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Staging the Impossible: With wild story and staging, Rorschach Theatre's ''Neverwhere'' is far from typical

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Stage:

"Every seat in the house has a little bit different experience of the show," says Jenny McConnell Frederick, referring to Rorschach Theatre's Neverwhere. As staged by Frederick in Atlas Performing Arts Center's black box Lab Theatre II space, there isn't one seating section but several, with folding chairs lined up at varying angles. There also isn't one clearly delineated stage, as the actors perform at several spots in different areas of the floor, as well as on elevated platforms that line the walls of the space. That "puts the audience right in the middle of the action," Frederick says. Yes, that means some of the action takes place behind you.

Neverwhere at Rorschach Theatre

Neverwhere at Rorschach Theatre

(Photo by C. Stanley Photography)

Obviously, Neverwhere isn't your typical show. "I knew looking at the script that it needed something unconventional," says Frederick, who co-founded Rorschach Theatre with Randy Baker in 1999. "It's one of those stories where so much of it takes place on the move," Frederick explains. The story, as adapted by playwright Robert Kauzlaric from Neil Gaiman's best-selling fantasy adventure, follows a man, Richard Mayhew, whose life is turned upside down after he helps a wounded girl he literally stumbles upon one night on the streets of London. He gets sucked into "London Below," which Frederick describes as "the world of the unseen, the people who we pass by every day on the street and are ignored or kind of forgotten." Mayhew, Frederick continues, "kind of goes on an adventure to find out who he is and what he wants out of life ... and meets all the creatures of London Below along the way."

It was the combination of the show's heartfelt characters and fantastical elements that sold Neverwhere to Frederick, who had previously only read Gaiman's Sandman comics. "We love scripts that have a little bit of magic, take us outside the everyday world," says Frederick, whose day job is as director of performing arts at CulturalDC and artistic director of its Source Festival. The challenge of the staging was a draw too: "Rorschach is known for staging things that are kind of impossible."

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

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August's Amazing Arrivals: Blockbuster season may be ending, but great movies abound

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Film:

Edgar Wright has done the improbable with The World's End. His latest comedic homage is bigger, bolder and battier than Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz -- and at times, even funnier. Yes, funnier.

What's interesting, though, is what's hidden beneath the hijinks. Wright has often circled around ideas about conformity, lost potential and mortality. It's the undercurrent of his work, even when it's masked by jump cuts and whip-fast dialogue. The World's End indulges a more bittersweet variety of these themes, quite unexpectedly turning a sci-fi comedy into a thoughtful movie about life and freedom.

The World's End

The World's End

(Photo by Focus Features)

The protagonist of The World's End -- as much as he can he be called one -- is Gary King (Simon Pegg), the self-proclaimed "king" of Newton Haven, a sleepy burg in the English countryside. Gary was the coolest kid in high school, but a severe case of arrested development has left him jobless, alone and estranged from his hometown friends. With a bit of the old slickster's charm, Gary convinces those former friends -- Andy (Nick Frost), Peter (Eddie Marsan), "O-Man" (Martin Freeman) and Steven (Paddy Considine) -- to go back to Newton Haven with him, so they can attempt a debaucherous feat known as "The Golden Mile." Twelve beers, 12 pubs, one night. This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but a bar crawl.

After establishing each character, his story and his particular brand of distaste for Gary, Wright twists The World's End in a familiar sort of way into genre-specific territory. Gary's beloved Newton Haven is not what it appears to be, so between visits to fittingly named pubs like The Famous Cock, The Good Companions, The Trusty Servant and The World's End, the boys end up running for their lives. I'll leave it at that, since half the fun is finding out why.

THE WORLD’S END starstarstarstar Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike Rated R 109 minutes Now playing Area theaters

It's no accident that Wright set The World's End in another suburban village, as he did in Hot Fuzz and (briefly) inShaun of the Dead. His distaste for orthodoxy and obedience manifests itself as Newton Haven, and with Gary, he's created a jagged foil to tear it all apart. It's funny, but that doesn't make it any less bleak.

Perhaps that's the point. This is the last chapter of Wright, Pegg and Frost's so-called Cornetto Trilogy. They'll work together again, but their incredible run is over. Now, they have no choice. They have to grow up.

As entertaining as The World’s End may be, it’s got tough company in the late-August lineup.

Short Term 12 is the best movie you will see this summer. It's a complete triumph, a passionate reminder of what talented people can accomplish when they dedicate themselves to an ambitious, nuanced, delicate story. See it as soon as you can. Don't even finish this review. Go buy a ticket now.

Hmm, still here? Okay then. I guess I'll just have to convince you.

Short Term 12 is set in a foster-care facility for "at-risk" teenagers. What are they at risk of, exactly? Not each other. These aren't violent kids who want to fight or maim or kill. They aren't underage criminals who skirted juvie or jail time. The "at-risk" who land at Short Term 12, as the facility is called, are abused children. They're only risks to themselves. Grace (Brie Larson), her boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher Jr.), and two other twentysomethings are tasked with taking care of them all: Marcus (Keith Stanfield), an intense 17-year-old who fears adulthood; Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a tough, witty girl who cuts herself; Sammy (Alex Calloway), an emotionally stunted boy; and a handful of other minors with nowhere else to go.

While it opens with a series of well-composed scenes that introduce these characters, Short Term 12 truly hits its stride once Grace spends time with Jayden. Writer and director Destin Cretton uses that relationship to raise insightful questions about the literal and symbolic scars of emotional trauma. What does it take for a victim of abuse to lower her armor? How does an adult earn a child's trust? Can someone function when he doesn't know what a normal life is like? As Grace asks herself these questions, they seep into her life with Mason -- and raise new ones about her difficult past.

SHORT TERM 12 starstarstarstarstar Starring Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Keith Stanfield Rated R 96 minutes Opens Friday Bethesda Row Cinema

Larson is a genuine revelation as Grace, embodying the life of a woman who must rely on silent courage to keep away from her demons. She has armor, too, and Larson does her most brilliant work as it begins to shatter. It's an outstanding performance made remarkable by Larson's utter control of character. Watch her face as Grace struggles to express herself. Watch her eyes. They're aching.

