Volume 48, Issue 2, January 13, 2017

JANUARY 13,
2017
VOLUME 48
ISSUE 02
AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
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0 6 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
THANK YOU
Senior Adviser to the President VALERIE JARRETT cited the U.S. Supreme Court decision on marriage equality as a highlight of her tenure in the White House.
PHOTO BY SAGE ROSS; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Valerie Jarrett: Be brave, be vigilant, continue to speak out

Top Obama adviser
on eight years of LGBT
progress and whats next
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
The Obama administration is coming
to an end after eight years of historic
gains for LGBT rights, including Dont
Ask, Dont Tell repeal, an executive order

barring anti-LGBT discrimination in the
workforce and the U.S. Supreme Court
decision in favor of same-sex marriage
just to name a few highlights.
Overseeing those achievements from the
very beginning of the Obama administration
to the upcoming end on Jan. 20 and in
many cases coordinating the behind-thescenes eorts for those initiatives was
Senior Adviser to the President Valerie
Jarrett. As head of the White House Oce
of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental

Aairs, Jarrett was responsible for leading
the eorts to advance LGBT equality within
the Obama administration.
Reecting on that progress under
President Obama during an exclusive
interview with the Washington Blade
in the West Wing of the White House,
Jarrett said LGBT achievements will quite
prominently gure into Obamas legacy
after he leaves oce.
One of my favorite quotes is Martin
Highlights of the
Obama administrations
push for LGBT equality
COMPILED BY CHRIS JOHNSON
Luther King Jr.s quote where he says the

arc of the moral universe is long, but it
bends towards justice, Jarrett said. And
I think that a lot of hard work happened
to promote LGBTQ equality before the
president took oce, but under his watch,
it felt like a thunderbolt, and for that the
president is extraordinarily proud.
Although there is widespread fear
among many LGBT people that PresidentCONTINUES ON PAGE 07
February 2007
Obama declares presidential campaign

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T HA NK YO U
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 06
elect Trump could undo that progress,

Jarrett is skeptical that Trump can reverse
the changes because the progress that
weve made isnt simply reected in the
laws that have been passed, although
they are very important.
What weve seen is a shift in public
perception and feelings and culture,
Jarrett said. That is not likely to reverse.
And fortunately on issues such as
marriage equality, the Supreme Court has
ruled and that is unlikely to change.
Jarrett, 60, said she feels pretty
secure about changes in the law like the
Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate
Crimes Prevention Act, which she said
she hasnt heard anyone question, and
Dont Ask, Dont Tell repeal, which she
said is the law of the land and that has
been fully embraced by the Department
of Defense.
But as Republicans gear up to repeal
the Aordable Care Act, Jarrett said she
has reason to worry that protections
under the law aorded to LGBT people
and others will be undone. Jarrett
acknowledged the laws prohibition on
discrimination on the basis of sex, which
the Obama administration applied to
LGBT people, is one such protection, but
said the benets go beyond that.
I also think that there are many people
in the LGBTQ community who didnt have
health insurance and under the Aordable
Care Act, they are among the 20 millionplus who now do, Jarrett said. As we
have been encouraging enrollment, we
have, among other groups, have really
reached out to the LGBT community to
ensure that they are aware of the benets
that come from health insurance and
have been encouraging them to sign up
during this last enrollment period during
the presidents time in oce.
As those enrollment numbers continue to
grow, Jarrett said shes hopeful that creates
additional disincentive to take important
benets from the American people.
Jarrett said the Trump transition
team hasnt given her any indication
about how the upcoming administration

mighthandle LGBT rights. Jarrett declined
to comment on whether the Trump
teams lack of discussion of LGBT issues
is a good sign.
LGBT advocates have laudedJarrett and
say she was instrumentalin coordinating
LGBT achievements under eight years of
the Obama administration.
Chad Grin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign, was among those who
praised Jarrett.
Valerie Jarretts leadership inside and
outside of the White House has been central
to advancing our progress under the most
pro-equality administration in history,
Grin said. She has always been willing to
work with us and to ght for us. We could
not have had better partners in the West
Wing than Valerie and President Obama.
Did Obama always believe LGBT rights
was a priority for his administration, or
did his level of commitment increase
over time? After all, Obama didnt publicly
support marriage equality until 2012.
Jarrett insisted Obama was committed
to advancing LGBT rights from his
presidential campaign throughout his
White House tenure.
I think the president came into oce
with the basic belief that America is at
its best when all Americans are treated
equally, Jarrett said. That includes
treating Americans equally no matter
who they are and who they love, what
their gender identity might be. And we
have worked over the course of the last
eight years on a whole range of fronts to
try to ensure that equality.
On Dont Ask, Dont Tell, Jarrett said
Obama made a 2008 campaign promise
to repeal the law and it was very
important to him to honor that campaign
commitment. For Obama, Jarrett said
members of the armed forces who are
LGBT and prepared to make the ultimate
sacrice for their country deserve to be
able to be honest and open about who
they are and who they love, so that was
very important to him.
Recalling Obama signing the Matthew
Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes
June 2008
Obama issues Pride letter, conrming

support for ENDA, hate crimes law,
DADT repeal
PHOTO BY BENSON KUA; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Prevention Act in 2009, Jarrett said the

president cared deeply about a federal
hate crimes law and recalled time spent
with Judy Shepard, the mother of gay
college student Matthew Shepard who
was murdered near Laramie, Wyo.,
because of his sexual orientation.
When former U.S. Attorney General
Eric Holder declared in 2011 the Obama
administration would no longer defend the
anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in court,
Jarrett said Obama fully supported the
Justice Departments decision, and when
the U.S. Supreme Court decision against
the law came down in 2013, ordered a
review to ensure spousal benets would
ow to married same-sex couples to the
greatest extent possible under the law.
It was something the president
directed from the top on down to make
sure we did that as throughly and as
completely as possible, Jarrett added. It
was very important to him.
But Jarrett acknowledged that LGBT
advocates in some cases took the lead
in coming to the administration with
ideas, such as seeking guidance ensuring
transgender students have restroom
access consistent with their gender identity.
That was an issue that advocates
brought to us, and when they did, it
seemed obvious it seemed something
we should do, Jarrett said. And I would
say we through our Oce of Public
Engagement have had extensive
outreach and engagement for the LGBTQ
community with the intent of making
sure that our priorities reected their
priorities. And as you look back over the
last eight years and the progress weve
made, I think that there is unication of
interest there.
One issuethatLGBT advocates criticized
the administration for not tackling sooner
was the executive order barring federal
contractors from engaging in anti-LGBT
workplace discrimination. Obama signed
the order during his second term in 2014,
but that was after years of activism from
the LGBT community.
Jarrett attributed the delay in the
executive order to the weak economy
during Obamas rst term after the 2008

nancial crisis, saying the administration
during the rst term was reluctant at
that point to add additional requirements
of any kind, frankly, and we were just at
that point, our priority was getting the
economy back on track.
After the president took oce and the
economy was in such disarray, in such
weak condition we were cautious about
the president signing any executive orders
aecting the business community early
on, but as the economy began to become
more robust, the president looked at
both discrimination against the LGBT
community, ensuring that contractors
were paying equally, Jarrett said.
Jarrett also said the administration
needed to have a groundwork in place
before the executive order was handed
down, which consisted of surveying
the business community as well as
collaborating with LGBT advocates and
faith organizations about what form the
directive would take.
Asked about criticism during the early
days of the Obama administration that
advances on LGBT rights generally werent
happening quickly enough, Jarrett said leg
work was needed for actions across the
board, such as Dont Ask, Dont Tell repeal.
While we were working on the
economy, Brian Bond, who worked here,
for example, did extensive outreach to the
community, Jarrett said. The president
engaged the military and did a survey
of its members, working on exactly the
parametersof how exactly repeal of Dont
Ask, Dont Tell would work. So, a lot of the
work required spade work that laid the
foundation for the progress we made.
Some of this early discontent came
in the form of the LGBT march on
Washington, activism by GetEQUAL and
Dan Choi chaining himself to the White
House fence in protest over Dont Ask,
Dont Tell. Jarrett said its always healthy
to have the public engaged when asked
if those demonstrations against Obama
were eective or whether changes
CONTINUES ON PAGE 08
August 2008
June 2008
Obama wins Democratic nomination

after Clinton suspends campaign
PHOTO BY SARAH BURRIS; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Obama tells Rick Warren he opposes

same-sex marriage because Gods in
the mix
PHOTO BY ROBB HOHMANN; COURTESY OF FLICKR
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
0 8 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
those activists were seeking would have

happened anyway.
They should always advocate for
their interests, Jarrett said. And its our
responsibility to listen to all those voices
and then do what we think reects the
values of our country, and thats why Im
so proud of the presidents track record
because, in the area of civil rights of the
LGBT community, its a good example of
where advocates pushed hard up on an
open door. But that doesnt mean that
they shouldnt push. They should always
push. But our door was open.
The most memorable day at the White
House, Jarrett said, was June 26, 2015,
when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in
favor of marriage rights for same-sex
couples nationwide. Jarrett said she was
the one who informed Obama about the
ruling that morning as he was completing
his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pickney,
who was among the victims of the mass
shooting at a Charleston church.
We spent the morning traveling
to Charleston for the funeral for Rev.
Pickney and the other eight who were
killed that day, Jarrett said. And it was a
strange juxtaposition of emotion where
we were so elated that the Supreme
Court ruled the way that it did. We werent
even expecting the decision that day. We
thought it would be the following week,
so it was a gift coming early.
Jarrett recalled the White House,
under the coordination of strategic
communications adviser Je Tiller, was
lit the evening of the decision in rainbow
colors to express solidarity with LGBT
people. That night, Jarrett said she spent
two to three hours on the North Portico as
the lights went up along with White House
sta who stayed watching the sun go
down and the colors of the White House
popping into a more brilliant color.
That photograph, which Je recognized
at the time, would be one that helped
dene the presidents legacy and would
be iconic around the world and, in fact,
it turned out to be just that, Jarrett said.
THANK YOU
The worst day? Jarrett contrasted the

time after the ruling for marriage equality to
the weekend in 2012 after a gunman killed
20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook
Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
I still remember being in the Oval
Oce when the president heard the
number of children that were killed and
I could not process the number 20, and
then when I found out how old they were,
it was just unimaginable, Jarrett said.
And then two days later I travelled with
the president to Newtown, where he
greeted the individual family members
and rst responders and spoke at the
memorial service. And it was absolutely
the worst day since Ive been here.
One item left undone for LGBT rights
that Jarrett said she wished the Obama
administration could have achieved is
ensuring the U.S. Justice Departments
assertions about transgender rights
remain intact.
Jarrett said the administration is
disappointed by Judge Reed OConnors
nationwide injunctions this year against
the Obama administrations guidance
assuring transgender students have
access to school bathrooms consistent
with their gender identity and the
Department of Health & Human Services
rule prohibiting discrimination against
transgender people in health care.
Having welcomed many transgender
children here at the White House and
seen how unnecessarily hard we make
their lives when I say we, I dont
mean we at the White House, just to be
clear, we the greater society I think we
have to do everything we can to make
sure that every child has a chance to
grow and achieve their dreams without
discrimination or stigma and to be who
they are, Jarrett said. And I think that
although we have made progress in that
area, were not as far along as a society as
I wish we were.
Mara Keisling, executive director ofthe
National Center for Transgender Equality,
said even with those setbacks, Jarrett and
the Obama administration have been
great allies and accomplished a lot for
November 2008
Obama defeats John McCain to win

election
June 2009
transpeople people.
The most helpful thing in advancing
trans rights in the Obama administration
was that the president himself was deeply
committed to doing the right thing, and
his senior people, including Valerie Jarrett,
were tremendously forward in moving
things along, Keisling said. Valerie Jarrett
in particular was always supportive,
always interested, always available and
she always cared. She is somebody who
cares about people and wants to do good
policy, and it showed for eight years.
Another piece of unnished businessis
arming the legal theory that federal
laws prohibiting discrimination based on
sex, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,
also bar sexual orientation discrimination.
Although the U.S. Justice Department has
asserted those laws apply to transgender
people, it has not asserted that for gay,
lesbian and bisexual people.
With court cases asserting sexual
orientation discrimination is illegal
under current law proceeding through
the judiciary, Jarrett said when things
go through litigation, we leave it to the
Justice Department.
But I will say obviously the president
believes that we should not discriminate.
Period, Jarrett said. Our society is better
when were inclusive and we recognize that
we should be treating everybody equally.
Asked why the Justice Department
hasnt made the formal assertion that antigay discrimination is prohibited under
laws barring sex discrimination, Jarrett
said, Youll have to put that question to
the Justice Department. I cant speak for
them. For years, the Justice Department
has had no comment in response to the
Washington Blades requests to comment
on whether the sex provision in Title VII
bars anti-gay bias.
You have to be vigilant

After leaving the White House, Jarrett
said her rst priority is going to sleep,
then guring out plans for the future.
Whatever the next days hold, Jarrett
said shell always speak out about the
LGBT advocates outraged as Obamas

rst act for LGBT people is defending
DOMA in court
importance of equality.
As the president has said quite often
lately, he now will assume the most
important oce of all and thats the
oce of citizen, Jarrett said. And its one
that I now have, and so for the rest of
my life, I think part of our responsibility
as citizens is to ght for everyone to be
treated the same.
As for whether Obama will continue to
be an LGBT advocate after leaving oce,
Jarrett said the LGBT community hasnt
seen the last of him.
Not only will he advocate for equality,
but he will encourage other Americans
to get involved and join that important
eort because our society is only as good
as we make it, she said.
What is the Obama administrations
message to members of the LGBT
community who fear a Trump presidency?
For Jarrett, the plan is simple: Be brave,
be vigilant and continue to speak out.
Jarrett drew on Obamas 2012
endorsement of marriage equality in
an interview with Robin Roberts after
years of evolution as an example ofwhy
personal stories can be eective.
The president when he talked to Robin
Roberts about his evolution on marriage
equality told a story about his daughters
who have friends whose parents are
gay and his daughters couldnt see any
dierence in why their friends parents
would be treated any dierently than
their own parents, and he didnt have an
answer to that, Jarrett said. And so, the
answer is, there should be no dierence.
With an uncertain time ahead, Jarrett
said those are exactly the kinds of stories
that can be eective because if we
continue to tell those stories, it helps
people put themselves in the shoes of
someone else.
And it is through that exercise that I
think we make our best progress because
its a change in society, not just simply a
change in laws, Jarrett concluded. And
when society is moving in a direction with
momentum, its very hard to turn it back,
but that doesnt mean you shouldnt be
vigilant. You have to be vigilant.
October 2009
Obama signs Matthew Shepard & James

Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T HA NK YO U
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Samantha Power on the global struggle for LGBT rights

Advocates laud outgoing
U.N. ambassador as
powerful ally
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha
Power and Vice President Biden were
walking into the auditorium wherethe U.N.
LGBT Core Group was about to meet on
Sept. 21, 2016, when they saw Caleb
Orozco, an LGBT rights activist from Belize.
Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin of
the Belize Supreme Court less than
two months earlier ruled the countrys
colonial-era law against which Orozco
and his group, the United Belize Advocacy
Movement, led a lawsuit in 2010 is
unconstitutional.
Biden placed his hands around Orozcos
face as they and Power walked into the
U.N. LGBT Core Group event. Orozco
began to cry after the vice president
thanked him for what you did in Belize.
It was so beautiful, Power told the
Washington Blade on Jan. 5 during a
telephone interview from New York,
recalling what Biden said to Orozco.
The promotion of LGBT rights abroad has
been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy
during President Obamas second term.
Obama in 2011 directed agencies that
implement U.S. foreign policy to promote
LGBT rights abroad. Power, a Pulitzer
Prize-winning journalist and author who
previously worked at the National Security
Council, has been a vocal champion
of these issues since she assumed her
ambassadorship in 2013.
The U.S. voted for two pro-LGBT
resolutions the U.N. Human Rights
Council adopted in 2011 and 2014
respectively. The U.S. also supported
the creation of the U.N.s rst-ever LGBT
watchdog that the U.N. Human Rights
Council approved in 2016.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. SAMANTHA POWER has won praise for supporting LGBT causes
around the world.
PHOTO BY LAURIE DEWITT; COURTESY OF PURE LIGHT IMAGES
The U.S. and Chile in 2015 co-hosted

the rst-ever U.N. Security Council
meeting on an LGBT-specic issue that
focused on the so-called Islamic States
persecution of LGBT Syrians and Iraqis.
Subhi Nahas, a gay man from the Syrian
city of Idleb who has received asylum in
the U.S., is among those who spoke.
The U.N. Security Council last June
condemned the massacre at the Pulse
nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
This condemnation marked the rst
time it specically denounced violence
based on sexual orientation. Power
took more than a dozen other U.N.
ambassadors to the Stonewall Inn in New
York in the wake of the Pulse nightclub
massacre in order to hold a meeting of
the U.N. LGBT Core Group.
Power has met with LGBT and intersex
activists from around the world who
OutRight Action International, a global
advocacy group, invites to the U.N. each
December for International Human
October 2010
Obama says his views could evolve on

same-sex marriage
Rights Day.
She has spoken at events organized
by the Human Rights Campaign and the
Council for Global Equality.
Caitlyn Jenner met with Power in 2015
to discuss ways that she could work with
the U.N. to promote transgender rights
around the world. Power also brought
17 U.N. ambassadors to a performance
of Fun Home, a Broadway play that
focuses on a young girl who comes out as
a lesbian, in March 2016.
People are suering terribly around
the world simply because of who they love
and who they are, Power told the Blade.
Their own horizons are bounded. Their
own travel plans are constricted because
these rights are violated so blatantly and
so brutally around the world.
That ght has to be waged
internationally and a very ecient way
to touch a lot of countries in a concerted
way and in an aggressive way is the
United Nations, she added. Moreover,
December 2010
Obama signs Dont Ask, Dont Tell

repeal
through history the United Nations has

played a very important role in normsetting standards against which each of
us is judged.
Consensual same-sex sexual relations
remain criminalized in more than 70
countries. Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and
Iran are among the handful of nations in
which those found guilty of homosexuality
face the death penalty.
Power said at a 2015 Council for Global
Equality luncheon in D.C. that the U.S.
methodically and aggressively fought
Russias unsuccessful eorts to overturn
then-U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoons directive to provide spousal
benets to gay U.N. personnel who are
legally married.
She described the repeated eorts to
suspend Vitit Muntarbhorn, the U.N.s
rst-ever LGBT rights watchdog, as so
gross. Power nevertheless told the Blade
that U.S.-backed eorts to keep the
position in place were successful.
If you had told me in 2009 when I
joined the Obama administration that
we could mobilize at the ambassadorial
level dozens of ambassadors in countries
around the globe where this issue (of
LGBT rights) remains relatively toxic
... and that those ambassadors would
march in and see the foreign ministers of
those countries, its incredible, she said.
The U.S. government, the foreign service
itself changed by these campaigns we run
here at the U.N.
Its a repudiation, added Power. We
will outlast them. We will care more.
Power also praised Ban for supporting
LGBT rights during his tenure.
Ban joined Biden, Orozco, Chilean
President Michelle Bachelet, Norwegian
Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Dutch
Foreign Minister Bert Koenders at last
Septembers U.N. LGBT Core Group.
Ban, who is from South Korea, said
February 2011
Obama administration declares it will

no longer defend DOMA in court
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
1 0 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
THANK YOU
Obamas LGBT staffers say goodbye

