Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: events through Dec. 9
Friday, Dec. 10
The International Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference continues today at the Mayflower Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). To register for the conference, visit glli.org. The conference runs through Sunday.
RAW will be at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. with guest DJ Zack Rosen. Free entry before 11 p.m. with a $3 cover after. There will be an open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older.
Gloss presents Ladies Night Holiday Party tonight at Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) with music by DJ Rosie in the main room and shows by D.C. Kings and the D.C. Gurly Show starting at midnight. There’s a $10 cover and attendees must be 18 or older.
The D.C. chapter of Ski Bums will be holding a happy hour at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. For more information visit ski-bums.org.
NOVA GL Professionals and D.C. Ice Breakers are co-hosting their annual holiday social tonight at Pinzimi Lounge in the Westin Arlington Gateway (801 N. Glebe Road) at 6 p.m. Business casual attire is suggested.
BrightestYoungThings presents “NEWSEUM: All Access, A Holiday Party” tonight from 8 to 11 p.m. The party will feature exclusive after-hours access to the Newseum, cash bar with cocktails and holiday treats provided by Wolfgang Puck Catering and the unveiling of a photo installation by BYT photographers. Tickets are $15 presale or $20 at the door. The Newseum is located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. For more information, visit brightestyoungthings.com.
Four Bitchin’ Babes will be at Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave.) in Alexandria, tonight at 7:30 p.m. The group has revolved through many members, but this showing will feature founding member Sally Fingerett as well as Debi Smith, Deirdre Flint and Nancy Moran.
Saturday, Dec. 4
Crack presents BudhaKwanzaRamFestivusXmaHanaSolstice tonight at 9 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. There will be a repeat performance Sunday at 5 p.m. and tickets for that show are $8.
Gallery plan b (1530 14th St., N.W.) will be having an opening reception with the artists featured in it Year End Group Show tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. The show will run through Dec. 24. For more information, visit galleryplanb.com.
Zoom Urban Lesbian Excursions will be at All Fired Up (3413 Connecticut Ave.) today at 6 p.m. for its “Pick n’ Paint.” Cost of pottery ranges from $16 to $55 and it takes seven to 10 days to fire an item. A $5 donation to Martha’s Table is expected. Visit zoomexcursions.com for more information.
AGLA will be at Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd.) in Arlingtong today shooting for Holiday Hugs and Kisses at 11 a.m. There will be video shoots at 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 and 1 p.m. There will be a safe observing space for those who do not want to appear in the video. For more information, visit agla.org.
City Gallery (804 H St., N.E.) will be having an opening reception for its new exhibit “Wally Szyndler: a retrospective” tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit citygallerydc.com.
Sunday, Dec. 5
Philip Clark, co-editor of “Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS,” and local authors will be at an open door reading in celebration of the book today at 2 p.m. at the Writer’s Center (4508 Walsh St.) in Bethesda. This is a free event.
The D.C. Arts Center presents Cherry Red Productions’ “Wifeswappers,” written by Justin Tanner tonight at 3 p.m. The play follows a couple as they throw a sex party for the holidays. Tickets are $25 for general admission or $20 for groups of six or more and can be purchased online at cherryredproductions.com/tickets. The show continues through Dec. 18.
Monday, Dec. 6
Watch the New York Jets (9-2) take on the New England Patriots (9-2) for the second time this season in Foxboro, Mass., tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.). The game starts at 8:30 p.m. Also tonight is Beat the Block Happy Hour and Poker Face.
The National Portrait Gallery is showing an exhibit that focuses on sexual differences in the making of modern American portraiture. “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture” is the first major museum exhibit of its kind. The museum is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission is free.
Tuesday, Dec. 7
Holiday ornaments come to life in Cirque Dreams “Holidaze,” which opens tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 7:30 p.m. Directed by Neil Goldberg, the show features about 30 artists performing.
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s new packing location Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Blvd.” makes its Washington premiere tonight at Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave.) in Arlington at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are either $66.30 or $71.45 and can be purchased on ticketmaster.com. The show continues through Feb. 13.
Wednesday, Dec. 8
Rainbow Response will be holding its monthly meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).
Better than Ezra brings its “Road to Mardi Gras” tour to the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at 930.com.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company presents “A Girl’s Guide to Washington Politics” written and performed by the Second City, a comedy theater group from Chicago, which opens tonight with a pay-what-you-can performance at 8 p.m. Lines begin forming around 5 p.m. The show will run through Jan. 9. For more information, visit woollymammoth.net.
Thursday, Dec. 9
DCBiWomen will be having its monthly dinner at Café Luna (1633 P St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 8 p.m For more information, visit dcbiwomen.org.
NSO Pops present Happy Holidays with Marvin Hamlisch conducting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). The program includes songs like “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid,” “O Holy Night” and more classic holiday music. Immediately following this performance is “More with Marvin!”
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington is hosting a piano bar open mic night at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 10 p.m.
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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