Washington Blade Feature

Scholarly pursuits

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EST

Scholarly pursuits
Point Foundation's new group of scholarship winners includes two from D.C. area
By AMY CAVANAUGH
Friday, July 04, 2008
Georgetown University Law student Kelsey Phipps, 28, says her sexual orientation inspired her to pursue a career in public service.

“A lot of folks would say that being LGBT would not have a bearing or impact in what they do everyday, but for me the experience has shaped my desire to be in public service,” she says. “I want to go do things that will help others, and a law degree gives you strong training for dealing with communities that are disenfranchised. It's the area I think I can make a difference.”

Phipps is the recipient of a Point Foundation scholarship, which provides money to gay students. The foundation recently announced that ...

Think before you ink

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EST

Think before you ink
Washington's gay tattoo fans offer tips on turning yourself into a work of art
By ZACK ROSEN
Friday, June 27, 2008

It's no secret that gays love tattoos. Last Friday's Queerfest, an alternative dance party at the Black Cat, displayed more ink than most newspapers. Though the straight crowd has spent its own time under the needle, it seems that Washington's queer population is equally, if not more, fond of their body art. Trendy, even clichéd tattoos are certainly prevalent (barbed wire arm bands, anyone?), but there are plenty of unique adornments walking out of local tattoo parlors.

“I had a guy come in once and his initial interest was something that represented his sexuality,” says Fatty, the straight, one-named owner of Fatty's Custom Tattooz and Body Piercing in Dupont ...

City by the sea

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EST

City by the sea
Halifax features natural beauty, culinary delights — and vibrant Pride events
By AMY CAVANAUGH
Friday, June 20, 2008
When it comes to getting out of town for a weekend, area residents usually head to the same places: New York, Philadelphia or Rehoboth Beach. But for an incremental amount of travel time, locals can travel to Halifax, Nova Scotia, a city that embraces its nautical heritage and offers visitors cultural and culinary delights at every turn. And with the city's Pride celebration coming up in July, you'll have a perfect excuse to visit.

Pride Chair Hugo Dann says the parade, held on July 26, is attended annually by 30,000 people, with 7,000 people participating in the parade. The Pride festivities run the week leading up to the parade, with notable events including a ceilidh, an Ir ...

Silver's the new gold

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EST

Silver's the new gold
This year's Silverdocs film festival is bigger than ever and includes strong gay offerings
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, June 13, 2008

Washington boasts a daunting cultural calendar, but one of the year's top events is Silverdocs, the AFI and Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. This international slate of documentary films, now in its sixth year, has grown considerably during its tenure at the AFI Silver Theatre, so much so that this year's festival has added days and increased screening venues.

The Silverdocs programmers whittled down almost 2,000 submissions to 108 eight films from 63 countries, and the movies run the gamut from the political to the sacred and the delightfully profane.

This year's opening film is “All Together Now,” a backstage look at the creative process for “L ...

Hot summer flicks

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EST

Hot summer flicks
ABBA musical, touching documentaries make for a gay time at the movie house
By REBECCA ARMENDARIZ
Friday, June 06, 2008

This summer features a limited selection of gay-themed indie films, a few appealing summer blockbusters and the seemingly inevitable step backwards for gay representation in film.

Adam Sandler, criticized by some gay advocates for his film “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” returns with another vehicle filled with gay stereotypes. He appears this season in “You Don't Mess With the Zohan,” opening June 6, a film about an Israeli secret agent who fakes his death before heading to the U.S. to pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist.

The cliché of the flaming gay hairdresser predictably comes into play here. Written by Sandler and Robert ...

Some really good 'Sex'

Fri, 30 May 2008 05:00:00 EST

Some really good 'Sex'
New film reminds us that we can survive dark times with help of good friends
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, May 30, 2008

Flowing fabrics, anonymous sex, couture, heaps of shoes and the tried-and-true friendships of best girlfriends — of course, we're talking about “Sex and the City.” Gay fans everywhere will be queuing up to catch the long-awaited film, which opens May 30, although some might want to check theaters before heading out. Many area multiplexes, including Georgetown, Gallery Place and Regal 10 Bethesda, are already selling out opening day screenings.

Starting in 1998, the series about four single (and sometimes not) women living in New York became a runaway hit that spanned a total of six seasons and ended in 2004. Not surprisingly, the girl-power story, which came with ...

