Washington Blade, Volume 56, Issue 34, August 22, 2025

City resists Trump police takeover as businesses suffer, PAGES 06 & 18

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Protesters rally in D.C. one week after federal takeover

Hundreds gather on U Street to denounce Trump’s overreach

By JOSEPH REBERKENNY | jreberkenny@washblade.com

More than 200 people gathered in front of the old Frank Reeves Municipal Center on Monday to protest the Trump administration’s federal takeover of the District of Columbia and MPD.

Free D.C. — a nonprofit whose mission is securing self-determination for the District — hosted the event at 14th and U streets, N.W. Speakers from several community organizations addressed the crowd, arguing that the takeover harms the city more than it helps.

Keya Chatterjee, executive director of Free D.C., was among the first to speak. She said the administration’s actions represent a blatant overreach of federal power, motivated by partisanship rather than public safety.

“Since last week, Trump has sent federal law enforcement agents into our neighborhoods, made our police start turning people over to ICE, sent in our local National Guard and attempted to put our local police department under federal control,” Chatterjee told reporters and protesters. “Today, he has sent in armed National Guard from three additional states.”

By Tuesday morning, six states had pledged to send troops. All are governed by Republicans, contributing anywhere from 150 to 400 National Guard members each. Together, more than 1,000 out-of-state troops are now expected to patrol the District.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry pledged 150 troops; West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he would send between 300 and 400; South Carolina Gov. Henry Dargan McMaster pledged 200; Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said his state would send 150; Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee committed about 160; and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves pledged 200.

Chatterjee was not alone in criticizing the presence of non-D.C. officers. Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center said the money spent deploying troops could instead be used to house people experiencing homelessness — many of whom, he argued, the administration is targeting for removal.

“According to estimates, it costs over $420,000 a day to deploy the D.C. Guard,” Rabinowitz said. “That number does not factor in the Guard troops now invading from West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina. But just using this D.C. cost — $420,000 a day — tells an important story. It costs $47,000 a year to get somebody off the street and into housing for one year. For one day of D.C. Guard activation,

we could solve homelessness for nine people.”

He added that the clearances are designed for optics, not solutions.

“On Thursday night, over 30 federal police officers from the FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Security gathered near a few tents in Foggy Bottom. They didn’t come offering housing or support. They came with their guns and lights flashing.”

“The solution to homelessness is housing,” he continued. “The solution to authoritarianism is solidarity.”

Kelsye Adams, director of D.C. Vote and Long Live Go-Go, also condemned the use of the U Street corridor as a staging ground for federal forces.

“For the first time in history, a president seized control of our local government,” Adams told the crowd, which booed loudly in response. “He stripped away local authority unlawfully as our AG got out there and filled our streets with over 800 National Guard troops from other states, federal agents, including ICE, FBI … And where did they land? Right here on U Street, on Black Broadway in the middle of our door.”

“They call it public safety, but here’s the truth: crime is down in D.C.,” she continued, citing Department of Justice data ignored by the administration. “This is the lowest that violent crime has been in D.C. in the past 30 years … If crime is down, why all the troops? Why ICE? Why remove the unhoused? Why checkpoints and why say this is about safety? Let’s be real. This is a fascist takeover.”

Adams stressed that Black and brown children living around U Street are bearing the brunt of the militarization.

“Children should not feel like suspects for simply living; our young people deserve joy, safety and dignity, not militarization.”

Nee Nee Taylor, organizing director of Free D.C., echoed that message, pointing to the long history of police targeting youth of color.

“Black and brown people, we are not safe,” Taylor said. “We are in a state of emergency right now. We are being watched. We are being targeted, and it’s not safe to walk alone.”

“They want to drag us back to the days of Emmett Till and Jim Crow, but hear me clearly — we’re going to resist. We’re going to show up. We’re going to take up space, we’re not going to comply, and we’re going to send joy while we’re doing it.”

“Safety cannot be manufactured through fear. Let me say that again: safety cannot be manufactured.”

A representative from Colectivo Familias Migrantes, a civil society group focused on human rights and democratic rule of law in the Americas, told the crowd that incidents of undocumented people being scooped up in unmarked cars by masked agents are part of a broader plan to continue policing Black and brown people in D.C. — regardless of their immigration status.

“These are not coincidences. These are strategically placed and targeted to bring fear and panic, all while building a disgusting narrative that continues to criminalize our bodies every single day.”

“We demand that all federal forces leave now,” she added.

Rach “Coach” Pike, co-owner of the queer bar As You Are in Southeast D.C., told the Blade they attended the event to show solidarity and to stress the importance of LGBTQ awareness.

“I think it has more to do with location and who they’re targeting, which are Black and brown communities, communities that are unhoused. So I think it’s more about that than queer people — at least for now. Queers aren’t the focus yet.”

As a business owner, Pike said their priority is supporting those being directly targeted by the administration — and encouraging other businesses to do the same.

“I just encourage business owners, mostly to be on the street, help with the resources they can communicate and get information out to people, and push people toward our amazing D.C. organizers, because they’re the ones we need to follow right now.”

“Being out here with our people and amongst like-mindedness is really important to kind of get your energy up,” Pike added. “I wouldn’t say I feel any better — it’s all bullshit — but I feel surrounded, wrapped up, covered. Like I’m getting more information to help cover other people. You know, we got to keep us safe.”

Know your rights: ACLU shares insights amid federal takeover

ICE must have permission from a manager to raid a workplace

By JOSEPH REBERKENNY | jreberkenny@washblade.com

Since Aug. 11, when President Donald Trump invoked Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, there has been an increased federal presence of all kinds in D.C. From FBI agents loitering outside well-known LGBTQ hotspots to National Guard members disseminated across the National Mall, law enforcement presence is at an all-time high in Washington.

This marks the first time Section 740 of the Home Rule Act has been used since Home Rule’s establishment in 1973, which granted D.C. the right to govern itself (following congressional approval.) This section outlines how the president can direct the mayor to provide Metropolitan Police Department forces for federal purposes under “special circumstances of an emergency nature.”

Trump has argued this takeover of Washington is justified in his executive order declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia, saying multiple times that crime in the capital has left “bloodthirsty criminals” on the streets. Trump went on in the order to make blanket statements about the murder rate in D.C. while citing outdated homicide rates from 2023.

According to the Trump administration, those 2023 numbers validate the federal government’s overreach into D.C. politics, despite Department of Justice statistics showing the nation’s capital is at a “violent crime thirty-year low,” and MPD data showing a 26 percent decrease in violent crime from last year.

Trump had, up until last week, used the Drug Enforcement Administration head as an “acting police chief” to get MPD to clear homeless encampments and create police checkpoints for drivers in D.C. After D.C. Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the administration for its attempt to circumvent the actual police chief, the Justice Department removed the DEA head as provisional leader of MPD and instead made them act as an intermediary between the administration and police.

Despite this forced change of reinstating Smith, Trump will continue to have control over MPD for 30 days after he enacted Section 740. This means law enforcement of all types will still carry out Trump’s commands, including ramping up deportations, arrests, and stops within the District.

The Washington Blade spoke with Monica Hopkins, the executive director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, to discuss how LGBTQ people — both documented and undocumented — can stay safe as the administration continues to control law enforcement.

“I think it’s really important to understand your basic rights,” Hopkins told the Blade on Friday. “No matter what your identity, you have certain rights.”

These rights, Hopkins explains, can protect you — but only if you know what they are and how to use them.

“You have the right to remain silent, but you must verbally invoke this right. So you have to say, ‘I’m invoking my right to be silent,’ or ‘I want to be silent.’

If stopped by police,” she says, “you should ask,

‘Am I free to leave?’ If the answer is yes, then you should walk away calmly. If the answer is no, ask, ‘Am I under arrest?’”

