District of Columbia
Spark Social House: D.C.’s first non-alcoholic LGBTQ bar debuts
New LGBTQ ‘bar’ is redefining sober nightlife looks on 14th and U Streets
The intersection of 14th and U Streets has become a focal point of Washington’s growing LGBTQ presence.
As the city’s LGBTQ population has steadily increased, the intersection has reflected this shift. Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has emerged as one of the gayest corners in D.C.
The transformation accelerated with the opening of Bunker, an LGBTQ dance bar that fulfilled the longtime wish of many queer Washingtonians for a new gay dance club after the city lost two beloved venues — Town Danceboutique and Cobalt — before the pandemic. Since then, the corner has only grown more queer.
Three other LGBTQ bars have opened at the intersection of 14th and U since Bunker debuted in 2023: Crush Dance Bar, District Eagle, and, most recently, Spark Social House. Each of these venues offers a distinct environment for Washington’s LGBTQ community to socialize and connect. However, the newest addition to the corner is taking a different approach by removing one key element that ties the others together: Spark is an alcohol-free bar.
Nick Tsusaki, founder of Spark Social House, sat down with the Washington Blade to discuss what sets Spark apart from other LGBTQ spaces in the city, and how his experience working in LGBTQ nightlife has set him up for success.
“I had been bartending at some of these other [gay] bars when I decided, ‘Oh, maybe I could open one too and this could be my whole life,’” Tsusaki said. “I didn’t want to compete against my friends. I tried to think about it, and I noticed alcohol isn’t really me. So I was like, ‘Okay, well, what can I bring to the table that’s filling a gap? And that’s not taking any business from right next door, Crush?’ Those are my friends. And so the way I thought about it was ‘What’s missing in D.C.?’ And it was when I realized ‘Oh, we don’t really have a daytime place to hang out.’
Spark Social House, created by Tsusaki and Shua Goodwin, is Washington’s first LGBTQ alcohol-free bar.
By day, the staff serves coffee and tea, creating a cozy café atmosphere where you can work ‘from home.’ By night, the space transforms into a vibrant sober party spot — complete with DJs, dancing, and an emphasis on expertly crafted mocktails.
“It took us a really long time to figure out what to call it, because there really isn’t another kind of space like this,” Tsusaki said. “That’s why we just ended up going with house. I want you to feel like you’re coming over to our house for a hang out.”
One of the major reasons the pair decided not to include alcohol in Spark was because of Tsusaki’s personal experiences with alcohol when he was younger.
“I myself don’t really drink that much,” Tsusaki said. “Basically, because I’m Asian, I get Asian glow,” he continued, laughing. “I tried so hard in college to fit in. I remember on my 21st birthday I was supposed to go to Town and have fun with all my friends. So I drank and then fell asleep on the couch because my body just doesn’t process alcohol well.”
His lack of a relationship with alcohol only grew after he began working.
“Then for the next eight years of my life, I was almost involuntarily sober because I was in the military. I couldn’t do drugs, and my body couldn’t tolerate alcohol. I just had to figure out how to have fun without that. And then my ex boyfriend, who is part of the Spark team, is sober. That’s really when I realized, like, ‘This is a huge community that isn’t coming out.’”
People choose sobriety for many reasons; whether to prioritize their health, save money, or simply prefer an alcohol-free lifestyle. Ultimately, it’s a personal decision. One reason that LGBTQ individuals may choose to become sober is because they are more likely to engage with alcohol abuse than their straight counterparts. Alcohol abuse within the LGBTQ community may be as high as 25 percent, compared to 5–10 percent in the general population, according to recent research conducted by the American Addition Center.
“One statistic that I found when I was doing my market research for this was that 38% of American adults don’t drink alcohol for whatever reason,” Tsusaki said. “Having bartended at four bars now around the city, Dacha, Dirty Goose, Shakers, and Crush next door, we would always get asked, ‘Oh, do you have any mocktails?’ And there was always a twang or tinge of shame when people would ask for that.”