Some really good 'Sex'

Fri, 23 May 2008 05:00:00 EST

Some really good 'Sex'
New film reminds us that we can survive dark times with help of good friends
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, May 23, 2008
Flowing fabrics, anonymous sex, couture, heaps of shoes and the tried-and-true friendships of best girlfriends — of course, we're talking about "Sex and the City." Gay fans everywhere will be queuing up to catch the long-awaited film, which opens May 30, although some might want to check theaters before heading out. Many area multiplexes, including Georgetown, Gallery Place and Regal 10 Bethesda, are already selling out opening day screenings.

Starting in 1998, the series about four single (and sometimes not) women living in New York became a runaway hit that spanned a total of six seasons and ended in 2004. Not surprisingly, the girl-power story, which came wi ...

Measuring faith

Fri, 16 May 2008 05:00:00 EST

Measuring faith
More gay groups are reaching out to clergy, but changing hearts and minds is hard work
By KATHERINE VOLIN
Friday, May 16, 2008
One of the greatest hurdles to advancing gay civil rights is overcoming religious, anti-gay rhetoric. From Fred Phelps in Kansas to Focus on the Family in Colorado and the late Jerry Falwell's church in Lynchburg, Va., religious institutions with deep pockets and vast political power are more than willing to use their resources to demonize gays.

Recently, however, gay groups have started to respond with programming of their own. The Human Rights Campaign has just announced a new venture for 2009 that will focus on clergy members, and several other gay groups have made outreach to faith communities an important part of their work, including the National Black Justice Coalition, ...

Roll of the dice

Fri, 9 May 2008 05:00:00 EST

Roll of the dice
A visit to Las Vegas reveals that being out in Sin City is a gamble
By ZACK ROSEN
Friday, May 09, 2008

LAS VEGAS — This city wants your gay dollar. On a media trip there last weekend, I was repeatedly told that gay consumers are a respected and highly sought after market. There are several travel studies to back up the assertion that Vegas is already a top destination for gay and lesbian travelers. But a series of unfortunate events in Sin City left me with the impression that Vegas' commitment to those travelers doesn't guarantee a gay ole' time.

I came to Vegas believing that it was a perfectly friendly place for gay tourists and acted accordingly. My first hint to the ...

Weathering the 'Storm'

Fri, 2 May 2008 05:00:00 EST

Weathering the 'Storm'
Bishop Gene Robinson recounts turbulent times while calling for renewed faith in new book
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, May 02, 2008
It's the most dramatic and theologically earth-shattering mo-ment of the Christian Bible: a group of women go to Jesus Christ's tomb, sealed by a large stone, only to discover that the rock has been rolled back and Christ is risen.

Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson points to this story in his new book, “In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center By God,” as a central metaphor for his own life, the lives of parishioners and the evolution of the Anglican church, cast into tumult over Robinson's election to the bishopric in 2003 by his home community in New Hampshire.

“The stones that get in the way of our living a resurrected life are so large ...

Weathering the 'Storm'

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EST

Weathering the 'Storm'
Bishop Gene Robinson recounts turbulent times while calling for renewed faith in new book
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, April 25, 2008
It's the most dramatic and theologically earth-shattering moment of the Christian Bible: three women go to Jesus Christ's tomb, sealed by a large stone, only to discover that the rock has been rolled back and Christ is risen.

Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson points to this story in his new book, "In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center By God," as a central metaphor for his own life, the lives of parishioners and the evolution of the Anglican church, cast into tumult over Robinson's election to the bishopric in 2003 by his home community in New Hampshire.

"The stones that get in the way of our living a resurrected life are so large, so inti ...

Facts of life

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EST

Facts of life
Duane Michals exhibit, gay Iranian featured at annual Equality Forum conference
By KATHERINE VOLIN
Friday, April 25, 2008

At a time when the Middle East is at the center of the world stage, this year's Equality Forum theme of gays in the Muslim world is a perfect fit.

Next week's Equality Forum, an international gay civil rights conference held in Philadelphia, also features its ninth annual art exhibit, including the work of world-renowned gay photographer Duane Michals. Michals will be at the conference and participating in a lecture on April 30, a reception on May 1 and a tour of the exhibit on May 2. All the events are free.

“He is a photographer of international stature in the major museums around the world,” says Equality Forum Executive Director Malcolm Lazin. “[He] ...

Coming together in Charm City

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EST

Coming together in Charm City
National Black Justice Coalition mixes fun with politics, religion at Baltimore convention
By KATHERINE VOLIN
Friday, April 18, 2008

The National Black Justice Coalition works to promote the civil rights of black gays in America. It's serious work, so even the comedian at its upcoming convention, held April 24-26, plans to infuse her standup with politics for the occasion.

“I never really know before any performance because I don't do the same act each time,”

says lesbian comedian Karen Williams. “But certainly for an organization that works on behalf of the civil rights of black LGBTQ people, I'll certainly try to get something in there that has to do with their work. Something more political than I usually do.”

