Metro Weekly - 05-12-16 - Gavin Grimm & Youth Pride 20th Anniversary

8/17/2019 Metro Weekly - 05-12-16 - Gavin Grimm & Youth Pride 20th Anniversary

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4 MAY 12, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Randy Shulman

ART DIRECTOR

Todd Franson

MANAGING EDITOR

Rhuaridh Marr

SENIOR EDITOR

John Riley

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Doug Rule

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR

Scott G. Brooks

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Gordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Fallon Forbush,Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield

WEBMASTERDavid Uy

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Julian Vankim

SALES & MARKETING

PUBLISHER

Randy Shulman

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Rivendell Media Co.212-242-6863

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Dennis Havrilla

PATRON SAINT

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COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Todd Franson

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4

MAY 12, 2016Volume 23 / Issue 2

NEWS 6

R ISKY BUSINESS by Fallon Forbush

10 PUFF PIECE

by Fallon Forbush

12 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

YOUTH PRIDE GUIDE 17 20 Y EARS OF Y OUTH PRIDE

by Doug Rule

Photographs from the

Metro Weekly archives

21 WELCOME LETTER

23 LETTER FROM MAYOR BOWSER

25 V ENDORS, SPEAKERS, PERFORMERS

AND SPONSORS

FEATURE 26 GAVIN’S STORY

Interview by John Riley

photography by

Todd Franson

OUT ON THE TOWN 34 MONKEY BUSINESS

by Doug Rule

38 PERSISTENT MEMORY

by Doug Rule

NIGHTLIFE 43 R OCKY HORROR AT THE DC EAGLE

photography by Ward Morrison

SCENE 51 R OBIN S. AT TOWN

photography by Ward Morrison

54 LAST WORD


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Risky Business As the District tries to tackle LGBT youth homelessness, many are turning to

sex work and other illegal trades in order to survive

Cruz

SELENA ROSE CRUZ POPS A XANAX. SHE SAYSit helps with her anxiety. The man who sold her thesedatives wanted oral sex, but she insisted on paying in

cash instead.At 22 years old, Cruz is on the clock, engaging in her trade

as a sex worker. She is homeless, but has made enough cash

to operate out of a Red Roof Inn in Lanham, Maryland. Cruzmakes $80 to $180 per client, depending on whether they want

a quick session or a full hour. Her $70-a-night room is essentialfor both her work and her security, as she prefers in-calls —

where clients come to her, rather than meeting them elsewhere.She says it’s safer that way.

“This is definitely for survival,” Cruz says. “If I don’t make

F A L L O N F O R B U S H

any money today, tomorrow I could be outside on the street. Ineed to be inside where at least I can be safe and comfortable.Being outside is just going to put me in more danger.”

Cruz hasn’t always been homeless, and it’s only recentlythat she’s had to put herself in dangerous situations with men

she doesn’t know. She grew up with her parents in Winchester,

Virginia, but her lack of stable housing began when her fathergave her up for adoption, handing her $100 and abandoning her

when she was just 17 years old.“My dad kicked me out because I was gay,” she says. “But

at the same time I wasn’t. I was transgender, I was feminine.I wanted to wear girl’s clothes, I wanted to be a girl. I thought

a woman’s body was so amazing. I’ve felt like a woman since

L G B TNews Now online at MetroWeekly.com111 Methodist clergy members come outNick Jonas says gay-baiting accusations “quite sad”

by Fallon Forbush


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LGBTNews

8

I was five.”

Cruz wound up at the Henry and William Evans Home forChildren in Winchester, Virginia. When she was 18, she ran away

and was eventually arrested for being homeless. She now faces the

threat of arrest every day by engaging in an illegal line of work.Cruz’s story is far from unique. Extreme levels of unem-

ployment and poverty lead many LGBT individuals to becomeinvolved in underground markets — such as sex work — in order

to survive.“We’re always concerned about LGBT youth that are

involved in sex work,” says Eddy Ameen, co-chair of the DCCenter’s Youth Working Group. “When you are homeless and

potentially even a minor, you can sell things like drugs or your

body, or beg for spare change.”Statistics show that LGBT youth homelessness is on the rise.

There are more than 7,000 people experiencing homelessnessin D.C., according to a January 2015 census. In August 2015,

another census counted everyone aged 24 and under experienc-ing homelessness or housing insecurity. Two-fifths identified as

LGBTQ — fifteen percent of whom also reported a family con-

flict due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.Growing homelessness among the city’s LGBTQ youth is

something Mayor Muriel Bowser is working to solve. Bowser’scommitment to ending homelessness, especially for LGBTQ

youth, started as a councilmember when she helped spearhead2014’s LGBTQ Homeless Youth Reform Amendment Act. It

required annual reports on addressing the needs of LGBTQhomeless youth and stipulated that a minimum number of dedi-

cated beds be made available.

“Our office’s focus is to make sure that as the city is develop-

ing their youth prevention plan for homelessness, that we have

a real focus on making sure that LGTBQ youth are at the fore-front,” says Darrell Gaston, housing specialist with the Mayor’s

Office of LGBTQ Affairs. In the two years since the law passed,the amount of beds dedicated to LGBT youth has increased

threefold. “We only had about eight beds, and now we have

over 27.”That’s still far from enough, but building capacity is a prior-

ity. This year, Gaston’s office issued a total of $25,000 to local

organizations strictly for the purpose of providing shelter tomore LGBTQ homeless youth. Five grants of $5,000 were givento HIPS, the DC Center for the LGBT Community, Casa Ruby,

the Wanda Alston House, and SMYAL.Seventeen of the dedicated beds can be found at Casa Ruby,

which operates two shelters for LGBT youth. Its emergency

shelter has five beds and its transitional facility has 12, whereresidents can access a range of services including behavioral

health services, metro tokens, and legal immigration assistance.Last winter, Casa Ruby also ran a temporary hypothermia shel-

ter, with more than 50 people as young as 16 years old seekingrefuge. Its efforts have helped establish Casa Ruby as a main

point of entry for LGBT youth living on the streets.

“We learned that it is very, very important to open lower-barrier emergency shelter beds for youth. When people have

been homeless for a long time, it takes a lot of effort and learn-ing and unlearning behaviors for them to comply with shelter

rules,” says Larry Villegas-Pérez, Casa Ruby’s director of socialand mental health services. Providing accommodation without

requiring commitments allows the youth to engage with theirservices, build trust and learn that “somebody else cares for

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LGBTNews


them and their well-being.”

However, D.C.’s homeless youth problem continues to grow— something many conflate with other jurisdiction’s failings in

LGBT matters. “D.C. may be a haven for queer youth who run

away or don’t have family to fall back on from more rural orconservative places in our neighboring states,” says DC Center’s

Ameen.“A kid will get on a bus from Kansas and say, ‘I heard that

D.C. is very progressive and helps LGBT youth. Can you help

me find a place to stay?’” says Sheila Alexander-Reid, director ofthe Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. “That’s the reputation we

have in the country. Very few states have this commitment thatD.C. has to its LGBTQ community in general.”

That reputation isn’t always reflected in the experiences ofD.C.’s LGBTQ youth. Discrimination in housing and employ-

ment still occurs, even though it is illegal, leading to a viciouscycle of homelessness.

“Many of these kids — particularly the transgender youth —

are part of a pipeline, from homelessness to survival sex work, tobeing HIV positive, to being arrested, to coming out of jail with

no skills and no place to stay,” says Reid. “We really are trying to

break the cycle, and it starts with these kids when they’re kickedout of their homes.”

However, breaking that cycle is made exponentially harderwhen there’s money to be earned in illegal trades. With high

youth unemployment, a dearth of well-paying jobs and the

added factor of homelessness, sex work and other activitiescan be an easy — if extremely risky — way to make money. For

Selena Rose Cruz, the math is simple: she earns more selling herbody than she made during a short stint washing hair at a trans-

friendly salon.“I get why people don’t like it, but it’s none of their business.

It’s my body, I can do what I want,” Cruz says. “If this is theeasiest way that I can survive and make money, I wanna do it.” l

Puff PieceThe FDA is targeting young LGBT smokers with its “This Free Life” campaign

SMOKING HAS BECOME A PART OF OUR LIFESTYLE,but it doesn’t have to be,” says William Furmanski.

