Metro Weekly - 11-19-15 - Stu Maddux - Gen Silent

8/20/2019 Metro Weekly - 11-19-15 - Stu Maddux - Gen Silent

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2 NOVEMBER 19, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM


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3METROWEEKLY.COM NOVEMBER 19, 2015


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State of Crisis D.C.’s transgender community urges action to address stark disparitiesrevealed by local survey

THERE IS A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR TRANS

people in D.C., says Elijah Edelman. “In particularfor trans women of color.”

Edelman, a member of the DC Trans Coalition

and a principal investigator on a recently released survey of

transgender residents of the District of Columbia, doesn’t mincehis words in describing the state of the District’s transgenderpopulation. “There is a crisis, and the crisis is we’re looking at

a segment of the population that has totally, utterly been cutout,” he says.

The survey, Access Denied: Washington, D.C. Trans Needs Assessment Report, looks at four years of research data from 521

individuals. It analyses transgender people’s experiences with

income, education, health, housing, violence, interactions withthe legal system and the role played by LGBT organizations in

their lives. The results, made public Friday, paint a bleak picturefor many transgender residents in the District.

“The most urgent of needs is one that coalesces around a

C H R I S T O P H E R C U N E T T O

number of issues: intense homelessness, intense unemployment

or underemployment, a lack of income, intense poverty, unbe-

lievable rates of HIV prevalence, unbelievable rates of harass-ment, abuse, suicidal ideation — all of these numbers are just

through the roof,” Edelman explains.Among the findings illustrated in the report, workplace harass-

ment and hiring discrimination were rampant among respon-dents. Forty percent of those surveyed said they had been denied

a job because of their gender identity, and 42 percent said theyhad experienced harassment at work, ranging from inappropriate

questions about surgical status, being forced to present the wrong

gender, or being denied access to the bathroom consistent withtheir gender identity. Thirteen percent of respondents said they

had been physically or sexually assaulted on the job.As a result of hiring discrimination, 30 percent of transgender

people have been forced to work in the “grey” or undergroundeconomy, meaning untaxed activities done off the books, such

as babysitting, sex work, unlicensed beauty services, or other

L G B TNews Now online at MetroWeekly.comDOJ moves to dismiss Chelsea Manning lawsuitTransgender protesters confront Caitlyn Jenner

by John Riley


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jobs with under-the-table wages. Nearly half of all respondentssaid that their income was less than $10,000 a year.

Additionally, one in five respondents said they were unin-

sured, and a similar number said they had been denied medicalcare because of their gender identity. At least 60 percent had

considered suicide at some point in their lives, and 34 percenthad attempted it — 10 percent having done so in the past 12

months. Of particular concern, 50 percent of transgender indi-viduals said they had a negative experience at an LGBT-specific

organization. On almost all metrics, trans people of color andtransgender females fared worse than their white and malecounterparts.

As part of the report, the investigators included multiple sec-tions labeled “Community Response and Next Steps,” where they

suggested policies or actions that could be taken to improve thesevarious metrics. With the inclusion of these possible solutions,

activists argue, there are no excuses left to justify political inertia.“Trans people in D.C. have been sharing their experiences for

years, and are always asked, ‘Where’s your data?’” Ruby Corado,

Edelman’s co-investigator, said in a statement announcing therelease of the survey data. “Well, now we have the data, and it

paints a grim picture. Political leaders in D.C. no longer have an

excuse to ignore the needs of D.C.’s trans residents.”

“I was asked the other day what would be the most simplesolution to all of these problems,” recounts Edelman. “I jok-

ingly said, ‘Money.’ But that may be what it comes down to.If someone has enough money, or has a job that pays enough,

they won’t be homeless. They won’t necessarily be living onthe streets. We know that unemployment, underemployment,

homelessness impacts our health, it impacts our mental health,

it impacts whether we are HIV-negative, whether it’s easier forus to contract HIV, whether or not we’re going to be harassed

or assaulted.”Edelman notes that D.C. has some of the most progressive

policies and laws in terms of transgender rights in the entirecountry, but says they amount to nothing if there is no enforce-

ment mechanism or accountability.“What needs to happen now, and hopefully this report will

make it clear, is that simply having the policy on the books

doesn’t mean jack-shit,” says Edelman. “It’s just there. Unless it’sactually being upheld, and we’re holding government agencies

accountable, and making services accessible, they’re useless.” l

NOVEMBER 19, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM

Body of Evidence Another study of pre-exposure prophylaxis finds daily

Truvada use to be effective in preventing HIV

resulting in a level of medication in the blood that not only sug-gested fairly regular adherence, but provided some significantlevel of protection against HIV, even if participants were not

taking it daily as prescribed.

“For MSM and trans women, Truvada seems to have a lon-ger half-life, and once it reaches a protective level, which takes

about seven days, it seems to stay in the body and offer a littlebit of forgiveness for missed doses,” she explains. “We don’t see

the same results in other studies dealing with women takingTruvada for PrEP. We think they have to take it almost every day

to have the same effects.”

Coleman says more research is needed to look into why thereappears to be a disparity when it comes to cisgender women, as

well as why participants in Miami appeared to have lower levelsof adherence than their D.C. and San Francisco counterparts.

Researchers also learned that participants who reported 2or more condomless anal sex partners in the last three months

were more likely to adhere to the medication than those whoengaged in less risky sexual behavior. Coleman says this appears

to mimic results from other studies on PrEP that indicate those

who are more aware of their sexual risk are more likely to incor-porate PrEP into their lives.

“Overall, participants who started the medication and wereadherent to the medication in the beginning were more likely to

remain adherent throughout the year,” she says. “It became partof their routine, and made it more likely they would take at least

four doses per week.”Of course, for those who engage in condomless sex, thereis always the risk of contracting other sexually-transmitted

infections (STIs). Although the PrEP Demo Project found thatSTI incidence did not increase over the 48-week period, at any

given time about a quarter of participants had some form of STI.According to Coleman, about 8 to 10 percent contracted syphilis,

though the bulk of STIs that patients presented with were gon-orrhea and chlamydia.

“We had high levels of baseline STI rates: About a quarter

of people had an STI at baseline, and it stayed high throughoutthe study, but didn’t increase over time,” Coleman explains.

“So patients were having condomless sex and presented withSTIs at their first visit, when they started the medication. Those

by John Riley

ARGUMENTS SUPPORTING PRE-EXPOSURE PRO-phylaxis (PrEP) have been further bolstered this week,

as another study confirms the efficacy of a daily dosageof medication in preventing against HIV transmission.

“Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that PrEP isan incredibly important tool in the fight against HIV,” says Megan

Coleman, director of community research at Whitman-Walker

Health, who served as the principal investigator on the study.Known as the PrEP Demo Project, the study examined the

real world use of PrEP among men who have sex with men(MSM) and transgender women in three U.S. cities. It analyzed

the level of adherence to prescribed medication, the sexualbehaviors, and the incidence of STI and HIV infection among

557 MSM and trans women in Washington, San Francisco andMiami. The results of the study, which hold promise for advo-

cates of PrEP, were published in the Journal of the American

Medical Association on Monday.

All participants were instructed to take Truvada, an anti-retroviral drug used to treat HIV, on a daily basis. They werealso provided with support tools, in order to help them remain

adherent throughout the course of the 48-week study. Theseincluded motivational interviewing, pill boxes to help organize

their daily doses, and strategies to help incorporate taking the

medication as part of their daily lives.According to Coleman, cohorts in Washington and San

Francisco had an adherence rate of 80 to 86 percent, defined astaking four or more doses per week of Truvada. But a similar

cohort in Miami demonstrated a lower level of adherence.Specifically for Washington, about 40 percent of participants

reported taking six or more doses per week, suggesting dailyadherence, and another 40 percent took more than four doses,


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patients were then treated as part of the study or through their

medical provider.... At the end of the study, about a quarter hadSTIs. So the same person did not have an STI throughout the

entire study, but at any given time, about a quarter of peoplehad an STI. But in many cases, those were different individuals.”

Coleman argues that this finding highlights the need forregular STI testing and treatment among people who are on

PrEP and regularly report that they engage in condomless sex.

