Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. 2016: PEOPLE
Blade readers voted for their favorite people

Local Hero
Eric Fanning, U.S. Army Secretary
President Obama has appointed a record number of openly LGBT people to his administration, but over the course of the last year none has received as much attention as Army Secretary Eric Fanning.
His approval by the U.S. Senate in May after a nearly yearlong process in which his confirmation was in question made him the first openly gay person confirmed to head a military service branch.
Since that time, Fanning has become a hero in the LGBT community and a favorite interview subject for the media.
In an interview with the Blade in August, Fanning said heās aware of his fan base, which he said has grown with each advancement of his career at the Pentagon.
āI always think Iām prepared and then the wave comes when youāre nominated, when youāre confirmed, when youāre sworn in,ā Fanning said. āThereās always something thatās a hook that gets a little bit of attention.ā
Over the course of the Obama administration, Fanning has occupied a position in each of the military services. Before his confirmation as Army secretary, Fanning held the posts of Air Force under secretary and deputy secretary at the Navy. Fanning was also chief of staff to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and served as acting Army secretary, but had to relinquish the job briefly to win confirmation.
No stranger to LGBT advocacy, Fanning was once a board member for the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. He began his tenure in the Obama administration at the time Congress repealed āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tell.ā
In 2013, Fanning became the first senior defense official to endorse a non-discrimination rule for sexual orientation in the military and openly transgender service in the armed forces. The U.S. military has since adopted both ideas.
Fanning said in August the changes have been great for him to witness personally, but āfar more important, I think, itās been great for the U.S. military.ā
āOpening up service to people who havenāt had the opportunities, but meet the requirements, means we can recruit from a broader pool of talent and get the best our country has to offer,ā Fanning said. (Chris Johnson)

Army Secretary Eric Fanning (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Amateur Athlete/Best Fitness Instructor
Grace Thompson, D.C. Front Runners
Runner-up: Mark Hofberg, D.C. Gay Flag Football
Runner-up (fitness instructor): Kyle Suib
Grace Thompson calls the D.C. Front Runners āwelcoming, supportive and friendly.ā
The D.C. native joined the group seven years ago and is one of between 15-20 women in the league.
āOur group is dynamic with a full spectrum of runners, from the sub three-hour marathon to walkers and every pace in between.ā
Thompson, a lesbian, started running consistently about 10 years ago. Since then, sheās run five full marathons and four half marathons. On Oct. 30, sheāll add another to the list ā the Marine Corps Marathon.
āIām honored, surprised and thankful to win,ā Thompson, who works by day as the owner of Embody Pure Fitness, says. āI honestly didnāt campaign at all. It was a surprise to me that I was even nominated.ā (Joey DiGuglielmo)

Grace Thompson (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Artist
John Jack Gallagher
Runner-up: Denis Largeron
John Jack Gallagher has been taking photos since his first boyfriend gave him a 35-millimeter camera for his birthday more than 30 years ago. In 2012, he started shooting professionally after members of the Stonewall Kickball team heād been photographing insisted he shoot their wedding.
āI created a Facebook page and started getting a lot of likes and even some clients,ā Gallagher, 57, says. āMy friends ended up eloping so I did not get to photograph their wedding, but by then, John Jack Photography was started down the road to being a permanent thing.ā
Gallagher shoots fundraisers, weddings and sports and says heās working more hours than he ever has before. āBut I love it,ā he says. He aims for ācolorful, candid and emotionalā photos.
āI like my photos to be vibrant and tell a story, even when they capture a single moment,ā he says.
Gallagher is single and has been traveling all over the East Coast to build his business.
Heās also learned to be more careful after getting banned from Facebook five years ago for accidentally posting a photo of a woman whose bathing suit had slipped during a Jello wrestling match. (Joey DiGuglielmo)

