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Chantale Wong on groundbreaking role as U.S. director of Asian Development Bank, PAGE 12
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VOLUME 53 ISSUE 17 ADDRESS PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE 202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 REPORTER & INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com POP CULTURE REPORTER JOHN PAUL KING PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS TINASHE CHINGARANDE, DUNIA ORELLANA, REPORTAR SIN MIEDO, PARKER PURIFOY, PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZÁLEZ, LYNARE ROBBINS, PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN, KATLEGO K. KOLANYANE-KESUPILE, KAELA ROEDER, TREMENDA NOTA, ALBERTO J. VALENTÍN, MAYKEL GONZÁLEZ VIVERO, ORGULLO LGBT. CO, ESTEBAN GUZMAN CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 ACCT. EXECUTIVE JOE HICKLING jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown ext. 8075. Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC
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D.C. gay man dies after being punched by bouncer at Philly bar
A 41-year-old D.C. gay man died in a Philadelphia hospital on April 23, one week after being knocked unconscious by the bouncer of a bar who punched him in the head after reportedly ERIC POPE, 41, died after escorting him out of being punched by a bouncer in the bar because he Philadelphia. (Screenshot via Fox 29) allegedly was intoxicated. A surveillance video of the incident broadcast by several Philadelphia TV news stations shows the bouncer pulling back his arm and swinging a forceful punch to the head of Eric Pope, knocking him down on a street in front of the Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar. At the time the bouncer hit him, the video shows Pope standing in the street by himself and not appearing to be
acting in an aggressive way. The Philadelphia Gay News describes Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar as an “establishment oriented to the LGBTQ+ community.” The video shows Pope lying unconscious on the street for about a minute before the bouncer who punched him, and another bouncer, pull his limp body out of the street and onto the sidewalk in front of the bar. He’s seen in the video lying on the sidewalk for a few minutes before a small crowd of people gathers around him. At that point the video ends. A statement released by the Philadelphia Police Department says Pope was unconscious when Medics arrived at 12:20 a.m. on April 16 and immediately performed CPR before taking Pope to Jefferson Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. He was pronounced dead at the hospital one week later on April 23. Philadelphia’s Fox 29 TV News reported that Tabu’s owner said the bouncer involved was not an employee of the bar and the incident did not happen on their property.
“When it was reported to them, they immediately called 911 and are cooperating with the police investigation,” the TV news station reports. “More than a week after the deadly incident, law enforcement sources told Fox 29’s Kelly Rule that criminal charges” were expected in the case and that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office was taking the matter “very seriously.” A Zoominfo profile of Pope’s career says he worked as a project coordinator at the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank’s Division of Monetary Affairs in D.C. Someone in D.C. who knew Pope and who spoke on condition of not being identified said his friends are skeptical over claims that Pope had to be escorted out of a bar for being intoxicated. “Everyone who knew Eric is shocked because he was not the type of person who was a fighter or a troublemaker that you would expect would need to be forcibly removed from a bar,” the person who knew him said. LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Event celebrates 50 years since iconic speech that changed LGBTQ history
The Washington Blade announced last week that tickets are now available for its commemoration of the 50th anniversary of John Fryer’s groundbreaking speech to the American Psychiatric Association urging the group to remove homosexuality from its list of mental health disorders. The event will be held Thursday, May 12 at The Corner at Whitman-Walker (1701 14th St., N.W.) beginning with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by a panel discussion at 7 p.m. The American Psychiatric Association is the presenting sponsor. Tickets are FREE and available now at washingtonblade.com/panel. The panel discussion will feature four experts on the topic: Dr. Saul Levin, CEO and Medical Director of the APA; Dr. Karen Kelly, a friend and mentee of Dr. Fryer; Katherine Ott, Ph.D., a curator in the history of medicine at the Smith-
sonian’s National Museum of American History where she documents LGBTQ+ history; and Dr. Amir Ahuja, president of the AssociaJohn Fryer spoke in disguise at the American Psychiatric Association’s tion of LGBTQ 1972 national convention. Ps y c h i a t r i s t s (Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen; courtesy New York Public Library) (AGLP). The panel will be moderated by award-winning filmmaker Patrick Sammon, who directed “Cured,” a documentary about the activists who fought
Comings & Goings
Jackson named director of TheCil
By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com. Congratulations to Eric Fryer on his appointment as Manager, Grassroots and PAC with the U.S. Travel Association. “I’m proud of the work that the Dulles Area Association of Realtors (DAAR) has done to advance homeownership opportunities for all in Loudoun County,” he said. “It’s been an honor to lead the Association’s advocacy and DEI initiatives with our members, president, and CEO. I’m thrilled to take these next steps in my career with the U.S. Travel Association, where I’ll be supporting the growth of their grassroots program and increasing political involvement across the travel industry.” Prior to working with the Dulles area Association of Realtors, Fryer was a U.S. Public Affairs Intern; and Communication/Membership Intern with the Public Affairs Council; legislative intern, Office of Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD); and an intern working as Deputy Field Organizer for State Sen. Rich Madaleno’s campaign for Maryland governor in 2018.
ERIC FRYER
TED JACKSON
Congratulations also to Ted Jackson on his appointment as Executive Director of the The Center for Independent Living-Berkeley (TheCIL). In his new role as Executive Director, Jackson will prioritize independent living programs and disability rights and justice initiatives, while working to build partnerships with other local social justice and service organizations that value individual dignity and agency. Board Co-Chair Caleb van Docto said, “Ted’s demonstrated leadership skills showed the board he has a real understanding of organizational management and movement building to make sure that TheCIL continues to grow the scope of its Independent Living services.” Co-Chair Josh Halstead added “He’ll work in collaboration with allies; his commitment to bring an intersectional focus to our work will keep the center oriented toward the values that created it
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to convince the APA to remove the diagnosis of homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses. Fryer, a closeted gay psychiatrist, addressed the 1972 APA national convention in disguise with his voice altered and urged the organization to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which it subsequently did, marking a major turning point in the fight for LGBTQ equality. “John Fryer’s courageous actions were a watershed moment for psychiatry, the APA, and the LGBTQ community,” said Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., CEO & Medical Director of the American Psychiatric Association. “Every day we work to honor the legacy of Dr. Fryer and the activists who fought alongside him to achieve freedom, equality and acceptance for LGBTQ people in America.” FROM STAFF REPORTS 50 years ago.” Upon accepting the position, Jackson said, “I lived half my life under the stigmatic pressure of a medical model that denied my disabilities, discovering myself as a disabled person was freedom. I want that freedom for TheCIL’s consumers and community members. I have personally navigated difficult healthcare systems, confusing government programs for food, housing assistance and jobs and encountered accessibility obstacles at work. I know the reality of these barriers and I commit to work every day to provide programs that empower people with disabilities to achieve equity in the community.” Jackson began his professional life as a theater artist and teacher. When he encountered roadblocks to continuing this profession because of his disability and his sexual orientation, he began working as a political and community organizer to change the systems that perpetuated these obstacles to inclusion. Jackson has served in multiple roles at cross-community social justice organizations and on initiatives to create change. These include Equality California, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC); the Democratic National Committee (Senior Advisor-Disability); accessibility and political staff roles at The Women’s March, Inc.; and as an organizer at the American Association for People with Disabilities and the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies. This year he joined the American University School of Public Affairs faculty as an adjunct professor teaching a disability focused political curriculum.
