Local
Lesbian restaurant owner appeals for help in dispute
Hank’s Oyster Bar forced to close part of patio during Pride
Jamie Leeds (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The lesbian owner of a popular seafood restaurant along the 17th Street business district near Dupont Circle is asking the community to support the repeal of a city law that she says allowed six people to force her to reduce her outdoor seating capacity from 40 to 20 customers.
Jamie Leeds, the chef and owner of Hank’s Oyster Bar at 1624 Q Street, N.W., issued a statement over the weekend informing customers and supporters that inspectors with the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board ordered her on Friday night, June 8, to close half of the restaurant’s patio space.
Leeds said that the order came the day before the annual Capital Pride Parade was to travel past her patio, limiting the number of patrons who wanted to dine on the patio while watching the parade.
“This action shutting down half of our outdoor patio on the night before the annual parade was the result of one of the license protestants phoning in a complaint to the city, and occurs before we have even had a hearing before the ABC Board,” Leeds said in an open letter to the community.
“The ongoing harassment by this small band of residents is astonishing and the timing of this individual’s complaint before the annual celebration is despicable,” she wrote in her letter.
Leeds’ call for the repeal of the law that allows as few as five citizens to contest liquor license applications comes at a time when gay and straight nightlife advocates have urged gay D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) to consider introducing legislation to ease what the advocates say are overly burdensome regulations pertaining to such businesses. Graham chairs the Council committee that oversees the city’s liquor laws and the agency that enforces them.
Michael Hibey, the attorney representing the six residents opposing Hank’s Oyster Bar’s use of the expanded outdoor seating, declined to comment. David J. Mallof, one of the six nearby residents who has taken a lead role in opposing Hank’s expansion of its outdoor seating, also declined to comment.
The Blade couldn’t immediately reach the other five residents opposing the termination of the voluntary agreement. They are: Alexis Rieffel, Ralph N. Johnson, Susan Meehan, Michael Fasano and Patricia E. Steele.
Fred Moosally, director of the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, which oversees the ABC Board, confirmed on Monday that the inspectors responded to a complaint by a representative of the six residents opposed to the restaurant’s expansion.
But Moosally told the Blade that the call for restricting the patio’s use was in response to a May 17 D.C. Court of Appeals decision ordering the city to reinstate a document known as a voluntary agreement between Leeds and the six residents. The agreement bars Hank’s from expanding its patio or any part of the restaurant beyond the space it occupied at the time it opened in 2005.
At Leeds’ request and following an earlier hearing, the board terminated the voluntary agreement in 2010, allowing her to expand into outdoor and indoor space in an adjacent building that became vacant that year.
The six residents appealed the board’s action to the Court of Appeals. The court voided the board’s order terminating the voluntary agreement and remanded the case back to the board. It instructed the board to consider two issues the court said the board was legally required to consider but failed to do so at the time it terminated the voluntary agreement.
Moosally said ABC Board inspectors informed Leeds on June 2 during a visit to the restaurant of the court ruling and its effect of reinstating her voluntary agreement. Although he didn’t say so directly, he implied that Hank’s knew more than a week before the Pride parade that it couldn’t use the full space of the patio at the time of the June 9 parade.
Andrew Kline, a licensing counsel representing Leeds before the ABC Board, disputes Moosally’s assessment, saying he believes the board had to take “another step” of rescinding its 2010 order terminating the voluntary agreement before it could require Hank’s to give up use of the full patio.
Kline said the court decision didn’t prevent the board from allowing Hank’s to continue to use its full patio while the board deliberates over its decision, as mandated by the court, to make a determination on whether the voluntary agreement should once again be terminated.
The board scheduled a hearing on Wednesday, June 13, to address issues that the appeals court said must be resolved before the board can make a final decision on whether to retain or terminate the voluntary agreement.
