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Best of Gay D.C. 2017: PEOPLE

Winners from the Washington Blade’s annual poll

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gay D.C. people, gay news, Washington Blade

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Local Hero

Gavin Grimm

The American Civil Liberties Union in 2015 filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Gavin Grimm, who was a student at Gloucester County High School in Gloucester, Va., at the time.

Grimm and his lawyers argued the Gloucester County School Districtā€™s policy that prohibited him from using the boys restroom or locker room because they were not consistent with his ā€œbiological genderā€ is unconstitutional under the 14th Amendmentā€™s Equal Protection Clause. The lawsuit also alleged the regulation violated Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits schools receiving federal funds from discriminating on the basis of sex.

The Justice Department under the Obama administration argued in Grimmā€™s case that Title IX requires school districts to allow trans students to use restrooms that correspond to their gender identity. The Department of Educationā€™s Office of the General Council at the time also filed a brief in support of Grimm.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ā€” which is the first federal appeals court to consider whether Title IX allows trans students to use facilities that are consistent with their gender identity ā€” in April 2016 ruled in favor of Grimm. The Gloucester County School District subsequently announced it planned to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

The Supreme Court last October said it would hear Grimmā€™s case. Oral arguments were scheduled to take place on March 28, but the justices remanded the case to the 4th Circuit after President Trump rescinded the Title IX guidance.

The 4th Circuit in July sent Grimmā€™s case back to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The ACLU subsequently withdrew Grimmā€™s request for an immediate injunction against the Gloucester County School Board policy.

Grimm, 18, graduated from Gloucester County High School in June.

ā€œI am in this for the long haul,ā€ he said in an ACLU press release that announced the decision to amend his case. ā€œI remain hopeful that my case will help make sure that other transgender students are able to attend school safely and without discrimination.ā€

Grimm in February was among those who spoke at a White House protest that corresponded with Trumpā€™s decision to rescind the Title IX guidance.

ā€œWe will not be silenced and that we will stand with and protect trans youth,ā€ said Grimm, speaking through tears with his mother standing by his side. ā€œNo matter what happens, no one, not even the government can even defeat a community so full of live, color, diversity and most importantly love.ā€

Equality Virginia and GLAAD are among the organizations that have honored Grimm over the last year.

ā€” MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Gavin Grimm (Photo by Scout Turankjian; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Best Amateur Athlete

Mark Hofberg, D.C. Gay Flag Football

Runner-up: Grace Thompson, D.C. Front Runners (last yearā€™s winner)

Mark Hoffberg (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Artist

John Jack Gallagher

Runner-up: Glenn Fry

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 heā€™d been photographing insisted he shoot their wedding. This is his second consecutive win in this category. (JD)

John Jack Gallagher (Photo courtesy of John Jack Photography)

Best Businessperson

Dr. Gregory Jones

Capital Center for Psychotherapy & Wellness

1330 U St., N.W.

capitalpsychotherapy.com

Runner-up: Bob Witeck

Dr. Gregory Jones (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Clergy

Bishop Allyson Abrams

Abrams reclaims her 2015 title after being last yearā€™s runner-up. Abrams is the founder and pastor of Empowerment Liberation Cathedral in Silver Spring.

Runner-up: Rayceen Pendarvis (last yearā€™s winner)

Bishop Allyson Abrams (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Most Committed Activist

Ruby Corado

Corado was named Best of Gay D.C. Local Heroine in 2014 and Most Committed Activist in 2015.

Casa Ruby

2822 Georgia Ave., N.W.

casaruby.org

Runner-up: Jason Lindsay

Ruby Corado (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best D.C. Public Official

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Runner-up: Randy Downs

Muriel Bowser, Lesbians Who Tech, gay news, Washington Blade

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Hill Staffer/LGBT Bureaucrat

Yesenia Chavez

Runner-up: Scott Filter

Yesenia Chavez identifies as queer. She got her start on Capitol Hill interning with the Victory Fund during her senior year at the University of Houston. After graduating with a degree in political science, she returned to the Hill in 2013 to work as a professional staffer for Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva. ā€œTypically, I handle LGBT policy and push my boss on different efforts like the LGBT Data Inclusion ACT,ā€ she says.

Chavez also serves on the board of LGBT Congressional Staff Association.

