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Coronavirus wreaks havoc on D.C. queer nightlife
Promoters, drag queens, performers all brace for extreme income loss
As coronavirus continues its surge across the U.S., little will remain unaffected. Millions will likely manage to remain uninfected but few will not feel the economic impact in some fashion, especially those whose economic lives were tenuous before. With practically all performances and concerts canceled indefinitely, Washingtonians in the gay nightlife world are reeling.
Dougie Meyer presents weekly Avalon Saturdays at Soundcheck, which bills itself as “D.C.’s No. 1 weekly LGBTQ+ dance party.” The parties have been canceled at least through the end of March and Meyer, who’s gay, says between this and other events he runs (some in New York), he expects a severe loss.
“This is so serious,” he says. “I will not only lose thousands and thousands of dollars personally, but this is coming into what would normally be my busy season. As is fairly common in nightlife, January and February are always your slowest months and we pretty much keep things going in the red. People are maxed out from the holidays, it’s bitter cold out and not only are we not making any money, we’re actually losing money because we still have to pay employees, still have to pay lighting cost, decor, drag queens, the expenses keep adding up. Things usually start to rebound in March and April and people are finally going out again, the weather has warmed up and people are in a better mood but now, even that has been completely stripped away from us.”
Actress/comedian Beverly “Miss Chocolate” White works by day as an executive assistant at a local non-profit but says her nightlife gigs help her pay bills and give her some financial cushion in the pricey District (Investopedia places it as the fifth most expensive U.S. city). All 10 bookings she had coming up have been canceled, she says. Her day job, too, is uncertain because of the virus.
“I probably won’t starve or be put out from that income, but it does help,” White, a lesbian, says. “It’s enabled me to be a sponsor, to have a little bit of disposable income, to sponsor with ‘Ask Rayceen,’ to donate to Casa Ruby and Wanda Alston House … but I do pretty much live paycheck to paycheck, so I don’t know what will happen next month, next week. I was finally to a point where it wasn’t costing me to do a show, they were paying me, so I don’t know where this will all lead.”
Losses across the wider financial sector are expected to be staggering. The 30-day U.S. travel ban for most of Europe is expected to result in 2 million unsold airline seats, the Wall Street Journal estimates. Ticket sales in the $100 million ballpark will be lost while Broadway stays dark for four weeks. The suspended NBA season could result in $972 million in TV ad revenue based on last year’s figures, the Journal reports.
In the arts world, even industry leaders one thinks of as robust will also feel the sting. The Kennedy Center, of course, is closed at least through month’s end. In New York, where the Metropolitan Opera usually runs on a $308 million annual budget, the effect of the virus could be catastrophic. That sounds like a huge figure but with the high cost of mounting opera, box office tenuousness even under normal circumstances and a heavy reliance on donations, impact is likely to be “severe,” as Peter Gelb, general manager, told the New York Times.
That kind of impact has a “trickle down” effect on nightlife performers, White says.
“It’s impacting everybody,” she says. I had a show that would have been this Saturday in Anacostia, I was going to be going back to New York. I know these are just small things, I have to count my blessings, but it’s really impacting everyone and everything.”
Chris Smith/Kristina Kelly, one of the city’s most well-known drag performers, is also facing a suddenly free schedule. Smith, who has been doing drag in the region full time for 10 years, says under normal circumstances, it’s a solid, realistic income, though that often involves working six or sometimes even seven nights per week. Smith’s mother lives on Social Security income in Lexington, Va., (where he’s from) so he sends her money as well.
“It could be weeks before we go back to work and even if we do, people still have to be able to afford to come see us,” he says. “People with regular jobs, if they’re not getting paid, they’re not going to be able to come see a drag show. You can’t come and laugh and enjoy yourself if you don’t have the money to do so.”
Meyer says he knows of one New York bartender who moved back home with his parents to Pennsylvania this week. There was no way to continue New York rent with income suspended indefinitely. He says his drag queens, bartenders, barbacks, DJs, go go dancers — all are feeling the pinch. He guesses there are about 50 people impacted by the closure of his various events.
“It’s crippling the entire industry,” he says. “Everyone is depressed in capital letters. Very depressed and upset. It’s just really bad.”