“You can refuse a search of yourself or your belongings,” the 17-year veteran of the ACLU explained. “You may be patted down for weapons, but beyond that, you can refuse a search of yourself or your belongings. This includes, if an officer says, ‘Will you empty your pockets?’ You can refuse.”

Even as MPD is effectively being directed by federal requests, Hopkins explained there is a difference in rights when it comes to legal consultation if stopped by police versus U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“If you are stopped by the D.C. police, you have the right to an attorney,” Hopkins said. “If you are stopped by ICE, you have the right to consult with an attorney, and you can also request a list of free and low-cost legal help.”

In addition to knowing the rights everyone has, understanding the correct way law enforcement can enter a premises is also crucial for ensuring safety in both residential and commercial spaces.

“Immigration officers must have permission from the owner or the manager to conduct a raid on a workplace. If officers come in, the business owner can say, ‘I don’t give you permission to be here. You need to leave. I’m asking you to leave the property. This is my business. Please leave.’ If the officers do not have permission from the owner or the manager, they must have a warrant that is signed by a federal judge or a magistrate [to enter].”

Just having a piece of paper that an officer claims is a warrant is not enough, Hopkins explained. Request the warrant and look over it to ensure it is (1) for the correct space and (2) signed by the right person.

“Look at those warrants very, very carefully and who has signed them,” she said. “It has to be a federal judge or a magistrate. It can’t be another ICE agent. It can’t be the Metropolitan Police Department. That

warrant has to be signed by a federal judge or a magistrate.”

In addition to knowing rights in D.C., having a plan in case law enforcement does come is the next step to ensuring safety.

“I think in these times, currently having these conversations now and saying, ‘What if this happens? What is my plan?’ And planning it, not when you’re in a situation trying to come up with a plan, but before,” she said. “It gives you the space to say, ‘Okay, what are my rights?’”

Hopkins pointed out that there are abundant resources available on the ACLU-DC’s website that can help all kinds of people understand their rights and establish a plan. There are spotlight guides that outline what to do in specific situations, like “Preparing for ICE Raids,” “Legal Support and Resources on Arrest, Detention, and Deportation,” and even LGBTQ specific resources like “Your D.C. Protections from Harassment.” It’s all free and accessible on the ACLU-DC’s website.

When asked how D.C. residents can properly protest actions by ICE and other law enforcement, she offered some pointers.

“You are allowed to film the police from a safe distance. You are allowed to protest. You are allowed to go out in public. You are allowed to yell at the police — you are not allowed to attack the police. It is not your right to physically attack the police or throw things. That may cross the line, and there may be consequences — those aren’t your guaranteed rights under the Constitution [as part of the right] to exercise your First Amendment rights of protesting, demonstrating.”

Hopkins explained that in addition to educating people about their rights, the ACLU-DC is specifically going into the Capitol and talking with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to attempt to curtail any potential restriction of rights — especially as the Trump administration gears up to get Congress to allow continued control of District law enforcement.

“Our attention has been turned sort of on Congress. And we are having meetings with congressional staff explaining to them the intricacies of D.C. and D.C. home rule and why they should view this overreach and abuse of power by the president as just a trial balloon that you know this administration will undoubtedly try to enact across the country.”

As the interview drew to a close, Hopkins wanted to reemphasize that knowing your rights is at the crux of staying safe.

“I think that living in the District of Columbia right now, what I have heard from folks is that there’s a lot of fear and anxiety right now. But also that we live in this amazing, beautiful, joyous city. The best thing that we can do to keep ourselves safe, keep our neighbors safe, and keep our friends safe is to know your rights and stay connected to organizations that can provide services and help and you pass along information.”

LGBTQ groups denounce takeover of D.C. police – except for one

Log Cabin Republicans alone in endorsing Trump action

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

Log Cabin Republicans of Washington, D.C., the local chapter of the national LGBTQ Republican organization, has emerged as the only known local LGBTQ group to endorse President Donald Trump’s controversial action earlier this month to federalize the D.C. police department.

Several other local and national D.C.-based LGBTQ political groups have released statements expressing strong opposition to the Trump action, which involves sending in National Guard troops to patrol D.C. streets to fight what the president has called an out-of-control crime wave in the nation’s capital.

“The Log Cabin Republicans of Washington, D.C. commend the President’s decisive leadership in taking control of a crisis that local officials have failed to address,” the group says in a statement. “For decades, Washington, D.C. has suffered under the de facto one-party rule of Democratic leadership,” it says.

“The result has been a steady rise in crime, a decline in public safety, and a culture of complacency toward lawlessness,” the statement continues, adding that D.C. leaders have shown a “blatant unwillingness” to address the issue.

“We thank President Trump for stepping in where local leadership has failed,” D.C. Log Cabin President Andrew Minik says in the statement. “This bold action sends a clear message: the safety of Americans in our nation’s capital is non-negotiable.”

Among the local LGBTQ political groups that have expressed strong opposition to the Trump action and the position of Log Cabin Republicans is the Capital Stonewall Democrats.

“This is nothing more than a political stunt designed to distract and divide,” said Capital Stonewall Democrats President Howard Garrett in a joint statement released with the National Stonewall Democrats organization. “Flooding our neighborhoods with federal forces and seizing control of

our police department will not make us safer – it will undermine trust, escalate tensions, and strip away D.C.’s right to govern itself,” he said.

The joint statement by the two LGBTQ Democratic groups also challenges Trump’s claims that crime in D.C. is at an all-time high.

“This is not about safety, it’s about control,” the statement says. “The facts are clear: Violent crime in D.C. is down 26 percent from last year. Robberies are down 22 percent, and homicides have fallen 18 percent,” the statement continues. “These numbers tell the truth – not the fear-driven narrative being pushed from the White House to justify militarizing our streets and commandeering our local police force.”

GLAA D.C., formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, expressed the organization’s opposition to the Trump action in a statement.

“This unprecedented show of force is theater designed to strike fear into our hearts,” the GLAA statement says. “Donald Trump is making reckless power plays while D.C.’s community is experiencing lasting harm. Donald Trump must be stopped by a mass movement of people who recognize the danger he poses to the freedoms we all cherish.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest national LGBTQ advocacy organization based in D.C., believes the Trump effort to take over the D.C. police force and to send in National Guard troops will  have a negative impact on the LGBTQ community, according to Jarred Keller, the HRC Senior Press Secretary.

“By injecting shameful attacks on the LGBTQ+ community alongside threats of occupation in other major American cities, it’s clear this attempted takeover is about much more than the streets of D.C.,” Keller said in a statement to the Washington Blade.

“It’s about control and intimidation,” he said. “His actions

Comings & Goings

Three artists come together for Rehoboth show

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

Three artists, Gary Fisher, Charlie Jones, and Glenn Fry, began their careers sharing studio space in D.C. They have now united for a show at Gallery 50 in Rehoboth Beach, Del. There will be an opening reception, where you can meet the artists, Friday, Aug. 29, from 5:30-8 p.m., at 50A Wilmington Ave. The exhibit runs through Sept. 17.

Gary has exhibited at Gallery 50 before, and is a well-known, respected artist, living full time for many years in Rehoboth Beach. He is active in the community and a supporter of many charitable causes. He works primarily in his studio and gardens, creating vibrant and evocative oil paintings that express the beauty of the natural world. His focus is the coastal environment, its sunrises and sunsets, and the light that reflects off wetlands and bays.

Charlie is a self-taught abstract painter with more than 25 years of experience working in mixed media. His artistic path is unconventional, rooted in a lifelong commitment to exploring creativity beyond formal boundaries. His art is personal, yet global — shaped by decades of travel across continents where he immersed himself in diverse cultures, customs, and human experiences. These journeys inform the core of his work, which radiates with vivid color combinations, energetic textures, and bold yet nuanced transitions. At the heart of Charlie’s process is an exploration of the intersection between color, texture, and

endanger all families and threaten all our freedoms. We call on all D.C. residents, and all Americans, to stand united in rejecting this blatant abuse of power.”