Williams has worked at gay events for years, but laments ...

At his brother's 'Place'

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EST

At his brother's 'Place'
Logan Shepard, brother of Matthew, debuts blog and goes to work for family's foundation
By KATHERINE VOLIN
Friday, April 11, 2008

Judy Shepard is a well-known activist with a national reputation. The Wyoming mother has been a public advocate for hate crimes legislation since her gay son Matthew Shepard was brutally killed in Laramie, Wyo., 10 years ago. She's lobbied Congress, started the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and speaks around the country about Matthew's life and death.

Few people, however, have heard of Logan Shepard, Judy's other son and Matthew's younger brother who was a teenager when his brother died. Over the past year, Logan has slowly begun to step into the public eye, starting with a web and office assistant position at the foundation last June. Now he's launched a blog for the foundation's n ...

Clowning around

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EST

Clowning around
Out gay circus performer talks about life under the big top
By ZACK ROSEN
Friday, April 04, 2008
Todd Griffiths, wearing oversize blue pants, a red bulbous nose and crazy wig does not look like he would be easy to talk to, but in this case, appearances are deceiving.

Far from a horn-honking, pantomiming Bozo-type, the 30-year-old gay clown is forthcoming on his life as a professional clown with Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth. He, and the show, can currently be seen in Fairfax, Va., through April 13.

“I think of myself as a big kid at heart, I really am still a child,” Griffiths says, quickly adding, though, that there's a serious element to his work. “What I try to do is hold up a mirror to real life. You ...

Whatever happened to the real Joan Crawford?

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST

Whatever happened to the real Joan Crawford?
Debates about validity of 'Mommie Dearest' remain decades later
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
Friday, March 28, 2008

Gays ponder ongoing appeal of screen queen Joan Crawford

Love it or hate it, there's no denying “Mommie Dearest” is the first thing that pops into most people's heads when they hear the name Joan Crawford.

Crawford's memory ...

Mommie Queerest

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST

Mommie Queerest
Gays ponder ongoing appeal of screen queen Joan Crawford
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
Friday, March 28, 2008

Did Joan beat her kids? The Blade's Joey DiGuglielmo ponders the evidence with "Whatever happened to the real Joan Crawford?"

Joan Crawford would have been 100 this week.

Or at least that's what she'd have wanted us to think. Her birthday was March 23 but the year is up for debate. She claimed she was born in 1908. There's n ...

Women belong in the kitchen

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST

Women belong in the kitchen
Three lesbian chefs featured in new season of Bravo's 'Top Chef'
By AMY CAVANAUGH
Friday, March 21, 2008

Bravo seems to have missed the “one gay person per reality show” rule. “Project Runway” usually has a few gay men on each season, and “Top Chef” has included bisexual women or lesbians on each season. But season four of “Top Chef” features three lesbians, making up one fifth of the cast, something that thrills the ladies in question — Jen Biesty, Lisa Fernandes and Zoi Antonitsas.

All three watched the show in the past (Fernandes had a friend on season three), and they were encouraged by friends to try out. Biesty describes the curtain call as “more like an interview,” with a series of questions about personality a ...

Designs on the future

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST

Designs on the future
Young gay 'Project Runway' winner hopes to expand presence in fashion industry — and to dress Victoria Beckham
By KATHERINE VOLIN
Friday, March 14, 2008
As every fashion queen already knows, sassy Christian Siriano was crowned the winner of Bravo's “Project Runway” — and he's the youngest to ever take home the prize.

The 22-year-old's run on the show was chronicled in his often whiny, frequently snippy and occasionally dead-on interview blurbs that peppered the otherwise tame fourth season of the show.

“I'm gonna die of barfness,” he said about the challenge that included deconstructing jeans and redesigning them into a new classic denim look.

“I'm not a miracle worker, lady. I can't make you have an ass,” he told a client who had lost a lot of weight an ...

An independent lens

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST

An independent lens
Queer cinema makes a strong showing at annual D.C. film festival
By GREG MARZULLO
Friday, March 07, 2008
Celebrating its 10th year, the D.C. Independent Film Festival offers an interesting and overall well-done lineup of queer features, documentaries and shorts. The festival began with just 30 films shown over a three-day period and has now grown to more than 100 films screened over 11 days, with local and national industry critics citing the event as a highlight of the film festival circuit.

Below is an overview of the queer films being presented this year, all shown at George Washington University's Jack Morton Auditorium (see info box for details).

Told with a rich visual sense in a disjointed (and sometimes annoying) chronology, “Praxis” is a great ...