Oct 03, 2008  |  By: AMY CAVANAUGH  | COMMENTS     

Frank Kameny didn’t know until this week that actor Paul Newman, who died Sept. 26, supported his bid to become Washington’s first non-voting delegate to Congress in 1971.

The $500 donation came too late to spend on the campaign, but Kameny’s campaign staff used the money to travel to New York City, where they met with the Gay Activists Alliance.

Upon their return to Washington, they founded the Gay Activists Alliance, which operates today as the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance.

“I was well aware that they spent residual funds … for the trip, but I was totally unaware of Newman or any other specific person as the source,” Kameny told the Blade in an e-mail this week.

When asked why he thought Newman donated to his campaign, Kameny said, “I suppose it was simply something forward thinking.”

“I was only the second person in the entire country to run as an openly gay candidate, so I got a good deal of publicity. I suppose Paul Newman saw what was going on as a foresighted liberal person.”

Rick Rosendall, GLAA’s vice president for political affairs, said that Paul Kuntzler, Kameny’s campaign manager, told him in 2005 about the contribution made by Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward.

Rosendall said Kuntzler neglected to send a thank you note, so Rosendall sent a belated letter to Newman, thanking him for his donation, which ultimately helped start the oldest continuously active gay rights organization in the country.

County suspends Rehab Bar’s liquor license over nude performer

Rehab Bar & Lounge, the only gay bar in Montgomery County, had its liquor license suspended for 45 days starting Sept. 17 due to a violation for nudity and sexual displays, according to officials.

A resolution of Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control, Division of Licensure, Regulation & Education proceedings says the bar, at 11305-B Georgia Ave. in Wheaton, Md., can reopen Nov. 1.

Rehab was known as De Lounge until Feb. 29, when it was renamed and former bartender Eric Evans became general manager. The bar is licensed to Ling-Ping Kuo as Paul Kee Restaurant, the name of the Chinese restaurant next door, and the license covers the bar and restaurant.

The incident that triggered the license suspension occurred March 15, during a St. Patrick’s Day party that included an underwear auction.

A county report says that Rehab “allowed scantily clad male performers, wearing only brief-style underwear, to mingle with customers in the facility, and receive money or gratuities from customers which the customers placed in or on the clothing of the male performers or entertainers on the licensed premises.”

The report notes that at one point, one of the performers pulled down “the front portion of his briefs” to “fully expose himself.”

A hearing June 19 by the Board of License Commissioners for Montgomery County resulted in Rehab receiving the 45-day license suspension.

Rehab, which did not return the Blade’s calls, says on its MySpace page that during the closure “we are excited to have the opportunity to make much needed improvements to the facility and events.”

Ebone Bell, a party promoter who works with the bar, also said that Rehab is “closed for renovations and reinventing.” She noted the bar plans to reopen Nov. 1.

Local gay athletes finish 3rd in grueling, 183-mile race

Running a 183-mile relay through rain and mud might not sound enticing, but for Fred Dever, it was a “unique experience that really tested your stamina and grit.”

Dever, 43, and five other local gay men last weekend won their category in the Ragnar Relay, a day-long race that stretched from Cumberland, Md., to Crystal City in Virginia. But the win did not come easily.

“Five out of six of us swim on the D.C. Aquatics Club, so we’re multi-sport athletes,” Dever said. “We’re all good runners and have run marathons, but I have to admit that we didn’t know quite what we were getting into.”

Dever said most relay teams have 12 runners, and each person runs several legs, but his team, the Monumental ‘Mos, competed in the ultra category. Ultra teams have six runners, forcing each person to run twice as far as competitors in other categories.

“We put in our pace time to be under eight-minute miles, and we exceeded that,” Dever said. “Our time was 23 hours, 7 minutes and 37 seconds, and our team was first in the ultra division. But what’s most remarkable is that we were third overall, out of 109 teams.”

The other team members were Ryan Bos, 34; Eric Czander, 42, and Dever’s partner; Wonkee Moon, 33; Scott Garvey, 27; and Jonathan Horsford, 36.