I'll keep this simple: Short Term 12 deserves to be seen because it's a daring, devastating movie about abuse. Cretton treats his characters with exceptional respect. He's telling a valuable story that's closer to reality than many of us realize. America is littered with Graces and Masons and Marcuses and Jaydens and Sammys. This is their story, and that matters.

See this movie. Please see it.

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Teachers' Lounge: JR.'s sets its second ''School Supplies Drive'' for local public school teachers

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Clublife:

It's that time of year again when kids are getting ready to go back to school -- and when many local public school teachers pay out of their own pockets for essential classroom supplies.

"Schools don't really give teachers anything, so they use their own money to come up with most of their supplies," says David Perruzza of JR.'s. "I kind of knew that they had to get some supplies, but I didn't realize the extent."

Last year Perruzza read a Facebook post by a local teacher and JR.'s regular -- "We have a ton of customers who are gay teachers," says Perruzza -- requesting donations of used items from friends. "How about you give me a list of what you need," Perruzza suggested, "and we'll do a drive for teachers."

Last year's School Supplies Drive brought in about $500 worth of goods from patrons, who received a card for a free drink at the bar in return, limit one per day. With more time and effort in planning and promotion, Perruzza is aiming for a lot more from this year's drive, which runs for most of the month of September.

Developed in consultation with local teachers, this year's list of needed supplies includes dry-erase markers, pens and pencils, printer paper, construction paper and earphones -- "you know, like headphones," Perruzza helpfully explains. Customers are asked to bring in a minimum of $6 worth of donated goods.

"We want people to literally give back to their community," Perruzza says. "They get a free drink and they're doing something good for school teachers in the District and neighboring areas."

Any teacher in need of supplies is welcome to drop by JR.'s during the drive. "I'll just basically let them go shopping in our back room to get school supplies."

The drive kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 10, during a Back to School Night event hosted by local drag queen Birdie LaCage, who will perform a live cabaret show that night. LaCage, who will become the regular host at JR.'s on Tuesdays, which Perruzza is now referring to as "Singles Night," will also play matchmaker, pairing guys together to see if they spark.

The School Supplies Drive starts Tuesday, Sept. 10, at JR.'s, 1519 17th St. NW. Call 202-328-0090 or visit jrsbardc.com.

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Maryland's Gay Wunderkind: Already famous for his work in cancer detection, 16-year-old Jack Andraka is tackling a new project

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You can't blame Jack Andraka for not yet knowing what career he wants later in life.

Then again, the average 16-year-old isn't often the inventor of a tool -- soon to be on the market -- that helps detect pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer. Nor is the average 16-year-old part of a team of scientific prodigies competing to develop a device to measure and analyze metrics of a person's physical health.

"It costs 3 cents and takes five minutes to run," the Crownsville, Md., native says as he recites his pitch for his cancer-detection tool. "It's 168-times faster, over 26,000-times less expensive, and over 400-times more sensitive than our current methods of diagnosis. But it can also detect cancer in the earliest stage, when someone has close to a 100 percent chance of survival. It has extremely high accuracy, being over 90 percent accurate."

Jack Andraka

Jack Andraka

(Photo by Todd Franson)

Andraka says the thing that first sparked his interest in the cancer-detection tool was the death of a close family friend -- whom he calls his uncle -- from pancreatic cancer. Then 13, Andraka wanted to work on developing a tool that could detect cancer and began working on his project aided by only research from Google and free online scientific journals.

He later floated his proposal for the cancer-detection tool to 200 different scientists, asking if he could use space in their labs for development. Of the 200, only Dr. Anirban Maitra, an expert in the pathology of pancreatic cancer and genetic medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, agreed to let Andraka use his lab. Andraka then developed the tool over a nearly two-year period, leading to his $100,000 grand-prize win at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

"I didn't know if this was going to work when I started," he says of the time and effort he put into the project. "I spent my birthday in the lab. But I didn't mind it. I liked going into the lab."

Andraka's detection tool, for which he holds the international patent, is very similar to diabetic test strips to monitor glucose levels in the blood, but instead are used to detect cancer antibodies. By swapping out the type of antibody, the tool can detect other diseases besides pancreatic cancer. The cost of the materials involved is very low, which means that when his detection tool is released to the public, it should be affordable. Andraka says he is currently in talks with medical companies to develop an over-the-counter test.

Andraka's latest undertaking has him working with a group of other teenagers who have established reputations as up-and-coming scientists to compete for the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize. The competition, which runs for three-and-a-half years, until June 2015, asks teams to develop a smartphone-sized, consumer-friendly device that can be used to diagnose 15 different conditions and capture metrics that can give an indication of a person's health via sensors, imaging technologies and other non-invasive procedures.

Outside the lab, the junior at Glen Burnie, Md.'s North County High School is spending a great deal of time away from his school due to a busy schedule that has him traveling the country -- and the globe -- to speak with different groups or at conferences. When he speaks, he stresses the importance of providing some form of "open access" to scientific articles and journals that may be blocked by expensive pay walls, something that hindered his own research for the cancer-detection tool, even though that undertaking was ultimately successful. He is scheduled to testify on that issue before Congress later this year.

Although Andraka has been out as gay since he was 13, he just shrugs when asked about his sexual orientation, referring to his coming-out process as "relatively painless" and noting that his family and friends are aware of his orientation and have been very supportive.

In his spare time, Andraka, a member of the National Junior Wildwater Team, likes white-water kayaking, folds origami and enjoys watching Glee and Bones.

Asked what he'd like people to know about him besides his scientific accomplishments, he responds: "I suppose I'd want them to know I'm not a complete nerd. I actually get out and stuff. I go kayaking. I'm not the creepy guy that wears big glasses and hides out in the corner."

For more about Jack Andraka, visit jackandraka.net or follow him on Twitter @jackandraka.