Reecting on eight years of
emotional career highlights
after I depart next week so that the

requirements of our military forces are
best supported and our warghters are
in the highest state of readiness and are
the best capable to serve and protect the
American people. The latter half of this
month I will be taking a (what I believe is a
well-deserved) break and skiing. Beyond
that I do not have rm plans.
By CHRIS JOHNSON
The Obama administration included a
record number of openly LGBT ocials
serving across the federal government.
The Blade reached out to some of them
seeking their reections on their time in
public service. Their responses follow.
MIRA PATEL
Position
and
Years
Served: Secretarys Policy Planning Sta,
U.S. Department of State (2009-2013);
Senior Advisor to the Administrator, U.S.
Small Business Administration (2015-2016)
What was the highlight of your
service under Obama? Watching
from the audience as Secretary Clinton
launched the Global Equality Fund, the
largest USG partnership on LGBT rights
during her famous Gay Rights are Human
Rights speech at the UN Human Rights
Council. I established the fund in 2011
with the State Departmentshumanrights
and partnership oces and it has
grown to provide over $30 million
to grassroots organizations ghting for
LGBT equality in over 40 countries.
What are you doing now? Job
searching! And founding my own
non-prot to continue the Obama
Administrations legacy of international
LGBT human rights promotion.
AMANDA SIMPSON
Position and Years Served: First
with the Department of Commerce
as the Senior Technical Advisor to the
Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry
and Security. In mid-2011, I moved to the
Department of the Army where I was
serve as Vice President of Policy for the Gill

Foundation where I work with tenacious
movement leaders advocating for pro-LGBT
executive, administrative, and regulatory
action at all levels of government.
the Special Assistant to the Assistant

Secretary of the Army for Acquisition,
Logistics, and Technology. Two years
later I moved within the Army to lead
the Energy Initiatives Task Force, which
I matured into the Oce of Energy
Initiatives as the Executive Director. In
2015, I was asked to lead all energy eorts
for the Department of Defense as the
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Operational Energy.
service under Obama? From my required
letter of resignation to Secretary Carter
last month: It has been privilege to serve
the American people these past seven
years.During this time Ive moved forward
a reform of our export controls to best
protect critical technologies and keep
research and industrial capability in the
United States, brought accountability to
Army acquisition by establishing a review
process that included a focus on systemsof-systems interoperability, created the
largest renewable energy portfolio in
the Federal government utilizing private
sector nanced projects that bring energy
resiliency to Army installations, and
updated the Department of Defenses
Operational Energy Strategy with specic
and measurable goals that focus on military
eectiveness and operational capabilities.
What are you doing now? I am
currently working with my team here
at OE to ensure a smooth transition
April 2012
The White House declares Obama

wont sign LGBT order against
contractor discrimination
CHAI FELDBLUM
GAUTAM RAGHAVAN
Position and Years Served: White
House Liaison & Deputy White House
Liaison, U.S. Department of Defense
(2009-2011); LGBT Liaison, The White
House (2011-2014)
service under Obama? While there were
certainly amazing moments along the
way - for example, taking Edie Windsor to
meet President Obama in the Oval Oce,
or seeing the president sign the Executive
Order prohibiting discrimination by
federal contractors - the greatest highlight
for me was expanding our outreach to
movement leaders from every part of the
country and every part of our community,
especially folks who had not been
previously engaged by the White House.
Our movement has such a diverse bench
of smart, creative, resilient advocates and
activists - and it was an honor to meet
and work with them.
What are you doing now? I currently
May 2012
Obama comes out in support of same-sex

marriage in interview with Robin Roberts
SCREEN CAPTURE COURTESY OF ABC NEWS
Position
and
Years
Served:
Commissioner of the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission April 2010 Present (term ends in July 2018)
service under Obama? An ongoing
highlight for me was to be able to
advance employment civil rights for
all people, including LGBT people. A
specic highlight for me was to be part
of leading the eort to clarify existing sex
discrimination law to include protection
for LGBT people. We did this through our
decisions in Macy, Lusardi and Baldwin.
Over the course of the past few years,
we have helped approximately 1,000
LGBT people get relief from employment
discrimination under existing federal law,
in every state in the country.
What are you doing now? Because I
serve as a Commissioner for a set term of
ve years, my service on the Commission
will go past the Obama Administration.
My term will end on July 1, 2018. Until that
day, I will be working hard to safeguard all
November 2012
Obama defeats Mitt Romney to win

re-election
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
T HA NK YO U
people from employment discrimination,

including LGBT people.
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 1 1
several naturalization ceremonies, and to

administer the Oath of Allegiance.All along
the way, Ive had the pleasure of working
with many outstanding individuals, and
have made lifelong friends. While there
remains work to be done, we can be proud
of all that has been accomplished over the
last eight years.
What are you doing now? While I
dont have my next steps sorted out
yet, after Jan. 20, I plan on taking some
personal time, and then hope to be part
of the eort to ensure that the progress
weve made over the past eight years is
not easily undone.
SHIN INOUYE
Position
and
Years
Served:
Department of Homeland Security, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services:
Press Secretary and Acting Senior Advisor
for Intergovernmental and External
Aairs, Oct. 2014-Jan. 2017; Executive
Oce of the President, White House
Oce of Communications: Director of
Specialty Media, Feb. 2009Oct. 2014
service under Obama? There are many
accomplishments to be proud of
strengthening the economy, passing the
Aordable Care Act, bringing the world
together around an historic climate
agreement, the list goes on and on. For
the LGBT community, a few points stand
out. The president signed an inclusive
Hate Crimes bill into law; recorded an It
Gets Better video; worked for, secured,
and signed into law a repeal of Dont Ask,
Dont Tell; became the rst sitting president
to do a sit-down interview with an LGBT
media outlet; ended the legal defense of
DOMA; announced his personal support for
marriage equality; signed an Executive Order
barring LGBT discrimination by federal
contractors; and his Solicitor General argued
for marriage equality before the Supreme
Court, and after we won, the White House
was lit in the colors of the rainbow.While at
USCIS, Ive had the privilege to participate in
February 2013
DOUG WILSON
Position and Years Served: Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Public Aairs/
Senior
Pentagon
spokesman
and
communications strategist, 2010-2012
Highlights: Working with Americas
outstanding men and women in uniform;
serving as a key administration point
person at Pentagon for repeal of Dont
Ask, Dont Tell; and conceiving and
coordinating White House State Dinner
for Iraq Veterans
What are you doing now?Chair, board
of advisors, Truman National Security
Project and co-founder, Vets Community
Connections
(soon-to-be
nationwide
initiative to bring more Americans from all
walks of life into veteran and military family
community reintegration by answering
their questions about community life.Got
10 minutes for a vet? Use your own
experience and expertise to do more than
DOJ in consultation with Obama issues

brief against Californias Prop 8
just say thanks for your service.
sun was setting on that historic day.

That evening, I sat on a lawn chair on
Pebble Beach until 4 a.m. to monitor
the lights. Thousands of Americans
streamed to Pennsylvania Avenue during
those early morning hours to celebrate
together they spontaneously sang our
National Anthem, chanted U-S-A! and
Yes We Can!, and snapped countless
seles with the rainbow White House as
their backdrop. It was a joyous end to a
day that was decades in the making.
What are you doing now? Sleeping in!
KEVIN JENNINGS
Position and Years Served: Assistant

Deputy Secretary for Safe & Drug Free
Schools, Dept. of Education, 2009-2011
What was the highlight of your service
under Obama? Staging the rst-ever White
House Summit on Bullying Prevention in
March 2011, which the president keynoted,
bringing unprecedented national attention to
a scourge on the lives of countless LGBT youth.
What are you doing now? Executive
Director of the Arcus Foundation, the nations
largest private funder of LGBT rights.
JEFF TILLER
Position and Years served: Strategic
Communications Advisor, 2008-2017
service under Obama? My most
memorable day at the White House was
June 26, 2015. The Supreme Court ruled in
favor of marriage equality that morning,
President Obama sang Amazing Grace
in Charleston that afternoon, and by
nightfall the North Portico was illuminated
in the rainbow colors of the pride ag.
The lighting of the White House, though,
almost didnt happen. We had been
storing the lights outside in gears boxes
in anticipation of the ruling, and several
days of inclement weather soaked the
lights in rainwater. Half of the lights were
malfunctioning when we plugged them in
and turned on the power. After several
hours of troubleshooting, the lights began
to nally cooperate. We turned them up
to full power and brightness just as the
June 2013
Obama directs fedl agencies to provide

benets after Supreme Court rules
against DOMA, Prop 8
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY LEE WHITMAN
RAFFI FREEDMAN-GURSPAN
Position and Years Served: Senior

Associate Director for Public Engagement
& Outreach and Recruitment Director for
Presidential Personnel, Aug. 2015-Jan. 2017
service under Obama? I will never forget
the unveiling of the Stonewall National
Monument last June. It was two weeks after
the tragic shooting at the Pulse nightclub
in Orlando and the LGBT community was
still reeling from the aftershocks of the
worst mass shooting in American history.
It was also 47 years since that fateful night
in 1969 when LGBT New Yorkers made a
stand for human rights and dignity at the
site President Obama was honoring as a
part of the National Park Service.
Thats the spirit of the Obama
Administration to me dignied, resolute
and deeply connected to the people. That
diverse crowd of faces at Christopher Street
Park celebrating our triumph over hate sticks
with me to this day. I will never forget it.
What are you doing now? Seeking
employment.
June 2014
Obama signs executive order barring

anti-LGBT discrimination among federal
contractors
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
1 2 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
THANK YOU
D.C. activists bid farewell to Obama with praise, affection

Local LGBT community
reects loyalty to
departing president
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com
D.C.-area LGBT residents and activists
told the Washington Blade they believe
President Barack Obama had an
important and positive impact on the
LGBT community during his eight years in
the White House.
A dozen LGBT people from the D.C. area
contacted by the Blade, including one
gay Republican, all agreed that Obama
was the most LGBT supportive president
ever. They said his outspoken support for
LGBT rights would have a lasting positive
impact on the country as well as on LGBT
people themselves.
I think President Obama restored
dignity and humanity to LGBT people
across the world who have been hurt and
violated by governments and by society
in general, said Ruby Corado, executive
director of the D.C. LGBT community
services center Casa Ruby.
So that is my No. 1 thing, Corado said.
He made us feel human.
Martin Diego Garcia, former president
of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club,
the citys largest local LGBT political
group, said Obama has led by example
and raised the prole of those in the
community who were most vulnerable,
including LGBT people.
President Obama gave me and a
number of LGBTQ Americans hope, a call
to action, a place at the table, a sense of
belonging, and a belief that our country
still has the potential to be a more perfect
union, Garcia said.
Following
are
the
responses
among local LGBT people contacted by
the Blade to this question:
What are your thoughts on President
Obamas impact on the LGBT community

and what message would you have for
him as he leaves oce on Jan. 20?
Jon Thompson, LGBT

activist, D.C. resident
I think the power of the oce and

knowing that we had an advocate in
that oce was really impactful for me.
Within his presidency were the years that
I came out and experienced my own selfidentity. And knowing that the president
in the highest oce in the land has your
back is a good feeling. So its going to be
hard when hes gone.
Nick Esposito, LGBT activist,

Hyattsville, Md. resident
I would love to say thank you. I think

he started o a little bit slow but I think
toward the middle of his presidential
term, and especially toward the end, he
went right for trans rights and he was
really ghting for them. So Im really
happy to see all the progress he wants
to make for our community. So I want
to thank him for really caring about our
livelihoods and doing everything he
possibly can to help us.
for us when it comes to marriage equality

and LGBT rights across the spectrum from
repealing Dont Ask, Dont Tell to ghting
for LGBT workers rights and making sure
were not discriminated against in the
workplace. Hes done more than really any
president in the modern era.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACE BOOK
Jesse Garcia, Stein Club

Secretary, D.C. resident
It was a milestone for the LGBT
community to have a person that not only
was proud to stand with us but actually
worked for passing legislation to protect
us, to recognize us, and to make us part
of the American fabric. I got to see it from
the inside being a political appointee
[special assistant at the Department of
Health and Human Services]. I feel like Im
very honored to have been part of this
special history that were going to look
back on when LGBT people were brought
to the forefront.
Justin George, LGBT activist,

D.C. resident
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
Alex Morash, Stein Club

Vice President, D.C. resident
What I would say to him when he leaves
oce is thank you. Hes just done so much
April 2015
Obama through Valerie Jarrett declares

support for banning ex-gay therapy at
state level
I believe the impact hes had on the

LGBT community is he has shown us
that a static worldview of the LGBT
experience is not so simple. In 2008, he
had no qualms about saying he objected
to the idea of gay marriage. Yet in four
short years he evolved from that point
and I think that speaks volumes about
him as an individual. But it also speaks
June 2015
Obama declares justice arrives like

a thunderbolt after Supreme Court
marriage ruling
to the human capability to change and

developThe hopeful thing is that in
four short years youve seen the most
powerful man on the planet change.
What could this mean for other places?
So it gives me hope and positive feelings
and Im thankful for that.
Barbara Helmick, D.C.

statehood and LGBT
advocate, D.C. resident
Our organizing created the conditions

for President Obama to step up and
publicly support marriage equality. He
brought his great communications skills
in doing so and deserves to go down
in history for doing soMy message to
Obama going forward we can win when
we have each others backs. So use your
organizing skills, work in coalition with us,
and lets make history together.
John Klenert, D.C. voting

rights and LGBT advocate,
D.C. resident
His short-term impact on and for
the LGBT community: substantial. His
willingness to listen and learn about
us certainly sent lessons to everyday
American citizens. My message: Thank
you for the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont
Tell, your appointments to the U.S.
June 2015
White House lit in rainbow colors after

Supreme Court marriage ruling
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 1 3
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
1 4 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
THANK YOU
10 ways Obama promoted LGBT rights abroad

Supportive policies began
with 2011 presidential
memorandum
#8 LGBT-inclusive delegation
travels to Sochi Olympics
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
The promotion of LGBT and intersex
rights abroad has been a cornerstone of
U.S. foreign policy during President Obamas
second term. Here is a look back at 10 of
the Obama administrations most notable
achievements for LGBT rights abroad.
#1 2011 presidential
memorandum
Obama on Dec. 6, 2011, directed agencies

that implement U.S. foreign policy to
promote LGBT and intersex rights abroad.
He issued the presidential memorandum
on the same day that then-Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton delivered her gay rights are
human rights speech in Geneva.
#2 Randy Berrys
appointment
The State Department on Feb. 23, 2015,

announced it had named Randy Berry as
the rst special U.S. envoy to promote
LGBT and intersex rights abroad. The
career foreign service ocer has traveled
to Jamaica, Uganda, Australia and more
than 40 other countries.
#3 Openly gay
ambassadors
Obama in 2013 nominated six openly

gay men to represent his administration
overseas. James Wally Brewster, James
Costos, Rufus Giord, John Berry and Dan
Baer assumed their posts in the Dominican
Republic, Spain and Andorra, Denmark,
Australia and at the Organization for
From left; Special U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons RANDY BERRY, J-FLAG
Executive Director DANE LEWIS and TODD LARSON of USAID attend a reception at the home of
U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno in Kingston, Jamaica, on May 21, 2015.
PHOTO COURTESY OF J-FLAG
Security and Cooperation in Europe in

Vienna after the U.S. Senate conrmed
their respective nominations.
Ted Osius, who is a founding member of
GLIFAA, an organization that represents
LGBT foreign service personnel, was
sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to
Vietnam on Dec. 10, 2014.
#4 Global Equality Fund

The Global Equality Fund is a public-private
partnership the State Department manages
with the U.S. Agency for International
Development. It has contributed more than
$33 million to global LGBT advocacy eorts
since its 2011 inception.
#5 USAID bans
discrimination among
contractors
A USAID rule that formally bans
contractors from discriminating on the
basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity took eect on Oct. 25, 2015.
June 2015
Obama heckled at White House

Pride reception over trans people in
immigration detention
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MELISSA SKLARZ
#6 Uganda sanctioned after

anti-gay law signed
Obama tapped three openly LGBT

athletes to represent the U.S. at the 2014
Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Retired tennis champion Billie Jean
King was unable to attend the games
opening ceremony with the rest of the
U.S. delegation because of her mothers
health. Figure skater Brian Boitano and
Caitlin Cahow, an Olympic ice hockey
player, traveled to Sochi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013
signed a law that bans the promotion of
so-called gay propaganda to minors. The
statute and the Kremlins overall LGBT rights
record overshadowed the games.
#9
Obama
talks
LGBT
rights in Africa
The Obama administration in 2014

announced a series of sanctions against
Uganda after the countrys president
signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that
sought to impose a life sentence upon
anyone found guilty of repeated samesex sexual acts.
President Yoweri Museveni signed the
Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law on Feb.
24, 2014. The Constitutional Court of
Uganda a few months later struck down
the statute on a technicality.
Obama throughout his second term has

spoken publicly against anti-LGBT laws in
Africa. The president spoke against the
criminalization of consensual same-sex
sexual relations during a June 27, 2013,
press conference in Dakar, Senegal, with
the countrys president.
#7 Obama meets with

Cuban LGBT activists
The State Department and other

administration ocials have urged the
Malaysian government to release a
leading opposition gure who is serving
a ve-year prison sentence for sodomy.
Senior members of the National
Security Council met with the family of
former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim in the Malaysian capital of Kuala
Lumpur on Nov. 21, 2015. The meeting
coincided with Obamas visit to the
Southeast Asian country.
Two LGBT rights activists were among the

members of Cuban civil society who met with
Obama in Havana on March 22, 2016. The
meeting took place during the presidents
historic trip to the Communist island.
Obama on Dec. 17, 2014, announced
the U.S. would restore diplomatic relations
with Cuba that had ended in 1961.
June 2016
Obama calls for dignity and kindness

for trans students after administration
issues school guidance
#10 U.S. seeks release

of Malaysian opposition
leader
June 2016
Obama declares a national monument

in NYC recognizing 1969 Stonewall riots
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THANK YOU
PRESIDENT OBAMA urged Americans to hold on to the ideals of democracy in his farewell address.
Obama urges America to uphold ideals in farewell speech

References trans
Americans, winning
marriage equality
By CHRIS JOHNSON
President Obama urged Americans
in his farewell address Tuesday night
to uphold the principles of democracy,
saying the country must hold on its ideals
despite the temptation to ignore them.
Addressing supporters in his hometown
of Chicago in the nal public appearance
of his presidency, Obama called for
forging a new social compact for the
American community going forward.
Were going to have to forge a new
social compact to guarantee all our kids
the education they need, to give workers
the power to unionize for better wages, to
update the social safety net to reect the
way we live now and make more reform
to the tax codes so that corporations
and individuals who reap the most from
this new economy dont avoid their
obligations to the country thats made
their very success possible, Obama said.
Much of the farewell address seemed
to strike a contrast with President-elect

Donald Trump, who has taken a hard line
on immigration and has been accused of
authoritarian leanings.
For 240 years, our nations call to
citizenship has given work and purpose
to each new generation, Obama said. Its
what led patriots to choose Republic over
tyranny, pioneers to trek west, slaves to
brave that makeshift railroad to freedom,
its what pulled immigrants and refugees
across oceans and the Rio Grande.
Alluding to his second inaugural
speech, Obama invoked the Stonewall
riots, saying the call to citizenship is why
GIs gave their lives on Omaha beach and
Iwo Jima, Iraq and Afghanistan, and why
men and women from Selma to Stonewall
were prepared to give theirs as well.
When Obama said in 10 days the
United States will witness of hallmark
of democracy on Inauguration Day, the
crowd initially jeered at the thought of
Trump taking oce. Quieting the boos
with no, no, no, no, Obama said the
change is the peaceful transfer of power
from one freely elected president to the
next.
At four separate moments in his
speech, Obama made LGBT references
the rst was to the Stonewall riots, the
second was marriage equality to remind

his audience about progress made over
eights years, and the second two were to
urge keeping the ght going forward.
Obama identied the U.S. Supreme
Court ruling in favor of marriage equality
as one of the litany of accomplishments
achieved during his administration.
If I had told you that we would win
marriage equality and secure the right to
health insurance for another 20 million
of our fellow citizens, if I told you all that,
you would have said our sights were set
a little too high, but thats what we did,
Obama said. Thats what you did. You
were the change.
The outgoing president also referenced
transgender people when he urged
minority groups to keep in mind as they
pursue civil rights the perspective of
others.
For blacks and other minority groups,
that means tying our own very real
struggles for justice to the challenge that
a lot of people in this country face not
only the refugees, or immigrants, or rural
poor or transgender Americans, but also
the middle-aged white guy who from the
outside may seem like he has advantages,
but has seen his world upended by
economic and cultural and technological
change, Obama said.