The court decision was the latest development in a seven-year dispute between Hank’s Oyster Bar and the handful of nearby residents, who have contested the restaurant’s liquor license in an effort to obtain restrictions through the voluntary agreement.
Leeds says in her letter that she was pressured into signing the voluntary agreement in 2005, the year she opened the restaurant, as a condition to end a formal protest of the license by the six residents. She said the license protest could have dragged on for months, delaying her ability to obtain a liquor license and jeopardizing her ability to open her new business.
Most observers following the dispute, including LGBT activists, believe Hank’s opponents are motivated by an aversion to an “overconcentration” of liquor serving establishments on 17th Street, which the opponents say have the potential for causing neighborhood disturbances. Most observers don’t think the opponents of Hank’s expansion are motivated by anti-gay sentiment.
Hank's Oyster Bar (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
But many LGBT activists have teamed up with nightlife advocates in calling on the City Council to repeal the law that gives as few as five residents legal standing to challenge a liquor license and push for restrictions similar to those in the voluntary agreement signed by Hank’s.
They point out that Hank’s has never caused any problems in the neighborhood, either before or after it expanded its operations into the adjacent space in 2011.
Although the ABC Board makes the final decision on approving a voluntary agreement or approving restrictions on the operation of bars and restaurants, business owners have said a protest by a “gang of five,” as the business owners have called the protesting residents, can hold up a license for months. They say the delays result in high monetary costs for legal fees and the cost of renting spaces that can’t generate revenue until the license is approved.
One proposal offered by nightlife advocates is to eliminate the existing provision of the liquor law that gives five or more citizens authority to contest liquor licenses and restrict that authority to the elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. ANC’s currently have that authority.
“If you agree that allowing a small number of individuals to dictate what happens in our community is wrong, please contact ABRA; Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans; Council member Jim Graham, chair of the committee that oversees ABC [Board issues]; and Mayor Vincent Gray,” Leeds said in her open letter. “The right of a group of 5 residents to hold up a license application should be eliminated from the law.”
Leeds’ letter came two days after Mayor Gray told a joint Capital Pride-Washington Blade town hall meeting that he was concerned over the ability of just five people to block licensing applications for businesses such as restaurants.
“I don’t think a small handful of people should be given the opportunity to unreasonably hold up action on something that a preponderance of the people want to move forward on,” Gray said.
“I have always believed that most so-called ‘voluntary agreements’ are actually ‘coerced’ agreements,’” said gay activist Peter Rosenstein, who lives about two blocks from Hank’s.
“[T]his case should convince the City Council and the mayor to change the law,” Rosenstein said. “We live in a democracy and allowing a complaint by five people to determine what is seating capacity for a restaurant is clearly not democracy.”
Rick Rosendall, vice president of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance and a resident of 17th Street near Hank’s Oyster Bar, characterized as “outrageous” the action by the six residents to restrict Hank’s patio usage.
“It is absurd and harmful, and D.C. Council members and Mayor Gray need to hear from people who appreciate that the neighborhood and the city are not served by allowing small, unrepresentative groups to hold everyone else hostage to their cramped, entitlement-drenched desire to turn thriving urban neighborhoods into quiet suburbs,” Rosendall said.
One of the court’s requirements is that Leeds makes a “good faith” effort to reach a new voluntary agreement with the six residents, something Leeds doesn’t think is possible.
“[W]e did try to work this out with those opposed to us back when we first sought termination of the VA, but they refused to meet,” she said. “Since the Court of Appeals decision was reached, we offered to address their concerns with a more limited VA, but they insist we cut our outdoor occupancy by 25 percent, even though there have been no complaints.”
The second requirement is to show that the neighborhood has changed since the time the agreement was signed in 2005 that would support terminating the agreement. Kline said one key change that has occurred is the ABC Board repealed part of a longstanding 17th Street moratorium on new liquor licenses that prevented bars and restaurants from laterally expanding to adjacent buildings or properties.
The Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission, which supports allowing Hank’s to expand its patio, supported the lifting of the moratorium on lateral expansion.
The president of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, Doug Rogers, issued a statement on Monday denouncing the ABC Board’s decision to shut down Hank’s expanded patio operation, saying the board should have waited until after its scheduled hearing on June 13.
“What is even more infuriating is that two toxic people in our neighborhood are allowed to shut down part of a legitimate business and force them to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees,” Rogers said in his statement. “Their ability to do this should be eliminated from D.C. law, and I urge Mayor Gray and the D.C. Council to reform D.C.’s archaic regulatory laws.”
Local
D.C.’s affirming congregations to mark Holy Week, Easter
Dignity Washington among groups holding events
LGBTQ-friendly congregations in the D.C. area this week are marking Easter and Holy Week.
The Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C., located in Mount Vernon Square, holds both online and in-person services.
An online-only Good Friday service will take place on April 3 at 7 p.m. In person or online Resurrection Sunday services will take place on April 5 at 10:30 a.m.
Dignity Washington, an LGBTQ Catholic group, is also holding Holy Week and Easter events.
The group on March 29 held a Palm Sunday prayer event. Dignity Washington on April 5 will hold a Mass at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church at 6 p.m. It will be livestreamed on Facebook.
Foundry United Methodist Church holds two Easter Sunday services at 9 and 11:15 a.m.
Riverside Baptist Church, located in Southwest Washington, is an “Inclusive, Multicultural, Christ-Centered” congregation that also offers Holy Week and Easter activities.
The church on Good Friday at 3 p.m. is holding an outreach period in which they will clean up the neighborhood. Easter Sunday services will be held at 9:45 a.m., starting with a musical prelude, followed by services.
The church offers weekly “Wednesday Witness,” a youth and safety zone drop-in, serving as a safe space for the students of Jefferson Middle School and the community. It takes place from 3-5 p.m.
The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center offers a comprehensive list of inclusive faith communities on its website. The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists offers a list of churches partnered with their organization that are inclusive and mainly Baptist, but the group does feature churches of other denominations.
The 18th National Rainbow Seder took place at the Human Rights Campaign on March 29. The sold out event is the country’s largest Passover Seder for the Jewish LGBTQ community.
Organizations behind the event included Bet Mishpachah, a local D.C. LGBTQ synagogue that Rabbi Jake Singer-Beilin leads, and GLOE, an Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center program that sponsors events for the queer Jewish community. The theme for this year’s Seder was “Liberation for All Who Journey: Remembering, Resisting, Rebuilding.” Rabbis Atara Cohen, Koach Frazier, and Avigayil Halpern led it.
The Seder honored the late GLOE co-chair Michael Singer. Singer also served on the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center’s board.
“This Seder is both a celebration of how far we have come and a call to continue building a more just and inclusive world.” Bet Mishpachah Executive Director Joshua Maxey told the Washington Blade.
District of Columbia
Trans activists gather on National Mall for Transgender Day of Visibility
Around 200 members, supporters of the trans community, gathered on the Mall amid the increasingly hostile political environment.
The National Mall was covered in kites on Saturday as transgender activists from around the country gathered to support the second annual Transgender Day of Visibility. The event, put on by the Christopher Street Project — whose mission to protect and support trans Americans on the ballot and in streets — brought together around 200 supporters and organizations to honor trans homicide victims and rally for the future of human rights.
Created 17 years ago by psychotherapist and trans activist Rachel Crandall-Crocker, the day was born out of a need to celebrate one of the most marginalized groups in American politics, she told The 19th in 2021.
Since then, the nation has slowly caught up. This year marked the second time the observance has expanded into a multi-day movement, with events ranging from panels and congressional lobbying to organizing efforts, culminating in a rally on the “nation’s front door” — the National Mall.
