Gay bars in D.C. have always been more than just places to grab a drink. They’ve been homes to a community, offering safety, solidarity, and a sense of belonging. Like all histories, these are complicated. Racism, sexism, and transphobia permeated many gay spaces, making these spots unsafe for certain members of the LGBTQIA community. Landlords in wealthy neighborhoods often refused to rent to gay bars, sending those spaces into out-of-the-way neighborhoods often deemed “unsafe.”
The landscape of queer nightlife in D.C. has changed over the years, but the impact of these historic bars remains.
WCP contributor Ella Feldman and Arts Editor Sarah Marloff sought to document a portion of the city’s shuttered gay bars and collect memories from the generations of queer, trans, and gay folks who’ve called the D.C. area home. Read our collection of oral histories at the link in our bio.
Photo credits:
1. Escandalo, a Latine gay bar in Dupont, 1996; Credit: Jose Gutierrez
2. The dance floor at Town; Courtesy of Ed Bailey
3. The DC Democratic Party’s cocktail event for Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale at the ClubHouse, circa late-’70s, early-’80s; Courtesy of Rainbow History Project
4. Inside the Eagle during its run on New York Ave. NW, circa 2013; Credit: Darrow Montgomery
5. Nob Hill, once the oldest and longest operating Black gay bars in the U.S.; courtesy of the Rainbow History Project
Tenants in buildings managed by Scope Property Management are living in squalid and unsafe conditions, with fires, sewage leaks, rodent infestations, and neglect from management. Despite this, millions in housing subsidies continue to flow into these properties.
Over the past 10 months, City Paper contributor Suzie Amanuel has combed through public records and spoken to more than 60 current and former low-income tenants affected by these issues. For an in-depth look at their experiences, visit the link in our bio.
📸 @darrow_m
Real estate group AIR Communities has agreed to end discriminatory practices against housing voucher recipients and pay $235,000 in legal fees in a settlement announced this week. This comes after an investigation by the Equal Rights Center found that AIR Communities imposed unfair credit scores and income requirements and checked eviction and criminal records beyond what D.C. law allows. The settlement mandates changes to application processes, mandatory staff training, and regular compliance tests.
The settlement also makes headway in enforcing D.C.’s recent voucher discrimination laws, addressing an ongoing issue of noncompliance by property owners. According to ERC Executive Director Kate Scott, “voucher discrimination is tantamount to race discrimination,” as 95% of housing voucher recipients in D.C. are Black, despite Black households comprising less than half of the District's total population.
For more about the lawsuit and its impact on housing equality in D.C., read the full story at the link in our bio.
📸 @darrow_m
For a decade, Rayceen Pendarvis and Zar have been programming events that emphasize Blackness, queerness, and the importance of community within the DMV. This year, the city declared March 18 Team Rayceen Day to honor their work, from YouTube interviews with local officials to hosting the District of Pride Showcase.
But the story of Team Rayceen Productions begins with a couch. When Zar first met the queer activist/social butterfly/“Queen of the Shameless Plug,” Pendarvis was setting up for the Ask Rayceen Show, a cabaret-style variety show and community gathering that ran from 2012 to 2021. Zar found Pendarvis struggling to drag a couch across the room and was shocked to learn there wasn’t a full team behind the event. First, he helped Pendarvis move the couch. The rest is history.
WCP contributor Ella Feldman spoke to the co-founders about their incredible partnership and ten years of Team Rayceen Productions. Read more at the link in our bio.
📸 Team Rayceen Productions’ Black History month event; Credit: CapturedbyWoodD
From Barbra Streisand to Lea Michele, the success of Funny Girl often hinges on the strength of its leading lady, and Katerina McCrimmon is more than up to filling the very big shoes that came before her. The classic musical might feel a tad stodgy after all these years, but the touring production, now at the Kennedy Center, benefits from a revamped book, showstopping vaudevillian numbers, and McCrimmon’s dazzling performance as Fanny Brice. “In today’s parlance Fanny might be called a girlboss,” writes critic Stephanie Rudig, “and it’s thrilling to watch her claim her destiny onstage and leave her naysayers in stitches.”
Read Rudig's review of Funny Girl at the link in our bio.
📸 Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
After finding success with Lutèce, culinary power couple Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy opened a Mexican spot in Capitol Hill. Read about their meet-cute and the magic behind Pascual at the link in our bio. @pascual.dc 📍
#dcrestaurants#capitolhill#washingtondc#dc
Last week, D.C. Council fended off the worst cuts to the Pay Equity Fund, which ensures pay raises for early childhood educators. But a last-minute wrench in the works from CFO Glen Lee forced councilmembers to make unpopular changes. Now, child care workers with bachelor’s degrees will earn roughly $12,000 less each year, even though the fund was originally structured to incentivize educators to pursue advanced degrees. Frustrated lawmakers and advocates worry this decision undermines efforts to address disparities in early childhood education.
A task force convened by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education will now try to restructure the fund and deliver better recommendations. But Loose Lips has to wonder: Even if the task force finds efficiencies, will Bowser agree to send the fund more money?
Read more at the link in our bio.
📸 @darrow_m
“Blow Out is here to trick you,” writes critic Noah Gittell. “It pretends it has something deep and profound to say about America. Set on the weekend of the fictional Liberty Day Parade in Philadelphia, Blow Out revolves around a political assassination and cover-up, and concludes with a murder committed under fireworks and in front of an enormous American Flag. It’s the story of Jack Terry (John Travolta), a soundman for cheap B-movies, who accidentally records audio of a car crash that kills a presidential candidate and becomes determined to prove a conspiracy. There are echoes of the JFK assassination and Chappaquiddick, and Jack’s paranoid mind reflects the collective suspicions of an entire generation still processing the failures and tragedies of the ’60s nearly two decades later. But director Brian De Palma is not a political artist, and that’s for the best. He’s a filmmaker who is most fascinated with the art of cinema—or you could say, the act of looking.”
Read his review of the 1981 cult classic, screening at Alamo on July 3, at the link in our bio.
📸 courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse
Lavender Evolutions started in a Petworth group home where Madison Dalton and Leslie Tellería created gathering space for QTBIPOC friends and community members. After their lease ended in 2022, they decided to keep the community vibe alive. Two years in, the D.C. collective hosts everything from book clubs and dance parties to phone-banking and wheat-pasting events for local queer and trans people of color. With the continued goal to uplift, educate, and entertain its participants, Lavender Evolutions fosters joy for a community often under attack.
Read more about the collective’s origin story and what they’re up to today at the link in our bio.
📸 credits: Mariah Miranda, Mikayla Bryant
Councilmembers and Mayor Muriel Bowser have authored a total of four bills to address D.C.’s chronic absenteeism and truancy problem. The proposed bills aim to increase data transparency, expand valid excuses for absences, provide funding to address absenteeism, and designate priority zones for safety programs.
Chronic absenteeism reached alarming levels in the 2022-23 school year, with 43% of K-12 students affected. Significantly, 60% of high schoolers were considered chronically absent. “We know that there are a whole host of reasons for why students might miss class ranging from arriving late due to taking a sibling to the campus, lack of reliable public transit, … trouble in the home, or violence in the neighborhood,” Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen said at Wednesday’s hearing. “But here’s something I think we can all agree on. Students need to be in school.”
Tap the link in our bio to read more about the Council’s efforts to keep students in school.
