Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
19 BOGUS SCOTUS
Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court would be a
disaster for LGBTQ and women’s rights.
By John Riley
FIGHTING BACK
When a local restaurant asked trans activist
Charlotte Clymer to leave for using the women’s
restroom, they picked a fight with the wrong person.
By Sean Maunier
SPOTLIGHT: OZ p.7 OUT ON THE TOWN p.10 THE FEED: BOGUS SCOTUS p.19
COMMUNITY: PUNIMS ON PARADE p.21 COVER STORY: FIGHTING BACK p.24
GALLERY: JOANNE KAUFMAN p.31 FILM: SKYSCRAPER p.33
MUSIC: YEARS & YEARS p.35 NIGHTLIFE p.37 SCENE: PITCHERS p.37
LISTINGS p.38 SCENE: GREEN LANTERN p.44
LAST WORD p.46
Real LGBTQ News and Entertainment since 1994
Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Online Editor at metroweekly.com Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley
Contributing Editors André Hereford, Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks
Contributing Writers Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Bailey Vogt, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim
Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla
Patron Saint Marsha P. Johnson Cover Photography Julian Vankim
Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830
All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject to
editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their
agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.
© 2018 Jansi LLC.
Oz
S
YNETIC THEATER PRESENTS Oz combines verbal and nonverbal com-
a new adaptation of the American munication for an “environmental and
classic The Wizard of Oz featuring spectacular adventure” down the Yellow
some of L. Frank Baum’s original text and Brick Road with Dorothy and friends.
dialogue — in contrast to the “wordless Longtime Synetic actor Ryan Sellers
Shakespeare” works the company has steps up as director, assisted by Tori
become known for. Offered as the first Bertocci as choreographer, for a produc-
production in the Synetic New Voices tion that has had to move to Georgetown
Series, through which select company University’s main campus. (Synetic’s
members are mentored in leadership usual venue in Crystal City recently suf-
roles by co-founder Paata Tsikurishvili, fered water damage.)
Currently in previews. Opens Saturday, July 14. To Aug. 12. Devine Studio Theatre in the Davis
Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $20 to $45. Call 866-811-4111 or visit synetictheater.org.
VIVICA A. FOX:
EVERY DAY I’M HUSTLING
In her new book, the actress relates stories from her early life
all the way through to today. Known from supporting roles in
the blockbusters Kill Bill and Independence Day, as well as more
recently on Empire, Fox, host of Lifetime’s Vivica’s Black Magic,
will share some of her secrets to success and sign copies of her
book, presented in collaboration with Solid State Books. Friday,
July 13, at 7 p.m. Lang Theatre in the Atlas Performing Arts
Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $25 to $37. Call 202-399-7993
or visit inseries.org.
PIPPIN
Fresh off its win as Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company at
the Helen Hayes Awards, Monumental Theatre tackles the musical
that Stephen Schwartz created two decades before Wicked. Rebecca
Wahls directs a Millennial-run production based on the 2013 Tony-
winning revival, in which the titular prince joins the circus on his
journey to magic-making self-discovery. Tiziano D’Affuso plays
Pippin, Solomon Parker is the narrating Leading Player, and Chani
Wereley is Catherine. Choreography by Ahmad Maaty and music led
by Leigh Delano. Previews start Friday, July 13. To July 30. Ainslie
Arts Center in Episcopal High School, 3900 W. Braddock Rd. Tickets
are $30 to $40. Call 703-933-3000 or visit monumentaltheatre.org.
MARILYN MAYE
Michael Feinstein has highlighted “the next gener-
ation of performers” all this season in his Cabaret
Supper Club series at AMP by Strathmore — including
Laura Osnes (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella)
and Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon). This weekend
Feinstein presents a true veteran, a woman known
from a whopping 76 appearances on The Tonight
Show with Johnny Carson — to say nothing of roles in
productions of everything from Hello, Dolly to Follies.
More recently, Maye has been featured in a one-hour
PBS Television Special — and as the featured guest
of D.C.’s newest hometown orchestra, the American
Pops, in residence at Arena Stage. Her AMP cabaret
is Saturday, July 14, at 8 p.m. 11810 Grand Park Ave.
