EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Randy Shulman

JANUARY 21, 2016

Volume 22 / Issue 37

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

NEWS

10

Hidden Lives
by Rhuaridh Marr

Community Calendar

FEATURE
14
The Scene at Leather Weekend

From Leather Cocktails to
Mr. MAL, we offer visual

stimulation from the best

Leather Weekend yet

photography by Ward Morrison

Additional Photography by Todd Franson

A Gentlemans Guide to
Love and Murder

by Randy Shulman

26

Julia Scotti at AMP by Strathmore

OUT ON THE TOWN

24

SALES & MARKETING

PUBLISHER
Randy Shulman
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Rivendell Media Co.
212-242-6863
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Dennis Havrilla

PATRON SAINT
Sir Alan Penrod

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Todd Franson

METRO WEEKLY
1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150
Washington, DC 20006
202-638-6830
MetroWeekly.com
All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be
reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no
responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject
to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims
made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or
their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or
advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of
such person or organization.

2016 Jansi LLC.

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

by Doug Rule

STAGE
29
The Critic and The Real
Inspector Hound

by Kate Wingfield

GEARS

31

Electric War

MUSIC

33

David Bowies Blackstar

NIGHTLIFE

35

Dark & Twisted: The Official MAL

Closing Party at the 9:30 Club

photography by Ward Morrison

Additional Photography by Todd Franson

by Rhuaridh Marr

by Sean Maunier

IMPACT: Hosted by the

Highwaymen TNT at MAL

photography by Ward Morrison

46

Last Word

SCENE

43

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

HRC endorses Hillary Clinton

Tennessee seeks to invalidate gay marriage

JOSEPH SOHM / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

LGBT

News

Now online at MetroWeekly.com

Republican presidential candidates (L-R) John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Sen. Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie in Las Vegas, NV. Dec. 15, 2015

Hidden Lives

GOP candidates are keeping their anti-gay views off the

debate stage and thats not a good thing
by Rhuaridh Marr

T WOULD BE EASY TO FORGET THAT BEING LESBIan, gay, bisexual or transgender matters. As broadcasters,
politicians and the public alike gear up for this Novembers
presidential elections, it seems that the ever-present problem of LGBT issues has largely disappeared from debates.
Last week, both Republicans and Democrats took to stages to
offer their policies, their plans and their attacks on opponents. In
neither instance were LGBT Americans referenced. There were
6

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

no lengthy debates about same-sex marriage, no discussions

about transgender people using the restroom of their choice, no
veiled remarks to the militarys acceptance of gays. It was a far
cry not only from earlier debates, but from elections past.
Just a few months ago, Republican candidates were decrying same-sex marriage and trans bathroom policies. In Fox
News August debate, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and then-candidate
Bobby Jindal all confirmed their support for religious liberty

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

LGBTNews
allowing someone to discriminate against a gay person based
on their religious beliefs. Rick Santorum urged Republicans not
to give up the fight against same-sex marriage, while Gov. John
Kasich delivered a more measured response, telling viewers
that he had attended a same-sex wedding. Former Gov. Mike
Huckabee, meanwhile, chose to attack the possibility of transgender servicemembers serving openly in the military. The
military is not a social experiment. The purpose of the military
is to kill people and break things, the notoriously homophobic
Fox News contributor railed.
But that was nothing compared to the previous election
cycle. In a 2011 Fox News primary debate, Rick Santorum was
asked a question by Stephen Hill, a gay soldier then serving in
Iraq, who stated that prior to the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell,
hed had to lie about who [he] was in order to serve. Hill wanted to know whether the military would recognize his marriage,
but Santorum wasnt interested in addressing that concern.
I would say any type of sexual activity has absolutely no
place in the military, Santorum said.
What would you do with soldiers like Stephen Hill? moderator Megyn Kelly pressed.
What we are doing is playing social experimentation with
our military right now. Thats tragic. I would just say that going
forward we would reinstitute [DADT] if Rick Santorum was
president, Santorum responded.
But of greater concern was the reaction by the audience.
After Hills pre-taped question was played to the candidates,
Fox News cut back to the debate to the sound of some audience
members booing. For conservative Republicans, not even Hills
status as an active servicemember was enough to respect him
his sexuality trumped everything.
Reach back to 2008 and same-sex marriage was an even hotter political topic. As California prepared to vote on Proposition
8 which would ultimately succeed in halting same-sex marriage gays werent far from the presidential candidates minds.
During a vice presidential debate, Sarah Palin reiterated that
she and John McCain did not support marriage equality, and
Joe Biden did the same for he and Barack Obama. No, Biden
responded, when asked if he would support marriage equality.
Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what
constitutes marriage. It was a response representative of the
political climate, when just 39 percent of Americans supported
same-sex marriage, according to Pew Research Center.
And as further reminder that same-sex marriage has only
recently won national support from the Democratic Party,
over a decade ago it dominated a 2004 debate for primary candidates, with John Kerry and John Edwards sparring on the
issue. Neither man supported same-sex marriage, instead favoring civil unions, but both took the Republican Party to task for
enshrining a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in the party platform for that election. We have amended
the United States Constitution to end slavery, to give women
the right to vote this is clearly nothing but politics, Edwards
said. In 2012, the Republican Party still had Preserving and
Protecting Traditional Marriage as part of the party platform
some state party organizations also included this in their 2014
party platforms.
Why take this trip down memory lane? Because the relative quiet on LGBT issues during the 2016 debates shouldnt
be put down to an easing of anti-LGBT attitudes from current
presidential candidates, nor should it be confused with the
diminishment of the importance of LGBT issues in national
8

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

elections. Indeed, rather than trumpet their homophobia from

the pulpits during debates, Republicans are instead choosing
other ways to frame their bigotry chief among them being
religious liberty or religious freedom, buzzwords that the
religious right use to discriminate against LGBT people and
oppose pro-equality legislation.
In a field of eleven candidates, seven Republicans last week
participated in the Freedom to Believe conference, a religious freedom event. Hosting the religious extravaganza was
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a notoriously homophobic organization, with Perkins himself previously equating gay people with drug addicts, blasting President
Obamas LGBT nondiscrimination executive order in 2014 as
giving special treatment to homosexuals, transgenders, and
cross-dressers in the workplace, and continuing to advocate
for removing the right of gay people to marry. His co-host, Rick
Scarborough, of the Christian organization Vision America,
previously declared he was prepared to be set on fire in the fight
against same-sex marriage, called AIDS a homosexual disease,
and also called it Gods judgement on a sinful generation.
Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina,
Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum shared their thoughts on
religious liberty during the four hour event. In recorded statements, each laid out their plans in hope of winning endorsements from the religious right a segment of the Republican
electorate no candidate can win a primary without. Bush promised to be a strong advocate of religious liberty, Carson called
secular progressivism the greatest threat to religious freedom,
while Huckabee promised to ignore the Supreme Court ruling
on same-sex marriage. Cruz promised to end the persecution
of religious liberty should he be elected, while Rubio said he
would support those called bigots and haters for opposing
same-sex marriage. Freedom to Believe was a reminder that,
despite their absence from recent debates, LGBT issues are still
very much in play this election cycle.
Cruz, who is currently celebrating an endorsement from the
staunchly right-wing and anti-gay Eagle Forum, is perhaps the
best example of this. Recent debates have seen Cruz trying to
bolster his appeal to voters by touting his foreign policy plans
and combatting Donald Trumps position at the top of polls. For
voters, those debates would offer no indication of the extent of
Cruzs bigotry but theres little doubt that the candidate is as
anti-gay as they come. He has consistently fought against equality. He believes that being gay is a choice, slammed his opponent
in the 2012 race for his senatorial seat for supporting gay pride
parades, and if elected would work to overrule the Supreme
Courts marriage ruling. He told NPR last year that same-sex
marriage would be front and center in his 2016 campaign.
But then a curious thing happened. According to Politico,
Cruz attended a fundraiser in Manhattan in December where
the citys more liberal Republicans quizzed him on his attitudes
towards same-sex marriage. Faced with a less extreme crowd
than at his rallies and the prospect of several fat cheques to
bolster his campaign efforts his tone shifted.
Would you say its like a top-three priority for you fighting gay marriage? a potential donor asked.
No, Cruz responded. I would say defending the Constitution
is a top priority. People of New York may well resolve the marriage question differently than the people of Florida or Texas or
Ohio.... Thats why we have 50 states to allow a diversity of
views. And so that is a core commitment.
His shift in tone is remarkable, especially when we fast for-

