Living
Plan now for summer camps
Local schools, centers welcome LGBT families for season’s activities
(iStock photo)
Summer may still be a few months away, but many area camps are already filling up. Here are a few LGBT-welcoming places to check out.
Adventure Theatre (7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo) has a summer camp for children ages 6 to 15. There are six sessions, including a mini session at the beginning of the summer. The mini session lasts a week, while the regular sessions last two weeks, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The sessions end in four full-scale productions with costumes and props on the theater’s main stage.
The mini session is $400 plus a $14 registration fee and the two-week sessions are $800 plus the registration fee. There is also before and after care available at an addition price.
For more information and to begin registration, visit adventuretheatre.org.
Silver Stars Gymnastics has two locations in the area in Silver Spring (2701 Pittman Drive) and Bowie (14201 Woodcliff Court) with summer camp programs for children ages 3 and a half to 15.
Silver Stars gives kids the opportunity to learn cartwheels, navigate the monkey bars and climb the ropes. There are also nine different trampolines for children to safely learn to jump, tuck, twist and flip.
Full days run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with half days running from 9 a.m. to noon. Sessions last a week and are $290 for full day and $220 for half day with the exception of the week of July 4, which is $220 full day and $160 full day.
Parents also have the option for extended mornings for an additional $25 a week and extended afternoons for an additional $50 a week.
For more information, visit gosilverstars.com.
CommuniKids Preschool and Children Language Center offers Spanish, French, Mandarin and Arabic Immersion summer camps for children ages 2 and a half to 6.
The D.C. location (4719 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) offers a Spanish immersion camp for children ages 2 and a half to 6. The Falls Church location (510 N. Washington St.) offers Spanish and French for children ages 2 and a half to 6 and Arabic and Mandarin Chinese for children ages 3 to 6. Both locations offer morning and afternoon extended care.
Each session, starting July 16, runs a week, with half-day and full-day options. A full-day session, running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., ranges from $375 to $400 and a half-day session, running from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is $250.00. Before care, starting at 8 a.m. is an additional $20 per session while after care, ending at 6 p.m., is an additional $50 per session.
For more information and to see multi-session discounts, visit communikids.com.
Georgetown Day School offers many different camps, including an option to design your own camp.
For children in pre-school up to fifth grade, there is a day camp that runs from June 18 to Aug. 17. There are also sports camps, including soccer from July 2 to 13, a multi-sports camp from July 16 to 27 and basketball camp from July 30 to Aug. 3. There’s a math camp from June 18 to 29, various music programs running throughout the summer and a typing program. Camps range from $165 to $395 a week with varying times.
Teens rising to sixth grade up to 12th grade have their own programs. There’s a dance camp from June 18 to 29 for different levels, theater camps focusing on acting, the technical side and playwriting from July 27 to Aug. 10, music camps throughout the summer, film and animation from Aug. 20 to 24 and a service learning camp.
For more information and to register, visit gds.org. Camp locations and prices vary based on program.
The YMCA in D.C. offers a variety of camps for kids of all ages.
There’s Camp Sampler, which allows campers to experience programs from other camps, Cooking Delight, where campers learn the basics of cooking and nutrition and Medieval Madness where campers learn about the Middles ages by building castles, moats and playing games.
There are also specialty camps such as Active Arcade where campers play interactive video games like Wii Sports and Dance Dance Revolution, Creative Writing for those future novelists and Harry Potter Wizardy where campers can practice Quidditch, get sorted into a house and more.
The YMCA also offers sports camps, dance camps, art camps and more.
Prices vary based on program and membership with the YMCA. For more information, visit ymcadc.org.
The Lowell School (1640 Kalmia Rd., N.W.) has camps for children ages 3 to 14 beginning June 18.
The summer program is divided into two three-week sessions where campers will be able to participate in several activities each day. Campers in third grade through sixth grade will choose two interest areas in the morning and will spend three weeks focusing on more specialized skills that pertain to that activity.
After a lunch and some free time, campers spend the afternoon by choosing from the “jamboree,” a selection of activities that dance daily. The afternoon activities could include playing kickball, baking brownies or learning to jump double dutch. Campers will also have access to the indoor pool.
There is an application fee of $65 per camper plus a $150 tuition deposit. Each three-week session ranges from $730 to $1,465. There additional charges for after care and other options.
The Green Acres School (11701 Danville Drive, Rockville) has three different camp programs.
