Arts & Entertainment
Girl reappearing
Tori Amos celebrates 20th anniversary by revisiting her catalogue
![Tori Amos](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2012/09/Tori_Amos_thumb_by_Danielle_Levitt.jpg)
Tori Amos is straight but has a strong LGBT fan base. The Bladeās Joey DiGuglielmo is a long-time fan, having worn out a copy of āBoys for Peleā in the throes of closeted college-era angst. He talked to her by phone two weeks ago to talk about her new album āGold Dust,ā which features orchestral re-workings of 14 of her songs. Itās slated to drop Tuesday in the U.S.
Blade: Hi Tori
Tori Amos: Hi, how are you?
Blade: Iām good. Iām gonna try to cover a lot of ground really quickly so Iām just gonna jump right in. Tell me a little about the relationship you have going with Deutsche Grammophon. This is your second project with them. Are you under contract or are you just doing things on kind of an album-by-album basis?
Amos: Kind of album by album. ā¦ They came up with the idea of the variations on the masters (last yearās āNight of Huntersā album) but when Iād been working with the Metropole Orchestra the year before and they basically said, āWe need recordings of this. This is the 20thĀ anniversary of your work and this is how you do it with an orchestra.ā I didnāt know, at first, if that made sense, but it seemed to make sense in their German minds. So itās been very organic.
Blade: Iām just wondering how some of these arrangements came about and thinking back to some of those great remixes you had of your stuff back in the late ā90s. Obviously I know remixing is a whole different thing altogether, but in terms of crafting symphonic arrangements or reworkings of your songs ā where these songs are very much living in an alternate space from their original studio versions ā Iām wondering if any of the same artistic considerations or principles apply as would if youāre crafting an alternate version in the form of a remix.
Amos: Wow, thatās a great question. I guess the thing about a remix is you donāt have to retain the narrative or even the spirit of the original work in the same way. So the āProfessional Widowā remix, for example, became a very different expression of the song from the original. Some of that narrative was there but not the way it was on the (album version). And yet the remix still clearly did its job. But in doing something like this, you donāt want to lose the songās story or her narrative in any way, so it was important to really, and sometimes very subtly, make changes. Some of the songs didnāt want a makeover. Some of them said, āOnly strings,ā or others said, āWeāre open to a full orchestra but we donāt want to become completely overtaken.ā It was almost like you were changing their outfit, but you were not changing their soul. Some were open to a more radical flavor. Like with āFlavor,ā for instance, which was originally recorded with loops, it really stepped forward and said, āI want a completely different approach.ā Or with āPrecious Things.ā It kind of said it thought its narrative could work with a more Prokofiev-inspired approach.
Blade: What was the time frame for this album?
Amos: I was rehearsing (with the Metropole Orhestra) for shows in October, 2010 and then we got back together in early 2011 and began recording some, but then we put it away because we went and did āNight of Huntersā with the octet. So that project came first, even though this was the first idea. Then we put the (āGold Dustā) reels back on, Iād say maybe January 2012 and ā¦ began editing them together. Overdubs and mixing were finished in July.
Blade: Classical musicians can be notoriously snobby. Did you get any vibe from the Metropole players, even if they never said anything, that they were thinking, āWhy are we doing this ā canāt somebody bring us some Beethoven or something?ā You do all kinds of stuff, obviously, but the grand scheme of things, your songs would be considered in more of the pop idiom than classical.
Amos: It was really a collaboration with them and I think the reason Alex (Burh, the Deutsche Grammophon exec who suggested āNight of Huntersā) suggested it is because he could tell there was a real conversation happening during the rehearsals (for the 2010 concert). There was definitely an affinity and a back-and-forth-type thing that was going on and I think that was why the decision was made to document and record it. There was a chemistry.
Blade: Youāve done a few theme projects now ā a holiday album, some concept albums, a classical album, now orchestral reworkings of your songs. Do you have a private bucket list of stuff you want to eventually do? Iām not even necessarily asking what all those projects might be, but do you think, āWell, before I hang up my hat, I definitely want to do ā blank.ā Does your artistic mind work that way?
