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Queery: Angel McNatt

The She Scenes Entertainment co-founder answers 20 gay questions

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Angel McNatt (Blade photo by Michael Key)

She Scenes Entertainment is having its three-year anniversary party Saturday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. and co-founder Angel McNatt is excited about the event/clothing line company branching into new areas.

Saturday’s party, to be held at Argana (2147 P Street, N.W.), will feature performances by Lower Case Letters, DSCA and D-Ron and DDM. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door (visit sweetsceneent.com for details). McNatt expects a diverse crowd as Ashley Head, a local entrepreneur with Natural International talent Agency, is co-hosting. Another arm of McNatt’s company — Loverboi Apparel — is having the launch of a new T-shirt line called Cocky Edition that will be unveiled Saturday. And it’s just the start of what McNatt and co-owners Sharee Brown and Tia Gaymon hope will be a big year of expansion for the company. Though they’re all black lesbians, they hope the company is mor than that.

“We’re trying to diversify all the time,” McNatt says. “D.C. is so segregated. It’s like a subculture within a subculture and we’re trying to break that out so it’s not all black people. Saturday’s concert should be a good mixed crowd. With Ashley along, there’ll be lots of gay boys as well.”

McNatt works in property management by day — which she has been doing for years and still enjoys — but started She Scenes three years ago with Brown, her ex, and Gaymon, who has event planning background. Their first event — a fashion show at the Washington Convention Center — drew about 800 people according to McNatt and they felt they’d hit a nerve. Eventually they’d like to quit their day jobs and do She Scenes full time.

McNatt, 29,  grew up in Washington but now lives in Hyattsville, Md., and works in Bethesda. She graduated from American University and still has family here. She’s single and enjoys working out, reading and attending happy hour and nightlife events in her free time. She and her team are working on more fashion shows and are hoping to launch an LGBT swimwear line this year. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

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

I’ve been out for 13 years now and the hardest person to tell was my grandmother at that time. However, now she is totally accepting over it.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

Ellen Degeneres

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

U Street, Dupont and Adam’s Morgan corridor.

Describe your dream wedding.

My dream wedding would be a destination wedding on the sand, on a beach. The attire would be extremely relaxed; white or tan linen, no shoes. Small ceremony of close friends, family and associates. Large reception, with open invitation plus one; live band, open bar and a sushi option is a must.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

World hunger and homelessness — it really doesn’t have to be this way.

What historical outcome would you change?

George Bush becoming president.

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

The life and legacy of Michael Jackson. The impact that he had globally was and still is phenomenal.

On what do you insist?

I insist that the U.S. government has something to do with the 9-11 events. I’m not a radical, but come on people.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

Picking out an outfit for my 3rd year anniversary on January 21, 2012 at Argana (formerly Pasha) at 2147 P street NW Washington, DC…Purchase online tickets at http://concertedition.eventbrite.com to enjoy the concert by Lowercase Letters, DDM and DSCA.”

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

“Life in the fast lane — What will slow me down?”

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

I would leave the country and find a small island in the middle of nowhere to live on. A person’s sexual orientation is something they naturally have a connection with. Contrary what some may be believe, it’s not a choice; you are who you are and attempting to tamper with that changes who we are as people and what we “allegedly” stand for as a country.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world? 

I believe that an acquired sense and acknowledgement of spirituality is the ultimate key to success and self preservation.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

The fight is never over as long as you continue to believe in what you’re supporting, your sincerity and efforts will always prevail ultimately paving the way for those who don’t have the courage to stand up for themselves.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

I would walk across hot coals for overall equality across the nation. I believe that the abolition of different classes (economic and social) would serve as a platform to end world hunger, crime, financial deficits and constraints.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

That women or men are gay because the opposite sex didn’t do their job.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

Spike Lee’s independent film “She Hate Me”

What’s the most overrated social custom?

I think that having to say excuse me when you burp or pass gas in so overrated, more so in American culture. Flatulence is natural and most people do it in their sleep.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

All of my competitive trophies, which include basketball, football (yes I said football), soccer, basketball, track and even Bible Study. Among them all my Punt, Pass and Kick trophy is what I covet the most. It was the last year that they had both men and women completing against each other on a regional and national level. The competition is sponsored by the NFL and I was interviewed by the retired Charles Mann.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That life is too short and that what most people hold high or place value on really isn’t as important as family and friends. Although truly nice to have and lots of it, money can truly be the root of all evil.

Why Washington?

