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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Randy Shulman

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
Volume 22 / Issue 18

ART DIRECTOR
Todd Franson
MANAGING EDITOR
Rhuaridh Marr
SENIOR EDITOR
John Riley
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Doug Rule
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR
Scott G. Brooks
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Sean Bugg, Chris Heller, Connor J. Hogan,
Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield
WEBMASTER
David Uy
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Julian Vankim

SALES & MARKETING

NEWS

Right of Refusal

Kentucky Resistance

10

Sex Panic Flashback

COMMENT

by John Riley

by John Riley

by Sean Bugg

SCENE
13
Reel Affirmations Closing Party at
Gala Hispanic Theatre
photography by Ward Morrison
14

Community Calendar

FEATURE
17
Margaret Cho
Interview by Doug Rule

PUBLISHER
Randy Shulman
BRAND STRATEGY & MARKETING
Christopher Cunetto
Cunetto Creative
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Rivendell Media Co.
212-242-6863
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Dennis Havrilla

PATRON SAINT
Oliver Sacks

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Miss Missy

METRO WEEKLY
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their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or
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such person or organization.

2015 Jansi LLC.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

OUT ON THE TOWN

22

DC State Fair
by Doug Rule

24
Grandma
by Randy Shulman

26

Finding a Line

FILM

28

A Walk in the Woods

STAGE

30

The Fix and Dogfight

HOME

32

Hurricane Preparedness

NIGHTLIFE

35

Number Nine

by Connor J. Hogan

by Chris Heller

by Doug Rule

by Kate Wingfield

photography by Ward Morrison

SCENE
43
Breakfast Clubs Cruel Summer at
Duplex Diner

photography by Ward Morrison

46

Last Word

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

LGBT

News

Now online at MetroWeekly.com

Pennsylvania introduces nondiscrimination bill

Mormon Church sticks with Boy Scouts

Right of Refusal

The ongoing debate over whether business owners can refuse service to certain
customers moves to the national stage
by John Riley

VE KNOWN A COUPLE OF PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO

have turned down LGBT clients for their religious views,
who then, in turn became my clients, says photographer
Lisa Otto. So refuse away, because I have absolutely no
problem. I dont care who you love, what type of house you live
in, what your religion is. As far as Im concerned, if youre in
love, Ill put you in front of my camera.
For the Palm Harbor, Florida-based Otto, who specializes in wedding photography, sexual orientation isnt a factor
in determining whether she shoots a wedding. In fact, wordof-mouth recommendations from satisfied same-sex customers
have helped fuel her business.
So far, Otto has not received any negative feedback for her
decision to photograph same-sex weddings. She also hasnt
received any negative reviews or comments on her Facebook
page, and no one has ever confronted her face-to-face.
But that doesnt mean theres not a risk weighing in on a
potentially controversial issue. Earlier this year, a bakery in
Longwood, Fla., came under fire for refusing to make a cake
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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

bearing the phrase, We do not support gay marriage. Word

got out and the business started receiving threatening phone
calls from opponents of marriage equality.
Meanwhile, bakers in Colorado and Oregon both states
with nondiscrimination ordinances that include sexual orientation have argued that their religious beliefs should allow them
to refuse to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples.
With these disagreements in mind, federal lawmakers are
now taking the debate out of the kitchens and floral shops and
into the halls of Congress by introducing two bills that appear
to be diametrically opposed. The First Amendment Defense Act
would prevent the government from taking retaliatory action
against people or businesses who act in accordance with their
beliefs that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,
and that sexual activity should be reserved for marriage. The
Equality Act, meanwhile, would amend the Civil Rights Act to
include nondiscrimination protections for sexual orientation
and gender identity.
Because of the potentially controversial nature of the bills,

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

LGBTNews
many businesses avoid taking a position. Of more than 40 bakeries, florists or photographers from the states of Virginia, Ohio,
Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida all of which currently
lack LGBT nondiscrimination protections contacted by Metro
Weekly, only four would comment on the record.
As a small business owner working in the wedding industry,
Lisa Otto has no problem expressing her point of view. She
acknowledges that others may feel differently, but believes that
refusing to serve the LGBT community eventually hurts a businesss bottom line.
When you put that stigma on yourself, as far as not being
willing to serve everyone, bad news spreads a whole lot faster
than good news, Otto says. And I think they do eventually hurt
themselves.... If I open a business, I have to serve everybody.
Ottos view is shared by the Human Rights Campaign, which
is currently pushing for passage of the Equality Act.
If you open your business to the public, you should serve the
public on a non-discriminatory basis, says David Stacy, director of government relations for HRC. So if you are providing
wedding cakes, for example, and you are selling wedding cakes
at your bakery, theres no reason in the world that you should
be able to say Im going to sell wedding cakes to couples whose
weddings I agree with, and Im not going to sell wedding cakes
to couples whose weddings I dont agree with.
Stacy notes that the number of conflicts between LGBT
advocates and religious business owners are small in number,
despite the amount of press they get, adding that the more
prominent cases have become cause celebres for the antiLGBT movement to latch onto while opposing equality.
If your religious beliefs are such that you just cannot interact with LGBT people and treat them equally when youre
engaged in commerce, perhaps you should find a different job,
he says.
Ryan T. Anderson, a fellow with the Heritage Foundation,
opposes the Equality Act, believing that any conflicts between
business owners and potential clients are better resolved on the
local rather than federal level.
Most of these decisions are going to be better resolved if we
allow experimentation with different policies to figure out what
works best for all parties involved, Anderson says. If theres a
bed and breakfast somewhere run by conservative evangelicals
or Orthodox Jews, and they have a problem renting out the honeymoon suite to a same-sex couple, I say freedom should prevail
here. There are plenty of other options for your honeymoon.
We dont need the federal government telling a small bed-andbreakfast that they cant engage in this.
Anderson is skeptical of the idea that most major corporations would engage in arbitrary discrimination against LGBT
people, noting that doing so would likely not be in its economic
interest. But Anderson also says that there should be exceptions
for smaller businesses.
When someone does think that sexual orientation and
gender identity matters for the mission of their institution or
because of their moral and religious views, I dont see why we
cant tolerate them, why we cant be a pluralistic society that
says that a 70-year-old evangelical grandmother has a right to
say I dont do flowers for a same-sex wedding, says Anderson,
citing a case where a florist in Washington State ran afoul of a
states nondiscrimination law. I dont know if we need a federal
law that would coerce everyone on this.
There appears to be at least anecdotal evidence that being
LGBT-friendly is good for business. The wedding-related busi8

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

ness owners who responded to Metro Weekly said they promote

a welcoming atmosphere at their stores.
I treat everything the same, says Kimberly McDonald of
Simply Desserts, a bakery in Fairfax County, Va., noting that
shes catered a same-sex wedding and has an equal employment
policy.
We do a lot of gay weddings, says Meghan DeAngelis
Lorenzetti, CEO of Kendalls Cakes, in Falls Church, Va. And
they are actually some of my favorites because they just seem
happier and more excited to be able to marry. I honestly dont
follow politics that much, but I think everyone should have the
same ability to do what they want. If you want to get married,
you should get married.
Mishele McKissack, of Decadent Designs Bakery in
Charlotte, N.C., believes if youre a small business, then youre
open to everything and everybody. We love all of our customers,
and treat everybody equally.... Im not in favor of any legislation
that would allow somebody to not provide their service to somebody for their personal choices. I dont think thats anybodys
business. l

Kentucky
Resistance

Facing contempt charges, Kim Davis legal

fate is uncertain as she refuses to issue
marriage licenses in Rowan County
by John Riley

HE ACLU OF KENTUCKY ON TUESDAY FILED

motions with U.S. District Judge David Bunning
seeking to hold Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis in
contempt of court for refusing to issue marriage
licenses based on her personal opposition to same-sex marriage.
In defiance of a federal court ruling ordering her office to
begin issuing licenses to qualified couples, and subsequent
rejections of an emergency stay by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, Davis said she would not
be issuing marriage licenses under Gods authority to David
Moore and David Ermold or to April Miller and Karen Roberts.
Miller and Roberts are among the four couples two gay and
two straight who initially sued Davis for her refusal to issue
any licenses to any couple, regardless of sexual orientation.
If found in contempt of court, Davis could be fined and face
jail time. Some LGBT activists fear that Davis, her lawyers and
anti-gay activists will make her a conservative martyr, using
any jail sentence to argue that Christians will be imprisoned if
LGBT rights are further expanded. Davis has already become
the celebrity du jour of the conservative anti-LGBT movement,
with supporters arguing she is acting under the authority of a
power higher than that of the Supreme Court.
Davis opposition is based on her Apostolic Christian beliefs

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

HILLARY THORNTON, @HILLARYWKYT

LGBTNews

Rowan County (Ky.) Clerk Kim Davis continues to turn away gay and lesbian couples seeking marriage licenses, Sept. 1

that marriage is reserved as the union of one man and one

woman. Fearful of running afoul of the Supreme Court ruling,
Davis declared her office would no longer issue marriage licenses
point blank, instead directing applicants to a nearby county that
would issue licenses. She then went a step further, claiming that,
because her name appears on the marriage license as the official
county clerk, she cannot allow any licesnses to be granted in the
county, even if she does not physically issue them herself.
According to the Associated Press, when Davis announced
that she would not budge on the issue, supporters in the room
cried out, Praise the Lord! and called on her to Stand your
ground! Meanwhile, supporters of marriage equality yelled,
Do your job! Sheriffs deputies later cleared the room of all
protesters, pushing them outside the courthouse, where the
dueling sides kept chanting and yelling at one another.
Davis asked Moore and Ermold to leave, with Ermold
responding, Were not leaving until we have a license.
Then youre going to have a long day, Davis replied.
Being held in contempt isnt Davis only concern: she might
face a more serious charge that could carry its own separate
sentence. According to The Morehead News, last Thursday the
Rowan County Attorneys Office referred a charge against Davis
to the Kentucky Attorney Generals Office. Because Davis is an
elected official, she can only be forcibly removed from office by
the state government if found guilty of official misconduct, the
term for when a public servant either oversteps their authority
or refuses to perform the duties required of their office.
If found guilty, Davis could face an additional prison term of
up to a year and a fine of $500.
Yet another headache for Davis is pro-marriage equality protesters, who have continually demonstrated outside of her office,
with some, like Moore and Ermold, coming back every day to try
and obtain marriage licenses. Ahead of a pro-equality protest on
Saturday, Davis closed the clerks office, which is scheduled to be
10

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

open for a half-day on the last Saturday of every month.

