Queery: Wendy Chun-Hoon

Wendy Chun-Hoon (Blade photo by Michael Key)

Wendy Chun-Hoon chuckles when she hears that her soccer team, the Feds, was called undefeated.

“I guess that was technically true but we were only two games into the season and one of them was tied,” she says. “But then we just lost this weekend.” It’s no devastating break, though, because for Chun-Hoon and lots of local LGBT players, the Federal Triangles, the region’s gay soccer league, is mostly for fun and exercise.

Chun-Hoon, a 34-year-old Honolulu native, has been playing soccer since she was 5. She and her partner, Emily, played together in college and upon moving to the District eight years ago, decided to help build up the Triangles’ then-paltry female representation. With just a handful of women players at the time, Chun-Hoon eventually generated enough interest for the Triangles to sustain its current four female teams (each with about 20 members).

She’s a past president of the 20-year-old club and is in its hall of fame. The Triangles also have five men’s teams and two co-ed teams. Chun-Hoon guesses about 75 percent of its players are LGBT. The Triangles have about 130 members total. Saturday is a new event for the group with its first LGBT fan night dubbed United Night OUT, a joint effort between the Triangles and Major League Soccer at RFK Stadium (tickets are $20 and are available at HYPERLINK “http://www.unitednightout.com/”unitednightout.com or at Nellie’s).

Chun-Hoon is associate director for the Special Fund for Poverty Alleviation, an Open Society Institute made possible by billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Chun-Hoon and her partner recently moved to Silver Spring, Md., from the District and were married in 2008 in San Francisco. She enjoys soccer and gardening and eventually hopes to return to Hawaii where she says she had an “idyllic” childhood. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

Since college. My mom.

Who’s your gay hero?

Cadet Katie Miller.

What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?

This past summer it was the Washington Plaza. We’d meet up with the boys and drink cocktails poolside. It was a great urban “backyard.” (In other words, I’m about 10 years too old to be qualified to answer that. I only just met my first mixologist last Friday.)

Describe your dream gay wedding.

Ours. We rocked San Francisco City Hall on the first day, and then did it all over again the next day, at a friend’s home, on a hilltop, overlooking Marin. It was awesome to be surrounded by people we love, there to witness and celebrate our love – twice! We’re one of the lucky couples whose marriage is still legal.

What non-gay issue are you most passionate about?

Advocating for a more sensible safety net for people struggling to get by in this economy.

What historical outcome would you change?

Where to start? The Manhattan Project for one.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

Martha Stewart going to prison.

On what do you insist?

People treating each other with respect.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

I abstain.

If your life were a book, what would the title be?

“The Money Pit”

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

Bury it.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

Work much harder to bridge issues and find common ground with other equal justice groups so we can amplify voices for change.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

To see whether I could.

What gay stereotype annoys you most?

Lesbians don’t tip. Anyone who’s slung plates or poured drinks for a wage before knows how to tip properly.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

My ancestors.

What’s your favorite gay movie?

“Home for the Holidays”

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Napkins

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Power Ball (Hopefully the sequel to “The Money Pit”)

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That going far away for college often means living far away from home for longer than just four years.

Why Washington?

Peter Orzag and Rahm Emanuel.