Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. 2016: COMMUNITY
Blade readers voted for their community favorites
Best Art Gallery
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: The Phillips Collection
Best Adult Store
Bite the Fruit
1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Trick Box
Best Car Dealership
BMW of Fairfax
8427 Lee Highway, Fairfax
Runner-up: Audi of Tysons
Best Apartment/Condo Building
Atlantic Plumbing
2112 8th St., N.W.
Runner-up: The Shay
Best Doctor/Medical Provider
Ray Martins, Whitman-Walker Health
Runner-up: Dr. Robyn Zeiger
Best Fitness or Workout Spot
VIDA Fitness
1517 15th St., N.W.
1612 U St., N.W.
999 9th St., N.W.
(A perennial favorite in this category)
Runner-up: YMCA
Best Gayborhood
Shaw
Runner-up: Logan Circle
Best Hardware Store
Logan Hardware
Logan Hardware
1734 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Annie’s Ace Hardware
Best Home Furnishings
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
1526 14th St., N.W.
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is featured on the 2016 Best of Gay DC cover.
Runner-up: Room & Board
Best Home Improvement Service
The Organizing Agency
811 4th St., N.W., Suite1013
(Winner of last year’s Best LGBT-owned Business award)
Runner-up: Hourly Husbands
Best Hotel
The W
515 15th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Donovan House
Best House of Worship
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral
633 Sligo Ave., Silver Spring
240-720-7605
empowermentliberationcathedral.org
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: All Souls Unitarian
Best Lawyer
Peter Glazer
The Glazer Law Firm
Business attorney
Runner-up: Amy Nelson
Best LGBT Social Group
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
Runner-up: D.C. Rawhides
Best LGBT Support Group
SMYAL
Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders
410 7th St., S.E.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: HIPS
Best LGBT Sports League
D.C. Rollergirls
Runner-up: Stonewall Kickball
Teammates on D.C. Rollergirls say the league feels like family.
Founded in 2006, D.C. Rollergirls is centered around the group’s love for roller derby. In addition to games, the team also prides itself on contributing to community service with organizations that promote female empowerment, physical fitness and awareness of issues women, children and families face in the D.C. area.
League president Dawn Sherman, also known by her team nickname Aurora Borey All-Ass, says what makes the team stand out is the diversity of its members.
“We have women from all different walks of life,” Sherman says. “We are an inclusive environment so we have cis-gender women and we are very open to LGBT women. The fact that we all come together for this crazy common sport that we love just makes it amazing.”
Women of all skill levels are welcome on the team especially beginners. JaeLee Waldschmidt, nicknamed Switch Please, says she stepped into the world of roller derby after a friend invited her to a match.
Waldschmidt admits she was clueless and outside her comfort zone.
“My friend was like, ‘You should come watch my team play.’ I was like, ‘Play what?’ ‘Roller derby,’” Waldschmidt says. “I was like, ‘What’s that?’ I watched one of their games and showed up to D.C. Armory like, ‘Where do I get in?’ and my friend was like, ‘The door. You go in through the door.’”
After attending roller derby boot camp Waldschmidt found herself competing on the team.
She encourages other women interested in trying something new to do the same. Try out sessions are open to anyone regardless of experience level. Each Sunday the team has a roller derby boot camp where anybody, with the appropriate safety gear, can learn the fundamentals of roller derby. The next try out date is Sunday, Oct. 23 at the DCRG Warehouse (5706 LaFayette Pl., Hyattsville, Md.) from 12:30-3:30 p.m. The team consists of about 40 players, including dozens of volunteers, beginner boot campers and retired derby members who still like to stay connected.
Another big part of being a D.C. Rollergirls team member is picking a nickname that suits you.
For Sherman the name was all about who she was as a person.
“I wanted to find something that kind of gave people a little glimpse into my life,” Sherman says. “My quirky sci-fi side. Kind of just being a general science geek and my physique. So my name is Aurora Borey All-Ass and that kind of encompasses all those things.”
Waldschmidt chose her name Switch Please, from the character Switch from “The Matrix.”
Feeling comfortable to share parts of themselves with their team is the best part about the league, Waldschmidt says.
