washingtonblade.com, volume 47, issue 8, february 19, 2016

8/20/2019 Washingtonblade.com, Volume 47, Issue 8, February 19, 2016

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Senate hopeful talks LGBTrights, Freddie Gray

By MICHAEL K. [email protected]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in aseries of profiles of candidates seeking tosucceed retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski(D-Md.). Visit washingtonblade.com for aprofile of Rep. Chris Van Hollen.

LANHAM, Md. — MarylandCongresswoman Donna Edwards saysthat she would be a “voice” for people ofcolor and other underrepresented groupsin the U.S. Senate if she were elected.

“It’s exactly those communities:Workers, women and children whoneed a voice in the United StatesSenate,” Edwards told the WashingtonBlade during an interview in her PrinceGeorge’s County campaign offi ce onFeb. 1. “I will be that voice for them.”

Shortly after U.S. Sen. BarbaraMikulski (D-Md.) announced herretirement from the U.S. Senate lastMarch, Edwards declared her candidacyto fill the seat. She will face off against

Congressman Chris Van Hollen in theApril 26 Democratic primary.

Chrysovalantis Kefalas, a gay

CONTINUES ON PAGE 10

PAGE 4

CHARMING

Can Kelly Cross become

Baltimore’s first out gay

City Council member?

PAGES 19-21

PINK DOLLARS

Tax tips and more

in our annual special

section on finances.

PAGE 23

FINDING ‘JOY’

‘Orange’ star Dascha

Polanco on breaking

stigmas via hit show.

F E B R U A R Y 1 9 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E 4 7 I S S U E 0 8 • A M E R I C A ’ S G A Y N E W S S O U R C E • W A S H I N G T O N B L A D E . C O M

U.S. Associate Justice ANTONIN SCALIA died Saturday at age 79.

Fight looms after anti-gay

Supreme Court justicedies at 79

By CHRIS [email protected]

Antonin Scalia, a leading conservativevoice and one of the most anti-gay

justices on the U.S. Supreme Court,was found dead at a Texas ranchSaturday, triggering a heated politicalfight between President Obama andRepublicans over a replacement.

The Reagan-appointed justice wasa guest at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, aresort in the Big Bend region southof Marfa, where he reportedly died ofnatural causes. He was 79.

Hours after Scalia’s death wasannounced, President Obama delivereda brief statement while traveling

in California, pledging to name a

replacement to the Supreme Court.“I plan to fulfill my constitutionalresponsibilities to nominate asuccessor in due time,” Obama said.“There will be plenty of time for me todo so, and for the Senate to fulfill itsresponsibility to give that person a fairhearing and a timely vote.”

U.S. Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was amongthose offering his condolences in astatement, saying Scalia’s “fidelity tothe Constitution was rivaled only bythe love of his family.” But McConnellindicated the Senate won’t confirmScalia’s successor with PresidentObama in offi ce.

“The American people should havea voice in the selection of their nextSupreme Court justice,” McConnell

CONTINUES ON PAGE 11Rep. DONNA EDWARDS says she’ll be a voice for underrepresented groups if elected.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY


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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM FEBRUARY 19 , 2016 • 03


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Va. House approves ‘Kim Davis’ bill

The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday approved a religious freedom bill thatcritics contend would allow anti-LGBT discrimination.

The Republican-controlled chamber approved House Bill 773 by a 56-41 vote margin.State Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) introduced the measure, which is also

known as the Government Nondiscrimination Act, last month.HB 773 would prohibit government entities from taking “any discriminatory action

against a person, in whole or in part, on the basis that such person believes, speaks,or acts in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction that…marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.” Themeasure also includes “the male sex and the term ‘man’ and the female sex and the

term ‘woman’ refer to an individual’s immutable biological sex as objectively determinedby anatomy and genetics of the individual at the time of birth.”The Virginia House Democratic Caucus in a press release described HB 773 as “a Kim

Davis inspired bill,” referring to the Kentucky county clerk who went to jail for refusingto issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

“Giving preference to one person’s religious beliefs over those of another is offensiveand promotes inequality,” said state Del. Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria) in the VirginiaHouse Democratic Caucus press release. “Ensuring that all Virginians are equal in theeyes of the law should be the goal of the General Assembly. Granting a free pass todiscriminate is simply wrong.”

State Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) also criticized HB 773’s passage.“This legislation gives state approval to discriminate against others,” said the Roanoke

Democrat in a statement.Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, praised HB 773.

“The Government Non-Discrimination Act (GNDA) balances the new found right towhatever definition of marriage you want with our nation’s longstanding principle ofreligious free exercise by ensuring that the heavy hand of government cannot penalizea person or religious charity because of his or her beliefs about marriage and humansexuality,” she said in a statement. “Charitable religious organizations should betreated fairly, not targeted and punished by the government because of their beliefsabout marriage. The faith that inspires their charitable service shouldn’t be used by thegovernment to discriminate against them.”

The Virginia Senate will consider HB 773 later this month.Gov. Terry McAuliffe has said he would veto the measure if it were to reach his desk.“The governor opposes any legislation that will make Virginia less open and welcoming

to people based on their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation,” McAuliffespokesperson Brian Coy told the Washington Blade on Tuesday. “He’s working to build a

more equal and more prosperous Virginia and this bill is a step in the wrong direction.”MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Trans women reject plea ofer in Casa Ruby case

One of two transgender women arrested on Jan. 27 for allegedly punching andthrowing computer screens at a staff member of D.C.’s LGBT community services centerCasa Ruby says the allegations are “lies” that will be disproved at their upcoming trial.

Torkill Teriyaki Holcomb, 31, told the Washington Blade in a telephone interview onFeb. 12, that several computer terminals fell to the floor during a fight she says wasstarted by the Casa Ruby staff member at the organization’s offi ces at 2822 GeorgiaAve., N.W.

According to Holcomb, she and co-defendant Janiyah Littman, 27, who have pleadednot guilty to separate misdemeanor charges of simple assault and destruction ofproperty, will argue that they acted in self-defense.

A police arrest affi davit filed in D.C. Superior Court says the staff member and twowitnesses who were present during the incident told police that Holcomb and Littmanpunched the staff member in the face and body and threw computer monitors at her.

Casa Ruby CEO Ruby Corado, who was not present during the altercation, said thestaff member who was allegedly assaulted is a trans woman. Corado said the twowomen charged in the incident were Casa Ruby clients.

Holcomb spoke to the Blade one day after she and Littman, through their lawyers,rejected a plea bargain offer by prosecutors during a Feb. 11 Superior Court statushearing. Judge Wendell P. Gardner, who is presiding over the case, scheduled a non-jurytrial for the case on April 26.

Under D.C. Superior Court rules, all misdemeanor cases are adjudicated by trials inwhich the judge, rather than a jury, decides on the verdict.William Miller, a spokesperson for the Offi ce of the U.S. Attorney, which is prosecuting

the case, and Elliot Queen, the attorney representing Littman, declined to disclose theterms of the plea bargain offer that the two women rejected. Holcomb’s attorney,Shantal Jean-Baptiste, didn’t return calls from the Blade.

Holcomb said the plea offer involved the defendants agreeing to accept a proposedsentence of 80 days probation and 10 days in jail, but she didn’t disclose the charge to

which the deal would require them to plead guilty.In a related development, Gardner agreed to a request by Jean-Baptiste that thecourt records refer to Holcomb by her legally changed name of Torkill Teriyaki Holcombrather than her birth name. The existing court record identified Holcomb only by herbirth name and referred to her as “he.”

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Ziegfeld’s-Secrets siteto be sold to developer

The owner of the building in which the gay nightclub Ziegfeld’s-Secrets is

located has reached an agreement to sell the property along with severaladjacent buildings to a developer who may not displace Ziegfeld’s-Secrets fortwo or three years, according to the owner.

News of the impending sale of the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets building comes morethan two years after the D.C. government announced it would purchase a parcelof land across the street from the gay club to facilitate the construction of a newstadium for the D.C. United soccer team.

