Metro Weekly - 11-26-15 - World AIDS Day - Desert Migration

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4 NOVEMBER 26, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRandy Shulman

ART DIRECTORTodd Franson

MANAGING EDITORRhuaridh Marr

SENIOR EDITORJohn Riley

CONTRIBUTING EDITORDoug Rule

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERSWard Morrison, Julian Vankim

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORScott G. Brooks

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSGordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Connor J. Hogan,

Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield

WEBMASTERDavid Uy

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTJulian Vankim

SALES & MARKETING

PUBLISHERRandy Shulman

BRAND STRATEGY & MARKETINGChristopher Cunetto

Cunetto Creative

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Rivendell Media Co.212-242-6863

DISTRIBUTION MANAGERDennis Havrilla

PATRON SAINTRobert Rayford

COVER PHOTOGRAPHYFilm Still - Desert Migration

Daniel Cardone by Geof Teague

METRO WEEKLY1425 K St. NW, Suite 350Washington, DC 20005

202-638-6830

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All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be

reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes noresponsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject

to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims

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their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles oradvertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of

such person or organization.

© 2015 Jansi LLC.

4

NOVEMBER 26, 2015Volume 22 / Issue 30

NEWS 6

ACT OF R EVOLUTION by John Riley

8 NO TRANS NEED APPLY

by John Riley

SCENE 11 TRANSGENDER DAY OF R EMEBRANCE

photography by Ward Morrison

12 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

FEATURES 17 D ESERT M IGRATION ’S DANIEL CARDONE

Interview by John Riley

21 CALENDAR OF

WORLD AIDS DAY E VENTS

22 T HE I NFECTION M ONOLOGUES

by Doug Rule

OUT ON THE TOWN 24 D ESERT M IGRATION

by Rhuaridh Marr

26 ENTERTAINING MR . ORTON

by Doug Rule

FILM 31 LEGEND

by Rhuaridh Marr

STAGE 33 P ERICLES & AKEELAH AND THE B EE

by Kate Wingfield

STAGE 34 O LIVER !

by Doug Rule

MUSIC 36 ADELE 25

by Gordon Ashenhurst

NIGHTLIFE 39 MR . DC EAGLE 2016 CONTEST

photography by Ward Morrison

46 LAST WORD


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5METROWEEKLY.COM NOVEMBER 26, 2015


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Act of Revolution D.C. wraps up the ongoing fight for transgender equality as part of

Transgender Awareness Week

Demonstrators block traffic near the intersection of 14th and Irving Streets NW, Nov. 18, 2015

E VERY BREATH THAT A TRANS PERSON TAKES ISan act of revolution. There is a target on the backs of

our young people.”Lourdes Ashley Hunter reiterates that “act of revo-

lution” quote whenever she speaks at an event commemoratingthe lives of deceased transgender people. Her words ring true

to many transgender individuals, especially this year, when 23transgender people — mostly trans women of color — have been

killed across the United States.

Whether it’s the gruesome murder of Elisha Walker, atransgender woman whose car had been set alight and her body

abandoned in a shallow grave in Johnston County, N.C., or

J O H N R I L E Y

Tamara Dominguez of Kansas City, Mo., who was hit by an SUVand run over at least two more times before her attacker fled,

the names and personal stories of the deceased weigh heavilyon the transgender community.

Certainly so for Nona Conners, a 20-year-old transgenderwoman who was hospitalized in 2013 after being brutally

stabbed by an acquaintance in Southeast Washington. Conners

has said repeatedly that she often thinks of how close she couldhave come to being one of those whose names are read aloud at

the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.“I stand here today, honored, grateful and assuredly blessed,”

Conners told the crowd assembled at Metropolitan Community

L G B TNews Now online at MetroWeekly.comHuckabee sued by “Eye of the Tiger” writerCruz says Obama support for trans teens is “lunacy”

by John Riley


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LGBTNews

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Church on Friday evening, at Washington, D.C.’s Transgender

Day of Remembrance, as she recounted her personal story. “Iwas attacked two years ago, and stabbed a total of 40-plus times.

I don’t remember it, but here I am today.... I’m a survivor, nota victim.”

Several other transgender women provided testimony about

their brushes with violence or discrimination throughout theevening, which was dedicated to the memories of transgender

women internationally. Death tolls have so far reached 80in Brazil and 32 in El Salvador alone. Locally, 13 transgen-

der women have been killed in recent years, many of whosemurders remain unsolved, including NaNa Boo Mack, Lashai

Mclean, Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis.

“I don’t know how many times you’ve been stabbed andlived to tell the story,” Hunter told the audience after Conners’

speech. “Miss Nona Conners represents exactly what we needto hear today. We need to hear a wake-up call that there’s vio-

lence happening in our community, and this violence must end.”The vigil served as a call to action that could not be ignored

by the standing-room only crowd inside the church. Attendeespledged to fight the violence and discrimination that hold back

members of the transgender community. But the activism was

not limited to Friday night. Rather, the Day of Remembrancestood as the apex of Transgender Awareness Week, also known

as “Trans Week of Action,” during which activists and theirallies attempted to call attention to the problems faced by the

marginalized community.On a national level, several members of Congress announced

the formation of a new Congressional Transgender Equality

Task Force, whose aim will be to develop and introduce leg-islation to ensure transgender people have equal access and

treatment under the law. On the same day the task force wasannounced, the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus held

the first-ever Congressional Forum on Violence Against theTransgender Community. The forum came one day after the

FBI released its hate crime statistics for 2014, which showedthat the number of bias-motivated crimes committed against

people on the basis of gender identity had tripled from 2013 to

2014. It also followed a joint report put out by the Human RightsCampaign and the Trans People of Color Coalition that detailed

the types of violence that have been directed against transgen-

der people in recent years.Throughout the country, activists held rallies aimed at high-

lighting the need to prevent further acts of violence against thecommunity. In D.C. last Tuesday, DC Trans Power held a march

from Mount Vernon Square to Union Station that temporarilyshut down three major intersections of the city.

The following day, the D.C. chapter of the Translatina

Coalition, in conjunction with members of DC Trans Power,

held a second rally calling for an end to the detention and depor-tation of transgender immigrants — as well as the threats posedto them at detention centers, which have been well-document-

ed by various LGBT organizations throughout the year. Thatdemonstration got the attention of the press after one of the

co-organizers of the rally, Jes Grobman, was arrested following

a scuffle with a police officer.“I believe we sent a message with our actions, and I believe

we were heard,” says Alexa Rodriguez, co-director of the D.C.chapter of the Translatina Coalition. “We have the support of

many organizations, and we are hoping more allies can cometogether and support our movement.”

Many noted at the Transgender Day of Remembrance

vigil that only one of the 13 members of the D.C. Council —Councilmember David Grosso (I-At-Large) — was in atten-

dance. “Besides signing a proclamation, they have got to comeout and show visibility to show they really support us,” trans-

gender activist Earline Budd said, chastising the absence of the12 other members of the Council.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Chief Cathy Lanier wereabsent, but had sent representatives in their place. Still, citing

statistics from the Trans Needs Assessment, many activists said

it was not enough for symbolic gestures, such as a proclamationfrom the Council recognizing the Day of Remembrance.

Transgender activist Ruby Corado reflected on the progressthat the transgender community has made in D.C. even while

she urged people to resist complacency.“A lot has changed and happened since our first Transgender

Day of Remembrance,” Corado said. “Trans people, despite allof the advances, despite all of the wins, continue to face dispari-

ties. But I am convinced we are on the right path.” l

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 METROWEEKLY.COM

No Trans Need Apply A recent study by the D.C. Office of Human Rights finds a high prevalence of

hiring discrimination against transgender applicants

by John Riley

AREPORT RELEASED THIS MONTH BY THE D.C.

Office of Human Rights (OHR) paints a bleak picturefor the District’s transgender residents. It found that

in almost half of all cases, employers will choose aless-qualified cisgender applicant over more qualified transgen-

der applicants.

“We hope this will be used as a tool to explain to people that

this discrimination is real,” says Elliot Imse, a spokesman for theOHR. “The numbers are so high that anyone who looks at them

would have to walk away with a better understanding of theimpact they have on trans people’s ability to seek employment.”

