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Pop culture countdown 2014

The top gay moments in film, music, TV and more

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gayest moments, gay news, Washington Blade
gayest moments, gay news, Washington Blade

(Photo of Sam Smith courtesy Bigstock; photo of Laverne Cox by Melissa Hamburg; production photo of Jonathan Groff from ‘The Normal Heart’ courtesy HBO; Washington Blade photo of Ellen DeGeneres by Michael Key)

Here is our countdown of the entertainment world’s Top 10 gayest moments of the year:

gayest moments, gay news, Washington Blade

Sam Smith is nominated for six Grammys.

 

10. Citing powerhouse divas such as Adele, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and more as his influences, it was no huge surprise when British singer Sam Smith came out to E! in May. Known for his work on Disclosure’s “Latch” and Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” the breakout star has had the kind of career aspiring pop singers dream of: his debut studio album “In the Lonely Hour” was an international smash. Last month he found out he’s up for six Grammys. His single “Stay With Me” hit the top 10 in 10 countries.

9. Though stylistically they couldn’t be more diverse, two male country singers came out last year. “What Mattered Most” singer Ty Herndon, 52, a veteran whose first album debuted in 1995, came out in November in a People magazine exclusive in which he referred to himself as an “out, proud and happy gay man.” He’s been married twice previously to women but said he’s been in a relationship with a man in recent years. Former child star Billy Gilman, now 26, rose to fame with his debut album “One Voice,” released in 2000 when he was just 12. Though not nearly as active in recent years — his last album was in 2006 though he had several singles since then — Gilman came out in a video post in November and said he’s gay and is dating.

gayest moments, gay news, Washington Blade

Ellen DeGeneres’s 2014 Oscars selfie is said to be the most re-Tweeted photo ever. (Image courtesy Twitter)

8. Though it drew mixed reviews, Ellen DeGeneres returned — in one of pop culture’s most demanding and thankless jobs — to host the 86th annual Academy Awards in March, her second time at the helm of filmdom’s biggest night. Among her more memorable moments were a “selfie” taken with Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Meryl Streep and several others on the star-studded front row, aping another Hollywood lesbian (the late Billie Burke) when she strode onstage in the famous Glinda gown from “The Wizard of Oz” and, in a rare moment of edgier comedy, suggesting Liza Minnelli, there with her sibs for an “Oz” tribute, was actually a drag queen. Though just slightly miffed, Liza said later she found the joke a little “mean.” “Gravity” was the evening’s big winner but Ellen deserves some of the kudos — it was the most-watched Oscars since 2000.

Neil Patrick Harris Oscars, gay news, Washington Blade

Neil Patrick Harris (Photo by Angela George; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

7. It couldn’t have been a bigger or better year for red-hot out jack-of-all-trades Neil Patrick Harris. Not only did he win yet another Emmy for hosting the Tonys this year, he also won a Tony for his lauded turn in the gender-bending “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Broadway. He had a deliciously creepy role as Desi in the box office smash movie thriller “Gone Girl,” released his own “choose-your-own-adventure”-type memoir, wed long-time partner David Burtka (with whom he has two kids) in September, wrapped a groundbreaking run playing straight on the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” and agreed to host the Academy Awards in February. The 41-year-old is widely considered the most successful out actor on the scene today.

6. If Neil Patrick Harris is the most high-profile gay actor, Laverne Cox is undoubtedly the most high-profile transgender actress in Hollywood. Emmy nominated for her role as Sophia on the Netflix smash “Orange is the New Black,” Cox has used her platform to raise awareness of trans issues. The documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: the T Word” aired on MTV and Logo in October. In June, she made history as the first trans person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. In January, Cox had the world’s attention when a clip of her answering a personal question from a clueless Katie Couric was widely shared on social media saying discussions of “transition and surgery objectifies trans people.” Cox told the Blade in October she credits social media with the boon in trans visibility. “[It’s] really given the trans community a platform and a voice and a support that has just reverberated in a different way,” she said.