ward one month to a rally in Iowa. There, Cruz told an evangelical crowd that the Supreme Courts ruling was fundamentally
illegitimate, lawless, and will not stand, according to the
Chicago Sun Times. Cruz is playing a skillful game, appealing to
his conservative, religious core, while also trying to woo more
moderate Republicans swayed by his policies but theres little
doubt as to where his true allegiance lies.
On stage, Cruz, like Marco Rubio, is a slick conservative,
setting forth a vision of a new Republican presidency, one that
downplays the loud extremism of Trumps campaign promises in favor of right-wing, religiously-flavored principles. But
its once the cameras are off that LGBT voters need to remember just how much is at stake in 2016. Where previously we
were a national spectacle, our rights debated for all to see,
now were a quiet conversation. As debates shift to national
security, the economy, the battle between left and right, bashing gay marriage and trans rights is something reserved for
firing up the Republican base at rallies, campaign stops and
choice appearances.
Whereas its easy to assume Dems good, Republicans bad,
the nuances are much greater and even less apparent given
the recent lack of public bashing that used to occur on debate
stages. As GOP debates shift to immigration and fighting ISIS,
voters both LGBT and otherwise need to be aware of the
quieter nature of hatred on display in 2016. As Trump shouts
about building walls, the more insidious, anti-gay policies of his
opponents are left out of the limelight. When we cant see on a
debate stage what a candidate really thinks, were left with one
problem: an anti-LGBT revolution in November that no viewer
saw coming. l

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

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, JAN. 21

WOMENS LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE for young LBTQ women,

The DC Center hosts its POLY

DISCUSSION GROUP for people

interested in exploring or talking

about non-traditional, polyamorous,
or non-monogamous relationships, in
both the kink and non-kink scenes.
Open to all. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St.
NW, Suite 105. For more information,
visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS
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.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-

tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg,

414 East Diamond Ave., and in
Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire
Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m.
For appointments other hours, call
Gaithersburg, 301-300-9978, or
Takoma Park, 301-422-2398.

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.
10

JANUARY 21, 2016

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.

FRIDAY, JAN. 22
GAY MARRIED MENS
ASSOCIATION (GAMMA) is a con-

fidential support group for men who

are gay, bisexual, questioning and
who are married or involved with
a woman, that meets on the second
and fourth Fridays of the month in
Dupont Circle at 7:30 p.m. GAMMA
also offers additional meeting times
and places for men in Northern
Virginia and Maryland. For more
information: GAMMAinDC.org.

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP for

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 DC Center holds its CENTER

AGING MONTHLY LUNCH social
for members of D.C.s senior community. 12-2 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,
Suite 105. For more information, visit
thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES, a

social discussion and activity group for

LBT women, meets at The DC Center
on the second and fourth Fridays of
each month. Group social activity to
follow the meeting. 8-9:30 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

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

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice

session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr.
SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

METROWEEKLY.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.

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.

SATURDAY, JAN. 23
ADVENTURING outdoors group
hikes 9 moderate miles on the
Potomac Heritage Trail in Va. and the
C&O Canal Towpath in Md. & D.C.
Bring lunch, water, $2 trip fee. Meet
at 9:30 a.m. by station attendants
kiosk inside Rosslyn Metro. For more
information, Jerry, 703-920-6871.
adventuring.org.
BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today
for Food & Friends. To participate,
visit burgundycrescent.org.
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group visits Baltimore to see the Walters Art
Gallery and the Baltimore Museum of
Art. Start with brunch at Gertrudes
inside BMA. Carpool at 9 a.m. from
Forest Glen Metro Station. More info,
contact Craig, 202-462-0535. craighowell1@verizon.net.

Join The DC Center for an LGBT

ASL CLASS for those interested in

learning how to communicate in sign

language. 1-3 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

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

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.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including
others interested in Brazilian culture,
meets. For location/time, email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.com.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice
session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,
SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/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-on-theHill, 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 confidential

HIV testing in Takoma Park, 7676

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

SUNDAY, JAN. 24
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.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice
session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,
SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.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.

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.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL

DEVELOPMENT, God-centered new

age church & learning center. Sunday

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

TEMPLE UNITED CHURCH OF

CHRIST for an inclusive, loving and

progressive faith community every

Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,
near R in Shaw/L ogan neighborhood.
lincolntemple.org.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF
REFORMATION invites all to Sunday

worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare is

available at both services. Welcoming
LGBT people for 25 years. 212 East
Capitol St. NE. reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted)

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

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN

CHURCH, inclusive church with

GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW.
202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.

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.
ST. STEPHEN AND THE
INCARNATION, an interracial,

multi-ethnic Christian Community

offers services in English, 8 a.m. and
10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m.
1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900,
saintstephensdc.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.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING

invites LGBTQ families and individuals of all creeds and cultures to join
the church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.
10309 New Hampshire Ave. uucss.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL
MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-

ing and inclusive church. GLBT

Interweave social/service group
meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,
Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St.
NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.

MONDAY, JAN. 25
The DC Centers CENTER MILITARY
WORKING GROUP, dedicated to
raising awareness of and supporting
LGBT veterans, active duty servicemembers, their families and allies,
meets on the fourth Monday of each
month at The DC Center. 7-8:30 p.m.
2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Please
RSVP to Eric Perez, 202-6872-2245 or
eric.perez@thedccenter.org

WEEKLY EVENTS
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice 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.

GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at

Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. NW.
getequal.wdc@gmail.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 whitman-walker.
org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY

(K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St.,

Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV

testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th
St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.
5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200,
Arlington. Appointments: 703-7894467.

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 or testing@smyal.org.

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

11

THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee DropIn for the Senior LGBT Community.
10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202682-2245, thedccenter.org.

hosts an evening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black gay

mens evening affinity group. 3636
Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.
Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic,
Alexandria Health Department, 4480
King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-2149617. james.leslie@inova.org.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER

POLO TEAM practices 7-9 p.m.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van

Buren St. NW. Newcomers with at
least basic swimming ability always
welcome. Tom, 703-299-0504, secretary@wetskins.org, wetskins.org.

WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH

HIV/AIDS Support Group for newly

diagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m.
Registration required. 202-939-7671,
hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.

TUESDAY, JAN. 26
The DC Centers GENDERQUEER DC
support and discussion group for people who identify outside the gender
binary meets on the fourth Tuesday of
every month. 7-8:30 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

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

ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly

dinner in Dupont/Logan Circle area,

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

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Takoma Aquatic

Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:309 p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club serving greater

D.C.s LGBT community and allies

12

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

THE GAY MENS HEALTH

COLLABORATIVE offers free HIV

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 202745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.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.

IDENTITY offers free and confidential

HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414 East
Diamond Ave., and in Takoma Park,
7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.
Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments
other hours, call Gaithersburg at
301-300-9978 or Takoma Park at 301422-2398.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY

(K.I.) SERVICES, at 3333 Duke St.,

Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV

testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
703-823-4401.

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.

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.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio

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

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ
YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL,
410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy
Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@
smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a support

group for black gay men 40 and older.
7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202446-1100.
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, JAN. 27
The DC Center hosts a monthly
meeting of its HIV PREVENTION
WORKING GROUP. 6-8 p.m. 2000
14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.

THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB

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

Dignity Center, 721 8th St SE (across
from Marine Barracks). No reservations needed. All welcome. 202-8410279 if you need a partner.

WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,
Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome.
For more information, call Fausto
Fernandez, 703-732-5174.
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL
HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5

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.

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 whitman-walker.
org.
IDENTITY offers free and confiden-

tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414

East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins 2-7 p.m.
For appointments other hours, call
Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-

gram for job entrants and seekers,

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

METROHEALTH CENTER offers

free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th
St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

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

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

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

13

14

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

The Scene at Leather Weekend

From Leather Cocktails to Mr. MAL, we offer visual stimulation from
the best Leather Weekend yet
Photography by Ward Morrison // Additional Photography by Todd Franson

HETHER YOURE PARTAKING IN LEATHER COCKTAILS, A HIGH-END FORMAL

event where participants don their finest leather apparel, or watching pups
wrestle, sniff and bat around balls in a padded play area. Whether youre catching
up with friends from distant shores whom you see only once a year, or cheering your favorite at a contest that will produce a triumphant winner. Whether youre there for the kink or
for the camaraderie, Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend is like no other three-day LGBT event in
Washington, D.C. From the sights (harnesses, furries, septuagenarians wearing little more
than a strap-on) to the smells (a swirl of cigar, a waft of latex, a note of freshly-buffed boot) to
the sounds (boisterous hellos, woofs of approval, the gentle slap of a flogger), its a weekend
on full sensory overload.
There is, in fact, so much to take in from SigMas S&M Demos, offering keen insight
to how to deploy an electric toothbrush on places other than your mouth, to the Leather
Marketplace, where international merchants showcase gorgeous handcrafted leather, rubber
and fetish gear that it can all feel a bit overwhelming.
Yet at its core, MAL Weekend is simple
and direct. Its about the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. Its about the freedom
to express who you are no judgement
allowed, only universal acceptance. Its about
discovery. Exploration. Fun. Most of all, its
about the bonds of friendship those sturdy
and decades old, and those newly-forged from
a passing glance.
Indeed, MAL is a weekend like none other,
one that, like a fine leather harness, only
improves with age.

