''He lit up like a child on Christmas morning about the idea of getting to work with Cole Porter music,'' Steven Scott Mazzola says. He's talking about Greg Stevens, whom Mazzola tapped last year to help create and direct The Cole Porter Project, a new commission by The InSeries.

InSeries: Steven Scott Mazzola

(Photo by Angelisa Gillyard)

''I've loved Cole Porter since I was in high school,'' Stevens explains, adding that, of all things, it was a disco version of a Porter classic that turned him on to the legendary American composer and songwriter in the late 1970s. ''My first introduction to Cole Porter was truly on a disco album called Tuxedo Junction. And the song was 'Begin The Beguine.''' As odd as that sounds, it is precisely by virtue of many pop-star covers that Porter's songs, which often originated as numbers in his Broadway musicals, became American Songbook standards known far and wide.

Still, even most Porter connoisseurs don't know everything by the legend, who died in 1964. ''He wrote a thousand or more songs, and dozens of musicals,'' Stevens says. And that's why The Cole Porter Project, while featuring some of Porter's most familiar tunes, also includes ''songs that aren't usually part of the catalog of what people think of as Cole Porter.'' Among these: ''In The Morning,'' ''No'' and ''Experiment.''

InSeries: Greg Stevens

(Photo by Angelisa Gillyard)

Mazzola and Stevens also developed a plot for the fully staged show, featuring a cast of nine. ''We've created a story about efforts to get a national holiday honoring Cole Porter through Congress,'' Mazzola says. The 34 Porter songs they've included are often used to advance that fictitious story line. The show alludes to Porter's sexuality -- he was openly gay only within his circle of friends and the Broadway community -- but instead of being explicit, you might say the writers opted to follow the example of Porter himself, who was a master of the double entendre.

''So much of what he wrote has these really rich and wonderful sexual undertones,'' Stevens says, citing ''You're The Top'' and ''Love for Sale'' as examples. ''Some of the songs we consider to be love songs are really songs about having sex.''

The Cole Porter Project: It's All Right With Me opens Saturday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m., and runs weekends to March 9. At Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $38. Call 202-204-7763 or visit inseries.org.

If you happen to drive up to PW's Sports Bar & Grill in Laurel, Md., you're likely to encounter Eric, doing a job he loves and is passionate about. Though his educational and work background is in computer science, the 30-year-old Houston-area native and self-described ''country boy'' loves to meet new people and chat them up as he crafts various cocktails to suit each patron's individual taste. But beware: If you happen to nod off at his bar, the self-admitted prankster may shower you with water from the soda gun or jolt you awake with a serenade of party poppers, letting the glitter and streamers fly! An ex ''band dork'' who played the clarinet in high school, Eric joined the Navy after graduation, later transferring from sunny Hawaii to Columbia, Md., where he lives with his husband, Allan.

Coverboy: Eric

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What's on your nightstandA lamp, my alarm clock. Usually water. I always have water on my nightstand.

What's in your nightstand drawer?Bills, lube, Christian Mingle log-in information.

What are your three favorite TV shows of all time?American Horror Story. Any Gordon Ramsay series. I enjoy watching him cook and be an asshole to everyone. And I also love Game of Thrones and True Blood.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?Telekinesis. I'd like to be able to move things with my mind, because I'm lazy.

Pick three people, living or dead, you would like to spend the day with, and what would you do?This is where my gay side comes out. Britney Spears, Taylor Swift and the guy who plays Hercules, Kellan Lutz. We'd all go shopping together, go out for drinks afterwards. Have a slumber party, because, of course, that'd be amazing.

What would you do at the slumber party?I can't tell you on camera. Of course Britney Spears and Taylor Swift would not be there, though.

You're stranded on a desert island with one person. Who do you pick?My husband. As much as he drives me insane, I still love him, so it'd be him and me there.

What annoys you?People asking me if we have a phone charger at the bar.

What pleases you?When people don't ask me for phone chargers.

Coverboy: Eric

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What's the worst thing a friend could do to you?I do not like liars or backstabbing.

If you could read the mind of someone famous, who would it be?Britney Spears, because I want to know what the hell happened to her. I love her.

What's your guilty pleasure?Chocolate brownies. They're terrible for me. I love them.

What turns you on?Bodies always turn me on. Accents, they get me, too. I'm a big eye person. I like eye contact with people.

What about bodies?Muscles, ripped up. I'm not into the twink thing. I like the bigger guys.

What turns you off?Bad breath. I absolutely can't stand it. Toenails kind of freak me out.

What's the strangest place you've ever had sex?I've had sex in the middle of a lake before, in complete darkness. In the water. I've also had sex in my bedroom with my parents in the next room awake, back before I came out to them. That was exhilarating.

Define good in bed.Sweaty action, aggressiveness.

Can men fake it? Should they?They cannot fake it, because, obviously, something happens. It happens. And why would you fake it? Everyone should be happy during sex.

Coverboy: Eric

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

If you were a porn star, what would your name be and what would you be known for?Oh, man, we are getting intimate now. I'd use my middle name, Shane. I'm actually a big shooter, so that's what I'd be known for.

Name two people you don't ever want to picture having sex.My parents.

What's the best tip you ever got?I've gotten a $150 tip before, and their tab was only $50. I did not have sex with them, either.

What's the craziest thing someone ever ordered from you?A long time ago, I was asked to make a ''stuntman.'' It's basically a tequila shot, but you snort the salt, drink the shot and squirt the lime in your eye.

Gin or vodka?Vodka.

Scotch or bourbon?Bourbon.

Wine or beer?Beer.

Mustard, mayo or ketchup?Ketchup. 

Miley or Britney?Britney.

Coverboy: Eric

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What's your favorite cocktail to make?Bloody marys. I make them really spicy.

What's your theme song?Taylor Swift's ''I Knew You Were Trouble.''

You become master of the world. What's your first act?It'd definitely be some equality thing. I'd get rid of the whole homophobic attitude of the world.

Cuddling: The best, or a waste of time?The best.

What are you most grateful for?I am most grateful for being loved and loving.

What would you die for?My family.

What's your motto?Live, love and laugh. That was my mom's saying.

Us Helping Us, People Into Living Inc. (UHU), the local support group for HIV-positive black gay men, will unveil its new mobile health-screening unit Friday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m., at UHU'S Developing and Empowering New Images of Men (DENIM) center, at 6925 Blair Road NW.

The new testing unit, made possible by support from the D.C. Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) ''Testing Makes Us Stronger'' campaign targeting at-risk black gay and bisexual men in six major cities with high prevalence of HIV, will replace an old unit that was severely damaged during a snowstorm, according to Ernest Walker, a spokesman for UHU. UHU's president and chief executive officer, Ron Simmons, has served as a member of the working group that advised the CDC in the development and implementation of the ''Testing Makes Us Stronger'' campaign since 2009.

''Dr. Simmons has been very excited about getting this new mobile unit,'' says Walker. ''The mobile unit has always been an integral part of getting people linked with care.''

UHU regularly providers HIV testing, STD screening, mental health services and other health services to the District's African-American population, including heterosexuals, transgender people and youth, in addition to gay men. Through its DENIM center, it also provides a safe haven and serves as a resource for young black men from ages 18 to 29.

The new mobile unit will allow for two people to be tested at one time, and is expected to serve 30 to 40 people during the course of one testing session, Walker explains. Typically, he adds, about 5 to 7 percent of people who take part in UHU's health screenings test positive for HIV. But by getting tested, UHU can link these at-risk individuals with treatment as soon as possible and maintain a fluid continuum of care, resulting in better health outcomes.

''This gets us out onto the streets and into the community,'' Walker said of UHU's mobile testing unit. ''We are able to find the people who are not going into clinics and hospitals who are high risk. And we also offer STD screenings for gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis, so it makes it easier to get people tested for HIV while they're doing that.''

For more information about Us Helping Us, call 202-446-1100 or visti uhupil.org. 

The legal team for the former Marine convicted of stabbing a fellow Marine while uttering a homophobic epithet has been granted additional time to file a Rule 33 motion, a request for a new trial, after a jury in December found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

Michael Poth, of Southeast D.C., was initially tried on a charge of second-degree murder while armed for stabbing Philip Bushong, of Camp Lejeune, N.C., following an altercation between the two in the city's Barracks Row neighborhood during the early morning hours of April 21, 2012. But the jury in the case deadlocked, prompting Poth's chief lawyer, Bernard Grimm, to ask for a mistrial.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Russell F. Canan rejected Grimm's motion and gave the jury the option of finding Poth guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter. The jury later determined Poth was guilty of second-degree voluntary manslaughter, meaning they believed he intended or decided beforehand to attack Bushong, but only to injure him, rather than kill him.

Poth was originally expected to appear in court Feb. 7 for sentencing, but Canan agreed Feb. 6 to grant Grimm more time to file a Rule 33 motion asking for a new trial for his client. Grimm must submit his motion by April 25, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC) must respond to the motion by May 23. If Grimm's request is rejected, Poth will appear in court for sentencing May 30. According to the USAO-DC, a conviction on a charge of voluntary manslaughter can carry up to 60 years in prison.