Even more disheartening, Imse notes, is that OHR deliberate-


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LGBTNews

10

gate, mediate, and, if necessary, prosecute that case against

the employer. This is also the interpretation of Title VII thatthe Department of Justice has adopted in a memo from the

Attorney General directing the department to use this interpre-tation of Title VII in all of its legal work.”

Selisse Berry, founder and CEO of Out & Equal WorkplaceAdvocates, believes part of the solution to solving discrimina-

tion includes bringing about a shift in workplace attitudes,

which will change as more transgender people decide to come

out at work. To help facilitate that, Out & Equal WorkplaceAdvocates tries to provide guidelines that can help employersbecome more knowledgeable about the LGBT community and

the issues that LGBT employees may face.Many employers, particularly Fortune 500 companies, are

much more aware of LGBT issues than they used to be when

Berry began doing diversity training 20 years ago. But she alsonotes that people’s familiarity with the transgender community

still lags behind their LGB counterparts.“There’s still a lot of discrimination, and it’s based on fear

more than anything,” says Berry. “It’s not really understandingtransgender people. And for employers, it’s often, ‘What does

this mean financially? Are they going to need special accom-

modations?’“That’s a lot of the work we do, to educate employers,” she

says. “We provide guidelines for people about transitioning onthe job, and guidelines for employers to understand the step-

by-step method to just demystify it. And recognize that this isthe same person with the same skills and experience. And you

can retain those skills and that experience just by following afew steps.” l

ly tried to control for other factors that could sway employers’

responses. For instance, other studies have shown that peoplewho are older, people of color, or people with African-American

sounding names tend to be more likely to be discriminatedagainst. As such, OHR made all of their transgender and cis-

gender applicants younger, with no gaps in their employment

history and names that were perceived to be white.These would-be applicants were among the most privi-

leged in terms of race, class and educational level. That theystill experienced anti-transgender discrimination, means that

the likelihood of such discrimination in places without theDistrict’s robust nondiscrimination laws would be much

higher, Imse says.

“It’s terrible news, but not too surprising,” says IlonaTurner, the legal director of the Transgender Law Center.

“Unfortunately, the results shown in the D.C. study are not thatuncommon, and, in fact, track the results of the largest and most

robust survey to date, which similarly found that around 50 per-cent of transgender people had been fired, not hired, or denied a

promotion because they were transgender.”Turner says that for transgender job seekers, one of the posi-

tive developments is that courts and administrative agencies

— such as the Equality Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC) — are beginning to recognize that anti-transgender dis-

crimination constitutes sex discrimination, which is prohibitedunder Title VII.

“That means that in every state in the country, a transgen-der person who experiences discrimination or thinks they’ve

experienced discrimination, can go into their local EEOC office

and file a complaint,” says Turner. “The EEOC will investi-



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11SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE

scene

scan this tag

with your

smartphone

for bonus scene

pics online!

Transgender Day OfRemebrance at

MCC DC

Friday, November 20

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

WARD MORRISON


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WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). 202-291-4707, andromeda-transculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointmentcall 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. Appointmentneeded. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700.

202-638-0750.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-affirming social group for ages 11-24.4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW.Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422,layc-dc.org.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT providesa social atmosphere for GLBT andquestioning youth, featuring danceparties, vogue nights, movies andgames. More info, [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for

youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155,[email protected].

SATURDAY, NOV. 28ADVENTURING outdoors grouphikes 7 moderate miles with 1400feet of elevation gain in the northernsection of Shenandoah National Park.Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy bootsand about $13 for fees. Carpool at9 a.m. from the East Falls ChurchMetro Station. Craig, 202-462-0535.adventuring.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg,414 East Diamond Ave., and inTakoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m.For appointments other hours, callGaithersburg, 301-300-9978, or

Takoma Park, 301-422-2398.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. Appointmentneeded. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700.202-638-0750.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155or [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.,3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group isindependent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP

INSTITUTE for young LBTQ women,13-21, interested in leadership devel-opment. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL YouthCenter, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163,[email protected].

FRIDAY, NOV. 27ADVENTURING outdoors grouphikes an easy-to-moderate 7-milecircuit in northern Rock Creek Park.Bring beverages, lunch, and the$2 trip fee. Meet at 10 a.m. at theentrance to the Silver Spring MetroStation; should return around 3 p.m.Brett, 703-914-1439. adventuring.org.

GAY MARRIED MEN’SASSOCIATION (GAMMA) is a con-fidential support group for men whoare gay, bisexual, questioning andwho are married or involved witha woman, that meets on the secondand fourth Fridays of the month inDupont Circle at 7:30 p.m. GAMMAalso offers additional meeting timesand places for men in Northern Virginia and Maryland. For moreinformation: GAMMAinDC.org.

THURSDAY, NOV. 26The DC Center hosts a

THANKSGIVING DAYCELEBRATION for all those with-out plans for the holiday. Hosted by Center Global and Center Aging.Bring your own dish to share, music,

and board games for entertainment.1-4 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105.For more information, visitthedccenter.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). Call 202-291-4707, or visitandromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)practice session at Takoma AquaticCenter, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9

p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and les- bian square-dancing group featuresmainstream through advanced squaredancing at the National City ChristianChurch, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517,dclambdasquares.org.

The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social group meets for happyhour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestri-angles.com.


Metro Weekly’s Community Calendar highlights important events in the D.C.-area

LGBT community, from alternative social events to volunteer opportunities.

Event information should be sent by email to [email protected].

Deadline for inclusion is noon of the Friday before Thursday’s publication.

Questions about the calendar may be directed to the

Metro Weekly office at 202-638-6830 or

the calendar email address.

LGBTCommunityCalendarBURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay vol-unteer organization, volunteers todayfor Food & Friends. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.

WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5

p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). 202-291-4707 or andromeda-transculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded bymembers of the LGBT community,holds Saturday morning Shabbat services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddushluncheon. Services in DCJCCCommunity Room, 1529 16th St. NW. betmish.org.

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, includingothers interested in Brazilian culture,meets. For location/time, email [email protected].

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 972 OhioDr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walk-ing/social club welcomes all levels forexercise in a fun and supportive envi-ronment, socializing afterward. Meet9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for awalk; or 10 a.m. for fun run.dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball teammeets at Turkey Thicket RecreationCenter, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4p.m. For players of all levels, gay or

straight. teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass forLGBT community, family and friends.6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For more info, visitdignitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discussescritical languages and foreign lan-guages. 7 p.m. Nellie’s, 900 U St. NW.RVSP preferred. [email protected].

IDENTITY offers free and confidentialHIV testing in Takoma Park, 7676New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointments otherhours, call 301-422-2398.

SUNDAY, NOV. 29ADVENTURING outdoors grouphikes about 7 easy-to-moderate milesthrough Rosslyn to Teddy RooseveltIsland, Iwo Jima Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery. Bring beverages,lunch, and the $2 trip fee. Meet at 10a.m. inside the Rosslyn Metro Station by the station attendant’s kiosk.Theresa, 252-876-1469.

adventuring.org.


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CHRYSALIS arts & culture group vis-its the National Gallery of Art to seerare Vermeer masterpiece Woman In Blue Reading A Letter, plus otherexhibitions. Free; non-members wel-come. Meet at 11 a.m. inside the 6th &Constitution Avenue NW lobby of theOld (West) Building. Lunch follows.Craig, 202-462-0535. craighowell1@ verizon.net.

WEEKLY EVENTS

LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULSMEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m.,High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244,allsoulsdc.org.

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressiveand radically inclusive church holdsservices at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio

Dr., SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman CatholicMass for the LGBT community. 6p.m., St. Margaret’s Church, 1820Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome.Sign interpreted. For more info, visitdignitynova.org.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITEDCHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes allto 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW.firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.

FRIENDS MEETING OF

WASHINGTON meets for worship,10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW,Quaker House Living Room (next toMeeting House on Decatur Place),2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbiansand gays. Handicapped accessiblefrom Phelps Place gate. Hearingassistance. quakersdc.org.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OFCHRIST welcomes GLBT commu-nity for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria.hopeucc.org.

HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORTGROUP for gay men living in the DCmetro area. This group will be meet-ing once a month. For information onlocation and time, email to [email protected].

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUALDEVELOPMENT, God-centered newage church & learning center. SundayServices and Workshops event. 5419Sherier Place NW. isd-dc.org.

