a&e features
LGBTQ agencies support vulnerable youth this holiday season
Fighting disproportionate unemployment, housing instability


At-risk LGBTQ youth continue to face challenges, including homelessness, but colleges and local agencies work to make services available during a season exacerbated by the pandemic.
āDuring this holiday season, Iām thinking about how Iām going to have a roof over my head and how Iām going to pay my rent,ā Devine Bey, an 18-year-old Black and Samoan transgender woman told the Washington Blade while turning in her name change paperwork to a Baltimore office.
Both Bey and her husband were laid off during the COVID-19 crisis and she said all they have is each other since her family isnāt close and her father wants nothing to do with her as a trans woman.
An October poll commissioned by the Trevor Project, a national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth, found one-third of all LGBTQ youth said they were unable to be themselves at home, and nearly one-third of transgender and nonbinary youth felt unsafe in their living situation since the start of of the pandemic.
āWe know that LGBTQ youth may be particularly vulnerable because even prior to the pandemic they were at higher risk for homelessness,ā said Rob Todaro, press secretary for the Trevor Project. āWe know they face disproportionate unemployment and housing instability now exacerbated by the pandemic.ā
D.C.-based agencies that support LGBTQ youth such as SMYAL and the Wanda Alston Foundation saw an increase in service requests as part of the pandemicās economic fallout, as did agencies throughout the region.
āThere definitely has been an increase in the demand for our services because of more young people staying at home in situations that are not affirming to their truth and identity,ā Adalphie Johnson, the SMYAL programs director, said.
Wanda Alston Foundation Executive Director June Crenshaw said their mission is to improve the lives of LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, and noted reduced public transportation routes due to the pandemic disproportionately impact minority youth trying to get to work.
Korean Davis, an 18-year-old Black trans woman living in transitional housing because living at home with her mother āis not an option,ā struggles to maintain work at a make-up stand where āignorant people,ā including her supervisor, misgender her.
Her dream is to go to beauty school and work for herself.
āMy holiday is a complete disaster,ā she said. āNo one has called to check on me. I feel like I donāt have anyone but the people at Baltimore Safe Haven, and they can only do so much. I feel like I am falling apart.ā
Unfortunately, Davis is not alone and her experiences are felt by other LGBTQ youth.
According to the Trevor Project, one in three Black LGBTQ youth said the pandemic made their living situation more stressful than before, and agencies in D.C., Maryland, Virginia and elsewhere have worked to meet the demand with limited funds.
āAbout halfway through the pandemic we had the COVID relief grant where we distributed over $45,000 for young people who were either homeless or at risk of homelessness,ā Johnson said, speaking of social services funding SMYAL received through the CARES Act. āWith those funds we assisted with phone bills, technology needs, rent, food, or utility bills, all which were needed directly as a result of the pandemic.ā
Ted Lewis, the executive director of Side by Side, a Virginia-based LGBTQ youth assistance organization, said its number of homelessness assistance calls more than doubled around April and May, particularly from African-American, transgender and nonbinary youth.
āWhen a young person comes in, they work with a case manager to see what stability looks like for them,ā Lewis explained, saying that some homeless 18-25 year olds may need financial assistance while others may need help with identity documents or access to affirming medical care.
Lewis said housing stability is a concern for those who are couch-surfing, living in transitional housing or back with family due to college dorm closures during the winter break. Each situation can add to holiday stress.
āWhen residence halls close for the winter break, some LGBTQ+ students face the prospect of returning home to families who may be either unsupportive of their LGBTQ+ identity, or actually hostile and unwelcoming,ā said Brad Grimes, a program specialist with the West Virginia University LGBTQ+ Center and Womenās Resource Center.
In the late ā80s Grimes was a closeted gay student struggling with his own identity over multiple winter breaks at Georgetown University, so to some extent he understands the pressures his LGBTQ students face today and seeks to address them.
āThe WVU LGBTQ+ Center worked with the Director of Residence Life early in the semester to confirm that alternate housing would be made available to LGBTQ+ students who had no safe or supportive housing options with their families, in the event of an emergency COVID-related closure of the residence halls,ā he said.