Unlike some other PrEP studies where no participants

became HIV-positive, two individuals out of 557 in the PrEPDemo Project did. However, neither had any detectable levelof the drug in their blood and neither had evidence of HIV

resistance. One was diagnosed as positive 19 weeks into thestudy, but reported that the last time he had taken the dose

was a month prior, and the second who seroconverted had nodetectable level of the medication in his blood beginning after

the fourth week of the study.

Coleman cautioned that the study had some limitations that

indicated a need for further studies looking at other variables.For instance, all participants were provided with Truvada

free of charge, so it is unclear what effect financial barriers toaccessing PrEP may have on adherence. She also noted that

African-Americans and transgender participants were under-

represented in the study, highlighting the need for more dedi-cated and targeted outreach to those underrepresented groups

in future studies.

“I think our study definitely reinforces that the use of PrEPmay help prevent HIV infections, and did not increase sexually-transmitted infections, which is a part of naysayers’ argument,”

says Coleman. “The fact that adherence was really high in thecohort and HIV incidence was very low, despite the high rate of

STIs in the participants, was extremely supportive of the idea

of PrEP working in the community and where it fits in the HIVprevention spectrum.” l


Body Talk Your desire for someone, whatever shape, size or type,

doesn’t mean you’re entitled to anything

COMMENTARY

We can celebrate and liberate our bodies as a communityand culture, but that doesn’t mean that all bodies you fancy are

for you, whenever you want them or in whatever way you wantthem to be.

Do you think about the fact that a perfect, muscular and chis-

eled male body is the same level of idealization as the big-boobs,small waist, no fat but also-somehow-curvy-in-all-the-right-

places ideal woman? Do you understand that these idealizedbodies are the same? They are. We see a hot gym bro and don’t

internalize that image as the same type of insane body imagestandard that is imposed on women. It is the same. So when

we engage with people, can we not impose this ideal onto oneanother, or assess one another’s worth or make inferences about

their background based on this ideal, or how close or far away

they are to it?I think culturally, we understand this kind of thing when it

applies to women, that this kind of superficial engagement isdistasteful and rude and dehumanizing, not to mention a poor

way to get a date. But what about in our own community? Bereminded that these two idealized bodies are the same: they are

ideals. Whether someone has or does not have this kind of body,

that probably shouldn’t inform the value we assign to them as aperson, or dictate the rules of engagement socially. It’s a shape.

What we think about a woman’s body and her rights as a humanshould apply to men, too. We understand the reality of female

bodies being idealized, and understand that should not be thestandard we impose on women; we should also hold this to be

true for men and their idealized forms in our community.Bottom line, your desire for someone, whatever shape, size

or type, doesn’t mean you’re entitled to shit. How a personpresents themselves to the public doesn’t mean you are entitledto any certain or specific level of access to them. Saying hello is

not consent for something more. And there needs to be room forevery kind of person, and what a person looks like isn’t some-

thing against which you should assess their value as a humanor worthiness of connection, in any setting. So stop looking the

other way when it happens, or laughing it off, or being part of

the problem. Engage more deeply, look out for one another, andconnect in real ways. l

Christopher Cunetto is the Assistant Art Director for Metro

Weekly and the owner of Cunetto Creative.

by Christopher Cunetto

AFEW WEEKS AGO, I WAS SHOOTING A FORMALgay event. I approached a table of men and asked if

they’d like to take a photograph. In exchange, the entire

table of men starting coming on to me — asking me for mynumber, if I had a boyfriend, what I was doing there — all while

simultaneously exchanging comments and yuk-yuks about meand my appearance. I made it clear that I wasn’t interested in

engaging with them in that way, and took their photo. It wasawkward. I was awkward. As I started to walk away, I heard

several of them make further comments: “Well, he’s too skinny

anyway.” “Those jeans are a bit tight, eh?” Laughter, etc.This happens regularly when I shoot gay events. Once, after

asking for a photo, a man forcibly grabbed me and held me in abear hug while he breathily whispered into my ear how attrac-

tive he thought I was. Once a guy kissed me. These men are allshapes, sizes and ages. I’m not flirting when this happens — not

that flirting should give men an excuse to do this kind of stuff.I’m a normal guy. So what is it that makes men feel entitled?

Entitled to access someone else’s body?

As gay men we, it seems without thinking, will go at-bat for

our female friends when it comes to body politics and their rightsto live in the world as a human first, woman second. But whydon’t we do this for one another? Why do we create or allow envi-

ronments where we permit and perpetuate the reduction of oneanother as things to be had? Just because we lack the hetero gen-

der inequality thing doesn’t mean it’s fun to feel like our primary

worth in any given situation is our sexual availability, whateversub-culture of the gay community we feel at home in. It might be

a more level playing field between us guys, but that doesn’t meanwe should do the same thing to one another that straight men do

to women. Don’t complain about the superficiality of your com-munity when you allow the frame of mind that causes it — no

matter what kind of bodies you find attractive.


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FRIDAY, NOV. 20CENTER AGING, a group for LGBTseniors and their supporters, holdsa monthly lunch event at The DCCenter. 12-2 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

GAY DISTRICT, a group of The DCCenter for GBTQQI men from ages18-35, meets on the first and thirdFridays of each month. 8:30-9:30p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Formore information, visitthedccenter.org.

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP foradults in Montgomery County offersa safe space to explore coming outand issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m.16220 S. Frederick Rd., Suite 512,Gaithersburg, Md. For more informa-tion, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). 202-291-4707, andromeda-transculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,

9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointmentcall 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. Appointmentneeded. 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,layc-dc.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-dancing group featuresmainstream through advanced squaredancing at the National City ChristianChurch, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517,dclambdasquares.org.

The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern

Virginia social group meets for happyhour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome.dullestriangles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointmentcall 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg,

414 East Diamond Ave., and inTakoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m.For appointments other hours, callGaithersburg, 301-300-9978, or

Takoma Park, 301-422-2398.


SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155or [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.,3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group isindependent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIPINSTITUTE for young LBTQ women,13-21, interested in leadership devel-opment. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL YouthCenter, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163,[email protected].

THURSDAY, NOV. 19*BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay vol-unteer organization, volunteers todayfor Food & Friends. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

Center Women, a group of The DC

Center, hosts the fourth annualBEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU wine tast-ing and social event. Tickets may bepurchased online or at the door. 7-9p.m. Human Rights Campaign, 1640Rhode Island Ave. NW. For moreinformation, visit thedccenter.org orcall 202-682-2245.

GAYS AND LESBIANS OPPOSINGVIOLENCE (GLOV), the group dedi-cated to combating anti-LGBT vio-lence and hate crimes and providingsupport for victims of those crimes,holds its monthly meeting at The DCCenter. 7-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,Suite 105. For more information, visitglovdc.org.

The DC Center holds a monthly

meeting of its POLY DISCUSSIONGROUP. The group will providean introduction to those interestedin discussing polyamory and non-monogamous relationships. 7-8 p.m.2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Formore information, visitthedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). Call 202-291-4707, or visitandromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)practice session at Takoma AquaticCenter, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9p.m. swimdcac.org.

Metro Weekly’s 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 [email protected].

Deadline for inclusion is noon of the Friday before Thursday’s publication.

Questions about the calendar may be directed to the

Metro Weekly office at 202-638-6830 or

the calendar email address.

LGBTCommunityCalendarSMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides asocial atmosphere for GLBT and ques-tioning youth, featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games. Moreinfo, [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155,

[email protected].

SATURDAY, NOV. 21BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volun-teer organization, volunteers today forthe Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundationat Falls Church PetSmart. To partici-pate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

CHRYSALIS arts & culture group visits the Phillips Collection nearDupont Circle to view exhibitionGauguin to Picasso: Masterworks from

Switzerland . Non-members welcome.$12 adults, $10 seniors. Lunch inneighborhood follows. Meet at 10a.m. in lobby of the Phillips, 1600 21stStreet NW, between Q & R Streets.Craig, 202-462-0535. craighowell1@ verizon.net.

KHUSH DC, a group for South AsianLGBT-identifying and queer individu-als, holds a monthly meeting at The DCCenter. 1-3 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite105. For more information, visit thedc-center.org or khushdc.blogspot.com.

