Arts & Entertainment
Social agenda for March 5
Friday, March 5
Join the DC Front Runners for their First Friday Happy Hour from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Green Lantern, located at 1335 Green Court, N.W.
Participate in Gay District from 8:30-10:30 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Gay District is a weekly, non-church affiliated discussion and social group for GBTQ men between 18 and 35. The group meets at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church (1820 Connecticut Ave., N.W., just north of Dupont Circle. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
Raw, held from 10 p.m.-3 a.m., returns to the Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court, N.W. Raw is an electro-disco party on the first Friday of each month at the Green Lantern, inspired by gay parties of the early 80s. Join your host, Karl Marks, and resident DJs, Shea and Bil, for some retro fun, fog, lasers, strobe lights and throbbing music. Free entry before 11 p.m., cover is just $3 after that.
Town Danceboutique, located at 2009 8th St., N.W., presents its “So, you think you’re a drag queen?” competition. Doors open at 10 p.m. with the drag show/contest at 10:30 p.m. Contestants must arrive at the club by 10 p.m. (no later than 10:15) and bring a CD with a song you want to perform. Makeup should be done before your arrival. The audience decides the winner with a grand prize of $250.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, holds its March Post-Valentine Sweet & Sentimental Social. To participate, visit www.burgundycrescent.org.
Saturday, March 6
Join your hosts and DJs Richard Morel and Bob Mould for Blowoff at the 9:30 club, located at 815 V St., N.W. Doors open at 11:30 p.m. with a $12 cover.
DC Metro LGBT IT Professionals meets from 10-11 a.m. at SteamCafe, 17th & R streets. RSVP at meetup.com at: http://www.meetup.com/GayDigerati/
Thom Bierdz will create a painting to be auctioned off to support Out for Work on Saturday, March 6 from 6-9 p.m. at MOVA Lounge (formerly Halo) at 1435 P St., N.W. Bierdz is the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay character, Phillip Chancellor III, on CBS’ “The Young & the Restless.”
EFF Winter Dance Party is held from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar, 555 23rd St., South Arlington, Va. Party is 21+. There is a $5 cover, which benefits Capital Pride.
The March edition of the monthly gear/fetish party CODE at Motley Bar above EFN Lounge, 1318 9th St., N.W., 9 p.m.-3 a.m., will feature DJ Shea Van Horn. Admission is $10. Code is an 18+ event. Gear, rubber, skin, uniform or leather dress code will be strictly enforced.
JAM @ MOVA Lounge at 1435 P St., N.W., 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. Join B.O.I. and the ladies of Mixology as they take over MOVA Lounge. Come out and mingle, dance, drink or chill.
In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Food & Friends will host a free community event 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Riggs LaSalle Community Center, 501 Riggs Rd., N.E. Free shuttle from the Fort Totten Metro Station (on the Red, Green-Yellow Lines). This free community event is open to all ages and includes free HIV testing and counseling, educational workshops and free food and entertainment.
DCist.com holds its fourth annual DCist Exposed Photography Show at Long View Gallery, March 6-21. Out of more than 1,000 entries submitted through Flickr.com, 47 winning images were selected by a panel to be included in this year’s DCist Exposed exhibit. This year’s opening reception will be Saturday, 6-10 p.m., $5 at the door. Long View Gallery is located at 1234 9th St., N.W., just a few blocks from the Mt. Vernon/Convention Center Metro.
A Night Out at Silo Point, a benefit for Moveable Feast. Built in 1923, the B&O Railroad grain terminal in Baltimore was the biggest and fastest grain elevator in the world. Today, it’s a contemporary 24-story condo tower rising above the Inner Harbor. Tour the building and help Moveable Feast while you’re at it — food and cocktails, dance to DJ D-Rizzo and tour six decorated models, 8 p.m.-12 a.m., 1200 Steuart St., Baltimore. Tickets are $45 per person or $75 per couple, purchase online at mfeast.org.
Sunday, March 7
Join the DC Center at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St., N.W., for the 5th Annual Oscar celebration, “Glamour, Glitter, & Gold.” Doors open at 7 p.m.; general admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door. V.I.P. admission, $100. Purchase tickets at thedccenter.org or for more information e-mail [email protected].
AZÚCAR DC at EFN Lounge, 1318 9th St., N.W., 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Ginger Glamour joins the Queen of the House Alondra St. Cartier on the Azúcar stage and DJ Michael Brandon plays your favorite hits. Always 18 to dance, 21 to drink.
The Oscars at Black Fox Lounge. Black Fox is located two blocks north of Dupont Circle on Connecticut Avenue, between R and S Streets. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, black tie optional. Prizes for Best Dressed Male and Best Dressed Female. 8-11:30 p.m. No cover.
Thom Bierdz will be signing copies of “Forgiving Troy,” at the Books-A-Million, Dupont Circle location from 3-5 p.m.
Monday, March 8
GLBT Youth Support Group will meet from 4:30-6 p.m. at the GW Center Clinic, 1922 F St., N.W., Suite 103.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, has volunteer opportunities for Food & Friends and for the HRC phone banks. To participate, visit www.burgundycrescent.org.
Tuesday, March 9
Town Danceboutique, located at 2009 8th St., N.W., presents “Speakeasy.” The topic is “American Idol: Stories about brushes with fame.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. $10 cover, 21+. To sign up or for more info visit speakeasydc.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for the Safer Sex Kit Packing Program. To participate, visit www.burgundycrescent.org.
Wednesday, March 10
Hollaback Transgender Support Group meets from 6:30-8 p.m. in the DC Center Activity Room. Hollaback is a program of the DC Community AIDS Network. The DC Center is located at 1810 14th St., N.W., convenient to the U Street/Cardozo Metro stop, and on the 14th Street bus lines.
Thursday, March 11
Whitman Walker: “Ready for Change” Harm Reduction Group, MRC, 2301 MLK Ave., S.E. from 3-5 p.m.
Dining Out for Life, an annual benefit for Food & Friends is held tonight at various restaurants around the city that donate a percentage of their take to charity. The Burgundy Crescent has related volunteer opportunities available. To participate, visit foodandfriends.org or burgundycrescent.org.
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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