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For Norman Lear, being an ally is a calling
Equality California to honor iconic producer this weekend
There aren’t a lot of 97-year-olds who are as actively engaged with the world-at-large as Norman Lear.
The television icon, who is set to receive Equality California’s Ally Leadership award at the first-ever Golden State Equality Awards in a virtual presentation on Sunday, still has his finger in a lot of pies at an age when most people are long retired. He has a first look deal with Sony Pictures Television (under his production banner, ACT III), and serves as executive producer for the critically acclaimed reimagining of his own classic “One Day At A Time,” a show embraced by critics for recasting of the original’s white central family as Cuban-Americans, and for its inclusion of a lesbian character whose coming-out journey is a prominent story arc. He also served as executive producer (and co-host!) for the Emmy- and Critics’ Choice-winning “Jimmy Kimmel, LIVE In Front of a Studio Audience…,” a two-part special recreating episodes of his own classic shows that earned record ratings for ABC in December of 2019.
His busy schedule might have something to do with momentum; for more than six decades, Lear has been one of the most prolific names in Hollywood. An early career in PR led him quickly into show business, where he was soon writing sketches for the likes of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis; he created his first series (“The Deputy,” a Western starring Henry Fonda) in 1959, and went on to dabble in filmmaking during the 1960s.
But it was with a string of hit sitcoms in the ‘70s that Lear found his stride. “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son,” “Maude,” “The Jeffersons,” “One Day at a Time,” “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” – all these shows and more were created, developed, written, and/or produced by Lear during those years; it was a peak period that would have been enough to cement his place as one of the medium’s most successful pioneers, even had he not gone on to a still-enduring career that has garnered him five Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe to date.
It was, of course, with the first of these sitcoms that he built what we would now call his “brand.” “All in the Family” survived a low-rated first season to become one of the era’s most influential programs, challenging audiences even as it made them laugh. Using its central characters – the working-class Bunker family, polarized by the political divisions between blue-collar patriarch Archie and ultra-liberal son-in-law Mike – to explore topics rarely discussed on primetime TV, the series broke ground by addressing everything from sensitive personal issues like marital infidelity, breast cancer, menopause, and impotence, to controversial cultural hot-buttons like racism and other forms of bigotry, religion, rape, abortion, women’s lib, and the Vietnam War.
Among these remarkable, conversation-starting episodes are two milestones that cast a long shadow. “All in the Family” became the first American TV show to feature an openly gay character, in its very first season, when bigoted, blue-collar Archie discovers that his old friend Steve – who is also a former NFL linebacker – is queer. The episode, seen through modern eyes, thankfully plays as dated, a reminder of how far we’ve come in 45 years; in 1971, it was a bold stereotype-shattering step toward putting the subject of LGBTQ equality directly in front of mainstream American eyes.
“Family” didn’t stop there; four years later, the show introduced a character named Beverly LaSalle, a female impersonator (played by openly gay real-life drag performer Lori Shannon) who appeared in three episodes as a friend of Edith Bunker’s. In the third, he is murdered by muggers who discover he is a man in women’s clothing, leading to a crisis of faith for Edith, who questions how a God could exist that would allow such an act of violence against a person simply for being “different.” Suddenly, a character clearly identified as queer was no longer the butt of a joke, but a human being whose life mattered, and whose senseless and violent death left a hole in the lives of someone who loved them; moreover, in a time when few within mainstream culture had a clear understanding of gender identities that veered outside the binary “norm,” a storyline depicting the murder of a male presenting as female eerily evoked the subject of anti-trans violence decades before most Americans even knew the difference between a trans person and a drag queen.
For many queer viewers, these unequivocally sympathetic portrayals were watershed moments; millions of gay, trans, or otherwise non-heteronormative individuals suddenly felt seen and validated in a way they had never experienced from the pop culture that had always been a refuge for them. Just as important, it opened up a conversation in the households of countless straight Americans about a subject that would previously have been shrouded behind an unbreakable taboo.
During the same period, another Lear sitcom (“Hot L Baltimore”) featured the first gay couple to be included as regular characters in a TV show; and besides breaking ground in the area of LGBTQ representation, he proved with shows like “Sanford and Son” and “The Jeffersons” that programs featuring mostly black characters could be a hit with white audiences, too.