Finally, looking to the future, Obama
urged the nation not to shy away from
ghting discrimination against LGBT
people as well as other groups, including
Muslim Americans, whom he said are
just as patriotic as we are.
Thats why we cannot withdraw from
big, global ghts to expand democracy
and human rights and womens rights
and LGBT rights, Obama said. No matter
how imperfect our eorts, no matter
how expedient ignoring such values may
seem, thats part of defending America.
Mara Keisling, executive director of the
National Center for Transgender Equality,
said in a statement Obamas farewell
address conrms he understands that
transgender people are a part of the
American community.
As the president said, nobody should
have to feel unwelcome in the United
States just because of who they are,
Keisling said. We are so thankful to
President Obama and his administration,
and we will go forward working for
progress and ghting against any
attempts to undo the progress that has
been over the last eight years and against
any attack on any group of people in this
country.
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 1 7
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during a 2015 speech in the Indian capital of New Delhi that anti-sodomy laws
breed intolerance. The U.N. in 2013 launched the Free & Equal campaign that
seeks to promote LGBT and intersex rights around the world.
Power described Bans personal journey in support of LGBT and intersex
rights as unfailingly moving.
Every time I hear him talk about it I nd it moving, Power told the Blade.
She also conceded that Ban has taken a lot of grief over his support of the issues.
If you havent been yelled at by a Russian diplomat you maybe just cant know
how erce that can be, said Power. He just takes it and he knows its right and
hes pushing it.
She also noted current U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports
LGBT and intersex rights.
Hes very strong on these issues, said Power. Its very important that he
carries this forward.
Orozco told the Blade this week that Power speaks with an urgent intensity to
remind the world that violence is unnecessary and humanity cannot be allowed
to erode when innocent people suer. Other LGBT and intersex advocates
around the world expressed similar sentiments.
Samantha Powers mandate at the U.N. in relation to LGBTI rights has been
very important, LGBT Federation of Argentina Vice President Esteban Pauln
told the Blade on Tuesday.
Ricky Ricki Nathanson of the Sexual Rights Centers Trans Research,
Education, Advocacy and Training (TREAT) program in Zimbabwe met Power
last month when she was in New York to attend OutRight Action Internationals
annual summit.
Nathanson told the Blade she found her to be a powerful ally in ghting
the battle for equal rights for the global LGBTI community. OutRight Action
International Executive Director Jessica Stern echoed this sentiment.
She told the Blade in an email that Power last month learned that a group
of homeless gay men and trans women with HIV had been shot and beaten
in Jamaica. Stern said the ambassador sent a text message to her Jamaican
counterpart at 5 a.m. to nd out what he was doing to ensure their safety.
You cant make this up, Stern told the Blade. It is a rare public ocial who
personally contacts another government at the break of dawn about LGBT
peoples safety and dignity.
The history books will write about Samantha Powers transformative leadership
for LGBT rights over her years as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., she added.
Scott Long, a former Human Rights Watch staer, has a far dierent take on
Powers legacy at the U.N.
Long accused Power of pandering to American LGBT voters and advocacy
groups with publicity gestures that mask the absence of results.
Meeting with Caitlyn Jenner, or doing a PR tour of the Stonewall Inn regrettably
does nothing to empower queers in Cairo or Kampala, Long told the Blade on
Monday.
Long criticized Power for her appalling refusal to criticize ghastly (LGBT rights)
abuses in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries that receive U.S. aid. He also
questioned the impact of the U.N. Security Councils meeting on ISIS, noting the
Obama administration has made no real eort to provide protection for queers
in Syria or Iraq who would be further endangered and exposed.
Reports indicate ISIS militants have publicly executed dozens of men in Syria
and Iraq who were accused of committing sodomy. Long said these reported
executions increased in the months after the U.N. Security Council meeting.
If the goal was to save lives, the evidence suggests it may well have been
counterproductive, he told the Blade.
Power has had a chance to speak with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who
President-elect Trump has nominated to succeed her at the U.N.
Power told the Blade she will leave her post with no regrets about the way she
advocated for LGBT rights.
If someone could dream and I could see a pathway we would do it, she said.
Theres not the one that goes away.
Power said she plans to spend the remainder of her ambassadorship engaging
with the new team to ensure this new DNA remains in place and Bans legacy in
support of LGBT and intersex rights becomes a virtuous propellant.
She also told the Blade the next step in advancing these issues at the U.N.
is to have a clean embrace of them at the U.N. General Assembly. Power
said countries in Europe, Latin America and in the Pacic could make this goal
possible in the coming years.
We are chipping away, she said.
THANK YOU
Supreme Court, the number of open

LGBT people working inside and outside
the White House. My one message of
disappointment: your failure to support
D.C. voting rights and/or statehood.
advocacy also set the bar and example for

many other world leaders. While I many
have disagreed with many of Obamas
policies, I appreciate the support he gave
the LGBT community. I hope that in his
post-presidency he continues to support
our community, and if he ever needs any
advice, Im just a few blocks away from his
new home!
Peter Rosenstein,
Democratic Party and LGBT
advocate, D.C. resident
President Obama was a champion for

the LGBT community. There were times
we had to push him for his support, but
in the end he stood up for us, and with
us. I would thank the president for all
he did for the nation, including the LGBT
community. Now as a Democrat, I ask him
to continue to stand with Democrats and
help to build the party in every state and
territory to take back governorships and
legislatures before the 2020 census.
Brent Huggins, LGBT

activist, D.C. resident
Jeri Hughes, trans activist,

D.C. resident
What I would say is we had eight
years of progress, steady progress. Its
been wonderful. We went from here
to there. Eight years ago we didnt have
marriage equality. He was standing up
for transgender rights. Who in the White
House was doing that before him? No one
ever. I would tell him thank you for your
service, your devotion to our country, for
human rights. The ghts not over and I
expect to see him out there. I expect to
see him ghting for human rights and
goodness in general in the future. I love
the man. I would die for him.
I would say thank you for supporting

us and ghting and advocating for the
rights that we have. As the president,
he provided or fought for more rights
for the LGBT community than any other
president in the history of the country. So
I really thank him for doing that.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
Chris Allen, president D.C.

Log Cabin Republicans,
D.C. resident
President Obamas evolution on gay
marriage helped pave the way for more
and more Americans to open their minds
and become more understanding and
accepting of the LGBT community. This
Ruby Corado, executive

director Casa Ruby,
D.C. resident
I think all of us will get to the point in

our lives where we will be judged by our
actions here on earth. And President
Obama will certainly be one of those
people who will be able to rest in peace
for doing everything right, even when
people criticized him. So he will denitely
be one of those who will not have to
worry. He did everything right despite
what some people thought of him. He
protected our people.
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 1 9
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
20 J A N U A R Y 13, 2017
BA LT I MO RE N E W S
Baltimore Pride returning to June

After two years of celebrating Baltimore Pride events in July, the GLBT
Community Center of Baltimore announced that Pride 2017 would take place
June 17-18. Pride had shifted to July in 2015 due to scheduling conicts with the
city, and the GLCCB held it again in July the following year.
FreeState Justice releases strategic plan

The Baltimore-based nonprot FreeState Justice has released its rst strategic
plan since the merger last year of FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland.
The plan identies the following population priorities having the greatest risk
of discrimination: transgender and gender non-conforming people, people of
color, youth, low-income people, and geographically underserved communities.
In addition, the plan cites several areas on which the organization will be
focused: police interactions, corrections, and criminal justice; name and gender
change for transgender and non-binary individuals; enforcement of antidiscrimination laws regarding access to public accommodations; family law;
access to quality, arming, and inclusive health care; and education and youth
policy including foster care, juvenile justice and education.
This strategic plan is built around our mission, which is to improve the lives
of LGBTQ Marylanders through direct legal services, policy advocacy, outreach,
education, and training, Patrick Paschall, executive director of FreeState Justice
told the Blade. This strategic plan is the culmination of a series of listening
sessions, stakeholder input sessions, an online survey, and intense and deep
thought about we can best meet the needs of the LGBTQ community.
To download the full strategic plan, visit freestate-justice.org.
Frederick Center seeks public funding

In late December, representatives of the Frederick Center asked the City of
Frederick for $5,200 to help fund its youth program. It was the rst time the
four-year-old non-prot has made a formal funding request to the city or any
government agency.
The youth group program consists of weekly meetings for individuals from
ages 13 to 23. Its a place where they can basically hang out with each other, Kris
Fair, executive director of The Frederick Center, told The Frederick News-Post.
We have speakers, games, events, peer-to-peer mediation. Its basically just a
weekly opportunity for youth to interact with each other and, most importantly,
arm one another in a positive space.
A licensed clinical social worker facilitates the meetings every other week.
The issues addressed include mental health questions, school-related issues,
transitional matters and parental concerns, according to Amy Wilkinson, a youth
program coordinator, in an email to the News-Post.
The Frederick Centers annual budget is about $60,000 with 25 to 30 percent
of that amount dedicated to the youth program. That group receives funding
from private individual donors, local businesses, and the groups Frederick Pride
festival as well as from community fundraisers and benets, said Wilkinson.
The public money sought for the program would pay half the salary of a
mental health professional. Wilkinson told the News-Post that the youth group
has tripled in size since 2013 with an increasing number of younger members
joining.
Alderman Michael OConnor told the News-Post that he supports the funding
in next years budget. The Frederick Center does wonderful work in the
community, and I would like to be able to support them, he said.
The Frederick Center plans to ask Frederick County for funding since the
center serves both city and county residents but is not certain how such money
would be spent.
The Frederick Center began partnering with our city and county governments
two years ago, Fair told the Blade. That partnership has been rapidly expanding
and we are hoping with these requested grants we can further strengthen that
bond to provide critical services to the LGBTQ community.
STEVE CHARING
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
H E A L TH NEW S
J A N U A R Y 13, 2017 21
Antibiotic-resistant Shigella raises concern

NEW YORK Nearly a quarter of Shigella cases tested in New York City showed
decreased susceptibility or resistance to recommended antibiotics, and most of those
infections were among gay men, researchers reported this week in Emerging Infectious
Diseases.
For the study, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene performed susceptibility
testing on 978 Shigella isolates submitted to New York public health laboratories from
March 2013 through May 2015; 295 of those isolates were linked to an outbreak and
analyzed separately, and 683 were dened as sporadic, CIDRAP (Center for Infectious
Disease Research and Policy) reports.
Among the patients with sporadic infections, 129 (19 percent) were infected with
isolates showing decreased susceptibility to azithromycin (DSA), while 29 (4 percent)
were infected with ciprooxacin-resistant isolates and ve isolates displayed both
characteristics, CIDRAP reports.
Because Shigella spp. has grown resistant to ampicillin and trimethoprim/
sulfamethoxazole, physicians often prescribe azithromycin and ciprooxacin to treat
shigellosis. The proportion of isolates found with decreased susceptibility to azithromycin
is nearly ve times the national estimate of 3.8 percent, the authors of the study said.
Nearly all infections analyzed in the study were caused by Shigella sonnei (65 percent)
and S exneri (34 percent). The most common symptoms were diarrhea and abdominal
cramps, and median illness duration was seven days.
Shigellosis is a common diarrheal disease caused by Shigella bacteria, which is highly
contagious and is passed through a fecal-oral route. Shigella infection often occurs from
eating food contaminated by people with shigellosis, and is associated with travel to
disease-endemic areas, crowding, poverty and attendance at daycare centers.
But Shigella infections can also be spread through oral-anal sex, and research indicates
men who have sex with men (MSM) are more likely than the general adult population
to acquire shigellosis. Of even greater concern, a recent study from the CDC detailed
evidence of rising resistance to azithromycin and ciprooxacin in shigellosis outbreaks
among gay men.
Although shigellosis rates are highest for young children, most reports document
ciprooxacin- or azithromycin-resistant shigellosis largely among men who have sex with
men, the authors wrote in the study.
The current study supports that trend. Patient interviews and chart reviews showed
that DSA Shigella infection occurred almost exclusively among men, most identifying as
MSM.
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Bargain rates for PrEP cited for plunging HIV cases

LONDON Gay men who deed medical advice seem to have changed the course of
the HIV epidemic in the UK for the better, New Scientist reports.
Four London sexual health clinics saw dramatic falls in new HIV infections among gay
men of around 40 percent last year, compared with 2015, new gures show.
This decline may be mostly due to thousands of people buying PrEP online, experts
theorize.
We need to be very cautious at this stage, but I cant see what else it can be, says Will
Nutland at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who has set up PrEPster,
a website that gives people information on how to give themselves PrEP. Something
extraordinary has happened in the last 12 months because of a bunch of DIY activists
working o our kitchen tables.
The medicine has been approved in the UK as a drug for preventing HIV infection in
both men and women, but it isnt yet available on the National Health Service.
To avoid paying for private prescriptions of the brand-name drug Truvada, growing
numbers are buying generic versions from online pharmacies in India and Swaziland for
much less, through a UK website called I Want PrEP Now.
Until recently, most doctors would have advised against buying any medicines online,
warning that the process could be illegal or the drugs may not be safe. While it is legal to
buy up to a three-month personal supply, it can seem shady as the medicines are sent
through several countries to get around custom laws, New Scientist reports.
But attitudes are changing. Some sexual health doctors now help people who source
PrEP online by providing blood tests to check the pills are real and urine tests to ensure
people arent getting kidney damage as a side eect. So far, no pills have been found to
be fake, New Scientist reports.
These doctors were also reassured when the regulatory body, the General Medical
Council, told them its ethical guidelines say clinicians should give patients information
about treatments they cannot oer themselves, New Scientist reports.
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
2 2 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
VIEWPOINT
VOLUME
48
ISSUE
02
ADDRESS
PO Box 53352
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Thank you, Mr. President

Saying goodbye to
our erce advocate
KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade

and can be reached at kna@washblade.com.
Welcome to your house. With those

simple words, President Barack Obama
and rst lady Michelle Obama received an
audience of LGBT advocates at the 2009
White House Pride reception. Those of
us lucky enough to be in the room were
standing on the shoulders of generations
of LGBT people who protested and picketed outside the White House and were
never welcomed inside.
And we werent just welcomed; there

were bartenders serving Cosmos and Madonna dance music blared in the East Wing.
We were promised change, but this was
more than any of us had bargained for.
Fast forward eight years and Obama
indeed proved to be our erce advocate,
upending decades of Democratic Party
lip service to our issues and nally delivering real change. From Dont Ask, Dont
Tell repeal to a full embrace of marriage
equality, Obama went further on LGBT
rights than even some activists expected. Who could have imagined the White
House lit up in rainbow colors after the
Supreme Courts marriage ruling? Even
now, that image remains gasp inducing.
This special issue of the Blade is a sendo and thank you to President Obama,
rst lady Michelle Obama and all those
tireless staers who made this change
possible. The cover image sums up the
way the Obamas made many of us feel
over the past eight years downright giddy at times. Journalists arent supposed to
thank the subjects of their coverage, but
E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON
once in a rare while theres room for an

exception and this is it. Make no mistake:
the credit for much of whats changed on
LGBT acceptance goes to Obama. Not to
the DNC or to previous Democratic presidents. Not to the media or to gay-friendly
celebrities. The bully pulpit is powerful
and when Obama used it to endorse marriage equality prior to the 2012 election,
the dam burst and suddenly is was OK
cool even to support the cause that terried so many other Democrats.
For a glimpse at what was achieved
these past eight years, check out the timeline of LGBT progress in this issue compiled by our White House reporter Chris
Johnson. Its not just about marriage, but
a host of policy statements, federal guidance, Justice Department briefs and more
that helped shift the culture and bring us
to where we are today.
No one is perfect and Obama has his
aws. His administration proved opaque
and Obama himself insular, in stark contrast to his campaign promises of transparency. In eight years, Obama never
made time for an interview with the Blade,
even though our reporters are in the
White House and State Department each
day and part of the pool rotation. Whistleblowers were targeted for retribution.
Obamas Syria policy will likely go down as
the biggest stain on his presidency.
But on so much else the economic
recovery, job creation, restoring Americas reputation around the world, LGBT
equality Obama surpassed expectations. Top adviser Valerie Jarrett told the
Blade in an exclusive interview this week
that shes condent the culture has come
far enough on LGBT rights that Presidentelect Trumps administration wont be
able to roll back the advances weve seen.
I wish I shared her assessment. Given
the myriad bigots about to populate the
White House, led by Steve Bannon, the
LGBT community is in for a rough ride
and setbacks await.
But we know how to ght and well take
our places back outside the White House
fence. Thanks to President Obama, we
have an impressive string of victories to
protect. Thank you, Mr. President.
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V I E W PO I N T
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 2 3
History will be kind to President Obama