Amos: Yes, it thinks that way. I think right now Iām really focused on the musical, āThe Light Princess.ā Nick Hytner is very much a powerful force at the National Theatre in Great Britain and so hopefully the plan or the idea is that the piece will be ready to get put on its feet within, oh I donāt know, a year, maybe a little over a year. Thatās what I have on my brain right now. But yeah, I approach things as a conceptualist and there are all kinds of thoughts that have come into my mind. I would love to someday do something where I just stay someplace and perform. I donāt know if youād call it an evening in Las Vegas or what, but with a story and dancers. I would love to do something at Caesarās Palace someday. And not just campy, you know, but maybe a bit of camp, but I love the idea of having dancers ā not me dancing, I would be playing and singing ā but have some dancers onstage and just make it an incredibly entertaining evening. Very much an old-school variety show with great costumes and an old Hollywood feel. Something like from the ā30s or ā40s where you get dressed up and come to a show and have dinner and walk away feeling like youāve had a really glamorous evening.
Blade: Well, I would definitely come see it, that sounds fun. One thing Iāve always really admired about you is that you donāt always make things easy on the fans or present the material in such a way that itās easy or accessible for the most casual fan, to say nothing of the material itself. Iām talking about things like those Icon or Playlist anthology CDs where they throw them together for all kinds of artists and make them something thatās meant to be a $7.99 impulse purchase in the checkout lane at Target. You never do things like that. And Iām not even saying itās necessarily a bad thing ā¦.
Amos: (interjects) ā¦ It is bad.
Blade: OK, why? Couldnāt you argue that it might pique someoneās curiosity and inspire them to then go dig deeper?
Amos: Iām telling you, itās sinning against your art. Thatās what youāre doing. Itās lazy.
Blade: Do you have business people approach you with these kinds of ideas?
Amos: Well, you know. There are all kinds of ideas that get spun about. But you have to have it in your head whether itās a good idea or not. How are you going to feel about it in three months, in six months? What kind of statement does it make about you as an artist? And hey, sometimes I understand why they release these anthologies because something like (āGold Dustā), I mean this takes a LOT of time to do. We started October 2010 so weāre talking two years from inception to this. It started with them inviting me to come play a show but it didnāt matter if it was one show or 200 shows or if we recorded the arrangements or not, the work still had to be done. The arrangements still had to be made for, like, 20 songs. (Arranger) John Philip Shenale and I were in touch everyday about this for one show, which is all I initially thought it was going to be. Not for one second did I think this would end up being a studio album. They invited me for this before the Alex, the German musicologist, invited me to come start messing with the masters. So that was the genesis and the time frame and doing a project like this with an orchestra is really tricky because people have attachments to the original versions. You really want to retain the soul of the song girl and like I said, some didnāt want extreme makeovers. That wasnāt really the challenge. Itās not about trying to shock people or try to decide how different you can make it. Thatās almost too easy. Itās easy to shock people that way, to turn something totally on its head. I think whatās much trickier to do is to subtle because subtle changes can also become real banal and lifeless if youāre not careful.
Blade: I interviewed Sophie B. Hawkins a few weeks ago, who has a fabulous new album out by the way. I highly recommend it. Iām wondering if you feel any sense of sisterhood or artistic kinship with other women who came along in the ā90s about the same time you did. Youāve managed to continue to forge ahead against the odds, while so many artists from that time have seen their audience dry up or move on. What advice would you give to other women who are highly talented musicians and still feel they have something great to offer?
Amos: It is really tough out there and itās culturally tough because the masses seem to be gravitating to the next people and artists are seen as very disposable. They want to move on to whomever is next instead of growing with them. I have always wanted to grow with the artists and jump on the train with them. I wanted to know what they were experiencing and wanted to be seen as their patron. Thatās how I think of my audience ā I very much see them as my patrons, the people who come to my shows. Because without them, I couldnāt keep going. Also, philosophically, people seem to be of the mindset often, that itās OK to just take something. I would never go to a wine show and slip a bottle of wine in my bag when the vendor wasnāt looking but people have talked themselves into thinking that thatās OK. Meanwhile orchestras are shutting down and you have ā¦ very accomplished musicians thinking about how theyāre going to make a living doing their art. This is what Iām hearing from a lot of musicians. Do I have an answer? No, I donāt. I think itās a cultural crisis.
Blade: Isnāt it partly short attention spans too?
Amos: Well yes, that and not wanting to grow. I would like to say that eventually people will realize how sad it is and that it will turn itself around but one of the reasons for the short attention spans is these shows where the next crop is waiting in the wings for its 15 minutes. These shows are making a lot of money but they donāt care about these singers. All they care about is the next show. Nobody is nurturing these artists.