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

15

The Hotel

16

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

The Hotel

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

17

The Hotel

18

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

The Cocktails

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

19

The Cocktails

20

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

The Cocktails

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

21

The Contest

22

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

The Contest

See hundreds more photos from MAL 2016 at Metroweekly.com as well as

exclusive videos and pictures at Instagram.com/metroweekly.

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

23

JANUARY 21 - 28, 2016

Compiled by Doug Rule

Ungentlemanly

JOAN MARCUS

Dash your high hopes for A Gentlemans Guide to Love & Murder and
you may have a chance at enjoying it

N THE SURFACE, THERES NOTHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG WITH A

Gentlemans Guide to Love & Murder. The opera-light score by Steven Lutvak is brisk, bouncy,
waltzy. The book by Robert L. Freedman, based on the 1949 film in which Alec Guinness
memorably and spectacularly played eight dimwitted members of an upper-crust British clan, is
straightforward, while his lyrics, penned with Lutvak, are cleverly wrought. Director Dark Tresnjaks
staging is brisk, whimsical, and occasionally borders on the sublime, as with a scene that pays homage
to door-slamming farce. The physical production, centered around an inspired proscenium-withina-proscenium set that boasts a smartly utilized video wall by Alexander Dodge, is nothing short of
genius. And the performances, especially John Rapson who takes on the multiple roles a la Guinness
and the clear-voiced Kevin Massey as an errant cousin member who ascends his family tree, aiming
for a Lordship, by offing his relatives one-by-one, are just about as perfect as you could hope for.
With all this in its favor, youd think A Gentlemans Guide to Love & Murder would make for a
smashing evening at the theater. And yet the only thing smashed are the hopes that your two and a half
hours would be well-spent. The evening washes over you like a tidal wave of meh.
Perhaps its the fact that the show was honored with a 2014 Tony for Best Musical. Either it was
a slow year for musicals in 2014, or Broadways standards have plummeted severely. Regardless, the
mantle of Tony raises ones expectations perhaps unfairly through the roof of the Eisenhower
Theater, where Gentlemans Guide (HHHHH) runs through January 30.
Thats not to say A Gentlemans Guide is a disaster on the order of Matilda, but its questionable
as to whether its worth your time or money. Perhaps the show is better suited to a more intimate
environment one could see Signature or Arena or even Shakespeare, which recently proved with
Kiss Me, Kate that it can compete in the musical realm, mounting a production that might connect
more directly with an audience but the real problem is Lutvaks score. Its not just underwhelming,
its unmemorable. At times it comes off like a bastard spawn of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen
Sondheim, but really its just aping Gilbert & Sullivan. Lutvak reaches beyond his grasp and comes up
empty handed.
A great musical should make one rush out and buy the original cast album or queue it up on
Spotify. That doesnt happen with Gentlemans Guide. Instead, amnesia sets in the moment youre
homeward bound. If a musical especially one awarded a Tony for its efforts doesnt have intensely
great music throughout, does it even make a sound? Randy Shulman
To Jan. 30 at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $64 to $229.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

24

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

SPOTLIGHT
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

Alexei Ratmanskys monumental new

staging of The Sleeping Beauty gets its
D.C. premiere during American Ballet
Theatres annual engagement at the
Kennedy Center. Featuring the original choreography by Marius Petipa
with additions by Ratmansky, all set
to Tchaikovskys famous score, a New
York Times critic called this new staging, with sets and costumes by Tony
Award winner Richard Hudson, a
triumph and the finest reconstruction Ive ever seen of a dance work.
The Kennedy Center Opera House
Orchestra accompanies a cast of
more than 250 performers telling the
beloved fairy tale of princess Aurora,
awakened from a sleeping curse by
a princes kiss. Performances begin
Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. To Jan.
31. Kennedy Center Opera House.
Tickets are $49 to $299. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

ANI DIFRANCO

Queer-popular indie-rock pioneer Ani

DiFranco performs as part of a tour
in support of 2014s Allergic to Water,
one of her most intimate and musically expansive recordings. DiFranco
will be accompanied by bassist Todd
Sickafoose and drummer Terence
Higgins. Tuesday, Jan. 26. Doors at 7
p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets
are $40. Call 202-265-0930 or visit
930.com.

CAMERON ESPOSITO

Having been called the future of

comedy by Jay Leno, the 34-yearold queer comic, known from stints
on Chelsea Lately, Drunk History and
the Ask A Lesbian video series on
BuzzFeed, debuts at the Kennedy
Center in a free performance as part of
the venues comedy series. The show
features an opening set from Rhea
Butcher who is also Espositos fiance. Friday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. Kennedy
Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are
free, distributed in the States Gallery
starting at approximately 5:30 p.m.
the day-of. Call 202-467-4600 or visit
kennedy-center.org.

EQUUS

Peter Shaffers Tony-winning tale

about a troubled teenagers dangerous obsession with horses is the latest
show to get the Constellation Theatre
Company treatment. Amber McGinnis
Jackson directs the production with
a cast including Michael Kramer,
Kathleen Akerley, Michael Tolaydo,

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

25

Laureen E. Smith and Ryan Tumulty.

Now to Feb. 14. Source Theatre, 1835
14th St. NW. Tickets are $35 to $45.
Call 202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org.

GABRIEL ANN MAHER, ALICE

RAWSTHORN: CAN DESIGN BE
GENDERLESS?

COURTESY OF STRATHMORE

Netherlands-based designer Gabriel

Ann Maher and New York Times
design critic Alice Rawsthorn speak
at a conversation on the role of gender
identity in design, presented by the
National Museum of Women in the
Arts. The conversation will be followed by a Catalyst cocktail hour in
which D.C.s design and LGBT communities chime in. Wednesday, Jan.
27, at 7 p.m. National Museum of
Women in the Arts, 1250 New York
Ave NW. Tickets are $25 and includes
museum admission and the cocktail hour. Call 202-783-5000 or visit
nmwa.org.

KRISTIN CHENOWETH

Transcending Comedy

Julia Scotti found renewed interest in comedy after

coming out as transgender

EMEMBER WHEN ELLEN DEGENERES CAME OUT AS A LESBIAN IN 1997?

She took so much crap, Julia Scotti says. It almost killed her career. In fact it
took DeGeneres years to shirk her pariah status and regain her footing in Hollywood.
The lesson isnt just that perseverance pays off but, for Scotti, its also a sign that the
universe works in funny ways. DeGeneres got her start on the national stage by winning
Showtimes Funniest Person in America in 1982 beating out, among others, a comedian
from New Jersey named Rick Scotti.
Id like to thank her for winning that contest, because if she hadnt, I wouldnt be here
today, Scotti says. If I had won that contest and achieved her fame, it would have been
impossible for me to figure out what the hell was wrong with me. By losing, I had to go back
to my regular old life and explore these things.
Two years after DeGeneres came out, Scotti realized she was transgender. By then, she
had given up comedy and become a teacher. Can you imagine what it would have been
like, coming out as trans in the 1990s? Its hard enough now. Back then, there was no social
media, and the Internet was still so new, it was difficult to search, let alone find like-minded
people and helpful resources.
But as Scotti became comfortable with her identity, she found a renewed interest in
comedy. One of the reasons I quit back then was because I just felt like the stuff I was
doing was kind of trite, she says. I dont know, I just wasnt feeling it. But by 2008, she
felt liberated enough to tell jokes from a place of total truth and fearlessness. I had no more
secrets, and so I could come out and be who I was for the first time really on stage, and its
been wonderful.
Scotti is currently on tour with comedian Kevin Meaney, who came out as gay several
years ago. Both play mostly straight venues and draw mostly straight audiences to their
shows, so they decided to team up for a show theyre calling Big Pants and Hot Flashes. We
thought it would be a great opportunity to enlighten people, and just make them laugh,
Scotti says. Teach them that were not oddballs other than the fact that were comedians. Doug Rule
Julia Scotti performs with Kevin Meaney on Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m., at Amp by Strathmore,
11810 Grand Park Ave., Bethesda. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 301-581-5100 or
visit ampbystrathmore.com.
26