“Being a trans woman, it’s kind of hard in this world trying to find a place that accepts you for who you are,” Waldschmidt says. “I mean there are pockets here and there but roller derby was like ‘Alright, cool.’ It was a really empowering opportunity to be authentic and not have to try to conform to people’s expectations of what a man or woman is, to be myself.” (Mariah Cooper)
Best LGBT-Owned Business
Capital Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness
1330 U St., N.W.
Runner-up: Town, Number Nine and Trade
Most LGBT-Friendly Workplace
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Whitman-Walker Health
Best Non-Profit
Whitman-Walker Health
Runner-up: Capital Pride
Best Pet Business
Metro Mutts
508 H St., N.E.
Runner-up: City Dogs
Best Place to Buy Second-Hand Stuff
Miss Pixie’s Furnishings and Whatnot
1626 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Buffalo Exchange
Best Place to Take the Kids
Smithsonian’s National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Best Rehoboth Business
Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
bluemoonrehoboth.com
(Also won Best Rehoboth Bar)
Runner-up: Purple Parrot
Best Salon/Spa
Logan 14 Aveda Salon & Spa
1314 14th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Salon Quency
Best Reason to Go to Baltimore
National Aquarium
501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Best Theater
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Arena Stage
Best Theater Production
“Kinky Boots” (Kennedy Center)
Runner-up: “La Cage Aux Folles” (Signature Theatre)
Best Vet
CityPaws Animal Hospital
1823 14th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Union Veterinary Clinic
To see winners in other categories in the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. 2016 Awards, click here.
Sports
Bisexual former umpire sues Major League Baseball for sexual harassment
Brandon Cooper claims female colleague sexually harassed him
A fired former umpire is suing Major League Baseball, claiming he was sexually harassed by a female umpire and discriminated against because of his gender and his sexual orientation.
Brandon Cooper worked in the minor league Arizona Complex League last year, and according to the lawsuit he filed Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan, he identifies as bisexual.
“I wanted my umpiring and ability to speak for itself and not to be labeled as ‘Brandon Cooper the bisexual umpire,’” he told Outsports. “I didn’t want to be labeled as something. It has been a passion of mine to simply make it to the Major Leagues.”
But that didn’t happen. Instead of being promoted, he was fired. His suit names MLB and an affiliated entity, PDL Blue, Inc., and alleges he had endured a hostile work environment and wrongful termination and/or retaliation because of gender and sexual orientation under New York State and New York City law.
“Historically the MLB has had a homogenous roster of umpires working in both the minor and major leagues,” Cooper claims in his suit. “Specifically, to date there has never been a woman who has worked in a (regular) season game played in the majors, and most umpires are still Caucasian men. To try to fix its gender and racial diversity issue, defendants have implemented an illegal diversity quota requiring that women be promoted regardless of merit.”
Cooper claims former umpire Ed Rapuano, now an umpire evaluator, and Darren Spagnardi, an umpire development supervisor, told him in January 2023 that MLB had a hiring quota, requiring that at least two women be among 10 new hires.
According to the suit, Cooper was assigned to spring training last year and was notified by the senior manager of umpire administration, Dusty Dellinger, that even though he received a high rating in June from former big league umpire Jim Reynolds, now an umpire supervisor, that women and minority candidates had to be hired first.
Cooper claims that upon learning Cooper was bisexual, fellow umpire Gina Quartararo insulted him and fellow umpire Kevin Bruno by using homophobic slurs and crude remarks. At that time, Quartararo and Cooper worked on the same umpiring crew and being evaluated for possible promotion to the big leagues.
This season, Quartararo is working as an umpire in the Florida State League, one of nine women who are working as minor league umpires.
Cooper said he notified Dellinger, but instead of taking action against Quartararo, he said MLB ordered Cooper to undergo sensitivity training. According to his lawsuit, he was also accused of violating the minor league anti-discrimination and harassment policy.
Cooper’s suit says he met with MLB Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Billy Bean — who the Los Angeles Blade reported in December is battling cancer.
The lawsuit says at that meeting, Bean told the umpire that Quartararo claimed she was the victim, as the only female umpire in the ACL. Cooper said he told Bean Quartararo regularly used homophobic slurs and at one point physically shoved him. He also claims that he has video evidence, texts and emails to prove his claim.
