Dc gay bars
20 LGBTQ+ Bars to Check Out in Washington, DC
The nation's capital is home to a lively LGBTQ+ nightlife scene with plenty of gay and lesbian bars just waiting for you to join in on the fun.
The diversity of DC’s LGBTQ+ society is growing by the day, resulting in a dynamic, exciting community with plenty of bars and clubs to choose from when it’s time to drink, dance and engage. Read up on some of our favorite LGBTQ+-friendly spots below.
Let’s have a … you get it. Gather all your girls, gays and theys to kiki all night on U Avenue. With four rooms of varied vibes, outdoor spaces and DJs that never miss, Kiki lives up to its name. Reach for the happy hour, stay for the weekly events.
At 14th and U, DC’s first booze-free Homosexual bar is lighting up the sober scene with mocktails, music and plenty of main-character energy. Spark kickstarts the day with coffee, pastries and cafe charm, then turns it up at sundown with DJs, drag trivia and zero-proof cocktails that pack a punch.
Next door to Spark Social House is Crush, a retro-inspired cocktail lounge and entertainment mecca for anyone and everyone. Event highlights include all-d
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This corner spot in Columbia Heights was once the site of Nob Hill, a popular African American gay bar. Nob Hill operated from 1957 to 2004, and, according to the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), which documented the site in 2016, this longevity made it "the oldest continuously-operating LGBTQ nightlife establishments in the District and one of the oldest gay bars in the country." Thus, Nob Hill has been called the "granddaddy of black gay clubs."
The 1920s era building housed a dry cleaner/laundry prior to Nob Hill opening. Despite formally opening as a bar in 1957, Nob Hill initially served as a private social club starting in about 1953. The social club, enjoy the bar, catered to gay African American men. Many Howard University students would frequent Nob Hill, as the bar served an important function. At the time of its opening, the city was still very much racially segregated, and this extended to nightlife and business. Therefore, LGBTQ+ African Americans established their own social spaces, particulary along 7th and 14th streets NW near Howard University.
In addition to Nob Hill, there was The Cozy Corner at 708 Florida Road NW. Later on, in the 197
Gay bars. Ask any member of the LGBTQIA people to tell you a story about one and they’ll regale you with memories. Good ones, lousy ones, wild ones, passionate ones—because for decades, these spaces have been homes to a community. They ushered us into adulthood; they provided sanctuary to be ourselves. We mourn them like family members after they’re gone.
But “everything closes,” as formerly local author June Thomas summed up at her publication talk earlier this month. So if everything is ephemeral, what makes queer bars so special?
The stories of these spaces are interwoven with our individual and collective histories. And in D.C. that history runs deep. According to the Rainbow History Project’s archives, more than 200 gays bars have place up shop in the District since the 1920s—decades before June 28, 1969, when the Stonewall Riots marked an essential turning point in the homosexual rights movement.
“The reason Movement exists,” says Ed Bailey, a well-known local DJ and gay nightlife entrepreneur, is “because there was a bar where a thing happened. It’s not like it’s surprising it happened at a lock. Of course it happened at a bar. Because that’s where everyone was, right?
Prior to 1960
Leading up to 1960 the LGBT group faced a number of discriminatory acts from federal and local government. Congress passed a law outlawing sodomy in D.C. Under the Lavender Scare the federal government fired male lover individuals en masse.
Despite this, there were a number of LGBT spaces across D.C. to provide community and endorse . , one of D.C.'s longest continuously operating homosexual bars and one of the oldest African-American homosexual bars in the nation, opened in 1957.
These weren't wholly guarded places, however. were both raided by the Metropolitan Police Department's Vice Squad.
The '60s
LGBT activism moved more to the public forefront starting in the 1960s. The Mattachine Society of Washington, which assisted federal employees and residents targeted for their sexuality, was formed. The Washington Blade, America’s oldest LGBT newspaper, began in 1969. More clubs, publications, and services catered directly to the LGBT community.
Barracks Row became an essential part of the LGBT community. was the 'first gay-owned bar to provide same-sex dancing', essentially breaking the owner ban on dancing. also contributed
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