If Lear’s contributions had ended in the ‘70s, that would still be enough to warrant the honor being bestowed upon him by Equality California; but away from the camera, he has built a monumental reputation for himself as an advocate for social justice and equity. He put his career on hold in 1980 when his concern over the rise of the so-called “Moral Majority” prompted him to found People For The American Way, an organization of more than one million members and activists that still continues to fight right-wing extremism while defending constitutional values like free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy. Even before that, he was part of an informal group of wealthy Jewish businessmen (dubbed the “Malibu Mafia” by the press) that donated money to liberal and progressive causes and politicians from the 1960s to the 1990s. These, and other powerful efforts to aid the progressive cause, may not have all been centered around LGBTQ equality, but have provided immeasurable aid to that struggle, just the same.
Now, at nearly 100 years old, Lear is still a warrior. His tirelessness may simply be due to the fact that he loves his work, but his own words, explaining the meaning of his bumper sticker (it reads, “Just another version of you”) in a 2015 Variety interview, speak volumes about the core beliefs that keep him going.
“I’m very proud of that,” he told the magazine. “It says it all. We’ve become a culture or a nation that takes itself far too seriously. We believe we’re God’s chosen. Well, God’s chosen is the entire human species and every other species.
“We are simply versions of each other.”
It’s that kind of empathy that arguably defines what being an ally truly means, and it makes Equality California’s recognition of Lear arguably the most well-deserved award of his career.
a&e features
Memorial for groundbreaking bisexual activist set for May 2
Loraine Hutchins remembered as a ‘force of nature’
The Montgomery County Pride Center will host a celebration honoring the life and legacy of Loraine Hutchins, Ph.D., on May 2. People are invited to attend the onsite memorial or a livestream event. The on-site event will begin at 10 a.m. with a meet-and-greet mixer before moving into a memorial service around the theme “Loraine a Force of Nature!” at 11 a.m., a panel talk at 12 p.m., break out sessions for artists, academics, and activists to build on her legacy at 1 p.m. and a closing reception at 2 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to register for the on-site memorial gathering or the livestreamed memorial. The goal of this event is also to collect stories and memories of Loraine. Attendees and others can share their stories at padlet.com.
An obituary for Hutchins was published in the Bladelast Nov. 24, where people can learn more about her activism in the bisexual community. A private service for friends and family was held in December but this memorial service is open to all.
Alongside her groundbreaking work organizing for U.S. bisexual rights and liberation including co-editing “Bi Any Other Name: BIsexual People Speak Out” (1991), she also integrated faith into her sexual education and advocacy work. Her 2001 doctoral dissertation, “Erotic Rites: A Cultural Analysis of Contemporary U.S. Sacred Sexuality Traditions and Trends,” offered a pointed queer and feminist analysis to sex-neutral and sex-positive spiritual traditions in the United States. Her thesis was also groundbreaking in exploring the intersections between sex workers and those in caregiving professionals, including spiritual ones.
In an oral history interview conducted by Michelle Mueller back in August 2023, Hutchins described herself as a “priestess without a congregation.” While she has occasionally had a sense of community and feels part of a group of loving people, she admitted that “I don’t feel like we have the shape or the purpose that we need.”
“I’ve often experienced being the Cassandra in the room, the Cassandra in the community. Somebody who’s kind of way out there ahead, thinking through the strategic action points that my community hasn’t gotten to yet, and getting a lot of resistance and hostile responses from people who are frightened by dissent and conflict and not ready for the changes we have to make to survive,” she said.
“For somebody who’s bisexual in an out political way and who’s been a spokesperson for the polyamory movement in an out political way, it’s very exposing. And it’s very important to me to be able to try to explain and help other people understand the connection between spirituality and sexuality,” she explained citing how even as a graduate student she was “exploring how to feel erotic and spiritual, and not feel them in conflict with each other in my own spiritual contemplative life and my own sensual body awareness of being alive in the world.”