Their campus resources also continue to be accessible via email over the winter break.
Luke Jensen is the director of the LGBT Equity Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, which he helped found more than 20 years ago. The center has extensive programming for LGBTQ students, much of which went online during the pandemic.
Virtual meetings included yoga and wellness sessions before the holidays and after a brief break staff will return in the spring with a Black transgender discussion panel and preparation for their Lavender leadership graduation ceremony in May.
Jensen was also a closeted gay student at Brigham Young University in the late ā70s, where he remembered listening to a Mormon church leader talk about the āsin of homosexualityā during a monthly school meeting.
He ended up going to New York University for graduate school where he met his first partner who later died of AIDS.
While attending NYU, Jensen came out to his mother while at home for winter break, so he also understands the uncomfortable situation many of his LGBTQ students are in, especially those who are transgender ābecause youāre dealing with something as fundamental as identity.ā
One piece of advice Jensen and others had for youth struggling with both the pandemic and holiday challenges was to find happiness where they could and treat it as the most important resource of all.
āFocus on things that bring you joy,ā Todaro advised while Johnson encouraged youth to be gentle with themselves and āalways find moments to celebrate who you are.ā
āEven if that means looking into the mirror and telling yourself, āI look good,āā Johnson said. āFind a good song you like, close your door if you can, and dance the night away. And know SMYAL is always here to support you.ā

a&e features
Daisy Edgar-Jones knows why āthe Crawdads singā
Actress on process, perfecting a southern accent, and her queer following

Daisy Edgar-Jones is an actor whose career is blossoming like her namesake. In recent years, she seems to be everywhere. LGBTQ viewers may recognize Edgar-Jones from her role as Delia Rawson in the recently canceled queer HBO series āGentleman Jack.ā She also played memorable parts in a pair of popular Hulu series, āNormal Peopleā and āUnder the Banner of Heaven.ā Earlier this year, Edgar-Jones was seen as Noa in the black comedy/horror flick āFreshā alongside Sebastian Stan.
With her new movie, āWhere the Crawdads Singā (Sony/Columbia), she officially becomes a lead actress. Based on Delia Owensā popular book club title of the same name, the movie spans a considerable period of time, part murder mystery, part courtroom drama. She was kind enough to answer a few questions for the Blade.
BLADE: Daisy, had you read Delia Owensās novel āWhere the Crawdads Singā before signing on to play Kya?
DAISY EDGAR-JONES: I read it during my audition process, as I was auditioning for the part. So, the two went hand in hand.
BLADE: What was it about the character of Kya that appealed to you as an actress?
EDGAR-JONES: There was so much about her that appealed to me. I think the fact that she is a very complicated woman. She’s a mixture of things. She’s gentle and she’s curious. She’s strong and she’s resilient. She felt like a real person. I love real character studies and it felt like a character I haven’t had a chance to delve into. It felt different from anyone I’ve played before. Her resilience was one that I really admired. So, I really wanted to spend some time with her.
BLADE: While Kya is in jail, accused of killing the character Chase, she is visited by a cat in her cell. Are you a cat person or do you prefer dogs?
EDGAR-JONES: I like both! I think I like the fact that dogs unconditionally love you. While a catās love can feel a bit conditional. I do think both are very cute. Probably, if I had to choose, it would be dogs.
BLADE: Iām a dog person, so Iām glad you said that.
EDGAR-JONES: [Laughs]
BLADE: Kya lives on the marsh and spends a lot of time on and in the water. Are you a swimmer or do you prefer to be on dry land?
EDGAR-JONES: I like swimming, I do. I grew up swimming a lot. If I’m ever on holidays, I like it to be by the sea or by a nice pool.
BLADE: Kya is also a gifted artist, and it is the thing that brings her great joy. Do you draw or paint?
EDGAR-JONES: I always doodle. Iām an avid doodler. I do love to draw and paint. I loved it at school. I wouldn’t say I was anywhere near as skilled as Kya. But I do love drawing if I get the chance to do it.