Tsusaki hopes that by creating a space dedicated to queer nightlife without alcohol, he can help shift the culture — making it easier for people to embrace sober socializing without shame.
“It’s [LGBTQ nightlife] very difficult for somebody who’s sober. I was always so impressed with how he [my ex] navigated it. Being sober in these spaces can be difficult when you don’t have a buzz going on. And so I figured there’s a lot of people that like that. Alcohol is not a requirement for hanging out with your friends. I don’t have alcohol in my house, so when they come over we just make tea and we hang out and chat. That’s kind of the vibe.”
Another group that is now invited to take space in Spark that had not been given the opportunity to in the past is younger members of the LGBTQ community.
“What’s really cool about being non alcoholic is that we now can have anybody come in,” Tsusaki said. “We’re gonna be 18 and up after 9 p.m. but during the day we’ll be in a space where any queer person under 21, any college student, can come and experience being in a queer space. Anyone under 21 previously didn’t really have access to a queer space. We know that the highest risk of suicide is in LGBTQ youth, from 10 to 14. For me, when I went to Town for the first time when I was 18, that was the first time that I was like, ‘Oh, being gay could actually be cool. Like, this is actually kind of cool. This could be a really fun life.’ I’m excited that other people might be able to have that moment earlier in their life.”
David Draper was one of the invited guests to Spark’s soft opening on March 7. While sipping “The Wanda, Not Cosmo” in the sitting room past the bar he told the Blade this is a needed space in Washington’s LGBTQ scene.
“I’m friends with Shua and Nick, and I was grateful to be invited,” Draper said. “I’m also on a new sobriety journey within the last year, and excited. I wanted to support my friends, but also wanted to see this space. Just because you start a sobriety journey doesn’t mean you stop liking to go out. I still enjoy going out, and I am just excited to have a unique space like this.”
The space, Draper went on to explain, will help provide a space for members of the LGBTQ community who had been left to the side of an alcohol-centered culture.
“It makes me feel great. I think a lot of people are looking for options when they’re going out,” he said. “And I think the traditional gay bar is important, and an important part of gay culture and gay life, but I think there’s somewhat of a culture shift, as people have started abstaining from alcohol and other substances. So I think it’s cool to have a space like this”
Jerry Krusinski was sitting across from Draper, sipping on another signature mocktail, the “Jalapeño Business” that uses zero proof tequila.
“I’m pretty newly sober — like just over a month, and so I’m still just kind of exploring what that life means,” Krusinski said. “It’s been really surprising to me how much is actually out there. When you’re not in the sober community, you don’t really see it that much. It’s kind of comforting to see that the world has really kind of embraced it a lot more than I feel like its used to. It leaves me excited for the future.”
Spark Social House is located at 2009 14th St., N.W, and opens daily at 8 a.m. It closes at 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday, and midnight on Friday and Saturday. For more information visit their website at https://spark-dc.com/ or their Instagram @sparksocialdc.
District of Columbia
Deon Jones speaks about D.C. Department of Corrections bias lawsuit settlement
Gay former corrections officer says harassment, discrimination began in 1993
Deon Jones says he is pleased with the outcome of his anti-gay bias lawsuit against the D.C. Department of Corrections that ended after five years on Feb. 5 with the D.C. government paying him $500,000 in a settlement payment.
The lawsuit, filed on his behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. and the law international law firm WilmerHale, charged that Jones, a Department of Corrections sergeant, had been subjected to years of discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment because of his identity as a gay man in clear violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act.
A statement released by the ACLU at the time the settlement was announced says Jones, “faced years of verbal abuse and harassment, from co-workers and incarcerated people alike, including anti-gay slurs, threats, and degrading treatment.”
