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To the Editors:
Re “Off-duty officials take photos of gay Latino club” (news, July 29):
We write to correct several errors in this article, in which some of us were named, regarding Cada Vez restaurant.
Along with about 40 individual protestants, many of whom are gay, and in addition to neighborhood organizations, we have protested Cada Vez’s request to expand hours and entertainment offerings beyond what is currently allowed under their alcoholic beverage license.
The longstanding dispute with Cada Vez long pre-dates the once-a-week Club Fuego party, which only moved to the location this summer.
The article erroneously reported that Christina Parascandola entered Cada Vez and photographed gay Latino patrons of Club Fuego. In fact, she has never been to Club Fuego.
Contrary to your newspaper’s persistent claims, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Ramon Estrada is not a protestant. He is the elected representative of the neighborhood in which Cada Vez operates and as such is fulfilling his responsibility to represent his constituents.
The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration has encouraged residents living near Cada Vez to document any possible license violations and any adverse effects on surrounding community. Several residents have used cameras to document the size of the crowd leaving events held at Cada Vez and the time it takes them to disperse.
Photographs were taken from across U Street, which is very wide, and, given the distance and lack of light, individual patrons are not identifiable. In fact, we will ensure that no individuals are identifiable in any of the images before they are submitted as evidence in the protest process.
None of the protestants have used a floodlight or other specialized equipment, as Cada Vez manager Charles Zhou alleges in your article. Moreover, and contrary to what your reporter wrote, none of the patrons ever expressed to us any concern about being photographed or attempted to shield themselves from view.
Washington
Editors’ note: The Blade stands by the story as reported, except to clarify that Christina Parascandola entered Cada Vez to take photos on a Friday night, not the gay Saturday event.
To the Editors:
Re “Minister’s apology falls short, gay leaders say” (news, Aug. 5):
What’s the difference between what Willie Wilson is saying and the Washington Post Style section piece several months ago claiming many schoolgirls have sex with one another? The only difference is that the tone of the Post story was more approving.
Wilson’s tirades are condemnatory, of course, but he’s making essentially the same point. The overwought reaction of lesbians only fuels his publicity furnace. They’d be better off ignoring him.
Washington
To the Editors:
Chris Crain’s July 29 editorial (“Ask Roberts one big question”) gives a sobering view of how Justice John Roberts may view the Fourteenth Amendment, which often justifies upholding individuals’ fundamental rights from majoritarian intrusion, especially on “moral” grounds.
I want to ask exactly what the majority considers “immoral” about my inclinations and private behavioral choices.
Beyond the obvious religious foundation of many intrusive moral values, the feedback I get from some people is that by avoiding heterosexual marriage with children and all the infrastructure for caretaking that family formation provides, I am shirking family responsibility.
I seem aloof and unemotional around issues of biological kinship, satisfied with what looks to others like a world filled with fantasy.
Gay marriage and gay adoption, if allowed, could go a long way in encouraging the sharing of family responsibility and in promoting personal goals that take into consideration the needs of others and that welcome dependents.
Others are concerned not just that I compete with them in the same economic space without sharing their burdens. They feel that my life expresses narcissistic values that demean them. This is particularly the case with people who have a large psychological and emotional investment in procreation, marriage and parenting.
Recent family eldercare issues have forced me to deal with the family responsibility that others take for granted lifelong. Forced socialization with filial responsibility, whether chosen or not, may eventually become the underbelly of the gay marriage debate.
Arlington, Va.
To the Editors:
Kudos for venturing outside the Beltway to visit Great Sage (“Who needs meat?” dining, July 29). As the trend towards more animal-, heart-, and environmentally-friendly fare gains traction, more restaurants and groceries are catering ...
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