Feb 02, 2007  |  By: ZACK ROSEN  | COMMENTS     

Just weeks ago, things were looking grim for Washington-area lesbians. The closing of Apex’s Liquid Ladies left Phase One as the city’s last established bastion of a girl’s night out. Soon after New Year’s, however, things began to look up. In addition to Penn 12’s Femme Fatale night, Kitty Cat Lounge, a monthly party, is set to have its second go-round on Feb. 3. 

Called “Girls ‘N Roses,” the pre-Valentine’s Day installment of Kitty Cat Lounge will feature a DJ, dancers wearing pink and white, the occasional angel winged-waitress, a prize for the sexiest couple and an appearance from D.C.’s rose vendor, the older gentleman who can be seen offering roses for a price at many Northwest-area restaurants.

The Lounge, held the first Saturday of the month at Jack’s Restaurant and Bar on gay-hub 17th Street, premiered Jan. 6 and was a great success, according to organizers. The party featured a mixture of hip-hop, dance, indie-rock, alternative and ’80s music and drew so many women that some actually had to be turned away at the door.

“When Liquid Ladies got shut down, it was just women talking about what had happened to us,” says Kitty Cat Lounge co-founder Renee Peres. “Now people are putting their words to action. Women finally decided to stop talking and do something about it.”

Peres is a gay real estate agent who was approached several months ago by Herbert Kerschbaumer, the current owner of Jack’s. The straight and married owner was trying to restore the former site of La Pigalle and Peppers to its past gay glory. In its Peppers incarnation, the eatery was a popular gathering site for lesbians before they went out for the evening, and those organizing Kitty Cat Lounge were happy to see women meeting at Jack’s for dinner before the actual party started.

“We had a really nice time,” says Kerschbaumer. “Some events are trashy and people drink like crazy — this was nothing like that. It was calm, people were well dressed. I liked it a lot.”

THE SUCCESS OF Kitty Cat Lounge can be attributed to Peres and the other co-founders, Eboné Bell and Brianne Croteau. In addition to being active with the D.C. Drag Kings, the two other women started a gay-friendly events planning team, Boi Productions.

The team combined Bell’s and Croteau’s planning expertise with Peres’ marketing background to ensure that several hundred women came out to Kitty Cat Lounge over the course of the five-hour inaugural party. 

Several surprises greeted guests upon arrival. The event happened to be the night before the season premiere of “The L Word,” so many of the girls handing out shots were dressed and tagged as different characters, such as Carmen for the feminine waitress and Shane for the butch one. There were also “L Word”-themed drink specials, such as the Carmen (pomegranate margarita) and the Bette & Tina (a chocolate/vanilla cocktail).

The biggest priority for the organizers of Kitty Cat lounge is diversity, and this goal was reflected in the last party’s crowd, which boasted a wide range of ages and ethnicities, and the variety of musical styles, spun by DJ E-Roca.

“We wanted to appeal to people of all ages, of all walks of life, of different races,” Croteau says. “It was a big draw for us to get involved in something that was very open.”