A recent survey conducted by SRSS, a national research and marketing firm, and commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, found that 41 percent of American adults say they personally know someone who is trans. That figure is up from previous estimates of around 30 percent. The study also shows that 27 percent say they have had a regular conversation with a transgender person in the last year. For HRC, this data is confirmation that visibility efforts are working.
“Transgender people are not strangers. They are our neighbors, coworkers, family members, and friends. And this new data shows that as people get to know them, they are more likely to stand by them as allies,” said Kelley Robinson, president of HRC said in a statement. “Defending trans rights is part of defending democracy itself. The more we show up for each other, the stronger our communities and our democracy become.”
Despite this progress and growing positive sentiment, more than 80 anti-trans bills are currently pending in state legislatures across the country, according to HRC, while similar issues are being debated at the national level. Many of the bills seek to restrict trans youth from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity and limit access to gender-affirming medical care.
Tyler Hack, founder and executive director of the Christopher Street Project, who is trans and nonbinary, spoke with the Washington Blade on March 28 about the growing importance of the day.
“We saw that there was a lack of political power for the trans community. We saw that there was a lack of political power for the trans community,” Hack said. “We decided to step up and implement the demand leadership and have galvanized people all across this country for Trans Day of Visibility and our gatherings these last few days we’ve had people come from as far as Hawaii to come celebrate with us, advocate for our rights on the hill, and learn about what it means to fight for all of us.”
Fighting for “all of us,” Hack noted, means showing up where political power is concentrated — in the nation’s capital. The National Mall, a hub for both protest and tourism, draws a wide range of visitors, from political activists brandishing MAGA hats or “You did it, Joe” t-shirts to everyday sightseers.
“I literally just saw a guy in a Trump shirt [at the rally], but we’re not going anywhere,” they said. “Visablity is really important, alongside needing to be an active parts of society, being having public life, and we need to demonstrate that we’re not going anywhere. I mean, we had people from the hill, Congress members come who weren’t even planning to come and did … We are now learning about what it means to fight for and stand up for our rights.”
Hack then looked toward the Capitol after being asked why they believe there are so many negative — and false — statements coming from congressional legislators about trans people. After a pause, they emphasized that the fight for trans rights is often deliberately mischaracterized by Republican opponents try to turn Americans against the community. That, they pointed out, is not what is happening outside the halls of the Hill.
“We are fighting for an America that works for all of us, and we know that,” Hack said. “We know that fighting for all of us is not unpopular. What’s unpopular is genital inspections in schools for girls as young as four years old — who some of our leaders want to transvestigate for not looking feminine enough. What’s unpopular are subpoenas of hospitals so the government can go through your records and decide what they like and don’t like. It is about power.”
That framing — that trans people simply want to live freely and equally under the law — has become central to the movement’s messaging, even as conservative media organizations and political leaders continue to shape public perception in opposing ways.
“We can’t cede any ground because we don’t need to. We are not fighting for a cause that’s inherently unpopular. People know that we shouldn’t throw anyone under the bus, and that’s what we’re here to say to our leaders: we’re paying attention.”
This year’s TDoV was noticeably larger in production than last year’s event, with a bigger stage, more high-profile speakers, increased security, and expanded programming across multiple days.
“We also planned three days of programming. We had dozen panels and workshops on Thursday, and we had over 75 Hill meetings on Friday,” they said. “Now we have this rally, and our capacity hasn’t grown that much — a lot of this was done by two people, but I think it just has come to fruition in a way. I’m happy with it, but I would love to see people with crazy budgets and includes expanded capacity, also we can continue to step out and do the work.”
One moment that stood out to Hack was seeing a parent advocate for her trans child — highlighting what they described as the deeply human nature of these stories.