“Being gay is all about knowing yourself and feeling the

freedom to be who you are.”Furmanski is senior vice president of communications for

the Truth Initiative, an organization that is trying to build atobacco-free generation. As a gay man, he’s “thrilled” that the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration is on a mission to changesmoking’s role in LGBT culture. The “This Free Life” campaign

is the FDA’s first major campaign to address tobacco use within

the community, the prevalence of which is attributed to severalfactors, including coming out.

“The coming out process can be stressful and is a period ofincreased vulnerability, which can lead to tobacco use and other

behaviors with negative health consequences,” says RichardWolitski, acting director of the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services’ Office for HIV/AIDS and Infectious DiseasePolicy. “This is a unique tobacco use risk factor for LGBT young

adults that’s due to the actual and perceived social stigma, dis-

crimination and anxiety experienced during this process.”

Wolitski, who is also gay, says many LGBT young adults find asense of community at bars and clubs, which have environmentsthat encourage tobacco use. LGBT influencers openly promote

tobacco use, establishing smoking as a norm within the com-munity. LGBT people are also targeted through advertisements

in LGBT outlets, sponsorship of events, and funding of LGBT

organizations.For a community that has typically been underserved by

tobacco prevention campaigns, the “This Free Life” campaignis primarily aimed at LGBT young adults between the ages of 18

and 24 who smoke occasionally.“We find that the issue of social smoking, or casual smok-

ing, or occasional smoking is more and more common and it’s

something that we have to break the mentality around,” saysFurmanski. “A smoker is a smoker. Every cigarette that you

smoke has the potential to do damage.”

Of the more than 2 million LGBT young adults ages 18 to 24in the United States, more than 800,000 are occasional smok-

ers, says Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for TobaccoProducts.

“Unfortunately, research tells us that LGBT young adultsoften don’t consider themselves to be smokers and don’t under-

stand the associated health risks,” Zeller adds. “That’s why ‘This

Free Life’ is aimed at making LGBT young adults aware that thereis no safe amount of smoking and that even the occasional ciga-

rette can have serious health implications and lead to addiction.”“This Free Life” partners with influencers to challenge the

perception that tobacco use is a necessary part of LGBT culture.The FDA has enlisted RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Shangela,

Manila Luzon, Trixie Mattel and Tammie Brown for a specialanti-smoking PSA, “Be Known for Your Flawless.” Each queen

highlights a specific feature they’re known for — Shangela’s skin,

Trixie’s nails, Manila’s hair and Tammie’s smile — before lightly

hammering home the point that smoking puts their flawlessnessat risk. The campaign is trying to appeal to the LGBT commu-nity’s desire for authenticity and freedom to deter tobacco use.

The campaign will reach young adults through print, digitaland social media campaigns over the next 24 months in media

markets with high concentrations of LGBT young adults and

areas of high smoking prevalence, including Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and D.C.

“Most people do not smoke, and they don’t want to, and thiscampaign speaks to that, but more importantly it speaks to the

idea of being free of nicotine addiction,” says Furmanski. “Wewant to break the social norm that smoking is done by everyone

and that it’s completely acceptable.” l

By Fallon Forbush


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SATURDAY, MAY 14FREE HIV TESTING, courtesy of TheDC Center and Whitman-Walker’smobile testing unit, will be offeredduring Youth Pride. 12-5 p.m. DupontCircle NW (near intersection of 19thand P Streets NW). For more infor-

mation, visit thedccenter.org.

The DC Center hosts a gathering

for PARENTS OF THE API LGBTQ

COMMUNITY. Join them for a spe-cial afternoon to hear the stories of Asian-American and South Asianparents and their journeys towardacceptance of their LGBT children.1-3:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.

YOUTH PRIDE annual celebrationkicks off in Dupont Circle. Designedfor LGBT people aged 24 and under,this event will feature games, per-

formances, speakers and boothsfeaturing various LGBT resources orcommunity groups. 12-5 p.m. DupontCircle NW (near intersection of 19thand P Streets NW). For more infor-mation, visit youthpridealliance.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL

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

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, includ-

ing others interested in Brazilian cul-ture, meets. For location/time, email [email protected].

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practicesession at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr.,SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

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.

Washington on the second and fourthFridays of each month. GAMMAalso also offers additional meetingsin Northern Virginia and Frederick,Md. 7:30-9:30 p.m. St. Thomas’Episcopal Church, 1772 Church St.NW. For more information, visitGAMMAinDC.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.

Whitman-Walker Health and theCancer Support Community host

a workshop, “ YOUR IMMUNE

SYSTEM AND CANCER

TREATMENT” as part of their freeFrankly Speaking About Cancerseries. Led by George WashingtonCancer Center’s Eduardo Sotomayor.Lunch will be provided. 1-3 p.m. 1525

14th St. NW, Conference Room 6A.For more information or to register,contact Jacquetta Brooks, [email protected].

WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES, asocial discussion and activity group forLBT women, meets at The DC Centeron the second and fourth Fridays ofeach month. Group social activity tofollow the meeting. 8-9:30 p.m. 200014th St. NW, Suite 105. For moreinformation, visit thedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

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.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT providesa social atmosphere for GLBT andquestioning youth, featuring danceparties, vogue nights, movies andgames. More info, [email protected].

THURSDAY, MAY 12

METRO DC PFLAG hosts its annualPenthouse Party fundraiser at thePenthouse Pool Club. Help raisemoney for PFLAG’s work in support-ing LGBT families. 6-9 p.m. 1612 USt. NW. For more info, visit pflagdc.

org/event/penthouse or call 202-638-3852.

WEEKLY EVENTS

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

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 is

independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP

INSTITUTE 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].

FRIDAY, MAY 13GAMMA, a confidential supportgroup for men who are gay, bisexual,questioning and who are marriedor involved with a woman, meets in

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.

LGBTCommunityCalendarDC SENTINELS basketball teammeets at Turkey Thicket RecreationCenter, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4p.m. For players of all levels, gay orstraight. teamdcbasketball.org.

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

gmail.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 15*BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay vol-unteer organization, volunteers todayfor DC Central Kitchen. To partici-pate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressiveand radically inclusive church holdsservices at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED

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

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRISTwelcomes GLBT community for wor-ship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old TelegraphRoad, Alexandria. hopeucc.org.

HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT

GROUP for gay men living in the DCmetro area. This group will be meet-ing once a month. For information onlocation and time, visit H2gether.com.

Join LINCOLN CONGREGATIONAL

TEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OF

CHRIST for an inclusive, loving andprogressive faith community everySunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood.lincolntemple.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY

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

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN

CHURCH, 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.

ST. STEPHEN AND THE

INCARNATION, 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.


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UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST

CHURCH 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.

MONDAY, MAY 16CENTER FAITH, a program of TheDC Center, hosts a meeting for theLGBT community and their religiousallies. 7:30-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

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. at

Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. [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 WATER

POLO TEAM practices 7-9 p.m.Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 VanBuren St. NW. Newcomers with atleast basic swimming ability always

welcome. Tom, 703-299-0504, [email protected], wetskins.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 17CENTER BI, a group of The DCCenter, hosts a monthly roundtablediscussion around issues of bisexual-ity. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.

Join Human Rights First as they

commemorate the INTERNATIONAL

DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA

AND TRANSPHOBIA. Activistsfrom Jamaica and Ukraine will speakabout recent successes and ongoingchallenges facing LGBT people intheir communities. 6-8 p.m. RayburnHouse Office Building. Independence Ave. SW between S. Capitol and FirstStreets. For more information and toRSVP, visit humanrightsfirst.org.

The DC Center hosts a GWU

BROWN BAG LUNCH. 12-1 p.m.2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Formore information, contact BrantMiller at [email protected].

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.

THE GAY MEN’S HEALTH

COLLABORATIVE offers free HIVtesting and STI screening and treat-ment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m.Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480King St. 703-746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. [email protected].

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS—LGBTfocused meeting every Tuesday, 7p.m. St. George’s Episcopal Church,915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, juststeps from Virginia Square Metro. Formore info. call Dick, 703-521-1999.Handicapped accessible. Newcomers

welcome. [email protected].