Joan Rivers, gay news, Washington Blade

Joan Rivers died at age 81. (Photo by David Shankbone; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

5. The gay community suffered a bitter blow when one of its all-time favorites, legendary comedian Joan Rivers, died of cardiac arrest at age 81 during an outpatient throat procedure. She died Sept. 4 after several days in a medically induced coma. Though initially known as a regular on “The Tonight Show” in the ‘60s with Johnny Carson and later her own “Late Show with Joan Rivers,” it was her biting stand-up celebrity-skewering wit and fashion critiques on the red carpets of major award shows that endeared her to a legion of gay fans. In 2013 she declared herself “Queen of the gays” (nobody argued) and she was a long-time advocate of gay causes. “I remember when I was working at the Duplex in Greenwich Village in New York at the beginning of my career,” she told the Advocate, “and the only ones who would laugh at my jokes were the gay guys. I think if I had started out in straight clubs and bars, I never would’ve gotten anywhere.”

Imitation Game, gay news, Washington Blade

Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in ‘Imitation Game.’ (Photo courtesy Weinstein Co.)

4. With a Rotten Tomatoes 88 percent positive index, a Time magazine cover story and more than $19 million in box office before it went into wide release in the U.S. (on Christmas Day), “The Imitation Game” was among 2014’s highest profile gay-themed releases. The biopic tells of the late Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the gay British WWII-era codebreaker famous for his intellectual brilliance but who had a tragic downfall in an era grossly ignorant of gay rights. Already a critical darling, the film has five nominations pending at the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11.

gayest moments, gay news, Washington Blade

Jonathan Groff stars in HBO’s ‘Looking,’ which returns Jan. 11. (Photo by Mercia Oliveira; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

3. Although nothing new, LGBT themes continue to have wide representation on new TV shows. “Looking,” an HBO comedy/drama, gained attention for its frank portrayals of the lives of three gay men living in San Francisco. Out actor Jonathan Groff stars as Patrick, a video game designer. The show, which has drawn mixed reviews, returns for a second season Jan. 11. “Transparent,” though initially unveiled in February, debuted its full 10-episode season run in September. Already renewed for a second season, it tells of Mort/Maura (Jeffrey Tambor), a retired professor who comes out as transgender to her family. It’s available through amazon.com.

2. Straight actor Jared Leto culminated an impressive award show streak that included a Golden Globe, an Independent Spirit Award and many more, with an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for playing Rayon, a trans woman with HIV who helps Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) in his quest to smuggle unapproved AIDS drugs into the country circa 1985. Leto, returning to movies after a five-year hiatus, paid homage to “the 36 million who have lost the battle to AIDS and to those of you who have ever felt injustice for who you are or who you love — tonight I stand here in front of the world with you and for you.”

Jonathan Groff, The Normal Heart, HBO, gay news, Washington Blade

HBO’s ‘Normal Heart’ is nominated for three Golden Globes. (Photo by Jojo Whilden, courtesy HBO)

1. Though earlier efforts languished for various reasons, in May, Larry Kramer’s landmark 1985 play “The Normal Heart” debuted in film version in a star-studded, Ryan Murphy-directed version starring Mark Ruffalo, Jonathan Groff, Matt Bomer, Julia Roberts and more. The blistering work, which tells of a group of gay New York men in the summer of 1981 as AIDS starts its toll, won an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie in August. Three Golden Globe nominations are pending. Rolling Stone called it “a blunt instrument that is also poetic and profound.” It joins “The Band Played On” and “Angels in America” as among the best AIDS-themed works.

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Visit Cambridge, a ‘beautiful secret’ on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

New organization promotes town’s welcoming vibe, LGBTQ inclusion

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Cambridge, Md., is home to quaint shops, restaurants, and Victorian homes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. (Photo courtesy James Lumalcuri)

CAMBRIDGE, Md. — Driving through this scenic, historic town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, you’ll be charmed by streets lined with unique shops, restaurants, and beautifully restored Victorian homes. You’ll also be struck by the number of LGBTQ Pride flags flying throughout the town.

The flags are a reassuring signal that everyone is welcome here, despite the town’s location in ruby red Dorchester County, which voted for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris by a lopsided margin. But don’t let that deter you from visiting. A new organization, Proudly Cambridge, is holding its debut Pride event this weekend, touting the town’s welcoming, inclusive culture.

“We stumbled on a beautiful secret and we wanted to help get the word out,” said James Lumalcuri of the effort to create Proudly Cambridge.