The statement adds, “The prolonged mistreatment took a severe toll on Jones’s mental health, and he experienced depression, post-traumatic-stress disorder, and 15 anxiety attacks in 2021 alone.:
Jones said the harassment and mistreatment he encountered began in 1993, one year after he first began work at the Department of Corrections and continued for more than 25 years under six D.C. mayors, including current Mayor Muriel Bowser, who he says did not respond to his repeated pleas for help.
Each of those mayors, including Bowser, have been outspoken supporters of the LGBTQ community, but Jones says they did not intervene to change what he calls the homophobic “culture” at the Department of Corrections.
The Department of Corrections, through the Office of the D.C. Attorney General, which represents city agencies against lawsuits, and the mayor’s office, have so far declined to comment on the lawsuit and the half million-dollar settlement the city offered to Jones, who accepted it.
Among other things, the settlement agreement states that Jones would be required to resign from his job at the Department of Corrections. It also declares that “neither the parties’ agreement nor the District government’s offer to settle the case shall in any way be construed as an admission by the District that it or any of its current or former employees, acted wrongfully with respect to plaintiff or any other person, or that plaintiff has any rights.”
Scott Michelman, the D.C. ACLU’s legal director said that type of disclaimer is typical for parties that agree to settle a lawsuit like this. He said the city’s action to pay Jones a half million-dollar settlement “speaks louder than words.”
With that as a backdrop, Jones reflected on the settlement and what he says was his tumultuous 30-year career as an employee at the D.C. Department of Corrections in a Feb. 9 interview with the Washington Blade.
He and Michelman pointed out that Jones was placed on paid administrative leave in April 2022, one year after his lawsuit was filed. Among his upcoming plans, Jones told the Blade, is to publish a podcast that, among other things, will highlight the hardship he faced at the Department of Corrections and advocate for LGBTQ rights.
BLADE: What are your thoughts on this lawsuit settlement which appears very much in your favor?
JONES: That’s great. I’m happy. I’m glad to resign. It’s been a long time coming. It was the worst time it’s ever been. And I have advocated for the community for many, many years. And not only standing up for my rights but for the rights for others in the LGBTQ community.
And I’m just tired now. And my podcast will start soon. And I will continue to advocate for the community.
BLADE: Can you tell a little about that and when it will begin?
JONES: Once in April, once everything is closed my podcast will be starting. And that’s Deon’s Chronicle and Reveal. Yes, my own podcast.
BLADE: Since we have reported your attorney saying you have been on administrative leave since March of 2022, some in the community might be interested in what you have been doing since that time. Did you get another job or were you just waiting for this case to be resolved?
JONES: I was waiting for this to be resolved. I couldn’t work. That would violate policy and procedures of the D.C. government. So, I could not get another job or anything else.
BLADE: You have said under administrative leave you were still getting paid. You were still able to live off of that?
JONES: Yes, I was able to. Yes, sir. I used to do a lot of overtime. As a zone lieutenant for many years, I have supervised over 250 officers. I’ve also supervised over 25,000 inmates in my 30 years.
BLADE: How many years have you been working for the Department of Corrections?
JONES: It’s 30 years all together. I started down at the Lorton facility. Six facilities — I’ve worked for past directors, deputy directors, internal affairs. I’ve done it all.
BLADE: Do you have any plans now other than doing the podcast?
JONES: Well, to just do my podcast and also to write my book and my memoir inside of the house of pain, the house of shame — what I’ve been through. When I start my podcast off it will be stories — Part 1 through Part 4. And I will go back to the Lorton days all the way up to now. When it first started was sexual harassment and discrimination back down at Lorton. And I mean this has just been the worst time around.
BLADE: So, did you first start your work at the Lorton Prison?
JONES: Yes, I was at the central facility, which was the program institution.
MICHELMAN: Just for context. You may remember this, but the Lorton facility was where D.C. incarcerated people were held. So, that was part of the D.C. Department of Corrections.
BLADE: Yes, and that was located in Lorton, Va., is that right?