The DC Center hosts a monthly

ASYLUM SEEKERS/ASYLEES

FORUM for LGBT refugees and othersseeking political asylum and the peoplein their support networks. 7-9 p.m.2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For moreinformation, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). 202-291-4707 or andromeda-transculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded bymembers of the LGBT community,

holds Saturday morning Shabbat services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddushluncheon. Services in DCJCCCommunity Room, 1529 16th St. NW. betmish.org.

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, includingothers interested in Brazilian culture,meets. For location/time, email [email protected].

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 972 OhioDr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visitswimdcac.org.


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DC FRONT RUNNERS running/ walking/social club welcomes alllevels for exercise in a fun and sup-portive environment, socializingafterward. Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & PStreets NW, for a walk; or 10 a.m. forfun run. dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball teammeets at Turkey Thicket RecreationCenter, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4

p.m. For players of all levels, gay orstraight. teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass forLGBT community, family andfriends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For moreinfo, visit dignitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discussescritical languages and foreign lan-guages. 7 p.m. Nellie’s, 900 U St. NW.RVSP preferred. [email protected].

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Takoma Park,7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointmentsother hours, call 301-422-2398.

SUNDAY, NOV. 22ADVENTURING outdoors grouphikes 6.5 moderate miles with 1,000feet of elevation gain on AppalachianTrail near Middletown, Md., betweentwo areas heavily involved in theSeptember 1862 Battle of SouthMountain. Bring beverages, lunch,

sturdy boots, about $10 for fees.Carpool from Grosvenor-StrathmoreMetro Station. Craig, 202-462-0535.adventuring.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULSMEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m.,High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244,allsoulsdc.org.

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressiveand radically inclusive church holds

services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 972 OhioDr., SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman CatholicMass for the LGBT community. 6p.m., St. Margaret’s Church, 1820Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome.Sign interpreted. For more info, visitdignitynova.org.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITEDCHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes allto 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW.firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.

FRIENDS MEETING OFWASHINGTON meets for worship,10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW,Quaker House Living Room (next toMeeting House on Decatur Place),2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbians

and gays. Handicapped accessiblefrom Phelps Place gate. Hearing assis-tance. quakersdc.org.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OFCHRIST welcomes GLBT communityfor worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 OldTelegraph Road, Alexandria.hopeucc.org.

HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORTGROUP for gay men living in the DCmetro area. This group will be meet-ing once a month. For information onlocation and time, email to [email protected].

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUALDEVELOPMENT, God-centered newage church & learning center. SundayServices and Workshops event. 5419Sherier Place NW. isd-dc.org.

Join LINCOLN CONGREGATIONALTEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OFCHRIST for an inclusive, loving andprogressive faith community everySunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood.lincolntemple.org.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF

REFORMATION invites all to Sundayworship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare isavailable at both services. WelcomingLGBT people for 25 years. 212 EastCapitol St. NE. reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led by Rev. OnettaBrooks. Children’s Sunday School, 11a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax.703-691-0930, mccnova.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted)and 11 a.m. Children’s Sunday School

at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIANCHURCH, inclusive church withGLBT fellowship, offers gospel wor-ship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional wor-ship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW.202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,a Christ-centered, interracial, wel-coming-and-affirming church, offersservice at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.


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ST. STEPHEN AND THEINCARNATION, an “interracial,multi-ethnic Christian Community”offers services in English, 8 a.m. and10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m.1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900,saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OFARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcoming-and-affirming congregation, offers

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

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTCHURCH OF SILVER SPRING invites LGBTQ families and individu-als of all creeds and cultures to jointhe church. Services 9:15 and 11:15a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave.uucss.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONALMEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-ing and inclusive church. GLBTInterweave social/service group

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

MONDAY, NOV. 23CENTER MILITARY, a group forLGBT veterans, servicemembers,their families and friends, meets todiscuss upcoming projects and ini-tiatives to create a support networkfor those serving our country. 7-8:30p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Formore information, contact Eric Perez,[email protected] or 202-

682-2245.

WEEKLY EVENTS

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holdspractice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. GarrisonElementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.

GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. atQuaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. NW.

[email protected].

HIV Testing at WHITMAN-WALKERHEALTH. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointmentcall 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY(K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free “rapid” HIVtesting and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14thSt. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments:

703-789-4467.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or test-

[email protected].

THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee Drop-In for the Senior LGBT Community.10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.

US HELPING US hosts a black gaymen’s evening affinity group. 3636

Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATERPOLO TEAM practices 7-9 p.m.

Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 VanBuren St. NW. Newcomers with atleast basic swimming ability alwayswelcome. Tom, 703-299-0504, [email protected], wetskins.org.

WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTHHIV/AIDS Support Group for newlydiagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m.Registration required. 202-939-7671,[email protected].

TUESDAY, NOV. 24The DC Center holds a monthly

meeting of its GENDER QUEERDISCUSSION GROUP to discussissues of identity. 7-8:30 p.m. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. For moreinformation, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS


ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinnerin Dupont/Logan Circle area, 6:30 [email protected], afwashington.net.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)practice session at Takoma AquaticCenter, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walk-ing/social club serving greater D.C.’sLGBT community and allies hosts anevening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.

THE GAY MEN’S HEALTHCOLLABORATIVE offers free HIVtesting and STI screening and treat-ment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.

Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic,


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Alexandria Health Department, 4480King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. [email protected].

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointmentcall 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-

walker.org.

THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THEDC CENTER hosts “Packing Party,”where volunteers assemble safe-sexkits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m.,Green Lantern, 1335 Green CourtNW. thedccenter.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg,414 East Diamond Ave., and inTakoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m.For appointments other hours, callGaithersburg at 301-300-9978 or

Takoma Park at 301-422-2398.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY(K.I.) SERVICES, at 3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free “rapid” HIVtesting and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.703-823-4401.


OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS—LGBT focused meeting everyTuesday, 7 p.m. St. George’sEpiscopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave.,

Arlington, just steps from VirginiaSquare Metro. For more info. callDick, 703-521-1999. Handicappedaccessible. Newcomers [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, [email protected].

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL,410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. CathyChu, 202-567-3163, [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a supportgroup for black gay men 40 andolder. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.NW. 202-446-1100.

Whitman-Walker Health’s GAYMEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 170114th St. NW. Patients are seen onwalk-in basis. No-cost screening forHIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chla-mydia. Hepatitis and herpes testingavailable for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB meetsfor Duplicate Bridge. 7:30 p.m. DignityCenter, 721 8th St SE (across fromMarine Barracks). No reservationsneeded. All welcome. 202-841-0279 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 FaustoFernandez, 703-732-5174.


DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit

swimdcac.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holdspractice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. GarrisonElementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.

HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.Washington St., Alexandria. 703-549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical 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 call202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414East 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 moreinfo, www.centercareers.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14thSt. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467.

PRIME TIMERS OF DC, socialclub for mature gay men, hostsweekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,Windows Bar above Dupont ItalianKitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl,703-573-8316.l


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GIVE IT 10 YEARS AND WE WILL HAVE LOST

the greatest chapter in our LGBT history, whichwas not Stonewall, it was everything that led up to

that day,” says filmmaker Stu Maddux. “And we’ll

never get it back. Because it’s already an archaeo-logical dig. It’s already hidden. People don’t want to talk about

it, they don’t realize it’s important to share.”For Maddux, the race to preserve that history faces a loom-

ing deadline. He has attempted to do just that in Gen Silent, his2011 documentary, which recently aired on LGBT channel Logo,

and in Reel in the Closet, his 2015 documentary that incorporates

home movie and video footage from the lives of LGBT people inorder to preserve their experiences.

In Gen Silent, Maddux chronicles the lives of six LGBTelders struggling with the aging process, complete with health

complications, loneliness, frailty, and their struggle to establishnetworks of support (see review, page 24). The film, which has

been screened in various cities throughout the United States andin 80 different countries since its initial release, attempts to give

a voice to its subjects and to the elderly LGBT community writ

large. Maddux laments the loss of such voices, noting that many

LGBT elders have “re-closeted” for fear of being mistreated ordiscriminated against, whether by caregivers, home health work-ers, retirement home staff, or even other residents. And that robs

the younger members of the LGBT community of the wisdom andexperiences that could otherwise be shared by their elders.