John Jack Gallagher (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Businessperson
Jim āChachiā Boyle
Town, Trade and Number Nine
Runner-up: Dr. Gregory Jones, Capital Center for Psychotherapy & Wellness
Jim āChachiā Boyle has been involved in various nightlife ventures for 20 years. A decade ago he became business partners with John Guggenmos and Ed Bailey, the visionaries behind Town Danceboutique, Trade and Number Nine.
āItās an honor to be recognized,ā Boyle says. āMy partners and I are fortunate to have amazing managers, awesome staffs and great customers.ā
Boyle lives in Shaw. Town Danceboutique has won dozens of Washington Blade Best of Gay D.C. awards since it opened in 2007.Ā (Joey DiGuglielmo)

Jim ‘Chachi’ Boyle (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Clergy
Rayceen Pendarvis
Runner-up: Bishop Allyson Abrams

Racine Pendarvis (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Most Committed Activist
Earl Fowlkes
Runner-up: Sarah McBride
Those who know Earl Fowlkes know the path he has taken over the past 30 years from an AIDS and gay rights activist in New York City and D.C. to his current role as leader of three prominent LGBT-related organizations and chair of the D.C. Commission on Human Rights.Ā He epitomizes the term ācommitted activist.ā
Fowlkes served as a volunteer with various AIDS organizations in New York City and New Jersey during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996, he moved to D.C. to take a job as executive director of Damien Ministries, a faith-based group that provides services to people with HIV/AIDS.
In 1999, he became one of the founders of the organization that expanded D.C.ās Black Pride celebration into a national federation that quickly evolved into the International Federation of Black Prides, which helped coordinate black LGBT Pride events worldwide.
While serving as its CEO and president, Fowlkes played a key role in 2012 in expanding the organizationās mission to take on black LGBT-related economic, social and health issues along with a change of its name to the Center for Black Equity.
In keeping with his interest in politics as a means of achieving social change, Fowlkes was elected chair of the Democratic National Committeeās LGBT Caucus in August 2013 shortly after being appointed as a member of the DNC. In November 2014, Fowlkes won election as president of D.C.ās Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the cityās largest local LGBT political organization.
As if this were not enough, the D.C. City Council in July 2015 confirmed Fowlkesā nomination by Mayor Muriel Bowser to become chair of the D.C. Commission on Human Rights. The independent commission is charged with adjudicating discrimination cases under the cityās Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination, among other categories, based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
āOne thing led to another,ā said Fowlkes in discussing his activist endeavors. āItās the most humbling thing thatās ever happened to me and Iām so immensely proud to have this honor.ā (Lou Chibbaro Jr.)

Earl Fowlkes (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Council Member
David Grosso
Runner-up: Jack Evans

D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At-Large) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Most LGBT activists who know Council member David Grosso (I-At-Large) say he began with a running start in his support for LGBT issues during his first year on the Council in 2013 and hasnāt stopped since then.
āHe has an extensive record of supporting LGBT concerns, including introduction and passage of bills to prevent youth suicide and to require LGBT cultural competency for medical professionals,ā according to the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, which gave Grosso its highest rating of +10 for D.C. Council candidates running in the Nov. 8 election.
During his first term in office, Grosso has introduced, co-introduced or co-sponsored at least a dozen bills that directly or indirectly benefit LGBT people.
Among them is the Youth Suicide Prevention and School Climate Survey Amendment Act of 2015, a first of its kind measure that specifically lists āLGBTQ youthā as an at-risk subgroup requiring careful attention in school suicide prevention programs.
Other bills that Grosso introduced or co-introduced include the LGBTQ Cultural Competency Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2015, which requires all medical professionals to take LGBTQ cultural competency training to maintain their licenses; a bill banning co-called āconversion therapyā for minors; and a measure requiring the city to provide new birth certificates to transgender people to reflect their correct name and gender.
Grosso has attended meetings of LGBT organizations has appeared at numerous LGBT events, including the Capital Pride Parade, AIDS Walk Washington, D.C. Black Pride and the D.C. LGBT Center annual reception.
āAs an at-large Council member I work every day to ensure that our city welcomes, embraces and respects the human rights of every person,ā he wrote in his response to GLAAās candidate questionnaire. āThis commitment to inclusion is reflected in my staff that includes several individuals who live openly as members of the LGBTQ community.ā (Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)
Best Hill Staffer
John Assini
Runner-up: Evan Dorner
For John Assini, public service has been a calling he has felt since his youth and one he now answers as legislative correspondent to Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
āWhen I was young, it was instilled in me to fight for my beliefs,ā Assini said. āWorking on the Hill allows me to do that every day. Working for passionate members of Congress over the last five years has allowed me to contribute in a small way to the national conversation, which has been a humbling experience.ā
Assini, 27, has already built a substantial resume since he began his career on Capitol Hill in 2011. Before working for Baldwin, he was a legislative aide for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources and an intern for now-Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). Between 2012 and 2014, Assini was also a board member for GLASS, the affinity group for LGBT Senate staffers.
But Assini feels especially honored to work for Baldwin, whom he calls a ādedicated and thoughtful member who continues to work tirelessly on behalf of her state and its residents, and who shares my values of a fair, more equitable America.ā The only out lesbian in Congress is up for re-election in 2018.
āThat I also am part of the first openly gay U.S. senator’s team does not escape me,ā Assini said. āShe will always be a part of our shared LGBT history and I’m very lucky to work for her. Knowing that I play a role executing Sen. Baldwinās vision of cleaner energy, better water quality and a brighter future for Wisconsin helps me stay focused every day.ā (Chris Johnson)