Join LINCOLN CONGREGATIONALTEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OFCHRIST for an inclusive, loving andprogressive faith community everySunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW,

near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood.lincolntemple.org.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OFREFORMATION invites all to Sundayworship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare isavailable at both services. WelcomingLGBT people for 25 years. 212 EastCapitol St. NE. reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led by Rev. OnettaBrooks. Children’s Sunday School, 11

a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax.703-691-0930, mccnova.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted)and 11 a.m. Children’s Sunday Schoolat 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIANCHURCH, inclusive church withGLBT fellowship, offers gospel wor-ship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional wor-ship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW.202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,a Christ-centered, interracial, wel-coming-and-affirming church, offersservice at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.

ST. STEPHEN AND THEINCARNATION, an “interracial,multi-ethnic Christian Community”offers services in English, 8 a.m. and10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m.1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900,saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OFARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcoming-and-affirming congregation, offersservices at 10 a.m. Virginia RainbowUU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd.uucava.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTCHURCH OF SILVER SPRING invites LGBTQ families and individu-als of all creeds and cultures to jointhe church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.10309 New Hampshire Ave. uucss.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONALMEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-ing and inclusive church. GLBTInterweave social/service group

meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St.NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.

MONDAY, NOV. 30The DC Center and Rainbow

Families DC host an ADOPTIONINFORMATION NIGHT for individuals and families interested inexploring the possibility of adoption.6:30-8:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW,Suite 105. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.


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OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS—LGBT focused meeting everyTuesday, 7 p.m. St. George’sEpiscopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from VirginiaSquare Metro. For more info. callDick, 703-521-1999. Handicappedaccessible. Newcomers [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5

p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155,[email protected].

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL,410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. CathyChu, 202-567-3163, [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a supportgroup for black gay men 40 and older.7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.202-446-1100.

Whitman-Walker Health’s GAYMEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 170114th St. NW. Patients are seen onwalk-in basis. No-cost screening forHIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chla-mydia. Hepatitis and herpes testingavailable for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’sgay-literature group, discussesTruman Capote’s “Breakfast atTiffany’s.” 7:30 p.m. Cleveland ParkLibrary, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW.

All are welcome. bookmendc.blogspot.com.

The DC Center hosts a special 10th

Anniversary staged reading of THEINFECTION MONOLOGUES, a playexploring the experience of livingwith HIV. 6-9 p.m. Human RightsCampaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave.NW. For more information, visitthedccenter.org.

THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIALBRIDGE CLUB meets for SocialBridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center,721 8th St SE (across from Marine

Barracks). No reservations and part-ner needed. All welcome.301-345-1571.

WEEKLY EVENTS

AD LIB, a group for freestyle con- versation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m.,Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome.For more information, call FaustoFernandez, 703-732-5174.


DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 OhioDr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holdspractice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. GarrisonElementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscan-dals.wordpress.com.

HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH

offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m.and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N.Washington St., Alexandria. 703-549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max RobinsonCenter, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins 2-7 p.m.

For appointments other hours, callGaithersburg at 301-300-9978.

JOB CLUB, a weekly support pro-gram for job entrants and seekers,meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m.2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For moreinfo, www.centercareers.org.

METROHEALTH CENTER offersfree, rapid HIV testing. No appoint-ment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14thSt. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing.11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite

200, Arlington. Appointments:703-789-4467.

PRIME TIMERS OF DC, socialclub for mature gay men, hostsweekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,Windows Bar above Dupont ItalianKitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl,703-573-8316.

THURSDAY, DEC. 3WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL

HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). Call 202-291-4707, or visitandromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)practice session at Takoma AquaticCenter, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay andlesbian square-dancing group featuresmainstream through advanced squaredancing at the National City ChristianChurch, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517,dclambdasquares.org.


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The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social group meets for happyhour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestri-angles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-WalkerHealth. At the Elizabeth TaylorMedical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson

Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointmentcall 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confiden-tial HIV testing in Gaithersburg,414 East Diamond Ave., and inTakoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m.For appointments other hours, callGaithersburg, 301-300-9978, or

Takoma Park, 301-422-2398.


SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155or [email protected].

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.,3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group isindependent of UHU. 202-446-1100.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIPINSTITUTE for young LBTQ women,13-21, interested in leadership devel-opment. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth

Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163,[email protected].

FRIDAY, DEC. 4WEEKLY EVENTS


DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio

Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visitswimdcac.org.



PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-affirming social group for ages 11-24.4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW.Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422,layc-dc.org.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides asocial atmosphere for GLBT and ques-tioning youth, featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games. Moreinfo, [email protected].

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center,410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155,[email protected].

SATURDAY, DEC. 5WEEKLY EVENTS

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURALHEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5p.m., and HIV services (by appoint-ment). 202-291-4707 or andromeda-

transculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded bymembers of the LGBT community,holds Saturday morning Shabbat services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddushluncheon. Services in DCJCCCommunity Room, 1529 16th St. NW. betmish.org.

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, includingothers interested in Brazilian culture,meets. For location/time, email [email protected].

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) prac-tice session at Hains Point, 972 OhioDr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visitswimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walk-ing/social club welcomes all levels forexercise in a fun and supportive envi-ronment, socializing afterward. Meet9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for awalk; or 10 a.m. for fun run.dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball teammeets at Turkey Thicket RecreationCenter, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4p.m. For players of all levels, gay orstraight. teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass forLGBT community, family and friends.6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For more info, visitdignitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discussescritical languages and foreign lan-guages. 7 p.m. Nellie’s, 900 U St. NW.RVSP preferred. [email protected].

IDENTITY offers free and confidentialHIV testing in Takoma Park, 7676New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-

ins 12-3 p.m. For appointments otherhours, call 301-422-2398. l


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It’s been trendy for a while to support HIV, but itnever really became ‘brave’ in the same way as can-

cer, or breast cancer, or things like that,” says DanielCardone. “One of the people we interviewed but

whose story wasn’t included in the film said, ‘It’s notsexy anymore.’ And I think that’s true.”

Cardone is the writer and director of Desert Migration, a film chronicling the lives of 13 gay men from Palm

Springs, Calif., who are long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS. For

the Australian-born director’s subjects, Palm Springs was sup-

posed to be an ending, a quiet, isolated place where they couldresettle and allow the disease they were diagnosed with to runits course.

But the introduction of new generations of antiretroviraldrugs changed all that. With the lifesaving medication, these

gay men have now found themselves, as one puts it, “back from

the dead,” struggling to cope with the inevitable aging process,their various health issues, the growing sense of isolation, even

survivor’s guilt.“The tribal inhabitants of this land always saw it as a heal-

ing place,” Cardone says of Palm Springs. “There were naturalsprings here — it’s an oasis, more or less. So it’s always had an

association with being a healing, special place in the middle of

the desert. There was always that draw of people coming here,so that when they did become sick, it seemed like a natural place

to retreat to.”In exploring the lives of the long-term survivors, Cardone,

himself HIV-positive, came to closely examine his own life andappreciate his own good fortune.

“These people have lost so much more than I have,” he says.“A lot of them were literally on death’s door, and then kind of

picked up and rebuilt their whole lives. They lost their friends,

they lost their jobs, they lost their homes. I haven’t ever been

in that situation. So putting myself in someone’s shoes like thatmade me so incredibly grateful for what I do have. And it alsomade me feel very privileged that they entrusted me to take their

stories and share them with the world.”To commemorate World AIDS Day, Cardone will appear in

Washington for a Reel Affirmations-sponsored screening of his

film on Friday, Dec. 4 at HRC. He’ll also take part in a follow-uppanel discussion that will examine the ongoing problem of HIV/

AIDS. Cardone admits he’s often shocked by the sheer ignorancesurrounding HIV in mainstream society — even among members

of the LGBT community, who still speak of HIV as if it were theheight of the AIDS epidemic in the ’80s and early ’90s.

“I’ve been enveloped in a community here that is very HIV-

Life After AIDS Desert Migration’s Daniel Cardone on PrEP, coming out positive,

and taking life with HIV one day at a time

INTERVIEW BY JOHN RILEY


17/47


aware, talks very openly about it, seems to be up on the knowledge, and it not oppressive or not

attaching stigma to it,” Cardone says. “So you’re kind of living in the ghetto, where you thinkeverything’s fine. And when you step out of that ghetto, you’re in shock that people still have these

antiquated views about being HIV-positive.”He believes the stigma surrounding the virus may stem from moral judgments. Society often

casts those suffering from HIV/AIDS as dirty or as being punished for their actions, particularly ata time when sex is still often seen as shameful.