Mayoral candidate and incumbent D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) is calling on the National Football League to move the 2015 Super Bowl from Arizona following the passage of a bill that would allow businesses to deny service to gay and lesbian customers by citing religious beliefs.

In a press release sent out by his campaign Monday evening, Evans asked the NFL to move the Super Bowl if Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signs the bill into law. Brewer has not stated where she stands on the legislation, but is expected to make a decision this week.

''It is unconscionable to think that America's largest and most celebrated sporting event could be held in a state that discriminates as a matter of law,'' Evans said in a statement. ''Stadiums bring together thousands of people of diverse backgrounds by hosting events like the Super Bowl and are designed to boost local businesses and create jobs. Arizona doesn't deserve that benefit if its leaders single out the LGBT community and their supporters by declaring they are not welcome. Furthermore, the law is cruel and because of it, they should not be awarded with any special events, conventions or business recruitment opportunities.''

The business community has largely opposed the bill, with the CEOs of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, as well as corporate giants Apple and American Airlines, asking Brewer to veto the bill. The measure is also opposed by both Arizona's U.S. senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, both Republicans; U.S. Reps. Raul Grijalva, Kyrsten Sinema, Ann Kirkpatrick and Ron Barber, all Democrats; various mayors throughout the state; and several leading Republican candidates running for governor.

In addition, three state senators who voted for the bill now oppose it, announcing on Monday that they had sent Brewer a letter asking her to veto the measure.

D.C. Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) has gotten a big-name endorsement, even before he officially announcing any candidacy.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, the nation's largest resource for out LGBT individuals in politics, announced Tuesday it is endorsing Catania, who has only so far begun an exploratory committee, for his possible campaign to become the District's first out gay mayor.

As an independent, Catania faces no primary and therefore does not have to announce his intentions until after the District's four major parties hold their primaries. But while Catania has said he'll run if incumbent Mayor Vincent Gray (D) wins the Democratic primary, he has declined to say whether he will run if another Democrat wins.

''David Catania brings an incredible amount of passion and commitment to his job,'' says Torey Carter, chief operating officer at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. ''He has helped guide Washington through an unprecedented period of growth and revitalization. He is ideally positioned to lead a city with such diverse and dynamic people.''

The Victory Fund also cited Catania's legislative record since he was first elected to the D.C. Council in 1997, citing his work on school reform, linking District residents with health insurance, and passing marriage equality. The organization, which supports electing and appointing qualified LGBT people to different levels of political office, is expected to endorse nearly 200 candidates throughout the country for the 2014 cycle.

Virginia Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax Co.) came out as gay in a Feb. 21 column in The Washington Post, making him the third out gay candidate running in a crowded field to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) in the state's heavily Democratic-leaning 8th Congressional District.

Sickles's announcement makes him the second openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly and the only out gay House delegate. The Assembly's other openly gay member, Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax counties) announced his candidacy for the congressional seat last month. The gay talk-radio host and pundit Mark Levine, who bills himself as an ''aggressive progressive,'' announced his entry into the race last week.

Del. Mark D. Sickles

(Photo via Va. House of Delegates website)

In his Post column, Sickles said he was motivated to come out because of the recent decision by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen determining that Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and what he described as ''caustic'' remarks from other House members, most notably anti-gay firebrand Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas Park, Prince William Co.). Sickles said he was a ''proud, gay man'' who has lived ''openly with my neighbors, friends and family, lived a full life and never regretted the way I was born.''

''What effect do such insults have on bullied high school students in Salem, Chesapeake, Harrisonburg or Culpeper who are questioning their sexuality, afraid of how classmates or family members might react if they come out?'' Sickles wrote about the effects of Marshall's comments. ''How will Virginians a generation from now look back at the codified discrimination and virulent rhetoric that has characterized the gay marriage debate in this state? Will they be proud that the laws – and lawmakers – of the commonwealth once again stood in the way of progress, compassion and full equality under the law?''

This is not the first time Sickles's sexual orientation has been given attention. In 2005, during a re-election campaign, Sickles's opponent attacked him for a mailer from his campaign that showed a picture of Sickles cradling a toddler, saying Sickles was ''misleading the voters'' because ''Mark Sickles does not have a child or a family.'' His opponent's campaign manager then made statements that implied Sickles was dishonest and told The Washington Post that the delegate's sexual orientation was ''a mystery to us.'' A few local right-wing blogs had also speculated about Sickles being gay.

''Our successors will not believe we once had hundreds of federal rights and benefits denied to a sizeable minority of our citizens because of whom they love and choose to share their lives with,'' Sickles concluded in his Post column. ''I am fully convinced that this month's ruling will help strengthen all marriages in the commonwealth. As Judge Allen succinctly wrote: 'This is consistent with our nation's traditions of freedoms.'''

It's not your imagination. In a 2010 study by the American Psychological Association, 73 percent of respondents indicated that money was the chief cause of stress in their lives.

''When we don't stop to examine where this stress is coming from, we deny access to a wealth of knowledge, well-being and financial security,'' observes Cindy Morgan-Jaffe, a career and money coach.

Cindy Morgan Jaffe

(Photo by Marvin Mansilla)

On Friday, Feb. 28, Morgan-Jaffe will speak at the monthly Business Matters Luncheon of the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (aka The Chamber). Her focus will be on ''Money, Work, How Our Money Mindset Drives Results,'' an exploration of how our relationship to money creates our financial reality.

''The relationships individuals and companies have with money and work can influence outcomes,'' Morgan-Jaffe explains. ''A scarcity mindset tends to push wealth away, while an abundant mindset attracts wealth. The saying 'penny wise and pound foolish' is classic for good reason.''

Our relationship to money begins in childhood when we absorb ideas and behaviors from our families, communities and culture. In many cases, we learn more about what having or not having money means than how to actually manage it. We learn that it can be used for power and influence – that our self-worth may be directly linked to our net worth.

Morgan-Jaffe will talk about common money ''scripts,'' or beliefs that drive our behavior, as well as how we act these out in our lives and how we can remove the roadblocks to living a more peaceful and prosperous life.

Some of these scripts include:

Being rich is selfish and not in sync with my values If I make a lot of money it will cause tension in my family I could never be wealthy Money and doing good in the world don't mix

''Very often, we don't realize that our beliefs about money are causing us so much pain or holding us back,'' says Morgan-Jaffe. ''We find ourselves in relationships where we don't talk about money, try to buy happiness, are afraid to ask for what we're worth, or avoid thinking about money altogether.

''I know this from my own experience. Taking a hard look at my relationship to money has transformed my life, and I want to pay it forward.''

Morgan-Jaffe works as a nationally certified counselor, and holds a master's degree in education and human development from the George Washington University. She has worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, and has more than 25 years' experience in marketing and communications. She offers talks, presents seminars and works with individuals and organizations on how to foster abundant thinking at home and at work.

For more information on creating a positive mindset regarding money, Morgan-Jaffe offers a free e-book on her website, morganjaffe.com.

The Chamber's Business Matters Lunch, ''Money, Work, How Our Money Mindset Drives Results,'' is Friday, Feb. 28, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 300. The event is free for members, $25 for non-members. To register, visit caglcc.org.

The Chamber Means Business. For more information visit caglcc.org or facebook.com/CAGLCC. On Twitter, follow @DCLGBTBIZ.

John F. Stanton, a CAGLCC member, is the president of SRP & Associates Inc., a strategic marketing and public relations firm in Northern Virginia.

Back in early 2007 I found myself sitting in the fondant-bedecked office of a professional wedding-cake baker in search of the perfect (yet still affordable) three-tier cake for my upcoming wedding. Early in the interview process, after providing the wedding date but before tasting samples, I gestured at Cavin and said, "This is going to be our gay wedding. Is that going to be a problem?"

A month or so later when I saw the same baker on Food Network competing to create the most elaborate "princess cake," it was obvious my question was superfluous. But my wedding was an important event for my life and I wanted to make sure no surprises popped up later.

(Photo by Ward Morrison)

This is one of the ways I'm lucky to live in an urban, largely progressive and exceptionally competitive location where the vast majority of businesses want my money, regardless whom my wallet shares a home with. The most effective way of dealing with assholes is to simply decline to deal with them at all.

That's not the case for everyone, as seen with the current brouhaha over the Arizona GOP's attempt to pass a law giving religious believers the right to discriminate against gays and lesbians. As I write this, Gov. Jan Brewer (R) has yet to announce whether she'll veto the legislation, which even some of the Republicans who voted for it have asked her to do now that they've seen the sheer size of the shit show they've unleashed on their state and its businesses.

It can be easy from the comfort of an enclave to say that there should be some level of exception for the religious, which actually only means "Christians" because the moment a Muslim brings religion into a business the far right starts screaming "Sharia!" because they are supremely lacking in irony. But while some have tried to claim that the Arizona legislation (and the earlier, failed Kansas attempt to do the same) is only about protecting "Christians" from having to participate in rites they consider sinful, this is actually the latest in a series of attempts to carve out a separate enclaves for certain religions.