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

A Broadway powerhouse, the fourfoot-eleven Chenoweth made her

Great White Way debut nearly two
decades ago in Kander and Ebbs
Steel Pier. From Youre a Good Man,
Charlie Brown to Wicked to On the
Twentieth Century, Chenoweths star
shines brightest when shes on stage.
But shes a nimble performer whose
career has successfully traversed
every medium, including TV and film.
Her favorite, however, is performing
concerts, such as the Coming Home
Tour which stops at Strathmore
next weekend. I like concert work,
because I love the aspect of a live
audience and I get to sing songs that
maybe I wouldnt normally get to
do, Chenoweth told Metro Weekly
last year. Friday, Jan. 29, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.
Tickets are $58 to $155. Call 301-5815100 or visit strathmore.org.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE

The Southern-fried family drama that

made Tennessee Williams famous gets
examined anew in a production directed by Mark Ramont, the former programming director at Fords Theatre.
Surprisingly, the show marks the first
Williams play presented at Fords.
Madeleine Potter, Tom Story, Jenna
Sokolowski and Thomas Keegan star
in this iconic memory play. Opens
Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. To Feb.
21. Fords Theatre, 511 10th St. NW.
Tickets are $20 to $52. Call 800-9822787 or visit fordstheatre.org.

THE NATIONAL BALLET

OF CANADA

A co-production with the U.K.s Royal

Ballet, this national Canadian ensemble presents the U.S. premiere of The
Winters Tale, another international
hit by choreographer Christopher
Wheeldon after 2013s Alices
Adventures in Wonderland. Based on
Shakespeares play, this production
features music by John Talbot, costumes by Rob Crowley and lighting by

Natasha Katz. The Kennedy Center

Opera House Orchestra accompanies. Remaining performances are
Thursday, Jan. 21, through Saturday,
Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Also Saturday,
Jan. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 24, at 1
p.m. Kennedy Center Opera House.
Tickets are $39 to $149. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

WICKED JEZABEL

Pauline Anson-Dross popular lesbian

all-covers party-rock band Wicked
Jezabel has been rocking as well as
raising money for various good causes
all over the region for a decade
now, originally under the name The
Outskirts of Town. This weekend the
women perform a birthday bash for
member Davi Anson-Dross, Paulines
wife. Friday, Jan. 22, at 9 p.m. JVs
Restaurant, 6666 Arlington Blvd.,
Falls Church. Call 703-241-9504 or
visit jvsrestaurant.com

FILM
CAROL

HHHHH
Carol, the sixth feature from Todd
Haynes, has the feel of a career pinnacle, as though every other film in
his canon was building to this masterpiece. Based on the novel The Price of
Salt by Patricia Highsmith, the movie
is the lesbian equivalent of Ang Lees
Brokeback Mountain. But Carol is
arguably more emotionally satisfying
than Lees film, in part because of
the way Highsmith, herself a closeted lesbian, crafted the story of a
young shopgirl (Rooney Mara) who
falls in love with an older woman
(Cate Blanchett) and embarks on a
journey of self-discovery. Despite the
lack of a suspense-driven narrative, it
effortlessly evokes the spirit of Alfred
Hitchcock; Carol could be a distant
cousin to Vertigo. And, unlike so many
films these days, Carol takes its time,
with Haynes resolutely refusing to
hurry things along. Some in the audience might find the approach dull.
Its not. Its captivating, absorbing,
all-encompassing. Its the way movies used to be made, an instant-born
classic, with Blanchett and Mara giving the kinds of performances that
Oscars are made for. Now playing.
Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.
(Randy Shulman)

STAR WARS:
THE FORCE AWAKENS

HHHHH
The seventh film in a series that has
spanned four decades and spawned
a near limitless number of spin-offs,
merchandise and uber fans, The Force
Awakens isnt original theres too
much history for that to be possible.
But it works on several levels. And
for the most part, the screenplay by
Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt
and J.J. Abrams, who directs, hits
the right notes, with the grand, operatic overtones the series has long been
known for. For its various foibles and

the awkward transition between old

characters and new, theres something undoubtedly exciting about
this new trilogy of films. This is Star
Wars returned, reformed, revitalized
for a new generation. Every time you
laugh at a reference, every time you
see a familiar face, every time John
Williams glorious score swells, you
cant help but get sucked in by it all.
Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr)

STAGE
A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM

Right now, Washingtonians can take

in two very different productions
of this hearty Shakespeare comedy.
Folger Theatre offers a more traditional approach, one that is sure to
delight in the hands of Aaron Posner.
Holly Twyford is Bottom and Erin
Weaver is Puck as part of a large
cast that also includes Megan Graves,
Eric Hissom, Caroline Stefanie Clay,
Adam Wesley Brown and Desmond
Bing. Opens in a pay-what-you-can
preview Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
To March 6. Folger Theatre, 201 East
Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35 to $75.
Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

AS YOU LIKE IT

In a new staging of the Bards crossdressing, escapist romantic comedy,

Wendy Goldberg decided to present an all-female ensemble. This
400-year-old play is the most gender-bending play in Shakespeares
canon, she tells Metro Weekly. It
is an invitation to explore gender and
identity, and the fluidity of gender.
Her all-female approach to the production by Center Stage is the inverse
of that from Shakespeares day, when
all characters, male and female, were
played by men and boys. Even today,
its far more common to see an allmale production of Shakespeare. Runs
to Feb. 14. Towson Universitys Center
for the Arts, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Towson,
Md. Tickets are $10 to $59. Call 410986-4000 or visit centerstage.org.

BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY

Yet another boisterous and unflinchingly dark comedy from Stephen Adly
Guirgis, whose play The Motherfucker
with the Hat received much critical
praise at Studio Theatre a few years
ago. Between Riverside and Crazy was
the winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for
Drama and is focused on an ex-cop who
is facing eviction, battling City Hall and
struggling over the recent death of his
wife. To Feb. 28. Studio Theatre, 14th
& P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or
visit studiotheatre.org.

CHOCOLATE COVERED ANTS

The Anacostia Playhouse partners

with Marylands Restoration Stage
for the world premiere of Steven
A. Butler, Jr.s intense drama about
being black and male in modern-day
America. Courtney Baker-Oliver
directs the production featuring
Suli Myrie, David Lamont Wilson,
Clermon Acklin, Tillmon Figgs,

Wilma Lynn Horton, Kandace

Foreman, Christopher Ezell, Marquis
Fair and Charles W. Harris Jr. To Feb.
7. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon
Place SE. Tickets are $35 to $50. Call
202-714-0646 or visit restorationstageinc.com.

FATHER COMES HOME

FROM THE WARS

Round House Theatre offers a production of this explosively powerful

Civil War-era drama from SuzanLori Parks (Topdog/Underdog),
which follows a slave from Texas to
the Confederate battlefield. Timothy
Douglas directs this Greek tragedyinspired trilogy with a cast including Ian Anthony Coleman, KenYatta
Rogers, Craig Wallace, JaBen Early
and A. Stori Ayers. Opens in a paywhat-you-can preview Wednesday,
Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. To Feb. 21. Round
House Theatre, 4545 East-West
Highway, Bethesda. Tickets are $50 to
$60. Call 240-644-1100 or visit roundhousetheatre.org.

GEORGIE: THE LIFE AND DEATH

OF GEORGE ROSE

Helen Hayes Award-winning actor

Ed Dixon (Signature Theatres Sunset
Boulevard) wrote and stars in this
tribute to his friend and mentor, a
Tony Award-winning character actor
(My Fair Lady) who was a bon vivant
with a flair for the dramatic and the
eccentric. Eric Schaeffer directs the
Signature Theatre production of this
human tale about art, personal connections and the struggles of life and
death. To Feb. 7. Signature Theatre,
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington.
Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 703-8209771 or visit signature-theatre.org.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF HIV

Denim Theatre presents an original play by Kieyontaye D. JohnsonCarter, a powerful drama set in
present-day D.C. and focused on two
long-term couples one straight,
one gay struggling to cope with
life and love, secrets and status, in a
time when being safe just isnt safe
enough. Opens Thursday, Jan. 21, at
8 p.m. Runs to Jan. 25. Anacostia Arts
Center, 1231 Good Hope Road SE.
Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-6316291 or visit anacostiaartscenter.com.

