Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Rod Glover
The Home Rule co-owner answers 20 gay questions

It started with a brainstorming session. In 2000, Home Rule (1807 14th St., N.W.; homerule.com) owners Rod Glover and his business partner Greg Link were brainstorming ideas for how to generate an influx of business in notoriously slow August so they could afford trips to retail shows at which they could order merchandise for fall.
They came up with the idea for a sidewalk sale and persuaded about seven of their neighbors to join them. It was a hit — they took all their merchandise, set it up out front and were soon on their way to the shows.
Though they’re not as involved in the planning of it now, the tradition continues. Look for the 13th annual MidCity Dog Days Sidewalk Sale this weekend from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday where about 70 businesses in the area around P and 14th (stretching up to U Street) bring their wares outdoors for the weekend (midcitydogdays.com).
“We just kind of take everything that’s been sitting on the shelf for the last nine months or been taken off the shelf, and move it out to the sidewalk at 50 percent off and it’s a big hit,” Glover says. “It’s very practical housewares stuff. Things people actually need.”
Glover, a 50-year-old Camp Hill, Pa., native, came to D.C. in 1987, his arm twisted by several friends who’d moved here and wanted him to join them. He worked in various retail shops and has always practiced his artwork on the side. He recently exhibited at Gallery Plan B with a show featuring sculpture and found wood he scorched with a propane torch. He and Link opened Home Rule on Labor Day weekend 1999. He says because of the growth in the neighborhood and a loyal customer base, it’s been successful even in the down economy.
Glover and his partner, lawyer Tom Mayes, live together in Dupont Circle. Glover enjoys creating art, cooking, entertaining, magazines and cookbooks in his free time. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I came out to my friends in college when I was 19, (and my painting professor) but didn’t come out to my parents until I was 30, on an Easter Sunday, just before I moved into a one bedroom with my partner. That was the hardest. My mother’s immediate response: “Mothers know these things. Is there anyone special?”
Who’s your LGBT hero?
I have two. My partner’s cousin, Mary Margaret “Peggy” Cleveland, because she came out to her North Carolina Presbyterian congregation in her 70s, after having been a missionary in Africa, during a big church debate on the role of LGBT people. And my friend Stephen Skinner, who founded Fairness WV, and who’s running this fall for the West Virginia House of Delegates. If elected, he would be the first openly gay delegate in West Virginia. Support his campaign.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
My apartment. Ask people.
Describe your dream wedding.
It would be just like our friend Jenny Allen’s Hootenanny — a big party with all of our friends, the Speakeasy Boys playing bluegrass, handsome bartenders, barbecue and the Potomac River as a backdrop.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
Affordable higher education, affordable health care and the freedom to create.
What historical outcome would you change?
The long persistent influence of Puritanism, here and throughout the world.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
Three. Seeing Jackie Hoffman on Broadway in “Hairspray,” “Xanadu” and “The Addams Family.”
On what do you insist?
That my friends come to my house, eat my cooking and take leftovers home.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
Katie Petix manages our Facebook for Home Rule. She beats me hands down in posting.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“La-Bas,” but it’s already taken.
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Ignore it.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
The ghosts that inhabit my cabin in West Virginia. They party so much it keeps me awake.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
I don’t really have much of an activist soul, but I deeply admire those who do: Keep at it and thank you.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
The last wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano. And my beautiful nieces.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
Any assumption that prejudges me or others annoys me.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“Trick.” Tori Spelling is fabulously nutty and the movie reminds me of myself and my friend Debbie.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Being too polite to say you want more.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
I already have it — the senior art award at high school graduation. I always felt like such an outsider, and I didn’t know in advance, so it meant the world to me. I received the psychology award too — I’m still baffled by that one. My partner says he gets it.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
How much fun life is.
Why Washington?
In 1987 my friends, who had already moved here, set me up with a job and an apartment. I have the best friends on the planet.
Music & Concerts
Cyndi Lauper ready to have fun in Virginia
Superstar to bring final leg of farewell tour to Jiffy Lube Live

Superstar Cyndi Lauper will bring the final leg of her farewell tour “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” to Bristow, Va., on Thursday, July 24 at Jiffy Lube Live.
Lauper’s international Farewell Tour – her first major headlining run in a decade – kicked off in North America last October, and included her first time ever headlining (and selling out) Madison Square Garden. Lauper’s performances have earned raves from the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and many more, and surprise guests have included Chaka Khan, Sam Smith, and Hayley Williams. The tour just visited the U.K. and Europe, and will head to Australia and Japan in April.
Tickets are available on Live Nation’s website.

Rehoboth Beach Pride is back for a day of summer celebration on Saturday.
The Delaware beach town will host its Pride festival at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center on July 19 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., followed by an after-party at Freddie’s Beach Bar and a ticketed event in the evening with a film screening, comedian, and musician.
“It will be a day of community engagement, fun, celebration and learning, all sorts of things rolled into one,” David Mariner, executive director of Sussex Pride, told the Blade. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to be together, to support each other.”
Pride is organized by Sussex Pride and Gay Women of Rehoboth. The festival will include a free, family-friendly event with vendors offering information and resources, health screenings, and other activities. For more information visit sussexpride.org.

Friday, July 18
“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in-person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 6 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, July 19
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 12 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
LGBT People of Color Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.
Miss Capital Pride will host “DC Drag brunch on Rooftop – Penthouse” at 12 p.m. at MXDC Cocina Mexicana. Guests will experience a Mexican brunch infused with Baby Shank’s signature dishes, complemented by margaritas and mimosas. There will also be performances by drag queens and celebrity impersonators, featuring Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston, Cher, and many more. Tickets are $30.65 and available on Eventbrite.
Monday, July 21
“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. in-person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.
Tuesday, July 22
Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group and a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook page.
Wednesday, July 23
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Asexual and Aromantic Group will meet at 7 p.m. virtually and in-person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].
Thursday, July 24
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Lit Lovers: Book Club for Seniors will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. The book selection for July is “Rubyfruit Jungle” by Rita Mae Brown. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Poly Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an inclusive, welcoming, virtual safer space to talk about all things polyamorous — the rapturous, the confused, the pure YIKES, we want to hear them all. For more details, email [email protected].
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