Gay bars washington dc area
institution.īarracks Row and Pennsylvania Avenue SE remain a vibrant LGBT scene, but faced harassment from Marines at the Barracks. In 1986 J.R.'s Bar & Grill hosted the first High Heel Drag Queen Race, a D.C. The 1980s saw a slowdown in LGBT spaces from the previous decade, with just over 80 new sites added to The Rainbow History Project. Pier Nine was one of the first gay dance clubs around South Capitol Street, a "relatively isolated location, it gave us a sense of security that more in-town locations couldn’t." Many bars and clubs would follow. The Furies Collective had a profound impact on lesbian feminism through their national publication, the Furies, and through pushing the National Organization of Women to recognize lesbians.Īreas of D.C.'s Southwest and Southeast quadrants, centered around South Capitol Street, became an active nightlife scene for the LGBT community in the 1970's.
The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) formed in 1970 with a group house that provided an early meeting place for activist actions. Gay collectives also emerged in the 1970's as an important force in gay activism.
Page “Deacon” Maccubbin, organized the first annual pride celebrations in 1975. Others, like Lambda Rising and Lammas, provided not only gay literature but crucial space for activism and community gatherings. Some, like Village Books, were adult bookstores. Dupont Circle, Barracks Row and South Capitol Street solidified as LGBT gathering centers.īookstores for the LGBT community sprung up across D.C. The Rainbow History Project records over 150 places opening, nearly five times that which opened in the 1960s. In the 1970s LGBT community created a huge footprint across D.C. This would lead to the Gay Men's VD Clinic, a precursor to Whitman-Walker clinic.
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The Washington Free Clinic, started at Georgetown Lutheran, became the first place to provide STD counseling to gay men. The press and publisher would be convicted of obscenity. Jo-Anna's also contributed to 'the initiation of dancing in DC gay bars on a regular basis.' Down the street Guild Press published gay travel guides, gay fiction, physique magazines, and local newspaper Gay Forum.
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Plus One was the 'first gay-owned bar to offer same-sex dancing', essentially breaking the owner ban on dancing. More clubs, publications, and services catered directly to the LGBT community.īarracks Row became an important part of the LGBT community. The Washington Blade, America’s oldest LGBT newspaper, began in 1969. The Mattachine Society of Washington, which assisted federal employees and residents targeted for their sexuality, was formed. LGBT activism moved more to the public forefront starting in the 1960s. Uptown Restaurant and Gayety Buffet were both raided by the Metropolitan Police Department's Vice Squad. These weren't wholly safe places, however. Nob Hill, one of D.C.'s longest continuously operating gay bars and one of the oldest African-American gay bars in the country, opened in 1957. Under the Lavender Scare the federal government fired gay individuals en masse.ĭespite this, there were a number of LGBT spaces across D.C. Congress passed a law outlawing sodomy in D.C. Leading up to 1960 the LGBT community faced a number of discriminatory acts from federal and local government. A Timeline of LGBT Places and Spaces in D.C.Ĭlick locations for more information Prior to 1960