John Assini (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Local Pro Athlete
Katie Ledecky
Five-time Olympic Gold medalist in swimming
Runner-up: Bryce Harper

Katie Ledecky (Photo by Fernando Frazao of Agencia Brasil)
Best Massage
Gary Brennan
Arlington, Va.
301-704-1158
Runner-up: Jacob Gough

Gary Brennan (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best LGBT Bureaucrat
Sheila Alexander-Reid
Director of LGBTQ Affairs for D.C. government
Runner-up: Jack Jacobson

Sheila Alexander-Reid (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Real Estate Agent
Michael Fowler, Compass
Runner-up: Jeff Taylor, Sothebyās

Michael Fowler (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Real Estate Group
The Evan and Mark Team, Compass
Runner-up: Ray Gernhart and Associates Re/Max

The Evan and Mark Team of Compass (Photo courtesy the Team)
Best Rehoboth Real Estate Agent
Chris Beagle
Berkshire Hathaway Gallo Realty
gotogallo.com
(Also won this category last year)
Runner-up: Jack Lingo

Chris Beagle (Photo courtesy of Beagle)
Best Straight Ally
Hillary Clinton
Runner-up: Leigh Ann Hendricks

Sec. Hillary Clinton (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Trans Advocate
Sarah McBride
Runner-up: Ruby Corado
Sarah McBride in July became the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention, but her advocacy efforts began long before she took to the podium at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
McBride came out as trans in 2012 when she was the student body president of American University.
The Wilmington, Del., native had been involved with Equality Delaware, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, for several years. She joined the organizationās board of directors after she came out.
McBride testified three times in support of the bill that added gender identity to Delawareās anti-discrimination and hate crimes law. Gov. Jack Markell said after he signed the measure in 2013 that his former intern ācourageously stood before the General Assembly.ā
McBride made national headlines in April when she posted a picture of herself on Instagram inside a womenās bathroom in North Carolina. The stateās governor, Pat McCrory, had just signed House Bill 2, which prohibits trans people from using public restrooms that are consistent with their gender identity and bans local municipalities from enacting LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination measures.
āTrying to pee in peace,ā wrote McBride in her post. āTrying to live our lives as fully and authentically as possible. Barring me from this restroom doesn’t help anyone. And allowing me to continue to use this bathroom ā just without fear of discrimination and harassment ā doesn’t hurt anyone. Stop this. We are good people.ā
McBride, who supports Hillary Clinton, worked at the Center for American Progress until she became a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign in June. She remains humble about her advocacy efforts.
ā I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of this community and this movement, especially at such an important time,ā McBride says. āThere are so many amazing trans advocates doing lifesaving work across the country.ā
āThis has been a tough year for transgender people, particularly in states like Mississippi, Texas and North Carolina, but I hope they know that there are so many people who see them, who care for them, and who are fighting to make this world a little kinder and safer for all of us.ā (Michael K. Lavers)

