Oct 15, 2004   | COMMENTS     

From hot new gay hangouts (think Logan Circle’s Halo) to bombshell news events (David Catania bolts the GOP), the past year has brought much change to gay life in Washington. The Blade’s annual “best of” edition is filled with editors’ and readers’ picks of the best in D.C. nightlife, dining, people and community life.

Blade readers made their choices by voting online,while the editors debated picks that, where possible, offered alternatives to our readers’ selections.

Chris Crain, Kevin Naff, Rhonda Smith, Ken Sain, Brian Moylan, Bryan Anderton, and Joe Crea compiled the guide.

Local hero, male
Readers: David Catania
While fellow Republican D.C. Councilmember Carol Schwartz was reiterating her opposition to same-sex marriage this year, her counterpart, David Catania, was bravely opposing President Bush’s divisive proposal to amend the Constitution to ban marriage rights for gay couples. Catania, who is gay, was replaced as a delegate to the Republican National Convention after announcing he would work against Bush’s re-election after the president publicly backed the Federal Marriage Amendment. Catania subsequently left the GOP and registered as an independent. If more Republicans would exhibit Catania’s bravery in taking on the Bush administration, there would likely be fewer attacks on gay rights coming from the White House.

Editors: Adrien Alstad
In the early hours of Aug. 23, Adrien Alstad was on his way home from work when he was shot and killed by a robber about two blocks from Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, where he worked as a waiter. Shocked and outraged that such a horrible crime would happen in their neighborhood, many Dupont Circle residents staged vigils and memorials in his honor. While Alstad’s death was certainly a tragedy, it was also the catalyst that brought about a much-needed dialogue regarding crime in the Dupont Circle and Logan Circle neighborhoods. Alstad’s death reminds us that heroic acts come in many forms. Serving a meal with a smile and a song was his way of touching the lives of Annie’s customers and simultaneously bringing some cheer and good humor to the neighborhood.

Local hero, female
Readers: Cheryl Jacques
In an election year in which gay rights issues have figured more prominently than ever before, Cheryl Jacques took over the reins of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights group. Just a month after her arrival in D.C. from Massachusetts, President Bush held a news conference to announce his support for a constitutional amendment banning marriage rights for gay couples. Ever since that fateful February day, Jacques’ professional life has been consumed with fighting not just the federal amendment, which was defeated in both the Senate and House, but similar amendments in a dozen states. Those battles are ongoing, but the federal amendment is dead – for now — in part thanks to the efforts of Jacques and her team in the marriage “war room” at HRC.

Editors: Janet Miller-Jenkins
After their relationship dissolved, Janet Miller-Jenkins and her former partner, Lisa Miller-Jenkins, who were united in a Vermont civil union, went their separate ways, with Lisa moving to Virginia with the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Isabella. Earlier this year, Lisa used Virginia’s newly enacted Marriage Affirmation Act to argue that Janet has no right to custody of Isabella, since the two were never engaged in a relationship recognized by Virginia law. Instead of backing down, Janet is fighting for her rights to remain in Isabella’s life, filing her own custody suit in Vermont, where Janet still lives. While the legal back-and-forth between the two women continues, Janet deserves kudos for fighting for her rights and taking the first step that may one day result in the overturning of the discriminatory Virginia law.

Best straight ally
Readers: Carol Schwartz
In a Republican Party that seems to be increasingly dominated by fundamentalist Christians hostile to gay rights, GOP D.C. Councilmember Carol Schwartz remains to some a gay ally — despite her opposition to same-sex marriage. She claims to believe that gay couples deserve “all the rights and responsibilities” that heterosexual couples receive but fears congressional backlash against D.C. if the city moves to legalize marriage rights for gay couples. But Schwartz has stood ...