ā€œFor the past three years Iā€™ve been coordinating events,ā€ she says. ā€œOur goal is to increase the professional development growth of members interns, fellow and staff on the Hill on the House side.ā€

ā€œItā€™s important to have queer women of color at the table,ā€ says Chavez, 26. ā€œWeā€™re a smaller contingency on the Hill. We must make sure weā€™re safe there.ā€

Chavez recently bought a home with her partner in D.C.ā€™s Eckington neighborhood and is looking to put down roots.

ā€œWashington is an interesting place to live. Young professionals come her because they feel passionate about giving back and doing something to make the country a better place, despite their political leaning. I donā€™t have the same conversation here that I have with people at back in Texas.ā€ (PF)

Best of Gay D.C.

Yesenia Chavez (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Local Pro Athlete

Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

Last yearā€™s runner up!

Runner-up: John Wall, Washington Wizards

Bryce Harper (Photo by Arturo Pardavila III; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Best Local Pro Sports Team

Washington Nationals

Editorā€™s choice: D.C. United

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Massage

Ben Auman

Runner-up: Jacob Gough

Ben Auman says he ā€œvalues connections over everything else.ā€ Thatā€™s what led him to a successful and fulfilling career as a massage therapist.

ā€œIā€™m making connections with people I never would have gotten to make connections with before,ā€ he says.

Auman moved to D.C. from North Carolina in 2005 and worked as a non-profit association manager and financial consultant. Helping his clients with their goal setting and financial planning led him to follow his own true passion: massage therapy. He studied at the Potomac Massage Training Institute and is now a Massage Therapist at Logan 14 Aveda Lifestyle Salon/Spa and the owner of Auman Massage Therapy.

Switching careers gave Auman a whole new perspective on life. ā€œBefore, getting up and going to work was a way to get paid. Now, Iā€™m getting up every morning to do something I love and that Iā€™m passionate about. Itā€™s very fulfilling.ā€ (BTC)

Ben Auman (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Fitness Instructor

Jared Keith Lee

Runner-up: Grace Thompson

After relocating from New York to Washington, Jared Keith Lee felt out of place in his new surroundings, and longed for a feeling of belonging. He found what he was looking for at SoulCycle.

ā€œI left my job as a graphic designer to become a SoulCycle instructor,ā€ he says. ā€œI was having a hard time finding my own way here and a place that fit. At SoulCycle people were accepting. And it was fun.ā€

With inspirational coaching, loud music, candle light and a full body workout (theyā€™ve added hand weights and core work), SoulCycle is indoor cycling re-invented.

ā€œThe music and lighting allows riders to separate from their inhibitions and insecurities. Itā€™s an individual journey, and we welcome all levels of experience,ā€ says Lee whoā€™s been an instructor for two years and currently works at SoulCycleā€™s 14th and U and Mount Vernon locations.

Lee grew up in Virginia Beach, Va. He won a soccer scholarship to Hampden-Sydney College in Farmville, Va. And while he came out in his freshman year there, Lee never felt at home on the conservative campus, so he transferred to Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore to study photography and design. (PF)

Jared Keith Lee (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Real Estate Agent

Valerie Blake

Runner-up: Stacey Williams-Zeiger

Valerie Blake has sold real estate professionally in the D.C. area for 20 years.

Blakeā€™s eclectic former positions include working as a diplomat overseas, a federal government executive and an adult education administrator for a training school in the federal government. She has lived in 12 states, D.C. and two foreign countries.

For Blake, working in the region is a great match.

ā€œI think that there are so many people who are transients here that provide an opportunity to meet a lot of people that I would not get the opportunity to do otherwise,ā€ Blake, who also won this award in 2015, says.ā€ They come from all walks of life which really helps with my varied background because Iā€™ve found that there are very few people that I canā€™t find something in common with. Thatā€™s one of the things that I think makes me help them.ā€

Blake, a straight ally and regular Blade contributor, has serviced the LGBT community since 1999.

ā€œThey have been a continued source of great clients and wonderful friends over the years,ā€ Blake says.

As for her best tip for buying a home in the area, she says itā€™s all about balance.