BLADE: Kya was born and raised in North Carolina. What can you tell me about your process when it comes to doing a southern accent or an American accent in general?
EDGAR-JONES: Itās obviously quite different from mine. I’ve been lucky that I’ve spent a lot of time working on various accents for different parts for a few years now, so I feel like I’m developed an ear for, I guess, the difference in tone and vowel sounds [laughs]. When it came to this, it was really important to get it right, of course. Kya has a very lyrical, gentle voice, which I think that North Carolina kind of sound really helped me to access. I worked with a brilliant accent coach who helped me out and I just listened and listened.
BLADE: While I was watching āWhere the Crawdads Singā I thought about how Kya could easily be a character from the LGBTQ community because she is considered an outsider, is shunned and ridiculed, and experiences physical and emotional harm. Do you also see the parallels?
EDGAR-JONES: I certainly do. I think that aspect of being an outsider is there, and this film does a really good job of showing how important it is to be kind to everyone. I think this film celebrates the goodness you can give to each other if you choose to be kind. Yes, I definitely see the parallels.
BLADE: Do you have an awareness of an LGBTQ following for your acting career?
EDGAR-JONES: I tend to stay off social media and am honestly not really aware of who follows me, but I do really hope the projects Iāve worked on resonate with everyone.
BLADE: Are there any upcoming acting projects that youād like to mention?
EDGAR-JONES: None that I can talk of quite yet. But there are a few things that are coming up next year, so I’m really excited.
a&e features
CAMP Rehobothās president talks pandemic, planning, and the future
Wesley Combs marks six months in new role

June marks half a year since Wesley Combs stepped into his role as president of CAMP Rehoboth. In a conversation with the Blade, Combs recounted his first six months in the position ā a time he said was characterized by transition and learning.
Since 1991, CAMP Rehoboth has worked to develop programming āinclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identitiesā in the Rehoboth Beach, Del. area, according to the nonprofitās website. As president, Combs oversees the organizationās board of directors and executive director, helping determine areas of focus and ensure programming meets community needs.
For Combs, his more than three decades of involvement with CAMP Rehoboth have shaped the course of his life. In the summer of 1989 ā just before the organizationās creation ā he met his now-husband, who was then living in a beach house with Steve Elkins and Murray Archibald, CAMP Rehobothās founders.
Since then, he has served as a financial supporter of the organization, noting that it has been crucial to fostering understanding that works against an āundercurrent of anti-LGBTQ sentimentā in Rehoboth Beachās history that has, at times, propagated violence against LGBTQ community members.
In 2019, after Elkins passed away, Combs was called upon by CAMP Rehobothās Board of Directors to serve on a search committee for the organizationās next executive director. Later that year, he was invited to become a board member and, this past November, was elected president.
Combs noted that CAMP Rehoboth is also still recovering from the pandemic, and is working to restart programming paused in the switch to remote operations. In his first six months, he has sought to ensure that people feel ācomfortableā visiting and engaging with CAMP Rehoboth again, and wants to ensure all community members can access its programming, including those from rural parts of Delaware and those without a means of getting downtown.
Still, Combsās first six months were not without unexpected turns: On May 31, David Mariner stepped down from his role as CAMP Rehoboth executive director, necessitating a search for his replacement. Combs noted that he would help facilitate the search for an interim director to serve for the remainder of the year and ensure that there is āa stable transition of power.ā CAMP Rehoboth last week announced it has named Lisa Evans to the interim director role.
Chris Beagle, whose term as president of CAMP Rehoboth preceded Combsās own, noted that the experience of participating in a search committee with the organization will ābetter enable him to lead the process this time.ā
Before completing his term, Beagle helped prepare Combs for the new role, noting that the ācombination of his professional background, his executive leadership (and) his passion for the organizationā make Combs a strong president. Regarding the results of the election, āI was extremely confident, and I remain extremely confident,ā Beagle said.