“They’re going silent again,” he says of the LGBT elders. “You

can say it’s just an LGBT issue, but really, anytime you’ve everfelt like you can’t express how you feel about something, because

somebody else has taken over the conversation or made you feeluncomfortable, you’re feeling exactly what these LGBT seniors

feel every day.“It’s like, ‘Okay, I can stand up and say something, or I can

just shut up,’” Maddux adds. “And we’ve all been in a situationwhere it’s easier to shut up, like, ‘I don’t want to deal with it.’

And when you really need help, you just shut up all the time. As

long as there’s one bully or one person who can be bothered, it’sgoing to wreck it for everybody.”

Maddux also says that caregivers need to exercise compas-sion and remember that their LGBT clients are human beings

deserving of respect, even if they may personally oppose homo-sexuality or may not understand it.

“I really think that this movement toward moral objection

is not compatible with being moral, as a person,” he says. “Youcan’t pick and choose who you care for.”

Above all, Maddux stresses the importance of support net-works as people tackle the aging process. Particularly for LGBT

people who are single, or those who do not have children or

MADDUX: I have one younger brother. And so we looked like the

typical nuclear family. Middle-class, white, Wonder Bread family.MW: When was the first time you became aware of the LGBT com-

munity?

MADDUX: My family took us to a restaurant that was in a college

part of town. This was in Minneapolis. And I remember that

there were some funny guys, giggling as they went out the door,and kind of patting each other and being extremely affectionate.

And I remember my mother kind of sighing, and I didn’t reallyknow what it was about.

MW: Who was the first openly gay person you met?

MADDUX: The first openly gay person I met was a guy in college

who I ended up having my first relationship with.MW: When did you first start to think that you were gay?

MADDUX: When I was in my teens, everybody had a poster of

Farrah Fawcett in their room. And it wouldn’t work for me.Every time I would look at Farrah, I wouldn’t get the same

feeling that everybody else did about Farrah Fawcett. It wasdepressing every time I would look at this poster. I’m sure you’ve

seen it before, it was iconic, a ‘70s bathing suit poster that youwould get at a Spencer Gifts or something like that. And I just

remember realizing that I’m different and I’ve got a big prob-

lem, and I don’t know what I’m going to do about it. I remember

Gen Silent filmmaker Stu Maddux on the perils of aging, the impotance of suppot networks,and the threat posed by the potential loss of LGBT histoy

Inteview by John Riley

extended family to help take care of them, growing old can

be a lonely, isolating experience. As a result, it often fallsto other members of the LGBT community, volunteers,

nonprofit organizations, or government to step in and

provide programs, counseling or support to this vulner-able population.

“I think what would be really cool would be if we hadGay-Straight Alliances in retirement communities, just

like we do in high school,” Maddux says. “Where youcan go in, if you’re looking for a place to stay. And there

would be people to say, ‘Come on in, it’s cool here. You

know, we watch Golden Girls on Thursday afternoons inthe community room, and we have the annual dance over

here. And it’s safe and fun, and we’re here for you. We’vegot your back.’”

METRO WEEKLY: Tell me about your childhood.

STU MADDUX: I was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and wemoved around a lot. I was born in 1965 — I think it was the

summer of the Selma marches. My mother was carrying

me, but we have this cool family story of how she and my

grandmother would drive up halfway to Selma and watchthe marches. And she was carrying me when she did this,so I say I was at the Selma march.MW: Did you have any siblings?


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saying, “Farrah, help me with this.” You know, “If I don’t feel

attracted to you, then I’m not going to feel attracted to anybody.”MW: When did you finally come out?

MADDUX: I was in college and I was 19, I think. Maybe I had justturned 20. There was a guy in the class that kept making eye

contact with me. I had kind of gone through this angst about it

for six years, and finally I decided to either put up or shut up. SoI pursued him, and we had a little relationship for a semester. It

was a nice start.MW: How did you first become involved in film?

MADDUX: Well, I studied journalism at the University of Missouri.I wanted to go to film school, but it was a combination of not

having the money and not having the grades to get into USC

or something. I wanted to go into a prestigious program. I wasliving in Missouri at the time, in Kansas City, and the school of

journalism had a good program for television. It was broadcast journalism for television. I became a television reporter for

about 10 years, and an anchor. Then I was working in a state thathad a lot of documentary work going on, and transitioned into

working for networks, making documentaries. About 10 yearsago, I got tired of working for everybody else, and got to a place

where I could make my own documentaries.MW: What was your first documentary?

MADDUX: My first independent documentary was called Bob and

Jack’s 52-Year Adventure. It was about two men that had beentogether for 52 years. They met in the military, back in 1949 or 1950,

in the Cold War, in post-World War II Germany — one was theother’s commanding officer. They came out to the troops in their

unit. They were still together as of recently. At that point, I wasn’t

seeing a lot of examples of men having long-term relationshipswith each other. It wasn’t that they weren’t out there, it’s just that

you weren’t seeing it. It was an internalized feeling that was put onyou by external forces, like people who were homophobic, that gay

men are not capable of having long-lasting relationships. I was ata point in my life where I was beginning to wonder, because I had

relationships but nothing really long-lasting.MW: Did you always want to deal with LGBT subject matter?

MADDUX: No, I didn’t. I wanted to make documentaries that

everybody would see, and would make me rich and famous, andhave a great career in Hollywood. As I was going down that path,

working for networks and things doing that, I lost my passiona little bit for the projects that networks wanted to do, and the

reasons they wanted to do them. So I reached a point where Iwanted to do a reset and find things that were important to me.

If you’re a filmmaker, that’s a good way to make movies. And

maybe not commercially successful movies, but movies that have

S T U M A D D U

X F I L M S

Sheri Barden (left) Lois Johnson (Right)On the Cover - Lawrence Johnson and Alexandre Rheume


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passion. Find the things that are really important to you, that areclose to you, that you have a personal and emotional connection

to you.MW: What prompted you to make Gen Silent?

MADDUX: Well, I was looking for mentors, for people with life

experience. I was wondering why there are some [LGBT elders]out there, but not in the same numbers as our straight grandpar-

ents, like really infinitesimally small, in terms of their visibility oravailability — or you can’t find them as a younger person, as you

can your straight grandparents. And I started looking into whythat was, and I learned that there was this phenomenon going on

of people going silent again.

It really bothered me, for selfish reasons, really, because theoppression they went through and what they have to go through

now robs me and everyone else who comes after them of this

voice of experience. And I owe it to myself and to them to dosomething about it, in a way that I know how, which is film-making.

MW: Do you think younger people fully appreciate the breadth ofexperience that they could rely on if they knew or interacted with

older LGBT folks, or do you think that’s lost on the young?

MADDUX: I think it’s lost on everybody who doesn’t have a chanceto sit down with somebody who’s had that life experience. It’s

like sitting down with a war veteran, or somebody who was afamous painter, or something like that. It’s an amazing conver-

sation. It’s not that people are disrespectful, or just don’t knowtheir history. I get really angry when I hear those things, because

there’s no way for anybody to know their history. You can read

a book or you can watch a movie, but that’s not the same assitting down with somebody who’s lived it and getting to ask

them, “What was it like?” And, actually, getting them to ask you,“What’s it like now?”

We’ve actually done some screenings where we’ve been ableto get younger people to share a meal with older people, and

facilitate a little bit of a conversation back and forth. And it’samazing. What the older people learn from younger people is

just as valuable as vice versa. It’s a two-way street.MW: How did you organize those?

MADDUX: We did this really interesting thing with Stonewall

Columbus, the Pride center in Columbus. We said, “Let’s have ameal. We’re going to break up into groups. And I’m going to ask

you to learn something about the other person and share it on agroup level later on.” It’s simple. Really simple.

