a&e features
Out classical pianist Hough promotes new essay collection
Practicing, recording, concertizing and more considered in pithy book ‘Rough Ideas’
Many classical musicians eschew talking about their personal lives. With little public interest in who’s having sex with whom a la Hollywood, pianists, conductors, violinists and the like can often get along without ever having to get into talking about sex or romance.
The gay British pianist Stephen Hough (pronounced “huff”), however, is not shy about such topics. In his new essay collection “Rough Ideas,” (published Feb. 4 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in the U.S.) he explores the question of the antiquated phrase, “Is he musical?,” as a euphemism for homosexuality in an age when it was “the love that dare not speak its name.”
He darts around all sorts of topics in short essays such as “Gay pianists: can you tell?,” “Can atonal music make you cry?,” “Is New Age thinking bad for musicians?,” “Authentically playing Rachmaninoff” and dozens more.
In 2018, his debut novel “The Final Retreat,” which he says is full of “very raw sexuality,” explored the gay longings of a middle-aged Catholic priest in seclusion.
All that to say, Hough, 58, is not at all stuffy and balks at no topic. He was slated to be here in mid-April to play a Beethoven piano concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra and present his book at Politics & Prose. That, of course, has been canceled but he was still game to carry on with a previously scheduled Blade interview on March 23.
Hunkered down at his home in central London where he lives with Dennis, his partner of 18 years, Hough was friendly and loquacious waiting out COVID-19. His comments have been edited for length.
WASHINGTON BLADE: How are things in London?
STEPHEN HOUGH: Well this is something you couldn’t have imagined really with everything shutting down the way it has. I was in New York with 9-11 and you know, it was an absolute lifesaver for me being together with friends and now, of course, you can’t do that. You can’t seek that human comfort, so that makes ths really very different. … I think when we come back to normality, we will treasure these things so much.
BLADE: How has it been for you?
HOUGH: Well, it’s two-fold. My concert diary for the next few months has been wiped clean. I get on the computer and it’s all gone blank, all the travel that was planned for concerts. There’s one for China, ironically, that’s still on for June, I don’t know whether or not that will still happen. … But there’s a positive side to it too. As a pianist, you spend most of your life alone practicing so that’s been the same. I think I’ve been more calm because I haven’t had to worry about whether this piece is ready, I’ve got to leave for the airport tomorrow … all those concerns are gone, which is really wonderful. Of course it’s only been a week. Maybe ask me again in a month the same question.
BLADE: What’s the mood like in your neighborhood?
HOUGH: Well, it’s never been this quiet even on Christmas morning. There are very few cars around, nobody is on the streets. … It’s something people haven’t felt since the Soviet Russian times and that’s scary.
BLADE: Do you know anyone who’s succumbed?
HOUGH: No but it’s funny — my partner and I were in Taiwan for Christmas and we came back just before the new year and he thinks he may have had a mild for of it, but that was in early January so we just thought it was the flu.
BLADE: Has your practice had more clarity? Are you more focused?
HOUGH: I think it’s been more concentrated and more joyful. I’ve been practicing some Schubert sonatas and I’ve been overwhelmed by how beautiful the music is. I wouldn’t say in a way that I’ve never felt before, but there’s a purity to it, much like the air in our city. Because there are so few cars around, London feels very fresh and it’s spring.
BLADE: I would be tempted to get lazy. Have you?
HOUGH: So far it’s been OK. I have some writing deadlines for three compositions that I took last year. At first I was thinking I’d have to kill myself to get them done, but now I can do them without having to worry too much. When I’m on holiday, I find it very easy to do literally nothing all day except just read, eat, sleep, repeat.
BLADE: How do you generally know how much to agree to professionally?
HOUGH: It’s very difficult to know if yo’ve got that right. I’m very careful about not dong things at the last minute. When you’re 21, 22 and just starting ot, you say yes to everything because you never know who will ask again. But you come to a point where you take stock a bit and realize you need enough time to prepare a piece. Not just to be able to play it from memory, but truly inhabit it, like an actor with a role in a play.
BLADE: What feedback have you heard so far on “Rough Ideas”?
HOUGH: We’ve had some very nice responses from both people who are musicians and people who have no knowledge of music at all, so it’s very gratifying when that comes back. … This is a book you can give your grandmother, unlike my novel, which was quite different and came out the year before about a priest who’s being blackmailed by a male prostitute.