Why not? I was born and raised here. It’s the capitol of the United States; politically, economically and socially driven. The District has an incredible amount of accessibility to entertainment, museums, restaurants and economical stability (hey I can only speak for myself). Its thriving subculture seems to be ever changing.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Night of Champions

Team DC holds annual awards gala

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Team DC President Miguel Ayala speaks at the 2024 Night of Champions Awards on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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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Photos

PHOTOS: National Cannabis Festival

Annual event draws thousands to RFK

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Growers show their strains at The National Cannabis Festival on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2024 National Cannabis Festival was held at the Fields at RFK Stadium on April 19-20.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Theater

‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith

A ‘fully autobiographical’ work from out artist Adil Mansoor

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Adil Mansoor in ‘Amm(i)gone’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. (Photo by Kitoko Chargois)

‘Amm(i)gone’
Thorough May 12
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
641 D St., N.W. 
$60-$70
Woollymammoth.net

“Fully and utterly autobiographical.” That’s how Adil Mansoor describes “Amm(i)gone,” his one-man work currently playing at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. 

Both created and performed by out artist Mansoor, it’s his story about inviting his Pakistani mother to translate Sophocles’s Greek tragedy “Antigone” into Urdu. Throughout the journey, there’s an exploration of family, queerness, and faith,as well as references to teachings from the Quran, and audio conversations with his Muslim mother. 

Mansoor, 38, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and is now based in Pittsburgh where he’s a busy theater maker. He’s also the founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and the former artistic director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQ youth arts organization.

WASHINGTON BLADE: What spurred you to create “Amm(i)gone”? 

ADIL MANSOOR: I was reading a translation of “Antigone” a few years back and found myself emotionally overwhelmed. A Theban princess buries her brother knowing it will cost her, her own life. It’s about a person for whom all aspirations are in the afterlife. And what does that do to the living when all of your hopes and dreams have to be reserved for the afterlife?

I found grant funding to pay my mom to do the translation. I wanted to engage in learning. I wanted to share theater but especially this ancient tragedy. My mother appreciated the characters were struggling between loving one another and their beliefs. 

BLADE: Are you more director than actor?

MANSOOR: I’m primarily a director with an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon. I wrote, directed, and performed in this show, and had been working on it for four years. I’ve done different versions including Zoom. Woolly’s is a new production with the same team who’ve been involved since the beginning. 

I love solo performance. I’ve produced and now teach solo performance and believe in its power. And I definitely lean toward “performance” and I haven’t “acted” since I was in college. I feel good on stage. I was a tour guide and do a lot of public speaking. I enjoy the attention. 

BLADE: Describe your mom. 

MANSOOR: My mom is a wonderfully devout Muslim, single mother, social worker who discovered my queerness on Google. And she prays for me. 

She and I are similar, the way we look at things, the way we laugh. But different too. And those are among the questions I ask in this show. Our relationship is both beautiful and complicated.

BLADE: So, you weren’t exactly hiding your sexuality? 

MANSOOR: In my mid-20s, I took time to talk with friends about our being queer with relation to our careers. My sexuality is essential to the work. As the artistic director at Dreams of Hope, part of the work was to model what it means to be public. If I’m in a room with queer and trans teenagers, part of what I’m doing is modeling queer adulthood. The way they see me in the world is part of what I’m putting out there. And I want that to be expansive and full. 

So much of my work involves fundraising and being a face in schools. Being out is about making safe space for queer young folks.

BLADE: Have you encountered much Islamophobia? 

MANSOOR: When 9/11 happened, I was a sophomore in high school, so yes. I faced a lot then and now. I’ve been egged on the street in the last four months. I see it in the classroom. It shows up in all sorts of ways. 

BLADE: What prompted you to lead your creative life in Pittsburgh? 

MANSOOR: I’ve been here for 14 years. I breathe with ease in Pittsburgh. The hills and the valleys and the rust of the city do something to me. It’s beautiful, it’ affordable, and there is support for local artists. There’s a lot of opportunity. 

Still, the plan was to move to New York in September of 2020 but that was cancelled. Then the pandemic showed me that I could live in Pittsburgh and still have a nationally viable career. 

BLADE: What are you trying to achieve with “Amm(i)gone”? 

MANSOOR: What I’m sharing in the show is so very specific but I hear people from other backgrounds say I totally see my mom in that. My partner is Catholic and we share so much in relation to this. 

 I hope the work is embracing the fullness of queerness and how means so many things. And I hope the show makes audiences want to call their parents or squeeze their partners.

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