ā€œFind out how much of a mortgage youā€™re approved for and then reduce it so that you can continue to have a life as well as a house,ā€ Blake says. (MC)

Valerie Blake

11 Dupont Circle, N.W.

dchomequest.com

Valerie Blake (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Real Estate Group

The Bediz Group, Keller Williams

1918 18th St., N.W.

bediz.com

Runner-up: The Evan and Mark Team, Compass

(Photo courtesy of the Bediz Group)

Best Rehoboth Real Estate Agent

Chris Beagle

Third consecutive win in this category!

Runner-up: Andy Staton

Chris Beagle (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)

Best Straight Ally

Pamala Stanley

Runner-up: Muriel Bowser

Singer Pamala Stanley joins an elite group as this yearā€™s Best Straight Ally. Past title holders include everyone from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to local allies such as Meghan Davies (Whitman-Walker), Leigh Ann Hendricks (Level One) and Phil Hicks (PFLAG).

Stanley is beloved for her string of Billboard Hot Dance Club Play hits such as ā€œThis is Hot,ā€ ā€œI Donā€™t Want to Talk About It,ā€ ā€œComing Out of Hidingā€ and more in the late ā€˜70s through the mid-ā€˜80s.

Stanley says itā€™s hard to convey why sheā€™s always felt so strongly at home with her gay fans.

ā€œThereā€™s a love for life there. They listen to what you have to say and you can really be yourself,ā€ the dance diva says. ā€œYears ago with the straight crowd, I felt there were certain things I couldnā€™t talk about ā€” dating, life, men. I had to always make sure that I kept it a certain way. But when I played for the gay crowd, I could tell them anything ā€” good, bad, whatever, and they just got a big kick out of it. They didnā€™t judge, they just loved you no matter what you were doing and ā€¦ I think I needed that. They were always very good to me and just fun people.ā€

Stanley splits her time between her home on Virginiaā€™s Eastern Shore and Rehoboth Beach, Del., where she performs year around at tea dances, jazz brunches, private parties and more. Sheā€™s at the Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.) every Sunday and Monday and says sheā€™s grateful to be in demand.

ā€œIā€™m very busy here,ā€ she says. ā€œIā€™m lucky.ā€ (JD)

Pamala Stanley (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Transgender Advocate

Sarah McBride

Runner-up: Gavin Grimm

By any measure, Sarah McBride has an impressive resume and an amazing list of accomplishments.

She first came to national attention in 2012 when she came out as transgender while serving as student body president at American University. Following her graduation, she interned at the Obama White House, becoming the first openly transgender woman to work there in any capacity. When McBride spoke at the 2016 Democratic NationalĀ Convention in Philadelphia, she became the first openly transgender person to address the national convention of major political party.

McBride, who also won this category last year, has worked on LGBT issues at the Canter for American Progress and is currently the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. A native of Wilmington, Del., she is also on the board of Equality Delaware and is widely credited with leading the successful effort to add gender identity andĀ expression to her stateā€™s nondiscrimination and hate-crimes laws.

McBride describes herself as an ā€œoutgoing introvertā€ and says that some of her major influences are Barack Obama, Franklin Roosevelt, Carl Sagan, Hilary Clinton and Abraham Lincoln. She dedicates her fierce activism to her late husband Andrew Cray, a transgender man and fellow advocate. They met when McBride was working at the White House. Cray was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014, and just days after they married, he died. His death instilled in McBride a firm belief in the urgency of political and social change.

Her first book ā€œTomorrow Will Be Differentā€ will be published in March. (BTC)

Human Rights Campaign Fund

1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.

hrc.org

sarahmcbride.com

Sarah McBride speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

Best Stylist

Quency Valencia

Second consecutive win in this category!

Salon Quency

1534 U St. N.W. No. 1

salonquency.com

Runner-up: Bryan Smith

Quency Valencia (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

To see winners in other categories in the Washington Bladeā€™s Best of Gay D.C. 2017 Awards, click here.

