AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES OUT April 17, 2015 | Volume XII, Issue 25 Baltimore Eagle Denied License By Liquor Board BY STEVE CHARING uncertain as to the bars fate. Charles Par- We took bed sheets off the One obstacle after another has confounded rish and Ian Parrish purchased the property wall covering structural prob- the new ownership group of the Baltimore for $300,000 and vowed to re-open it again lems... there were goods and Eagle, a mainstay of Baltimores leather com- as the Baltimore Eagle after renovations are memorabilia collected over 30 munity since 1991. At completed. But when Ian Parrish came years. It was 10,000 square feet a hearing at City Hall in to further examine the premises fol- of hoarder space, said Parrish. on April 9, the three- ‘We will appeal, lowing the sale, the magnitude of the Parrish and supporters member Baltimore we will fight, and work needed to complete the project of the project saw the early City Liquor Board was, as he put it, the worst possible signs of trouble at a conten- unanimously denied God willing, we will case. tions meeting with the board the group the re- Parrish indicated that a dumpster on March 12. Attorney Mel- quested liquor-license open our doors a day for a month was needed to re- vin Kodensky, representing transfer, claiming that again.’ – Ian Parrish move the trash. Two large box trucks the Parrish group, pointed the work on renova- of furniture and personal items were out that extensions beyond tions was not com- donated to Habitat for Humanity, and the 180-day requirement had pleted within the requisite 180 days, deeming even more truckloads of items were sent for been granted in the past. the license dead. recycling. Other work, such as the installation Commissioner Tom Ward, The bar, located at 2022 North Charles of an electrical line from BGE and a six-month a retired judge, responded Street, closed in December 2012 follow- permitting process, were essential to bring that the current board is an The once and future Eagle? ing its sale, leaving many in the community the building up to code. —continued on page 3 INTERVIEW WITH BLACKBIRD FILMMAKER PATRIK-IAN POLK ed work for film? Patrik-Ian Polk : I first read Larry Du- plechans book when I was a teenager in Taking Wing college in Boston. It was the first contem- BY GREGG SHAPIRO of his comfort zone as a screenwriter and porary gay coming-of-age novel told from a If youve ever seen any adapts (with the aid of Rikki Beadle Blair) the black characters perspective, so I related of Patrik-Ian Polk’s lms, titular Larry Duplechan gay lit classi c for the to it. And Duplechans storytelling is so you know one thing for big screen. A difcult and emotional tale of a magical; I knew I wanted to turn it into a certain. Polk is a master confused high school student named Randy film someday. I think I wrote my first draft of the ensemble cast. Be- who is struggling to come to terms with his of the script back in 1991 in film school. I ginning with Punks and sexual identity, Blackbird touches on topics kept that project on the shelf, knowing one continuing through No- ranging from coming out to religious fanati- day it would happen. Twenty-five years lat- ahʼs Arc (both the movie cism, from manhood to madness, from fam- er, here we are, and the story is still just as and the TV series), as ily relationships to relat ionships with chosen relevant. Weve seen gay white coming-out well as The Skinny , Polk families, all guided by Polks deft hand. stories told every possible way, there are has a knack for creat- Gregg Shapiro: Patrik-Ian, when I literally dozens of these films. I thought it ing characters who are interviewed you a couple of years ago was about time we saw that story told from smart, sincere, sensitive, about The Skinny, you were already in a black gay mans perspective. and exceptionally sexy. pre-production on Blackbird . Why did GS: Has Larry seen the film, and if With Blackbird (Hicks you choose Larry Duplechans gay lit so, what does he think of it? Media), Polk steps out classic Blackbird to be your first adapt- —continued on page 18 HIV/AIDS IN BALTIMORE LEADING4TH CAUSE GREATER7.5 RATE X OF OF41% MDs TOTAL OF DEATH INFECTION THAN HIV CASES NATIONAL AVERAGE HELP US MAKE HIV/AIDS HISTORY REGISTER TODAY experience... BALTIMOREAIDSWALK.ORG MANY THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS INCLUDING BON SECOURS BALTIMORE HEALTH SYSTEM, MRC, & QUEST DIAGNOSTICS. 