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’sgay-literature group, discusses “OurCaribbean: A Gathering of Lesbianand Gay Writing from the Antilles,”edited by Thomas Glave. 7:30 p.m. DCCenter, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. All are welcome. bookmendc.blogspot.com

GAMMA, a confidential supportgroup for men who are gay, bisexual,questioning and who are married orinvolved with a woman, mets on thethird Wednesday of each month in Virginia. This month’s meeting is ata private residence in Sterling. 6:30-8:30 p.m. For more information, visitGAMMAinDC.org or meetup.com/ GAMMAinDC.

Iona Senior Services offers a semi-

nar on UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC

BENEFITS: BENEFITS AND

ELIGIBILITY FOR THE LGBTQ

COMMUNITY. 3:30-5:30 p.m. 4125 Albemarle St. NW. For more informa-tion, visit iona.org.

THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIALBRIDGE CLUB meets for SocialBridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center,721 8th St SE (across from MarineBarracks). No reservations and part-ner needed. All welcome. 301-345-1571for more information.

WOMAN TO WOMAN: A SUPPORT

GROUP FOR HIV-POSITIVE

WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN,meets on the third Wednesday of eachmonth at The Women’s Collective.Light refreshments served. 5:30-7 p.m.1331 Rhode Island Ave. NE. For moreinformation, 202-483-7003.l


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TWENTY YEARS AGO PEOPLE WOULD SAY TO ME,‘We’d like to do more to help LGBT youth,” says Chris

Dyer. “‘What can we do?’”

It was a fundraising effort more than two decades

ago to keep SMYAL afloat that got Dyer “fired up,” real-

izing there were unmet needs in the community, both

for youth and those who wanted to help youth, prompting

the longtime D.C. community activist to start the Youth Pride

Alliance. Dyer identifies three reasons for creating the organi-

zation’s annual Youth Pride Day event back in 1997, modeled

after an earlier LGBT youth march in Boston. “One, to provide

a safe space for kids to come together and have a day. Two,

to raise awareness of LGBT youth issues in the media. And

How Y outh P r ide Day g ot its s tar t — and w hy it’s her e to s tay by Doug RulePhot os f r om t he Met r o W eekly ar chiv es

YOUNG and Proud F O R E V E R


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you run those same num-

bers 20 years later, the same

problems exist: LGBT youth

face homelessness, bullying,

higher rates of suicide and

suicidal ideation.”

The difference between

then and now, says Dyer, is

a stronger sense of commu-

nity for LGBT young people

— including a richer networkof support from SMYAL, the

Youth Pride Alliance, the

DC Center, and two LGBT

youth homeless shelters in

the District — T.H.E. Wanda

Alston House and Casa

Ruby. Youth Pride Day has

also helped to showcase role

models for the community by

featuring more youth emcees

as well as enlisting celebrity

attendees, from Olympic gold

medalist Rudy Galindo as theevent’s very first keynote

speaker, to pioneering trans-

gender activist and federal

researcher Jessica Xavier, to

young transgender activist

Sarah McBride of the Center

for American Progress. And

then there was the year of

the late gay giant. “Frank

Kameny on stage in Dupont

and everyone screaming

‘Gay is Good’” is a particular

highlight for Carpenter.Even if we gain further

acceptance and make greater

progress tackling the com-

munity’s problems, Dyer still

thinks Youth Pride Day is

likely to be needed 20 years

from now. “There will always

be something magical about

coming together as a group

for one day,” he says.

His comments are echoed

by one of Carpenter’s associ-

ates. Rain or shine — but

hopefully shine — SarahBlazucki expects the event

to do well this year and for

many years to come.

“I hope that it’s less of

a ‘need’ per se,” Blazucki

says, “and more of just

a safe space for youth to

come out and celebrate who

they are.” l

years at the helm of Youth

Pride Day.

“LGBT youth are still

struggling with getting jobs,

still struggling with gettinghousing, and people are still

struggling to come out at

home,” Carpenter says.

Adds Dyer: “When we first

started, we had a fact sheet

that we had gotten from vari-

ous surveys showing that the

outcomes for LGBT youth

weren’t really good. And if

was drizzly, our generator

broke, and we had an hour

and a half delay,” he says.

“But people still showed up

in droves.” And they keepcoming back year after year,

several thousand strong.

“Seeing it grow and see-

ing more youth get involved,

that’s the part that keeps me

doing it every year,” says

Youth Pride Alliance Board

President Nikisha Carpenter,

who has served for several

three, community organizing

activity for other LGBT orga-

nizations.” Back then, there

was no DC Center providing

ongoing, regular support, and“Capital Pride didn’t have a

youth component.”

Dyer knew he was on to

something when over 900

people showed up that first

year, even with minimal pro-

motion. His concept was

further validated the follow-

ing year. “It was rainy, it

Youth Pride Day is Saturday, May 14, from noon to 5 p.m. in Dupont Circle.

For more information visit youthpridealliance.org.


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S a t u r d a y , M a y 14 t h D u p o nt C i r c l e N o o n t o 5 p .m.

PRIDE DAY 2016 Y O U T H

Vendor Boothsand Tables ChurchesUnitedInPride

DC Department of Health

DC area Transmasculine Society

DC Library

DC Office of Human Rights

DC Police LGBT

DC Public Schools

DC Trans Coalition

Dignity Washington

Eleanor Holmes Norton

Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, MPD

Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington

GMU Pride

GW University

Howard University

Human Rights Campaign

Identity Inc.

La Clinica del Pueblo

Latin American Youth Center

Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs

Metro Weekly

Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church

OSSE

Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays DC

P.G County Public Schools

Rainbow History Project

Rainbow Youth Alliance

Real Talk DC

Riverside Baptist Church

Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League

Team DC

The DC Center

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

The Trevor Project

Transgender Health Empowerment

Whitman Walker Health

Youth Advisory Committee

Youth Pride Alliance

Speakers Councilmember David Grosso

Congresswoman, Eleanor Holmes Norton

SMYAL

Chuck Goldfarb/ Rainbow History


Sheldon Scott / Youth Pride Alliance

Sheila A. Reid / GLBT Affairs Office, DC

Government

The Trevor Project

The DC Center

Youth testimonials throughout the day

Performers

B Steady

Laronica Vegas

LCDP-Mpodérate!

MR/Miss Mpodérate! 2016

Private Tails

SMYAL

Rico Killens

Mike Thomas

Yanni Supreme

Prince Riot

Peace Jah

Julio O

DJ Stud Phame

2024229921 mana

SponsorsPlatinum

DC of State Superintendent of Education

SMYAL

Real Talk DC

Gold

DC Department of Health

La Clinica del PuebloHRC

Capital Pride

Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs

Silver


Bronze

The DC Center for the LGBT Community

National Center for Lesbian Rights


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FOR GAVIN GRIMM TO COME OUT AS TRANSGEN-

der, the Internet was key.“I don’t know where I’d be without it,” he says.

“People love to demonize it, but it’s got innumerablepositives.”

The Internet provided a portal to possibility, helping Grimm

realize that the female body he was assigned at birth was con-flicting with his true identity. It was a feeling that had existed

since he was young, but Grimm had never had the language toexpress it — until he saw anime cosplayer “twinfools” transition

from female to male.

“It was so magical to me,” Grimm says. “It was the first timeI’d seen anything represented in media, or in my life whatsoever,that suggested that people could change gender. And I saw the

video and thought, ‘This is an option.’”

The experience was liberating. As a child growing up in ruralGloucester County, Va., Grimm struggled to fit in, never quite

adhering to people’s expectations of how he should behave. Hemostly hung out with boys and preferred masculine activities,

but had a hard time making friends, and there were periodswhere he was very isolated. During those lonely times, he found

an outlet in the game Pokémon, which he also credits with help-

ing find his identity.“It’s a role-playing game, so I could play as one of two players,

male or female. From the start, I don’t think I’ve had a copy of

the game where I wasn’t playing as the boy character,” Grimmsays. “Early on, I rationalized it: ‘Oh, it looks cooler.’

“That was a bridge to self-expression, because when we’d

go to the store, there weren’t any Pokémon shirts in the girls’section,” he continues. “So I’d be like, ‘I want to go over here.

