washingtonblade.com, volume 46, issue 10, march 6, 2015

8/9/2019 Washingtonblade.com, Volume 46, Issue 10, March 6, 2015

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M A R C H 0 6 2 0 1 5 V O L U M E 4 6 I S S U E 1 0 • A M E R I C A ’ S G A Y N E W S S O U R C E • W A S H I N G T O N B L A D E . C O M


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4/61

Md. Democrat voted forDOMA; O’Malley won’t run

By MICHAEL K. [email protected]

U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) onMonday announced she will retire from the

U.S. Senate once her term ends in 2016.“I’m here today in Fells Point toannounce that I will not be seeking a sixthterm in the United States Senate,” theMaryland Democrat told reporters duringa press conference in Baltimore. “This hasbeen a hard decision to make.”

Mikulski said during the pressconference that her decision to retirefrom the U.S. Senate has nothing to dowith her health or any frustration she haswith her colleagues.

“There’s nothing gloomy about thisannouncement,” she said.

Mikulski, 78, has served in Congresslonger than any other woman in history.

Voters first elected her to the House ofRepresentatives in 1977. She has been amember of the Senate since 1987.

Mikulski is among the senators who votedfor the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

She later co-sponsored a measure thatsought to repeal the law.

“I am proud to co-sponsor legislationto repeal key provisions of the Defenseof Marriage Act,” Mikulski told theWashington Blade in a 2011 statement. “I

believe all Americans are entitled to equalprotection under the law and all of ourcitizens deserve to be treated with dignityand respect.”

Mikulski voted against a proposal thatwould have amended the U.S. Constitutionto define marriage as between a manand a woman. She also backed theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act.

The Maryland Democrat over the yearshas faced persistent speculation aboutwhether she is a lesbian.

“She’s been a powerful force for our

state,” U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) toldreporters in Baltimore immediately afterMikulski announced her retirement.

Dana Beyer, executive director ofGender Rights Maryland, told the Blade onMonday that Mikulski gave no indicationthat she was planning to retire whenshe saw her at the annual MontgomeryCounty Democratic Central CommitteeBrunch in Rockville on Feb. 22.

“She was in campaign mode,” saidBeyer, noting Mikulski’s retirement comesas a surprise. “She was talking about last

year. She was talking about next year.”Gay state Sen. Rich Madaleno(D-Montgomery County) during a telephoneinterview with the Blade said that Mikulskiplayed “an incredibly helpful role” in the2012 referendum on Maryland’s same-sex

marriage law in terms of fundraising andbuilding support for the statute that votersultimately approved.

“I don’t know few people in Marylandhistory who won five statewideelections, certainly in modern history,”said Madaleno, who added Mikulski’sannouncement also came as a surpriseto him. “Having her network andunderstanding of the state was critical inthe marriage referendum.”

“She’s been an incredible figure for

the state of Maryland, for all 30 yearsin the Senate,” added the MontgomeryCounty Democrat, noting that Mikulskihad previously chaired the SenateAppropriations Committee. “She has beenpassionate and determined in fighting forevery dollar for the state of Maryland.”

Observers have already begun tospeculate that Maryland CongressmenChris Van Hollen and Elijah Cummingscould seek Mikulski’s seat.

Others have noted that formerLieutenant Gov. Anthony Brown,

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Congresswoman Donna Edwardsand former state Del. Heather Mizeur(D-Montgomery County) could also run.

“We will have an open Senate seatand that will create some interest,” saidCardin. “We have a great talent pool.”

Mizeur, who ran unsuccessfully forgovernor last year, did not immediatelyrespond to the Blade’s request forcomment about whether she plans toseek Mikulski’s seat in 2016.

“Today is a day to reflect on Senator

Mikulski’s service to the people ofMaryland, not engage in politicalspeculation,” O’Malley spokesperson LisSmith Smith told the Blade.

Michael Estève, chapter leader of LogCabin Republicans of Maryland, also

weighed in.“We thank Sen. Mikulski for her years

of service as a fierce defender of historic

Baltimore, a mentor to women in theSenate and a passionate advocate ofLGBT equality,” Estève told the Blade.“Her offi ce especially deserves praisefor years of quality constituent servicesas the senator provided much neededhelp for veterans pursuing disability andretirement benefits.”

“While we certainly have policydisagreements with Sen. Mikulski onother issues, we appreciate her service toMaryland and look forward to supportinga successor who believes as fiercely in

LGBT rights as fiscal responsibility andpro-market policies,” he added.

O’Malley won’t pursue seat

O’Malley on Tuesday said he would not

run for the seat that Mikulski will vacateonce her term expires next year.

“Senator Mikulski has done an

outstanding job representing Marylandin the U.S. Senate for nearly 30 years,”O’Malley said in a statement. “I am hopefuland confident that very capable publicservants with a desire to serve in theSenate will step up as candidates for thisimportant offi ce. I will not be one of them.”

The former governor is widely expectedto mount a presidential campaign in2016. Recent polls in early voting stateslike Iowa show him with low namerecognition, however, amid anticipationthat Hillary Clinton will walk away with the

Democratic nomination.“We will have an open Senate seat andthat will create some interest,” U.S. Sen. BenCardin (D-Md.) told reporters immediatelyafter Mikulski’s announcement. “We havea great talent pool.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

04 • MARCH 06, 2015 LOCAL NEWS

U.S. Sen. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D-Md.) thisweek announced her retirement from theU.S. Senate.

Mikulski to retire from Senate

Former Maryland Gov. MARTIN O’MALLEY is widely expected to pursue a run for the WhiteHouse and said he would not seek to r eplace Barbara Mikulski in the Senate.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY


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8/61

Neighbors ‘shocked’to learn of Gambianpresident’s record

By MICHAEL K. [email protected]

POTOMAC, Md. — Vehemently anti-LGBT Gambian President Yahya Jammehowns a $3.5 million mansion in a wealthyMontgomery County suburb.

Property records the Washington Bladeobtained indicate that Calbert Cheaney,a retired professional basketballplayer who was once a member of theWashington Bullets, and his wife, YvetteCheaney, sold the mansion on BentcrossDrive in Potomac to “Trustees of the MYJFamily Trust” on Sept. 29, 2010, in an“arms-length improved” transaction.

The 8,818-square-foot home in theFalconhurst subdivision was built in 1991.

Property records indicate the mansion— which is roughly a mile east of downtownPotomac off of River Road — has nine fullbathrooms, two half bathrooms and anattached garage. It also has a 2,500-square-foot finished basement.

A fence encloses Jammeh’s homethat sits on 2.3 acres of land. A securitycamera is mounted above the gate to themansion’s driveway.

Property records note the mansion’svalue as of Jan. 1, 2014, was $3,416,300.

Jammeh took power in his small West

African country in a 1994 coup.He said during a 2013 speech at the

U.N. General Assembly that homosexualityis among the three “biggest threatsto human existence.” The Gambianpresident in February 2014 described gaymen as “vermin” during a speech thatcommemorated his predominantly Muslimcountry’s independence from the U.K.

Those convicted of “aggravatedhomosexuality” in Gambia face life inprison under a law that Jammeh signedlast fall.

Reports from human rights advocatesand other observers indicate Gambianauthorities have arrested more than a dozenpeople they accused of being gay since thestatute took effect. These include the three“suspected homosexuals” the GambianHigh Court last month ordered released onbail, according to a local newspaper.

The World Bank notes the average percapita income among Gambians in 2013was $500. The organization’s statisticsfurther indicate that 48.4 percent ofthe country’s population were living inpoverty in 2010.

Fatu Camara, a journalist who was Jammeh’s former press secretarybefore she fled to the U.S. in 2013 afterauthorities charged her with treason,pointed out during a roundtable late

last year at Robert F. Kennedy HumanRights ’ Washington offi ce that some

gay Gambians have fled to neighboringSenegal and Guinea.

She said during the same event thatmany others are afraid to leave their homesbecause they fear authorities will arrestthem under the law that Jammeh signed.