North Bethesda. Tickets are $30 to $40. Call 301-581-
5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.
Compiled by Doug Rule PITCH PERFECT 6:30 p.m., and the screening starts at The Cakemaker is “a blend of old-
The Georgetown Sunset Cinema sunset, around 8:30 p.m. Call 202- school melodrama, contemporary
screening series presents Jason 298-9222 or visit georgetowndc. identity politics, and buttery gastro-
com/sunset-cinema.
FILM
Moore’s 2012 comedy about a porn,” writes Variety. Partially sub-
collegiate clique of competitive a titled. Now playing. Landmark’s E
cappella singers starring Anna THE CAKEMAKER Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and the A shy young German baker falls in 202-452-7672 or visit landmarkthe-
SUMMER VACATION especially unforgettable Rebel “Fat love with a married Israeli busi- atres.com.
Even Sony Pictures must be sur- Amy” Wilson. The screening takes nessman, who is a frequent visitor
prised they’ve managed to wring place in a grassy knoll along the to Berlin — until one day he isn’t, THE EQUALIZER 2
three films out of this idea. But with banks of the Potomac River, with after becoming the victim of a car Denzel Washington as a retired
box office receipts of $800 million, the panoramic Key Bridge as back- crash. Israeli filmmaker Ophir Raul agent who becomes a hired gun
it’s not hard to see why a third film drop. Vendors include Muncheez Graizer focuses on what happens for vengeance sounds like a rec-
was greenlit, even if it’ll likely be and Stella’s PopKern and Maracas after the baker travels to Jerusalem ipe for success, but the first film
more of the same pleasant but far Ice Pops. Everyone is encouraged seeking answers into the death of in this apparent franchise received
from genre-defining animated fam- to bring a blanket, food and water his late lover. Keeping his secret to mediocre reviews and only moder-
ily comedy. Opens Friday, July 13. or soft drinks — just no chairs or himself, the baker quickly befriends ate box office success. Apparently
Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. alcohol. Tuesday, July 17, at the the man’s widow (Sarah Adler) and that was enough to greenlight a
(Rhuaridh Marr) intersection of Water Street and becomes involved in her life in a sequel. Opens Friday, July 13. Area
Cecil Place NW. The area opens at way far beyond his original plan. theaters. Visit fandango.com. (RM)
CARBON LEAF
A five-piece from Richmond,
Carbon Leaf has toured with the
Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., and
Blues Traveler, while drawing its
own fans to its slightly unusual
blend of bluegrass and rock, offi-
cially pegged as “ether-electrified
porch music.” The band tours in
celebration of its 25th anniversary.
Saturday, July 14. Doors at 6:30 p.m.
The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW.
Tickets are $30 to $35. Call 202-
787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.
com.
CHRIS URQUIAGA
A native of Silver Spring, this bud-
ding Latin pop singer-songwrit-
er was selected as an Artist-in-
Residence at Strathmore two years
ago. At the top of 2017, Urquiaga
released Complete, an album of orig-
inal pop tunes in English, Spanish,
and Portuguese — many of which
he’s expected to perform in a con-
cert next week titled “Pop & Latin
Songs by Chris Urquiaga.” Friday,
July 20. Doors at 7 p.m. Dupont
Underground, 1500 19th St. NW.
Tickets are $15. Visit dupontunder-
ground.org.
BOGUS SCOTUS
Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court would be a disaster
for LGBTQ and women’s rights. By John Riley
L
GBTQ GROUPS ARE SLAMMING PRESIDENT seem unwilling to provide when it comes to Trump’s judicial
Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to be the nominees.
nation’s next Supreme Court justice, arguing that he The Human Rights Campaign also blasted Kavanaugh’s
will endanger the progress made over the past few years on nomination, saying that selecting Kavanaugh was proof that
LGBTQ equality and shift the court in a rightward direction Trump “has followed through on his threat to nominate a
for at least two generations. justice who would undermine LGBTQ equality, women’s
“Judge Kavanaugh would guarantee 40 more years of reproductive rights and affordable healthcare.”
