Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. 2013: Nightlife
Blade readers choose their favorite clubs, parties, monthly events and more

Freddie’s Beach Bar (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best outside-D.C. bar: Freddie’s Beach Bar
555 23rd Street
South Arlington, Va.
703-685-0555
Runner-up: Club Hippo (Baltimore)

Blue Moon (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Rehoboth bar: Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
302-227-6515
Runner-up: Rehoboth Ale House

Number Nine (Washington Blade photo by Lee Whitman)
Best happy hour:
Best place to meet men:
Number 9
1435 P Street, N.W.
202-986-0999
Runner-up for both: Cobalt
Best drag show: Big Bang Bingo at Mellow Mushroom
2436 18th Street, N.W.
202-290-2778
mellowmushroom.com
Runner-up: Ziegfeld’s
Best place to meet women: glittHER by V Spot D.C.
1807 4th St., N.W.
Dancing won’t feel right again without being covered in glitter.V Spot D.C.’s glittHER dance parties infuse great music, glitter, dancing and did we mention glitter? All while mingling with local ladies. (MC)
Runner-up: BARE by LURe at Cobalt

Stoney’s (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best gay-friendly straight bar: Stoney’s
1433 P Street, N.W.
202-234-1818
Runner-up: Brixton
Best live music: 9:30 Club
815 V Street, N.W.
202-265-0930
Runner-up: Black Cat
Best neighborhood bar: JR.’s Bar & Grill
1519 17th Street, N.W.
202-328-0090
Runner-up: Nellie’s Sports Bar
Hottest stripper or gogo dancer:
Christian Lezzil
By day he’s a graduate student with one semester left to earn his master’s in literature. By night, Christian Lezzil strips at Secrets.
Having done some modeling during his time in Virginia Beach — he came to D.C. about a year ago — Lezzil says dancing nude, initially at the behest of a drag queen friend, was a lark. He says in addition to paying for grad school, it’s had an unexpected benefit — it’s given him plenty of material for his writing. He has two books — “Crimson & Caramel” and “The Maniac in the Coffee Shop” — out (written under his real name, Eddie Generazio).
“It started with a student body competition in Virginia Beach,” Lezzil says. “Somebody said I should enter and I just thought, ‘Hell, why not? I’m not doing anything else.’ I was waiting to hear back from my graduate school application. … I was looking for some kind of alternative lifestyle-type of thing to do and I just thought, ‘Well, what’s more alternative than dancing in a male revue?’ There’s a lot of poetry in there and it just kind of started taking off after I arrived in D.C. I got so much material, my second book kind of wrote itself.”
The 23-year-old bi Virginia native, Lezzil (a stage name) says he enjoys the irony of stripping and writing. He says many of his colleagues at Secrets are also smart, though some try to hide it. He views his Best Of Gay D.C. award as a validation of sorts.
“Maybe I’m just a jerk and I’m inflating it, but I think of it as a kind of performance art,” he says.
(JD)

Christian Lezzil (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Ben Reznik
Best men’s party: CTRL at Cobalt
Last Saturday of the month
1639 R Street, N.W.
202-232-4416
Runner-up: Bear Happy Hour at Town

BARE by the Ladies of LURe at Cobalt. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best women’s party: BARE by LURe at Cobalt
Third Saturday of the month
1639 R Street, N.W.
202-232-4416
Runner-up: glittHER by V Spot D.C.

Joshua Vogelsong of the Black Cat’s Gay/Bash. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best alt party: Gay/Bash! at Black Cat
Next event: Oct. 26
1811 14th Street, N.W.
202-667-4490
Runner-up: Mixtape
Friday, March 27
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Saturday, March 28
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. For more details, email [email protected].
Monday, March 30
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
“Tea Time! A Local DC Drag Comedy Show” will be at 3 p.m. at Spark Social. This is a live drag comedy show where drag legends TrevHER & Tiara Missou Sidora host spill all the tea in the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Tuesday, March 31
Visibili-TEA Party will be at 6 p.m. at Restoration Station. Guests are encouraged to come sip, celebrate, and shine together. This event is a Trans Day of Visibility celebration and a special collaboration between Auntie’s Home and Damien Ministries. This is a boozy tea party with intention and the dress code reflects the vibe. More details are available on Eventbrite.
Wednesday, March 1
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, April 2
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Unconventional Diner will host “Cherry Blossom Drag Bingo Party” on Friday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Guests will be treated to an unforgettable night of drag performances, bingo, food and drink and prizes. Highlights of the evening include themed cocktails, drag performances and bingo prizes.
Tickets can be secured via Resy.
Sports
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.
“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.
The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”
“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”
The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”
The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
(Video courtesy of the IOC)
Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.
Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.
“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.
An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.
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