An attorney for the nation’s largest Republican gay rights group has told a judge he will use President Obama’s statements in a federal court lawsuit challenging the government’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military. In his opening statement Tuesday at the trial in Riverside, Calif., attorney Dan Woods said he will [...]

Real World’s Mike Manning talks about God, government and going both ways

Mike Manning of MTV's ''Real World DC'' (Photo by Todd Franson)

The evolution of the District is fast-paced these days. The population is growing, streetcars are on their way, and there’s once again a first lady in the White House who makes fashion-news headlines. And for the first time since its 1992 debut, MTV’s Real World landed in Washington.

From summer through fall last year, eight housemates lived at 2000 S St. NW. Habitués of D.C.’s gay nightlife would surely have seen the crew pile into any number of nightspots during the course of the filming. And if they were following all the Real World blogs, they quite likely knew that Mike Manning possibly had more reason than the rest to hit the gay spots.

The 22-year-old with the “boy next door” looks, hailing from Thornton, Colo., and taking time off from the University of Northern Colorado to live his life minute-by-minute for the cameras, came out as bisexual not long before filming began.

And D.C. suited him just fine.

“I actually did a lot of networking while I was here and I met a lot of people,” Manning said during a visit to Metro Weekly offices the night after the show’s Dec. 30 premiere party at Halo. “I actually hung out with people who live in D.C. almost as much as I hung out with the roommates. I love handing out business cards and shaking hands and meeting people. I think by the time I left D.C. I had a hundred new contacts in my Gmail account.”

Between socializing, his jobs with the Human Rights Campaign and the Energy Action Coalition, the gym and church, Manning became so rooted in the District that he wants to return for good. And whether it’s athletic accolades or academic honor rolls, the dynamic young man seems to get what he goes after — in other words, plan on seeing more of Manning about town in May after he earns his business degree.

Read the complete interview at www.metroweekly.com

Real World’s Mike Manning talks about God, government and going both ways The evolution of the District is fast-paced these days. The population is growing, streetcars are on their way, and there’s once again a first lady in the White House who makes fashion-news headlines. And for the first time since its 1992 debut, MTV’s [...]