a&e features
Amy Austin reflects on 30 years at City Paper
Lesbian publisher steps down, prepares for new challenges in D.C.
Amy Austin has no immediate plans but says she’s ready to put her skills to work in another arena — perhaps helping underserved Washingtonians. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Change is inevitable no matter your field but it’s even more acute in newspaper work. After 30 years of navigating all sorts of change, Washington City Paper veteran Amy Austin went from publisher, a title she’d had since 2003, to publisher emeritus.
Practically speaking that means she’s no longer there on a daily basis and is pursuing other options. Her last day was May 8, also her 57th birthday. She got a happy sendoff she says was “a treat” and “a day to celebrate what’s been built and what’s to come.” In addition to a mock edition of the paper called the “Amy issue,” there were cupcakes, Champagne and so many flowers it “looked like I had died.”
Washington City Paper started in 1981 and only a few years in, Austin, a Princeton, Ill., native, joined the staff in 1985 working first as an ad assistant and gradually, over many years and through several changes in ownership, moving to operations manager, general manager and then publisher. There are 30 on staff currently. Weekly circulation has held steady at about 72,000 for the last six years.
She remembers long-time colleague Sheila Alexander-Reid, like Austin a lesbian, giving her an early hard time because Austin declined to join her for a beer. “She sort of roughed me up,” Austin says with a laugh during a mid-day interview in her office on her penultimate day on the job.
Her early years were spent doing all sorts of work on the advertising side from making sure things were print ready to making corrections with typesetters.
“Mostly I’ve always worked with what I would call putting the thing together,” she says. “Making sure all the parts work together, which is essentially the way I think of the publisher job as well.”
With her partner of nine years, Dierdre Joy, and three kids (two 14- and one 12-year-old), with whom she lives in Mount Pleasant, Austin says she’s not retiring. She admits to feeling “a little restless” and figured 30 years was “a good time to depart.”
“I need a bit of time to figure out what’s next but I know what my skills are and what I’m good at, so I hope to apply those to other things,” she says. “I care very much about the city and, you know, the underserved, so I imagine it will something that combines one or two of those things but I don’t have a big plan.”
A recent interview covered many topics:
On changes in the industry: “The last 15 years have not been easy because the whole business model, as you know if you’re anywhere close to newspapers, was just completely disrupted. But it has made the work more interesting even though it was much more difficult. In the ‘90s, everything was just pouring in and we had very little competition. We competed with the Blade, the Washington Post, to some extent radio and magazines, but we had a pretty clear playing field. Now there are a lot more ankle biters out there.”
On managing millennials: “I think they just probably have better insight into the world than when we were younger, right? They know much more. There’s more communication. The world is more available to them so they aren’t as loyal as they once were. … The world is writ large where it wasn’t before. I don’t think of them as fickle, I think of them as individualists.”
On balancing advertising and editorial: “For me, it never meant that church couldn’t talk to state or state couldn’t talk to church. We do a lot of collaborative projects like our arts guides, our best of, but at the same time, I have been the recipient of many an angry call from people who work with us on the marketing side who would expect that would translate into the editorial side, but that’s not the arrangement. … They’re not buying the editorial, they’re buying the audience and … if the editorial could be bought, then it wouldn’t be very good editorial.”
On being professionally out: “I try to be as out as I can as often as I can. Philosophically, that’s how I roll.”
On the hyper-local focus: “It’s much more tangible. You feel like you have more impact. You can see the problems and address them in editorial. You can see a new store opening and think, ‘I can help you reach your greater audience.’ I love local.”
On D.C. changes over 30 years: “It was quite a different city then but the way it hasn’t changed is that it’s still a very small city. … I think we all know the way things have changed … the camera shops and record stores and none of those businesses exist anymore, so part of what City Paper has done on an everyday basis is cover those gentrifying issues. … It’s a very changed place but a lot of the problems for people who don’t have as much access as everyone else still remain. That’s why (Councilman Marion) Barry got so many accolades at his funeral was that he was tireless about pointing that out every chance he got.”
