CONTENTS

JANUARY 3, 2019 Volume 25 Issue 34

16 THE JUSTICE SINGER

The soul-fired folk of Crys Matthews is driven
by her deep passion for social justice.

By Doug Rule

THE YEAR AHEAD

How will 2019 compare to the terrible year
that just ended? We asked our readers.
23
35 FREE LOVE
Barry Jenkins deftly mingles romance with racial
tension in the superb If Beale Street Could Talk.

By André Hereford

SPOTLIGHT: MISS SAIGON p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10

GETTING BENT: DJ STEVE LEMMERMAN p.12
THE JUSTICE SINGER: CRYS MATTHEWS p.16 COMMUNITY: FACE TIME p.19
COVER STORY: THE YEAR AHEAD p.23 FILM: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK p.33
FILM: VICE p.35 NIGHTLIFE p.37 SCENE: NEW YEAR’S EVE AT PITCHERS & ALOHO p.37
LISTINGS p.38 NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS p.39 SCENE: AVALON DC AT SOUNDTRACK p.45
LAST WORD p.46

Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley
Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks
Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint The 2018 Midterm Elections Cover Photography Gage Skidmore

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4 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

 Spotlight
MATTHEW MURPHY AND JOHAN PERSSON
Miss Saigon
W
HEN ONE OF SIR CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S
signature productions hits the quarter-century mark,
he likes to dust it off and breathe new life into it,
reinventing it in the process. He did it with Les Miserables. He
did it with the tour of Phantom of the Opera. “He feels it’s an
opportunity to look at the material again with a new creative
team,” says Seth Sklar-Heyn, executive producer for Camera
Mackintosh Incorporated, the North America arm of the pro-
ducer’s U.K.-based company.
Recently, Macintosh did it with the 30-year-old Miss
Saigon, the sweeping musical by Les Miz scribes Claude-
Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, set during the Vietnam
War. With a tragic, romance-drenched plot based on Puccini’s
Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon is a full-on weeper, filled with
lush ballads and big, bold production numbers. It also has, as
is the case with most modern-day theater, a breathtaking set-
piece in the form of a massive evac helicopter that lands during
the fall of Saigon.
“In the original production, it was a large piece that flew
in,” says Sklar-Heyn, who serves as the current touring pro-
duction’s associate director and executive producer. “It was
Miss Saigon runs through January 13 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $49 to $175.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
physical, dimensional, and actors were able to interact with it.
We strived to deliver that again, but in a new way, inherently
using technology that didn’t exist 30 years ago, when the origi-
nal production was first conceived and designed.
“The technology that acts as the foundation on which every-
thing can now be produced on a stage is almost beyond what
anyone could have conceived of when these shows were first
coming out,” he continues. “Which goes to show how remark-
able they were the first time around.” But he notes Miss Saigon
had to “evolve from the original into something new that does
take advantage of how machinery comes to life onstage and
supports the story.”
Sklar-Heyn dismisses critics who might call such scenic
tactics crowd-pleasing stunts. He prefers to think of them as
immersive.
“Ideally, an audience is enveloped in the storytelling as a
result of the scale of what we present onstage,” he says. “I do
think we strive, in these productions, to immerse an audience,
and to bring them into the action through a slice of life that we
represent onstage as dimensionally as possible.”
—Randy Shulman
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 7
 Spotlight
RAZZIA
Morocco’s official entry for the 2018 Academy
Awards, Nabil Ayouch’s mesmerizing drama was
also the Opening Night Film at the New York
Jewish Film Festival, and now becomes the first
film presented by the Washington Jewish Film
Festival for screening in 2019. Razzia follows five
Moroccans from different social and religious stra-
ta, including Salima, who refuses the traditional
stereotypes of wife, mother, and woman, the trou-
bled bourgeois teen Inès, and the Freddie Mercury-
idolizing singer Hakim. In French and Arabic with
English subtitles. Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW.
Tickets are $12 in advance, or $14 at the door. Call
202-777-3250 or visit wjff.org.

ALEXANDER PALEY
An internationally acclaimed concert soloist, the
American pianist, born and raised in Moldova, per-
forms Chopin preludes and Prokofiev’s Romeo and
Juliet. Presented by the Washington Conservatory of
Music, the concert will be followed by a Wine & Words
session with the musician along with complimentary
beverages. Saturday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. Westmoreland
Congregational Church, 1 Westmoreland Circle,
Bethesda. Tickets are free, donations welcome. Call
301-320-2770 or visit washingtonconservatory.org.

JAY PHAROAH
The six-season alum from Saturday Night Live, well known especially
for his impressions of President Obama, Jay Z, and Kanye West, has
more recently shown his dramatic abilities via Showtime’s White
Famous and Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane. He’s currently working on
his second stand-up special by trying out and perfecting his material
performing at nightclubs and college auditoriums around the coun-
try. Friday, Jan. 11. Doors at 8 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets
are $30 for this seated show. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

8 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

STEREOVISION

Out On The Town

ELVIS’ BIRTHDAY FIGHT CLUB

Elvis Presley hosts an underground fight club in what is billed as a comically lowbrow theater event from Astro Pop Events
(Countdown to Yuri’s Night, America The Game Show). Now in its ninth year, the production features the King (Jared
Davis), accompanied by his sardonic sidekick Kittie Glitter (Jei Spatola), plus “a little more conversation” in the form of
hilarious color commentary during seven comical, choreographed matchups full of cartoon-like violence and below-the-
belt comedy, as burlesque dancers keep the audience “all shook up” between fights. The cast includes Andrew Wodzianski,
Lucrezia Blozia, Carlos Bustamente, DD Cupcakes, Patrick M. Doneghy, Matt Grant, Nona Narcisse, Callie Pigeon, Candy
Del RIo, Christian Sullivan, Cherie Sweetbottom, and Stephon Walker. Friday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 5, at 7
and 9:30 p.m. GALA Theatre at Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Also Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 and 10 p.m., and Saturday,
Jan. 12, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. Baltimore. Tickets are $25 to $35. Visit
astropopevents.com.

Compiled by Doug Rule
FILM
DON’T GET TROUBLE
IN YOUR MIND
The little-known, long-standing
tradition of the bluegrass tradition
in African-American communi-
ties, as well as the untold story of
how blacks and whites collaborat-
ed to create the earliest forms of
American popular music, is the sub-
ject of John Whitehead’s latest doc-
umentary, Don’t Get Trouble in Your
Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops
Story. The focus is on three young
string musicians who achieved fame
and acclaim, including a Grammy,
as the Carolina Chocolate Drops,
including Rhiannon Giddens of
Nashville fame and Dom Flemons,
as well as their late mentor, fid-
dler Joe Thompson. A discussion
with Whitehead and journalist
Jordannah Elizabeth will follow
next week’s screening in Baltimore.
Thursday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Creative Alliance at the Patterson,
3134 Eastern Ave. Tickets are $10
in advance, or $13 at the door. Call
410-276-1651 or visit creativealli-
ance.org.
LOGAN’S RUN
In the 23rd century, life is utopic
— until you reach the age of 30. At
that point you’re put down in this
1976 thriller starring Michael York,
Peter Ustinov, Jenny Agutter, and
Peter Farrah Fawcett. Logan Run
is the next in the weekly Capital
Classics series at Landmark’s
West End Cinema. Screenings are
Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 1:30, 4:30, and
7:30 p.m., 2301 M St. NW. Happy
hour from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are
$12.50. Call 202-534-1907 or visit
landmarktheatres.com.
ON THE BASIS OF SEX
Notorious RBG makes her big
screen debut. Felicity Jones is a
young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a bril-
liant lawyer fighting for equal rights
for women, including in arguments
before the Supreme Court that she
would eventually come to have a
seat on. Armie Hammer co-stars
as Ginsburg’s husband, Martin,
and Emmy-winning director Mimi
Leder is at the helm. This is about
as close as it gets to perfect Oscar-
fodder, but should also hopefully
make for compelling viewing —
Ginsburg’s incredible life achieve-
ments deserve it. Now playing. Area
theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)
THE ROCKY HORROR
PICTURE SHOW
Landmark’s E Street Cinema pres-
ents its monthly run of Richard
O’Brien’s camp classic, billed as the
longest-running midnight movie
in history. Landmark’s showings
come with a live shadow cast from
the Sonic Transducers, meaning
it’s even more interactive than
usual. Friday, Jan 10, and Saturday,
Jan. 11, at midnight. Landmark’s
E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW.
Call 202-452-7672 or visit land-
marktheatres.com.

10 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

STAGE Bobbitt and choreographed by Tara
Jeanne Vallee. To Jan. 6. Mainstage,
MY FATHER’S DRAGON
As part of its Family Theater
Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are
$20 to $65. Call 202-399-7993 or
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, series, Synetic Theater produces a visit mosaictheater.org.
BILLY ELLIOT
Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or wordless adaptation of Ruth Stiles
Matthew Gardiner helms Signature
visit olneytheatre.org. Gannett’s book starring Synetic’s THE IMPORTANCE
Theatre’s take on the moving musi-
Ryan Sellers and directed and OF BEING EARNEST
cal from writer/lyricist Lee Hall
FANCY NANCY’S choreographed by the company’s This tour-de-farce is arguably Oscar
and composer Elton John about
SPLENDIFEROUS CHRISTMAS Tori Bertocci. My Father’s Dragon Wilde’s greatest play, as courtships,
an 11-year-old boy who just wants
Nancy has enough money to buy focuses on the attempts of Elmer class, and convention square off
to dance. The production features
a brand-new sparkly tree topper, Elevator to rescue a captive baby with handbags, puns, and peram-
two Billys and two young ensem-
but when things don’t turn out as dragon on Wild Island. To Jan. 6. bulators. For the Everyman Theatre
bles performing in rotation, along
she planned, will Christmas still be Theater at Crystal City, 1800 South production, director Joseph Ritsch
with an adult crew featuring Nancy
splendiferous? Adventure Theatre Bell St., Arlington. Tickets are $20. of Rep Stage has restored the orig-
Anderson as Mrs. Wilkinson,
MTC presents a musical geared Call 800-811-4111 or visit synet- inal script to include the politics
Chris Genebach as Billy’s father,
toward younger audiences. Stevie ictheater.org. and double entendres that were
Crystal Mosser as his mother, Sean
Zimmerman directs. To Jan. 6. 7300 stripped out and censored after
Watkinson as brother Tony, and
Catherine Flye as Grandma. To Jan.
MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo Park. OH, GOD Wilde was imprisoned due to his
Call 301-634-2270 or visit adven- A psychotherapist gets a visit from homosexuality. “Baltimore’s master
6. The Ark, 4200 Campbell Ave.,
turetheatre-mtc.org. a new and desperate patient — God of comedy” Bruce Randolph Nelson
Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit
— in a witty and touching work dons drag to play Lady Bracknell,
sigtheatre.org.
KINGS by Anat Gov, billed as the “Wendy with Danny Gavigan as Algernon
A comedy about money, power, and Wasserstein of Israel.” Kimberly and Jaysen Wright as Jack. Daniel
ELF THE MUSICAL
American democracy focused on a Schraf is the therapist who must Ettinger’s set and David Burdick’s
An orphan leaves the North Pole to
newly elected congresswoman who talk the divine one (Mitchell costumes are a modern mash-up,
find his true identity in this musi-
refuses to play by the rules of lob- Hébert) off the ledge of despair over inspired by Roy Lichtenstein and
cal based on the 2003 Will Ferrell
byists or her own party. If ever the state of humanity in Mosaic the Pop Art movement. To Jan.
movie and featuring songs by the
there were a built-in audience for Theater’s winter holiday produc- 6. 315 West Fayette St. Baltimore.
team of composer Matthew Sklar
a show in D.C., Alexandria-native tion directed by Michael Bloom Tickets are $10 to $65. Call 410-752-
and lyricist Chad Beguelin (The
playwright Sarah Burgess’ Kings that launches the 18th season of 2208 or visit everymantheatre.org.
Wedding Singer) and a book by
is it. Marti Lyons directs a Studio the annual Voices From a Changing
Thomas Meehan (Annie) and Bob
Theatre production featuring Middle East Festival. As part of the THE PANTIES, THE PARTNER
Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).
Nehassaiu deGannes as Rep. Sydney festival, select performances will AND THE PROFIT
Olney Theatre presents a holiday
Millsap and Kelly McCrann as Kate, be followed by free post-show dis- David Ives adapts and American-
treat of a production with a pow-
a seasoned lobbyist who, it turns cussions exploring resonant themes izes the epic comic trilogy Scenes
erhouse cast including Patricia
out, isn’t as hardened and jaded as in the work with experts in reli- from the Heroic Life of the Middle
Hurley, Kevin McAllister, Nova
even she thought. To Jan. 6. 14th & gion, psychotherapy, and comedy. Classes by Carl Sternheim, a
Y. Payton, and Bobby Smith, plus
P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or To Jan. 13. Atlas Performing Arts German Expressionist master
David Schumpf in the Ferrell role
visit studiotheatre.org. of satire from a century ago. The
of Buddy. Directed by Michael J.
play follows the Mask family over

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 11

 the span of a half-century, start-
ing in Boston circa 1950, moving
to Wall Street in 1987, and end-
ing in Malibu “tomorrow morn-
ing.” Michael Kahn directs Carson
Elrod and Kimberly Gilbert as hus-
band Joseph and wife Louise in
the Shakespeare Theatre Company
production of a social commentary
about our “near-apocalypse” society
also featuring Julia Coffey, Kevin
Isola, Turna Mete, and Tony Roach,
each portraying various roles. To
Jan. 6. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th
St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit
shakespearetheatre.org.

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

Touted as a cross between Sherlock
Holmes and Monty Python and
made for the stage, this classic
murder mystery is full of mis-
haps and madcap mania. From an
unconscious leading lady, to actors
DIRUPHOTO

tripping over everything (includ-

ing their lines), The Murder at
Haversham Manor, the play-within-
this-play, has a murderous opening

GETTING BENT
night. Fortunately, the actors killed
it, as it were, when The Play That
Goes Wrong debuted in London and
New York, earning the 2015 Olivier
Award for Best New Comedy and
This Saturday, the 9:30 Club is launching a new, quarterly LGBTQ dance event garnering critical praise. To Jan.
6. Kennedy Center Eisenhower
with DJ Steve Lemmerman at the helm. Theater. Tickets are $49 to $149.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kenne-

T
dy-center.org.
WO DECADES AGO, LOCAL NIGHTLIFE PROMOTER ED BAILEY GOT THE BALL
rolling, launching a weekly Saturday night Millennium party. Since then, the 9:30 Club has MUSIC
hosted its share of LGBTQ dance parties — from Cherry to Blowoff, from MAL Reaction
Dance to Mixtape. This Saturday, Jan. 5, add one more to the club’s estimable roster: Bent. ARNAUD SUSSMANN,
PAUL NEUBAUER,
“We’re launching Bent because D.C.’s gay community kind of needs a big platform, and 9:30 AND DAVID FINCKEL TRIO
Club is the place to do it,” says Steve Lemmerman, who is overseeing the event. “You know you can A violinist, a violist, and a cellist step
be safe at 9:30 as a person in the queer community, and as just a fan of any specific kind of music. into the Barns at Wolf Trap to per-
It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase our queer community to a larger audience, and have a large form three chamber masterworks
written for their combination of
home for our community at the same time. That was the inspiration: to just give so much more to stringed instruments: Beethoven’s
our queer community.” Opus 9, No. 1 Trio in G Major,
Over the past few years, the 29-year-old Baltimore native has carved out a name for himself as Dohnányi’s romantic Serenade in C
Major, and Mozart’s quintessential
“Lemz,” originally as a resident DJ at Nellie’s and more recently with Sleaze, the monthly party he classical Viennese Divertimento in
started at Wonderland Ballroom with DJ Keenan Orr. Orr is also on board with Bent, along with E-flat Major. Friday, Jan. 11, at 7:30
DJ the Barber Streisand and DJ Jack Jill in the basement Back Bar, but the party won’t just be a p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635
larger version of Sleaze. Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $40.
Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolf-
“Sleaze focuses on dark techno and disco,” says Lemmerman. “We stick to a certain sound. trap.org.
Bent, musically, is going to be a lot of feel-good fun dance music. A little more free-form. A lot of
indie pop. And some mainstream pop remix.” BALTIMORE SYMPHONY:
LEON FLEISHER’S BIRTHDAY
Bent, which is intended as a quarterly event, will offer up a broad range of performers, with the CELEBRATION
first outing hosted by Pussy Noir, and featuring Bombalicious Eklaver, Donna Slash, and “a few The renowned American pianist, a
surprises.” Lemmerman stresses that Bent will highlight the performers over the DJs. “I want the 2007 Kennedy Center Honoree, will
light to be on the performers, who don’t always get a stage of this magnitude,” he says. toast his birthday by performing
a specialty of his, Mozart’s Piano
Lemmerman, who works in the 9:30 Club box office by day, says the club’s production team Concerto No. 12 in A Major. Led
has been working hard to help him make “some dreams a reality with the stage area.” They’re by conductor Peter Oundjian, the
planning to employ “some pretty cool stage magic” to ensure that “the focus is on the actual dance BSO will also perform Brahms’
Symphony No. 2, full of beauti-
floor” itself. ful melodies and an exuberant-
“I want everyone to feel like a family, and feel close to each other,” he says. “My goal is to bring ly joyful finale. Friday, Jan. 4, at
together different parts of our community that don’t always interact.... Times have been so tough 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 6, at 3
lately, everyone just needs an escape right now. And 9:30 is helping me provide just that.” p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony
Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore.
—Doug Rule Also Saturday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Bent launches Saturday, Jan. 5, at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Doors at 10 p.m. Tickets are $15. Call Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Tickets are $25 to $90. Call 877-
202-265-0930 or visit 930.com. 276-1444 or visit bsomusic.org.