Denver businessman and real estate investor Martin Chernoff told theWashington Blade he reached a pre-sales agreement with the D.C. developmentcompany MRP Realty to sell the Ziegfeld’s-Secret building along with adjacentwarehouse buildings he owns on the 1800 block of Half Street, S.W., a little oversix months ago.

“This was an incremental step this week,” he told the Blade on Feb. 13. “Money

was deposited” to advance the deal, he said.“But my best guess is it will be at least three years before Ziegfeld’s-Secrets

will have to move,” Chernoff said. “The buyer wants to develop the entire area.Dealing with me was only the first step.”

The Washington Business Journal was the first to report the deal betweenChernoff and MRP Realty for the sale of the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets building.

Alan Carroll, the owner of Ziegfeld’s-Secrets who rents the building fromChernoff, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Sources familiar withthe club have said Carroll has told longtime customers he is considering retiringin the near future and may put the business up for sale.

It took Carroll nearly two years to arrange to move into the current buildingafter the club was displaced from its former location on the unit block of OStreet, S.E., by the construction of the Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

The current building on Half Street, S.W., is in the heart of the city’s BuzzardPoint section. The area is transitioning from a warehouse-industrial district intoan upscale retail, residential and entertainment district with the new soccerstadium serving as the anchor, city offi cials have said.

MRP Realty told the Washington Business Journal it plans to build a 300,000-square-foot multifamily apartment building on the site of Ziegfeld’s-Secrets and adjacentbuildings, with retail businesses planned for the ground floor.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

LOCAL NEWS FEBRUARY 19, 2016 • 05

Ziegfeld’s-Secrets

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY


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Anti-trans measure awaitsgovernor’s signature

By CHRIS [email protected]

The South Dakota State Senatesent to Gov. Dennis Daugaard onTuesday legislation that wouldenable discrimination againsttransgender students in public schools. Ifthe governor signs the bill, South Dakotawould be the first in the nation to enactan anti-trans “papers to pee” law.

The bill, HB 1008, would prohibittransgender students in public schoolsfrom using the public restroom consistent

with their gender identity. The legislation,known colloquially as the “papers topee” bill, says schools must providetransgender students with a “reasonableaccommodation,” although it can’t be ashared facility, such as a locker room orpublic restroom.

By a vote of 20-15, the Senate voted toapproved House Bill 1008, which the Housealready approved by a vote of 58-10.

It’s unclear what action Daugaardwill take on the legislation. For weeks,his offi ce hasn’t responded to multiple

requests from the Washington Bladefor his position on the legislation andwhether he would sign or veto it. InFebruary 2016, Daugaard said duringa news conference he has never met atransgender person and wouldn’t make acommitment on the legislation.

The governor was expected to offi ciallyreceive the bill Thursday. He must eithersign or veto the bill within five businessdays of transmittal, or else it becomeslaw without his signature in a procedureknown as “pocket pass.”

Alternatively, if he were inclined to vetoit but didn’t want to take that step publicly,Daugaard could ask the legislature to go backand work on it. According to a source familiarwith the South Dakota legislative process,that process occurred only once last year.

The South Dakota Senate approvedthe legislation after an hour of debate inwhich defenders of the bill said it wouldprotect children and opponents said itwould stigmatize the state. Critics alsosaid the legislation would open up SouthDakota to potential lawsuits and conflictwith the federal government, which hasdetermined transgender students areprotected from discrimination under TitleIX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

State Sen. Brock Greenfield (R-Clark),the prime sponsor of the legislation,

said the legislation is needed to preventchildren from being exposed to thegenitalia of individuals of differentbiological gender.

“I don’t mean any disrespect in bringingthis bill forward,” Greenfield said. “Isimply bring this bill forward becauseI believe that what has happened inWashington, D.C., relative to this issue —and the promotion thereof — puts ourchildren in a precarious position. We’retalking about our youth co-mingling in

bathrooms and locker rooms, biologicalmales and biological females, and a lotof my constituents approached me evenbefore the session last year and said that

just doesn’t jibe with them, that they feelthat’s inappropriate.”

State Sen. Angie Buhl O’Donnell (D-SiouxFalls) said HB1008 takes the decision outof public schools’ hands and “endangerstransgender students,” taking note ofpotential litigation against the state thatcould jeopardize the $200 million in fundsthe state receives under Title IX.

“This bill talks about biology andchromosomes,” Buhl O’Donnell said. “ButI’m really not clear on who checks that, andit’s not really from the bill. Chromosomesaren’t something you can see fromlooking at somebody. Are we going todo blood tests on students coming intokindergarten? And who pays for that?”

Buhl O’Donnell said if the bill wereabout privacy, the legislation would havea provision enabling students who havean objection to transgender youth torequest a private stall or courtesy curtain.

“Maybe this bill was not intended tobe disrespectful, but I would submit,if someone — a whole community ofpeople tells us that we are hurting them,who are we to decide that we didn’t?”Buhl O’Donnell said.

Sims drops bid for Congress

PHILADELPHIA — Gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims on Feb. 16announced that he has ended his congressional campaign.

“I wanted to personally let you know that today I have decided to end my

campaign for U.S. Congress,” said Sims in a message to his supporters.Sims last October announced that he would challenge embattled Congressman

Chaka Fattah to represent Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional District.Federal authorities in July 2015 indicted Fattah on racketeering and

conspiracy charges. State Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), Merion TownshipCommissioner Brian Gordon and Daniel Muroff are also challenging theembattled congressman.

Sims, who was endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund late last year,told his supporters that he will back Evans.

The Philadelphia Democrat on Tuesday told his supporters that he is runningfor re-election to the state legislature instead.

W.Va. ‘religious freedom’ bill advancesCHARLESTON, W.V. — Members of the West Virginia House of Representatives

on Feb. 12 approved a religious freedom bill that critics contend would allowanti-LGBT discrimination in the state.

Lawmakers approved House Bill 4134 — the West Virginia Religious FreedomRestoration Act — by a 72-26 margin.

Fairness West Virginia, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, has described HB4134 as the “License to Discriminate Bill.” It has urged members of the WestVirginia Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose the measure.

“It encourages discrimination, causes public health and safety concerns andwill hurt West Virginia’s economy,” says Fairness West Virginia on its website.

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch on Feb. 13 reported that Gov. Earl Ray

Tomblin plans to veto HB 4134 if it were to reach his desk.

Ariz. police fatally shoot trans man

MESA, Ariz. — Police in a Phoenix suburb earlier this month shot a transgenderman with Asperger’s syndrome to death.

CNN reported that the Mesa Police Department on Feb. 5 responded to a callof a suicidal person. The offi cers who responded shot Kayden Clarke when hereportedly lunged at them with a kitchen knife.

Clarke posted YouTube videos under his birth name that documented hisstruggles with Asperger’s syndrome.

Roughly 100 people on Feb. 15 attended a candlelight vigil for Clarke at a

Phoenix park.“You may have not have known him directly, but we feel a loss in ourcommunity,” said Monica Jones, a trans advocate who organized the event,according to the Arizona Republic. “He was taken from us far too soon.”

The offi cers who shot Clarke have been placed on administrative leave.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

06 • FEBRUARY 19, 2016 NATIONAL NEWS

Lawmakers sent an anti-trans bill to Gov.DENNIS DAUGAARD’s (R-S.D.) desk this week.

‘Papers to pee’ billapproved in S.D.

BRIAN SIMS has abandoned his campaign for U.S. Ho use.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY


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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS FEBRUARY 19, 2016 • 07

Rubio creates ‘marriage and family’ board

Ahead of the South Carolina Republican primary, Marco Rubio has created a “marriageand family” board for his campaign that seems intent on reversing marriage rights forgay couples.

According to a campaign statement, Rubio established the “Marriage & FamilyAdvisory Board” because he believes family is the most important institution in societyand “everyone benefits” when marriage and family thrive.

