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QUEERY: Maj. Brian Dix

The former Marine Band director answers 20 gay questions

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Brian Dix, gay news, Washington Blade
Brian Dix, gay news, Washington Blade

Maj. Brian Dix (Photo by Sgt. Bobby J. Yarbrough; used with permission from the United States Marine Corps)

Major Brian Dix came to Washington in May 1984 with the Marine Corps and at the end of last year, retired as director of the Commandant’s Own — United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps. He was only the fourth director of the group since its 1934 founding.

During his 16 years directing the Corps, he wrote original compositions such as “Reveille,” a swing march dedicated to wounded warriors, “Birth of a Drum Corps” for the 75th anniversary of the Corps and “Corpsman Up,” a march dedicated to the Navy corpsman who served alongside the Marines.

He received many personal decorations for his work including the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star for heroic achievement and a Navy Certificate of Commendation for his volunteer work at the National Naval Medical Center.

The 54-year-old Newark, N.J., native also says it was a thrill to be in Washington for so many historical events.

“I was there when ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ came into law and Paul and I were there when DADT was dissolved,” he says. “One day the Supreme Court said, ‘Hey guys, go get married.’ And we did.”

Dix and Paul Andrews were together six years prior to their September 2012 wedding. They’re taking their time traveling around the country in an SUV en route to their new home in San Diego where Dix plans to pursue “different avenues in music.”

Dix enjoys music, yard work and reading about world affairs in his free time.

 

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

I don’t think I was ever “in.” I never hid my persona during a lifelong military career. When the nation steered toward a different course regarding relationships and marriage, it seems like a non-issue to come “out.” It was simple. Actually, it was very simple especially with Paul, a terrific partner along with friends and colleagues who never judged.

 

Who’s your LGBT hero?

The Supreme Court

 

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

Probably during my younger years, Badlands was the place to be. Friday and Saturday nights was the best escape for a younger guy to dance the night away. Many times, my straight Marine buddies would tag along to dance and to meet girls. And they did meet some nice women. What a great place at the perfect time.

 

Describe your dream wedding.

Mission complete. My husband Paul and I were married in our community of Capitol Hill at the Hill Center. We both resided near Eastern Market for many years and knew this was the perfect venue. The Old Navy Hospital was the ideal location due to Paul being a nurse, and of course, my Navy-Marine Corps side. The Rev. Cara Spacarelli from Christ Church married us in front of a large group of family, friends and friendly professionals.

 

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

Hunger. Too many people within local communities go without daily meals. This is where people can make a difference through monetary or subsistent donations to local food banks. Feed your neighbors. This makes a huge difference.

 

What historical outcome would you change?

The Cuba embargo should have been lifted years ago. It’s a rewarding moment to see America back on the right track of good neighboring. This sets a good example for future generations.

 

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

The last episode of “The Carol Burnett Show.” It was the great finale of an entertainment era.

 

On what do you insist?

No cell phones during a conversation.

 

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

My husband and I are currently traveling to San Diego via the rest of America in our retirement “victory lap.” The drive has brought us to places we have always wanted to visit where they are all clearly documented on Facebook. I have a terrific photo at Johnny Mercer’s gravesite, which should be up this week. For the non-gays who might read this, go look up Johnny Mercer.

 

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

“My Feet Have Wings”

 

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

Don’t alter a thing. People’s identities are what make this world spin. Nature is wonderful in this way.

 

What do you believe in beyond the physical world? 

Music

 

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

Keep the momentum going and don’t stop.

 

What would you walk across hot coals for?

Paul

 

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

I spent the better part of my life supporting and defending people’s freedoms. Be yourself. Nothing really bothers me.

 

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

“The Birdcage” of course. A laugh-out riot. I saw it in the theater with my straight Marine buds who fell on the floor laughing.

 

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Texting before a phone call.

 

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Handwritten letters from my Marines.

 

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That it all works out.

 

Why Washington?

Paul and I enjoyed every moment of our time in Washington, D.C. To personally witness its transformation toward its current gentrified state has been a pleasure. And, to be aboard our nation’s capital during so many moments of history starting from the Reagan era, every presidential inauguration, to births and memorials, all while history unfolded. Some of which, we were part of. What a great place during a great time.