“I think there’s still this moral outrage and stigma associated with it that doesn’t go to any otherdisease, besides ones that are sexually transmitted or that result from blood-to-blood contact, such

as intravenous drug use,” Cardone adds. “People think it’s a scandalous, dark thing that you did

that caused you to become positive, so, therefore, you are a bad person. Like with Charlie Sheen,one of the questions has been, ‘How do you think you got it?’ And it’s irrelevant how he got it. But

people still feel they have to ask that question.”While Cardone strives for an objective tone in presenting his subject matter, he hopes the film will

elicit reactions and provoke discussions. And the more powerful or emotional the reaction, the better— particularly if the viewer is willing to share their interpretation of the film and its impact on them.

“This is why I make movies. I want people to discuss them,” he says. “I don’t want to make filmswhere you turn off your brain for an hour-and-a-half.”

those things of never havingto question my sexuality. It

was always like, “Oh, that’swhat I am.” So even the earli-

est memories I can have was

definitely identifying “queer,”as such, that feeling of differ-

ence. And then that solidifiedinto being attracted to other

men. But more just a gen-eral feeling apart from being

sexually attracted to men,

just the feeling that you thinkabout things differently. And

so I more associate with the“queer” label, I think, because

of that.MW: What’s your earliest mem-

ory of being different?

CARDONE: I was always justthat eccentric kid. I was talk-

ing like Quentin Crisp when Iwas six years old. My mother

can quote me saying certainthings, where I kind of look

back and I say, “Oh my God, Iwas one of those children.” It

wasn’t necessarily being camp,

but more like a five-year-oldwho thinks he’s Oscar Wilde,

but doesn’t have a conceptof what Oscar Wilde actually

is. And so I would have thisaccent, and talk in this English

way. Even to this day, I don’t

talk like anyone else in my

family. I don’t have an accentlike anyone else in my family.I kind of invented this way of

talking. I was always want-ing to be in an imaginative

state of mind. So I was a veryintrospective child, but it was

an incredibly rich world that I

was inhabiting.MW: Is that imagination and

inventiveness what inspired your career in film?

CARDONE: I was always film-obsessed. My parents were

always frustrated because if I

wasn’t reading a book, I wouldwant to watch a movie. And I

wouldn’t go outside and play,I wouldn’t do anything like

that. It was always books andmovies, and then movies took

over. I always wanted to be afilmmaker and to know how

movies were made. It was a

natural fit, because I was inAdelaide, and the only place

that had a film course was

METRO WEEKLY: Tell me about your childhood.

DANIEL CARDONE: Both my parents are Italian

immigrants to Australia, so they came overwhen they were kids, and met and married in

Australia. And they had me and my brother.We lived in Adelaide, South Australia — I

spent twenty-five years there, growing up. Wewere raised Roman Catholic, went to a private

school, but my parents got divorced pretty

early on, which at that point was unheard of

for a good Italian Catholic family. My mother

went off to pursue a teaching career, and mydad was a real estate agent and then quit to

become a painter. So that was the householdwe grew up in. Sort of a big Italian family, but a

bit fragmented, I think you could say.MW: Were you aware of your sexuality as a child?

CARDONE: Oh, yes, definitely. It was one of

CARDONE


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Flinders University. I went there in 1989, I think, and was therefor three years before I dropped out. So I never actually finished

university. But I made quite a few movies while I was there.

And then I went to work for an organization called the MediaResource Center, which would help community groups, or minor-

ity groups, or anyone who wants to, really, get access to film equip-ment and editing materials and computers to help them make

their own movies. So from an early point in my development, Iwas always working with underrepresented groups and helping

them tell their stories. I think that was pretty influential in a way.Which is ironic, considering I’ve made a movie almost completely

with white men, because it’s completely not how I lived my life,

and really not where my interests lie in telling stories. But it just sohappens to fit the demographic of where I am now.MW: Is it a demographic you identify with because you are also

HIV-positive?

CARDONE: Yes, I am HIV-positive. I’d feel very hypocritical if Imade a movie where I asked other people to be very open about

it, and I wasn’t open about it, too. I’ve been positive for about

twenty years. But my experience was very different from a lot ofmen in the movie. I received my diagnosis in 1995. The protease

inhibitors had been out for a little while. So the tide had somehowturned a little bit. And I also wasn’t in the thick of it. I was in a

gay relationship, but I didn’t have a whole lot of gay friends, andcertainly no one who had actually been directly affected by this.

And it turned out that my local doctor, whom I saw regularly,happened to be one of the state’s foremost authorities on HIV/

AIDS. I was very lucky that I received the diagnosis from him. He

immediately put me at ease. The way it was looked at, at that par-ticular time, was you’d get tested every three months and want

to take your viral load and your T-cells, and if that was holding,they wouldn’t put you on medication. For that I’m actually kind

of thankful, because I missed any of the meds that might havehad harmful side effects at that time. So that kind of went along

for seven years before my viral load started to creep up, and they

finally put me on meds. It’s a lot different from today, where I

think the attitude is, “Put them on meds straight away, and let’sget that viral load undetectable as soon as possible,” which, aswe’ve seen, is the best way to prevent passing it on to anyone.MW: Some people liken revealing their serostatus to telling peoplethey’re LGBT — people with HIV/AIDS also have to “come out.”

Do you find there are parallels between those two experiences?

CARDONE: I think in a lot of ways it’s harder to come out as HIV-

positive. Especially now, there’s so much positive reinforcement

about being gay and being proud and things like that. But still,as we’ve seen, especially with Charlie Sheen coming out, there’s

a whole lot of misperceptions in the media about HIV, and theway they’re still talking about it as if it’s still a dirty thing, as if it’s

something you should be ashamed about, it’s still scandalous. SoI think it’s much harder to come out as HIV-positive.

My own personal story is a lot of my close friends knew, but I

didn’t tell my parents until late last year. And one of the reasonsI didn’t tell them was I didn’t want them to worry, I didn’t want

them to freak out. Because I knew the early exposure they had to itwas pretty much when AIDS was a “deadly plague” headline. And

so their thinking probably hadn’t advanced as much. But then lastyear, I was thinking, “I’m making this film, it’s going to come out.

I need to tell them first before I can talk openly in the media aboutit.” I was realizing that I was in the closet with myself.

My partner is also HIV-positive, and all of our close friends

know. But in terms of letting my parents know, and letting thelarger straight community that I was friends with know, that’s

where I was really having difficulty coming out about it. At first

I was like, “They don’t need to know.” But then finally I thought,“No, they need to know everything.” And it’s been fine. The

positive response I received from my parents was actually veryempowering and pleasing to me. There was no judgment at all.

They were just concerned for my welfare, and could see howgood I was doing, and that I wasn’t unwell. And so they were

really just happy that I was dealing with it, and that it was okay,

and they completely understood why I had kept it a secret fromthem as well. That was another thing that I thought they’d be

angry about. “Oh, my god, you had this big thing, and you didn’ttell us.” But, no, they were really great about it. And I haven’t

had any sort of negative response to disclosing my status, exceptamong people on Scruff and things like that. You face a bit of

ignorance there, which is most unpleasant.MW: How did you get the idea for Desert Migration , to profilethese 13 people who were long-term survivors of HIV?

CARDONE: I don’t remember the initial spark of the idea. I doremember I needed to make a film. I call myself a filmmaker, and

I hadn’t made a film in two years. I was doing a lot of writing, butI needed to make something, so I was looking around the envi-

ronment, thinking, “What’s in front of me? What can I pick upfrom?” And I had just worked shooting second unit on another

documentary, The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne. That inspired

me. I thought, “Well, I can pull together a documentary on asmall budget,” and it occurred to me that a lot of my friends had

stories that I hadn’t seen documented on film before. There’sbeen films like We Were Here, which is a particularly moving

portrait of what had happened in San Francisco during the epi-demic years. And then there was How to Survive a Plague, which

was almost sort of a documentary-thriller about how ACT UP

and organizations managed to get healthcare for people, andaccess to drugs. But it occurred to me that there was nothing

really about what’s happening to people who lived through this,what are their lives like, and I wanted to do something that

was a little more philosophical and a meditation on aging, andpurpose in life. People who have lost almost everything, how do


19/47


they get up and get on with their lives?There’s an unwritten rule of documentaries where the first

thing you need is access to your subjects. I had great access to

all of these people and they’re in this awesome landscape of thedesert, so it just seemed like a natural fit to me. Doing it in this

particular style came from things that I’ve wanted to pursuesince film school, which was to tackle documentary subjects in

a different way, in a very cinematic ways. So I set some param-eters: I said, “We’re not going to have any talking heads. I want

to have it focus on close-ups of faces combined with landscapes.”