Eric Teetsel, the Rubio campaign’s director of faith outreach, referenced in anaccompanying statement the Supreme Court’s rulings against the Defense of MarriageAct and same-sex marriage bans, indicating this vision excludes gay people.

“The Supreme Court’s decisions in Windsor and Obergefell are only the most recent

example of our failure as a society to understand what marriage is and why it matters,”Teetsel said. “For decades, we have taken for granted the unique and necessarycontributions of moms and dads in the lives of their children, from lax divorce laws tomarriage penalties in the tax code and the failure of husbands and wives to live up totheir marriage vows. Marco understands the many causes of family breakdown and theconsequences. He has pulled together a board of experts who understand the sameand have devoted themselves to rebuilding a vibrant culture of marriage and family.”

Teetsel has a strong anti-gay record and called same-sex marriage a “cultural sin.”The advisory board is made up of a who’s who of anti-LGBT advocates. Among

them is Ryan Anderson, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, who’s writtenattacks on same-sex marriage and on laws prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Trump dubs Cruz a ‘liar’ for calling him pro-gay

Donald Trump unleashed a firestorm of tweets calling Ted Cruz a “liar” on Friday forhis assertion the real estate magnate’s position on same-sex marriage is the same asPresident Obama’s or Marco Rubio’s.

One week before the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, Trumpunloaded on “lying Cruz” via Twitter, calling him “the worst liar, crazy or very dishonest.Perhaps all 3?” Nowhere in the tweet did Trump actually state his position on same-sexmarriage.

Trump tweeted: “Lying Cruz put out a statement, ‘Trump & Rubio are w/Obama ongay marriage.’ Cruz is the worst liar, crazy or very dishonest. Perhaps all 3?”

It was part of a series of tweets from Trump in which he called Cruz, who’s Trump’smain competitor in South Carolina, either a liar, a sleaze or dishonest on a series oftopics.

Catherine Frazier, a Cruz spokesperson, told the Washington Blade Trump’s assertionCruz is a liar “sounds like another ‘trumpertantrum’ to me.”

“To paraphrase Margaret Thatcher, when one resorts to personal attacks, it meansthey have not a single political argument left,” Frazier said. “As for Cruz, he will notrespond in kind and will continue to focus on the substance.”

On the issue of same-sex marriage, Trump was apparently responding to a reportin Politico saying Cruz at the Carolina Values Summit at Winthrop University accusedRubio and Trump of being flimsy in their opposition to marriage equality. Accordingto Politico, each said they would abide by the “law of the land,” which Cruz called “thetalking points of Barack Obama.”

The Supreme Court decision, Cruz reportedly added, “will not stand.” Trump has saidhe doesn’t favor same-sex marriage and would consider appointing to the U.S. SupremeCourt justices who would overturn the ruling in favor of marriage equality. (He’s alsosaid forward movement on gay rights would happen under his administration, but latercouldn’t explain how if he would appoint justices who undo same-sex marriage).

Rubio, also an opponent of same-sex marriage, has indicated he would appoint justices to the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling. In New Hampshire, when a gayman confronted Rubio about his views, the candidate bizarrely replied the man shouldchange the law, even though marriage equality is the law in the state and elsewhere.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Sanders: Marriage victory due to ‘revolution’

Pitching his idea of a “political revolution” to implement radical change, Sen. BernardSanders on Friday said the victory of achieving marriage equality nationwide was theresult of revolution throughout the country.

The 2016 hopeful made the remarks during the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-LaborParty’s annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner in St.Paul prior to the caucuses in the stateon March 1.

“You think about something like gay rights,” Sanders said, “if we were sitting here10 years ago, and somebody said, ‘I think that in 2015, gay marriage will be legal in 50states in America,’ the person next to him would have said, ‘What are you smoking?’”

Sanders joked that hypothetical question “raises another issue,” referring to hissupport for legalization of marijuana.

“But the point is,” Sanders said, “that when people at the grassroots start moving,and they say, ‘This is not right. You know, in the country, people should have the rightto love anyone they want regardless of their gender,’ tremendous changes took place.And now, you go and you talk to young people, as I do, and you talk about gay marriage,they shrug their shoulders, and they say, ‘What’s the big deal?’ That’s what a revolutionis about.”

CHRIS JOHNSON

LGBT voters prefer Clinton: pollA new poll has found LGBT people in the United States favor Hillary Clinton for

president over Bernard Sanders by a margin of 48 percent to 41 percent.The poll, made public Tuesday by the San Francisco-based Community

Marketing & Insights, was conducted between Feb. 7-10 among 563 LGBTcitizens of the United States. Participants were from 46 states.

Although no margin of error was included in the poll results, CommunityMarketing & Insights affi rmed to the Washington Blade it was plus or minus 4.13.

In response to a question on which candidate respondents would votefor today, Clinton received 48 percent of the vote, followed by Sanders at 41percent. The next candidate down was Donald Trump at 2 percent, followed by

John Kasich and Marco Rubio each at 1 percent. The remaining candidates eachreceived less than one percent of the vote. Four percent of respondents were

undecided.The results are not too far off from polls of Democrats nationwide. A Quinnipiac

University poll made public on Feb. 5 found Clinton has support from 44 percentof Democrats, followed by Sanders with 42 percent and 11 percent undecided.But Community Marketing & Insights’ poll wasn’t party-specific. All LGBT peoplewere able to comment on all candidates regardless of whether the participantwas a Democrat, Republican or independent, according to the firm.

David Paisley, senior research director at Community Marketing & Insights,said in a statement the most striking aspect of the poll results is the lack ofsupport among LGBT people for Republican candidates.

“Unless something changes, the party may largely forfeit about 5 percent ofadults in the United States to the Democrats, which can cause important swingsin tight elections,” Paisley said. “Republicans perhaps could connect with LGBTs

on issues like the economy, taxation and influence of government in privatelives, but instead have chosen policies not supportive of LGBT Americans.”CHRIS JOHNSON

LGBT voters prefer HILLARY CLINTON, according to a new poll.

PHOTO BY 1PHOTO; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK.COM


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Police use water cannons against Peruvian activists

Peruvian police late last week used water cannons against a group of activists whostaged an LGBT rights protest.

More than two-dozen people gathered in Lima’s Plaza de Armas to take part in the

protest that was described as “kisses against homophobia.”Sin Etiquetas, a Lima-based LGBT website, posted pictures to its website that show

same-sex couples kissing and holding hands in the street with armored police trucks inthe background.

Other pictures show offi cers confronting the protesters. A YouTube video shows theadvocates shouting, “No to homophobia.”

Chola Contravisual, a self-described “feminist audiovisual collective” that organizedthe protest, told the Washington Blade on Sunday that police sprayed the activists withwater and kerosene from an armored truck.

The group said that a Sin Etiquetas contributor was hurt during the incident.Chola Contravisual told the Blade that an activist also suffered a bruised arm.George Liendo of Promsex, a Peruvian LGBT rights group, told the Blade that members

of his organization took part in the protest.

“The aggression was excessive towards the young people who gather each year in themain square to kiss against homophobia,” he said.

Liendo told the Blade that authorities have banned protests of “any kind” in thesquare. He said that religious processions, cultural events and other demonstrationsroutinely take place without incident.

“They (the police) are obligated to protect the LGBTI community, as it is a populationthat is particularly susceptible to violence,” said Liendo.

Peruvian LGBT rights advocates maintain that discrimination and violence remainpervasive in the conservative South American country. They also lack many of the basiclegal protections that are found in neighboring Chile and other nations in the region.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Pacquiao compares marriage to ‘sex between animals’

Manny Pacquiao this week compared marriage rights to same-sex couples to “sexbetween animals.”

“Same-sex marriage is more disgusting than (sex) between animals,” said thePhilippine boxer during an interview with the website Bilang Pilipino.

