Arts & Entertainment
Arts briefs: April 13
Events of note for the region — Washington and Baltimore
Victory Fund to host annual brunch
The Victory Fund is having its National Champagne Brunch on Sunday at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) at 11 a.m. featuring Tammy Baldwin.
This year’s theme is “Strength in Numbers” and Victory Fund will be honoring the eight openly gay and lesbian members of the Maryland legislature: Luke Clippinger, Bonnie Cullison, Anne Kaiser, Richard Madaleno, Maggie McIntosh, Heather Mizeur, Peter Murphy and Mary Washington.
Individual tickets are $150 and a table with ten seats is $1,500.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit victoryfund.org.
Illumination time for Ward 8
Saturday marks the opening of a series of spaces opening in the commercial corridor of Historic Anacostia with Lumen8Anacostia, a 12-hour festival of light, art, music and more starting at noon.
Events begin at noon at Lightbox (2235 Shannon Place, S.E.) with opening remarks on the cargo bay stage and SHAM pop up shop and DJs on the main stage. Both stages will have various performers, the cargo bay stage closing at 6 p.m. and the main stage remaining busy until midnight.
There’s also the “Party Behind the Big Chair” (2020 Shannon Place, S.E.) with performers such as Yung Yeaga and Cee Love, starting at 4:15 p.m.
Part of a project by D.C.’s Office of Planning, vacant and underutilized storefronts and empty lots have been transformed into an artist showcase/village for three to six months.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit lumen8anacostia.com.
Scott Nevins (Photo courtesy MCC-DC)
Scott Nevins plays two shows at MCC-DC
Openly gay comedian, celebrity and television personality Scott Nevins will be appearing at Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge St., N.W.) tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Nevins, who appears on truTV’s show, “The Smoking Gun Presents,” has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest starts including Barry Manilow, Susan Lucci, Idina Menzel, Hal Sparks and more.
Nevins has been awarded an Out There award, was nominated for a HX Award and Glammy Award in 2004 and a MAC Award in 2007 and was chosen by “New York Magazine” in their “Best of New York” issue.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at mccdc.com. Proceeds will benefit the outreach and service programs at MCC.
Gay Broadway star at the Birchmere Sunday
Original Broadway cast members of “Rent” Adam Pascal and openly gay Anthony Rapp play the Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria) Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Rapp, who came out when he was 18, originated the role of Mark Cohen, best friend and roommate of Pascal’s Roger Davis. He has also released a solo album, “Look Around,” and appeared in many theatre productions, TV shows and films including the film version of “Rent.”
Rapp has also written a memoir “Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent,” which was released in 2006 and premiered as a show at the Pittsburgh City Theatre in 2008.
Tickets are $39.50 and available online at ticketmaster.com.
BALTIMORE BRIEFS:
Ball, screening among Alliance offerings
The Creative Alliance at the Patterson (3134 Eastern Ave.) has two events coming up this week.
On Saturday, the Patterson will be transformed into Wonderland for its “Alice in Wonderland”-themed 2012 Marquee Ball.
The ball begins with a preview dinner at 6 p.m. to honor arts lawyer, Scott Johnson with the Golden Formstone Award and Terry Rubenstein for her family’s lifetime achievements in the arts. The dance party begins at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $40 in advance for the party, $35 for CA members and $185 for the dinner.
On Thursday, the Alliance is screening the film “From the Back of the Room,” by D.C.-based director, Amy Oden, about women’s involvement in DIY punk featuring interviews by women like Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile and many more.
Tickets for the screening are $10, $5 for Alliance members. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information on either events and to purchase tickets, visit creativealliance.org.
Fashion show tries alternate approach
The Maryland Institute College of Arts presents the 19th annual benefit fashion show Transcend on Saturday in the Brown Center in Falvey Hall (1301 W. Mount Royal Ave.) at 8 p.m.
The designers featured in the show were asked to go beyond the expected and their norm and audience members will be able to see the workings of their brains and the manifestations of their inner thoughts and aspirations.
After the show, everyone is invited to mix and mingle with the designers and view an exhibition of fashion-inspired photography, illustration and fiber arts, including fashion pictorials of the students’ designs captured by celebrity photographer Derek Blanks.
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit mica.edu.
Gay group to hold tax program
The Maryland Corporate Council, a networking group for LGBT professionals, is hosting “Tax Wise,” an LGBT tax program for anyone who is or hopes to be partnered at the Inn at Henderson’s Wharf (1000 Fell St.) on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.
The program will feature a short presentation covering tax implications of LGBT relationships including joint property ownership and obtaining and protecting deductions, from Denise Dodson, the executive director at Ernst & Young Tax Practice.
Registration is free for members and $15 for guests.
For more information and to register, visit marylandcoporate.org.
Estate planning for LGBT residents planned
FreeState Legal Project is hosting “Will-Power Party: Estate Planning for the Rest of Us,” a workshop and pro bono assistance event at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore (241 W. Chase St.) on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m.
During the event, people in need of simple wills, powers of attorney and advance directives will be matched with attorneys and receive assistance in drafting their estate documents.
FreeState Legal Project is a group that advocates for the rights of low income LGBT individuals through direct legal services, education and community outreach in the Greater Baltimore region.
For more information, visit freestatelegal.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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