JONES: Right.
BLADE: Didn’t that close and is the main incarceration facility is now in D.C. itself?
JONES: Yes. And that closed in 2001.
BLADE: I see. And is the main D.C. jail now at a site near the RFK Stadium site?
JONES: Yes, sir. And next-door is the correctional treatment facility as well.
BLADE: So, are you saying the harassment and other mistreatment against you began back when you were working at the Lorton facility?
JONES: At the Lorton central facility. And they used to flash me too. When I say flash me like the residents, the inmates were flashing. And they [the employees] were flashing.
BLADE: What do you mean by flashing?
JONES: They take their penis out and everything else. I mean the sexual harassment was terrible. And I came out then down there. And I continued to advocate for myself and to advocate for other people who I was told were being picked on as well.
BLADE: As best you can recall, where and what year did that happen?
JONES: That was back in 1993 in April of 1993.
BLADE: The mayor’s office has declined to comment on the settlement and payment the city is giving you. Yet they have always said they have a strong policy of nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people in D.C. government agencies. But do you think that was not carried out at the Department of Corrections?
JONES: That’s a blatant reason why — I had 13 anxiety attacks. It was so blatant. Can you imagine? On the airwaves or the walkie-talkies — everybody had a walkie talkie — the captains and the majors and everything. And you transmit it to the command center or something like that. When you finish someone gets on the air and calls you a sissy or a fag.
They received so many complaints, and I also sent the mayor so many emails and begging for help. And they ignored it. They didn’t address any complaints at all. So, that’s bull.
BLADE: But now after you filed your lawsuit and you received this settlement do you think there will be changes there to protect the rights of other LGBTQ employees?
JONES: I hope so, because I have been defending community rights. For many years I have been advocating for different things and different services. And I’ve seen the treatment. There are a lot of mistreatments towards the community over there. And I have taken a stance for a lot of people in the community and protecting their constitutional rights as well as mine.
BLADE: What advice might you have for what the Department of Corrections should do to correct the situation that led to your lawsuit?
JONES: Well, what my advice for the department is they need to go back over their training. And they need to enforce rules against any acts of discrimination, retaliation, or sexual harassment. They need to enforce that. They’re not enforcing that at all. They’re not doing it at all. And this time it was worse than ever, then I’ve ever seen it. That you would get on the walkie talkie and someone would call you a fag or a sissy or whatever else or do evil things and everything. They are not enforcing what they are preaching. They are not enforcing that.
BLADE: Is there any kind of concluding comment you may want to make?
JONES: Well, I hope that this litigation will be a wakeup call for the department. And also, that it will give someone else the motivation to stand up for their rights. I was blessed to have the ACLU and WilmerHale to protect my constitutional rights. So, I am just really happy. So, I’m hoping that others will stand up for their rights. Because a lot of people in the community that worked there, they were actually afraid. And I had some people who actually quit because of the pressure.
District of Columbia
U.S. Attorney’s Office drops hate crime charge in anti-gay assault
Case remains under investigation and ‘further charges’ could come
D.C. police announced on Feb. 9 that they had arrested two days earlier on Feb. 7 a Germantown, Md., man on a charge of simple assault with a hate crime designation after the man allegedly assaulted a gay man at 14th and Q Streets, N.W., while using “homophobic slurs.”
But D.C. Superior Court records show that prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C., which prosecutes D.C. violent crime cases, charged the arrested man only with simple assault without a hate crime designation.
In response to a request by the Washington Blade for the reason why the hate crime designation was dropped, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office provided this response: “We continue to investigate this matter and make no mistake: should the evidence call for further charges, we will not hesitate to charge them.”
In a statement announcing the arrest in this case, D.C. police stated, “On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at approximately 7:45 p.m. the victim and suspect were in the 1500 block of 14th Street, Northwest. The suspect requested a ‘high five’ from the victim. The victim declined and continued walking,” the statement says.