And it basically sprung from there, and it kept getting bigger andbigger and bigger.

MW: How did you decide which people to profile?CARDONE: It was a bit of a scattershot approach at first. I was

just talking to everyone. I ended up interviewing thirty people,and then just kept whittling it down. We filmed about twenty,

I think, and then cut it down to the thirteen you see. So it wasquite a wide swath of people, but I think it came down to a com-

bination of elements. One was how people came across visually,

and whether their story was particularly unique or different.And whether they were saying something that no one else in

the film had said already. And if they were, which person hadsaid it better. Which person was more representative of the idea

I wanted to express. And which people had more interestingthings going on in their lives that I could film them doing.

Obviously, someone like Doc in the film is a natural, becausevisually he’s covered in tattoos, he looks interesting. He workspart-time in a piercing parlor. He’s in AA and sponsors people.

He rides a motorcycle. So there’s a lot going on with him, visu-ally, that I can use. Most people seem to have a combination of

those that I thought would make a good film. At certain timesyou had to make a tough call on the basis of that, like someone

you liked a lot personally doesn’t really have what it takes tohold people’s interest on film. So you’re going back and forth on

decisions on the basis of what’s important to tell, what do I want

to tell, and what works with the overall flow of the film, andsometimes you have to make really tough calls.MW: All of the subjects in the film are older gay men of a certainage. Did you ever consider using a woman or a younger gay man,

for example? Or did you want to focus on people who fit a certain profile?

CARDONE: They definitely had to be of a certain age, so covering

somebody younger was not part of my framework. They all had tobe people who had experienced those mid-’80s horror years, for

lack of a better term. In terms of featuring a woman, I did thinkseriously about it. And I decided, in the end, that I was just going

to focus on this admittedly very small cross-section, because itfelt more cohesive. It felt like if I went with a female story, it

would take it out on a different tangent, and I was having troublekeeping everything together and focused as it was. So I made this

choice to keep it as a very unified cross-section, even though I

realized that I was probably limiting myself in that way. It wasn’t

necessarily a decision that was based on “I don’t think this storyis interesting,” as much as “I think this is going to go off on a tan-

gent, and I won’t be able to give it the attention it deserves.” So it

was making that decision on the basis of that, that I didn’t thinkI could focus on the story enough of a female perspective, and

make it unique and interesting, without it seeming like somethingthat was too separate from the whole of the film.

I’m fully aware the scope is very limited: we’re looking ata very specific group of gay men, in a specific place, at a spe-

cific time. I think what is universal for everyone is that we’re all

growing old, and we’re all going to face difficulties and infirmi-ties. We need to address those things in terms of how we live our

lives on a day-to-day level. My personal belief is that the choiceis with us as to how we want to live our lives, or present to the

world, or deal with the challenges live presents to us. And thechallenge of the movie to any audience is to say: what choices

are you making? How do you choose to live your life? I thinkthat’s a problem that everyone has, whether you’re gay, straight,

HIV-positive or not. Particularly making that choice in the face

of growing older, losing friends, not feeling as good as you usedto. But then it’s about finding that resilience and strength to then

go on choosing actions that make your life a more positive placeto be. I think that is the overall theme of the film.

MW: The documentary is very heavy at times, with several sadmoments. Did you ever worry about addressing heavy issues with-

out overwhelming your audience?CARDONE: I did. My thing is, I don’t find it heavy at all. This isnot depressing to me. And maybe it’s just because my level for

depressing is really high — I can watch really dark stuff and nothave it affect me at all. I saw it as just honest. I thought, I just

need to keep this honest, and if they’re dark, they’re dark. I’mnot going to put a happy, rosy glow over this, and end it with

a platitude about “Let’s all hold hands and think positively andeverything will be fine.” Because you have to look things dead-on

and confront them for what they are.

I think the takeaway from the movie, or what I hope peoplewill get from it, is that life goes on. Life perseveres. We find

a way. All of these people are still getting on, even if they’redepressed one day, or their back is covered in sores, or they’re

having side effects from the medication. They’re still getting upevery day. They’re still getting on with their lives, even if their

lives basically consist of folding laundry and going to the gym.

They still get up. That’s why the film is structured like a singleday, and then there’s a morning of the next day. Posing that ques-

tion at the end of the movie: “I’ve got a day. What am I going todo with it?” That’s the challenge.

And that’s the challenge for every single person who’s alivein the world. Some people don’t even question that. Some people

just get up and get on with their day. Other people have hugetrauma to overcome to get to the next morning, but they still get

up and do it. It’s more about that idea of finding purpose, and still

finding the will to get up and go. To me, that’s not a depressing

“Your libido doesn’t go away just because you areHIV-positive and over 50. I wanted to show olderskin and fesh and nudity and sexual activity without it turning into porn.

I WANTED TO SHOW THEFLIRTING, THE SEXUAL ACTIVITY,THE INTIMACY.”


20/47


thing, but an honest thing, and it doesn’t put the blinders on.MW: You don’t shy away from giving glimpses of sexuality in the

movie. You show Eric having a hook-up come over and he sets up

the sling. You see Steve and Jeff in bed together. Did you do thatintentionally, or was it just part of covering their everyday lives?

CARDONE: It was absolutely 100 percent intentional. And notso much because they were HIV-positive, but that they were

older men. It was important for me to show older sexuality onthe screen, and not in like, just the sexy “muscle daddy” kind of

way. It was more to show that your libido doesn’t go away justbecause you are HIV-positive and over 50 or over 60. You still

have those desires. And I wanted to show that. I wanted to show

older skin and flesh and nudity and sexual activity without itturning into porn. So it was important to show that, and show

it in a very matter-of-fact kind of way. I wanted to show thatsocialization, the flirting, the sexual activity, the intimacy. I

didn’t want to shy away from any of that. And so it was importantthat I just put it up there. They can see Doc’s pierced scrotum,

they can see Jeff and Steve getting cuddly in the morning, they

can see Eric about to fist someone in the sling. It’s all out there.And I’m not judging it, I’m not commenting on it, I’m just put-

ting it up there in an objective fashion, and people can react to it

however they want.MW: Have newer advances like PrEP changed the way that some

people in the community are looking at HIV/AIDS?

CARDONE: I know it’s changed the landscape for me personally.PrEP started emerging about halfway through the filmmaking

process, so I couldn’t really find a way to work it into the film in ameaningful way. But every one of the men in the film said that if

something like PrEP had been around, they would have taken it,no questions asked. They would have just said, “I’m doing this.”

And so a lot of them seem bewildered that there’s even a debateabout making PrEP more readily available, or advocating PrEP

as a prevention method. They find that mystifying. They’re like,

“All of our friends died from this. If we had had access to this,we would have been begging to take the drug, if we could have

avoided this. So why are we debating it now?” l

A special screening of Desert Migration, presented by Reel Affirmations in commemoration of World AIDS Day, will be held

on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign, 1640

Rhode Island Ave. NW. The screening will be followed by a discus-sion panel featuring Daniel Cardone. Tickets start at $25. Visit

reelaffirmations.org or call 202-682-2245.

Calendar of World AIDS Day EventsDecember 1The band BETTY is performing a holiday concert at The

Hamilton. A portion of ticket sales benefit Whitman-

Walker Health. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at

7:30 p.m. 600 14th St. NW. For more information, visit

hellobetty.com.

The Gay Men’s Health Collaborative hosts a Know Your

Status Testing Event as part of World AIDS Day. Freeconfidential HIV and STD testing, screening and treat-

ment. Refreshments and raffle prizes for attendees.

6 p.m. Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St.