Bob Witeck, a pioneer in LGBTQ marketing and communications, has known Combs for nearly four decades. The two founded a public relations firm together in 1993 and went on to work together for 20 years, with clients ranging from major businesses like Ford Motor Company to celebrities including Chaz Bono and Christopher Reeve. According to Witeck, Combsās work in the firm is a testament to his commitment to LGBTQ advocacy.
āOur firm was the first founded primarily to work on issues specific to LGBTQ identities, because we wanted to counsel corporations about their marketing and media strategies and working in the LGBTQ market,ā he explained. By helping develop communications strategies inclusive of those with LGBTQ identities, Combs established a background of LGBTQ advocacy that truly āmade a mark,ā Witeck said.
Witeck emphasized that, in his new position, Combs brings both business experience and a renewed focus on historically underrepresented in LGBTQ advocacy ā including people with disabilities, trans people and people of color.
Looking to the rest of the year, CAMP Rehoboth hopes to host a larger-scale event during Labor Day weekend. In addition, the organization will revisit its strategic plan ā first developed in 2019 but delayed due to the pandemic ā and ensure it still meets the needs of the local community, Combs said. He added that he intends to reexamine the plan and other programming to ensure inclusivity for trans community members.
āCAMP Rehoboth continues to be a vital resource in the community,ā he said. āThe focus for the next two years is to make sure we’re doing and delivering services that meet the needs of everyone in our community.ā

a&e features
Melissa Etheridge shares Q&A in advance of April 26 Tysons tour stop
Rock pioneer finds inspiration in the past ā from revisiting old demos to reconnecting with celeb pals like Ellen

Melissa Etheridge
āOne Way Out Tourā
Tuesday, April 26
Capital One Hall
7750 Capital One Tower Rd.
Tysons, VA
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $55
ticketmaster.com
capitalonehall.com
melissaetheridge.com
We caught up with rock legend Melissa Etheridge on April 8 by phone from Snoqualmie, Wash. ā itās about 26 miles east of Seattle āwhere she was playing the Snoqualmie Casino on her āOne Way Out Tour,ā which plays our region on Tuesday, April 26.
Itās named after her latest album, released last fall, which found Etheridge, whoās been out since ā93, revisiting demos from early in her career.
Her comments have been slightly edited for length.
WASHINGTON BLADE: āOne Way Outā sounds like such a cool project. Was it all re-recorded stuff of old songs or were some of those vintage takes on the record as well?
MELISSA ETHERIDGE: The last two songs, the live songs, were from where? From 2002? OK, but the other songs were newly recorded.
BLADE: And how many of them did you remember?
ETHERIDGE: You know, when I found them again, they all came back very clearly. And I was like, āOh, this is ā why did I throw that away? That’s weird.ā And I really enjoyed, you know, hearing them, they were just old demos. I’d never done full-blown recordings. So I thought, āThis is great, I want to do these songs.ā
BLADE: We have a relatively new venue you’re going to be playing, Capital One Hall. I’ve only been there once. You excited?
ETHERIDGE: Yeah, it’s always fun. I love the D.C.-area crowd. It’s just really, really nice.
BLADE: And how do you decide where youāll be? Or do you have any say in it?
ETHERIDGE: Well, it’s not necessarily me. I do have a say in it, in what I want the whole tour to look like. But it is really up to William Morris, my agent, to find the right venue that understands what we need and the kind of atmosphere we’re looking for that and the amount of people and, you know, that sort of thing.
BLADE: Tell me about Etheridge TV. I just wonder, when we were in that acute phase of the pandemic, wasn’t it even remotely tempting to you to just take a break?
ETHERIDGE: No, because since I was 12 years old, I sang all the time for people, like five days a week and itās just been what I do. And so when it was like, I was looking at a massive, cavernous amount of time that I was going to be home, I still needed a way to pay the bills, so we put our heads together ā Iāve got one of the greatest television minds with me, you know, my wife (TV producer Linda Wallem), so I had the space and I had the equipment, and I was like, āLet’s do it.ā And it was really fun to learn new things. It was fun to learn about computers and sound and streaming and lights and cameras and all these things that I didn’t know. ⦠I feel a little smarter.
