Bars & Parties
Men of Mautner to honor Catania
Council member praised for work on health care, marriage
All MOMs should report to the rooftop of 701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., on May 26, says Mautner Project executive director Leslie Calman.
And do it for your mom, she says, or your sister, your daughter or other loved one or friend — anyone who partners with other women and who has ever needed health care services including “during a time of overwhelming challenge of threatening illness.”
Why? “Because the Men of Mautner will celebrate another year of partnership on Wednesday, May 26 when we come together to honor the 2010 Man of Mautner, DC Councilman David Catania,” Calman adds.
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be plentiful that evening, she says, and she also promises a gorgeous rooftop view of the city as well as the chance to meet other Men of Mautner, those volunteers and donors who help the non-profit organization now in its 20th year serving the health care needs of women who partner with women whether as lesbian or bisexual or trans individuals.
Catania, D.C. Council member at large and chair of the Health Committee, declared: “I could not be more excited or honored about this award,” adding that he has “supported the Mautner Project in fundraising and other ways for such a long time, because of its important, indeed indispensable, role in serving the health care needs of the lesbian community in the D.C. area.”
Catania pointed in particular to the Mautner Project’s leadership role, together with other LGBT groups, in spearheading a drive to encourage smoking cessation and the results have been “a phenomenal success,” he said, “seeing dramatic drops in the rate of smoking” among LGBT individuals. “Mautner provides a crucial voice and can clearly reach into the community with messages we need to have heard to improve health outcomes”
The 2009 Men of Mautner honoree, Bill Gannon, MD, the first man to be elected to Mautner’s board, in 2003, hailed the selection of Catania as his successor MOM this year as “an important step to acknowledge the critical leadership role of elected officials in meeting health care needs of LGBT people” as well as for Catania’s major role in promoting same-sex marriage equality in the enactment of the District’s recent landmark law.
Gannon, a physician specializing in oncology and cancer-related clinical trials for biotech and pharmaceutical companies, noted that “men play a key supportive role to women in these initiatives, and a lot of us see this as helping our sisters — actual or otherwise — touched by cancer and also as a way of giving back to the gay community.”
He also noted that in his own case his mother-in-law — partner David Weidner’s own mother — is a breast-cancer survivor. “So it’s up close and very personal for me.”
Gannon urged all men, and all others, to invest in the work of the Mautner Project. Tickets are $100 for the event, which is from 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, May 26 at 701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. The event is sponsored by Ackerman Legal PLLC. Catania will speak after being introduced by Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff.
Speaking of the Men of Mautner fundraiser, host Glen Ackerman, head of the law firm Ackerman Legal, PLLC, said: “I have served on the Mautner board for just a little over a year, but this affiliation has afforded me the opportunity for the most personal growth and learning I have experienced so far, since as a gay man I’ve now had to learn all about women’s health issues and all the problems that lesbian women face in getting their health care needs met.” Ackerman also was co-chair of the Mautner Project’s 20th anniversary gala event.
The Mautner Project was founded in 1990, following the death due to breast cancer in 1989 of local lesbian-rights activist and mother Mary-Helen Mautner, then 42, who asked her partner Susan Hester to begin an organization to help other lesbians facing life-threatening illness. Calman calls this “our founding story … of how she literally outlined on a piece of paper a plan for how lesbians could help other lesbians deal with cancer.”
In the past 20 years, according to Calman, the Mautner Project has won many grants to advance such public health initiatives as smoking cessation and most recently obesity among women who partner with women, especially including African-American women. That newest project, a 3-year, $250,000 grant from the District’s Health Department, goes into effect later this month as an integrated research and public education outreach for direct intervention to change people’s behaviors leading to obesity.
Men of Mautner
May 26, 7 p.m.
701 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Tickets $100
mautnerproject.org
a&e features
Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties
Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more
With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.
Pitchers
This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.
Trade
D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.
Number Nine
While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.
Crush
Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.
Bunker
This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.
District Eagle
This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.
Kiki, Shakiki
Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.
Spark
This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).
Bars & Parties
Mixtape Sapphics hosts holiday party on Dec. 13
‘Sugar & Spice’ night planned for Saturday
Mixtape Sapphics will host “Sapphic Sugar & Spice: A Naughty-Nice Mixtape Holiday Party” on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. at Amsterdam Lounge.
This is a festive, grown holiday party for queer women and sapphics 35 and older at Revolt’s Christmas pop-up. There will be music, joy, and an optional White Elephant.
This is Mixtape Sapphics’ first-ever holiday party — a cozy, flirty, intentionally grounded night created just for queer women and sapphics 35+ who want real connection, festive joy, and a warm place to land at the end of the year.
Tickets start at $13.26 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Bars & Parties
Impulse Group DC to host fundraiser
Giving Tuesday and Happy Hour held at Thurst Lounge
Impulse Group DC, a local advocacy organization, will host “Giving Tuesday and Happy Hour” on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. at Thurst Lounge.
This event is a special happy hour fundraiser filled with good vibes, great food, and community connection. DJ Obie will be on deck keeping the energy high while you enjoy tacos, cocktails, and the kind of atmosphere only Thurst can deliver.
A portion of every signature cocktail sold goes directly toward supporting Impulse Group D.C.’s work in sexual health, mental health, harm reduction, and social justice for the D.C. community.
Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
PHOTOS: Freddie’s Follies
Imperial Court of Washington drag group has ‘dissolved’
What to watch for in 2026: midterms, Supreme Court, and more
A reminder that Jan. 6 was ‘textbook terrorism’
Claudia López criticizes Trump over threats against Colombian president
D.C.’s 10 best theater productions of 2025
A look back at the best books of 2025
The year in photos
Safer Ways to Pay for Online Performances and Queer Events