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Man charged in D.C. trans murder case sentenced to seven years Judge adds two additional years for probation violation in burglary By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
A D.C. Superior Court judge on April 22 sentenced one of four men charged with first-degree murder while armed for the July 4, 2016, shooting death of transgender woman Deeniquia “Dee Dee” Dodds on a street in Northeast Washington to seven years in jail for the murder. Judge Milton C. Lee sentenced Shareem Hall, 28, to an additional two years in jail for violating his probation in an unrelated conviction for a 2013 home invasion burglary, bringing his total sentence to nine years. Lee pointed out that Shareem Hall’s involvement in the Dodds murder took place while he was on supervised release in connection with the burglary case, which violated the terms of his release. Lee said the additional two years were for the jail time he would have received had he not been given a suspended sentence in the burglary case. Hall’s brother, Cyheme Hall, 26, who was also charged with first-degree murder while armed in the Dodds murder case, appeared in court on April 22 for what was expected to be his sentencing. But Lee postponed that sentencing until May 10 at the request of Cyheme Hall’s attorney, who said he needed more time to prepare for the sentencing. Shareem Hall’s sentencing came four months after two other men charged in the Dodds murder – Jalonta Little, 31, and Monte T. Johnson, 26 — were sentenced by Lee to eight years in jail in the Dodds murder case. Their sentencing came after they agreed to an offer by prosecutors with the Office of the United States Attorney for D.C. to plead guilty to a single charge of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for the murder charge and other gun related and armed robbery charges being dropped. D.C. police said Dodds was one of several transgender women that the four men targeted for armed robberies on the night of Dodds’s murder in locations in the city where trans women were known to congregate. Police said Dodds was fatally shot in the neck at point blank range after she fought back when the men attempted to rob her. Cyheme Hall testified at a 2019 trial for Little and Johnson that it was Johnson who shot Dodds. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office initially listed the case as a hate crime because the four men were targeting transgender people for crimes. But the hate crime designation was dropped at the time of the trial after Lee ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove the motive was hate rather than robbery. In handing down his sentence on April 22 for Shareem Hall, Lee noted that Hall cooperated with prosecutors after his arrest in the Dodds case in 2016 by agreeing to testify as a prosecution witness at the 2019 trial for Little and Johnson on the murder and related gun charges in connection with the Dodds murder. Lee, who presided over the trial, declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a verdict. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office initially said they planned to bring the two men up for another trial. But that never happened, and the case remained in limbo for a little over two years until the plea agreement for the voluntary manslaughter charge was reached last year. Court records at the time showed that shortly before the 2019 trial for Little and Johnson, both Hall brothers accepted an offer by prosecutors to plead guilty to a charge of second-degree murder in addition to each agreeing to testify at the combined trial for Little and Johnson. Court records do not show any attempt by the Hall brothers’ attorneys to seek a withdrawal of their guilty plea to second-degree murder in exchange for the same offer prosecutors made for Little and Johnson for a voluntary manslaughter plea. The current public court records for the Shareem Hall case make a reference to a guilty plea by Hall but make no mention of his having pled guilty to second-degree murder. Instead, the records show Hall having a conviction for three of the original murder related charges. A spokesperson for the D.C. Superior Court could not be immediately reached by the Washington Blade for an explanation of how the ultimate charges for which Shareem Hall has been sentenced came about. Jonathan Zucker, the attorney representing Cyheme Hall, told the Blade outside the courtroom, following the April 22 sentencing hearing for Shareem Hall, that he didn’t think prosecutors would agree to a plea offer of voluntary manslaughter for the Hall brothers. At the April 22 sentencing hearing, Lee sentenced Shareem Hall to seven years for Murder 1 While Armed; four years for Conspiracy to Commit a Crime of Violence; and four years for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in connection with the Dodds case. Although the combined sentences come to 15 years, the docket shows that Lee ordered that the three sentences be served concurrently, requiring Hall to serve a total of seven years. Lee ordered that Hall serve the seven years in the Dodds case and the two years for the 2013 burglary case consecutively, bringing his total time served to nine years. However, as is often the practice in this type of criminal case, Judge Lee gave Hall credit for the five and a half years he has already served in jail since the time of his arrest for 0 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2 • LO CA L NE WS
the Dodds case in September 2016, for which he has been held without bond. That means Hall can be eligible for release in about three and a half years. William Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said his office confirmed that Judge Lee sentenced Shareem Hall to the seven years in prison in the Dodds case based on a single DEENIQUIA ‘DEE DEE’ DODDS was killed in 2016. charge of second-de(Photo via Facebook) gree murder. “I’m not sure why the docket reads like it does,” he said, referring to the online court docket stating that Lee linked his seven-year sentence to the charges of Murder 1, Conspiracy to Commit a Crime of Violence, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. Dorsey Jones, Shareem Hall’s attorney, told Lee at the sentencing hearing that his client, who has a girlfriend and two children, grew up in a high crime neighborhood in which his father, who was known to the family as a drug dealer, was murdered in 2009. Jones said Shareem Hall did not become involved with the criminal justice system until after his father’s murder, which Jones said had “a big impact” Hall’s life. “Had his father not been murdered, he may have gone down a different path,” said Jones, who added that his client has expressed remorse over the Dodds murder. Jones told the court that Hall demonstrated that remorse by becoming a prosecution witness at the trial of Johnson and Little, placing his own life in danger by doing that. According to Jones, Johnson and Little, who will be released from prison within the next four years, and people associated with them will likely take steps to retaliate against Hall for testifying against Little and Johnson at their trial. “He can’t remain in D.C. when he gets out,” Jones said. “He is in danger.” At that point Jones requested and received permission from Lee to continue his statement on his client’s behalf off the public record. He handed the two assistant U.S. Attorneys serving as prosecutors and Judge Lee earphones with a mic. The judge then turned on a static sound noisemaker in the courtroom while Jones spoke for a little over five minutes before Lee reopened the hearing for the public record. Jones then concluded by asking Lee to sentence Hall to seven years with five years’ probation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Donovan told Lee the government agreed with the seven-year sentence request. When Lee asked Hall to speak on his own behalf, Hall apologized for his role in the Dodds murder and said he has apologized for his actions to his family and his kids. “I’ve programmed myself so I can do better, so I can be a father and a role model for my son,” he said. “I’m willing to give you some break because I think you were of assistance to the government,” Lee told Hall. “But you can’t get a pass,” the judge said. “The shooting death of Ms. Dodds was one of the most senseless acts I’ve unfortunately been exposed to,” Lee added. “And the individuals you picked on were among the most vulnerable in the District of Columbia.” At the time of the December 2021 sentencing for defendants Little and Johnson, the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community’s Anti-Violence Project submitted a community impact statement to Judge Lee strongly objecting to the agreement by prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Officer to lower the charge from first-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter. The statement called on Lee to hand down the maximum sentence possible under the law. “[W]e ask that you take into consideration the perceived vulnerability of the victim of the defendants’ violent crimes as a transgender woman of color whose rights and life were targeted in a way that confirms they did not matter to the defendants,” the statement says. “Her voice is silenced, but the grief and outcry for justice from the LGBTQ+ community rises in honor of her death and demands effective and responsive protection for the lives of all LGBTQ+ people targeted by future criminals,” the statement says. Court records for the Shareem Hall case do not show a similar community impact statement from an LGBTQ organization was submitted to the judge.
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Musk’s Twitter takeover riles some LGBTQ users Concerns over hate speech after billionaire’s big purchase By CHRIS JOHNSON | cjohnson@washblade.com
The purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk is garnering headlines over the unprecedented nature of the entrepreneur acquiring an influential social media platform, but also causing anxiety among many LGBTQ users who fear the new owner’s stated commitment to free speech will leave them vulnerable to hateful discourse online. Much of the concern is from progressives worried about Musk, who as the world’s richest person has made political contributions to both Democrats and Republicans. Some have threatened to bolt the platform in protest — and a few have made good on that promise. Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of the LGBTQ media watchdog GLAAD, said in a statement Monday upon the purchase her organization will be watching to see whether Twitter will maintain its commitment to combating hate speech on the platform. “Twitter should hold to its principles and the industry standard of prohibiting speech that endangers people, spreads misinformation and incites harassment and abuse,” Ellis said. “LGBTQ people are at disproportionate risk for harassment online and violence in real life. The cost of hate speech further erodes basic safety and civility across society. Elon Musk and his investors should prioritize content moderation to create spaces where truth is elevated over harmful and inaccurate opinions and where public figures are held accountable.” One statement from Musk that has prompted concerns among users was a tweet he issued last year criticizing the concept of identifying one’s personal pronouns on messaging or personal bios. Musk wrote: “I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an esthetic nightmare.” The comment drew consternation from critics who said the complaint was an assault on LGBTQ-inclusivity. Despite the offending line, Musk doesn’t have a history of aligning himself with anti-LGBTQ causes. Additionally, Tesla, the car company owned by Musk, has won a perfect “100” score from the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index, which includes requirements for an LGBTQ-inclusive workplace. One example of a recent incident on Twitter over the divide between free speech and hate speech was a post by the satirical website Babylon Bee mocking Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, the first transgender presidential appointee to obtain Senate confirmation, as “Man of the Year.” Babylon Bee was suspended in March for the tweet amid consternation from conservatives who said their discourse was impaired. Under new ownership pledging a greater commitment to free speech on Twitter, questions remain about how a similar incident would play out. (That said, Twitter has always been a place where vitriol often runs freely, so a greater commitment to free speech may not change much on that front.) Progressives who bolted Twitter in response to the purchase include Shaun King, a Black Lives Matter activist who appears to have quit the platform, and Erik Larsen, a comic book artist for “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Other progressives, including political consultant Neera Tanden, have complained they’ve lost followers upon the announcement of the sale. The anxieties among LGBTQ people over Musk’s purchase, however, may be overstated. After all, Musk has built a reputation as a colorful and visionary entrepreneur who has even made an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” as guest host. A look at the social media accounts of many gay men reveals appreciation and reverence for Musk
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Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover is raising queer eyebrows.
over his deal to acquire Twitter. Charlotte Clymer, a transgender progressive activist, wrote in her Substack newsletter on Monday she has no intention of leaving Twitter, despite having concerns about Musk and skepticism of his view of free speech. “Even if Musk’s goal would be an inclusive website for all communities — and let’s be clear, that doesn’t seem to be the case — his primary objective (so-called “free speech”) will almost certainly lead to a proliferation of harassment, doxxing, death threats, etc. against marginalized people on Twitter,” Clymer said. Musk, in response to criticisms over his purchase of Twitter, posted a statement to his own account on Monday outlining his stated goal in moving the platform toward his vision for enabling free speech online. “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a statement announcing the deal. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots and authenticating all humans.” Twitter didn’t respond to the Washington Blade’s request to comment via email to concerns and questions about how Musk’s direction for the company will affect LGBTQ users, whether it will maintain a policy of no hate speech and whether the new ownership will refuse to censor LGBTQ content in countries with prohibitions on free speech, including in China and Russia.