“The first person to come up to me today was a mom of a trans kid and a nonbinary kid who said she came to our whole convening, going to the Hill to advocate yesterday — for the first time, because we inspired her to act, and that she was too scared to be a part of something,” they said. “She knew that her kids’ lives had been criminalized and that she needed to act and –that really hit me. I also know most of the people who educated our lawmakers, were people who have never been to the Hill before. These people who were also telling their stories, were also fighting for reproductive freedom for all. I mean, we had people from Hawaii, Washington State, California, people who some of them hadn’t been to D.C. Those are the people that we are here to mobilize because they haven’t been galvanized by any project before. I’m just grateful we gave them something that they’re willing to get behind.”
Speakers throughout the rally echoed similar themes of urgency, visibility, and collective action.
Rayceen Pendarvis, a local D.C. trans activist, spoke at the event, emphasizing the history behind the current fight — especially the exclusion of trans people from broader LGBTQ movements — and the need to push back against current political attacks on the most marginalized.
“Trans people in D.C. had to fight for their seat at the table. Trans people were either an afterthought — or left out completely. Now, trans people have become the scapegoat. Ignorance about trans people has been weaponized.”
The lifelong Washingtonian, who had a popular show that ran for 10 seasons with a range of programming covering local and national LGBTQ topics from 2012–2021, continued on the need to stay aware and vocal during the increasingly difficult Trump-Vance administration.
“We have to push back — be as relentless as they are. If your vote was not important, they wouldn’t spend so much time trying to stop you from using it. Voting is not enough — we all must get involved. Let us make our ancestors proud by unifying, organizing, and fighting back.”
She ended her speech with advice to not only strategically spend time advocating, but also build relationships within and around the transgender community.
“Support each other, encourage each other, and help each other. Spend time with your trans elders while you can and learn from them. Give them their flowers, but also give the old dolls some money to pay their bills,” she said to cheers from the crowd. “Allies need to put their money where their mouth is!”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant, singer-songwriter, and trans activist Peppermint spoke about the mixed feelings the day brings, allowing her to recognize both pride and frustration with the slow-moving progress for the transgender community.
“I love being trans, and it’s inspiring to see more people feel comfortable expressing who they are,” Peppermint said to the crowd. “But I’m disappointed that we have to march for our rights. I’m disappointed that we have to convince people who we are, while we’ve been here supporting them all along. I’m disappointed that not enough people show up when the trans community is under attack.”
Last year, a record number of anti-trans policies passed through state and federal legislatures — many originating from Republican lawmakers who argue such measures are necessary for safety. Idaho voted to make it a criminal offense to use the bathroom aligned with one’s gender identity if it does not match sex assigned at birth, setting up a bounty-style enforcement system. Twenty-seven states have banned sports participation for transgender children, primarily targeting transgender girls, citing fairness and safety — claims that research has shown are not supported by evidence. Last month, Kansas’s state Senate voted to invalidate driver’s licenses and birth certificates of trans residents who had updated their gender markers, while also defining sex strictly as assigned at birth.
Peppermint highlighted the specific cruelty of these policies and echoed the rally’s broader message.
“People are being asked to make an agreement to throw us under the bus. You’re watching our civil rights be stripped away like it’s entertainment. When you empower a government to take rights from some, you empower it to take rights from everyone,” the Broadway performer added. “That’s the reality we’re facing.”
She finished by affirming those present and pointing toward the future of the fight for equal treatment under the law.
“Trans people are women, men, nonbinary, immigrants, disabled — every kind of person. We are here, and we are inevitable. I’m disappointed — but I’m hopeful. I’m grateful — and you should be too,” Peppermint said. “I love you, I’m in awe of you, and I am grateful for you. I’m proud to stand with this diverse trans community. We have always shown up for others, year after year. And we’re still here.”
Rabbi Abby Stein framed the moment through a spiritual and historical lens, offering an alternative to narratives often pushed by conservative lawmakers and commentators.
“They’ve moved past trying to erase us — they’re using us. We have become the rock they’re using to hit the people they want to oppress,” Stein said. “We are visible, but we’ve been forced into a narrow place. That’s the reality of this moment.”
She continued, explaining that, despite what some have said, her trans identity reaffirms her religion and strengthens her Jewish faith.
