Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: April 8
Parties, dances, support groups and more through April 14
Friday, April 8
Women in Their Twenties, a social discussion and dinner group, will be meeting tonight from 8 to 9 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).
BYGays AllCity Happy Hour is tonight at U Street Music Hall (115A U St., N.W.) from 7 to 10 p.m. with a performance by Jessica 6 and DJs Bill Todd and Tight Fang. This is a free event.
The annual Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce awards dinner is tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Park Hyatt Washington (1201 24th St., N.W.).
DJ Seth Gold is spinning at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight with BacK2bACk providing music and videos downstairs. Doors open at 10 p.m. For attendees 21 and older, the cover is $5 before 11 p.m. and $10 after. For attendees 18 to 20, the cover is $10 all night.
The Washington Ballet will be performing Le Corsaire, an adventure of “pirates, pashas and the slave girls who love them” at 8 p.m. in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). Tickets range from $20 to $125 and can be purchased online. For more information and to get tickets, visit kennedy-center.org.
Busboys and Poets presents “The 11th Hour” Poetry Slam hosted by “2Deep” The Poetess, tonight from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Langston Room at Busboy & Poets’ 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.). There will be two rounds of poetry and the audience will choose the winner. Tickets are $5 and will be sold at the door.
Saturday, April 9
Blowoff, a dance party featuring gay DJs Bob Mould and Richard Morel, will be at 9:30 club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight. Doors open at 11:30 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at 930.com.
Jacob Nathaniel Pring presents “Come Out of the Shadows,” tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.). Part of POZ D.C., this is a monthly party for those who are HIV positive.
Ten LGBT groups are co-hosting “Grandson of Mega Party Game Night” tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Bailey’s Pub in the Ballston Common Mall (4238 Wilson Blvd.) in Arlington. You do not have to be a member of any of the groups to attend. This is a free event. For more information, visit dcicebreakers.com.
“Nine on the Ninth” open mic poetry presents Rachel Eliza Griffiths hosted by Poet in Residence Derrick Weston Brown at 9 p.m. in the Langston Room at Busboy & Poets’ 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.). Griffith’s newest collection of poetry, “The Requited Distance,” was just released in February. There is a suggested donation of $5 for admission.
D.C.’s Different Drummers will be performing its spring concert, “A Country Portrait,” tonight at 8 p.m. in the auditorium at the Columbia Heights Educational Center (3101 16th St., N.W.). Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. There will be another performance Sunday at 3 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit dcdd.org.
Burgundy Crescent Volunteers will serve as balloon wranglers in the National Cherry Blossom Parade today from 7:30 a.m. to noon on the National Mall. E-mail [email protected] if interested in volunteering.
The Polaroid Retrospective II, an ongoing exhibit dedicated to the world of Polaroid and instant film photography, is on display at the Lamont Bishop Gallery (1314 9th St., N.W.) from 7 to 11 p.m. A few of the artists included are Alan Campbell, Jati, and Jillian Pichocki.
Sunday, April 10
The fourth annual National Rainbow Seder is tonight at 5 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). It will be led by Rabbi Toby Manewith of Congregation Bet Mishpachah. Tickets are $36 for general admission and $24 are DCJCC members, student, seniors and those with limited income. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit washingtondcjcc.org.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) is hosting an artist talk/coffee and cake today from 2 to 4 p.m. with Janet Wheeler and Mary D. Ott, whose exhibits, “Nests with a Twist” and “Grasses” respectively, are on display through May 1.
The D.C. Jazz Jam, a weekly jam free for both musicians and jazz lovers, is tonight from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Dahlak (1771 U St., N.W.).
Monday, April 11
The D.C. Lambda Squares is hosting an Intro to Modern Western Square Dancing and Open House Pizza Party tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Scott Hall at the National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.).
Bears do Yoga at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. Class lasts for an hour and serves as an introduction to yoga for people of all different body types and physical abilities. It’s taught by Michael Brazell. For more information, visit dccenter.org.
Tuesday, April 12
A fundraising Bingo event will be held at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to help Jason Clauson reach his fundraising commitment of $3,000 for the 10th annual AIDS/Lifecycle cycling tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles this summer.
The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance will hold a membership meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archive (1201 17th St., N.W.).
D.C. Bi Women is having its monthly meeting tonight from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the upstairs room of the Dupont Italian Kitchen.
Wednesday, April 13
Rainbow Response is holding its monthly meeting tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 8 p.m.
Politics and Prose Bookstore (5015 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) is holding the first meeting of its newest book group, Lez Read, tonight from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the discount bookroom downstairs. The first group up for discussion is Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith.
Thursday. April 14
Washington Wetskins Water Polo is having a happy hour at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. $1 from every Nellie beer sold goes to the Wetskins. For more information on Washington Wetskins, visit wetskins.org.
There will be a town hall discussion on LGBT targeted hate crimes and bias crimes in Washington, D.C., tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the community room of the Frank Reeves Building (2000 14th St., N.W.) Representatives from GLLU, the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs, Office of the Attorney General and community organizations including Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence are expected to be in attendance.
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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