12 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

LITTLE BIRD
Chances are good you’ll fall for
Little Bird minutes into listening
to the band’s 2018 EP Familiar,
which shows the ambient soul/
R&B band to be a wild and warm
kindred spirit to everyone from
D’Angelo and Erykah Badu to
Australian jam band-inspired soul
act Hiatus Kaiyote. The band will
play an intimate show at the 180-
seat Soundry, which the Clyde’s
Restaurant Group opened this past
summer in Columbia to be a sibling
to the local chain’s crown jewel,
Hamilton Live. Opening for Little
Bird is D.C.’s electro-soul quintet
Novo. Saturday, Jan. 5. Doors at 7
p.m. The Soundry, 10221 Wincopin
Circle, Columbia. Tickets are $10
to $15. Call 443-283-1200 or visit
thesoundry.com.
PASSPORT TO THE WORLD 2019:
PATSY CLINE TRIBUTE, CECILY,
CRYS MATTHEWS
& HEATHER MAE
Curated by Lynn Veronneau and
Ken Avis of Wammie-winning
jazz samba group Veronneau,
this annual festival presented by
Virginia’s Creative Cauldron cel-
ebrates the music and dance of
cultures around the world, with
performances by artists represent-
ing a broad spectrum of genres:
folk to Latin, opera to bluegrass.
The 2019 series kicks off the first
weekend in January with “Patsy
Cline Tribute: Six Voices,” a tribute,
in song and story, to the Virginia
native female country legend and
featuring vocalists Jess Eliot Myhre
of the Bumper Jacksons, Lauren
Calve, Maureen Andary of the
Sweater Set, Karen Jonas, Brian
Farrow, Ahren Buchheister, and
Pat Puglisi, on Saturday, Jan. 5, at
7:30 p.m. That’s followed by “Cecily
Salutes D.C.,” a concert featuring
a homegrown talent and her band
exploring the contributions that
her forebears from the nation’s cap-
ital have made to American soul
music, from Duke Ellington to Gil
Scott-Heron to Roberta Flack, on
Sunday, Jan. 6, at 6:30 p.m. Among
the offerings the following week-
end is a concert featuring D.C.-area
powerhouse female vocalists and
social change-minded songwriters,
including lesbians Crys Matthews
and Heather Mae, on Saturday, Jan.
12, at 7:30 p.m. The series continues
to Feb. 2. ArtSpace Falls Church,
410 South Maple Ave. in Falls
Church. Tickets are $18 to $22, or
$60 for tables of two with wine,
$120 for tables of four with wine.
Call 703-436-9948 or visit creative-
cauldron.org.
THE INSERIES: FROM U STREET
TO THE COTTON CLUB
KenYatta Rogers returns to direct
this toe-tapping hit first presented
in 2009. The cabaret production
features music by Duke Ellington,
Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, and
more from 1920s and ’30s jazz-age
America, performed amidst tales
of African Americans from the era
woven together by playwright Sybil
Williams. And two hours before
every show, the In Series has part-
nered with local historian Timothy
Wright for a guided walking tour
into the music, mural art, and life
along U Street, once known as
D.C.’s Black Broadway, that ends
with a discounted dinner at Ben’s
Chili Bowl. Opens Saturday, Jan. 5.
Runs to Jan. 20. Source, 1835 14th
St. NW. Tickets $20 to $45, or $15
for the pre-show walking tour. Call
202-204-7763 or visit inseries.org.
COMEDY
IMPROBABLE COMEDY: COMEDY
AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
A show that President Trump
doesn’t want you to see, the
Maryland presenter Improbable
Comedy has recruited more immi-
grants and first-generation comics
for its second Comedy As A Second
Language program. Performers on
tap are Pedro Gonzalez, Davine
Ker, Simone, and Anna Tirat-Gefen.
Saturday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Silver
Spring Black Box Theatre, 8641
Colesville Road. Tickets are $16
to $22. Call 301-351-2096 or visit
improbablecomedy.com.
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
ILIZA:
THE ELDER MILLENNIAL TOUR
Iliza, the only female and youngest
contestant to win the title of NBC’s
Last Comic Standing, has become
one of the more popular stand-
up acts on the touring circuit as
well as on TV, via her Netflix spe-
cials Freezing Hot and Confirmed
Kills, and Truth & Iliza, her late-
night talk show that just wrapped
up its first season on Freeform.
Apparently, Iliza’s fans show their
loyalty by creating Iliza-inspired
swag that they wear to shows.
Thursday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. Warner
Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets
are $37.50 plus fees, or $145 for
a VIP Package including Meet &
Greet. Call 202-783-4000 or visit
warnertheatredc.com.
LUENELL
You may remember the comedic
performer as the “hooker with the
heart of gold” in Borat. Luenell
has also had notable appearances
on TV, including Always Sunny in
Philadelphia, and as a featured per-
former in the 2012 special Snoop
Dogg Presents: The Bad Girls of
Comedy. Now she’s set for her DC
Improv debut, for a weekend run
of shows with opening sets from
Cerrome Russell. Friday, Jan. 4, at
7:30 and 9:45 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 5,
at 7 and 9:30 p.m., and Sunday, Jan.
6, at 7 p.m. 1140 Connecticut Ave.
NW. Tickets are $20 to $25, plus a
13

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRIS
KAMALA HARRIS
Even before her gripping performance during last year’s
Kavanaugh hearings, the Democratic U.S. Senator from
California was a buzzed-about potential candidate for
president. Harris is only working to further the buzz
with the release of The Truths We Hold: An American
Journey, a new book drawing on her life and career as
well as highlighting those who have inspired her. Along
the way she touts our common bonds as Americans and
the challenges we face together. Harris will discuss the
book’s core themes as well as lay out her vision for the
future at an event co-presented by Politics and Prose.
Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. GW Lisner, The George
Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. Tickets are
$46.80 including fees and 1 book. Call 202-994-6851 or
visit lisner.gwu.edu.
14 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
two-item minimum. Call 202-296-
7008 or visit dcimprov.com.
SUPER SPECTACULAR COMEDY
SHOW FOR THE CLIMATE
Grassroots Comedy DC offers
another night of comedy with a
cause at Kramerbooks. This round,
Grassroots is fulfilling its mission
“to make humans laugh while
improving humanity” by partnering
with the DC chapter of the Sierra
Club, giving the organization pro-
ceeds from the evening’s ticket sales
as well as a chance to discuss its
work as comedians trying their hand
at topical jokes about the disastrous
ways we treat our environment —
because sometimes you gotta laugh
to keep from crying. Friday, Jan. 11,
at 8 and 10 p.m. Kramerbooks, 1517
Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are
$12 in advance, or $15 at the door
(if available). Call 202-387-1400 or
visit kramers.com.
THE SECOND CITY:
SHE THE PEOPLE
An all-female team roasts the patri-
archy, modern politics and pop
culture in the latest revue from
Chicago’s sketch comedy troupe.
Carly Heffernan directs a Second
City ensemble featuring Atra
Asdou, Carisa Barreca, Alex Bellisle,
Katie Caussin, Kazi Jones, and
Maggie Wilder. To Jan. 6. Woolly
Mammoth, 641 D St. NW. Tickets
range from $20 to $85. Call 202-393-
3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.
READINGS
DANIEL H. PINK
Why are parole-eligible prisoners
more likely to get a favorable ruling
earlier in the day? Why are ado-
lescents who start school before 8
a.m. at an academic disadvantage?
Those are just two among many
intriguing questions answered in
Daniel H Pink’s When: The Scientific
Secrets of Perfect Timing, a fasci-
nating study of timing, drawing on
research from psychology, biology,
and economics. Since his days in the
mid-1900s as the chief speechwriter
for Vice President Al Gore, Pink has
written several best-selling books
applying key findings from behav-
ioral science to everyday work and
business situations (including Free
Agent Nation and To Sell Is Human).
In When, Pink shows the strong
and predictable effects timing has
on people’s thoughts and emotions,
and offers pointers — many from his
own “Time Hacker’s Handbook” —
on how to maximize potential by
planning the timing of important
events and decisions. He drops by
Politics and Prose for a discussion
of his latest opus. Tuesday, Jan. 8,
at 7 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015
Connecticut Ave. NW. Free, but
first-come, first-seated. Call 202-
364-1919 or visit politics-prose.com.
JASON BERRY
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de
Bienville was a warrior with snake
tattoos. And as head of the French
Mississippi Company in 1718, he
became the founder of New Orleans
— just the first of many colorful,
feisty, and creative characters that
have made the Big Easy such a
memorable place and destination. A
History of New Orleans at Year 300
is the latest from Berry, an investi-
gative journalist, documentary film
producer, and author of previous
books chronicling his hometown
through the lenses of music, pol-
itics, and people. Sunday, Jan. 6,
at 1 p.m. Politics and Prose, 5015
Connecticut Ave. NW. Free, first-
come, first-seated. Call 202-364-
1919 or visit politics-prose.com.
JEN SINCERO
A decade ago, Sincero was in her
early 40s, broke and in debt. She
turned that around by becoming
a self-help figure who is saltier,
punchier, and more relatable than
most of those who came before
her — styling herself as a Badass.
Sincero comes to D.C. to speak and
sign copies of You Are a Badass
Every Day, part of her series of
pocket-sized books offering inspira-
tion and guidance to keep you fresh,
grateful, and driven to pursue the
life you want. Thursday, Jan. 10, at
7 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.
600 I St. NW. Tickets are $18, or
$35 including one book, $45 for two
tickets and one book. Call 202-408-
3100 or visit sixthandi.org.
STORY DISTRICT
Every second Tuesday, Story
District presents a program featur-
ing everyday people sharing per-
sonal stories they’ve been coached
to tell in seven minutes, and all
focused on a particular topic. The
latest round features storytellers
who stepped outside their comfort
zone to do something bold, new,
and risky. Tuesday, Jan. 8. Doors
at 6:30 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th
St. NW. Tickets are $20 plus fees.
Call 202-667-4490 or visit black-
catdc.com.
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES:
LGBTQ MYSTERY WRITING
OutWrite, a program of the DC
Center for the LGBTQ Community,
presents a panel discussion with
readings and a Q&A with notable
authors Brenda Buchanan, John
Copenhaver, and Cheryl Head.
Sherry Harris of Sisters in Crime
will moderate the free event on
Saturday, Jan. 5, at 6 p.m. East City
Bookshop, 645 Pennsylvania Ave.
SE. Call 202-290-1636 or visit eastc-
itybookshop.com.
ART & EXHIBITS Bard’s influence can be found in
Churchill’s speeches and ideas. The
tural shifts. Opening Reception is
Friday, Jan. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. On
century — featuring portraits, still
lifes, and landscapes all no bigger
Folger Shakespeare Library pres- display to Jan. 27. IA&A at Hillyer, than a postage stamp. Through Jan.
BESTUÉ-VIVES:
ents materials from its collection 9 Hillyer Court NW. Call 202-338- 6. The Mansion, 10701 Rockville
RALF & JEANNETTE
as well as those from Cambridge’s 0325 or visit athillyer.org. Pike, North Bethesda. Call 301-581-
The Washington Project for the
Churchill Archives Centre and 5100 or visit strathmore.org.
Arts has set up this video projec-
Churchill’s home Chartwell, both ELIZABETH CASQUEIRO:
tion, in an empty storefront a block
of which collaborated on this spe- RE:VISION FACES
south from where Town once stood,
cial exhibition. To Jan. 6. 201 East An ode to the immigrant experi- Virginia’s Del Ray Artisans Gallery
with the intention of making view-
Capitol St. SE. Call 202-544-4600 ence, this exhibition investigates offers a group show of portraits,
ers reflect on chance encounters
or visit folger.edu. the power of visionary myth to pro- depicting faces and bodies as the
with strangers on the street as well
pel and restrain, and the struggle artists portray them, whether real-
as on changing social dynamics in
DANNI O’BRIEN: PLAY DATE to reconcile who we are, how we istic, impressionistic, surreal, or
the area. The story of a romantic
An immersive set of candy-colored, are perceived, and who we want abstract. Curated by Rita Schooley
relationship, artists David Bestué
fuzztastic objects echo forms of both to become. Through the use of and Kathy Turner, the exhibit fea-
and Marc Vives originally presented
playground equipment and the art- retro comic books and lifestyle ads, tures works celebrating faces span-
Ralf & Jeannette as a one-time-only
ist’s memory of her own awkward, Casqueriro reflects the emotional ning the ages, from a toddler, to a
performance in 2010 on a crowded
pubescent body in this exploration push-and-pull of immigration — new mother, to an octogenarian.
sidewalk in Times Square — from
of childhood landscapes through the pushing forward of a new life Opening Reception is Friday, Jan.
where the seemingly everyday
camp, craft, and humor. The nostal- with the pulling back by the old 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. On display to
interaction, lasting just over nine
gic, kitschy, and laborious process and tradition. Ends with an Artist’s Jan. 27. 2704 Mount Vernon Ave.
minutes, was projected onto a
of latch hook-rug making is used as Talk on Sunday, Jan. 6, at 2 p.m. Alexandria. Call 703-731-8802 or
massive overhead digital billboard,
a means to grapple with notions of The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St., visit thedelrayartisans.org.
with a multi-camera video feed of
femininity, domesticity, and craft, Alexandria. Call 703-548-0035 or
the event presented nationwide
as well as for its titillating and tac- visit nvfaa.org. JOHN WATERS:
on MTV with subtitles in English.
tile physical qualities. Identified as INDECENT EXPOSURE
D.C.-based artist and arts manager
a queer womyn maker and art edu- EXHIBITION OF FINE ARTS Talk about a shock: A preemi-
Marta Pita curated the local reprise.
cator based in Baltimore, O’Brien’s IN MINIATURE nent high-art institution offer-
On display Wednesdays to Sundays
work marries construction and Strathmore hosts the 85th annu- ing a retrospective on a famously,
from 2 to 5 p.m. through Jan. 13.
woodworking skills with traditional al show featuring more than 700 purposely lowbrow artist would
WPA Annex, 1921 8th St. NW,
feminized and domesticated sys- “mini-masterpieces”: intricately be unusual and unexpected any-
Ground Floor. Call 202-234-7103 or
tems, such as rug making, creat- detailed works of art from around where, regarding anyone. But that
visit wpadc.org.
ing dually hard and soft objects. the world, painstakingly produced it’s the Baltimore Museum of Art
In Play Date, O’Brien sourced vin- in miniature. The prodigious exhi- honoring native son and “King of
CHURCHILL’S SHAKESPEARE
tage wool on eBay and cheap plas- bition, presented by the Miniature Trash” John Waters is somewhat
The U.K.’s legendary 20th-centu-
tic rope from the Dollar Store to Painters, Sculptors & Gravers unprecedented. Indecent Exposure
ry prime minister was a lifelong
create the fibrous segments of a Society of Washington, D.C., draws showcases the famous queer film-
admirer of the 16th-Century Brit
peculiar framework with off-kilter viewers into a concentrated uni- maker’s visual arts career through
regarded as the greatest writer
color schemes and animated tex- verse — tracing its roots to the 7th a display of 160 provocative photo-
in the English language, and the

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 15

 graphs, sculptures, and video and
sound works. The works range from
send-ups of famous films and faces,
to objects from Waters’ home and
studio, to three peep-shows with
footage from his rarely seen under-
ground movies of the 1960s. All told,
the exhibition offers a glimpse into
the filmmaker’s childhood, identity,
and personality, as well as touching
on his influence and views on pop-
ular culture and the contemporary
art world, with a nod to the trans-
gressive power of images. To Jan.
6. 10 Art Museum Dr. Baltimore.
Tickets are $10 to $15. Call 443-573-
1700 or visit artbma.org.

NEW NATURE BY MARPI

Polish-born, San Francisco-based
digital artist Mateusz “Marpi”
Marcinowski has developed an
immersive audiovisual experi-
ence featuring a colorful digital
JEFF FASANO.

menagerie of nature-inspired crea-

tures and plant life that react in
real time to users’ gestures and
actions. Inspired by early multi-
player online gaming systems such
as Super Mario Brothers, Marpi’s
New Nature is the latest installation

THE JUSTICE SINGER

at D.C.’s unique art-meets-technol-
ogy gallery ArTecHouse. To Jan. 13.
1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets for
timed-entry sessions are $8 to $15,
The soul-fired folk of Crys Matthews is driven by her deep passion with evening admission for those
over 21 years of age and including
for social justice. exhibit-related Augmented Reality
Cocktails available for purchase.