Don't forget that these are the same people who have tried to exempt pharmacists from dispensing medications they consider immoral, such as "morning after" medication to prevent pregnancy. As with the current Arizona proposal, supporters claim it's about one thing but write it so broadly that it can easily become about many. Rather than just marriage, Arizona's Legislature proposed a law that would give any business, from a hairdresser to a theater to a restaurant, the right to refuse service to gays for some vaguely defined religious dissent.

In essence, they want to secede from secular society and the rule of law.

While the Arizona legislation is doomed by either a veto or a court ruling, it's worth remembering that not everyone has the luxury of choice in the business of their lives. I grew up in homogenous, rural America where the response to discrimination isn't as simple as finding the next florist or baker or reception hall. None of us want to work with businesses and professionals who regard us with disdain and hostility, but some of us have few options.

The blowback on Arizona should be a heartening sign for a changing America. But it also should serve as a reminder that the people who support it are determined to reserve the right to treat other Americans as less than. We have a lot of work left to make sure we are all considered equal in the world.

Sean Bugg is editor emeritus of Metro Weekly. He can be reached at seanbugg@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @seanbugg.

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax counties) earned the endorsement of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund Tuesday in his bid to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.).

Ebbin, who became the first openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly in 2004, announced his candidacy last month, citing his progressive stances on various political issues, his steadfast support for equal rights, and his record of working with lawmakers of the opposite party to get things accomplished.

''Adam Ebbin has distinguished himself as an outspoken voice of progressive values,'' Torey Carter, the chief operating officer at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, said in a statement. ''After ten years in the state legislature, he has remained committed to his goal of increasing equality and opportunity for those that are often left behind.''

The Victory Fund's endorsement of Ebbin is particularly noteworthy as Ebbin is one of three gay candidates – in a field of 11 – running for the Moran vacancy. Ebbin's former House colleague, Mark Sickles, who is also running for the seat, recently came out in a column published in The Washington Post. The third gay candidate is talk-radio host and pundit Mark Levine, who announced his candidacy last week.

Steven Thai, Victory Fund press secretary, says candidates must first seek the Victory Fund's endorsement, as well as demonstrate an ability to fundraise and political viability, among other requirements. While Thai notes that Sickles's coming out and Levine's announcement came in the middle of the organization's endorsement process, he nonetheless reiterated that the Victory Fund stands by its endorsement of Ebbin, whom he called an ''outspoken progressive voice'' for Virginians.

The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill today that prohibits schools from preventing the expression of religious viewpoints – in speech, clothing, or accessories and through student prayer groups or religious clubs.

The bill, SB236, passed the House 64-34 on a mostly party-line vote. The measure passed the Senate by a 20-18 vote in January, but that was prior to the election of two Democratic senators, Jennifer Wexton (D-Loudoun, Fairfax counties) and Lynwood Lewis (D-Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Mathews, Accomack and Northampton counties), whose elections tipped control of the Virginia Senate to Democrats. In the Senate, one Democrat, Sen. Phil Puckett (D-Radford, Norton, Pulaski, Tazewell, Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Smyth, Wise, Montgomery counties) voted in favor of the bill, and one Republican, Sen. John Watkins (R-City of Richmond, Powhatan, Chesterfield counties) voted against it.

SB236 seeks to codify rights that students already enjoy under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, such as the ability to engage in prayer or religious observation on school grounds if they so choose. The bill also allows students to organize religious clubs or gatherings and requires that schools afford those religious organizations the same resources and facilities granted to other clubs or activities. School divisions are permitted under the bill to disclaim school sponsorship of particular student organizations, so long as they do so in a manner that ''neither favors nor disfavors groups that meet to engage in prayer or religious speech.''

SB236 allows students to express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork or other assignments, which must all be judged by ''ordinary academic standards'' without regard to the content of such speech. Students may wear clothing, accessories or jewelry displaying religious messages or symbols, and each school system is required to adopt a policy that allows students to express religious views during ''limited public forums,'' such as during graduation ceremonies, and would prevent schools or teachers from attempting to regulate any form of religious expression, so long as it is not deemed disruptive to the school environment nor ''obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd or indecent.''

But LGBT and allied groups, including the commonwealth's major LGBT-rights organization, Equality Virginia, are concerned that the broad nature of the bill's language, and the restrictions on schools and educators, may give students free license to attack or bully their LGBT peers by citing religious freedom.

''Equality Virginia is disappointed in the passage of SB236 through the Senate and now the House of Delegates,'' James Parrish, Equality Virginia's executive director, said in a statement following the House vote. ''This bill could have the consequence of allowing students to discriminate against their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peers under the guise of religious freedom. As Virginia moves toward becoming more inclusive and welcoming for all individuals and families regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, this legislation stands out as a step in the wrong direction. We hope that Governor McAuliffe will stand by his word to veto this bill.''

McAuliffe's office previously said he would veto the bill, citing constitutional issues and possible unintended consequences of the legislation.

"It's a great place for people who are interested in starting to build a collection," Lisa Gold says of Select 2014. "Or people who are just interested in seeing what's happening in the region."

At least 75 percent of the works on display at this Washington Project for the Arts event, held this year at Artisphere, comes from artists in the D.C. region, more than 100 strong. Nine curators, also mostly local, were tapped to select the works for the show, a fundraiser for WPA.

Blue Nude Pt. 2

(Photo by Victoria F. Gaitan)

"It's all contemporary work and it's in a variety of media," Gold, WPA's executive director, says -- including video, sculpture, photographs and paintings.

"We have work in a variety of price ranges too," she adds, noting that proceeds from the art auction will be shared by her organization and the artists equally. "I came from New York where a lot of organizations would just solicit donations from the artists, and then they would keep all the sale proceeds. But since we are an artist service organization, we don't feel like that's the right thing to do. So we help the artists by sharing 50/50."

Started 40 years ago, WPA represents about 800 local artists, helping them with professional development opportunities and showcasing them through a variety of events. WPA organizes some of these from its home base at Southwest's Capitol Skyline Hotel, including an event every summer in the hotel pool called "Sink or Swim," which Gold describes as "a synchronized swimming performance art competition." From now until March 28 in the hotel's lobby WPA offers a video/performance series by New York-based Jacolby Satterwhite.

But Artisphere is this year's home for Select 2014, which opens with a reception Thursday, Feb. 27. The works are on view for three weeks, culminating in an Art Auction Gala Saturday, March 22, where people can purchase the works -- as well as eat dinner, and even take a swing at some artist-designed piñatas.

Select 2014 opens with a free reception Thursday, Feb. 27, from 7 to 10 p.m., and runs to March 21, with the Art Auction Gala Saturday, March 22, from 7 to 11 p.m. 'Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Tickets to the gala are $35. Call 703-875-1100 or visit artisphere.com.

''Sometimes people get this idea in their head,'' blogger and journalist Kenneth Walsh says. ''Oh, if I get a nose job, my life will be so much better.''

Almost immediately, naysayers chime in: ''Don't put so much focus on this one thing that you think you want.''

Kenneth Walsh

(Photo by David J. Martin)

Walsh's advice? Ignore them. ''It's everything I dreamed it would be, and everything I wanted to have happen in my career,'' he says about his life now, at age 46.

No, Walsh didn't get a nose job. His life-enhancing target was moving to New York. ''From the time I was 6 years old that's what I wanted to do,'' he explains. But Walsh, who grew up in suburban Detroit, and then Phoenix as a teenager, curbed his Big Apple cravings once he graduated from Arizona State University. After a stint in Los Angeles, Walsh moved to D.C., where his mother had grown up and his parents had married. He might have stayed longer than five years, but after a ''bad breakup'' he needed to flee D.C. Already geographically closer than ever to his dream deferred, why not finally go for it?

Sixteen years later, Walsh chronicles his adventures in Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?, which Magnus Books will publish next week. The title comes from a song by the new-wave band The Waitresses, and the subtitle -- A Memoir -- is a bit misleading. ''I consider it a book of essays,'' Walsh says, ''because it's not really chronologically put together like a traditional memoir.'' Two of the essays previously appeared as shorter pieces in Instinct magazine, and a few others were expanded from posts to Walsh's personal blog, Kenneth in the (212).

''There were some rough years of bad dates and [unfortunate] online hookups,'' Walsh concedes, though he's been with his partner Michael for 12 years. And after seven years, he got laid off in 2010 from his ''dream job'' at The New York Times. Now an editor for the Wall Street Journal's website WSJ.com, Walsh also hopes to write a second book at some point, another work of personal nonfiction. ''I just find truth is so much more interesting than anything anyone could dream up.'' You could say he's living proof.

Kenneth Walsh appears Sunday, March, at 3 p.m., at Number Nine, 1435 P St. NW. Call 202-986-0999 or visit NumberNineDC.com or kennethinthe212.com.

''It's not your regular old Oscar party,'' Michael Fowler says of Glamour, Glitter & Gold. ''It's The DC Center's Oscar party – but on hyper-drive.''