They have Pokémon shirts. I’ll just get one or two.’ And then,

very gradually, that evolved to me just going straight to the boys’section. I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of going to the

girls’ section.”Initially raised Southern Baptist, the now-atheist Grimm

struggled with a long, arduous coming out process, both to him-self and, later, to his family. He first told a trusted aunt, and then

his mother, who told him she loved him, but also wanted him

to keep it a secret from the rest of the family. Things eventually

came to a head on Grimm’s 15th birthday.“I had been, the night before, absolutely catatonic with grief,

because I knew that I was going to wake up the next day and I

was going to be the birthday girl,” Grimm says. “And I thought I just wanted that part of my life to be over. I didn’t think I would

be able to make it through another one of those birthdays, andactually, I don’t think I would have.

“So the next morning, I woke up crying, and just feeling dead.

I stumble down the stairs, and I look at the birthday cake, andit’s addressed to me and my [twin] brother. And the cake says

the wrong name. And I was like, ‘You couldn’t even have left thenames off? You couldn’t even have done that for me?’ I got upset

and we fought.”

Grimm returned to his room, sobbing, when his mothercalled him downstairs an hour later.“I hobbled downstairs, after quite a bit of prompting, because

I just didn’t have it in my bones to move, and she had wiped off

the wrong name on the cake, and written ‘Gavin’ with expiredgreen gel icing from the deepest recesses of our cabinets,” he

says. “But it was the best thing I’d ever seen in my life.”At the beginning of his sophomore year, Grimm informed

administrators at Gloucester High School of his transition,armed with a note from a licensed doctor diagnosing him with

gender dysphoria. After a couple of weeks and very little nega-

tive reaction, Grimm asked to use the boys’ restroom. The schoolapproved his request, and he used it without incident until

an anonymous complaint from a member of the community.It brought the issue to the attention of the Gloucester County

School Board, which placed Grimm at the top of its meetingagenda. At the meeting, community members railed against

Grimm using the boys’ restroom. One speaker even comparedhim to a dog that urinates on a fire hydrant. “It was kind of

strange, because I’d had no funny looks,” says Grimm. “Nobody

had spoken to me in the restroom. I had no altercation of anykind whatsoever in those restrooms. I had just used the bath-

room like any other person. I used it, and I left.”The board later voted 6-1 to institute a policy in which Grimm

was barred from the boys’ restroom. In addition, he and anyother transgender student would be afforded the chance to use

an “alternate, private facility,” which turned out to be three or


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four old broom closets that had been hastily configured into uni-sex bathrooms. And unlike what school board members claimed,

all of the bathrooms were unusable for four or five school days

after the vote. Grimm refused to use them, instead opting for thebathroom in the nurse’s office.

With the help of lawyers from the American Civil LibertiesUnion (ACLU), Grimm sued the Gloucester County School

Board. His lawsuit claimed the school had violated Title IX andthe Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Although a

federal judge threw out part of his lawsuit and refused to grant

Grimm an injunction to use the boys’ restroom, it was eventuallyfully restored by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which

ruled that lower courts should consider Title IX’s protectionsagainst sex discrimination to apply to transgender students.

“Part of me was relieved, because it felt like things werefinally coming to a close, that these two years of my life were

finally coming to the head that I’d been waiting for from the verystart of it,” Grimm says of the 4th Circuit’s decision. “My life has

essentially stopped because of this. Everything I do now is with

regards to what’s going on now. When I make doctor’s appoint-ments, I have to make sure I don’t have any legal anything I’ve

got to do, or any interviews, or whatever. It consumed my life,and still is consuming my life.”

While Grimm’s lawsuit must still be decided on its merits,the 4th Circuit’s decision represented a major victory for both

Grimm and the larger transgender community. And, if the courts

decide that Gloucester County’s restroom policy is unconstitu-tional, it could have far-reaching ramifications, including affect-

ing anti-trans laws in other states. The possibility of having apositive impact or a chance to make others’ lives easier means a

great deal to Grimm.“I know what I’ve been through, and I wouldn’t wish it on my

worst enemy,” says Grimm, who, on the advice of his laywers,was not permitted to discuss the lawsuit in detail. “I genuinely

can’t think of a single person I would want to go through this.

That I have the opportunity to ensure that, hopefully, fewer kids

— or anybody — will have to go through this in the future, makesme feel good about what I’ve done. Because this isn’t somethinganyone deserves to face.”

METRO WEEKLY: Tell me about your family.

GAVIN GRIMM: I live with my twin brother, and my mom and dad.

I have an older sister by my mom, and two older half-sisters bymy dad.MW: What do you like to do for fun?

GRIMM: I like to go places — anywhere — I just like to be out and

about. I just got back at two in the morning from Lunatic Luau,which was a blast. It was a concert, with bands like Ghost and

Shinedown and Five Finger Death Punch, and other bands likethat.MW: Were you interested in sports as a child?

GRIMM: Yeah, as a kid, my brother and I both did T-ball withParks and Rec. But then we got older, he went on to baseball,

and my only option was softball. I absolutely refused to be ona female team. I was not at all comfortable with that. And the

other thing, I didn’t want to play softball, I wanted to play base-ball. I saw softball as discount-store baseball, and I didn’t want

anything to do with it.MW: When did you first realize that you identified as a boy?GRIMM: It wasn’t in my vocabulary for a very long time. I rec-

ognized the feeling, and had I had the words to express it, Iprobably would have been expressing it as early as age five. Or

perhaps even earlier. The closest thing I got to articulating it as

a kid was that I would frequently insist that I was the same asmy twin brother. That was my wording: “I’m the same as him,

I’m the same as him!” And there was a very long period of timewhere I wasn’t cognizant of the differences in our sexes. I just

thought we were the same. I knew people treated us differently,but I knew that I was “like him.” And people just took it to mean,

“You’re a tomboy,” or whatever. I knew that it wasn’t what I wasgetting at, but I didn’t know how to more correctly articulate

what I was feeling.MW: When you were younger, did you generally gravitate towardsboy things or traditionally “masculine” activities?

GRIMM: By and large, the activities I chose involved me spendingmy time out in the woods. I was climbing trees, or messing with

bugs or snakes that probably should have been left alone. Or Iwould play Army. I can remember many fights I had with my

brother, because he wanted to make me the medic, because Iwas “the only girl” there. And I was like, “Absolutely not. I’m not

being the medic. I’ll shoot you with my fake gun and now you’re

dead.” Those kind of kid squabbles, but it was something impor-tant to me. Like, I don’t know why you’re asking me to be the

medic, because there’s nothing about me that would imply thatI should be. So I did gravitate more towards masculine things.

The other thing is, my grandmother used to make my clotheswhen I was a lot younger. And so I had very specific rules for

what clothing she could make. It was: no frills, no sparkles, no

sequins, no pink, later on, no purple, just nothing overtly femi-nine. Those were my solid rules. If she made it, I wouldn’t wear

it. Or I’d wear it once or twice to be grateful, and then, it’d go tothe back of my closet to rot there.MW: When did you begin presenting fully as a boy?GRIMM: I was dressing 100 percent male, barring when I was

forced to do otherwise, since I was 11 or 12. My mother wasstill pushing for feminine clothing — it was mostly T-shirts,

but anything beyond that was fairly androgynous. Even at that

time, I can remember very vividly, I still had long hair, and theclothing I was wearing wasn’t from the boys’ section, and wasn’t

overly feminine, but was clearly from the girls’ section. Andsome younger kids, like first- or second-graders, asked me if I

was a boy or girl. Even though appearance-wise, I was feminine,I guess my mannerisms weren’t.MW: Were you ever bullied or teased about that?

GRIMM: I was bullied and teased a lot. I don’t know that I’ve been


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specifically called out for having primarily male friends, andactivities, or anything like that. But I did get called a “weirdo”

daily. And I’m sure that had something to do with it, because I

wasn’t socializing with the other girls, and I wasn’t interactingwith them as my peers thought I should, because I was a girl, or

at least occupying that social role at the time. I think people justdidn’t know how to deal with me.MW: Did you ever get comments from adults about not socializingwith girls or anything like that?

GRIMM: I remember teachers would encourage me to do more

typically feminine things. I used to read a lot, and I would go tothe library looking for a book, and so many times, people would

say, “Oh, we’ve got the girls’ section over here, and this book isabout little Sally who picks flowers for her mom.” And I’d be

like, “I’m not interested. I want a book that’s adventure.” I likedthe Magic Treehouse books, because they were historical. And

they’d be like, “But what about this book about Junie B. Jones?”It was really frustrating, because instead of listening to what my

interests were, they tried to shove me in a different direction.MW: When did you finally come out as a boy?