One of the conversations I heard at another screening was a

group of lesbians having a conversation with a trans man whowas undocumented. The way that the knowledge and experi-

ence was flowing back and forth, like he didn’t understand whyit was important for them to identify with how we got where we

were today, and how we got power. And they didn’t understandthe true gift that they have in citizenship, because until you talk

to somebody who’s undocumented, particularly a trans person, Iwould think, you don’t realize how tough it can be.

MW: When you were making Gen Silent, were there any moments

where you had to take a breath and separate yourself from yourwork? At the screening in D.C., many audience members appeared

to be affected by the scenes of KrysAnne’s last video diary, whereshe’s dying and literally laboring with each breath, or seeing

Alexandre in the nursing home, where he can barely hold onto his food to eat.

MADDUX: Oh yeah, totally. First of all, those things are not things

that LGBT people have a corner on, dying on the floor alone orhaving to be fed. The thing with KrysAnne’s storyline was defi-

nitely the hardest to shoot. I became deeply involved in that story,because I became one of her caregivers on that list you see, where

we all pitched in. And then you have to go back and we rolled oneverything. It was just me, because we wanted to keep it intimate,

and we didn’t have the budget to bring along people. And that

wouldn’t have worked anyway, because it would have destroyedthe level of realness and intimacy. So going back now, you’re sit-

ting in a room, editing this by yourself, reliving the last six months

of a person’s life over again, right until the end. And just havingto stop, because it was having to mourn the death of somebodytwice, to go through their death twice. And we became close.

MW: What were some other moments you felt were impactful ormade a big impression on you personally?

MADDUX: I think meeting Lois and Sheri, the lesbian couple, and

listening to them talk. Talk about what happened in their house.The way they’d have women come over and meet there as a

safe place. These were women who were losing their childrenbecause they were deciding they wanted to have a relationship

with a woman, and the courts would take their children away.I mean, this was really the darkest of the dark times. So to hear

them talk about everything they did, and to sit across from them,

listening to the people who created this world for you, that waspretty impactful for me.MW: When you go over the film again, and see the sense of isola-tion, or have the subjects talk about contemplating suicide, those

are heavy subjects. Did you ever worry about overwhelming youraudience when you were editing the film?

MADDUX: It’s so heavy that what you have to do is punctuate itwith moments of comic relief, basically. So if you look at the film,

it gets to the point where it’s almost too much, and then there

will be a comic punch line of some kind. We’ll go to Sheri goingup the stairs and singing — and Sheri was particularly useful for

this — or saying, “All straight people are weird.” And it will notonly bring it back to a safe place for the audience, but also show

how much having a sense of humor is part of surviving the toughthings you have to go through when you age. I really do think

growing old is the most intense and physically rigorous thing

you will go through.MW: Has making the documentary made you examine your own

life, and contemplate your own aging?

MADDUX: Absolutely. And not just aging, but thinking, “If I got

into a car accident, who would take care of me?” That’s some-thing that if you’re, say, in your twenties, you may be lucky

enough to have parents and siblings take care of you. But doyou have friends willing to do that? I don’t think that people

understand: it would have to be a friend who was willing to

dress you and clean you. Who is that person? Who do you wantto feel comfortable doing that? That level of intimacy. That’s


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how I contemplated my life, working on this project. Who is thatperson? And it’s not necessarily your partner or spouse or the

person you’re having a romantic relationship with. Because if

they’re your age, they’re probably going through the same thing.If they’re older, they’re probably less capable of doing it.

I think everybody needs to start thinking about that: who’sthat really good friend, or friends? It’s a very interesting thing for

people, for men, who lost most of their really good friends whenthey were young to the AIDS crisis. You don’t get the chance to

build those super deep lifelong friendships again. You have goodfriends, but they’re not the ones like, “Oh, we’ve been together

since high school.”MW: You mentioned after the D.C. screening that your subjectswere people who were middle-class, mostly white, but you didn’t

go for the immigrant experience, you didn’t have anyone who was HIV-positive. And you said you wished you had been able to delve

into those issues. Did your subjects enjoy a position of privilegecompared to some others in the LGBT community?

MADDUX: Well, I think you’re right, that they enjoyed a position

of privilege because of their background and their economicstatus. First of all, let me answer the diversity question. As a

filmmaker, you work really hard — or at least I do — to makesure that everybody is able to see themselves in your film, so they

can relate to it. Because when they can relate to it, then they’relistening and getting involved. It’s a very psychological reason, I

suppose. So you go out into the world, as you make your movie,trying to find everybody. But there are circumstances that come

into play, like economics, availability of people, of stories you

want to tell. And you can’t always get everybody in, especiallyas an independent filmmaker on a budget, which was basically

me. You do the best you can. I have always thought, when I wasmaking it, I wished there was more. I wish we could have had

more people of color, or of different backgrounds, or differentscenarios. But life doesn’t work that way.

The privilege question is a good one. I deliberately chose

middle-class people for this film, because I didn’t want people

who judge you because of your economic status to judge thissituation. “Oh, this is a situation of poverty,” or “This is happen-ing because these people don’t have money.” I wanted to show

people who at least have the means to spend a little money ontheir healthcare, so that people couldn’t cop out on this issue

when they watched it: “If they had money, this wouldn’t be aproblem.” I’m trying to say, and I hope successfully, that money

doesn’t buy you out of isolation, even if it pays for caregivers.

Those aren’t the people who are really going to be there for you. You need somebody who really cares in life.MW: Do you think you successfully accomplished that aim?

MADDUX: No, I think we’re all still in denial, no matter how many

heavy movies you see. I think there’s still a sense of “That won’thappen to me.” Because I think there is that perception among

people who are alone, like white, older gay men, for example,

who think that they’re just going to buy their way out, with lotsof pretty caregivers around them. It doesn’t work out that way.MW: What’s the takeaway that you want a viewer to come awaywith from the film?

MADDUX: That you have to figure out who’s going to take careof you, especially if you’re an LGBT person. There’s a universal

message in there that goes beyond the community. Anotherreason that we did the film the way we did was so that people

saw the differences, and learned about the differences for LGBT

elders, but they also saw how similar the experience was forstraight people.MW: Have you ever thought of doing a follow-up, either with the

same subjects, ora different genera-

tion of people?

MADDUX: Yeah,that’s a really

good idea. Thesepeople, some of

them are BabyBoomers, but

most of themare pre-Baby

Boomers, so all

the studies saythat the Boomers

are not going tobe silent, they’re

not going to putup with anything,

they think they’re

the shit, so they’renot going to be

quiet. But there’salso that moment of “Do I want this person to do a good job? I

can’t tell how accepting they are, so I’m just going to edit my lifea little bit.” We’ve all been in that situation.

MW: What else would you want to do if you did film a follow-up?What other issues or perspectives would you bring in?

MADDUX: Spending time with Lois and Sheri really got me think-

ing about all the things they had done that I didn’t know about.And so I wanted to delve into LGBT history. I think people

automatically hit “snooze” as soon as they hear the term “LGBThistory.” But if you spend a little bit of time, not just reading

about Stonewall or Harvey Milk, but talking to people wholived through it is absolutely the most fascinating chapter of the

American experience that you will encounter.MW: Why do you think there is so little known about LGBT history?

What have we not done as storytellers, in the media, in film, tomake it exciting or interesting for younger generations?

MADDUX: I think we’re just at the beginning of trying. Now

there’s an opportunity to go out there and try to make it inter-esting. What we haven’t done is really started to tell our stories.

We haven’t been in a place where it’s safe enough. And our nextLGBT generation still does not feel safe enough. But we have

the good stuff, these stories of people’s experiences, that we’re

about to lose.We’ve always been told that life was basically just getting

busted in a bar, and that was the only place you could meet peo-ple. And that’s not necessarily so. Turns out life was a lot happier

than we ever thought. And to see these people happy and surviv-ing and adapting even back then makes me very proud of how I

identify and of the community that I want to be a part of. And

going forward, to see this great lineage that we’re a part of, thatwe didn’t even know was there. The more you look at what the

community is, and everything it’s done, and what a great chapterof American history it is, that’s something you want to own, the

more you look into it. l

Gen Silent offers DVDs, special screenings of the film and links

to various LGBT elder resources for those interested in learningmore about issues related to LGBT aging. To purchase a DVD, or

to schedule a screening or training session utilizing the film, visit gensilent.com/get-the-film. To view a free screening of

Gen Silent , visit the Logo website at logo.tv.