Kierra Johnson, president of the D.C.-based National LGBTQ Task Force, added her voice to the opposition to the Trump D.C. law enforcement federalization action.

“What is happening is an outrageous targeting of those who live, work in and love the Nation’s Capital,” Johnson said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s actions, taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploying untrained military and government agency armed forces is beyond reprehensible,” Johnson said.

“The National LGBTQ Task Force, whose headquarters has been in D.C. for decades, understands this for what it is – an attack on our city, our people, and our democracy,” she says in the statement. “What we are experiencing now is nothing less than an attempt to occupy our streets and terrorize our residents.”

The D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition, which consists  of multiple organizations that advocate for resources supporting LGBTQ residents, called the Trump action an “attack on D.C. autonomy.”

“This is a blatant violation of D.C.’s right to self-govern and a dangerous escalation rooted in political theater, not public safety,” the coalition said in a statement. “We stand with local community leaders and other advocates fighting for D.C. to be free.”

form. He blends a wide array of materials and techniques, creating layered compositions that invite viewers into a contemplative space. Charlie resides full time in Rehoboth Beach. Glenn is a visual artist based in D.C. specializing in silk screeningfor the last 20 years. His influences range from a childhood love of coloring books and cartoons to his appreciation for most things vintage. Glenn’s artistic style is comprised of variouselements including photography, illustration, painting, as well as screenprinting. Glenn said, “This series is all about love. The collage stylization is representative of the many various parts of each of us and as a collective. We each bring our own unique qualities to the world and we are each wonderfully made.”

D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs budget cut by $600,000

Funding for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs has been cut by $600,000, from $2.3 million in the current 2025 fiscal year to $1.7 million for fiscal year 2026, according to a statement released by the office.

The statement says the office’s fiscal year 2026 funding “maintains key LGBTQIA+ programs originally proposed by Mayor Bowser and builds on FY25.”

Both the mayor and the city’s chief financial officer have noted that a significant drop in tax revenue due to President Donald Trump’s sweeping reduction in the D.C. area federal workforce and a decision by Congress earlier this year to cut the city’s current FY 2025 budget by $1.1 billion would require the city to make across the board budget cuts.

Bowser has since invoked a little-known federal law that gives D.C. the authority to spend an amount of its own funds without congressional approval that would reduce the impact of the congressional budget cut from $1.1 billion to $410 million. But the mayor and city officials have said that the smaller reduction along with the decline in tax revenue would still require cuts in city programs.

According to the office’s statement, the cut in the LGBTQ Affairs Office budget will not reduce the number of the office’s six full-time employees. And she said the office will continue managing 110 Housing Choice

The statement says the funding reduction would result in a cutback in funding for “special projects,” including the Black LGBTQ History Preservation Commission, which was created by a law passed last year by the D.C. Council. Among other things, the commission and a committee created by the law are preparing a detailed

report on the history of the Black LGBTQ community in D.C.

“Funding for the Violence Prevention and Response Team (VPART) and LGBTQIA+ Cultural Humility Trainings remain intact and annual grant funding, approximately $1 million, was also preserved,” the statement says.

“Mayor Bowser remains firmly committed to all communities in D.C., and this budget reflects her continued support for programs that ensure residents can live safe, healthy, and affirmed lives,” the statement adds.

It notes that the LGBTQ cultural training program is intended mostly for housing providers and “first responders,” and covers LGBTQ-related issues such as health disparities, legal protections, and inclusive workplace practices. It says the trainings have been performed under contract with outside organizations, including the LGBTQ support organizations Whitman-Walker Health and SMYAL

The Office of the D.C. Chief Financial Officer, which prepares the full written D.C. budget document, including funding amounts for all city agencies and programs, had not yet released the budget document as of late Thursday. The Blade will be reviewing that document upon its release to determine funding levels for a wide variety of other LGBTQ-related programs advocated for by the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Loudoun County schools rebuff White House demands to change gender policies

The Loudoun County school board on Tuesday voted 6-3 to maintain policies allowing transgender students to use restrooms and sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity, rejecting a demand from the U.S. Department of Education to rescind it.

The agency last month announced that schools in the district — along with schools in four other Democratic leaning D.C. suburbs — violated federal Title IX rules against sex-based discrimination.

After President Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration argued that inclusive policies and practices, such as allowing trans student athletes to compete in sports, constitute unlawful infringements upon the rights of cisgender peers.

The position was a reversal from that which was held by the Biden-Harris administration.

“Although this type of behavior was tolerated by the previous Administration, it’s time for Northern Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology and unlawful discrimination to come to an end,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement.

Investigations into the five districts came pursuant to a complaint filed by America First Legal, a right-wing group founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, which argued that their inclusive policies provide “greater rights to students whose ‘gender identity’ does not match their biological sex than it does to students whose ‘gender identity’ matches their biological sex.”

After announcing the results of its investigation, the department asked the school districts to to “voluntarily agree” to changes like rescinding the existing gender identity policies and adopting “biology-based definitions of the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ in all practices and policies relating to Title IX.”

Failure to meet the administration’s demands, Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said, will jeopardize the schools’ federal funding. The agency also raised the scepter of referrals to the Justice Department.

State Dept.’s 2024 human rights report could jeopardize LGBTQ asylum cases

Advocacy groups say the State Department’s 2024 human rights report that “erased” LGBTQ people will jeopardize the cases of those who are seeking asylum in the U.S. Immigration Equality notes the report “serve as key evidence for asylum seekers, attorneys, judges, and advocates who rely on them to assess human rights conditions and protection claims worldwide.”

The 2024 report the State Department released on Aug. 12 did not include LGBTQ-specific references. Immigration

Equality Director of Law and Policy Bridget Crawford in a statement said country-specific reports within the larger report “should be accurate, fact-based, and reflect the lived reality of LGBTQ people — not ignore and actively hide it.”

“When adjudicators see less information in these reports than in prior years, they may wrongly assume conditions have improved,” said Crawford. “In truth, the absence of reporting is a purely political move, not based in fact or reality.”

Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration Executive Director Steve Roth in a statement condemned the TrumpVance administration’s “deliberate erasure of LGBTIQ communities from the 2024 human rights report — an unprecedented move that violates international standards.”

“This is a targeted and malicious act that will directly endanger lives,” he said.

Roth, like Immigration Equality, noted courts “around the world rely on these reports to evaluate asylum claims.”

“Stripping out documentation of LGBTIQ persecution removes a vital tool in assessing claims for protection, jeopardizing the ability of LGBTIQ asylum seekers to access safety,” said Roth.

Congress requires the State Department to release a human rights report each year.

The State Department usually releases them in the spring, as opposed to August. Then-State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, who president Donald Trump has nominated to become deputy representative at the U.N., during her last press briefing on Aug. 12 defended the delay and

the report itself.

“We weren’t going to release something compiled and written by the previous administration,” said Bruce. “It needed to change based on the point of view and the vision of the Trump administration, and so those changes were made.”

Jessica Stern, the former special U.S. envoy for the promotion of LGBTQ and intersex rights under the Biden-Harris administration, co-founded the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice with several other former State Department officials.

The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice in response to the report said the U.S. has “betrayed the trust of human rights defenders who risked their safety to share the truth” and added “some (of them) are now less safe.”

“Asylum courts in the U.S. and globally will have less credible data to rely on,” said the group.

Human Rights Watch echoed the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice.