The ''hyper'' speed, it turns out, comes courtesy of local drag act Team Peaches. ''It's going to be the first year that we actually have a live performance,'' says Fowler, new chair of the board of directors for The DC Center, Washington's LGBT community center. ''The Team Peaches performance during the show is going to be out of this world.''

Team Peaches

Fowler is working with Ian Smith on this year's Glamour, Glitter & Gold, the Oscar-watch party taking place Sunday, March 2, at Town Danceboutique. Besides Team Peaches, Metro Weekly Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman and local standup comedian Paul Tupper host the segment between the live broadcast of the 86th Annual Academy Awards. Glamour, Glitter & Gold sponsors have also contributed prizes to be awarded throughout the night in a silent auction and a raffle, including tickets to Rufus Wainwright at The Lincoln Theatre and to Sideshow, this summer at the Kennedy Center.

''This has always been one of our marquee events to raise funds for The DC Center,'' Fowler says. The money will cover general programming funds at the center, as well as provide a cushion for future growth. ''We have had very robust usage of the current space,'' Fowler says of The DC Center's new offices in the Reeves Center at 14th and U Streets NW. The DC Center settled into the space last fall, but already ''we are getting to the point where we are finding ourselves without space sometimes.''

A move to a new location is from two-to-five years away, Fowler says, adding: ''We want to make sure we have strong reserves so that we can sustain the center into the future.''

Glamour Glitter & Gold is Sunday, March 2, starting at 7 p.m. at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th NW. Tickets are $15 general admission, or $45 for VIP, which includes special seating, hors d'oeuvres and a swag bag. Call 202-234-TOWN or visit towndc.com or thedccenter.org.

A few years ago filmmaker Eytan Fox was flipping TV channels in his Berlin hotel room when he stumbled on the Eurovision Song Contest. "Suddenly, I realized that I didn't even know who was representing Israel that year," he says.

A lot had changed in the four decades since organizers of the annual music competition had first invited the small Middle Eastern democracy to join its pop parade. Back then, in 1973, as a kid growing up in Jerusalem, Fox's parents "had invited all of our neighbors over to our apartment to watch the contest." Six years later, as a 14-year-old reporter on an Israeli TV show run by kids, Fox was sent to cover that year's Eurovision contest. "I was very proud of myself that I was part of this supposedly very glamorous world of Eurovision," he says.

Eytan Fox (left) with Ofer Schechter

In the decades since, Fox had mostly forgotten all about Eurovision, with notable exceptions, such as in 1998 when transgender singer Dana International won representing Israel. Also in that time Fox, who is gay, has become one of Israel's most popular filmmakers, responsible for several hit series on Israeli TV. His feature films constantly travel the international festival circuit, particularly hitting LGBT and Jewish film festivals. In 2006 the Washington Jewish Film Festival (WJFF) presented Fox with an award for his contributions to the field of Jewish cinema.

Fox's films, which include 2002's Yossi & Jagger, 2004's Walk on Water and 2006's The Bubble, chiefly focus on contemporary Israeli life, always present gay and straight characters as close friends, colleagues or neighbors -- often all three. Most notably, these gay-inclusive films are always made with funds from the Israeli government. "The country has been supporting my films since the mid-'90s," says the 49-year-old. "Films that always have gay characters, gay themes, gay love stories, gay sex scenes."

Fox's latest, the sweet and uplifting Cupcakes, which closes the WJFF Saturday, March 9, was inspired by Eurovision. The focus is on a group of Israelis -- three straight women, one lesbian and one gay man -- who compete at a Eurovision-style competition. The group's leading competitor is a Russian husband-and-wife duo, as fake and manufactured -- among other things the husband is a closet case -- as this ragtag Israeli group is authentic, even innocent.

The Israeli group competes by performing a song originally written by Scott Hoffman, otherwise known as Babydaddy from the Scissor Sisters. "Scott is a friend of mine and my family," Fox explains. "At some point I said to him, 'Do you have a Eurovision-like song that you maybe wrote once and never published or anything?' And he said, 'You know what? A few years ago we sat together, we had some drinks, we were kind of tipsy, and we decided to write an ABBA-style song.'"

For Cupcakes, Fox made this song, originally called "Right Back," "sweeter, more sentimental, more kitsch." And "Song for Anat" is sung in Hebrew, a nod to what Fox said the competition used to be.

"It used to be, you came from Spain, you sang in Spanish. You came from Germany, you sang in German," he explains about Eurovision. "And now, everyone sings this funny, bad English. Bad accents and bad lyrics. So it's become more and more of a joke."

METRO WEEKLY: How would you describe Cupcakes?

EYTAN FOX: Well, it is, more than anything, your classic, feel-good movie. It's a film about friendship. How a group with a sense of community can do a lot for each other. And it's about the journey that a group of neighbors take together. It's a very sweet, but complicated, story.

I have films of mine that I consider more serious, more relationship stories. That are usually more politically oriented, have to do a lot with Israel's situation in the Middle East, and its relationship with its neighbors. And masculinity in Israel. Gay identity in Israel.

And then I have the lighter side of my filmmaking. Audiences at the WJFF saw Mary Lou four years ago -- my television miniseries, which was called in Washington an Israeli Glee. So I have the sides in me that are more fun and games, music, dancing, happy, colorful gay and straight characters. Cupcakes definitely falls under that section of my filmmaking. It's somewhat of a musical. I grew up to parents who came from the states and moved to Israel when I was a kid. And my mom loved American musicals, so a lot of my influences come from there. Classic MGM musicals from the '50s. And a lot of other influences, like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a group of French musicals by a director called Jacques Demy.

MW: Cupcakes focuses on a Eurovision-style contest. Explain the significance of that annual competition to you.

FOX: The Eurovision Song Contest has been something very significant in a strange way in my life. It used to be an amazing song competition or contest, where wonderful songs and singers from all over Europe would come together and perform. When I was a kid there was ABBA and Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John and Celine Dion -- all these wonderful artists who started their careers in this competition, with beautiful pop songs. I grew up in a very nationalistic country, where any competition outside of Israel where Israel took part, everyone was so into it. It didn't matter if it was the Olympics or Eurovision or the Nobel Prize. As long as Israel was competing, everyone was really into it. I remember the first year of Eurovision where Israel participated. And it was all of us together. All the neighbors came together and watched the competition and really cared about Israel and the Eurovision Song Contest.

MW: I remember the transgender singer Dana International winning Eurovision for Israel in 1998.

FOX: That was an amazing experience. Israel, again, it's a very nationalistic place, so in the beginning when we chose Dana International to represent us in the Eurovision Song Contest, so many people were criticizing that: "How can you send a transsexual to represent our holy land of Israel?" That was what they were saying. And they were demonstrating in the streets against her going to Eurovision. Then she won! That was such a big thing. After she won and came back to Israel, she went to the Parliament, to the Knesset. And all these members of Parliament who were against her shook her hand. Because who cares? She won. It doesn't matter if she's transsexual, or this or that -- she won for Israel. That was a big thing. A lot of people in Tel Aviv were sitting watching this competition, being very proud of the fact that Israel sent a transsexual to this competition, which was very unusual at the time. And she was so good, and she won. And all of us went down to the square in the center of the city -- with rainbow flags. And we danced and sang. And it was an amazing experience. And the funny thing was, the same night, the most macho, even homophobic, soccer team in Israel won the championship of Israel. The same night! And they went to the same square. Guys with their soccer team flags. And we're all dancing together for the first time in our lives. It was really a wonderful, kind of communal experience.

MW: In preparing for this interview, I noticed that Dana International went back and competed again for Eurovision in 2011.

FOX: Yeah, for some strange reason. This competition is really changing in ways that I don't know how to explain. But for some reason she didn't do that well. MW: Has she had a successful career otherwise?

FOX: After Eurovision, Sony/BMG signed her up and tried to create a career for her in Europe and internationally. It didn't really work. Her people didn't know what to do with this sudden success. She does tour Europe, in gay nightclubs and that whole dance scene. She still has a career here in Israel. She's had a few hits since "Diva," her big Eurovision hit. She had a talk show, and now she has this game show where she's looking for the next girl band in Israel, like an Israeli Idol/X Factor show.

MW: Has she ever played a part in your movies? Or have you thought of including her?

FOX: The song "Diva" does appear as a musical number in Mary Lou, and all of ["Diva" songwriter] Svika Pick's songs. But working with her specifically? You know, she's a friend. I love her. I don't know. You never know. We paid homage to her in Mary Lou. I think even in Walk on Water, the characters refer to her and to her success. So I don't know, we'll see. Maybe.

Eytan Fox

(Photo by Ziv Sade)

MW: One thing I find notable about your films is that music is always a factor. Sometimes it's a small part, but always a significant part.

FOX: Yeah, it always is significant. Music is important and significant in everyone's life -- almost everyone that I know. And I use it in order to describe or characterize a character. Sometimes different musical tastes define different people, different worlds, different psyches. In Walk on Water, I really have two characters -- one very macho, straight, Mossad [Israeli security force]; the other is a gay, young German. And they really have a fight about their musical tastes. They have a constant argument about their different musical tastes.