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Next Generation's Next Step: Co-Publisher Sean Bugg departing Metro Weekly to focus on NGLF

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Many are familiar with Metro Weekly's Next Generation Awards, which for five years have celebrated members of the LGBT community younger than 30 who already have amazing accomplishments to their names. The awards have existed as a way to recognize and thank those young people, and to encourage them to continue living up to their potential.

At the last awards ceremony, in May, Metro Weekly co-publisher Sean Bugg announced that the awards had spawned a new entity, the Next Generation Leadership Foundation (NGLF), "dedicated to inspiring, nurturing and mentoring LGBT youth and young adults, creating spaces for them to lead in a variety of fields, from business to politics to activism to arts," as the new foundation's mission reads, in part.

Sean Bugg

Sean Bugg

Today, Bugg reports that he's formed a nascent board of five members, while he serves as president of that board and as the foundation's executive director.

"Our timeline for the next few months is about building support, participation and funding for the 2014 Leadership Camp that we plan to have in June of next year," says Bugg. "We will be bringing 20 to 25 LGBT young people who have just graduated from high school to D.C., where they can meet with leaders in various industries and careers. It just makes sense, if you're trying to introduce young people to all the things they can do as openly LGBT people, to bring them here."

As the foundation and its plans move into high gear, however, Bugg will need to focus his attention on that effort. To that end -- after two decades with Metro Weekly, from contributor to co-publisher -- he is stepping down, taking his final title with the magazine: editor emeritus.

"Not many people are lucky enough to help start a publication and then work for that publication for two decades, in some way or another, and see it grow and succeed," says Bugg, adding he'll still be penning a weekly column for the magazine, as well as offering advice when asked to Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman, who moves from co-publisher to sole publisher. "I'm incredibly proud of what Randy has done for the magazine, because he's really the guy who started it, not me. I was there and I helped, but it was his baby. But I really have a sense of pride. It's seeing something you put together, something you helped grow, become an important part of the community."

As Bugg says he'll remain attached to Metro Weekly, Shulman offers that the magazine is fully behind Bugg's new foundation.

Next Generation Leadership Foundation (NGLF) logo

Next Generation Leadership Foundation (NGLF) logo

"The Next Generation Awards, even though they were under Metro Weekly, it was Sean's brainchild," says Shulman. "To see that evolve is one of the proudest moments I've had in my 20 years at this magazine. It's one of my proudest moments, to watch Sean with all his abilities in this arena. When he came to me with this idea that he wanted to grow it further, I couldn't have been happier for him. It just makes sense that he do this. We're going to continue to support Sean and his foundation in any way that we can."

Victoria Kirby is also doing her part to support the foundation. This 2011 Next Generation Award winner, now based in Tampa, Fla., as state coordinator of Organizing for Action, has joined on as one of Bugg's board members.

"I'm really excited about this," says Kirby. "I think it's a great idea. When you look at the programs available for people in our community, it's needed."

While Kirby grants there are a number of organizations running programs aimed at guiding young LGBT people, she believes the Next Generation Leadership Foundation is unique with its emphasis on mentoring across a range of fields. Similarly, Bugg emphasizes that he wanted to ensure the NGLF mission would not duplicate any work already being done.

"Having programs where people can see role models is very important," Kirby says of the foundation's efforts. "It's important we raise leaders who feel comfortable in their own skin."

"I'm very proud of Sean for making this jump," adds Kirby, 26, building up to the pitch that shows she has board-member acumen beyond her years. "I'm excited about the idea, making the camp a reality. I'd encourage readers to give, open their pocketbooks and hearts to young people being trained and empowered to truly become the leaders of the next generation of our community."

For more about the Next Generation Leadership Foundation, visit nglf.org.

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Sniping on the Mount: Taking stock of the March on Washington anniversary highs and lows

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Opinion:

After the Aug. 24 rally at the Lincoln Memorial honoring the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, some people complained that they couldn't hear the speakers. This brought to mind the scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian where someone standing in the back at the Sermon on the Mount says, "I think it was, 'Blessed are the cheesemakers.'" Another character says, "I can't hear a thing. Let's go to a stoning."

Alas, the top sermonizer of the 20th century, Martin Luther King Jr. (whom other activists called "De Lawd" because of comments like "I should choose the time and place of my Golgotha"), was not on this year's speakers list. In the 1960s, his charismatic leadership made him one of the FBI's Most Dangerous Negroes and a prime target for government surveillance. Nowadays, being under surveillance has lost its cachet; it is so common that Art Spitzer, legal director of the D.C. ACLU chapter, appends a tart notice to his emails, "Warning: the National Security Agency may be monitoring this communication."

Rev. Al Sharpton, whose National Action Network organized the 50th anniversary rally with the NAACP and others, is hardly dangerous, unless you are alarmed by his frequent defenses of President Obama from his weeknight perch at MSNBC.

At the Busboys and Poets restaurant at 5th and K NW on Saturday, noted intellectual Cornel West called Sharpton "the head House Negro of the Obama plantation." West's radical performance art is done from the safety of a professorship at Union Theological Seminary. Busboys, incidentally, is a popular spot for upscale Washingtonians nostalgic for the Revolution, by which I mean the era of Stokely Carmichael and Angela Davis, not Patrick Henry and Alexander Hamilton. I recommend the crab cakes.

The Aug. 24 event was certainly a tame affair compared to the original. Former Washington Post associate editor Robert G. Kaiser ruefully points out that in 1963, the paper was so focused on expectations of a riot that its lead story on the march made no mention of what became known as the "I Have a Dream" speech nor the young preacher who delivered it.

Much has changed for the better. This year's program included LGBT and women's voices that were absent 50 years ago. The five days of commemoration included tributes to the 1963 march's architect, Bayard Rustin, who at the time was denounced by segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond as a communist and "moral pervert."