“The human rights report has been used in U.S. asylum court cases to show that an asylum seeker could not be returned to a country where similarly situated people were being persecuted,” said Human Rights Watch in response to the 2024 report. “That essential resource for keeping people safe is not only no longer reliable or helpful, but in some cases could put people at risk by denying abuses in places where the United States or other countries intend to deport asylum seekers and immigrants.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

UK’s first trans judge challenges ‘biological women’ ruling

The first transgender judge in the U.K. is challenging her country’s Supreme Court ruling that says the legal definition of a woman is limited to “biological women” and does not include trans women.

The Guardian on Monday reported Victoria McCloud, who left the bench in 2024, has challenged the Supreme Court’s April decision in the European Court of Human Rights. (The U.K. officially left the European Union in 2020, but the country remains a member of the European Convention on Human Rights.)

The Equality Act that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity took effect in 2010.

Scottish MPs in 2018 passed a bill that sought to increase the number of women on government boards.

The Supreme Court ruling notes For Women Scotland — a “feminist voluntary organization which campaigns to strengthen women’s rights and children’s rights in Scotland” — challenged the Scottish government’s decision to include trans women with a Gender Recognition Certificate in its definition of women when it implemented the quota. The decision sparked outrage among trans activists and their allies.

“The court reversed my and 8,500 other people’s sex for the whole of equality law,” McCloud told the Guardian. “We are now two sexes at once.”

The Guardian reported For Women Scotland is suing the Scottish government on grounds it has refused to abide by the Supreme Court decision.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

2 students murdered in Nigeria for being gay

The brutal death of two students at a boarding school in Nigeria’s Kano State on July 14 has sparked outrage among local and regional activists.

Dailytrust, a local newspaper, said a handful of students attacked four fellow students they accused of being gay. The incident reportedly happened around midnight at the Government Secondary School Bichi.

The newspaper further reported two of the students who were attacked — Hamza Idris-Tofawa and Umar Yusuf-Dungurawa — died and two others are currently fighting for their lives in the hospital.

Authorities have arrested 11 students. The Kano State

government has advised students not to attack their fellow classmates who they suspect are gay, and promised to thoroughly investigate the incident.

A month later, however, Kano State’s government has yet to offer the students’ families any compensation.

Augusta Yaakugh-Shahin, founder and director of Lex Initiative for Rights Advocacy and Development, an LGBTQ rights group, said schools should be safe spaces.

“This is not just school indiscipline, it’s a tragic case of mob violence driven by prejudice,” said Yaakugh-Shahin. “Schools should be safe places, not sites of fear. No child should fear being attacked for who they are, or who

others think they might be.”

Bandy Kiki, an LGBTQ activist, said the students’ death is a stark reminder of the risks that LGBTQ Nigerians face.

“The murder of Hamza Idris-Tofawa and Umar Yusuf-Dungurawa is not just a school tragedy, it’s a direct result of a system that dehumanizes LGBTQ+ people,” said Kiki. “While the local authorities in Nigeria have promised an investigation, we must also be honest, without dismantling the prejudice enshrined in law and policy, we will keep seeing violence like this.”

DANIEL ITAI

KEVIN NAFF

is editor of the Washington Blade. Reach him at knaff@washblade.com

Free D.C.!

This is what martial law looks like: rights trampled, businesses shuttered

President Trump’s unnecessary and performative takeover of D.C. police raises many legal and ethical concerns that are already being litigated.

Last weekend, we learned that Trump plans to deploy National Guard troops from West Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina in addition to the 800 or so Guard troops already on D.C.’s streets. Their presence is intimidating and scaring away customers from local businesses, including LGBTQ bars. And it’s about to get worse as these troops — who are not trained in local policing tactics — may be allowed to carry guns.

Rather than preventing or solving crimes, these troops are setting up roadblocks and checkpoints, choking traffic and robbing American civilians of our basic civil liberties. They are creating disturbances around the city, drawing protesters into the streets and forcing businesses to close early, as the Blade has reported.

It is heartening to see so many local residents protesting these unconstitutional injustices, but anyone demonstrating should be mindful of the potential consequences of crossing the line from protest to violence. The government under Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi is looking to make examples of protesters to deter further demonstrations. The same administration that pardoned all of the Jan. 6 rioters who broke into the Capitol, attacked and injured police officers, threatened to kill Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and smeared feces on the walls of the building, is now pursuing felony charges against a protester who threw a sandwich at a law enforcement officer.

So protest we must, but be careful not to cross the line and end up in jail or worse.

Meanwhile, the ancillary effects of this travesty are being felt by local queer business owners. Crush bar had to close early last week due to staff feeling unsafe by the growing crowds outside its doors. Dave Perruzza of Pitchers posted on social media that he is worried about making payroll after days of slow business brought about by Trump’s takeover. “I don’t know how I am going to stay in business with this Trump stuff,” he wrote. “The city was a ghost town last night. If this keeps up, I won’t be able to make payroll. People don’t understand how damaging this is that don’t live in DC. We have a great city and the only thing wrong with it is the idiot in the White House.”

Perhaps more ominous is the prospect that what’s happening in D.C. is only the beginning — a blueprint for dispatching unwanted and unneeded troops to other Democratic cities (most of them governed by Black mayors, which is surely no coincidence) under the guise of fighting crime. Indeed, a swarm of Border Patrol agents was dispatched to a news conference in Los Angeles where Democratic lawmakers were meeting last weekend in a clumsily transparent attempt at intimidation. This is what martial law looks like and it’s what Trump is counting on to stay in power after his term expires in three years. We must all fight back against these authoritarian efforts. If you think it doesn’t impact you because you don’t live in D.C., just wait until he turns his attentions to Baltimore, New York, and Los Angeles.

Kudos to the Democratic governors who are resisting this madness. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has asserted he will not authorize Maryland Guard personnel for use in crime suppression, which triggered a predictable attack from Trump. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has become Trump’s troll-in-chief, mocking the president’s “tiny hands” and moving forward with a bold plan to redistrict the state to eliminate five Republican-held House seats. We need more political leaders to find their voices and backbones and take concrete steps to block Trump’s attacks on our democracy.

In the meantime, keep up the protests and don’t be distracted from the need to open the Epstein files. And afterwards, go to your local queer-owned watering hole for a drink and some camaraderie. We could all use both right now.

JESSICA STERN

is a Senior Fellow at the Carr-Ryan Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and co-founder of the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice. Suzanne B. Goldbergis the Herbert and Doris Wechsler Clinical Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. Reggie Greer is a Global LGBTQI+ Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and a former Biden-Harris Administration appointee.

State Dept.’s human rights reports are silent. We refuse to be. LGBTQ people ‘erased’ from 2024 documents

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, a young gay man who had traveled five hours to meet us at the U.S. ambassador’s residence spoke softly about the violence he endured. For years, activists like him would meet with U.S. officials to tell their stories, trusting our government to publish their truth for the world to hear. Last week, the Trump administration betrayed that trust and cast aside decades of bipartisan work. Instead of fair and accurate reporting, it systematically deleted almost all references to abuse and persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people in the 2024 U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, known as the Human Rights Reports (HRRs).

Mandated by Congress since the 1970s, the HRRs cover every country in the world. They are an essential resource for courts, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in evaluating human rights abuses, allocating resources, and crafting policy. Though the reports originally did not cover anti-LGBTQI+ violence, persistent education and advocacy from our community led Republican and Democratic administrations, including the last Trump administration, to document abuses based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics annually for the past two decades.

When we served as the Office of the U.S. Special Envoy for LGBTQI+ Rights, these reports were a priority. During our service, we reviewed and incorporated reporting from our embassies, the UN, NGOs, universities, media, and — most importantly — from survivors themselves. By the time we left government in January, every country’s report contained a dedicated, robust section documenting abuses against LGBTQI+ people.

