Arts & Entertainment
Arts news in brief
Queer poetry workshops
Three sessions of “Brother Tongue,” a spoken word and poetry workshop for “queer men” led by noted poet and spoken word artist Regie Cabico begins Saturday at the D.C. Center at 1318 U St., N.W.
The workshops continue the next two Saturdays Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 and meet each time from 1 to 4 p.m. To register, contact [email protected]. Participants are also encouraged to bring their work on Jan. 7 to the DC Center Open Mic Night, for which signups begin that evening at 7:30 p.m. and performances start at 8 p.m.
Grimm meets ‘Glee’ at Kennedy Center
Matt Gardiner, the Helen Hayes Award-winning gay resident director at Signature Theater in Arlington, directs and choreographs “Snow White, Rose Red and Fred,” a new musical for young audiences running through Dec. 19 at the Kennedy Center Family Theater.
The Kennedy Center-commissioned show is the work of composer Zina Goldrich, with book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler; they’ve been a writing team for 17 years. It re-imagines the Brothers Grimm fairy tale as the story of two contemporary ill-behaved teens — Melinda and Melissa, popular cheerleader BFFs — who use warp-speed texting and Tweeting and song to navigate the challenge of their rivalry over who will invite them to the high school prom. An hour-long, for ages 9 and above, it runs daytimes Saturday and Sunday through Dec 19. For tickets at $18 and times, go here.
Drag queens, feminists at Jewish film fest
Among the 53 films at this year’s Washington Jewish Film Festival running Dec. 2-12 are several with LGBT and feminist interest. See them at the DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St., N.W.
“Mary Lou” (2010), 9:15 p.m., Saturday: A drag queen searches for love and self in this Israeli TV mini-series totaling 150 minutes. An Israeli Emmy Award winner for 2010 by filmmaker Eytan Fox, it brings to life a modern fable with a catchy musical message.
“Mary Lou” is co-sponsored by the DC JCC program for Gay and Lesbian Outreach and Engagement (GLOE).
“Grace Paley: Short Stories” (2010), 11a.m., Sunday: A 74-minute documentary by director Lilly Rivlin, presented in cooperation with Lilith Magazine, the film contains interviews with the noted feminist author of short stories and poems exploring racial, gender and class issues, and interviews with her friends, and footage of her political activities. Paley, who died in 2007 at age 84, was a “combative pacifist” whose lifetime of struggle against social and political injustice often landed her in jail.
Director Lilly Rivlin will speak after the film. Tickets are $11 ($10 for seniors and students) here.
‘Candide’ cast member performs ‘F You’
Young Joey Stone plays several roles, including Senor and the “bad sailor” in the Leonard Bernstein musical “Candide,” now at the Shakespeare Theatre Company through Jan. 9. And he is also its dance captain. Stone has been out since high school.
He recently joined with Lauren Molina, who stars in the show as Cunegunde, to produce a music video cover of “Fuck You,” the 2010 hit pop song by hip-hop singer Cee-Lo Green, sometimes edited for radio as “F.U.” or “Forget You” and performed that way on “Glee.” Their unvarnished version — with Lauren on cello and performed with Dominic Johnson from the Chicago cast of “Candide” on violin — has become a hit on You Tube.
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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