Pacquiao, who is a member of the United Nationalist Alliance, is running for a seat inthe Philippines Senate in national elections that are scheduled to take place on May 9. Hehas represented the province of Sarangani in the Philippines House of Representativessince 2010.

Jonas Bagas of TFL Sexuality, a Philippine advocacy group, blasted Pacquiao over hiscomments.

“Manny Pacquiao’s reprehensible attitude towards LGBTs and marriage equalityshows an appalling lack of understanding of human dignity,” Bagas told the WashingtonBlade. “He’s not just a popular sports icon, he is also a legislator and a candidate forhigher offi ce in the Philippines.”

“His willingness to strip LGBTs of humanity shows he’s not fit for public service,” headded.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Myanmar LGBT film festivalchallenges taboos

November 2014 was a try, a first step, to test the public and authorities’reaction.

After 60 years of dictatorship, long-secluded and conservative Myanmar wasabout to hear its LGBT voices for the first time. Hidden behind the protectivewalls of the French Institute, the first LGBT film festival ever organized inMyanmar took place, drawing more than 2,000 people together.

This year, the organizers wanted to make more space for the community toshow its existence in a bigger, longer and noisier festival. Four days of movies,mostly documentaries, providing unique insights into the lives and challengesof LGBT people in Myanmar. Something you cannot see everyday, somethingunder the radar of public opinion in a country still struggling with wider humanrights abuses. Trying to raise awareness through movies, the &Proud festival isalso a time for LGBT people to strengthen ties, reach out to others and let themknow they are not alone.

Still, the event could not take place in a public cinema.“It was our original plan,” Jeewee, one of the organizers said. “Because this is

where Myanmar people go, almost everyday, it would have been easier to getthem in. An LGBT film festival in the French Institute they don’t think it’s reallytheir place. But to do it in a movie theater, we would have had to go through thecensors, send 15 copies of every film, with translations and all. It was impossible.Films in English they are okay with because common Myanmar people don’tunderstand, but they don’t want them translated into Burmese. That’s where

they draw the line.”The struggle of LGBT people is still a sensitive issue in Myanmar.Homosexuality is a crime, says Article 377 of the penal code, or the infamous

“sodomy law.” There even seems not to a very clear understanding of who LGBTpeople are.

Some organizations like Colors Rainbow try to advocate in favor of repealingArticle 377.

“When we first met with members of the Parliament, they didn’t know whatLGBT or gender issues were,” Hia Mya Tun from Colors Rainbow explained. “Theysee the world as male, female and abnormal. They told us it’s okay, we acceptyou even though you are abnormal. That’s not what we want.”

Maybe it was because Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League forDemocracy, won the elections in a landslide last November, but LGBT people’s

hopes to be at last recognized as human beings have never been so high,even if the organizations have to start everything all other again with the newgovernment.

“We believe NLD will be really respective of our human rights as LGBT people,”Mya Tun added.

Meanwhile, for four days, the audience was able to discover the daily strugglesof the Myanmarese and Southeast Asian LGBT people unfolding on the screen.

Each year, during the Rainbow Reels workshop, three young people aretrained to create their first movie. The exclusive presentation of these shortdocumentaries is the main point of the festival: Empowering LGBT youth so thatthey are able to tell stories in their own way.

In the Burmese media; movies or commercials, homosexuality is justsomething to mock.

“There’s not even a neutral word for gay in Burmese, all terms used to describeus are just insults,” Ko Latt, a gay performer, explained.Watching a documentary made in Myanmar, formerly one the fiercest

dictatorships on earth, about LGBT people has a surrealistic touch. Commonimages of a gay couple in the most common things of their daily life seempriceless.

Daw Yu Marlar Myint is the director and star of “Dear Mom.”She made the video to reveal her sexual orientation to her mother. In an

anxious but simple fashion, she slowly comes to explain she is dating anotherwoman. Facing the camera, her hopes are that her mother will accept her.

It does not always work like that in Myanmar.Coming out is a risk that few LGBT people are ready to take, as they face

rejection from society and their family as well.“There is no space in Myanmar society for lesbians,” Aw Zar Moe, 22, a lesbian

activist, explained. “Most of the time when they come out they have to runaway from their family. Sometimes they have to sleep on the streets and can besexually abused.”

MATTHIEU BAUDEY

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

08 • FEBRUARY 19, 2016 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Police in Lima used water cannons against LGBT rights advocates who were protesting in thePeruvian capital’s main square.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FENZO SALAZAR/SIN ETIQUETAS


9/40

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM FEBRUARY 19 , 2016 • 09

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said. “Therefore, this vacancy should notbe filled until we have a new president.”

But Obama has vowed to submit anominee to the Senate for consideration.

One name that tops just about every listis U.S. Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan, whoplayed a lead role in litigation againstthe Defense of Marriage Act. The U.S.Supreme Court in 2013 ruled against theanti-gay law, which prohibited recognitionof same-sex marriage for the purposes offederal benefits.

Considered a moderate, Srinivasan,after earning his law and businessdegrees from Stanford University, clerkedfor former U.S. Associate Justice SandraDay O’Connor, a Reagan appointee. In2013, the U.S. Senate confirmed himwithout controversy by a 97-0 vote to aseat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for theD.C. Circuit.

Prior to his confirmation, Srinivasan,

now 48, was principal deputy solicitorgeneral of the United States at the timewhen litigation against the Defense ofMarriage Act was moving through thecourts and the Obama administrationdeclined to defend the anti-gay law.

Srinivasan’s name appeared nameon legal briefs from the U.S. JusticeDepartment arguing against theconstitutionality of DOMA, including theObama administration’s brief to the U.S.Supreme Court.

“Section 3 of DOMA targets the many

gay and lesbian people legally marriedunder state law for a harsh form ofdiscrimination that bears no relation totheir ability to contribute to society,” thebrief says. “It is abundantly clear thatthis discrimination does not substantiallyadvance an interest in protectingmarriage, or any other important interest.The statute simply cannot be reconciledwith the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee ofequal protection.”

Because the Obama administrationagreed with lower courts that DOMA is

unconstitutional, there was a questionover whether the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to hear the case. Srinivasanwas selected to present oral argumentsbefore the court on why it should be ableto hear the lawsuit.

Srinivasan argued in March 2013 thecourt has jurisdiction to review DOMAbased on court precedent created in INS v.Chadha, an immigration-related case thatcame before the court in 1992. Srinivasanalso said the U.S. government still suffersaggrievement, which allowed the JusticeDepartment to appeal the case.

“The reason that the governmentappealed in this case is because thepresident made the determinationthat this statute would continue to beenforced, and that was out of respect for

the Congress that enacted the law andthe president who signed it and out ofrespect for the role the judiciary in sayingwhat the law is,” Srinivasan said. “Thepoint of taking an appeal here is that thegovernment suffered an injury becausea judgement was entered against thegovernment in the court of appeals.That’s a classic case for injury.”

During his confirmation hearing beforethe Senate Judiciary Committee in spring

2013 after Obama nominated him to serveon the judiciary, Sen. Charles Grassley(R-Iowa) asked Srinivasan about his viewsof the constitutionality of DOMA, but hekept his cards close to the vest.

“My personal views have never beenrelevant to positions I have taken onbehalf of a client, and they would certainlynot be relevant to any of my jobs, myfulfillment of my responsibilities wereI fortunate enough to be confirmed,”Srinivasan said.

Under questioning from Sen.

Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on the Obamaadministration’s decision to stopdefending DOMA, Srinivasan pointedout that determination was made in2011 before he took a job in the JusticeDepartment.

In addition to his role in overturningDOMA, Srinivasan also has a distinctivepersonal story. A native of India,Srinivasan as a youth immigrated with hisfamily in the late 1960s to Kansas, wherehe attended high school and played onthe school basketball team.

Any nominee wil l likely face diffi cultyin a presidential election year withRepublicans in control of the U.S. Senate.Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has pledged tofilibuster any nominee Obama puts forth.