The Kreative Kangaroo program is one six-week session from June 18 to July 27. Younger children are introduced to summer camp with a mix of indoor and outdoor activities including science, arts and crafts, swimming and more. These campers must be 4 by Sept. 1.
The Junior Camp Program is one six-week session, also from June 18 to July 27, divided into four units, Unit D acting as a bridge between Junior Camp and Senior Camp. In this program, campers can pursue a special interest and even develop a new one. Activities are chosen on a daily basis. Each unit has a Special Day, when the activities revolve around a particular theme and Units B and C stay late on campus.
The Senior Camp Program is two sessions, June 18 to July 6 and July 9 to July 27. This program is for campers entering fourth to seventh grade. They design their own schedules based on their interests. At least 10 different activities are offered for each of the afternoon workshop periods. They change daily and are chosen the day before. This program also includes day trips and overnights, including a weekly field trip for campers in Units G and H.
Tuition is $2,370 for the six-week sessions, $1,325 for the first senior camp session and $1,500 for the second senior camp session. There is also a $60 application fee, $225 tuition deposit and various other camp fees.
For more information, visit greenacres.org.
Dear Michael,
I’ve been dating Mark for three years, living together for two, and I’m not sure he’s for me. We get along great but I’m questioning how attracted I am to him.
I was never crazy about him physically but he was such a sweet and smart guy that I wanted to date him.
Sex was never mind-blowing and the longer we’ve been together the more this is bothering me. I wonder if I could find someone who appeals to me more, physically.
On the plus side, I like him a lot. He has good values, shares my religious faith, which is hard to find in another gay guy, is responsible and has a good work ethic. Also, I just have fun with him and he’s always interested to hear what’s on my mind. He’s an all-around decent guy.
As I’m writing this, I’m thinking that he seems great and that I’m a fool for even questioning our relationship. But all my friends are always talking about the amazing sex they are having, and then I think I’m missing out on a key part of life because my sex life is comparatively lackluster.
I don’t want to settle. But how likely am I to find another guy who is as all-around a good catch as Mark, but with more sexual chemistry?
Michael replies:
I don’t think the right approach is to wonder about your chances for of finding someone better. Anyone you find will have things you aren’t crazy about.
For example, you might find someone whom you’re wildly attracted to sexually, but they’ll bore you or annoy you, or have values you don’t respect.
I understand that you aren’t wildly sexually attracted to Mark. The truth is that it’s extremely unlikely that you would remain wildly sexually attracted to anyone for that long. People tend to get used to each other over time. Sex can remain great, but more from closeness and love than heat and sizzle.
I work with people all the time who wonder if there is someone “better” out there. And I tell them, they’re never going to get through all the possibilities before they die. Instead, how about thinking if the guy you are with is someone you’d like to go with on this journey through life?
Mark’s attributes that you mention sound wonderful to me. After more than 30 years working with folks on relationships, and being in my own 30+ year relationship, I have learned a thing or two about what creates a relationship that is satisfying and good. A decent, kind guy with admirable values is an excellent start.
The question is, can you live with your sex life not being on an orgasmically hot mind-blowing level? I hope the answer is yes, because sex with anyone you pick is not likely to stay in that sort of realm for long.
Another point to consider: I don’t think you should get too caught up in what your friends are telling you. They may be having amazing sex, but are they all having it with the same long-term partner? As I mentioned, long-term sex can be great, but the excitement tends to be replaced by caring connection over time.
I’ll generalize here for a moment: Because so many gay men have many sexual partners, the kind of sex you have with someone new, whom you’re tremendously attracted to, tends to be glorified among gay men as the gold standard of sex. But it’s not realistic for sex with a long-term partner.
This glorification is a big problem: It leaves gay men who are not having torrid sex with lots of guys feeling like there is something wrong with the sex they are having, that they are missing out on something super fantastic. Just like you are feeling.
If you want a lifetime of ongoing hot sex, I don’t think you should be looking for a relationship. If you are willing to accept sex being a not-always fantastic, but perhaps consistently loving, often good, and occasionally great part of life with a kind decent guy, then Mark might just be the right partner for you after all.
(Michael Radkowsky, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who works with couples and individuals in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, New York, and all PSYPACT states. He can be found at michaelradkowsky.com. All identifying information has been changed for reasons of confidentiality. Have a question? Send it to [email protected].)
Real Estate
Does Pride decor resemble Trump’s design aesthetic?