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE

Now that Bright Star has wrapped its

pre-Broadway Kennedy Center run,
Keegan Theatre offers a production of
another work by comedian/composer
Steve Martin which previously ran Off
Broadway. Picasso at the Lapin Agile
is a slightly absurd look at the famous
Spanish painters life and that of
Albert Einsteins too before they
changed the world through their work.
Chris Stezin directs a cast including Matthew Keenan, Bradley Foster
Smith, Allison Leigh Corke, Kevin
Adams, Michael Innocenti, Sherri S.
Herren and Jessica Power. To Feb. 13.
Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW.
Tickets are $40. Call 703-892-0202 or
visit keegantheatre.com.

SHAKE LOOSE

A full-length revue celebrating 15 years

of Metro Stages homegrown musical writing team, Thomas W. Jones
II, William Knowles and William
Hubbard, whose output celebrates
the music born from gospel as created
or popularized by African-American
icons. Lori Williams, Anthony
Manough, Roz White and Rayshun
Lamarr perform in this musical
night of blues, moods and icons.
Opens in a pay-what-you-can preview
Thursday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. To March
6. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St.,
Alexandria. Tickets are $55 to $60. Call
800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

STONE TAPE PARTY

D.C.-based, female-driven theater

company Nu Sass Productions offers
Danny Rovins play, which won Best
Comedy and Best Show Overall at
Capital Fringe 2014. Angela Kay Pirko
directs an all-female cast in a quickwitted tribute to the post-college struggles from hedonism to misanthropy
of the Millennial Generation. Briana
Manente leads a cast also including
Ariana Almajan, Jill Tighe and Casey
Leffue. Opens Thursday, Jan. 21, at 7
p.m. Runs to Feb. 7. Atlas Performing
Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are
$20 to $30. Call 202-399-7993 or visit
nusass.com.

SWEAT

Arena Stage offers a world-premiere

production, co-commissioned with the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, of a new
gripping tale about loss, redemption and
redefinition in a new era from Pulitzer
Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Ruined).
Kate Whoriskey directs this co-commission with the Oregon Shakespeare
Festival and featuring among its cast
local actors Johanna Day, Kimberly
Scott, Tramell Tillman and Jack Willis.
Now to Feb. 21. Kreeger Theater in the
Mead Center for American Theater,
1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or
visit arenastage.org.

THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG

Twenty-two years after its Broadway

debut and 10 years after its awardwinning
playwrights
untimely
death, Theater J presents The Sisters
Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein.
Kasi Campbell directs this heartfelt
comedy about three very different
siblings, reunited for one remarkable,
revealing weekend, and portrayed
by the sharp team of Susan Lynskey,
Susan Rome and Kimberly Schraf. Josh
Adams, Edward Christian, Michael
Russotto, James Whalen and Caroline
Wolfson round out the cast. Now in
previews. To Feb. 21. The Aaron and
Cecile Goldman Theater, Washington,
D.C.s Jewish Community Center, 1529
16th St. NW. Call 202-777-3210 or visit
theaterj.org.

MUSIC
CHAD HOOPES WITH DAVID FUNG

Washington Performing Arts presents a performance by violin virtuoso

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

27

Chad Hoopes, who has already racked

up various competition wins, made
prestigious orchestral and festival
debuts and been appointed to a threeyear residency in a Lincoln Center
Chamber Music Society program with
a track record for grooming future
chamber music stars. All that despite
the fact that hes only 20 years old.
The rising star is joined by Australian
pianist David Fung for a program of
works by Dvorak, Prokofiev, Ravel and
Franck. Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.
Tickets are $40. Call 202-467-4600 or
visit kennedy-center.org.

CHOPTEETH

The Washington Post has called this

12-piece band a storming powerhouse of big-band African funk...
smart, tight and relentlessly driving. Chopteeth has already won a
number of Washington Area Music
Association Awards otherwise
known as Wammies, including the
Artist of the Year accolade in 2008.
And now the Afrobeat-driven group
returns to Strathmores cabaret venue
after a summer debut. Saturday, Jan.
23, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810
Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda.
Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 301-5815100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.

FOLGER CONSORT

The Wonder of Will: Early and New

Music Celebrating Shakespeare is
the name of this years concert series
at the National Cathedral in the
400th year since the Bards death.
Instrumentalists Arcadia Viols will
join the consort as will the 12-member vocal group Stile Antico, offering
the Washington premiere of Gentle
Sleep, a commissioned piece based on
texts from Henry IV by acclaimed gay
contemporary composer Nico Muhly.
Friday, Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan.
23, at 8 p.m. Washington National
Cathedral,
Massachusetts
and
Wisconsin Avenues NW. Tickets are
$30 to $60. Call 202-544-7077 or visit
folger.edu.

MIAMI HORROR

Although named after the Florida city,

this indie-electronica band hails from
Australia and now calls Los Angeles
home. The resulting music is a melting pot reflecting all three locales: A
slightly hazy, sunny, trippy, uptempo
sound. After debuting in its space last
year, U Street Music Hall presents
this four-piece at the 9:30 Club in
support of their eclectic new record
All Possible Futures. Sunday, Jan. 24.
Doors at 10 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St.
NW. Tickets are $20. Call 202-2650930 or visit 930.com.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA

A few weeks before embarking on

a European tour with the NSO and
outgoing music director Christoph
Eschenbach, young cellist Daniel
Muller-Schott takes to the Kennedy

28

JANUARY 21, 2016

Center Concert Hall to perform

Dvoraks beautiful, breathtaking
Cello Concerto in B Minor. Led by
Eschenbach, this NSO program also
including Brahmss Piano Quartet
No. 1 in G Minor plus the first NSO
performances of Christopher Rouses
Phaethon. Thursday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m.,
and Friday, Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan.
23, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert
Hall. Tickets are $15 to $89. Call 202467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

RAUL MALO

The Birchmere offers a solo show

by the Cuban singer who fronts the
Mavericks, the improbable, Grammywinning country band from Miami.
Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. The
Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave.,
Alexandria. Tickets are $35. Call 703549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

VERONNEAU

D.C.-based acoustic group offers jazz

from around the world, from swing
to samba to gypsy. And as it gains
in popularity, the group increasingly
travels the world, presenting its spin
on global grooves perfect to take in
while sipping cocktails. Monday, Jan.
25, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Blues Alley,
1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are
$20, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call
202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com.

DANCE
COMPANY E

Generations: Poland is an elegant, eloquent program celebrating four generations of Polish contemporary choreography and classical music from this
local company in a co-presentation
with the Embassy of the Republic of
Poland. The Washington Performing
Arts Children of the Gospel Choir
will join the heralded eight-member
Company E in a special performance
of the late Pola Nirenskas Holocaustthemed Dirge as well as the premiere
of a new work set to Henryk Goreckis
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs by the
companys Paul Gordon Emerson.
The Saturday evening performance
will celebrate winners of the 2016
Pola Nirenska Award Deborah
Riley, Douglas E. Yeuell and Erica
Rebollar which is administered by
Washington Performing Arts. Friday,
Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.
Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

MARYLAND MASTI 10

An annual intercollegiate competition

held at the University of Maryland,
Maryland Masti aims to spread awareness of the traditional folk dance
cultures of the West Indian state of
Gujarat, as well as to provide an outlet
for current students to express their
passion for such dance. Saturday, Jan.
23, at 7 p.m. The Kay Theatre in the
Clarice at the University of Maryland,
University Boulevard and Stadium

METROWEEKLY.COM

Drive. College Park. Tickets are $18.

Call 301-405-ARTS or visit theclarice.
umd.edu.

COMEDY
WASHINGTON IMPROV THEATER:
ROAD SHOW!

D.C.s leading company for longform

improv such as that popularized
by the Upright Citizens Brigade and
Second City offers a Wintry Mix,
a series of vignettes featuring different
ensembles, with each plot developed
on-the-fly, spurred by a single audience suggestion. To Feb. 13. District of
Columbia Arts Center (DCAC), 2438
18th St. NW. Tickets are $12 in advance,
or $15 at the door. Call 202-462-7833 or
visit washingtonimprov.org.

GALLERIES
A COLLECTORS VISION:
WASHINGTONIANA COLLECTION

In addition to incorporating the

Textile Museum, the recently opened
George Washington University
Museum also houses the Albert H.
Small Washingtoniana Collection.
The exhibition A Collectors Vision
serves as a perfect introduction to
the collection, featuring maps and
prints, rare letters, photographs and
drawings documenting the history
of Washington, D.C. and donated by
Small in 2011. Ongoing. The George
Washington University Museum, 701
21st St. NW. Call 202-994-5200 or
visit museum.gwu.edu.