Srinivasan is but one of several names

mentioned in the media as a potentialsuccessor to Scalia. Others are U.S. NinthCircuit Judge Paul Watford, who wouldadd another black voice to the court; U.S.Eighth Circuit Judge Jane Kelly, who wasunanimously confirmed by the Senate;U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch;Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); and U.S.Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the D.C.Circuit, who’s considered more appealingto Republicans because he’s a moderate

and older at 63.Another name mentioned is Colorado

Supreme Court Chief Justice MonicaMarquez, a lesbian. Her confirmationwould make her the first openly LGBT

justice on the Supreme Court.

Long anti-gay record

Many in the LGBT community reviledScalia for leading the dissent against majorcourt decisions in favor of gay rights —

ranging from the 1996 decision of Romerv. Evans, which struck down Colorado’santi-gay Amendment 2; to the 2003 rulingof Lawrence v. Texas, which struck downstate sodomy bans; to the 2013 Windsorv. United States ruling, which struck downSection 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act;to the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision,which struck down state bans on same-sex marriage.

In his dissent in the decision againstDOMA, Scalia forecast lower courtswould rely on the majority opinion tostrike bans on state same-sex marriage,which turned out to be right under theSupreme Court ruling affi rming they wereunconstitutional.

“How easy it is, indeed how inevitable,to reach the same conclusion with regard

to state laws denying same-sex couplesmarital status,” Scalia wrote. “No oneshould be fooled; it is just a matter oflistening and waiting for the other shoe.”

During oral arguments in Obergefell,Scalia expressed concern about adecision against bans on gay nuptialsrequiring ministers to perform same-sexwedding ceremonies — something justabout every legal observer agreed wouldnot happen.

Although Mary Bonauto, the attorneyarguing against the marriage laws beforethe court, insisted these clergy wouldcontinue to have a right to refuse toperform same-sex marriages no matterwhat the court ruled, Scalia was unmoved.

“If it’s a state law, you can make theseexemptions, when it’s a constitutionalrequirement, I don’t see how you can,”Scalia said.

In his dissent in the Obergefell decision,Scalia railed not so much against what hecalled the law recognizing as marriage

“whatever sexual attachments and livingarrangements it wishes,” but usurpationof power by the Supreme Court.

“This practice of constitutional revisionby an unelected committee of nine,always accompanied (as it is today) byextravagant praise of liberty, robs thepeople of the most important libertythey asserted in the Declaration ofIndependence and won in the Revolutionof 1776: The freedom to governthemselves,” Scalia wrote.

Scalia has also been criticized for

expressing anti-gay views outside of hisformal opinions and the court. In 2012,Scalia defended his past anti-gay writingswhen confronted by a gay student atPrinceton University by comparinglaws against homosexuality to thoseprohibiting bestiality and murder.

“If we cannot have moral feelingsagainst homosexuality, can we haveit against murder?” Scalia asked inresponse to a question. “Can we have itagainst other things? I don’t apologize forthe things I raise.”

Jon Davidson, legal director for LambdaLegal, offered condolences to Scalia’sfamily and, despite the justice’s anti-gayviews, praised his commitment to service.

“Despite his not being a friend to ourcommunity or to the causes of racial andreproductive justice, Justice Scalia was astaunch defender of important aspects ofthe Constitution, especially rights to freespeech and against unreasonable searchand seizure,” Davidson said.

Scalia’s last offi cial action as aSupreme Court justice was apparentlyhis referral to the full court a requestto stay the execution in Texas of JuanMartin Garcia, who’s intellectuallydisabled and murdered a man during thecourse of a robbery in 1998. The courtdenied the stay.

Potential Supreme Court pick had role in overturning DOMA

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

10 • FEBRUARY 19, 2016 NATIONAL NEWS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

SRI SRINAVASAN is considered a potential replacement for Antonin Scalia on the Supreme

Court.


11/40

Republican who was former Maryland Gov.Bob Ehrlich’s legal counsel, late last yeardeclared his candidacy for the Mikulskiseat. State Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimoreand Harford Counties), Anthony Sedaand Richard Douglas will face off againstKefalas in the GOP primary.

Edwards told the Blade that Mikulski’sretirement announcement “really caughtus all by surprise.”

“I thought that I could offer a reallydifferent kind of voice in the United StatesSenate that would respect and live up tothe legacy that Sen. Mikulski has left, butalso add to that legacy,” said Edwards.

Edwards was the first executivedirector of the National Network to EndDomestic Violence, which worked tosecure passage of the Violence AgainstWomen Act in 1994.

She later worked at Public Citizen and

the Center for a New Democracy beforebecoming the executive director ofthe Arca Foundation in 2000. Edwardshas represented Maryland’s 4thCongressional District in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives since she won a specialelection to succeed Albert Wynn in 2008.

Edwards pointed out to the Blade thatshe was the first member of the Marylandcongressional delegation to publicly backmarriage rights for same-sex couples.

She publicly spoke in support ofMaryland’s same-sex marriage law that

then-Gov. Martin O’Malley signed in2012. Voters in the same year upheld thestatute in a referendum.

“It’s from my fundamental value system,which is that you can’t have differentcategories of equality,” Edwards told theBlade. “Whenever inequality pops up, youhave to smack back at it.”

Edwards, who is a congregant at FortFoote Baptist Church in Fort Washington,acknowledged to the Blade that herpastor “completely disagrees with myviews on marriage equality.”

She said that he nevertheless supportsher “overwhelmingly anyway” becauseshe “was straight forward with them andthat I didn’t dance around the issues.”Edwards told the Blade that she also metwith other pastors in her district beforeher 2008 election to explain her positionon LGBT-specific issues.

“It’s hard to concede that you get electedwithout the support of those pastors andthose communities,” she said. “I looked atthem and I said to them I could give you ananswer that kind of dances around things,but I’m going to tell you that I supportequality wherever there is inequality.”

Edwards said she asked the pastorswhether they would want the governmentto interfere with the operation of theirrespective churches. She told the Blade

that their “universal answer was no.”“Then I said, ‘and so when government

has to be about the business of makingsure that there is equal treatment of allof our citizens, no matter their gender, nomatter their race, no matter their religion,no matter their sexual orientation, whywould you as pastors want to meddlein what the government does,’” saidEdwards. “That is the last conversationthat I ever had with pastors about that.”

She has also taken part in BaltimorePride and attended events for EqualityMaryland, a statewide LGBT advocacygroup that will merge with FreeStateLegal later this year. Edwards is also aco-sponsor of the Equality Act, whichwould amend federal civil rights lawto ban discrimination based on sexualorientation and gender identity.

Shortly after she took offi ce, Edwardssecured funding that allowed Marylandto join a U.S. Department of Agriculture

program that provides dinner to low-income students. The congresswomanlast year introduced a bill that wouldallow state and federal prisoners to onceagain become eligible for Pell grants.

“It was my experience of visiting jails andprisons that led me to that,” said Edwards.

Edwards also discussed Freddie Gray’sdeath last April from injuries he sufferedwhile in police custody.

She told the Blade that the case highlightsthe need to reduce unemploymentrates among Baltimoreans of color,

rebuild infrastructure and expand skillstraining. Edwards added Gray’s deathalso underscores the need to extendresources to law enforcement agencies“to do the kind of ongoing trainingand competency development that’snecessary for law enforcement to interactwith communities in a responsible way.”

Edwards said that she will also work withBaltimore’s next mayor to “begin to deliver”results on housing, increased federalfunding to tackle poverty and other issues.

“These are issues that are multiple

fold,” she told the Blade.Edwards’ latest campaign filing with theFederal Election Commission indicatesshe had $299,459.68 in the bank at theend of 2015. This figure compares to the$3,663,652 that Van Hollen had duringthe same period.

A poll that Gonzales Research andMarketing Strategies released last monthshows Van Hollen ahead of Edwards by a38-36 percent margin. The survey has a5.8 percent margin of error.

“It’s a sprint right up until Election Day,”Edwards told the Blade.