S T U M A D D U X F I L M S

Maddux


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I THINK IN COM-

parison to other

theaters in the city,it’s a treat to come

into someplace likethis,” says Emilia

Stefancyzk.Stefancyzk, a publicist for

Landmark Theatres, is refer-ring to Landmark’s month-old

Atlantic Plumbing Cinema, a

venue that’s hard to compare toother movie theaters — in D.C.

and most elsewhere nation-wide. It’s something recogniz-

able the moment you walk upto the complex, located next

to the 9:30 Club in that rapidly

revitalizing section of Shaw.“It doesn’t even look

like a theater,” Stefancyzksays. “It’s missing the post-

ers even.” Instead, AtlanticPlumbing Cinema looks like

D.C.’s hippest new bar. And

ultimately, that’s exactly whatit is: A full-scale bar with a

long countertop, looking outon an airy lounge area with

handsome, tan leather-uphol-stered couches and chairs

and framed on two sides infloor-to-ceiling windows. In

addition to 12 taps for beer

and a selection of wines andcava, Atlantic Plumbing also

features a list of film-inspiredspecialty cocktails. They are

the handiwork of bar managerEric King, a mixologist who

previously worked at IronGate — a restaurant known for

its high-quality and adventur-

ous cocktail menu.“We’re putting a big-

ger priority on the quality ofyour drinks,” says Stefancyzk.

“And we actually serve themin glassware.” Naturally, you

can take the drinks into the

theater with you when see-ing a movie, something that

A Cinematic Toast “A new urban concept,” Landmark’s Atlantic Plumbing Cinema is a combination

intimate movie house and hip bar

BY DOUG RULE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD FRANSON


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more “mainstream-ish films” than E Street — particularly those,like Jobs and the forthcoming Spotlight, that are generating lots

of press and Oscar-buzz. Love anticipates Atlantic Plumbing willalso eventually start its own regular programming series similar

to E Street’s Midnight Madness but perhaps with more of a focuson classics, or films that might attract film students at nearby

Howard University.

Eventually, Atlantic Plumbing might allow patrons to bringfood beyond basic concessions into the theater. For now though,

all food prepared on site — including crab cake sliders, burgers,wings and mozzarella sticks — must be eaten in the lounge or as

takeout. The venue also plans to make use of its front patio withoutdoor seating in warmer weather.

The theater is “a new urban concept,” as Stefancyzk puts

it — one premised on a level of social interaction and engage-ment well beyond the traditional movie house, or for that mat-

ter, the average bar. “We’ve seen a lot of people go to a movie,

come out, have a drink and talk about the film with the peoplethey saw the movie with — or with our bartenders,” Love says.“You don’t get that at other theaters — you usually watch a

movie and leave.”The bar facilitates greater discussion about film, but the staff

helps, too. “Here, you can talk to almost anybody on staff, truly,

about film — there’s a lot of knowledge,” Stefancyzk says. “Thisplace wouldn’t be half as fun for me,” Love adds, “if I wasn’t

surrounded by cinephiles, people that are really into this. We’reworking on making this the place to be, and the spot to come see

movies.” l

Landmark’s Atlantic Plumbing Cinema is at 807 V ST. NW. Call

202-534-1965 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

patrons of Landmark’s E Street Cinema have long appreciated.It’s now a growing trend at Landmark properties nationwide.

“That’s really added to the experience. It’s way more relaxing,”says Cody Love, lead assistant manager at the theater.

The entire moviegoing experience is intended to be morerelaxing at Atlantic Plumbing. Next to the bar, down a curvy

walled hallway, are the complex’s six small theaters. Each has

a capacity of just 48 to 54 people and features roomy, reclin-ing seats upholstered in plush leather and spaced out in wide

aisles to minimize disruption. Even the front row is set back farenough that you can comfortably watch a film without straining

your neck. “It feels really intimate but you’re never going to feelclaustrophobic,” Love says. The spacious feel is possible in large

part because Atlantic Plumbing, like all Landmark properties

in the area, is an all-digital theater, with projectors that dropdown from the ceiling. There’s no need for a projection room —

much less a projectionist — taking up space in each screen. Also

enhancing the experience: every seat at Atlantic Plumbing canbe reserved in advance, via the website or the touchscreen kiosks just off the bar.

A month in, Atlantic Plumbing is still a work in progress.That’s especially true with programming. The theater opened

big, with Steve Jobs screening on all six screens. “In the first

week, we were No. 20 in the whole country, even with onlyaround 300-something seats,” Love says. “That’s really big, to be

able to compete against megaplexes.” But sales tapered off prettydramatically by week three of the exclusive run of Steve Jobs. It’s

picked back up again now that they’ve diversified the offerings,with showings of Love The Coopers and Miss You Already.

Love, who got his start with Landmark three years ago at

the E Street Cinema, expects Atlantic Plumbing to succeed with


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NOVEMBER 19 - 26, 2015

SPOTLIGHT

A COLLECTOR’S VISION:WASHINGTONIANA COLLECTIONIn addition to incorporating theTextile Museum, the recently openedGeorge Washington UniversityMuseum also houses the Albert H.Small Washingtoniana Collection.The exhibition A Collector’s Visionserves as a perfect introduction tothe collection, featuring maps andprints, rare letters, photographs anddrawings documenting the historyof Washington, D.C. and donated by

Small in 2011. Opens Saturday, Nov. 21.The George Washington UniversityMuseum, 701 21st St. NW. Call 202-994-5200 or visit museum.gwu.edu.

2015 DC QUEER THEATREFESTIVALNow in its fourth year, the DC QueerTheatre Festival promises to be evenwilder than previous editions — andcertainly more of a whirlwind for themany local stage veterans participatingon a volunteer basis. That’s becausethis year’s theme is Play Time: The LGBTQ 24-Hour Play Festival, with sixshows in only one day. Starting at 7 p.m.on Friday, Nov. 20, six playwrights will

each create from scratch a 10-minuteplay and team up with a director, whowill then select a cast from a pool oflocal actors. The actors will then spendall day Saturday, Nov. 21, rehearsingthe stage shorts, which will be present-ed in a program offered twice that eve-ning — starting exactly 24 hours aftercreation. Rayceen Pendarvis hosts thismanic marathon, which is a program ofand a fundraiser for the DC Center forthe LGBT Community. Saturday, Nov.21, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Road SE.Tickets are $20. Call 202-631-6291 or visit dcqueertheatrefest.org.

DIXIE CHICKSPresumably by next summer we’ll final-ly have new music from Natalie Maines,Emily Robison and Martie Maguire — afull decade after the trio last joinedforces to release the Grammy-winningTaking The Long Way. Talk about a longwait. They haven’t announced anythingalong those lines though, only that thethree Dixie Chicks will regroup for aworld tour that will start in Europe in April, with a stop at Jiffy Lube Live inJune. Tickets on sale Saturday, Nov. 21,at 10 a.m., for concert Saturday, June25. Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar DoorDrive, Bristow, Va. Tickets are $42 to$136. Call 703-754-6400 or visit thejif-

fylubelive.com.

24

Compiled by Doug Rule

S T U M A D D U X F I L M S


THE FIRST NURSING HOME, WE WEREN’T REALLY WELCOME THERE AS A GAY COUPLE,”

says Lawrence Johnson.

His partner, Alexandre, has Parkinson’s Dementia and needs care as his mind and body

continue to deteriorate. Lawrence softly rubs lotion into Alexandre’s hands, something he would never

have felt comfortable doing at the prior home. An intimate action, he feared it would cause problems for

Alexandre’s care.That fear, that small nugget of doubt that every LGBT person carries, is the crux behind Stu Maddux’s

documentary, Gen Silent ( HHHH ). Shot around the Boston Area between 2008 and 2009, it focuses onsix LGBT seniors and how the fear of homophobia from health workers or services impacts their lives.

LGBT people are more likely to remain independent — often long past the point where they require care

— because they fear repercussions in the care system. “I worry about people who are hiding because they

are scared to death,” says one care worker.

