Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Rod Glover
The Home Rule co-owner answers 20 gay questions
Rod Glover (Blade photo by Michael Key)
It started with a brainstorming session. In 2000, Home Rule (1807 14th St., N.W.; homerule.com) owners Rod Glover and his business partner Greg Link were brainstorming ideas for how to generate an influx of business in notoriously slow August so they could afford trips to retail shows at which they could order merchandise for fall.
They came up with the idea for a sidewalk sale and persuaded about seven of their neighbors to join them. It was a hit — they took all their merchandise, set it up out front and were soon on their way to the shows.
Though they’re not as involved in the planning of it now, the tradition continues. Look for the 13th annual MidCity Dog Days Sidewalk Sale this weekend from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday where about 70 businesses in the area around P and 14th (stretching up to U Street) bring their wares outdoors for the weekend (midcitydogdays.com).
“We just kind of take everything that’s been sitting on the shelf for the last nine months or been taken off the shelf, and move it out to the sidewalk at 50 percent off and it’s a big hit,” Glover says. “It’s very practical housewares stuff. Things people actually need.”
Glover, a 50-year-old Camp Hill, Pa., native, came to D.C. in 1987, his arm twisted by several friends who’d moved here and wanted him to join them. He worked in various retail shops and has always practiced his artwork on the side. He recently exhibited at Gallery Plan B with a show featuring sculpture and found wood he scorched with a propane torch. He and Link opened Home Rule on Labor Day weekend 1999. He says because of the growth in the neighborhood and a loyal customer base, it’s been successful even in the down economy.
Glover and his partner, lawyer Tom Mayes, live together in Dupont Circle. Glover enjoys creating art, cooking, entertaining, magazines and cookbooks in his free time. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I came out to my friends in college when I was 19, (and my painting professor) but didn’t come out to my parents until I was 30, on an Easter Sunday, just before I moved into a one bedroom with my partner. That was the hardest. My mother’s immediate response: “Mothers know these things. Is there anyone special?”
Who’s your LGBT hero?
I have two. My partner’s cousin, Mary Margaret “Peggy” Cleveland, because she came out to her North Carolina Presbyterian congregation in her 70s, after having been a missionary in Africa, during a big church debate on the role of LGBT people. And my friend Stephen Skinner, who founded Fairness WV, and who’s running this fall for the West Virginia House of Delegates. If elected, he would be the first openly gay delegate in West Virginia. Support his campaign.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
My apartment. Ask people.
Describe your dream wedding.
It would be just like our friend Jenny Allen’s Hootenanny — a big party with all of our friends, the Speakeasy Boys playing bluegrass, handsome bartenders, barbecue and the Potomac River as a backdrop.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
Affordable higher education, affordable health care and the freedom to create.
What historical outcome would you change?
The long persistent influence of Puritanism, here and throughout the world.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
Three. Seeing Jackie Hoffman on Broadway in “Hairspray,” “Xanadu” and “The Addams Family.”
On what do you insist?
That my friends come to my house, eat my cooking and take leftovers home.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
Katie Petix manages our Facebook for Home Rule. She beats me hands down in posting.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“La-Bas,” but it’s already taken.
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Ignore it.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
The ghosts that inhabit my cabin in West Virginia. They party so much it keeps me awake.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
I don’t really have much of an activist soul, but I deeply admire those who do: Keep at it and thank you.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
The last wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano. And my beautiful nieces.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
Any assumption that prejudges me or others annoys me.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“Trick.” Tori Spelling is fabulously nutty and the movie reminds me of myself and my friend Debbie.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Being too polite to say you want more.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
I already have it — the senior art award at high school graduation. I always felt like such an outsider, and I didn’t know in advance, so it meant the world to me. I received the psychology award too — I’m still baffled by that one. My partner says he gets it.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
How much fun life is.
Why Washington?
In 1987 my friends, who had already moved here, set me up with a job and an apartment. I have the best friends on the planet.
Sports
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.
“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.
The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”
“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”
The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”
The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
(Video courtesy of the IOC)
Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.
Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.
“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.
An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.
a&e features
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths
The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.
This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.
This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward.
Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis
Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers
ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES
- Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
— U.S. House of Representatives - Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
— Executive Director, United We Dream - Paola Ramos (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
— Founder / Producer, Play Play DC - Savannah Wade (she/her)
— Founder, OAR Agency - Suhad Babaa (she/her)
— Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision - Ashlee Davis (she/her)
— Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry - Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
— Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine - Queen Adesuyi (she/they)
— Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice - Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
— Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives) - Gaby Vincent (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
— Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra - Denice Frohman (she/her)
— Independent Artist, Poet / Performer - Vida Rangel (she/her)
— Founder, Our Trans Capital - Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
— Executive Director, Our Space - Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
— Co-Founder & President, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Diana Rodriques (she/her)
— Co-Founder & CEO, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Wendi Cooper (she/her)
— Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women - Toya Matthews (she/her)
— City of San Antonio, Texas - Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Charity Blackwell (she/her)
— Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader - Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
— Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation - Em Chadwick (she/her)
— CMO, For Them & Autostraddle - Kylo Freeman (they/he)
— CEO, For Them & Autostraddle
LEGEND AWARDEES
- Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
— Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau - Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
— Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP - leigh h. mosley (she/her)
— Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography - Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
— Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University - Jordyn White (she/her)
— COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation - AJ Hikes (they/them)
— Deputy Executive Director, ACLU - RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
— Digital Creator, RL Lockhart - Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
— Educator, EEO Specialist, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign - Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
— Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group - Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
— Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame - Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
— Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction) - Letitia Gomez (she/her)
— The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Formerly of Voto Latino - Lynne Brown (she/her)
— Publisher, Washington Blade - Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
— Political Strategist and Organizer - Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
— Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures - Meghann Burke (she/her)
— Executive Director, NWSL Players Association - Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
— Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Coalition - Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
— CEO, Center on Halsted - Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
— CEO, Moxie Strategies - Alice Wu (she/her)
— Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter - Storme Webber (she/her)
— Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington - Kim Stone
— CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit - Mickalene Thomas
— American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio - Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
— Executive Director, interACT - J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
— Co-Executive Director, GSA Network
Celebrity News
D.C. goes gaga for Gaga
Bisexual icon brought ‘The Mayhem Ball’ tour to Washington this week
Lady Gaga this week took D.C. by storm.
The bisexual icon and LGBTQ rights champion brought “The Mayhem Ball” tour to Capital One Arena on Monday and Tuesday.
“Abracadabra,” “Paparazzi,” “Applause,” and “Bad Romance” are among the songs Lady Gaga performed during the 2 1/2-hour long concert. Lady Gaga also celebrated her many queer fans.
“You are precious to us,” she said on Tuesday night before she performed “Born This Way.”
‘No Kings’ protests set for D.C.
Border to border: modern slavery and human trafficking in refugee movements across East Africa
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Pa. House passes bill to codify marriage equality in state law
PHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think
Small is beautiful: subcompact SUVs
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
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