“Owning a $3.5 million mansion inPotomac when the average Gambiancannot afford their three daily meals showshow unsympathetic and selfish Jammehis,” Camara told the Washington Bladeon Tuesday. “Nobody is safe in Gambia,including LGBT people, many of whom fled

the country and are living in exile. Jammeh’spriority should be safeguarding his people,promoting human rights and improvinglivelihoods instead of looting from us.”

Jeffrey Smith of Robert F. KennedyHuman Rights agreed.

“The fact that one of the world’s mostbrutal and unaccountable dictators ownsa multi-million dollar mansion, little morethan 20 miles from the White House, isunacceptable,” he told the Blade.

Jammeh ‘unwelcome’

The European Union in 2014 delayeda 150 million Euro aid package toGambia after Jammeh failed to repeal hiscountry’s death penalty and implementother reforms.

President Obama faced criticism lastAugust after Jammeh visited the WhiteHouse while attending a summit that drewdozens of African heads of state to thenation’s capital. The White House a fewmonths later announced Gambia is nolonger eligible to take part in a duty-freetrade program that allows sub-SaharanAfrican countries to access U.S. markets.

Jammeh in January appeared to sharplycriticize the U.S. and other countries thathave attacked his government’s LGBTrights record.

His comments — which he made duringa speech to Gambian troops in Banjul, the

country’s capital — came shortly after twoU.S. citizens allegedly tried to overthrowhis government in an attempted coup.

“Let me make it very clear that if theythink that they can be homosexuals andwant to impose homosexuality on theglobe, they are doomed,” said Jammeh.

The International Gay and LesbianHuman Rights Commission, the Councilfor Global Equality and several otherLGBT advocacy groups in January calledupon the White House to ban Jammehfrom entering the U.S. and freeze hisassets in this country.

The Human Rights Campaign lastmonth ran a half-page advertisement inthe Gazette newspapers that featureda picture of Jammeh and described himas a “human rights violator.” The ad alsonoted the Gambian president “has ahome right here in Potomac.”

� CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Mario Camero dies at 77Longtime Realtor to be remembered Sunday at event

Mario Camero died Feb. 15 at age77 according to his partner of many

years, Mark Richter. He sufferedvarious health complications in recentyears including a fall and dementiathat worsened in the last six months,Richter said.

Camero was born March 8, 1937 inNew York City and was adopted at 18months by a family that raised him inMiami. Camero moved to Washingtonin 1964 and worked for the Hecht Co.selling fur coats and shoes beforebecoming a Realtor in 1978, whichhe did with Coldwell Banker until he

retired in 2014.Camero and Richter met at a realestate event on Sept. 18, 1993 andspent the remainder of Camero’s lifetogether.

“He was just fun to be around,” Richter said. “He loved to go to the opera, hehad season tickets at the Kennedy Center for years, he loved going to plays. Hewas just the life of the party. ... If there was a party, he was there.”

His parents died around 1970 within a year of each other and he had nosiblings. In addition to Richter, he is survived by a first cousin, Gloria Fernandez,of Tampa, Fla.

Camero lived in a row house on the 1700 block of T Street, N.W. since 1979.Richter said he enjoyed the neighborhood and especially enjoyed having drinksat Larry’s Lounge.

A memorial cocktail party will be held at Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse (160917th St., N.W.) on Sunday from 3-6 p.m., which would have been Camero’s 78thbirthday. Another service is being planned for spring.

JOEY DiGUGLIELMO

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

08 • MARCH 06, 2015 LOCAL NEWS

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s home on Bentcross Drive in Potomac, Md.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Anti-LGBT dictator owns $3.5 million mansion in Md.

MARIO CAMEROPHOTO COURTESY OF RICHTER


9/61

Catwoman comes out as bisexual

NEW YORK — One of the world’s most recognizable comic book charactershas revealed that she is bisexual.

CNN reported that Selina Kyle, whose alter ego is Catwoman, comes out in thelatest Catwoman #39 that DC Comics publishes. CNN also notes that GenevieveValentine, a comic book writer, wrote on her blog that Kyle kissed Eiko Hasigawa,who has become Catwoman.

“Certainly it’s no surprise to Selina that she has an attraction to a woman,”

wrote Valentine. “Is this particular kiss a surprise? It’s definitely surprising; thisis the very last thing you’re supposed to be getting into on the brink of war, andthey both know it. But this isn’t the first intense moment between them.”

GLAAD in 2004 honored Catwoman for openly gay character Holly Robinson.

N.Y. man accused in trans woman’s murder

NEW YORK — Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., on March 3 indicteda man in connection with the 2013 murder of a transgender woman.

Vance in a press release alleges that James Dixon, 24, punched Islan Nettles,21, in the head on Aug. 17, 2013, during an argument near the intersection ofWest 148th Street and Eighth Avenue in Harlem.

Nettles suffered what Vance described as a “serious brain injury” after theback of her head hit the pavement after Dixon allegedly struck her.

Nettles died several days later.Dixon faces charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter and first-

degree assault.“Over the past 18 months, my offi ce has exhaustively investigated this

case with the primary objective of making sure that justice is served for IslanNettles,” said Vance. “A grand jury has voted to indict James Dixon on chargesof manslaughter and assault for attacking this young transgender woman on aHarlem street.”

The New York Daily News reported that Dixon has pleaded not guilty to thecharges.

A judge ordered him held without bail until his next court appearance that is

scheduled to take place on March 19.

Pioneering gay Episcopal priest dies

LOS ANGELES — Rev. Malcolm Boyd, an Episcopal priest who is among thefirst U.S. clergymen to come out as gay died on Feb. 27 at the age of 91.

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 8, 1923, Boyd was a Hollywood publicist until hisordination in the Episcopal Church in 1955.

The New York Times reported that Boyd supported the Civil Rights Movementin the 1960s, participating in “Freedom Rides” and helping black people inMississippi and Alabama register to vote. He also led protests against theVietnam War.

Boyd came out as gay in 1976.Frontiers reported that Boyd led his first Mass for people living with AIDS at

a Santa Monica, Calif., church in 1985. He was also a prolific writer who wroteabout sexuality, religion and other issues throughout his life.

Boyd is survived by his husband, Mark Thompson.

Task force recommendsend to profiling

By CHRIS [email protected]

Amid questions that emerged aboutracial bias in America’s police forcesfollowing events in Ferguson and NewYork, the White House this week issueda report seeking changes for policiesguiding law enforcement, includingan end to profiling and discriminationagainst LGBT people.

The President’s Task Force on21st Century Policing, established inDecember, made public on Monday its

101-page interim report. Among themajor suggested changes are buildingtrust and legitimacy by treating otherswith respect and improved oversightthrough data collection, supervision andaccountability.

One chief recommendation is thecreation of a National Crime & JusticeTask Force to review comprehensivecriminal justice reform in addition toenforcement of federal immigration lawsand regulation of consent searches.

In remarks in the Roosevelt Room

of the White House, President Obamasaid the report is based on “pragmatic,common-sense ideas” from criminal

justice experts, community leaders, lawenforcement and civil liberties advocates.

“A lot of our work is going to involve localpolice chiefs, local elected offi cials, statesrecognizing that the moment is now forus to make these changes,” Obama said.“We have a great opportunity, comingout of some great conflict and tragedy,to really transform how we think aboutcommunity law enforcement relations

so that everybody feels safer and our lawenforcement offi cers feel, rather thanbeing embattled, feel fully supported.”

The report was produced followinga 90-day period in which the TaskForce — chaired by Philadelphia PoliceCommissioner Charles Ramsey andformer Assistant Attorney General LaurieRobinson — undertook listening sessionsin various cities to obtain input on therelationship between police forces andtheir communities.

In terms of LGBT issues, the reportrecommends that law enforcementagencies adopt policies prohibitingprofiling and discrimination on the basisof various characteristics, including onthe basis of sexual orientation and genderidentity or expression.