Blade: A lot of people tape your shows and trade them around. Are you OK with that as long as theyāre not trying to profit off them? Say they couldnāt make it to the show in Denver and you did this new song ā which has always been one of the cool things about you, that your set list changes all the time.
Amos: I donāt have a problem with that but please, use good mics! Now obviously, if youāre trying to sell it, then I have a problem. I think my community knows how it goes. They know where I stand on stuff like that. Iāve even had people tell me they knew somebody who fell on hard times and couldnāt go to one of the shows. OK, but one day when you can, give back. I support the arts. Like visual artists ā I go to galleries and support artists all the time.
Blade: I have a somewhat self-indulgent question Iām gonna squeeze in here but maybe it will apply to some other fans too. I play in a church so the challenge really becomes digesting so much new music all the time. What advice would you give to a church pianist or organist where thereās never time to polish anything or let it settle into the brain or fingers before youāre onto the stuff for next Sunday?
Amos: I think you should all be revisiting things on some kind of a rotating schedule. So maybe you revisit something, say, three months later and it becomes part of your repertoire and that way you develop a repertoire. I donāt think things just have to be performed one time. People will say, āOh, I recognize that, I like that piece.ā
Blade: I guess the cynic in me thinks theyāll think, āOh, that again ā he must have had a busy week.ā
Amos: Well, OK, I guess some might think that but you canāt lie to yourself. The only other thing you can do is carve out more rehearsal time for yourself, but yeah, I can imagine it is tough.
Blade: Are you a keeper by nature? Do you have clothes from old video shoots and, like, all the āDoll Posseā wigs and stuff like that?
Amos: Yes, I have all that. And yes, (daughter) Tash dresses up in them all the time.
Blade: How many pianos do you own?
Amos: Well thatās tough to say because I have a deal with Bosendorfer so I can trade them out.
Blade: I canāt imagine what your tuning bill must be.
Amos: Well, we have different tuners in different countries. The Bosendorfer at the beach house in Florida, we have this lovely lady who has this twinkle in her eye. And then thereās the one where we record in Cornwall. But Ann has gotten the Florida one where it doesnāt need as much because itās not being recorded. Sheās really got it stable right now and itās not being moved, so it tends to hold its tuning pretty well. When weāre recording, we tune once a week.
Blade: I love the new album, thanks so much for your time.
Amos: You take care honey, thanks.
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They ran like the wind, broke the tape at the finish line, and clutched their chest with the broadest smile on their face. Then Nikki Hiltz collapsed to the track, having set a new record in the 1,500-meter race at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials and earned a spot on Team USA.Ā
As the realization sank in that they would be representing the U.S. in Paris as an out transgender nonbinary athlete, what the Paris-bound Olympian did next was to scribble a message of LGBTQ representation on the last day of Pride Month, writing with a red marker upon the glass of the camera that records each athleteās signature on a whiteboard:
āI ā¤ļø the gays,ā they wrote, and above it, they signed their first name.
Hiltz, 29, finished the race on Sunday at the University of Oregonās Hayward Field in first-place with a final time of 3:55:33, breaking third-place finisher Elle St. Pierreās 2021 record of 3:58:03.
Hiltz credited St. Pierre, the top-finishing American and third-place finisher in the womenās 1,500 at the Tokyo Olympics, with motivated them and the other competitors to race faster. With a first lap time of 61 seconds, St. Pierre led the race for the majority of its duration. St. Pierre and Emily Mackay, who placed second, also both earned spots in the Paris Olympics.
āIf someone would have told me this morning that 3:56 doesnāt make the team, I donāt want to know that. Iām just in the race to run it and race it and thatās what I did,ā Hiltz said after the race. The Santa Cruz native who came out in 2021 as trans nonbinary told NBC Sports that the accomplishment is ābigger than just me.ā
āI wanted to run this for my community,ā Hiltz said, āAll of the LGBT folks, yeah, you guys brought me home that last hundred. I could just feel the love and support.ā
On Monday, Hiltz reflected on the race and how they became an Olympian in a post on Instagram.