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Meet America’s first out lesbian ambassador
Chantale Wong on groundbreaking role as U.S. director of Asian Development Bank By MICHAEL K. LAVERS | mlavers@washblade.com
The first openly lesbian U.S. ambassador on Wednesday discussed her historic ambassadorship with the Washington Blade during an exclusive interview in D.C. “It is a milestone for the United States,” said Chantale Wong, the U.S. director of the Asian Development Bank. “I’m hoping that it’s not too soon that I will be joined by others.” Wong, whom the U.S. Senate confirmed in February by a bipartisan 66-31 vote margin, represents the U.S. at the Asian Development Bank, which seeks to promote economic and social development throughout the Asia-Pacific Region. Wong is also the first openly LGBTQ person of color to serve as a U.S. ambassador. Interim Human Rights Campaign President Joni Madison said Wong’s confirmation “is one step closer to achieving a future where all members of the LGBTQ+ community can see themselves reflected at the highest levels of government.” Wong told the Blade that she feels “a huge weight of responsibility.” “It’s a huge responsibility I carry with me because it is the hopes and dreams of those that want to be in my position, but also the issues that I will carry forward in terms of providing inclusive growth for our community in many of these countries where the community is really criminalized and targeted, and so that is going to be my burden and my responsibility to bring forth a better livelihood for these communities.” Brunei and Singapore are among the bank’s member countries that continue to criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. The bank itself is based in the Philippines, a country in which dozens of LGBTQ rights groups operate. Wong between 1999-2002 was the acting U.S. executive director of the bank’s board of directors. Wong noted the Philippines’ Foreign Affairs Department granted her wife a diplomatic visa after the bank recognized their Vermont marriage. “For me 20 years ago, it was really precedent setting,” said Wong. “I was there with my partner.” Wong spoke with the Blade less than two weeks after a group of Democratic lawmakers in a letter they sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the State Department to do more to ensure countries recognize the same-sex partners of American diplomats. The interview also took place against the backdrop of efforts to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Asian Development Bank’s safeguards. “In all the institutions, we come up with ensuring that any of our projects and our policies do no harm and maybe even improve the lives of the beneficiaries we try to serve,” said Wong. “Ultimately, it’s about economic development for these countries ... we’ve always had labor standards, environmental standards, other social standards, social safeguards. You don’t go in and harm the people you’re trying to help.” Wong further noted LGBTQ people “are the vulnerable of the vulnerable because of many of the laws in these countries are specifically targeting LGBTQ people.” “We want to really advance that issue, that you’re also looking at that community to ensure that we do no harm, but also we talk about inclusive growth, that the economies of these countries cannot fully grow if you leave out any segments of the community. So that’s the push on the SOGIE (sexual orientation and gender identity and gender expression) safeguards.” Wong said she expects the bank’s board in 2023 will decide whether to accept the proposed LGBTQ-specific safeguard. Wong told the Blade she expects the U.S. government will endorse it, noting the Biden administration’s executive order that bans discrimination against federal employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity and its commitment to promote LGBTQ rights abroad as part of U.S. foreign policy. “The president is very clear,” said Wong. “The question how to go about making sure that this safeguard is protective of the community. That’s the discussion that’s going on.”
Ambassador fled China as a child
Wong was born in Shanghai in 1954. Mao Tse-tung in 1958 launched the Great Leap Forward that sought to transform China into an industrial economy. Wong said the famine that resulted from the campaign killed upwards of 55 million people. Wong told the Blade her parents in 1960 “made the ultimate sacrifice to allow me to escape” China in the bottom of a boat that brought her and her grandmother to Hong Kong, which at the time was a British colony. Wong lived in Hong Kong with her aunt and uncle. They enrolled her in a Catholic boarding school in Macau, which at the time was a Portuguese territory. She was baptized and given the name Chantal after St. Jane Frances de Chantal, who Wong noted is the patron saint of “forgotten people.” Wong said the first English word she learned to say and write was her name, which she practiced while taking the ferry between Hong Kong and Macau. Wong, her aunt and uncle moved to the Japanese island of Okinawa in the mid-1960s. President Nixon in 1972 traveled to China, and Japan the same year established diplomatic 1 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2 • NAT I O NA L NE WS
relations with the CHANTALE WONG, country. Wong, U.S. director of the Asian Development her aunt and Bank, talked to the uncle received Blade this week. Taiwanese pass(Photo by Kirth Bobb) ports that allowed them to travel to Guam, a U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean. Wong attended an all-girls Catholic high school in Guam. The island’s governor later endorsed her for a scholarship that allowed her to enroll at the University of Hawaii. Wong later studied at the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Wong in 1982 returned to Shanghai, where she reunited with her parents who she had not seen in 21 years. Wong also met her brother whom she had never met. Wong’s brother left China five years later and now lives in the U.S. with his family. Their parents arrived in the U.S. in 1990, a year after the Chinese government massacred pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Wong pointed out her parents were in their 60s when they left China. “Those are the models I adhere to,” she said. Wong further added her “journey is not unlike many of the people that we’re trying to help and nurture and economically develop.” “I’m very mindful of my journey and what we’re trying to help,” she said.
Trump ‘fueled the fire of anti-Asian hate’
Wong throughout her career has worked to expand opportunities for people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. She founded the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership, a group that seeks to “empower” members of those communities to enter public service, in 1990. New York Congresswoman Grace Meng is among the organization’s alumni. Wong also documented the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) during the final years of his life. Wong during the interview wore a gray hoodie with the hashtag #StopAsianHate. She noted the Chinese Exclusion Act, an 1882 law that prohibited Chinese people from entering the U.S., and Japanese internment camps during World War II. Wong also referenced Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man who two white autoworkers in Detroit murdered in 1982. Wong added “the rhetoric of the last administration fueled the fire of anti-Asian hate” during the pandemic. “It’s a huge issue for the community,” she said. “There’s also hate against gays and lesbians.”
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Philadelphia to celebrate 50th anniversary of historic speech by gay psychiatrist John Fryer called on profession to end listing of homosexuality as mental illness By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com
The City of Philadelphia on May 2 is scheduled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic speech by then closeted gay psychiatrist John Fryer before the American Psychiatric Association’s 1972 annual convention urging the group to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Fryer, who had a psychiatric practice in Philadelphia and served as a professor of psychiatry at Temple University, concealed his identity when speaking at the APA convention in Dallas, by wearing a rubber mask, a wig and speaking through a microphone that distorted his voice. Fryer’s compelling arguments that scientific findings demonstrated that homosexuality was not a mental illness, and that gays and lesbians were upstanding members of their communities, including practicing psychiatrists, is credited with playing a leading role in the APA’s decision one year later to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in its official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. The Fryer anniversary events are being organized by the Philadelphia-based national LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Forum in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, the American Psychiatric Association, and other organizations, including the Philadelphia Historical Commission and Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists. “From the perspective of 50 years, Fryer’s testimony marked a pioneering moment for LGBTQ civil rights,” the Equality Forum states on its website. “A successful movement could not have been launched as long as gays and lesbians were defined as mentally ill,” the group says in a write-up on the impact of Fryer’s speech. “Fryer’s testimony and the subsequent declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder helped effectuate the change in public perceptions of homosexuals as deranged and threatening,” the write-up says.
Among the events set to take place on May 2 is an official tribute to Fryer at the site of the John Fryer Historic Marker at 13th and Locust Streets in downtown Philadelphia at noon. Participants were expected to include Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney; U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.); and Dr. Saul Levin, who serves as the current Medical Director and CEO of the American Psychiatric Association. A VIP reception was scheduled to be held that same day at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, which houses the John Fryer Archives. A display of Fryer’s handwritten notes for his presentation at the 1972 APA convention was expected to be included for viewing at the Historical Society’s Fryer Archives. The Equality Forum has announced that a free online screening of the award-winning PBS documentary film “CURED” was set to take place at 7:30 p.m. on May 2 followed by a panel discussion with the “CURED” filmmakers. The film provides the inside story of how early LGBTQ pioneers, including D.C.’s Frank Kameny and Philadelphia’s Barbara Gittings, capitalized on Fryer’s speech before the APA to campaign successfully for the APA’s removal of homosexuality from its mental illness list. According to the Equality Forum, May 2 John Fryer Day proclamations have been issued by the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Congressman Evans issued a statement on April 26 announcing that he and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced House and Senate resolutions to honor Fryer by designating May 2, 2022, as “Dr. John E. Fryer Day.” In his statement, Evans recounts the importance of Fryer’s 1972 speech before the APA and notes that in the years after his APA presentation Fryer continued to practice and teach psychiatry in Philadelphia. He notes that Fryer became one of the first psychiatrists to professionally treat people with HIV/AIDS. Fryer died in 2003 at the age of 65.
JOHN FRYER (right) spoke in disguise at the American Psychiatric Association’s 1972 national convention. (Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via New York Public Library)
Additional details of the Fryer commemoration events in Philadelphia can be accessed here: equalityforum.com The Washington Blade has announced it is sponsoring a May 12 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Fryer’s APA speech in collaboration with the American Psychiatric Association at The Corner at Whitman-Walker located at 1701 14th Street, N.W. The event is set to begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by a panel discussion at 7 p.m. featuring four experts on the topic of Fryer’s historic significance. The panelists include Dr. Saul Levin, CEO and Medical Director of the APA; Dr. Karen Kelly, a friend and mentee of Dr. Fryer; Katherine Ott, Ph.D, a curator in the history of medicine at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where she documents LGBTQ+ history; and Dr. Amir Ahuja, president of the Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists. The panel will be moderated by award-winning filmmaker Patrick Sammon, who directed the documentary film “CURED.” Tickets for the Blade Fryer commemorative event are free and can be accessed at washingtonblade.com/panel.