“Invasive searches should never beused for the sole purpose of determininggender identity, and an individual’s genderidentity should be respected in lock-upsand holding cells to the extent that thefacility allows for gender segregation,” thereport says.

One proposed action is for the Bureauof Justice Statistics and the Centers forDisease Control to add on federal surveysquestions about sexual harassment andmisconduct toward LGBT people by lawenforcement offi cers.

“All human beings have biases orprejudices as a result of their experiences,and these biases influence how theymight react when dealing with unfamiliarpeople or situations,” the report says.“An explicit bias is a conscious bias aboutcertain populations based upon race,

gender, socioeconomic status, sexualorientation, or other attributes. Commonsense shows that explicit bias is incrediblydamaging to police-community relations,and there is a growing body of researchevidence that shows that implicit bias —the biases people are not even awarethey have — is harmful as well.”

Another recommendation in the reportis the end to using possession of condomsas sole evidence of intent to engage inprostitution, a change transgender andHIV/AIDS advocates have sought.

In a joint statement, LGBT groupscalled on law enforcement agenciesand Congress to implement therecommendations in the report and forcontinued work on the issue with LGBTadvocacy organizations.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS MARCH 06, 2015 • 09

Obama seeks inclusivepolice policies

PRESIDENT OBAMA unveiled a report tomake police forces adopt pro-LGBT policies.


Holy smooches! CATWOMAN comes out after same-sex comic kiss.

PHOTO BY ABC TELEVISION; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA


10/61

Justices say state lawunchanged despitefederal rulings


The Alabama Supreme Court onTuesday ordered probate judges todiscontinue for an unspecified time thedistribution of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

In a 7-1 decision, the state high courtruled Alabama probate judges must refusemarriage licenses to same-sex couplespending further order from justices, despitefederal court rulings in January against thestate’s ban on same-sex marriage.

“As it has done for approximately

two centuries, Alabama law allows for‘marriage’ between only one man and

one woman,” write the majority in the percuriam opinion. “Alabama probate judgeshave a ministerial duty not to issue anymarriage license contrary to this law.Nothing in the United States Constitutionalters or overrides this duty.”

The petition, which the Alabama SupremeCourt agreed to hear last month, was filedby two anti-LGBT groups — Alabama PolicyInstitute and Alabama Citizens ActionProgram — as well as Probate Judge JohnEnslen of Elmore County.

Although Enslen is the only namedrespondent in the case, the order makeseach of the probate judges in Alabama

joined as respondents in place of the“John Does” identified in the petition.Further, the court gives each probate

judge five days within the issuance of the

order the opportunity to file a responseas to why they should be exempt from

the decision.The justices who signed the 134-pagedecision were Lyn Stuart, Michael Bolin,Tom Parker, Glenn Murdock, Alisa KelliWise and Tommy Bryan.

Justice James Allen Main wrote anopinion in which he raises concernsabout the process by which the decisionwas reached, but agrees with the result ofthe majority.

“Consistent with my dissent from theCourt’s earlier decision to order answer andbriefs in this matter, I continue to harborconcerns regarding some of the proceduralaspects of this highly unusual case,” Mainwrote. “Nevertheless, given the uniquefacts of this case and the intervention ofProbate Judge John Enslen, I am persuadedthat Judge Enslen has a suffi cient interest

in these proceedings to satisfy the criterianecessary for standing.”

The sole dissenting justice was GregShaw, who said he doesn’t believe thecourt has jurisdiction at this time to hearthe case, citing an upcoming decision onthe issue from the U.S. Supreme Court.Nonetheless, he takes the federal courtto task for the decision.

“It is unfortunate that the federal judiciary has refused to stay the orderstriking down Alabama’s marriage-protection laws until the Supreme Courtof the United States can conclusively ruleon the issue within the next few months,”Shaw writes. “The federal district court’sorder did nothing less than changethe very definition of the institution ofmarriage in Alabama. Such a drasticchange in Alabama law warranted thegranting of a stay.”

Ala. court orders halt to same-sex marriages

Governor seeks stay toblock weddings fromtaking place


In the latest in a series of court decisionsin favor of marriage equality, a federal

judge in Nebraska has ruled against thestate’s prohibition on gay nuptials.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon,a Clinton appointee, determines in a34-page decision that Nebraska’s banon same-sex marriage violates rightsunder the U.S. Constitution and issuesa preliminary injunction enjoiningenforcement of the law effective March 9.

“Nebraska’s ‘Defense of Marriage’Constitutional Amendment, Section29, is an unabashedly gender-specific

infringement of the equal rights of itscitizens,” Bataillon writes. “The Stateprimarily offers as its rational basis forthis gender-specific discrimination theencouragement of biological family units.The essence of this rationale has beenrejected by most courts and by no lessthan the Supreme Court.”

Bataillon takes Nebraska to task for failingto demonstrate any reason to bar same-sexcouples from marriage, noting the stablerelationships of plaintiffs in the case.

“All of the couples have been in

committed relationships for many years,”Bataillon writes. “Those that have residedin Nebraska have not caused damageto society at large or to the institutionof marriage. The court finds it is in the

public’s best interest to vindicate theplaintiffs’ constitutional rights andenjoin the State’s enforcement of itsdiscriminatory marriage laws.”

Once the injunction takes effect onMarch 9, the Nebraska decision will makesame-sex marriage available in a total of38 states and D.C.

On Feb. 19, Bataillon held a hearing

in which Susan Koening, an attorneyfor the seven plaintiff same-sex couplesin the case, litigated against the banand Nebraska Attorney General DougPeterson argued in favor of it.

The lawsuit, Waters et al v. Ricketts etal, was filed by the American Civil LibertiesUnion, the ACLU of Nebraska and theOmaha-based law firm Koenig | Dunneon behalf of seven same-sex couples. Sixof the couples were married out-of-stateand are seeking state recognition of theunion; one of the couples sought to rightto wed in Nebraska.

Peterson has the option of appealingthe decision to the U.S. Eighth CircuitCourt of Appeals. Within a short timeafter the ruling was handed down,Peterson filed with the district court anotice indicating his intent to appeal.

Two other decisions overturningmarriage laws in the Eighth Circuit —South Dakota and Arkansas — are alreadypending before the appellate court.

The ban on same-sex marriage inNebraska was ratified as part of the stateconstitution in 2000 by 70 percent of thevoters at the ballot.

The Nebraska ruling may be the lastdecision at the federal district courtlevel to decide on the issue of marriageequality before the U.S. Supreme Courtrules as expected in June.

It was one of three states with a ban onsame-sex marriage where a court had yet torule on the issue of marriage equality. Theother two are North Dakota, where a judgeput litigation on hold until the SupremeCourt rules, and Georgia, where a judgealso indicated he wouldn’t rule, but allowedparties to file an interlocutory appeal.

However, two appellate courts mayissue decisions on marriage equalitybefore the Supreme Court. The U.S. FifthCircuit Court of Appeals could hand downa ruling at any time on bans in Texas,

Louisiana and Mississippi, and the EighthCircuit may deliver a ruling after it hearsoral arguments in May. The U.S. EleventhCircuit Court of Appeals has put litigationon hold in that jurisdiction, including thelawsuit in Georgia.

At the state level, the Arkansas SupremeCourt is also set to issue a decision soonon the ban on marriage equality in thestate as the result of state litigation.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedomto Marry, said the Nebraska decision isthe latest indication the Supreme Courtshould issue a nationwide ruling in favorof same-sex marriage.

“Every day that loving and committedcouples are denied the freedom tomarry in the decreasing number ofstates that still discriminate againstsame-sex couples and their families is aday of tangible hardships and indignity.”Wolfson said. “Fortunately, Nebraskamay soon no longer be one of those

discriminating states, thanks to today’sstrong ruling from yet another court —the 65th in the past two years — affi rmingthe freedom to marry. It is time for theU.S. Supreme Court to bring the countryto national resolution and end marriagediscrimination for all Americans.”