S
Visit artechouse.com.
O MUCH OF WHAT DRIVES CRYS MATTHEWS STEMS FROM HER TUMULTUOUS
REMEMBERING VIETNAM:
experience growing up gay as a black preacher’s kid in North Carolina. “Coming out was 12 CRITICAL EPISODES
definitely...not my favorite chapter by any stretch of the imagination,” Matthews says. “It IN THE VIETNAM WAR
was super tough. I pretty much didn’t live at home my entire senior year of high school.” Two The National Archives offers a
decades later, Matthews and her mother “have a fantastic relationship now. It’s definitely a story framework for understanding the
decisions that led to the Vietnam
that I wish I could tell more people. People always say it’ll get better, and it actually does.” War, its consequences and lega-
As a soul-fired folk singer-songwriter, Matthews has been able to tell her story — most notably cy. More than 40 years since its
on The Imagineers, her “full-length album of love and life songs.” But the social justice-minded end, the complexity of the conflict
is still being unraveled — in part
artist seems to get more charge out of weighing in on the pressing issues of our era — chiefly, the by historians pouring over newly
#MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements. In addition to her six-song EP Battle Hymn for an declassified documents, some of
Army of Lovers — which includes “We Must Be Free,” her updated, Black Lives Matter-referencing which factor into this exhibition of
take on a Civil Rights Era anthem — Matthews says, “I have another batch of social justice songs more than 80 original records. To
Jan. 6. Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery,
that I’m really, really, really itching to get out.... The social justice songs are so important to me, Constitution Avenue between 7th
sometimes it’s hard for me to not just wanna do that. and 9th Streets NW. NW. Call 202-
“Some of this stuff is just so heavy and so overwhelming, I want [those affected] to understand 357-5000 or visit archivesfounda-
tion.org.
and know they’re not alone,” says Matthews. “There are people in their corner who hear them and
respect them and appreciate and value what they’ve been through and [don’t] dismiss that. Also, ROOPKOTHA PHOTO EXHIBIT
I want to inspire other people who...maybe don’t understand it...to do some soul searching, and Vibrant images captured by various
inspire some action on their part.” photographers, along with histor-
ical artifacts and personal mem-
Next weekend, Matthews will perform a concert alongside two other area singer-songwriters, orabilia, tell the story of Xulhaz
Louisa Hall and Heather Mae, a fellow queer-identified artist who is a regular traveling performer Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy,
with Matthews on their joint Pride-season “Singing Out Tour.” two Bangladeshi LGBTQ activists
and artists who were savagely mur-
“We’re actually going to perform in the round,” Matthews says of the upcoming concert, part dered in their home two years ago.
of Creative Cauldron’s Passport to the World cabaret series. “We get to sing with each other on The Center Arts Gallery in the DC
things, harmonize here and there, and just interact with one another. In the round is always fun — Center for the LGBT Community
and is my favorite way to perform.” —Doug Rule has set up this powerful installa-
tion as part of an ongoing cam-
paign to protest the inaction of the
Crys Matthews appears with Louisa Hall and Heather Mae on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at Bangladeshi government to inves-
tigate the murders. 2000 14th St.
ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Ave. Tickets are $18 to $22, or $60 for tables of two with NW. Call 202-682-2245 or visit
wine, $120 for tables of four with wine. Call 703-436-9948 or visit creativecauldron.org. thedccenter.org.

16 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

 English/Spanish exhibition is on
display through Jan. 6. 8th and F
Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or
visit npg.si.edu.

ABOVE & BEYOND

CARTOGRAPHY
The Kennedy Center co-commis-
sioned this world premiere pro-
duction for young audiences that
explores how the world is alive with
movement and migration. Inspired
by young refugees around the
world, Cartography fuses map-mak-
ing, dance, film, and sound sensor
technology to explore the tragedy
and wonder of lives in motion. From
the effects of climate change to war
and poverty, the story examines the
forces that send youth into unsure
waters of their future, and invites
audiences to consider their own
maps and journeys. Intended for
ages 12 and up. Friday, Jan. 11, at
7 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 12, and
WNO

Sunday, Jan. 13, at 1:30 and 4 p.m.

Kennedy Center Family Theater.
Tickets are $20. Call 202-467-4600
WNO’S AMERICAN OPERA INITIATIVE FESTIVAL or visit kennedy-center.org.
“Catch a glimpse into the future of opera” goes the tagline for this festival, the Washington
GEORGETOWN GLOW 2018
National Opera’s commissioning program for contemporary American opera now in its seventh
Now in its fifth year, this light
season. This year’s festival includes two different programs featuring four world premiere operas, art exhibition presented by the
performed in concert with Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists accompanied by a small chamber Georgetown Business Improvement
orchestra and followed by a Q&A with the artists and creative teams. Program One focuses on District features 10 displays by mul-
tidisciplinary artists. Billed as a way
Taking Up Serpents, a new hour-long opera from composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Jerre to “reimagine the season of light,”
Dye that spins an engrossing tale about the controversial world of religious snake-handling, and the commissioned works, curated by
focused on the estranged daughter (performed by Alexandria Shiner) of a fire-and-brimstone Deirdre Ehlen MacWilliams, offer a
high-tech modern contrast with the
preacher who is dangerously bitten by one of his snakes. Performances are Friday, Jan. 11, at 7:30
surroundings of D.C.’s oldest neigh-
p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 13, at 2 p.m. Program Two centers around “Three New 20-Minute Operas,” borhood — which has been further
including 75 Miles, with music by Matt Boehler and a libretto by Laura Barati focused on a family illuminated by the stringing of
in rural Pennsylvania who grapple with faith, beliefs, and economic limitations in the face of an white lights on street-facing build-
ings. The five-week event includes
unexpected teen pregnancy; Relapse, with music by Molly Joyce and a libretto by James Kennedy regular GLOW-inspired walking
about a woman struggling with her addiction after a serious drug overdose; and Pepito, with music and food tours led by several local
by Nicolas Lell Benavides and libretto by Marella Martin Koch, a tale about a lonely shelter dog tour companies. GLOW runs every
night from 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan.
and the troubled young married couple eager, maybe a bit too eager, to adopt. Performances are
6. Visit GeorgetownGlowDC.com
Saturday, Jan. 12, at 7 and 9 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $19 to $45 per for more information.
program. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
LIGHT YARDS
Two traveling light installations add
a little seasonal, illuminating whim-
TREVOR PAGLEN: SITES UNSEEN TORY COWLES: HARD WIRED anniversary season — and a provoc- sy as part of this year’s fourth annu-
W/PANEL DISCUSSION Spread out in two galleries at ative one at that. Nearly 60 works al holiday celebration in the Navy
Inspired by the American land- downtown’s Touchstone Gallery highlight how people of color — Yard area of Southeast D.C. — also
scape tradition and updated with a are sculptures and installations from Native Americans to African increasingly known as the Capitol
21st-century surveillance sensibil- celebrating the fierce joys of life. Americans, Asian Americans to Riverfront. The Pool by New York’s
ity, this visual artist blurs the lines Cowles’ body sculptures can be Latino Americans — are missing in Jen Lewin Studio, developed six
between art, science, and investiga- worn and viewers are encouraged historical portraiture. Still worse, years ago but making its D.C. debut
tive journalism to construct unfa- to dance — the installation is meant their contributions to the nation’s here, features 106 interactive circu-
miliar and at times unsettling works to be interacted with. Opening past were rendered equally invisi- lar pads of light that react as visitors
showing the world around us. The Reception is Saturday, Jan. 5, ble. Kaphar sets out to right those move on and around them, creat-
Smithsonian American Art Museum from 4 to 6 p.m. Meet the Artist slights by recreating well-known ing a giant canvas of shifting and
offers the first exhibition presenting Reception is Saturday, Jan. 19, from paintings and including those tradi- fading colors. Meanwhile, Angels
Paglen’s early photographic series 4 to 6 p.m. On display to Jan. 31. tionally left out, through his series of Freedom by Israel’s OGE Group
alongside his recent sculptural Galleries B and C, 901 New York of 17 paintings plus one sculpture. is a social sculptural installation
objects and new work with artificial Ave. NW Call 202-347-2787 or visit Gonzales-Day, meanwhile, explores where visitors pose with five giant,
intelligence — more than 100 art- touchstonegallery.com. how ideas of racial difference, neon-colored wings and white halos,
works in all. This mid-career survey otherness, and national identity intended as a way to signify that
occupies the entire north wing of UNSEEN: have taken shape historically and we’re all angels and that “everybody
the museum’s galleries, an unprece- OUR PAST IN A NEW LIGHT visually through nearly 40 photo- counts and deserves love.” On dis-
dented scale at this location. On dis- Works by Ken Gonzales-Day and graphs, including works from his play from 6 to 10 p.m. until Friday,
play through Jan. 6. SAAM, 8th and Titus Kaphar are featured in the “Erased Lynchings” series focused Jan. 4. The Yards Park Boardwalk,
F Streets NW. Call 202-633-1000 or first contemporary exhibition of on the American West as well as 355 Water St. SE. Call 202-465-7093
visit americanart.si.edu. the National Portrait Gallery’s 50th his “Profiled” series. The bilingual or visit theyardsdc.com. l

18 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

 Community
THURSDAY, January 3
The DC Center holds a meet-
ing of its ASIAN PACIFIC
ISLANDER QUEER SUPPORT
GROUP. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, visit thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events

AIDS HEALTHCARE
FOUNDATION offers free walk-
in HIV testing by appointment
from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m.
at its Blair Underwood Wellness
Center, 2141 K St. NW, and
its AHF Healthcare Center,
4302 St. Barnabas Rd., Suite B,
Temple Hills, Md., and from 9
a.m.-5 p.m. at its Benning Road
location, 1647 Benning Rd. NE,
PROSTOCKSTUDIO

Suite 300. For more informa-

tion, visit hivcare.org.

ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV
services (by appointment). 9

FACE TIME
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center,
1400 Decatur St. NW. To
arrange an appointment, call
202-291-4707, or visit androm-
edatransculturalhealth.org.
DC Fray hosts bimonthly same-sex speed dating events
that get rid of the swipes and put people face-to-face. DC AQUATICS CLUB practice
session at Takoma Aquatic

D
Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 300 Van
Buren St. NW. For more infor-
C FRAY STARTED OUT AS A SOCIAL SPORTS COMPANY,” SAYS mation, visit swimdcac.org.
senior marketing manager Tanisha Kanini. “Over the years, we realized
that there was so much more we could do with the company. So we began DC FRONT RUNNERS run-
developing other events.” ning/walking/social club
welcomes runners of all ability
While DC Fray is largely known for its sports leagues, including dodgeball, kick- levels for exercise in a fun and
ball, and flag football, expanded offerings now include ski trips, late night glow snow supportive environment, with
tubing, underwear runs, and even speed dating. socializing afterward. Route
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at
“People are tired of swiping right or left on apps and getting into the dating 7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
world, and then when you meet that person you’ve been talking to, they don’t match For more information, visit
the picture on their profile,” says event manager Sandrika Berthias. “Or you talk, dcfrontrunners.org.
text, get ghosted. It can be a nightmare. People are looking to go back to basics and
DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s
meet someone face-to-face.” gay and lesbian square-dancing
The speed dating involves a mingling period before participants rotate through group, features mainstream
their four-minute conversations, allowing them to meet about 7-10 people in total. through advanced square
dancing at the National City
Registration fees are $25 per person, and DC Fray typically holds speed dating on Christian Church. Please dress
Wednesdays from 7-10 p.m., with nights for men seeking men and women seeking casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas
women alternating every other month. (Events for opposite-sex couples are held Circle NW. 202-930-1058,
monthly.) The next two men’s events are Jan. 9 and Mar. 6, and the next women’s dclambdasquares.org.
event is Feb. 6. DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
“What’s different about our events is that we help people with a set of questions practice. The team is always
they can use to break the ice, because not everyone is as easy-going with small talk,” looking for new members.
All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry
says Berthias. “So we give them support they can use. Thomas Recreation Center,
“Also, we don’t have a specific dress code. Most people come in business casual, 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more
as the event is after work on a Wednesday, but some people come in sneakers and information, visit scandalsrfc.
pants. But if you want to look good in front of your potential date, do dress up.” org or dcscandals@gmail.com.
—John Riley THE DULLES TRIANGLES
Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at
DC Fray’s Men Seeking Men Speed Dating is on Wednesday, Jan. 9 from 7-10 p.m. Sheraton in Reston. All wel-
at Grand Central, 2447 18th St. NW. To register, or for more information about DC come. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise
Fray’s sports leagues or regularly occurring events, visit dcfray.com. Valley Drive, second-floor bar.
For more information, visit
dullestriangles.com.

