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‘Gotham’ star Cory Michael Smith comes out as queer

the actor portrayed a closeted gay man in the new film ‘1985’

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Cory Michael Smith (Screenshot courtesy of YouTube)

“Gotham” star Cory Michael Smith has come out as queer.

Smith, who portrays Edward Nygma/The Riddler on FOX’s “Gotham,” opened up about his sexuality in an interview with the Daily Beast. 

The 31-year-old actor was promoting his new film “1985” which chronicles the start of the AIDS crisis. Smith plays the lead character Adrian, a closeted man who returns home to his conservative family after the death of his partner Rock Hudson. Smith admitted that the role was more relatable for him than his character on “Gotham.”

“There’s something special about telling a story that feels closer to home. I’m not exactly like The Riddler in real life,” Smith, who is labeled as queer by the Daily Beast, says.

“I’m from Middle America. I’m from Ohio. I’ve been living here [in New York] for a while, and there are stretches when I don’t see my family often. Going home and that whole charade is very familiar. The first family dinner after a while. Coming out to a family, the fear of that,” he continued.

Smith admits that his family gave him “a lot of love” when he came out to them but it also took “a lot of time.” He went on that studying the AIDS crisis in preparation for his role made him “overwhelmed.”

“I don’t ever want to insinuate or push that the queer experience is hindered with shame or darkness and depression…It’s not about connecting gay people with the idea of disease. But I do think it is important to look at the gay experience in the early ’80s and know that it was overwhelmed by disease. It’s a film that is going back to a moment and telling a very personal story about the pain and suffering that certain people went through. Sometimes I think it’s OK to have a moment of silence and consider what that experience was,” Smith says.

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Calendar

Calendar: November 1-7

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, November 1

Go Gay DC will host “First Friday LGBTQ+ Community Social” at 7 p.m. at P.F. Chang’s. 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, November 2

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’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.

LGBTQ+ People of Color Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.  

Sunday, November 3

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Dinner” at 6:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. 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.

AfroCode DC will be at 4 p.m. at Decades DC. This event will be an experience of non-stop music, dancing, and good vibes and a crossover of genres and a fusion of cultures. Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

Monday, November 4

Center Aging: Monday Coffee & Conversation 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 their choice. For more details, email [email protected]

Tuesday, November 5

Pride on the Patio Events will host “LGBTQ Social Mixer” at 5:30 p.m. at Showroom. Dress is casual, fancy, or comfortable. Guests are encouraged to bring their most authentic self to chat, laugh, and get a little crazy. Admission is free and more details are on Facebook.

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7:00p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower and create opportunities for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected]

Wednesday, November 6

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 — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Virtual Training on LGBTQIA protections in D.C. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Guests will learn about LGBTQIA rights and protections against discrimination and the ability to fail claims with the DC Human Rights Office. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website

Thursday, November 7

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245. 

Virtual Yoga with Sarah 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 Community’s website.

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Photos

PHOTOS: High Heel Race

Annual drag event fills 17th Street

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The 2024 High Heel Race was held on Tuesday. (Washington Blade photo by Giuseppe LoPiccolo)

The 37th annual High Heel Race was held along Frank Kameny Way on 17th Street, N.W. on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Thousands of spectators gathered to witness the parade of costumed racers pass by. Kenny Monroe of Maryland won the race.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key and Giuseppe LoPiccolo)

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Books

‘The Loves of My Life’ is not for prudes

Edmund White’s thoughtful read about pursuing pleasure

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(Book cover image courtesy of Bloomsbury)

‘The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir’
By Edmund White
c.2025, Bloomsbury Publishing
$27.99/256 pages

Celebrated author Edmund White is just as prolific with men as he is with books. “The Loves of My Life” is a steamy memoir about his decades-long sex life. Now in his 80s, he’s had, in his own words, “thousands of sex partners” and this book recounts many of them, including some many amusing, some poignant, stories.

A warning: this book is not for prudish readers. White describes his encounters in lovingly explicit detail, fondly recalling his partners’ equipment and their skills. Some were shockingly creative: one partner belonged to a “fisting colony” where another member once inserted a football into a man, requiring surgery.

White began early, as a teenager sleeping with other boys at his boarding school, neighbors, and the son of his mother’s lover. Later, working for his father’s business, he picked up male hustlers. He would take these predominately “straight” men to cheap hotels for one-sided, quick affairs; many kept their socks on during. Some threatened violence afterwards, demanding more money or that White spend more time with them. 

As an adult, a sex worker he took to a country home to help get clean spent nearly all his time alone in the bedroom, leaving only to pick up meals.

White lingers on his experience with Stan, “my first husband.” They met in college, at a play Stan starred in. Moving to New York, they lived together off and on as Stan found acting work. He became involved with a group led by a former Marine, who kept the party going with drugs and orgies. Thankfully, he would later leave and get clean.

White had many memorable adventures abroad. Visiting Puerto Rico, he and his partner went home with two men they met on the beach; the natives laughed during, speaking mostly Spanish. In a park in Spain, he encountered a man who robbed him after propositioning him. Because homosexuality was illegal, he couldn’t go to the authorities, although they had a quickie afterwards. Years later, he rented a house in Madrid with a younger, Spanish lover, who took him to “geezer” clubs, but who threw tantrums if White spoke to any men there. He felt like a housewife, keeping the home spotless and prepared to satisfy his partner anytime, only once visiting a museum.

The book’s tone is generally humorous, although White recounts how, when he was a young man, many gay men saw themselves. Most only wanted to sleep with straight “trade,” which carried the threat of violence. Even successful professionals thought they were “sick.” White saw a therapist hoping to become straight. While the community’s self-image has improved considerably, there are still plenty of hang-ups. White’s younger friend Rory, for instance, Asian, athletic, and intelligent, only loves white men and feels depressed if one doesn’t return his affections.

He surprisingly doesn’t talk much about his husband, Michael, apart from him walking in on White with a lover and an airplane encounter. It might be useful to hear how they met, and their arrangements with other partners. Perhaps their relationship was off limits.

Mixing self-deprecating anecdotes with insights into writing and literature, “The Loves of My Life” makes for a fun, yet thoughtful read about pursuing pleasure.

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