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Calendar

Calendar: February 7-13

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, February 7

ā€œCenter Aging Friday Tea Timeā€ will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Go Gay DC will host ā€œFirst Friday LGBTQ+ Community Social in the Cityā€ at 7 p.m. at P.F. Changs. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, February 8

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Brunchā€ at 11 a.m. at Freddieā€™s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

ā€œFashion Freewayā€ will be at 11 a.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Guests will have the opportunity to check out the clothing closet. Clothes, shoes, accessories, and other items will be available. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Sunday, February 9

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Dinnerā€ at 6:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. Guests are encouraged to come enjoy an evening of Italian-style dining and conversation with other LGBTQ folk. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Coffee and Conversationā€ at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is ideal for making meaningful new connections and informal community building. Or just to unwind and enjoy the group happy hour. Fabulous people from all over the world are expected. Nametags will be provided. This event is free to attend and more details are available on Eventbrite.Ā 

Monday, February 10

ā€œCenter Aging Monday Coffee & Conversationā€ will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether youā€™re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that youā€™re not 100% cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.Ā 

Tuesday, February 11

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. By sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Trans Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another.Ā  For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Wednesday, February 12

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking ā€” allowing participants to move away from being merely ā€œapplicantsā€ toward being ā€œcandidates.ā€ For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Thursday, February 13

The DC Centerā€™s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.Ā 

Virtual Yoga with Charles M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Communityā€™s website.

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Nightlife

D.C.ā€™s queer bars gear up for Valentineā€™s Day

Options for bears, singles, women, and more

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Join District Eagle this Valentineā€™s Day for Leather Lovers Gear Night. (Photo courtesy of the District Eagle)

Seeing red: itā€™s not just for ire toward the presidentā€™s Executive Orders. Next week is also Valentineā€™s Day. Your faithful gay bars and establishments are gearing up (in some cases, literally) for the holiday. Here is a list of just a few options for the LGBTQ+ set.

Crush

On Feb. 14, Crush debuts a new event, just in time for the holiday. Meet Grizzly, a monthly Bear Happy Hour. Running 5-10 p.m., Grizzly features not only discounted drinks ($4 draft, $8 pitcher, and a $9 Bear Crush), but food: there will be free hot dogs during the evening. Without skipping a beat, later that night is a Valentineā€™s Day Stop Light Party 10 p.m. with DJs. They’ll have green, yellow, or red stickers so your crush can see if you’re available. Thereā€™s no cover for either.

Bunker

This Valentineā€™s Day, Bunker is turning tradition on its head with F*CK CUPID, a high-energy celebration for those over the holiday hype. Whether you’re flying solo or just want to skip the clichĆ©s, enjoy an unforgettable night with a special performance by a to-be-announced local drag queen and a dynamic set by Miscalculated. With free entry for singles and just a $5 cover for couples, it’s the perfect chance to dance the night away without the romance-themed distractions.

District Eagle

Join District Eagle this Valentineā€™s Day for Leather Lovers Gear Night, an inclusive event for all members of the leather community. DJ Jason James will provide the beats throughout the night, and guests wearing gear can enjoy 10% off drinks until midnight. Whether you’re single, taken, or in a situationship, everyone is welcome to celebrate in a welcoming, gear-friendly environment.

Number Nine

Nine is also launching a new event, titled Single Mingle, a singles mixer, the event will rotate theme for differing tastes. This first event takes place on Feb. 13, 7-9 p.m., upstairs, for those interested in dating queer men. Tickets are $15 and include a complimentary first drink plus ice breakers. On Thursday, Feb. 27, along with DC Gay Girls+, Nine will host a Single Mingle event for those interested in dating in the Sapphic community.

Additionally, Uproar will host a ā€œCupid Undiesā€ event on Feb. 13 with cocktail specials; Licht is offering a ā€œDate Nightā€ special that includes two cocktails, two glasses of Champagne, and a cheese board for $35; and gay-owned Wunder Gartenā€™s event on Feb. 14 is apres-ski themed with drinks like Love Potion and Cupidā€™s Arrow.

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Theater

Celebrate Valentineā€™s Day with one of these three plays

ā€˜Waitress,ā€™ ā€˜Love Birds,ā€™ ā€˜Fuenteovejunaā€™ offer differing takes on love

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MALINDA plays Jenna in ā€˜Waitressā€™ at Olney Theatre Center.

For theatergoers seeking to mark Valentineā€™s Day with live music, love, and friendship, the DMV offers some new spins on traditional themes. 