MW: Do you have a musical background?

FOX: I studied piano when I was a kid, but I was never really a musician. I was actually a dancer. I thought I'd be a dancer when I was young. But then I had to join the Israeli Army at 18 for four years, and realized I won't be a dancer. And chose to be a film director, which is probably for the best.

MW: You were born in New York, grew up in Jerusalem, then moved to Tel Aviv for college, came out and never looked back? You're still living there to this day?

FOX: Tel Aviv is the city that all the young people -- and all the modern, secular, normal people -- flee to. It's our big, modern, vibrant city. It's a wonderful city.

But you know what? Israel has changed in amazing ways, really. I mean, growing up in Jerusalem, the word "gay" did not exist. We didn't even have the word. It was a very unknown concept, homosexuality. But today, the world has become such a small place. People who live in Jerusalem, young people, they saw my films and television work. They know that gays exist. They're exposed to cable television and satellite and Internet. And they watch all the television shows that come from all over the world that have gay characters. And they're exposed to gay websites from all over the world. So, it's not as much fun as it is in Tel Aviv, I think, but there are gay people in Jerusalem.

MW: That's one thing you capture in Yossi & Jagger, from 2002, and the sequel Yossi from two years ago: the remarkable change in only one decade in attitudes toward the LGBT community in Israel.

FOX: Israel has changed in amazing ways. And I'm really proud to say that I think that I've been part of that change. My films and television work -- I've worked very hard at making these changes happen. And Tel Aviv has become really a mecca, a paradise, for gay men and women from all over the world. It's really amazing. It's so gay-friendly. It's full of options for gay people. There are hundreds of gay couples with their kids roaming down the streets of Tel Aviv. And there are parties and nightlife, and so many things.

MW: How long have you and your partner Gal Uchovsky been together? And are you one of those couples with kids roaming the streets of Tel Aviv?

FOX: No. We don't have kids. We met 26 years ago, when I was a young film student. I was directing the Israeli Academy Awards ceremony, something like that. I had just finished film school and they kind of took me to direct this big ceremony, and Gal was a journalist at the time, writing about that ceremony. That's how we met. '

MW: What's the secret to your relationship? It's not only personal but also professional, since you often co-write your films together.

FOX: First of all, we don't really make films together anymore. We realized that's too much. To live together, maintain this relationship and family, and work together.... We try not to work together as much anymore. What is the secret? You know, the answers always sound like clichés. Friendship is the most important thing.

MW: When did you come out?

FOX: When I was about 24. I finished my army service, I moved to Tel Aviv, I started studying film. And then I met Gal. I think after I had Gal in my life, I was brave enough and strong enough to go to my parents and say, "I'm gay, and this is my life, this is my partner."

MW: I understand your parents passed away in recent years. Did they ever come around to accepting you and Gal? Are you close to your remaining family?

FOX: Yeah. My mother became very close to Gal immediately. And my father went through a very interesting process, starting with my coming out. He started going to therapy, which he never did before, and really became a much better person. And he became friends with Gal. It was a very nice journey that he took, and I was there to see it happen. I think the last thing he said to me before he died was something very nice about my relationship with Gal. He said something about how he realizes that Gal is so wonderful for me.

Both my brothers have gone back to the states. So it's only me and then all my alternative family, my close friends, and Gal's family is here. He has a relatively big family in Israel.

MW: You were closeted when you were in the army.

FOX: Of course. This was 1982, the world was a different place. Israel was certainly a different place. It was war, so no one could know.

MW: I know it's mandatory for every young Israeli to enlist, but, for example, the openly gay character Tom in Yossi talks about the possibility of leaving the army before completing his term, in order to stay with his lover Yossi. How common is that?

FOX: That's still a very radical, radical statement that he gives there: That he will leave the army. It's kind of extreme. But Israel has changed, and there's not only one option for young people. The Israel I grew up in had only one option for every man who grew up in it: You had to be straight, you had to be a soldier, you had to be a certain kind of man, who does certain kinds of things. And options have opened and changed.'

MW: How much do you identify with the character of Yossi?

FOX: Yossi is probably the character I most identify with from all my characters. I find Yossi my most personal film, and I feel closest to it. It deals with all kinds of issues that I guess I'm dealing with -- like getting older, and asking questions about who you are and what you've accomplished. And your past and your traumas. And what you've managed to deal with, and what you haven't dealt with, and should be dealing with. All kinds of questions like that.

MW: It's a really touching film. And it takes a turn I didn't see coming. Because it starts so stark, and kind of lonely, and then it ends on a hopeful note. And sweet.

FOX: I was accused a few times in the past of being not as hopeful as people wanted me to be. So I guess I'm becoming more hopeful as years go by.

MW: Did you know you were going to do a sequel to Yossi & Jagger years ago? Why did it take so long?

FOX: Not at all. Why did it take a decade? I don't really know. It takes time to go back and reflect on things that happen. You don't do that after a year or two. You can, but you don't really have the perspective and the time.

Eytan Fox with Cupcakes cast

MW: Have you ever made an American film, ever thought of "going Hollywood"?

FOX: All my films were and are Israeli. Walk on Water had a lot of English in it. But no, most of the films are in Hebrew -- small Israeli films.

I've had my relationship with Hollywood throughout the years. Somehow I never felt at home enough there. And it's very important to me, when I make films, to really feel part of a family that works together and makes films together.

But my next film is going to be a very big film that I'm doing with a producer who works and lives now out of L.A. So it will be a bigger kind of film that might involve Hollywood, in some way, manner or form. But I like doing my thing. I like doing my small, independent, Israeli films, where I can do whatever I want to do. And where I work with people I love. And with budgets that allow me to do whatever I want to do.

MW: What is the focus of that film?

FOX: It's a biopic about a wonderful, beautiful Israeli singer in the '70s, called Mike Brant. Grew up in Israel. Was actually a son of Holocaust survivors. A very poor family. Disturbed parents. Brant never wanted to be a singer, never made it in Israel. Left Israel, became a giant, giant superstar in France. And then at some point became very depressed, and killed himself at the age of 27. But it's full of music that I love. And it has a lot of Israeli history, Jewish history. Sex, drugs and rock and roll -- or more pop music than rock and roll. It has France in the '70s, and that whole music scene of France in the '70s. It's a wonderful story, I'm really happy about it. We're going to shoot it towards the end of 2014.

MW: Earlier you were talking about Tel Aviv being a mecca for young people and gay people in particular. Is there anti-gay violence there of late?

FOX: There always is to some extent. But I have to tell you that I think Tel Aviv is such a nice, gay-friendly city and environment. We had this terrible story a few years back where a shooter went into a gay youth community center and shot a kid. And two kids were killed, and a lot of them were injured and crippled. Just a year ago the police found the guilty person. And it's a big ordeal. So that was very bad, but after that, the whole country got together to fight homophobia, and anti-gay violence. So it's really part of our awareness here in Israel.

MW: It often takes something tragic to bring people together or open their eyes.

FOX: Yeah, sadly enough. But also you could say that the fact that the country has been supporting my films since the mid-'90s, constantly supporting my films. These films are made only with film funds. You can't really make these films without the support of Israeli film funds. And these are government funds: money the country is putting into films, that always have gay characters, gay themes, gay love stories, gay sex scenes. I remember traveling the world, especially gay and lesbian film festivals and Jewish film festivals, with the television series I made in the '90s called Florentine. And this was before Queer as Folk, before that whole Showtime television series, before you had all these gay characters and representations in American cinema and television, or on European television. And people were shocked! "How is it, the holy land of Israel allows you to show these things -- gay love story and scenes -- on primetime Israeli network television?"

MW: What's the answer to that? Why did Israel support that so early?

FOX: It's interesting. Israel is very full of contradictions. A very strange place. A lot of humanity and love and acceptance and inclusion. And then again a lot of fear, a lot of hatred, a lot of survival issues. Traumas. Inability to really see today, our situation, and to be able to reach peace with our neighbors. And to understand that there are certain things that we have to do in order to solve the occupation problem, and the war problems, and so on and so on. So it's really such a mix.

How do you explain the fact that Israel has become one of the most gay friendly, and accepting of gay people, cultures in the world? But then again it's so problematic and difficult as far as accepting the Arab other or Palestinian other? There are really very different views -- religious on the one hand and very anti-religious/secular/progressive on the other hand. It's a very interesting, crazy mix.

MW: Sort-of on that topic, 2006's The Bubble is about the so-called "bubble" that is Tel Aviv. Residents live in peace while surrounded by the broader Middle East region that is perpetually in a state of conflict. One of the film's storylines involves a young gay Israeli who falls in love with a Palestinian. Was that inspired by a real-life experience? Was it your own?