Embrace of marriage
equality proved a
game-changer
By EARL FOWLKES
Its hard to believe that in a few days
the Obama presidency will come to an
end. Like many Americans, I have spent
the past few months reecting on the
Obama presidency and his legacy particularly from my perspective as a gay
black man. President Obamas election
inspired me to become more involved in
the Democratic National Committee and
led to my subsequent election as chair of
the LGBTQ Caucus.
I must confess that Barack Hussein
Obama was not my rst choice for the
Democratic nomination in 2008. I just
could not believe that an unknown rstterm senator from Illinois with a Muslim
sounding name and mixed race could be
elected president of the United States.
Then Obama started to win primaries in
the late winter and early spring of 2008,
then he surged ahead of Hillary Clinton
and by June it was all over. I was going to
vote for the eventual Democratic nomi-
Obama will never be forgotten for his courage in

standing for and with our community, and
history will judge him worthy.
nee because I am a Democrat but I was
not excited about Obama because I didnt
know him and didnt think he could win.
I attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, waited
hours in the blazing sun to hear Obamas
acceptance speech. I could not believe my
ears when I heard him say, I know there
are dierences on same-sex marriage,
but surely we can agree that our gay and
lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to
visit the person they love in the hospital
and to live lives free of discrimination.
This was the rst time I had ever heard
a presidential candidate speak so rmly
in favor of LGBT rights. I left Denver energized and worked hard for his election.
And the man with the funny sounding
name was elected our president.
There were many in the LGBT community who felt that during the rst six
months of his administration, Obama was
moving too slowly on LGBT issues, such
as the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell
and submitting hate crimes legislation to

Congress. In fact, more than a few LGBT
leaders boycotted the DNC LGBT Gala
held in Washington, D.C., in June 2008.
In hindsight, allowing time for Obama to
deal with the banking crisis, auto industry and ghting two wars was worth the
wait. Who knew that so much progress on
LGBT issues would be made under President Obamas leadership the passing
of the Aordable Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid, which has provided insurance to so many in LGBT community;
passing hate crimes legislation named
for Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.;
banning discrimination against LGBT people by federal contractors; ending Dont
Ask, Dont Tell; the appointment of gay
ambassadors; lifting the ban on transgender military service and the list of pro-LGBT policy changes goes on and on.
However, one of the greatest impacts
that President Obama had on the LGBT
community was not legislative or poli-
cy it was when he voiced support for

same-sex marriage in 2012. Conversations about same-sex marriage took
place at dinner tables, living rooms and
barber shops around the nation. Even
my 76-year-old Baptist minister father
came around and stated that same-sex
couples should have the right to marry.
Public opinion immediately started shifting toward acceptance of same-sex marriage, which culminated in the approval of
same-sex marriage by the U.S. Supreme
Court in 2015.
President John F. Kennedy once said
that history will be the nal judge of our
deeds. There are many people who believe that the Trump administration and
his Republican-controlled Congress will
undo all of President Obamas LGBT legislative and policy changes thus tarnishing his legacy. I would venture to say that
while some LGBT legislative and policy
changes will be undone, Obama will never be forgotten for his courage in standing for and with our community, and history will judge him worthy.
EARL FOWLKES is chair of the DNCs LGBTQ

Caucus and president of the Gertrude Stein
Democratic Club.
V I E W PO I NT
Obamas formula: Respect. Empower. Include. Win.

Lets remember how far
these values can take us
By OLIVIA DALTON
In 2011, I remember walking into the
Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago, where the words Respect. Empower.
Include. Win. were written in huge letters across one wall. Those words had
guided President Obamas rst four years
in oce. They were what we had worked
toward every day. And for me, they will
also dene his legacy of ghting for equal
rights for the LGBTQ community.
After eight years of President Obamas
leadership, we live in a country that is
more equal, just and inclusive. We have
federal protections against hate crimes.
Our nation now embraces LGBTQ service members. The White House was lit
with rainbow colors when the Supreme
Court delivered marriage equality to
all 50 states, with the help of President
Obamas two Supreme Court appointees.
His administration helped erase the stain
of the Defense of Marriage Act that had
Advocates and allies have a tough road ahead and

we cant afford to let up for a moment.
discriminated against same-sex couples
from federal law. President Obama designated the site of the Stonewall Uprising
as a national monument and fought to
protect LGBTQ workers. He made LGBTQ
human rights a pillar of U.S. foreign policy
and gave refuge to those eeing violence.
His leadership went beyond policy. He welcomed the rst openly transgender White
House intern, Sarah McBride, and the rst
openly transgender White House staer, Raf Freedman-Gurspan. He gave LGBTQ youth
an ally in the most powerful oce in the land.
Now, its up to us to protect this legacy.
In a few short days, our champion in the
Oval Oce will be replaced with a president, aides and Cabinet nominees who
have threatened to roll back equality for
millions of LGBTQ people and families.
Take Donald Trumps choice for attorney general, Sen. Je Sessions, who voted
against federal hate crimes legislation and
opposed repealing Dont Ask, Dont Tell.

Or Trumps pick for Secretary of Health
and Human Services, Congressman Tom
Price, who opposes the Aordable Care
Act, a law that has helped countless LGBTQ people access crucial health care. Or
his vice president, a believer in so-called
conversion therapy who was willing to
tank Indianas economy to pass licenseto-discriminate legislation. Or Trumps
Senior Counselor and Chief Strategist,
Steve Bannon, who founded a white nationalist news organization best known
for tracking in anti-LGBTQ, misogynistic
and anti-Semitic views. Trump has also
vowed to nominate the next Scalia to
the U.S. Supreme Court, threatening to
undo and block progress toward equality
through the courts.
We are at a crucial moment in time. Despite all that we have achieved over the last
eight years, LGBTQ people remain at risk
of being red, evicted or denied services

in 31 states. Until we pass the Equality Act,
the basic rights of millions of people will
change every time they cross a state border. And we will continue to face hundreds
of state bills attempting to write discrimination into law. In Texas, Kentucky and Virginia, we have already seen lawmakers unveil
bills similar to North Carolinas notorious
HB2 law, despite the outcry and damage
that hateful legislation caused.
For eight years, President Obama put
the full weight of his administration behind the LGBTQ community. Now we
must step up not just to secure his
legacy, but to secure our own. Advocates
and allies have a tough road ahead and
we cant aord to let up for a moment.
Respect. Empower. Include. Win. As
we bid farewell to President Obamas
time in the White House, lets not forget
how far these values can take us.
OLIVIA ALAIR DALTON is senior vice president
of communications and marketing for the
Human Rights Campaign. Previously, she
served as a spokesperson for the Obama
administration and both of President Obamas
campaigns.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
2 4 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
VIEWPOINT
Trump will learn that undoing progress wont be easy

Obama showed that
LGBTQ rights critical
to progressive coalition
By WINNIE STACHELBERG
On Jan. 20, President Barack Obama will
leave oce with an unprecedented record on LGBT rights. Thanks to his leadership, and that of Vice President Joe Biden
and other allies in the federal workforce,
Dont Ask Dont Tell is a thing of the past,
federally funded hospitals cant turn away
LGBT patients and their loved ones, and
schools that receive federal funding must
ensure transgender students can go to
class free from discrimination.
Yet President Obamas most important
legacy may be a less tangible one. Under
his leadership, LGBT equality has moved
from being a niche issue to an integral
part of the progressive movement.
Today, President Obama is one of my
communitys ercest allies. But in 2007,
candidate Obama was less committed to
our cause, voicing support for secular civil
unions but not yet publicly supporting marriage equality. After his inauguration, however, the president showed a willingness to
listen to LGBT advocates and to evolve.
Although President Obama did not im-
There is no justice and equality

without LGBT rights.
mediately embrace our movements most
visible goal, marriage equality, advocates
saw in him an opportunity to advance
equality in other major policy domains
such as hate crimes, immigration, education, and healthcare. Thats why, during the same year Obama accepted the
partys nomination in Denver, I helped
launch the LGBT Research and Communications Project at my organization, the
Center for American Progress. Our goal
was to show policymakers and the public
that LGBT equality is part and parcel of
a progressive agenda, and that the ght
for progressive policies from immigration reform to aordable healthcare and
beyond would be incomplete if LGBT
people were left behind.
As president, Obama embraced that
reality and acted on it, through word and
deed. One critical advancement was making healthcare access for LGBT Americans
a key feature of the Aordable Care Act.
Before the ACA passed, insurers could legally deny transgender people coverage
for hormone therapy or refuse to cover
anyone who was HIV+, since HIV was con-
sidered a preexisting condition. The Affordable Care Act also introduced crucial
nondiscrimination protections banning
anti-LGBT discrimination in health care
and health insurance, saving LGBT lives.
Because of the Aordable Care Act, the
un-insurance rate among low- and middle-income LGBT adults fell by 23 percent
from 2013 to 2014 alone.
There are numerous other ways in
which President Obama and his administration made LGBT rights a core part of
the progressive mission. Federal agencies
took unprecedented action to support
homeless LGBT youth, protect transgender workers from employment discrimination, and prohibit banks from denying
mortgages to same-sex couples, among
other achievements. His was an administration that led by example.
Ultimately, Obama led on marriage
equality too, becoming the rst U.S.
president in history to support same-sex
marriage in 2012. President Obama lived
out his evolution on marriage equality in
public and along the way, he helped
lead the progressive movement toward
fully embracing LGBT rights. The Democratic Party shed its tepid support of civil
unions and included nationwide marriage
equality in its 2012 platform. Moreover,
today, a majority of voters in both parties
support a federal law providing comprehensive nondiscrimination protections to
LGBT people nationwide.
Alarmingly, President-elect Donald
Trump threatens to undo much of this
legacy. He has put forth virulently antiequality cabinet nominees and vowed to
sign legislation that would sanction employment and housing discrimination. He
ran on repealing the ACA, returning us to
a time when LGBT and HIV+ people could
legally be denied life-saving healthcare
and congressional Republicans have
made it clear that rolling back this coverage is one of their rst priorities.
But thanks to President Obama, the
Trump administration is about to learn
that rolling back LGBT rights wont be
easy. President Obama showed the progressive movement, and the nation, that
there is no justice and equality without
LGBT rights. As a progressive coalition,
we must honor his legacy by ghting to
preserve it.
WINNIE STACHELBERG is executive vice
president for external aairs at the Center for
American Progress.
VIEWPOINT
Obama, Biden brought out the best in us

Leading with grace,
principle and conviction
By MOE VELA, JR.
As we bid farewell to President and Mrs.
Obama and the Bidens in a short couple
of weeks, it is a time of reection, assessment and gratitude on the progress we
achieved through their leadership for our
LGBTQ community.
As the rst openly gay American to
serve twice in a senior role in two White
House administrations, the end of the
Obama/Biden administration is especially
poignant and a reective time for me. My
second tenure in the White House was as
Vice President Bidens director of management and senior adviser on LGBT and
Hispanic issues and I had the privilege
and honor to serve in a similar role for
Vice President Al Gore.
I believe strongly that history will look
back on the Obama/Biden administration
as one that brought out the best of us as
Love not only trumps hate but it is at

the core of our LGBTQ hearts and souls.
Americans. President and Mrs. Obama
and the Bidens reminded us of what was
best in humanity. They led our nation
with grace, poise, principle and conviction.
Although they were not able to
address, correct nor improve every critical and vital issue facing our nation and
our community, they were successful in
implementing changes in policy and law
that will improve the lives of millions of
Americans for generations to come, including our LGBTQ community.
I would argue, and I am condent that
their legacy will demonstrate, that President Obama and Vice President Biden
positively impacted the LGBTQ community more than any other previous presidential administration in American history. With the repeal of Dont Ask Dont
Tell, the passage of the Aordable Care

Act, introduction of global initiatives on
LGBTQ equality, enhanced respect and
recognition of LGBTQ federal employees,
eventual support of marriage equality, a
record number of LGBTQ appointees and
many other direct and indirect policies
and initiatives, President Obama sent a
loud and clear message to our community, the nation and the world that our LGBTQ community deserves respect, equality and dignity.
The presidents 2008 campaign message of hope was the underlying force of
almost every initiative the Obama administration put forth and accomplished. It is
that hope that must continue to be the
driving force as our community unites in
solidarity to protect and defend our ad-
vancements toward a more equal and

just society. Undoubtedly, we have much
work left to do on our march toward
equality, but I encourage every member
of our LGBTQ family to take a moment to
reect and express our gratitude for a job
well done by President Obama and Vice
President Biden. Let us make it our highest priority to stand united in an unprecedented, vocal and obvious manner and
vow to never ever allow hatred, bigotry,
division, ignorance or discrimination to
reverse our progress.
As we start this new year and new
administration, we owe it to President
Obama and to ourselves to NEVER let
our guard down, NEVER stop ghting for
equality and to ALWAYS show our nation
and the world that love not only trumps
hate but it is at the core of our LGBTQ
hearts and souls.
MOE VELA, JR. is president and CEO of the Vela

Group. He served as a senior adviser to Vice
President Biden.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 2 5
Skip the inauguration, join the march

Lets send Trump a
powerful message of unity
PETER ROSENSTEIN is a longtime Democratic

Party and LGBT rights activist. He is a regular
contributor to the Blade.
At noon on Jan. 20, Donald Trump will be

sworn in as the nations 45th president. Many
hoped they would never have to witness this
but it will happen whether we like it or not. We
have little idea what will happen during his
presidency but the feeling is it wont be good
for the nation or the world. Thus far we see a
man who will be president make pronouncements in 144 characters on Twitter. Bizarre to
say the least.
I will not go to the inauguration but will
read the speech he makes presumably
he wont tweet the speech to see if he
tells us any more about what to expect in
the next four years.

What I will do is join hands with the anticipated more than 100,000 at the Womens
March on Washington Saturday, Jan. 21. We
march to tell the new administration we will
ght any eort to take our nation backwards.
The march mission statement reads, The
rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us
immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and
those of diverse religious faiths, people who
identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and
Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward
in the face of national and international concern and fear.
In the spirit of democracy and honoring
the champions of human rights, dignity, and
justice who have come before us, we join in
diversity to show our presence in numbers
too great to ignore. The Womens March on
Washington will send a bold message to our
new government on their rst day in oce,
and to the world that womens rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing
that defending the most marginalized among
us is defending all of us.
We support the advocacy and resistance

movements that reect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders
of human rights to join us. This march is the
rst step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create
change from the grassroots level up. We will
not rest until women have parity and equity
at all levels of leadership in society. We work
peacefully while recognizing there is no true
peace without justice and equity for all. HEAR
OUR VOICE.
We raise our voices to defend progress
made over decades and advanced under
President Obama. We will not sit by idly while
a new administration turns back the clock on
equality. Instead we unite and work tirelessly
to continue to make progress until there is a
guarantee of civil and human rights for all.
The world is watching as the Trump administration begins. We cannot allow those who
look to America for leadership to believe there
is no active resistance to the words we are
hearing from him and those who would be
part of his administration.
President Obama has spoken out for equal
pay for women, for LGBT rights, for the rights
of immigrants and refugees. The rst piece
of legislation Obama signed after taking of-
ce in 2009 was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

soon followed by the Matthew Shepard and
James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He
signed the Aordable Care Act better known
as Obamacare giving more than 20 million
people healthcare insurance for the rst time
in March of 2010 and followed that with the
repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell in December of
that year. After that, much of what the president did was by executive order and those can
more easily be overturned by Trump; some
with the stroke of a pen.
Much is at stake. Trump has committed to
nominating Supreme Court justices who oppose Roe v. Wade and some on his list would
like to overturn marriage equality. There are
those who will assume Cabinet positions who
support dismantling Medicare and Medicaid
and curtailing Social Security. The progress
made to slow climate change is at risk to say
nothing of our other treaties and alliances
around the world.
That is why I will march and why it is so important for you to join me, and Gloria Steinem
and Harry Belafonte the march co-chairs. We
march because we believe we must say to this
new administration that we are watching and
we are united, ready and willing to act to save
the principles and rights we believe in.
V I E W PO I NT
The grownup is leaving the building

Obamas qualities will
be sorely missed in
the years ahead
RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.
He is someone you would trust with

your children as well as the nuclear launch
codes. Someone who does not need you
to love him, who feels no compulsion to
re back at every insult. Someone who can
coolly deliver one-liners at a fancy dinner
after green-lighting a mission to nab Americas top enemy. Someone who brings informed questions to his morning security
meeting because he already studied the
Presidents Daily Brief. Someone who can
lead mourners in Amazing Grace for a
martyred pastor and Bible study class and
light up the north front of the White House
in rainbow colors for marriage equality on

the same day. His only rival in quality and
class is his wife.
President Barack Obama is preparing
to repeat a great American tradition: the
peaceful transfer of power set by George
Washington in 1797. He leaves with no trace
of scandal having touched his oce, and
holds his head high even as he is scorned
and cheated by men who are not t to hold
his coat. He had to be twice as good as everyone else because he was African American, though many resent this painfully evident truth being mentioned.
My admiration for the man does not blind
me to his faults. I think he should have been
slower to trust his detractors and quicker to
ght. I think he should have done more to
build and strengthen his party. But his virtues outweigh his shortcomings.
His legacy, I suspect, is more secure than
people imagine. He won a global climate
change agreement; won a multilateral accord to keep Iran from developing nuclear
weapons; won healthcare for millions of
Americans who did not have it before; saved
the auto and banking industries; restored
relations with Cuba after more than 50 years
of a failed policy; and made sure, as he put it,
that a Marine can serve his country without
hiding the husband he loves.