Camryn and Lexie Colen, one of the couples attending
Saturdays protest, obtained a marriage license from Davis in
February even though Camryn is a transgender man. The couple
says they did not inform Davis of Camryns gender identity.
LGBT advocates have pointed to Davis issuance of the Colens
marriage license, as well as her own multiple marriages and
divorces, as evidence of her hypocrisy.
She just saw a straight couple in love, Camryn Colen said
when recalling his encounter with Davis. She should see everybody like that. l

COMMENT Sean Bugg

Sex Panic
Flashback

The Rentboy.com bust is an unwelcome

reminder that the bad old days of anti-gay
panic havent really gone away

IVEN THE FETID STATE OF THE PRIMARY

season, having a good old-fashioned sex panic is
almost refreshingly nostalgic. Or at least thats how
it felt to me when I first saw the news that Rentboy.
com had been busted by the feds for prostitution, like I was

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

11

watching a weird edition of VH1s I Love the 90s.

Of course, thats also why its not really funny in the present
its easy to recall this sort of thing happening back in the days
of sodomy laws and Jesse Helms, and uneasy to realize this is
coming in the present from an administration thats purportedly our friend.
Lets get a couple things out of the way here, because even
in the LGBT community discussions about escorts and prostitution can get tangled up in irrelevancies and bias. First, and most
important, is to note that this has nothing to do with human
trafficking, which as our cultural taboos about sex work have
weakened has become the argument most frequently used to
support anti-prostitution laws and enforcement.
It is a fundamental truth that human trafficking and sex slavery are antithetical to human rights. Its also true that prostitution does not equal human trafficking, even if there are awful
instances where they overlap. And human trafficking doesnt
overlap with Rentboy.
Second, stigma against sex workers remains strong even
among LGBT people. Despite a long history of gay men idolizing porn actors, too many of us still look down on escorts as
less than. It trivializes the lives of people who in a better world
would get the support and safety society owes them.
I once worked as the Male Sex Industry Project Coordinator
for the then-Whitman-Walker Clinic, which gave me the best
business card in Washington, D.C. In the days before effective
HIV treatments and PrEP, I provided condoms and safer-sex
information to escorts, prostitutes, nude dancers and others
involved in the subculture.
I unlearned a lot of the biases Id brought to the job. It helps
to see escorts as people instead of commodities, even if their
bodies are their business. Did I meet a few people who had
severe problems in their lives? Yes. Ive also met people with
severe problems who work in law firms. The difference is that a
paralegal has access to support and compassion, while an escort
often doesnt.
Its the hypocrisy that stings about the Rentboy bust. There
are many thriving web sites promoting female escorts, none of
which were targeted when the gay site was. Of the journalism
outlets covering the story, nearly all of them gay and straight,
mainstream and alternative have taken escort advertising in
the past, and the only reason not all of them do anymore is that
the advertising all went online. Then theres the spectacle of the
Department of Homeland Security for some reason busting up
victimless crimes occurring between consenting adults.
And most glaringly, how can we have a society that tolerates and often celebrates pornography while simultaneously
harassing a separate class of people who have sex for pay. I realize
the distinction between prostitution and free expression could be
framed as the difference between commerce and art, but really it
just comes down to a difference in whos writing the checks.
The only thing achieved here has been to push escorts further back into their own stigmatized closets; increase the risk
of danger they face because they have to resort to less-safe
ways to conduct their work; and undermine activist and public
health efforts on HIV prevention. All around a very good show
on the part of the Obama administration, which should really
know better.
Our community, both individuals and the organizations that
represent us, need to speak up loudly and often to make sure
we dont get a repeat. We dont need this negative nostalgia in
our lives. l
12

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

scene
Reel Affirmations
Closing Party at
Gala HispanicTheatre
Sunday, August 30
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!

Photography by
Ward Morrison

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

13

LGBTCommunityCalendar
Metro Weeklys Community Calendar highlights important events in the D.C.-area
LGBT community, from alternative social events to volunteer opportunities.
Event information should be sent by email to calendar@MetroWeekly.com.
Deadline for inclusion is noon of the Friday before Thursdays publication.
Questions about the calendar may be directed to the
Metro Weekly office at 202-638-6830 or
the calendar email address.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 3

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

WEEKLY EVENTS

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP for

BROTHER, HELP THYSELF holds

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9
p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and les-

bian square-dancing group features

mainstream through advanced square
dancing at the National City Christian
Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30
p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517,
dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern
Virginia social group meets for happy
hour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810
Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor
bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker

Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor
Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson
Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9
a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment
call 202-745-7000. Visit whitmanwalker.org.
METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment

needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700.
202-638-0750.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for

youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155
or testing@smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics

Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.,
3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group is
independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.
WOMENS LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE for young LBTQ women,
13-21, interested in leadership development. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth
Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163,
catherine.chu@smyal.org.

14

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

adults in Montgomery County offers

a safe space to explore coming out
and issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m.
16220 S. Frederick Rd., Suite 512,
Gaithersburg, Md. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The TRANS SUPPORT GROUP
of The DC Center holds a monthly
meeting for transgender and gender
non-conforming people and their
allies. 7-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5

its annual gay day celebration at Kings

Dominion. Proceeds benefit BHT.
Tickets $37. Water Park use for BHT
from 10:30 a.m.-noon, Dance party 8
p.m.-12 a.m. 16000 Theme Park Way,
Doswell, Va. For more information,
visit brotherhelpthyself.net.

WEEKLY EVENTS
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by
members of the LGBT community,
holds Saturday morning Shabbat
services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddush
luncheon. Services in DCJCC
Community Room, 1529 16th St. NW.
betmish.org.

p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others interested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/time, email
braziliangaygroup@yahoo.com.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr.

SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

GAY DISTRICT holds facilitated discussion for GBTQ men, 18-35, on the
first and third Fridays of each month.
8:30-9:30 p.m. The DC Center, 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. 202-682-2245,
gaydistrict.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

affirming social group for ages 11-24.

4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW.
Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, laycdc.org.

SMYALS REC NIGHT provides

a social atmosphere for GLBT and
questioning youth, featuring dance
parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. More info, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6
p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for
youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,
410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, testing@smyal.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

walking/social club welcomes all

levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, socializing
afterward. Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P
Streets NW, for a walk; or 10 a.m. for
fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball team

meets at Turkey Thicket Recreation

Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4
p.m. For players of all levels, gay or
straight. teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for

LGBT community, family and friends.

6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-onthe-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road,
Alexandria. All welcome. For more
info, visit dignitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses

critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies, 900 U St. NW.
RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@
gmail.com.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-

tial HIV testing in Takoma Park,

7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.
Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointments
other hours, call 301-422-2398.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6
ADVENTURING outdoors group bikes
49 moderately hilly miles one-way
from the Pentagon area to downtown
Baltimore, followed by lunch and a
return to D.C. via MARCs Bicycle
Train in the late afternoon. Bring
beverages, a snack, helmet and the $2
trip fee, plus money for lunch. Ride
begins at 8 a.m. from the southern end
of the parking lot at Columbia Island
Marina, accessible only from the
southbound lanes of the GW Parkway.
Train from Baltimores Penn Station
is scheduled to arrive at D.C.s Union
Station at 5:10 p.m. Jerry, 703-9206871. adventuring.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive
and radically inclusive church holds
services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota
Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.
DIGNITYUSA offers Roman Catholic
Mass for the LGBT community. 6
p.m., St. Margarets Church, 1820
Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome.
Sign interpreted. For more info, visit
dignitynova.org.

FRIENDS MEETING OF
WASHINGTON meets for worship,

10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW,

Quaker House Living Room (next to
Meeting House on Decatur Place),
2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbians
and gays. Handicapped accessible
from Phelps Place gate. Hearing assistance. quakersdc.org.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL

DEVELOPMENT, God-centered new

age church & learning center. Sunday

Services and Workshops event. 5419
Sherier Place NW. isd-dc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted)

and 11 a.m. Childrens Sunday School
at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-6387373, mccdc.com.

NEW HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT

GROUP for gay men living in the DC

metro area. This group will be meeting once a month. For information on
location and time, email to not.the.only.
one.dc@gmail.com.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

a Christ-centered, interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers
service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202554-4330, riversidedc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF
ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcoming-

and-affirming congregation, offers

services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow
UU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd.
uucava.org.