FOX: Partly. I never really had a serious love story with a Palestinian. I grew up in Jerusalem, and therefore the whole story of living between Israel and Palestine -- the Jewish parts of Jerusalem and the Arab/Palestinian parts of Jerusalem -- are really part of my biography. But having a love story with a Palestinian is just my fantasy I guess. [Laughs.] I know a lot of people who have had these kind of relationships, these very difficult, sometimes even tragic relationships. And I was trying to say something about our situation through this tragic love story.

MW: Are there many gay Palestinians around you today? Is Tel Aviv a mecca for them too?

FOX: I don't know if there are many. But I think a lot of young, gay Palestinians escape Palestine and come try to live in Tel Aviv. A lot of them do encounter all the difficulties that the main character, the Palestinian character in The Bubble, does. And a lot of them decide to leave Israel, and leave the region, because they can't live in Palestine openly gay, and they can't live in Israel because they're not accepted here as Palestinians. So a lot of them do leave the whole Middle East and go live in Europe and try to rebuild their lives someplace that is more normal for them.

MW: Do you have hope for a more peaceful Israel and Middle East?

FOX: Different things have to happen, but it's clear that eventually we'll have to have two states here, Palestine and Israel. And we'll have to find ways to live together peacefully. We'll have to give up a lot of things that people are very afraid about. We have to overcome fear, that's the most important thing, and go for the right thing -- which is concessions and understanding that we can't continue this way. The world is becoming so anti-Israeli policies and occupation. And rightly so.

MW: What sense of obligation do you feel in commenting on politics and current events in your work?

FOX: I always try to. I'm working on this television series now. Again, there are relationships between Israelis and Palestinians, and trying to solve problems between them on a more human level of relationships.

MW: What is the television series?

FOX: It's a new television series that I'm shooting as we speak. What would the American idiom be? "Good Family." You say in Hebrew, "It's okay, he comes from a good family." And it's about parents, a family in Jerusalem, whose kids all escape Jerusalem -- we were talking about this before -- and move to Tel Aviv. And the parents are starting to get divorced, and the whole family kind of reacts to that. And there's a nice gay character who is part of this wonderful dance company in Tel Aviv, so we'll have a lot of dance.

MW: So there are a lot of reflections of you in there?

FOX: Yeah. That's part of staying in Israel, making films in Israel. Because, really, I make films about myself. I am a one-trick pony. [Laughs.] I make films about myself and things that I really know, and know about and care about. Me, my friends, my family, my loved ones. '

MW: But you don't always write your screenplays. Are you co-writing that TV series?

FOX: Yeah. I wrote the stories and the characters for all my films. But for different reasons I didn't take the credit for the screenplays. Lately I have decided to do that, kind of put my name on the screenplays as well. Because I always did come up with the story and the characters and what I was trying to say there. And then always brought in a collaborator who wrote the screenplay with me or for me.

MW: So you were a closeted writer before?

FOX: Yeah, exactly. I'm working very hard at coming out of my writer's closet.

Eytan Fox's Cupcakes closes the WJFF on Saturday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m., at the Washington, D.C., Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $12. The festival runs from Thursday, Feb. 27, through March 9, and a full festival pass is $85. Call 888-718-4253 or visit wjff.org.

Eytan Fox, the gay New York-born Israeli film director, has a relatively short filmography. Directing his first official piece in 1994, he has gone on to helm just 11 projects in his 49 years. Fortunately for Fox, however, of the few pieces he has helped craft, several have become staples of foreign-language gay cinema. Fox doesn't shy from acknowledging and celebrating his Israeli roots, and the challenges and adversities that presents. His films tackle a variety of issues: homophobia, racism, Arab-Israeli tensions, lost love, self-discovery. One even handles Jewish attitudes toward Germany in the aftermath of World War II. Fox doesn't shy from presenting the bleak aspects of life, but he also celebrates its beauty. It also doesn't hurt that he has a penchant for musical numbers, regardless of the film's tone. We revisited four of Fox's most famous films, as well as his latest, Cupcakes, to get a firm grasp on the director's canon.

Yossi and Jagger

Yossi and Jagger

2002

It's important to remember that Israel has allowed openly gay servicemembers in its armed forces since 1993. It's also important to remember that being out is still an incredibly hard thing to do. That's the basis for Yossi and Jagger, a short, emotional drama that finds its setting in a group of soldiers on the Israel-Lebanon border. The film follows troop commander Yossi, and his relationship with his second-in-command officer Lior, nicknamed Jagger for his handsome looks and lip-syncing to Mick Jagger. They keep their love a secret from the other soldiers, using regular patrols to exercise their need for one another -- having sex, talking, enjoying the privacy, as they roll around in the snow together. At just 67 minutes and shot on a shoestring budget, it won't blow you away with production values. What it will do is reduce you to an emotional mess.

Jagger wants to be open about their love, to plan for the future. Yossi, deftly portrayed by Ohad Knoller, is closeted, apprehensive, scared. An impromptu visit from an army colonel, announcing a nighttime ambush, moves the story along, bringing with it a base full of soldiers who are exhausted and weary, unwilling to risk their lives for what they deem to be a pointless excursion. Fox maneuvers through the base, and later the raid scenario, like a fly-on-the-wall. We eavesdrop on numerous conversations, catch glimpses of different personalities, and in such a short space of time the entire cast manages to create an authentic, believable atmosphere. It's what makes the film's ending all the more devastating. We have come to care for these soldiers, in particular Yossi and Jagger, championing their love, their friendships, their bonds. Yossi's emotional outburst, when he finally stops caring what the other soldiers think, is incredible. It may only be an hour, but Yossi and Jagger explores a deeper, and rawer, love story than most films twice its length.

Walk on Water

2004

Fox's film about a Mossad agent hired to be a guide for a German tourist may not sound like much, but you'd be wrong. Eyal is a trained killer, adept at removing terrorist threats without causing a scene. When he returns home from a mission to discover his wife has committed suicide, it sets into motion a narrative that deals with so many issues it's almost too much for Fox to handle -- yet it all somehow works, and works well. Tasked with monitoring Axel and Pia, German grandchildren of a Nazi war criminal long considered dead but discovered alive in South America, Eyal poses as a tour guide to shadow them in an attempt to discover if they know of their grandfather's whereabouts.

Lior Ashkenazi handles the various complexities of Eyal's personality well -- his homophobia when he discovers that Axel is gay; the flirtatious nature of his time spent with Pia (Caroline Peters), Axel's sister; a torrent of barely concealed anger when Axel sleeps with a Palestinian man. It's in the relationship between Eyal and Axel that Walk on Water truly succeeds -- a scene at the Dead Sea strips away the emotional layers holding Eyal back and he opens up to Axel as if he were a true friend. It's beautifully handled by Fox, Ashkenazi, and Knut Berger as Axel. By the film's end, both men are changed. Their effect on each other is obvious, producing a work notable for its focus on homosexuality being part of a much larger fabric of events and social issues. Dealing with homophobia, transphobia, the Israel-Palestine conflict, anti-German sentiment, the emotional cost of killing for a career, lost love and new love, Walk on Water threatens to drown itself under its own ambitions, but the core story, the friendship between its two leading men, keeps it afloat and makes it something of a marvel.

The Bubble

2006

It's easy to see why Fox wanted to call The Bubble "Romeo and Julio." This story of love between two people who live on either side of a conflict is very similar to Shakespeare's tragedy. Once again tackling the Israel-Palestine conflict, Fox presents a tale of Noam (Ohad Knoller), a Jewish man living in Tel Aviv, who falls in love with Ashraf (Yousef Sweid), a Palestinian man. The title of the film references the city of Tel Aviv, a relatively peaceful part of Israel where residents are said to live in a bubble, separated from the conflict and trouble on Israel's borders. Noam spots Ashraf while working at a military checkpoint, but has to return to Tel Aviv as his military service has concluded. Ashraf follows Noam to return a passport that Noam dropped at the checkpoint. The two meet and, naturally, fall in love. Determined to keep Ashraf in Tel Aviv where he can live openly as a gay man, Noam conspires to have him work in a restaurant under the Jewish name Shimi.

It's from this point that the film descends into somewhat soap-worthy fare, with Noam's roommates Yali, who's also gay, and Lulu intertwining with the story. Lulu's boyfriend discovers that Ashraf is not Jewish and he flees to Palestine. The Bubble is intent on contrasting the very different lives of the two men -- the majority of it deals with Noam trying to get Ashraf back, and Ashraf's very conservative family conspiring to keep him closeted. There's a forced marriage to Ashraf's cousin, a Jihad bombing in Tel Aviv that directly impacts a character, an Israeli response in Palestine which affects Ashraf's family, and the whole film culminates, through emotional scene after emotional scene, in Ashraf taking his brother-in-law's place as a suicide bomber. The ending of the film is arguably its most powerful moment, and I won't spoil it, but it's a slog to get there. Fox seems intent on prodding every issue -- Jihadists, bombs, military attacks, the contrasting of life in Palestine with life in Israel, not just for gay men but for everyone. The soapy, schlocky nature of certain portions of the film drag down what is otherwise a very touching, heartfelt relationship between two people who society and culture won't let be together.