Sarah McBride speaks at the Democratic National Convention. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Stylist
Quency Valencia
Salon Quency
1534 U St., N.W.
202-930-7008
Runner-up: Ryan Payne, Bang Salon

Quincy Figueroa (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
To see winners in other categories in the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. 2016 Awards, click here.
Books
New book explores why we categorize sports according to gender
You can lead a homophobic horse to water but you can’t make it think

āFair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debatesā
By Katie Barnes
c.2023, St. Martin’s Press
$29/304 pages
The jump shot happened so quickly, so perfectly.
Your favorite player was in the air in a heartbeat, basketball in hand, wrist cocked. One flick and it was allĀ swish, three points, just like that, and your team was ahead. So are you watching men’s basketball or women’s basketball? Or, as in the new book,Ā “Fair Play” by Katie Barnes,Ā should it really matter?

For sports fans, this may come as a surprise: we categorize sports according to gender.
Football, baseball, wresting: male sports. Gymnastics, volleyball: women’s sports. And yet, one weekend spent cruising around television shows you that those sports are enjoyed by both men and women ā but we question the sexuality of athletes who dare (gasp!) to cross invisible lines for a sport they love.
How did sports “become a flash point for a broader conversation?”
Barnes takes readers back first to 1967, when Kathrine Switzer and Bobbi Gibb both ran in the Boston Marathon. It was the first time women had audaciously done so and while both finished the race, their efforts didn’t sit well with the men who made the rules.
“Thirty-seven words” changed the country in 1972 when Title IX was signed, which guaranteed there’d be no discrimination in extracurricular events, as long as “federal financial assistance” was taken. It guaranteed availability for sports participation for millions of girls in schools and colleges. It also “enshrine[d] protections for queer and transgender youth to access school sports.”
So why the debate about competition across gender lines?
First, says Barnes, we can’t change biology, or human bodies that contain both testosterone and estrogen, or that some athletes naturally have more of one or the other ā all of which factor into the debate. We shouldn’t forget that women can and do compete with men in some sports, and they sometimes win. We shouldn’t ignore the presence of transgender men in sports.
What we should do, Barnes says, is to “write a new story. One that works better.”
Here are two facts: Nobody likes change. And everybody has an opinion.
Keep those two statements in mind when you read “Fair Play.” They’ll keep you calm in this debate, as will author Katie Barnes’ lack of flame fanning.
As a sports fan, an athlete, and someone who’s binary, Barnes makes things relatively even-keel in this book, which is a breath of fresh air in what’s generally ferociously contentious. There’s a good balance of science and social commentary here, and the many, many stories that Barnes shares are entertaining and informative, as well as illustrative. Readers will come away with a good understanding of where the debate lies.
But will this book make a difference?
Maybe. Much will depend on who reads and absorbs it. Barnes offers plenty to ponder but alas, you can lead a homophobic horse to water but you can’t make it think. Still, if you’ve got skin in this particular bunch of games, find “Fair Play” and jump on it.
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Theater
An exciting revival of āEvitaā at Shakespeare Theatre
Out actor Caesar Samayoa on portraying iconic role of President Perón