Trump’s values on the Supreme Court,” Rachel B. Tiven, Now, the Senate has a responsibility to fulfill its consti-
the CEO of Lambda Legal, said in a statement. “Like every tutional duty, serve as a check on this reckless president
other judicial nominee who has a seal of approval from and reject Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination,” HRC President
the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society, Judge Chad Griffin said in a statement. “This nominee was hand-
Kavanaugh shares Donald Trump’s same distorted view of picked by anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice groups in an explicit
the law. effort to undermine equality — and the prospect of a Justice
“We have good reason to fear that Judge Kavanaugh Kavanaugh threatens to erode our nation’s civil rights laws,
will abuse his power on the Court to protect the wealthy block transgender troops from bravely serving this nation
and the powerful while depriving LGBT Americans of our and allow a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people in
dignity, demeaning our community, and diminishing our every aspect of American life.”
status as equal citizens,” Tiven added. “There is too much Griffin also issued a warning to any left-of-center
at stake to allow Judge Kavanaugh to sit on the Court that, American citizen, particularly LGBTQ people, that voting
over its history, has decided who can marry, who can vote, in November would be essential to reigning in the Trump
and who is equal.” administration’s attempts to undermine equality in a host
Tiven noted that Kavanaugh has previously stated that of areas.
presidents should not be subject to civil or criminal charges “The 2018 midterm elections just became the most con-
while in office — a startling claim, especially considering sequential elections of our lifetime, and we must seize the
that Trump is under investigation — and that a president opportunity to pull the emergency brake on this regime,”
does not need to follow the law if he thinks the law is uncon- Griffin said. “We need to vote this November like our lives
stitutional. Tiven vowed that Lambda Legal would push depend on it — because they do.”
Democrats to oppose any hearing or vote on Kavanaugh’s Transgender Law Center Deputy Director Isa Noyola
nomination until after the 2018 midterm elections, and reaf- called Kavanaugh a “divisive, radical conservative” whose
firm the need for oversight and scrutiny that Republicans appointment would threaten the rights of transgender peo-
HEAVENLY BLESSING
Former President Jimmy Carter believes “Jesus would approve of gay marriage.” By John Riley
F
ORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER ago when the U.S. Supreme Court was about to rule on wheth-
believes that Jesus would approve of marriage equali- er to legalize same-sex marriage in the Obergefell v. Hodges
ty. A born-again Christian, Carter made the comment case. Carter did say he has “had a problem with abortion”
during an an interview on Sunday with HuffPost Live’s Marc throughout his political career, particularly during his presi-
Lamont Hill about how his faith has informed his politics. dency, from 1977 to 1981, when the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade
“My faith has been kind of the foundation of my encour- decision was still fresh.
agement when I was in trouble or failed [at] something, and “I have a hard time believing that Jesus, for instance,
[has] given me a new opportunity or motivation to reach for would approve abortions unless it was because of rape or
greater things in my own life,” Carter said in the interview. “I incest or if the mother’s life was in danger. So I’ve had that
never have run across any serious conflicts between my polit- struggle,” Carter said. “But my oath of office was to obey the
ical obligations and my religious faith.” Constitution and the laws of this country as interpreted as the
“How about gay marriage?” Hill asked. Supreme Court, so I went along with that.”
“That’s no problem with me,” the former president said. “I “Would Jesus approve gay marriage?” Hill asked.
think everyone should have a right to get married, regardless of “I believe he would. I believe Jesus would. I don’t have any
their sex. The only thing I would draw the line on is I wouldn’t verse in Scripture [to support that],” Carter said.
be in favor of the government being able to force a local church “No, but just intuitively,” Hill interjected.
congregation to perform gay marriages if they didn’t want to. “I believe Jesus would approve of gay marriage, but that’s
But those two partners should be able to go to the local court- just my own personal belief,” Carter said. “I think Jesus would
house, or to a different church, and get married.” encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was
Carter’s comments, made in the wake of Justice Anthony not damaging to anyone else, and I don’t see that gay marriage
Kennedy’s retirement, echo similar ones he made three years damages anyone else.” l
Weekly Events
ANDROMEDA
TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing and HIV
services (by appointment). 9
a.m.-5 p.m. Decatur Center,
1400 Decatur St. NW. To
arrange an appointment, call
202-291-4707, or visit androm-
edatransculturalhealth.org.