COLBY CALDWELL: HOW TO

SURVIVE YOUR OWN DEATH

Logan Circles Hemphill Fine

Arts presents an exhibition by this
Asheville, N.C.-based Corcoran
Gallery of Art alum, based on a series
of accidentally corrupted images that
have taken on a new life of their own
as a result. Runs through March 5.
Hemphill Fine Arts, 1515 14th St. NW.
Call 202-234-5601 or visit hemphillfinearts.com.

EYE POP: THE CELEBRITY GAZE

Many never publicly displayed portraits of 53 luminaries at the top in

their fields is the focus of this exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Katy Perry,
Sonia Sotomayor, Michelle Obama,
Serena Williams and Kobe Bryant are
among the works, ranging from drawings to sculpture, paintings to video
portraits, and all recent additions to
the museums collection. Through
July 10. National Portrait Gallery, 8th
and F Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300
or visit npg.si.edu.

PATHMAKERS: WOMEN IN ART,

CRAFT AND DESIGN

The National Museum of Women in

the Arts presents an exhibition illuminating the vital contributions that

women made to post-war, mid-20th

century visual culture and their use of
craft materials to explore concepts of
modernism. Although painting, sculpture and architecture were dominated
by men a half-century ago, women
had considerable impact in the fields
of textiles, ceramics and metals. Ruth
Asawa, Sheila Hicks and Eva Zeisel
are just a few of the women from the
era celebrated in this exhibition, organized by New Yorks Museum of Arts
and Design, which also shines the light
on some pathmaking contemporary
female artists and designers, including
Anne Wilson, Vivian Beer and Hella
Jongerius. Through Feb. 28. National
Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250
New York Ave NW. Admission is $10.
Call 202-783-5000 or visit nmwa.org

ABOVE AND BEYOND

F*CK BRUNCH! DRAG LUNCH

You can find drag queens serving and

sashaying at brunches around town,
but theres only one place to find drag
kings on a Sunday afternoon and
they dont do brunch. (Or they dont
call it brunch, anyway.) Next weekend,
drag king entity Pretty Boi Drag, led by
Chris Jay and former DC King Pretty
Rik E, presents a lunch show at Dupont
Circles Bier Baron Tavern, which
includes exclusive beermosas and
items from the venues new menu, plus
tunes from DJ Deedub and of course
an interactive show with performances
by kings including Namii and Jasfer.
Sunday, Jan. 24, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Bier Baron Tavern, 1523 22nd St. NW.
Tickets are $15 for the show, or $25 for
the lunch and show. Call 202-293-1887
or visit prettyboidrag.com.

LA-TI-DO

Regie Cabico and Don Mike Mendozas

La-Ti-Do variety show is neither karaoke nor cabaret. The show features
higher-quality singing than most karaoke, often from local musical theater
actors performing on their night off.
Cabico and co-host Mendoza also
select storytellers who offer spokenword poetry and comedy. Now held
at Bistro Bistro in Dupont Circle,
La-Ti-Do celebrates its fourth anniversary with a show and party on Monday,
Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. Bistro Bistro, 1727
Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $15,
or only $10 if you eat dinner at the restaurant beforehand. Call 202-328-1640
or visit latidodc.wix.com/latidodc.

LEVITY

This month in its Logan Fringe Art

Space, Capital Fringe inaugurates a
monthly variety show featuring comedians and musicians from D.C. Straight
Smoked Meats offers classic comfort
food and smoked cuisine for purchase
along with wine. Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7
p.m. Trinidad Theatre at Capital Fringe,
1358 Florida Ave. NE. Tickets are $20
in advance, or $25 at the door. Call 202733-6321 or visit capitalfringe.org. l

stage

Critical Condition
The Shakespeare mounts an evening of
giggles and frolics that serves as a reminder
that a clever wit is always timeless.
by KATE WINGFIELD

SCOTT SUCHMAN

HERES SOMETHING A BIT COMICAL ABOUT

reviewing the Shakespeare Theatre Companys double-bill of Richard Sheridans The Critic and Tom
Stoppards The Real Inspector Hound (HHHHH),
plays that satirize not only the conventions of theater, but those
who critique it. How does one get stuck in without sounding
exactly like one of the characters being so cleverly parodied?
Still, needs must when the devil drives.
Delivered as two one-act plays, Critic and Hound are like an
interesting, improbable couple each one very different but
both very fun to be with. Sheridans is the extrovert, a rambunctious, talky 18th century farce, while Stoppards works at the
lower, more cynical temperatures of a mid-20th century classconscious England.
The evening starts with the antique antics of The Critic,
which, despite the luxuriously clever wit (and the cheeky

bounce delivered by Jeffrey Hatchers adaptation), is the

decidedly sillier of the two. When theater critics Mr. Dangle
and Mr. Sneer discover that Mr. Puff, a journalistic gadfly
making a living off shamelessly sponsored content, has written a play, they offer to critique a rehearsal. As Puff tries to
put his somewhat recalcitrant actors through the paces of his
stultifyingly stiff tragic-comedy, Sneer continuously interrupts
with sabotaging advice. He soon has Puff dancing through
hoops until a finale in which there is no telling who will get
the last word: Sneer, Puff, the actors or Scenic Designer James
Noones charmingly inventive sets.
If there is something of the puppet theater about this playwithin-a-play, with its bright and simple sets and Murell
Hortons intricately-colored costumes, director Michael Kahn
deliciously subverts it with a sense of joyous unpredictability.
If it is a puppet theatre, it is an unruly one, and thats how we
like it. Of course, The Critic is not the easiest play to keep alight,
since once it settles into the call-and-answer routine of the play
rehearsal, the farce largely overtakes the wit, but Kahn stokes it
in all the right places.
What really makes The Critic spin is Robert Stantons Puff.
Graceful, gangly, and broiling with agitated affectation, this is a
foppish Puff to savor. Not only does Stanton have the smoothest,
most impeccable comic timing, he can deliver it little or large.
METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

29

One minute he might explode in a ridiculous flourish of a bow

and the next he will be just as funny with the merest furrow of a
brow. It is his facility with Sheridans language that brings such
joy; the words swoop and dive like flocks of boundless happy
birds. Add a seriously intuitive feel for the cadence and rhythms
of a British accent and its the whole package.
Although Stanton decidedly steals the show, other standouts
are Robert Dorfman, who gives his Sneer a pleasing kind of
abruptness, the kind of rapid fire reminiscent of an old forties
movie. It complements the mood well, if occasionally getting lost
in the fray. Naomi Jacobson is memorably scathing as the longsuffering Mrs. Dangle.
One intermission later and the mood is completely different,
as is the angle, with Stoppards take on the play-within-a play
theme including a view of not just a gloomily-lit stage but a few
choice theater seats behind it. Stoppards play is as much about
the critics reviewing it as the play itself.
As two seasoned second-stringers settle in to half-heartedly
await the plays start, it quickly becomes clear that they are
preoccupied with far more than the arts. As the play begins, a
campy take on an Agatha Christie-style whodunit, it seems like
business as usual until emotions run high and all manner of lines
and realities are crossed. There will be no spoilers here, but suffice it to say, Stoppard is as devious as he is funny though its a
darker, more contemporary vein than Sheridans.
Displaying extraordinary versatility, Robert Stanton returns
as the amusingly repressed critic, Moon. Sporting heavy-rimmed
National Health Service glasses and hunched in inoffensive
blazer, the transformation is so complete Stanton looks as if
hes lost a foot in height. Moon is of Englands middling classes
just educated and worldly enough to know what hes missing

30

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

and Stanton gives his man the perfect undercurrent of quietly

disgruntled energy. As events unfold, it is Moons bafflement
that carries the humor and the tenor of Stoppards grand design.
The whodunit, meanwhile, giggle-worthy in its absurdly
mannered style, plays foil to the critics, and thanks to the
ensemble who carry it off, truly delivers. Naomi Jacobson gives
her housekeeper, Mrs. Drudge, the ideal deadpan and her comic
timing is pitch-perfect. As Major Magnus, Hugh Nees is suitably
gung-ho and he nails the accent with flair. As the young Felicity
Cunningham carrying off her tennis whites and evening dress
like she was born to it, Sandra Struthers keeps it feisty but nicely
honed. Playing counterpoint as the mature and brittle Cynthia
Muldoon, Charity Jones is slinky, cool and compelling, while
John Catron is an appropriately arch Simon Gascoyne.
As the slightly crazed Inspector Hound, Robert Dorfman
is almost in his element but is thwarted by an accent that flips
between semi-Northern and semi-posh. Either would have
worked, but not both. John Ahlin has similar difficulties and
it dampens the repartee of his critic Birdboot with Moon.
Interestingly, because accent (whether or not it should) delivers
so much social and cultural data, Ahlins amorphous efforts also
make his man a tad harder to grasp.
But its a minor quibble in a precision piece that director
Kahn delivers with seamless dexterity and nothing short of lan.
Indeed, between Critic and Hound, this is an evening of giggles
and frolics. Its a delicious reminder that a clever wit is timeless. l
The Critic and The Real Inspector Hound run to Feb. 4 at
Shakespeare Theatre Companys Landsburgh Theatre, 450 7th
St. NW. Tickets are $44 to $118. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

gears

Electric War
Tesla and GM are trading insults as
the war over electric cars heats up
by RHUARIDH MARR