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 19

 HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-
5 p.m. at 1525 14th St. NW, and
9 a.m-12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the
Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK
Jr. Ave. SE. For an appointment,
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
man-walker.org.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY
(K.I.) SERVICES, 20 S. Quaker
Lane, Suite 210, Alexandria, Va.,
offers $30 “rapid” HIV testing and
counseling by appointment only. 10
a.m.-2 p.m. Must schedule special
appointment if seeking testing after
2 p.m. Call 703-823-4401.
METROHEALTH CENTER
offers free, rapid HIV testing.
Appointment needed. 1012 14th
St. NW, Suite 700. To arrange an
appointment, call 202-849-8029.
STI TESTING at Whitman-Walker
Health. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2-3
p.m. at both 1525 14th St. NW and
the Max Robinson Center, 2301
Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE.
Testing is intended for those with-
out symptoms. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
man-walker.org.
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics
Anonymous Meeting. The group
is independent of UHU. 6:30-7:30
p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. For
more information, call 202-446-
1100.
FRIDAY, January 4
GAY DISTRICT, a group for
GBTQQI men between the ages of
18-35, meets on the first and third
Fridays of each month. 8:30-9:30
p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.
For more information, visit gaydis-
trict.org.
Join LGBTQ people from all
over the D.C. area for the FIRST
FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR SOCIAL at
Pinzimini Lounge in the Western
Arlington Gateway. Ballston Metro
is two blocks away. Everyone wel-
come. No cover. 6:30-8:30 p.m. 801
N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, Va. For
more information, visit meetup.
com/GoGayDC.
Weekly Events
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by
members of the LGBT community,
holds Friday evening Shabbat ser-
vices in the DC Jewish Community
Center’s Community Room. 8 p.m.
1529 16th St. NW. For more infor-
mation, visit betmish.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-
tice session at Howard University.
6:30-8 p.m. Burr Gymnasium, 2400
6th St. NW. For more information,
visit swimdcac.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-
affirming social group for ages
20 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road
NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-
0422, layc-dc.org.
SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a
social atmosphere for LGBT and
questioning youth, featuring dance
parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. 4-7 p.m. For more info,
email rebecca.york@smyal.org.
SATURDAY, January 5
CENTER GLOBAL, a group that
advocates for LGBTIQ rights and
fights against anti-LGBTIQ laws
in more than 80 countries, holds
its monthly meeting on the first
Saturday of every month. 12-1:30
p.m. The DC Center, 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more informa-
tion, visit thedccenter.org.
Weekly Events
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a prac-
tice session at Montgomery College
Aquatics Club. 8:30-10 a.m. 7600
Takoma Ave., Takoma, Md. For more
information, visit swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environ-
ment, with socializing afterward.
Route distance will be 3-6 miles.
Walker meet at 9:30 a.m. and run-
ners at 10 a.m. at 23rd & P Streets
NW. For more information, visit
dcfrontrunners.org.
DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for
LGBT community, family and
friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel
Episcopal Church on the Hill, 3606
Seminary Road, Alexandria. All
welcome. For more information,
visit dignitynova.org.
SUNDAY, January 6
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group
visits the Phillips Collection near
Dupont Circle to see exhibition of
Nordic art since 1821. Admission is
$12 for adults, $10 for seniors, free
admission for federal employees
if shutdown still in effect. Lunch
in neighborhood follows. Meet at
noon inside the lobby of 1600 21st
St. NW. For more information,
contact Jeff, 301-775-9660 or jef-
freyhughes@me.com.
Weekly Events
LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS
MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH
celebrates Low Mass at 8:30
a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300
Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244,
allsoulsdc.org.
DC AQUATICS CLUB holds a
practice session at Wilson Aquatic
Center. 9:30-11 a.m. 4551 Fort Dr.
NW. For more information, visit
swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/
walking/social club welcomes run-
ners of all ability levels for exercise
in a fun and supportive environ-
ment, with socializing afterward.
Route will be a distance run of 8, 10
or 12 miles. Meet at 9 a.m. at 23rd
& P Streets NW. For more informa-
tion, visit dcfrontrunners.org.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service,
945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or
202-628-4317.
HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF
CHRIST welcomes GLBT commu-
nity for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130
Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.
hopeucc.org.
INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL
DEVELOPMENT, God-centered
new age church & learning center.
Sunday Services and Workshops
event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. isd-
dc.org.
Join LINCOLN
CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE –
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for
an inclusive, loving and progressive
faith community every Sunday. 11
a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in
Shaw/Logan neighborhood. lincol-
ntemple.org.
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF
REFORMATION invites all to
Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m.
Childcare is available at both ser-
vices. Welcoming LGBT people for
25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE.
reformationdc.org.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.
services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpret-
ed) and 11 a.m. Children’s Sunday
School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW.
202-638-7373, mccdc.com.
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,
a Christ-centered, interracial,
welcoming-and-affirming church,
offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St.
SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF
ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-
ing-and-affirming congregation,
offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia
Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444
Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL
MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-
ing and inclusive church. GLBT
Interweave social/service group
meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,
Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St.
NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.
MONDAY, January 7
TEN PIN PRIDE, a social bowling
league of 4-person teams, starts
its 16-week season, meeting on
Monday evenings. Singles and
teams welcome. 8-10 p.m. Bowl
America Falls Church, 140 S. Maple
Ave., Falls Church, Va. To register
or for more information, email tpp.
secretary@gmail.com.
The DC Center holds a monthly
VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION for
those interested in helping out at
The DC Center. Activities include
sorting through book donations,
taking inventory, or assembling
safe-sex packets. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. To
register, or for more information,
email chris@thedccenter.org.
TUESDAY, January 8
Queer-identifying women who
have survived violent or traumatic
experiences and are looking for
support are invited to take part
in a bi-weekly QUEER WOMEN
WORKING THROUGH TRAUMA
GROUP at The DC Center.
Participants are encouraged to
do an intake assessment with
moderator and social worker Sam
Goodwin. 6-7 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, email Sam at samantha@
thedccenter.org.
The DC Center holds a monthly
meeting of its COMING OUT
DISCUSSION GROUP on the
fourth Thursday of each month for
those navigating issues associated
with coming out and personal iden-
tity. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.
The DC Center’s TRANS
SUPPORT GROUP provides a
space to talk for transgender people
and those who identify outside of
the gender binary. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
WEDNESDAY, January 9
BIG GAY BOOK GROUP meets
at Trio Restaurant to discuss
Queer City: Gay London from the
Romans to the Present Day by
Peter Ackroyd. Newcomers always
welcome. 7 p.m. 1537 17th St. NW.
Dupont Circle Red Line Metro is
close by. For more information and
to RSVP, please email biggaybook-
group@hotmail.com.
CENTER LATINX, a group dedicat-
ed to addressing issues of impor-
tance to the LGBTQ Latinx com-
munity, holds a monthly meeting at
The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th
St. NW, Suite 105. For more infor-
mation, visit thedccenter.org.
The LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meets
at the Dignity Center, across from
the Marine Barracks, for Duplicate
Bridge. No reservations needed.
Newcomers welcome. 7:30 p.m. 721
8th St. SE. Call 202-841-0279 if you
need a partner. l
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 21
 THE YEAR IN PREVIEW
WRITING WORKSHOP: NATIONAL NATIVE HIV/AIDS AWARENESS
SETTING AS CHARACTER DAY
Wednesday, Feb. 6 Wednesday, Mar. 20
A workshop for writers to hone their skills, led by aids.gov
author John Copenhaver.
All dates are subject to change at each organizer’s discretion. 7-9 p.m. APRIL
The DC Center
For more detailed information as events approach, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105 DINING OUT FOR LIFE
check Metro Weekly’s Community Calendar, your complete guide thedccenter.org/outwrite Approximately 75 restaurants throughout the
to local community events, in print and online at metroweekly.com. NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS
greater D.C. area donate between 25% and
110% of the days’s receipts to Food & Friends
AWARENESS DAY Date TBD
Thursday, Feb. 7 foodandfriends.org
JANUARY National Mall between 3rd and 12th Streets. aids.gov
Rally will be held at Lincoln Memorial.
Womensmarch.com THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW: MINI-BALL
UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES: AN LGBTQ SCARLET’S BAKE SALE Wednesday, April 3
MYSTERY READING Sunday, Feb. 10
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. 6-9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 5 Bake sale raising money for local nonprofits and
HOLIDAY PARADE HRC Equality Center
Part of the OutWrite series. charities. Special awards given
Monday, Jan. 21 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW
6-8 p.m. based on creativity.
Join The DC Center as it leads an LGBTQ contin- TeamRayceen.eventbrite.com
East City Bookshop Noon-7 p.m.
645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 100 gent marching in the MLK Holiday Parade. The DC Eagle
10 a.m.-2 p.m. VICTORY FUND NATIONAL CHAMPAGNE
thedccenter.org/outwrite 3701 Benning Rd. NE
Anacostia Park BRUNCH
facebook.com/scarlets.foundation Sunday, April 7
TORAH AND SEXUALITY SERIES: THE 1900 Anacostia Dr. SE
thedccenter.org 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
DIVINE EROTICISM OF KABBALAH AND TAKING THE STAGE: TAKING A STAND: JW Marriott
JEWISH MYSTICISM LGBTQ VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Tuesday, Jan. 8 Wednesday, Feb. 20
DAY OF SERVICE victoryfund.org
7-8 p.m. 7-9 p.m.
Sixth & I Monday, Jan. 21 Busboy and Poets
Join in a service project or volunteer for a local NATIONAL YOUTH HIV/AIDS
600 I St. NW 2021 14th St. NW
community organization to help honor AWARENESS DAY
edcjcc.org/community/gloe thedccenter.org
Dr. King’s legacy. Wednesday, April 10
nationalservice.gov/mlkday Aids.gov
EQUALITY VIRGINIA’S KICK-OFF AT THE MAYOR BOWSER’S BLACK LGBTQ HISTORY
GENERAL ASSEMBLY MONTH CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE:
TEAM DC’S WINTER CASINO NIGHT CHERRYPOP WEEKEND 2019
Wednesday, Jan. 9 BAYARD RUSTIN & AUDRE LORDE MIXER
Saturday, Jan. 26 Thursday-Monday, April 11-15
Join Equality Virginia as they outline their Thursday, Feb. 28
Join your favorite D.C. area sports teams for a Times TBD
priorities and plans for the upcoming General Location and time TBD
night of blackjack, craps and poker. Multiple venues
Assembly session. lgbtq.dc.gov
8 p.m.-midnight cherryfund.org
Time TBD
Capitol Square Buffalo Billiards
N. 9th and Bank Streets, Richmond, Va. 1330 19th St. NW MARCH EQUALITY VIRGINIA
teamdc.org COMMONWEALTH DINNER
equalityvirginia.org
ST. PATRICK’S DAY HOLIDAY PARADE Saturday, April 13
EQUALITY VIRGINIA’S DAY OF ACTION Sunday, Mar. 10 Join the Commonwealth’s major LGBT rights
QUEER BOOK CLUB:
Tuesday, Jan. 29 Join The DC Center as it leads an LGBTQ contin- organization as it celebrates pro-LGBT progress
DODGING AND BURNING
Join Equality Virginia as they lobby lawmakers in gent marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. and the allies who have made it possible.
Thursday, Jan. 10
the General Assembly to support pro-LGBT bills. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Proceeds benefit Equality Virginia.
As part of the OutWrite series, The DC Center
The day also includes workshops for activists Constitution Avenue NW, between 7th and 17th Greater Richmond Convention Center
hosts a group discussion focusing on John
and ends with a legislative reception featuring Streets Time TBD
Copenhaver’s book.
appearances by LGBT-friendly lawmakers. dcstpatsparade.com 403 N. Third St., Richmond, Va.
7-9 p.m.
8 a.m.-5 p.m. equalityvirginia.org
The DC Center
Library of Virginia NATIONAL WOMEN AND GIRLS HIV/AIDS
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105
800 E. Broad St., Richmond, Va. AWARENESS DAY TEAM DC’S NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS
thedccenter.org/outwrite
equalityvirginia.org Sunday, Mar. 10 AWARDS DINNER
aids.gov Saturday, April 13
WHITMAN-WALKER’S
CAPITAL PRIDE REVEAL Location and time TBD
41ST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Thursday, Jan. 31 NQAPIA COMMUNITY CATALYST AWARDS teamdc.org/champions
Sunday, Jan. 13
Find out what Capital Pride has planned CELEBRATION
Location and time TBD
for its 2019 celebration. Sunday, Mar. 10 NATIONAL RAINBOW SEDER
whitman-walker.org
7:30-11:30 p.m. Honoring the contributions of queer Sunday, April 14
Location TBD Asian-American and Pacific Islanders. Join members of the LGBTQ Jewish community
MID-ATLANTIC LEATHER WEEKEND
capitalpride.org 6-9 p.m. as they enjoy a special Passover meal and
Friday-Sunday, Jan. 18-20
Sax DC rituals, co-presented by GLOE, the Kurlander
Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill
734 11th St. NW Program for GLBTQ Outreach & Engagement at
400 New Jersey Ave. NW FEBRUARY nqapia.org/wpp the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center and
For times of individual events,
the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion & Faith
visit leatherweekend.com. BROTHER HELP THYSELF NIGHT OUT AT THE WIZARDS program.
GRANT AWARDS RECEPTION Wednesday, Mar. 13 Time TBD
MAL WEEKEND SEXSHOP PARTY Saturday, Feb. 2 7 p.m. Location TBD
Friday, Jan. 18 7-9:30 p.m. Verizon Center edcjcc.org/community/gloe
Featuring DJs Alex Acosta, XGonzalez, Belvedere Hotel 601 F St. NW
and Joe Pacheco. 1 E. Chase St. teamdc.org NATIONAL TRANSGENDER HIV TESTING
10 p.m.-7 a.m. Baltimore, Md. DAY
L8 Lounge Brotherhelpthyself.net QUEER BOOK CLUB: BURY WHEN I’M DEAD Thursday, April 18
727 15th St. NW
Thursday, March 14 aids.gov
lafantasyproductions.ticketleap.com NIGHT OUT AT THE CAPITALS As part of the OutWrite series, the DC Center
capitalpride.org Tuesday, Feb. 5 hosts a book discussion RAYCEEN, FIX ME UP! SPRING MIXER
7 p.m. on the novel by Cheryl Head. Thursday, April 18
WOMEN’S MARCH ON WASHINGTON 2019: Verizon Center 7-9 p.m. 7-10 p.m.
THE #WOMENSWAVE IS COMING 601 F St. NW The DC Center XX+ Crostino
Saturday, Jan. 19 teamdc.org 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105 1926 9th St. NW
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
thedccenter.org/outwrite TeamRayceen.eventbrite.com
March starts 11 a.m.
Rally starts 1:30 p.m.
March will start from Independence Avenue and
3rd Street, SW. Gathering point will be on the

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 23

 DC FRONT RUNNERS SILVER PRIDE DC BLACK PRIDE’S SEXUAL HEALTH DC FRONT RUNNERS PRIDE 5K RUN
PRIDE FUND 5K FUNDRAISER Friday, May 10 SYMPOSIUM Friday, June 7
Saturday, April 20 Time TBD Saturday, May 25 7-9 p.m.
Entertainment, raffle prizes, and a silent auc- Enjoy socializing, dancing, fun, and friends at 4-6 p.m. Congressional Cemetery
tion. Proceeds benefit Casa Ruby, the Team this free LGBTQ seniors’ event, co-sponsored by Marriott Renaissance Washington 1801 E St. SE
DC Scholarship Fund, and The Wanda Alston Whitman-Walker Health. 999 9th St. NW dcfrpriderun.com
Foundation. Human Rights Campaign dcblackpride.org
Nellie’s Sports Bar 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW CAPITAL PRIDE AND BYT OPENING NIGHT
900 U St. NW capitalpride.org DC BLACK PRIDE POETRY SLAM PARTY: EARTH, WIND, GLITTER & FIRE
dcfrpriderun.com whitman-walker.org Saturday, May 25 Friday, June 7
7-9 p.m. 9 p.m.-3:30 a.m.
NATIONAL DAY OF SILENCE TAKING THE STAGE: TAKING A STAND: Marriott Renaissance Washington Echostage
Sunday, April 21 LGBTQ VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE 999 9th St. NW 2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE
The brainchild of GLSEN, the Day of Silence is Thursday, May 9 dcblackpride.org capitalpride.org
used to protest the silencing of the LGBT 7-9 p.m.
community due to harassment, bullying, Busboy and Poets DC BLACK PRIDE INTERFAITH SERVICE NICE JEWISH BOYS
and abuse in schools. 2021 14th St. NW 9-11 a.m. PRE-PRIDE PARADE MIXER
dayofsilence.org thedccenter.org Marriott Renaissance Washington Saturday, June 8
glsen.org 999 9th St. NW Location and time TBD
TEAM DC’S QUARTERLY SPORTS MIXER dcblackpride.org facebook.com/NJB.DC
TEAM DC’S SPRING CASINO NIGHT Wednesday, May 15
Saturday, April 27 Location and time TBD DC BLACK PRIDE HEALTH & WELLNESS CAPITAL PRIDE
Join your favorite D.C. area sports teams for a teamdc.org AND CULTURAL FAIR “CRACK OF NOON” BRUNCH
night of blackjack, craps and poker. Monday, May 27 Saturday, June 8
8 p.m.-midnight WRITING WORKSHOP: QUERY WRITING 12-10 p.m. (Fair runs 12-6 p.m.) 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Buffalo Billiards Wednesday, May 15 Location TBD Human Rights Campaign
1330 19th St. NW A workshop for writers to hone their skills, led by dcblackpride.org 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW
teamdc.org author John Copenhaver. capitalpride.org
7-9 p.m. THE DC CENTER’S FOSTER PARENT AND
MAY The DC Center ADOPTION INFORMATION NIGHT CAPITAL PRIDE BLOCK PARTY
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105 Wednesday, May 29 Saturday, June 8
NIGHT OUT AT THE PRODIGY thedccenter.org/outwrite Presentations from current foster parents and 4-10 p.m.
Date, time and location TBD representatives of the Latin American Youth 15th Street NW, between P and Church Streets
teamdc.org CAPITAL TRANSPRIDE Center’s Child Placement programs. capitalpride.org
Friday-Sunday, May 17-19 6:30-8 p.m.
CAPITAL PRIDE HEROES GALA Events include the DC Trans Ball 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105 CAPITAL PRIDE WOMEN’S MAIN EVENT
Date, time and location TBD Location and time TBD thedccenter.org/events/fosterandadoption Saturday, June 8
Event honors those who have made significant Capitalpride.org Location and time TBD
contributions to the LGBT community and to JUNE capitalpride.org
Capital Pride. INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST
capitalpride.org HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA, UNITED NIGHT OUT CAPITAL PRIDE PARADE
AND BIPHOBIA Date, time and location TBD Saturday, June 8
TRANS EQUALITY NOW AWARDS Friday, May 17 teamdc.org Join Capital Pride for its signature event, featur-
Hosted by the National Center for Trans Equality dayagainsthomophobia.org ing marching contingents and floats representing
Date, time and location TBD PRIDE WOMXN’S KICKOFF CELEBRATION the best of D.C.’s LGBT community.
transequality.org HIV VACCINE AWARENESS DAY Saturday, June 1 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 18 A pride kickoff dance party for the LBTQ women Parade route starts at 22nd and P Streets, NW.
WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH’S “GOING THE aids.gov of greater D.C., presented by the Mautner Project Ends at 14th and R Streets, NW
EXTRA MILE” BENEFIT of Whitman-Walker Health capitalpride.org
This cocktail reception honors Whitman-Walker’s NATIONAL ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER Time TBD
pro bono legal volunteers, recognizes allies , and HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY Big Chief DC CAPITAL PRIDE AND DC BLACK PRIDE
raises money to help Whitman-Walker provide Sunday, May 19 2002 Fenwick St. NE POST-PARADE POOL PARTY
free legal services to its clients. Banyantreeproject.org capitalpride.org Saturday, June 8
Date, time and location TBD whitman-walker.org Location and time TBD
whitman-walker.org NATIONAL HEPATITIS TESTING DAY capitalpride.org
Sunday, May 19 CASA RUBY’S ANNIVERSARY PARTY
THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW: cdc.gov/hepatitis/testingday Monday, June 3 CAPITAL PRIDE AND CAPITAL TRANS
COMMUNITY FORUM Location and time TBD PRIDE POST-PARADE POOL PARTY
Wednesday, May 1 DC BLACK PRIDE’S AWARDS CEREMONY casaruby.org Saturday, June 8
6-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 Location and time TBD
HRC Equality Center 6:30-8:30 p.m. NIGHT OUT AT THE NATIONALS capitalpride.org
1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW Location TBD Tuesday, June 4
TeamRayceen.eventbrite.com dcblackpride.org 7 p.m. OFFICIAL SATURDAY NIGHT
Nationals Park DC PRIDE PARTY
GAY DAY AT THE ZOO DC BLACK PRIDE 1500 S. Capitol St. SE Saturday, June 8
INTERNATIONAL FAMILY EQUALITY DAY Thursday-Monday, May 23-27 teamdc.org Location and time TBD
Sunday, May 5 Multiple venues capitalpride.org
Family Equality Day events take place as part of Host hotel: Marriott Renaissance Washington GLOE’S JEWISH PRIDE HAPPY HOUR
Gay Day at the Zoo. 999 9th St. NW Wednesday, June 5 CAPITAL PRIDE FESTIVAL & CONCERT
9 a.m-4 p.m. For a list of events, visit dcblackpride.org. Location and time TBD Sunday, June 9
National Zoological Park edcjcc.org/community/gloe Celebrating the 44th anniversary of Pride in the
3001 Connecticut Ave. NW DC BLACK PRIDE’S UNITY BALL Nation’s Capital, featuring entertainers, booths
thedccenter.org/events/gayday2019 Thursday, May 23 HIV LONG-TERM SURVIVORS DAY for local organizations, food, and live music
8 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesday, June 5 Noon-10 p.m.
QUEER BOOK CLUB: BROKEN METROPOLIS: Marriott Renaissance Washington aids.gov Pennsylvania Avenue NW, between 3rd and 7th
QUEER TALES OF A CITY THAT NEVER WAS 999 9th St. NW Streets, NW
As part of the OutWrite series, The DC Center dcblackpride.org DC LATINX PRIDE OFFICIAL DANCE PARTY Capitalpride.org
hosts a book discussion on a novel edited by Thursday, June 6
Dave Ring. DC BLACK PRIDE EXHIBIT HALL AND Time and location TBD CHEF’S BEST DINNER & AUCTION
Thursday, May 9 WORKSHOPS capitalpride.org Monday, June 10
7-9 p.m. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. A festive evening celebrating community and
The DC Center Marriott Renaissance Washington CAPITAL PRIDE ROOFTOP cuisine with innovative tastings from the region’s
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105 999 9th St. NW POOL PARTY AND RALLY hottest chefs benefitting Food & Friends.
thedccenter.org/outwrite dcblackpride.org Thursday, June 6 6:30-9:30 p.m.
VIDA Penthouse & Pool Club at the Yards Marriott Marquis
1212 4th St. SE 901 Massachusetts Avenue NW
capitalpride.org foodandfriends.org