ExxonMobil to ban Pride, BLM flags at Houston offices
Texas-based American multinational oil and gas corporation, ExxonMobil, has executed plans to ban display of what the petroleum industry giant referred to as ‘position flags,’ the ‘Rainbow Pride Flag’ and the Black Lives Matter flag, outside of company offices during the month of June, which is designated as LGBTQ Pride month. The plans were set in a new flag protocol according to the policy first reported by Bloomberg News. “The updated flag protocol is intended to clarify the use of the ExxonMobil branded company flag and not intended to diminish our commitment to diversity and support for employee resource groups,” Tracey Gunnlaugsson, ExxonMobil vice president of human resources, said in a statement. “We’re committed to keeping an open, honest, and inclusive workplace for all of our employees, and we’re saddened that any employee would think otherwise,” Gunnlaugsson added. In response, members of ExxonMobil’s PRIDE employee resource group which numbers around 3,000, are refusing to represent the company at the city’s June 25 Pride celebration, according to an employee group email also seen by Bloomberg. ExxonMobil’s employee resource group has existed since 2008. The company’s worldwide workforce is about 63,000. “Corporate leadership took exception to a rainbow flag being flown at our facilities” last year, Exxon’s Pride
employee group in Houston said in an email Thursday, according to Bloomberg. “PRIDE was informed the justification was centered on the need for the corporation to maintain ‘neutrality.’” “It is difficult to reconcile how ExxonMobil recognizes the value of promoting our corporation as supportive of the LGBTQ+ community externally (e.g. advertisements, Pride parades, social media posts) but now believes it inappropriate to visibly show support for our LGBTQ+ employees at the workplace,” the group said, according to Bloomberg. “These types of visible actions are even more impactful for many of our LGBTQ+ colleagues who aren’t out at work and may not feel comfortable participating in PRIDE events,” the group added. The Houston Chronicle noted that ExxonMobil has made significant strides to improve diversity and extend employee benefits over the last decade, but some workers perceive the row over the rainbow flag as a major setback for LGBTQ employees and their allies. The oil giant was slower than many corporations to provide equal coverage, but added gay marriage benefits in 2014, restored protective-employment language in 2015 and added transgender coverage in 2016. Still, the Chronicle says, some Exxon employees believe the company’s leadership should be taking a stronger position on LGBTQ rights.
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(Photo courtesy Exxon Mobil Corporation, Irving, Texas)
“It is difficult to reconcile how ExxonMobil recognizes the value of promoting our corporation as supportive of the LGBTQ+ community externally (e.g. advertisements, Pride parades, social media posts) but now believes it inappropriate to visibly show support for our LGBTQ+ employees at the workplace,” the workers’ group said in the email. “Flying a Pride flag is one small way many corporations choose to visibly show their care, inclusion and support for LGBTQ+ employees,” the ExxonMobil LGBTQ+ group said. “These types of visible actions are even more impactful for many of our LGBTQ+ colleagues who aren’t out at work and may not feel comfortable participating in PRIDE events.” The company’s actions comes as the battles in the cultural war over LGBTQ+ rights heats up including the recent feud between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his Republican allies and The Walt Disney Company over its opposition to Florida’s recently passed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. BRODY LEVESQUE
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LGBTQ activist in El Salvador receives death threats
An LGBTQ rights activist in El Salvador who once ran for a seat in the country’s Legislative Assembly has received death threats. Erick Iván Ortiz — a member of the Nuestro Partido party who is the director of communications for the Salvadoran Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Persons — spoke about the threats during an April 20 press conference. Ortiz said he received two phone calls on April 13. The person who Ortiz said threatened him asked in the second phone call where “should we leave the body” and whether “we should bury it or dump it in the river.” The Salvadoran Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Persons and the Nuestro Partido’s leadership have both condemned the threats. Ortiz would have been the first openly gay person elected to the Legislative Assembly if he had won his race last year. Ortiz in January joined the Global Equality Caucus, a network of elected officials around the world who fight for LGBTQ rights. MICHAEL K. LAVERS
ERICK IVÁN ORTIZ
(Photo courtesy Ortiz)
First transgender lawmaker in Uruguay dies
The first openly transgender lawmaker in Uruguay died last Friday. Michelle Suárez, 39, in 2014 won a seat in the Uruguayan Senate. She was an alternative senator without full voting privileges until October 2017. Suárez during an interview with the Washington Blade said she felt “very honored” to have made history in the South American country that borders Brazil and Argentina. She was the first trans woman to graduate from an Uruguayan university and was the first trans lawyer in the country. Suárez also wrote Uruguay’s same-sex marriage law that took effect in 2013. Suárez resigned from the Senate in December 2017 amid allegations she forged legal documents.
El País, a Uruguayan newspaper, reported a court in 2019 sentenced Suárez to two years of house arrest and two years of probation. Suárez was also banned from holding public office and working as a lawyer until 2023. Uruguayan media reports indicate Suárez had been in the hospital with a “cardiac problem” when she died. Sergio Miranda, the director of the Diversity Secretariat in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, mourned Suárez. “I am profoundly saddened by the news of the death of Michelle Suárez, a key trans activist in the fight for LGBTIQ+ rights and author of the Marriage Equality Law in Uruguay,” tweeted Miranda on Friday. MICHAEL K. LAVERS
MICHELLE SUÁREZ was the first openly transgender person elected to office in Uruguay. (Photo courtesy of María Laura Vila)
Russian court dissolves LGBTQ rights group
The Kuibyshevsky District Court in St. Petersburg last week ordered that Charitable Foundation Sphere be liquidated. In February, Russia’s Justice Ministry filed a lawsuit seeking to “liquidate” [disband and dissolve] Sphere Foundation, the legal entity under which the Russian LGBT Network operates, arguing the group’s activities run contrary to “traditional values.” On April 21, Judge Tatiana Kuzovkina ruled in favor of the Justice Ministry’s argument that the activities of Sphere ran contrary to the Russian state policy designed to preserve, expand and develop [the country’s] human capital.” The ministry also accused Sphere of spreading “LGBT views” and working with people under the age of 18, aspiring, among other things, to “change Russian federal legislation regarding the LGBT movement” – in other words, the country’s infamous discriminatory “gay propaganda” law. Sphere Foundation was founded in 2011 by Russian LGBT rights activist, Igor Kochetkov. In 2016, authorities designated Sphere Foundation a “foreign agent.” In 2021, the Russian LGBT Network and Kochetkov personally were also slapped with the toxic “foreign agent” designation. At around that time, state-sponsored media organized a vicious smear campaign against the network and Kochetkov. “During [its] 11 years, Sphere … was never found in breach of any regulations. The government’s claims against us are ideological, rather than law-based,” Kochetkov said in a social media post. Upon learning of the ruling Kochetkov stated; ” No, I’m not crying or crying. I’m proud of the work done by the foundation in 11 years. It should be clear that the ministry and the court made this decision not on legal, but on ideological basis. No Russian law prohibits the activity of organizations that ‘do not correspond’ to any values. There is simply no such basis in the law for the liquidation of NGOs. In this sense, the decision of the court is iconic — mandatory state ideology has returned. It is now official.” He then added; “The work continues. Their hands are dirty but too short to ban us.” Tanya Lokshina, the associate director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division, wrote at the time of the lawsuit being filed;
“With Sphere, the authorities have explicitly disclosed their political and anti-rights motivation from the starting block. After years of hindering the work of LGBT rights activists with the use of the ‘foreign agent’ and ‘gay propaganda‘ laws, the authorities now demand the organization be shut down in the name of ‘traditional values.’ The courts should not be compliant with this act of political, homophobic censorship that blatantly violate IGOR KOCHETKOV, center with Pride flag, being Russia’s human rights obligations.” detained by police in St. Petersburg during an LGBTQ and human rights protest in 2018. Vitaly Isakov, a lawyer from the (Photo by Alexander Lvovich Gorshkov/Facebook) Institute of Law and Public Policy, who defended Sphere during the court sessions narrated the timeline of events leading up to Kuzovkina’s ruling: In the fall of 2021, the Justice Ministry began an unscheduled audit of the foundation. In the course of the audit, Sphere provided the Justice Ministry with more than 5,000 pages of documents — the entire documentation flow over the past three years. According to the act on the results of the audit, which Sphere received in December 2021, the Justice Ministry believes that gross violations were committed in the activities of the fund. Among the claims of the Justice Ministry is that “all the actual activities of the organization are aimed at supporting the LGBT movement in Russia”: according to the state agency, the Constitution of the country enshrines “basic traditional family values,” and the foundation’s work is aimed at “changing the legislation and moral foundations in the Russian Federation.” BRODY LEVESQUE
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PRESENT
50TH ANNIVERSARY
DR. JOHN FRYER PANEL DISCUSSION
MODERATOR
Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen.
PANELISTS
PATRICK SAMMON
DR. SAUL LEVIN
DR. KAREN KELLY
DR. AMIR AHUJA
DIRECTOR & FILMMAKER
CEO, AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOC.
RETIRED PSYCHIATRIST
PRESIDENT, ASSOC. OF LGBTQ PSYCHIATRISTS
KATHERINE OTT, PH.D.
SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY
Commemorating 50th anniversary of John Fryer’s groundbreaking speech to the APA urging it to remove homosexuality from its list of mental health disorders.