MONDAY, SEPT. 7
WEEKLY EVENTS
HAPPY LABOR DAY!
DCS DIFFERENT DRUMMERS

seeks people interested in auditioning

for symphonic band. Practices take
place from 7-9:30 p.m. every Monday
at the Church of the Reformation. 212
East Capitol St. NE. For more information, visit dcdd.org.
The DC Center hosts COFFEE

DROP-IN FOR THE SENIOR LGBT

COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000

14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8
The DC Center hosts a meeting of its

Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic,

Alexandria Health Department, 4480
King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-2149617. james.leslie@inova.org.

THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE

DC CENTER hosts Packing Party,

where volunteers assemble safe-sex

kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m.,
Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW.
thedccenter.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment

needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700.
202-638-0750.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUSLGBT
focused meeting every Tuesday, 7
p.m. St. Georges Episcopal Church,
915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just
steps from Virginia Square Metro. For
more info. call Dick, 703-521-1999.
Handicapped accessible. Newcomers
welcome. liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.

COMING OUT DISCUSSION GROUP

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for
youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,
410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, testing@
smyal.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ

YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL, 410

to explore issues related to identity and

the coming out process. 7-8:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.

ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly din-

7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy Chu, 202567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

US HELPING US hosts a support

group for black gay men 40 and older.
7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202446-1100.

ner in Dupont/Logan Circle area,

6:30 p.m. afwash@aol.com, afwashington.net.

practice session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9
p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club serving greater

D.C.s LGBT community and allies
hosts an evening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.

THE GAY MENS HEALTH

COLLABORATIVE offers free HIV

testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.

Whitman-Walker Healths GAY

MENS HEALTH AND WELLNESS/

STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 1701 14th

St. NW. Patients are seen on walk-in

basis. No-cost screening for HIV,
syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Hepatitis and herpes testing available
for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9
BIG GAY BOOK GROUP meets to
discuss The Bell by Iris Murdock. 7

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

15

p.m. 1155 F Street, NW. All welcome.

For more information, biggaybookgroup.com.

Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome.

For more information, call Fausto
Fernandez, 703-732-5174.

THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-

meets for Duplicate Bridge. 7:30 p.m.

Dignity Center, 721 8th St. SE, across
from the Marine Barracks. No reservation needed. 703-407-6540 if you
need a partner.
PFLAG Metro DC, Community Crisis
Services, Inc., and Wolf Pack Theatre
Company present a one-night showing of MASQUERADE, a show
about a familys struggle to cope after
their son/brother/grandson commits
suicide. Tickets are $50. 7:30-8:30
p.m. Joes Movement Emporium,
3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mount Rainier,
Md. For information and tickets,
wolfpacktheatrecompany.webconnex.
com/Masquerade.

RAINBOW RESPONSE, a coalition

of groups dedicated to combating
LGBTQ intimate partner violence,
holds its monthly meeting at The DC
Center. 6-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information, visit
rainbowresponse.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,

16

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

tice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio

Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.
org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison

Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH

offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.

and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.
Washington St., Alexandria. 703-5491450, historicchristchurch.org.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-

gram for job entrants and seekers,

meets at The DC Center. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. More
info, www.centercareers.org.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.

11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite
200, Arlington. Appointments: 703789-4467.

PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social

club for mature gay men, hosts
weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,
Windows Bar above Dupont Italian
Kitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl, 703573-8316. l

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

17

I am a
former
sex
worker,
Margaret Cho says. So I know that when you have consensual
prostitution, its actually a victimless crime. And I think thats
something that should be honored.
Instead, last week the government shut down Rentboy.com.
It was a way to keep people safe, Cho says of the gay escort
site. I think sex workers need that modicum of safety, through
a commercial organization.
Cho compares Rentboys travails to the more publicized
case of Ashley Madison, the site that encourages extramarital
hookups. Both controversies are examples of Americas antisex default mode attempts, as Cho puts it, to throw a blanket over everything that has to do with sexuality.
A bisexual San Francisco native of Korean descent, Cho has
consistently worked to counteract such prudish attitudes and
negative portrayals about sex and alternative sexualities, in
over two decades of work as a stand-up comedian and TV personality. Shes currently preparing for a new chapter that
promises to be her busiest yet as she returns to sitcom
television this fall, two decades after her short-lived but
pioneering ABC series, All-American Girl.
But first, the 46-year-old is embarking on a new
stand-up concert, which shell tour throughout the U.S.
and Europe this fall. And in each city, Cho, an ordained
minister, will marry, live on stage, a couple selected from a
group of online applicants in each city.
One of the first stops on Chos tour is the Warner Theatre,
where a politically engaged audience will very likely be eager
to hear her take on a certain presidential candidate with the
temperament of a 12-year-old bully.

18

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

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METRO WEEKLY: What is the focus of your new stand-up show, the
PsyCHO Tour?
MARGARET CHO: The tour is current events-driven guns and
police brutality and all this violence against women. There are so
many things that I think can be helped with comedy the rage
that we feel, the fear.
MW: How do you make such serious topics funny?
CHO: You have to find exactly where you can talk about something that people are thinking about, thats really difficult, and
turn it into some way of alleviating some of the sadness and fear
around it.
MW: Im assuming youll be riffing on Donald Trump.
CHO: Yeah. I havent figured out a way to crack that yet. On his
own, hes just so ridiculous, and hes such a racist. And hes such
a misogynist. Hes so bad on so many levels. But I think sometimes America really responds to that. Sometimes people look
to the presidency as a source of entertainment. Which is not
the right way to look at it.
I mean, Donald Trump cannot be president. It would just
look so bad to the rest of the world. The only kind of equivalent I could even see is maybe Silvio Berlusconi in Italy that
level of corruption and racism and sexism and idiocy. Thats
what I think would happen in America if Trump were elected.
But I really dont think thats possible.
Hes a bully, but also hes a terrified bully.
Hes actually afraid because he knows hes
wrong. I think hes just trying to not admit that
hes wrong, and continually digs himself deeper.
But I think that a lot of his feelings about women
are very true to him. The way he talks about
them is so demeaning and demoralizing. I think
he actually has that feeling towards women.
MW: Have you met Trump before?
CHO: I havent. He pursued me for years to be on
The Celebrity Apprentice. And I never wanted
to be on that show. A lot of my friends have been on it. I was
invited to do some of their challenges and be there for them.
Its just always very terrifying and grueling. So that show never
appealed to me.
MW: Youre going to be selecting a couple to marry right from the
stage, picked from those who apply via your #MarryMeMargaret
campaign. What inspired you to do that?
CHO: Im doing that in every city on this tour, which is exciting. I
was deputized by San Fransisco mayor Gavin Newsom to marry
gay and lesbian couples inside San Francisco City Hall. We started working on gay marriage in 2004. Which was a tremendous
thing because City Hall in San Francisco was the site of Harvey
Milks assassination. So it has a very painful history when it
comes to gay politics. To be able to marry couples it was such
a big huge deal. So it was a real honor.
Ever since the Supreme Courts decision, I wanted to continue that. I still have accreditation from a church, the American
Marriage Ministries, where I have the authority to marry people.
So I want to do it on stage. And I think it will be such a great
memory for people a joyful celebration of what weve created.
MW: Some traditionalists might claim youre cheapening the institution of marriage by creating a spectacle around it. You dont feel
that way?
CHO: No, because I think its about celebrating it at this point.
Most of the people coming to my shows had some part in really
pushing the idea of marriage equality forward. And over time
weve all worked on it. And over time Ive also had a number of
people propose to their partners at my shows, so its become a

semi-regular feature anyway in the journey towards marriage

equality, and where weve been legally over the last 15 years.
MW: Conservatives of course still believe that gays are destroying
the sanctity of marriage but the rest of us see the institution as
being blemished by the type of hypocrisy and adultery encouraged
by social media, specifically sites such as Ashley Madison. The
recent hack of its system revealed that conservative 19 & Counting
television personality Josh Duggar was a member.
CHO: Its all so crazy! Its very interesting, especially with the
Duggars, and with all of that happening.
Everybody is trying to crack down on these sites that promise illicit, confidential sex. Ashley Madison is different from
Rentboy, but I think people are sort of lumping them together as
being these things that are bad for the moral fiber of the Internet.
Its like theyre trying to throw a blanket over everything that
has to do with sexuality. I actually dont think Ashley Madison is
wrong, either. Its just the fact that the Duggars are so prominent
everybody wants to expose what theyre involved with, and
Ashley Madison is part of that.
MW: Last weeks shutdown of Rentboy.com seems like another
manifestation of how our society is anti-sex.
CHO: Rentboy is just a site that facilitates consensual prostitution,
which is going to happen anyway. Prostitution is the oldest pro-

