
STEVE OTOOLE
PHOTOGRAPHY Fine
Art Photographer
for Portraits and
Weddings. Check out
my new website - www.
steveotoolephotography.
com. Specializing in Bears
and Big men.
Steve 703-861-4422.

CLEANING
TOO NEAT GUYS INC. Residential
& Commercial cleaning in DC
& Northern VA. Over 20 years
experience, gay owned, licensed,
bonded & insured. Email: tooneat@
comcast.net, (703) 622-5983.
FERNANDOS CLEANING:
Residential & Commercial Cleaning,
Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates,
Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out.
(202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183.
MAID TO CLEAN Gay owned,
awesome, trustworthy & reliable!
Serving the DC/VA area. Mention
this ad for $50 off. Maidtoclean.com.
(703) 299-0101.

HOME IMPROVEMENT
GIL PAINTING Co. Bonded,
Licensed & Insured. Interior/
Exterior Painting. Plaster & Dry
Wall. Wallpaper Removal, Power
Washing. Carpentry. Roofing &
Remodeling. www.Gilpainting.
Com.Walter (301) 370-9940
Gilpainting@Comcast.Net.

A P RI L 0 1 , 2 0 1 6 3 7

LEGAL NOTICE
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
PROBATE DIVISION
2016 NRT 10
Rose R. Gildenhorn, Name of Deceased Settlor
NOTICE OF EXISTENCE OF REVOCABLE TRUST
Rose R. Gildenhorn whose address was 3801 New Mexico Avenue, N.W. #1022,
Washington, DC 20007 created a revocable trust on June 23, 1994, which
remained in existence on the date of her death on November 1, 2015 and Harry
Gildenhorn & Jeffrey Gildenhorn, whose addresses are 10905 Roundtable Court,
Rockville, MD 20852 & 3200 Ellicot Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20008 are the
currently acting trustees, hereinafter the Trustee. Communications to the trust
should be mailed or directed to Harry Gildenhorn at 10905 Roundtable Court,
Rockville, MD 20852.
The Trust is subject to claims of the deceased settlors creditors, costs of
administration of the settlors estate, the expenses of the deceased settlors
funeral and disposal of remains, and statutory allowances to a surviving spouse
and children to the extent the deceased settlors residuary probate estate is
inadequate to satisfy those claims, costs, expenses, and allowances.
Claims of the deceased settlors creditors are barred as against the Trustee
and the trust property unless presented to the Trustee at the address provided
herein on or before September 25, 2016 (6 months after the date of the first
publication of this notice). An action to contest the validity of this trust must be
commenced by the earliest of (1) November 1, 2016 (one year from the date
of the deceased settlor( or (2) September 25, 2016 (6 months from the date
of first publication of this notice) or (3) ninety days after the Trustee sends the
person a copy of the trust instrument and a notice informing the person of the
trusts existence, the Trustees name and address, and the time allowed for
commencing a proceeding.
The trustee may proceed to distribute the trust property in accordance with
the terms of the trust before the expiration of the time within which an action
must be commenced unless the Trustee knows of a pending judicial proceeding
contesting the validity of the trust or the Trustee has resolved notice from a
potential contestant who thereafter commences a judicial proceeding within
sixty days after notification.
This Notice must be mailed postmarked within 15 days of its first publication to
each heir and qualified beneficiary of the trust and any other person who would
be an interested person within the meaning of D.C. Code, sec. 20-101(d).
Date of first publication: March 25, 2016, Harry Gildenhorn & Jeffrey Gildenhorn.
Anne Meister, Register of Wills, Clerk of the Probate Division.
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BRITISH REMODELING HANDYMAN

Local licensed company with over 25
years of experience. Specializing in
bathrooms, kitchens & all interior/
exterior repairs. Drywall, paint,
electric & wallpaper.
Trevor 703-303-8699.

MOVERS
OUR GUYS AROUND TOWN
MOVERS. Professional Moving &
Storage. Let Our Guys Do The
Heavy Lifting. Mention the Blade
for 10% off of our regular rates.
Call today 202.734.3080. www.
ourguysatmovers.com.

PAINTERS
FINESSE INTERIOR/
EXTERIOR PAINTING.
Chalkboard & Dry Erase
paint. Wood Staining.
Plaster Repairs. Pressure
Cleaning. Free Estimates.
Elmer 240-462-3760.

TREE SERVICE
BRANCHES TREE EXPERT Company.
Full service certified arborists,
pruning, insect & disease diagnosis,
treatment & removal. 301-589-6181.
www.BranchesTreeExperts.com.
Angies List Award Winner 09, 10,
11, 12.

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

THE NATIONS TOP GAY REALTORS!

Instant Free Access to D.C. &
NationsTop LGBT Realtors. FREE
Buyers Representation FREE Sellers
Competitive Market Analysis +
FREE Relocation Kit any City, USA.
Be Represented! Choose your
Perfect Agent On-line at;WWW.
GAYREALESTATE.COM

3 8 a pri l 0 1 , 2 0 16

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- Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received
By Mondays at 5PM
washingtonblade.com

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

FEEL THE TOUCH

SALE / VA

5 9, 170 lbs, Offering full body

relaxing, release on my professional
table, in a private atmosphere. In/out.
Parking Available, hotels welcome,
DC/MD/VA, 24/7. Call Lucas, 240-4628669, email: fromlucas@yahoo.com.

OPEN HOUSE / DC
BROOKLAND $785,000 OPEN Sun,
Apr 3, 1-4pm Not Just a Facelift!
But a top to bottom rebuild! What
a joy to sit at the beautiful Grey/
Black Granite open kitchen counter
bar w/grey cabinets & dark wood
floors! Great for large or small
gatherings w/open floor plan w/
Sep dining/living areas. 3BR 3.5BA
over 3 levels. Finished basement
has in-law suite potential. Parking,
porch, walk in closet! Just 0.42 of a
mile from metro w/2 stations near!
Nearby grocery/hardware stores!
See it and Fall in Love this Spring!
More info@www.MaplesdenGroup.
com andhttp://tour.truplace.
com/property/76/44437/. David
Maplesden, Long and Foster Realtors,
Office: 301-891-8716
Cell: 202-270-7253.

SALE / MD
EXTRAORDINARY COASTAL HOME
Designed by David Jameson. Featured
in Architectural Design. Multiple
design award winning home. Endless
views. Great getaway! $795,000.
Call Craig Linthicum, Meredith Fine
Properties (c) 410-726-6581 or (o)
410-822-2001.

BODYWORK

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BEACHFRONT COLONIAL
BEACH VA. 4/4 Home
plus 2/1 Guest House.
$729,900 contact the
owner 804-224-4151. MLS:
WE9600252. Fantastic
water views from
every room!

MASSAGE SILVER SPRING est 2004.

Where some of the nicest guys
in town come for one of the best
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PFLAG promotes the equality and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual,

and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
Support to cope with an adverse society.
Education to enlighten an ill-informed public.
Advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.
Trained facilitators lead the Arlington Support Group and confidentiality is maintained. For
further information about the Arlington Support Group, contact us at arl.pflag@gmail.com.
Our groups meet on the second Sunday of each month, from 3 4:30pm at the Unitarian
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A.L.Y. is a group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Youth and Allies in
grades 7-12. Our goal is to give LGBTQ youth a safe place to gather. Trained facilitators lead the
youth group. Confidentiality maintained. For more info, contact: aly.pflagdc@gmail.com.
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Presented by Jim Graham

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