But he said his complaints to Major League Baseball officials were ignored. His lawsuit said MLB passed him over for the playoffs and fired him in October. He said of the 26 umpires hired with Cooper, he was the only one let go.
Through a spokesperson, MLB declined to comment on pending litigation. Quartararo has also not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
a&e features
Eastern Shore chef named James Beard Finalist
Harley Peet creates inventive food in an inclusive space
In a small Eastern Shore town filled with boutiques, galleries, and the occasional cry of waterfowl from the Chesapeake, Chef Harley Peet is most at home. In his Viennese-inflected, Maryland-sourced fine-dining destination Bas Rouge, Peet draws from his Northern Michigan upbringing, Culinary Institute of America education, and identity as a gay man, for inspiration.
And recently, Peet was named a James Beard Finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic – the first “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” finalist representing the Eastern Shore.
Peet, after graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, took a position as sous chef at Tilghman Island Inn, not far from Bas Rouge. Falling in love with the Eastern Shore, he continued his passion for racing sailboats, boating, gardening, and fishing, and living his somewhat pastoral life as he opened Bas Rouge in 2016 as head chef, a restaurant part of the Bluepoint Hospitality group, which runs more than a dozen concepts in and around Easton, Md.
Coming from a rural area and being gay, Peet knew he had his work cut out for him. He was always aware that the service and hospitality industry “can be down and dirty and rough.”
Now as a leader in the kitchen, he aims to “set a good example, and treat people how I want to be treated. I also want to make sure if you’re at our establishment, I’m the first to stand up and say something.”
The Bas Rouge cuisine, he says, is Contemporary European. “I’m inspired by old-world techniques of countries like Austria, Germany, and France, but I love putting a new spin on classic dishes and finding innovative ways to incorporate the bounty of local Chesapeake ingredients.”
His proudest dish: the humble-yet-elevated Wiener Schnitzel. “It is authentic to what one would expect to find in Vienna, down to the Lingonberries.” From his in-house bakery, Peet dries and grinds the housemade Kaiser-Semmel bread to use as the breadcrumbs.
Peet works to support the LGBTQ community inside and outside of the kitchen. “I love that our Bluepoint Hospitality team has created welcoming spaces where our patrons feel comfortable dining at each of our establishments. Our staff have a genuine respect for one another and work together free of judgment.”
Representing Bluepoint, Peet has participated in events like Chefs for Equality with the Human Rights Campaign, advocating for LGBTQ rights.
At Bas Rouge, Peet brings together his passion for inclusion steeped in a sustainability ethic. He sees environmental stewardship as a way of life. Peet and his husband have lived and worked on their own organic farm for several years. Through research in Europe, he learned about international marine sourcing. Witnessing the impacts of overfishing, Peet considers his own role in promoting eco-friendly practices at Bas Rouge. To that end, he ensures responsible sourcing commitments through his purveyors, relationships that have helped create significant change in how people dine in Easton.
“I have built great relationships in the community and there’s nothing better than one of our long-standing purveyors stopping in with a cooler of fresh fish from the Chesapeake Bay. This goes especially for catching and plating the invasive blue catfish species, which helps control the species’ threat to the local ecosystem.
Through his kitchen exploits, Peet expressed a unique connection to another gay icon in a rural fine-dining restaurant: Patrick O’Connell, of three Michelin starred Inn at Little Washington. In fact, Peet’s husband helped design some of O’Connell’s kitchen spaces. They’ve both been able to navigate treacherous restaurant-industry waters, and have come out triumphant and celebrated. Of O’Connell, Peet says that he “sees [his restaurants] as canvas, all artistry, he sees this as every night is a show.” But at the same time, his “judgment-free space makes him a role model.”
Being in Easton itself is not without challenges. Sourcing is a challenge, having to either fly or ship in ingredients, whereas urban restaurants have the benefit of trucking, he says. The small town “is romantic and charming,” but logistics are difficult – one of the reasons that Peet ensures his team is diverse, building in different viewpoints, and also “making things a hell of a lot more fun.”
Reflecting on challenges and finding (and creating) space on the Eastern Shore, Peet confirmed how important it was to surround himself with people who set a good example, and “if you don’t like the way something is going … move on.”
Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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