These sections filled a void. They mapped where U.S. investments in human rights could do the most good, reinforcing work by human rights defenders, foreign governments, and allies to make the world safer for LGBTQI+ people. They helped asylum judges evaluate claims from LGBTQI people fleeing persecution. They told activists that their struggle was seen.

This year, the Trump administration did the opposite. After a long delay, they released them last week during the congressional summer recess in order to bury the truth. They erased whole categories of abuse and watered-down others, including against women and girls, workers, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, Roma, and LGBTQI+ people. The LGBTQI+ section was deleted outright. A keyword search across all the 2024 reports we’ve read yields almost nothing: no “LGBTQI+,” virtually no “sexual orientation,” no “gender identity,” no “intersex.” What few references remain are shortened, sanitized, and buried deep.

Read the 2024 chapters for Uganda and Russia, and you might believe there are no LGBTQI+ people

or abuses in either country. But read the report from 2023 and you’ll see 45 reports of anti-LGBTQI+ abuses in Uganda and 36 in Russia. Clearly, it is not possible to resolve such systematic abuse in one year. Instead, our State Department just removed any reference to most of the most egregious abuses of LGBTQI+ people worldwide.

In Iraq, for example, parliamentarians passed an anti-LGBTQI+ law that equates homosexuality with “prostitution,” and punishes same-sex relations with up to 15 years in prison. But that law, reported on in 2023, gets no mention. Same in the Kyrgyz Republic, where a nationwide “LGBTQI+ propaganda” law forced a shutdown of perhaps the country’s oldest LGBTQI+ service provider. No mention. And, in Afghanistan, unspeakable acts of anti-LGBTQI+ violence and abuse at the hands of the Taliban, all reported last year, are gone too.

This erasure is deliberate. It tells authoritarian governments they can abuse minorities with impunity. It also signals to Americans that LGBTQI+ equality is negotiable here at home, too, landing just as the Supreme Court received a petition to overturn marriage equality. But here is the truth: erasure has never defeated us. Visibility has always been our movement’s most powerful tool — and history shows it cannot be permanently denied. From Stonewall to marriage equality in the United States to countries around the world that have struck down sodomy laws and codified transgender rights, LGBTQI+ people have always overcome silence with courage and persistence. Across continents, when they try to erase us, we turn exclusion into progress.

The administration’s refusal to report on human rights abuses of LGBTQI+ people and other marginalized groups is a political act, not an accident. We urge you: call your U.S. senators and representatives today via the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and ask them to confront the administration for failing to do its job on the HRRs and pass Senate bill S. 2611 mandating that future reports cover LGBTQI+ rights and other key categories. We urge other governments to expand their own reporting to rigorously document and condemn abuses. All of us can fill the gap by elevating high-quality data from NGOs, universities, and think tanks that are already setting the global standard for reporting on the status of LGBTQI+ people around the world.

The administration may rewrite its reports to fit its narrow view of the world, but it cannot erase the courage of those who tell their stories or the victories we have already won. Our history as LGBTQI+ Americans proves that visibility, once claimed, cannot be buried for long. The task before us is simple and urgent: to insist on truth, to defend it in every forum, and to carry it forward until equality is beyond erasure.

is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

The felon bends a knee to the war criminal

Ukraine continues to suffer as Trump puts himself first

In Alaska last week we saw the felon who is in the White House, give a red carpet welcome to the war criminal from Moscow, and then invite him to ride in his limousine. It was a disgusting sight.

Then they met for more than two hours. It was clear the felon continued to be on bended knee and gave up his clearly stated goal of success for this meeting, which was to secure a ceasefire. But more than that we now know he agreed to tell Ukrainian President Zelenskyy he worked out Ukraine would have to give up land for peace. Again, what people feared, another Yalta. The luncheon scheduled for after the two met and then the meeting of their advisers were cancelled. Why bother if the deed was done? The felon and the war criminal then came out for a press conference, where Putin spoke at length in Russian, talking nonsense about trade with the United States, and how he agrees with the felon that if he had been president there would have been no war. I agree with that. If Trump had been president he would have allowed Putin to take Ukraine long ago. Then Trump spoke saying nothing at all, and for the first time at a press conference, took no questions. He didn’t want to say then that he agreed to no ceasefire and giving up land, thereby allowing Putin to continue his invasion of Ukraine and the killing of Ukrainian people and stealing more children from Ukraine.

He is a lying SOB, who it seems is beholden to Putin for something, and is trying to get into his good graces for personal gain. I would guess it may go back to times that he was in Russia for his beauty pageant, and maybe did something in the hotel room Putin has on video and audio tape. His immediate posts after the fiasco in Alaska indicated that Zelenskyy and the NATO allies agreed with what he did in Alaska. They very quickly issued a response saying that was not true.

The Europeans are clearly stepping up to join together in a much more cohesive and forceful way, to protect both Ukraine and themselves. That is important as long as the felon remains in the White House as they can no longer count on the United States. The NATO alliance, which has kept the peace in Europe since the end of World War II, is now in question. Trump is clearly more interested in making deals for himself, than in fighting for Europe’s, or anyone else’s, peace. He believes the majority of Americans will reward him for that. I think he is wrong and have more faith in Americans, but we are living in an alternate reality, so who knows?

Clearly the meeting with Putin is keeping the Epstein files off the front pages. But I think they will return. Trump has sent his Gestapo troops into D.C., on a made-up emergency, to try to do the same thing. But despite all of this, the people asking for release of all the Epstein files will not forget them. If there is one thing Democrats need to join with MAGA Republicans on, it is to continue to demand the release of the full Epstein files. There can be no reason the felon doesn’t want them released other than his name is all over them. He wouldn’t give a damn, or try to protect, anyone else who may be named in those files. He would happily throw anyone else to the wolves.

On Monday, Zelenskyy, with a host of European leaders, including those from Great Britain, France, Germany, Finland, Italy, and the Secretary General of NATO, who are supporting him, came to Washington to meet with the felon. We know at the press conference between Zelenskyy and Trump things went OK, with no real information except Trump didn’t rule out using American troops in a security zone. Then Trump continued his bullshit of blaming the war on Biden and talking about the National Guard he has sent into D.C.

Then Trump met with Zelenskyy and all the Europeans, and discussed those security guarantees. Trump then called Putin and said that Putin agreed to meet with Zelenskyy. The Europeans tried to convince Trump a ceasefire was crucial as there is no immediate date for that meeting and with no ceasefire, Russia will continue to attack Ukraine. It was good that the Europeans are standing solidly with Ukraine and trying to balance out Trump’s seeming desire to back whatever Putin wants. To be continued, but in the meantime the Ukrainians continue to suffer.

Little Gay Pub brings glitter, glam, and bathroom fab to Philly

D.C. bar owners talk expansion and more three months after opening new outpost

By EVAN CAPLAN

D.C.’s celebrated corner bar Little Gay Pub opened its second location in the heart of Philadelphia’s gayborhood in May. Known for its strong pours, elaborate décor, dino nuggets, and suggestive bathroom selfi es, Little Gay Pub has been met with success and fanfare in both cities. The Washington Blade sat down with the owners to discuss LGP and its trajectory.

Washington Blade : Tell us a little about yourselves.

Dito Sevilla : I’m a lifelong Washingtonian who fell into the service industry, including at a bar in the Floriana restaurant.

Ben Gander : I’m originally from Arizona but have been in D.C. for 21 years. I managed Nellies and Number 9.

Dusty Martinez : I’ve been in the service industry for more than decade, from gogo boy to various other roles in queer bars and spaces. I eventually went on to be GM at Trade.

Blade : When did you start the original Little Gay Pub and why?