24 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

 CAPITAL PRIDE INTERFAITH SERVICE OUTWRITE DC BOOK FESTIVAL 2019: A BLUE SHIRT DAY/WORLD DAY OF TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
Tuesday, June 11 CELEBRATION OF LGBT LITERATURE BULLYING PREVENTION Wednesday, Nov. 20
7:30-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Aug. 2-4 Thursday, Oct. 3 5-9 p.m.
Adas Israel Reeves Center Wear blue in a show of solidarity against For Washington, D.C., event will take place at
2850 Quebec St. NW 2000 14th St. NW. bullying. Metropolitan Community Church.
capitalpride.org Times of readings and exhibits TBD stompoutbullying.org. 474 Ridge St. NW
Volunteers asked to email tdor.info
BALTIMORE PRIDE outwritedc@gmail.com. TEAM DC FASHION SHOW AND
BLOCK PARTY AND PARADE thedccenter.org/outwritedc FUNDRAISER BAD & BEAUJOLAIS: A BEAUJOLAIS DAY
Saturday, June 15 Proceeds go toward the Team DC CELEBRATION
Time TBD TEAM DC’S SUMMER CASINO NIGHT Saturday, Oct. 5 Thursday, Nov. 21
Station North Neighborhood Saturday, Aug. 10 Time and location TBD Join The DC Center’s Center Women Group
For a list of events, visit baltimorepride.org. Join your favorite D.C. area sports teams for a as they celebrate their annual beaujolais wine
night of blackjack, craps and poker. CAPITAL PRIDE’S MUSIC IN THE NIGHT sampling party.
BALTIMORE PRIDE IN THE PARK 8 p.m.-midnight Monday, Oct. 7 7-10 p.m.
Sunday, June 16 Buffalo Billiards Doors open 6:30 p.m. Human Rights Campaign
Druid Hill Park 1330 19th St. NW Show starts 8 p.m. 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW
900 Druid Park Lake Dr. teamdc.org Hamilton Live Thedccenter.org
For a list of events, visit baltimorepride.org. 600 14th St. NW
TAKING THE STAGE: TAKING A STAND: capitalpride.org NGLCC’S NATIONAL DINNER
DISTRICT OF PRIDE: A CELEBRATION OF LGBTQ VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE Friday, Nov. 22
LGBTQ ARTISTS AND TALENT Thursday, Aug. 15 NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY National Building Museum
Saturday, June 22 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 Time TBD
Location and time TBD Busboy and Poets hrc.org/resources/national-coming-out-day nglcc.org
lgbtq.dc.gov 2021 14th St. NW
thedccenter.org NATIONAL LATINX AIDS AWARENESS DAY THANKSGIVING AT THE DC CENTER
NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY Tuesday, Oct. 15 Thursday, Nov. 28
Thursday, June 27 EAST OF THE RIVER FALL FESTIVAL latinoaids.org The DC Center holds a Thanksgiving meal for
aids.gov Friday, Aug. 23 those without plans or a place to go during the
Time TBD RAYCEEN, FIX ME UP! AUTUMN MIXER holidays.
JULY Max Robinson Center Thursday, Oct. 17 The DC Center
2301 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE 7-10 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105
NIGHT OUT AT THE KASTLES whitman-walker.org XX+ Crostino thedccenter.org
Date, time and location TBD 1926 9th St. NW
teamdc.org SEPTEMBER TeamRayceen.eventbrite.com SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY
Saturday, Nov. 30
THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW: #ASKRAYCEEN TEAM DC’S QUARTERLY SPORTS MIXER SMYAL FALL BRUNCH Join members of The DC Center as they patron-
POETRY SLAM Monday, Sept. 16 Sunday, Oct. 20 ize small businesses in D.C. and do some early
Wednesday, July 3 Location and time TBD 10 a.m.-2 p.m. holiday shopping.
Audience’s favorite poet receives $100 cash teamdc.org Marriott Marquis Washington Meeting Place: The DC Center
prize. Doors open at 6 p.m., with free catered 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105
food, cash bar, and vendors/exhibitors. Event NATIONAL HIV/AIDS AND AGING smyal.org thedccenter.org
will feature live music, burlesque, interviews, AWARENESS DAY
competitions, and more. Wednesday, Sept. 18 WHITMAN-WALKER’S WALK & 5K TO DECEMBER
6-9:30 p.m. aids.gov END HIV
HRC Equality Center Saturday, Oct. 26 CAPITAL PRIDE HOLIDAY HEATWAVE
1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW NATIONAL GAY MEN’S HIV/AIDS 7:30-11 a.m. PARTY
TeamRayceen.eventbrite.com AWARENESS DAY Freedom Plaza Date and time TBD
Friday, Sept. 27 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW HRC Equality Center
THE MR. NICE JEWISH BOY PAGEANT aids.gov walktoendhiv.org 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW
Sunday, July 14 capitalpride.org
Time TBD HRC NATIONAL DINNER WHITMAN-WALKER’S BRUNCH TO END HIV
Location TBD Saturday, Sept. 28 Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 26-27 WORLD AIDS DAY
facebook.com/NJB.DC 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Participating restaurants Friday, Dec. 1
Walter E. Washington Convention Center walktoendhiv.org For specific events and times, see listings on
TEAM DC COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT 801 Mt. Vernon Pl. NW blog.aids.gov
Monday-Saturday, July 15-20 hrcnationaldinner.org 17TH STREET HIGH HEEL RACE
Team DC’s members organizations are encour- Tuesday, Oct. 29 TEAM DC’S HOLIDAY SPORTS MIXER
aged to do service projects benefiting the larger Hosted by the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs Wednesday, Dec. 6
OCTOBER 17th Street NW, between Church and S Streets
community. Location and time TBD
Multiple locations and times Parade of costumes starts 6 p.m. teamdc.org
CENTER GLOBAL RECEPTION Race starts at 9 p.m.
teamdc.org Date, time, location TBD lgbtq.dc.gov INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END VIOLENCE
thedccenter.org
NIGHT OUT AT THE MYSTICS AGAINST SEX WORKERS
Tuesday, July 30 TRANSGENDER INFORMATION & NOVEMBER Tuesday, Dec. 17
7 p.m. EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT december17.org
Capital One Arena Date, time, and location TBD (will be held on a NIGHT OUT AT THE NFL
601 F St. NW Saturday) Date and time TBD GAYDEL, GAYDEL, GAYDEL: A HANUKKAH
teamdc.org Richmond, Va. FedEx Field HAPPY HOUR
equalityvirginia.org 1600 Fedex Way Wednesday, Dec. 18
AUGUST Landover, Md. Time TBD
WHITMAN-WALKER’S LGBTQ CULTURAL teamdc.org Location TBD
NIGHT OUT AT THE WASHINGTON SPIRIT COMPETENCY SUMMIT facebook.com/NJB.DC l
Date and time TBD A convening of LGBTQ cultural competency VETERANS DAY
Maryland SoccerPlex thought leaders and professionals for the second LGBT WREATH LAYING CEREMONY
18031 Central Park Circle year in a row. Monday, Nov. 11
Boyds, Md. Date, time, and location TBD A memorial ceremony honoring LGBTQ veterans,
teamdc.org whitman-walker.org held at the gravesites of Technical Sgt. Leonard
Matlovich, the first out LGBTQ service member,
THE ASK RAYCEEN SHOW: GAME NIGHT and former D.C. area LGBTQ rights activist Frank
Wednesday, Oct. 2 Kameny
6-9:30 p.m. 12-2 p.m.
HRC Equality Center Congressional Cemetery
1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW 1801 E St. SE
TeamRayceen.eventbrite.com thedccenter.org/events/vetsday2019

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 25

The Year Ahead
H. LEE GABLE, 58, D.C.: There is this hole
that Trump and his supporters have dug —
and keep digging — and I’m afraid it’s going
to be too deep for the country to ever get
The Trump administration is wreaking havoc on LGBTQ rights. But the out of. It’s become okay and even fashion-
able to be selfish, especially at the expense
Democrats offer hope with control of the House. How will 2019 compare of others. We have had two children die on
to the terrible year that just ended? We asked our readers. the border, and it’s being treated as accept-
able, even business-as- usual. How can we
Edited by Rhuaridh Marr and Randy Shulman say we are a great country after that?

SHIN INOUYE, 40, MARYLAND: With a

A
SEISMIC SHIFT IS UNDERWAY IN AMERICAN POLITICS. AFTER TWO Democratic House, there should be real
years of total Republican dominance at the top of the federal government, all and legitimate oversight of the actions
headlined by the roller-coaster antics of the Trump administration, a moment of of the Trump administration. Will the
respite beckons: Democrats are taking control of the House of Representatives. Whether administration respect the proper role
Nancy Pelosi and the pro-LGBTQ polticians around her can become the miracle cure-all of Congress? With the Senate still under
our democracy desperately needs remains to be seen — and that uncertainty is reflected Republican control, we are likely to see an
in our forum, “The Year Ahead.” ongoing effort by Trump to confirm judges
Asked how they feel going into 2019, trepidation was a common theme among respon- who are not independent and fair-minded.
dents. “Anxious,” “worried,” “nervous” — many aren’t sure if 2019 will truly be a better
year for the LGBTQ community, or if we’re going to face even more assaults on our rights DARRELL JOHNSON, 55, D.C.: My biggest
and freedoms. But dig deeper and some optimism shines through, particularly after last concern is how the public is dealing with
year’s midterm elections. With Democrats sweeping to power across the nation, many LGBTQ health care issues, educating gay
LGBTQ people are quietly optimistic about our prospects now that there’s an even bigger men on the purpose of taking HIV med-
buffer against hate and bigotry. ications when HIV positive, as well as
As for what to expect? More of everything. More battles against discrimination, the misleading concerns of using PrEP
Trump’s transgender military ban, and the religious freedom movement. More 2020 elec- as a preventive medicine when having
tion speculation — as of press time, we have Sen. Elizabeth Warren confirmed. And more unprotected sex, especially among African
endless waiting for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to finish his investigation. American gay/bisexual men.
For now, let’s check-in with LGBTQ people and some allies from D.C., Maryland,
Virginia, and across the nation, to learn what the community thinks about the year ahead. NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST: The plan-
et is heating up. The impending climate
What are your biggest concerns for 2019? Trump Administration will continue to catastrophe will dwarf and/or intensify all
seek ways to “erase” Transgender. other social and political problems. We’ve
NICHOLAS BENTON, VIRGINIA: My biggest waited too long, and even now, when we
concern is the damage that Donald Trump, DALE CORVINO, 54, NY: The people of don’t have any excuses, we’re barely doing
his Russian overlords, and their authoritar- the United States are hostage to a corrupt anything. My biggest concern is that 2019
ian and New Right nationalist allies will do party, the GOP. That party lies, cheats, and will bring us one year closer to inevitable
to America and to institutions of democra- steals to hold power, and has itself been catastrophe.
cy, human rights, and progressive values compromised by corrupting forces, from
worldwide. While a growing resistance to within and without. This is a soft war for NAME WITHHELD: My biggest concern
this is encouraging, these forces remain in our self-determination and our freedom. is the Trump Presidency and its GOP
a position to do an incredible amount of enablers. They’re a sewer.
destruction. KEVIN DIETZ, 44, D.C.: My concern is
for Ruth Bader Ginsburg staying healthy FREDDIE LUTZ, VIRGINA: My biggest
DANA BEYER, 66, MARYLAND: My main and alive. We don’t need another Trump- concerns are political for the gay com-
concern is that we will lose sight of the appointed Supreme Court justice. It sick- munity. I feel like the rights we fought
most important challenge before us — ens me that long after Trump is gone, his so hard for are being threatened by the
removing Trump and his mob family, and court picks will remain for decades. current administration. The Trump
continuing the global effort to shut down administration has done a lot of good, but
the criminal fascist uprising threatening STATE SENATOR ADAM EBBIN, 55, when it comes to the LGBTQ rights we
the planet. To do so we need to build VIRGINIA: My biggest concerns are the seem to be taking a big step backwards.
and rebuild relationships, and not allow damage that the Trump administration is
ourselves to impose purity tests, which doing to our core Democratic institutions, BRUCE MAJORS, 58, D.C.: As a libertarian,
are rarely a problem for our adversar- as well as the reputation and credibili- I’m always concerned about the growth of
ies. No more Trans vs. Gay, and Lesbian ty of the U.S. government at home and government — spending, taxes, restrictions
vs. Trans, no more Bernie vs. everyone abroad; the collapse of public discourse on choices, and about the huge amount
not Bernie, no more bigotry — and that and understanding, specifically as it relates of government debt and the asset bubbles
includes anti-Semitism — in the effort to to the escalation of hate and hate-related created by fiat credit financing of that
build a truly intersectional movement. violence; and the rise in violence against debt, that are never addressed, and that
transgender people, immigrants, and reli- could collapse on us at any moment. We
EARLINE BUDD, 40, D.C.: One of my big- gious minorities. It’s frightening. are basically always waiting for a complete
gest concerns for 2019 is that the current collapse.