BLADE: Wow, sounds scandalous.
HOUGH: It’s very scandalous. …. My partner said, “You can’t publish this under your name,” but I said, “No, I’m going to own this book.” It was a topic I’d been wanting to explore — how do you continue to bring comfort to people if you’re a priest and you’ve completely lost your faith?
BLADE: Are you still a practicing Catholic?
HOUGH: I go to Mass but I don’t take communion. I just don’t feel I’m part of it enough to feel good about that, but it’s still a very central part of my life. The teachings — it’s not just about the rich and powerful, but also the widow and the orphan — there’s a wisdom there that very much makes sense to me.
BLADE: How musically sophisticated are Catholics today vs. historically?
HOUGH: I think it’s a very small number. We think about Catholic culture being so great but it was only in the big cathedrals where you might have a Mozart or a Palestrina. In the small parish churches, the music has never been that particularly distinguished. I think the Anglican church has had more of a musical life. There are lots of great cultural things in Catholicism but they were not always very spread out.
BLADE: How did you wind up being a British Catholic?
HOUGH: I converted when I was about 18. I’d grown up in a more evangelical background but I got very bored with those services. … I went to a Mass and there was something about it that appealed to me very deeply. I even explored becoming a priest a few times although I don’t think they’d take me anymore.
BLADE: Whom do you see as the audience for “Rough Ideas”?
HOUGH: Well I hope everyone really, but certainly everyone who has any interest in music and the piano. There’s a lot of stuff in there I think will be helpful and interesting to piano students.
BLADE: Did your views evolve at all as you got them down on paper?
HOUGH: Yes, but I can’t remember now which ones that would be true of. One of the longest essay in there, which was published in a different form in another book of gay essays is about what it means to be Catholic and gay. … I think that one forced me to think though some tough issues.
BLADE: Why, as you touch on in the book, are young people in Asia so much more into classical concerts than elsewhere?
HOUGH: I think it must have to do with parents with the encouragement that kids get at home. Sometimes even being forced into lessons. I think it’s linked to why Asian kids so often do so well at school and university. It’s that support they have. You to to Korea or Taiwan or China and half the audience is under the age of 25. It’s incredible and wonderful. I have a couple of students at Juiliard and it’s interesting to see the lists of the people who get through and the people who don’t. I would say we’re talking 70-80 percent Asian. There’s something very touching about these countries where 200 years ago you wouldn’t have heard a note of Beethoven when he was writing, now they’re playing Beethoven better than the cultures in which it was written.
BLADE: Do you feel things are being dumbed down in the West overall?
HOUGH: Well yes, I think it’s happening everywhere … but I think there’s room for all kinds of music. I’m very uncomfortable with snobbishness in classical music.
BLADE: Yes, but it feels like it’s encroaching on space previously inhabited by the classical arts. You never just see a classical pianist on the Grammy Awards like you used to. If you do, they put Lang Lang with Metallica for some ridiculous stunt casting novelty thing. The Kennedy Center Honors will have one token honoree each year from the fine arts and the rest have become these middling, ’70s popular acts. Doesn’t stuff like this bother you? Again, not saying there’s anything wrong with the popular acts, but they’re encroaching on serious artists.
HOUGH: Well yes, it would be nice if these organizations would support and encourage the classical arts a bit more. I think the Grammys could do more to put some focus on the classical categories without losing anything of what they are.
BLADE: What do you think of the classical crossover acts?
HOUGH: Well, some are better than others.
BLADE: But what does it say about us that the public has such a voracious appetite for this junk while the serious acts will sell just a fraction of what they sell?
HOUGH: I think when you’re a kid, you need to be encouraged and hsown the way a bit and that’s something that’s happening less today in education. We have to find a way to educate people and bring them into this world and let them know this is great music worth making the effort for. On one hand, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve got friends who have no interest in music just as I have no interest in sports. We shouldn’t make people do things or suggest there’s anything wrong with them. … But it’s OK to entice people a bit to enjoy, say, a fine wine when they’ve been drinking something that’s really cheap and nasty. Some of it is about changing the palate. Some of that happens as we mature. Your tastes are usually different at 40 than they were at 20 but we typically need a bit of encouragement for things that are more difficult and classical music can sometimes be difficult. You might have to sit there for an hour vs. listening to a three-minute pop song.
a&e features
A rainbow shield
Parasol Patrol protects children from protesters at LGBTQ, BIPOC events
In the wake of LGBTQ events like drag queen story hours being the target of far-right protesters across the country, a national nonprofit is aiming to protect children from hate.