PUNIMS ON PARADE
distance is 3-6 miles. Meet at
7 p.m. at 23rd & P Streets NW.
For more information, visit
dcfrontrunners.org.
The Mr. Nice Jewish Boy DC pageant has some big changes in store for DC LAMBDA SQUARES, D.C.’s
this year’s event. gay and lesbian square-dancing
T
group, features mainstream
through advanced square
his year’s Mr. Nice Jewish Boy DC Pageant can’t promise you’ll find a mensch to take
dancing at the National City
home to mom on the High Holy Days, but it can promise a night of “family-friendly” Christian Church. Please dress
entertainment. casually. 7-9:30 p.m. 5 Thomas
“We definitely wanted to up the ante this year, and beef up the competition,” says Jeremy Circle NW. 202-930-1058,
dclambdasquares.org.
Gilston, last year’s runner-up and a chief organizer of the event. “We’re hoping to take the
whole show to the next level.” DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds
In addition to the talent and interview portions of the contest, contestants will be judged practice. The team is always
looking for new members.
on a choreographed dance number — complete with professional lighting to add an air of
All welcome. 7-9 p.m. Harry
polish. Nice Jewish Boys DC has also convinced local businesses to donate special prize Thomas Recreation Center,
packages and gift certificates that will be raffled off in between acts. 1743 Lincoln Rd. NE. For more
Competing for top honors are Zach Levine, a healthcare consultant who plays for information, visit scandalsrfc.
org or dcscandals@gmail.com.
Stonewall Dodgeball and sings with the Choral Arts Society of Washington; Michael
Ramsey, a regulatory scientist with a larger-than life drag queen persona; Jeremy Bauer- THE DULLES TRIANGLES
Wolf, an education journalist full of witty one-liners, able to drop double entendres with Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at
ease; and Jeremy Sherman, a Jewish Colombian consultant who lists his talents as playing
Sheraton in Reston. All wel-
“dirty, delicious songs” on the piano, being the go-to expert on every restaurant in the come. 7-9 p.m. 11810 Sunrise
Washington area, and “slaying” the runway. Valley Drive, second-floor bar.
Tickets are $15 for regular admission, and $30 for VIP seating, which includes two raffle For more information, visit
dullestriangles.com.
tickets, a drink ticket, and a meet-and-greet with the contestants after the show. Proceeds
from the event benefit Keshet, an LGBTQ Jewish organization that hosts LGBTQ and Ally HIV TESTING at Whitman-
Shabbaton gatherings, including weekend excursion programs and a summer camp for Walker Health. 9 a.m.-12:30
p.m. and from 2-5 p.m. at 1525
LGBTQ Jewish youth.
14th St. NW, and 9 a.m-12
Sixty percent of a contestant’s score will be based on audience votes, and the rest from p.m. and 2-5 p.m. at the Max
a panel of three Jewish judges: D.C. Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, local lawyer Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr.
and philanthropist Stuart Kurlander, and Gilston’s mother, Jody, who runs a Jewish day Ave. SE. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000 or visit whit-
care on Long Island. For her part, Nadeau will be looking at how committed contestants are man-walker.org.
to social justice causes — building upon a preliminary questionnaire that asked each contes-
tant about any recent mitzvahs they’ve done. IDENTITY offers free and
confidential HIV testing at
“It’s going to be tough, though, to make a decision,” she says. “[They] are all bringing a
two separate locations. Walk-
lot to the table.” —John Riley ins accepted from 2-6 p.m.,
by appointment for all other
The Mr. Nice Jewish Boy DC Pageant is Sunday, July 15, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. hours. 414 East Diamond Ave.,
Gaithersburg, Md. or 7676
at U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. For tickets or more information, New Hampshire Ave., Suite
visit ticketfly.com or facebook.com/NJB.DC.