If his adversaries reverse some of these
achievements, the harm and shame will be
on them. You might say Obama is the telltale bloodstain in the rights horror movie:
they cannot erase or diminish him, however frantically they try. His success shows
up their smallness.
The nest president of my lifetime is about
to be replaced by a kakistocracy, a government by the worst. Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell says the American people
will not tolerate obstruction of the presidentelects choices. Setting aside such stunning
hypocrisy, how do you claim a mandate for
someone who got three million fewer votes
despite massive vote suppression on his behalf? Obama twice won popular majorities,
yet was obstructed at every turn. McConnell
demands respect he never gave. He will inherit the wind.
Republicans make up their own facts and
rules to the point that the conversation in
Washington resembles the trial over who
stole the tarts in Alice in Wonderland. We
who believe that Republicans are hell-bent
on wrecking the country have little reason to
cooperate and every reason to emulate the
resistance that won for them in 2016.
Part of wisdom is learning that all is not
about you. The noisy hubris of incoming

White House staers notwithstanding,
members of Congress are sent to Washington to defend their constituents interests,
not to prostrate themselves before a blustering ignoramus who lied and incited his
way into oce. The job of journalists is to
investigate the truth, not serve as stenographers to the powerful.
Any self-assertion by a voice from a historically subordinated population meets
with a backlash. As actor and author Keith
Hamilton Cobb recently said in discussing his incisive play American Moor, the
humanity whose foibles Shakespeare so
acutely observed is the same humanity we
have now. We resist seeing beyond our own
experience. The extraordinary talents and
skills that our 44th president brought to his
historic moment are in greater supply than
we choose to recognize.
We will always have that electrifying election night in Grant Park, and the eight years
that followed, with lessons in toughness,
grace, and vision from a man who connected easily with children and who spoke to voters, in a triumph of hope over experience, as
if they were adults.
Copyright 2017 by Richard J. Rosendall.
All rights reserved.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
2 6 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
VIEWPOINT
Obama as seen from my seat in the White House brieng room

8 years of progress,
but plenty of bumps
along the way
By CHRIS JOHNSON
After eight years of President Obama, theres
no denying advancements on LGBT rights have
been anything short of revolutionary.
Reviewing the timeline we put together for
Obama on LGBT issues, I can say it just doesnt
do the past eight years justice. The whole is
greater than the sum of its parts because they
reect a greater societal change and got us out
of a deep hole of inequality dug by George W.
Bushs anti-gay administration and Bill Clinton
signing into law the Defense of Marriage Act
and Dont Ask, Dont Tell.
This progress on LGBT rights under Obama
didnt just happen. It followed a lot of pressure
from LGBT activists seeking equality and
as the Washington Blades chief political and
White House reporter, I played my role in
seeking responses to the calls for action from
the White House press secretary during the
daily brieng.
During Obamas rst year in oce, LGBT
rights activists were relentless in their calls
on Obama to act on Dont Ask, Dont Tell,
which they said was taking too long to happen, and I was among those bringing those
calls to the attention of Obamas rst press
secretary Robert Gibbs.

It took Obama until the State of the Union
address at the start of his second year in ofce to declare he would act. The plan ended
up a being a nearly year-long massive study
at the Pentagon on repeal that would conclude in the lame duck of session of Congress. Obama would sign Dont Ask, Dont
Tell repeal, but whether he actually planned
for legislative action to end the militarys gay
ban during a brief window after Election Day
and before Republicans took control of the
U.S. House remains in question.
Similarly, Obama didnt come into the White
House believing gay people should enjoy the
fundamental right to marry. The president
only espoused that belief during the nal year
of his rst term in 2012. By that time, I had a
number of exchanges with Robert Gibbs and
Jay Carney that were embarrassing for the administration because they exposed the presidents lack of support for marriage equality as
he professed to support LGBT rights.
The period of questioning in the White
House brieng room on whether Obama
would sign an executive order barring federal contractors from engaging in anti-LGBT
workplace discrimination was even longer.
I rst queried Jay Carney about the potential
order in 2011, through the time when the administration said it wouldnt happen in 2012
and into Josh Earnests tenure in 2014 when
Obama nally signed the directive.
In fact, throughout the presidents rst term
in oce, there was a great deal of skepticism

about whether he would make good on his
pledge to be an LGBT ally. Its hard to see now
with so much public support for LGBT rights,
but even just a few years ago during the early
years of the Obama administration, society
wasnt yet where it is today. I think the Obama
administration was wary about being too public inchampioning LGBT rights when itwanted
to stay in power and accomplish other things.
But I can pinpoint an exact moment when
that changed: Obamas remarks during his
second inauguration speech in 2013 in which
he compared the Stonewall riots to Selma and
declared our journey is not compete until gay
and lesbian brothers and sisters are treated
like anyone else under the law.
The signicance of those words cannot be
overstated. First, no LGBT advocate publicly
called on the president to include a commitment to LGBT rights in his speech. Second,
the impact of the widely watched speech
was far-reaching and gave a clear signal LGBT
rights would be a top, visible commitment for
Obama during his second term.
After that moment, there was a palpable change in the LGBT movements view
of Obama. The sense we needed to push
to make to him see us and advance our
equality faded substantially and his image
as anLGBT rights champion we know today
started to take shape.
That said, activism still continued, most signicantly in the form of pushing Obama to
green light a Justice Department brief against

Californias Proposition 8 and to sign the LGBT
non-discrimination executive order (both requests were granted). But the sense Obama
was an LGBT rights champion was so pervasive that when he inadvertently referred to being a gay as a lifestyle choice in 2015 during a
YouTube interview, the remarks barely registered in the LGBT community.
I could add a personal gripe that over the
course of eight years, Obama never granted
the Washington Blade an interview, nor did he
even take a question from me any of his news
conferences even though I made sure I attended just about all of them in case I had the opportunity. But as much as that disappoints me,
I dont think youll hear complaints in the LGBT
community about the Washington Blades lack
of access given the litany of LGBT accomplishments under the Obama presidency.
In the coming weeks, Im sure youll hear
the refrain, Thanks, Obama in reference
to the advancements of LGBT rights under
his administration. Just remember LGBT
people should also thank themselves for
demanding equality and pushing Obama
to be the champion of LGBT rights that will
endure as part of his legacy.
CHRIS JOHNSON is the Blades White House

reporter. Reach him at cjohnson@washblade.
com.
VIEWPOINT
Trump era a rupture in American history

Obama gave us a lift,
now we must persevere
By DANA BEYER
I have been an activist and advocate for the
trans community for the past 15 years, but
laboring under an incorrect assumption. That
assumption is that American life and culture,
as awed as it may be, was going to progress
in ts and starts as it had since 1945. To put
it more poetically, the arc of history, though
long, would continue bending toward justice.
That assumption was just proven wrong, as
were now living through a rupture in American history.
That rupture necessitates a look back at
the Obama years with both gratitude and, unfortunately, nostalgia for what weve accomplished and could have continued to accomplish going forward. I will preface my remarks
by saying that our progress was not primarily
due to the president and his administration;
we, the people, made it happen. The president
demanded that we make him do it, and he did.
I will focus on the trans rights movement.

Throughout the Bush years state and local
anti-discrimination protections occurred under the radar, often being intermixed with gay
rights, in denitions and footnotes. But that
experience, as well as the ENDA debacle in
Congress in 2007, which put the trans community on the LGB map, created a core of activists
who were primed to move forward under the
new Democratic president.
That progress began with government
agencies upgrading their EEO policies to include gender identity, and a willingness to
incorporate such protections in major legislation such as the Aordable Care Act. This led
to generalized improvements in health care
access, in the private sector (most notably by
Kaiser Permanente) as well as with Medicare,
the VA system and state Medicaid programs.
Such progress in health care was jumpstarted by the major medical organizations
getting on board in support of trans health and
rights, including the AMA, American Academy
of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, and, nally, the big one, the American
Psychiatric Association and its 2011 revision of
the DSM, the psychiatric bible used in courts

and legislatures in the past to deny trans persons their rights. Just as the depathologization
of homosexuality in 1973 by the APA led to the
rapid growth of the gay rights movement, the
depsychopathologization of Gender Identity
Disorder led to court victories and, last year,
the institution of open trans military service,
long forbidden on medical grounds.
The administration also very quickly appointed several trans persons to visible posts,
along with many gay appointees. Agency and
White House meetings on trans issues, led by
the National Center for Transgender Equality,
and soon including representatives from multiple advocacy and legal impact groups, created more job opportunities and culminated last
year with the Department of Justices historic
suit against the transphobic HB2 in North Carolina, and the passionate public statements
of Attorney General Lynch and Assistant AG
Gupta to the trans community.
The pivotal appointment by the administration for the trans community was the nomination and conrmation of Georgetown Law
Professor Chai Feldblum to the federal EEOC.
Her work with her fellow commissioners,

leading to the unanimous Macy decision of
2012, stands tall. State and, most importantly,
federal court decisions, beginning in the 6th
Circuit in 2004 and eventually including decisions in most circuits, most famously the 11th
Circuit of Alabama, Georgia and Florida whose
decision in Glenn v. Brumby added the trans
community beneath the umbrella of the 14th
Amendment, will probably be the most benecial and lasting for the community.
Administrations change. The coming
change may very well be catastrophic. However, unless the federal judiciary is purged,
the momentum in federal courts developed
under President Obama will probably last into
the future. Most importantly, the actions of
the community in coming out and being seen,
which enabled and encouraged the work by
this historic administration, will be essential for
future progress toward greater equality.
The president gave us a tremendous lift.
Now its up to us to persevere.
Dana Beyer is a longtime D.C.-based advocate
for transgender equality.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
V I E W PO I NT
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 2 7
5 questions for Trumps Education nominee

Will DeVos address
harassment, bullying
of LGBT students?
By ADELE KIMMEL
Donald Trump seems more intent on dismantling the federal government than running it. I hope Im wrong about this. But in
appointment after appointment, the president-elect has chosen cabinet secretaries who
disdain the agencies they are being asked
to lead. From an EPA chief who is suing the
agency, to a Health & Human Services secretary who wants to take away healthcare, the
emerging list of Trump administration ocials
is worrying for many reasons.
For the LGBT community, there are particularly worrisome signs about Trumps nominees. His choice for Attorney General, Sen.
Je Sessions of Alabama, voted for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and against
expanding the denition of hate crimes to include acts based on a victims sexual orientation or gender identity. Scott Pruitt, his choice
to head the EPA, is so opposed to LGBT equality that he has been called the head bully.
But for some of the youngest and most
vulnerable LGBT people our nations stu-
dents it is Trumps selection of Betsy DeVos

to serve as Secretary of Education that causes
great concern. DeVos who has been a major
donor to anti-LGBT organizations like the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and
the National Organization for Marriage will
now be in charge of Americas public school
system. How, or whether, she will address the
harassment and bullying LGBT students face
in our schools should be among the rst questions she is asked during her conrmation
hearings. Heres why.
Over the past eight years, the Department
of Educations Oce for Civil Rights (OCR) has
played a crucial role in addressing discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence in our
nations schools. In my work at Public Justice,
weve led complaints with OCR that resulted
in investigations of school districts in cases
involving sexual violence, gender-based and
racial harassment, and dating violence. When
OCR opens an investigation, schools pay attention. And when the federal government
intervenes to ensure schools are properly applying the law to protect students, parents rest
easier.
Now, OCRs work appears to be in jeopardy.
Trump advisers have suggested dismantling
or defunding OCR, or moving its work to an
entirely dierent agency. If they succeed in doing so, LGBT students along with other stu-
dents who have relied on OCR to address sexual harassment and violence will be robbed
of a key force in battling discrimination in our
nations schools. If the agency disappears, or
is signicantly watered down, transgender
students will be unable to request an investigation when they are denied access to school
facilities, and schools will not be held accountable when students are bullied because of
their real or perceived sexual orientation or
gender identity.
And thats just the tip of the iceberg. DeVos
will have to decide how to interpret and apply
Title IX, the federal civil rights law designed to
combat sex discrimination and ensure gender
equity in education. OCR has long interpreted
Title IX to cover harassment of LGBT students.
Will DeVos try to undo this?
In short, on day one, DeVos will be able to
continue policies and enforcement that have
already helped countless LGBT students or
wipe them away. Given her past support of
anti-LGBT lobbyists and groups, parents and
advocates have cause to be concerned.
Before senators vote on her conrmation,
they should insist she lay out her vision for the
future of OCRs policies and enforcement. Specically, they should insist she answer these
ve questions:
Do you intend to continue OCRs enforcement of students rights to an education in a
safe environment, free from discrimination

and harassment?
Do you support existing policy guidance on
transgender students access to school facilities?
Do you continue to support, nancially
or otherwise, organizations that have campaigned against LGBT rights or advocate conversion therapy?
Do you believe Title IXs prohibition against
sex discrimination covers discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity or expression, and will you implement
the law accordingly?
How will the Department of Educations
Oce for Civil Rights address claims of antiLGBT harassment, discrimination or violence,
and how will OCRs work change, if at all, under
your leadership?
Her answers will tell us a lot about whether
the department that has made such a dierence in the lives of LGBT and other targeted
students over the past eight years will continue
to be their ally or will be reshaped by groups
with a divisive, anti-LGBT political agenda.
ADELE P. KIMMEL is senior attorney at
Public Justice, an impact litigation group that
pursues high impact lawsuits to combat
social and economic injustice, protect the
Earths sustainability, and challenge predatory
corporate conduct and government abuses. For
more information, visit PublicJustice.net.
IMAGINE YOUR POSSIBILITIES. CHOOSE YOUR SCHOOL. START HERE.

DCs common application for DCPS and public charter
schools is now open for school year 2017-18!
DEADLINES
GRADES 912: February 1 | GRADES PK38: March 1
Have questions? Need help?
Call the My School DC Hotline at 202.888.6336.
Stop by a field office in Wards 1 and 8.
Set up a 1-on-1 appointment by calling the

hotline or going to MySchoolDC.org.
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LAST YEARS MR. LEATHER CONTEST AT MAL.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY DAMIEN SALAS
Fun with Dick and Jane
MAL WEEKEND CELEBRATES DIVERSITY IN RACE, SEX, BODY TYPE AND MORE
By GEORGE KEVIN JORDAN
The inauguration is coming soon, but for
this weekend, its a much dierent story
in Washington with fun, education and
inclusion all wrapped in chaps and jocks set
to unfold at the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather
Weekend at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol
Hill. About 3,500 are expected.
This is an election year, says Patrick
Grady, chairman of Leather Weekend, so
there will be lots of people coming.
MAL Weekend, the largest clubsponsored leather event in the country,
is a kaleidoscope of parties and events.
There is an exhibitors hall and several
educational seminars and gear shows as
well as the Dark & Twisted closing party
hosted by DJ Ultra Nate.
The origin of MAL reads like a Marvel
comic, read after midnight, at a black-out
party. According the MAL website, in 1976
Glenn Pitcher, a member of the Links
Motorcycle Club, threw a party for his

West Coast friends at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel in New York. Somehow during
certain adult events in the bathroom, a
cock ring hit the tile oor which became
the resounding tradition going forward,
as the event was repeated year after year.
When organizers threatened to shutter
the event, members of the Centaur MC
asked to continue the ritual in 1984. The
event blossomed from there.
The key words that bubble out of
the leather community are consent
and communication. There are a lot of
conversations about sexuality and interests
and each person has to be willing to have a
dialogue to explore what they want.
This may be why the leather community
feels more inclusive than other parts of
LGBT culture.
I think the community strives for
inclusion, says Dominion ONYX, a

blogger and parliamentarian of the ONYX
brotherhood, a leather fraternity for men
of color that will host a party and gear
show Saturday.
The 45-year-old Washington resident,
who declined to give his legal name, can
trace his involvement with the leather
community back to attending a MAL
Weekend event.
I just remember having a really good
time and people welcoming me like
family, he says.
He says the leather community, and MAL
and ONYX specically, tend to have a more
welcoming stance not only about race,
gender and orientation, but of body sizes.
Dominion ONYX, who weighs about 290
pounds, felt his voice was just as important
MID-ATLANTIC LEATHER WEEKEND

Jan. 13-15
Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill (400 New Jersey
Ave., N.W.)
Glorious Health Club (2120 West Virginia Ave.,
N.E.)
D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.)
9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.)
Full details on all events, cost, package deals
and more available at leatherweekend.com.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Friday, Jan. 13
Impact Deux by Highwaymen TNT, 10 p.m.
CODE party, 10 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 14
Puppy Park 9, 11 a.m.
Onyx Cocktail Party & Gear Show, 2 p.m.
Leather Cocktails, 7 p.m.
MAUL Uniform Party, 10 p.m.
FxCK Muscle party, 10 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 15
Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather contest, 1 p.m.
Womens Tea Social, 5 p.m.
Dark & Twisted closing dance party, 10 p.m.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 0 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
O U T &A BO U T
PHOTOS BY BOB FORD, NEST AREA (TOP CENTER) PHOTO BY CHARLES KING
Baltimore Eagle set to take ight

Iconic bar readies for
long-awaited reopening
By STEVE CHARING
The world was recently fascinated
by the hatching of baby bald eagles in
Florida. The leather community and
other interested individuals in the midAtlantic area are excited about the longawaited rebirth of a dierent eaglethe
Baltimore Eagle.
Since the iconic leather bar closed
its doors in December 2012, its path to
reopening has been characterized by major
challenges, setbacks and ultimate victories.
The owners and the management team
dealt with unforeseen problems with
the buildings structure, plumbing and
wiring soon after the property, located
at 2022 N. Charles St., was purchased by
local developers Charles Parrish and Ian
Parrish for $300,000. This necessitated
the virtual gutting of the original building.
There were other impediments
including early opposition from local
community associations, the refusal to
approve the transfer of the original license
by the city liquor board, construction and
utility delays, and the usual red tape.
However, through the eorts of Charles
King, Greg King, Robert Gasser and John
Gasserall partners in the businessas
well as the Parrishes, the management
team was able to allay the concerns of
the community associations; the liquor
license transfer subsequently purchased
from former Club Hippo owner Chuck
Bowers was approved by the liquor
board; and the massive renovations,
which continued while the earlier battles

were being waged, are all but complete.
In a city plagued by economic hardship
and social injustice, we endeavored a
highly technical and nancially demanding
reconstruction in order to welcome back
friends of the Baltimore Eagle to their
home away from home, Ian Parrish told
the Blade. Our ght for equal treatment
by the city liquor board strengthened my
belief that equality isnt just an LGBT issue;
its a cause that aects every member
of our community, and were honored
and humbled by how our friends and
neighbors came together to support us.
Weve come out on top, and our new
opening shows that theres no wrong in
this town that our pride cant cure.
Accordingly, the Baltimore Eagles owners
and managers can state at last that the bar
is about to be open for business, though
an exact date hasnt been announced. The
nal inspection and permit issuance are
scheduled to take place this week.
The management team, with its
experience in the leather community,
designed the concept for the Baltimore
Eagle. From a physical standpoint, the
dierences between the original Eagle
and the new iteration couldnt be starker.
The previous Baltimore Eagle consisted
of a gritty, long narrow space that,
aside from a small leather store above
a staircase in the rear, was conned
to the ground oor. The extensive
reconstruction of the building, which cost
$1.7 million, has dramatically increased
the area of the original footprint and
added a full-use second oor. It will have
a state-of-the-art air conditioning system
among its myriad improvements.
From a thematic standpoint, the Baltimore

