Local
Robinson raising money for Dupont church
Gay bishop calls St. Thomas his ‘home away from home’
Editor’s note: Go here for the Blade’s Q&A with Robinson.
The Episcopal Church’s first out gay bishop joined more than 100 members and guests in a Saturday reception at D.C.’s St. Thomas’ Parish near Dupont Circle to promote plans for rebuilding the church’s sanctuary, which was destroyed by fire 40 years ago.
V. Gene Robinson, who was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, called the LGBT-welcoming church “my home away from home.” He said he would play an active role in fundraising efforts to cover the costs for the new church building.
“This congregation reaches out to all of God’s children without shame, without apology,” he told the gathering during the reception, in which a model and several drawings of the proposed new building were displayed.
In an interview after the reception, Robinson told the Blade that St. Thomas’ long history of embracing progressive causes, including LGBT equality and its status as one of the first D.C. area churches to perform blessings of same-sex unions, were examples of how the Christian church in many ways has changed for the better.
“You know, asking an LGBT person to go back to the church that has been the source of so much pain and abuse is a little like asking an abused spouse to go back to her husband,” he said.
“The fact of the matter is in many places the church is changing. And the church realizes that for years it got it wrong about LGBT people,” he said. “And what I love about St. Thomas’ Parish is that it is really leading the way in that kind of radically inclusive message.”
The original St. Thomas’ Church, a distinctive English Gothic structure, first opened in 1893 at 18th and Church streets, N.W. Among its most famous parishioners were President Franklin Roosevelt and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Current church officials say that by the late 1960s, the church had become known as a welcoming place for residents and visitors in the diverse, changing neighborhood of Dupont Circle, where gays, hippies, and anti-Vietnam War protesters, among others, had settled in the then-inexpensive apartments and townhouses.
The church’s mix of new and longtime residents of the Dupont Circle area reacted with sadness and resolve in August 1970, according to current members, when the church was destroyed by a fire that authorities listed as arson. The exterior stone structure remained standing, but city building officials declared it an imminent safety hazard, forcing the congregation to suffer the additional trauma of paying for the demolition of their cherished place of worship.
The perpetrator or perpetrators of the arson were never identified.
For the past 40 years the congregation has worshiped in an adjacent building on Church Street, which members converted from the original church hall to a new sanctuary. The site of the demolished church building was transformed into a park, with the ruins of one of the church walls left standing as a monument to the congregation’s will to persevere.
“We are a community of radical hospitality,” St. Thomas’ rector, Rev. Dr. Nancy Lee Jose, said in a statement. “That means we invite everyone not only to belong, but to participate fully in all levels of parish life and leadership.”
The contemporary new structure will consist of an 8,500-square-foot sanctuary seating 275 people, according to literature released by the congregation. It will be built on the park where the original church stood and will incorporate within its walls the “Gothic High Altar” from the ruins of the old church, which will serve as a chapel, the literature says.
Matthew Jarvis, 33, the lead architect of the building, who is gay, said his design was inspired by the church’s history and the diversity of its members.
“The essence, if there is one, is that it embodies openness, transparency, and inclusivity in a physical building to match the theology of the people,” he said.
John Johnson, St. Thomas’ senior warden, a volunteer administrative post, said the total cost of the new church building is expected to come to $5.1 million.
He said funds for the new building will be raised through pledges by parishioners, a $2.9 million external fundraising campaign, the sale of a church rectory building located nearby and existing funds obtained from an insurance payout from the fire.
Robinson, whose election to the post of Bishop triggered a tumultuous debate within the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and abroad, said the church has taken a “dramatic step forward” in the years since his election.
He said many people, including gays, who have left the church due to a perceived anti-LGBT bias may not be fully aware of these changes.
“And so I would say to the gay community, take another look,” he said. “The church you left may be different now. And certainly St. Thomas is modeling I think the kind of inclusive love that God is all about.”
Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson (left) and Matthew Jarvis, the lead architect of the new St. Thomas building, who is also gay, attended a meeting on Saturday to unveil plans for the church. (Photo by Colleen Dermody)
Rehoboth Beach
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Labor Day Weekend bustling with events, including David Archuleta performance
Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer in Rehoboth Beach, but there will be no shortage of LGBTQ events, with CAMP Rehoboth’s annual SUNFESTIVAL taking over town this weekend.
Thursday (9/3)
Get your Labor Day Weekend started early Thursday night with happy hour from 5-7 p.m. at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, followed by Naughtee Bingo hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 8:30 p.m.
After bingo, the party continues with Dancing at Diego’s from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Aqua Bar & Grill will also kick off its Labor Day Weekend festivities Thursday with a DJ spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Friday (9/4)
The weekend ramps up Friday night at Aqua, where DJ Matt Bailer will keep the dance floor moving from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Over at Diego’s, DJ Steve Sidewalk will then take over Diego’s for Freedom Friday from 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Saturday (9/5)
The main event of the weekend arrives Saturday with the opening night of CAMP Rehoboth’s SUNFESTIVAL.
Billed as the ultimate party to close out the summer, SUNFESTIVAL has become one of Rehoboth’s signature Labor Day Weekend events. The annual celebration sells out each year, with proceeds benefiting CAMP Rehoboth.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments available at the cash bar while attendees are invited to socialize and find their seats.
Saturday night will feature local singer Ashley Williams as the opening performer, followed by headliner David Archuleta. The event will also feature a live auction.
Back across town Saturday, Aqua will continue its Labor Day Weekend DJ lineup from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Diego’s will also have plenty happening, with ‘Splash Party’ hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 5 p.m., followed by a Saturday Dance Party with Brett Oosterhaus from 9 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.
The Blue Moon hosts its popular Legends Show at 9 p.m. It’s an all-live singing show by the Blue Moon cast of celebrity impersonators.
Etienne Pilon has taken Rehoboth by storm this summer. Check out the talented singer/pianist at The Pines from 7-10 p.m.
Sunday (9/6)
Sunday’s SUNFESTIVAL event will shift the focus to the dance floor, with globally renowned DJs Robbie Leslie and James Anthony scheduled to perform. Doors open at 7 p.m., with dancing continuing until 1 a.m.
On Sunday, Aqua will throw its annual White Party, with DJs spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in white for the holiday weekend celebration.
Diego’s will host its Sunday High T-Dance with Pamala Stanley at 5 p.m. Later that evening, DJ Tannr will be spinning at 9 p.m.
John Flynn is on the piano from 6-8 p.m. at the Blue Moon.
Monday (9/7)
The final day of Labor Day Weekend brings one last chance to hit the dance floor before summer officially winds down.
Aqua will close out its five-day Labor Day Weekend celebration with DJ Biff from 3-7 p.m.
Maryland
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Conservative groups challenged system’s policy
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Anne Arundel County Public Schools staff cannot use transgender students’ preferred names if their parents oppose it, according to an internal document reviewed by the Banner, a change that comes after conservative groups challenged the school system’s approach to gender identity.
Teachers union president Kristina Korona told members in an Aug. 20 email that the new guidance undermines district policy on acceptance and inclusivity and “will begin harming affected students immediately.”
Previously, the district didn’t require parental permission to use a high school student’s chosen name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, the internal document says. Now it does. The change comes as parents challenge the suburban school system’s gender identity policy and regulation in court and the Trump-Vance administration threatens the district’s funding.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
‘People don’t see me. They see a trend’
New popularity of all things Asian warps view of multiple cultures
As I was growing up, my parents often shared stories about how they were bullied when they were my age, just for being Asian. My mom is Cambodian and my dad is “Wasian,” Chinese and white. Students teased them for their looks, their homemade lunches, and treated their traditional holidays as jokes.