C
HARLOTTE CLYMER IS NEVER THE PERSON filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights, which
who ends up in the spotlight. is expected to launch an investigation and will likely send the
As rapid response press secretary for complaint to mediation.
the Human Rights Campaign, Clymer stays “From what I’ve been told by several people, there is no
behind the scenes, responding to the latest chance [the manager] didn’t know about this,” says Clymer. She
machinations of the Trump administration calls the incident “inexcusable.”
or the latest developments on LGBTQ rights. “Being in a city as rich in LGBTQ experiences as D.C. is,
So when, on June 22, she went to the D.C. restaurant Cuba Libre being in a city as progressive as D.C. is, it’s just hard to imagine
for a girlfriend’s bachelorette party, she didn’t expect to become that this didn’t cross his mind,” says the 31-year-old. “A queer
the center of attention. cisgender woman messaged me last week and told me she had
When Clymer attempted to use the restroom, an attendant the same problem. A few weeks ago she went in there to use the
stopped her, asking to see her ID. She refused and used the women’s restroom. She presents as very masculine, and she got
bathroom. Upon exiting, Clymer was accosted by the attendant stopped and asked for her ID before going into the restroom. So
and a manager, who cited a nonexistent law claiming that a per- this is a pattern. This wasn’t just that night.”
son must have “female” on their ID in order to use the women’s Immediately following the incident, Cuba Libre apologized
restroom. Clymer told them they were wrong, and even attempt- and placed the two employees in question on leave. A spokes-
ed to show them the actual law, which allows transgender man for the restaurant confirmed that the employees have not
people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. worked since that night, and are no longer employed there.
The manager refused to look at the citation, and openly mocked Barry Gutin, the owner of Cuba Libre, has begun talks with
Clymer. local transgender advocate Ruby Corado, of Casa Ruby, to hold
Asked to leave the restaurant, Clymer lodged a complaint two three-hour trainings — one in English and one in Spanish.
with the police. In the weeks since the incident, she has also Gutin also pledged to donate to Casa Ruby’s Transgender
Graves
Joanne Kaufman:
Containments
T
HE WASHINGTON Washington-area painter and
Studio School presents WSS faculty member, took
a series of 11 large-scale inspiration from Agnes Martin,
abstract works that explore Paul Klee, and daily news for the
what painting does, and does paintings. On display to July 15.
not, manage to contain — for- Main Gallery of the Washington
mally, conceptually, aesthet- Studio School, 2129 S St. NW.
ico-historically — within the Call 202-234-3030 or visit wash-
space of a canvas. Kaufman, a ingtonstudioschool.org.
Scraping By
over tall buildings in a single bound.
Johnson’s brawny determination consti-
tutes the movie’s most effective visual
effect. Thurber and Oscar-winning cine-
Skyscraper will have you on the edge of wishing for the return matographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be
of John McClane. By André Hereford Blood) also make smart use of any sensible
human’s natural awe and/or fear of look-
T
ing down from such tremendous heights.
HE ACTION EXTRAVAGANZA SKYSCRAPER (HHHHH) BURNS THROUGH Still, many of the shots are too dark
a mountain of other franchises’ best bits and pieces to deliver Dwayne “The and cramped to clearly convey the mas-
Rock” Johnson playing American Ninja Warrior inside a Towering Inferno. The sive fiery tumult inside the building, and
plot and characters are as bland and focus-grouped as the title sounds, and the bad guys frequently in the tighter spaces, as well. A
all are identifiable on sight, so let’s get to The Rock rolling around the burning building, finale, partly set in a chamber of reflective
shall we? Alas, that would be too easy for writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber HD panels, à la The Lady from Shanghai,
(Central Intelligence), who first must fill in the blanks with the movie’s opening videog- bears none of the tension or snap of that
ame-style setup. Orson Welles classic. And, a supposedly
Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a decorated Marine vet and ex-FBI op who lost half a bruising kick-fight in a car between Sarah
leg trying to save a family during an ill-fated hostage situation. Ten years after that raid and the film’s femme fatale, Xia (Hannah
gone wrong, he’s married to another heroic vet, Sarah (Neve Campbell), with ador- Quinlivan), amounts to several quick cuts
able twin tweens Georgia and Henry (McKenna Roberts and Noah Cottrell). Will has of close-ups that don’t look like much.