MISS MISSY

Donald Trump cannot be president. It would just look

so bad to the rest of the world. The only equivalent I
can even see is Silvio Berlusconi in Italy that level of
corruption and racism and sexism and idiocy.
fession, and it is something that deserves laws and law enforcement to protect sex workers, as opposed to criminalize them.
MW: Gay men are used to seeing people in an open relationship
on our dating sites, but thats not possible on OKCupid or Match.
com, provoking the rise of Ashley Madison.
CHO: If you go on those sites, youre supposed to disclose everything. And often times people wouldnt want to have a relationship with somebody who is in one already. Or who are supposed
to be monogamous. You just want an honest view of the person
and what youre getting into. Honesty is the most important part
of any relationship. I think people need to just get really mature
about it.
I think 90-something percent of the women who posted on
Ashley Madison werent even regular users. So it wasnt even a
functioning site, actually. It was just kind of this bulletin board
for peoples fantasies that never really culminated into anything.
MW: While on the subject of marriage and relationships, you
divorced your husband last year. Do you think youll ever get married again?
CHO: I dont know! I think its always possible. I had been
married for a long time, and I ended that relationship, which
was very difficult and very painful. So Im not sure. There are
definitely really important benefits to marriage. And especially
with marriage equality, its not exactly about marriage, its more
about equality. It has more to do with having the same rights as
heterosexual couples. And its just about the government honoring that. But I think personally when it comes to marriage, Im a
little bit burnt out on my end of it. Im a little bit disillusioned by
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it. When it doesnt work out, it just takes a while to re-approach

it, and re-approach the romance, and find it again.
MW: Because you know so much about sex and relationships, do
you find that hard to translate to your personal life?
CHO: No, no. Its always a mystery though. Even though you have
a broad knowledge of what people do together, it doesnt necessarily make you better at it. Its kind of unfortunate that you can
study something, and study relationships, and study sexuality,
and really be a scholar of it, and still be terrible at it. [Laughs.]
MW: Im sure you didnt have a childhood dream of becoming a
sexologist or even the idea of being someone so well-versed in the
subject. What prompted that?
CHO: Sex was always very interesting to me, and then when I
grew up sex was really changing because of AIDS. AIDS really
changed our relationships. It really changed our sexuality, at
least in terms of the LGBT community.
What happened was, there was a lot of different kinds of
sex going on there was a lot of S&M, a lot of fetishes, a lot of
different kinds of power exchange. You were taking the body
fluids exchange out of it, and then you
were turning it into a power exchange.
Which sex ultimately is. It takes some
of the physical danger of AIDS and HIV
out of the equation. So you had these
amazing different expressions of sexuality when I was growing up. I worked
at a queer BDSM collective when I
was a teenager and into my early 20s.
And so I was very, very experienced
in domination and leather sex, and the
way that the gay community was healing from AIDS and HIV infection with
different forms of very spiritual sexuality including Tantra. It
all grew out of what was a terrible tragedy. I have an interesting
view of it because I grew up in a very revolutionary time in terms
of gay sex.
MW: Was becoming a celebrity an ambition as a kid?
CHO: I wanted to be a comedian. And I knew that I was going to
be a comedian. But I didnt know that I was going to be as successful as I am. I never expected that part. I always thought that
I would stay in San Francisco, and I would do shows and be kind
of a local favorite. But to me, the reward of it was just to be able
to do it and perform. And that in itself was enough.
MW: Are you still close to your family?
CHO: Yeah. Theyre great. Theyre very funny and fun. Its a real
joy, I think, that they never really understood where I was going
with my career, and now theyre so excited and grateful, and
I get to have them in my work every now and again, which is
always really hilarious and ridiculous and fun.
MW: Youre also becoming something of a musician. I understand
youve developed more music rooted in comedy along the lines of
your 2010 Grammy-nominated comedy album Cho Dependent.
CHO: I just made a music album and a bunch of music videos for
it. That will come out around the same time as my Showtime
special, which is on Sept. 25. Its some comedy songs some
really fun little anthems with funny comedy videos.
MW: Are music videos becoming a kind of fun, new way to express
your comedy?
CHO: To me its kind of a new art form its a weird thing where
music videos have been rejuvenated ever since we used to watch
them on MTV. Theyre kind of back.
MW: Also back, in more ways than one, is the idea of an AsianAmerican-focused sitcom.

CHO: Its thrilling. I love Fresh Off The Boat. I think its really
good. And Im going to be on Dr. Ken, which is the next AsianAmerican family sitcom on ABC, with Ken Jeong. Im going to
play his sister.
MW: In a sense, one could view Dr. Ken as ushering in a new chapter in your television career.
CHO: Yeah I think so more acting, but also producing. Im going
to be behind the scenes, behind the camera, developing some TV
shows. Im excited about that. I cant really talk about what it is
yet. Nothings really exactly planned out. But its all very new
and exciting to me. Ive been doing television for a while, but its
great to do different things.
MW: In recent years youve mostly appeared as a guest or contestant on reality shows, from Dancing With The Stars to most
recently Celebrity Wife Swap. You swapped lives for a week with
Holly Robinson Pete. What did you learn from the experience?
CHO: It was just a different kind of world for me to be around
kids. I realized Im so good at that. So I really kind of missed
something by not becoming a mom.

PIXIE VISION

I still have accreditation from a church, so I have the

authority to marry people. I want to do it on stage. And
I think it will be a great memory for people a joyful
celebration of what weve created.
MW: Has the experience made you a wistful about not having

children?
CHO: Yeah, totally. Its very sad.
MW: Is it prompting you to reconsider the decision? I mean, techni-

cally its not too late.

CHO: Well, it would be great. But Im just so kind of reliant on

what my body can do. Of course you can always adopt too. Id
love to investigate that.
MW: Youve referred to yourself as a kind of mother figure in the
LGBT community, so at least theres that. And one way you help
nurture us is through fundraisers, such as one youll be doing
before your show at the Warner for Brother Help Thyself. Are you
motivated to do that out of a sense of responsibility, or simply a
desire to give back to the LGBT community?
CHO: Its a good thing to do for the LGBT community and the
place youre coming to. Im doing different meet-and-greets and
helping different charity groups in every city.
MW: Im not sure Donald Trump has that same feeling, the desire
to give back.
CHO: Well, I think hes got Im not sure how he is with charity,
but hes got his own views on everything. Im sure he conducts
[his charity accordingly]. I dont know Im not sure how he
became such a big businessman by being such an incredible jerk.
I dont get it.
Margaret Cho performs Friday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. at the Warner
Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Tickets are $41.50 to $74.50. Call 202783-4000 or visit warnertheatredc.com.
Submissions are due Oct. 1 for those couples interested in applying
for the #MarryMeMargaret contest. Visit margaretcho.com. l
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SEPTEMBER 3 - 10, 2015

Compiled by Doug Rule

SPOTLIGHT
14TH ANNUAL
PAGE TO STAGE FESTIVAL

Now in its 14th year, this three-day

event offers free readings and open
rehearsals of plays and musicals being
developed by more than 50 area theater companies as a preview of the
upcoming theater season. Saturday,
Sept. 5, through Monday, Sept. 7.
Kennedy Center. Free, but limited
seating available. Call 202-467-4600
or visit kennedy-center.org for more
details and specific performance
times.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM

Fair
Treatment
The DC State Fair aims to showcase home-crafted quality

ID YOU KNOW D.C. HAS A STATE FAIR EVEN THOUGH ITS NOT A STATE?
We call ourselves a state fair, says Anna Tauzin, a volunteer board member with
the September 12 event. Its a subtle wink and nod at efforts for D.C. statehood
rights. Founded in 2010 by a group of friends who wanted to showcase urban gardening,
knitting and crocheting, the fair is neither a political advocacy group nor a governmentfunded event. It returns for its second year at Shaws Old City Farm and Guild.
The fair officially kicks off with a Pet Parade, in which 75 pets (Not just dogs, says
Tauzin) trot around the blocks surrounding Old City. Throughout the day, people can
attend educational sessions on topics ranging from urban gardening and flower arranging
to hand-dancing demonstrations. Its just a really great time for District residents to get
together and celebrate all the things that make D.C. very special, says Tauzin.
The chief draw is the days many contests, as victuals such as ice cream, honey, pies,
pickled foods and even home-brewed beer and homegrown pot will be evaluated by a panel
of judges. Naturally, there will be various art and craft competitions, prizes for unusuallysized homegrown fruits and vegetables, and a new Compost Contest. Im not entirely sure
whats involved in judging that, Tauzin says, adding that we get judges who know their
subjects for each of the contests.
Yet not all of them will get the full effect from the duty. Itll be an honor, but not a high
honor, for the judges of the Best Bud contest who will evaluate 55 submitted plants based
on sight, texture and other non-consumption attributes. So no smoking, no ingesting,
says Tauzin. I mean, can you imagine? If you smoked 55 entries, at some point youd lose
focus. Doug Rule
The DC State Fair is Saturday, Sept. 12, from noon to 8 p.m., at Old City Farm and Guild,
925 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Call 202-412-2489 or visit dcstatefair.wordpress.com.
22

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

For the 25th anniversary Free for All,

the Shakespeare Theatre Company
revives its exceptional 2012 production of one of the Bards most beloved
shows. As originally staged three years
ago, Midsummer was a feast for the
imagination and the eyes, a threering circus of a play with a stagewithin-a-stage, intricate costumes and
innovative use of props. Talk about a
theater queens dream. Midsummer
is a play that celebrates live theater,
director Ethan McSweeny told Metro
Weekly in 2012, and the kind of experience you can only have when you
are sitting in an audience of people
simultaneously experiencing that play
on that given day. Also new this year
as part of the Free for All programming is a 25th Anniversary Festival, a
day-long open house, set for Saturday,
Sept. 12, offering backstage tours,
special performances and demonstrations of stage effects. Now to Sept. 13.
Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F
St. NW. Tickets are free, distributed
through a daily online lottery system
as well as a ticket line prior to each
performance. Call 202-547-1122 or
visit shakespearetheatre.org.

