Sapphic Aquatica will soon celebrate a year of providing a rare space where women and trans people can get their freak on, with amenities ranging from a well-equipped dungeon area to a flirty hot tub.
When Fatima Mechtab, the party’s organizer and host, took over the party about a year ago, it was little more than “a date on a calendar, with nobody backing it or promoting it” and was known primarily as a lesbian event.
One of the biggest improvements to the party has been its shift from a women- and trans-women-only event to one that welcomes women and all trans folk (or, to put it simply, everyone except cisgender men). Over time, Mechtab started to “feel that it was a little transphobic to say some trans people could come but not other trans people, and not genderqueer people,” so for the summer of 2013 she adjusted the mandate. As the party’s inclusivity increased, so did its attendance, and Mechtab is eager to make further improvements to the party going forward.
In addition to Oasis Aqualounge’s four floors of fun and debauchery, heated outdoor pool and playrooms, Sapphic Aquatica’s anniversary party will feature a performance from the drag duo Jasai & Chocolate; prizes, courtesy of The Stag Shop on Church Street; and DJ Nix spinning hip hop and R&B. Those who make a cash donation to Supporting Our Youth (SOY) will be entered for a chance to win a Dream Rabbit Vibrator. Mechtab plans to incorporate a fundraising element into future events as well.
Regular Sapphic Aquatica attendees will be interested to learn that beginning Feb 23, the event will move from the last Tuesday of each month to the last Sunday.
Sapphic Aquatica’s First Anniversary Party is Tues, Jan 28, 8pm–2am at Oasis Aqualounge, 231 Mutual St. oasisaqualounge.com
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