On Tuesday, Nebraska Gov. PeteRicketts, Peterson and other stateoffi cials filed a 19-page brief with theEighth Circuit seeking a stay of the districtcourt’s injunction.

“If Nebraska’s Constitution is to undergo

the dramatic change Plaintiffs seek, itshould occur only after the district court’sorder undergoes full appellate review,”the filing states. “The public interest is notserved by unstable marriage laws.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 • MARCH 06, 2015 NATIONAL NEWS

Court strikes down Nebraska marriage ban

Nebraska Gov. PETE RICKETTS is seekinga stay that would block gay couples fr ommarrying.


11/61

Holder praises Mizeras ‘gifted lawyer’


A gay attorney will head the divisionof the U.S. Justice Department chargedwith representing the United States in

civil and criminal matters, the U.S. JusticeDepartment announced Monday.Outgoing U.S. Attorney General

Eric Holder named Benjamin Mizeras principal deputy assistant attorneygeneral and acting assistant attorneygeneral for the civil division. According tothe Justice Department, Mizer started inhis new role Monday.

“Ben Mizer’s unassailable integrity,sound judgment and steadfastcommitment to the mission of thisdepartment are just a few of the reasonshe’s been chosen to serve as the newprincipal deputy assistant attorneygeneral and acting assistant attorneygeneral for the civil division – a critical anddemanding post, and one in which he willundoubtedly thrive,” Holder said.

Mizer, 38, former solicitor general forOhio, is one of more than a dozen openlygay lawyers Holder and the Obamaadministration have appointed to senior

positions at the Department of Justice,according to Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.He’s not the first openly gay person tohead the civil division. Stuart Delery,who led the administration’s effortsagainst the Defense of Marriage Act, alsooccupied that role.

“I am indebted to Stuart Delery and Joyce Branda for their recent stewardshipof the civil division,” Mizer said. “Both are

exceptional public servants and evenbetter people, and I am honored to be joining a division that is stronger thanever because of their leadership.”

Prior to his new role, Mizer served as asenior adviser to Holder on matters relatedto constitutional law, national security, civilrights, civil litigation, anti-trust law and theSupreme Court. Mizer received his lawdegree from the University of MichiganLaw School and his undergraduate degreefrom the College of Wooster.

Mizer is now the second mostsenior openly gay offi cial at the JusticeDepartment. Delery, who’s serving asacting associate attorney general, isthe highest-ranking out offi cial in thedepartment.

“Ben’s work here in Washington and

as solicitor general for the state ofOhio has put him in some of the mostchallenging and demanding positions alawyer can encounter,” Holder said. “Butin every instance, Ben has repeatedlydemonstrated that he is both a giftedlawyer and a capable leader. I am confidentthat his stewardship of the Civil Divisionwill build on the exceptional record he hasalready established – and reflect the high

ideals that have animated him from thevery beginning of his career.”Holder is expected to remain head

of the Justice Department for only abrief period longer. Late last year, heannounced he would step down fromhis role as attorney general. Obama’snominee to replace him is Loretta Lynch,U.S. attorney for the Eastern Districtof New York. The Senate JudiciaryCommittee approved her nomination lastweek, but the timing for the full Senatevote on confirmation remains in question.

Sarah Warbelow, legal director forthe Human Rights Campaign, praisedMizer upon news he would head the civildivision of the Justice Department.


Gay attorney named head of DOJ civil division

W.Va. senator remainsopposed to gay nuptials


The lone Democrat in the U.S. Senate tooppose same-sex marriage is sticking tohis views despite efforts among membersof Congress in his party to convince theSupreme Court to find a constitutionalright to marriage rights for gay couples.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) signaledMonday he won’t sign a friend-of-the-court brief being prepared bycongressional Democrats in favor ofsame-sex marriage. That brief, which Sen.Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is organizingon the Senate side, is due Friday.

Asked by the Washington Blade ifManchin would announce support formarriage equality and add his name

to the brief, Jonathan Kott, a Manchinspokesperson, replied, “No. His positionhas not changed.”

Now that former Sens. Mark Pryorand Mary Landrieu have been votedout of offi ce, Manchin is the onlySenate Democrat to remain opposedto same-sex marriage. He’s designatedas an opponent of gay nuptials on theHuman Rights Campaign congressional

scorecard, which cites a 2012 statementfrom a spokesperson saying Manchinbelieves marriage is between one manand one woman.

Although many Americans, including U.S.senators like Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), MarkWarner (D-Va.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) andLisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), have since come

to support marriage equality, Manchinhasn’t changed his view.

On the night of the 2014 State of theUnion address, Manchin declined tocomment when asked by the Bladeon Capitol Hill whether he agrees withPresident Obama’s remarks that same-sex marriage is a “civil right” and a “storyof freedom,” saying he didn’t recallhearing Obama say that in his speech.

By opposing same-sex marriage andrefusing to support a constitutional rightfor same-sex couples to marry, Manchinis line with conservative senators like TedCruz (R-Texas), who attacked “unelected

judges” at the 2015 Conservative PoliticalAction Conference for overturning statemarriage laws, or Marco Rubio (R-Fla.),who said on stage he thinks marriage isbetween one man and one woman.

Gregory Angelo, executive director ofLog Cabin Republicans, said that evenDemocrats have work ahead of them in

building support for marriage equality.“Republicans apparently aren’t the only

ones who need to get their ranks on theright side of history,” Angelo said.

Marc Solomon, national campaigndirector for Freedom to Marry, hadlittle to say about Manchin’s continuedopposition to same-sex marriage. Askedwhether he had a reaction, he said,“Honestly, not really.”

The Human Rights Campaign didn’timmediately respond to the WashingtonBlade’s request for comment onManchin’s continued opposition tosame-sex marriage and refusal to signcongressional Democrats’ brief.

Manchin continues to oppose to same-sex marriage even though his state isamong 37 in the country to have marriageequality. State offi cials agreed to let same-sex couples marry after the SupremeCourt refused to review a decision infavor of marriage equality from the U.S.Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, whichhas jurisdiction over West Virginia.

This week, the time period beforefriend-of-the-court briefs in favor ofmarriage equality are due before theSupreme Court, is arguably the lastopportunity to voice support for same-sex marriage and make a difference.

The Democratic Party has made anendorsement of same-sex marriage part of its

2012 national political platform. The documentsays, “We support marriage equality andsupport the movement to secure equaltreatment under law for same-sex couples.We also support the freedom of churches andreligious entities to decide how to administermarriage as a religious sacrament withoutgovernment interference.”


WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS MARCH 06, 2015 • 15

Manchin won’t back Dem eort in support of marriage

Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) remains

opposed to same-sex marriage.

BEN MIZER is interim head of DOJ’s civildivision.


12/61

Slovenian lawmakers approve marriage bill

Lawmakers in Slovenia on Tuesday approved a bill that wouldextend marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples in theCentral European country.

The measure passed in the Slovenian Parliament by a 51-28 margin.The Associated Press reported that thousands of people

protested against the bill before the vote.Slovenia’s anti-discrimination laws include sexual orientation.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally register theirpartnerships in the country since 2006.

A 2011 law extended many of the same rights that heterosexualcouples receive through marriage to gays and lesbians. Slovenianvoters the following year repealed the statute in a referendum.

Matej Knific and Mattej Valencic, co-founders of PinkWeek.eu, awebsite that promotes LGBT tourism in the former Yugoslav republic,described Tuesday’s vote to the Washington Blade as “a huge step.”

“It is a milestone in history,” they said.ILGA-Europe Executive Director Evelyne Paradis also applauded

the vote and Slovenian LGBT rights advocates.“The tireless efforts of the LGBTI community and their allies in

Slovenia have ensured that equality was the winner in last night’s vote,”she said. “They are providing us all with inspiration this morning.”

The measure awaits the signature of the country’s president,Borut Pahor.