Eagle retains and enhances its leather
identity and vibe while adding features that
will appeal to a broader community.
The popular outdoor courtyard
that oered a respite from the often
crowded and stuy air inside the old bar
will continue to be a facet of the new
establishment. The courtyard with its
own bar will have many improvements
according to management and is
expected to be ready for use this spring.
Inside the front entrance on heavily
travelled Charles Streeta main artery that
runs north though the citysits the Sports
Bar with several at screen TVs. There are
also open spaces for casual dining with
gastro-pub inspired lunch and dinner
menus and custom catering by Europeantrained Master Chef Ed Scholly with his 26
years of culinary experience. A DJ booth
from which an eclectic mix of music will be
played is situated in that space.
Outside the Sports Bar is a sitting area
and lounge. Along the wall there is a display
case containing a variety of leather-related
memorabilia and artifacts. That area also
includes a pansexual restroom.
Additionally, on the street level is an
exclusive Code Bar whereby only those
in leather or fetish gear will be admitted.
This area, with a garage-themed dcor,
has its own DJ set-up.
For those who are concerned
about having a dark cruise bar, we will
encompass that, explains Charles King,
the general manager.
A package goods store is located on the
ground level where the entrance to the
original Eagle stood.
In a dramatic departure from the old
Eagle there is a Moulin Rouge-inspired

cabaret/nightclub space on the upper
oor called Nest. This includes a stage with
professional digital video projection and
sound that can be used for entertainment,
lm festivals and special events.
Management promises regular dance
parties bringing the Montreal and
European dance music scene to Nest and
perhaps the occasional Hippo Retro Dance
Party. It is also suitable for weddings,
banquets and other celebrations.
Nest has a bar of its own as well as a patio.
On this level, another set of restrooms is
located, but they are separated by gender.
In addition, there is a leather and fetish
store as well as an erotic art gallery.
The successful end to this arduous
journey is not lost on partner John Gasser,
who oversees the package goods store
operations as well as administration.
With gay bars shutting their doors
here and across the country, people told
us we were crazy to reopen one, hence
the name of our corporation, 4 Crazy
Guys. Really! Gasser told the Blade.
What has given us the most condence
in this project and Baltimore in particular
has been the incredible community
support and the many volunteers who
have generously given freely of their time
and various areas of expertise far too
many to start telling you about them all.
It is they who have helped us make it
possible for the Baltimore Eagle to soar
again and even higher. I am inspired,
personally deeply grateful, and humbled.
For more information about the
Baltimore Eagle and upcoming events,
visit thebaltimoreeagle.com and the
Facebook page.
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 3 1
National Inauguration Shabbat

"Strengthening One Another"
Friday January 20, 7:00 pm, Edlavitch DCJCC

1529 16th Street, NW
Bet Mishpachah and the Kurlander Program for GLBTQ Outreach and
Engagement (GLOE) invite Washington-area residents and out-of-town
visitors to join our two groups for a panel discussion at 7:00,
Shabbat services at 8:00, and a festive social hour following services.
At this challenging time, let's come together to continue Tikkun Olam,
repair of our broken world, and to find peace, joy and community in Shabbat.
For more information visit www.betmish.org or www.edcjcc.org/social-networks/gloe/
All Are Welcome
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON

CFA.GMU.EDU
Deliciously dangerous murder mystery!
AQUILA THEATRE
MURDER ON THE NILE

By Agatha Christie
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 AT 4 P.M.

This performance is also at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on
Sat., Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. Information at HyltonCenter.org.
ff
From Danny Boy to opera arias
Direct from Dublin, Ireland
THE FIVE IRISH TENORS
Rarely performed opera
VIRGINIA OPERA
DER FREISCHTZ
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 AT 8 P.M.
By Carol Maria von Weber
This performance is also at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on

Sun., Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. Information at HyltonCenter.org.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 AT 8 P.M.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 AT 2 P.M.
Family Friendly performances that are most suitable for families with younger children
TICKETS
888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU
Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit

54 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 2 J A N UA RY 1 3 , 2017
Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R D A W N SH A F E R
PHOTO COURTESY SHAFER
DAWN SHAFER
By JOEY DiGULIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
To organizers of the Womens March on Washington, its not just a one-day
event. Organizers see the eort as one of movement mobilization and skill
sharing.
The elections and the march are just catalysts for something much larger
that is growing by the day, says Stacy Small-Lorenz, one of the organizers.
Its not just about womens rights, but about women stepping up to lead a
diverse social justice movement that this country and the world needs like
never before.
The Womens March is Saturday, Jan. 21 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and will go
from the Lincoln Memorial to the White House to show our strength, power
and courage and demonstrate our disapproval of the new president and his
values in a peaceful march.
All are welcome at this child-friendly event. Organizers are also embracing
those who need support the most such as people of color, immigrants,
Muslims, the LGBT community, disabled folks and more, in addition to
women. Look for the event on Facebook for more details.
How long have you been out and who was

the hardest person to tell?
This is a hard question. Being bisexual,
people tend to make assumptions based
on your current partnership. Ive known
that I was bi since high school and was
pretty open about it with my friends. But
I eventually married a man and everyone
assumed that I was straight. We eventually
divorced and I got together with my wife,
at which point the coming-out process was
more formalized. Being femme, I still feel
like I have to come out on a consistent basis.
I was probably most fearful of coming out
to my grandmother. I remember sitting on
my porch saying to her, Grandma, I need to
tell you that Danna and I are more than just
friends and her responding, I knew there
was something going on; youre very attentive
and sweet to each other. My grandmother
was a wonderful woman and Im a lucky girl.
Whos your LGBT hero?
Ellen DeGeneres. I appreciate that she
is loudly and proudly out, yet lives what
resembles a regular life. Plus, for Gods sake,
she was just awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom by President Obama!
Whats Baltimores best nightspot, past or

present?
Pre-kid: the Hippo. Now: My living room.
Describe your dream wedding.

My wife and I had our commitment
ceremony at the Baltimore Museum of Art
in the sculpture garden, surrounded by our
closest friends and family. This was before
we could be married in Maryland, so we were
legally married during our honeymoon in
Provincetown, on the beach, with just us and
our ociant. Combined, they were pretty
much a dream come true.
What non-LGBT issue are you most

passionate about?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere. Systemic oppression fuels
inequality and pits us against each other.
Fighting this is part of what the Womens
March on Washington is about.
What historical outcome would you
change?
Anyone who has read 11/22/63 by
Stephen King knows that this is a trick
question.
202.747.2077
Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
The election of our rst black president.
On what do you insist?

An end to oppressive systems that
privilege some while repressing others. Oh,
and that our president be someone who
doesnt talk about grabbing women by the
pussy.
What was your last Facebook post or

Tweet?
Undoubtedly it was something about: my
daughter (happy), the election (angry) or the
march (hopeful).
If your life were a book, what would the

title be?
(One Way or Another) Things Work Out
If science discovered a way to change

sexual orientation, what would you do?
It depends. Will the science have depended
on stem cell research? If so, I would sit back,
sip wine and watch the conservatives run
in circles trying to decide if the means was
worth the end.
What do you believe in beyond the

physical world?
Love, psychology, sleep.
Whats your advice for LGBT movement

leaders?
Study what those who came before us did.
Look for commonalities with other oppressed
groups and invest in those relationships. Ask
directly for what you want. Dont back down.
What would you walk across hot coals

for?
My daughter. Although, I think if you
walk quickly, hot coals are really pretty
manageable, right? So with that in mind,
anything thats important.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

That theres always a man and a woman
in the relationship. That drives me up the
wall. Were both women folks, its time you
come to terms with that!
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?

I love Jerey with Steven Weber. Nothing
beats Queer as Folk though.
Whats the most overrated social custom?
Having various forms of address (Miss,
Mrs., Ms.) for women, when we only need
Mr. for men. Why are womens titles still
dependent on our relation to men?
What trophy or prize do you most covet?

My Ph.D. (coming in 2021 I hope!)
What do you wish youd known at 18?

That everything you do leads you to where
you end up. Its all important and it all works
out eventually.
Why Baltimore?
I was totally ambivalent about Baltimore
until my daughter was born. Now my family
is discovering the wonder of Baltimore
together, in an amazing neighborhood with
like-minded friends. Despite Baltimores
hardships, its a resilient city with heart and
grit.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
O UT & A B O UT
J A N U A R Y 13, 2017 33
CELEBRATING5 YEARS
& OUR
REVIEWS!
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY HUGH CLARKE
Dance the night away with purpose on Jan. 19 at the Washington Blades Rainbow Bash.
Dog walking. Day Care. Pet Sitting.

Transportation. Grooming (Coming soon!)
Serving Northwest & Southwest DC
www.patrickspetcare.com | Find us on:

202.630.7387
Town dance party is fundraiser

for local non-prots
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
La Clinica Del Pueblo is going into
unchartered territory and its executive
director couldnt be happier.
This is the rst time weve been part
of a dance party benet and Im really
thrilled, says Alicia Wilson. This feels
really good right now some time to
be together, to be positive, to laugh and
dance.
Shes referring to the Love Trumps
Hate Rainbow Bash, a Washington Bladesponsored event at Town Danceboutique
on Thursday, Jan. 19. Conceived as
an LGBT-arming alternative to the
inaugural hoopla surrounding the
incoming
administration,
proceeds
generated will benet La Clinica Del
Pueblo; the Anacostia Watershed Society,
an environmental non-prot dedicated to
protecting the Anacostia River; and the
Washington Blade Foundation, an arm of
the Blade founded in 2010 to digitize the
papers archives and raise money to fund
enterprise journalism in Latin America
and beyond.
La Clinica, a non-prot, federally
qualied health center that serves the
Latino and immigrant population in
Washington, is not LGBT-specic, but
has LGBT clients. It oers LGBT-specic
programming and though no numbers
are available on how many LGBT residents
use La Clinica, Wilson says hundreds of

young gay and trans Latinos under age
30 utilize its services each year.
La Clinica, located at 2831 15th St., N.W.,
has about 135 on sta. Wilson guesses
about 20 percent of them are LGBT. Its
annual operating budget is about $13.5
million and about 8,000 people receive
more than 50,000 services from the
agency every year Wilson, a lesbian, says.
As a 501(c)(3), La Clinica sta takes no
position on partisan politics, but Wilson
says the incoming administration has
raised concerns for La Clinica clients.
The community La Clinica serves has
beneted greatly by the Aordable Care
Act and weve been at the forefront of
reducing stigma and homophobia and
we feel like just about everything we do
has been caught up in the crosshairs of
the presidential campaign, Wilson says.
We are concerned that a lot of the gains
that the LGBT community has made in
the last eight years are at risk and so we
feel strongly that we need to take a stand,
to be out and loud and proud and dance
when we can.
The Blade is partnering with D.C. Brau,
Absolut Vodka, Tequila Avion, Jameson
Irish Whiskey and Town Danceboutique
for the Rainbow Bash. DJs Keenan Orr
and Tim Jackson will spin. Pre-sale
tickets are $10 and include 10 free rae
tickets. Additional rae tickets will be
for sale at the bash. All proceeds of the
ticket and rae sales will benet the
aforementioned non-prots.
Go to washingtonblade.com or look for
the event on Facebook for full details.
**** *
PFLAG promotes the equality and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual,

and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:
Support to cope with an adverse society.
Education to enlighten an ill-informed public.
Advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.
Trained facilitators lead the Arlington Support Group and confidentiality is maintained. For
further information about the Arlington Support Group, contact us at arl.pflag@gmail.com.
Our groups meet on the second Sunday of each month, from 3 4:30pm at the Unitarian
Universalist Church in Arlington, at George Mason Drive & Route 50.
A.L.Y. is a group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Youth and Allies in
grades 7-12. Our goal is to give LGBTQ youth a safe place to gather. Trained facilitators lead the
youth group. Confidentiality maintained. For more info, contact: aly.pflagdc@gmail.com.
Our Washington DC Chapter of PFLAG may be reached at 202-638-3852.
CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS NOMINEE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
SCRUPULOUS, COMPASSIONATE AND SURPRISING.

-A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES
El Deseo presents
Emma
Surez
Adriana
Ugarte
a film by
Almodvar
WWW.SONYCLASSICS.COM
STARTS FRIDAY,
JANUARY 13
VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.JULIETAMOVIE.COM
LIVE
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
34 JAN U A R Y 13, 2017
O U T & A BO U T
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
FRANKIE
BALLARD
FRIDAY JAN
13
AN EVENING WITH
GREG
BROWN
SATURDAY JAN
14
SUN, JAN 15
CHRIS CARMACK
W/ KEELAN DONOVAN
WED, JAN 25
BETTYE LAVETTE
THURS, JAN 26
BRONZE RADIO RETURN
W/ AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

SAT, JAN 28
THE ALTERNATE ROUTES

W/ ME & MY BROTHER
THEHAMILTONDC.COM
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
By MARIAH COOPER
All leather, all the time

Mid-Atlantic Leather (this weekend) always inspires a host of unocial leather
parties throughout the city. Here are a few.
D.C. Bear Crue hosts its annual leather bear party at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.)
on Friday, Jan. 13 from 6-11 p.m. There will also be a cigar party on the patio.
No cover. Entry ends at 9:30 p.m. There will be rail drink specials throughout
the night and free pizza at 7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/
bearhappyhour.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts GROWLr: RoughHouse on Friday,
Jan. 13 from 9 p.m.- 2 a.m. Billy Santoro hosts the event. DJ Lateo Segade plays
tracks. There will also be go-go guys and guest hosts. Cover is $5 before 10 p.m.
and $7 after. For details, visit facebook.com/growlrroughhouse.
Uproar (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) celebrates its one-year anniversary with
its Mid-Atlantic Leather Extravaganza on Sunday, Jan.15. There will be
a complimentary George Dickles whiskey tasting from 4-5 p.m. and $15
bottomless Bud Light on tap. Guests who come shirtless will receive a free
shot of Captain Morgan. Complimentary hors doeuvres will be served. DJ Mike
Babbitt will play music. There is no cover. For more information, visit facebook.
com/uproarloungedc.
Otter Den D.C. hosts Last Chance Tea Dance at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) on
Sunday, Jan. 15 from 5-10:30 p.m. DJ Mark Louque will spin disco tracks. Gear
looks are welcome. Cover is $8. For more details, visit towndc.com.
D.C. Leather Pride presents its annual BLUF: D.C. party on Sunday, Jan. 15
from 4-8 p.m. at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Road., N.E.). BLUF stands for the
breeches and leather uniform fan club. DJ Say What? will spin. Admission is
free for BLUF cardholders, $5 for members, $10 for others in gear and $20 for
everyone else. Details at blufdc.eventbrite.com.
PHOTO BY BRADFORD BRANSON;

COURTESY COLUMBIA RECORDS
Pussy Noir honors Michael

Sissy That Tuesday: Freedom! will
honor David Bowie, Prince and George
Michael on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at TRADE
(1410 14th St., N.W.) at 8 p.m.
Pussy Noir will perform works by all
three musical icons in an event designed
to sissy our way through the music that
made you come out, stay out and live
out.
No cover; drink specials until 10
p.m. Dressing in leather, purple velvet,
spandex, etc. is encouraged.
Look for the event on Facebook for
details.
Sixth and I hosts Refugee Ball

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY HUGH CLARKE
CALL FOR
RESERVATIONS
M-TH 11:30AM-10PM F-SAT 11:30AM-11PM
SUN. BRUNCH 11AM-3PM / DINNER 3-10PM
322 MASS. AVE. NE 202.543.7656
CAFEBERLIN-DC.COM
GAG Ball is Jan. 20 at Cobalt
Gays Against Guns D.C. hosts the GAG Ball at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) on
Friday, Jan. 20 from 10 p.m.-4 a.m.
There will be dancers dressed as President-Elect Donald Trump and Russian
Federation Vladimir Putin and go-go boys. Communist-inspired artwork will be
featured as well as gun violence prevention-themed games. Tickets are $10.
Proceeds go towards Gays Against Guns D.C.s 2017 advocacy eorts.
For more information, visit facebook.com/gaysagainstgunsdc.
Refugee Ball will be at Sixth and I

Synagogue (600 I St., N.W.) on Tuesday,
Jan. 17 from 5-9 p.m.
The ball was organized by a group of
asylum lawyers, non-prot organizations,
mental
health
professionals
and
academics as an alternative inaugural
ball. Refugees, asylum seekers, their
family members and supporters are
welcome. There will include food, music,
art and free legal services.
Admission is free. For more details, visit
facebook.com/2017refugeeball.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
J A N U A R Y 13, 2017 35
PHOTO COURTESY VIRGIN RECORDS
New wave pioneers

The Human League
anthology is illuminating
sonic journey
By CHRIS GERARD
You dont get lines much more iconic than,
I was working as a waitress at a cocktail
bar that much is true. Dont You Want
Me never really gets old no matter how
many times youve heard it. It isnt merely
a novelty relic of its era its a brilliantly
conceived work of timeless pop and one of
the decades most ubiquitous singalongs.
The Human Leagues 1981 chart-topper
closes the bands third album Dare,
widely regarded as a cornerstone of the
new wave era. They are much more than
that one smash, though, and now is a
good time to discover what you might
have missed along the way. Released
in celebration of their 40th anniversary,
A Very British Synthesizer Group is an
excellent excursion through the inuential
British bands extensive catalog.
The lavishly produced set is oered
in multiple congurations. The two-CD
version contains 30 of the bands singles
in chronological order. A four-LP vinyl
edition released as a gorgeous (but
expensive) box set contains the same
track-listing. Also available is a deluxe
edition including demos and early mixes,
but this is for die-hards only.
Listening to A Very British Synthesizer
Group in chronological order is
illuminating, as the bands musical
progression unfolds. It begins with their
debut single, 1978s Being Boiled, an
inuential synthpop classic thats very
much of its time yet somehow timeless.
The Human Leagues early work is very
raw as they are still nding their way,
grappling with new technology and
learning to be songwriters. Tracks like
Empire State Human (1979), Only After
Dark (1980) and Boys and Girls (1981)
are primitive and charmingly weird,
imbued with the singular vibe that would
come to dene the Human League.
The bands rst chart breakthrough in
the U.K. was The Sound of the Crowd
(1981), the rst of a string of singles
that would make the Human League
synonymous with the 80s and the

new wave era (the song is presented
here in its instrumental version). The
addition of Catherall and Sulley was the
nal ingredient that helped break the
band internationally. The ladies werent
professional vocalists by any means,
but their working class realness and
natural charm became an integral part
of the Human Leagues sound. Electropop classics Love Action (I Believe in
Love) and Open Your Heart still sound
fantastic, and of course Dont You Want
Me is irresistible as always.
The big hits are all here, like Mirror
Man, (Keep Feeling) Fascination and
their surprise 1986 chart-topper Human,
written and produced by the unlikely
collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Later highlights include their exciting
1990 single Heart Like a Wheel and the
bands big 1995 comeback single, Tell Me
When. The brilliant retro-pop Stay With
Me Tonight (1996) and the energetic All
I Ever Wanted (2001) are every bit as
arresting as the bands 80s classics. The
set closes with three selections from their
most recent album, 2011s outstanding
Credo, including the pulse-pounding
Night People and Never Let Me Go, a
pop charmer that manages to perfectly
capture the Human Leagues essence
decades after their commercial peak.
The only negative is that the set is not
quite denitive. Each disc hovers around
60 minutes (and several sides of the LP
set contain only 4 tracks), leaving plenty of
wasted space. Some of the more notable
omissions include the early single I Dont
Depend on You and other scattered
tracks and minor singles that would have
made it a more complete and fullling
collection: The Things that Dreams Are
Made Of, I Love You Too Much, The
Sign, Are You Ever Coming Back?, Kiss
the Future, Get It Right This Time,
These Are The Days, Love Me Madly?,
Youll Be Sorry and Egomaniac.
Still, The Human League: A Very British
Synthesizer Group is a deeply satisfying
and entertaining trip through this
underrated bands greatest moments.
Human League doesnt get the credit they
deserve as an important part of the pop
landscape over the last four decades
perhaps this set will help change that.
Robert Battle, Artistic Director

Masazumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director
February 712 | Opera House
Yannick Lebrun. Photo by Andrew Eccles
M US I C
Tue., Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.