Founded in March 2019 by Pasha Ripley and Eli Bazan in Denver, Parasol Patrol now has grown to 14 official chapters, including in the D.C. area, Idaho, Illinois, and Rhode Island. The goal of the nonprofit is to protect children and young people from protesters at LGBTQ and BIPOC-centered events.
Volunteers with the nonprofit use umbrellas, rainbow or otherwise, as shields to block kids and families from hateful signs and pass out noise-canceling headphones to protect attendees from abhorrent language. Sometimes volunteers will also escort families into the venue to keep them safe.
“We just started this way of creating a turtle shell around families,” Ripley said. “We envelop that family as best we can and get them through, or past, protesters.”
The mission of Parasol Patrol is twofold, Ripley said. One part of it is to keep kids safe, and the other is to show that there is community support.
“Showing them that we love them. We support them. Not in spite of who they are, but because of who they are,” Ripley said. “We’ve helped the venue create a safer space for them to be themselves.”
Originally raised in rural Oklahoma, Ripley, who is queer, said Parasol Patrol provides a security that she and many others didn’t necessarily have coming of age.
“We want to be those adults that we wish we had had growing up,” she said. “And we’re not trying to turn kids gay. We’re trying to keep the gay kids alive.”
Ripley stressed volunteers with Parasol Patrol are not counter-protesters or security. The mission is nonviolent, and volunteers are encouraged to not engage with protesters.
John Zittrauer, a local volunteer with Parasol Patrol since the early summer of 2022, said volunteers serve as a “welcoming committee” for families attending these events.
“That’s where the umbrellas come in. To create not only a beautiful hallway of people but also to shield little kids from things that might get thrown their way,” Zittrauer said. “We are this wall of positivity, just welcoming families and making sure that everybody comes in and leaves with a smile on their face.”
But sometimes, these events can get hectic.
For example, in late February, the far-right group Proud Boys targeted a drag queen story hour in Silver Spring, Md., the Washington Blade previously reported. About 40 volunteers with Parasol Patrol came out to protect the event, including Zittrauer.
While shielding families from the protesters, Zittrauer was hit in the face on the bridge of his nose. In the melee, he doesn’t know if it was an elbow or a signpost that hit him. He didn’t realize he was bleeding until he turned around to check in with other volunteers, and the look on their faces signaled to him that something was wrong.
Zittrauer still carried on protecting the event from protesters. But he still says volunteering at that event was a positive experience because the families watching the drag story hour did not know too much of what was going on.
This is exactly what Ripley hopes for — that at the end of the day, the events are fun and inspiring for everyone involved, she said.
“For the most part, we stayed happy and upbeat, and unfazed,” Zittrauer said. “It was, all in all, a good day,” he said.
a&e features
Golden Girls return to D.C.
‘The Laughs Continue’ to run at Warner Theatre from Feb. 23-26
Miami’s sassiest seniors will take D.C. by storm when they take the stage at the Warner Theatre from Feb. 23-26.
Robert Leleux — whose previous work includes “The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy” and “The Living End” — wrote “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue.” It documents the lives of the four cheesecake-loving older women in “The Golden Girls.”
Sophia (Christopher Kamm) is out on bail after the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested her for running a drug ring for older adults. Blanche (Vince Kelley) and Rose (Adam Graber) created CreakN, a “sex app for seniors.” And the relationship-challenged Dorothy is with a much younger man (Jason Bowen) on the aforementioned app.
Bowen also plays Dorothy’s ex-husband Stanley.
Eric Swanson, co-founder of the Detroit Actors’ Theatre Company, directs “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” and Murray and Peter Present produced the play. A version of it showed at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre in July 2022.
“You will feel like you have watched sort of this hour and a half sort of special on a TV and it should feel just like you’re hitting play or whatever it is on your streaming service and here it is,” Swanson told the Washington Blade during a recent Zoom interview from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “The set looks like the set and we utilize the cheesecake — there’s so much cheesecake in this play. You can’t do Golden Girls without cheesecake.”