The organization celebrates diversity, enhances public spaces, and seeks to uplift all that Cambridge has to share, according to its mission statement, under the tagline “You Belong Here.”

The group has so far held informal movie nights and a picnic and garden party; the launch party is June 28 at the Cambridge Yacht Club, which will feature a Pride celebration and tea dance. The event’s 75 tickets sold out quickly and proceeds benefit DoCo Pride.

“Tickets went faster than we imagined and we’re bummed we can’t welcome everyone who wanted to come,” Lumalcuri said, adding that organizers plan to make “Cheers on the Choptank” an annual event with added capacity next year.

One of the group’s first projects was to distribute free Pride flags to anyone who requested one and the result is a visually striking display of a large number of flags flying all over town. Up next: Proudly Cambridge plans to roll out a program offering affirming businesses rainbow crab stickers to show their inclusiveness and LGBTQ support. The group also wants to engage with potential visitors and homebuyers.

“We want to spread the word outside of Cambridge — in D.C. and Baltimore — who don’t know about Cambridge,” Lumalcuri said. “We want them to come and know we are a safe haven. You can exist here and feel comfortable and supported by neighbors in a way that we didn’t anticipate when we moved here.”

James Lumalcuri and Lou Cardenas sailing in Cambridge, Md. The couple bought a second home there and are spreading the word about the town’s pro-LGBTQ culture. (Photo courtesy the couple)

Lumalcuri, 53, a federal government employee, and his husband, Lou Cardenas, 62, a Realtor, purchased a Victorian house in Cambridge in 2021 and embarked on an extensive renovation. The couple also owns a home in Adams Morgan in D.C.

“We saw the opportunity here and wanted to share it with others,” Cardenas said. “There’s lots of housing inventory in the $300-400,000 range … we’re not here to gentrify people out of town because a lot of these homes are just empty and need to be fixed up and we’re happy to be a part of that.”

Lumalcuri was talking with friends one Sunday last year at the gazebo (affectionately known as the “gayzebo” by locals) at the Yacht Club and the idea for Proudly Cambridge was born. The founding board members are Lumalcuri, Corey van Vlymen, Brian Orjuela, Lauren Mross, and Caleb Holland. The group is currently working toward forming a 501(c)3.

“We need visibility and support for those who need it,” Mross said. “We started making lists of what we wanted to do and the five of us ran with it. We started meeting weekly and solidified what we wanted to do.”

Mross, 50, a brand strategist and web designer, moved to Cambridge from Atlanta with her wife three years ago. They knew they wanted to be near the water and farther north and began researching their options when they discovered Cambridge.

“I had not heard of Cambridge but the location seemed perfect,” she said. “I pointed on a map and said this is where we’re going to move.”

The couple packed up, bought a camper trailer and parked it in different campsites but kept coming back to Cambridge. 

“I didn’t know how right it was until we moved here,” she said. “It’s the most welcoming place … there’s an energy vortex here – how did so many cool, progressive people end up in one place?” 

Corey van Vlymen and his husband live in D.C. and were looking for a second home. They considered Lost River, W.Va., but decided they preferred to be on the water.

“We looked at a map on both sides of the bay and came to Cambridge on a Saturday and bought a house that day,” said van Vlymen, 39, a senior scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton. They’ve owned in Cambridge for two years.

They were drawn to Cambridge due to its location on the water, the affordable housing inventory, and its proximity to D.C.; it’s about an hour and 20 minutes away.

Now, through the work of Proudly Cambridge, they hope to highlight the town’s many attributes to residents and visitors alike.

“Something we all agree on is there’s a perception problem for Cambridge and a lack of awareness,” van Vlymen said. “If you tell someone you’re going to Cambridge, chances are they think, ‘England or Massachusetts?’”

He cited the affordability and the opportunity to save older, historic homes as a big draw for buyers.

“It’s all about celebrating all the things that make Cambridge great,” Mross added. “Our monthly social events are joyful and celebratory.” A recent game night drew about 70 people.

She noted that the goal is not to gentrify the town and push longtime residents out, but to uplift all the people who are already there while welcoming new visitors and future residents. 

They also noted that Proudly Cambridge does not seek to supplant existing Pride-focused organizations. Dorchester County Pride organizes countywide Pride events and Delmarva Pride was held in nearby Easton two weeks ago.