PHOTO CREDIT

HERES A WAR BREWING AMONG AMERICAS

automakers. One one side, the old guard: General
Motors. A symbol of American manufacturing, it
spans continents, market segments and brands,
encompassing sedans, supercars, SUVs and more. The Great
Recession threatened to kill it, but GM clawed back with a
government bailout and a renewed interest in quality and competitiveness a brief detour into cars that could kill their drivers
notwithstanding.
On the other side, the young upstart: Tesla Motors. Tesla
represents everything thats good about American ingenuity.
In Silicon Valley, an underdog focused on the future decided to
take on the establishment with an original idea, that an electric
car could be luxurious, sporty, and get the same mileage as a gas
engine. With just two cars the Model S sedan and Model X
SUV Tesla isnt threatening GMs sales dominance any time
soon, but that hasnt stopped both manufacturers from getting
into the trenches and picking up arms.

Tension between both companies has been brewing for

months. Tesla has long been embroiled in a fight with dealerships across the country, who resent Teslas model of direct
sales rather than utilize franchised dealer networks, Tesla
owns and operates its own stores, where customers can order
their own Tesla and have it delivered to their home. By removing dealers from the equation, it starved them of any access to
Teslas profit margins. Tesla instead offers no-haggle pricing
and fixed monthly rentals apart from local taxes, youll pay the
same in New York as you do in New Mexico.
That infuriated dealers so much that, in several states across
the nation, theyve moved to block Tesla from selling its vehicles,
unless they capitulate to the dealership model. In New Jersey,
state lawmakers voted to ban Teslas direct sales model in 2014.
Tesla accused the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers
of foul play, saying dealers were hostile to selling electric cars as
gasoline vehicles represent virtually all their revenue, according to Teslas appeal to the state Supreme Court. Gov. Christie
eventually signed a new law last year which granted Tesla the
ability to sell its cars to customers in its New Jersey stores
previously, they were directed to Teslas website.
In Texas, Tesla crashed headfirst into the states dealership lobby. In May last year, both the House and Senate failed
to vote on legislation that would have allowed Tesla to sell its
cars directly to consumers. Tesla argued that the dealers were
Continues on page 33
METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

31

music

Self-Requiem
David Bowie produced the
magnificent Blackstar knowing
it would be his final album
by SEAN MAUNIER

HERE WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING OTHERworldly about David Bowie. Whether appearing before us as a pop star, an alien fallen to
earth, or sharing a stage with Trent Reznor, he
consistently set himself above and apart in any way he could.
Blackstar (HHHHH), his twenty-fifth and final studio album,
is yet another reinvention, staking out new ground even as it
marks the end of a decades-long career. What his producer Tony
Visconti called a parting gift to fans is surreal, haunting, and as
surprising as anything that came before it.
32

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

We now know that Bowie had been dealing with terminal

cancer for the past 18 months, and produced Blackstar knowing
that it would be his final album. The news of his death Sunday
night lends the album a sense of finality that few noticed upon its
release just two days before. See, for instance, the opening lines
of the third track, Lazarus: Look up here, Im in heaven/Ive
got scars that cant be seen. Before Bowies death, these lyrics might have seemed a poetic meditation on mortality in the
abstract. Cryptic, but in the way we had come to expect from
Bowie. Now, their autobiographical nature is more clear. The
mortality he reflects on as he sings Im dying to fool them, again
and again in Dollar Days is his own.
What is striking about Blackstar is its relative shortness
seven tracks in 40 minutes. Bowies slow, groaning vocals and
the melancholic instrumentation put the multi-part title track
somewhere between mellow and haunting. This dissonant opening sets the mood for the rest of the album. From here, nothing will be particularly clear or straightforward. Although the
second half is more melodic than the opening, Bowie interrupts
the tune more than once as he calls out in a distorted voice, Im

Continued from page 31

a Blackstar! The effectiveness of the discordance is slightly

dampened by this repetition. At first it is surprising and somewhat unsettling, but as the phrase Im a Blackstar repeats, the
effect is dulled somewhat, and it becomes routine as it continues
to loop. Eventually, the tune fades away into a laundry list of
what he is not: not a flash in the pan, not a film star, not a
porn star, but rather a stars star, a Blackstar.
The second track seems to function mainly as a bridge
between the sweeping Blackstar and the tense and lyrical
Lazarus. Even so, Tis a Pity She Was a Whore holds its
own with energetic drumming and a free-wheeling saxophone.
Sandwiched between these two songs, the second track is sparse
and easily glossed over, although it is aimlessly gleeful enough to
remain interesting.
Lazarus is tense and dark, and reflects on fame and mortality in the same breath. There is more autobiography in this
song than the others, as he sings about being So high it makes
my brain whirl. Lazarus, of course, takes its name from the
man raised from the dead in the Gospel of St. John, though
were left to speculate on what, if anything, is being raised
from the dead here.
The instrumentation on Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)
could be taken for a jazz cover of the opening to a 1970s detective show. Yet underneath the funky guitars is an echoey and
atmospheric synth that carries the angst of the rest of the album
and eventually comes into the foreground. It is followed by
Girl loves Me, an incoherent, half-shouted recounting of a
week. The aimless angst of these two songs quickly gives way
to the gentle ballad Dollar Days, in which Bowie seems to
make peace with what hes done, and may never do again. But
if Dollar Days is a conclusion, the seventh and final track, I
Cant Give Everything Away, is an epilogue. Carried by a gently
welling synthesizer, the lyrics Saying no but meaning yes/This
is all I ever meant/Thats the message that I sent could very
well be a reflection on everything that came before it. Not just
the previous album, but his entire body of work. Bowie, after all,
was never in the habit of giving everything away.
Blackstar is not an easy album. The songs melodies are chaotic and discordant, their lyrics, enigmatic and often inscrutable.
Were left to guess at their meaning, if indeed there is any to be
found or to just enjoy the chaos. But then again, Bowie never
sought to make his work straightforward, even at his most accessible. Blackstar lacks the sci-fi glam of Ziggy Stardust, or the easy
charm of Hunky Dory. By now it is a cliche to compare Bowie
to a chameleon, or a phoenix, but there is something to it. After
all, his most consistent quality was always his urge to constantly
reinvent himself. And what was striking about his transformations is how organic they always appeared, coming from within
Bowie himself, born out of an intense, deeply artistic curiosity.
We were never shown a mask we always got the real thing.
David Bowie has long been an icon for many. Not the sort of
icon that signifies cheap, passing fame, but rather an icon in the
fullest, most devotional sense of the word. His compulsion to
constantly reinvent and his sheer, unabashed strangeness have
been and will continue to be a source of inspiration for other
artists and musicians, and a point of identification for those of
us who have felt, as he sings on this albums title track, born
the wrong way round. Certainly, throughout his career and his
many self-reinventions, he has provoked inspiration, reverence,
and bewilderment sometimes all three at once. David Bowie
the man has now left us, but David Bowie the artist is immortal.
And in Blackstar, we have been given a final gift that is every bit
as iconic as the Starman himself. l

