Arts & Entertainment
Psychology of abuse
Lesbian drama explores tumultuous relationship set in Baltimore
Playwright Ira Kip in Washington last weekend for performances of her lesbian domestic violence drama ‘She’Baltimore.’ (Photo courtesy Kip)
At last weekend’s D.C.-area debut of writer/director Ira Kip’s new play “She’Baltimore,” the scene was set for a fight, possibly to the death. The production’s spare set suggested a boxing ring. There were the standard chairs in opposite corners, but instead of ropes, the ring was fenced by crime scene tape.
Set in Baltimore, Kip’s hour-long theater piece explores domestic violence within the LGBT community. It focuses on Linay (also Kip in a nuanced performance) and her girlfriend Ebone (nicely underplayed by Nicole McManus). They have their good times, but when things go wrong between them, they go toxically wrong, resulting in beatings and emergency room visits. Interestingly the playwright (who declines to state her own sexual orientation) has somewhat blurred the lines regarding blame: Yes, it’s Ebone who busts her lover’s lip, but then again there’s Linay’s explosive temper. And when Ebone makes a move to exit what she realizes is an unsalvageable relationship, it’s Linay who pleads with her to stay.
Before coming to D.C., “She’Baltimore” premiered in Amsterdam and then played in Baltimore. In celebration of D.C. Black Pride, the Blade sponsored the production’s two-night run at the Warehouse over Memorial Day weekend. And despite some problems beyond the production’s control — loud music blared from Warehouse’s neighbor, the New York Avenue Beach Bar; and Kip was called upon rather last minute to understudy for the actor slated to play Linay — the May 25th performance was a success.
Kip is a gifted playwright. She seamlessly shifts from lyrical prose to raw dialogue. The play’s vignette-like scenes can stand alone, but when strung together they’re more powerful, taking the audience deep into what defines the couple’s disturbing relationship — sexual attraction, beatings, affection, frustration, anger, drug abuse — it’s all there. Additionally, Linay and Ebone come with baggage. Both women are regrettably estranged from their families largely due to their sexuality.
The production’s five-member cast was made up of gay, straight and bisexual black women. As the narrator, Sherry Richardson intermittently relayed domestic violence crimes ripped from the local Baltimore nightly news. Heather Smith played a dismissive intake nurse with a bad attitude. While supplying comic relief, the character also searingly represents the system’s insensitivity and lack of training. And Nia Johnson was appealing as Angel, Linay’s emotional port in the storm.
A post-show discussion on the play’s theme featuring the cast was led by production assistant Bakari Jones.
Kip is Caribbean-born. She has lived in the Netherlands but now calls New York City home. Her play is partly an indictment of America’s reluctance to understand gay people’s lives more fully and its inability to properly respond to LGBT mental and physical health issues in relation to domestic abuse. “She’Baltimore” puts the spotlight on important but not widely discussed topics.
History
Julius’ Bar ‘sip-in’ laid groundwork for Stonewall
Tuesday marked 60 years since four gay activists held protest
While Stonewall is widely considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S., a lesser-known protest inside a Greenwich Village bar three years earlier helped lay critical groundwork for what would follow.
Tuesday marked 60 years since the Julius’ Bar “sip in.”
On April 21, 1966, four gay rights activists — Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons, and later Randy Wicker — walked into Julius’ Bar and staged what would become known as a “sip-in” to challenge state liquor regulations on serving alcoholic beverages to gay men — with a drink.
Modeled after the sit-ins that challenged racial segregation across the American South, the protest was designed to confront discriminatory practices targeting LGBTQ patrons in public spaces.
At the time, the Mattachine Society — one of the country’s earliest gay rights groups — was actively pushing back against policies enforced by the New York State Liquor Authority. One of those policies could have resulted in the loss of liquor licenses for serving known or suspected gay men and lesbians. The participants had visited multiple establishments, openly identified themselves as homosexual, and requested a drink — with the anticipation of being denied.
Their final stop was Julius’, where reporters and a photographer had gathered to document the moment. When Leitsch declared their identity, the bartender covered their glasses and refused service, reportedly saying, “I think it’s against the law.” The next day, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, “3 Deviates Invite Exclusion by Bars,” cementing the moment in the public record.
Though initially framed with disrespect — the term “sip-in” itself was coined as a play on civil rights protests — the action marked a turning point. It brought national attention to the systemic discrimination LGBTQ people faced and helped catalyze changes in how liquor laws were enforced. In the years that followed, the protest contributed to the emergence of licensed, more openly gay-friendly bars, which became central social and organizing spaces for LGBTQ communities.
The Washington Blade originally covered when the bar was officially added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
Today, historians and advocates increasingly recognize the “sip-in” as a key pre-Stonewall milestone. According to the New York City LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, the protest not only increased visibility of the early LGBTQ rights movement but also exposed widespread surveillance and entrapment tactics used against the community.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the event, commemorations have taken place in New York and across the country. Reflecting on its enduring legacy, Amanda Davis, executive director of the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, spoke about the event.
“Julius’ Bar is a place you can visit and viscerally connect with history,” said Davis. “We’re thrilled to have solidarity locations across the country join us in commemorating the ‘sip-in’’s 60th anniversary and the queer community’s First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.”
For current stewards of the historic bar, the responsibility of preserving that legacy remains front of mind.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to be the steward of a place so important to American and LGBTQ history,” said current owner of Julius’ Bar, Helen Buford. “The events of the 1966 Sip-In here at Julius’ resonated across the country and inspired countless others to stand proud for their rights.”
The timing couldn’t have come at a more important moment, Kymn Goldstein, executive director of the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, explained.
“At a time when our community faces renewed challenges, coming together in resilience and solidarity reminds us of the power in our collective resistance,” Goldstein said.
The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to defending rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, is currently tracking 519 anti-LGBTQ bills across the U.S. The majority are targeted at restricting transgender rights — particularly related to gender-affirming care, sports participation, and the use of public bathrooms.
Some additional groups and bars that held their own “sip-in” as solidarity events to uplift this historic milestone are from across the country include:
Alice Austen House at Steiny’s Pub, Staten Island, N.Y.
Bellows Falls Pride Committee at PK’s Irish Pub, Bellows Falls, Vt.
Brick Road Coffee, Mesa, Ariz.
Brick Road Coffee, Tempe, Ariz.
Dick Leitsch’s Family at Old Louisville Brewery, Louisville, Ky.
The Faerie Playhouse & LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana at Le Cabaret, New Orleans
Harlem Pride & John Reddick at L’Artista Italian Kitchen & Bar, New York
JOYR!DE KiKi at Loafers Cocktail Bar, New York
Matthew Lawrence & Jason Tranchida / Headmaster at Deadbeats Bar, Providence, R.I.
Mazer Lesbian Archives at Alana’s Coffee, Los Angeles
New Hope Celebrates at The Club Room, New Hope, Pa.
Queer Memory Project at the University of Evansville Multicultural Student Commons / Ridgway University Center, Evansville, Ind.
Sandy Jack’s Bar, Brooklyn, N.Y.
St. Louis LGBT History Project at Just John Club, St. Louis
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch was held at Salamander Washington DC on Sunday, April 19. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) was presented with the Allyship Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The umbrella LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C. held its annual Night of Champions Gala at the Georgetown Marriott on Saturday, April 18. Team D.C. presented scholarships to local student athletes and presented awards to Adam Peck, Manuel Montelongo (a.k.a. Mari Con Carne), Dr. Sara Varghai, Dan Martin and the Centaur Motorcycle Club. Sean Bartel was posthumously honored with the Most Valuable Person Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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