Alexandria, Va. For more information, visit inova.org.

Whitman-Walker Health is holding a Charity Bike Ride

at FlyWheel Indoor Cycling Studio in Dupont Circle.

Registration starts at 8 p.m., ride runs from 8:30-9:30

p.m. 1927 Florida Ave. NW. For more information, visit

whitman-walker.org.

Whitman-Walker Health holds Free HIV Testing in honor

of World AIDS Day. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 846 Bladensburg Rd.NE. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.

Whitman-Walker Health hosts a World AIDS Day

Candlelight Vigil to honor all those lost to AIDS and

reflect on the progress made in combating and treating

HIV. 6 p.m. 1525 14th St. NW, 6th Floor. For more infor-

mation, visit whitman-walker.org.

December 2The DC Center hosts a 10th Anniversary staged reading

of The Infection Monologues, a play about the experi-

ence of living with HIV. Food and beverages provided.

Reception at 6 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m. Human Rights

Campaign 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. For more infor-

mation, visit thedccenter.org.

December 4Reel Affirmations XTRA: Washington, D.C.’s International

LGBT Monthly film series, in partnership with the Human

Rights Campaign, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, HOPEDC, Whitman-Walker Health and Galley Catering fea-

ture a screening of Desert Migration . The screening

is followed by a Q&A moderated by Justin Goforth of

Whitman-Walker Health, with director Daniel Cardone,

John Hassell and Mike McVicker-Weaver of AIDS

Healthcare Foundation, and community activists Cliff

Gilbert and Wallace Corbett. 7-10 p.m. Human Rights

Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. For more infor-

mation, contact Kimberley Bush, Kimberley@thedccen-

ter.org or call 202-682-2245.

December 5

SoulCycle hosts a second Charity Bike Ride to benefitWhitman-Walker Health in honor of World AIDS Day.

Ride registration starts at 1:30 p.m., ride runs from 2-3

p.m. 601 Massachusetts Ave. NW. For more information,

visit whitman-walker.org.

December 12Zengo hosts a third Charity Bike Ride to benefit

Whitman-Walker Health in honor of World AIDS Day.

Ride registration starts at 2 p.m., ride runs from 2:30-

3:30 p.m. 1508 14th St. NW. For more information, visit

whitman-walker.org. l


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“Up untilthis CharlieSheen stuffhappened, Iwould have

said thatsociety hasgotten better,” says Alex Garner. “But the

reaction to that discouraged

me.”The founding editor of

Positive Frontiers, Garner wastroubled by the negative reac-

tions to Sheen’s announce-ment that he’d been HIV-

positive for several years.

“People immediately leapt tothis notion of criminality and

assigning blame — and that’swhere stigma comes from,” he

says. “It’s also very easy forpeople to either slut-shame

or talk about prostitutes andpornstars, and how they’re the

ones that people get the dis-

ease from.”Sheen himself didn’t play

that sexually repressing blamegame, instead taking respon-

sibility for his actions anddisplaying a nearly unprec-

edented level of maturity. His

respectable handling of thesituation was in contrast not

only to his attackers, espe-cially one-time co-star Jenny

McCarthy, but also to anotherformer television star who

stoked controversy just a fewmonths ago when he, too,

revealed his HIV-positive sta-

tus. But Danny Pintauro wentoverboard in detailing and

theorizing how his serocon-version might have occurred,

in ways that strained credulityand passed blame.

“My instant reaction was,

‘We never have to explain howwe got it, because that per-

petuates stigma,’” Garner says.“When you get the flu, you

don’t pretend to know exactlywho gave it to you. You just

get better.”Garner says that the sensa-

Positive Portrayals A decade after its debut, The Infection Monologues

co-creator Alex Garner still sees a need for modern-day HIV stories

BY DOUG RULE


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tional reaction to Sheen’s status is indicative of a relative lack ofattention and awareness in the broader, straight culture to the

changing face of HIV/AIDS. Older adults still remember it as

a death sentence, or one that involves lots of pain and sufferingand adverse medical reactions. “There’s this fear still attached to

it because people haven’t evolved from their 20-year-old percep-tion of what it was.”

But admittedly, even the Pintauro incident isn’t helped by thecurrent state of play: You can point to very few healthy, out and

proud HIV-positive people, be they celebrities or fictional char-acters, in today’s mainstream society and pop culture. The situ-

ation is essentially unchanged from a decade ago, when Garner

was motivated by the same lack of positive representation todevelop The Infection Monologues with sociologist Eric Rofes.

“I wanted to be able to convey my experience with HIV,” saysGarner, who has been living with the virus since 1996.

Armed with his own survey of gay men who had serocon-verted since 2000, Rofe proposed using the research to develop

full characters offering multiple perspectives on the modern-

day undetectable man, modeled after Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. But Garner insisted that the show had to be funny.

“I didn’t want it to be a heavy, maudlin approach — a dramaabout HIV,” Garner says. “Because we had too many of those

already.”Instead of “overwhelming sadness,” Garner worked with

other poz contributors to find the humor in common situa-tions, from that fateful phone call when the doctor refers to

“an unexpected finding,” to the rejection from a prospective

HIV-negative suitor upon revealing one’s status. Even the mosttraumatic or embarrassing situations have their moments of

laughter in hindsight.

Next week, Garner will stage a 10th anniversary reading ofThe Infection Monologues in a co-presentation with the National

Minority AIDS Council, the DC Center, and the Human Rights

Campaign. In addition to Garner, other performers at the read-ing include Brant Miller of the DC Center, HIV activist Mark

King of MyFabulousDisease.com, Shawn Jain of Whitman-Walker Clinic and local actors Cedric Gum and Samy Hayder

Younes.Garner has not made many changes to the script in the inter-

vening decade. Most notable has been the rise of treatment asprevention for HIV-negative people. “PrEP has been a game

changer,” Garner says. “It’s shifted the whole stigma around

HIV.” To the point that there’s far more communication andinteraction, including sexual, between HIV-positive and HIV-

negative men now than ever before. The reading will be “reallyinstructive,” he says, to think about how he might update the

play to include experiences with PrEP and try to capture “thisreally exciting period around HIV.”

And on that score, Garner sees at least one affirming main-

stream portrayal of today’s reality: the ABC drama How To Get Away With Murder features an HIV-positive, gay, supporting

character and has included discussion of PrEP for his HIV-negative sexual partners. “I appreciate that that poz character

has retained his sexuality,” Garner says. “That’s such an impor-tant part of our humanity.” l

The 10th Anniversary Staged Reading of The Infection

Monologues is Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 9 p.m., at HRC, 1640

Rhode Island Ave. NW. Food and beverages will be provided at this free World AIDS Day Event. Call 800-777-4723 or visit hrc.org for

more information.


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NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 3, 2015

SPOTLIGHT

A BROADWAY CHRISTMAS CAROLKathy Feininger’s A Broadw ayChristmas Show tells the famousCharles Dickens classic by alteringthe lyrics to familiar Broadway tunes,30 or so in all, from The Music Man to Sweeney Todd to Annie. The resultis a pretty gay show, especially withgay Helen Hayes Award-winningactor Michael Sharp at the helm asdirector and choreographer. In yearspast, Sharp has played Scrooge, butPeter Boyer has now assumed the bah-

humbugging duties. Sharp will playThe Man Who Isn’t Scrooge, TraceyStephens also returns as The WomanWho Isn’t Scrooge and HowardBreitbart as music director — aka TheMan Behind The Piano. “I alwaysthink of it like the Carol BurnettShow,” Sharp told Metro Weekly afew seasons ago. “[Three] peopleplaying a million different characters.Sometimes we crack each other up. You never know what’s going to hap-pen.” To Dec. 27. MetroStage, 1201North Royal St., Alexandria. Ticketsare $35 to $50. Call 800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.

A VERY POINTLESSHOLIDAY SPECTACULARPointless Theatre Company offersanother year of a holiday show it dubs“the North Pole’s 239th Annual TalentShow,” an annual irreverent cabaretfor adults featuring puppetry, improvand a funky reindeer band — this yearwith new elves and acts. Pointlesswas founded by Patti Kalil and MattReckeweg and dedicated to perform-ing innovative and exuberant pup-pet theater devised in an ensembleapproach, and the company’s successincludes the 2014 Helen Hayes Awardas Outstanding Emerging TheatreCompany. Opens in pay-what-you-

can previews Wednesday, Dec. 2, andThursday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. To Jan.2. Mead Theatre Lab at FlashpointGallery, 916 G St. NW. Tickets are$22 to $27. Call 202-315-1310 or visitflashpointdc.org.