Gen Silent also poses that most terrifying of questions: Who will take care of us when we are older?For LGBT people, it isn’t as straightforward as one would hope, as family can be estranged and many gay

couples don’t have children. If you need help, how do you carry on? It’s a depressing reality for many,

Lawrence included. “I don’t know, when Alexandre dies, what I’m going to do,” he wonders aloud. “Why

can’t I kill myself? There’s nobody in my life.”

It would be easy to criticize Gen Silent’s shortcomings — the low visual quality, the overuse of softfocus, the occasionally awkward edit — but to do so diminishes its powerful message. As we meet various

workers for LGBT elderly social and care programs, it’s impossible to not wish for more training, more

action so that no elderly LGBT person need fear that they’ll be neglected in their old age.Arguably the documentary’s most poignant subject is Khrysallis Anne. A Vietnam veteran, she lost

her entire family when she came out as transgender. Now, with terminal lung cancer, she has no one

to turn to. She tried a nursing facility (“They didn’t want to touch my body”), but now lives at home.

Isolated, deteriorating, she longs for her family. “If they ever choose to catch up, before I die, I welcome

them,” she says. Her lifeline is a network of LGBT volunteers, who rally to provide round-the-clock care

for her. Unfortunately, a reconciliation attempt by her son fails to amount to anything and, with her can-

cer spreading, Krysallis remains alone.

“Being alone is really hard,” she gasps from the floor during her final video diary, her oxygen tank

nearby, breathing labored. “It’s really hard. I’ve been through all kinds of shit in my life. I’ve been in

Vietnam. Transitioning is hard. Losing my family is hard. But this shit — this is terrifying.”

As she struggles to sit up, she looks at the camera: “Just don’t let it happen to anyone you know.”

— Rhuaridh Marr

Gen Silent runs 63 minutes and is available to stream for free on Logo TV’s website. Visit logo.to/1SfN02k.

Khrysallis Anne

MatureDiscussionGen Silent poignantly followssix elderly LGBT peopletrying to plantheir futures


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ELIZABETH MCCAIN: A LESBIANBELLE TELLS...Elizabeth McCain won the Best SoloShow award at the 2014 Capital FringeFestival with her one-woman comedy A Lesbian Belle Tells..., in which sherecounts the slow and stilted — but alsohilariously relatable — way she ownedup to being a lesbian. The TakomaPark resident offers another local per-formance of the show. Saturday, Nov.21, at 7 p.m. Metropolitan CommunityChurch of DC, 474 Ridge St. NW.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 atthe door. Call 202-638-7373 or visitelizabethmccain.com.

THE HUNGER GAMES:MOCKINGJAY PART 2

HHHHH

“Anyone can kill anyone,” saysJohanna Mason (Jenna Malone) toKatniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. “You just need to be willing tosacrifice yourself.” The final install-ment of the tale of civil uprising inthe country of Panem is significantly better than Mockingjay Part 1, as it

includes actual things that happen (A vicious attack by Mutts! A really nastyoil spill!) as opposed to complete andutter lethargy. Still the movie is likelyonly satisfying for fans of the book.There’s very little emotional con-nection between the characters andeven the movie’s core love triangle isdealt with in a perfunctory manner.Should Katniss choose the endlesslypining Gale (Liam Hemsworth) or the brainwashed, murderous Peeta (JoshHutcherson) -- why not just take bothand start a commune? Elizabeth Bankssteals every scene she’s in, JulianneMoore is reduced to a prim harpie,Woody Harrelson does little morethan mutter a few lines, and StanleyTucci has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-itcameo. As the evil President Snow,Donald Sutherland seems more thanready ready for the ordeal to be over,while Lawrence herself just seemsexhausted from spending her daysstaring at green screens. The biggestmoment of wistfulness come whenev-er Philip Seymour Hoffman, who diedduring the making of the film, appearsonscreen. It’s not much of a flashyperformance to go out on, but it’s goodto see him one more time, all the same.Opens Friday, Nov. 20. Area theaters. Visit Fandango.com. (Randy Shulman)

KERMIT RUFFINSSinging trumpet player Kermit Ruffinsco-founded the now world-renownedRebirth Brass Band decades ago. Inrecent years he’s become a goodwillambassador for post-Katrina NewOrleans, regularly touring the coun-try with his band Barbecue Swingersas well as taking on high-profile gigssuch as serving as a music consultantand guest star on HBO’s Treme. Thisweekend the charismatic, exuberant jazz leader and his band return to theHamilton Live for a show that paystribute to the legend that is Louis Armstrong. Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8:30p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW.Tickets are $25.75 to $30.25. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

C A R O L R O S E G G


Folderol

and FiddledeedeeDouglas Carter Beane brings out the best of a beloved classic inNational Theatre’s Cinderella

SO MANY PEOPLE GOT ENGAGED AFTER SEEING THIS SHOW,” DOUGLAS CARTERBeane bellows over gusts of wind. I’ve caught the mastermind behind The National

Theatre’s Cinderella out for a walk in the Cotswolds.“People were dropping on one knee all over the place,” he continues. Beane’s new version

of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic is, first and foremost, “one big romantic show.”Fittingly, Beane’s favorite addition to this new production is a reimagined role for the

prince. No longer is he the spoiled child of two monarchs, but an orphan trying to come into

himself. No less in needing of saving than Cinderella, this prince is a good-hearted, decent,caring, self-doubting guy who needs a friend. As Beane puts it, he is “the guy I would like my

daughter to fall in love with. The guy I want every girl and guy I know to fall in love with.”To spruce up the second act, Beane pulled from a number of other Rodgers and

Hammerstein sources. In addition to orphaning the prince, he looked to the original Frenchtext of the fairytale to have the fairy godmother appear in an earlier scene as a beggar woman.

He also added a subversive flair to the musical, reimagining Sebastian as an impish reincarna-tion of Dick Cheney.

Despite the tweaks, Beane’s show is still very much in the vein of Rodgers and

Hammerstein. “People keep asking who put all this liberalism in here,” he notes, but theoriginal text of Cinderella was written by a social satirist and Rogers and Hammerstein always

wanted the show to be “for the common man.” Beane points to “spectacular job” of his direc-tor, Mark Brokaw, and his use of traditional theater tricks to ensure the production lived up

to “our obligation to share this show with a new generation.”At least one generation too young for the original broadcast of the show, which aired on

CBS in 1957 and starred Julie Andrews, Beane instead experienced the 1965 version featuring

Lesley Ann Warren. Growing up in Pennsylvania, he remembers a time when musicals wereentertainment for working families, rather than just the rich. When he was a kid, every family

had a little collection of Broadway cast recordings next to their record player — even MiddleAmerica got to enjoy the magic of musicals. It’s that inclusive spirit that Beane has retained

in this show.“Kindness trumps cruelty and sarcasm,” he says. “That’s something we wanted to share

with this Kardashian world.” — Tim Rosenberger

Cinderella runs to November 29 at The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

Tickets are $37 to $228. Call 202-628-6161 or visit thenationaldc.org.


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local stage stars in the cast: Carolyn Agan, Felicia Curry, William Diggle,Erin Driscoll, Rick Hammerly, KevinMcAllister, Amy McWilliams andStephen Schmidt. Opens Thursday,Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. Runs to Dec. 31.Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Call800-982-2787 or visit fordstheatre.org.

AKEELAH AND THE BEEPlaywright Cheryl L. West adapts thespirited celluloid story of a girl fromthe Chicago projects trying to spell

her way to success. Charles Randolph-Wright directs an Arena Stage pro-duction starring Johannah Easley. ToDec. 27. Kreeger Theater in the MeadCenter for American Theater, 1101 6thSt. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visitarenastage.org.

ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANEThe Edge of the Universe Players pres-ents a production of British playwrightJoe Orton’s darkly comic tale, set inthe swinging ‘60s, of people searchingdesperately for love — only to findlust, deceit and violence. The sexuallyambiguous title character is played byMatthew McGee, known from his work

with Constellation Theatre Company both as a Helen Hayes Award-winningactor ( Taking Steps ) and a puppet mas-ter ( Avenue Q ). Stephen Jarrett directsa cast also including David BrownJackson, Jim Jorgensen and ClaireSchoonover. Opens Saturday, Nov. 21,at 8 p.m. To Dec. 13. The Writer’sCenter, 4508 Walsh St. Bethesda.Tickets are $22 to $25. Call 202-355-6330 or visit universeplayers2.org.

