Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Dan Roth
The new Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association president answers 20 gay questions

Dan Roth has only been in the area since December but already heās president ā sworn in last week ā of the Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association (aglca.org).
He says the group does great work and being involved is a natural outgrowth of his LGBT activism in his native Sacramento, Calif.
āI like the fact that itās very focused on community and is very pragmatic,ā he says. āTheyāre doing necessary work on the ground to improve the lives of the LGBT community here and also working to educate the community as a whole. Itās been around for 30 years and has a proven track record. Alexandria is as progressive as the state of Virginia will allow ā¦ a lot of that is because of the work the AGLCA has done.ā
Roth works by day as communication director for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. In California he worked for an environmental non-profit and was chief of staff for an elected official there prior to that. He met his partner, Jesse Wuertz, while visiting Washington in 2010 and after two years of cross-country dating, decided to move east. They live together in Alexandriaās Del Ray neighborhood.
āI love it here so far,ā he says. āIām a big history buff, so itās amazing seeing all these things Iāve read about and to be here where things are taking place. Itās really an international city with fascinating people.ā
Roth spent a year in France after high school and went to college in Oregon but has lived most of his life in or near Sacramento. He enjoys cooking, writing and traveling in his free time. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
Fourteen years and my parents were the hardest people to tell.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
Rachel Maddow. Every night people get to see an intelligent and passionate lesbian who has achieved her dream. She is a constant reminder to young people that you can be LGBT and be successful.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Secrets/Ziegfeldās
Describe your dream wedding.
An elegant affair. The ceremony would take place in an intimate church or chapel with family and close friends, followed by an amazing dinner and drinking good wine late into the night.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
I had a stutter as a child, which led to a deep fear of public speaking. In high school a teacher forced me to join the speech and debate team and it enabled me to discover my voice. I want to see as many students as possible participate in this program so they can learn to think, research, form an opinion and use the art of persuasion to change minds.
What historical outcome would you change?
In 2000 I would have redrawn the presidential ballot in Palm Beach County and fought to make sure the people whose names were close to convicted felons would have been allowed to legally vote in the presidential election. The “election” of George W. Bush as president of the United States set the country back several decades on many levels.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
When the brief flash of Janet Jackson’s nipple at the Super Bowl caused the entire country to come to a standstill for a week.
On what do you insist?
Sending a hand-written thank you note after receiving a gift or being hosted for a meal.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
I tweeted about Secretary Arne Duncan coming out in support of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
āThe Road Less Traveledā
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Toast all the new fabulous gays with a cosmo.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
I believe in a God that is greater than which I know not what.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Be patient, authentic and pragmatic. This is a movement that will not take place by a person giving a speech in front of thousands of people but with millions of people having billions of conversations. It will take time, but we are successful and will be in the end.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
My partnerās homemade cookies.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
That you cannot be both gay and have a belief in God. As an elder in my church and as someone who actually reads the Bible, I find the message to be one of a challenge to be strong enough to love and not fall into homophobia and discrimination.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
āBroken Heartās Clubā
What’s the most overrated social custom?
That you should not take the last cookie on the plate. If the dessert was good, go for it.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Olympic medal, although at this point it will probably be in curling.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
I wish I had known that patience and gratitude pay huge dividends in the long run.
Why Washington?
I have worked in politics since graduating from college, so I have been drawn to move here for a long time. When I met my partner here in 2010, all the stars aligned for me to take the leap (and make the drive) to the Washington area.
Movies
A cat and its comrades ride to adventure in breathtaking ‘Flow’
Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis directs animated fantasy adventure