“We celebrate all diversity but are gay powered and gay led,” Mross noted.  

To learn more about Proudly Cambridge, visit the group on Facebook and Instagram.

What to see and do

Cambridge, located 13 miles up the Choptank River from the Chesapeake Bay, has a population of roughly 15,000. It was settled in 1684 and named for the English university town in 1686. It is home to the Harriet Tubman Museum, mural, and monument. Its proximity to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge makes it a popular stop for birders, drawn to more than 27,000 acres of marshland dubbed “the Everglades of the north.”

The refuge is walkable, bikeable, and driveable, making it an accessible attraction for all. There are kayaking and biking tours through Blackwater Adventures (blackwateradventuresmd.com).

Back in town, take a stroll along the water and through historic downtown and admire the architecture. Take in the striking Harriet Tubman mural (424 Race St.). Shop in the many local boutiques, and don’t miss the gay-owned Shorelife Home and Gifts (421 Race St.), filled with stylish coastal décor items. 

Stop for breakfast or lunch at Black Water Bakery (429 Race St.), which offers a full compliment of coffee drinks along with a build-your-own mimosa bar and a full menu of creative cocktails.

The Cambridge Yacht Club (1 Mill St.) is always bustling but you need to be a member to get in. Snapper’s on the water is temporarily closed for renovations. RaR Brewing (rarbrewing.com) is popular for craft beers served in an 80-year-old former pool hall and bowling alley. The menu offers burgers, wings, and other bar fare.

For dinner or wine, don’t miss the fantastic Vintage 414 (414 Race St.), which offers lunch, dinner, wine tasting events, specialty foods, and a large selection of wines. The homemade cheddar crackers, inventive flatbreads, and creative desserts (citrus olive oil cake, carrot cake trifle) were a hit on a recent visit.

Also nearby is Ava’s (305 High St.), a regional chain offering outstanding Italian dishes, pizzas, and more.  

For something off the beaten path, visit Emily’s Produce (22143 Church Creek Rd.) for its nursery, produce, and prepared meals.

“Ten minutes into the sticks there’s a place called Emily’s Produce, where you can pay $5 and walk through a field and pick sunflowers, blueberries, you can feed the goats … and they have great food,” van Vlymen said.

As for accommodations, there’s the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay (100 Heron Blvd. at Route 50), a resort complex with golf course, spa, and marina. Otherwise, check out Airbnb and VRBO for short-term rentals closer to downtown.

Its proximity to D.C. and Baltimore makes Cambridge an ideal weekend getaway. The large LGBTQ population is welcoming and they are happy to talk up their town and show you around. 

“There’s a closeness among the neighbors that I wasn’t feeling in D.C.,” Lumalcuri said. “We look after each other.”

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James Baldwin bio shows how much of his life is revealed in his work

‘A Love Story’ is first major book on acclaimed author’s life in 30 years

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(Book cover image courtesy of FSG)

‘Baldwin: A Love Story’
By Nicholas Boggs
c.2025, FSG
$35/704 pages

“Baldwin: A Love Story” is a sympathetic biography, the first major one in 30 years, of acclaimed Black gay writer James Baldwin. Drawing on Baldwin’s fiction, essays, and letters, Nicolas Boggs, a white writer who rediscovered and co-edited a new edition of a long-lost Baldwin book, explores Baldwin’s life and work through focusing on his lovers, mentors, and inspirations.

The book begins with a quick look at Baldwin’s childhood in Harlem, and his difficult relationship with his religious, angry stepfather. Baldwin’s experience with Orilla Miller, a white teacher who encouraged the boy’s writing and took him to plays and movies, even against his father’s wishes, helped shape his life and tempered his feelings toward white people. When Baldwin later joined a church and became a child preacher, though, he felt conflicted between academic success and religious demands, even denouncing Miller at one point. In a fascinating late essay, Baldwin also described his teenage sexual relationship with a mobster, who showed him off in public.