GRIMM: It was a long process. One of biggest troubles I had

growing up was that I was raised religiously. And I was of theopinion that it was a thought crime that would damn me to hell

for eternity, just to think outside of my assumed gender roles andexpectations. I realized I liked girls. It was out of the context of

“Everybody thinks I’m a girl, and I guess I am, so I guess that

makes me gay.” And then it would be, “I just thought that, andnow I’m going to hell.”

What happened was my mother cornered me. I had beenin a really depressive funk for the past month or so, and that

was manifesting as anger. I was lashing out and generally justunpleasant to be around. She corners me in my room and says,

“I know why you’re acting this way. You’re a lesbian. Tell me.”And I was thinking, I either deny it and she gets mad at me, and

I get in trouble for being a crappy person for the past month, or I

say yes, and it’s my get-out-of-jail-free card, and then I can wear

whatever I want, and maybe she’ll stop telling me to shave mylegs. I thought it would work, but it didn’t. It was a momentaryreprieve — my mood upped a bit for a couple of weeks, and then

went back down. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knewthat wasn’t the fit. It wasn’t the fix-all I expected it would be, and

there was just something still wrong.

There was a period in middle school where I told my bestfriend. I said, “What if I wasn’t a girl? What if I was something

else?” Because I’d seen it online, and I was newly introduced tothe concept, and it was exciting to me. We would talk about it,

and he didn’t really understand. He would move forward underthe assumption that it was a hypothetical. But we’d go out, and

my hair was cut short, wearing male clothing, and at the time Ithink I had also bought my first binder behind my parents’ back,

so I was also binding my chest as well. I’d go out in public, and

people would gender me correctly, and he’d correct them. AndI was too embarrassed to tell him, “Don’t do that.” They’d say,

“Sorry, sir.” “Have a good day, sir.” And he’d say: “He’s a girl.”Obviously, that was very upsetting to me, but he didn’t know at

the time because I wasn’t very clear about it. But as soon as Icame out, I told him firmly, “This is my name. You have to use

it, exclusively male pronouns,” he switched over immediately. I

don’t think he messed up once. He’s been great about that eversince.MW: When did you finally assert yourself?

GRIMM: I think it was toward the end of middle school or the

beginning of my freshman year in high school. But it was still a

secret. He was the only person that knew until that point. Andthen I implied it to all my friends. After Christmas break or

spring break, I didn’t come back, because the anxiety and the

dysphoria and the depression was getting so bad that I couldn’tfunction in school. And then when I came back in the sophomore

year, I had fully transitioned over the summer.MW: Did you ever see a therapist?

GRIMM: I had a therapist who was awful. Just god-awful. Thiswoman was not professional. I came out to her. First of all, the

struggle with religion was very prevalent in my life at the time

I was seeing her, and she refused to let me talk about it. Shewas very, very obviously religiously biased, and when you’re a

therapist, you cannot let that influence your care. It wasn’t evena Christian place. It was not religiously oriented at

all. She refused to let me speak. She’d stop me, andsay, “You don’t have to explain yourself,” or say, “I

get it.” She wouldn’t let me say it. I told her that Iwas transgender, and she just absolutely would not

use correct gender pronouns. She’d tell me, “Well,

since your mom doesn’t know, I can’t do that.” AndI’d say, “That’s not on the books anywhere. I know

that’s not a rule here.” But she was not supportive atall. At that point, I stopped seeing her. I just told my

mom I didn’t like her. The next therapist I got was agender therapist.MW: And did that person help you?

GRIMM: Yeah, I didn’t need counseling at that point. Ididn’t need counseling from her. What I needed was

a letter to say, “Get this kid on hormones ASAP.” Andthat’s what I got. My dysphoria was so bad at that

point — and it varies from doctor to doctor, most willsee a kid a couple of times before writing a letter —

but I got in there, and at the end of that first session,she was writing the letter. Which was all I needed

from her. Because at that point, she was so far away

from us, we had to drive so far to find a gender

therapist, about an hour every time, to Richmond.It wasn’t feasible to see her for therapy when there are so manypeople close by, but she was the closest one that would have

written any recommendation letter or anything like that, at thetime. So she was helpful in that respect.MW: So by the time you entered your sophomore year, you were

identifying and presenting as male, and going to the school admin-istrators and explaining your transition, correct?

GRIMM: Yes.MW: What was the initial reaction?

GRIMM: My principal was awesome. He was so supportive. Iwent to him beforehand, and I told him, “This is what’s going

on, and I’d like to make sure I’m respected here,” and to changemy records and everything. And he said, “I assure you, in my

school, you’re not going to get flak from teachers. And if any

bullying should occur, it will not continue to occur if you reportit.” I didn’t immediately ask to use the boys’ room, I actually

asked to use the nurse’s restroom, because I was very fearfulabout how I’d be received. No incidents whatsoever. I was not

received poorly at all. Well, I don’t want to say “not at all” — noone really teased me or anything about it. I got some confusion,

but I mostly ignored that, and no one really called me names or

anything like that. Just staring and whispering and whatever,but nothing to indicate to me that I should be scared to use the

restroom. And so I went to my principal and said, “Can I use the[boys’] restroom?” And he said, “I don’t really have a reason to

say no, so we’ll say yes and see how it goes.” Of course, it wasn’t


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just a unilateral decision, he talked to whoever was necessary.And he came back and said, “Feel free.” And for a period of seven

weeks, that worked just fine.MW: Who reported you?

GRIMM: The only thing I’ve heard is that a member of the com-

munity complained that a girl was in the boys’ room. It wasn’tapparent if they were a parent or not.

The first school board meeting, we were not even informedof, despite my being on the docket. We found out by chance

through a friend of my mother’s, the night before. My mother

stayed up all night, creating this information packet about thelegality of things, and the mental health effects of barring a

transgender youth from the bathroom. Basically, reasons why

you should do the right thing. That got them to postpone thevote until December. Not a single person spoke for me, except

for the people who came with me. I feel like, in our absence, theywould have just voted then and there.MW: How many people spoke on your behalf at the second meeting?

GRIMM: Well, the people who came with me, again. And one ortwo people spoke rather ambiguously. One or two spoke for me.

And then hordes of people spoke against me, all saying virtuallythe same thing, including a security guard at my school, who —

wouldn’t you know it? — was a pastor.MW: What was their argument?

GRIMM: “We’re worried about your safety,” from a couple ofthem. The minority pretended to care about my safety. And then,

quite a few of them were like, “If you’re a girl in the bathroom

with boys, I know how I was when I was a young man.” Whichis a rather disconcerting statement to make. So there was a lot

of “He’ll get raped,” or, more specifically, “I know that boys arerapists,” which is a really ludicrous, blanket statement to make.

It was painting all boys in the school as rapists. If you’ve got arapist in the school, you’ve got bigger problems. It was really

strange. The other arguments I heard were, “The boys don’t

want a girl in there.” I have facial hair, so if they’re uncomfort-able with someone like me in the restroom, they’ve got deeper-

seated problems. And the other one was, “What if a boy goes intothe girls’ room to molest women?” Which is really stupid. It was

a slippery slope argument.

It’s not like I woke up one day, cut my hair, and said, “I’mgoing into the boys’ room.” It was a long process. I had a medical

diagnosis. I had shown evidence of social transition for definitely

longer than a year. I had my parents behind me, saying, “He’sa boy. Here’s the medical documentation. He’s about to be on

hormones,” all that stuff. So it was very obvious that this had allbeen done in a very medical context, which is how it should be.

No boy is going to be able to wake up, slap on a wig and a bow,and say “I’m a girl.” That’s not how it happens. Common sense

would be that someone has to have a diagnosis. Somebody would

obviously have to be socially transitioning for a while. And some-one would probably have to be under the care of a therapist. And

no boy that wants to molest a girl is going to be able to get a let-

ter saying he’s a girl. And furthermore, he wouldn’t go throughbeing a social outcast by being assumed to be a transgender girl

in school, just so he can harass girls. That’s just not going tohappen.

