Local
Former D.C. resident Franklin Dell’Aquila dies at 62
Business owner who also worked for Secret Service
Franklin S. Dell’Aquila (Photo courtesy CAMP Rehoboth)
Franklin S. Dell’Aquila, who lived in D.C. beginning in the 1970s, where he worked for the U.S. Secret Service, owned a men’s clothing store and later became a hairstylist, died Aug. 8 at a hospice in Phoenixville, Pa. He was 62.
His longtime friend Tony Amato said the cause of death was complications associated with multiple sclerosis.
Dell’Aquila lived and worked in D.C. for close to 30 years before returning around 2000 to his hometown of Royersford, Pa. He was well known in gay community circles in D.C. and Rehoboth Beach, Del., according to Amato and others who knew him.
Amato said Dell’Aquila returned to Royersford to help his ailing mother and a disabled brother. While there, he changed careers to become a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service where he worked for 10 years until his recent retirement.
He was born in nearby Pottstown, Pa., where he graduated in 1971 from St. Pius High School, according to a write-up prepared by family members.
“Franklin enjoyed music, loved to travel, and was an avid gardener, and enjoyed listening to Celtic music,” the write-up says.
Steve Elkins, executive director of CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBT community center in Rehoboth Beach, said he first met Dell’Aquila in the 1970s while Elkins worked at the White House during the administration of President Jimmy Carter and Dell’Aquila was assigned to the presidential detail with the Secret Service.
“I’ll never forget giving a friend a tour of the West Wing and seeing a silver haired agent, although he was in his early twenties, and finding out later it was Frank,” said Elkins.
Elkins said he and his partner, Murray Archibald, became good friends of Dell’Aquila’s when Elkins and Archibald moved to Rehoboth Beach and helped found CAMP Rehoboth.
“Frank was a long-time member of CAMP Rehoboth and a host of the annual Sundance Benefit,” said Elkins, who noted that Dell’Aquila became a regular weekend visitor to Rehoboth.
“We were all very lucky to have known him,” Amato said. “He was a great person, very generous and caring and a true friend. He had a lot of friends.”
Dell’Aquila is survived by his sister Diane Simon of North Wales, Pa.; a brother, John Dell’Aquila of Phoenixville, Pa.; several nieces and nephews; and many friends. Family members said a gift in his memory could be made to the ARC, a D.C.-based advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at thearc.org.
A memorial celebration of Dell’Aquila’s life is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 8, at 4 p.m. at the Horizon House Condominium Community Room, 1300 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Va. Amato, who’s hosting the event, asks that those planning to attend RSVP at 703-892-6286.
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
Rehoboth Beach
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Labor Day Weekend bustling with events, including David Archuleta performance
Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer in Rehoboth Beach, but there will be no shortage of LGBTQ events, with CAMP Rehoboth’s annual SUNFESTIVAL taking over town this weekend.
Thursday (9/3)
Get your Labor Day Weekend started early Thursday night with happy hour from 5-7 p.m. at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, followed by Naughtee Bingo hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 8:30 p.m.
After bingo, the party continues with Dancing at Diego’s from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Aqua Bar & Grill will also kick off its Labor Day Weekend festivities Thursday with a DJ spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Friday (9/4)
The weekend ramps up Friday night at Aqua, where DJ Matt Bailer will keep the dance floor moving from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Over at Diego’s, DJ Steve Sidewalk will then take over Diego’s for Freedom Friday from 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Saturday (9/5)
The main event of the weekend arrives Saturday with the opening night of CAMP Rehoboth’s SUNFESTIVAL.
Billed as the ultimate party to close out the summer, SUNFESTIVAL has become one of Rehoboth’s signature Labor Day Weekend events. The annual celebration sells out each year, with proceeds benefiting CAMP Rehoboth.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments available at the cash bar while attendees are invited to socialize and find their seats.
Saturday night will feature local singer Ashley Williams as the opening performer, followed by headliner David Archuleta. The event will also feature a live auction.
Back across town Saturday, Aqua will continue its Labor Day Weekend DJ lineup from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Diego’s will also have plenty happening, with ‘Splash Party’ hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 5 p.m., followed by a Saturday Dance Party with Brett Oosterhaus from 9 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.
The Blue Moon hosts its popular Legends Show at 9 p.m. It’s an all-live singing show by the Blue Moon cast of celebrity impersonators.
Etienne Pilon has taken Rehoboth by storm this summer. Check out the talented singer/pianist at The Pines from 7-10 p.m.
Sunday (9/6)
Sunday’s SUNFESTIVAL event will shift the focus to the dance floor, with globally renowned DJs Robbie Leslie and James Anthony scheduled to perform. Doors open at 7 p.m., with dancing continuing until 1 a.m.
On Sunday, Aqua will throw its annual White Party, with DJs spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in white for the holiday weekend celebration.
Diego’s will host its Sunday High T-Dance with Pamala Stanley at 5 p.m. Later that evening, DJ Tannr will be spinning at 9 p.m.
John Flynn is on the piano from 6-8 p.m. at the Blue Moon.
Monday (9/7)
The final day of Labor Day Weekend brings one last chance to hit the dance floor before summer officially winds down.
Aqua will close out its five-day Labor Day Weekend celebration with DJ Biff from 3-7 p.m.
Maryland
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Conservative groups challenged system’s policy
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Anne Arundel County Public Schools staff cannot use transgender students’ preferred names if their parents oppose it, according to an internal document reviewed by the Banner, a change that comes after conservative groups challenged the school system’s approach to gender identity.
Teachers union president Kristina Korona told members in an Aug. 20 email that the new guidance undermines district policy on acceptance and inclusivity and “will begin harming affected students immediately.”
Previously, the district didn’t require parental permission to use a high school student’s chosen name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, the internal document says. Now it does. The change comes as parents challenge the suburban school system’s gender identity policy and regulation in court and the Trump-Vance administration threatens the district’s funding.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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