Sevilla : We are three lifetime bartenders who wanted to own our space. We felt the city was missing something. In the summer of 2022, we were able to tour the empty space, and it called to us.

Martinez : We did have worries after COVID if opening a new brick and mortar made sense. But we were confi dent that our idea was good enough to take that risk. The space that brought it together. Our goal was not to take from other bars, but fi ll a niche, and offer something new. All three of us are different, but LGP was a vision of where all three of us would want to hang out. A place where you’re not just welcome, but celebrated.

more pink and bright colors. We also have so much Philly-centric décor – look out for Princess Diana in an Eagles outfi t.

Sevilla : We spent more than a year designing specifi cally for the Philly market. It’s warm and inviting, which is our goal when we realized that the area could use a bar like this.

Martinez : It’s really a bar where everyone can come together. It’s not that clubby or dance-y or loud. Yet we also know that the community in Philly is ready to have fun, even at 4 p.m. every day. Double thumbs up, they’re ready to party.

Blade : Tell us about the drinks at the new bar.

Gander : The espresso martini is a signature, as well as the Aperol spritz. We’ll also have more low-key drinks like a beer-and-shot combo. Philly loves tequila, which is a fun fi nd. We’ll also have glassware that’s for LGP Philly, which is on sale. And importantly, we want to highlight ingredients and nods to the city. For example, we have a take on the Paper Plane called the Tailspin, made with local bourbon. We have it on the menu because Philly has the largest shipyard of aquatic planes.

Blade : One of the most infamous cocktails at LGP is Unicorn Tears. What’s the idea behind this shimmery drink?

Martinez : We actually each had an idea about a fun drink. I think it was Ben who eventually said, ‘You know what this drink needs? A little glitter.’

Blade : Why did you decide to expand to Philly?

Sevilla : We realized that we had a lot more to give, but not necessarily in D.C. at this time. We looked farther away, and Philly made the most sense. We realized Philly has such a welcoming LGTBQ community, and we can take our brand to a community that isn’t familiar with us.

Martinez : We’d all visited Philly for years, and saw that this Gayborhood was a place with so much history and culture. It’s another place that would appreciate a bar where we can hang out, have seats, celebrate and elevate the gay history and culture of Philly.

Blade : What is the concept of the bar?

Martinez : LGP in Philly is an all-inclusive welcoming space, all welcome, multi-generation. A place to start or end the night.

Gander : It’s a corner bar in the gayborhood that you can walk in wearing casual clothes. There’s more space in Philly than in D.C., with two fl oors. Downstairs is a broody, almost masc vibe, while upstairs is like an English garden, a newer vibe with

Sevilla : During R&D for the drink, I defi nitely ate plenty of glitter. Thankfully we eventually found edible glitter. I’ll confi rm that we never served without edible glitter, though. Now, each night, staff goes home with glittery chest hair because it gets everywhere.

Martinez : To get the edible glitter to stay in the cocktail, we tried to stir it, shake it, many different ways to get the glitter to stay put. We were almost microplastic distributors.

Gander : In terms of naming it, the art of giving drinks names is funny. We called it Unicorn Tears as a joke originally but then said to ourselves, ‘Oh wait this is actually funny.’

Blade : Finally, discuss the bathroom.

Sevilla : We’re lucky because Philly has way more bathroom space, with the two different types of bathrooms. One’s a hyper-green bathroom, with chandelier, swan faucet — the selfi es are going crazy. Upstairs, we created a Hollywood regency vibe, which ties to English garden vibes of the overall theme; it’s a pink version of the green bathroom.

Gander : D.C. really does love the bathroom selfi e. But in Philly, we see selfi es across the entire bar, not just the bathrooms. It’s impressive.

CALENDAR

| By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Friday, August 22

“Center Aging Monthly Luncheon and Yoga” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website or email adam@thedccenter.org.

Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email info@thedccenter.org.

GoGayDC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, August 23

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 12 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation.  Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 11 a.m. on Zoom. This peer-led support group is hosted by Beta Kappa Chapter of the Beta Phi Omega Sorority and is devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. You do not need to be a member of the Beta Kappa Chapter or the Beta Phi Omega Sorority in order to join, but they do ask that you either identify as a lesbian or are questioning that aspect of your identity. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Sunday, August 24

“NJB+ Pageant” will be at 3 p.m. at Sixth & I. Guests can expect to enjoy the showcase of talent, style, and Jewish queerness as contestants compete for the honor of winning the annual NJB+ Pageant. Proceeds benefit the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center. Tickets cost $21.23 and are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, August 25

“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email adam@thedccenter.org.

Tuesday, August 26

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom and in-person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more information, visit www.genderqueerdc.org or check out Facebook. Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group. It is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. By sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. All are welcome to join in discussion whether Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, or Ally. For more information, visit the Coming Out Discussion Group Facebook page.

Wednesday,

August 27

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.

OUT & ABOUT

Fanthropoligst to host screening of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’

The Fanthropoligst will host “Queer Classics: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)” on Monday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at Spark Social House. The film follows The Beatles around for two “typical” days. There will also be a screening of “Psycho Beach Party,” a film that’s a mix of 1950s psychological thrillers, ’60s beach movies, and ‘70s slasher films. This event, curated and hosted by “fanthropologist” and film and TV scholar Lena Barkin, is devoted to screening films shaped by queers and queers shaped by films around the D.C. metro area. Through fostering community and discussion, this series highlights the long and strange history of queerness in media from precode to millennial.

This event is free but donations are welcome. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

The Fanthropoligst will host ‘Queer Classics: A Hard Day’s Night’ on Monday, Aug. 25.

Asexual and Aromantic Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Thursday, August 28

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

Bigger

is better

at newly expanded Trade

10 years and still going strong, a space with ‘soul’

By EVAN CAPLAN

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Logan Circle’s Trade has expanded its footprint this summer – and the updates are not yet complete.

Located along 14th Street south of P Street, Trade has been a gay bar mainstay since its debut in 2015. Launched as a dive-style spot in a slim, dimly lit space lined by booths surrounding a tight dance floor, Trade today is a nightlife staple. Trade is owned by Ed Bailey, who also operates the bar Number Nine around the corner.

Trade has grown from this original into a powerhouse with four separate spaces: the original building, an expanded outdoor patio, a dedicated dance floor, and a subterranean lair.

Bailey says that over the years, he aimed to give Trade a bit of a refresh – however small – every two years. “I try to figure out how to reinvest in my spaces and renovate as often as every couple years to keep things fresh and exciting. I had been working to explore at Trade how to do that. Yet I was limited in what was available, as the small space did not lend itself to major change. Still, I had been able to update the patio and make some slight reno inside.”

This time was different.

When the real estate directly adjacent to Trade opened up, Bailey connected with the landlord at once. It was an opportunity not just to renovate but one that “could potentially change the nature of Trade dramatically.” He noted that his team signed the deal for the expansion – keeping it under wraps – more than two years ago. Permitting and administrative hurdles pushed back the opening, and construction be-

gan about a year ago.

He added that the expansion idea was conceived before an entirely new generation of D.C. LGBTQ bars had yet been born, like Bunker, LGP, Crush, Thurst, and District Eagle. “It’s really remarkable that at the time, none of these were open,”

Bailey said that “the main accomplishment was to give ourselves more room,” feeling that Trade had outgrown its original space, constricted in what it could offer thirsty guests. “Trade was limited.”

One primary goal was to place the patio in focus – now more than double in size. “It wasn’t, however, simply removing a fence,” he says, “there was significant design and construction.”

As with the rest of Trade, he leveraged reclaimed and upcycled materials. Trade aficionados will recall that the original DJ booth is a second coming of a church pulpit, reincarnated as a place to spin tunes. The original back bar is constructed from nearly 100-year-old cabinetry from a cruise ship that “we lucked into finding at a salvage yard.”