And furthermore, should anybody do that, whether transgen-

der or not, they go to jail. I guess people think that if you’re trans-gender and do that, you get a get-out-of-jail-free card. That’s not

what happens. If a transgender person were to do that, they’d goto jail, and not for being transgender, but for sexual misconduct,

or whatever they did. So basically, their arguments are nonsensi-cal fear-mongering, which don’t stand up to scrutiny.MW: Have you received any unwanted attention locally, even sincethe resolution by the school board?

GRIMM: Yeah, I have received unwanted attention. I got stopped

in Wal-Mart once, and Food Lion another time, and we went toKiptopeke for a vacation, and someone stopped me in a restau-

rant there. They’ve all been positive, in every public interaction.And even last night, at the concert, it broke up and we were

standing in the remnants of the crowd, and a guy came up to meand said, “I know who you are. Take a selfie with me.” And he

added me on Facebook. And he turned out to be a fine guy, but

you never know. It’s very positive, but I also think, “Oh, I justwanted to go to Wal-Mart,” or “I just wanted to take a vacation.”

I’m glad they’re supportive, and it’s nice to know I have sup-port in all corners, but I just don’t want to think about it some-

times. And then, of course, I get some pretty nasty messages on



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Facebook from time to time.MW: From kids or adults?

GRIMM: From adults. I’ve never gotten one from a kid to date.Those honestly tickle me. I’ve never gotten one that hurts my

feelings, they’re so pitiful. And a lot of them just make me laugh.MW: Are they local adults, or from other states?

GRIMM: I haven’t checked into that. I respond to whatever theysaid, if I feel it’s worth a joke. And then I block them immediate-ly, because I don’t have any intention of having a back-and-forth

with these people. So I don’t know if they’re local. When youclick on their profile and see where they live, I don’t recall ever

seeing anyone local. They’re from New Jersey, and Florida, andMontreal. And I say it like there’s a whole bunch of people. I’ve

gotten about 15 or 20 negative messages, over a couple hundredpositive messages.MW: What do they say, these adults?

GRIMM: Obviously, there’s the religious aspect in general. MyFacebook is private aside from my profile icon and my header

image. And my header image is a quote from Epicurus, and itsays: “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not

omnipotent. Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent.Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he

neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” It basically

boils down to a bunch of contradictions that don’t make sense,so why believe in God. But it apparently is very inflammatory

to a lot of people, who already come to my page, I assume, to behateful. So they go to my page, and they’re already offended, and

they see that I’m some heathen atop of heathen. And they getso angry. So I’ll get messages like, “Who do you think you are,

denying God?” And I’ll say, “Who do you think you are, thinkingsome kid you don’t even know cares?” And then I’ll block them.

I never call names. I don’t insult these people. I don’t care what

they say to me, I’ll never do that. But sometimes you can’t help

being a little sarcastic.I got one the other day that said, “You’re a fucking homo ass-

hole.” He was so angry, he was so mad. [ Laughs.] And I blocked

him. But that was funny. That one really got me laughing. I’ll getweird ones like that. But most of them boil down to “my deity

doesn’t like you, and I know this for some reason, because Iknow what a deity thinks,” or “Hey, I’m going to talk about your

genitals explicitly.” Like, “You have a vagina. Vagina, vagina,you, your vagina. Wrong bathroom.” Invasive, you’re talking

about my genitals kind of stuff.MW: How many supportive messages have you gotten?GRIMM: Definitely in the hundreds. I try my hardest to reply to all

of them, but I get so many. And I feel so bad, because I appreciateevery single one of them. I feel like people go out of their way to

say something supportive to me, and try to make my situation just a bit better. I just hope they don’t take it personally that it

takes me so long to get back to them. But I do try my hardest toget back to everyone eventually, even if that’s eight months later.MW: When we talk about Youth Pride, what is it that LGBT youth

have to be proud of nowadays?

GRIMM: I guess I’m not the best person to ask that, because

I’m not proud of being trans. I hate being trans. I would giveanything not to be trans. It’s caused me so much pain, and I

will always, always have dysphoria, and I will always have toconsider my trans status as a part of my daily living. I can get

every surgery in the world, and I can still not father children.

And there are certain things that will never be how I imagine mybody to be, and function as it functions. So I don’t have pride by

virtue of how I was born.But I guess where my pride would lie is in having the cour-

age to be myself. And with any other LGBT youth, to have thecourage to be themselves, and live authentically, in a world that

maybe isn’t very kind to them. And having the courage to standup for others as well. That’s where the pride should lie. Not on a

situation they can’t control, but how they handle that situation.

Pride should come from their actions in accepting themselves

and being able to be who they are.MW: Recently, there was an ad put out by Trans United Fund,showing the stories of parents of transgender children. Is that an

effective way to educate people on the issue?

GRIMM: I don’t think I’ve seen the ad. However, if it’s about what

it’s like to be the parent of a transgender child, and the decision

of what to do to help your kid, I think that can absolutely beeffective. Maybe if people saw these parents saying, “This was

the best thing for my child. My child was suffering, and nowmy child is happy.” If they heard that narrative, and heard from

adults saying this is very real and the best way to help your kidis to accept them and let them be who they are, maybe that can

change a lot of minds, and help a lot of future kids as well.MW: What would your advice be to a younger person experiencing

gender dysphoria, who doesn’t have the vocabulary yet to explain

that?

GRIMM: I would say, first of all, be careful. Because if you express

these feelings to the wrong person, you could end up being a lotmore alone and a lot more scared than you were previously. I,

however, would also say that it’s normal, and that it’s nothing tobe ashamed of. I’d also give them the word: transgender.

So when it’s safe, tell people. And if it’s not, just find little

things to do for yourself that can make you love yourself. l

If you are a transgender youth and are in need of resources, visitthe Trans Youth Equality Foundation at transyouthequality.org or

send an email to [email protected].


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MAY 12 - 19, 2016

SPOTLIGHT

1ST ANNUAL BALTIMORE

WINE & FOOD FESTIVALCelebrity chefs Bryan Voltaggio andChad Wells will appear on the MainCooking Stage in a tent-covered set-ting on the edge of the Inner Harbor.Samples will be available of over 100international wine, spirits and beersalong with local and regional favor-ites. Bands Naked Nation, JunkyardSaints and the Texas Chainsaw Hornswill perform. The festival kicks offat 9:30 a.m. with the Charm City

Wine Run circling the Inner Harbor.Saturday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 5p.m. Free, with purchase of a drinkingglass, or $39 and $79 for VIP options;the Run costs $49. Rash Field, 201Key Highway, Baltimore. Call 800-830-3976 or visit bmorewine.com.

BOYS GONE WILDE: BOYLESQUEThis Sunday, May, 15, the BierBaron Tavern, once known as theBrickskeller, will become a “VictorianMolly House,” celebrating all thingsOscar Wilde in a male burlesqueshow organized by Chris Griffin akaLucrezia Blozia. Other “boylesque”entertainers striving to “put the

steamy in steampunk, the stoke inStoker and the dick in Dickens” will be Aaron Spaace, Nexus, James Fondleand Baron Atomy. The boys will eachdonate at least 10 percent of theirfees to Equality North Carolina tofight the state’s recently passed anti-LGBT HB2. Sunday, May 15, at 8 p.m.Bier Baron Tavern, 1523 22nd St. NW.Tickets are $12 in advance, or $15 day-of show. Call 202-293-1887 or visitinlovewithbier.com.

JULIA SCOTTI AND

KEVIN MEANEY A night of “Out-standing comedy”featuring transgender comedian Julia

Scotti and Kevin Meaney, a stand-up comic and actor from both TVand Broadway — rescheduled afterSnowzilla postponed the debut at Amp by Strathmore. Friday, May 13,at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda.Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.

PATINA MILLERTwo years after she won her first Tony Award and gave her first professionalsolo cabaret at the Kennedy Center,Patina Miller returns to the areathis weekend to head Strathmore’sannual Spring Gala. Though also

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Compiled by Doug Rule

D J C O R E Y


CONSTELLATION THEATRE MADE ITS NAME WITH MARY ZIMMERMAN’Scrowning achievement in epic adaptation, The Arabian Nights. They followed by mak-

ing a literal splash with Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, and are now staging one of theAmerican director’s first epics, one that ventures even farther afield — Journey to the West.