brought the family with him to Hong Kong for his interview as the safety and security At least Campbell, who took a brief
analyst of a wondrous, just-completed super-tower known as the Pearl. Thurber whiz- hiatus from the big-screen, appears on her
zes us through the Pearl’s corporate promo video, which describes the state-of-the-art game. Called upon to deliver more than a
“city in the sky” as being three times the height of the Empire State Building. movie’s worth of “you can do it” pep talks,
For all its bells and whistles, however, the Pearl’s insurance company has yet to sign she does so with conviction. And the for-
off on allowing residents to occupy the upper floors until the billionaire owner Zhao mer ballerina throws herself into the role
(Chin Han) can assure that all safety systems pass muster. It’s for that purpose that Will with a physical gusto that matches her
has been recruited, or lured, into the gig. screen husband’s.
Maybe Will’s first order of business as safety analyst at this untested 220-floor Will and Sarah are like the Incredibles
deathtrap should have been to book his family a room at a nearby Holiday Inn, instead come to life, but without the wit or
of on the 96th floor. But without his own family to save, he’d have little reason to battle nuance. And, while Johnson transmits an
his way back inside after a gang of thickly-accented, gun-toting thugs set fire to the earnest love for his family that somewhat
Pearl, and corner Sarah and the kids. grounds the outlandish action, he’s not the
Cue The Rock climbing a crane half a mile up in the sky, rappelling across quip-meister this Die Hard clone could
Skyscraper is rated PG-13, and opens in theaters everywhere July 13. Visit fandango.com.
Holy Wood
of drawing a contrast between the viscer-
al and the sacred, Alexander makes the
assumption that the two emanate from the
same source. “Sanctify my body with pain,”
On his band’s sophomore album, Olly Alexander reckons with the after all, is a plea that rests on the assump-
sacredness of his own sexuality. By Sean Maunier tion that queerness is already something
sacred, no further justification or explana-
B
tion needed.
efore Years & Years appeared on the scene, seemingly from nowhere, with their “Sanctify” is followed by “Hallelujah,”
chart-topping debut Communion, most of us had no idea that their brand of a frantic dance track. Later in the album,
infectious, surprisingly cerebral, and subtly but unmistakably queer synthpop Alexander gets his George Michael
was exactly what we all needed in our lives. Palo Santo (HHHHH) finds the British moment on “Preacher,” which has him
band more heavily preoccupied than ever with matters of spirituality, sexuality, and the offer a gentle rebuke and a chance at
many points of overlap between the two. This time, however, they ditch the subtlety. redemption to a closeted love interest
The direction taken on Palo Santo is inseparable from frontman Olly Alexander’s presumably wracked with internalized
rapid rise as an outspokenly gay pop superstar. Like many of his peers, Alexander has homophobia. Despite the weight of the
a noticeable preoccupation with LGBTQ visibility and representation, and that pre- subject matter they deal with on Palo
occupation comes out strongly in the album. Putting aside questions of radio-friendly Santo, Years & Years are still out to write
heteronormative respectability, he makes it clear from the outset that the image of gay fun, dancey hits, and the album represents
love he puts forth will not be neutered, and it will not be toothless. It will be accepted an evolution of the catchy, thematically
on its own terms, and just to make sure that everyone knows that Years & Years do not strong pop of their debut.
play around, the first single is the BDSM-themed dance track, “Sanctify.” While Palo Santo meanders more than
Appropriately for an album whose title translates as “holy wood,” Palo Santo returns the flawlessly structured Communion, the
frequently to religious themes and iconography. Probably the strongest track on the album’s standout tracks are arguably the
album, and one that sets the tone for the rest of it, “Sanctify” is addressed to an anon- band’s best work yet. Although the most
ymous, presumably straight partner. A straightforward sexual solicitation on one level, catchy, memorable tracks are front-loaded
the barely-concealed subtext of the song is an invitation to participate in a sort of sacra- into the first half of the album, there is
mental act. “You don’t have to be straight with me/I see what’s underneath your mask,” enough substance in the slower tracks of
Alexander reassures his lover with an almost audible grin, inviting him to break out of the album’s second half to see it through
Palo Santo is available now to buy from Amazon.com and iTunes, and on streaming services.