26 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

BLAIR MICHAELS, 53, NY: My concerns
are that our LGBTQ rights aren’t stripped
away, that our LGBTQ brothers and sisters
at the border seeking asylum can be grant-
ed such, and to make sure my insurance
will cover my upcoming procedures.
JOHN MONET, 34, D.C.: My biggest con-
cern is the Mueller investigation will turn
up some things that will hurt the Trump
Presidency.
BRETT PARSON, 51, D.C.: As a native
Washingtonian and life-long resident of the
nation’s capital, as well as a public servant,
I share the concerns of the countless com-
munity members with whom I come into
contact every day. Perhaps the most consis-
tent and widely articulated concern is the
prevalence of hatred, bias, and prejudice
in our society. While I choose not to point
fingers at specific people, parties, or ideolo-
gies, I know many community members are
frightened that much of the progress made
related to respect, acceptance, and dignity
has been eroded or is under attack.
RAYCEEN PENDARVIS, 69, D.C.: I’m con-
cerned about the President shutting down
the government because he wants to build
a wall, when the government could be
building bridges — literally and figura-
tively. All that money for the wall would
be better spent fixing our infrastructure,
building schools, and feeding people.
ALEXA RODRIGUEZ, 42, (HOMELESS, BUT
USED TO LIVE IN MARYLAND): My biggest
concern for 2019 is that the LGBT com-
munity will be still be a target of Trump’s
administration. But as a transgender Latina
indigenous Salvadoran woman, I feel mis-
treated every day, and all the attacks that
our community face is because society and
people in power positions are following the
president.
STATE DEL. DANICA ROEM, VIRGINIA:
My biggest concern for 2019 is for the
350,000 Virginians who will continue to be
uninsured, even after Medicaid expansion
begins January 1, because they earn more
than $16,754 a year but still can’t afford
quality private health insurance. Hundreds
of thousands more will also be under-
insured with catastrophic coverage only
because that’s all they can afford. That
means some people will put off seeing a
doctor, or they won’t be able to afford to go
and, sadly, some of them will die.
NAME WITHHELD: I am very concerned
about this administration’s abrogation of
strategic post-WWII alliances and the
embrace of dictatorial regimes.
JIM SLATTERY, 49, D.C.: My concern is
that this country doesn’t continue spiral-
ing out of control into something none of
us recognizes anymore. The separations
of families at our borders has been cruel,
inhumane, and decidedly un-American, as
has the proliferation and normalization of
racism, bigotry, homophobia, transphobia,
and hate.
RYAN SPAHN, 38, NY: My biggest concern
for 2019 is that LGBTQIA identifying art-
ists are not being represented by actual
LGBTQIA identifying artists in film, TV,
theatre, and the media. We’re the only
minority group where it isn’t a given we get
to represent ourselves. The more that queer
stories enter the mainstream, the less of a
stigma it is for straight people to portray
them, and the result is that our LGBTQIA
brothers and sisters are forced to sit in the
audience as their stories are played out in
front of them by straight-identifying art-
ists. By making a gay film, those in power
offer a place for gay storylines under the
umbrella of inclusion without the actual
inclusion. And those in power BENEFIT —
artistically, professionally, and financially
— from the ILLUSION of inclusion when,
in fact, they are straight-washing queer
artists out of their own stories.
ADAM TENNER, 51, D.C.: My biggest con-
cern is that the divisions in this country
will continue to deepen. Our lives and
LGBTQ rights remain a political hot potato
and that potato could get a lot hotter.
MICHAEL TULL, 51, OKLAHOMA: My big-
gest fear is that the bubble the economy
is riding is going to burst and not only will
we have a corrupt administration, but we
will suffer a recession that will cripple us
for decades.
What is your greatest hope for 2019?
NAME WITHHELD: That I could come out
to my family as I turn 50 years old and not
be disowned.
DANA BEYER: My greatest hope is that
having survived over 700 days of mis-
ery, enough Americans have awakened
and reconsidered what patriotism really
means. I’ve seen it since the day of the first
Women’s March, and I have no reason to
believe it will fade until sane people take
back all branches of government and begin
the scouring of our constitutional republic.
GORDON BINDER, 70, D.C.: That some of
the world’s conflicts will lessen and maybe
see a way forward to peace, though I’m not
holding my breath.
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
PHILIP CROSBY, 61, VIRGINIA: That wis-
dom and open hearts will prevail.
KEVIN DIETZ: Trump’s impeachment and
resignation. People say, “Well then, Pence
would be president.” Pence seems pretty
innocuous compared to Trump, and he
wouldn’t stay president long, if he’s even
appointed. After that, I hope that the coun-
try can heal and unify from this disaster.
RUSSWIN FRANCISCO, 52, D.C.: Florida
introduced a Senate bill to protect LGBTQ
youth from receiving conversion therapy
— a treatment that falsely claims to be
able to change people’s sexual orienta-
tion and gender identity. My hope is that
states will begin to see that forcing chil-
dren into conversion therapy is wrong.
The practice has been debunked — its
long-term, even lethal, damage to youth
is well-documented.
DAVID HOLLINGSWORTH, 33, NORTH
CAROLINA: I hope that equality will be
fully embraced and appreciated. I also
hope for a new President, one that cares
about everyone, regardless of race, creed,
sexual orientation, and gender.
NAME WITHHELD: That Nancy kicks butt.
BRUCE MAJORS: I’m happy that Donald
Trump — despite the fevered and one sided
coverage he gets in the media, and espe-
cially the gay media — may end a lot of our
bipartisan wars and reduce our bipartisan
military empire. I’m hoping he continues
to be a wrecking ball or bull in the china
shop since we have so much that needs to
be wrecked and replaced, despite the cries
of Washingtonians who as lobbyists make
their bread and butter from the institutions
that need to be wrecked.
FRED MAUS, 64, VIRGINIA: The frighten-
ing turn to the right by our government
does not reflect the views of a majority
of U.S. citizens. I hope (without full con-
fidence) that reasonable and progressive
majority views will somehow hold sway in
the near and ongoing future.
GAR MCVEY-RUSSELL, 53, CALIFORNIA:
That I can finish my next novel, and that
we get rid of Trump as president.
MONIKA NEMETH, D.C.: My hope is that
Donald Trump is removed or forced to
leave office. A Pence Administration
would be awful for the LGBTQ communi-
ty. However, Mike Pence is not impulsive
or impetuous. I believe he would provide
stability with respect to the economy and
foreign policy. He would staff his adminis-
27
tration with professionals with experience.
While I will have many policy disagree-
ments with him, I will not be afraid that
he will drive the country into ruin. We can
fight and resist policy.
DANICA ROEM: My greatest hope for the
country is that more people will follow
their passions to help and inspire their
neighbors locally and people who need
a champion. When I toured every public
school in Manassas Park twice in 2018, I
met amazing students from all over the
world. And yet I know many of them run
the risk of not being able to follow their
dreams. They’ve had to overcome so many
jaw-dropping hurdles in their short lives
just to be a part of our community as their
families have fled war, violence, trafficking
and abject poverty in their countries of
birth. To do that and to stay up with their
classmates academically is challenging
enough, let alone with kids scared about
whether their parents will be deported.
That’s why I’ll keep fighting for them,
regardless of whether it’s politically pop-
ular. Those children need a champion in
government who welcomes them for who
they are, not villainizes them for who oth-
ers think they might be.
MARGUERITE SAGATELIAN, D.C.: My
greatest hope is that the Mueller investiga-
tion will end with substantial, irrefutable
evidence of what happened with Russia
and the election, and that members of the
Republican Party will at last put country
over politics.
JIM SLATTERY: With the House under
Democratic control again, it is my great
hope that the we can move past the month-
ly attempts to dismantle the Affordable
Care Act, and that we learn the outcome of
Mueller’s investigation. Perhaps obviously
my greatest hope is that the investigation
forces the resignations or impeachments of
the President and Vice President, leading
the way for a President Nancy Pelosi. Sure,
it’s a pipe dream, but having a stable leader
who cares for all of our country’s citizens,
visitors, and asylum seekers should not be
an unrealistic ask, and while I don’t think
she’s ever really been on anyone’s short list
for President, she would help undo many,
many wrongs.
RYAN SPAHN: My greatest hope for 2019
is that more powerful artists open up
about their sexuality in a brave way, and
that more producers and directors risk
casting openly gay artists in film, TV, and
theatre in leading roles of all varieties, not
just gay roles.
28 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
JOEY TEETS, 63, VIRGINIA: My greatest
hope is that the Supreme Court will sur-
prise Trump and vote more liberally than
expected.
GLEN THOMPSON, 79, D.C.: I don’t see a
lot of hope in 2019.
VERONIKA WARD, FL.: My biggest hope is
to be on the list of self-made billionaires.
Do you think things will get better,
worse, or stay the same for the LGBTQ
community in 2019?
NICHOLAS BENTON: Better. I think this is
a great period of rethinking, recalibrating
and renewing the most important con-
cepts that shape our collective identity as a
human species. The ghastly degradation of
these things by the Trump administration
has triggered a most beneficent counter-re-
action that can propel humanity forward
on a track toward greater compassion,
empathy, generosity and shared universal
values that will leave no one behind. This
obviously includes our tribe.
DANA BEYER: Better. House Democrats
will stand for all, even when there is no
hope of passing any legislation, and those
actions will give hope to Americans who
will need to turn out in even greater num-
bers two years from now. The Equality
Act will be the focus of efforts for our
community.
DALE CORVINO: Worse. LGBTQ people
are being scapegoated and targeted, with
intent. Violent attacks are on the rise, trans
peoples’ rights are being stripped away one
by one, states are devising ways to strip
LGBTQ people of their employment, hous-
ing, and access to services. Our health care
system, for its limitations, is being strip-
mined by greed and corruption, and this
especially impacts LGBTQ people.
RAY DANIELS, 51, NEW YORK: Worse.
Everyone associated with #45 has a hor-
rible record of dealing with LGBT issues.
Untethered, things will only get worse.
KEVIN DIETZ: Stay the Same. I think if
Trump targets the gay community, we will
rise up. No other group can affect change
as quickly as the gay community.
NAME WITHHELD: Better. Hopefully the
world has seen the destructive nature of
the current political administration and
the hypocrisy of the Republican party and
the LGBTQ community will continue to
fight to earn back our place at the table and
our rights as citizens and human beings.
JONATHAN FREEMAN, 30, VIRGINIA:
Better. Nowhere to go but up.
H. LEE GABLE: Worse. I don’t trust the
Supreme Court to be fair and impartial.
DAVID HOLLINGSWORTH: Worse. I hate to
be so grim, but I think there may be more
hate crimes, bullying, and crimes against
transgender people.
SHIN INOUYE: Better. Progress for the
LGBTQ community has not been easy, but
we will continue to move forward.
DARREN JOHNSON, 51, ARIZONA: Better.
I think that this country is on a road which
will lead to more compassion, not less.
This baptism-by-fire has to wake people
up and make us pay attention and know
that we cannot make it alone. This is not
about reaching across the aisle. What
really matters is you going over to your
elderly neighbor’s house and asking if they
need anything. What matters is when you
don’t know any Black people or Asians or
Latinos, seek them out, make a new friend.
Gay people can be just as backwards, rac-
ist, sexist, and ageist as everybody else.
When you know someone is a loner, offer
an invitation. The revolution is love and
it starts with YOU, right where you are.
And the revolution has already begun. So I
believe things will get better, but the ques-
tion is: what are YOU gonna do to make
them better? Sending a letter to your rich
white straight male politician who’s voting
record is 100% pure self-preservation may
not be an effective strategy.
NAME WITHHELD: Worse. There’s no rea-
son to be optimistic about the rights of any
minority group in our current moment. It’s
a hard time to be an immigrant, a low-in-
come person, a contingently employed
worker, a person with a disability. And
there are, of course, LGBTQ people within
these groups.
NAME WITHHELD: Worse. Because the
GOP’s KKK has been unleashed.
JOHN KLENERT, 65, D.C.: Stay the Same.
How much worse can Trump make things
for us?
LUIS MARTINEZ, D.C.: Worse. The amount
of open discrimination seen in this admin-
istration is a problem. Not only do they
get trickier and trickier each day trying
to create more divisive policies, but also it
seems that they are created exponentially
with each day that passes by. On top of
that, white supremacist groups seem to be
very comfortable getting media attention
 “One thing that both Democrats and Republicans agree on is Trump plays
fast and loose with the truth. THIS IS A MAN WHO STOOD IN THE RAIN AT HIS
INAUGURATION AND CLAIMED THE SUN WAS SHINING.” —John Guggenmos
and announcing their hatred disguised as a
simple point of view without any reaction
from the GOP.
KEVIN MITCHELL, 56, TENNESSEE: Worse.
As long as the Republican Party rules, they
will continue to erode LGBT rights and
protections.
BRETT PARSON: Better. I prefer to view
the glass as half-full and believe we will
continue to grow as a world that values our
differences.
DANICA ROEM: Better. Things will get bet-
ter for many LGBTQ people in 2019 as
more of us see ourselves in our elected offi-
cials and know that we can thrive because
of who we are, not despite it. But there will
be more of us who are killed. There will
be more of us who are harmed. There will
be more kids kicked out of their homes for
coming out, more people who are HIV+
who are shunned and stigmatized and
more children and adults alike who des-
perately want to come out but stay closeted
due to a perceived or actual threat when
they do. There will be trans women of
color in our region whose life expectancies
will be my age: 34. There will be Latinx and
other immigrant trans people who will not
only be judged for their gender and skin
color but for their accents and any real or
perceived language barriers as they try to
obtain their own version of the American
dream. When any part of our community is
left behind, our community is left behind.
When those of us who have positions of
power and influence in our community use
our voices and our actions to advocate for
the next group or the next individuals to
join us at the front of the line, then we are
heeding that fierce sense of urgency Dr.
King called us to embrace. As our commu-
nity continues to gain a stronger presence
within our national and local dialogues, the
simple act of coming out can almost seem
benign for those of us fortunate enough
to have found love and embrace. But that
courage to be vulnerable enough to be vis-
ible in the first place still matters so, so, so
much to that person still looking for hope
to say, “If they can do it, so can I.”
RON SIMMONS, 68, D.C.: Better. Trump’s
election was a blessing in disguise. The
American people are on the move in reac-
tion to him and his policies. It began in 2017
when a transgender woman [Danica Roem]
won in Virginia, of all places. In 2018, the
Democrats took the House with newly
elected members that included openly
Democratic Socialists, a Native American
lesbian, and two Muslim women with one
wearing a headscarf. There is a gay gover-
nor in Colorado. If Hillary had won, she
would not have endorsed a Puerto Rican
Democratic Socialist over the man who
was the fourth in line of the party’s leader-
ship. She would have said that she had to
be loyal to his loyalty, and couldn’t endorse
someone just because they were a woman.
JIM SLATTERY: I’m conflicted here. I des-
perately want to believe things will get
better for our community, but with so
many “Americans” being radicalized and
emboldened by their MAGA “leaders,” I
think we need a great deal more than just
political leaders who are on our side in
order to fight so that things do not continue
to get worse. In this vein, we need to rein-
force to our family and friends who claim
that they love and support us, yet who
voted for and proclaim support for Trump
and his ilk, that they truly cannot be both.
These two simply do not jibe.
JOSH SPARKS: Worse. As the mainstream
pressure against Trump intensifies, a
series of microaggressions will no doubt be
attempted when certain factions will trade
their “loyalty” to the administration for
various political favors and stances.
JOHN STOLTENBERG, 74, D.C.: Worse.
Those who are reasonably well-off and
white will be fine. But those who are not
white, those who are poor, those who are
not cis, those who are not citizens, those
who are subsisting on survival sex, those
who are in prison — the list of LGBTQ folx
for whom 2019 won’t likely get better is a
painfully long one.
CHARGER STONE, 38, MARYLAND: Better.
While there may be some setbacks legally, I
believe that we are stronger together. And
the more involved we are the better our
lives can be. It’s gonna be on us to pave the
way, just as it always has been.
GLEN THOMPSON: Stay the Same. The
majority of today’s gay activists are looking
for power, money, and personal recogni-
tion and, in order to maintain their rele-
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
vance, often look for problems where no
problem exists. Being gay is a part of me. I
have never allowed it to control me. Those
who do need to seek help. For every door
that has been closed to me, either real or
imaginary, another more exciting door has
opened.
MICHAEL TULL: Worse. For the last two
years, we have already seen the rise of
bigotry and hatred. I fear that will con-
tinue while this administration remains
in office. The President has stoked the
fires of bigotry and one Tweetstorm after
another simply encourages his minions to
get louder and bolder. Science is finally
identifying that humans are not as neatly
binary. We are on the verge, as a society,
of allowing people to just be without trying
to pigeonhole them into some category.
We are so close and then a corpulent idiot
with the morals of a Medici lies his way
into the office and emboldens his base, the
less educated, bigoted lot of them taking
us back to the great America of racism and
intolerance.
CHEF PATRICK VANAS, D.C.: I say “Stay the
Same,” but that is the optimistic trait in me
always hoping for the best. But with this
administration it seems only evil things
have happened. I have found that there
are more racist people in our country than
I thought there were — they just did not
have a platform to speak up before. But
this President has put forth a hatred and
fear and that is allowing people to come
out fighting for the color of their skin
and many uninformed white people in the
spotlight as bigots. We as a country have
slipped backwards. We have not learned
from our past. Sad.
In your opinion, how is Donald Trump
doing as president?
NICHOLAS BENTON: Horribly. The man
is a sociopath and totally compromised by
his Russian overlords. This is unfolding as
the greatest scandal/threat to the U.S. in its
entire history.
DANA BEYER: He’s an illegitimate presi-
dent. Period.
GORDON BINDER: Having worked for two
Republican Administrations, I say he is
doing awfully, undermining important
29
institutions, ignoring science and history —
not to mention the value of hearing diverse
points of view — lying, and so much more I
consider anti-American.
EARLINE BUDD: Donald Trump is doing a
bad job as President. His tweeting is out of
control. He is concerned about things that
a president should not be focused on, and
the things that he should be focused on, he
is not. Bad, bad President.
DALE CORVINO: I don’t consider him a
legitimate president, and I will not legiti-
mize him by measuring his “performance”
against actual presidents. We are a nation
under siege by a corrupt usurper. I wish
we as a country could stop fixating on the
spectacle of a narcissistic lout performing
the role of president. I avoid watching or
listening to him, or even using his name.
I don’t engage with his supporters, either.
They are in a cultish thrall, there’s no rea-
soning or arguing with them. I’ve cut off
any contacts, including relatives, who sup-
port him. It’s for the best. Someone else can
patiently hand-hold them back to reason. I
don’t have that kind of forbearance.
PHILIP CROSBY: He is almost completely
incompetent as a chief executive. But that
is not really a surprise is it? What is more
worrying is his disregard for the office
itself and his willingness to destroy many
of the things that actually do make this
country great.
RAY DANIELS: He is a complete politi-
cal failure. He does nothing to unite our
country and is only serving his own best
interests.
KEVIN DIETZ: Terribly. Without a doubt,
he’s the worst president in U.S. history.
He’s a racist, misogynistic, small-minded,
despicable human being.
ADAM EBBIN: It is even worse than we
feared in 2016. President Trump was hand-
ed a stable and growing economy, a diverse
and vibrant society, and the ability to pass
infrastructure legislation. Facing only cri-
ses created by his own incompetence, he
has managed to tank the economy, sow
hate and division, and has only passed
legislation to benefit his corporate cronies.
RUSSWIN FRANCISCO: The extent of
Trump’s immorality, dishonesty and grift
is no longer speculation. He has taken
extraordinary lengths to obstruct justice
and undermine the rule of law. He is a
pathological liar. Per the Washington Post,
he lies “an average of 8.3” times a day.
Some days he has made 32 false claims.
30 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
With the chaotic White House, his racist
wall, tax breaks for the 1%, steel manu-
facturers and farmers at the losing end of
his the trade war, alienating our allies and
politicizing the military, Trump has done
tremendous damage to the health and sta-
bility of our country.
CAROLYN GRIFFIN, 69, VIRGINIA: He is
so much more unimaginably worse and
dangerous and damaging than we could
ever have expected, and we thought we
had anticipated the worst. His ugly rac-
ism, sexism, hatred of all minorities, gays,
anti-Semitism, and disrespect for women
has brought out all the ugliness that appar-
ently had been suppressed and hiding
under rocks right before our eyes. Well now
it is out, and we need leadership that will
make them crawl back under those rocks.
JOHN GUGGENMOS, D.C.: As I tried to
make a list of all of Trump’s controversies,
I was left exhausted and overwhelmed. It’s
worth noting that any one of these contro-
versies would’ve brought down President
Obama. While we can debate Trump’s
“Top 20 WTF Moments,” one thing that
both Democrats and Republicans agree
on is Trump plays fast and loose with the
truth. This is a man who stood in the rain
at his inauguration and claimed the sun
was shining, who said Kim Jong Un had
sent him the most fantastic letter he had
ever read only two minutes later to say he
hadn’t read it. A Washington Post reporter
remarked the hardest part about reporting
on Trump is we don’t know what he means
when he says words. But there is a simple
word for it — it’s bullshit.
NAME WITHHELD: I can’t overstate how
vile and stupid our president is. He’s a
skidmark in a toilet bowl, a stranger’s
sneeze in your mediocre Caesar salad, a
Hapsburg miscarriage, the kind of food-
borne illness you get in jail, a bacterium
infecting a scabie that’s infesting the bana-
lest of bureaucrats.
BRUCE MAJORS: I’d give him a passing
grade, but I haven’t decided yet where it is
on the scale between B- and A-.
ADAM MARK, 35, D.C.: Horrible. Every day
he serves as president, we as a country are
soiled. There is not a thing you could say
or do to make me think positively of him.
JHIM MIDGETT, MARYLAND: Donald
Trump will go down in history as one of
the most corrupt presidents in U.S. history.
It will take us decades to undo the damage
done by his administration’s first term. A
second term would destroy this country.
JOHN MONET: While I don’t always agree
with his tone at times, I think he is doing
a good job on doing what people elected
him to do on the issues he promised on the
campaign trail.
MONIKA NEMETH: Donald Trump is awful
as President. I am not one who is given to
hyperbole by nature. I did not vote for him,
and I did not have high expectations for
him. I did think he would have some skills
that he could apply to the job upon taking
office such as an ability to negotiate with
opposing parties. He has in fact demon-
strated that he has absolutely no skills
whatsoever, and that he is incapable of per-
forming some of the most basic functions
of the job. He is unable or unwilling to staff
his Administration with qualified persons
for the positions. He refuses the counsel
of people with expertise. He has alienated
our closest allies. The degree of awfulness
of the Trump Administration is far greater
than anything I ever imagined.
JASON PEACO, 59, D.C.: Worst president
ever. All he does is lie.
ALEXA RODRIGUEZ: BAD AS FUCK.
Excuse my language but I don’t find any
other words to describe it. He might be
good at business (cheating), but at admin-
istrating the country he is horrible, rolling
back protections, laws, playing with our
youth DREAMER’S FUTURES, dividing
society and seeding hate and triggering
violence, being misogynous! I can go on
and on, but he might get mad at me. (LOL)
DANICA ROEM: The harm this President
has caused LGBTQ people across this
country through policies designed to be
outright hostile toward our community
is devastating. He said he would protect
LGBTQ people. He has not.
RYAN SPAHN: He’s an embarrassment. I
want him to be impeached, but I also don’t
want Mike Pence to pardon him. I think
Trump needs to finish out his term and
then be put in jail. An impeachment might
derail this from happening.
JOSH SPARKS, 30, D.C.: He has helped get
numerous people into the political process,
so there’s the optimist’s viewpoint on the
matter.
MICHAEL TULL: I think he is the natu-
ral conclusion of what was the Reagan
Revolution — intolerance and bigotry all
wrapped up in a Cheeto colored blob. His
base seems to think that diversity is dan-
gerous, when it is proven that diversity
creates strength. We were the leaders of
the free world, we are now a laughing stock
and struggling. He and his administration
and their blunders have made us weak.
TOM YATES, 65, MARYLAND: Trump, his
family, his “friends” and many of his sup-
porters are a bunch of grifters looking only
for ways to advance themselves and line
their pockets.
ROBERT YORK: The worst to ever hold the
title of President of the United States.
Who do you think is the Democrats’ best
hope to beat Trump in 2020?
NICHOLAS BENTON: Joe Kennedy III. The
combination of legacy, idealism, intelli-
gence, energy and an unquestioned loyalty
to his party.
DANA BEYER: I’ll let the people decide. My
main concern is that Bernie might run as a
third party candidate. He won’t be running
as a Democrat since the rules have been
changed.
EARLINE BUDD: Joe Biden. I believe that
it takes someone with a real political back-
ground who understands the world and
our allies. Joe Biden is to me a man of
integrity and respect. He is someone who
I believe would serve the country well and
understands politics.
DALE CORVINO: This sort of speculation
isn’t healthy or constructive. Let’s focus on
what’s in front of us right now. We have
real work ahead of us at the local, state, and
federal levels. Now that we have Leader
Pelosi back in charge of the House of
Representatives, there’s a chance of some
real accountability, and a path to undo
some of the damage already done to our
governing institutions.
RAY DANIELS: Beto O’Rourke. We need
new political leaders on both sides. We
need elected officials who represent the
interests of their constituents and not spe-
cial interest lobbyists.
KEVIN DIETZ: Joe Biden is too old — and
the last thing we need is another old, white
man in the Oval Office — but I think he
has the name recognition and the ability
to unite people in cities and in rural com-
munities with his penchant for speaking
to “average” people. Too many times, the
Democrats focus on people in the big cit-
ies, giving the Dems a coastal elites label.
Joe Biden can transcend that. A Biden/
O’Rourke ticket would be pretty solid.
VIRGINIA SENATOR ADAM EBBIN: Terry
McAuliffe. Former Governor McAuliffe
expanded the Virginia economy, restored
voting rights for hundreds of thousands of
citizens and effectively used the veto pen
to keep Virginia a forward-thinking state.
H. LEE GABLE: I don’t think we have seen
the best candidate yet. I don’t think Joe
Biden or Bernie Sanders are the right peo-
ple, good as they are. We need to think of
someone who can lead us forward, not just
maintain the status quo. New blood and a
new face. Someone who has us thinking
with hope, not hate.
NAME WITHHELD: Kamala Harris. Strong
women of color will lead us to the light.
DARRELL JOHNSON: Nancy Pelosi. I think
Pelosi was groomed for this position.
Democratic, Pelosi has served as a House
Minority Whip, House Minority Leader,
broken barriers being the first Californian
and First Italian American to lead a major
party in Congress. She’s been Speaker of
the House, she has strong political ties, and
I think she will be a great voice for the peo-
ple of America in the future years to come
as President.
BRUCE MAJORS: Jim Webb. I don’t think
Democrats really have any hope of beat-
ing Donald Trump. They had 95% of the
media with them as usual in 2016, a de
facto unreported multi-billion campaign
contribution from giant corporations, and
they still lost.
GAR MCVEY-RUSSELL: I’ll vote for a piece
of toast if it means getting rid of Donald
Trump as president.
ACE ROBINSON, 40, D.C.: Kamala Harris.
Older White candidates do not inspire
youth and people of color. The White
American electorate will still primarily
vote for Donald Trump or a substitute
Republican candidate. Senator Harris
instills the energy and the relevance to a
younger populace while still having the
skill set to inspire the older populace.
STEVE S., 58, VIRGINIA: Oprah Winfrey.
She has the name recognition to get elect-
ed, and the brains to lead the county once
elected.
RON SIMMONS: Too early to tell. Because
the election should not be a horse race
where we predict the winner two years in
advance. Oprah has said she isn’t interest-
ed and yet you hear her name mentioned
often by the media so she becomes part of
the horse race melodrama.
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
GLEN THOMPSON: At this point, the
Democrats have no one. America remains
a center-right country. The Democrats
have moved too far and too fast to the
left. Radical extremists and special inter-
est advocates have taken over the party.
These people are, more often than not,
selfish one-issue types who place their
immediate and personal needs above that
of the country. The majority of Americans
sees this and are successfully fighting back.
Unfortunately, I don’t see the Democratic
party slowing down their socialist leftist
agenda. Socialism might sound nice, how-
ever, throughout history, it has consistent-
ly proven not to work.
ROBERT YORK: Beto O’Rourke. I don’t
believe that Trump will last through 2019.
The White House of Cards is crumbling
from within at such a rapid pace that they
are scrambling to replace people. For an
administration that only hires the best peo-
ple there sure is a quick revolving door of
vacancies.
If you could tweet any message to
Donald Trump, what would it be?
NICHOLAS BENTON: Leave now!
GORDON BINDER: Consult, confer. Stop
lying. Respect people who disagree with
you on reasonable ground. Stop undermin-
ing environmental laws. Stop advocating
coal, a dirty source for electricity. Get Real:
no less than our country’s future well-be-
ing, economic and otherwise depends on it.
JAMES BRASIC, MARYLAND: Think before
you speak.
RAY DANIELS: “You are the worst presi-
dent. Total disgrace. Loser.” (Use words he
can understand.)
KEVIN DIETZ: You’ve single-handedly
ruined America’s reputation around the
world and have pitted American against
American. You are truly a terrible human
being with not one redeeming quality.
Please go away forever. No one likes you.
RUSSWIN FRANCISCO: You clearly are
not having fun. You are being exposed
as a fraud. Do the genius thing. Resign.
#poorme #stablegenius #maralagoforever
#putinstooge #kimjungunlover #larges-
taudienceataperpwalk
JONATHAN FREEMAN: Grow Up! You are
The President of The United States of
America. Overlook others ability to focus
on the painfully obvious and meaningless
distractions. You didn’t become president
31
by not looking at the bigger picture.
H. LEE GABLE: You are a liar and have no
morals. You have the blood of two children
on your hands and no amount of justifying
will wash that off.
NAME WITHHELD: Quit being such an ass-
hole!
CAROLYN GRIFFIN: You are going to burn
in Hell for what you have done to this
country and the good people who believe
in equality and treating all with respect
as equals. Either Hell or prison. Whatever
comes first.
MAURICIO GRIMALDO CRISTANCHO,
50, GEORGIA: Remember “the fault, dear
Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”
2019 will be a year of great expectation
among a society who hope for a better way
of life and better opportunities, but not for
a better Golf Course.
SHIN INOUYE: You must remember that
you serve all in this country — not just
those who voted for you. Honor the office
you occupy.
DARREN JOHNSON: Time’s up, Bozo.
A new day is on the horizon. Get those
U-Haul boxes ready!
BRUCE MAJORS: Pardon more peo-
ple; criminal justice reform now! School
choice! Enact all the reforms Democrats
should have but did not for decades, and
shatter their base.
JOHN MONET: President Trump, you
would get a lot more support if you toned
down down the rhetoric. You can still
stand up for what you believe and address
something if you disagree. Remember mes-
sage and tone matter.
RAYCEEN PENDARVIS: thank u, next.
RYAN SPAHN: Boi, bye.
JOEY TEETS: Shut up, sit down, and don’t
do anything because everything you do
sets America back. At this rate we will be a
third world country before you leave office.
GLEN THOMPSON: Keep up the good work!
NAME WITHHELD: Mr. Trump, he who
tweets least tweets best.
ROBERT YORK: Delete your account
#45. Resign immediately. America went
from hero to zero overnight when Trump
took the oath of office. An oath that has
32 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
been broken to the American people
and the world. Restore faith and hope in
America by resigning and fading away.
#FakeLiarInChief
ZAR: Please eat more fast food.
And finally, how are you feeling going
into 2019?
NICHOLAS BENTON: Truly optimistic.
DANA BEYER: Relieved, and hopeful.
GORDON BINDER: At age 70, my husband
71, personal health concerns are always
worrisome, as well as prospects for our
art activities and the exhibitions we have
this coming year. On the larger stage, the
country’s future, our city Washington’s
future, progress on our community’s issues
— all are on my mind constantly. In short,
I’m thankful to have made it this far and
to enjoy a wonderful relationship with
the man I have loved more than 46 years,
even as I feel anxious about on a number
of fronts.
DALE CORVINO: We have to detach from
the despair we’re feeling about the state
of our politics and live our lives robust-
ly. Personally, I’m happy, despite all the
gloom I just broadcast! I’m happy to have
made a difference in 2018. I’ve published
some writing here and there, have a book
of short stories coming out in the spring,
and live with the sullen young man of my
dreams in Hell’s Kitchen.
RUSSWIN FRANCISCO: I am surrounded
by family and friends who love and sup-
port me. I adore my husband, our dog and
home. I have my health and a thriving busi-
ness. I debut as a film actor in a Filipino-
American musical feature releasing in the
fall. I feel blessed, grateful and terrific.
H. LEE GABLE: Nervous. I’m trying to be
optimistic and every day it gets harder and
harder.
WILLIAM GONZALEZ, 46, NEW JERSEY:
I’M FEELING SICK AND HOMELESS.
ROBERT HEIKKILA, 67, SOUTH CAROLINA:
Anxious.
DAVID HOLLINGSWORTH: Nervous.
KENYA HUTTON, D.C.: Ready to battle.
SHIN INOUYE: Optimistic.
NAME WITHHELD: Relieved that Americans
turned out in huge numbers to elect pro-
gressive women all across the country.
PATSY LYNCH, MARYLAND: Worried.
DENNY LYON, VIRGINIA: Wary.
SEAN MCCLAFFERTY, 46, D.C.: Nervous
that the worst hasn’t hit us yet.
JOE PALUMBO, 57, MARYLAND: Optimistic
and hopeful — and the November 2020
elections cannot get here soon enough. I
have confidence that the vast majority the
American people (particularly the young-
er generation) will continue to speak out
against injustice and oust the old white
Republican men who have used their posi-
tions of power to spread hatred and dis-
crimination. Fortunately, those days are
coming to an end.
DANICA ROEM: I feel like passing some
legislation and winning my re-election run!
Come on out to Manassas and help me
knock on doors and make phone calls!
Election Day is Nov. 5, 2019.
RON SIMMONS: Great! Politics and the
news have become a situation comedy and
the new season starts January 3rd. I have
already put the MSNBC/CNN on the DVR
and purchased the popcorn.
CHARGER STONE: There will always be
ups and downs and you only have control
over so much. So whatever happens, sur-
round yourself with good friends and face
the day with your head held high. You can
only be you.
ADAM TENNER: My glass is nearly half full.
MICHAEL TULL: I am a federal worker so,
broke.
PATRICK VANAS: I feel good about myself
(but not great), but have lost respect for
many people close to me and sad that they
have not seen their hatred.
GLENN WILLIAMS, 44, MARYLAND: Naked
and Afraid. l
The responses have been edited for space
and clarity. Opinions expressed in the Metro
Weekly Year Ahead Forum do not neces-
sarily reflect those of the publication or its
employees.
Add your voice to Forum. Learn how at
metroweekly.com/forum.
Get the next Forum questionnaire/survey
emailed to you directly. Sign up for our email
at metroweekly.com/join.
TATUM MANGUS / ANNAPURNA PICTURES Movies