I once asked my mom when I was little if she could pack me dumpling leftovers for lunch. “Yes,” she said with a surprised look, adding, “I would have never wanted to bring dumplings to school when I was your age because I would always get bullied for them. I’m glad times have changed.”
At the time, I was confused. Whenever I brought a homemade Asian dish to school for lunch, I was happy to hear intriguing and curious questions from the other kids. It felt good to have my meal be popular and different from the Lunchables everyone else had.
Though times have changed, racism still continues. It just has a new face. Today, social media pretends to flatter our cultures in an insincere way trying to gain popularity just for clicks. Think anything from K-pop to Japan’s surge in international tourism. Even Starbucks has added drinks with the flavor of ube yam, native to the Philippines, onto its menu.
I feel that now when people see me, they don’t see me, they see a trend.
For years, Asian people have been portrayed as foreign or exotic. The new embrace of foods and fashion at first felt good. Asians have never been represented as much as they’ve deserved.
But this new popularity warps what non-Asians see. Instead of the blunt and direct racism my parents faced, everything now is a gray area, more discreetly hidden behind some TikTok video. It actually normalizes racism and stereotypes.
Whitewashing my culture
As a 15-year-old Asian American who lives in D.C., I’ve always been one of the few Asian kids in school; my high school today counts less than 2 percent of students as being of Asian descent. I remember always being called “that one Asian girl” or some slur a kid learned from their parents. Every time I search for something related to Asian culture, such as a recipe or maybe a holiday, it’s always the same thing: some white person whitewashing my culture.
Social media is the main culprit, of course. I realized this when I entered high school and got a phone and was introduced to the internet. That is when I realized how messed up the new stereotypes around Asians are.
One pattern I started to notice was people wanting to be Asian just because it was popular. It was hurtful, patronizing, and annoying. They made assumptions about our race and then only found us “cool” because we were trending. How can people go from hating us or finding us weird, to then only liking us because we’re popular?
There was a trend going around on TikTok called “race change to another” or RCTA. It is this trend of people manifesting certain physical traits to change their appearance in order to change races. According to journalist Emi Tran, writing then as an intern for NBC Digital, the trend started when a white woman wanted to be Japanese. The woman began posting TikTok videos of herself wishing for different features such as monolids. Tran wrote in that 2023 article that “the overwhelming majority of the RCTA community wants to be East Asian.”
People also look up to K-pop culture, idolizing the pop groups pulled together by big entertainment companies. Most people expect all Koreans to be K-pop fans. Korean friends are asked about K-pop all the time even though they are not into the South Korean music genre.
Although I am not South Korean — I am half Cambodian and Chinese — I still get asked, almost like I’m expected, “You’re really into this group, right?” or “Can you tell me how to pronounce this member’s name?”
I was asked even worse questions during COVID-19. Suddenly, discrimination and violence were increasing specifically toward Asians everywhere. Suddenly, almost everyone was blaming Chinese people for spreading and causing COVID-19.
I remember going to school for one of the last times before quarantine had started and hearing kids whisper, “Oh, she’s going to give us the Coronavirus.” President Donald Trump had publicly posted his opinions about the situation on social media, blaming China for the pandemic, even calling it the “Chinese Virus” or the “Wuhan Virus.” According to NPR, anti-Asian hate crimes in U.S. cities surged 149 percent that year.
The topic of Asians in the media has always been complicated. One moment people can hate us for being weird and different and the next we’re suddenly popular and cool for the same reasons.
I feel conflicted on whether I should feel happy that we’re being represented or angry that it’s all for the wrong reason and has the wrong effects.
Lily Brugman is a sophomore at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, one of Youthcast Media Group’s journalism class partners. She worked with YMG volunteer and Professor Emerita in journalism at American University Amy Eisman on this piece.
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
‘People don’t see me. They see a trend’
Gay men linked to 2006 Wone murder failing to make lawsuit settlement payment
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