District of Columbia
Crush Dance Bar to debut Grizzly Happy Hour
Bringing back the energy of Town Danceboutique’s bear events
If you spend even a few hours in one of more than 20 queer bars D.C. has to offer, chances are someone will wax nostalgic for the days of Town Danceboutique, which closed in 2018.
One of the major draws to Town was its Bear Happy Hour, where drink discounts, special DJs, and drag shows would draw in bears, their admirers, and anyone looking to start off their weekend with a party.
Tony Castro, longtime Washington resident and a big fan of Town’s Bear Happy Hour, is attempting to bring back the drink discounts and special energy the happy hour provided to the city’s LGBTQ population to a new location for a new generation of queer people. This time at Crush Dance Bar at 2007 14th St., N.W.
“Grizzly was something that I came up with just in conversations over the past couple years,” Castro said to the Blade in a recent interview. “Talking with numerous people, I’ve heard that there’s been kind of a gap since Town Bear Happy Hour. There’s been a kind of a gap in the Friday happy hour that everyone looked forward to. That was one of the special things about Town — it was something that everyone looked forward to on a Friday and it just wasn’t the bear community. It was kind of everybody.”
Grizzly (Bear) Happy Hour officially debuted on Valentine’s Day earlier this year, setting the tone with $8 pitchers of beer, free hot dogs, and a pop-up from fetish gear outlet Anubis Gear. That night, Castro got his first real sense of the event’s energy and was overwhelmed by the positive response.
“I think my favorite comment that I heard throughout the course of the night was people coming up to me or just saying to other people that ‘This feels like Town.’ That kind of gives me chills. That was sort of the idea, that kind of feeling of just inclusivity. It’s Friday and there’s cheap drink specials and it just felt like a good place to be. Just to hear that people say that Valentine’s reminded them of Town, was kind of what I was going for.”
The goal of Grizzly Happy Hour, Castro explained, was not to recreate the exact happy hour that he and much of the city’s LGBTQ population grew to love at Town but rather bring it into the 2020s. One part of that, Castro explained, is taking advantage of everything Crush has to offer.
Crush, which sits at the intersection of 14th and U streets, has quickly become a favorite drink and dance spot for the LGBTQ community in Washington. The bar hosts myriad events for multiple sub-communities within the LGBTQ community, including drag bingo with legendary local drag queens and Deep Cvnt Ball, one of only a handful of Black queer ballroom events in the city. The versatility Crush offers—along with the steady stream of patrons willing to wait up to 30 minutes at peak hours—makes the two-story bar an ideal home for Grizzly Happy Hour.
“I look at this venue as an opportunity to be somewhat of a sensory overload,” Castro explained. “From things that you’re visually seeing, to vendors that are there, artists that are there, and the new people that you’re meeting, but also having great happy hour specials. One of the things that was attractive about Crush was it’s a dance bar, it has access to outdoor space, and it’s an inclusive environment. Those are the three things that to me, Grizzly and Crush come together on.”
For a happy hour to be successful, Castro explained creating drink deals “without breaking the wallet” was a major focus.
“One of the things that was so infamous about Town’s Bear Happy Hour was that they had pitchers of beer. There’s not many places where you can get a huge pitcher of beer for an inexpensive price. Having that was key to making some of this a success, and somewhat to make it feel more like the Town and Bear Happy Hour of the past.”
If beer isn’t your go-to, no worries, Castro assured. The vibes of the happy hour would be enjoyable to all — from those who prefer a cocktail, to people who’d rather throw back a shot before heading to the dance floor.
“There’s a couple other drinks that we brought on the menu that I’m excited about,” he said. “One is the ‘Bear Crush,’ which is a modified normal Crush. And then we have a shot called the ‘Sexual Teddy Bear’ shot, which was quite popular on Valentine’s Day.”
Another important element when planning an event is the music.
“In terms of the music and the DJs, I think we’re going to mix it up every time. Sometimes it could be all pop. Sometimes it could be more dancy. The intent is that it’s feel-good music. And we really want to support the DJs in the community, especially a lot of the newer DJs who don’t get the opportunity to perform in spaces like this.”
Castro hopes that this happy hour can be more than friends grabbing some drinks to start the weekend, though. He wants Grizzly to become a safe space for all, including the many LGBTQ organizations that exist in the city.
“I think it’s going back to having organizations and different entrepreneurs within the community actively participate in Grizzly and just getting to spread their message and recruitment.”
One concern that Castro had was not stepping on anyone’s toes in planning the happy hour, specifically other bear-themed events. It’s true that other queer bars in the city do have more ‘bear centered’ events, like Uproar’s weekly “Bears, Brews, and Booze” on Sundays, Castro made it clear he, and the rest of Grizzly’s team are not here to take any other bar’s bear spot in the ever changing landscape of Washington’s queer nightlife scene.
“It’s not trying to replace any other bear events or happy hours that are happening on different days of the week,” Castro said.
He also wants it to be clear that this is not solely for the bears or bear lovers of D.C. Castro wants all in the LGBTQ community to feel comfortable at Grizzly, despite what its name implies.
“We’re publicly promoting it,” Castro started. “It’s not like an elite club or anything. It’s on open social media. It’s on Crush’s website. It’s on Grizzly social media- it’s an open invite. I will say the name Grizzly, we struggled with the name for a bit. At Town, it was exclusively called ‘Bear Happy Hour.’ I struggled for a while … While the logo is a bear, Grizzly sort of implies a bear, it doesn’t say ‘bear.’ It was my subtle way of saying that this isn’t all for bears — everyone’s invited.”
Castro went on to explain that this inclusive spirit of Grizzly was what made him choose Crush over more bear-centric venues.