Swanson said he and Leloux binge watched “every episode” of the original show in four days.
“We wanted to create new content, that was our number one goal,” Swanson told the Blade. “We didn’t want to parody anything. We wanted to completely attack new material and new ways of thinking for women and aging adults in this generation.”
Blanche ‘weaponizes what God has given her’
Kelley told the Blade from Michigan during a telephone interview that Blanche is “very free and my brand of sassy.”
“I love the sensuality of Blanche and that she weaponizes what God has given her to her advantage.”
The scene in season two’s “The Actor” episode in which Blanche’s inflatable breasts deflate when she is hugging an actor during an audition to be his love interest is among Kelley’s favorite from the original show. Kelley also noted CreakN is difficult for Blanche to use because “she doesn’t identify as a senior.”
Blanche in season seven’s “The Case of the Libertine Bell” episode that takes place during a murder mystery weekend points out “flirting is part of my heritage” because she is “from the South.” Rose asked Blanche what she meant, and Dorothy told her that Blanche’s mother was “a slut too.”
“There’s a few of those zingers in this one too,” Swanson told the Blade. “Sometimes they just lay it down.”
‘Ahead of their time’ on LGBTQ issues
“The Golden Girls” premiered on NBC on Sept. 14, 1985.
The series ran for seven seasons until it ended on May 9, 1992. “The Golden Palace” in which Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty starred after Bea Arthur left “The Golden Girls” ran for one season.
“The Golden Girls” is one of the first primetime shows that discussed AIDS, marriage equality, and other LGBTQ issues.
Blanche’s brother Clayton, for example, comes out to his sister as gay in season four’s “Scared Straight” after he claimed he slept with Rose. Clayton and his boyfriend Doug during season six’s “Sister of the Bride” episode tell Blanche, Dorothy, and Sofia that they want to get married.
Dorothy’s brother Phil was a crossdresser, and her friend Jean is a lesbian who falls in love with Rose during season two’s “Isn’t It Romantic?” episode. Rose in season five’s “72 Hours” episode tests HIV-negative after she fears a blood transfusion she had exposed her to the virus.
“They were so ahead of their time in the things that they were tackling: AIDS and all that kind of stuff, and LGBTQ rights and discrimination against Jewish people. All things we’re still dealing with today, which is unfortunate, but it’s nice to turn to them and see how your good friends Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia are dealing with the same problems that you’re dealing with today,” said Kelley.
“I love the progressiveness that they had, especially when you look at the time and the era and what was going on, not just politically, but regarding feminism and sexuality and all of that. it was just incredibly brave,” Swanson told the Blade.
He further noted “The Golden Girls” also addressed interracial marriage and aging.
“They were addressing these things about what it’s like to age,” he said. “Whether you are a conservative, you’re a liberal, you are gay, you are straight, the one thing we all have is age. We can all relate to age and they led that narrative on what is it like to age and feel left out and have to fight again.”
Swanson and Kelley both teased bits of the play.
Kelley notes it is Dorothy’s “day in the sun” when she mets her younger man on CreakN. He also told the Blade that Sophia “had to do another small stint in Shady Pines due to another slip and fall.”
“While there she decided, how can I make a quick buck,” said Kelley. “I’m going to turn into Walter White and monetize that.”
Kelly noted the play is “all new material.”
“You’ll get a whole new fun story that even if you seen every episode twice, you’re gonna get something new. But we definitely have all your favorite lines, all the catchphrases, all the tropes and scenarios that you would expect,” he said. “We’re not trying to reinvent the Golden Girls, we’re just trying to add on to them.”
“We wanted to create something in their honor,” Swanson told the Blade.
“Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” will be at the Warner Theatre (1299 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) from Feb. 23-26. Tickets start at $30. A VIP experience that includes a meet and greet with the cast after the show is $99. Tickets are available at warnerthreatredc.com.
a&e features
D.C.’s most eligible LGBTQ singles
Meet your match in our annual survey just in time for Valentine’s Day
Each year, the Blade seeks our readers’ help in identifying the most eligible local LGBTQ singles. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we present this year’s list.
Matthew Koerber
Age: 33
Occupation: Realtor
How do you identify?: Gay
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone accomplished, compassionate, and with a compatible sense of humor and set of values.