2 t BALTIMORE OUTLOUD APRIL 17, 2015 BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM NEWS // LOCAL BALTIMORE EAGLE DENIED cause of the Baltimore City Liquor Board, LICENSE BY LIQUOR BOARD and a business that has been in operation – continued from page 1 for 20 years has been told to go away. My men are out of work and our patrons are out outgrowth of ndings from a seething 2013 of a bar. audit of the liquor board that revealed cor- He had hoped that the rebirth of the Bal- ruption and other irregularities. The new timore Eagle as a gay bar was not the rea- board was given the charge to crack down son for opposition from nearby community on zombie licenses as well as the other groups but suspicions have arisen. improprieties. He criticized previous com- The most upsetting thing is that the missioners for disregarding Maryland law, handful of people in opposition who were and new commissioners were appointed running around saying that A gay bar could two by then Governor OMalley and one by bring gay prostitution was allowed to get Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to en- away with it. Thats what we were told when force the rules more stringently. we attended the meeting of the Charles Ward granted a request from Kodenski Village Land Use Committee the organi- to nd legal precedent that indicates ex - zation where Commissioner Moore used ceptions had previously been granted to to serve as president. And most of these waive the 180-day rule. At the April 9 hear- people dont even live in the neighborhood. ing, such evidence was presented but to no I am disgusted. avail. Parrish says the Baltimore Eagle needs According to BaltimoreBrew.com, Ward friends more than ever. He is grateful for said, It is very clear to us that the 180- community advocates like Kelly Cross of day rule in this case has been violated. the Old Goucher Community Association, Youre out of time. The license is gone. Ken Abrams of the Old Goucher Business Parrish and his supporters consider this Alliance, and so many others who rose up decision to be an injustice. Weve done in support of this project. everything we were advised to do by the Though the liquor board declared the Liquor Board itself, Parrish, a Baltimore- license dead, Parrish and his supporters area developer, told Baltimore OUTloud . believe the project is not and will explore all We met the board regularly to keep them legal channels available to make it happen. informed of our progress, and they were For better than 20 years, the Eagle has happy with our work; we were told that our been a judgment-free environment, a place license was secure as long as we continued where people could go and just be them- our pace, and we held up our end of the selves, Parrish said. The patrons and staff that agreement; we paid our fees, and they have always been good neighbors to me; took our money; and now these three new and I may be just one guy, but as long as commissioners show up out of nowhere, friends of the Eagle will stand with me, I will disrespect the City ofcials who were mov - ght to re-open this landmark tavern.” ing the project forward, and kill our project He urges friends of the Eagle to send with their arbitrary decision. From all the letters of support to info@thebaltimoreea- way up on their bench it must be hard for gle.com. All letters will be forwarded to the them to see that their decision has real con- Baltimore City Liquor Board, Councilman sequences here in our neighborhood. Carl Stokes, Mayor Rawlings-Blake, and Parrish adds, I dont know what their Governor Hogan. t agenda is, but we know that a building in See related Thinking Out Loud article, Baltimore is sitting vacant right now be- page 11. BALTIMORE OUTLOUD APRIL 17, 2015 BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM t 3 NEWS // LOCAL Hogan’s Private School Grant Proposal Opposed land, she says. In state after state, similar BY STEVE CHARING officials, governors, Indeed, the ACLU has identified sev- programs have failed to help low-income Governor Hogans supplemental budget that advocates, LGBT eral instances throughout the state where- students, while subsidizing discrimination includes a $5 million grant to private and citizens, and our al- by LGBT students and faculty in private against LGBT educators, staff, and stu- religious schools has triggered opposition lies have fought for schools have been the victims of discrimi- dents. from several organizations to the proposal. more than 15 years nation. One of these involved the case of As part of an effort to persuade Gov. Betty Weller, president of Maryland State to ensure that Mary- April Flores, who after 25 years as a Cath- Hogan to accept the House and Senates Education Association (MSEA); Ray Leone, land does not permit olic School teacher in Baltimore was invol- budget plan, lawmakers and negotiators president of the Maryland PTA; Carrie Evans, discrimination based untarily terminated because she had mar- threw in a sweetener to allow $10 million executive director of Equality Maryland; and on sexual orientation ried a woman and was guilty of behavior in general revenues to help private schools Sara Love, public policy director of ACLU- and gender identity that seriously offends the Roman Catholic for building projects, purchase technology Maryland held a press conference on April 8 in our state, Carrie Archbishop of Baltimore and failed to up- equipment and other initiatives but not the in Annapolis to denounce the proposal.