āEvitaā
Through Oct. 15
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Harman Hall
610 F St., N.W.
$35ā$134
Shakespearetheatre.org
When Eva Perón died of cancer at 33 in 1952, the peopleās reaction was so intense that Argentina literally ran out of cut flowers. Mourners were forced to fly in stems from neighboring countries, explains out actor Caesar Samayoa.
For Samayoa, playing President Perón to Shireen Pimentalās First Lady Eva in director Sammi Cannoldās exciting revival of Andrew Lloyd Webberās āEvitaā at Shakespeare Theatre Company is a dream fulfilled.
As a Guatemalan-American kid, he had a foot in two worlds. Samayoa lived and went to school in suburban Emerson, N.J. But he spent evenings working at his parentsā botanica in Spanish Harlem.
During the drives back and forth in the family station wagon, he remembers listening to āEvitaā on his cassette player: āItās the first cast album I remember really hearing and understanding. I longed to be in the show.ā
As an undergrad, he transferred from Bucknell University where he studied Japanese international relations to a drama major at Ithica College. His first professional gig was in 1997 playing Juliet in Joe Calarcoās off-Broadway āShakespeareās R&J.ā Lots of Broadway work followed including āSister Act,ā āThe Pee-Wee Herman Show,ā and most significantly, Samayoa says, āCome From Away,ā a musical telling of the true story of airline passengers stranded in Gander, Newfoundland during 9/11. He played Kevin J. (one half of a gay couple) and Ali, a Muslim chef.
He adds āEvitaā has proved a powerful experience too: āWeāre portraying a populist power couple that changed the trajectory of a country in a way most Americans canāt fully understand. And doing it in Washington surrounded by government and politics is extra exciting.ā
WASHINGTON BLADE: How do you tap into a real-life character like Perón?
CAESAR SAMAYOA: Fortunately, Sammi [Connald] and I work similarly. With real persons and situations, I immerse myself into history, almost to a ridiculous extent.
First day in the rehearsal room, we were inundated with artifacts. Sammi has been to Argentina several times and interviewed heavily with people involved in Eva and Peronās lives. Throughout the process weād sit and talk about the real history that happened. We went down the rabbit hole.
Sammiās interviews included time with Evaās nurse who was at her bedside when she died. We watched videos of those interviews. Theyāve been an integral part of our production.
BLADE: Were you surprised by anything you learned?
SAMAYOA: Usually, Eva and Perónās relationship is portrayed as purely transactional. They wrote love letters and I had access to those. At their country home, theyād be in pajamas and walk on the beach; that part of their life was playful and informal. They were a political couple but they were deeply in love too. I latched on to that.
BLADE: And anything about the man specifically?
SAMAYOA: Perónās charisma was brought to the forefront. In shows Iāve done, some big names have attended. Obama. Clinton. Justin Trudeau came to āCome From Away.ā Within seconds, the charisma makes you give into that person. Iāve tried to use that.
BLADE: And the part?
SAMAYOA: Perón is said to be underwritten. But I love his power and the songs he sings [āThe Art of the Possible,ā āShe is a Diamond,ā etc.]. Iām fully a baritone and to find that kind of role in a modern musical is nearly impossible. And in this rock opera, I can use it to the full extent and feel great about it.
BLADE: āEvitaā is a co-production with A.R.T. Has it changed since premiering in Boston?
SAMAYOA: Yes, it has. In fact, 48 hours before opening night in Washington, we made some changes and theyāve really landed. Without giving too much away, we gave it more gravity in reality of time as well as Evaās sickness and the rapid deterioration. Itās given our second act a huge kind of engine that it didnāt have.
BLADE: Youāre married to talent agent Christopher Freer and youāre very open. Was it always that way for you?
SAMAYOA: When I started acting professionally, it was a very different industry. We were encouraged to stay in the closet or it will cast only in a certain part. There was truth in that. There still is some truth in that, but I refuse to go down that road. I canāt reach what I need to reach unless Iām my most honest self. I canāt do it any other way.
Out & About
HRCās National Dinner is back
LGBTQ rights organization’s annual gala features Rhimes, Waithe, Bomer

The Human Rights Campaign will host its annual National Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
The dinnerās honorees include world-famous producers, actors and entertainers whose work spotlights the fight for civil rights and social justice, including Shonda Rhimes, Lena Waithe and Matt Bomer.
A new event, as part of the weekend, ā the Equality Convention ā will take place the night before the dinner on Friday, Oct. 13. The convention will showcase the power of the LGBTQ equality movement, feature influential political and cultural voices, and bring together volunteer and movement leaders from across the country to talk about the path ahead.
For more details about the weekend, visit HRCās website.
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