Baldwin’s romantic life was complicated, as he preferred men who were not outwardly gay. Indeed, many would marry women and have children while also involved with Baldwin. Still, they would often remain friends and enabled Baldwin’s work. Lucien Happersberger, who met Baldwin while both were living in Paris, sent him to a Swiss village, where he wrote his first novel, “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” as well as an essay, “Stranger in the Village,” about the oddness of being the first Black person many villagers had ever seen. Baldwin met Turkish actor Engin Cezzar in New York at the Actors’ Studio; Baldwin later spent time in Istanbul with Cezzar and his wife, finishing “Another Country” and directing a controversial play about Turkish prisoners that depicted sexuality and gender. 

Baldwin collaborated with French artist Yoran Cazac on a children’s book, which later vanished. Boggs writes of his excitement about coming across this book while a student at Yale and how he later interviewed Cazac and his wife while also republishing the book. Baldwin also had many tumultuous sexual relationships with young men whom he tried to mentor and shape, most of which led to drama and despair.

The book carefully examines Baldwin’s development as a writer. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” draws heavily on his early life, giving subtle signs of the main character John’s sexuality, while “Giovanni’s Room” bravely and openly shows a homosexual relationship, highly controversial at the time. “If Beale Street Could Talk” features a woman as its main character and narrator, the first time Baldwin wrote fully through a woman’s perspective. His essays feel deeply personal, even if they do not reveal everything; Lucian is the unnamed visiting friend in one who the police briefly detained along with Baldwin. He found New York too distracting to write, spending his time there with friends and family or on business. He was close friends with modernist painter Beauford Delaney, also gay, who helped Baldwin see that a Black man could thrive as an artist. Delaney would later move to France, staying near Baldwin’s home.

An epilogue has Boggs writing about encountering Baldwin’s work as one of the few white students in a majority-Black school. It helpfully reminds us that Baldwin connects to all who feel different, no matter their race, sexuality, gender, or class. A well-written, easy-flowing biography, with many excerpts from Baldwin’s writing, it shows how much of his life is revealed in his work. Let’s hope it encourages reading the work, either again or for the first time.

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Looking back at 50 years of Pride in D.C

Washington Blade’s unique archives chronicle highs, lows of our movement

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Gay Pride Day 1976 (Washington Blade archive photo)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride in Washington, D.C., the Washington Blade team combed our archives and put together a glossy magazine showcasing five decades of celebrations in the city. Below is a sampling of images from the magazine but be sure to find a print copy starting this week.

D.C.’s Different Drummers march in the 2006 Capital Pride Parade. (Washington Blade archive photo by Adam Cuthbert)

The magazine is being distributed now and is complimentary. You can find copies at LGBTQ bars and restaurants across the city. Or visit the Blade booth at the Pride festival on June 7 and 8 where we will distribute copies. 

Thank you to our advertisers and sponsors, whose support has enabled us to distribute the magazine free of charge. And thanks to our dedicated team at the Blade, especially Photo Editor Michael Key, who spent many hours searching the archives for the best images, many of which are unique to the Blade and cannot be found elsewhere. And thanks to our dynamic production team of Meaghan Juba, who designed the magazine, and Phil Rockstroh who managed the process. Stephen Rutgers and Brian Pitts handled sales and marketing and staff writers Lou Chibbaro Jr., Christopher Kane, Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny along with freelancer and former Blade staffer Joey DiGuglielmo wrote the essays. 

The 1995 Lesbian and Gay Freedom Festival was held on Freedom Plaza on June 18. (Washington Blade archive photo by Clint Steib)

The magazine represents more than 50 years of hard work by countless reporters, editors, advertising sales reps, photographers, and other media professionals who have brought you the Washington Blade since 1969.

We hope you enjoy the magazine and keep it as a reminder of all the many ups and downs our local LGBTQ community has experienced over the past 50 years.

I hope you will consider supporting our vital mission by becoming a Blade member today. At a time when reliable, accurate LGBTQ news is more essential than ever, your contribution helps make it possible. With a monthly gift starting at just $7, you’ll ensure that the Blade remains a trusted, free resource for the community — now and for years to come. Click here to help fund LGBTQ journalism.

The D.C. Black Gay Men & Women’s Community Conference table at Gay Pride Day in 1978. (Washington Blade archive photo by Jim Marks)
A scene from 1985 Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
A scene from the 1988 Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
A scene from the Capital Pride Block Party in 2018. (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Keke Palmer performs at the 2024 Capital Pride Festival. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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