Glitter, gold, and rejecting the idea that a home should be understated
Interior design is often a balancing act between taste, personality, and restraint. Sometimes, however, restraint leaves the building entirely. Such is the case when the colorful exuberance of gay Pride-inspired decorating collides with the famously excessive decorating style associated with the current occupant of the White House. The result can be a fascinating study in maximalism, spectacle, and unapologetic visual overload.
Donald Trump’s personal decorating style has long been a subject of debate among designers and critics. Admirers see luxury and grandeur. Critics see something else: a dizzying display of gold leaf, marble, mirrors, crystal, and oversized furnishings that often crosses the line from elegant into what many designers would call tacky. More is rarely enough. If one chandelier sparkles, three are better. If a room has gold accents, why not make every available surface gold? (See Oval Office and ballroom rendition for details.)
In many ways, this excess shares common ground with certain Pride celebrations. Pride has never been about blending into the background. It celebrates visibility, self-expression, individuality, and joy. Rainbow colors, dramatic costumes, glitter, flamboyant artwork, and bold statements have long been part of Pride culture. Yet there is an important difference. Pride’s extravagance is often playful, self-aware, and rooted in personal expression, while Trump’s aesthetic has frequently been criticized for equating luxury with sheer quantity and visual intensity.
Combining these influences creates an interior that could best be described as “glamorous chaos.”
Imagine entering a living room in which gold-trimmed mirrors stretch from floor to ceiling. Crystal chandeliers hang above a bright rainbow velvet sectional. Marble floors gleam beneath metallic furniture that appears determined to reflect every available light source. Pride flags become framed artwork surrounded by ornate gold moldings. A room designed this way doesn’t whisper. It shouts.
Color is central to the concept. Pride-inspired interiors often embrace the full spectrum of colors. Trump’s style, meanwhile, traditionally favors cream, gold, black, and glossy finishes. Combining them means introducing vivid jewel tones against a backdrop of faux-palatial luxury. Emerald green chairs, ruby-red draperies, sapphire-blue accent walls, and gold-trimmed furniture can coexist in a way that feels deliberately theatrical.
The key word is theatrical.
Many professional designers spend years learning how to create visual balance. A Pride-meets-Trump interior intentionally ignores many of those rules. Pattern competes with pattern. Shine competes with shine. Artwork competes with furniture. The eye rarely gets a chance to rest. For some homeowners, that sounds exhausting. For others, it sounds like the perfect party.
Lighting offers another opportunity to embrace excess. Crystal chandeliers, mirrored lamps, illuminated shelves, and color-changing LED lighting can transform a room into something resembling a cross between a luxury hotel lobby and a Pride festival. The goal is not subtlety. The goal is spectacle.
A dining room inspired by this combination might feature a massive glass table, gold dining chairs, rainbow floral arrangements, mirrored walls, and enough crystal accessories to keep a polishing cloth busy year-round. Critics would call it gaudy. Fans would call it fabulous.
Artwork becomes particularly important. Pride-themed pieces featuring LGBTQ+ history, activism, and culture can provide meaning beneath the decorative excess. Without these personal and cultural elements, the room risks becoming little more than a collection of expensive looking, but not necessarily expensive, objects. Pride design can work best when it reflects identity and community rather than simply displaying color for color’s sake.
While normally a haven for restful sleep, bedrooms can take a similar approach. Plush velvet fabrics, oversized tufted headboards, metallic and mirrored finishes, colorful accent lighting, and dramatic artwork create a space that feels more like a boutique hotel suite than a traditional bedroom. Again, the challenge is avoiding the temptation to add one more decorative element to an already crowded visual landscape.
What makes this design combination interesting is that both aesthetics reject the idea that a home should be understated. Both embrace visibility. Both invite attention. Both encourage occupants to take up space unapologetically. Yet where Pride design often celebrates authenticity and self-expression, Trump’s decorating style is frequently criticized for prioritizing conspicuous luxury over cohesion and refinement.
The result is an interior style that many people would consider delightfully outrageous and others would consider a decorating nightmare. Either way, nobody is likely to forget it.
In the end, a Pride-inspired interpretation of Donald Trump’s famously over-the-top aesthetic would be colorful, glittering, excessive, and impossible to ignore. It would break nearly every rule of minimalist design while embracing the philosophy that if something is worth doing, it is worth overdoing. Whether one sees that as fabulous or tacky may depend entirely on how much gold leaf and rainbow velvet one can tolerate in a single room.
