Coronavirus
Updated list of LGBTQ cancellations
Coronavirus disrupting life as we once knew it
LGBTQ and LGBTQ-supportive organizations continue to announce cancellations and postponements of events and changes in their operating formats in response to the coronavirus outbreak and emergency actions by local and state governments to curtail the pandemic.
The Washington Blade will update this list of cancellations, postponements and venue changes as we learn about them. We encourage organizations and those familiar with them to inform us of these developments via email at [email protected].
CAPITAL PRIDE CELEBRATION: Capital Pride released the following statement on Friday: āAt this time, the Capital Pride Alliance is developing contingencies with regard to the 2020 Celebration of Pride in the Nationās Capital. The decision has been made to postpone Capital Trans Pride and API Pride. In addition, some partner Pride events have been postponed, such as Youth Pride Day and Silver Pride. Additional determinations will be made over the next few weeks. We are monitoring the situation carefully along with other Pride organizations, and we will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners as we make decisions to insure the safety of the entire community.ā
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists announced on March 19 that it has postponed its 25th annual Headlines & Headliners benefit in New York City initially scheduled for April 24. NLGJA says it will release more information about a new date for the event as well as updates on other scheduled events as that information becomes available.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF D.C.: D.C.ās congregation of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, an international Protestant denomination with a special outreach to the LGBTQ community, announced it has suspended until further notice all on site worship services and activities at its church at 474 Ridge St., N.W. due to citywide restrictions on gatherings related to the coronavirus pandemic. The church says its regularly scheduled Sunday services will be live streamed, as they have in the past, on a site accessible at www.mccdc.com. Assistance for those who donāt have internet access can be obtained at 202-638-7373.
BET MISHPACHAH: D.C.ās LGBTQ synagogue has held services every Friday night at 8:00 pm and on the second and fourth Saturday every month at 10:00 am at the D.C. Jewish Community Center at 1529 16th Street, N.W. Bet Mishpachah announced on its website that it has cancelled its services for the remainder of March due to the closing of the Jewish Community Center until at least March 31 in response to the coronavirus emergency. Information about services and programming after April 1 will be announced on its website, www.betmish.org.
SMYAL: The D.C. LGBTQ youth advocacy and services group announced on March 17 that it has moved all of its youth programs normally carried out at its headquarters at 410 7th St., S.E. on Capitol Hill to āvirtual platforms.ā In a statement, it said āSMYAL is intentional about continuing to offer vital support for LGBTQ youth while mitigating risk by moving programs and service navigation online through Zoom, text, Q Chat Space, phone, and email.ā
National Cannabis Festival: The 5th Annual National Cannabis Festival originally scheduled for April 18 at the grounds surrounding D.C.ās RFK Stadium has been postponed and rescheduled for Sept. 19 at the same location. In an announcement this week organizers said all purchases for the April date will be honored for the rescheduled date in September.
AIDS/LifeCycle cancelled: Organizers of AIDS/LifeCycle, the annual seven-day, 545-mile fundraising bicycle journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles scheduled for May 31-June 6, announced the event has been cancelled āin order to protect vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.ā Bicyclists from the D.C. area were expected to participate in the event. The Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which organize the marathon bike ride, urged those who planned to participate in the ride to conduct individual fundraising for AIDS related cause and to consider joining the 2021 AIDS/LifeClycle ride.
Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance: The nonpartisan D.C.-based GLAA, the nationās oldest continuously operating LGBTQ rights organization, announced it has postponed its annual fundraising and awards reception initially scheduled for April 23 at the Lost Society restaurant and tavern at 2001 14th St., N.W. GLAA says it hopes to reschedule the event later this year.
Gertrude Stein Democratic Club: D.C.ās largest local LGBTQ political group announced on Monday that it has cancelled two candidate endorsement forums scheduled for April 28 and May 11 due to restrictions on public gatherings related to the coronavirus. The Stein Club says it is reviewing an online voting option for enabling its members to endorse candidate for D.C. Council and other offices running in the cityās June 2 primary.
Rainbow History Project: The highly acclaimed group that compiles documents and records of LGBTQ history in D.C. announced it has postponed its annual meeting previously scheduled for March 31 in order to āreduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 coronavirus.ā It says the meeting will be rescheduled for an as yet to be determined date.