In 1963, the most radical speech was by the young John Lewis, who was prevailed upon to tone it down after Archbishop of Washington Patrick O'Boyle threatened not to give the invocation. Lewis has represented Georgia's 5th Congressional District since 1987. An early advocate of marriage equality, he now leads the outcry against GOP voter-suppression efforts and for restoration of the Voting Rights Act -- a law that his own courage helped President Johnson propel to passage in 1965.

Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy bemoans the civil rights establishment's move to the "mainstream," and misses the leadership of socialist intellectuals like Rustin. He must have missed Rustin's call to move "From Protest to Politics" back in 1965. Rustin took on the system to create change, not just dramatic video. Organizing nurtures relationships that carry the movement forward.

"The hardest part of a relay race isn't running, but passing the baton," said D.C. Shadow Rep. Nate Bennett-Fleming at a D.C. statehood rally Saturday morning. Increasingly, the civil rights struggle forces us to pass the baton among a diverse constituency. Griping and sniping can be entertaining, but do not build cooperation. Reminding one another of the dream and our mutual stake in it can help us avoid dropping the baton.

Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist. He can be reached at rrosendall@starpower.net.

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Fuzzy Little Balls: Openly gay athletes like Robbie Rogers and Jason Collins make a difference in the lives of young LGBT people

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Opinion:

I was still in elementary school when I first began banging tennis balls against the cinder-block side of my grandparents' garage using an old wooden Jack Kramer racquet that my great uncle gave me when he gave up tennis after his heart attack. It was a summer or two later that my little hometown of Fredonia, Ky., built two tennis courts by the school, which when added to the basketball court in the gym and the baseball field by the railroad tracks combined to give us three athletic facilities in a town with no stop lights.

I took my first lessons on those courts, learning some basics that I still use to this day. When my forehand goes awry, I mime the stroke: backswing, contact, follow-through. When my service motion gets wonky, I remind myself of the three points my racquet should hit: slice the cake, scratch your back, swat the fly.

It's unlikely that people like Roger Federer or Serena Williams were taught this way, but I'm just an amateur hack, so it worked for me.

For many following summers, those Fredonia tennis courts were a centerpiece of my life. I took lessons there, practiced there, went on family outings there. It was also where I first heard people making jokes about Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, because the idea in the early '80s of lesbians playing professional sports was something to mock in middle America. Of course, the idea of gay men playing professional sports was so beyond anyone's ken that it didn't even come up, except to call an opponent a fag.

Because tennis has played such a huge part in my life — giving me some confidence as a teenager that I actually could play sports as I was expected to, then later in life being the sport where I met my husband — I'd always hoped that tennis would be the first major sport to see a professional male player come out while still competing. Given the long line of openly lesbian players, it didn't seem too much to ask.

Despite my hopes, I can't say that I was disappointed when Jason Collins made the leap in the NBA, followed quickly by this week's Metro Weekly cover interview, soccer player Robbie Rogers. They may not play with fuzzy little balls the way I did — do feel free to titter for a moment — but I'm still proud and excited to see them take the courageous steps that will make things easier.

That's because sports actually are important, and not just for the people who are paid to play them. I've been fortunate enough to interview King, Navratilova, Rennae Stubbs, John Amaechi, Wade Davis — all professional players who have understood either during their career or after that their actions speak to the thousands of young LGBT kids out there making their first forays onto athletic fields, tracks and courts.

And that's why I believe it's important for athletes to speak out about the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi and the Russian laws that effectively ban the public display or discussion of LGBT people. Just as the Olympics are meant to celebrate the ideals of competition, the games also serve to inspire the audience. I don't begrudge any athlete the chance to compete at Sochi. I do believe that competing there carries a moral responsibility to acknowledge Russia's cruelty and oppression. Some athletes have done this admirably; others have attempted to duck it by calling it "rude" to comment on a host.

These athletes have trained most of their lives to become the best. It's not unfair to expect some to do better when it comes to inspiring their fans. Hitting buckets full of fuzzy yellow balls when I was a kid put me on a better and more interesting path in life. Openly LGBT athletes and those who support them will only help more LGBT kids get on those same paths.

Sean Bugg is the co-publisher of Metro Weekly. He can be reached at sbugg@MetroWeekly.com and followed on Twitter at @seanbugg.

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Marcos: Live and (seeking) uncut

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Coverboy Interview:

He's funny, campy, quick-witted and doesn't mince words, just like any other drag queen who knows how to work an audience. Marcos, known in some circles as Eclipse B. Child, has a slew of titles in his résumé, including a stint as a former Miss Freddie's for 2011, and as Miss Rouge and Miss Soul Survivor DC in 2012. He even went to the Miss Gay America National Pageant as the first alternate Miss Gay Atlantic States America. But when the wigs and makeup are off, Marcos prefers quieter activities, playing video games, watching movies and reading various medical books and journals. An emergency medicine/trauma nurse by day, this 30-year old former Marine and former dancer makes the rounds at D.C.'s bars, appearing at places as varied as Cobalt, DIK bar and Ziegfeld's/Secrets.

Coverboy: Marcos

Coverboy: Marcos

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What's on your nightstand?A book, my stuffed monkey and a bottle of lube.

What's in your nightstand drawer?Playing cards, condoms, more lube and an electrical unit.

What are your television favorites?America's Got Talent. I'm a big fan of Charmed, Roseanne. Lately, I've been watching a lot of these renovation shows on HGTV.

What was your favorite cartoon when you were a kid?The Popples. They were amazing, and I wish they'd come back. Apparently, my mom was very accepting of me as a child, because I had a Rainbow Brite bedspread and all of the Popples dolls.

Who's your greatest influence?My great-grandmother. She was an amazing woman.

What's your greatest fear?I have a phobia of little people. It's a clinical phobia, not even something I can control.

Coverboy: Marcos

Coverboy: Marcos

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

Pick three people, living or dead, who you think would make the most fascinating dinner guests imaginable.Ellen DeGeneres, Roseanne Barr and Vin Diesel. The other two would make for interesting conversation, and he'd be good to look at.