Who would begrudge these lovebirds

the tiny bit of happiness of finding each

Free Love
Director Barry Jenkins deftly mingles romance with racial tension
other and a modest nest to go and start
their family? That’s the question that
bedevils their love story, and, in Baldwin’s
sage observation, it’s the question that
in the superb If Beale Street Could Talk. By André Hereford perpetually haunts promising, young black
lives, even in the post-Civil Rights-era

S
’70s?
WEEPING FROM GORGEOUS CLOSEUPS OF A YOUNG BLACK COUPLE IN Well, here in 2019, in the era of
love — 19-year old Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne) and her 22-year old fiancé Fonny #existingwhileblack, of BBQ Becky and
Hunt (Stephan James) — up to the glowing night sky over Manhattan, If Beale Permit Patty and Cornerstore Caroline
Street Could Talk (HHHHHH) ushers us gently into the orbit of two kids with eyes and Coupon Carl, and black folks get-
only for each other and the future they’ll share. They’ve declared themselves ready to ting harassed or arrested just for being
embark towards bliss, through challenges, assuredly and completely together. or Airbnb-ing, or getting shot and killed
Their romance might be any romance, were it not for the fact that their night full of for sitting inside their own apartments,
possibility and desire was the last night they spent together. In the urgent present of the question has taken on a treacherous
their lives, Fonny sits in jail, falsely accused of raping a woman, Victoria Rogers (Emily new expression. The meaning remains
Rios), clear across town that night the same, though, as Jenkins captures
Director Barry Jenkins has reassembled the key production team behind his Oscar- brilliantly in his screenplay and direction.
winning 2016 drama, Moonlight, to create a sublimely beautiful, bittersweet adaptation Perhaps the filmmaker’s masterstroke
of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel. Echoing the book’s elegant tempo, the film follows is in the casting. Layne is a wonder of
Tish’s increasingly desperate efforts to see Fonny exonerated before she bears the child strength and fragility as Tish, while James
she learns she’s carrying. The pregnancy is a development she greets warmly, yet with supplies moving currents of passion,
the trepidation that hers and Fonny’s complicated situation has become infinitely more whether Fonny’s in his element as a sculp-
complicated. tor in his studio, or devastatingly close to
As in Baldwin’s novel, the film proceeds with an uncomplicated belief in Fonny’s losing it while languishing in jail. In roles
innocence and in the innocence of his and Tish’s romance. Just as powerful is the con- that might have come off too idealized
viction that they deserve to fight their way through this mess to that bliss on the other or cute, Layne and James bring to the
side. From the warmly-lit cinematography, to the stirring score by Nicholas Britell, the screen a charged connection that keeps
movie inspires a solidarity with their union and their cause. the characters grounded, and should keep

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 33


TATUM MANGUS / ANNAPURNA PICTURES
audiences in their corner.
Already squarely in the couple’s corner are Tish’s loving,
working-class parents, Sharon and Joseph, played to perfection
by the estimable Regina King and Colman Domingo. For the
sake of their family, and for justice, Sharon and Joseph, along
with Tish’s big sis Ernestine (Teyonah Parris), are prepared
If Beale Street Could Talk is rated R, and is now playing at Landmark’s E Street and Bethesda Row Cinemas.
Visit landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c.
34 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
to take whatever steps necessary to
mount a strong legal defense for Fonny.
But they won’t take any foolishness
from Fonny’s sanctimonious mother
(well-played by Aunjanue Ellis) or sis-
ters Adrienne (Ebony Obsidian) and
Sheila (Dominique Thorne), who don’t
approve of this couple in the first place.
The film, laced with Tish’s sincere
yet sharply funny narration, assembles
the two families for a single scene that’s
wonderfully torn between warm con-
viviality and icy insults. Baldwin didn’t,
and Jenkins doesn’t, shy away from a
well-timed laugh, even under these dire
circumstances.
The two families’ evening together
still ends on a serious note, but with an
alliance formed between Tish’s folks
and Fonny’s dad (Michael Beach). Their
collective efforts, which involve hiring
young white attorney Hayward (Finn
Wittrock) to defend Fonny, evoke generations of struggle and
community, of overcoming by standing together, marching
forward, and refusing to be limited only to the intractably small
space that oppression would allow. Tish and Fonny deserve their
space in the world like any two lovers, or any two New Yorkers,
like any two people just innocently going about their lives. l
ANNAPURNA PICTURES 2018 Movies

Presented as a man unabashedly

Tricky Dick
unburdened by any lofty ideals or deeply
felt political ideology, Cheney is shown as
being instead extremely capable at boys’
club-style maneuvering for hegemony.
Vice delivers a scintillating satirical bio of the most influential second Buttonholing Rumsfeld in a White House
banana in White House history. By André Hereford hallway to ponder what ideals might actu-
ally inform their policies, he asks, “Don,