Egyptian police arrest seven ‘transsexuals’

Reports indicate that Egyptian police late last week arrestedseven “transsexuals” in an area of Cairo that is popular withtourists.

Al-Youm al-Sabah, an Egyptian newspaper, reported membersof the country’s Morality Police arrested the seven people whowere part of what it described as a “network of debauchery inCairo.”

Major Gen. Magdy Moussa of the Morality Police told Al-Youmal-Sabah that his investigators had proof the seven people whowere arrested had “published nude photos of themselves” on

their social media networks. The newspaper further reported theoffi cers also created “fake websites” to follow up on the activitiesof the “perverts,” according to what former Human Rights Watchstaffer Scott Long wrote on his blog.

Moussa told Al-Youm al-Sabah that his offi cers “coordinatedmeetings” with the seven people who were arrested at a nightclubalong Al-Haram Road in Giza. Long wrote the television stationreported they were told “at the end of the evening they would betaken to apartments to participate in debauchery.”

Al-Youm al-Sabah broadcast a video that shows the video of theseven people talking with the police.

The newspaper blurred the faces of those who were arrested,but it did not attempt to obscure their identities in a picture it

posted on its Facebook page.The arrests took place less than two months after a courtacquitted 26 men who were charged with “debauchery” inDecember after police raided a Cairo bathhouse.

Edgar Vasquez, a spokesperson for the State Department, toldthe Blade his agency is “following the case closely and seekingadditional details.”

“We condemn any violence, discrimination, or legal actionagainst individuals based on their perceived sexual orientationor gender identity,” said Vasquez. “The United States places greatimportance on the protection and promotion of the human rightsand fundamental freedoms of all people, including lesbian, gay,bisexual, and transgender persons, around the world.”

The U.S. during the 2014 fiscal year gave $1.5 billion in aidto Egypt, with the majority of it going to the country’s military.The State Department in January told the Blade that more than$7 million of this allotment went to “other security assistanceprograms.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

16 • MARCH 06, 2015 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Cuban advocate meets withU.S. of cials in Havana

An LGBT activist is among the Cuban human rightsadvocates with whom House Minority Leader NancyPelosi (D-Calif.) and other members of the U.S. Houseof Representatives met during their trip to the countrylast month.

Juana Mora Cedeño of Proyecto Manos and othermembers of Cuba’s civil society who work independentlyfrom the government met with Pelosi and U.S. Reps.David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Rosa DeLauro(D-Conn.), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), Ana Eshoo (D-Calif.),Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) andSteve Israel (D-N.Y.) on Feb. 20 at the U.S. InterestsSection in Havana, the Cuban capital.

Mora told the Washington Blade during a telephoneinterview from Havana on Monday that she spokeabout education, health care and what she described asthe lack of medication for Cubans with HIV during themeeting.

U.S. Chief of Mission Jeffrey DeLaurentis invited Moraand the other advocates to meet with members of the

delegation at their request.“We spoke about the LGBTI community, the rights

the community needs to have, but does not have,” saidMora.

Proyecto Manos is a federation of Cuban advocacygroups that are not affi liated with the National Centerfor Sexual Education or CENESEX, which has become thepublic face of the country’s increasingly visible LGBT rights movement.

CENESEX Director Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro who is also a memberof the Cuban Parliament, has received praise from many of the island’s LGBT rights advocates andothers around the world. These include Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Philadelphia-basedEquality Forum, who honored her in 2013 at his organization’s annual dinner amid blistering criticismfrom U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and other critics of the Cuban government.

“CENESEX is not really representative,” Mora told the Blade, describing the work of LGBT rightsadvocates who are not affi liated with Mariela Castro’s organization. “We combined forces for the defenseof human rights of our people because the Cuban government has never passed a law in our favor.”

Cuban lawmakers in 2013 approved a proposal to add sexual orientation to the country’s labor law,although Mariela Castro voted against it because it did not include trans-specific provisions.

Mariela Castro has publicly supported marriage rights for gays and lesbians in the Communistcountry. Her supporters also frequently note that trans Cubans are able to obtain free sex reassignmentsurgery under the country’s national health care system.

Mariela Castro was president of the local committee that organized a May 2014 conference thatdrew hundreds of LGBT rights advocates from across the Americas to Havana and the beach resort ofVaradero. She also attended the 2014 ILGA World Conference that took place last fall in Mexico City.

Cuban LGBT rights advocates who publicly criticize Mariela Castro and her father’s government maintainthey continue to face harassment from the authorities under the country’s public assembly laws.

Marío José Delgado González of the Divine Hope LGBTI Christian Group, which seeks to promoteacceptance of LGBT Cubans in the country’s churches, told the Blade last week in an e-mail that he wasunable to attend a meeting with members of a Code Pink delegation in Havana on Feb. 13 because the“security of the Cuban state prevented me from going.”

The entire Code Pink delegation, which numbered around 150 people, the day before met withMariela Castro.

“Security forces of the Cuban state arbitrarily detained me,” Delgado told the Blade in a follow-upe-mail, noting two offi cers from the Cuban Interior Ministry and a state security offi cial drove him toan area on the outskirts of Havana to prevent him from attending the meeting with the Code Pinkdelegation. “They are afraid that these U.S. LGBTIQ organizations will reach out to us and decide tosupport us financially.”

Mora and Delgado on Feb. 9 met with Ellen Sturtz, a Washington-based LGBT rights advocate, andseven other members of the Code Pink delegation at a Cuban activist’s apartment in Havana.

This meeting took place five days before Delgado said security offi cials detained him.Delgado told the Blade that Mariela Castro claimed the advocates did not “want to meet with her,

which is a lie.”Neither Mariela Castro, nor the Cuban government responded to the Blade’s request for comment.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

JUANA MORA CEDEÑO (left) in an undatedphoto with independent Cuban LGBT rightsadvocates.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIO JOSE DELGADO GONZALEZ


13/61

HoCo to change definition of sexual orientationHoward County was one of the

first counties in the nation to addnondiscrimination protections onthe basis of sexual orientationto its Human Rights Law when itpassed the County Council andwas signed into law in 1977. In2011, the county added similarprotections based on genderidentity and expression to thatlaw — two and a half years beforethe statewide law, the Fairness for

All Marylanders Act, was passed.Recently, County Executive

Allan H. Kittleman proposeda bill aimed at restructuringthe county’s Human RightsCommission that throughamendments would update thedefinition of sexual orientation.Equality Maryland was asked toprovide the best language for the change in definition.

The current definition states, “Sexual orientation means the preference orpractice of an individual as to male or female homosexuality, heterosexualityor bisexuality.” The proposed bill would update it to replace “preference or

practice” with “identification” and insert “actual or perceived.”Testifying on behalf of proposed Amendments to Council Bill No. 4-2015,

Keith Thirion, director of advocacy and programs for Equality Maryland, madethe case to change the definition.

“The current definition of sexual orientation reflects outdated misconceptionsthat being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is a choice and a lifestyle,” Thirion said.“Updating this definition to include identification is more accurate and respectfulof who lesbian, gay and bisexual people are.”

He continued, “Equality Maryland also supports adding ‘actual or perceived’to the definition because discrimination caused by negative attitudes or beliefsabout lesbian, gay and bisexual people can occur because of the perception ofanother person’s sexual orientation, regardless of if they identify as lesbian, gayor bisexual.”

Kittleman said the amendment “is more consistent with the community’scurrent philosophies.” The measure is expected to pass.

PFLAG to host discussion of youth challenges

At the PFLAG-Columbia/Howard County general meeting on March 10,Diana Philip will present “Living in the Margins,” a report on LGBTQ Youth inMaryland, which briefly outlines the current challenges facing LGBTQ youth asthey navigate three systems—education, foster care and the juvenile justicesystems—and proposes specific and realistic recommendations for addressingthese challenges.

The report, released in August 2014, was produced by the Youth Equality

Alliance (YEA), a statewide coalition of various service providers, nonprofitorganizations, government agencies and individual advocates who seek toidentify policy and regulatory solutions to problems faced by LGBTQ youth inMaryland. The full report can be found at freestatelegal.org.