BHTS PRIDE DAYS

AT KINGS DOMINION

Some people go to Kings Dominion to

ride roller coasters and bumper cars.
Others go to eat cotton candy or funnel
cake. On Saturday, Sept. 5, members
and allies of the LGBT community
can do all that all day, plus dance too.
DJ Rometti will offer a four outdoor
dance party right on the parks main
International Street. The event is the
biggest fundraiser for charity Brother,
Help Thyself Inc., raising upwards of
$25,000 annually. Saturday, Sept. 5,
starting at 10:30 a.m. with exclusive
one-hour access for BHT guests to
the Soak City waterpark, and end-

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

23

ing with the dance party from 8 p.m.

to 12 a.m., at Kings Dominion, 16000
Theme Park Way. Doswell, Va. Tickets
are $37, with promo code PRIDEDAY.
Call 202-347-2246 or visit brotherhelpthyself.net.

KELLY CLARKSON, PENTATONIX

SONY CLASSICS

The original and best American Idol,

Kelly Clarkson remains one of the hottest properties in the business and
shes still as strong as ever. Clarkson is
joined on her latest tour by Pentatonix,
the five-piece a cappella sensation who
won NBCs The Sing-Off competition
in 2011. Eric Hutchinson and Abi Ann
are opening acts. Saturday, Saturday,
Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m.
The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, 1551
Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $45
to $125. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit
wolftrap.org.

MADONNA

Aged to Perfection

Grandma is a sweet yet slight comedy that benefits greatly

from the presence of Lily Tomlin

AUL WEITZ IS STILL ATONING FOR THE SIN OF IMPOSING UPON US THE
sight of Jason Biggs inches-deep in an apple pie. Weitzs American Pie was the Porkys
of its generation, a hormonally-charged coming-of-age film that was little more than
sex on a shtick. But it gave Weitz a career and hes been trying to distance himself ever since,
striving instead for warm, gently funny, human-scale stories. His best attempt remains 2002s
About a Boy, a graceful comedy elevated by knock-out performances from Hugh Grant and
Nicholas Hoult.
With Grandma (HHHHH), Weitz continues down the path to redemption, but doesnt
quite make it all the way. Saddled by a slight plot comprised of small, intermittently entertaining set-pieces, the comedy plants social causes on its sleeve and then keeps said sleeve
rolled down and firmly buttoned.
When pregnant teenager Sage (Julia Garner) approaches her grandmother to assist in help
getting her an abortion, a day-long road trip ensues, as the pair struggle to raise the funds
needed without resorting to a loan from Judy, Sages corporate-driven banshee of a mother
(Marcia Gay Harden).
Fortunately for Sage, her grandma, Elle, is portrayed by the wry, knowing, cranky Lily
Tomlin. Theres no judgement, only hip compassion served up with dollops of cynicism and
sarcasm, a few tattoos and a joint or two. Along the way, Elle comes to the grips with her own
demons, including a harsh breakup earlier that day with a loving girlfriend of 4 months (Judy
Greer). There are funny skirmishes with old flames, past and present; irate coffee shop owners; and even vicious, pint-sized Right to Lifers.
The movie owes much to Tomlin, as engaging and bright a screen presence as ever. Its not
an earth-shattering performance by any means, but its nuanced, exhibiting Tomlins natural
effervescence, her gift for crisp comic delivery, and her ability to downshift a comedic scene
into one of dramatic gravity.
Everyone else is a broadly-drawn caricature including Laverne Cox, who, as a rebellious, transgender tattoo artist, is given nothing to do. Only Sam Elliott, as an ex of Elles
who cant let their past go, soars. The moment he reveals his long-suffering pain, Grandma
becomes genuinely moving.
Grandma is not dramatically rich enough for the Oscar-worthy fall slate, but its good
enough for the tail end of summer. Its a trip worth taking if youre a Tomlin fan. And there
are, thankfully, no pies. Randy Shulman
Grandma is Rated PG-13. Now playing at the Landmark E Street and Bethesda Cinemas.
24

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

Shes gonna carry on: The queen of

queens to many of a certain generation, at the very least once again
takes over the Verizon Center as part
of her latest world tour, focused on her
Rebel Heart though the highlights
are once again sure to be her various
reinterpretations of classics and older
hits in her repertoire. Saturday, Sept.
12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m.
Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. Tickets
are $93 to $358. Call 202-628-3200 or
visit verizoncenter.com.

NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

For the second year, the Library of

Congress takes over the Washington
Convention Center the Saturday of
Labor Day weekend for this free celebration of writers and readers that
runs all day and into the evening. A
select few highlights, in addition to
the core presentations from more
than 175 authors, at the 15th annual
National Book Festival: a Youth Poetry
Slam presented by Split This Rock,
a Graphic Novels pavilion featuring
artists including Lalo Alcaraz, Stephan
Pastis and Trina Robbins, and a Books
to Movies discussion with authors
moderated by the Washington Posts
Ann Hornaday and including a sneak
peek at Genius, the forthcoming movie
starring Colin Firth based on Max
Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott
Berg, who will attend. Saturday, Sept.
5, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Walter E.
Convention Convention Center, 801
Mt. Vernon Pl. Call 202-249-3000 or
visit loc.gov/bookfest for more details
and a full schedule.

OFF THE TABLE, ONTO THE WALL:

TORPEDO FACTORYS
CERAMIC GUILD

The Scope Gallery, the ceramics co-op

arm of Alexandrias Torpedo Factory,
displays the latest works of ceramic
wall art from the Washington Ceramic
Guild, developed around a cosmic and
celestial theme. Now to Sept. 27. The
Scope Gallery at Torpedo Factory
Art Center, 105 North Union St.
Alexandria. Free. Call 703-548-6288
or visit torpedofactory.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

25

SAY LOU LOU

Miranda Anna and Elektra June

Kilbey-Jansson are another sisters
act in pop music as well as the
daughters of a longtime member of the
Australian band the Church. The 9:30
Club presents a concert by the women
who record as Say Lou Lou and produce a dream pop sound every bit as
beguiling as you would expect, reflected in the title of its debut album, Lucid
Dreaming. Tuesday, Sept. 8. Doors at
7 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U
St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-5881880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

STAGE
JON COULTHARD

ONE IN THE CHAMBER

Tom Remillard

Boards
and
Chords
Finding a Line explores an unusual and urban form of art

CULPTORS HAVE A KILN. PAINTERS HAVE A STUDIO. ACTORS HAVE A

rehearsal room. Every artist has a place to create their art. Whether the walls are covered with mirrors, or the floors are splotched with paint, these places are sacred to
them, a place where they can experiment without fear of failure. But for some artists, these
places arent confined by four walls. For Ben Ashworth, a studio is a street, his medium a
skateboard. When youre skateboarding, the whole city is your canvas. Ashworth says.
Youre operating in your own sort of space and time, establishing your own rhythms and
flows based on that city.
Now, Ashworth, with musician Jason Moran, is bringing that unique flow to the Kennedy
Center, pairing it with live music from musicians across the country. Finding a Line explores
skateboarding, music and media through performance and exhibits. Over the years, Ive figured out that the best way to produce my public work, is by creating symbiotic relationships
with other artists, says Ashworth. Finding a Line is really my lifes work as a public artist.
Finding a line is a phrase that describes when a skateboarder first drops into a pool,
and needs to determine his course through it. Youre figuring out ideal lines of movement
through a structure. You are in a constant state of falling through the center of the earth,
Ashworth says. But for me, finding a line is also a metaphor for life. No matter what your
medium is, you have a plan of action, but then youre up against other peoples desires. You
have to find the lines that overlap with others.
Moran sees these intersections as opportunities for brilliance.
One part of the week-long exhibit will feature skateboarders, both professional and amateur, free-skating in front of the Kennedy Center with a soundtrack improvised by Morans
own jazz band: Jason Moran and The Bandwagon. Theres so much subtlety in how a skater
prepares for a trick, or how a musician prepares for a chord progressions, Moran says. Ive
always thought of improvisation as navigation. Its not about number of scales or licks. Its
about how you navigate a song, or how you wind your way through a pool.
Ashworth and Moran elevate skateboarding to an honest art that has the potential to influence other mediums and audiences. Were bringing together a lot of different folks that push
their mediums, says Ashworth. Were really hoping there will be some cross-pollination to
fuel their respective artistic fires. Connor J. Hogan
At the Kennedy Center, Sept. 4-13. For tickets and a full schedule of events,
visit kennedy-center.org.

Forum Theatre offers a co-production of Marja-Lewis Ryans fictionalized account exploring the impact
that accidental gun deaths have on
families, inspired by a 2013 New
York Times article titled Children
and Guns, the Hidden Toll. Michael
Piazza directs Liz Osborn, Adrienne
Nelson, Dwight Tolar, Noah Chiet,
Danielle Bourgeois and Grace Doughy
in One In The Chamber at CulturalDCs
Flashpoint. Closes this Sunday, Sept. 6.
Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G
St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-3151310 or visit flashpointdc.org.

THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING EARNEST

Scena Theater remounts its hilarious, gender-bending 2011 production of the Oscar Wilde classic satire.
Scenas Robert McNamara directs a
cast including Nanna Ingvarsson, Brian
Hemmingsen as Lady Bracknell
Danielle Davy, Bob Sheire, Graham
Pilato, David Bryan Jackson, Ellie
Nicoll, Amie Cazel and Mary Suib. To
Sept. 13. Atlas Performing Arts Center,
1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $10 to $45.
Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

TRUTH & BEAUTY BOMBS:

A SOFTER WORLD

Known for ambitious stagings of

eccentric, or just plain out-there,
tales, Rorschach Theatre offers a new
project based on the web series A
Softer World by Emily Horne and Joey
Corneau. As conceived of and directed
by Jenny McConnell Frederick, Truth
& Beauty Bombs focuses on a photographer who sets out to capture as
much of the world as he can before
he goes blind. Randy Baker, Norman
Allen, Heather McDonald, Shawn
Northip and Alexandra Petri assisted
with the writing. Opens in a pay-whatyou-can performance Friday, Sept. 4,
at 8 p.m. To Oct. 4. Atlas Performing
Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are
$20 to $30. Call 202-399-7993 or visit
rorschachtheatre.com.