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022 6-8PM
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RSVP AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/PANEL
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PETER ROSENSTEIN
is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
Critical race theory banned by those who failed critical thinking
Republicans exhibit total disregard for democracy
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Based on some of the legislation being passed by various states it is clear their legislators and governors were educated in schools that either didn’t teach critical thinking or they failed it. In Virginia and Florida, Govs. Glenn Youngkin and Ron DeSantis are pandering to the worst in our society without any real thought to the implications of what they are doing. In Virginia, Youngkin promotes a ban on critical race theory, which has never been taught in a Virginia school. In Florida, DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay’ bill is the height of stupidity and it only hurts teachers and children. He is now fighting back against Disney, the state’s largest employer, for opposing the bill with the result being removal of Disney’s special district. That will hurt all Floridians especially those in all the surrounding counties more than Disney. They will now have to pay for all the services Disney currently pays for. Other bills banning abortion only create havoc in our society. They are clearly not thought out but are a response by elected officials to a loud constituency with the hope it will get them reelected. Sadly, at the moment it just may. But as we have seen in our history, in the long run Americans tend to do the right thing even if it takes much longer than it should. I refuse to give up the fight for logic and the use of critical thinking. It has become clear the Jan. 6 insurrection was part of this lack of critical thinking when you listen to most of the people who have now been charged with a crime. They have excuses of not knowing what they were doing, just following Trump’s orders, etc. Many charged were caught by their own videos, or members of their own family and friends who turned them in. Clearly not a thought-out plan. We are now hearing the audio of calls made by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, which he clearly should have known were there, countering what he told everyone about his thoughts about Trump. Clearly he wanted him to resign. Looks like Trump has enough to blackmail him with to feel he can continue to support him. It is reported “One of Meadows’s top aides, Cassidy Hutchinson, told congressional investigators she recalled Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official who also held the role of a political adviser at the White House, coming in and saying that we had intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th. And Mr. Meadows said: All right. Let’s talk about it.” Investigators also have found evidence that “Meadows repeatedly communicated with GOP Reps. Scott Perry (Pa.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) before and on Jan. 6, 2021. Hutchinson identified Perry, Jordan, and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) as the leading proponents in Congress “who were raising the idea of the Vice President doing anything other than just counting electoral votes on January the 6th.” Hard to believe these people were so stupid, but the reality is they came close to getting away with it. As disgusting as he is in so many ways, it appears more and more we owe much to Mike Pence for standing up to them and defending our democracy. Now we have Marjorie Taylor Green testifying in front of a judge as she tries to stay on the ballot. She told “a lawyer for voters seeking to disqualify her from running for re-election that she did not know how to answer a question about whether she advocates violence against people with whom she disagrees.” I don’t think the lawsuit will succeed as it’s reported to be based on her violating a U.S. Constitution provision called the “Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause” by supporting an incendiary rally that preceded last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.” I am keeping my fingers crossed for a miracle as she is beyond being a disgusting individual, she is a really dangerous one. We live in this netherworld where the unthinkable is happening everyday spurred on by elected politicians who clearly have given up on any critical thinking and just deal with their own emotional response to an issue or those of their constituents. They have a total disregard for democracy and how our country has managed to exist since the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. My prediction is in the long run we will continue to exist and the names of these clowns will be found on the trash heap of history.
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Walking D.C.’s Ward 1 with Salah Czapary Would restore much needed LGBTQ representation to the Council
The first time I met with Salah Czapary I could barely hear what he was saying. Granted, it was a busy wine patio just off U Street on a crisp spring night, and no one likes drinking outside more than Washingtonians. But the incredible roar of ATV vehicles and dirt bikes up and down the thoroughfare could best be described as constant. Our second meeting was much more agreeable. I have to say I took an almost immediate interest in Salah and his candidacy for the D.C. Council. A gay man, he reminded me that we’d had eight years without LGBTQ representation on the Council. Eight years since the conspicuous Jim Graham. Far, far too long for the city that boasts one of the highest LGBTQ populations in the country. So, I sat out with Salah, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the District, walking the street and visiting some of his favorite spots in the Ward he hopes to represent. We started out on my street, California Street, in Adams Morgan. Walking around the corner to one of my favorites and his too, the Duplex Diner. Sitting on barstools there, it’s hard not to take an immediate liking to Czapary. With a bashful but full grin, he practically bubbles over with ideas for a better District. Salah is a D.C. cop. Or was, anyway, before leaving the force earlier this year to run for the Council seat. He joined the force in 2016, and patrolled the 4th District Substation on Park Road before being moved to headquarters as a civilian director, giving Salah the sort of experience and in-depth knowledge of practically every street, alley, and small business in Northwest. We sat on barstools and talked crime. Crime is up in the District, way up. That’s no secret. The news now leads with stories ranging from random midday shootouts to horrific dog nappings. This year the city faces an increase in overall violent crime of nearly 28 percent. This includes a 55 percent increase in robberies, and 18 percent jump in carjackings. Homicides are now at an eye-popping 20-year high in the District. Salah explained, in a ‘defund the police’ moment, that the city has cut $15 million from the police budget, promising to reallocate those funds to other services such as mental health response, outreach, prevention, and community services. Almost 18 months later, these programs still have not materialized. Salah wants to change all that. For Salah, there is no need to defund but rather reorder police priorities. He told me about dozens of 911 calls asking for police involvement in things not meant for them — like neighbor disputes, noise complaints, mental health episodes — in one instance he recalled being sent to a Northwest nail salon because a customer called 911 to complain about the salon’s lack of a particular service. A de-centering approach would take the burden off of an already stretched police force by offering what he calls, “alternative responses.” Walking the south boundary of Ward 1 along U Street, we passed by the Third District Police Station, a complex I’ve always considered to be an outdated eyesore, not to mention a misuse of space. Taking up almost an entire city block, much of that is dedicated to a parking garage. We passed by the garage entrance; Salah told me that one side is a gate that won’t go up. Stuck, broken. The other, a gate that was shut. Also broken. They’ve been like that for a few years now, Salah said. Anyone who has been through the clunky process of applying for parking permits can attest to the rundown state of the station. “We’re a capital city,” he said. “A world class city. We deserve a world class police force.” A D V E R T I SOur I N next G Pstop R O was O F to grab some famous half smokes at Ben’s Chili Bowl. Walking there was more of a walking tour. Salah knew the history of practically every block. Recalling U ISSUE DATE: 22-04-29 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com Street’s history as the “Black Broadway” he is full of ideas on how to promote developREVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. ment, but also how to honor the history of these neighborhoods. Once at Ben’s, we sat in Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc the ‘way back’. That’s where Salah, as head of the D.C. police’s Community Engagement (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Academy, had officers meet with local historians to have frank conversations on the city’s Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but ONS not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, history of race and policing. image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights O REVISIONS of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees ADVERTISER SIGNATUREMoving up to Mount Pleasant and another Salah favorite, Mount Desert Ice Cream, S to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the washington washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, payment and insertion and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of we encountered voter after voter ready for something else. Something new. Walking, schedule. the foregoing representations and warranties. we were clocking some serious steps in Ward 1. But really we were only scratching the surface. Ward 1 is the densest of the city’s wards. It’s safe to say if you’re going out seeking nightlife, it’s likely in Ward 1. Practically in the heart of the city, the Ward contains such vibrant spots as Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Adams Morgan, U Street. Its boundaries include tony Kalorama to the west and toward the east, historic LeDroit Park and Howard University. CO NT I NUE S AT WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M 2 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2 • V I E WP O I NT
CAMERON SAMUELS
(they/them) is a senior in the Texas Katy Independent School District.
Why we’re fighting our school’s internet ban in Texas Blocking access to mental health resources is oppressive
From my first days as a freshman at high school in Katy, a town in suburban Houston, it was obvious that school administrators have little concern for queer students. Despite their responsibility to create an educational environment conducive to all students, it was apparent they would do little to address everyday problems like bullying and slurs. And for students hoping to find affirmation from online resources, there was a block on that content due to an “Alternative Sexual Lifestyles (GLBT)” internet filter. This undeniably discriminatory policy remains in place today. Students struggling with their gender identity or sexuality rely on accessible internet content. For many students, that private and free access is only available at school, and denying such access is a deliberate effort to prevent students from supporting their emotional and mental well-being. For the Katy Independent School District, and other school districts, to block the Trevor Project is especially dangerous. When a student is experiencing a mental health crisis, the ability to speak with someone on a suicide prevention lifeline is a matter of life or death. Katy ISD claims that the Trevor Project must be blocked to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, a federal law primarily intended to protect children from online predators. District officials say the website’s “chat capabilities” — no different than those on Facebook or Twitter — are the specific reason for the restricted access. However, Facebook and Twitter are completely accessible. The assumption that people communicating on the Trevor Project are predatory is bigoted and homophobic, just as it’s more important to a student to offer life-saving support than to provide a portal to all the misinformation and hatred about queer people being propagated on major social media sites. School officials have said sites with LGBTQ+ content are not part of the educational curriculum or common classroom activities. Yet they won’t explain how People magazine, ESPN, Gun Show Trader, or Breitbart meet this same standard. These officials have also noted that suicide prevention resources exist outside of the Trevor Project, which is true, but irrelevant. If district officials are concerned a student is contemplating taking their own life, those officials would offer access to all resources — without exception — that might prevent a teen suicide. Since June 2021, my classmates and I have been organizing to bring attention to the discriminatory actions by school districts like mine. We started an online petition that has gathered support from more than 1,000 community members. We have spoken at school board meetings and met with district officials who promised us they would unblock LGBTQ+ content. So far, they have only delivered us broken promises. Given the ways that school administrators have chosen to implement the district’s internet policies, it’s clear to us that we are not seen in the same way as other students. To Katy ISD officials, our very existence is so inherently perverse that they would simply erase us. Their message is that we ourselves, and our experiences, are neither “educational” nor “appropriate.” Blocking access to resources that support our mental health and intellectual development simply because we dare to accept who we are at this age is the definition of oppression. We recognize that they have specifically targeted us in an attempt to undermine our confidence. Adolescence is a critical time for developing a healthy self-awareness. While legal equality for LGBTQ+ people has become more widespread over the past few decades, genuine tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion of our community has not. There are harmful consequences for youth who lack just one supportive friend, who are deathly afraid to come out, and who feel completely alone and isolated by the identity that defines them. LGBTQ+ students deserve dignity and support for our own well being as much as any other student in this country. We have the basic human right to develop self-esteem and be welcomed in a diverse society. We expect the public schools we attend every day to see us as human beings and not a political inconvenience. There is no doubt the culture war in Texas is being waged against its own children, and we who are negatively impacted by the hateful policies of fanatical political leaders cannot be abstracted or disregarded. We demand to be seen and heard. The Lone Star State is a place of increasing ethnic and cultural diversity where we will continue to stand up for ourselves and for one another. We’re fighting back because we’re Texans and that’s what we do. V I E WP O I NT • A P R I L 2 9 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 1