āWoke up an Olympian. š„¹ Yesterday afternoon in Eugene Oregon a childhood dream of mine came true. Iām not sure when this will fully sink in ā¦ All I know is today Iām waking up just so grateful for my people, overwhelmed by all the love and support, and filled with joy that I get to race people I deeply love and respect around a track for a living. šā
Hiltz also shared a photo with their girlfriend, runner Emma Gee, and captioned it: āRemember in Inside Out 2 when Joy says āmaybe this is what happens when you grow up ā¦ you feel less joyā? Yeah I actually have no idea what sheās talking about. ššš¤ š¦ š„š«š·ā
They shared photos in their new Team USA garb, too.
While they will be the first out trans nonbinary member of the U.S. track and field team, Hiltz will not be the first nonbinary Olympian. That honor goes to Quinn, who played soccer for Canada in Tokyo and holds the record as the only nonbinary athlete to have won a gold medal. So far.
Many of the posts by Hiltz, Team USA and others have been trolled by bigots and ignoramuses who have mistaken them for a trans woman who was presumed to be male at birth and transitioned genders. Right-wing outlets and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines have commented on their victory and questioned their gender identity and decision to compete against cisgender women.
A female who identifies as trans earned a spot on the U.S. women’s Olympic team.
I wonder why she didn’t try out for the men’s team. It’s almost as if she understands she would never be able to compete or succeed at same level against the men.
Tellinghttps://t.co/M5Lj9G0aEi
ā Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) July 2, 2024
But in the spirit of the late Marsha P. Johnson, who famously said the āPā stood for āpay no mindā to the haters, Hiltz shared a photo of a handwritten motivational note to themself, which ends: āI saw a quote online the other week that said, ārespect everybody, fear nobody,ā and thatās exactly how Iām going to approach this final. I can do this.āĀ
And they did.Ā
a&e features
Rehobothās Purple Parrot still soaring after 25 years
Owners Hugh Fuller and Troy Roberts reflect on keys to their success
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Two buildings, one romance, and 25 years later, the Purple Parrot is busy as ever.
If the tropical purple paint covering the outside with rainbow flags and walls covered with love notes, affirmations, and drunk wishes scribbled on dollar bills don’t indicate it already, the Purple Parrot is an institution in Rehoboth. The gay-owned and operated fixture is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.Ā
The Blade sat down with owners Hugh Fuller and Troy Roberts of the Rehoboth establishment to discuss the past 25 years and plans for the future.Ā
Fuller and Roberts, both gay, have been working together since before the Parrot was even an idea. Fuller was a co-owner of the Iguana, another restaurant and bar in the town. Ā
āI was in the Iguana first with another business partner,ā Fuller said. āI was going to get out and move up to Pennsylvania with him [Roberts]. He decided that he was going to come down and said, āWell, what if I go in with you at the Iguana and we do it together?ā And I was like, āAlright,ā so we did, and it just snowballed from there. We were always in the restaurant business together from the beginning.āĀ
āYeah, that was really luck, too,ā Roberts began. āBecause-ā
āBecause Grindr wasnāt around then!ā Fuller interjected, laughing as Roberts began to roll his eyes and smile.Ā
āI had a small place up in York,ā Roberts continued. āSelling that kind of gave us some money to buy the other guy out. We just had friends supporting us and helping us along the way and it just kind of worked.āĀ
āKind of workedā would be an understatement. The pair moved on from the Iguana and opened the Parrot. Then, after opening the Parrot, they decided to shift locations to a larger location down the street to accommodate the growing demand. Then in 2010, the Parrot expanded again, adding the land behind the Rehoboth Avenue location, which provided an additional 950 square feet as well as giving patrons access to Wilmington Avenue.
The bar and restaurant, which serves American cuisine with a beach flair, has always focused on being a welcoming space to all regardless of sexuality, gender, race, nationality, or identity. This, the duo explains, is one of the reasons why the restaurant has had such a lasting impact on the Rehoboth restaurant and gay communities.Ā
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āBack in the ā90s when we first opened up, the amount of straight crossdressers that would come were like, āOh, are we allowed to come in? Are we welcomed into a place like that?ā And we were like āEverybody that walks on this planet is welcome here!āā Fuller said. āThose are the kinds of things, you know, where people just felt comfortable. They would get stared at out on the street, but inside they would walk around and feel like they were in their own skin. It was just really cool to see.ā
The feeling of acceptance has been a crucial part of the Parrotās success.