BLADE: When did you start back on the road?
ETHERIDGE: We went out last fall. We went out September, October, right around there. And you know, it was a little different, Now things are things are loosening up ⦠but some places still require masks. But people are starting to get back out and it feels good. It’s not the overwhelming thing that it was a few months ago.
BLADE: And what was it like being on āEllenā again for her final season?
ETHERIDGE: Oh, I love her. She’s such an old friend. You know, I say that about myself, too. (chuckles) But, you know, she’s just a relationship in my life that I have treasured. We’ve watched each other grow and the changes we’ve made and the successes and what we’ve gone through and I love that she had me on and just it was just a really ā she’s a dear friend. And she showed an old photo there, and we both said, āOh, that was before we were so busy.ā
BLADE: Do you talk to her often?
ETHERIDGE: I would say we see each other socially once or twice a year. It just seemed like once we started having children, all my friends from my 20s and 30s when we were not as busy ā it just gets harder to stay in touch and life got crazy.
BLADE: So when you were hanging out back in the day with Ellen and Rosie and everybody, how was it that Brad Pitt was in that group too?
ETHERIDGE: Well, my girlfriend (Julie Cypher) had been married to Lou Diamond Phillips and we were all very good friends with Dermot Mulroney and Catherine Keener and Catherine Keener did a movie with Brad, like a movie nobody saw, like Johnny Dangerously or something (1991ās āJohnny Suedeā), some really weird movie. So I met Brad before he was terribly famous. He was a part of that group. There was a whole group of all of us that just hung out, and we were all totally different. We were just like young, hungry Hollywood and weād talk about, āOh, I had this audition,ā or āI went and did this,ā and we were just all trying to make it in that town. So weād get together and have fun.
BLADE: I was so terribly sorry to hear about Beckett (Etheridgeās son, who died in 2020 at age 21 after struggling with opioid addiction). How are you and the rest of the family, especially (Beckettās twin) Bailey, dealing with it now?
ETHERIDGE: There are many, many families like us that deal with a loss like that. It just blows a family sideways. But we have a deep love and connection, all of us. We all knew he had a problem and itās a problem that starts way before he actually passes, so it was not a surprise. So now weāre just living with the missing aspect. You try not to think about what could have been and you try to think about him in a happier place and that heās out of pain, so that helps us.
BLADE: Had he and Bailey been as close in recent years?
ETHERIDGE: They were very close, but in the last couple of years as he made worse and worse choices, we couldnāt support that, so they were less close, but of course in her heart, it was her brother, he was very dear to her.
BLADE: Did you watch the Grammys? Was there anybody you were particularly rooting for?
ETHERIDGE: I watched bits and pieces of it. I had a show that night, so I didn’t get to see the main thing, but I have seen pieces and I just love the crazy diversity and you know, the TikTok people winning stuff, it’s like, āWow, this is so not the Grammys I remember from the ā80s,ā but that was what, 30 years ago? So itās all good.
BLADE: You were such a perennial favorite back in the day in the best rock female category. Were you pissed when they eliminated it?
ETHERIDGE: Itās sad because I felt like the criteria they were using to judge what is female rock, they just really dropped the ball. I still think there are some amazing musicians that could be considered, you know, rock, but it feels like weāre having a hard time even defining what rock and roll is now anyway. Thereās a whole bunch of strong women out there playing, rocking, you know, playing guitar, being excellent musicians and songwriters. If you canāt call it best rock female, OK, call it something else.
BLADE: I remember so vividly when you were on the Grammys in 2005, in the midst of chemo, when you sang āPiece of My Heart.ā I remember you saying you were wondering how people would react to seeing you bald. Having been through that, any thoughts on the Will/Jada Oscars situation since her baldness, too, was due to a medical condition?