I
what do we believe?” Rumsfeld laughs like
N A BRACING EARLY SCENE OF THE CAUSTIC COMEDY VICE ( ), a hyena and shuts the door in his face.
a fired-up Lynne Vincent (Amy Adams) gives her floundering fiancé Dick Cheney Adam McKay, the Oscar-winning
(Christian Bale) a tough-love pep talk that stands as the make-or-break moment in director and screenwriter of The Big
the movie’s depiction of their powerful union. Short, clearly isn’t aiming for a totally “fair
It’s 1963, and 22-year old Cheney, thoroughly humbled by a recent DUI and expul- and balanced” portrayal of Dick Cheney.
sion from Yale, slumps before her like a wounded animal. But rather than soothe her And, given what the world now knows,
man, Lynne is determined to rile him into recovery, or rip him to shreds. Either way, that would seem to be a fair approach,
she simply won’t settle for the sad-sack souse he’s on his way to becoming, so he’d or certainly in the balance of things no
better shape up and fast. more harmful than Cheney’s past exploits.
Amy Adams, as gifted as any actor currently working in cinema, turns in a virtuosic Rather, McKay and his cast seem ener-
performance, driving home one of the film’s many outward nods towards the idea of gized by the prospect of taking a hard
wielding steely power from behind an enfeebled figurehead. swing at Dick’s history, and at some of the
Of course, Cheney eventually will assume awesome powers and influence of his messes he would help engineer further
own, and, accordingly, Bale’s gripping performance evolves over the course of the film down the line.
to track that stunning rise to power. Adopting a credible version of Cheney’s sidelong Decades after the Nixon and Ford
snarl, and adding some girth to his face and frame, Bale blossoms into brutishness as camps were ushered out of the White
Cheney barrels upward from the disgrace of that DUI to the pinnacles of American House, in disgrace or defeat, Cheney
success. returned to the halls of power as vice
He first enters the shark tank of politics as an intern during the Nixon administra- president to No. 43, George W. Bush (Sam
tion, and, attaching himself remora-like to Nixon aide Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), Rockwell). The scene, featured promi-
soon finds himself ensconced inside the West Wing. His office might be the size of a nently in the film’s trailer, of Cheney and
closet, but it’s a promising start for the father of young daughters Liz and Mary. Bush negotiating what will be the distribu-

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 35

 quish their enemies, cover their
asses, and enrich themselves is
darkly pointed and damn funny.
That’s the movie in a nutshell:
darkly pointed, damn funny, and
unafraid to indulge fiction as a
means of fording for facts.
The real Dick Cheney is a
harder nut to crack, but McKay’s
version of him, like any fertile
caricature, hews close enough to
lore, while delving just beneath
the surface of the well-known
facts about 9/11 and the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, to reveal
a fresh perspective on his deeds
and character. Vice grants that,
regardless of conflicting opin-
ANNAPURNA PICTURES 2018

ions about his politics, Cheney

might genuinely be a family man,
as he shows unyielding support
for daughter Mary (Alison Pill),
who comes out as lesbian.
But when political push
tion of power in their presidential partnership, runs dangerously comes to shove in the Cheney family, and it’s time to throw her
close to SNL-style caricature, but it’s undeniably solid comedy. under the bus to save the electoral ambitions of older sister Liz
Similarly, a twisted fantasy interlude of Cheney, Rumsfeld, (Lily Rabe), Mary gets run over just like anybody else who stands
and other officials ordering up a meal of war and torture to van- between a Cheney and the measure of power they crave. l

Vice is rated R, and is currently playing at area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

36 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY

NightLife
Photography by
Ward Morrison

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 37

Scene New Years Eve at Pitchers & A League of Her Own - Monday, December 31
Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

DrinksDragDJsEtc...
Thursday, NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
January 3 — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • $15 Buckets
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN of Beer all night • Sports
Open 5pm-2am • Happy Leagues Night
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games NUMBER NINE
• Live televised sports Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • PITCHERS
Karaoke, 9pm Open 5pm-2am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
GREEN LANTERN until 9pm • Video Games
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Foosball • Live televised
• Shirtless Thursday, sports • Full dining menu
10-11pm • Men in till 9pm • Special Late
Underwear Drink Free, Night menu till 11pm •
12-12:30am • DJs
BacK2bACk
Visit pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers • All
You Can Eat Ribs, 5-10pm,
$24.95 • $4 Corona and
Heineken all night
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers •
Open Dancers Audition •
Urban House Music by DJ
Tim-e • 9pm • Cover 21+
Friday,
January 4
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Open 5pm-3am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Live televised sports
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3
Rail and Domestic • $5
Svedka, all flavors all night
long • Davon Hamilton
presents District Fridays:
1st Friday Underwear
Party, 10pm-close • Male
Go-Go Dancers • Drink
specials: $5 Margaritas, $8
Long Islands
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Open 3pm • Beat the
Clock Happy Hour — $2
(5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4
(7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer,
$15 • Weekend Kickoff
Dance Party, with Nellie’s
DJs spinning bubbly pop
music all night
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm • Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
• No Cover • Friday Night
Piano with Chris, 7:30pm •
Rotating DJs, 9:30pm
PITCHERS
Open 5pm-3am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Foosball • Live televised
sports • Full dining menu
till 9pm • Special Late
Night menu till 2am • Visit
pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm •
Guest dancers • Rotating
DJs • Kristina Kelly’s Diva
Fev-ah Drag Show • Doors
at 9pm, Shows at 11:30pm
and 1:45am • DJ Don T. in
Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+
Saturday,
January 5
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Open 2pm-3am • Video
Games • Live televised
sports
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Saturday Breakfast Buffet,
10am-3pm • $14.99 with
one glass of champagne
or coffee, soda or juice •
Additional champagne $2
per glass • World Tavern
Poker Tournament, 1-3pm
• Crazy Hour, 4-8pm •
Freddie’s Follies Drag

38 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY


Show, hosted by Miss NUMBER NINE
Destiny B. Childs, 8-10pm Doors open 2pm • Happy
• Karaoke, 10pm-close Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
2-9pm • $5 Absolut and $5
GREEN LANTERN Bulleit Bourbon, 9pm-close
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 • Time Machine and
Bacardi, all flavors, all Power Hour, featuring DJ
night long • REWIND: Jack Rayburn, 9:30pm
Request Line, an ‘80s
and ‘90s Dance Party, PITCHERS
9pm-close • Featuring Open Noon-3am • Video
DJ Darryl Strickland • Games • Foosball • Live
No Cover televised sports • Full
dining menu till 9pm •
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Special Late Night menu
Drag Brunch, hosted till 2am • Visit pitchers-
by Chanel Devereaux, bardc.com
10:30am-12:30pm and
1-3pm • Tickets on sale SHAW’S TAVERN
at nelliessportsbar.com Brunch with $15
• House Rail Drinks, Zing Bottomless Mimosas,
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie 10am-3pm • Happy Hour,
Beer and Mimosas, $4, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite,
11am-3am • Buckets of $4 Blue Moon, $5 House
Beer, $15 • Guest DJs Wines, $5 Rail Drinks •
Half-Priced Pizzas and
Select Appetizers
NIGHTLIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Compiled by Doug Rule
ANNA: WARHOL DANCE PARTY
The anti-smoking campaign This Free Life presents an Andy Warhol/
pop art-inspired party featuring special guest Creme Fatale along with
performances at midnight from other local drag queens Washington
Heights, Dee Dee Derèon, Venus Fastrada, and Ariel Von Quinn. DJs
Get Face and Honey will help them work the Rock and Roll runway at
the 18 and up event, although only those older than 21 can take advan-
tage of the open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11. Rock and Roll
Hotel, 1353 H Street NE. Free with RSVP at tfl.events/dc. Call 202-388-
ROCK or visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.
ELECTRIC RAINBOW: HAPPY 2019 EDITION
The first Sunday of every month, DJ Chord throws a weekend wind
down party in the unmarked space behind the freezer door in Capo
DC, the Shaw sandwich shop. DJ TWiN joins Chord for a party that
will spin in the pop new year along with performances from KC B.
Yoncé and Jazzmine. Sunday, Jan. 6, from 5 to 10 p.m. The BackRoom,
715A Florida Ave. NW. Call 202-910-6884 or visit facebook.com/
TheBackRoomCapo.
GREEN LANTERN’S REWIND: REQUEST LINE
Darryl Strickland was one of the most prolific DJs in gay D.C. in the
’90s, which makes him eminently qualified to serve as VJ for this
first-Saturdays party focused on playing the best video hits of the ’80s
and ’90s. There are drink specials on offer and the ability to make
requests all night long. Saturday, Jan. 5, starting at 9 p.m. Green
Lantern, 1335 Green Ct. NW. No cover. Call 202-347-4533 or visit
greenlanterndc.com.
FILLMORE FLASHBACK: ’80S VS ’90S DANCE PARTY
“The Clown Prince of Hip-Hop,” as MTV once called him, the Maryland-
based DJ Biz Markie is best known for his 1989 hit “Just A Friend.”
(You know the one, featuring the off-pitch earnest croon, “Oh baby,
YOU! You got what I need...”) Markie relives his glory days by hosting
and spinning a decades-spanning dance party at the Fillmore to kick
off 2019. Saturday, Jan. 5, at 8:30 p.m. Fillmore, 8656 Colesville Road,
Silver Spring. Tickets are $15.50. Call 301.960.9999 or visit fillmoresil-
verspring.com.
DEEP SUGAR DC W/ULTRA NATE, LISA MOODY, KEENAN ORR
Later this month, Nate is set to perform the roster of club hits she
became known for — first and foremost, the late-’90s Top 10 pop hit
“Free” — at the Mid-Atlantic Leather closing party at the 9:30 Club.
Yet for years now the singer-songwriter has been in demand as a DJ
on the international circuit. Locally, Nate is known for the underground
soulful house party she’s been throwing with fellow Baltimore-native
DJ Moody for 15 years. Deep Sugar always draws a mixed crowd, in all
the right ways, and that should prove as true this month as any other
— ably aided in the cause by popular D.C. DJ Orr, a kindred soul/house
spirit tapped by the two Sugar-mamas to get the party started off right.
Saturday, Jan. 12, starting at 10 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St.
NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com. l
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 39
TRADE
Doors open 2pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
2-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm-4am
• Guest dancers • Ladies
of Illusion Drag Show
with host Ella Fitzgerald
• Doors at 9pm, Shows
at 11:30pm and 1:45am
• DJ Don T. in Ziegfeld’s
• DJ Steve Henderson in
Secrets • Cover 21+
40 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
Sunday, NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted
PITCHERS
Open Noon-2am • $4
TRADE
Doors open 2pm • Huge
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm •
January 6 by Chanel Devereaux, Smirnoff, includes flavored, Happy Hour: Any drink $3 rail cocktails and
10:30am-12:30pm and $4 Coors Light or $4 Miller normally served in a domestic beers all night
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN 1-3pm • Tickets on sale Lites, 2-9pm • Video cocktail glass served in a long • Singing with the
Open 2pm-12am • $4 at nelliessportsbar.com Games • Foosball • Live huge glass for the same Sisters: Open Mic Karaoke
Smirnoff and Domestic • House Rail Drinks, Zing televised sports • Full din- price, 2-10pm • Beer and Night with the Sisters
Cans • Video Games • Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie ing menu till 9pm • Visit wine only $4 • Glam Box: of Perpetual Indulgence,
Live televised sports Beer and Mimosas, $4, pitchersbardc.com A Monthly Dress-Up Dance 9:30pm-close
11am-1am • Buckets of Party, 9pm • Walk-off
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Beer, $15 • Guest DJs SHAW’S TAVERN Contest at 10:30pm • NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Ella’s Sunday Drag Brunch, Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Music by Joann Fabrixx Beat the Clock Happy Hour
10am-3pm • $24.99 with NUMBER NINE Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, and featuring special guest — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
four glasses of champagne Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any $5 House Wines, $5 Rail hosts $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
or mimosas, 1 Bloody drink, 2-9pm • $5 Absolut Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas Beer, $15 • Half-Priced
Mary, or coffee, soda or and $5 Bulleit Bourbon, and Select Appetizers Burgers • Paint Nite, 7pm
juice • Crazy Hour, 4-8pm 9pm-close • Multiple TVs • Dinner-n-Drag, with • PokerFace Poker, 8pm •
• Freddie’s Monthly Zodiac
Contest, hosted by Ophelia
showing movies, shows,
sports • Expanded craft
Miss Kristina Kelly, 8pm
• For reservations, email
Monday, Dart Boards • Ping Pong
Madness, featuring 2 Ping-
Bottoms, 8-10pm • beer selection • Pop shawsdinnerdragshow@ January 7 Pong Tables
Karaoke, 10pm-close Goes the World with Wes gmail.com
Della Volla at 9:30pm • FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR NUMBER NINE
GREEN LANTERN No Cover Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Singles Night • Half-Priced drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
Karaoke with Kevin down- Pasta Dishes • Poker Night
stairs, 9:30pm-close — 7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 41
 SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Shaw ’Nuff Trivia, with
Jeremy, 7:30pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
42 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY
Tuesday,
January 8
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Live televised sports
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • Taco
Tuesday • Poker Night —
7pm and 9pm games •
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $3
rail cocktails and domestic
beers all night long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
— $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of
Beer $15 • Drag Bingo
with Sasha Adams and
Brooklyn Heights, 7-9pm •
Karaoke, 9pm-close
NUMBER NINE
Open at 5pm • Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm • No Cover
PITCHERS
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Foosball • Live televised
sports • Full dining menu
till 9pm • Special Late
Night menu till 11pm •
Visit pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Half-Priced Burgers and
Pizzas all night with $5
House Wines and $5 Sam
Adams
TRADE
Doors open 2pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
2-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4
Wednesday,
January 9
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Live televised sports
FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm • $6
Burgers • Beach Blanket
Drag Bingo Night, hosted
by Ms. Regina Jozet
Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes
• Karaoke, 10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4pm-9pm •
Bear Yoga with Greg Leo,
6:30-7:30pm • $10 per
class • $3 rail cocktails
and domestic beers all
night long
NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night,
8-10pm • Prizes include
bar tabs and tickets to
shows at the 9:30 Club •
$15 Buckets of Beer for
SmartAss Teams only •
Absolutely Snatched Drag
Show, hosted by Brooklyn
Heights, 9pm • Tickets
available at nelliessports-
bar.com
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm • No Cover
PITCHERS
Open 5pm-12am • Happy
Hour: $2 off everything
until 9pm • Video Games
• Foosball • Live televised
sports • Full dining menu
till 9pm • Special Late
Night menu till 11pm •
Visit pitchersbardc.com
SHAW’S TAVERN
Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3
Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon,
$5 House Wines, $5 Rail
Drinks • Half-Priced Pizzas
and Select Appetizers •
Piano Bar with Jill, 8pm
TRADE
Doors open 5pm • Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cock-
tail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm • Beer and wine
only $4 l
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for Daily Photo Picks

and Scene Throwbacks
Scene Avalon DC at Soundcheck - Saturday, December 29 - Photography by Ward Morrison
See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY 45

 LastWord.
People say the queerest things

“People who will do or say anything to hang onto power point the finger at
anyone who looks, thinks, prays
or loves differently than they do.”
— SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, in a video announcing the launch of her exploratory committee for President. Warren decried the
“whole scam” of the Trump administration, saying it is “propped up by an echo chamber of fear and hate.” The four-and-a-half-
minute video, which touts Warren’s credentials and her progressive policies, also featured footage of the Massachusetts senator
dancing and greeting people at Boston Pride and a short clip of a same-sex wedding.

“They’re like royalty,

they tell you what to call them.
‘You should address me as they/them because I identify as gender neutral.’ OK.
”
— Comedian LOUIS C.K., in a leaked set recorded in Long Island, mocking people who identify as gender neutral in a rant about
young people. In the widely criticized set — one of his first since being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women in 2017
— the comic also mocked those who survived the Parkland school shooting.

“Our brothers and sisters before us

weren’t free to celebrate
like we are tonight, and we must never forget that.
”
— MADONNA, in a surprise speech at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on New Year’s Eve. The gay icon stopped in for an unan-
nounced performance and delivered an emotional tribute to the LGBTQ people who fought for equality. “We come together
tonight to celebrate 50 years of revolution, 50 years of freedom fighting, 50 years of blood, sweat, and tears.
Can I get an amen?” she said.

“How sad that your station has dropped to such a low as

to show a gay couple kissing on your newscast.”
— One of several homophobic complaints received by Jacksonville, Florida, news channel WJXT after airing a kiss between a
same-sex couple. Emulating the famous V-J Day in Times Square kiss, member of the Navy Bryan Woodington dipped and kissed
his husband Kenneth after returning from a seven-month deployment in the Middle East. “How many people are now trying to
explain to [their] young kids why 2 men were kissing,” another user wrote. “Very disgusting. An ex [viewer].”

“My sexuality, loving myself

and expressing my love
for others is not something that’s negotiable.
”
— Lesbian singer HAYLEY KIYOKO, speaking to i-D magazine about the homophobia she’s experienced in the music industry, includ-
ing that her 2015 song “Girls Like Girls” was “too sexual for a lot of people to premiere.” “When you’re in the LGBTQ community
and you’re open about your sexuality, it’s not common for you to hear your music played on the radio,” she said. But Kiyoko refus-
es to edit her sexuality in order to get played. “There’s no toning that down because this is who I am and this is what I experience.
I can’t change that.”

46 JANUARY 3, 2019 • METROWEEKLY