“Every religion has a sense of sacred sexuality. It’s just they put a lot of boundaries and regulations on it, and if we have a spiritual practice that is totally affirming of women’s priesthood and of gay people, queer people’s ability to minister to everyone and to be ministered to be everyone, what does that do to the gender of God, or our understanding of how we practice our spirituality and our sexuality in community and privately?”
“There’s no easy answer,” she concludes, and she continued to grapple with these questions throughout her life, co-editing another seminal text, “Sexuality, Religion and the Sacred: Bisexual, Pansexual, and Polysexual Perspectives,” published in 2012. Her work blending spiritual and queer liberation remains groundbreaking to this day.
Rev. Eric Eldritch, a local community organizer and ordained Pagan minister with Circle Sanctuary who has worked for decades with the DC Center’s Center Faith to organize the Pride Interfaith Service, is eager to highlight this element of her legacy at the memorial service next month.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.
Aging RFK Stadium has come down, but the RFK grounds are still getting lit up. Welcome back to the stage Project GLOW, D.C.’s homegrown electronic festival, on May 30-31. Back for its fifth year on these musically inclined acres, Project GLOW returns with an even more diverse lineup, and one that continues to celebrate LGBTQ antecedents, attendees, and acts.
Project GLOW 2026 headliners include house and techno star Mau P, progressive house legend Eric Prydz, hard-techno favorite Sara Landry, and bass acts Excision b2b Sullivan King, among the lineup of trance, bass, house, techno, dubstep, and others for the fifth anniversary year.
President & CEO Pete Kalamoutsos — born and raised in D.C. — founded Club GLOW in 1999. In 2020, GLOW entered into a partnership with global entertainment company Insomniac Events to produce live events like Project GLOW, which kicked off in 2022.
As in past years, Project GLOW not only makes space, but is intentionally inclusive of the LGBTQ community, one of its most dedicated fan bases. The festival’s LGBTQ-focused Secret Garden stage blooms again — a more intimate dance area that stands on the strength of DJs and musicians who draw from the LGBTQ community. D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife mastermind Ed Bailey is the creative mind behind Secret Garden again. He joined Project GLOW in 2023.
“Kalamoustos says that “he’s proud of his partnership with Ed Bailey, along with Capital Pride and [nightlife producer] Jake Resnikow. It’s amazing to collaborate with Bailey at the Secret Garden stage, especially after the curated lineup we worked on at Pride last year.”
The Secret Garden will be a bit different from other stages: Eternal (“At the Eternal stage, time stands still. Lose yourself in the dance of past, present, and future, surrendering to the eternal rhythm of the universe”) and Pulse (“Feel the rhythm of the beat pulse through your veins as the heartbeat of the crowd synchronizes into one. Here, every moment vibrates with life as it guides you through a new dimension of euphoria”). The Secret Garden stage is in the round, surrounded by 16 shipping containers. The containers play canvas to muralists from around the world, who are coming in to paint them in a vibrant garden-style vibe. “We gave this stage some extra love with this layout,” K says, “ we finally cracked the code.”
K says that this will be the biggest lineup yet for the Secret Garden, featuring Nicole Moudaber b2b Chasewest, Riordan b2b Bullet Tooth, Ranger Trucco, Cassian, Eli & Fur, Cosmic Gate and Hayla. The stage is also the largest yet, featuring an expanded dance floor and 360-degree viewing.
Across all stages, K says that his goal for the fifth anniversary is “More art and fan interactive experience, more like a festival, strive to be like a Tomorrowland, as budget grows to add more experience.” Last year’s Project GLOW alone drew 40,000 attendees over two days.
K, however, was not satisfied with one festival this spring. GLOW recently announced a “pop-up” one-day event. Teaming up with Black Book Records, GLOW is set to throw a first-of-its-kind dance-music takeover of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., headlined by electronic music star Chris Lake. Set for April 18, this euphoric block party will feature bass and vibes blocks from the White House. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 fans to attend. Beyond music, there will be food, activations, and plenty of other activities taking place around 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW – a location familiar to many in the LGBTQ community, as this sits squarely inside the blocks of the Capital Pride party that takes place in DC every June.
Over the past two decades, Club GLOW has produced thousands of events, from club nights to large-scale festivals including Project GLOW, Moonrise Festival, and more. Club GLOW also operates Echostage.
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