Sometimes, life changes overnight, and thereās nothing to do but be swept away by it, trying to navigate its currents with nothing to help you but sheer instinct and the will to survive.
Sound familiar? It should; most lives are at some point met with the challenge of facing a new personal reality when the old one unexpectedly ceases to exist. Losing a job, a home, a relationship: any of these experiences require us to adapt, often on the fly; well-laid plans fall by the wayside and the only thing that matters is surviving to meet a new challenge tomorrow.
When such catastrophes are communal, national, or even global, the stability of existence can be erased so completely that adaptation feels nearly impossible; the āhitsā just keep on coming, and weāre left reeling in a constant state of panicked uncertainty. That might sound familiar, too.
If so, you likely realize that thereās little comfort to be found in most of the entertainments we seek for distraction, outside of the temporary respite provided by thinking about something else for a while ā but there are some entertainments that can work on us in a deeper way, too, and perhaps provide us with something that feels like hope, even when we know there is no chance of returning to the world we once knew.
āFlowā is just such an entertainment.
Directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis from a screenplay co-written with MatÄ«ss Kaža, this independently-produced, five-and-a-half-year-in-the-making animated fantasy adventure has become one of the most acclaimed films of 2024; debuting at Cannes in the non-competitive “Un Certain Regard” section, it won raves from international reviewers and went on to claim yearly ābest ofā honors from numerous criticsā organizations and film award bodies, including the Golden Globes and the National Board of Review. Now nominated not only for the Academyās Best Animated Feature award but as Best International Feature (only the third animated movie to accomplish that feat) as well, it stands as the odds-on favorite to take home at least one of those Oscars, and possibly even both ā and once seen, itās hard to dissent from that assessment.
Set in an unspecified time and an unknown, richly forested place, it centers its narrative ā which begins with breathtaking quickness, almost from the opening frames of the film ā on a small-ish charcoal grey cat, who wakes from its slumber to find its home rapidly disappearing under a rising tide of water. Trying to stay ahead of the flood, it finds a lifeline when it discovers an abandoned sailboat, adrift on the waves, and seeks safety on board; but the cat is not the only refugee here, and with an unlikely group of other animals ā a dog, a capybara, a lemur, and a secretary bird ā sharing the ride, the plucky feline must forge alliances with (and between) each of its shipmates if any of them are to avoid a seemingly apocalyptic fate. Faced with setbacks and challenges at every turn, the crew of unlikely comrades learns to cooperate out of shared necessity ā but will it be enough to keep the uncontrollable waters that surround them from becoming their final oblivion?
With no human presence in the movie ā though the implication that it once existed, accompanied by the inevitable suspicion that climate change is behind the mysterious flood, is ominously delivered through the monumental ruined structures and broken relics it has seemingly left behind ā the story unfolds without a word of dialogue, a narrative chain of events that keeps us ever-focused on the ānow.ā The non-verbal vocalizations of its characters (each provided by authentic animal sounds rather than human impersonation) help to convey their relationships with clarity, but itās the visual evocation of their sensory experiences ā of being trapped and at the mercy of the elements, of making an unexpected connection with another being, of enjoying a simple pleasure like a soft place to sleep ā that fuels this remarkable exploration of physical existence at its most raw and vulnerable. We have no way of knowing what has happened, no way of imagining what is yet to come, but such questions fade quickly into irrelevance as the story carries our attention from the immediacy of one moment into the next.
Accentuating this in-the-moment flow of āFlowāā for if ever a film title could be said to summarize its style, it is surely this one ā is its eye-absorbing visual beauty, rendered via the open-sourced software Blender to provide an aesthetic which matches the material. These realistically-drawn animals come vividly to life against a backdrop that captures a deep connection to nature, accented with the surreal intrusions of human influence and a certain appreciation for the colorful beauty of the world around us, even at its most untamed, which hints at an indefinable mysticism; and when the story begins to transcend the expected borders of its meticulously-crafted realism, the animation takes us there so easily that we scarcely notice it has happened.
Yet transcend it does, and in so doing becomes something greater than a humble adventure tale. As the animal companions progress in their journey toward hoped-for safety, the remnants of human existence become more weathered, more ancient, and less recognizable; the natural landscape through which they are carried begins to be transformed, rendered in a more mythic light by the clash of elemental forces swirling around them and the strange encounters with other creatures that occur along their way. Whatever world this may have been, it seems rapidly to be dissolving into a cosmos where the forms of the past are being reconfigured into something new ā and the band of travelers, both witness to and participants in this process, cannot help but be reconfigured, too.
We canāt explain that further without spoilers, but we can tell you that it includes the catās ability to ignore its solitary instincts and natural mistrust of its comrades in order to form a diverse (yes, we said it) and cooperative team. It also involves learning to let go of things that can no longer help, to be open to new possibilities that might, and perhaps most importantly, to surrender without fear to the āflowā and trust that it will eventually take you where you need to go, as long as you can manage to stay afloat until you get there.
Zilbalodisās film is an immersive ride, full of visceral and frequently harrowing moments that may produce some anxiety (especially for those who hate seeing animals in peril) and conceptual shifts that may challenge your expectations ā but it is a ride well worth taking. More than merely a fantastical āNoahās Arkā fable reimagined for an environmentally conscious age, it just might offer the timely catharsis many of us need to confront our unknowable future with a renewed sense of possibility.
āFlowā begins streaming on Max on Feb. 14.

SADBrunch will host āDrag Brunchā on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. at Throw Social.
Grab your friends & family, your mimosa, a plate full of food, and join us for Drag Brunch. Five flocking fabulous queens take to the stage to perform in this sassy, extravagant, fantabulous event. Tickets start at $25 and are available on Eventbrite.Ā
Out & About
Being single doesnāt mean you have to be alone this Valentineās Day!
Casa De LGBT hosts speed dating event

Casa De LGBT will host āGay, DL, Transgender Speed Datingā on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8:00p.m. at 1406 N. Capitol St. NW.
This will be a night of speed dating, deep connections, and good vibes! Whether you’re gay, lesbian, transgender, or queer, this event is designed to bring people together in a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment Come ready to connect, have fun, and maybe even meet someone special. Tickets cost $30 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
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