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, May 23
“Center Aging Monthly Luncheon and Yoga” will be at 12 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. For more details, email [email protected].
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity and/or expression. For more details, email [email protected].
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at DIK Bar. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, May 24
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and 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.
Black Lesbian Mixer will be at 11 a.m. on Zoom. This is a support group dedicated to the joys of being a Black lesbian. For more details, email [email protected].
Sunday, May 25
“The Queen’s Table: A Women’s Empowerment Brunch” will be at 11 a.m. at Zooz. This event will celebrate queer women’s strength. For more details visit Eventbrite.
Monday, May 26
“Center Aging Monday Coffee and Conversation” 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 details, email [email protected].
Tuesday, May 27
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know you’re not 100 percent cis — this is your group. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.
Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This support group is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.
Wednesday, May 28
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. 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, May 29
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fairer with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. 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 with Charles M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breathwork, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony
The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Calendar: May 23-29
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