āI got an email a couple of days ago ā probably two weeks ago about a woman bringing her daughter down,ā Roberts said. āShe’s 16 and was bullied through school ā hard times, depression, tried to harm herself a couple of times. It was just really sweet that she reached out and she’s like, āMy daughter was a completely different person when I brought her into your bar. Everybody treated her nice ā the bartenders, the waitstaff, I mean, everybody was friendly. She just doesn’t experience that often being an out 16-year-old lesbian. We just can’t even thank you enough.ā It’s those kinds of things that we get often.ā
ā[The mother] mainly wrote it because we put the Pride flag on the Parrotās Facebook wall,ā Fuller added.
The colorful lights, disco balls, and staggering number of dollar bills stapled to the walls highlight that the Rehoboth community has embraced the Parrot. Itās not uncommon to see a group of gay patrons sitting at the bar in bathing suits sipping on orange crushes and talking about their day at Poodle Beach while a bachelorette party belts out Lady Gaga on karaoke night in the room next door. That is the vibe Fuller and Roberts have curated ā a fun and friendly tropical oasis in the middle of Rehoboth Avenue.
A crucial element of this curated vibe, the pair point out, is treating employees and guests with respect. When asked what they have learned that helped them be so successful over the past 25 years, Fuller and Roberts said the same thing.
āPatience, organization, and treating people well,ā Roberts said.ā I think that’s probably one of the bigger of the three ā you treat them well and they treat you well. I think it’s just a mutual respect.ā
āIt took me about 30 years to learn that it’s not just all about work,ā Fuller said. āI used to bust my butt in there all the time and the focus was [on] the restaurant. I know [Roberts] said patience, I would say mine was being patient too because I learned going in that it’s easier to deal with your employees without shouting at them. It took me a little while to get through that.ā
He added that compensating staff fairly was also one of their keys to success.Ā
āBefore we take a nickel out of our business, we put $1 back into our employeesā pockets,ā Fuller said. We want the business to survive and it has been incredible.ā
Fuller added that this sentiment, of having patience and treating everyone with respect, goes both ways ā it applies to the Parrotās patrons as well.
āIf you leave the Parrot angry, it’s your own decision,ā Fuller explained. āIf we don’t make you happy there, it’s because you’re choosing not to be happy. We will go out of our way to correct anything and everything that we can. So if you leave [unhappy], it’s not because we couldn’t do it. It’s because you didn’t want us to.ā
The two discussed their history together ā anyone who has them interact can see their spirited energy and appreciation for each other.
āTroy and I used to be a couple when we first opened, and we were together for about 10 years,ā Fuller said. āAnd then we kind of went our separate ways, but the restaurant kept us in very close contact. Sometimes I think we’re probably closer than most couples are because of the way that the restaurant has us tied together.ā
āEven during the worst of it, we never stopped communicating on a daily basis,ā Roberts added. āObviously, you can tell by his personality why that all went south,ā he said laughing.
āWell, you can tell by the way that he looks why it went south.ā Fuller jabbed back, also laughing.
āHey!ā Roberts replied.
āI wasn’t gonna continue dating my grandfather!ā Fuller joked.
Despite the end of their romantic relationship, there was still clear evidence of perpetual good energy between the business partners. The two then started to reminisce about the past 25 years and the struggles and successes they overcame to reach this milestone.
The pair mentioned the two biggest struggles they have faced in the past quarter century. One was when Rehoboth Avenue was dug up for the Streetscape improvement project, and the second was the 2008 recession.Ā
āWe were refinancing our houses several times to keep it afloat there for a little while,ā Fuller said.
āBut hey, we got nice sidewalks now!ā Roberts added. āSo that’s good.ā
Itās not just the customers who grew up with the Parrot; so did the staff.
āI mean one of the kids who bussed for us is now our dentist,ā Fuller said.