Female-forward movement takes root in D.C.’s culinary scene
Re:Her raises thousands for local female-identified businesses
By EVAN CAPLAN diso, ensuring that she could create the Connection and collaboration, inclusafe, inclusive work environment that sion and equity: a new female-forward she envisioned. Through Re:Her, “I can grassroots movement in the culinary help create a future in which women in field has taken root in D.C. the industry have parity and equity.” Working to “empower and advance Another founding member, Jamie women food and drink entrepreneurs,” Leeds (a former Washington Blade Most Regarding Her (Re:Her) Food began Eligible Single), noted that, “straight or in Los Angeles in the midst of the pangay, any woman would benefit from bedemic in the summer of 2020. In March, coming a member of this group. There the organization launched its second are so few places to have this level of chapter here in D.C. through a twoprofessionalism to be able to tap into, week festival of dinners, discussions, get advice, and commiserate.” and other events – and it will continue With Gresser, Leeds, and other to blossom on May 2 at an outdoor members of the LGBTQ community Spring Market on 14th Street. in leadership positions at Re:Her DC, “As a response to the pandemic, we this opened the door to ensuring that [in D.C.] informally began to facilitate Re:Her is a safe, open space, and could communication among women food reach out to underrepresented groups business owners,” says founding mem– the LGBTQ community included. ber of the D.C. chapter, longtime culi“The Re:Her DC group is a safe space nary leader, and owner of Pizzeria Parto talk about things happening in our adiso, Ruth Gresser (she identifies as a personal lives,” says member Shannan lesbian). “Within just a few months, we Troncoso, chef/owner of Brookland’s created a strong network of monthly Finest. “I have been able to talk with calls and regular collaborations. It is a JAMIE LEEDS and RUTH GRESSER (Photo by Ana Isabel Martinez Chamorro) other lesbian-identifying women (and space where women can come togethwith straight women) about family planer in a very honest, open, and communing, fertility, and adoption.” nal way.” After learning about similar efforts by Re:Her in Los Angeles, they joined forces Gresser points out that the “LGBTQ community faces more disadvantages, so we are to formalize their efforts. reaching out to try to get businesses that do identify as part of community to engage with For women in the food business, Gresser explains, “there are two fundamental chalus.” lenges: access to capital and recognition.” Re:Her states that empowering women creates a platform for growth while addressing While this lack of access is a systemic concern, Gresser says, the pandemic only reinequality, social reform, and political awareness within our cities and neighborhoods. The inforced it. Re:Her LA wasted no time in confronting these challenges and supporting D.C. chapter is open to all female restaurateurs, chefs, caterers, bakers, distillers, winefemale-identifying businesses: by July 2021, it had distributed $150,000 in small grants. makers, bar owners, food truck operators, and other hospitality industry businesswomen. The D.C. launch in March 2022 also raised thousands of dollars to support its programs. Coming off the successful March launch, Re:Her DC is hosting the upcoming Bites & Beyond small business grants, Re:Her DC will focus its efforts on offering mentorship Libations and Outdoor Spring Market at female-owned Cork Wine Bar & Market the eveand other resources that directly benefit women in the culinary arts. Gresser notes that ning of May 2. The food, drink, and artisan offerings all come from Re:Her members. Re:Her will also work to support other issues important to women business owners, like “Regarding Her is an incredible community organization for women,” says Julie Verratti, pay gaps, childcare, and safe workplace environments. “We’re helping develop a more owner of Denizen’s Brewing, and part of the LGBTQ community. “Representation matters equitable future for women,” she says. and being able to be your full self amongst your peers is a privilege. I am so grateful to be When Gresser launched her career 40 years ago in San Francisco, she came out as a lesa part of this group and can’t wait to meet more women being their authentic selves and bian at the same time. Moving to D.C. in the 1980s, she found a less welcoming environexcelling in their careers.” ment in the food world. Yet she was soon able to open her own restaurant, Pizzeria Para-
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John Waters to launch book tour in D.C. on May 2
JOHN WATERS is launching a book tour in D.C. on May 2.
(Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Washington is the first stop in an eight-city book tour that writer and filmmaker John Waters is launching to promote his first novel, “Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance.” Waters is scheduled to appear at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., N.W., on May 2 at 7 p.m. to talk about his book. The format is a conversation with author and University of Baltimore professor Marion Winik, followed by a book signing. May 3 is the publication date for “Liarmouth,” from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Other cities on the book tour include: the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass., on May 3; Symphony Space in New York City on May 4; the Chicago Humanities Festival on May 7; the Green Arcade at McRoskey Co. Loft in San Francisco on May 9; Skylight Books with the Los Angeles Library Foundation at the Aratani Theatre in Los Angeles on May 10; Atomic Books in Baltimore on May 15, MAP in Provincetown on June 16 and the Center for Fiction in New York
City on June 21. Well known for movies like “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray,” Waters is the author of nine previous books, including the national bestsellers “Role Models,” “Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America,” and “Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder.” “Liarmouth” is a 256-page novel about a woman who steals suitcases at the airport. The book costs $26 in the United States and $35 in Canada and is available for preorder. On its website, Farrar, Straus and Giroux calls the book “a hilariously filthy tale of sex, crime and family dysfunction from the brilliantly twisted mind of John Waters.” The publisher also described the title character: “Marsha Sprinkle. Suitcase thief. Scammer. Master of disguise. Dogs and children hate her. Her own family wants her dead. She’s smart, she’s desperate, she’s disturbed and she’s on the run with a big chip on her shoulder. They call her ‘Liarmouth’ – until one insane man makes her tell the truth.” Winik’s 11 books include The Big Book of the Dead; First Comes Love and Above Us Only Sky. She writes a column called Bohemian Rhapsody for BaltimoreFishbowl.com and reviews books for People, Newsday, The Washington Post and Kirkus Reviews. ED GUNTS
Not-to-miss exhibits at Baltimore’s Gallery Blue Door
Baltimore’s bustling art scene includes several current exhibits at the gay-owned Gallery Blue Door. Striking works by acclaimed artist Scott Brooks are on display now through July 9 in an exhibit titled “Self Contained — Pandemic Era Works.” “The Work in ‘Self Contained’ was created over the last two years,” Brooks said in a statement. “It has been a challenging time for the world, and for myself personally. As an artist, being in lockdown gave me the gift of time.” See Scott Brooks’s striking works at Gallery Blue Door in Baltimore. Brooks, a former D.C. resident who is gay, is (Image courtesy of Gallery Blue Door) a figurative artist who has been living and working in Baltimore since 2016. His art borders on the surreal and ranges from portraiture to complex narratives, according to the gallery. Also currently on display is an exhibit titled “Becoming” by out artist Tracey Halvorsen, which runs until May 14. “This latest body of work reflects a composite of subject and abstraction through continued exploration of landscapes, still life, and narrative themes,” according to a statement from the gallery. Gallery Blue Door should be on your list of places to visit in Charm City. It’s located in a historic row home in Mount Vernon, long the epicenter of LGBTQ life in Baltimore. FROM STAFF REPORTS 2 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2
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CALENDAR |
By TINASHE CHINGARANDE
Friday, April 29
Friday Tea Time and social hour for Older LGBTQ+ adults will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. Feel free to bring your beverage of choice. For the Zoom link or more information, contact Justin (justin@thedccenter.org). Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at Moxy. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea sharing, and community building. Tickets are free and can be accessed on Eventbrite.
Saturday, April 30 The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host a launch party for “Gay Day at the Zoo” at 4 p.m. at Trade. This event is open to those 21 years and older and limited edition merchandise will be sold at the event. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org. The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host a facilitator training at 11 a.m. on Zoom. Group leaders and facilitators that operate support groups within the DC Center, as well as those interested in becoming a facilitator, are encouraged to come to learn, share challenges and solutions. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.
Sunday, May 01 Gay Day at the Zoo will be all day at the National Zoological Park. This event is for LGBTQ folks, families, and allies to come together to show their pride and enjoy the animals and sights at the park. For details, email justin@thedccenter.org. Yappy Day Party with DJ MIM will be at 1 p.m. at metrobar DC. This event will feature music from DJ MIM who will be setting springtime vibes for this gathering of members of the LGBTQ+ community. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, May 02 Center Aging Coffee Drop-In will be at 10 a.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community and online on Zoom. LGBT Older Adults — and friends — are invited to enjoy friendly conversations and to discuss any issues you might be dealing with. For more information, visit the Center Aging’s Facebook or Twitter. Not Another Drag Show will be at 8 p.m. at DuPont Italian Kitchen. Logan Stone will host this event that features local performers from the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Tuesday, May 03 Center Aging: Women’s Social & Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. Visit Center Aging’s website to register for this event.
Wednesday, May 04 Job Club will be at 6 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community and online on Zoom. The Job Club is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants.” BookMen DC will be at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. This is an informal group of men who are interested in fiction and non-fiction gay literature. For more information, visit BookMen DC’s website.
Thursday, May 05 The DC Center’s Food Pantry Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. FOr more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245. API Queer Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for the Asian and Pacific Islander queer community, and it is co-sponsored by Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society DC and Asian Queers United for Action. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org. 2 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2
Gay Day at the Zoo will be all day May 1.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
OUT & ABOUT Pride Center of Maryland to host LGBTQ prom event
The Pride Center of Maryland will host “Youth Prom” on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at The Bygone Baltimore. This year’s theme is “Emergence” and the event will be a chance for young people in Maryland to be part of a timeless tradition that signifies the transition from childhood to adulthood. In addition to dinner, the evening’s program will include photo shoots, a red carpet and a discussion segment dubbed “Salute to Back to Normal (How the pandemic has affected us).” There will also be an opening performance by a special guest, sponsored by DTLR, ending the night with the crowning of Prom King & Queen. Dress code is strictly formal per the rules of The Bygone Baltimore. For more information, visit the Pride Center’s website.