Yossi

Yossi

2012

Fox's fifth feature, a sequel to Yossi and Jagger that takes place a decade after that film's events, is also his best. It strips away a lot of the social-issues baggage Fox puts into other works and presents a very raw, powerful tale of one man trying to rediscover himself. Ohad Knoller reprises his role as Yossi, and delivers a standout performance. As a closeted cardiologist, the film opens on a depressingly lonely person. Yossi lives his life through his job, taking night shifts and working himself to the ragged edge. His eyes are constantly surrounded by bags, there's a permanent 10-day beard and he never looks like he's had more than a couple hours asleep. A female co-worker pines for him, a male co-worker is desperate to take him to a bar and get him laid -- to a woman, of course. Yossi's scenes at home are in a dimly lit apartment, eating takeout and masturbating to scenes of youthful gay men having sex on sandy beaches. That Knoller has gained weight between the two films adds literal and metaphorical depth to his character. He doesn't care about himself. He's depressed, alone, and is still trying to reconcile a love lost 10 years ago.

What follows, after a series of events that lead him to head out into the desert on an impromptu vacation, is a character study in a man trying to find meaning in his life. Knoller's ability to convey a complex range of emotions adds greatly to Yossi's character. He can move between bemusement, joy and isolated depression in just a few subtle facial expressions. After meeting a group of soldiers on his way to Eliat, one of whom is gay, Yossi's transformation slowly occurs. We see him struggle with his confidence, his sexuality, his body issues. His lust for the handsome soldier is constantly tempered by his own self-loathing and feelings of inadequacy. A later scene, where he finally comes to terms with his own looks, and that someone could find him attractive, is devastating and uplifting at the same time. A somewhat trite ending can't spoil a film that takes great joy in its raw approach to romance and self-discovery. It's a big-budget film without any of the entrapments that brings.

The Cupcakes

Cupcakes

2013

Forgive the pun, but Cupcakes, Fox's latest feature film, is incredibly sweet. Entirely inconsequential, but nonetheless very endearing. It follows a group of normal people, who all share an apartment block, as they find themselves representing Israel at the "Universong" contest -- a global singing competition that takes liberal inspiration from Eurovision. It offers clichés and tropes aplenty, but its saccharine nature won't have you reaching for your dentist's phone number. It's well-acted, colorful, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Watch it with a glass of wine and low expectations, and you'll likely come away happy, unless you're a complete miser.

It does have some emotional depth. Ofer has a closeted boyfriend whose family sponsors the Universong competition; Anat's husband leaves her because she doesn't pay enough attention to him; Keren is an awkward blogger who writes about things she would never actually do in the real world; Efrat is a lesbian songwriter who wrote the song that is taking them to Universong but who can't get anyone to watch her perform live; Dana is smothered by her conservative father; and Yael is trapped in a job and life that constantly references her former modeling career. Each one of these stories helps carry the film through its short length, and all are resolved with happy endings as the credits roll. Cupcakes is a film you watch when you just want to sit back, smile and not really think about things. Its main cast is a very likeable, watchable group. It's not Fox's deepest work -- and it's certainly not his best -- but it's a fun little ditty that adds a burst of welcome joy to a canon otherwise marked by mature, emotionally resonant offerings.

Feb. 5 would have been Trayvon Martin's 19th birthday. Jordan Davis would have turned 19 on Feb. 16. There are too many other cases like theirs, and they are not restricted to Florida. To be young and black in America is to be the target of an astonishing degree of savage, unearned hostility.

Unlike George Zimmerman, who was acquitted after killing Martin, Michael Dunn at least was convicted for shooting up an SUV full of black teens. But saying he saw Davis with a gun was apparently enough to dodge the murder one count, though Davis had no gun. Does anyone think jurors would have bought the story had the races been reversed?

Another example of "fear goggles," as Jessica Williams of The Daily Show dubs the racial lens of "chronically terrified white people," was the reaction when Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks offered up some adrenaline-fueled trash talk to Fox's Erin Andrews after the NFC championship game. As Mark Thompson noted on Sirius/XM Progress talk radio, you'd have thought Sherman were King Kong and Andrews were Fay Wray.

When an All-Pro cornerback from the NFL's best defensive squad needs to have his 3.9 GPA from Stanford cited to stop white people's quivering, we have a problem. Though not fatal for Sherman as it was for Martin and Davis, it showed the same instant demonization, the same culturally assigned otherness.

Why is this an LGBT issue? For one thing, African-Americans have been among the most prominent out gay people in pro sports: Brittney Griner in the WNBA, Jason Collins in the NBA (who just signed with the Brooklyn Nets), Michael Sam before the NFL draft. All lacked the privilege taken for granted by white heterosexual men. Facing greater bias, they summoned greater strength. As the Scandal character Olivia Pope is told by her father in the TV drama, "You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have." Many black overachievers grew up hearing this.

But it is not just that black and gay overlap. We must work together to defeat those who exploit fear and hatred to gain power. This requires refuting their lies repeatedly over time. The images of Sam's athletic prowess are a powerful antidote and promise a historic moment come May.

For the past few years I have mentored a black gay youth from a troubled home who is now in college. Seeing his progress renews my hope in the difference that teaching and guidance can make. But there are many more like him. We nurture the next generation one life and one mind at a time. As in a Paul Laurence Dunbar poem about a father playing with his baby, we know we cannot always protect our young from the world. My mentee once told me, "I'm tougher than I look." Thank goodness. He wants to succeed so he can help others.

If we only speak out when it's our turn in the crosshairs, we do the haters' prep work. To defeat them, we must recognize our proper coalition partners, learn patience, and overcome our mutual resentments. We have to make a leap of trust. The alternative is to lose our country.

A youth stands before us who is no longer a child but not yet a man, armed with loud music or with Skittles and tea, wrapped despite himself in the garb of other people's bogeymen. He started out, in Dunbar's words, as a little brown baby with sparkling eyes. There is no greater treasure for parent or nation. His welfare is our mutual concern. We must reach past our differences to help him survive and thrive, lest that light and all its futures go out.

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

There is a special hell for serious music-lovers, and in one molten corner resides a certain kind of contemporary classical that puts more emphasis on atonality and stridency than any actual reason for it. Anyone who has felt those particular flames licking at their heels will be forgiven for thinking twice before allowing themselves to be sealed into the red cocoon of the Opera House with modern fare on the menu.

Thus it is with much relief that one finds that with his hot-off-the-presses Moby Dick, composer Jake Heggie is never different for difference's sake. He is, quite to the contrary, working hard and exploring sensitively within many of the traditions of classical opera. And why not? Who says new opera has to be weird?

Moby Dick at Kennedy Center

(Photo by Scott Suchman for WNO)

And if Heggie may not quite (yet) transcend the derivative feel that comes from this embrace of his classical ancestors, and his Moby will inevitably be compared to Benjamin Britten's masterworks of Billy Budd or Peter Grimes, there is nevertheless a big idea here. And its name is Accessibility.

Moby Dick at Kennedy Center

(Photo by Scott Suchman for WNO)

With Elaine J. McCarthy's vast and spectacular projections, a score that swells lyrically and cinematically on waves of emotion, conflict and dangerous seas, and a familiar tale of man against beast (and himself), this is a highly theatrical and watchable opera. It benefits tremendously from Gene Scheer's libretto, which not only pares Melville's dense novel into a tight and dramatically potent story, but also serves to anchor the emotional intensity of Heggie's musical flights. Add the simple but dramatic rendering of the ship in Robert Brill's sets and this is a whole that is in many ways bigger than its parts.

And as such, it represents a place where a new generation may not fear to tread. And if they tread here, they may find they can also tread backward -- to those operas that have so fruitfully and successfully inspired Heggie.

Of course, with such larger-than-life theatrics, there is always the danger that the characters themselves will get swallowed up, and not just by a whale. Here, Carl Tanner as Captain Ahab, the whaling-boat captain who will stop at nothing to find and kill the whale that took his leg, has no trouble commanding not just his boat but also his stage. An impressive and rather dashing figure, Tanner has the kind of charisma that makes one forget he's hiding half a leg somewhere. (Well, almost. He wore an intriguingly designed coat.) His virile baritone sails easily over the Washington National Opera orchestra (playing with power and exuberance under the baton of Evan Rogister), and yet he brings much tender spirit to Heggie's more soulful moments.

A charismatic and vocal counterpoint to Tanner is the superb baritone Eric Greene, who gives his Queequeg an enthralling presence and authenticity that stops dead any chance that this "noble savage" might become the cliché so often made of such characters. Greene offers a sonorous yet silky sound that matches well the understated power and expressiveness of Queequeg. Dramatically, he pairs well with Greenhorn, the young seaman who soon sees that there is more to Queequeg than meets the Western eye. Tenor Stephen Costello fills Greenhorn's not overly written character with a thoughtful energy, and by the second act his voice has warmed into expressiveness, even if a duet with Queequeg never quite takes off.