On memorable City Paper stories over the years: “Letters from an Arsonist” by Dave Jamieson (2007), “My So-Called Stalker,” which David Carr, an “infamous journalist who recently died, helped the victim write in a first-person account in 1999. Her stalker was arrested shortly after the story was published, so that was a positive outcome. I loved it whenever we got positive outcomes.”
On keeping the bean counters happy: “It’s certainly always top of mind to always keep the revenue up and we’ve been really successful. I’m very proud of the digital revenue we did under my watch. … I’ve been able to keep (them) fairly happy.”
On Washington Post: “A fantastic publication but I would argue we have always done local coverage better or as well as them … but obviously they have a lot more resources on the revenue side. … You can see them turning to more of a national outlook, so that just makes City Paper’s position even stronger.”
On City Paper’s reputation compared to other alt weeklies: “Ours is the best in the country!”
Her bleakest day on the job: A day in the fall of 2007 when “we had to let a number of staff go. I can still feel that. It was very bleak.”
Her proudest: “One of the most victorious moments was when (Washington Redskins owner) Dan Snyder dropped his lawsuit against us. … He ended up dropping it right before we went through with an anti-SLAPP motion, which is a law designed to stop frivolous lawsuits.”
On the Rolling Stone campus rape story: “I don’t understand how that happened. It just seems against all principles that you don’t have secondary sources.”
Her philosophy of HR: “I believe everyone wants to do their best.”
On homophobia vs. sexism in business: “Never a problem with any of our ownership groups but certainly you encounter sexism. It happens on a regular basis and probably more so if you’re gay.”
a&e features
Memorial for groundbreaking bisexual activist set for May 2
Loraine Hutchins remembered as a ‘force of nature’
The Montgomery County Pride Center will host a celebration honoring the life and legacy of Loraine Hutchins, Ph.D., on May 2. People are invited to attend the onsite memorial or a livestream event. The on-site event will begin at 10 a.m. with a meet-and-greet mixer before moving into a memorial service around the theme “Loraine a Force of Nature!” at 11 a.m., a panel talk at 12 p.m., break out sessions for artists, academics, and activists to build on her legacy at 1 p.m. and a closing reception at 2 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to register for the on-site memorial gathering or the livestreamed memorial. The goal of this event is also to collect stories and memories of Loraine. Attendees and others can share their stories at padlet.com.
An obituary for Hutchins was published in the Bladelast Nov. 24, where people can learn more about her activism in the bisexual community. A private service for friends and family was held in December but this memorial service is open to all.
Alongside her groundbreaking work organizing for U.S. bisexual rights and liberation including co-editing “Bi Any Other Name: BIsexual People Speak Out” (1991), she also integrated faith into her sexual education and advocacy work. Her 2001 doctoral dissertation, “Erotic Rites: A Cultural Analysis of Contemporary U.S. Sacred Sexuality Traditions and Trends,” offered a pointed queer and feminist analysis to sex-neutral and sex-positive spiritual traditions in the United States. Her thesis was also groundbreaking in exploring the intersections between sex workers and those in caregiving professionals, including spiritual ones.
In an oral history interview conducted by Michelle Mueller back in August 2023, Hutchins described herself as a “priestess without a congregation.” While she has occasionally had a sense of community and feels part of a group of loving people, she admitted that “I don’t feel like we have the shape or the purpose that we need.”
“I’ve often experienced being the Cassandra in the room, the Cassandra in the community. Somebody who’s kind of way out there ahead, thinking through the strategic action points that my community hasn’t gotten to yet, and getting a lot of resistance and hostile responses from people who are frightened by dissent and conflict and not ready for the changes we have to make to survive,” she said.
“For somebody who’s bisexual in an out political way and who’s been a spokesperson for the polyamory movement in an out political way, it’s very exposing. And it’s very important to me to be able to try to explain and help other people understand the connection between spirituality and sexuality,” she explained citing how even as a graduate student she was “exploring how to feel erotic and spiritual, and not feel them in conflict with each other in my own spiritual contemplative life and my own sensual body awareness of being alive in the world.”
“Every religion has a sense of sacred sexuality. It’s just they put a lot of boundaries and regulations on it, and if we have a spiritual practice that is totally affirming of women’s priesthood and of gay people, queer people’s ability to minister to everyone and to be ministered to be everyone, what does that do to the gender of God, or our understanding of how we practice our spirituality and our sexuality in community and privately?”