Formed in May 2013, YEA includes such groups as ACLU of Maryland, the Public Justice Center, Equality Maryland, PFLAG, Planned Parenthood of Maryland,Homeless Persons Representation Project, GLSEN, Star Track and the BaltimoreChild Abuse Center.

“When youth enter spaces in which they are to be supervised as well asprotected by adults, they expect that professionals will be knowledgeable aboutindividual youth rights and needs, as well as sensit ive, respectful, and effective intheir interactions with all youth,” Philip, then Policy Director for FreeState LegalProject, told the Blade upon release of the report. “LGBTQ youth in Marylandare no different.”

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center,7246 Cradlerock Way in Columbia. All meetings are free, confidential and opento the public. For more information, visit pflagmd.org.

STEVE CHARING

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BALTIMORE NEWS MARCH 06, 2015 • 17

Howard County Executive ALLAN H.KITTLEMAN supports a change in definitionof the term ‘sexual orientation.’



14/61

HoCo to change denition of sexual orientation

Howard County was one of therst counties in the nation to addnondiscrimination protections onthe basis of sexual orientationto its Human Rights Law when itpassed the County Council andwas signed into law in 1977. In2011, the county added similarprotections based on genderidentity and expression to thatlaw — two and a half years beforethe statewide law, the Fairness for

All Marylanders Act, was passed.Recently, County Executive

Allan H. Kittleman proposeda bill aimed at restructuringthe county’s Human RightsCommission that throughamendments would update thedenition of sexual orientation.Equality Maryland was asked toprovide the best language for the change in denition.

The current denition states, “Sexual orientation means the preference orpractice of an individual as to male or female homosexuality, heterosexualityor bisexuality.” The proposed bill would update it to replace “preference or

practice” with “identication” and insert “actual or perceived.”Testifying on behalf of proposed Amendments to Council Bill No. 4-2015,

Keith Thirion, director of advocacy and programs for Equality Maryland, madethe case to change the denition.

“The current denition of sexual orientation reects outdated misconceptionsthat being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is a choice and a lifestyle,” Thirion said.“Updating this denition to include identication is more accurate and respectfulof who lesbian, gay and bisexual people are.”

He continued, “Equality Maryland also supports adding ‘actual or perceived’to the denition because discrimination caused by negative attitudes or beliefsabout lesbian, gay and bisexual people can occur because of the perception ofanother person’s sexual orientation, regardless of if they identify as lesbian, gayor bisexual.”

Kittleman said the amendment “is more consistent with the community’scurrent philosophies.” The measure is expected to pass.

PFLAG to host discussion of youth challenges

At the PFLAG-Columbia/Howard County general meeting on March 10,Diana Philip will present “Living in the Margins,” a report on LGBTQ Youth inMaryland, which briey outlines the current challenges facing LGBTQ youth asthey navigate three systems—education, foster care and the juvenile justicesystems—and proposes specic and realistic recommendations for addressingthese challenges.

The report, released in August 2014, was produced by the Youth EqualityAlliance (YEA), a statewide coalition of various service providers, nonprotorganizations, government agencies and individual advocates who seek toidentify policy and regulatory solutions to problems faced by LGBTQ youth inMaryland. The full report can be found at freestatelegal.org.

Formed in May 2013, YEA includes such groups as ACLU of Maryland, the Public Justice Center, Equality Maryland, PFLAG, Planned Parenthood of Maryland,Homeless Persons Representation Project, GLSEN, Star Track and the BaltimoreChild Abuse Center.

“When youth enter spaces in which they are to be supervised as well asprotected by adults, they expect that professionals will be knowledgeable aboutindividual youth rights and needs, as well as sensit ive, respectful, and eective intheir interactions with all youth,” Philip, then Policy Director for FreeState LegalProject, told the Blade upon release of the report. “LGBTQ youth in Marylandare no dierent.”

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center,7246 Cradlerock Way in Columbia. All meetings are free, condential and opento the public. For more information, visit pagmd.org.

STEVE CHARING

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BALTIMORE NEWS MARCH 06, 2015 • 17

Howard County Executive ALLAN H.KITTLEMAN supports a change in defnitionof the term ‘sexual orientation.’



15/61

New Castro health center debuts next monthSAN FRANCISCO — A new health and wellness center from the San Francisco

AIDS Foundation is set to open in the city’s famed Castro District next month.Located at 474 Castro Street, the center will be home for the Foundation’s

existing programs and will also offer services tailored to the needs of theneighborhood’s demographics such as the DREAAM Project for black LBT men18-30, the 50-Plus Network and other groups, Hoodline, a neighborhood newsagency there, reports.

“The new building … will be an expansion of what Magnet has providedfor nearly 12 years, a warm and welcoming place for gay men to take care oftheir health and find opportunities to connect with each other through socialand cultural events as well as a variety of discussion groups representing the

diversity of our community,” said Steve Gibson, director of Magnet, one of theexisting programs there.

The project’s origins date to 2011 when the Foundation conducted anextensive study that found thousands of gay men there are HIV-positive andunaware of their status, not on anti-retroviral medication and thousands morewho are HIV-negative but who engage in high-risk sex, Hoodline reports.

After reviewing the data, it was determined that if a quarter of these menincreased their frequency of STI/HIV testing, reduced sexual risk-taking, and inthe case of those who are already positive, adhered to their medications (orstarted taking medication), the instances of new HIV infection in San Franciscowill be cut by 25 percent, the article said.

Most HIV infections from those not treated: study

LOS ANGELES — A new study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)found that more than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the U.S. are passed onfrom HIV-positive people who are not in medical care or treatment, the Journalof the American Medical Association reports.

The study, published Feb. 23, “estimates that 91.5 percent of new HIVinfections in 2009 were attributable to people with HIV who were not in medicalcare, including those who didn’t know they were infected. In comparison, lessthan six percent of new infections could be attributed to people with HIV whowere in care and receiving antiretroviral therapy,” the Journal reports.

“We were shocked to see that the number was as high as it is — nine outof 10 new HIV infections in 2009 occurred this way — over 91.5 percent” said

Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President. “Such off-the-charts numbers suggest that HIV/AIDS resources, funding and energies mustbe directed toward far more aggressive and proactive HIV testing, linkage tomedical care and antiretroviral treatment for those already infected rather thanto the more expensive and esoteric HIV prevention methods such as PrEP. We’veknown for over four years that ‘treatment as prevention’ works. Until this study,we just didn’t know how great the need was for us to fully deploy ‘treatment asprevention’ to get as many HIV-positive individuals in care and on treatment aspossible in order to break the chain of infection.”

Gay married Floridians can access leave

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida workers who are gay and married in the statecan now apply to their employers for leave to care for their spouses with a healthcondition, under the revised Family and Medical Leave Act, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

“This is wonderful news. It ends what had been a nightmare for our familiesfor generations,” the Sun-Sentinel quoted Stratton Pollitzer, deputy director ofEquality Florida, an LGBT rights organization, as having said. “It’s so important totake time off from work to care for your ailing husband or wife.”

In earlier decades, gay workers couldn’t even be open with their employers,”Pollitzer said. “You wouldn’t tell them you had a partner because you were afraidyou would be fired.”

Under a new Department of Labor rule, workers in legal, same-sex marriagesnow have the same rights as those in opposite-sex marriages to federallyprotected job leave. The rule also allows all married couples to have the samerights, no matter which state they live in, the article said.

That means a same-sex couple who marries in Florida would still be eligiblefor family leave, should they get transferred or move to a state that doesn’trecognize gay marriage, said Jurate Schwartz, senior associate at ProskauerRose, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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16/61

Bone your way to health? Latest healthydiet trends a bitunorthodox

When we think of staying hipand trendy, many of us startthinking about what was the latestsee through, polka dot, gaping

V-neck to grace New York fashion week and so on.In my profession, I get just as excited about the latest trends in healthy foods.

