Arts & Entertainment
These boots were made for walkin’
Whitman-Walker hopes to raise $1 million for AIDS fight Saturday
Last year's AIDS Walk. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
This year’s AIDS Walk Washington’s grand marshals include D.C. Council member Jim Graham and two others who participated in the first walk back in 1986 — Maudie Jones, a retired Army nurse, and Joe Izzo, a psychotherapist and employee of Whitman-Walker Health since 1986. They may not have the star power of, say, Lynda Carter, who served as grand marshal last year, but their ties to the clinic and the Walk run much deeper.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” Izzo says of being named grand marshal this year. “I just feel old.”
Izzo, 63, not only walked the first year, but has walked every year since, inspired and motivated by the people he has lost to AIDS and his partner who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1992 and has been living with the disease.
“By 1987, I had already lost three dozen friends and acquaintances to HIV/AIDS,” Izzo says of why he walked that first year, losing his first friend to AIDS in 1983. “In fact, that … summer … five of my friends died.”
Izzo says that first year felt more like a demonstration than what the Walk feels like today, with people holding signs asking for more government support.
He looks forward to seeing all the people who participate in the Walk and all the support the event attracts, saying it’s inspiring.
One year that stands out in Izzo’s mind in particular is Oct. 6, 2001, less than a month after the 9-11 attacks.
“We had gotten used to having 10,000 plus people … that year we were lucky to have gotten 2,500,” Izzo says. “It was a steely gray day and every plane that went over, you had your heart in your mouth … but it was a very memorable year … the Walk still happened.”
The 25th Annual AIDS Walk is Saturday and will start and end at Freedom Plaza.
The fundraising goal this year is $1 million and they are hoping for 10,000 participants. As of Tuesday afternoon, about $600,000 had been raised.
Registration, the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt display and other activities begin at 7 a.m. A program featuring music, speakers and warm-up exercises will begin at 8:15 a.m. and the fifth annual 5k timed run begins shortly after at 8:30. The AIDS Walk will step off at 9:15 and there will be a post-Walk celebration beginning at 10.
Registration fees range from $25 to $40.
For more information and to register for the walk, visit aidswalkwashington.org.
a&e features
Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates 45 years at annual gala
‘Sapphire & Sparkle’ Spring Affair held at the Ritz Carlton
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington held the annual Spring Affair gala at the Ritz Carlton Washington, D.C. on Saturday. The theme for this year’s fete was “Sapphire & Sparkle.” The chorus celebrated 45 years in D.C. with musical performances, food, entertainment, and an awards ceremony.
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington Executive Director Justin Fyala and Artistic Director Thea Kano gave welcoming speeches. Opening remarks were delivered by Spring Affair co-chairs Tracy Barlow and Tomeika Bowden. Uproariously funny comedian Murray Hill performed a stand-up set and served as the emcee.
There were performances by Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington groups Potomac Fever, 17th Street Dance, the Rock Creek Singers, Seasons of Love, and the GenOUT Youth Chorus.
Anjali Murthy, a member of the chorus and a graduate of the GenOUT Youth Chorus, addressed the attendees of the gala.
“The LGBTQ+ community isn’t bound by blood ties: we are brought together by shared experience,” Murthy said. “Being Gen Z, I grew up with Ellen [DeGeneres] telling me through the TV screen that it gets better: that one day, it’ll all be okay. The sentiment isn’t wrong, but it’s passive. What I’ve learned from GMCW is that our future is something we practice together. It exists because people like you continue to show up for it, to believe in the possibilities of what we’re still becoming”
The event concluded with the presentation of the annual Harmony Awards. This year’s awardees included local drag artist and activist Tara Hoot, the human rights organization Rainbow Railroad as well as Rocky Mountain Arts Association Executive Director, Dr. Chipper Dean.
(Washington Blade photos and videos by Michael Key)
Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 16.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Photos
PHOTOS: Blade Summer Kickoff Party
Ashley Biden accepts award for Beau Biden at annual Rehoboth fundraiser
The 19th annual Blade Foundation Summer Kickoff Party was held on Friday, May 15 at Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach, Del. An award presentation was held for former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden. Ashley Biden accepted the award on her brother’s behalf and gave remarks. Other speakers included Delaware state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff. The event was a fundraiser for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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PHOTOS: Blade Summer Kickoff Party