“There’s no easy answer,” she concludes, and she continued to grapple with these questions throughout her life, co-editing another seminal text, “Sexuality, Religion and the Sacred: Bisexual, Pansexual, and Polysexual Perspectives,” published in 2012. Her work blending spiritual and queer liberation remains groundbreaking to this day.
Rev. Eric Eldritch, a local community organizer and ordained Pagan minister with Circle Sanctuary who has worked for decades with the DC Center’s Center Faith to organize the Pride Interfaith Service, is eager to highlight this element of her legacy at the memorial service next month.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.
Aging RFK Stadium has come down, but the RFK grounds are still getting lit up. Welcome back to the stage Project GLOW, D.C.’s homegrown electronic festival, on May 30-31. Back for its fifth year on these musically inclined acres, Project GLOW returns with an even more diverse lineup, and one that continues to celebrate LGBTQ antecedents, attendees, and acts.
Project GLOW 2026 headliners include house and techno star Mau P, progressive house legend Eric Prydz, hard-techno favorite Sara Landry, and bass acts Excision b2b Sullivan King, among the lineup of trance, bass, house, techno, dubstep, and others for the fifth anniversary year.
President & CEO Pete Kalamoutsos — born and raised in D.C. — founded Club GLOW in 1999. In 2020, GLOW entered into a partnership with global entertainment company Insomniac Events to produce live events like Project GLOW, which kicked off in 2022.
As in past years, Project GLOW not only makes space, but is intentionally inclusive of the LGBTQ community, one of its most dedicated fan bases. The festival’s LGBTQ-focused Secret Garden stage blooms again — a more intimate dance area that stands on the strength of DJs and musicians who draw from the LGBTQ community. D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife mastermind Ed Bailey is the creative mind behind Secret Garden again. He joined Project GLOW in 2023.
“Kalamoustos says that “he’s proud of his partnership with Ed Bailey, along with Capital Pride and [nightlife producer] Jake Resnikow. It’s amazing to collaborate with Bailey at the Secret Garden stage, especially after the curated lineup we worked on at Pride last year.”
The Secret Garden will be a bit different from other stages: Eternal (“At the Eternal stage, time stands still. Lose yourself in the dance of past, present, and future, surrendering to the eternal rhythm of the universe”) and Pulse (“Feel the rhythm of the beat pulse through your veins as the heartbeat of the crowd synchronizes into one. Here, every moment vibrates with life as it guides you through a new dimension of euphoria”). The Secret Garden stage is in the round, surrounded by 16 shipping containers. The containers play canvas to muralists from around the world, who are coming in to paint them in a vibrant garden-style vibe. “We gave this stage some extra love with this layout,” K says, “ we finally cracked the code.”
K says that this will be the biggest lineup yet for the Secret Garden, featuring Nicole Moudaber b2b Chasewest, Riordan b2b Bullet Tooth, Ranger Trucco, Cassian, Eli & Fur, Cosmic Gate and Hayla. The stage is also the largest yet, featuring an expanded dance floor and 360-degree viewing.
Across all stages, K says that his goal for the fifth anniversary is “More art and fan interactive experience, more like a festival, strive to be like a Tomorrowland, as budget grows to add more experience.” Last year’s Project GLOW alone drew 40,000 attendees over two days.
K, however, was not satisfied with one festival this spring. GLOW recently announced a “pop-up” one-day event. Teaming up with Black Book Records, GLOW is set to throw a first-of-its-kind dance-music takeover of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., headlined by electronic music star Chris Lake. Set for April 18, this euphoric block party will feature bass and vibes blocks from the White House. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 fans to attend. Beyond music, there will be food, activations, and plenty of other activities taking place around 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW – a location familiar to many in the LGBTQ community, as this sits squarely inside the blocks of the Capital Pride party that takes place in DC every June.
Over the past two decades, Club GLOW has produced thousands of events, from club nights to large-scale festivals including Project GLOW, Moonrise Festival, and more. Club GLOW also operates Echostage.
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