What would you serve?Sushi. I'd like to see Roseanne Barr try to eat sushi. For Vin Diesel, I'd serve me.

How would you describe your dream guy?Golden-brown in color.

You sound like you're describing a muffin.Actually, my dream guy is a muffin. Made by Paula Deen. If it's not Paula Deen, then I don't want it. Because muffins are also a little racist.

So, about that dream guy...Dark hair, light eyes, lean muscular build. If he's my dream guy, he has clean foreskin, smells good and has a foreign accent. Anything not American. Well-endowed and a bottom.

Define good in bed.I don't just want a bottom, I want a bottom who knows what they're doing. The best sexual experiences are ones that I can learn something from. And if they happen to scream out in another language, that's amazing.

Who should star in a movie about your life?My boy side should be played by Zac Efron, and my female side should be played by Angelina Jolie. Cher can be her understudy.

Coverboy: Marcos

Coverboy: Marcos

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

Who was your first celebrity crush?Scott Baio.

Who gets on your nerves?People who are extremely conceited for no reason.

If your home was burning, what's the first thing you'd grab while leaving?My laptop and my drag bag. That stuff's expensive. With the laptop, I'd have my porn, and with the drag bag, I'd have everything I've invested in, so I'd be good to go.

What's your biggest turn-on?Foreskin.

What's your biggest turn-off?Scat.

What's something you've always wanted to do but haven't yet tried?A three-way watersports session.

What's the most unusual place you've had sex?On the school bus, when I was in high school.

Coverboy:Marcos

Coverboy:Marcos

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What position do you play in the big baseball game of life?I'm a top. Fill in the blank.

What's your favorite retail store?Universal Gear.

What's your favorite food to splurge with?Anything in a tortilla. Because it's kind of like foreskin.

What's your favorite season?I love spring as a season, but I like the temperature of the summer.

What kind of animal would you be?Monkey. I'm obsessed with monkeys.

What kind of plant would you be?Artificial, because they don't die.

What kind of car would you be?One that runs. I'm reliable.

What are you most grateful for?All the good people and opportunities in my life. And the fact that I was born into a country that's a melting pot of people. [Whispers.] Foreskin.

State your life philosophy in 10 words or less.Live, laugh, love, wash foreskin before putting in mouth.

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Equality Maryland's Silver Celebration: State's primary LGBT-advocacy organization sets its 25th anniversary gala

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News:

The Free State's local LGBT rights organization Equality Maryland has announced it will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Oct. 27 in Baltimore, with special honors for Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery Co.).

Madaleno, the only out member of the state Senate, has played a key role in passing legislation related to hate-crimes, medical decision-making for same-sex partners, and marriage equality. He is also the lead sponsor of a statewide gender-identity nondiscrimination bill that advocates have been trying to pass for nearly a decade.

Adam May, national correspondent for Al Jazeera America's America Tonight, and Derek Valcourt, an Emmy award-winning reporter for WJZ, will co-host the event. Equality Maryland will also be accepting tax-deductible donations to advance educational and advocacy work from those unable to attend.

Equality Maryland's 25th Anniversary Celebration is Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore. The event begins with a VIP cocktail reception at 11 a.m., followed by brunch, noon to 2 p.m. Tickets start at $100 and may be purchased online at equalitymaryland.org.

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Quarter Century of HOPE: D.C.-area HIV-support organization plans 25-year anniversary social

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The local HIV nonprofit organization Health Options and Positive Energy Foundation, better known as HOPE DC or the HOPE Foundation, has announced details of a 25th anniversary celebration Sept. 21 marking years of serving as a confidential resource and support group for HIV-positive gay and bisexual men.

HOPE DC formed during the height of the AIDS epidemic after several HIV-positive men met at Georgetown Hospital during as participants in clinical trials. They decided to meet outside of the hospital and began hosting social events at private homes in the area.

In 1996, the group became a volunteer-run nonprofit organization, the HOPE Foundation, which now includes more than 1,000 members. The group continues to host monthly social events where HIV-positive or positive-friendly gay and bisexual men can meet and support for each other. HOPE DC also works online, creating community through the Web, where member share resources about living with HIV – from dealing with discrimination, to advice on dating HIV-negative people, to breaking medical news related to HIV.

HOPE DC's activities are funded by a grant from the social service organization Brother, Help Thyself, and from private donations.

''We celebrate the dramatic medical breakthroughs that have turned HIV into a manageable condition, but we are deeply aware of the social challenges of living well and responsibly with HIV,'' Jim Garza, vice president of the HOPE Foundation, said in a statement. ''That is why, after 25 years, we are still here and will continue to be here as long as there is a need.''

HOPE DC's 25th Anniversary Social is Saturday, Sept. 21, to be held in a private home in Arlington. For more information on the celebration, visit hopedc.org/events. For more information about the organization, visit hopedc.org or call 202-466-5783.

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D.C. Transgender Assault Gets Trial Date: Suspect accused of stabbing woman dozens of times in June set for November trial

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Michael McBride, the man accused of stabbing a transgender woman anywhere from 35 to 40 times in June in the District's Fort Stanton neighborhood, appeared in D.C. Superior Court today to set a date for his trial on charges of robbery and assault with significant bodily injury.

McBride, who appeared with his attorney, Margarita O'Donnell, before Superior Court Judge Stuart G. Nash, was scheduled for an Oct. 25 felony status conference, at which point Nash will make a determination whether the trial should move forward. The preliminary date for the trial has been scheduled for Nov. 6.

McBride was arrested June 26 for allegedly stabbing the woman in an abandoned building in the 3000 block of Stanton Road SE at around 1 a.m., June 21. Earlier this month, D.C. Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt found there was probable cause that McBride had committed the attack. McBride remains held without bond as he awaits trial.

The victim, who was transported to Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly, Md., was treated for multiple stab wounds, including a punctured lung. She survived the attack and was later released from the hospital six days later. According to statements by friends of the victim, McBride and the woman had previously known each other, and that McBride attacked the victim after a passerby asked him what he was doing with a ''faggy.''