Valerie M. Blake is a licensed associate broker in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia with RLAH @properties. Call or text her at 202-246-8602, email her at [email protected] or follow her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.
Ragtops rock! For drivers looking to carve their own lane, the world already has enough sensible crossovers, minivans, and pickups. These three convertibles trade practicality for sunshine, wind, and the occasional wild-hair day.
BMW Z4
$58,000
MPG: 25 city/33 highway
0 to 60 mph: 5.2 seconds
Trunk space: 10.0 cu. ft.
PROS: Strong engines. Uber comfy. Stylish.
CONS: Expensive. Final year of production.
Act fast, Bimmer fans, this is the last year the BMW Z4 roadster will be produced. Along with the entry-level xDrive30i and high-performing M40i, there is a Final Edition model.
Since 2002, the Z4 has expertly balanced performance, comfort, and style. The long hood and short rear deck still look fantastic. The stance is athletic. And with the top down, this car gains an extra dose of drama.
Under the hood, BMW offers turbo power that feels eager rather than overwhelming. Acceleration is brisk. The steering precise. The chassis composed.
Upgrading to the premium models lets you scoot from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds. But—ka-ching!—the MSRP soars to $79,000.
Available in manual or automatic transmissions, this convertible can sprint through mountain roads on Saturday and soothingly devour highway miles on Sunday.
As for the interior, it blends luxury and functionality. Materials feel expensive. Controls are easy to use. And the seats are supportive.
For me, other ragtops may be more party hearty, but the Z4 is low-key, impeccably tailored and still the center of attention. Think suave James Bond versus sparkling RuPaul.
MAZDA MX-5 MIATA
$32,000
MPG: 26 city/35 highway
0 to 60 mph: 5.5 seconds
Trunk space: 5.0 cu. ft.
PROS: Nimble. Lightweight. Affordable.
CONS: So-so power. Wind noise. Limited space
For decades, the Mazda MX-5 Miata has followed a simple formula: Keep it light, keep it balanced and make every drive feel special. The result: Automotive comfort food that never gets old.
Many vehicles grow larger every year, but the Miata has remained Lilliputian in a way that feels rebellious. You sit low. The controls are user-friendly. Visibility is excellent.
No, the engine power won’t blow you away. But this beachcomber isn’t about brute force. It’s about how the Miata makes you feel wonderfully alive, whether tootling along city streets or a winding road.
Inside, the dashboard is sparse but echoes a traditional sports car. Large analog tachometer and analog speedometer. And while the 8.8-inch infotainment display is dinky, it works nicely.
Alas, storage is limited. The cabin is snug. And taller drivers may wish for a bit more room.
Yet somehow even those compromises feel almost charming. This ride knows exactly what it is and refuses to apologize. Sort of like showing up to Pride wearing what makes you happy rather than chasing trends.
MINI COOPER
$27,000
MPG: 28 city/39 highway
0 to 60 mph: 7.9 seconds
Trunk space: 5.2 cu. ft.
PROS: Playful styling. Fun handling. Extra stowage.
CONS: Ride can be firm. Not a speed demon.
Mini Coopers approach life with a wink and a grin. Rounded headlights. Compact dimensions. Cheerful styling. It all works to create a vehicle that looks like it’s having fun before you’ve even started the engine.
Driving this ragtop is equally entertaining. The steering is quick, and the chassis feels eager to please. Overall performance is lively rather than blistering.
The cabin leans heavily into Mini’s playful design language. Circular elements appear throughout. Details feel intentionally quirky. Many modern interiors seem created by committees that fear excitement. This cabin feels designed by someone who enjoys color, personality and perhaps spontaneous dance breaks.
Unlike the BMW Z4 and Mazda Miata, the Mini offers a small rear seat. “Small” is doing some heavy lifting there, but the extra space adds flexibility. It may not be enough room to comfortably squeeze in friends, but you can easily stow a few bags here.
To me, driving this convertible feels like attending the world’s friendliest block party. People notice it. People smile. Sometimes people even wave.
Comings & Goings
‘Leviticus’ demonizes homophobia for gripping queer horror yarn
Calendar: June 26-July 2
Orioles take on Nats for Pride Night
My boyfriend is almost perfect
Abelardo de la Espriella elected Colombia’s next president
Capital Pride draws tens of thousands to D.C.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign
PHOTOS: Capital Pride Festival and Concert