MUSIC
COMMUNION: CONRAD SEWELL,
FREEDOM FRY, CLARA-NOVA
A decade ago, a group of musicians
led by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

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started a regular bar night in London

showcasing some of the citys best
new artists. Communion has since
become a record label and concert
promoter, and teams up with the
9:30 Club for a concert at Virginias
Jammin Java featuring up-andcoming Australian powerhouse pop
singer Conrad Sewell, who has supported Maroon 5 this year on tour;
the Echosmith-esque hazy surf-rock
of the half-French/half-American
husband-and-wife duo Freedom Fry;
and jangly indie-pop American artist Clara-Nova. Friday, Sept. 11, at 8
p.m. Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.
Vienna. Tickets are $10 in advance, or
$15 day-of. Call 703-255-3747 or visit
jamminjava.com.

DIANA ROSS

After two summers in a row at Wolf

Trap, the Supreme diva moves north
for Strathmore. And hearing all those
Motown-era and disco classics in the
Music Center? Talk about the sweetest hangover you wont want to
get over. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Tickets are $69 to $249. Call 301-5815100 or visit strathmore.org.

JACKSON BROWNE

With hit songs from 30 and 40 years

ago, including Rock Me on the
Water, The Pretender, Late for
the Sky and Somebodys Baby,
Jackson Browne helped pioneer a
style of passionate, heartfelt rock that

artfully expresses political and personal views. He stops by Wolf Trap in

support of his 14th studio set, Standing
In The Breach, released last year.
Friday, Sept. 11, at 8 p.m. The Filene
Center at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road,
Vienna. Tickets are $35 to $60. Call
877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRAS
LABOR DAY CONCERT

Steven Reineke once again leads the

orchestra in this annual tradition on
the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. This
years program features vocalist Kate
Davis and the Soldiers Chorus of the
United States Army Field Band. Sunday,
Sept. 6, at 8 p.m. U.S. Capitol Building,
West Lawn. (Or Kennedy Centers
Concert Hall, in case of inclement
weather.) Free. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org/nso.

THE SELDOM SCENE

Formed over 40 years ago in Bethesda,

the progressive bluegrass band
Seldom Scene remains especially
popular in its hometown region. The
group returns to Alexandrias seated
show palace for a Saturday night show
with Jonathan Edwards. Saturday,
Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere,
3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
Tickets are $29.50. Call 703-549-7500
or visit birchmere.com.

THE SHIRELLES

Original member and co-founder

Beverly Lee still tours under the name

the Shirelles, the Rock & Roll Hall of

Fame act credited with establishing
the girl group genre almost 70 years
ago. Lee performs with two other
women the sweet-sounding doo-wop/
R&B hits popularized by the group on
a stop in the D.C. area also including
comedian Billy Finch as a featured
guest. Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m.
Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club,
7719 Wisconsin Ave. Tickets are $45.
Call 240-330-4500 or visit bethesdabluesjazz.com.

WHITE FORD BRONCO

D.C.s all 90s party band, cheekily named after O.J. Simpsons notorious failed getaway car, sing through
that decades songbook in all styles of
popular music. The 9:30 Club presents
a more intimate concert at U Street
Music Hall featuring the five-member
ensemble, made up of singer/guitarist Diego Valencia, singer Gretchen
Gustafson, guitarists Ken Sigmund
and McNasty and drummer Max
Shapiro. Saturday, Sept. 12. Doors at
7 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U
St. NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-5881880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

MARYLAND RENAISSANCE
FESTIVAL

As summer sadly nears its end,

thoughts naturally turn to jousting,
feasting, crafts, theater, music and

merriment. Ah yes, its time once again

for Maryland Renaissance Festival, one
of the worlds largest festivals recreating a 600-year-old era in jolly old
England. Set in a woodsy park outside
of Annapolis, Md., patrons are encouraged to dress up in period costume.
(They can even rent such duds.) But
they shouldnt bring weapons, real or
toy, or pets, as they tend to eat the
turkey legs, which in this context are
also weapons. Weekends through Oct.
25. Maryland Renaissance Festival,
Crownsville Road, Crownsville, Md.
Tickets are $19 to $24 for a single-day
adult ticket, $34 to $98 for multi-day
passes, or $130 for a season pass good
for all 19 days. Call 800-296-7304 or
visit rennfest.com.

THE DC GURLY SHOW

Having grown out of local drag king

organization the DC Kings, the DC
Gurly Show isnt your grandfathers
burlesque. Its focused more on playing with gender than teasing with sex.
This Sunday, Sept. 13, the queer burlesque organization offers a Back to
School show at Freddies Beach Bar
hosted by Lexie Starre and featuring Sammy Smooth, Pearl Middleton,
James Fondle, Dixie Castafiore,
Velouria Moon, Sofia and Phoenix
Del Rey. Sunday, Sept. 13, at 9 p.m.
Freddies Beach Bar, 555 South 23rd
St., Arlington. No cover. Call 703-6850555 or visit dcgurlyshow.com. l

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27

film

Take a Hike
A Walk in the Woods
is a buddy comedy gone
terribly wrong
by CHRIS HELLER

WALK IN THE WOODS, THE BEST-SELLING

travel memoir written by Bill Bryson, is legendary. In it, Bryson recounts his attempts to hike the
2,220-mile Appalachian Trail with Stephen Katz,
an old friend recovering from alcoholism. The book is funny in
the way Brysons books are always funny its pleasant and curi28

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

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ous and sprinkled with just enough childish humor to bring the
phrase young at heart to mind.
This movie is none of those things.
Director Ken Kwapis, under star Robert Redfords watch,
reduces A Walk in the Woods (HHHHH) to a collection of
dull slapstick gags and reprehensible womanizing. The basic
premise is essentially unchanged, but Kwapis is missing some
crucial alchemy, whatever catalyzing agent Bryson captured to
transform his books most immature moments into charming
wisecracks.
The movie does change one significant detail: Bryson
(Redford) is aged several decades. Hes not the middle-aged
man he was in the book; now, hes a semi-retired grandfather,
flitting through the back end of his career without a new book
to his name in years. After he and his wife, Catherine (Emma
Thompson), attend a friends funeral, Bryson stumbles into

a late-life crisis. He decides to hike the Appalachian Trail,

from Georgia to Maine, in part because hes advised to slow
down in his old age. Its just something I have to do, he tells
Catherine, while failing to hitch a tent in their backyard. Hes
not woefully unprepared, but, uh, whoa. Maybe he should slow
down a little bit.
After promising Catherine that he wont do the hike alone
and after he fails to recruit any of his buddies Bryson gets a call
from Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte), an old travel companion, who
caught wind of his plans and wants to join for one last adventure.
(Spent half of my life getting drunk and chasing pussy, Katz
later tells Bryson. The other half I wasted!) They ship off for
Georgia, hiking packs in tow, and the long walk begins.
A Walk in the Woods fades as the duo hits the trail, in no
small part because it indulges comedic impulses that rarely
pay off. The movie is rife for a thoughtful sort of travel humor
its easy to imagine a version inspired by Alexander Paynes
Nebraska which makes it all the stranger to see Kwapis stick
with this lame, buddy-comedy schtick. Bryson is trim, clean, and
educated! Katz is fat, sloppy, and ignorant! Can you guess what
happens when they spend months together in the middle of the
woods? I bet you can.
Redford and Nolte make a great pair on-screen, of course,
but theyre acting in service of bad jokes. The funniest thing
about them is they way they speak: One enunciates every
vowel of every line, while the other croaks like a diseased
frog. Its very entertaining, and both play it up wall. Pay
attention to the sounds they make, though, not the words
theyre saying. Their lines will only insult, especially when
they talking about women.
A Walk in the Woods veers toward the ugly and nasty in

bizarre ways whenever Bryson and Katz trade stories about

their love lives. Their repartee isnt offensive on its own
this is a movie about two straight guys hiking to reclaim
a shadow of their youthful ways, so itd be surprising if
they didnt boast about their sex lives but, all too often,
the punchlines hit the wrong targets. Like when Katz tells
Bryson about a woman he flirted with in a laundromat, who
had a beautiful body buried under 200 pounds of fat.
Or later, on the trail, when they reminisce about a beautiful
woman they met in Europe named Amarina. She was beautiful; her unnamed sister was not. They laugh, joking that when
a woman doesnt have looks, a sense of humor, or a lot of
money, she better be slutty.
These one-liners dont belong in this movie. If Kwapis
wanted to stick to the spirit of Brysons book, which can certainly raise eyebrows with its own brand of womanizing, he
couldve done so without stooping to tired gags about body
size and sex. Its one thing to depict these less-than-virtuous
characters. Its another entirely endorse their banter.
In the final act of A Walk in the Woods, Bryson and Katz
tumble off-trail. Theyre trapped on a narrow ridge in a cliff,
with no means of escape. They worry they may die before
theyre found. Bryson tries to write a note to his wife, tries
to tell her how much he loves her, but he only gets as far
as Dearest Katherine. He cant finish. Later, after theyre
saved by a pair of young hikers when theyre back in the
modern world Katz asks him why. Certain things you just
cant put into words, he says. Or movies, evidently. l
A Walk in the Woods is rated R and runs 104 minutes. Now playing in area theaters.