Poised to make its regional debut at Olney Theatre Center, Sara Bareillesā€™s hit musical ā€œWaitressā€ (Feb.13-March 30) may not seem like a usual love story, but itā€™s a love story nonetheless. 

ā€œItā€™s about learning to love and value yourself,ā€ says MALINDA who plays Jenna, the showā€™s titular server/baker with aspirations to bake prize-winning pies and change her life. ā€œItā€™s also about sisterhood. From the start, the women involved in the show decided to be there for each other onstage and off, and it shows. For anyone with girl group love in their lives, this is an especially good show to see.

ā€œJenna doesnā€™t get a lot of satisfaction out of her primary partnership. Along with self-love she explores the antithesis of that ā€” partner violence. Our director [Marcia Milgrom Dodge] took the lesson of community support and community love to heart.ā€

Prior to coming out as bisexual in 2022, MALINDA considered herself more of a “quiet queer.ā€ However, the inspiration derived from Irish music (“music of the oppressedā€), which sheā€™s famed for singing on TikTok, compelled her to go public. 

She didnā€™t always believe her queerness to be special: ā€œFor me,ā€ MALINDA says, ā€œit was like saying my eyes are hazel. There wasnā€™t much to celebrate. But then I realized there were missing voices in my community. Felt like the right thing to do, and itā€™s been one of the great blessings of my life.ā€

Six years ago, after her Helen Hayes Award-winning turn in ā€œOnce,ā€ MALINDA took a break from musical theater. She needed time to age into dream parts, and one of those roles was Jenna. She recalls, ā€œGoing back to theater was prominently featured on my vision board, so when Marcia asked me to commit to ā€˜Waitress,ā€™ I happily agreed.ā€ 

For her, Valentineā€™s Day is an opportunity to reach out and tell friends, family, and, of course, romantic partners, just how much you love them. 

And she adds ā€œthatā€™s exactly how I plan to celebrate.ā€ 

D.C.ā€™s delightful Holly Twyford is spending Valentineā€™s Day working at the Folger on Capitol Hill. Sheā€™ll be on stage, her wife will be in the audience, and depending on the length of the program, theyā€™ll go out to dinner afterward.

For four performances, the multi-Helen Hayes award-winning actor is serving as narrator for ā€œThe Love Birdsā€ (Feb. 14-16), a new Folger Consort work that blends medieval music with a world-premiere composition by acclaimed composer Juri Seo and readings from Geoffrey Chaucerā€™s ā€œA Parlement of Foulesā€ by Twyford. 

Standing behind a podium, sheā€™ll read Chaucerā€™s words (translated from Middle English and backed by projected slides in the original language), alternating with music played on old and new instruments.  

ā€œThe new music is kind of dissonant with the sounds of birdcalls and nature sounds, painting a picture of whatā€™s going on in Chaucerā€™s poem thatā€™s beautiful and funny. Chaucer describes the male eagles pleading for the hand of the female eagle. Chaucer seems almost unwittingly feminist when he has the female eagle ask her eagle suitors to give her a year to think about it.ā€

GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights presents ā€œFuenteovejunaā€ (through March 2), a timely production staged by out director JosĆ© Luis Arelleno. Penned in 1613, this work from the Spanish Golden Age ranks among playwright Lope de Vega’s most performed plays.

Itā€™s about tyranny and love, Arellano explains. Within Lope de Vegaā€™s timely tale of brutish power lies an intense love story. In fact, at the top of the show, four characters, two males and two females play a game. What is love? One of the players asserts that love doesnā€™t exist, while the others disagree. Itā€™s a charming way to kick off the play.

The celebrated director isnā€™t one to telegraph messages, preferring audiences think for themselves. That said, he does, of course, make strong directorial choices: ā€œIf I have to choose between love or war, itā€™s more important to talk about love. For me, itā€™s a revolution.ā€ 

And apropos of a Valentineā€™s Day date, GALAā€™s production of ā€œFuenteovejunaā€ (performed in Spanish with English surtitles) is imbued with live music and verse, an important part of any romantic experience, adds David Peralto, the productionā€™s poetry and verse consultant as well as Arellanoā€™s longtime partner. 

The busy Spain-based couple will celebrate Valentineā€™s Day in Seville and couldnā€™t be happier. Arellano describes Seville as the most romantic city in the world.

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