We know last year everyone threw away all their rice in exchange for quinoa,electrolyte and cocoanut water replaced our Britas, and if you don’t know whatkale is then you must have been under a rock. Well baby, it’s 2015 now and thereare some new health food trends on the horizon that you must know about, inorder to look cool at the next cocktail party. As usual, Coach G has got the scoopfor you on two of the latest in the healthy eating trend department.

Bone broth —Yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like, a broth made of bones.Which bones you use really depends on what you like, but this is most commonlyfound with chicken, fish and beef bones.

Though you can find many different recipes for bone broth, the basics are:pre-roast bones to provide extra flavor, add bones and carcass to your slowcooker, add flavorful herbs, spices and vegetable scraps to the slow cooker, addvinegar to taste and top with lots of water. Once all the ingredients are in theslow cooker, cook on low heat for 24 hours or until the bones crumble betweenyour thumb and finger.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve and enjoy! Now I know whatyou’re asking, why on earth would I want to drink a boney, herby, 24-hour soup?Advocates say that it helps with inflammation, joint health, digestive health,leaky gut syndrome, weight loss and even can help ward off colds. Though none

of this has been proven through a peer-reviewed study, here’s what I say.Eating soup is good, eating soup with lots of unprocessed foods like vegetablesand meat off the bone is better and eating soup instead of pizza is best. Overallit’s a healthy meal and we know that eating healthy, unprocessed foods help ourbodies in every way possible. I constantly recommend slow-cooked soups as agreat low calorie meal option for my weight loss clients, so I can definitely seeincluding this into your diet as great way to launch you into losing weight for thesummer. If eating more bone broth helps you to avoid the gourmet cupcake line,then I’m all for it.

Gluten-free flour — Whether you’re a big baker or just like to make a meangravy, flour has been a long-time friend of yours. Despite its deliciousness, recentstudies have shown us that white flour is not great for us. High consumptionhas been linked to weight gain, internal body inflammation, diabetes and heartdisease. But fear not, there now is a healthier alternative that is becoming moreand more mainstream: gluten-free flours.

If you have celiac disease then you have been using these flours for years,but now more and more health-conscious people are substituting normal whiteflour for popular coconut flour, almond flour and chickpea flour. Unlike the “oldschool” flour, these flours bring new flavors to the game, while adding in morefiber and protein. Overall you get a healthier flour option with a more flavorfuldish. Though in the past you could only find these options in specialty stores,with the high demand from customers to have healthier choices, look for theseflours to grace your local grocery stores in no time.

New healthier food trends like bone broth and gluten-free flour are becomingmore and more mainstream. People are looking for ways to get an edge up ontheir health and are willing to pay a premium for it. As you jump onto the latesttrend, always remember that the basics of adding in more fruit and veggies and

less processed foods are trends that will never go out of style. It doesn’t cost alot to give your body what it deserves, just a little love.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

COACH G MARCH 06, 2015 • 19

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17/61

Retiring senator voted forDOMA, spent career in the closet

As usual, when a prominent Democraticpolitician or public figure makes headlines,LGBT advocacy groups develop a case of am-nesia about that person’s record.

This week’s example: Sen. Barbara Mikulski,the iconic Maryland Democrat who has indis-putably blazed a trail for women in the U.S.

Congress.But her record on LGBT issues is far from

heroic, though you wouldn’t know it from thebarrage of press releases hailing her suppos-edly long record of support.

“Sen. Mikulski’s work has improved virtu-ally every facet of life for LGBT Americans,” theHuman Rights Campaign trumpeted. “… theLGBT community will miss working with her.”

For a more complete, rounded view of herlegacy, consider that she voted for the De-fense of Marriage Act. She spent her entirelife hiding in the closet and refusing to answerquestions about her sexual orientation, evenas she was casting horribly anti-gay votes. Andthe tales from her staffers about the abusiveenvironment she cultivated in the offi ce would

make Anna Wintour blush.The rumors about Mikulski’s sexual orienta-

tion go back to the 1980s, when Linda Chavezdescribed her as a “San Francisco-style Demo-crat” while running against her for the Senate.Mikulski’s relationship with congressional aideTeresa Mary Brennan — the two briefly livedtogether — also raised eyebrows. After her votefor DOMA, Mikulski was ambushed in NewYork while on a book tour by LGBT activists whorightly demanded to know how she, as a clos-eted lesbian, could support DOMA and come tothe heart of the city’s LGBT community to plug

a book. She refused to answer their questionsabout her sexual orientation. She was similarlytargeted by activists in other cities and alwaysran for cover, refusing to engage.

In 2004, as Congress prepared to vote onthe Federal Marriage Amendment, whichwould have barred same-sex marriage, Mi-kulski’s position was unclear. It was a stressfultime and bloggers and LGBT media outlets,

including the Blade, were working to out hypo-crites on Capitol Hill.

I confronted Mikulski at a Baltimore event in2004 and asked her directly about her intentwith regard to the FMA vote and whether ornot she’s gay. Per usual, she ducked the ques-tions and scurried to a waiting car.

The FMA failed and Mikulski ultimately did

the right thing and voted against anothermarriage ban effort in 2006. She finally camearound on LGBT issues and co-sponsored theHate Crimes Prevention Act, ENDA and a re-peal of DOMA.

All of that is good and appreciated but trulysupportive and courageous politicians standup before it’s safe and popular, as some of hercolleagues did in opposing DOMA in 1996.

The mindless praise of politicians like Mi-kulski by HRC and others ignores history anddoes a disservice to LGBT people. Now thatshe’s freed from having to run another cam-

paign for re-election, perhaps Mikulski willsit down and finally answer all the questionsabout her long career and not just the self-serving ones. No one disputes Mikulski’s greatachievements, especially the work she’s doneon behalf of her Baltimore constituents andher role as the “Dean of the Senate Women.”But there’s more to the story and so far it’s notbeing told.

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20 • MARCH 06, 2015 VIEWPOINT

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

V O L U M E 4 6 I S S U E 1 0

KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Bladeand can be reached at [email protected].

Not so fast, Mikulski fans


18/61

Use trade talks to push changein Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia

By SHANE LARSON & LORI PELLETIER

Surrounded on three sides by Senegaland the Atlantic Ocean on the fourth, theRepublic of the Gambia is home to almost

2 million people in an area about the sizeof Massachusetts. According to statisticsfrom the Offi ce of the U.S. Trade Repre-sentative (USTR), Gambia is our 186thlargest trading partner with $37 million intraded goods as of 2013.

So it was with some fanfare that onChristmas Eve of 2014 the USTR an-nounced it was terminating Gambia asa beneficiary of the African Growth andOpportunity Act due to “deepening con-cerns about the lack of progress withrespect to human rights,” such as the

country’s persecution of its LGBT popu-lation.

Less than a month later, during hisState of the Union address, PresidentObama called on Congress to grant himFast Track trade promotion authority sothat he could try to conclude a decadeof talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP). The TPP would cover nearly 40 per-cent of global GDP among the 12 negoti-

ating countries, including known humanand LGBT rights abusers Brunei, Malaysiaand Vietnam.

For the LGBT community, the debatearound Fast Track and the TPP is notabout tariff levels on agricultural andmanufactured goods. It is not aboutundermining U.S. sovereignty by allow-

ing corporations to sue in secret foreigntrade tribunals. It is not about environ-mental protections, the safety of ourfood or the affordability of our medicine.Those are all important issues worthyof honest and open debate in Congressand around the country. And they arebeginning to happen.

But for the LGBT community, this isan issue about our basic rights as hu-man beings regardless of where in theworld we call home. While we still havea lot of work to do here in the U.S.,

we are making amazing strides in ourstruggle for full and equal protectionunder the law. But, as with the impor-tant efforts being made for the rights ofwomen, religious minorities and otherpersecuted groups, America must alsofight for LGBT rights in other countries.In fact, President Obama has made “Ad-vancing and Protecting the Rights ofLGBT Persons around the World” a key

bullet point on his administration’s of-ficial LGBT record.