The Winter in Lisbon (Billy Wilson)
Walking Mad (Johan Inger)
Ella (Robert Battle)
Revelations (Alvin Ailey)
Wed., Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Deep (Mauro Bigonzetti)
After the Rain Pas de Deux
(Christopher Wheeldon)
Untitled America (Kyle Abraham)
Revelations
Thu., Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
r-Evolution, Dream. (Hope Boykin)
Masekela Langage (Alvin Ailey)
Ella
Revelations
Fri., Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Deep
After the Rain Pas de Deux
Untitled America
Revelations
Sat., Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m.

The Winter in Lisbon
Awakening (Robert Battle)
Revelations
Sat., Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Exodus (Rennie Harris)
Walking Mad
Revelations
Sun., Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m.
The Winter in Lisbon
r-Evolution, Dream.
Revelations
Explore the Arts
Feb. 11 matinee
Free Post-Performance
Discussion
Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m.
Free Revelations workshop
on the Millennium Stage
Explore the Arts is made possible by
Support for JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of

John F. Kennedy is provided by Ambassador
Elizabeth Frawley Bagley and The Blanche
and Irving Laurie Foundation.
Additional support is provided by The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.
and The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible
through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and
the Presidents Advisory Committee of the Arts.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
3 6 J A N UA RY 1 3 , 2017
A RT S & CU LT U RE
This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com

MUSIC
Stuart Davis: In Full Swing

Thru Mar 5. National Gallery of Art.
nga.gov.
Carefully selected from the full range of Daviss career, some 100 of his most
important, visually complex, jazz-inspired compositions will be on view. Davis
rarely painted a work that did not make careful reference (however hidden)
to one or more of his earlier compositions. This exhibition oers a new
exploration of his working method.
NSO: Stravinskys The Firebird

Thru Jan 14. National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center.
kennedy-center.org.
Stravinskys The Firebird and Rimsky-Korsakovs Legend of the Invisible City Suite
bookend the seasons rst folklore-inspired program. Sir Mark Elder also
conducts pianist Jeremy Denk in Ravels Left Hand Concerto.
Copenhagen
Thru Jan 29. Theater J.
theaterj.org.
Michael Frayns Tony Award-winning play about the 1941 historic meeting
between German physicist Werner Heisenberg and his Danish counterpart,
Niels Bohr, and the race to create the atom bomb.
An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt

Jan 19. Strathmore.
strathmore.org.
Lyle Lovett and John Hiatttwo of Americas most admired singer-songwriters

share the stage for an intimate acoustic evening of unforgettable stories and
iconic songs.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
TwoPianists. Jan 19. Chris Urquiaga.

Thru Jan 25. Strathmore. strathmore.org.
Luther Re-Lives. Jan 13. AMP.
ampbystrathmore.com.
WNO: American Opera Initiative:
Three 20-Minute Operas. Jan 14.
WNO: The Dictators Wife. Jan 13Jan 15. NSO: Portraits of America
/ Gianandrea Noseda, conductor.
Jan 19-Jan 22. Let Freedom Ring!
featuring Gladys Knight. Jan 16.
Fortas Chamber Music Concerts:
Alisa Weilerstein, Inon Barnatan
and Anthony McGill. Jan 19. Kennedy
Center. kennedy-center.org.
Washington Musica Viva Chamber
Concert. Jan 13. Washington Musica
Viva. Church of the Ascension.
dcmusicaviva.org.
The Saloon Concert Series: Earth.
Jan 18. Gourmet Symphony. Columbia
Firehouse. gourmetsymphony.org.
Klezmer Brunch. Jan 15. Washington
Jewish Music Festival. EDCJCC. wjmf.org.
Dont Rain on My Parade: 75 Years
of Streisand. Jan 13. American Pops
Orchestra. GW Lisner Auditorium.
theamericanpops.org.
Hill Center Concert Series: The
Sharn Clark Trio. Jan 14. Hill Center.
hillcenterdc.org.
Richard Egarr, harpsichord. Jan 13.
Library of Congress. loc.gov.
Axelrod String Quartet. Jan
14-15. Smithsonian Associates.
Museum of American History.
smithsonianassociates.org.
Bach Double. Jan 14. National
Philharmonic. Strathmore.
nationalphilharmonic.org.
The Pursuit of Harmony.
Jan 14. Reston Community
Center. CenterStage at RCC.
restoncommunitycenter.com.
Kevin Grin of Better Than Ezra. Jan
14. The Barns. wolftrap.org.
MUSEUMS
THEATRE
Bo Dacious & Liz Russo. Jan 19. AMP.
ampbystrathmore.com.
Hungry: Part 1 of The Gabriels. Thru
Jan 17. What Did You Expect?: Part 2
of The Gabriels. Thru Jan 18. Women
of a Certain Age: Part 3 of The
Gabriels. Thru Jan 19. The Gabriels:
Election Year in the Life of One
Family (Three-Play Cycle). Thru Jan 22.
Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.
Titanic: The Musical. Thru Jan 29.
Signature Theatre. signature-theatre.org.
Catch Me: A Magic Duel. Jan 14Feb 25. Catch Me! Mayower Hotel.
catchmeshow.com.
The Magic of Irving Berlin. Thru Jan 28.

In Series. Source Theatre. inseries.org.
The Hard Problem. Thru Feb 19.
Studio Theatre. studiotheatre.org.
Playback In The District. Thru Jun
11. HBC Playback Theatre. The Den.
thehbctheater.com.
Solitary Connement. Jan 13Feb 11. Workhouse Arts Center.
workhousearts.org.
Cymbeline. Thru Jan 29. Anacostia Arts
Center. anacostiaartscenter.com.
Charm. Thru Jan 29. Mosaic Theater
Company. Atlas. mosaictheater.org.
Someone is Going to Come. Thru Feb 5.
SCENA Theatre. Atlas. scenatheater.org.
National Gallery of Art. Photography

Reinvented: The Robert E. Meyerho
and Rheda Becker Collection. Thru Jan
29. In the Tower: Barbara Kruger. Thru
Jan 29. Los Angeles to New York: Dwan
Gallery, 19591971. Thru Jan 29. nga.gov.
National Archives. Amending
America. Thru Sep 4.
archivesfoundation.org.
Library of Congress. #Opera Before
Instagram: Portraits, 1890-1955.
Thru Jan 21. World War I: American
Artists View the Great War. Thru May
5. Mapping a Growing Nation: From
Independence to Statehood. Thru Sep
1. loc.gov.
National Geographic. FotoWeekCentral
Exhibitions. Thru Jan 22. @NatGeo: The

Most Popular Instagram Photos. Thru
Apr 30. nglive.org.
National Museum of Women in the
Arts. Wanderer/Wonderer: Pop-Ups by
Colette Fu. Thru Feb 26. Bold Broadsides
and Bitsy Books. Thru Mar 17.
National Portrait Gallery,
Smithsonian. In the Groove: Jazz
Portraits by Herman Leonard. Thru Feb
20. One Life: Babe Ruth. Thru May 21.
npg.si.edu.
GALLERIES
Strathmore. Crossfade. Thru Feb
19. La Vie en Bleu. Thru Feb 19.
strathmore.org.
DAC. The Awards Show. Thru Jan 28.
aiadac.com.
Glen Echo Park. Patti Francis. Jan
14-Feb 4. Dalya Luttwak. Jan 14Feb 5. Artful Attire. Jan 14-Feb 5.
glenechopark.org.
Goethe-Institut. Shadowgraphs by
Tim Otto Roth. Thru Jan 13. goethe.de.
JCC of Greater Washington. Sherry
Zvares Sanabria. Thru Jan 29. jccgw.
org.
Reston Community Center. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday
Celebration Exhibit. Thru Jan 31.
restoncommunitycenter.com.
The Art League Gallery. Habits.
Thru Feb 5. Member 25. Thru Feb 5.
theartleague.org.
Arlington Cultural Aairs. Artists of
the Sequoia Roundtable Exhibition.
Theatre on the Run. Thru Jan 15.
arlingtonarts.org.
Torpedo Factory. Material as Medium.
Thru Jan 15. Site 2: Daniel Taye. Thru
Jan 31. Connecting the Dots: The DMV.
Thru Jan 31. Jay Hendrick. Thru Mar 31.
torpedofactory.org.
Waverly Street Gallery. Kate
Stillwell & Wil Scott. Thru Feb 4.
waverlystreetgallery.com.
Zenith Gallery. Something for
Everyone: Holiday Cheer. Thru Jan 28.
zenithgallery.com.
AND MORE...
The End: Inside the Last Days of
the Obama White House. Jan 17.
Three Days in January: Dwight
Eisenhowers Final Mission. Jan 17.
Films: Presidential Inaugurations.
Jan 18-19. National Archives.
archivesfoundation.org.
RCC MLK Keynote & Lunch with
Eugene Robinson. Jan 16. Reston
Community Center. CenterStage at
RCC. restoncommunitycenter.com.
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice. Jan
17. Washington Jewish Film Festival.
EDCJCC. wj.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
S P O RTI N I N D. C.
J A N U A R Y 13, 2017 37
PHOTOS COURTESY D.C. GAY FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE
LINDSEY WALTON, left, and JORDAN ANDERSON excel with the D.C. Gay Flag Football League.
With 300 players on 22

teams, standing out is tough
in local league
By KEVIN MAJOROS
Each LGBT-inclusive sports team or club
in the D.C. area is loaded with athletes
and leaders who make their respective
organizations a success.
In the launch of the new D.C. All-Stars series
in the Washington Blade, we shine a light on
the two MVP award winners from Season 13
of the D.C. Gay Flag Football League.
With more than 300 players on 22
teams, standing out as an All-Star during
a 10-week season requires a special mix
of leadership and athletic excellence.
In her rst season with the league,
Lindsey Walton captured the female
rookie of the year award. In her second
season this past fall, she followed that up
with the female MVP award.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Walton
excelled in soccer, basketball and softball.
She took on another sport when a coach
saw her throwing a football.
I always had an interest in football, but
my mom wouldnt let me play because I
was small, says Walton. The track and
eld coach saw me throwing a football
and recruited me to throw the javelin.
She would be recruited again for
college, this time playing four years of
soccer as the starting goalkeeper at
Howard University. After graduating she
remained in the sport playing club soccer
with men as a goalkeeper.
After several years in D.C., Walton
moved to Chicago and picked up ag
football in an attempt to make new
friends. She continued in the sport
when she returned to D.C. and joined a
womens league and a co-ed league. The
demands of the one league sent her on a
dierent sports path.

The league I joined was more physical
than most and allowed downeld
blocking with no body protection, Walton
says. I decided I needed to put on pads
and play full tackle.
She joined the Washington Prodigy in
2014 and continues to play as a punter,
kicker and receiver. Two years later she
added on ag football with the league, which
doesnt utilize downeld blocking rules.
I like competing against guys and I
like giving them the works. Its fun for
me, says Walton. Some guys take it
easy on me which just makes me have to
embarrass them.
Walton, who works as a communications
director with the D.C. Council and met her
girlfriend in the league, is also a member
of one of the leagues travel teams, the
Washington Senators.
The Senators won the title at the
Pride Bowl in Chicago last June and this
weekend, she will again travel with her
Senators teammates to compete in the
Sunshine Bowl in Fort Lauderdale.
Jordan Andersons life growing up
as a military brat included time spent
in multiple states including California,
Virginia, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Despite
all the moving, he found success in
football, basketball and track and eld.
He spent three years as a running back
on the football team at James Madison
University and after redshirting a year,
completed his fourth year of athletic
eligibility as a running back at Virginia
State while earning his masters degree.
When his mother became stationed
at Andrews Air Force Base in 2014, he
decided to stay in the area to help care
for his 8 year-old twin siblings. He went
with a friend to watch a league game and
joined in the spring of 2016.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
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3 8 J A N UA RY 1 3 , 2017
CA LE N D A R
E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.
TODAY
Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery
at Smith Center (1632 U St., N.W.)
hosts
its
opening
reception
for
Us+Them=Finding Common Ground in
a Divided Nation tonight from 7-9 p.m.
The event brings together artists and
activists who will examine political strife
in the nation. On Thursday, Feb. 2, there
will be Where Do We Go From Here, a
healing discussion with Shanti Norris. On
Saturday, Feb. 11, there will be an artist
and curator talk with a performance by
Carolina Mayorga. For a complete list of
events, visit facebook.com/hisaokarts.
Newseum (555 Pennsylvania Ave.,
N.W.) opens its new exhibit Louder
Than Words: Rock, Power and Politics,
today. The exhibit explores the inuence
music has played in political and social
change. will be on display through July
31. Online adult tickets are $21.21 online
youth tickets are $12.71 and online
senior tickets are $16.96. Tickets include
access to the entire museum. For more
information, visit newseum.org.
Women in Their 20s, a social
discussion group for LBT and all women
interested in women, meets today at
the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
from 8-9:30 p.m. All welcome to join. For
details, visit thedccenter.org.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts a support group for LGBT people
with disabilities tonight from 8-9 p.m. For
more information, visit thedcenter.og.
SATURDAY, JAN. 14
City of College Park hosts a tribute
to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
at University of Maryland Memorial
Chapel (7600 Baltimore Ave., College
Park, Md.) today from 1:30-4 p.m. Judge
Alexander Williams Jr. will give a keynote
presentation. There will also be readings,
art and performances by various groups
including Chinese Bible Church of
College Park, Friends Community School
Chorus and more. The event is free. For
more information, visit facebook.com/
collegeparkmd.
The Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) hosts
We the People, a post-rally event, tonight
at 9:30 p.m. The event will pay tribute to
the musicians lost in 2016 including David
Bowie, Prince, Vanity and more. DJ Dredd
will play music. Adrian Loving will make
an appearance. Tickets are $10. For more
details, visit blackcatdc.com.
A 2 Zee Events and MIMSOL
Entertainment hosts the fth annual
MLK Weekend Ladies Bash, a womens
dance party, at Bistro Bistro (1727
Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 11
PHOTO BY DICK DEMARSICO; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Several events honoring MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., will be held in Washington Monday.
p.m.- 3 a.m. DJ Mim and DJ Jai Syncere spin

tracks. Cover is $10 before midnight and
$15 afterwards. For more information,
visit facebook.com/a2zeeevents.
Philanthrotease presents Dont Stop
Me Now: Burlesque Tribute to Queen
and Freddie Mercury at the Bier Baron
Tavern (1523 22nd St., N.W.) tonight
from 8 p.m.-midnight. There will be
performances by Isabelle Epoque, Bella
La Blanc, MasoKiss and many more. VIP
tickets are $25 and includes reserved
prime seating and swag bags. Advanced
tickets are $12. Tickets at the door are
$15. 25 percent of ticket sales will benet
HIPS. For more details, visit facebook.
com/philanthrotease.
Case oers Remodeling Essentials:
Kitchens and Baths seminars today
at 10:30 a.m. at three locations
Case Bethesda Design Studio (4701
Sangamore Road, Bethesda, Md.), Mosaic
Tile Showroom (821 Pickett Street,
Alexandria, Va.) and Case D.C. Design
Studio (1327 14th St., N.W., suite 200,
Washington). Case sta will oer tips on
the latest trends in these free seminars.
Lunch and Q&As will follow at each. Visit
casedesign.com to register.
SUNDAY, JAN. 15
Flash (645 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts
Flashy Sundays, an extended Sunday
night dance party, tonight from 9 p.m.-4
a.m. DJ Twin and DJ Sean Morris will spin
tracks. There will be drink specials all
night. Cover is $15. For more details, visit
facebook.com/ashydc.
Studio 52 (1508 Okie St., N.E.) hosts
Were All Gods Glitter, a photography
exhibit featuring Billy Maloy Photographys
Gold Series, today from 5-8 p.m. There will
be special guest performances, Donations

to Casa Ruby will be accepted during the
exhibit. For more information, search
Were All Gods Glitter on Facebook.
Singer and actor Chris Carmack
performs at the Hamilton (600 14th
St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Keelan
Donovan opens the show. Doors open at
6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20-25. For
more details, visit thehamiltondc.com.
MONDAY, JAN. 16
Washington National Cathedral (3101
Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) hosts a sermon of song,
narrative and prophetic reection today
from 2-4 p.m. The service is held in honor
of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.s last Sunday
sermon at Washington National Cathedral.
There will be a live webcast of the service.
Admission is free. For more information,
visit facebook.com/wncathedal.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..)
hosts coee drop-in hours this morning
from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT
community. Older LGBT adults can
come and enjoy complimentary coee
and conversation with other community
members. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club
will gather today at 10 a.m. at the R.I.S.E.
Center at St. Elizabeths (2700 Martin
Luther King Jr., Ave. S.E.) to march in the
King parade. It starts at noon and ends at
2 p.m. at Anacostia Park near Good Hope
Rd., S.E. Details at steindemocrats.org.
TUESDAY, JAN. 17
East City Bookshop (645 Pennsylvania
Ave., S.E.) hosts KnitLit, a crafting and
audiobook listening club, today from
6:30-8 p.m. The group will listen to an

audiobook and knit, crochet or stich.
For more details, visit facebook.com/
eastcitybookshop.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts its FUK!T Packing Party from
7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit
thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.
Bachelors Mill has half-price drinks
all night from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. tonight. It
also has pool, video gaming systems and
cards. Admission is free. For more details,
visit bachelorsmill.com.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge
Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the
Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social
bridge. No partner needed. For more
information, call 301-345-1571.
Big Gay Book Group meets at the
D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight
at 7 p.m. to discuss Our Caribbean: A
Gathering of Lesbian and Gay Writing from
the Antilles, edited by Thomas Glave. For
more details, visit biggaybookgroup.com
or email biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com.
THURSDAY, JAN. 19
East City Bookshop (645 Pennsylvania
Ave., S.E.) hosts coloring book and wine
today from 6-8 p.m. Participants can
bring coloring books and supplies or
borrow the book stores supplies. Wine
will be provided. For more information
visit facebook.com/eastcitybookshop.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts Fight
4 Yr Rights Activist Night today from 5-7
p.m. LGBT youth can come to learn about
historical activist movements. For details,
visit smyal.org.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
A R T S & EN TE RTA I NMENT
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 3 9
Leather lady found community over time

as leather men of smaller proportions and

more dened body types.
Every man does not t that (muscular)
role, Dominion says. It was important
that these men had a place where they
could see themselves.
Though unintentional, the leather
community has always been inclusive,
Grady says.
Its a natural progression, Grady, 55,
says. Its like a family reunion.
Grady, a member of the Centaur
Motorcycle Club, found his interest
piqued after attending a previous MAL.
I just loved meeting everyone, hanging
out with guys and girls in the leather
community, Grady says. You can go
anywhere in the country and be welcomed.
One of the biggest events will be the
Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest on
Sunday. Winners receive almost $7,000
in cash and prizes and get to travel the
country to educate and preach the gospel
that is leather.
The current International Ms. Leather,
Lascivious Jane, will be a judge and says
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY DAMIEN SALAS
women are also welcome at MAL events.