Life, as they say, is about the journey, not the destination. And so it is here. There are anumber of reasons making Journey to the West ( HHHHH ) worth catching, but none of them

are about the story itself. After nearly three hours of a long and rambling story, your joy willreside elsewhere.

The production starts off strong. A.J. Guban has designed an awe-inspiring set, this one

framed by a tipped wooden ring sturdy enough for the cast to walk on or swing from. DirectorAllison Arkell Stockman has assembled a fine creative team to dazzle with sheer theatrical

spectacle, ultimately led by the vivid, creative lighting design of Colin K. Bills, whose workconsistently puts the right accent on Kendra Rai’s varied and whimsical costumes. Pauline

Grossman’s choreography often evokes natural elements, from water to rough terrain. TomTeasley supplements the action with an appealingly subtle, exotic and mystical soundscape.

The show is subtitled “The Tale of the Monkey King,” with that role played with agility

and expressiveness by Dallas Tolentino. Yet nearly halfway through, the tale shifts gears to

focus on a monk, Tripitaka (Ashley Ivey), who, a quest with a ragtag group of eccentrics, seeksspiritual enlightenment. Lilian Oben makes for a ravishing bodhisattva Guanyin, who steersTripitaka on his journey, supported by the mischievous Monkey King, a comically grotesque

Pig (Ryan Tumulty), and a fearsome River Monster (Michael Kevin Darnall). With 13 actorsfilling the intimate Source Theatre stage, many doing quick-change work to play multiple char-

acters, Journey to the West is an ensemble show through and through.Several of the characterizations are so exaggerated for comic relief they become annoying

— especially Tumulty’s pig grunts and porcine antics. And the show becomes bogged down as

it goes in a confusing garble of a story with too many subplots and asides. It all seems to get toodistracted by the journey, losing sight of the destination. —Doug Rule

Journey to the West runs to May 22. At the Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20

to $45. Call 202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org.

Monkey

BusinessConstellation’s Journey tothe West fails to beabout the destination


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familiar from her work in film ( The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2 ) and TV (CBS’s Madam Secretary ),Miller has really made her mark onBroadway, including Sister Act andthe recent Tony-winning revival of Pippin. Expect to hear songs fromthose shows, plus gospel and pop— perhaps even a nod to the movie, Beaches, which inspired Miller as alittle girl. ”The scene in the moviewhere C.C. wants to go to New York

and be a Broadway star, that kind ofgot me curious as to what New Yorkwas and what Broadway was,” Millertold Metro Weekly in 2013. Saturday,May 14, at 9 p.m. Music Center atStrathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,North Bethesda. Tickets are $40 to$85 and includes an After Party withdrinks, desserts and dancing. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

HOLLYWOOD ON TRIAL:

CROSSFIREThis season’s “Seeing Red Film Series”at the Hill Center, with hosts NewYorker staff writer Margaret Talbotand movie critic Nell Minow, con-

tinues with 1947’s Crossfire. Directed by Edward Dmytryk, it’s based on anovel about homophobia called The Brick Foxhole. Its content was too hotfor Hollywood at the time, so thefocus was switched to anti-Semitisminstead, and the film earned Oscarnominations for its screenwriter JohnPaxton and stars Robert Ryan andGloria Grahame. It also earned thedistinction of being singled out byconservative Congressional firebrandsas evidence of Hollywood’s subversiveagenda. Sunday, May 15, at 4 p.m.Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital, 921Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free. Call 202-549-4172 or visit HillCenterDC.org.

THE CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY

WITH RENEE FLEMING,

NORM LEWISScott Tucker helps the full 190-member-strong Choral Arts Society ofWashington celebrate the Americanmusical — specifically the outputof Rodgers and Hammerstein, with“Some Enchanted Evening.” ReneeFleming, American opera superstardubbed “the people’s diva,” and NormLewis, the Tony-nominated Broadway baritone ( The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess ) join to sing through the hits.Sunday, May 15, at 8 p.m. KennedyCenter Concert Hall. Tickets are $25

to $94. Call 202-467-4600 or visitkennedy-center.org.

THE MAN IN THE MASK Although known for its dialogue-free,movement-focused fare — most nota- bly its “silent Shakespeare” produc-tions — Virginia’s Synetic Theateroffers a rare show with dialogue,an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’follow-up to The Three Musketeers.Husband-and-wife duo of directorPaata Tsikurishvili and choreog-rapher Irina Tsikurishvili lead thisswashbuckling and high-pageantry bombastic adventure, following heroD’Artagnan and the corrupt King

Louis XIV. Now in previews. OpensSaturday, May 13, at 8 p.m. To June19. Theater at Crystal City, 1800 SouthBell St., Arlington. Tickets are $15 to$55. Call 800-494-8497 or visit synet-ictheater.org.

TOUCHSTONE GALLERY’S 40TH

ANNIVERSARY SHOW AND GALA Artist-owned collective TouchstoneGallery celebrates its 40th year witha monthlong show, featuring mixed-

media works by 50 current and 40former gallery artists. Also on tap is afree champagne gala reception withfood provided by Acadiana Restaurantand Brazilian music by guitarist TomRohde and cavaquinho player PabloRegis de Oliveira. Anniversary Galais Friday, May 13, from 6 p.m. to 8:30p.m. Show is on exhibit through May29. Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York Ave. NW Call 202-347-2787 or visittouchstonegallery.com.

STAGE

110 IN THE SHADEMarcia Milgrom Dodge directs andchoreographs a new production ofthis old-fashioned musical, set dur-ing a sweltering Texas summer in themid-1950s and featuring a lively scorefrom the creators of The Fantasticks. The focus is on a self-proclaimed rain-maker who promises to reverse for-tunes in the drought-stricken town,to say nothing of its leading spinster,played by Tracy Lynn Olivera. ClosesSaturday, May 14. Ford’s Theatre, 51110th St. NW. Tickets are $28 to $69.Call 800-982-2787 or visit fordsthe-atre.org.

AN AMERICAN DAUGHTERKeegan Theatre takes on the lateWendy Wasserstein’s angry, daringplay about a political woman, daughterof a U.S. Senator, who gets caught upin a scandal after being nominated toa Cabinet post. Company co-directorSusan Marie Rhea plays the title rolein this production directed by BrandonMcCoy. To May 28. Keegan Theatre,1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $35 to$45. Call 703-892-0202 or visit keegan-theatre.com.

BLACK PEARL SINGS!Over 20 American folk and spiritu-al songs factor into Frank Higgins’

story inspired by the real-life discov-ery of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter by folklorist John Lomax. SandraHolloway directs this MetroStageproduction featuring Roz White as Alberta “Pearl” Johnson and TeresaCastracane as Susannah Mullally. ToMay 29. MetroStage, 1201 North RoyalSt., Alexandria. Tickets are $55. Call800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

HUGO BALL: A SUPER

SPECTACULAR DADA ADVENTURE A one-of-a-kind performance loosely based on the life of one of the found-ers of the Dada anti-art movement.Pointless Theatre Company’s latest

experimental, multi-disciplinary pup-



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Runs to May 28. Atlas Performing ArtsCenter, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are$20 to $40. Call 202-399-7993 or visit

atlasarts.org.

PHAETONTaffety Punk Theater Company,whose tagline is “We Will Rock You”and styles itself as a theatrical rock band, presents Michael Milligan’sretelling of the classic Greek myth,exploring the failure of society to liveup to the promise of its visionariesand the repercussions of that failure.Marcus Kyd directs a large cast featur-ing company members Dan Crane andHelen Hayes Award-winner KimberlyGilbert and James Flanagan in thetitle role, with choreography by KellyKing. To May 28. Capitol Hill Arts

Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Tickets are

pet theater piece explores art, loveand faith — and contains “puppet sex-uality, profanity and violence.” Closes

Saturday, May 14. Logan Fringe Arts Space’s Trinidad Theatre, 1358Florida Ave. NE. Tickets are $20 to$25. Call 202-733-6321 or visit point-lesstheatre.com.

ORSON WELLES’

WAR OF THE WORLDSSCENA Theatre’s Robert McNamaradirects the stage version of the his-toric American classic. The originalradio broadcast terrified America onHalloween 1938, depicting giant greenMartians invading Earth in a seriesof “News bulletins” portraying massdestruction, military battles and vastchaos. Opens in previews Thursday,

May 12, and Friday, May 13, at 8 p.m.