Casa Ruby: The D.C.-based LGBTQ community services center with a special outreach to homeless LGBTQ youth and transgender people, announced it is remaining open but may face strained financial resources to provide services to clients impacted more than others by the coronavirus outbreak. āWe cannot close and ask our clients to call from home,ā the groups said in a message on its website. āWe are their home ā¦ and they need us more than ever,ā the message says, adding that donations from supporters are needed more than ever during the corona virus emergency.
Human Rights Campaign: The nationās largest LGBTQ national advocacy and civil rights organization announced it has cancelled or postponed all of its public events through the weekend of April 4; including its fundraising dinners in Nashville, Tenn., on March 14; Los Angeles on March 28, and Houston on April 4.
HRC says it has also closed its D.C. headquarters offices at 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., and its regional offices in other cities through the end of March, with staff set to work remotely.
GLAAD: The New York-based LGBTQ national media watchdog organization has cancelled its annual GLAAD media awards fundraising dinner scheduled for March 19 in New York in which several big-name celebrities, including āGleeā TV show star Ryan Murphy were set to appear.
LGBTQ Victory Fund: The D.C.-based national group dedicated to helping elect LGBTQ leaders to public office announced it has postponed all public events through April 15 out of concern for the āhealth and safety of supportersā related to the coronavirus situation. Among the postponements is its National Champagne Brunch in D.C., which is now scheduled for June 21.
Equality Virginia: The statewide LGBTQ advocacy group, Virginiaās largest LGBTQ organization, announced it has cancelled its annual Commonwealth Dinner scheduled for March 28 in Richmond due to circumstances surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. The group says it was unable to reschedule the event but is looking into a possible alternative event.
D.C. Center for the LGBTQ Community: One of D.C.ās largest local LGBTQ organizations, the D.C. Center announced it was closing its offices at the cityās Reeves Center municipal building at 2000 14th St., N.W., effective March 16 with no reopening date immediately available. It is canceling all of its numerous in-person meetings and offering the opportunity for its member groups to host meetings using a conference line.
Cherry Fund 25: D.C.ās largest annual ācircuitā dance party and LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS fundraising venue announced it has postponed this yearās 25th anniversary Cherry 25 from April 16-20 to Oct. 1-5. Officials said tickets purchased for its various events scheduled for different locations the April 16-20 dates would be honored for the October dates.
Gay Menās Chorus of Washington, D.C.: The cityās preeminent gay choral group announced it has postponed its concert called āA Glam Rock Spectacle Serving Self Expression Realnessā originally scheduled for March 14-15 at the Lincoln Theater and rescheduled for June 6-7 at the same location.
Avalon Saturdays: The weekly Saturday night D.C. LGBTQ dance party that in recent times has been held at the downtown nightclub Soundcheck announced it has postponed all of its upcoming Saturday night events through the end of March.
Food and Friends: The highly acclaimed local group founded during the height of the AIDS epidemic to deliver nutritional meals to homebound people with a serious illness has been designated by the city as an āessential serviceā whose operations will not be curtailed during the coronavirus emergency. The mostly volunteer group has issued an appeal for urgently needed volunteers through the end of March due to a large number of cancellations by existing volunteers due to issues related to the coronavirus outbreak. āIf you are an existing volunteer and are in good health, please consider volunteering in the next few weeks,ā Food and Friends states in an announcement. Interested persons should call 202-269-2277.
Log Cabin Republicans of the District of Columbia: The D.C. LGBTQ GOP group has announced it has cancelled its next meeting scheduled for March 19 at the Chastleton Apartments Ballroom where Richmond radio talk show host John Reid was the scheduled guest speaker.
Dignity Washington, D.C.: D.C.ās LGBTQ Catholic organization announced that beginning this Sunday, March 15, it was cancelling its weekly Sunday Catholic Mass that for nearly 20 years has been held at St. Margaretās Episcopal Church near Dupont Circle. Dignity Washington President Daniel Barutta says the group is making arrangements for its mass to be held March 22 at the Dignity Center building at 721 8th St., S.E., with the intent of broadcasting it live online through its website at dignitywashington.org.