ETHERIDGE: You know, it’s funny, I did feel a little remembrance of (thinking), āI just hope people don’t make fun of me.ā That was kind of the first thing because to go out there bald, that was so different for me as an artist whose hair had kind of defined her. I was thinking, āHow am I gonna rock without my hair?ā I thought people might make fun of me, but I got over that. I just thought, āWell, if somebody makes fun of me, that just makes them look bad.ā So I just walked through it. And you know, it’s hard to draw the line between what’s funny and what’s painful and how to look at something. I feel for all parties involved.
BLADE: When you go on these cruises, do fans give you some space or do they swarm around the minute you walk out? Is it even enjoyable for you?
ETHERIDGE: Yeah, it is. You know, we did our last one, now we’re doing Etheridge Island, we now have a destination in Mexico, outside of Cancun, it’s just this island that we’re going to that is really fantastic. But I do I make myself available, I donāt run away. When I have to be somewhere, I have a great company we work with called Sixthman that knows how to get me from point A to point B without being bogged down. But I do my make myself available. Everyone gets a picture with me. Itās my work, but I love it. I try to make myself available but also have some time just for myself too.

BLADE: You Tweeted a few nights ago about having a tight curfew of just 90 minutes at a casino but then it worked out and you got to do a full set. Why are the curfews so tight at casinos?
ETHERIDGE: Why do you think? They want people at the tables. Like for tonight, we we settled on 100 minutes. Theyāre giving me 10 extra minutes. I donāt like it, but in some areas, the only really good venue is a casino, so if you want to reach your folks there, you kind of have to meet them half way.
BLADE: Yeah, but it seems like in concert halls, the curfews can sometimes be really tight too. Even Madonna got her lights shut off a couple years ago. Of course, sheās notoriously late, but why are they so strict with these things nowadays?
ETHERIDGE: There are all different situations ā concert halls often have union crews that will absolutely shut you down if you go one second over. There are also sound curfews, noise curfews, mostly with outdoor venues, but sometimes indoor as well. They have an agreement with the neighborhood. So you have people in the neighborhood standing by with their phones ready to pounce the minute it goes over one minute, theyāre gonna call the police. As a performer, you just realize, āOK, itās not just about me.ā When I donāt have a curfew, I usually land at about two hours and some change. That seems comfortable to everyone. Any longer and I think Iām wearing my audience out. When Iām at a place with a shorter show, I just do my best.
BLADE: I know you’re a big Chiefs fan. Did you watch that game back in January all the way to the end?
ETHERIDGE: Well, at the end of it, I was on the floor. My wife was like, āHoney, honey, there’s still 13 seconds,ā and I was moaning and sort of getting my feet on the floor and, you know, laying down and throwing a fit. And she’s like, āNo, there’s still 13 seconds.ā I dragged myself back to the television. And I couldn’t believe it. I was like, āWait a minute. Did we just win?ā You know, just really crazy, really crazy stuff. ⦠When you’re a fan like that, itās a ride you canāt fully explain.
BLADE: Are you in a cordial or good place with your exes? Does it get easier when the kids are starting to grow up?
ETHERIDGE: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And you realize that it’s best for the kids if you can really get along and that any sort of conflict that can’t get resolved, that gets emotional, does no good for anyone. And absolutely, I have, I’ve gotten better at that as the years have gone by.
BLADE: Do you have the slightest inkling yet what the next studio album might be like?
ETHERIDGE: Well, I’ve got some interesting projects that I’m not ready to talk about just yet. But they have to do with my life story. There’s a lot of digging up of my past and really telling the story. So I imagine the next series of music you’ll get from me is going to be very focused on my journey.Ā

-
District of Columbia7 days ago
Another gay couple assaulted in D.C. in suspected hate crime
-
Asia3 days ago
Gay man recounts escape from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan
-
Books5 days ago
Two new political memoirs reveal how the sausage of democracy is made
-
Asia6 days ago
LGBTQ and intersex communities in Pakistan forge ahead
-
District of Columbia4 days ago
Man accused of assaulting lesbian activist surrenders to D.C. police
-
Europe4 days ago
Pope Francis meets with transgender people at Vatican
-
National3 days ago
Court rules transgender people have legal protections under ADA
-
Russia4 days ago
Brittney Griner appeals 9-year prison sentence