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Celebrity News

HRC releases ‘Queer Renaissance Syllabus’

Beyoncé’s hit album inspired curriculum

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Beyoncé performs at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Aug. 6, 2023. The Human Rights Campaign has released a curriculum that her "Renaissance" album inspired. (Washington Blade photo by Isabelle Kravis)

In a move aimed at celebrating the beauty, brilliance and resilience of the LGBTQ community, the Human Rights Campaign unveiled the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” that Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album inspired. 

Curated by Justin Calhoun, Leslie Hall and Chauna Lawson of the HRC’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program, the syllabus includes a variety of academic articles, essays, films and other media rooted in Black queer and feminist studies. Each piece is directly inspired by the tracks on Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping dance album, “Renaissance.”

Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance” stands as a cultural milestone, celebrating the Black queer roots of dance music while shedding light on overlooked Black queer artists. Inspired by her late-Uncle Johnny, the album not only garnered critical acclaim but also shed light on the often marginalized contributions of Black queer artists. Winning four Grammys and yielding chart-topping hits like “Break My Soul” and “Cuff It,” the album sparked discussions about economic impact and cultural representation.

Amid its success, legislative challenges arose, with Florida and Texas enacting bans on DEI initiatives in public colleges. Recognizing the album’s transformative potential, HRC developed the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” to leverage its impact for education and activism.

Tailored for educators, youth-serving professionals, DEI practitioners, higher education leaders and admirers of Beyoncé’s artistry, the syllabus aims to encourage meaningful discussions, enrich lesson plans, and explore innovative ways to honor the vibrancy and significance of LGBTQ individuals and their culture.

With six themes anchoring the syllabus, ranging from “intersectionality and inclusivity” to “social justice and activism,” it provides a comprehensive exploration of various facets of LGBTQ experiences and expressions. Fan-favorite tracks from the album are paired with scholarly readings, offering insights into empowerment, self-acceptance and the transformative power of artistic expression. The syllabus also reinforces HRC’s efforts to highlight, amplify and re-center Black and queer voices.

By providing links to articles, books, podcasts and interviews, each associated with a song from the album, it celebrates the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Black queer community.

The concluding section of the syllabus includes Beyoncé’s tribute to O’Shea Sibley, a young Black queer person who was murdered in Brooklyn, N.Y., last July while voguing to “Renaissance” songs at a gas station. HRC also includes a statement that condemns hate crimes.

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Movies

Neo-noir ‘Femme’ offers sexy, intense revenge fantasy

A work of real and thrilling cinematic vision

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George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett star in ‘Femme.’ (Photo courtesy of Utopia)

They say “revenge is sweet,” and it must be true. Why else would so many of our popular stories, dating all the way back to “Medea” and beyond, be focused on the idea of getting “even” with the people who have done us wrong?

It’s a concept with obvious appeal for anyone who has felt unjustly used by the world – or, more accurately, by the people in it – but that has particular resonance, perhaps, for modern queer audiences, long used to being relegated to the status of “victim” in the narratives we see on our screens. In “Femme” — the new UK indie thriller helmed by first-time feature directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, now in limited theatrical release and expanding wider over the next two weeks — it provides the irresistible hook for a gripping tale of calculated vengeance in the face of anti-queer violence. Like the best of such stories, however, it’s as much a cautionary tale as it is a wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Set in London, it centers on Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), aka Aphrodite Banks, a popular drag performer in the city’s queer club scene who, after a performance one night, steps out in full costume to buy a pack of cigarettes and becomes the victim of a traumatic “gay bashing” incident at the hands of a young man goaded to violence by a thuggish gang of friends. Months later, though he’s recovered from his physical injuries, he is still deeply affected by the inner scars that linger. Robbed of the confidence that allowed him to perform, he’s withdrawn into a reclusive life, until concern from his friends and housemates prompts him to finally venture out into the world for a night of cruising at a gay sauna – where he encounters his bully doing the same thing. 

Unrecognizable and anonymously masculine out of his drag persona, Jules finds himself beginning a dangerous and duplicitous game in which he plans to “out” his former attacker – whose name, as he learns, is Preston (George MacKay) – in the most humiliating way possible. As his scheme begins to play out, however, he encounters an obstacle: in getting to know the closeted Preston, he is surprised to discover not only empathy for someone living their life in terrified camouflage, but a mutual attraction that develops despite the horrific history between them.