HRC names Chase Brexton ‘Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality’ The Human Rights Campaign has again awarded the title of “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” to Chase Brexton Health Care in Baltimore. The designation was reported in the recently released 2022 edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). Chase Brexton was one of only two Maryland healthcare providers, and 496 nationwide, to earn the honor. To be named a Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality, Chase Brexton achieved a perfect score of 100 points across strict criteria implemented by the Healthcare Equality Index. The categories measured included staff training and benefits, patient services and engagement, and responsible citizenship.
WITH CONGRESSWOMAN LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER
$20 FOR TICKETS GO TO BLADEFOUNDATION.ORG/REHOBOTH
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‘Firebird’ soars with tale of love during Cold War A timely film exploring anti-LGBTQ oppression in Russia
By JOHN PAUL KING Once in a while, current events and the release of a particular movie seem to coincide as if by fate. “Casablanca,” for instance, considered by its studio to be an unremarkable melodrama with limited box office appeal, was rushed into an early release to capitalize on the Allied invasion of North Africa, which took place in late 1942. The rest, of course, is history. A similar twist of fateful timing surrounds “Firebird,” a UK-made gay romance set on a Soviet air base during the Cold War, as it goes into its official U.S. theatrical release on April 29. Based on a memoir by Sergey Fetisov, it’s a true story that not only resonates with the oppressive state of LGBTQ rights in modern-day Russia – a key factor in why the film was made in the first place – but that may pique the interest of American moviegoers thanks to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Firebird” – co-adapted for the screen by Estonian-born filmmaker Peeter Rebane and British actor Tom Prior, who direct and star, respectively – begins in the late 1970s as Sergey (Prior), a private in the Soviet Air Force with dreams of going to Moscow and becoming an actor, is eagerly counting down the days until the end of his military service. His life is suddenly changed irrevocably with the arrival of Roman (Oleg Zagorodinii), an ace fighter pilot newly stationed to the base; handsome, cultured, and approachable, the new officer immediately draws the attention of both Sergey and his close friend Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya), the Base Commander’s secretary – but it is with Sergey that he makes the deeper connection, and the two quickly become lovers. Communist prohibitions against homosexuality are severe, however, especially for men in uniform, and even Ramon’s position of privilege is not enough to shield them from the ever-watchful eyes of their superiors. With his career and his freedom on the line, Roman initially breaks things off with Sergey, and even enters a sham marriage with the oblivious Luisa. But the love between them proves too strong to resist, and their star-crossed affair endures for years – despite the grim consequences they face should they be found out. Tales of oppression such as this have never been in short supply in queer cinema. After all, movies, like any art, are an expression of real life, and therefore the unavoidable specter of the closet has loomed large over LGBTQ movies over the years. As a result, there are quite a few viewers out there who feel as if they have seen more than enough homophobia and heartbreak on their screens to last a lifetime. For such individuals, a movie like “Firebird” might be a hard sell. Still, nostalgia is a powerful force, capable of bathing the past in a warm glow that softens harsh realities while making our happy memories even happier than we remember, and Rebane’s movie uses it to great advantage. The director infuses his lovingly recreated period setting not only with an eye-catching attention to detail, but with a lush and picturesque atmosphere that stimulates our fondest memories – or fantasies – as much as it does our appreciation for the retro Eastern Bloc aesthetic. The central romance stokes our idealized scenarios of illicit love at first sight, capturing that breathless blend of tenderness and red-hot sexual chemistry as well as the thrilling fear of discovery that somehow makes being together even more irresistible; we are plied, by scenes of furtive after-hours love-making and idyllic, sun-soaked scenes
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TOM PRIOR and OLEG ZAGORODINII star in ‘Firebird.’ (Photo courtesy Roadside Attractions)
trysts by the sea, into believing that these handsome young lovers will somehow make it all work out. The impossibility of their situation, of course, catches up to them eventually, and though the homophobia that surrounds them has been inescapable all along, it’s at this point the movie truly begins to explore its more subtle effects. Fear of it hangs over their relationship, and its poison spreads like a virus to anyone who becomes entangled in their life together; one of the film’s most powerful touches is the compassion it affords for Luisa, who may be an unknowing participant in the forced charade of their life together, but who suffers for it, nonetheless. It’s an all-too-rare reminder that repressive homophobia ruins heterosexual lives, too. Indeed, compassion lies at the heart of “Firebird” and keeps it from being just another pretty-but-bittersweet gay love story from a bygone era. Rebane has said he was inspired to make the film by the resurgence of attacks against “basic human rights, equality and freedom” around the world, and particularly by the discrimination and repression experienced in many countries by LGBTQ individuals and families. In telling the real-life story of Sergey (who died in 2017, shortly after participating in extensive interviews with the filmmakers), he hoped to “foster more respect for one universal human right: to love and be loved.” Now, with Russia’s aggression in Ukraine dominating world headlines, Rebane has reasserted his film’s purpose as a vehicle for raising awareness about the country’s “long history of persecuting LGBTQIA+ people and any of those voicing dissent to their authoritarian regime” by teaming with global advocacy group All Out, in support of their work in aiding queer refugees from Ukraine and fostering “meaningful dialogue” about Russia’s an-
ti-LGBTQ policies. Still, activist sentiment aside, “Firebird” is not political, but rather emphasizes the determination of a same-sex couple to exist, to survive despite suffering even within the most repressive of societies. In accomplishing that, it keeps its focus more on matters of the heart than on matters of state, something facilitated by its skillful cast – particularly Prior, whose appeal as Sergey runs far deeper than his youthful looks, and whose performance wears its heart on its sleeve without ever feeling overtly sentimental. It’s perhaps because of this as much as its period setting that “Firebird” feels a bit like a throwback to a bygone era. Awash in stylish nostalgia, it seems like something seen from a distance, more felt than lived, more dreamed than experienced. That’s not a bad thing; it’s an aura that lends a calming effect, cushioning the emotional blows we know are sure to come, and gives the movie a sense of emotional balance that prevents it from becoming a tearjerker. At the same time, it also brings a sort of perfunctory quality to the events of the story, as though we are watching a carefully arranged row of dominoes fall, which occasionally threatens to undermine the impact of the draconian cultural oppression faced by its characters by reducing it to a mere plot device. Nevertheless, it’s appropriate enough for a queer love story to feel a bit like a campy Hollywood classic, even when it has a political conscience. “Casablanca” raised awareness for the plight of refugees fleeing war-torn Europe, but it gave us Rick and Ilsa, too; and while it’s perhaps unlikely that “Firebird” will achieve the same status as that venerable masterpiece, its noble intentions and its unapologetic belief in love make it more than deserving of your attention.
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‘D.C. queer poets doing some of the most innovative writing’ Kim Roberts on Washington as home to thriving poetry scene
By KATHI WOLFE to museums. Roberts and Revere co-created “CoCheer up! There’s hope! April isn’t just for filing rona/Crown,” a 14-part prose poem with photoyour taxes. It’s National Poetry Month! graphs. Few people are more important — more vital — to “We created a “museum of our own,” Roberts poetry in Washington, D.C. than queer poet, editor, said. “We combined how we imagined people and literary historian Kim Roberts. would interact with visual culture with photos of It’s hard to imagine any bard in the D.C. region real places.” who hasn’t been enriched by Roberts’s editing, po“Corona/Crown” will be published as a chapetry, or understanding of history. book by WordTech Editions in the winter of 2023. “Kim Roberts brings the past and present toSince childhood, Roberts has felt a strong congether with elegance and intelligence,” said Marynection to the English language. “I loved the muland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri in an email to sicality of words. I made up rhymes and stories,” the Blade. Roberts said, “it’s inevitable that I would write.” “Poetry’s past has gone nowhere at all, thankfulRoberts earned a B.F.A. in creative writing from ly, because of Kim’s work,” Cavalieri, producer and Emerson College, and an M.F.A. in poetry from the host of the public radio show and Apple podcast University of Arizona. In 2000, Roberts became the “The Poet and the Poem,” said. founding editor of “Beltway Poetry Quarterly,” an D.C. has been home to numerous poets from its acclaimed journal that publishes D.C.-area poets. founding to the Civil War to World War I to World ‘Because the federal government is here, people She retired from editing “Beltway” in 2019. War II to our COVID era, Roberts, 60, told the Blade don’t think there’s poetry in “Beltway” has published many queer poets (inin an interview. D.C.,’ said KIM ROBERTS. cluding a special LGBTQ issue). Richard Blanco, “D.C. is a company town like Las Vegas,” RobRegie Cabico, Jona Colson, Cheryl Clarke and erts, who moved to Washington, D.C. 35 years ago, Angelina Weld are among the queer poets whose said. “Because the federal government is here, work has appeared in “Beltway.” people don’t think there’s poetry in D.C.” “Publishing queer writers helps us see ourselves “We get overlooked,” she added. as part of a special literature,” Roberts said. You might think poetry is a snooze or only for Roberts began to explore the history of Washresidents of Mount Olympus who are untethered ington, D.C. decades ago when she arrived in D.C. to earthly hopes, fears, loves and losses. But you’d “It helped me to feel connected to the city,” she be wrong. said. All sorts of people – from politicos to journalists The anthology “By Broad Potomac’s Shore: to teachers to lovers to mourners — seek out and Great Poems from the Early Days of Our Nation’s write poetry. Capital,” which Roberts edited, came out in 2020. “You turn to poetry in times of great emotion like The collection covers poets, born between 1800 funerals and weddings,” said Roberts, who is the to 1900 through the Civil War, Reconstruction and author of six books of poems. World War I. Recently, this hit close to home for Roberts. Their work “spans the gamut form traditional “COVID’s been so hard for so many people,” she Victorian-era sentimentality through the beginsaid, “I feel a bit guilty. Because at my age, I fell in nings of literary modernism,” Roberts writes in the love during the pandemic!” preface. Roberts was gobsmacked (in a good way) by love — she didn’t Everyone knows about Whitman being queer, Roberts said. The expect to find it so late in life. anthology’s title comes from Whitman’s poem with the same title. At this transformative