I know dozens of women who are going,
says Lascivious Jane, 42. Last year was my
rst time going and I remember looking
down at a sea of men and being completely
overwhelmed in the best way possible.

For Jane, a Philadelphia resident who also
declined to give her legal name, her journey
in the leather community was eye opening.
I considered myself a leather dyke
for 20 years, but for a long time had a

challenging time nding community, Jane
says. It was only the last four or ve years
that I was able to access community.
Jane journeyed from a small town
outside of Montreal and ended up in Philly
about 15 years ago. Along the way she
often came up short searching for fellow
kinksters, a mix of timing, location and fear
of going into some leather spaces because
she didnt know if shed be welcomed.
She has now found a womens community.
And though she says some parts of MAL
Weekend and the leather community can
be male-centric, the overarching message is
that its for everyone.
There are parts of the weekend that
are more mens spaces, she says, like
the sexy things that happen behind
closed doors.
She says that kink, though, is universal.
Everybody has things in their life that
turn them on and gets them o, and
some things that the leather community
would like, the vanilla world wouldnt,
she says. But we are all mothers and
fathers or kids and that doesnt change
because we like certain things.
Health Insurance Issues? Claim Denied?

Confused about what your plan covers?
c all the
HEALTH CARE
OMBUDSMAN
202.724.7491 or 877.685.6391 toll free
We are here Monday Friday | 8:15am 4:45pm
HealthcareOmbudsman.dc.gov
The Knowledge to Guide You.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
MURIAL BOWSER, MAYOR
4 0 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
W A SH I NGTO N B LA DE.C OM
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 4 1
BUSINESS
3 reasons why solar power is unstoppable

Its here to stay regardless
of whos president
By LAUREEN PECK
There has been a lot of stress surrounding our presidential election. I hope
to alleviate a bit of that stress for environmentalists and clean energy advocates
who are feeling discouraged by the largely unexpected outcome.
First, I am happy to report that rumors
of Solar Powers death have been greatly
exaggerated. I say this because shortly after The Donald won the election, many
solar advocates began openly proclaiming their alarm that the man who believes
climate change is a hoax and who has
also stated that solar is not working so
good, now has the power to end the burgeoning solar industry in the USA.
The alarm is understandable as our
president-elect has pledged to end the
Clean Power Plan that includes incentives
for people who want to run their homes
and businesses on non-polluting energy.
He also promised to pull America out of
the Paris climate agreement, and has
made other negative statements about
clean energy.
But solar advocates need to calm down
because the solar power industry in the
USA isnt going anywhere.It is literally unstoppable. Here are three reasons why
solar is here to stay:
1. Solar Energy has strong voter support regardless of party aliation. A
recent Pew Research Poll shows that 89
percent of Americans favor expanding
A Solar Energy World installer at work.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOLAR ENERGY WORLD
the use of solar energy to address energy

costs and environmental concerns.Ninety percent of homeowners who switched
to solar said they did it to save on their
energy bills proving that liberal ideology
is not the main reason why homeowners make the decision to go solar. Many
people would be surprised to learn that
in left-leaning California, the majority of
its solar-powered homeowners are reg-
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istered Republicans. Floridas legislature

is run by Republicans but its citizens recently voted to kill the bill that would have
stopped solar from growing in their state.
There are many more studies, statistics
and stories that prove Americans like solar and will continue to support it primarily because depending upon the nancing
plan chosen, PPA, Lease or Ownership,
a homeowner saves 20-100% on their
monthly electricity bill once their solar

system is up and running. If the homeowner owns their solar system, they can
even generate revenue from it. Solar
saves homeowners lots of money no matter what party theyre in.
2. Solar adoption is speeding up. In
fact solar power now looks like it is the future of energy. In 2015, 30 million Americans made the switch to solar power at a
rate cheaper than the grid. In the US, solar power is now cheaper than fossil fuels,
even without subsidies in many states. In
addition, The International Energy Agency
recently announced that the worlds capacity to generate electricity from renewable sources has now overtaken coal.
3. The solar industry is a massive job
generator. Solar is now creating jobs at
a faster rate than coal and big oil combined. The number of solar jobs in the
U.S. has more than doubled in ve years.
Even more exciting is the fact that the solar energy industry grew nearly 12 times
faster than the overall economy in 2015.
This year that is trending even higher!
Since Donald Trump has said growing
jobs is his top priority, it is unlikely he will
want to do anything to destroy the solar
industry. Also rest assured that solar advocates from all over the USA will never
stop working to make sure our new president understands that Solar Energy is a
positive for all Americans, does not belong to any political party and is truly an
unstoppable force.
LAUREEN PECK is vice president of Marketing
for Solar Energy World. Reach her at 410-5792009 or lpeck@solarenergyworld.com.
RealtoRspeak
Sophisticated City Living

TranSLaTion: Located next to a noisy bar.
Enjoy Fine European Wines During

Winter Restaurant Week!
JANUARY 30FEBRUARY 5, 2017
VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI
Dupont Circle Office 202.243.7700 (o) 202.246.8602 (c)

Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com www.DCHomeQuest.com
4 2 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
Help us nd D.C.s top

20 LGBT singles for the
Blades Singles Issue
on February 10th, then
meet them at Town
Danceboutique on
February 11th.
Nominate yourself or your friends from January 3-16
at washingtonblade.com/singles
Help us nd D.C.s top 20 LGBT singles for the Blades Singles Issue on
February 10th, then meet them at Town Danceboutique on February 11th.
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 4 3
M O N U M E N TA L
SALEH
*
HURRY! ENDS FEBRUARY 20TH !
PICK 3 BIG OPTIONS FOR FREE*!

High Tech Package Hardwood in Rec & Family Rooms 3 Years of HOA Fees**
Upgraded Cabinets Spa Bath Closing Costs Assistance***
KENSINGTON OVERLOOK KENSINGTON, MD

2-CAR GARAGE TOWNHOMES WITH LUXURIOUS
APPOINTMENTS FROM THE UPPER $500s
WALK TO THE WHEATON METRO STATION ON THE RED LINE!
Close to Westfield Wheaton mall
Near MARC, restaurants & entertainment
Close to the I-270 corridor
Just 4 miles north of Washington, D.C.
GPS: 1166 Findley Road, Kensington, MD 20895

301-683-6462 khov.com/KensingtonOverlook
/khov.MD
/khov_MD
*Pick 3 options are based on availability, subject to change without notice, valid only for new contracts on to-be-built homes purchased by February 20, 2017 (Presidents Day). See Community Sales Consultant for current
list of available community-specific Pick 3 options. **Seller contribution limits apply. Seller may pay up to 36 months of the Buyers Homeowners Association fees. ***When used as part of the Pick 3 incentive, closing costs
assistance may vary, not to exceed $15,000 or 3% of contract prices, and is subject to final negotiation of contract terms and all RESPA guidelines. Seller contribution limits apply, may be subject to restrictions or cancellations,
requires financing through K. Hovnanian American Mortgage, LLC or cash purchase. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Not available on previously ratified contracts. See Sales Consultant for details. Prices, terms,
features, incentives and savings subject to change without notice. See Sales Consultant for details. K. Hovnanian American Mortgage, LLC, 3601 Quantum Boulevard, Boynton Beach, FL 33426. NMLS #3259 (www.
nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Licensed by the Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation. We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We
encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. MHBR #3149, 6943.
4 4 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
Its Like Retirement, Only Better

Ingleside at Rock Creek and Ingleside at King Farm are now expanding your possibilities for engaged
retirement living. Creekside at Ingleside at Rock Creek and Gardenside at Ingleside at King Farm, our
upcoming additions, represent even more choices for discerning people 62 years of age or better. Both
communities offer an exceptional, independent lifestyle with upscale offerings, modern amenities and the
security of five-star rated, on-site health services.
Dont miss your opportunity to take advantage of priority choice locations!
An Ingleside Community
An Ingleside Community
For more information call 202-470-3413
For more information call 240-380-2678
3050 Military Road NW Washington, DC

www.ircdc.org
701 King Farm Blvd. Rockville, MD

www.inglesidekingfarm.org
Ingleside at Rock Creek and Ingleside at King Farm are CARF accredited, not-for-profit, continuing care retirement communities.
Ingleside at King Farm is expanding with the proposed building of 125 new independent living apartments, 32 private assisted living memory support suites, and a Center for Healthy Living subject to approval by the Maryland Department of Aging.
DEADLINES
All Classified Ads

- Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received
By Mondays at 5PM
So They Can Be Included
in That Weeks Edition of
Washington Blade and
washingtonblade.com
SHARE ADS ARE FREE.

Place your housing to share
ad online at washingtonblade.com
and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*
*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.
W A SH I N GTO NB LA DE.C OM
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 4 5
REAL ESTATE
BULLETIN BOARD
DEADLINES
All Classified Ads

By Mondays at 5PM
washingtonblade.com
PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
VOTED #1 BEST Of Gay DC
Thank you for support!
CMT in Arlington Sun-Tue
and DCWed, Fri, Sat. Call
or text Gary at 301-7041158 or visit http://www.
mymassagebygary.com/.
BEST MASSAGE by male
certified therapist.
Soothing Swedish; deeptissue; stress & pain
release. Safe Atmosphere
in Annandale, VA, almost
right off I-395. Days/Eve/
Wkend. In/Out calls.
Hotels welcome. Happy
Holiday! Call Marval (703)
568-6348.
LADIES DIAMOND RING

$2100 - 14K yellow gold
w/ 5-round cut channel
set diamonds. Each stone
is 3.8mm in diameter
w/ total carat weight of
approx. 1.05ct. Clarity-SI1
Color - H. Finger Size 7.5.
Will consider all offers!
Call Terri 571-278-0150.
COUNSELING
LGBTQ AFFIRMING
THERAPY at Dupont Circle
Individuals, couples,
families, adolescents.
Over 15 years serving
the community. Mike
Giordano, LICSW. 202/4606384 mike.giordano.
msw@gmail.com. www.
WhatIHearYouSaying.
com.
SHARE ADS
ARE FREE
Place your
housing to share
ad online at
washingtonblade.com
and the ad prints free in
the paper and online.*
DEADLINES
All Classified Ads

By Mondays at 5PM
washingtonblade.com
COUNSELING FOR
GAY MEN. Individual/
couple counseling
w/ volunteer peer
counselor. Gay Mens
Counseling Community
since 1973. 202-580-8861.
gaymenscounseling.
org. No fees, donation
requested.
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
EMPLOYMENT
WHOLISTIC SERVICES,
INC. seeking Full
Time Direct Support
Professionals to assist
intellectually disabled
adolescents & adults
with behavioral health
issues in group homes &
day services throughout
DC. Requirements 1
year exp., valid drivers
license, able to lift 50-75
lbs, complete training
program, become DDS
Med Certified within 4
months of hire, ability to
pass security background
check. Associates
degree preferred. For
more information,
please contact the
Human Resources (HR)
Department at
(202) 347-5334.
ENHANCE YOUR AD WITH

OUR UPGRADES
PICTURES BOLD TEXT
LARGE TEXT COLOR
AND MORE
CONTACT US AT
202-747-2077
LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS
NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay mens
naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring
Locker Room Attendants. We all
scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You
must be physically able to handle the
work & have a great attitude doing
it. No drunks/druggies need apply.
Please call Richard at (202) 319-1333.
from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.
LEGAL SERVICES
ADOPTION & ASSISTED
REPRODUCTIVE Law
Attorney Jennifer
Fairfax represents
clients in DC, MD & VA.
interested in adoption
or ART matters.301221-9651,JFairfax@
jenniferfairfax.com.
SIMPLE
AFFORDABLE
PROVEN RESULTS
CALL TODAY TOPLACE YOUR AD
202.747.2077
DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES

Top 1% Nationwide
NVAR Life Member Top Producder
703-593-3204
WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET
ENTHUSIASTICALLY
SERVING DC & VIRGINIA
DEADLINES
All Classified Ads

By Mondays at 5PM
So They Can Be Included
in That Weeks Edition of
Washington Blade and
washingtonblade.com
SHARE ADS ARE FREE.

Place your housing to share
ad online at washingtonblade.com
and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*
4 6 J A NUA RY 1 3 , 2017
WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
BODYWORK
Always FREE to listen and reply to ads!
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM

Representing the GLBT community
for over 35 years. Family adoptions,
estate planning, immigration,
employment. (301) 891-2200.Silber,
Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.
SP-Law. com.
LIMOUSINES
KASPERS LIVERY
SERVICE Since 1987.
Gay & Veteran Owner/Operator.
2016 Luxury BMW 750Li Sedan.
Properly Licensed &
Livery Insured in DC.
www.KasperLivery.com.
Phone 202-554-2471.
PHOTOGRAPHY
STEVE OTOOLE
PHOTOGRAPHY Fine
Art Photographer
for Portraits &
Weddings.Check out
my new website - www.
steveotoolephotography.
com. Specializing in
Bears & Big men.
Steve 703-861-4422.
CLEANING
FERNANDOS CLEANING:
Residential & Commercial
Cleaning, Reasonable
Rates, Free Estimates,
Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/
Move-Out. (202) 234-7050,
202-486-6183.
MAID TO CLEAN Gay owned,

awesome, trustworthy & reliable!
Serving Alexandria & Arlington.
Mention this ad for $50 off.
Maidtoclean.com. (703) 299-0101.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
DC METRO RENOVATION - kitchens,
bathrooms, basement renovation,
floors refinished & installed. Hans
202-517-5955.
MOVERS
OUR GUYS AROUND
TOWN MOVERS.
Professional Moving
& Storage. Let Our
Guys Do The Heavy
Lifting. Mention the
Blade for 10% off of
our regular rates. Call
today 202.734.3080. www.
ourguysatmovers.com.
TELLEM YOU saw their ad in the
Blade classifieds!
TREE SERVICE
BRANCHES TREE EXPERT
Company. Full service
certified arborists,
pruning, insect &
disease diagnosis,
treatment & removal.
301-589-6181. www.
BranchesTreeExperts.
com. Angies List
Award Winner.
SALE / DC
Brookland Arts & Crafts Style
MLS-DC9833823 Light filled spaces,
Fpl, rec-rm, 2-Car osp, deck &
landscaped. New furnace, insulation
& solar panels. Millicent Williams,
Fairfax Realty Inc. millicentwilliams@
Verizon.net.
TOP RATED MASSEUR Custom

bodywork! Exceptional deep tissue
& sensual bodywork for total stress
relief in private studio on the Hill. Call
Erik 202-544-5688. In calls only! No
texts! Intro Special $99.00.
EROTIC SWEDISH MASSAGE
- healthy clean cut guy, 61, 160 lbs,
Dupont Circle, massage table, noon
to 1:00 a.m., indulge your body. $70
for 1 hour. Bill 202-728-0238. No text
messages.
THE MAGIC TOUCH: Swedish,
Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts 202486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.
LUCAS IS BACK
5 9, 170 lbs, 36 yo, Latino Masseur

offering Swedish to Sensual massage
on my heated table, in a private
atmosphere. In/out, Hotels welcome,
Parking Available, 24/7. Call Lucas,
240-462-8669.
Playmates or soul mates,

youll find them
on MegaMates
Washington:
(202) 448-0824
www.megamates.com 18+
J A N U A RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 4 7

Volume 48, Issue 2, January 13, 2017

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JANUARY 13,

AMERICAS LGBT NEWS SOURCE

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

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

WE PUT SAVINGS ON THE MAP.

6007 Eastern Ave.

DARCARS Chrysler Dodge

5060 Auth Way

DARCARS 355 Toyota

15625 Frederick Rd.

DARCARS Chrysler Dodge

755 Rockville Pike

9020 Lanham Severn Rd.

DARCARS Chrysler Dodge

7233 Blanding Blvd.

12511 Prosperity Dr.

DARCARS Honda of Bowie

9020 Lanham Severn Rd.

12210 Cherry Hill Rd.

11755 Business Park Dr.

DARCARS Lanham Kia

5293 Buckeystown Pike (Route 85) 8100 Annapolis Rd.

DARCARS Chrysler Jeep

Temple Hills, MD 20748

15911 Indianola Dr.

3110 Automobile Boulevard

Lexus of Silver Spring

2505 Prosperity Terrace

DARCARS Used Car Center

2260 Crain Highway

9330 Baltimore Ave.

DARCARS Volvo of Rockville DARCARS Pre-Owned

1040 W. Patrick St (Route 40)

10620 Fairfax Boulevard

1665 Cassat Avenue

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

Thank You to All of

Valerie Jarrett: Be brave, be vigilant, continue to speak out

Ask, Dont Tell repeal, an executive order

of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental

Luther King Jr.s quote where he says the

Obama declares presidential campaign

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 06

elect Trump could undo that progress,

about how the upcoming administration

Obama issues Pride letter, conrming

Prevention Act in 2009, Jarrett said the

during Obamas rst term after the 2008

Obama wins Democratic nomination

Obama tells Rick Warren he opposes

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 06

those activists were seeking would have

The worst day? Jarrett contrasted the

Obama defeats John McCain to win

You have to be vigilant

LGBT advocates outraged as Obamas

Obama signs Matthew Shepard & James

Samantha Power on the global struggle for LGBT rights

The U.S. and Chile in 2015 co-hosted

Obama says his views could evolve on

Obama signs Dont Ask, Dont Tell

through history the United Nations has

Obama administration declares it will