Another standout is Talise Trevigne in the trouser role of Pip, the cabin boy. Her strikingly rich and beautiful soprano glides through Heggie's score like a knife through butter -- a sheer joy to the ears. Though she may give Pip a slightly incongruous maturity, she captures well his young stride and the theatricality the role requires. As Ahab's first mate Starbuck, baritone Matthew Worth may get a bit close to a nibble on the scenery, but he sings with expression and holds his own.

As shipmates Flask and Stubb, Alexander Lewis and Christian Bowers acquit themselves well as they come and go from the crowded deck scenes, which raises an inevitability of this production: crowd control. With a deck for a set (except for a few scenes) the crew-member chorus creates quite a crowd. Though they are pulled together effectively (and sing with unified gusto) for their two tour de force moments, the rhythm of shipboard life otherwise is never quite captured, especially during the interlude in which they dance and sing of the "Spanish ladies." With the challenge of an oceangoing opera there must come such dilemmas. Here there is room for a tighter, more cohesive feel.

Having said that, the fight scenes -- generally not a strong point in opera -- are here effectively choreographed by Robb Hunter. The less crowed moments also carry well, especially those in which the crew members leave the ship to harpoon the whales in small boats. These scenes balance projections with the athletic use of the set's curved walls in ways that are imaginative and well executed.

Still, even if the crowds within don't always work, the crowds without are likely to be pleased. With familiar themes simply told, Heggie's grand and accessible score, and sets and projections that deliver an exceptionally atmospheric experience, this production will, no doubt, continue to make waves. (Sorry.)

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (D) on Thursday announced in a press conference at the Wilson Building that the District of Columbia's Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB) will issue a bulletin to health insurance companies in the District about the application of nondiscrimination provisions, in particular recognizing ''gender dysphoria'' as a medical condition.

Thursday's announcement clarifies the District's position as stated in a March 2013 bulletin issued by DISB that instructed health insurers to remove language that discriminates on the basis of gender identity and expression from their policies, and grant those with gender dysphoria access to medically necessary benefits. By recognizing gender dysphoria as a medical condition, the newest ruling will allow transgender residents to have any treatments – ranging from hormones to gender reassignment surgeries – covered by health insurance. Previously, most D.C. residents seeking such treatments had to pay out-of-pocket for their care.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray

''Last March, the District began the process of removing exclusions in health insurance on the basis of gender identity or expression,'' Gray said in prepared statement. ''Through the hard work of my Office of GLBT Affairs and a multi-agency working group headed by my Chief of Staff, Chris Murphy, we have today taken the necessary steps to completely eliminate these exclusions.

''Today, the District takes a major step towards leveling the playing field for individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria. These residents should not have to pay exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses for medically necessary treatment when those without gender dysphoria do not. Today's actions take us closer to being One City that values and protects the health of all our residents.''

The latest ruling states that in determining the medical necessity of services and benefits provided to consumers, insurance providers must refer to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care (WPATH), the recognized standard of medical care for transgender people and gender dysphoria. The benefits are not newly mandated, but do clarify that insurance companies offering coverage in the District of Columbia must take into account the District's Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and expression. That means that any service that would be provided to a cisgender person – meaning someone who identifies with the sex assigned them at birth – such as a mastectomy, for example, must also be provided to a transgender person.

''This action places the District at the forefront of advancing the rights of transgender individuals,'' Gray said in his prepared statements. ''It also fully implements the District's Human Rights Act by incorporating gender identity and expression as protected classes in the District's health insurance laws.''

The District's Department of Health Care Finance and Department of Human Resources also further clarified their policies to be in compliance with the DISB bulletin. Under the bulletin, all private plans offered in the District, as well as government-employee health care plans and D.C. Medicaid, must cover any medically necessary health services for transgender people. Any plans currently requiring insurance riders or supplements for an additional charge must be eliminated by the next renewal period.

Andy Bowen, a local transgender activist who has worked on health care issues with the District government, and who is a policy associate at the National Center for Transgender Equality, called the District's new policy one of the ''most comprehensive'' health care plans in the entire county.

''What we've seen from other places that have instituted these reforms is that it is of minimal cost to insurers,'' Bowen said, citing insurance reforms passed in California and Connecticut. ''There's no need for a premium increase.''

Bowen cited a study by the California Department of Insurance released last year as proof of her claims. That study concluded in its analysis of economic impact that ''the adoption of the proposed regulation would have an insignificant and immaterial economic impact on the creation or elimination of jobs, the creation or elimination of new businesses, and the expansion of businesses in the State of California.''

Bowen also said that the policy could be a boon to insurers, as it can be considered a form of preventative care. If transgender people are able to access medically necessary services, they tend to have better health outcomes. The California Department of Insurance study states: ''[T]he Department's evidence suggests that benefits will accrue to insurance carriers and employers as costs decline for the treatment of complications arising from denial of coverage for treatments. The evidence suggests that there may be potential cost savings resulting from the adoption of the proposed regulation in the medium to long term, such as lower costs associated with the high cost of suicide and attempts at suicide, overall improvements in mental health and lower rates of substance abuse.''

''This is a win for the public,'' said Bowen. ''It's, frankly, a win for insurers. It's a smart government decision, and it's good for human beings.''

Visitors to Beacon Bar & Grill will get a treat if they're served a drink by Coverboy Ron, who enjoys creating cocktails to meet even the most discriminating palate's preferred tastes. The 31-year-old, who also works at The Fireplace, views himself as an artist behind the bar, always trying to think up new concoctions for his customers. Raised in rural Oregon, Ron spent his high school time as a scholar-athlete before moving to D.C. to work on Capitol Hill. But his love of politics eventually faded, prompting him to change careers and pursue bartending, where he's been able to interact with and entertain people with his quick wit and subtle yet sexually tinged humor.

Coverboy: Ron

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What's on your nightstand?Two glasses of wine and an empty condom wrapper.

What's in your nightstand drawer?Lots more condoms. A couple of cockrings, lube. It's a storage place for fun.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?Hands down, teleportation. Can you imagine where you'd go?

Pick three people, living or dead, who you would like to spend the day with. And what would you do?Alexander the Great, because I would want to see how he interacted with troops. Zach Braff -- I think he's hilarious. The other one would be Donald Faison. I would pick those two, and be like, "Let's re-enact Scrubs."

You're stranded on a desert island with one person. Who do you pick?Let me give you traits: Taller than me. Great arms. Male, obviously. Black. And someone with at least nine-and-a-half inches.

What annoys you?Indecisiveness. If you're coming up to my bar and being bitchy, saying, "Excuse me, I need service," and then I come up and ask "What do you want?" And you're like, "I don't know, what do you have?"

Coverboy: Ron

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What pleases you?A sense of intimacy, whether with friends or a lover.

What's the worst thing a friend could do to you?Steal a boyfriend. That's the worst thing I think a friend could do.

What's your greatest fear?To be alone.

What's your guilty pleasure?Alcohol. And sex. And chocolate. And all three together.

What turns you on?That sense of intimacy is a big thing, but when I'm looking at a guy, it's arms. I like arms, I like chests. I like to grab them, lay on them.

What turns you off?Arrogance, completely.

Define good in bed.The bottom controls what happens in bed. So it's a top that listens to what the bottom wants. If the bottom isn't enjoying it, the top's just being selfish. Sex isn't just about getting one person off, it's about getting both people enjoying that intimate contact.

Can men fake it?Men can definitely fake it. It's the "O" face, the grunting. That's a lot of it. Maybe men fake it as saying they haven't come yet, when they want to keep going.

Coverboy: Ron

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

Name two people you don't ever want to picture having sex.Madeline Albright. And John Goodman. Together or separately.

What's your favorite late-night eats?Stoney's. I go to Stoney's after work. It's right on P Street. It's a great industry place late at night. Their chicken Reuben is amazing.

When you go to a bar, what do you order?Jameson. Maybe a beer or ginger ale to chase it.

Gin or vodka?Vodka.

Scotch or bourbon?Bourbon.

Wine or beer?Wine.

Mustard, mayo or ketchup?Ketchup.

Gaga or Britney?Gaga. Hands down.

Coverboy: Ron

(Photo by Julian Vankim)

What's your favorite cocktail to make?I like stuff that I've invented, and people enjoy. I have this drink here at the Beacon called the peppercorn martini. I use a Hendrick's gin, a little bit of dry vermouth, and a black-pepper simple syrup. It's delicious. You get the sweetness of the gin at first, and the heat of the black pepper on the end.

If you could change one thing about your body, what would it be?I look at pictures and say, "Oh, I miss my hair."

You become master of the world. What's your first act?Lower the drinking age in the U.S. It's stupid how it is. Most of our alcohol problems are because we don't start legally drinking until 21.

What age would you lower it to?Eighteen. If you can go into the military, if you can vote, but you can't drink at 18, how is that a world that makes sense? You can get shot, but you can't legally drink?

What are you most grateful for?I love my friends. But I'm most grateful for being able to do what I want.

What would you die for?My parents, my family. I'm not in a relationship right now, but I would hope I would die for my partner.

What's your motto?"Be me." Don't be anything you're not.