Framed as a self-described “neo-noir” story, a designation that implies a certain flavor of moral ambiguity as much as it does a tense and shadowy tale of intrigue or a psychologically complex tone, it’s a movie that relies heavily on style in order to sell its conceptual premise. Realistically, we might question the boldness that permits our protagonist to enact such a potentially hazardous scheme, but in the context of its genre trappings we are lulled into accepting it. And while most of us are likely “jaded” enough to question the possibility of tenderness between its two leading characters, the accepted conceits of the film noir form are enough to sell it to us – or at least allow us to grapple with it alongside Jules, whose righteously Machiavellian master plan is threatened by the feelings he “catches” in spite of himself.

That, of course, is part of the whole point. “Femme,” though it establishes itself by virtue of its very title as a testament to the struggle to “pass” for straight in a world that places a value judgment on perceived adherence to a strict norm for gender and sexuality, hinges on the idea that such things aren’t quite as clear-cut as we want to make them. Despite the black-and-white certainty we cling to when it comes to the subject of abusive or toxic relationships, there’s an emotional component that can only be ignored or dismissed at our peril, and even our most resolute intentions can be undermined by the shades of gray we discover in our hearts. 

Freeman and Ng – who also wrote the screenplay, adapting their own BAFTA-nominated short film from 2021 (starring Harris Dickinson and Paapa Essiedu) into a feature-length expansion – seem bent on challenging our snap judgments, on forcing us to sympathize with our oppressors by showing us the ways in which they, too, are prevented from living a fully authentic life by the expectations of their cultural environment. Even more challenging for many modern audiences, perhaps, may be the unavoidable observation that, in enacting his plan of revenge, Jules crosses the line between being a victim and being a victimizer – a fine point that may trigger uncomfortable implications in a social environment that has become marked by divisive moral constructs and hardline ethical posturing.

Before we scare you off with discussion of high-concept themes and “culture war” rhetoric, however, it’s crucial to bring up the elements that lift “Femme” above and beyond the level of so many such narrative films and makes it a somewhat unexpectedly potent piece of cinematic storytelling – and all of them have to do with the skill and intention behind it.

As to the former, the movie’s first-time directors manage a remarkable debut, steeping their film in moody, genre-appropriate visuals and murky morality. They pave a path beyond the easy assessments proscribed for us by conventional thinking, and force us to follow our sympathies into a disquieting confrontation between what we “know” as right and what we feel as true; at the same time, they push back against any natural sentimentality we might have about the situation, stressing the toxicity of the relationship in the middle of their film, the ironically-reversed insincerity of its dynamic – and, perhaps most importantly, the reality of the defining circumstances around it. While we might find ourselves longing for a happier resolution than the one we expect, the film makes no pretense that these two men might overcome the deep denial and traumatic associations – not to mention the calculated lack of honesty on the side of its de facto protagonist, to achieve some kind of “happy ending” between themselves. Nevertheless, we hope for it, in spite of ourselves.

That delicate dynamic works largely because of the movie’s lead actors. Both Stewart-Jarrett (“Candyman”) and MacKay (“Pride”, “1917”) deliver fully invested, utterly relatable performances, finding the emotional truth behind their interactions with as much palpable authenticity as they bring to the chemistry between them. They force us to abandon our preconceived ideas about each character by finding the human presence behind them, and it makes the story’s final outcome feel as heartbreaking as it does inevitable.

As for intention, “Femme” – which premiered at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival and went on to gather acclaim across the international film fest circuit – might be a little hard to take for the easily triggered, we won’t deny it. Still, it’s a work of real and thrilling cinematic vision that goes beyond easy morality to highlight the tragedy that comes from being forced to live behind a mask for the sake of societal acceptance. It’s also exciting, smart, and unexpectedly sexy – all of which make it a highly- recommended addition to your watchlist.

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Out & About

Trans Day of Visibility is here and here’s how to celebrate

Howard County LGBTQIA Commission to host Columbia event

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Howard County LGBTQIA Commission will host its inaugural event celebrating Trans Day of Visibility on Sunday, March 31 at 4 p.m. at Busboys and Poets in Columbia, Md.

The purpose of this inaugural event is to create a welcoming and inclusive space that celebrates and amplifies the voices of the trans community and its allies, highlights the joy and resilience of trans and non-binary individuals everywhere, and elevates their voices and shares their diverse experiences. 

This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

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