When countries gain better tradingprivileges with the U.S. they are gainingbetter access to one of the world’s stron-gest and most robust economies. Everynation wants that special access so it isnot something that should be granted

easily.Brunei is our 121st largest trading

partner with $576 million in trade. Ma-laysia is our 20th largest trading partnerat $40.3 billion. And Vietnam is our 27thlargest at almost $30 billion. Their inclu-sion in the TPP means those numbersare only going to grow if it is passed,rewarding their authoritarian govern-ments and making it even harder topressure them to change how they treattheir citizens.

It is easy to make an example out of

Gambia, but if President Obama is seri-ous about advancing the cause of LGBTrights around the country then the TPP ishis chance to show it.

Recently, five members of the Congres-sional LGBT Equality Caucus sent a letterto President Obama asking for clarifica-tion on the continued inclusion of Bruneiand Malaysia in TPP negotiations in lightof “severe human rights abuses, includ-

ing adopting penal codes permitting theimprisonment and physical harm of LGBTpeople.” We join our community’s rep-resentatives in Congress by asking whyare these two countries continuing to beincluded in a trade bill granting specialtrade privileges that the President lob-bied for in a national televised address to

Congress less than a month after exclud-ing Gambia from a similar trade agree-ment for similar behavior?

In their letter, the representativescalled on Obama to “bring consistencyto the Administration’s foreign and tradepolicy,” and “continue this record ofequality by removing Brunei and Malay-sia from the TPP if they neglect to addressthese abuses.” We hope that the rest ofour LGBT community will join in this callfor President Obama to bring consistencyto his policy of “Advancing and Protecting

the Rights of LGBT Persons around theWorld.”

This may not be the easy or convenientthing to do but, as President Obamashould know, the fight for equality sel-dom is.

Speeches reveal a sad stateof aairs for GOP

The Conservative Political Action Com-mittee held its annual horror show lastweek outside D.C. This year, it featuredmany of the same characters who enter-tained the right-wing in the past, includ-ing Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Rick San-

torum and a host of others.They used the same laugh lines as in

the past and the only thing that makesit really scary is they didn’t intend tobe funny. Most of the Republicans who

flirt with running for the White Houseevery four years aren’t in it to get to1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but ratherto sell a book, raise their speaking feeor, in the case of Trump, tout a realityTV show.

Among those who think they can get tothe White House is Jeb Bush. McKay Cop-pins wrote in BuzzFeed, “When Bush of-ficially launches his presidential bid laterthis year, he will likely do so with a cam-paign manager who has urged the Re-publican Party to adopt a pro-gay agenda;a chief strategist who signed a SupremeCourt amicus brief arguing for marriageequality in California; a longtime adviserwho once encouraged her minister tostick to his guns in preaching equality forsame-sex couples; and a communicationsdirector who is openly gay.”

But then Bush pandered to the CPAC

audience saying, “I believe in traditionalmarriage,” when Sean Hannity asked himwhether he’s changing his position on theissue. So “inclusive conservatism” to JebBush means let’s pretend we’re friends of

the LGBT community but no way do theydeserve full equality.

Then there is Rand Paul, who isn’t evena board certified ophthalmologist, whoopined that Congress is dysfunctionalwithout accepting any blame for that. Hecalls for a nimble and strong military andwants a tax cut across the board. Whopays for his military is left to the imagi-nation. He was asked about his stand onforeign policy and said national defenseis important yet never mentioned anycrucial foreign policy issue the nation isfacing today.

This year’s more elitist candidate isBen Carson. He talks about PresidentObama’s failures and tries to defend hisown views on choice (he is against it) andgays and lesbians (he is for “traditionalfamilies”). He is against all anti-povertyprograms and says we need to use our

intellect to allow the poor and downtrod-den to climb out of poverty but doesn’tsuggest how. He is against the Afford-able Care Act and for health savings ac-counts, suggesting we could end Med-

icaid and fund $5,000 savings accountsfor each person. He might want to lookat the bills his patients receive from hissurgical practice and see what $5,000covers.

Then there is Scott Walker, the gover-nor of Wisconsin, who said, “If I can takeon 100,000 protesters in Wisconsin, I cando the same across the world.” He com-pared his fight with the unions to fightingISIS and suggested he could use the sametactics. What else needs to be said abouthim?

This is the current crop of Republi-cans who want to be president. It is asad state of affairs for a Republican Par-ty that once was the home of AbrahamLincoln. It will be a wild 16 months asthey pander their way through the laby-rinth of primaries and caucuses. Thoseof us who are political junkies will be

glued to our newspapers and TVs to seewhich of them can be more outrageous.The winner will earn the right to face,and lose, to the likely Democratic nomi-nee, Hillary Clinton.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VIEWPOINT MARCH 06, 2015 • 21

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rightsand Democratic Party activist. He writes regularlyfor the Blade.

SHANE LARSON and LORI PELLETIER are co-presidents of Pride at Work.

INSIDE LGBT WASHINGTON

Obama must be consistent on LGBT rights

CPAC’s right-wing Republican horror show


19/61

D.C. likely to abandonstreetcar project, shoulddismantle initial line

Transit hipsters convinced the D.C.trendiness-sensitive public offi cials whoonce feared them to spend a trainloadof cash on the equivalent of garage-sized

vacuum-tube-driven punch-card-readingUNIVAC computers. In the 21st century.

Indications are newly inaugurated D.C.Mayor Muriel Bowser is bravely inclinedto pull the overhead electrical plug on thecity’s ludicrously grandiose scheme to con-struct a nearly 40-mile network of street-car lines threading through the District.She should, along with the D.C. Council.

Trolley-mesmerized transportation advo-

cates, now mortified by the functional test-ing performance of an initial 2.2-mile street-car line on the slowly revitalizing H Street,N.E., commercial corridor, are able to offerno more than a muffl ed whimper in protest.

In recent months their prior successin selling politicians on streetcars hasevolved to an embarrassment, both for

them and city offi cials. In the public mindthe plan has come to symbolize the epit-ome of bad judgment and is a too-easypunchline about government missteps.

Frequent news reports of periodic trial-run crashes into cars, a recent trolley-topelectrical fire, traffi c obstruction and evenblocking bus movement during an extend-ed testing period only remind D.C. resi-dents that the initial streetcar line alongthe typically narrow roadway in NortheastWashington has yet to provide transporta-tion to a single passenger. Worse, there is

no announced timetable to do so, despitea lengthy start-up testing phase and mul-tiple missed service initiation deadlines.

Streetcars were sold to a passivelyskeptical public as partly a marketing toolto promote economic development in along struggling and still somewhat tum-bleweed tainted area that is on the vergeof an explosion in additional housing con-struction and commercial development.

At best, that’s what they have proven tobe — a novelty gimmick to focus atten-tion on a neighborhood poised for po-tential growth and business investment.Their actual intrinsic value is primarilyattracting tourists and eventually encour-aging bar-hopping at numerous and fu-ture bars and restaurants along a short

stretch.Confronting city offi cials are simple

questions: Should this boondoggle beabandoned and the H Street trolley alsodismantled? The answer to both is yes.

Other than serving as a moving monu-ment to a retro-transit idea gone wrongand memorial to expensive mistakes eas-ily made, there is little reason not to entire-ly end the thing. If nothing else, the streetswould be made safe from the turtle-pacedlumbering of fixed-position bus-like behe-moths with slow response times and mea-

ger traffi c reaction abilities.Uprooting the tracks and dismantling

this trolley folly would end the crash-ing into cars, blocking of vehicular traf-fic, delaying of business deliveries andscreeching to a stop the bus lines moreeffi ciently serving the area. Why shouldthe city spend more money to maintainand operate a single short line that essen-tially connects to nothing and gets no one

anywhere faster or more effi ciently thanexisting expand

washingtonblade.com, volume 46, issue 10, march 6, 2015

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