Biggest turn off: Green text messages
Biggest turn on: Someone who knows their way around the kitchen
Hobbies: Entertaining friends, singing in the car, and playing my guitar.
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Finally take my mom on that trip to Paris.
Pets, kids, or neither?: I plead the fifth
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: Within reason
Celebrity crush: Chris Hemsworth
Name one obscure fact about yourself: Will moonwalk after a few drinks.
Kelsey Watson
Age: 28
Occupation: Nonprofit professional
How do you identify?: As a Black queer cis-woman
What are you looking for in a mate? I enjoy being around people who are funny and curious. I connect best with folks who have a shared sense of humour and can hold a conversation with just about anyone. I also prefer those who have some level of experience with nonmonogamy.
Biggest turn off: Fatphobia and hot breath
Biggest turn on: Kindness, banter, eye contact, and being fine
Hobbies: I spend my non-work time doing beer education, making elaborate meals for myself, gardening, and spending time with friends.
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: To start running my own beer education experiences, and to fold my laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer.
Pets, kids, or neither?: Neither
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: Absolutely the fuck not.
Celebrity crush: Raven Saunders, the very fine track and field Olympian. Somebody set me up.
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I like to hunt. I’m new to the sport and would love to find folks in the area to go out with.
Barbi Lopez
Age: 30
Occupation: Bar manager/bartender
How do you identify?: She/her
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is emotionally intelligent, adventurous, ambitious, spiritual, and wants to grow together (in every aspect).
Biggest turn off: Immaturity
Biggest turn on: A submissive dom
Hobbies: Pilates, traveling, reading, writing poetry, and anything in nature!
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Travel back home to Argentina to see my family
Pets, kids, or neither?: A cat my son names Bruno
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: Depends
Celebrity crush: Kehlani
Philip Pannell
Age: 72
Occupation: Non-profit executive director
How do you identify?: Gay
What are you looking for in a mate? An active advocate for social, political and economic progress.
Biggest turn off: Lack of engagement with community issues
Biggest turn on: Commitment to community progress
Hobbies: Community volunteerism and playing bridge
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Helping to end violence and statehood for DC
Pets, kids, or neither?: Neither
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: Highly improbable but not impossible
Celebrity crush: I cannot have a crush on someone I have not personally met
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I watch Fox News
Michael Wolfe
Age: 43
Occupation: Recruiter
How do you identify?: Gay
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is independent, spontaneous, low drama and an open and honest communicator with a sense of humor.
Biggest turn off: Selfishness, pretentious, disrespectful of others, takes things they shouldn’t too seriously
Biggest turn on: Collaborative, inclusive, cares about others as much as they care about themselves, solid communication skills, not required but bonus points if you appreciate Coke Zero over Diet Coke and love Chipotle as well!
Hobbies: I love to travel and have a long list of places in the world I want to go, and would want someone willing to come on that adventure with me, even if that means hopping on a plane spontaneously tomorrow at the last minute. Enjoy exploring DC (theater, concerts, special events etc.), weekend brunching with friends, and playing social LGBTQIA+ kickball.
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Continue to live life to the fullest both personally and professionally while surrounding myself with good, positive people.
Pets, kids, or neither?: I love dogs (had a dog for 13 years who passed a few years ago), open to considering another one (or two!) someday.
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: Yes, up to a point
Celebrity crush: Jay Hernandez, Chris Evans, Patrick Mahomes
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I’ve lived in 18 different apartments/homes in my ~21 years living in the DC metro area – as you can tell, I’m definitely not afraid of moving.
Mel May
Age: 42
Occupation: Recruiting leader
How do you identify?: Queer
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is creative, has a dark sense of humor, is grounded, leads with an authentic heart, and appreciates the little moments in life.
Biggest turn off: Lack of empathy, curiosity, adventurous spirit
Biggest turn on: Someone who lives their life out loud and takes risks with their dreams. Is confident and passionate in a relationship. Can hang with witty and weird jokes. Oh, and if they can cook!
Hobbies: I’m a writer at heart. Obsessed with resell, thrift, and consignment objects. Have always loved trying new, creative projects to include crocheting, DIY miniature kits, painting, publishing my own memoir. Always up for exploring and can walk around a city or trail for hours absorbing the experience.
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Honestly, to be super present with the people I care about and love. It’s been a rough few years and it’s made me truly appreciate how precious our time is together.
