BENT party bids farewell with Halloween bash
When Town Danceboutique closed its doors more than six years ago, D.C.’s LGBTQ community lost its largest dance venue. In response, DJ and event organizer Steve Lemmerman launched BENT, a quarterly queer dance party at the 9:30 Club.
Its immediate success underscored the need for LGBTQ events like it, following the closures of Town and other establishments.
Now, more than a dozen BENTs later, Lemmerman is gearing up for the party’s final edition this Saturday. BENT is ending –– but it’s a joyful conclusion, as new venues such as Crush Bar and Kiki have emerged to expand the landscape of queer spaces in D.C.
in recent years. “The city has done its job,” Lemmerman, who also goes by his stage name, DJ Lemz, explained. “The city has filled the need for somewhere to commune as a whole.