$15. Call 202-547-6839 or visit taf-fetypunk.com.

THE BODY OF AN AMERICANTheater J presents the regional pre-miere of Dan O’Brien’s breathtak-ingly provocative drama, based on atrue story, about the friendship thatdevelops between a playwright and aphotographer and traverses Rwanda, Afghanistan and the Canadian Arctic.Jose Carrasquillo directs a productionfeaturing Eric Hissom and ThomasKeegan. Pride Night is Thursday,May 12, at 7:30 p.m. Runs to May22. The Aaron and Cecile GoldmanTheater, Washington, D.C.’s JewishCommunity Center, 1529 16th St. NW.Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org.


TRANSMISSION A three-year-old D.C.-based play-writing collective, and one of this

year’s Helen Hayes Award winnersas Outstanding Emerging TheatreCompany, the Welders offers its latestproduction, an immersive, participa-tory “performance play” written andperformed by Gwydion Suilebhan.Devised for a small audience of 20people, all seated in 1930s armchairsclustered around period radios,Transmission focuses on the viral evo-lution of culture, from the radio age tothe present day. Touted as part-jazz,part-science lecture and part-”ritualinvocation”, the show investigateswhat it means to be inundated in ouralways-connected, always-sharingculture, which demands skepticismand inquisitiveness. To May 28. Atlas

Unresolved Chord

C O U R T E S Y O F N I M A V E I S E H

Persistent Memory Nima Veiseh utilizes his exceptional memory to produce thought-provoking artN

IMA VEISEH ISN’T GAY, BUT HE CERTAINLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT’S LIKEto come of age and feel different from the norm.

“It’s quite often that we struggle to understand a lot of ourselves,” Veiseh says.“We rely so much on the environment and the reference frames of others around us.”

In Veiseh’s case, his struggle was with hyperthymesia, an extremely rare, advanced auto-biographical memory condition. It allows him to “remember every day of my life as if it were a

film.” Now 31, Veiseh was 15 when he developed hyperthymesia, which affects about 50 peoplein the world. From the moment he fell in love for the first time, Veiseh remembers everything

— although it took another few years before he fully realized that his memory was far from typ-

ical. While the average memory half-life is about four to seven days, Veiseh’s is several decades.

His exceptional memory fueled Veiseh’s interest in becoming an artist. “Imagine if you hap-pen to remember every painting on every wall in every gallery you visited,” he says. “In a lot ofways that was an accidental graduate degree in art.” Veiseh has since formally studied art and

technology at MIT, Georgetown and Columbia universities, developing his own body of work— including the pieces of a new show TimeFrames organized by local presenter ArtSee. Logan

Circle’s Fathom Gallery will exhibit the show next Thursday, May 19.

Veiseh is touted as the only person in the world attempting to translate his perspective onlife and memory into art — specifically, colorful, abstract mixed-media works created through

an extensive layering process. It’s a core feature of his music-inspired series The Unresolved

Chord . “Each one of these layers

is actually 20 layers of paint,” Veiseh says. “But each layer —

which is composed of either atexture or a color combination

— only goes partially aroundthe canvas, and then it stops.

And then another layer starts,and your brain creates this con-

tinuity that evolves into thismovement around the canvas.”

Veiseh’s intentional asymmetry

emulates an unresolved chordin music, something he hopes

compels viewers to linger overthe work, studying it in further

detail to try and make sense of it.

Though engaged in the prac-tice for years, Veiseh’s inspira-

tion as an artist has only gottenstronger since coming out pub-

licly as having hyperthymesia.“I’ve probably learned as much

about myself and my own artin the last few months, because

people are asking me questions

that I would have never thoughtto ask myself,” he says. “And I’ve

been channeling that introspec-tion and evolution of under-

standing back into my art — cre-ating pieces that are not only

reflective of my evolving under-

standing of myself, but helppeople to think differently and

more deeply about themselves

and their relationship with theirmemories and the world aroundthem.” —Doug Rule

TimeFrames featuring Nima Veiseh

on Thursday, May 19, from 6:30 p.m.

to 10 p.m., at Fathom Gallery, 1333

14th St. NW. Call 202-588-8100 or

visit fathomgallery.org.


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MYKKI BLANCO A transgender punk-rapper, inspired by riot grrrl and queercore, MykkiBlanco has released a couple ofmixtapes in the past few years. Shehas also partnered with the recordlabel !K7 to launch her own imprint,Dogfood Music Group, intended forother underground artists who “tran-scend conventional cultural boundar-ies/constructs.” The 9:30 Club pres-ents her concert at U Street Music

Hall as part of a tour in support oflast year’s debut full-length album, Michael. Thursday, May 19, at 7 p.m.U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW.Tickets are $15. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

SIMONE DINNERSTEINWidely renowned, eclectic Americanpianist Simone Dinnerstein closesout the season of shows presented by Washington Performing Arts witha recital of works by her favoritecomposer Franz Schubert, plus selec-tions from Metamorphoses by PhilipGlass. Glass has called Dinnerstein“one of the most exciting interpret-

ers of music from the Baroque to the very modern.” Sunday, May 22, at 4p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Tickets are $50 to $90. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

DANCE DEVIATED THEATRE

WITH DANCETHOSKnown for dance works with spell- binding choreography and led byhusband-and-wife duo Enoch Chanand Kimmie Dobbs Chan, DeviatedTheatre perform a few fan favoritepieces as well as new works in devel-opment. The performance will includea guest appearance by DancEthos.Sunday, May 22, at 3 p.m. Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery College’sSilver Spring campus, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. Tickets are $25.Call 301-362-6525 or visit deviated-theatre.org.

THE WASHINGTON BALLET:

BOWIE AND QUEEN As his parting gift, the WashingtonBallet’s outgoing artistic directorSeptime Webre devised a programcelebrating two late rock giants,David Bowie and Freddie Mercury,and featuring works by two notedgay choreographers — EdwaardLiang and Trey McIntyre. Liang’s Dancing In The Streets includes a fewof Bowie’s songs threaded together by an original composition fromGabriel Gaffney Smith, featuringelectric violin and electric cello, per-formed live by Machiko Ozawa. Bycontrast, McIntyre’s Mercury Half- Life is epic and high-energy and wasitself inspired by contrasts, includ-ing the fact that Queen’s songs are“rock anthems that can move sportsarenas” — and yet Mercury was gayand flamboyant. “Those two things,especially in the time period, didn’t

Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE.Tickets are $15 to $30. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

MUSIC

CANTATE CHAMBER SINGERSLive at 10th and G presents the thirdconcert of the season by this local

ensemble. “Patterns and Lines” is amultimedia composition celebratingthe work of world-traveling photog-raphers Judy and Wayne Guenther,with poetry by Roberto Ifill and music by Andrew Earle Simpson. Also on the bill are works by Samuel Barber andJohn Corigliano. Saturday, May 14, at7:30 p.m. Live! at 10th and G, 945 GST. NW. Tickets are $35, or $45 forpremium seating. Call 202-628-4317or visit facebook.com/liveat10thandg.

CHOPTEETHThe Washington Post has called this12-piece band “a storming powerhouseof big-band African funk... smart, tightand relentlessly driving.” Chopteethhas already won a number ofWashington Area Music Association Awards — otherwise known asWammies, including the Artist ofthe Year accolade in 2008. And nowthe Afrobeat-driven group returns toStrathmore’s cabaret venue. Saturday,May 14, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore,11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda.Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com.

MARY LOU WILLIAMS WOMEN IN

JAZZ FESTIVALNow in its 21st edition, this festival,named after the pioneering female jazz pianist/composer, features two

evenings of performances by some ofcontemporary jazz’s leading women,hosted by Dee Dee Bridgewater. Fridaynight, May 13, offers a unique stagedconcert presentation of A Conversationwith Mary Lou Williams, directed byactor S. Epatha Merkerson with a script by Farah Jasmine Griffin and featur-ing pianist Geri Allen, vocalist CarmenLundy, bassist Kenny Davis and drum-mer Kassa Overall. Saturday night, May14, features performances

Metro Weekly - 05-12-16 - Gavin Grimm & Youth Pride 20th Anniversary

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