UNIQUELY NASTY SCREENINGAND PANEL DISCUSSIONSubtitled The U.S. Government’s Waron Gays, Michael Isikoff’s Yahoo Newsdocumentary explores a time, only a fewdecades removed, when our gay and lesbian forebears were considered nationalsecurity risks wholly unfit for federalemployment and so untrustworthythat the FBI secretly monitored their“sex deviate” activities. The NationalMuseum of American History hosts afree screening of this 30-minute docu-

mentary, released earlier this year as Yahoo’s first original documentary, andfollowed by a discussion moderated byHarry Rubenstein and including Isikoff, veteran Republican PR consultantCharles Francis and Lambda Legal’sLisa Linsky. Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m.Warner Bros. Theater in the NationalMuseum of American History, 14th St.and Constitution Ave. NW. Free, butadvance registration requested. Call202-633-1000 or visit uniquelynastyhff. brownpapertickets.com.

STAGE

A CHRISTMAS CAROLFord’s Theatre remounts its music-filled production of the Dickens clas-sic, adapted by Michael Wilson anddirected by Michael Baron. EdwardGero returns for his seventh year asEbenezer Scrooge, in a staging featur-ing imaginative special effects, famil-iar carols and themes of giving backand living with grace. Among other

KISS ME, KATEThe latest musical to get the Alan Paultreatment at the Shakespeare TheatreCompany is Cole Porter’s classic kissto the Bard. Douglas Sills and ChristineSherrill star in Kiss Me, Kate, featuringa book by Samuel and Bella Spewack, about the sparks that fly on and offstage as a troupe stages a musical ver-sion of Shakespeare’s The Taming ofthe Shrew. Now in previews. OpensMonday, Nov. 23, at 7:45 p.m. To Jan. 3.Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center

for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are$20 to $118. Call 202-547-1122 or visitshakespearetheatre.org.

TONY DESAREHe performed a tribute to FrankSinatra with the National SymphonyOrchestra earlier this year, and previously did the same with a tributeto Irving Berlin by the BaltimoreSymphony Orchestra. Obviously, jazzsinger-songwriter and pianist TonyDeSare knows the Great AmericanSongbook. But as a solo artist he’s become known for putting his own jaunty spin on those classics as well asmore contemporary pop tunes (includ-

ing Prince’s “Kiss” and Bastille’s“Pompeii”) in ways unexpected anddeft — often through short medleysor sly mashups. Sunday, Nov. 22, at 8p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 GrandPark Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are$30 to $40. Call 301-581-5100 or visitampbystrathmore.com.

OLIVER!This season’s musical at Arena Stageis Lionel Bart’s 1962 Tony-winningtake on the Charles Dickens classic,reinvented in-the-round and with amodern twist by Arena’s Molly Smith.Smith directs a large 25-member castand once again teams up with choreog-rapher Parker Esse, who won a HelenHayes Award for his work with Smithon another acclaimed, exclaimed pro-duction, 2010’s Oklahoma! To Jan. 3.Mead Center for American Theater,

1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.

PERICLESStriking visual projections and livemusic composed by Jack Herrickpromise to fulfill the dramatic poten-tial of this rough-seas Shakespeare voyage. Originally produced at theOregon Shakespeare Festival, JosephHaj directs a run at Folger Theatrestarring Wayne T. Carr before takingit to Minneapolis’s Guthrie Theaterat the top of 2016. To Dec. 20. FolgerTheatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE.Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.

SONS OF THE PROPHETTheater J offers a production ofthis 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist fromfledgling playwright Stephen Karam. A dark comedy about the sufferingand struggles of a Lebanese-Americanfamily, including a gay son, GreggHenry directs a cast featuring VanessaBradchulis, Brigid Cleary, ChrisDinolfo, Sam Ludwig, Cam Magee,


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actors can convey. To Dec. 13. StudioTheatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Ticketsare $49 to $96 each show. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.(Doug Rule)

WINNERS AND LOSERS

HHHHH

Woolly Mammoth’s Winnersand Losers is set as a conversation between the playwright-performersMarcus Youssef and James Long, whofall into an argument that becomesincreasingly personal, one in which

each man begins to challenge theother’s integrity, class values and fam-ily relationships. Although there isan arc here, instead of fully scripteddialogue the performers use improvand a partial script to move throughthe progression that leads to conflictand confrontation. It’s a challengingstructure that never quite gels — thetransitions are sometimes awkward,the contrivances sometimes too obvi-ous. However one views this — as aperformance piece that toys with theconventions of theater, or theater thattoys with elements of performance —it will all come down to whether youfind these two men and their angst

interesting. For those who savor preci-sion wit, think-tank talk, and remember Spalding Gray with fondness, thisis going to feel less like an evening inprovocative company and more like being trapped in the boring room at theparty. Closes Sunday, Nov. 22. WoollyMammoth Theatre Company, 641 D StNW. Tickets are $35 to $68. Call 202-393-3939 or visit woollymammoth.net.(Kate Wingfield)

X’S AND O’S(A FOOTBALL LOVE STORY)

Subtitled A Footbal l Love Story ,the NFL takes Center Stage in thisunflinching, ripped-from-the-head-lines examination of America’s favoriteand most traumatic sport, written byKJ Sanchez with Jenny Mercein andco-commissioned by Center Stage withBerkeley Repertory Theater. TonyTaccone directs a cast including two-time Super Bowl Champion DwightHicks of the San Francisco 49ers. Itdoesn’t get much more authentic thanthat. Opens Friday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m.Runs to Dec. 20. Center Stage, 700North Calvert St., Baltimore. Call 410-986-4000 or visit centerstage.org.

MUSIC

BALTIMORE SYMPHONYORCHESTRA WITH HILARY HAHN After helping launch the BSO seasonlast year, Baltimore’s own interna-tional star violinist returns to performDvorak’s lyrical and playful ViolinConcerto. The program, led by Finnishconductor Hannu Lintu, also featuresSibelius’ Four Legends . Thursday,Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. Music Center atStrathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,

North Bethesda. Also Friday, Nov.20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall,1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Ticketsare $38 to $109. Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

DRAGONETTE, AVAN LAVA, YOUNG EMPIRES“We get to do a lot of gay parties,”Martina Sorbara of Dragonette beamedto Metro Weekly three years ago beforea local concert. And now comes thereturn of this hip Canadian electro-pop band, which has performed at TorontoPride, San Francisco’s Folsom andNew York’s Ascension, among others.

Tony Strowd Hamilton, MichaelWillis and Jaysen Wright. Now in previews. Opens Sunday, Nov. 22, at 7:30p.m. The Aaron and Cecile GoldmanTheater, Washington, D.C.’s JewishCommunity Center, 1529 16th St. NW.Tickets are $37 to $67. Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.

THE APPLE FAMILY CYCLE:SORRY, REGULAR SINGING

HHHHH

Studio Theatre presents the final twoinstallments of Richard Nelson’s four-

play Apple Family Cycle in repertory just as it did the first two — with thesame cast and the same director, SergeSeiden, who offers sharp focus on thewords and action. You can jump inat any point and won’t lose much if you only see one play, or see them outof order. In fact, Nelson has inten-tionally left some familial aspects anddetails out, which only encourages atheatergoer to speculate and extrapo-late. Here, as in real life, it can befascinating to try to make sense ofthings, particularly the complicated,contradictory characters we encoun-ter. The ensemble has the kind of easeand natural rapport that only seasoned

A Thanksgiving SplashA quick roundup of a few notable Turkey-Day offerings

W

HEN YOU THINK OF THANKSGIVING DIN-ner, does Tom Hanks come to mind?

Well, he did for chef Logan McGear whilepreparing the Thanksgiving menu at his Adams Morgan

restaurant SMOKE + BARREL. He took the concept of paying

homage to Hanks’ filmography through side dishes — andran with it. And what

Documents

Metro Weekly - 11-19-15 - Stu Maddux - Gen Silent