“The suspect assaulted the victim and used homophobic slurs,” the police statement continues. “The suspect was apprehended by responding officers.”
It adds that 26-year-old Dean Edmundson of Germantown, Md. “was arrested and charged with Simple Assault (Hate/Bias).” The statement also adds, “A designation as a hate crime by MPD does not mean that prosecutors will prosecute it as a hate crime.”
Under D.C.’s Bias Related Crime Act of 1989, penalties for crimes motivated by prejudice against individuals based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and homelessness can be enhanced by a court upon conviction by one and a half times greater than the penalty of the underlying crime.
Prosecutors in the past both in D.C. and other states have said they sometimes decide not to include a hate crime designation in assault cases if they don’t think the evidence is sufficient to obtain a conviction by a jury. In some instances, prosecutors have said they were concerned that a skeptical jury might decide to find a defendant not guilty of the underlying assault charge if they did not believe a motive of hate was involved.
A more detailed arrest affidavit filed by D.C. police in Superior Court appears to support the charge of a hate crime designation.
“The victim stated that they refused to High-Five Defendant Edmondson, which, upon that happening, Defendant Edmondson started walking behind both the victim and witness, calling the victim, “bald, ugly, and gay,” the arrest affidavit states.
“The victim stated that upon being called that, Defendant Edmundson pushed the victim with both hands, shoving them, causing the victim to feel the force of the push,” the affidavit continues. “The victim stated that they felt offended and that they were also gay,” it says.
District of Columbia
Capital Pride wins anti-stalking order against local activist
Darren Pasha claims action is linked to his criticism of Pride organizers
A D.C. Superior Court judge on Feb. 6 partially approved an anti-stalking order against a local LGBTQ activist requested last October by the Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based LGBTQ group that organizes the city’s annual Pride events.
The ruling by Judge Robert D. Okun requires Darren Pasha to stay at least 100 feet away from Capital Pride’s staff, board members, and volunteers until the time of a follow up court hearing he scheduled for April 17.
In his ruling at the Feb. 6 hearing, which was virtual rather than held in-person at the courthouse, Okun said he had changed the distance that Capital Pride had requested for the stay-away, anti-stalking order from 200 yards to 100 feet. The court records show that the judge also denied a motion filed earlier by Pasha, who did not attend the hearing, to “quash” the Capital Pride civil case against him.
Pasha told the Washington Blade he suffered an injury and damaged his mobile phone by falling off his scooter on the city’s snow-covered streets that prevented him from calling in to join the Feb. 6 court hearing.
In his own court filings without retaining an attorney, Pasha has strongly denied the stalking related allegations against him by Capital Pride, saying “no credible or admissible evidence has been provided” to show he engaged in any wrongdoing.
The Capital Pride complaint initially filed in court on Oct. 27, 2025, includes an 18-page legal brief outlining its allegations against Pasha and an additional 167-page addendum of “supporting exhibits” that includes multiple statements by witnesses whose names are blacked out.
“Over the past year, Defendant Darren Pasha (“DSP”) has engaged in a sustained, and escalating course of conduct directed at CPA, including repeated and unwanted contact, harassment, intimidation, threats, manipulation, and coercive behavior targeting CPA staff, board members, volunteers, and affiliates,” the Capital Pride complaint states.
In his initial 16-page response to the complaint, Pasha says the Capital Pride complaint appears to be a form of retaliation against him for a dispute he has had with the organization and its then president, Ashley Smith, last year.
“It is evident that the document is replete with false, misleading, and unsubstantiated assertions,” he said of the complaint.
Smith, who has since resigned from his role as board president, did not respond to a request by the Blade for comment at the time the Capital Pride court complaint was filed against Pasha.
Capital Pride Executive Director Ryan Bos and the attorney representing the group in its legal action against Pasha, Nick Harrison, did not immediately respond to a Blade request for comment on the judge’s Feb. 6 ruling.
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