juncture, Roberts turned to poetry. “My But there have been many other queer poets throughout D.C.’s hisstyle changed,” she said, “I became confessional.” tory, Roberts said. Much of her previous poetry has been about other people. The Take Natalie Clifford Barney, a feminist poet, who lived from 1876 poems in her 2015 collection “Fortune’s Favor: Scott in the Antarcto 1972. Barney spent her early years in D.C. She hosted salons in tic,” for example, are in the “voice” of explorer Robert Falcon Scott. Paris for artists for more than 60 years. “She was the first woman to “The Scientific Method,” her 2017 book, combines poems about write openly about lesbian love since Sappho,” Roberts said. Thomas Alva Edison and Carl Sagan, “the strange mating habits of “The full-sailed rising of your body’s sweep/ – Adrift and safe on invertebrates and fish, and rondeaux about the United States presijoy’s last tidal wave —,” Barney wrote in her poem “How Write the dents,” Roberts writes on her website (kimroberts.org). Beat of Love,” “Will toss you on the silver sands of sleep/Forgetful of Roberts’s poems about her love for her girlfriend Tracey are perthe ecstasy you gave.” sonal. They are filled with passion and desire. Other queer poets in the “By Broad Potomac’s Shore” anthology Five of her love poems are just out from The Last Press. Roberts is range from Charles Warren Stoddard, whose homoerotic writing the third poet to be featured in an ongoing series of accordion-fold, about the natives of the South Seas was inspired by Whitman’s “Calhand letter press poems called “Quire.” If you don’t feel the passion amus” poems to Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, first lady for two years pulsating through Roberts love poems, check your pulse. for her bachelor brother President Grover Cleveland. “My desire for you this evening/is not done, where I bridge/inRoberts is as committed to LGBTQ poetry in our time in D.C. as opportune distance,” Roberts writes in her poem “On Roosevelt she is to queer poetry in the city’s past. Bridge,” one of the poems in the “Quire” series, “where I cross/the Roberts and filmmaker Jon Gann are co-coordinating the DC river into my city, fluid/ around my heart.” Queer Pride Poem-a-Day project. In June, the Project will feature 30 “There’s an ocean inside my belly,” Roberts writes in “Another poets reading a poem in short videos online. One poem will be reLapping Refrain,” one of her “Quire” poems, “and you’re making my leased daily. The website will stay up after Pride. (This reporter is one tide rise/I want to apologize to the shore/for my past indifference of the poets who will be featured in the Project.) to its beauty.” “D.C. queer poets now are doing some of the most imaginative, The pandemic gave her permission to try different types of projinnovative writing,” Roberts said. “It’s important to document the ects, Roberts said. One of the things she and her friend Robert writing of our time.” Revere, a photographer, missed during the shutdowns was going 3 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2
Alice Walker sets the record straight in new book
Renowned writer on racism, sexism, and relationship with Tracy Chapman
By RHONDA SMITH For anyone who’s ever wondered whether Alice Walker’s relationship with folk singer Tracy Chapman was a fling or something more, the renowned writer sets the record straight in her latest tome. “Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker” highlights crucial details from the 1960s to the 1990s about the poet, essayist, novelist, and human rights advocate’s public and private lives. The 550-page book includes selected entries from Walker’s journals. The book is at its best when Walker, now 78, discusses the impact that racism and sexism had on her, and everyone else. Whether she is pushing to protect the environment or speaking out against female gender mutilation (FGM), Walker’s journal entries confirm what many already know: She is outspoken and unafraid to offend most anyone. The trials and tribulations Walker faced seeking someone with whom she could develop a healthy, longtime relationship also are explored in the book, as are her spiritual evolutions, and her decision to embrace solitude, after her relationship with Chapman and other women and men ended. “Before leaving on this tour I had dinner with Tracy Chapman,” Walker said in a 1992 entry. “She arrived in jeans & boots, carrying a coffee cake she baked herself. We ate pasta & salad & talked for 5 hours.” Their relationship lasted two years, despite the 20-year age difference. Walker’s vision of her sexual orientation is expansive. “The men I have loved and been turned on by have said NO to all forms of domination, racist, classist, sexist or otherwise, and the women have done the same,” she wrote in a 1995 journal entry in the book. “I loved and desired them in their moments of resistance & glory; I love & admire them now.” The book falls short when Walker includes a plethora of details about her travels around the world to attend readings, accept awards, or just rest and relax with friends and family. These trips increased significantly, along with Walker’s financial standing, after she received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 for “The Color Purple.” But including minutiae about travel plans detracts from Walker’s more serious and relevant work as an author and human rights activist.
Walker’s openness about her bouts with depression and other ailments, seemingly related to aging, is worth including. Her admission that she was insecure about her physical appearance after being shot in the eye with a BB gun as a child also is noteworthy, as are her family’s foibles and her unequivocal love for her parents and six siblings. (At the funeral of Walker’s mother in Georgia, Chapman was by her side.) Also notable is Walker’s willingness to hold Ms. magazine accountable for what she said was the liberal, feminist publication’s reluctance to feature women of color on its cover. Walker worked at Ms. at one point and in the book describes Gloria Steinem, the magazine’s founder, as one of her dear friends. The book’s editor, Valerie Boyd, a writer and ‘Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: professor who died in February, described The Journals of Alice Walker’ “Gathering Blossoms Under Fire” in its introducSimon and Schuster tion as a tome for artists, activists, and intellectu550 pages als. “It is a primer for all people who want to live free lives,” Boyd wrote. Walker shares how she felt about her Jewish husband, attorney Mel Leventhal’s, reluctance to leave Mississippi after the couple moved there during the 1960s for his job with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Their daughter Rebecca, now 52, was born at that time. “I surprised myself today, for the first time thinking that had I married a black man we would have had sense enough to know we couldn’t live in Mississippi,” Walker wrote. Later she said, “I’m not going to stay here much longer — and all the placating, explaining, courageous talk in the world is not going to make me stay here and be destroyed.” Walker now resides in California.
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National Cannabis Festival Enthusiasts flock to RFK Stadium (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The National Cannabis Festival brought vendors, musical acts, food trucks, wrestling matches, panel discussions and cannabis enthusiasts to the RFK Stadium grounds on April 23.
3 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2
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Mindset and market adjustments
Daily affirmations can help personally and professionally By JUSTIN NOBLE
You either subscribe to it or you don’t. Chances are if you put good out into the world you will get it back 10 fold. I would say the same can be said for the current house hunt that you might be on. Mindset is everything. Think about these things below and then take a moment to really think about yourself – please note that by thinking through these things in no way means that you will get the home of your dreams, but I do believe it will help ease the process a bit.
YOU NEVER GET WHAT YOU WANT:
Think back to when you were frantically panic searching for that one pair of shoes so you could have the best night EVER! You have torn your apartment to shreds looking for these shoes and you just can’t seem to find them. You go out anyway, even though you don’t have those shoes that you need to have a good time. As it turns out you can have a pretty great night without those shoes. The next morning as you stagger to the kitchen for a much needed hair of the dog after last night’s “fun-but-not-great-becauseyou-didn’t-have-your-FUN-shoes’’ you trip over those very shoes you were hunting for the night before. Who leaves their shoes in the kitchen?! If you think through any time you’ve wanted something but have put a negative spin on the hunt for said item (or person) the results will never be what you want them to be.
POSITIVE MINDSET:
Looking for a home and dreading the process? Use the power of positive thinking to make things easier.
MARKETING:
Let’s chat about marketing a bit when it comes to the housing market. We see all things home on TV, social, targeted ads etc. We literally can’t get away from it. Well that isn’t just with the housing market. Think through the car buying process. You go out and test drive a few cars and then you absolutely fall in love with that overpriced lux car of your dreams, maybe a little two-seat convertible that you can barely fit your bag in let alone any of your common sense. This is THE most impractical car you’ve set your eyes on. You have made the decision for yourself. You have subconsciously made that car your car and now your mind will do everything in its power to make sure that you ONLY see that car on TV, social, and especially while driving around town. You will notice this car more than any other car – you have manifested that car to be your car.
3 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 29, 202 2 • B US I NE S S
You either subscribe to positive thinking and affirmations or you don’t. If you aren’t a fan and you’ve read this far then I apologize. I used to be like you, “This is dumb,” “Writing this stuff down won’t help me and it’s just wasting my time that I could actually spend doing X - which is my goal” and I could go on and on about how naive I was. Positive mindset and affirmations are an amazingly useful practice in all parts of your life. I will admit I took a sales course and 98% of the trash I was taught I threw out - however the daily affirmation process is the one thing I retained and use in my daily life (both personal and professional). You can do this verbally every day or even write it town (my preference) you can even write it on your bathroom mirror with lipstick like all of those 90’s movies. Write about the home buying process and change your mindset. Instead of thinking how grueling it has been and how you’ve written so many offers, write how enjoyable the spring market will be and how you will enjoy the home search process. Turn those pain points into points of pleasure. For example, my daily affirmation would be, “I will enjoy the spring market home buying process and finding the best home for my needs by Aug. 31, 2022.” Make sure to manifest pleasure instead of pain and ensure that you place a concrete end date on this action item. If you don’t put a date then you will surely find that home you want but not anytime soon. These are just a few points that I learned from a sales course I took some years ago and I can honestly say not only applying them to your daily life will alter your trajectory - but applying it to the sometimes grueling home buying process - it will change your mindset and result in a pleasurable process that leads you to finding a house that you want to call home. I have clients with track records of this very process but you’ve got to believe and you have to start today.
JUSTIN NOBLE
is a Realtor with the Burns & Noble Group at Sotheby’s. Reach him at 202-503-4243 or Justin.noble@sothebysrealty.com.
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