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USAO Considering Bias Enhancements for June Assault: Prosecution asks D.C. Superior Court for more time to examine attack on drag entertainer

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The U.S. Attorney's Office advised D.C. Superior Court Judge Juliet McKenna Thursday that it will possibly pursue bias enhancements – also known colloquially as ''hate-crime charges'' – against at least one of the two women accused of attacking a local drag entertainer in a late-night takeout restaurant in June.

Rachel Manna Sahle, 22, of Gaithersburg, Md., faces a charge of simple assault for allegedly attacking Miles DeNiro, who performs as drag personality Heidi Glüm, in a Manny and Olga's restaurant near the intersection of 14th and T Streets NW.

Video of the attack, which went viral after it was posted online at worldstarhiphop.com – a website showcasing clips from music videos, fights and embarrassing sexual escapades – shows Sahle and a second woman, Raymone Harding, 28, of Gaithersburg, objecting to DeNiro's appearance. The video then shows the women grabbing DeNiro by his hair and dragging him across the floor while several bystanders watch.

Sahle and Harding are being tried separately and not as co-defendants. Harding has yet to appear in court for a status hearing, but is scheduled to appear before Judge McKenna in mid-November. Metro Weekly was unable to immediately confirm whether prosecutors are considering pursuing bias enhancements to the assault charge against Harding.

At Sahle's status hearing Thursday, prosecutors asked McKenna for additional time to consider whether to pursue bias enhancements to the simple assault charge against her. McKenna scheduled a follow-up status hearing for later this month, at which point the government will notify the court whether it wants to pursue such charges. If Sahle is found guilty on the assault charge against her, such bias enhancements would likely add penalties to her sentence.

Sahle and Harding both remain released on personal recognizance as they await trial. They have been ordered to avoid any contact with DeNiro, and are required to submit to regular drug testing, in accordance with requirements set by the court's Pretrial Services Agency.

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Equality Virginia Pushing License Plate: Virginia plate backing LGBT equality could be on roads by fall 2014

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If Equality Virginia has its way, in about a year drivers in the commonwealth will be seeing cars bearing pro-LGBT license plates along Virginia's roads.

The state's primary LGBT-rights organization hopes the proposed license plates will prompt discussion of LGBT equality and the lack of protections – in areas ranging from workplace nondiscrimination to marriage – for LGBT people in Virginia.

Equality Virginia license plate

Equality Virginia license plate

In order for the Equality Virginia-branded plate to become reality, the Department of Motor Vehicles must first receive prepayment from 450 applicants requesting the plate. The plate must then be proposed in legislation, passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor before the plates can go into production. So far, approximately 275 applications have been submitted. Those wishing to customize their plates can pre-register through Equality Virginia's website at equalityvirginia.org.

The Equality Virginia license plates cost $25, or $35 for those wanting personalized plates. After the first 1,000 sales, $15 from every subsequent plate sold will go to Equality Virginia to help fund its efforts.

James Parrish, the executive director of Equality Virginia, said the idea of creating a license plate had been floated in previous years, but the organization was prompted to take action following a spike in inquiries, particularly after the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

''We've had an unbelievable response,'' Parrish said of requests for an Equality Virginia plate, noting that 200 of those requests were submitted online. He said the organization has been trying to pre-register others at Virginia LGBT Pride events throughout the summer, and has plans to promote the plate at similar upcoming Virginia events in Charlottesville, Roanoke, Richmond and Elkton.

Parrish said that the organization is still tweaking the final design for the plate to make it clear that Equality Virginia is an LGBT-rights organization. He said several legislators have already contacted him expressing interest in serving as chief patron for the bill to allow the production of the license plates, though he said he could not yet reveal any of those legislators' names.

''It's not Bob Marshall, I can tell you that much,'' Parrish joked, referring to the Prince William County delegate who is one of the leading legislative voices opposing equality for LGBT people.

''Our hope is that when people see it going down the street, the plate will give a boost of confidence and bring a smile to the faces of the LGBT community, as well as show support for equality,'' Parrish said. ''This goes along with our position on changing hearts and minds. And we know, despite what happens with our House of Delegates, Virginians support LGBT equality.''

Asked whether the license plate might face opposition, either from the Republican-controlled House of Delegates or from an anti-gay governor, Parrish said he fully expects the next governor to be LGBT-supportive. He said he hopes the bill will be approved quickly, allowing the plate to hit the streets by fall of 2014.

''I think it should be approved by the General Assembly,'' Parrish told Metro Weekly. ''Especially because there have been other plates approved like pro-choice, pro-life, tea party plates, all of which are much more political in nature. We don't see why this wouldn't be approved as well.''

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D.C. Joins Russian Embassy Kiss-In: Sunday protest to oppose oppression of LGBT community in Russia

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LGBT activists in cities across the world, including Prague, Stockholm and Brussels – as well as Washington – are planning to hold a global ''kiss-in'' in front of multiple Russian embassies Sunday, Sept. 8, from 3 to 5 p.m. Participants have begun coordinating their actions via Facebook in the past week.

The kiss-ins are intended to protest Russia's increasingly anti-LGBT climate, including a new, extremely vague law banning ''propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations'' to minors.

Russia's anti-gay stance has attracted a host of negative press, particularly concerning the 2014 Sochi Olympics, at which participants and spectators have been warned they may be arrested for any pro-LGBT displays.

David Isaac, a Silver Spring resident, told Metro Weekly he had received notice of several of the other kiss-in events, but noticed that there was nothing in the Washington area, despite the fact that D.C. has one of the highest concentrations of LGBT people in the nation. So Isaac created a Facebook event calling on D.C.-area residents to kiss in front of the Russian Embassy at 2650 Wisconsin Ave. NW.

''It will be interesting to me to see what the turnout is,'' he said. ''I hope I don't just end up kissing my own hand.''