Pets, kids, or neither?: No kids. No pets right now — but you’ll hear me talk about my pup who was so sassy & funny (miss my lil guy). Right now, I live vicariously through my friends’ pets.
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: No, that’s just too loaded these days. Could be friends and have respectful conversations, but I don’t have the space for debate in my deeper relationships.
Celebrity crush: Winona Ryder was my first, and still is my biggest crush.
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I was a finalist for the “Tila Tequila” show. Don’t judge me — just knew I was auditioning for a queer reality dating show. *smacks forehead*
Elizabeth Falcon
Age: 40
Occupation: Non-profit executive director
How do you identify?: Queer
What are you looking for in a mate? I like to laugh, process the world from the big to the tiny, and collaborate. I want someone who wants to join me in that.
Biggest turn off: Being rude to service workers
Biggest turn on: Direct communication, expression of desires, confidence, playfulness. Know your value and tell me about mine.
Hobbies: Biking around town, illegally swimming in the Potomac, listening to too many podcasts, the Libby app, planting perennials, starting a garden then forgetting to water it, baking when I have the patience to clean the kitchen after, coordinating my friends to plan meals together
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Living with patience (see next question)
Pets, kids, or neither?: I have a one-and-a-half year-old kiddo I’m raising on my own. I also live with a cat, but the cat is my roommate’s.
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: There’s a wide spectrum of what this means, but I wouldn’t date someone who I fundamentally didn’t share agreement about the problems with white supremacy, capitalism, and the impacts of gentrification in DC. TL;DR probably no.
Celebrity crush: Janelle Monae, Mae Martin, E.R Fightmaster, Sara Ramirez
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I grew up on a dairy farm
Chloe Thompson
Age: 25
Occupation: Community Manager at TPSS Co-op
How do you identify?: Bisexual/queer woman
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is intensely smart, non-secular, building/involved in community, confident, and humble, very sexy, good dancer, curious about the world, a futurist, tall, a defined sense of personal style, and very funny.
Biggest turn off: Using Siri or Alexa (ever), drinking alcohol (I’m Muslim), being cynical or pessimistic, not talkative, being stingy, lacking imagination and refusing to dance!
Biggest turn on: A person who is totally in love with the world, for the good and the bad. Also, beautiful hands.
Hobbies: Reading critical theory and science fiction, yoga, watching and learning about film, writing, reading tarot, praying, learning rock climbing, going to museums, cooking excellent food
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Create intentional Black and Brown community. Be amazed by the goodness of life, daily.
Pets, kids, or neither?: I have neither, but I want 3 daughters and 2 dogs. Ready to get started creating my semi-big family whenever
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: Yeah! As long as you have an inherent distrust of the state, we’re good to go.
Celebrity crush: Kehlani. Real ones know.
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I’m secretly very bashful.
Maria Miller
Age: 31
Occupation: Bartender, produce slinger, sandwich artisan
How do you identify?: Dyke
What are you looking for in a mate? A genuinely nice and kind person. That answer seems simple, but you’d be surprised.
Biggest turn off: Bad tippers, rude customers, people who eat dry sandwiches.
Biggest turn on: Kind eyes, a nice smile, thoughtfulness, direct communication.
Hobbies: Thrifting, going to shows, making art, organizing in the community, getting tattoos
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: I have some big plans and that’s all I can really say!
Pets, kids, or neither?: A dog named Gravy
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: That doesn’t seem smart
Celebrity crush: Alive: Charli XCX and Yseult Onguenet, Not Alive: Selena and Aaliyah
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I have two baby teeth!
Al Castillo
Age: 22
Occupation: Research specialist
How do you identify?: Queer trans man
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is emotionally mature, willing to be spontaneous and willing to venture into the world together, but also able to enjoy a quiet day inside watching our favorite cartoon with our pets cuddled next to us on the couch.
Biggest turn off: Being out of touch with the local community and disrespecting physical and emotional boundaries.
Biggest turn on: Taking initiative and being comfortable acting silly and goofy!
Hobbies: Dancing like I am lip-syncing for my life, playing Nintendo and classic arcade games, cocktail making, and spending time with my loved ones.
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: I am beginning my fitness journey by going to the gym more often and becoming more active. I also started learning Spanish this year, so I am hoping to improve my Spanish speaking and listening skills throughout the year.