Edwards’ LGBT supporters with whomthe Blade spoke said they are confidentthat the congresswoman will be aneffective member of the U.S. Senate.

“LGBT issues are sort of based on equity and

justice,” said Kathleen Maloy of Chevy Chaseon Tuesday during a telephone interview.“Donna has stood for that her whole life.”

Rev. Merrick Moise, an LGBT rightsadvocate in Baltimore, agreed.

Moise told the Blade on Tuesdaythat Edwards is “unequivocal in hersupport of the community.” He said the

congresswoman also “understands theplight of everyday Marylanders.”

“She absolutely has a chance becauseshe has the support of grassroots folks,”Moise told the Blade, referring to Edwards’campaign. “She is uniquely positioned asan African-American woman who hasadvocated for a whole host of issues.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Edwards seeks to be a ‘voice’ in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NEWS FEBRUARY 19, 2016 • 11

Jerusalem square to berenamed in honor of slain teen

Jerusalem authorities have announced they will rename a square in honor ofa teenager who was stabbed to death during a Pride march.

The Jerusalem Municipality on Monday announced that Zion Square will berenamed Tolerance Square.

“Zion Square in the historic heart of downtown Jerusalem — which for manyyears attracted protests, demonstrations and clashes — will soon becomea square to represent tolerance and mutual respect in the spirit of the lateShira Banki, murdered during the Gay Pride Parade,” said the municipality in astatement, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Prosecutors allege that Yishai Schlissel on July 30, 2015, stabbed Banki to deathand injured five others who were taking part in the Pride march. Schlissel, whois an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, previously served a 10-year prison sentence inconnection with the stabbing of three people during a Jerusalem Pride march

in 2005. Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, a local advocacy groupthat organized the Pride march, in a statement noted that LGBT Jerusalemitesgathered in Zion Square hours after last July’s attack “to grieve and protest.”

“We welcome the decision of the municipality and are amazed by the strengthand commitment by the Banki family to spread light in Jerusalem,” said the

Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance. “We will continue to work withour partners to make Jerusalem the city that celebrates diversity and protectsits minorities.”

Monday’s announcement comes less than a month after more than 200protesters forced the cancellation of a reception at the National LGBTQ TaskForce’s Creating Change Conference that was to have featured Sarah Kala-Meirand Tom Canning from the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance.

A Wider Bridge, an organization that seeks to bolster “LGBTQ connections withIsrael,” organized the reception. The protesters opposed “pinkwashing,” whichthey describe as the promotion of Israel’s LGBT rights record in an attempt todeflect attention away from its controversial policies towards the Palestinians.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Jerusalem authorities have announced they will rename a square in honor of SHIRABANKI, who was stabbed to death last July during a Pride march.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JERUSALEM OPEN HOUSE


12/40

Community Center to host mayoral forumThe Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender

Community Center of Baltimore and CentralMaryland (GLCCB) will host a mayoral forumon LGBT issues on March 8. It will take placefrom 6-9 p.m. at H. Mebane Turner LearningCommons, University of Baltimore, 1415Maryland Ave. in Baltimore.

With Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake not seeking re-election, more than 30candidates have filed.

“In collaboration with LGBTQ organizationsacross the city, we will narrow our concernsinto 4-5 focus areas and solicit questions fromcommunity members around these areas,”

Jabari Lyles, executive director of the GLCCBand board president, told the Blade.

“At our town hall on Wednesday, March 2, community members will be able tovet the questions and hear from different LGBT leaders about issues that affectus. This is an important project for GLCCB and for Baltimore. We are especiallyexcited to do this work because these are the things an LGBTQ communitycenter should be doing — harnessing the collective LGBTQ voice in our city andproviding opportunities to unite and empower our community,” Lyles said.

State activists schedule ‘listening sessions’

Following the announcement last month that Maryland’s statewide LGBT policyand legal advocacy organizations are merging to form a statewide political andlegal advocacy organization on behalf of the LGBTQ communities in Maryland,FreeState Legal and Equality Maryland will host a series of listening sessionsacross the state of Maryland. These listening sessions will be an opportunity forcommunity members to engage directly with organizational leaders around theissues that matter most to them, and help FreeState Legal/Equality Marylandshape its vision.

The first such session that had been scheduled at the PFLAG Columbia-Howard County general meeting on Feb. 9 was postponed because of snow. Ithas been rescheduled for April 12.

Other sessions have been scheduled for Wyes Mill (Feb. 23), Salisbury (March8), and Frederick (March 15).

For more information and to schedule an event in your community, contactSaida Agostini at [email protected].

AIDS Walk & Run hopes to raise $120,000

In an effort to further expand its HIV testing, awareness, and careprograms, Chase Brexton Health Care aims to raise $120,000 duringthe second annual AIDS Walk & Run Baltimore on Sunday, May 1.The event takes place at the Maryland Zoo, 1876 Mansion House Dr.,in Baltimore.

“HIV and AIDS remain a major problem in Baltimore and a leading cause ofdeath here,” said Amy Tignanelli, Chase Brexton special events coordinator in astatement. “We urge people in the community to come out and walk or run —and support this critically important effort to raise funds to expand testing andtreatment.”

Chase Brexton states that funds raised this year will help furnish two largevans, which the organization will use as mobile HIV testing, education andassistance units. The vehicles will be unveiled at this year’s event.

“These mobile vans will make an enormous difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Baltimore area,” said Ken Ruby, Chase Brexton director of operationsfor HIV Care Continuum and Social Work Services. “It’s crucial that we reach outto people where they live to provide the services they need.”

According to the CDC, Baltimore’s rate of HIV infection is 7.5 times higher thanthe national average, and the fourth leading cause of death in the city. Baltimoreaccounts for 41 percent of all new HIV cases in Maryland, and one in six residentshave never been tested for the disease.

To register, visit baltimoreaidswalk.org.STEVE CHARING

‘We are especially excited todo this work because theseare the things an LGBTQ

community center should bedoing,’ said JABARI LYLES,executive director of theGLCCB.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GLCCB

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

12 • FEBRUARY 19, 2016 BALTIMORE NEWS

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Gay porn star infects two others with HIV ATLANTA — A gay porn star infected two other individuals — one another

performer — with HIV despite testing negative less than a month before, theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last week in what it’scalling the “first well-documented” such case.

According to researchers, in 2014 a 25-year-old gay porn actor, “Patient A” in thereport, tested negative for HIV and over the next 22 days had unprotected sex with17 others. The next HIV test came back positive and further testing showed he’dtransmitted the virus to two men, one of whom was another adult film performer.

In the report titled “Occupational HIV transmission Among Male Adult FilmPerformers,” the CDC reports:

• Patient A tested positive for HIV and rectal gonorrhea after six days of

symptoms. Ten days before the symptoms began, he’d tested negative for HIV.• During the 22 ensuing days after the first test, Patient A had sex with 12 male

performers in work for two different production companies. He also providedcontact information for five male non-work-related sexual partners he’d hadduring the month prior to symptom onset.

• Neither Patient A nor any of his interviewed sexual partners were on PrEP.• Through tracing of HIV sequences, researchers said Patient A was likely

infected by a non-work-related partner and that Patient A then likely infectedboth a coworker during the second production and a non-work partner.

The CDC said testing alone is “not suffi cient” to prevent HIV transmission.“Condom use provides additional protection from HIV and sexually transmitted

infections,” CDC offi cers said in the report. “Performers and all persons at riskfor HIV infection in their professional and personal lives should discuss the use

of PrEP with their medical providers.”Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said the

porn industry failed this individual, who has not been named.“For years adult film producers have claimed that their testing program works

and that performers who tested HIV-positive while working in the industrydid not contract HIV at work, but became infected through exposure in theirpersonal lives away from adult film sets,” he said. “Today’s report from the CDCputs truth to that industry lie.”