Meyer was managing a bar in New York during the 2008 financial meltdown. He remembers many slow months then but says this is shaping up to be worse.
“I don’t even think that is even close to what we’re dealing with today,” he says.
Smith says he feels “overwhelmed.” He was already somewhat in rebound mode having had gastric bypass surgery in early December (he’s lost about 190 pounds total, pre- and post-surgery, he says).
“It’s a lot coming at once and when you’re that person who feels you can fix everything and then you’re at a point where you just can’t, I feel helpless,” he says.
Could some of this move online? Smith says that’s unrealistic.
“We’re in an emergency situation — you think people are gonna pay money to watch some damn drag queen in her basement? I just don’t see any scenario where that would work at all.”
What about Pride? Nobody has a crystal ball, but what are people feeling? Will things be back to normal by then?
“I could see this affecting Pride all over the country,” White says. “We may have to take this down time to go back to the drawing board and think about what plan B looks like, not just keep our fingers crossed that things will be back to normal by then. Now is the time to think about that.
Meyer says LGBT folks may even be disproportionately impacted. Sure, there are straight DJs and bartenders but drag and gay nightlife, to some degree, are their own things without as many straight-world counterparts.
“To some degree, yeah, it’s across the board, but when you think about drag queens and the time and expense they put into pulling off a look … it’s gonna affect them at a much higher rate,” he says.
Smith says he’s working hard to stay positive.
“I always say, the next 30 seconds is not guaranteed,” he says. “If I wake up today, I’m blessed and I’m already winning. A lot of people don’t have that option. If you’re able to wake up and start your day, you’re already in a winning situation.”
a&e features
Memorial for groundbreaking bisexual activist set for May 2
Loraine Hutchins remembered as a ‘force of nature’
The Montgomery County Pride Center will host a celebration honoring the life and legacy of Loraine Hutchins, Ph.D., on May 2. People are invited to attend the onsite memorial or a livestream event. The on-site event will begin at 10 a.m. with a meet-and-greet mixer before moving into a memorial service around the theme “Loraine a Force of Nature!” at 11 a.m., a panel talk at 12 p.m., break out sessions for artists, academics, and activists to build on her legacy at 1 p.m. and a closing reception at 2 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to register for the on-site memorial gathering or the livestreamed memorial. The goal of this event is also to collect stories and memories of Loraine. Attendees and others can share their stories at padlet.com.
An obituary for Hutchins was published in the Bladelast Nov. 24, where people can learn more about her activism in the bisexual community. A private service for friends and family was held in December but this memorial service is open to all.
Alongside her groundbreaking work organizing for U.S. bisexual rights and liberation including co-editing “Bi Any Other Name: BIsexual People Speak Out” (1991), she also integrated faith into her sexual education and advocacy work. Her 2001 doctoral dissertation, “Erotic Rites: A Cultural Analysis of Contemporary U.S. Sacred Sexuality Traditions and Trends,” offered a pointed queer and feminist analysis to sex-neutral and sex-positive spiritual traditions in the United States. Her thesis was also groundbreaking in exploring the intersections between sex workers and those in caregiving professionals, including spiritual ones.
In an oral history interview conducted by Michelle Mueller back in August 2023, Hutchins described herself as a “priestess without a congregation.” While she has occasionally had a sense of community and feels part of a group of loving people, she admitted that “I don’t feel like we have the shape or the purpose that we need.”
“I’ve often experienced being the Cassandra in the room, the Cassandra in the community. Somebody who’s kind of way out there ahead, thinking through the strategic action points that my community hasn’t gotten to yet, and getting a lot of resistance and hostile responses from people who are frightened by dissent and conflict and not ready for the changes we have to make to survive,” she said.
“For somebody who’s bisexual in an out political way and who’s been a spokesperson for the polyamory movement in an out political way, it’s very exposing. And it’s very important to me to be able to try to explain and help other people understand the connection between spirituality and sexuality,” she explained citing how even as a graduate student she was “exploring how to feel erotic and spiritual, and not feel them in conflict with each other in my own spiritual contemplative life and my own sensual body awareness of being alive in the world.”