“For generations, we’ve told stories about leaving narrow places. Those narrow places exist today — in closets, in systems, in the ways people try to restrict us. But we have always found a way out. That is our history and our power.”
“Coming out and being who you are isn’t just okay — it’s a spiritual obligation. It is powerful, and it is necessary. If you try to take away our visibility, our rights, and our joy, you will fail. We are going to win because we will keep fighting together.”
Other activists that spoke included military members who had been forced out of their jobs and benefits following the Trump-Vance administration’s return to banning transgender military members, including SPARTA Pride Executive Director and US Army Major Kara Corcoran and Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland, both focusing their time on stage on sharing how they gave their country their lives, yet the president couldn’t accept their gender identity.
Others who spoke/performed included the queer cheerleading group Cheer DC, local trans DJ and organizer Samson, and Chastity Bowick, Executive Director of Marsha P. Johnson Institute also spoke.
Hack closed with a message centered on their belief in collective action to create a better world for everyone and the resilience of the community.
“We’ve been fighting in the halls of power, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come. This week is about educating, advocating, and rallying. There isn’t one strategy to take back our country. It takes all of us … This is not just about trans people — this is about whether the government gets to decide who is acceptable. When one group is targeted, it never stops there. That’s what history shows us. That’s why this moment matters.”
“We’re being scapegoated and forced out of public life. There are efforts to legislate us out of existence. Our freedoms are intertwined — we can’t leave anyone out. They think we’re small, but they’re wrong.”
“The days of respectability politics are over,” Hack said, with rainbow kites lying overhead, signaling a welcome and powerful reflection of the day’s movement — one that echoed the sentiments of those gathered. “Our movement has never needed permission to exist — and we’re not asking for it now. There is something inevitable about a people who refuse to disappear. It is inevitable that we win.”
Maryland’s legislative caucuses outlined their legislative priorities heading into the final weeks of the 2026 General Assembly during a joint press conference on March 24.
The press conference was titled “We are Maryland,” where a representative for each of the legislative caucuses outlined priorities.
State Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick County) of the LGBTQ+ Caucus opened the press conference with a statement on the unity of Maryland’s caucus.
“Together we can show our state and our community a different world, one where we mutually support one another and through that support uplift every Marylander,” he said.
In a press conference on March 5, the LGBTQ+ Caucus outlined its top legislative priorities. Fair highlighted two of those bills again during the “We are Maryland” press conference.
The first of the two highlighted pieces of legislation was Senate Bill 626 and House Bill 1589.
The bills would simplify the process of updating an individual’s birth certificate and align the Department of Health and DMV systems to reflect those changes. The bill is being led by state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard Counties) and state Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County).
The second piece of legislation is Senate Bill 950 and House Bill 1209, which would update and modernize laws and regulations around so-called conversion therapy. The bills have failed to pass either chamber thus far. They are being led by state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery County) and state Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery County).
(The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a Colorado law that bans so-called conversion therapy for minors. Maryland is among the U.S. jurisdictions that prohibit the widely discredited practice for anyone under 18.)
Martinez and Lam have introduced bills in their respective chambers that would expand PrEP access in Maryland. Martinez did not attend the press conference, and Fair did not mention it when he spoke.
State Del. N. Scott Phillips (D-Baltimore County) represented the Black Caucus during the press conference. State Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel County) spoke on behalf of the Women’s Caucus, State Del. Teresa Woorman (D-Montgomery County) represented the Latino Caucus, and State Del. Lily Qi (D-Montgomery County) represented the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Caucus. State Del. Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery County) represented the Jewish Caucus, and state Del. Sean Stinnett (D-Baltimore County) represented the Muslim Caucus during the press conference.
Solomon ended the press conference by explaining the importance of all the caucuses coming out together.
“We are stronger when we’re together, and many of these issues that we have talked about, again, impact all of us,” said Solomon.
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