Lesbian moms do better with support networks

BETHESDA, Md. — Lesbian moms raising children under the age of 18 are less

depressed when they have outside support researchers have found.Results of a 2011 study are in and researchers at the National Institute

of Health say general stress is the most significant kind of stress facing self-identified lesbian mothers.

Participants completed an anonymous online survey between May andDecember 2011. Researchers examined the relationship the moms experiencedbetween symptoms of depression and three areas — social support, minoritystress and general stress.

Each had a “significantly positive relationship to depressive symptoms,”they found, but general stress was the most significant factor. Through socialsupport, lesbian mothers were able to “fully mediate” the link between minoritystress and depressive symptoms.

Researchers wanted to find out if higher levels of social support made a

difference. They hypothesized that it would.The study also provides support for the development of intervention strategiesto decrease general stress and increase social support, the researchers said.

Queer women less likely to get cancer screenings

BETHESDA, Md. — A new study has found that lesbian, bisexual and queerwomen and transgender men have unique challenges in accessing cervicalcancer screening services and are less likely to get them, the National Instituteof Health reports.

Data was collected on LBQ women and trans men ages 21-65 through in-depth phone interviews and an online questionnaire. Most were non-Hispaniclesbians who had routine cervical cancer screenings.

The study found that although there are factors that overlap with the generalfemale population, some areas are specific to LBQ women and trans men.Creating welcoming and inclusive health care environments is important toreach this population, researchers said.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

HEALTH NEWS FEBRUARY 19, 2016 • 13

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Optimal impact

Plan your pre- and post-workoutmeals strategically

You’ve committed yourself to

the workout routine. The toughtraining sessions, the daily sweatand maybe even to eating rightthroughout the day. You’vealready mastered the hard part,but could you be getting more outof your workouts? With the rightbasic nutrition and recovery, youabsolutely can.

This isn’t an article aboutdowning pre-workout shakesand energy gels, but rather about

providing you with basic guidelines to help maximize your workouts and results.

When you stop thinking about food as food and start thinking about it as fuel,you will find that your body (the engine) has got way more horsepower andmiles per gallon than you ever expected.

Before the workout: Eating before the workout can be tricky. If you trainearly in the morning, you don’t necessarily have the luxury of time to digest asignificant meal. But rather than skip breakfast, it’s important to get somethingsmall into the stomach that’s going to be gentle and isn’t going to turn on you 30minutes into your training session.

Ideally, it would have some fats, sugars and carbs but still be very light. Ahandful of berries is easily digestible and can provide a good hour’s worth ofnatural energy. Another strong substitute for someone on a time crunch wouldbe half a banana dipped in honey. This can be eaten as little as 20-30 minutesbefore the workout with no negative impact. A little coffee can be good before

the workout too, but you may need to leave a little extra time to take care ofbusiness before training begins.Have a bit more time before your workout? Try half a bagel or English muffi n

with peanut butter and jelly or some oatmeal with a little fruit in it. That givesyou the carbs, sugars and healthy fats your body will be craving part way throughyour workout. For the aforementioned items, 60-90 minutes of digestion time isrecommended.

And the most important pre-workout eating tip: Don’t drink milk unless youlike cottage cheese.

Post workout: Your post-workout nutrition can make or break the results ofyour training session, as well as your ability to recover quickly so you can getback to training. Without going too far into the science of recovery, the followingtips will be greatly beneficial to your training:

Try to down a recovery meal or shake in the first 45 minutes post workout.You will want to ingest a minimum of 25 grams of protein, but what mostpeople don’t realize is you should consume anywhere from two to four gramsof carbohydrates for every one gram of protein. This meal is not only going torepair your muscles, but also refill your glycogen stores, which provide energyduring the endurance portions of your workout.

If you don’t want to chug a recovery shake, other quality options include aglass of chocolate milk, chicken or fish with brown rice and vegetables, or evenan omelet.

Rehydration is also critical to recovery. You not only lose fluids, but also agreat deal of salt and other electrolytes, when you sweat. In addition to drinkingwater, try adding foods like bananas (potassium), olives (sodium) and leafygreens (magnesium) to your diet. These electrolytes aid in muscle contractionand can help prevent cramping during future workouts.

Eating the right things doesn’t have to be diffi cult or time consuming. It justrequires a little preparation. Fuel the engine right and perform the propermaintenance and you will quickly see noticeable improvements in both yourworkout performance and recovery.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 • FEBRUARY 19, 2016 FITNESS

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His record includes decades

of attacks on LGBT Americans

Although it’s true that you shouldn’t

speak ill of the dead, it’s diffi cult to assessthe record of Supreme Court Justice Anto-nin Scalia without getting angry. Especiallyif you’re gay.

The social media spectacle over theweekend of some liberal gays celebratingScalia’s death, while being shamed by theirmore conservative (and tasteful) friendshighlighted this problem.

We can find sympathy for Scalia’s familyand friends — a group that included RuthBader Ginsburg — while feeling relievedthat Scalia is no longer in a position to sit

in harsh judgment of our lives and love.It’s hard to blame those who found somerelief in Scalia’s death, given his glee in dis-paraging gays. There has been a lot of mis-guided praise for Scalia since his death.

Let’s be clear: If Scalia had his way, notonly would gay couples not be legally mar-rying, we’d also lack basic anti-discrimi-nation protections. In 1996, in his dissentin Romer v. Evans, Scalia described Colo-rado’s law that sought to kill anti-discrim-ination protections as a, “modest attemptby seemingly tolerant Coloradans to pre-serve traditional sexual mores against theefforts of a politically powerful minority.”

His dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, whichoverturned sodomy laws, likened gay sexto incest and bestiality, among other illsthe public could justifiably exert its “moraldisapproval” to ban.

And in his dissent in the Obergefell casethat ended bans on same-sex marriage,Scalia saw a threat to democracy itself. “Iwrite separately to call attention to thisCourt’s threat to American democracy,”Scalia began his screed.

He continued, “This practice of constitu-

tional revision by an unelected committeeof nine, always accompanied (as it is to-day) by extravagant praise of liberty, robsthe People of the most important libertythey asserted in the Declaration of Inde-

pendence and won in the Revolution of1776: the freedom to govern themselves.”

So much for protecting the minorityfrom the tyranny of the majority.

Scalia is closely identified with the con-cept of “originalism,” or the view that theConstitution’s meaning is locked as of thetime it was adopted. This notion, of course,ignores the amendment process and theNinth Amendment entirely, which states,“The enumeration in the Constitution, ofcertain rights, shall not be construed todeny or disparage others retained by thepeople.” This concept also constrains jus-tices who might adapt to new times, tech-

nologies and concepts that would havebeen totally foreign to the Founding Fa-thers. It’s a restrictive view that put Scaliaat odds with liberals and some conserva-tives alike during his 29 years on the highcourt.

What’s even more distasteful than thesocial media celebrations of Scalia’s deathare the assertions by Republicans like

Sens. Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz thatthe GOP will oppose ANY replacement put

forth by President Obama, per his consti-tutional duty. Let’s hope the Republicanshave miscalculated on this craven plan andin blocking a moderate Obama appointeeare faced with the prospect of PresidentHillary Clinton getting the pick — with aDemocratic Senate to advise and consent.

There can be no doubt that the GOP haslost its way. There must be a reckoning— the mindless lunatics of the Tea Partymust be cut loose so the remaining sen-sible voices can reshape a GOP for a mod-ern era. The anti-intellectualism endorsed

by George W. Bush, Sarah Palin and oth-ers has predictably led the party to whereit is today: The brink of nominating a racist,washed-up reality TV star as its candidatefor president.

Obama should teach them one final les-son and cram the most liberal nominee hecan find down the throats of these trea-sonous Republicans.

VIEWPOINT FEBRUARY 19, 2016 • 15

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EDITORIAL CARTOON

Relieved that Scaliacan no longer judge us


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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

16 • FEBRUARY 19, 2016 INSIDE LGBT WASHINGTON

KATHI WOLFE, a writer and poet, is a regularcontributor to the Blade.