Pets, kids, or neither?: I have a dog named Dana Scully and my roommate Siena has a kitten named Fox Mulder, just like the characters from the X-Files.
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: No
Celebrity crush: Patrick Dempsey and Rina Sawayama
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I am double-jointed and I can do a jump split (give me some time to stretch though, it’s been a while)
Aurora Lloyd
Age: 30
Occupation: Entertainer/Entrepreneur/Activist
How do you identify?: Transsexual woman
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who wants commitment and understands what it means to build a foundation and grow. Has emotional intelligence and is in therapy. Wants the most out of life. And it doesn’t hurt if you are a cutie too!
Biggest turn off: Willful ignorance, blatant disrespect, and judgmental people
Biggest turn on: Intelligence emotional and mental! I love nerds being one myself. Knows how to love and treat Black women.
Hobbies: Video games, anime, reading books, making music, watching movies/shows, traveling, hanging with friends and family, napping, going out to eat, and museums
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: To release my new music and perform, travel, and increase my income.
Pets, kids, or neither?: I have one cat, no biological kids but open to having some but I do have five “queer” kids, lol.
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: I would be open to it, but it just depends on what particular views because politics are not just one vacuum from normal having history with working on the Hill, there are layers.
Celebrity crush: Michael B. Jordan and Tyler James Williams
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I really have a thing for archery
Andrew Bunting
Age: 34
Occupation: Higher education administration/bartending
How do you identify?: Gay
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is authentic, witty, driven, empathetic, intelligent, and adventurous. I’m looking for someone who understands the importance of self-care, and also knows how to both work and play hard.
Biggest turn off: My biggest turn off is unwanted pressure. The quickest way to make me no longer interested is to try to constantly pressure me to do something. The moment that I feel that type of pressure I start to feel smothered and I lose all interest.
Biggest turn on: Confidence, decisiveness, and a drive to enjoy life. A great smile and being a good kisser doesn’t hurt either!
Hobbies: My interests are really varied, and range from enjoying a day visiting local wineries to catching a movie with friends. Bartending (formerly at Cobalt and now at JR.’s) also takes up a lot of my weekend time, and is, for me, less of a job and more of a hobby.
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: My biggest goal for 2023 is to strive for balance and be intentional about how I use my time. I want to make sure that I am focusing on the right things for the right reasons. For me, that means making sure that I’m connecting with my family and friends (and potential love interests), focusing on my career, and making sure I still have enough time for self-care.
Pets, kids, or neither?: I don’t have a pet now, but I’m open both dogs and cats (I grew up with cats and have lived with dogs). Kids are not in my future.
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: An interesting question, and I really think it is more about one’s fundamental values than political affiliation. Would I date someone who disagrees with me about specific policies? Sure! But would I date someone who denies things like climate science, vaccines, or the fundamental rights of others? Definitely not.
Celebrity crush: Zac Efron (back off, he’s mine!)
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I’ve never, in my life, eaten Taco Bell (and I don’t plan to)
Javen Marquise Kostrzewa
Age: 30
Occupation: JD/MBA student at Georgetown
How do you identify?: Bisexual
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is emotionally intelligent, career driven and wants to have a family and get married. If you can make me laugh that is the key to my heart.
Biggest turn off: Being rude to service staff; surface-level interactions, and fear of commitment.
Biggest turn on: Ambition, sense of humor and dedication to pursuit of life balance (mental, physical, and emotional health)
Hobbies: I love to work out and am that weird person who enjoys cardio. Outside of work and the gym I like playing video games, watching anime, and binging TV series (financial crime docs are my favorite).
What is your biggest goal for 2023?: Finish law school strong, but make more time for social activities.
Pets, kids, or neither?: Both! I absolutely love dogs (allergic to cats) especially big dogs (Great Dane is my dream dog). I love kids — my nieces and nephews are bright lights in my life. I want to eventually adopt (I grew up in foster care and was adopted.)
Could you date someone whose political views differ from your own?: It depends on where they differ. If we differ on civil rights and equality, that’s non-negotiable.
Celebrity crush: Michael B. Jordan
Name one obscure fact about yourself: I sang a tribute for Bill Withers as part of the Songwriters Hall of Fame project. (Bill was hilarious!)
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