“Every religion has a sense of sacred sexuality. It’s just they put a lot of boundaries and regulations on it, and if we have a spiritual practice that is totally affirming of women’s priesthood and of gay people, queer people’s ability to minister to everyone and to be ministered to be everyone, what does that do to the gender of God, or our understanding of how we practice our spirituality and our sexuality in community and privately?”
“There’s no easy answer,” she concludes, and she continued to grapple with these questions throughout her life, co-editing another seminal text, “Sexuality, Religion and the Sacred: Bisexual, Pansexual, and Polysexual Perspectives,” published in 2012. Her work blending spiritual and queer liberation remains groundbreaking to this day.
Rev. Eric Eldritch, a local community organizer and ordained Pagan minister with Circle Sanctuary who has worked for decades with the DC Center’s Center Faith to organize the Pride Interfaith Service, is eager to highlight this element of her legacy at the memorial service next month.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.
Aging RFK Stadium has come down, but the RFK grounds are still getting lit up. Welcome back to the stage Project GLOW, D.C.’s homegrown electronic festival, on May 30-31. Back for its fifth year on these musically inclined acres, Project GLOW returns with an even more diverse lineup, and one that continues to celebrate LGBTQ antecedents, attendees, and acts.
Project GLOW 2026 headliners include house and techno star Mau P, progressive house legend Eric Prydz, hard-techno favorite Sara Landry, and bass acts Excision b2b Sullivan King, among the lineup of trance, bass, house, techno, dubstep, and others for the fifth anniversary year.
President & CEO Pete Kalamoutsos — born and raised in D.C. — founded Club GLOW in 1999. In 2020, GLOW entered into a partnership with global entertainment company Insomniac Events to produce live events like Project GLOW, which kicked off in 2022.
As in past years, Project GLOW not only makes space, but is intentionally inclusive of the LGBTQ community, one of its most dedicated fan bases. The festival’s LGBTQ-focused Secret Garden stage blooms again — a more intimate dance area that stands on the strength of DJs and musicians who draw from the LGBTQ community. D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife mastermind Ed Bailey is the creative mind behind Secret Garden again. He joined Project GLOW in 2023.
“Kalamoustos says that “he’s proud of his partnership with Ed Bailey, along with Capital Pride and [nightlife producer] Jake Resnikow. It’s amazing to collaborate with Bailey at the Secret Garden stage, especially after the curated lineup we worked on at Pride last year.”
The Secret Garden will be a bit different from other stages: Eternal (“At the Eternal stage, time stands still. Lose yourself in the dance of past, present, and future, surrendering to the eternal rhythm of the universe”) and Pulse (“Feel the rhythm of the beat pulse through your veins as the heartbeat of the crowd synchronizes into one. Here, every moment vibrates with life as it guides you through a new dimension of euphoria”). The Secret Garden stage is in the round, surrounded by 16 shipping containers. The containers play canvas to muralists from around the world, who are coming in to paint them in a vibrant garden-style vibe. “We gave this stage some extra love with this layout,” K says, “ we finally cracked the code.”
K says that this will be the biggest lineup yet for the Secret Garden, featuring Nicole Moudaber b2b Chasewest, Riordan b2b Bullet Tooth, Ranger Trucco, Cassian, Eli & Fur, Cosmic Gate and Hayla. The stage is also the largest yet, featuring an expanded dance floor and 360-degree viewing.
Across all stages, K says that his goal for the fifth anniversary is “More art and fan interactive experience, more like a festival, strive to be like a Tomorrowland, as budget grows to add more experience.” Last year’s Project GLOW alone drew 40,000 attendees over two days.
K, however, was not satisfied with one festival this spring. GLOW recently announced a “pop-up” one-day event. Teaming up with Black Book Records, GLOW is set to throw a first-of-its-kind dance-music takeover of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., headlined by electronic music star Chris Lake. Set for April 18, this euphoric block party will feature bass and vibes blocks from the White House. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 fans to attend. Beyond music, there will be food, activations, and plenty of other activities taking place around 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW – a location familiar to many in the LGBTQ community, as this sits squarely inside the blocks of the Capital Pride party that takes place in DC every June.
Over the past two decades, Club GLOW has produced thousands of events, from club nights to large-scale festivals including Project GLOW, Moonrise Festival, and more. Club GLOW also operates Echostage.
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