AVALON SATURDAYS + CHORUS.DC: OFFICIAL PRE-CHERRY EVENT
The well-designed, boutique-sized downtown nightclub Soundcheck plays host to a Cherry-affiliated party this Saturday, March 23, starting at 10 p.m., with music by Steve Sidewalk and Shane Marcus, two New York DJs part of this year’s main Cherry Weekend lineup. Dougie Meyers and Avalon Saturdays co-present the Official Pre-Cherry Weekend Kick-Off event with Chorus.DC, a fledgling party production outfit heretofore affiliated with Cobalt. Doors open at 10 p.m., with open bar on Tito’s Vodka and Jameson Whiskey from 11 p.m. to midnight. Soundcheck is at 1420 K St. NW. Tickets are $15 online or $20 at the door; $25 for VIP with Express Entry and Private Lounge with dedicated bartender. Call 202-789-5429 or visit www.dougiemeyerpresents.com.
NELLIE’S DRAG BINGO & RAFFLE BENEFITING CASA RUBY
“The Stunt Queens” of Stonewall Kickball will be calling the numbers during bingo this Tuesday, March 26, at Nellie’s Sports Bar. In addition to playing the numbers for gift cards and prizes, guests can purchase 50/50 Raffle tickets — priced at $1 for 1, $3 for 5, $10 for your arm’s length, and $15 for your inseam — with half of all ticket sales going to support Casa Ruby, the only bilingual, multicultural LGBTQ organization in D.C. The charity will also reap $1 from every Tito’s Vodka drink and soda beverage sold, so definitely come thirsty. The game, hosted by Guy Barnes, starts at 6:30 p.m. Nellie’s is at 900 U St. NW. Call 202-332-6355 or visit www.nelliessportsbar.com.
OTTERMATIC/OTTEROTICA
This Friday, March 22, ushers in the third round of a new dance party at the Green Lantern named after a particular type of hirsute gay men. Conceived by Bryan Smith and Matt Strother, Ottermatic is “open to all people and self-identified animals,” especially those willing to be “vibrant and expressive” in how they dress and engage. The theme for the March iteration is set 13 years “in a dystopian future where all gay bars have all closed down.” The only thing remaining is a secret bar hidden in a back alley downtown “run by homosexual half-human, half-animal hybrids, a result of genetic experimentation.” High-quality local house DJ Dean Sullivan serves as “the post-apocalyptic pied piper” rallying “a romp of playful otter half-breeds” to move and groove on the dance floor in frisky but friendly fashion — governed by “the concept of consent and inclusion.” Grant Collins serves as party host, and the otter pinup will be aided in the cause by able bartenders Strother and Scott M. Douglass, as well as The Barber Streisand (Smith). Starting at 10 p.m. The Green Lantern is at 1335 Green Ct. NW. Cover is $5 for entry upstairs. Call 202-347-4533 or visit www.greenlanterndc.com.
RED BEAR BREWING: GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION
The fully gay-owned nanobrewery from two redheads, Simon Bee and Bryan Van Den Oever, along with Cameron Raspet, officially opens Saturday, March 23, with a party starting at 5 p.m. (The brewery actually opens at 11 a.m.) The band Cravin’ Dogs will perform and drag queen Kitti Chanel Fairfield will welcome neighbors and guests into the large, 7,000 square-foot space, located immediately next to the REI Store in the refurbished, historic Uline Arena building in NoMa. The celebration includes samples and pours of all the new Red Bear beers on draft. Red Bear is at 209 M St. NE. No cover. Call 202-849-6130 or visit www.redbear.beer.
An interracial gay couple who run an award-winning farm in King George County, Virginia, say they were the targets of a hate-filled act after someone deliberately dumped medical waste on their property following last week’s state elections.
Kevin Graham, 44, and Dragan Kurbalija, 47, own Gardening Gays Farm, a 27-acre property along U.S. Route 301 where they sell flowers, eggs, seasonal produce, and pasture-raised meats, including lamb and chicken.
They also sell jams, sauces, teas, herbal remedies, local honey, handcrafted candles, and other artisan goods at their on-site store, and share their experiences as farmers on YouTube. The business was recently voted King George County’s “Overall Best Business,” “Best Family-Owned Business,” and “Best Agricultural Business” in a county-sponsored “Best of the Best” contest.
A gay-owned ice cream shop displaying a large Pride flag outside was attacked twice in 24 hours by a man who hurled Molotov cocktails at the business.
Jason Fletcher, owner of Fletcher's Ice Cream & Café in Minneapolis, told NBC affiliate KTTC that employees had left just six minutes before the first attack, around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 19. The suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail, shattering a window and igniting several chairs. Patrons at nearby Mac's Industrial Sports Bar helped extinguish the flames.
The second attack came just over 14 hours later, around 12:52 p.m. on Monday, when the shop was closed. This time, the Molotov cocktail created a larger hole in the window, but its wick fell out before the flames could reach inside. The fire scorched the sidewalk outside, leaving burn marks near several tables and chairs.
Lucien Bates, a transgender man, says security guards threatened to arrest him after he used the women’s restroom at a Round1 arcade inside the North Riverside Park Mall in suburban Chicago. Bates, an Indiana resident, was visiting the venue on September 28 with his fiancé and a friend to play Dance Dance Revolution.
Bates, who presents as alt-masculine with facial hair and piercings, had just arrived at the arcade when he needed to use the restroom. He chose the women’s restroom, a decision he often makes in public because he feels safer there and is less likely to be harassed.
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