“That was part of the intention of having it at Crush,” he said. “I would love it if someone walked into Crush for a happy hour and didn’t even know Grizzly was happening. They’re like, ‘Oh, wow! This event has really good drink specials. The music’s really great. The people are great. Let’s just stay here.’ That’s sort of what I’m hoping for. I think that’ll happen over time.”
Grizzly Bear Happy Hour will take place on Friday, March 7 at Crush Dance Bar (2007 14th St., N.W.) from 6-10 pm. For more details visit Grizzly’s Instagram page at grizzly_bhhdc.
District of Columbia
Judge rescinds stay-away order in Capital Pride anti-stalking case
Evidence hearing to determine if order should be reinstated against Darren Pasha
A D.C. Superior Court judge on April 17 rescinded an anti-stalking order he approved in February at the request of Capital Pride Alliance against local LGBTQ activist Darren Pasha.
In a ruling at a court status hearing, Judge Robert D. Okum agreed with defendant Darren Pasha’s stated concern that the initial order was too broad and did not specify who specifically he must stay at least 100 feet away from, as called for in the order.
Okum ruled on April 17 that the initial order, which he noted was oral rather than written, would be suspended until an evidentiary hearing takes place in which Capital Pride will need to present evidence justifying the need for such an order.
“I’m fine with scheduling a hearing at which the plaintiff can present evidence, and the defendant can present evidence,” Okum said. “But I’m not fine with just continuing this oral TRO [Temporary Restraining Order] that Mr. Pasha really doesn’t even have notice of. That seems unfair,” he said.
After asking both Pasha and Capital Pride Alliance Attorney Nick Harrison when they would be available for the evidence hearing, Okum set the date for April 27 at 11 a.m. in Superior Court.
The case began when Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based LGBTQ group that organizes the city’s annual Pride events, filed a Civil Complaint on Oct. 27, 2025, against Pasha, accusing him of engaging in a year-long effort to harass, intimidate, and stalk Capital Pride’s staff, board members, and volunteers.
The complaint was accompanied by a separate motion seeking a restraining order, preliminary injunction, and anti-stalking order prohibiting Pasha from “any further contact, harassment, intimidation, or interference with the Plaintiff, its staff, board members, volunteers, and affiliates.”
In his initial ruling in February, Okum issued an order requiring Pasha to stay at least 100 feet away from Capital Pride staff, board members, and volunteers until the April 17 status hearing. He reduced the stay-away distance from the 200 yards requested by Capital Pride.
Pasha, who has so far represented himself in court without an attorney, has argued in multiple court filings and motions that the Capital Pride stalking allegations are untrue. In his initial 16-page response to the complaint, Pasha said it appears to be a form of retaliation against him for a dispute he has had with Capital Pride and its former board president, Ashley Smith, who has since resigned from the board.
“It is evident that the document is replete with false, misleading, and unsubstantiated assertions,” Pasha’s court response states.
At the April 17 hearing, Okum also ruled that, as standard procedure for civil complaints such as this one, he has ordered both parties to enter into court-supervised mediation to attempt to reach a settlement rather than go to trial.
In an earlier ruling Okum denied Pasha’s request for a jury trial, stating that civil cases such as this must undergo a trial with the judge determining the verdict under existing civil court statutes.
The April 17 court hearing was held in a courtroom at the courthouse, but as allowed under current court rules, Capital Pride attorney Harrison and Capital Pride official June Crenshaw participated virtually through a video connection. Pasha attended the hearing in the courtroom.
“This matter is proceeding through the court in the normal course,” Capital Pride released in a statement. “We look forward to presenting the relevant evidence at the scheduled hearing. Capital Pride Alliance remains committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for our staff, volunteers, and community, and to addressing concerns through appropriate channels.”
“This is clearly a case of retaliation,” Pasha told the Blade after the hearing. “Today the judge removed the stay-away order and asked Capital Pride Alliance to present enough evidence and examples to see if a stay-away order should be granted,” he said. “Because Pride is coming up in June, we need to see where this is going.”
District of Columbia
Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges
Matthew Mahl once served as head of LGBT Liaison Unit
D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.
Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.
“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.
“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.
Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.
A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.
NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.
Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.
The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.
District of Columbia
D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
‘Ahead of the Curve’ documentary screening, ‘Queeroke’ among events
2026 Lesbian Visibility Week North America will take place from April 20-26.
This year marks the third annual Lesbian Visibility Week, run by the Curve Foundation. A host of events take place from April 20-26.
This year’s theme is Health and Wellness. For the Curve Foundation, the term “lesbian” serves as an umbrella term for a host of identities, including lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, and anyone else connected to the lesbian community.
The week kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony on April 19. It will take place in New York, but will be livestreamed for the public.
“Queeroke” is one of the events being held around the country. It will take place at various participating bars on April 23.
As You Are, an LGBTQ bar in Capitol Hill, is one of eight locations across the U.S. participating. Their event is free and 21+.
On April 24, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center will hold a screening of “Ahead of the Curve,” a documentary about the founder of Curve, Franco Stevens. The event is free with an RSVP.
April 25, is Queer Women in Sports Day. And on April 26, several monuments in New York will be illuminated.
Virtual events ranging from health to sports will be made available to the public. Details will be released closer to the start of Lesbian Visibility Week. Featured events can be found on the official website.
Some ways for individuals to get involved are to use #LVW26 and tag the official Lesbian Visibility Week account on social media posts. People are encouraged to display their lesbian flags, and businesses can hand out pins and decorate. They can also reach out to local lawmakers to encourage them to issue an official Lesbian Visibility Week.
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