The patio, therefore, maintained this approach, using reclaimed and found wood for the seating and doors. He planted a tree in the middle to provide some shade and a central focus.

In the adjacent building, accessible only via doors from the patio, is a dedicated dance floor, responding to D.C.’s need for a dedicated dancing space. “Trade had previously offered dancing, but in a quirky way; it was not a true dance floor - almost dancing in a hallway.”

The new room has a dedicated bar, an elevated stage for performances, new bathrooms, and features a shimmering sea creature hung from the ceiling lovingly named “Sharka Khan.” Over the next couple weeks, Trade will complete an HVAC update, followed by extensive sound and lighting installation finalizations.

The last space, underground, echoes the original Trade, with its reclaimed-wood booths for quieter conversations in a “sexy, darker, broody” vibe, and a place to cool off.

Scheduled dance parties and additional programming will debut in the fall, including an upcoming party associated with the Flower Factory organizers. Otherwise, “For now, we’re letting guests experience Trade and give us feedback. We know now that it has been extremely well received, and it is very satisfying, given the time and effort we invested.”

Having been open for a decade, Trade has been an anchor of the city’s diverse, dynamic nightlife scene. Bailey says that his aim in crafting social destinations is to “build things that have a soul to them, some connection to authentic existence.”

for tickets, event + accessibility info, scan the qr code get your tickets before they’re gone!

headliner comedian zach zimmerman

saturday, august 30 a night of comedy plus! live auction!

dj joe gauthreaux

one ticket, two dances dj robbie leslie

sunday, august 31 || 7:00 pm a night of dance

a benefit to support camp rehoboth delaware’s lgbtq+ community center 37

302-227-5620

‘Hotshot’ follows career and life of nonbinary firefighter

New book will rankle and inspire readers

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

How you doing?

Everything good? You need anything, something to drink, a plate of food, a hug, just say the word. If you’re here, you should at least be happy about it. As in the new book“Hotshot” by River Selby, there’s a problem if something’s wrong.

River Selby never set out to be a hotshot firefighter.

They never set out to do anything, in fact, but to stay alive while doing drugs, selling sex for food and money, working as a stripper and a waitress, and living for a time with a man under a bridge. It wasn’t the life they imagined when they became a runaway as a tweenager. Fighting fires was never on the radar until too many losses and an “unraveled” life, bulimia, and a series of fast-food jobs sent them into a deep depression. The suggestion from a friend, a lifeline thrown, made Selby realize that they “would have tried anything.”

“A week later,” they said, “I was hired. Two weeks after that I was on my way to New Mexico for my first fire assignment.”

Quickly and clearly, a big goal became apparent: Selby wanted to be a hotshot, to feel the “reverence” and camaraderie that elite firefighters enjoy, to know the excitement of chasing a raging fire – but they were told, “You can’t be a hotshot. You’re a girl.”

Two years later, the dream was realized after all when they were hired as “the first woman” of a hotshot crew, a fact of which the supervisor reminded Selby constantly. Sexual harassment and constant put-downs instantly became on-the-job concerns, none of which could be reported for fear of reprisals. That intensified Selby’s bulimia, sending them on an emotional tailspin, unsure of themselves and the root of the anxiety and feelings of inadequacy.

They sought therapy – and things again became clear.

“If you really believe that about yourself,” a therapist told them, “then someone taught you to believe it.”

In the past few months, there have been a lot of new memoirs about fighting fires, each as timely as the last. In the midst of them comes “Hotshot,” which is absolutely not a made-for-TV book. It’s different.

Yes, you’ll find some danger inside here and some edge-ofyour-seat pages but mostly, fires aren’t all that need fighting in author River Selby’s account. From the opening pages, they plainly let readers know that their back story isn’t what you might expect from someone in a gutsy profession; in fact, this memoir might instead change your definition of “gutsy” as the actual fires they battled take somewhat of a back seat. In the fiery wake of #MeToo, that can get squirmy but Selby’s stories from history, ecology, and geology make great ballast.

This is a worthy book for adventurers, and for readers who wonder what it’s like for a nonbinary person in a deeply swaggering world. “Hotshot” may rankle you, it may inspire you, it may open your eyes to your own soul, so find it and read. With this book, you’ll love doing it.

‘Hotshot:

By

A Life on Fire’

River Selby

c.2025, Atlantic Monthly Press | $27 | 326 pages

Terence Stamp: A personal appreciation for a queer cinema icon

A fearless dedication to stretching cultural boundaries around sex, gender

By JOHN PAUL KING

Like so many others of my generation, I first became aware of Terence Stamp when he appeared as General Zod in 1978’s “Superman,” and I was struck by the fact that, despite his relatively short screen time and the fact that I had never heard of him, he was featured in the movie’s advertising as if he were a major player.

As a budding young cinema nerd, that, coupled with the cool charisma he projected through his villainous turn as an interplanetary supercriminal, piqued my attention. It wasn’t long thereafter when a late-night broadcast of “Billy Budd” – the 1962 film version of Herman Melville’s posthumously published novella in which the then-young Stamp was first thrust into stardom – introduced me to him as he had been introduced to the world that came before me. And it was electrifying.

Here was a young actor whose breathtaking beauty was rendered even more irresistible by his palpable intelligence and his carefree disregard of contemporary standards of masculinity. I was captured by the ease with which he embodied his role as young 19th-century sailor, conscripted into service on a British warship and turned into an outcast for his gentle nature and optimistic spirit; pitted against an aggressively masculine superior whose obsessive dislike of him snowballs into tragedy, he embodied a quality that resonated deeply with parts of myself I was still not fully prepared to explore. Though I may have been too young to catch all the obvious queer subtext that was built into the story by Melville himself (Google it if you’re skeptical), I knew that there was something about this movie that had been ignored or missed outright when it was released. The film was largely dismissed as a weak and pointless effort, almost certainly because of a refusal to acknowledge its homoerotic subtext – but that I somehow understood and into which I felt immediately entwined, all because I recognized something of myself in Stamp’s near-angelic personification of the role.

I was not the only one, nor was I the first. Coming into the public spotlight in a time when post-war British austerity was yielding to new and more socially aware attitudes toward masculinity and sexual expression, Stamp – who received his first and only Oscar nomination for “Billy Budd,” despite its lukewarm reception – soon became a fixture of “mod” popular culture, parlaying his confidently androgynous appeal into international stardom. He was a film star who worked with revered artists like Fellini and upstart auteurs like Pasolini, half of the era’s “it” couple with model Jean Shrimpton, and a jet-setting fashion plate as famous for his sense of style as for his skills in front of the camera. Indeed, while he was the embodiment of his era’s particular flavor of fame and glamour, the kind of stardom afforded to more conventionally masculine UK-born contemporaries – like Sean Connery, Michael Caine, or Peter O’Toole – eluded him. Adored by the glitterati, he was ignored by the mainstream, who found his work in films like “The Collector” (as a deeply repressed sexual predator who kidnaps a young woman) or “Far From the Madding Crowd” (opposite fellow “mod” icon Julie Christie) too challenging, too ambiguous and vaguely transgressive to fully embrace, no matter the considerable appeal of his physical beauty. In hindsight, it’s easy to recognize the brilliance of his boundary-pushing work during these early “salad days,” but to the masses of the time, there was perhaps something too uncomfortable about the feelings he evoked onscreen.

And then, there was Pasolini’s “Teorema,” in which he played an angelic, otherworldly figure who seduces an entire Italian bourgeois family – mother, father, son, daughter, and maid – without regard for conventional notions of sexuality or socially condoned boundaries. More than any other film, perhaps, it was the lightning rod through which his entire film career would eventually be illuminated. Confidently embodying a radical vision of sexual fluidity before the language for such things was even available in common public discourse, he became a symbol of gender ambiguity decades before appearing in the film that would eventually cement his legacy as a queer cinema icon: 1994’s “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” in which his stately portrayal of a transgender drag performer mentoring a pair of younger queerlings earned him a well-deserved and long-overdue “comeback.”