pressuring lawmakers to maintain the effective ban on Teslas

sales model, dealers responded that they were protecting family-owned businesses and keeping customers interests at heart,
according to Bloomberg Business.
They are thwarting the will of the people, said Diarmuid
OConnell, vice president of business development for Tesla.
That [the legislation] doesnt even get a fair hearing much
less a vote is to me very odd and disturbing.
Its kind of a joke to think that somebodys going to come in
here and ride in on a horse that doesnt use gasoline and change
the world, said Red McCombs, who owns the eponymous
dealer network. Theyre going to have to play by the same rules
that the competition plays by.
Its that argument over competition that has Tesla and GM
swapping veiled insults. This month, GM took the wraps off the
Chevrolet Bolt, a small, low-cost EV with over 200 miles of electric range. It was a big moment for the company, an evolution of
the earlier Volt plug-in hybrid, and a bold declaration of GMs
manufacturing might Tesla has been promising a cheaper
EV for the masses, the fabled Model 3, but thus far has failed to
showcase anything. For GM to usurp the electric car darling was
a big moment for the company, not least because Teslas original electric Roadster force the automaker to kickstart the Volt
project. When the Volt project was in its infancy, way back in
2007, GMs vice chairman, Bob Lutz, labelled Tesla as the reason
for GM finally taking electrification seriously. If some Silicon
Valley start-up can solve this equation, no one is going to tell me
anymore that its unfeasible, he told Newsweek.
Not satisfied with beating Tesla to the cheap, longer range
electric car market, GMs CEO Mary Barra stuck the knife in and
twisted the blade while unveiling the Bolt.
Unlike some EV customers, Bolt customers dont have to
drive to another state to buy or service an EV, she said, according to AutoBlog. That was a direct reference to Teslas direct
sales woes. In Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, Texas and West
Virginia, Tesla isnt just banned from selling its cars, it cant even
service them, Teslas OConnell told the Detroit News. For GM,
who campaigned against Marylands law last year that granted
Tesla permission to sell its vehicles in the state, it was rather callous to joke about Teslas sales problems given GM and its dealer
networks have actively participated in causing them.
Initially, Teslas response was tepid. Commitments from
traditional car makers to build electric vehicles advance Teslas
mission to accelerate the advent of sustainable transportation,
read a statement following Barras comments. But at a Federal
Trade Commission workshop this week on dealer laws, Teslas
general counsel Todd Maron went a little further, leaving no
doubt that GM is to blame for the trouble facing their direct
sales model.
Our opposition comes from two groups, primarily from
dealer groups and secondarily from General Motors, he said.
Maron then argued that [GMs] interest here is purely competitive. They are actually touting their ability to block us from selling directly and the fact that our customers cant buy our cars as
easy as theirs.
With respect to General Motors, their position boils down
to this: Because they voluntarily chose generations ago to use
a certain business model, [the company feels] everyone that
comes after should be required as a matter of law to use the same
model, Maron continued. Thats code for Tesla is able to sell
the product to consumers for a lower price than were able to
through the franchise system.
Shots definitely fired. l
METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

33

34

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

NIGHT

LIFE
LISTINGS
THURS., 01.21.16

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
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $6 Call
Martini, $3 Miller Lite,
$4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Open Day for Stonewall
Darts, 6-10pm $3 Rail
Drinks, 10pm-midnight,
$5 Red Bull, Gatorade
and Frozen Virgin Drinks
Locker Room Thursday
Nights DJs Sean Morris
and MadScience Ripped
Hot Body Contest at
midnight, hosted by Miss
Kristina Kelly 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
Doors open at 5pm
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
$2 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and Import
Bottle Beer, $6 Call No
Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Ladies Drink Free Power
Hour, 4-5pm Shirtless
Thursday, 10-11pm DJs
BacK2bACk

METROWEEKLY.COM

35

scene
Dark & Twisted: The Official
MAL Closing Party at The 9:30 Club
featuring DJ Ultra Nat
Sunday, January 17
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!

Photography by
Ward Morrison
And Todd Franson
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
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
9pm Cover 21+

FRI., 01.22.16

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
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 DJ MadScience
upstairs DJ Keenan Orr
downstairs $10 cover
10pm-1am, $5 after 1am
21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
$2 Bud and Bud Light

Draughts, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and Import
Bottle Beer, $6 Call No
Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Smirnoff, all flavors, all
night long
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-Queeta-Lee,
Riley Knoxx 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)
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4

ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers,
hosted by LaTroya Nicole
Ladies of Ziegfelds,
9pm Rotating Hosts
DJ in Secrets VJ Tre in
Ziegfelds Cover 21+
SAT., 01.23.16

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 Hour:
$3 Miller Lite, $4 Rail,
$5 Call, 4-9pm Drink
specials all night Doors
open 10pm $7 cover
before midnight, $10 cover
after 21+

METROWEEKLY.COM

DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 4-6pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 8pm
Happy Hour, 8-10pm
$2 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and Import
Bottle Beer, $6 Call No
Cover 21+
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
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm $5
Bacardi, all flavors, all
night long Testosterone
Gear Party, 10pm-2am
Strict Dress Code:
Jockstrap, Singlet, Sport
Gear, Underwear, Leather
or Rubber Featuring DJ
Ron Hamelin of Montreal
$5 Cover

JANUARY 21, 2016

37

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 TempTation:
Jockz vs. Nerdz costume
party, 10pm-close Music
and video downstairs by
DJ Wess Drag Show
starts at 10:30pm
Hosted by Lena Lett and
featuring Miss Tatianna,
Shi-Queeta-Lee, Riley
Knoxx and BaNaka
Doors open 10pm $12
Cover 21+

38

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

TOWN PATIO
Open 10pm (entry through
Town) $12 Cover
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 2pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
2-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Men of Secrets, 9pm
Guest dancers Ladies
of Illusion with host Ella
Fitzgerald Doors at 9
p.m., first show at 11:30
p.m. % DJs Doors open
8pm Cover 21+
SUN., 01.24.16

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,
hosted by Robert Bise,
10pm-close 21+
DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 2-6pm
dcnine.com
DC EAGLE
Doors open at 12pm
$2 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and Import
Bottle Beer, $6 Call
Buffet, 2-7pm Like on
Facebook for menu options
$2 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts all day and night
No Cover 21+
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Champagne Brunch Buffet,
10am-3pm Crazy Hour,
4-7pm Karaoke, 8pm1am
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour, 4-9pm
Mamas Trailer Park
Karaoke downstairs,
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 8pm Shows all
night until close, starting
at 8:30pm $5 Domestic
Beer, $6 Imports
$10 cover For Table

TOWN
Flip Out DC League Flip
Cup games, 4pm Doors
open 3:30pm 21+

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

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 2pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
2-10pm Beer and wine
only $4

COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Monday Nights A Drag,
hosted by Kristina Kelly
Doors open at 10pm
$3 Skyy Cocktails, $8 Skyy
and Red Bull $8 Long
Islands No Cover, 18+

ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
9pm Cover 21+

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

Reservations, 202-4876646 rockharddc.com

MON., 01.25.16

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

DC EAGLE
Doors open at 5pm
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
$1 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts Free Pool all
day and night Men in
DC Eagle T-Shirts get
Happy Hour, 8pm-close
$2 Bud and Bud Light
Draughts, $3 Domestic
Bottles, $4 Rail and Import
Bottle Beer, $6 Call No
Cover 21+

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

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4

DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.com
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-7pm
Karaoke, 8pm

TUES., 01.26.16

GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour all night long,
4pm-close

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

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

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

COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
SIN Service Industry
Night $1 Rail Drinks
all night

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

METROWEEKLY.COM

JANUARY 21, 2016

39

TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
WED., 01.27.16

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
COBALT/30 DEGREES
Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3
Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm
Wednesday Night
Karaoke, hosted by Miss
India Larelle Houston,
10pm-close $4 Stoli and
Stoli Flavors and Miller
Lite No Cover 21+

40

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM

DC9
1940 9th St. NW
Happy Hour, 5-8pm
dcnine.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
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
TRADE
1410 14th St. NW
Doors open 5pm Huge
Happy Hour: Any drink
normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge
glass for the same price,
5-10pm Beer and wine
only $4
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

scene
IMPACT - Hosted
by the Highwaymen
TNT at Mid-Atlantic
Leather Weekend
Friday, January 15
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

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

45

All the progress we have made as a nation on LGBT Equality...is

at stake in November.
HRC President CHAD GRIFFIN, in a statement announcing the nations largest LGBT advocacy group had unanimously
voted to support Hillary Clinton over her rival Bernie Sanders.

Im open to
having sex with a woman
if I feel desire.

RICKY MARTIN, speaking with Mexican magazine Fama!. Martin said he was against sexual labels and added,
I am gay, men fascinate men, but I like to enjoy sex in total freedom.

If Ted Cruz is so opposed to gay marriage, why did he accept money from
people who espouse gay marriage?
DONALD TRUMP, in a tweet blasting his opponent Ted Cruz, who campaigns on a platform opposing marriage equality and
promises to repeal it should he be elected.

Some of the things that people find repellent about this individual is not only hes racist
he is homophobic and misogynistic as well.
British Member of Parliament RUPA HUQ, speaking during a debate over a petition which called for Donald Trump to be banned
from entering Britain after his comments against Muslims and disparaging remarks about the British Muslim population.

Luke is whatever the audience want him to be, so

you can decide for yourself.
MARK HAMILL, responding to a fan on Twitter who asked whether Luke Skywalker is bisexual. His sexuality is
never directly addressed in the films, Hamill added.

46

JANUARY 21, 2016

METROWEEKLY.COM