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Arlington's Sweet Sunday: AGLA hosts Sept. 8 ice-cream social and charity drive

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The Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance (AGLA) will host an ice-cream social tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Aurora Hills Community Center, at 735 18th St. South, in Arlington.

This year's event begins at 3 p.m. with a firehouse tour, followed by the social at 3:30. Admission is free for AGLA members, while the suggested donation for non-members is $10. Attendees will also have the opportunity to win tickets to see singer Ani DiFranco at D.C.'s 9:30 Club Nov. 5.

As part of an ongoing community service project, the LGBT advocacy group is also asking attendees to bring unused travel-sized soaps, shampoos, lotions and other toiletries to donate to A-SPAN, an organization providing services to Arlington's homeless population. AGLA will also be accepting donations of unused, nonperishable food items for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), which provides supplemental groceries to low-income people in need.

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Debasing the Peace Prize: History teaches us to mistrust assurances of avoiding quagmires

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If President Obama launches the missile strikes he proposes against Syria, with or without authorization from Congress, he should send his Nobel Peace Prize back to Oslo.

Obama ran for president on an anti-war platform. The Nobel Committee in 2009 cited his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." He said humbly in accepting the prize, "My accomplishments are slight." He honored Martin Luther King Jr., who said in 1964, "I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when 22 million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice."

But Obama, who later saw fit to lecture African Americans on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, stressed in his Nobel lecture his duties as commander in chief. "A non-violent movement," he said, "could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms."

In his weekly address on Sept. 7, Obama assured us, "Any action we take would be limited … designed to deter the Syrian government from gassing its own people again and degrade its ability to do so." He insisted, "We cannot turn a blind eye" to the horror.

I do not take the president's responsibilities or concerns lightly. But I do dispute the value of American intrusion into a chaotic civil conflict. I question how we can foster stability by hurling ordnance into a tinderbox. And, even if the president can explain what exactly he plans to do and how it will help (I am writing before his Sept. 10 speech), it will be but our latest mission in which we discount the risk of hurling other people's sons and daughters into war.

As I write this, I plan to participate in a Sept. 9 anti-war protest outside the U.S. Capitol led by Medea Benjamin of Code Pink. Her heckling is not my style of activism, any more than right-wing Obama critics like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are my kind of politicians. I am not happy opposing the most pro-gay president in history. But I never signed up for a cult of personality, and I will not let partisan considerations govern me in this. I believe we must give politicians both credit and criticism where due. These are grave matters. It is not just the other guy's weapons that kill the innocent.

The prospect of American military action in an already unstable region, against a tyrant whom American and other Western leaders so recently wined and dined, needs better justification than sending messages or saving face. Other malefactors we aided and subsequently confronted were Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. I will not succumb to the topsy-turvy logic of "Let's do something, even if it's wrong."

In the 1990s, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said to Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "What's the point of having this superb military that you're always talking about if we can't use it?" This treatment of deadly weapons like toys in a sandbox, whether by liberals or conservatives, deserves rebuke. True patriots should insist, even when humanitarian concerns are raised, that we pause to consider whether particular acts of war are demanded because America is "the indispensable nation" or because the military-industrial complex requires feeding.

A friend from South Africa said he would be glad to see America take out Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, though that is beyond Obama's stated intentions. But Americans are increasingly unwilling to pay the price for our overextended military. And history gives us reason to mistrust promises that a limited strike will not lead us into a quagmire. Do not do this, Mr. President.

Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist. He can be reached at rrosendall@starpower.net. 

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Stein Club Announces Award Recipients: Local LGBT leaders to be honored at LGBT Democratic club's 37th annual awards reception

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The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the District's largest LGBT political organization, will honor four local leaders who have made a contribution to the D.C. area's LGBT community at the group's 37th annual leadership awards reception at the end of the month.

Nikisha Carpenter, president and board member of Youth Pride Alliance, is set to receive the Heil-Balin Community Service Award for her work on behalf of LGBT young people. Toby Quaranta, past president of the Young Democrats of DC, will receive the Desi Deschaine Young Democrat of the Year Award for his work organizing among the LGBT community and engaging youth to become actively involved in Democratic politics.

Andy Bowen, a transgender-rights advocate and the driving force behind the JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013, which passed the D.C. Council earlier this summer and was signed into law by Mayor Vincent Gray (D), will receive the Wanda Alston Award for her work with the DC Trans Coalition, and for working on the birth-certificate bill and the LGBTQ Youth Homeless Shelter Act.

The Richard Rausch Equality Award, given annually to the individual or organization that has demonstrated outstanding work to advance the rights of LGBT people, will be given to Trans Legal Advocates of Washington (TransLAW), a legal clinic assisting low-income transgender people in the D.C. area.

''These awardees represent some of the brightest leaders and advocates we have in our movement and we are proud of the work they've done to advance our equality within the Democratic Party and across the D.C. community,'' Stein Club President Martin Garcia said in a statement announcing the award recipients. ''To Stein Club members and the Stein Executive Committee, deciding who to recognize was really quite easy; we've seen incredible progress in the D.C. LGBT community over the last 12 months and these are some of the people we can thank for that.''

The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club Awards Reception is Saturday, Sept. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, 223 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Tickets are $75, available at the door or online.

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Bell Labs: National Geographic presents Jim Lehrer's play about the original ''telephone man''

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''All I know about Alexander Graham Bell is I think he invented the telephone.'' Which is exactly what Jim Lehrer said after he was asked to write a play about the famous scientist and inventor who was also a founding member of the National Geographic Society. ''He really is known mostly as the telephone man,'' says Lehrer, ''but he's much more than that. He was an exciting, multifaceted genius.''