In the intervening years, of course, there was “Superman” and its 1980 sequel, in which he turned a one-dimensional villain into a fan-favorite symbol of elegantly campy outsider-ism. Before that, there was a retreat from the spotlight, during which he explored his spiritual side in India; after, he embarked on a whole new career of bound-

ary-pushing projects (like Stephen Frear’s 1984 gangster-centered character study “The Hit”) and mainstream cameos (as in 1987’s “Wall Street” and 1988’s “Young Guns”). But it was “Priscilla” – despite a later appearance in the “Star Wars” franchise (in 1999’s “The Phantom Manace”) – that permanently cemented him in the cinematic firmament, embodying a dignified, confident, and utterly aspirational portrait of queer identity that continues to inspire today.

After my discovery of “Billy Budd,” all of Stamp’s work was on my radar; but alas, in an industry that values easy conformity over open-minded exploration, so much of his career remained obscured in the public eye by indifference; I went on the journey undertaken by countless fans before me, disturbed by “The Collector,” titillated by “Madding Crowd,” and thrillingly corrupted by the radical transgressiveness of “Teorema.” I was further drawn to his performances in “The Hit” and “The Limey,” and forever empowered by his unflagging commitment to challenging his audiences in a way I had to assume he wanted to challenge himself. In the end, there was far too little of Terence Stamp in the public imagination than he deserved – and that, perhaps more than anything else, made me enthralled by his unique place in pop culture history.

And while it may have been “Priscilla” that introduced him to a new audience of queer fans, just as “Superman” had brought him back into a spotlight he had long since abandoned, it was ultimately his fearless dedication to stretching cultural boundaries around sex, gender, masculinity, and identity itself that made him the unsung giant we are left to mourn in the wake of his passing last week, at age 87 – a personal hero for myself and the countless other queer people who saw what he was doing and found themselves magnified, validated, and truly seen because of it. Never content to be defined as a sex symbol, a leading man, or any other easily-categorized “type” (though he openly discussed his non-conforming sexual leanings, he always declined to identify as “bisexual” or “queer” or any of the other labels we all feel so compelled to embrace in our militant modern age), he instead embodied a spirit of open-minded exploration and individually-defined humanity, in which cultural boundaries and expectations are not only unnecessary, but counter to our national inclinations to live an authentic life. If I had been a movie star, I would have wanted to be the kind of movie star that Terence Stamp was – and that is saying a lot.

‘Trump

Weekend at JR.’s

‘Vitamin C’ and ‘La Loca’ parties held (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The “Vitamin C” drag show hosted by Citrine was held at JR.’s on Friday. Performers included Labianna, Indiana Bones and Rigatoni. The monthly “La Loca” party was held at JR.’s on Saturday.

Must Go Now’ march to the White House Protesters decry actions of Trump administration

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

A rally and march was held on Saturday to protest against the efforts of the Trump-Vance administration to federalize the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the deployment of the National Guard, and the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other issues. The rally was held at Dupont Circle. Following the rally, activists marched through downtown D.C. The march ended at the White House.

D.C., it’s time to fight, for your right, to party

Not even the president can rob you of your joy in one of America’s most beautiful

By JOSEPH HUDSON

Recent weeks have seen a surge in negative rhetoric about the nation’s capital from the president and other leaders that he has appointed to live and work here. Like any large metropolitan area, there is traffic, crime, heat waves, un-housed people who are struggling to survive sometimes the worst of mental health scenarios, drug addiction, and other personal crises that need compassion, treatment, and care.

Yet the president believes that the National Guard and other police can “do whatever the hell they want” when it comes to further victimizing some of the least protected and vulnerable populations in our country.

However, the rhetoric from D.C.’s newest neighbor – the president - would have one believe that due to the un-housed who just want to live in peace, the locals cannot enjoy their favorite restaurants, that patio dining is unsafe, walking to your favorite local grocery store, wine shop, or brunch is dangerous. That the recent World Pride festival, Cherry Blossom Festival, and other neighborhood festivals like the H Street festival, Adams Morgan Day, the Dog Days of Summer (which is a popular small business promotion in the 14th and U area) or other enjoyable gatherings are difficult and even dangerous to attend.

You would think that rowing on the Potomac or taking a river taxi from Georgetown or the newly developed Wharf area down to Old Town Alexandria would mean choppy waters, drowning, and death by pickpockets.

One is left to believe that no mocktail on a rooftop at sunset is safe, nor is jogging or biking in Rock Creek Park, which is lovely during the spring and fall months due to the large tree cover, bubbling waters and colorful foliage display, which can make one feel like they are two hours outside of a major American city in the hills of West Virginia.

The president would have one believe that attending a drag brunch would not leave you smiling from ear to ear, laughing with the cattiness of the drag queens as they twerk their way down between the tables to grab your dollar, while pulling off their wigs and maybe even stealing a piece of bacon off your plate while “Work Work Work, Work Work!” by Rihanna plays in the background.

The president would have you believe that the highly educated citizenry doesn’t know what they are talking about when it comes to constitutional rights, voting rights, being taxed without representation, and that no citizen of this country is above the law.

The president would also have you believe that

cities

government efficiency means doing away with good faith efforts to build solid international relations, deep dive into research on climate change, pollution, and other environmental concerns. Yet building a $200 million ballroom that looks like a concrete racquetball court with tacky gold encrusted sconces is really a wonderful way to spend your tax dollars, while talking about stealing Social Security funds and shutting and defunding rural hospitals.

You can’t always pick your neighbors, my fellow residents of the District of Columbia, but you can pick your fights. D.C., it’s time to fight, for your right, to party. For the “leaders” (and I use that term loosely) are not people who are here to enjoy their lives. They want to impose their miserable ways of thinking, acting, and existing on all those around them. And we all know the old phrase, “Misery loves company.”

So my D.C. friends: Do not live in fear. Take to the

streets of your wonderful city. Go grab a margarita on a patio, have that mocktail on a rooftop. Bike through Rock Creek Park, stroll along the Potomac in Georgetown or the newly redone Anacostia riverfront. Go to a baseball game. Enjoy a night of live music in one of the multiple venues. Eat world class cuisine of all types. Stroll through one of the many picturesque neighborhoods, admiring the beautiful historic properties of the houses, along with the fascinating architecture of the new builds.

Live this life, like no one is going to live your best life for you. Remind all Americans that no one, not even this president, can rob you of your joy and happiness in one of America’s most beautiful cities.

JOSEPH HUDSON is a local Realtor.

Zeiger Realty is THE brokerage for equality and diversity.

Stacey is the host of the popular vidCast and podcast, telluswhatyoureallythink. Available on YouTube and Apple, Spotify and wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

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LEGAL NOTICE

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

PROBATE DIVISION 2025 FEP 000100

Date of Death January 3, 2024

Virginia S. Maggi aka Virginia Shelley Maggi

Name of Decedent

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN

PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Laura Baker aka Laura Maggi Baker, whose address is 42212 Heathman Place, Chantilly, VA 20152 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Virginia S. Maggi aka Virginia Shelly Maggi, deceased, by the Probate Court for Fairfax County, State of Virginia, on 5/30/25.

Service of process may be made upon Katherine B. Krantz 3429 Patterson St NW, Washington DC 20015 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C.

The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, Building A, 515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice.

Date of first publication: August 22, 2025

/s/Laura M. Baker, Personal Representative, 703-898-0808

A True Test Copy /s/Nicole Stevens, Register of Wills.

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