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29

stage

Evans in The Fix

The Fix is a strained, bitter pill of

a musical, while Dogfight
is sweet and tuneful
by DOUG RULE

TS HARD TO BE EXCITED ABOUT MUCH OF ANYthing regarding The Fix. Signature Theatre first presented
this bitter musical pill seventeen years ago, back when it
was still an upstart with something to prove. At the time,
mega-producer Cameron Mackintosh personally requested Eric
Schaeffer consider staging the show about a presidential bid. In
the current productions program notes, Schaeffer writes that
The Fix was an instant hit and enjoyed a sold-out run. Until
this revival, it also stood as the most requested show to return
to the Signature stage.
Taken at face value, The Fix (HHHHH) is a natural fit for the
nations capital, with the regions built-in audience of political
junkies, who will no doubt see flickers of real people they know
in the various portrayals on stage. Yet, in the end, you have to
believe in a cause to feel passionate about it. But The Fix is too
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cold and calculating, a melodrama without a beating heart, full

of characters we dont much care for.
One of those characters is Violet Chandler, a woman who
desperately wants her son to become president. Christine
Sherrill portrays her as a tightly wound, manipulative political operative. Violets forever spinning, even in her second act
showstopper, aptly titled Spin, where she shows a glimmer of
human vulnerability.
Mark Evans is more effective as her son, the drug-addled Cal.
Evans shines during Trump-esque moments when his blunt,
simple words are so unexpected, theyre mistaken for pearls of
wisdom. Cal feeds off the energy of an adoring press, but theres
little sense his heart much less his brain is in the race. Hed
rather be shooting up heroin with his mistress (Rachel Zampelli)
than trying to solve the countrys problems.
Dana P. Rowes music a rock-oriented musical blend of
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander and Ebb is as uninspiring as John Dempseys book. Think of the show as Evita meets
Chicago with all the cynical maneuverings and political pomp
and pizazz that implies, yet without the wink and smile, or signs
of showbiz honesty. More problematic is the fact that the production amps up everything, apparently just for the bombastic
thrill of it Lane Elmss sound design booms a bit too loud,
Ryan OGaras lights are often discolored and dizzying, and
Matthew Gardiners high-spirited choreography is overcooked,

MARGOT SCHULMAN

Unfixable

EARLIER THIS SUMMER

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul were
the toast of D.C., feted for the
world premiere of Dear Evan
Hansen at Arena Stage. The
fledgling songwriting duos latest quirky musical, written with
Steven Levenson, will make its
debut Off Broadway next spring
at Second Stage Theatre, the
same company that put Pasek &
Paul on the musical map three
years ago with Dogfight.
Keegan Theatre is continuing D.C.s Pasek and Paul party
),
with the first-ever local production of Dogfight (
directed by Christina A. Coakley and Michael Innocenti. Pasek
and Paul adapted this show, with book writer Peter Duchan,
from the 1991 movie. The story concerns a boy and a girl who
find love despite the odds, particularly the efforts of the boys
military buddies. Bros before hos is essentially their motto, or,
to be more precise since the show revolves around a childish shore-leave competition to find the ugliest date for a night.
Neither Tiziano DAffuso as Birdlace nor Isabelle Smelkinson
as Rose are winners at that losing game, and they win us over
through their honest and naturalistic portrayals, flaws and all.
Dogfights music is sweet and tuneful, subtle and timeless, but
with songs strong enough to stand on their own and get radio

TRACI J. BROOKS STUDIOS

to the point where it registers as

only slightly more cynical than
the show itself.

Harrison Smith (L) and Tiziano DAffuso in Dogfight

play today. Keyboardist Jake Null leads a six-piece ensemble

that brings to life the many songs that could become show tune
anthems for a newer generation of musical theater lovers, from
Some Kinda Time to Nothing Short of Wonderful to the
beautiful, moving ballad, Give Way.

Dogfight runs to Sept. 19 at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW.
Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 703-892-0202 or visit keegantheatre.
com.
The Fix runs to Sept. 20 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell
Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $95. Call 703-820-9771 or visit
signature-theatre.org. l

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home

A Mighty Wind
Its hurricane season, and
thats a good reason to be
prepared for anything
by KATE WINGFIELD

ID YOU KNOW THAT THE ATLANTIC HURricane season lasts through November 30? Thats
far longer than most people realize. And even if
the experts at Weather.com are not predicting
a lot of whoppers for 2015, they are quick to point out that it
only takes one doozy to cause tremendous damage. September
is National Preparedness Month, so why not make sure you are
ready for a big one?

IM NOT ON THE COAST, SO WHATS THE BIG DEAL? Sure, hurricanes

pose the biggest dangers to coastal communities, bringing
lethally high surf, powerful rip currents and the potential for an
enormous and dangerous storm surge.
But hurricanes can deliver intense devastation inland, as
well. Anyone remember Hurricane Isabelle?
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, inland dangers include flash flooding, the kind
that drowns drivers who misjudge immersed roads and wouldbe swimmers caught in powerful river currents. They bring high
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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

winds that leave live power lines strewn on the road, blow trees
onto houses and cars, and turn debris into dangerous shrapnel.
Tornadoes are also associated with hurricanes and, as many in
the tri-state region know, can arrive and wreak immense havoc
with little warning.
MESSAGE RECEIVED! BUT WHAT IS THERE TO DO BESIDES BATTEN
DOWN THE HATCHES? Certainly, homeowners should prepare

their property for an impending hurricane. For those inland,

that means storing or securing anything not tied down. And
for those who live (or own property) on the coast, it may
mean additionally investing in such protections as storm
shutters and flood insurance.
But wherever you live, the American Red Cross also recommends you have an emergency kit on hand which includes the
following:
A two week supply of food and water. Food should be nonperishable in case you lose electricity. Assume a gallon a day of
water for each member of your household.
A flashlight, hand-crank or battery radio, extra batteries, a
multi-purpose tool, a cell phone with chargers, extra cash and an
emergency blanket.
A first aid kit, a weeks supply of any medications you take,
extra glasses and/or contact lenses, and any sanitary or personal
hygiene items.
An envelope containing extra house and car keys and copies of personal documents such as proof of address, property
deeds or leases, passports, birth certificates, insurances policies,
important medical information and anything else you might

need if you evacuate and later find a tornado has landed in your
home office.
A hard-copy map of your area and list of important phone
numbers.
If you have pets, include an extra leash, collar, ID, food and bowl.
Think about the very young and the very old in your household and consider their daily needs (e.g. bottles, diapers, diaper
cream, adult sanitary protection, extra hearing aids and batteries). Add a box of travel-sized games, books on CD (with player,
headphones and batteries) and large print books.
Consider storing your kit in plastic-lidded tubs that can be
easily retrieved from your condos basement storage unit or from
the backs of various closets or under the bed.
OKAY, GOT MY BLOWIN IN THE WIND APOCALYPSE KIT READY.
ANYTHING ELSE? The Red Cross also advises making an evacua-

a person happy to text.

If you need to evacuate, try to access your emergency kit and
load your car with two days worth of food and water and as
much of the rest of the kit you can cram into the trunk. As a general rule, it is a good idea to have a sleeping bag or fleece blanket
tucked away in your car in case of emergencies.
COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, IM READY FOR ANYTHING! Almost. Be

sure to pay attention to the weather alerts if storms are predicted.

Consider downloading weather alert apps that will provide live
information and other useful features in an emergency (the Red
Cross, for example, offers a free hurricane app).
It may take you a day or two to get this all together, but then
again, you dont want to be that guy trading his TAG Heuer for
contact lens solution, do you? l

tion plan. Get together with your family or friends and discuss
the kinds of weather emergencies that may happen in your area
and how you will prepare. Make a plan in case you are separated.
Decide on a meeting point such as a distant hotel you all know,
the home of a far-flung friend or relative, or the local evacuation
shelter. Figure out several routes you can take to this meeting
point. If you have pets, research hotels and evacuation shelters
that will take animals (your local Red Cross chapter will have
shelter information).
Choose someone out of the area who can serve as a central
contact person in the event of an emergency. Agree that if you
get separated you will each call this person and let them know
where you are and your plans. Be sure to have this persons
number not just in your phone but in writing. Local phone lines
may overload or go out of service during a hurricane, so choose

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

33

34

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

NIGHT

LIFE
LISTINGS
THURS., 09.03.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection
Music videos featuring
DJ Wess
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call
Martini, $3 Miller Lite,
$4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm
$3 Rail Drinks, 10pmmidnight, $5 Red Bull,
Gatorade and Frozen Virgin
Drinks all night Locker
Room Thursday Nights
DJs Sean Morris and
MadScience Ripped Hot
Body Contest at midnight,
hosted by Sasha J. Adams
and BaNaka $200 Cash
Prize Doors open 10pm,
18+ $5 Cover under 21
and free with college ID
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Hot Jock Night special
drink prices for men in
jocks Mid-Atlantic
Kennel Korps on Club Bar
$2 Draughts

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Christopher Peterson
Live, 8pm $10 Cover
Karaoke after the show

METROWEEKLY.COM

35

36

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

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scene
Number Nine
Friday, August 28
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!