āOne of the busboys from the Iguana days, he’s our dentist now,ā Roberts explained. āThey actually started dating in high school while working together at the Iguana. One of them followed us to the Parrot and her daughter just worked for us two summers ago as a host. He’s our dentist, and they’re still local. We just sold him a house over in Lewes, because we’re both Realtors on the side. When you look back at that, you’re like, āOh, my God, you were just a kid. And now you have a kid graduating college!ā It goes fast.āĀ
It seems that many of the staff have a soft spot for the Parrot, and for good reason. An important aspect of keeping their employees happy is supporting them. At first, it was trips to Disney World with some of the servers and renting out the local waterpark to give kids time to enjoy the summer. Then it became Christmas bonuses, which are not common in the food service industry.Ā
The Parrot helped raise more than $10,000 for one of their employees dealing with fallout from the war in Ukraine.Ā
āOne of our bartenders being from Ukraine, when all that went down, amazingly, how he was able to bring a lot of his family over,ā Roberts said. āAnd until they actually got grounded, he had places for them to stay all lined up.ā
āThe reason that he was able to get them over is because we did a fundraiser at the restaurant and our customers raised over $10,000 to help sponsor his family and one of our other employees’ families,ā Fuller said. āThey brought them all the way up through Mexico and into the country and now they’re here with citizenship cards and working for us. We got them houses and apartments too.ā
āWe don’t care what they are, whether they’re straight, Black, Chinese, Mexican. It’s like the Benetton of Rehoboth in here,ā Fuller added. āIt’s the United Nations. We support everybody and we’re not afraid to show our support for everybody.ā
In addition to reminiscing about some of the good things the restaurant has done for its employees, they both talked about notable guests of the Parrot.
āMy mind went right to the guys from Manhattan, who would always come down,ā Roberts said when asked if any guests have stuck out to him over the past 25 years. āThey just happened to find us. They had never been to Rehoboth before. They walked into the original Parrot and had every single year after that until two of them passed away. It just became like a yearly week, then it turned into two weeks, and then it turned into two times a year. And it was all just because they came to one bar, and had so much fun. They would sit there all day, all night, go home take a nap, and come back for dinner. And it was just their place.ā
They have faced some objections from those who were not as receptive to their tolerance of different people.
āWe get the same hate that everybody else does ā the same hate that the city got when they put the rainbow crossings in and the flag up,ā Fuller said. āI was just telling Troy about a conversation I had yesterday with a guy. The front of our business for Pride month has flags on it and says āHappy Pride.ā And he said, āI was going to come in here but I see you’re supporting the gay community with your rainbow flags.ā And I said āYes.ā And he goes, āWell, I don’t see why you don’t have flags for veterans.ā And I said,ā Well, as a veteran, I can tell you that we don’t serve to be recognized, we serve to protect and to give you guys your freedom. It’s not something that we want recognition for. But there is a flag, the American flag, that flies over the top of our business every day to represent the veterans of this country.āā
Despite the opinions of some who are less than welcoming of the LGBTQ community, the Purple Parrot will always be a safe space to celebrate, the two affirmed. And celebrate they will.Ā
The Parrot already hosted one party to celebrate the milestone of the bar early in the summer, but will throw an even bigger bash at the end of the season to commemorate the history and hard work that has gone into making the Parrot āfly.ā
āOn May fifth we had a big party,ā Fuller said. āWe’ll have another one at the end of the summer in September. We did one at the beginning and then we’re going to do a really big one at the end of the summer. The first celebration, that weekend, turned out to be a little rainy, and misty so it wasn’t as big as it could have been. It was packed inside but it wasn’t packed outside like it normally is. We usually do a full cookout barbecue, all that stuff and we’ll do that again at the end of the summer. We’ll have another one of those with DJs. I am not sure about a drag show, but we’ll probably have something because the girls are trying to get something together. We don’t want to spoil anything but there will be a surprise.ā
When asked to give their final thoughts on owning and running one of Rehobothās most successful businesses as gay men, the two made it clear that it has to be a safe and welcoming space for all for it to succeed.
āI think you have to be all-inclusive,ā Roberts said. āI don’t think in today’s world you can just really limit it to the gay community. You have to be gay-friendly, and accepting as well. And I think that helps because it gets non-gays in there and everybody just starts to get along. It becomes more accepted and then becomes the norm.ā
Fuller agreed but emphasized being true to oneās character in collaboration with being inclusive is the key to their success.
āBeing gay isn’t who we are, you know, it’s what we are,ā Fuller said. āYou can’t be afraid to be you. ā¦ If you’re going to open up a business, you want to make sure you lean on the community, because the community is going to be your biggest support. And that’s how we definitely lean on the gay community.ā
The Purple Parrot is located at 134 Rehoboth Ave. in Rehoboth Beach and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and is open from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays. For more information, visit their website at ppgrill.com.
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The 2024 New York City Pride Parade wound through the streets of Manhattan and past the historic Stonewall Inn on Sunday, June 30.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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