VIEWPOINT

I’m voting based oncharacter, not gender

In 1976, I met the sisterhood at a femi-nism seminar in Loveland, Ohio. There,I learned an invaluable lesson: I’d lovesome women, queer or hetero, as muchor more than my family. Yet, my femi-nist beliefs would never keep me fromdisliking other women. And, while somewomen like me, others, feminist or not,will never warm to me. I’m reminded ofmy feminist immersion, as questions of

feminism, sexism and gender rock the2016 presidential campaign. Are womenobligated to vote for Hillary Clinton withthe hope of electing the first womanpresident? Is there sexism surrounding

Hillary’s campaign? Does Bernie Sanders,a white straight man, care about women’sissues? What were Gloria Steinem andMadeleine Albright thinking when theyrecently went off the rails? What aboutLGBT women?

Like many women of all generations,I’ve long considered Steinem to be iconic.At a time when many women had a hardtime obtaining credit and buying prop-erty, were denied entry into many profes-sions from medicine to the law and wereoften fired from their jobs if they becamepregnant, Steinem was one of the firstto put equality for women on the radarscreen.

For too long, the feminist movementwas homophobic. Betty Friedan, authorof the groundbreaking “The FeminineMystique,” decried the “lavender men-ace.” (She apologized decades later.) And,feminism, too frequently, has only beenfor white, cisgender, middle-class andwealthy women.

Yet, over the decades, Steinem (alongwith some other feminists) has becomean LGBT ally, who sees the intersectionali-ty of race, sexism, class, homophobia andtransphobia. In 2013, I wrote in the Blade

about being thrilled to hear Steinem, then79, speak at the National Press Club twodays before she received the Presiden-tial Medal of Freedom from PresidentObama. “Women’s issues are not sepa-rate from economic issues,” she said,adding that “getting mad” at present-dayinjustice is more important than remem-bering feminist history. Being grateful forhistory had never gotten her to “vote foranything,” Steinem said.

I couldn’t believe it when Steinem re-cently told HBO host Bill Maher thatyoung women were voting for Sanders sothey could hang with young guys. “Whenyou’re young, you’re thinking: ‘Where arethe boys?’ The boys are with Bernie.”

Along with many women — from mil-lennials to boomers — I wondered: Whatin the world was Steinem thinking? “It’s aninsult to the cause which I’ve fought for!”a 69-year-old friend told me, “I want Ber-nie to be president! Why should I vote foranyone just because they’re a woman?”

Ruth, 77, my college history of scienceprofessor, agreed. “I’m voting for Hillary,”she said, “but because she’s the mostqualified. Not because she’s a woman.”

As a lesbian, I’m bothered by the sex-

ism and heterosexism in Steinem’s re-marks. I don’t believe young women arefeeling the Bern to meet “girls.” Yet, I dowonder: Is Steinem going back (even in

jest) to the days when LGBT women wereexcluded from the feminist movement?

Nobody likes a scold, Albright, the firstfemale secretary of state, discovered ear-lier this month at a New Hampshire rally.“There’s a special place in hell for womenwho don’t help each other,” she admon-ished women who aren’t voting for Hill-ary.

Steinem and Albright apologized. “In acase of talk show interruptus, I misspoke,”Steinem wrote on Facebook. “Whetherthey gravitate to Bernie or Hillary, youngwomen are activist and feminist in great-er numbers than ever before.”

She said her well-known line abouthell and women in the wrong context, Al-bright wrote in a New York Times opinionpiece. “I did not mean to argue that wom-en should support a particular candidate

based solely on gender,” she wrote.I’d love to see the first woman presi-

dent. But as an LGBT person and anAmerican, I’ll vote on the basis of workand character, not just gender.

Steinem, Albright go o the rails for Hillary

President should considerSri Srinivasan, Paul Smith

When Antonin Scalia died it immediatelyopened up the debate about who mightreplace him on the Supreme Court. Republi-cans say they will block any attempt by Presi-dent Obama to get a nominee confirmed inthe last 10 months of his term. The presidentsaid he will nominate someone. Republicans

clearly count on one of their clown car ofcandidates being elected president but his-tory shows 24 justices have been nominatedat the end of a president’s term.

President Obama is right to make a nomi-nation and the question is who he thinkshe can viably get through the process. Thatwon’t be easy, even if Republicans agree to

hold hearings. Including the two indepen-dents who caucus with them, Democratshave only 46 senators and they will needat least 60 to move a nomination forward.So the question is whether within the right-wing Republican Party there are 14 Repub-lican senators from blue states who wouldvote for an Obama nominee.

One nominee who may have a shot at

getting confirmed is Sri Srinivasan. In 2013,Mother Jones columnist Adam Serwerwrote about Srinivasan, “The governmentlawyer Barack Obama has nominated tothe prestigious US Court of Appeals for theDC Circuit,” is “the Supreme Court nomineein waiting.” He added, “Srinivasan’s back-ground is as a litigator, meaning he’s spentmost of his career defending other people’spositions rather than his own. That meansthat although he’s well regarded amonglegal elites of all stripes, his own views areless than clear.” In today’s world it is un-

fortunate that is a positive for court nomi-nees. Because neither conservatives norliberals could be 100 percent sure whetherhe shared their views. Srinivasan was con-firmed by the Senate 97 to 0.

Jeffrey Toobin wrote in 2014 he thoughtSrinivasan would be a top pick for the Su-preme Court. “As I’ve noted before, Srini-

vasan is the front-runner. Like Sotomayor,Srinivasan has a great (and marketable)American story. The child of immigrantsfrom India, Srinivasan grew up in Lawrence,Kansas, earned a J.D. /M.B.A. from Stan-ford, and clerked for a pair of Republican

judges, J. Harvie Wilkinson III and SandraDay O’Connor. As Obama’s deputy solicitorgeneral, he argued twenty-five cases be-

fore the high court. Even in the malignantpolitical atmosphere of the contemporarySenate, that margin might make him a safepick for the Supreme Court. Making historywith the first Indian-American Justice mighttempt him.”

While there isn’t any clear indication thatSrinivasan is a total liberal he did work inObama’s solicitor general’s offi ce and he didfile a number of pro bono briefs opposingrestrictive voter ID laws and supporting af-firmative action. He represented a Spanish-speaking child in Arizona in a case alleging

the state had failed to provide enough Eng-lish-instruction to students learning Englishas a second language. Liberals can takeheart Srinivasan was on the legal team thatrepresented Al Gore in Bush v. Gore.

For something totally different and his-tory making the president could nominatePaul Smith, a gay attorney, who was men-

tioned in a Washington Post article on possi-ble nominees. The Jenner and Block websitesays Paul M. Smith is chair of the Appellateand Supreme Court Practice and co-chair ofthe Media and First Amendment, and Elec-tion Law and Redistricting Practices.

Smith has made oral arguments in 17Supreme Court cases. As far as the impor-tance, especially in the LGBT community,

most would think his biggest case was hisvictory in Lawrence v. Texas, the landmarkgay rights case. But another big victory rec-ognized in the legal community is his win inBrown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass’n,which established the First Amendmentrights of those who produce and sell videogames.

According to Smith’s bio, “ChambersUSA has named Mr. Smith one of the coun-try’s leading lawyers in appellate litigation,media and entertainment law, and FirstAmendment litigation for multiple years.”

The National Law Journal named him one ofthe Decade’s Most Influential Lawyers andSmith was awarded the Thurgood MarshallAward by the American Bar Association Sec-tion of Individual Rights and Responsibilitiesfor his work promoting civil rights and civilliberties. Now that would be a real historymaking appointment.

Obama has solid court choices

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a longtime DemocraticParty and LGBT rights activist. He is a regularcontributor to the Blade.


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OUR BUSINESS MATTERS FEBRUARY 19, 2016 • 17

MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneurand community business advocate. Followon Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him [email protected].

Sanders, Trump moresymptom than symbol amid

voter disafection

Presidential candidates Ber

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