Photography by
Ward Morrison

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Ladies Drink Free Power
Hour, 4-5pm Shirtless
Thursday, 10-11pm DJs
BacK2bACk
JR.S
All You Can Drink for $15,
5-8pm $3 Rail Vodka
Highballs, $2 JR.s drafts,
8pm-close Throwback
Thursday featuring rock/
pop retro hits
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm No Cover
$4 Drinks and $3 Draughts,
6-9pm
ZIEGFELDS SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim-e in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+

FRI., 09.04.15

9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with resident DJ
Shea Van Horn VJ
Expanded craft beer selection No Cover
ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis Upstairs open,
5-11pm
COBALT/30 DEGREES
All You Can Drink Happy
Hour $15 Rail and
Domestic, $21 Call &
Imports, 6-9pm Guys
Night Out Free Rail
Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6
Belvedere Vodka Drinks
all night Watch your
favorite music videos with
DJ MadScience in the
lounge DJ Keenan Orr
on the dancefloor $10
cover 10pm-1am, $5 after
1am 21+

DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Free Happy Hour Buffet,
6-10pm $4 Rail, $3
Domestic, $10 Bucket of
Stella Gear Up Night:
men in gear get $2 off call
cocktails
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Smirnoff, all flavors, all
night long Otter Den DC
presents Otter Crossing,
9pm $5 Cover after
10pm $4 Fireball
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1,
4-9pm $2 Skyy Highballs
and $2 Drafts, 10pmmidnight Retro Friday
$5 Coronas, $8 Vodka Red
Bulls, 9pm-close

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat the Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
TOWN
DC Bear Crue Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm No
cover before 9:30pm
21+ Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by Lena
Lett and featuring Miss
Tatianna, Shi-QueetaLee, Epiphany B. Lee
and BaNaka DJ Wess
upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk
downstairs GoGo Boys
after 11pm Doors open
at 10pm For those 21
and over, $10 For those
18-20, $15 18+

TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm No Cover
before 10pm Cover after
10pm (entry through Town)
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
hosted by LaTroya Nicole
Ladies of Ziegfelds,
9pm Hosted by Miss
Destiny B. Childs DJ
Darryl Strickland in Secrets
VJ Tre in Ziegfelds
Cover 21+
SAT., 09.05.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 3-9pm $5 Absolut
& Titos, $3 Miller Lite
after 9pm Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover Music videos
featuring various DJs
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Drag Yourself to Brunch
at Level One, 11am-2pm
and 2-4pm Featuring
Kristina Kelly and the
Ladies of Illusion
Bottomless Mimosas and
Bloody Marys Happy

METROWEEKLY.COM

Hour: $3 Miller Lite, $4

Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Rumba Latina: DJ Andre
Birthday Bash, 10pmclose Featuring various
performances and music
by DJs Andre, Willie and
MadScience $5 Corona,
$5 Modello, $6 Captain
Morgan Cuba Lebras, $6
Jose Cuervo Shots, $8
Long Islands Doors open
10pm $5 Cover 18+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 4-6pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Spartan MC on Club
Bar $2 Draughts at
Club Bar
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Drag Queen Broadway
Brunch, 10am-3pm
Starring Freddies
Broadway Babes Crazy
Hour, 4-7pm Freddies
Follies Drag Show,
8-10pm, hosted by Miss
Destiny B. Childs No
Cover

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

37

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
$5 Bacardi, all flavors,
all night long Rewind
Request Line: 80s and
90s Dance Party, 9pm
JR.S
$4 Coors, $5 Vodka
Highballs, $7 Vodka Red
Bulls
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 3-9pm No Cover

TOWN
DC Rawhides host Town
& Country: Two-Step, Line
Dancing, Waltz and West
Coast Swing, $5 Cover
to stay all night Doors
open 6:45pm, Lessons
7-8pm, Open dance
8-10:30pm DJ Escape,
11pm-close Music and
video downstairs by DJ
Wess Drag Show starts
at 10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Miss Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Epiphany B.
Lee and BaNaka Doors
open 10pm Cover $12
21+
TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm No Cover
before 9:30pm Cover
after 10pm (entry through
Town)
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion with host
Ella Fitzgerald, 9pm
DJ Steve Henderson in
Secrets DJ Don T. in
Ziegfelds Doors open
8pm Cover 21+

38

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

SUN., 09.06.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 3-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover
COBALT/30 DEGREES
$4 Stoli, Stoli flavors
and Miller Lite all day
Homowood Karaoke,
10pm-close No Cover
21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 2-6pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open noon $7
Buffet with $2 Bud and
Bud Light Draughts Hot
House Music

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Champagne Brunch Buffet,
10am-3pm Crazy Hour,
4-7pm Freddies Monthly
Zodiac Contest, hosted by
Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm
Karaoke, 10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Mamas Trailer Park
Karaoke, 9:30pm-close
JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights and
$3 Skyy (all flavors), all
day and night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am3pm $20 Brunch Buffet
House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
11am-close Buckets of
Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
Pop Goes the World with
Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on
any drink, 3-9pm No
Cover

ROCK HARD SUNDAYS

@THE HOUSE
NIGHTCLUB
3530 Georgia Ave. NW
Diverse group of all male,
all nude dancers Doors
open 7pm Shows at 8
and 10pm $5 Domestic
Beer, $6 Imports Happy
Hour 7-8pm $10 cover
For Table Reservations,
202-487-6646 rockharddc.com
TOWN PATIO
Open 2pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
8pm Cover 21+
MON., 09.07.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover

ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
RuPauls Drag Race
Viewing and Drag Show
hosted by Kristina Kelly
Doors open at 10pm, show
starts at 11pm $3 Skyy
Cocktails, $8 Skyy and Red
Bull No Cover, 18+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long
Michaels Open Mic
Night Karaoke, 9:30pmclose

JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1,
4-9pm Showtunes Songs
& Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ James $3 Draft
Pints, 8pm-midnight

COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
SIN Industry Night
Half-price Cocktails, 10pmclose

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Karaoke and
Drag Bingo

NELLIES SPORTS BAR

Beat the Clock Happy Hour
$2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm),
$4 (7-8pm) Buckets of
Beer $15 Texas Holdem
Poker, 8pm Dart Boards

DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com

NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
Safe Word: A Gay Spelling
Bee, 8-11pm Prizes to
the top three spellers
After 9pm, $3 Absolut,
Bulleit & Stella

NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
TUES., 09.08.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close
JR.S
Birdie La Cage Show,
10:30pm Underground
(Indie Pop/Alt/Brit Rock),
9pm-close DJ Wes
Della Volla 2-for-1, 5pmmidnight

ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis

METROWEEKLY.COM

TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm No Cover
Yappy Hour: Happy Hour
for Dogs and their best
friends $4 Drinks and
$4 Draughts
WED., 09.09.15

9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, sports Expanded
craft beer selection No
Cover

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

39

ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail,
$3 Miller Lite, $5 Call,
4-9pm Wednesday
Night Karaoke and Gay
Mens Chorus Open Mic
Night downstairs, 10pm
Hosted by Miss India
Larelle Houston $4
Stoli and Stoli Flavors and
Miller Lite No Cover
21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com

40

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

FREDDIES BEACH BAR

Crazy Hour, 4-7pm $6
Burgers Drag Bingo
Night, hosted by Ms.
Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm
Bingo prizes Karaoke,
10pm-1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close The Boys of
HUMP upstairs, 9pm
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1 Free, 4-9pm
Trivia with MC Jay Ray,
8pm The Feud: Drag
Trivia, hosted by BaNaka,
10-11pm, with a $200
prize $2 JR.s Drafts and
$4 Vodka ($2 with College
ID or JR.s Team Shirt)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
SmartAss Trivia Night,
8pm and 9pm Prizes
include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30
Club $15 Buckets of
Beer for SmartAss Teams
only Bring a new team
members and each get a
free $10 Dinner

NUMBER NINE
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
TOWN PATIO
Open 6pm No Cover
Half-Price Hump Day
half-price drinks all day
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Night, 10-11pm,
12-12:30am Military
Night, no cover with
military ID DJ Don T. in
Secrets 9pm Cover
21+ l

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

41

42

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

scene
Breakfast Clubs
Cruel Summer at
Duplex Diner
Friday, August 28
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!

Photography by
Ward Morrison

SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

43

44

SEE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

45

The girls have rights, and shouldnt have to

share a bathroom with a boy.
TAMMY SORDEN, mother of a son who attends Hillsboro High School in Jefferson County, Mo. Sorden and other parents and
students object to Lila Perry, a transgender female, being permitted to use the girls locker room. It prompted
a student-led walk out on Monday to protest the schools policy.
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

I dont think Barbara would allow a gay Bond

to happen in her lifetime.

PIERCE BROSNAN, on whether Bond producer Barbara Broccoli would accept the idea of a gay 007. He then
suggested having a black actor play James Bond first.
(Details)

I have come to redeem gay men and America as a whole....

I have come to redeem the tarnished brush that Perez has painted us all with.

AUSTIN ARMACOST, a former model and star of The A-List: New York, talking about being the newest cast member of
the U.K.s Celebrity Big Brother. Armacost slammed former contestant Perez Hiltons antics, which
led to complaints from viewers during last seasons show.
(Mirror)

The criminally self-serving publicity stunts represented by the closure of Rentboy.com and myRedBook are nothing but
a knot in the ever-expanding dragnet of state violence.
An anonymous member of The #HookUp Collaborative, a group of people who have advertised on Rentboy.com, in
an op-ed explaining how he came to work as an escort, and the financial security and protection the
now shuttered website had provided for sex workers.
(The Guardian)

Our main demand is that

the rights of the sexual minorities should be guaranteed
in the new constitution.
PINKY GURUNG of the Blue Diamond Society, a gay rights group in Nepal, arguing that LGBT rights
be enshrined in proposed revisions to Nepals constitution.
(BBC News)

46

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

METROWEEKLY.COM

METROWEEKLY.COM

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

47