BETTY, MARGOT MACDONALDIdiosyncratic, activist-orientedalt-rock band Betty scored an Off-Broadway musical hit over a decadeago with Betty Rules and even per-formed The L Word ’s theme song,in addition to stops at Capital Prideover the years. D.C. natives AlysonPalmer and sisters Amy and ElizabethZiff, who these days perform with

guitarist Tony Salvatore and drum-

24

Compiled by Doug Rule

D E S E R T M I G R A T I O N


D ESERT MIGRATION ( HHHHH ) IS NOT AN UPBEAT FILM. IT IS NOT A JOYOUS

expose on the lives of gay men who survived the HIV/AIDS crisis. It doesn’t sugar

coat history, it doesn’t mollycoddle its audience. It’s a frank look at life after a deathsentence, and the struggle to survive that often entails.

The film follows 13 gay men, mostly white, living with HIV and AIDS in Palm Springs. Theirexperience is not that of every gay person, or every straight person, or every person of color, or

every woman diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Writer/director Daniel Cardone offers no commen-tary on his subjects. There are no facts, figures, or talking heads waiting to jump in. This is an

entirely subjective, gorgeously directed rumination on life with a potentially fatal disease andits impact on every other facet of a person’s being.

We watch as the men get ready for their day, be it to work, to work out, or to walk a dog.

They detail their medications. They discuss wasting, fatigue, show us their sores. It’s frank, eye-opening and far from the pervasive belief that HIV is now a once-a-day pill and no side effects.

Many of the men were told they would die. Some moved to Palm Springs with the beliefthat they would soon pass. “I wanted to die in a place that I really loved,” says Joel. But they

didn’t. Medications changed everything (“Just like Lazarus, we were back from the dead,”notes Keith) and suddenly those who had long since accepted their fate were forced to live

again. With the absence of certain death, they had to think about love, work, paying bills, takingmeds and having sex. Only with HIV/AIDS, there is the added stigma that society still attaches.

Steve, who lived through death, now contemplates suicide because the stigma of HIV has

left him lonely, and the lack of financial aid has left him struggling to make ends meet. Eric,who used to measure his life in 5 year goals (“somewhere around 40 I thought ‘I’m not going

to die of this’”), recounts younger gay men rejecting him for his status.These men survived “a holocaust,” as Doc puts it, one that society has been all too quick to

sweep under the rug, particularly younger generations. Desert Migration isn’t a fun film — indeedit’s a pretty depressing one at times — but it reminds us that there are those who lived through hell

and came out the other side only to find that life isn’t always worth it. — Rhuaridh Marr

Desert Migration screens Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode

Island Ave. NW. Visit reelaffirmations.org or call 202-682-2245.

The Long GoodbyeDesert Migration poignantly explores thelives of 13 men with HIV/AIDSin Palm Springs


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Joseph Gordon-Levitt and AnthonyMackie are three friends who decide tohave one final Christmas Eve blowout,with the expected alcohol and drugconsumption and celebrity cameos ofmost Rogen/Evan Goldberg-producedfilms. Jonathan Levine directs a filmnarrated by Tracy Morgan. Now play-ing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

THE WIZARD OF OZ Victor Fleming’s 1939 adaptation of

L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel has been touted as the most-watche dmotion picture in history — and no, not just among gays, appreciating its starJudy Garland and its story of a mythi-cal Oz where all misfits are accepted.The American Film Institute’s SilverTheatre offers another chance to seethe family favorite on the big screen,which is definitely something to givethanks for. Thursday, Nov. 26, andFriday, Nov. 27, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.,Saturday, Nov. 28, at 12 p.m., Sunday,Nov. 29, at 11 a.m., and Monday, Nov.30, at 4:30 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre,8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring.Tickets are $13. Call 301-495-6720 or

visit afi.com/Silver.

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN A tale oft told in various incarna-tions — including last year’s dread-ful I, Frankenstein — this horror/ action incarnation, directed by PaulMcGuigan with a script by MaxLandis, casts Daniel Radcliffe as assis-tant Igor. He meets a young VictorFrankenstein, played by JamesMcAvoy, and ultimately witnesses the birth of the famed monster, makingfugitives of both men as the authori-ties try to shut Frankenstein down andthe monstrous being threatens theirlives. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 25. Area

theaters. Visit fandango.com.

STAGE

A CHRISTMAS CAROLFord’s Theatre remounts its music-filled production of the Dickens clas-sic, adapted by Michael Wilson anddirected by Michael Baron. EdwardGero returns for his seventh year asEbenezer Scrooge, in a staging featur-ing imaginative special effects, famil-iar carols and themes of giving backand living with grace. Among otherlocal stage stars in the cast: Carolyn Agan, Felicia Curry, William Diggle,Erin Driscoll, Rick Hammerly, KevinMcAllister, Amy McWilliams andStephen Schmidt. To Dec. 31. Ford’sTheatre, 511 10th St. NW. Call 800-982-2787 or visit fordstheatre.org.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOSTSTORY OF CHRISTMASOlney Theatre Center presents anoth-er seasonal run of the one-man por-trayal of the Dickens classic by PaulMorella, who bases his adaptation onDickens’ original novella and readingtour. Opens Friday, Nov. 27, at 7:30p.m. to Dec. 27. The Mulitz-GudelskyTheatre Lab at Olney Theatre Center,

2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney,


Kennedy Center Opera House. Ticketsare $55 to $200. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

THE SCIENCE OF DELICIOUSInnovative food and drink pairingsfrom Chaplin’s are the centerpieceof a National Geographic Live eventinspired by a story in the Decemberissue of National Geographic about thescience — and art — behind what tastesgood and bad to humans, and why

we even taste at all. Leading the dis-cussion with be biopsychologist JulieMennella of the Monell ChemicalSciences Center, who will be joined byrestaurateur Ari Wilder and chef MyoHtun of the Asian-inspired restaurantChaplin’s in Shaw. Thursday, Dec. 3,at 7:30 p.m. National Geographic’sGrosvenor Auditorium, 1145 17th St.NW. Tickets are $100. Call 202-857-7588 or visit ngmuseum.org.

FILM

THE GOOD DINOSAUR An enchanting computer-animated fan-tasy from Pixar, The Good Dinosaur imagines a world where dinosaursnever became extinct, allowing them tomeet our early human ancestors. PeterSohn’s film follows an unlikely friend-ship between one human and a brightgreen Apatosaurus, and features voicework from Jeffrey Wright, FrancesMcDormand, Anna Paquin and SamElliott. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 25. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.

THE HUNGER GAMES:MOCKINGJAY PART 2

HHHHH

The final installment of the tale of civil

uprising in the country of Panem is sig-nificantly better than Mockingjay Part 1, as it includes actual things that hap-pen (A vicious attack by Mutts! A reallynasty oil spill!) as opposed to completeand utter lethargy. Still the movie islikely only satisfying for fans of the book. There’s very little emotionalconnection between the charactersand even the movie’s core love triangleis dealt with in a perfunctory man-ner. Elizabeth Banks steals every sceneshe’s in, Julianne Moore is reduced toa prim harpie, Woody Harrelson doeslittle more than mutter a few lines, andStanley Tucci has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo. As the evil President

Snow, Donald Sutherland seems morethan ready for the ordeal to be over,while star Jennifer Lawrence herself just seems exhausted from spendingher days staring at green screens. The biggest moments of wistfulness comewhenever Philip Seymour Hoffman,who died during the making of thefilm, appears onscreen. It’s not much ofa flashy performance to go out on, butit’s good to see him one more time, allthe same. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit Fandango.com. (Randy Shulman)

THE NIGHT BEFOREJust in time for the holidays, SethRogen returns for another comedy

with his typical brand of humor. Rogen,

known as The NeedlExchange, or TNXfor short. Friday, Dec. 4, after 8 p.m.Flash, 645 Florida Ave. NW. Ticketsare $5 to $12. Call 202-827-8791 or visitflashdc.com.

