Local
D.C. Center lands $25,000 donation
Crew Club contribution to help renovate new space in Reeves building
‘We decided it was important for the Center to be there for all of us in the community,’ said Crew Club owner D.C. Allen (Washington Blade file photo by Pete Exis)
The owners of the Crew Club, a D.C. health club and sauna that caters to gay men, presented the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community with a $25,000 donation on Tuesday at a reception to kick-off a fundraising drive to help finance the center’s move to a new home.
Center Vice President Michelle Ross, who heads the center’s relocation committee, said the donation by the Crew Club through it co-owners D.C. Allen and his husband, Ken Flick, provides a major boost in raising the estimated $75,000 needed to renovate the LGBT Center’s new space in the city’s Reeves Center municipal building at 14th and U streets, N.W.
Ross and D.C. Center President Michael Sessa have said the 15-year lease the Center just signed with the city to rent space in the highly desirable location at the Reeves Center required that they accept the space “as is” and pay for getting it ready for occupancy.
Although the renovation work needed is more extensive than originally anticipated, the two said community supporters like Allen and Flick and other donors along with supporters who are providing pro bono work related to the renovation should make it possible to complete the project by late June, Ross said.
“We decided it was important for the center to be there for all of us in the community,” Allen told the Blade.
Allen said he and Flick have been impressed with the center’s varied programs that help support a diverse cross section of the LGBT community, including programs for LGBT military veterans and LGBT immigrants and those seeking U.S. political asylum. Sports and career development programs as well as addiction and recovery related efforts, including the center’s longstanding crystal meth program, are among many other center activities, Allen said.
“We felt it was extremely important that this not drag on and that they start their renovation and get in there as soon as possible,” he said.
Ross is urging members of the community to visit the center’s website for details of the renovation plans, including floor plans and drawings prepared by an architect and interior designer who are helping with the project. The renovation plans can be viewed at www.thedccenter.org/home.
The need to find a new home for the center surfaced after center officials were told they would have to leave their current space at 1318 U St., N.W., because the building in which they are located will soon be taken down to make way for a new high-rise office building.
The renovation and design plans shown on the center’s website call for naming rooms after large donors and displaying permanent plaques on the walls of the new space bearing the names of contributors.
“Be a permanent part of the Center and purchase a piece of history,” the site says.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
Rehoboth Beach
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
Details on sale of iconic bar, restaurant not disclosed
The Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been an iconic presence in the local LGBTQ community for four decades but its status remains murky after a sheriff’s auction of the property was abruptly called off on Tuesday.
The property was listed for sale in December. At that time, owner Tim Ragan told the Blade that he is committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Ragan said in December. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney were separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale were listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They were listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price was not publicly disclosed.
But then, earlier this year, the Blue Moon real estate listing turned up on the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office auction site. The auction was slated for Tuesday, April 21 but hours before the sale, the listing changed to “active under contract” indicating that a buyer has been found but the sale is not yet final. As of Wednesday morning, the listing has been removed from the sheriff’s auction site.
Ragan didn’t respond to Blade inquiries about the auction. Back in December, he told the Blade, “It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” noting that he turns 70 this year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the sale price.
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