Jim Lehrer

Jim Lehrer

(Photo by Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia)

The former broadcast journalist's new one-man play, Bell, was commissioned by the society to serve as the kick-off to the 2013-2014 season of National Geographic Live. The play is part of a yearlong commemoration of the world-renowned scientific organization's first 125 years. Directed by Jeremy Skidmore, Bell stars Rick Foucheux in the title role. ''He's a terrific guy and a fabulous actor,'' says Lehrer, who never gave any thought to taking on the role himself. ''Oh, my God, no, I'm not an actor. I was a quote-performer-endquote, but as a journalist first, performer second,'' Lehrer says of the 35 years he served as a nightly news anchor on PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Lehrer is better known as a novelist than a playwright, having written 20 books, including the forthcoming Top Down, a work of fiction based on Lehrer's experiences as a Dallas newspaper reporter covering the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy. While toying with the idea of next writing a third memoir, the man who retired from television in 2011 is sure his broadcast days are over.

''I really don't miss it,'' he says, adding, ''I really always wanted to be a full-time writer. And now I am.''

Bell runs to Sept. 21, at National Geographic Society's Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-857-7700 or visit nglive.org/bell.

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Four-Day Affair: Woodhull's Sexual Freedom Summit set to offer conversation and camaraderie in Silver Spring

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You might think it's a reunion of Creating Change, the annual conference affiliated with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey will be there. So will her predecessor, Matt Foreman. Familiar faces aside, however, the event in question is the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance's fourth annual Sexual Freedom Summit.

''They are part of it,'' says Ricci Levy, co-chair of the summit along with Tess Danesi and Justyn Hintze, referring to the LGBTQ community at the summit. ''I don't know that they are the 'leading edge' at the summit. I think that issues are pretty evenly represented at the summit. We deliberately focus on presenting diversity.''

Ricci Levy

Ricci Levy

(Photo courtesy of Ricci Levy)

Still, with a speakers lineup that includes the first female-to-male adult-film star, Buck Angel, local transgender activists Dr. Dana Beyer and Ruby Corado, leather luminary Hardy Haberman, and so many others, no one can argue that the LGBT – and definitely Q – community is under-represented at the summit, running Sept. 19 to 22 in Silver Spring.

So while an event full of so many notable members of the LGBT community has obvious appeal, Levy, founding executive director of the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, presenter of the summit, says this is an event for everyone, whether they realize it or not.

''There are so many issues, so many opportunities for engagement,'' Levy says of the summit, which has grown enormously since its 2010 debut as a half-day event. ''This is for everyone. We cover every issue. If you can't find something that interests you at the summit, I would be shocked. If someone can't find something, I'd love to hear about it.''

Levy has a point. Consider the range of offerings during the four-day summit. There's ''Agency in a land of stereotypes: Re-imagining authentic Black female sexualities,'' ''Debunking the Legal Myths About Children in Polyamorous Families'' or ''Moving from Religious Oppression to Spiritual Sexual Freedom: Reclaiming our Bodies as Sacred.'' And that's just the scantest peak behind the summit's curtain.

It's not all heady roundtables and compelling conversation, however. Summit organizers also make time for festivities.

''We are known for our unusual meet-and-greets. This year is 'Bubbles and Burlesque,' hosted by D.C.'s DJ Rosie [Hicks],'' says Levy of this follow-up to last year's ''Popcorn and Porn.''

''We have a cigar bar every night, weather permitting,'' Levy continues. ''It's outside on the patio. Buck Angel is known for his cigars -- he has his own brand. It started very casually, then it became part of the summit. It's a nice social venue.''

And it's one of many social venues beyond the meet-and-greet. The full summit features a dance party – ''Libations & Libido's Summer of Love'' – a cocktail reception following Saturday's awards ceremony, where Mandy Carter of the National Black Justice Coalition and Foreman are among those being honored, and various informal gatherings.

''There are so many issues, so many opportunities for engagement,'' Levy promises. ''It's exciting. It's invigorating. It's very different. We ask people who are presenting to focus not just on the current state of affairs and what's wrong, but also how we can create the change we want to see.''

Woodhull's Sexual Freedom Summit 2013 runs Thursday, Sept. 19, to Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Sheraton Silver Spring Hotel, 8777 Georgia Ave. Full registration is $225. Day passes and weekend passes are also available. For more information, visit sexualfreedomsummit.org or Woodhull's website.

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Whitman-Walker Readies 2013 AIDS Walk: Health center's biggest annual fundraiser marking 27th year

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Whitman-Walker Health, the nonprofit community health center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBT-competent care, launched its latest campaign for the 2013 AIDS Walk Washington last week to encourage participation in the event that supports Whitman-Walker's HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts.

The Oct. 26 event, which offers participants an opportunity to walk or run along a 5-kilometer course that weaves through areas around downtown Washington, is held annually as one of Whitman-Walker's largest fundraisers. The 2012 walk raised just over $1 million. This year, its 27th, organizers have already raised about $200,000, according to Chip Lewis, a spokesman for Whitman-Walker Health.

This year's AIDS Walk Washington promotional campaign, titled ''Face the Facts: Walk the Walk,'' shares statistic about D.C.'s HIV epidemic.

''Many people think that the HIV and AIDS crisis is over, or there is no longer an alarm or need for action,'' Whitman-Walker's Executive Director Don Blanchon said in a statement announcing the campaign. ''In Washington, D.C., we have made great progress reducing HIV prevalence rates, but we're not at the finish line yet. Until the number of new HIV infections, people living with HIV, and AIDS deaths all reach zero, our work as an organization and as a community is not done.''

''And the way to get to zero is to face the facts of what is happening in our city and do the work to end this epidemic: get tested regularly, proactively protect yourself, get into treatment if you're HIV-positive and stay in treatment, talk openly and honestly about HIV with your partners, friends and family,'' he continued. ''And show your support for the fight against the epidemic by registering and raising money for AIDS Walk. The funds raised will help to care for thousands of people living with HIV and AIDS in the D.C. area.''

AIDS Walk Washington is Saturday, Oct. 26. The program, centered at downtown D.C.'s Freedom Plaza, 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, begins at 7 a.m. The run steps off at 9:15 a.m., followed by the walk at 9:20 a.m. Registration ranges from $25 to $40, with discounts available for students and seniors. For more information, call 202-745-7000 or visit aidswalkwashington.org.

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