NATIONAL ZOO’S ZOOLIGHTSEvery year the Smithsonian’s NationalZoo presents ZooLights, in whichmore than 500,000 colorful Christmaslights illuminate life-sized animalsilhouettes, dancing trees, buildings,

and walkways, plus a light show setto music. All that, plus select animalhouses will be open and displayingnocturnal creatures, including theSmall Mammal House, the Great ApeHouse and Reptile Discovery Center. And one new special event this year isthe ticketed BrewLights on Thursday,Dec. 3, offering tastings from a dozen brewer ies, includi ng D.C.’s smallHellbender but mostly large national brands such as Blue Moon, Brooklynand Starr Hill, in addition to sample bites from D.C. restaurants BrooklandPint, Matchbox, Meridian Pint andSmoke & Barrel. ZooLights beginsFriday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Every night except Dec. 24, 25 and31, until Jan. 2. National Zoo, 3001Connecticut Ave. NW. Free, courtesyof Pepco; BrewLights is $55. Call 202-633-4800 or visit nationalzoo.si.edu.

SHEILA E.Three decades after her work as adrummer, songwriter and musicaldirector for Prince — including on thestupendous Purple Rain soundtrack,which in turn launched her solo careerwith The Glamorous Life — Sheila Eis back. She returns to the Birchmerea year after an electrifying show inwhich she showed off her dexterousskills in support of Icon, her first studio

album in 13 years. Offering everythingfrom wondrous polyrhythmic percus-sive runs, such as on first single “MonaLisa,” to “Don’t Make Me,” an impres-sive all-vocal track in which Sheilashows she’s a vocal percussionist too— a beatboxer. Thursday, Dec. 3, at7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are$49.50. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

THE JOFFREY BALLET:THE NUTCRACKER Yep, it’s Sugar Plum Fairy seasonagain. This year, the Kennedy Centerdances one last time with Robert

Joffrey and his awe-inspiring staging, boasti ng larger-than-life Victorian America scenery and costumes, andfeaturing his Chicago-based compa-ny’s dancers moving to Tchaikovsky’sentrancing score. The Kennedy CenterOpera House Orchestra performs, withthe Arlington Children’s Chorus join-ing to serenade the spectacular SnowScene parade of ballerina-snowflakes.The Joffrey version of The Nutcrackerwill be retired after this, its 28th tour-ing season, to be replaced with a new version by Tony-winning choreogra-pher Christopher Wheeldon. OpensWednesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m., withperformances Friday, Nov. 27, through

Sunday, Nov. 29, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

mer Mino Gori, return to support the2013 album Rise. Opening for Bettyis local slow-burn rock powerhouseMargot MacDonald, demonstratingher talents with live digital looping,which adds drama and power to herhaunting vocals and progressive-styledpop — as can be heard on recent album

Canvas featuring her standout cover of“Teardrop,” the Massive Attack hit and House theme. Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 7:30p.m. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW.

Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 202-787-1000 or visit thehamiltondc.com.

BY GEORGE, BY IRA, BY GERSHWIN A concert-i n-cabaret spanning themusic from Tin Pan Alley, Hollywoodand opera, this InSeries program isfocused on the output of one of thegreatest sibling songwriting duos. Abel Lopez directs a cast includingPam Ward, Detra Battle, Jase Parker,Kenneth Derby, Laura Fuentes andBryan Jackson, who will move withchoreography by Angelisa Gillyardwhile singing standards (from “I GotRhythm” to “The Man I Love” to“They Can’t Take That Away From

Me”) accompanied by a jazz combo.Opens Sunday, Nov. 29, at 8 p.m. ToDec. 20. Source Theatre, 1835 14th St.NW. Tickets are $22 to $42. Call 202-204-7741 or visit inseries.org.

GLEN HANSARD,RICHARD THOMPSONIMP Productions presents this Irishsinger-songwriter, who got his startin the group The Frames but is bestknown from his work with Czechmusician Marketa Irglova in duo TheSwell Season, which led to his Tony-winning score for Once. Glen Hansardtours in support of his second solorecording Didn’t He Ramble, on a

double-bill with Richard Thompson,who virtually invented the conceptof British folk rock with his groupFairport Convention and is one of Rolling Stone’s “Top 20 Guitarists of All Time.” Saturday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m.D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St.NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-628-1776 or visit dar.org/conthall.

KIM ANN FOXMAN, HONEY SOUNDSYSTEM, THE NEEDLEXCHANGED.C.’s stellar boutique nightclub Flashis offering gay clubgoers an earlyChristmas with a de-facto Pride inDecember dance party by three actswho spun at different Capital Pride

events this past June. The headlineris Kim Ann Foxman, a veteran singingmember of the great gay neo-disco bandHercules & Love Affair and a fledglingNew York-based deep/undergroundhouse DJ/producer. Before Foxmanis a set by Jason Kendig and JackieHouse (aka Jacob Sperber, aka DJP-Play) two members of San Franciscocollective Honey Soundsystem, whosefocus is on highlighting the queer ori-gins of dirty disco and driving house, both new and old. The party upstairsin the club kicks off with a tag-team set by Bil Todd and Tommy Cornelis, twotrendsetting DJs part of the local gay“weirdo-beardo-boys” house collective


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Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olney-theatre.org.

A LUMP OF COAL FOR CHRISTMASHolly Twyford directs a world pre-miere co-commission by the AdventureTheatre MTC and Bay Area Children’sTheatre of Norman Allen’s hilariousadventure about unlikely friendshipsand holiday miracles. The focus is ona Lump of Coal who wants to be anartist, in the process going from one

child’s worst nightmare into a dreamcome true. Now to Dec. 31. AdventureTheatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd.,Glen Echo. Tickets are $19.50. Call301-634-2270 or visit adventurethe-atre-mtc.org.

BLACK NATIVITY Another year, another production byTheater Alliance of Langston Hughes’sretelling of the Biblical Christmas storyfrom an Afrocentric perspective, incor-porating gospel, blues, funk, jazz anddance, with griot-style storytelling froman ensemble cast. Black Nativity was oneof the first plays written by an African American to appear on Broadway 51

years ago. The winner of three HelenHayes Awards this year, the Theater Alliance production is directed by EricRuffin, who is joined by music direc-tor e’Marcus Harper-Short and cho-reographer Princess Mhoon. Opens inpreviews Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m.To Jan. 3. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020Shannon Place SE. Tickets are $35 to$50. Call 202-241-2539 or visit theater-alliance.com.

GUYS AND DOLLS At Olney Theatre Center, JerryWhiddon directs this classic musicalcomedy about gambling and gang-sters, starring Jessica Lauren Ball as

one lucky lady. Michael J. Bobbitthandles the choreography for thisproduction of composer and lyricistFrank Loesser’s tale, with a book byJo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Now toDec. 27. Mainstage at Olney TheatreCenter, 2001 Olney-Sandy SpringRoad, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

HOLIDAY MEMORIESWSC Avant Bard offers a play based ontwo short stories by gay literary giantTruman Capote, A Christmas Memoryand A Thanksgiving Visitor. Russell Vandenbroucke adapted the tales forthe stage in what is touted as a lovely

and lyrical reminiscence of Capote’scoming of age in Depression-era Alabama. Tom Prewitt directs AvantBard’s Artistic Director EmeritusChristopher Henley as Truman, sup-ported by Charlotte Akin, Liz Dutton,David Mavricos and Seamus Miller.Opens in pay-what-you-can previewsWednesday, Nov. 25. Runs to Dec. 20.Theatre on the Run, 3700 South FourMile Run Dr. Arlington. Tickets are$30 to $35. Call 703-418-4808 or visitavantbard.org.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE:A LIVE RADIO PLAYLaura Giannarelli directs Joe Landry’s

adaptation of the classic film tale, but

W I K I P E D I A

Entertaining Mr. OrtonEdge of the Universe Players 2 revives a favorite from the late, gay playwright

THERE HAVE BEEN FEW PLAYWRIGHTS LIKE JOE ORTON.

“He’s working class, he’s gay and he’s an ex-con,” says Emma

Parker. “How many playwrights do you know that come from thatbackground?”

Orton’s work — generally sexually charged and provocative black com-edies for stage and TV — has been nearly as shortchanged in society as was

his life, given an untimely, tragic death at age 34 at the hands of his partn

Documents

Metro Weekly - 11-26-15 - World AIDS Day - Desert Migration