Congressional Chorus: The D.C. Congressional Chorus, which has long been popular among the LGBTQ community, has announced it has cancelled its upcoming cabaret performance concert called āVogue: Return to the ā90sā originally scheduled for March 21 at D.C.ās Church of the Epiphany. The announcement says the chorus hopes to reschedule the concert at a future date and tickets already purchase would be honored at that time, can be refunded now, or converted into a tax-deductible donation to the chorus.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: D.C.ās largest performing arts center announced all public performances and events scheduled at the Kennedy Center through March 31 have been cancelled as of Friday due to the coronavirus situation. An announcement says that until further notice, the Kennedy Center campus and its facilities will be closed to visitors, including the restaurant, cafĆ© and other food service facilities. Officials were exploring options for rescheduling performances and productions for a future date.
Coronavirus
D.C. mayor to lift all restrictions on bars, nightclubs on June 11
āWe will definitely be celebrating Prideā next month
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced at a news conference on Monday that a continuing trend of significantly lower numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths in the city has enabled her to fully lift capacity and other restrictions on most businesses, including restaurants and places of worship, on May 21.
The mayor said bars and nightclubs will be allowed to increase indoor capacity from the current 25 percent to 50 percent on May 21, with all capacity restrictions for bars and nightclubs to be removed on June 11.
The mayorās announcement came after representatives of the cityās nightlife businesses, including the cityās gay bars and restaurants, expressed concern that D.C. had yet to lift its capacity restrictions beyond 25 percent while surrounding jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia had already lifted most restrictions.
āOn May 21, restrictions on public and commercial activity, including capacity limits, types of activities, and time restrictions, will be lifted,ā the mayorās directive says.
It says restrictions for bars and nightclubs would continue at a 50 percent capacity from May 21 through June 11. The directive says restrictions for large sports and entertainment venues would also continue from May 21 to June 11, which includes a requirement such events apply for a waiver of the restrictions on a case-by-case basis.
āOn June 11, capacity limits and restrictions will be lifted on those venues that cannot fully reopen on May 21,ā the directive says.
In response to a question at the news conference, Bowser said the June 11 date would essentially end all restrictions on nightclubs and bars, including the current requirement that they close at midnight rather than the pre-epidemic closing times of 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.
In a development that could have a major impact on plans for D.C.ās LGBTQ Pride events, the mayorās revised health directive announced on Monday includes the lifting of all capacity restrictions on large outdoor and indoor sports and entertainment events beginning on June 11.
That change would remove restrictions that have, up until now, prevented D.C.ās Capital Pride Alliance from holding its annual Pride Parade and Festival in June during Pride Month.
Capital Pride Executive Director Ryan Bos told the Washington Blade shortly after the mayorās announcement that Capital Pride is assessing its options for expanding its current plans for in-person events in June.
āWe will definitely be celebrating Pride in June,ā Bos said. āWe just received this information as well. So, we will be getting further information,ā he said. āWe have not been informed that they will be issuing any permits yet, so at this time we are moving forward with our original plans for doing things.ā
Bos was referring to a city requirement for obtaining permits for street closings and use of other public spaces for events such as a parade or street festival. He said existing plans, among other things, call for an informal parade of cars and other vehicles on June 12 that will drive throughout the city to view homes and businesses that will be decorated with Pride displays such as signs, photos, and other symbols of Pride.
Those familiar with the cityās past Pride events donāt think there will be enough time for Capital Pride to organize the traditional large parade and street festival in time for June. But Capital Pride officials have talked about holding a possible parade and festival in October, and the lifting of the capacity restrictions announced by Bowser on Monday would likely make that possible.
In addition to lifting all capacity restrictions on May 21 for restaurants, the mayorās May 21 timeframe for lifting restrictions includes these additional venues and events:
- Weddings and special events
- Business meetings and seated conventions
- Places of worship
- Non-essential retail
- Personal services
- Private at-home gatherings
- Libraries, museums, galleries
- Recreation Centers
- Gyms and fitness centers
- Pools
- Office space
- Schools
- Childcare
āWeāre very pleased that over the last several days, we have seen our case spread, our community spread numbers, venture out of the red into the yellow and fast approaching the green,ā Bowser said in referring to a health department chart that shows the changes in coronavirus cases in the city.
āYou might remember that our daily case rate peaked in January at 45.9. And today you can see itās down to 6.6,ā she said at her news conference on Monday.
āThroughout this process I have said how proud I am of D.C. residents and businesses who have responded, who have followed health guidance and have worked together to help protect our community throughout the pandemic. And we see it in these numbers today,ā she said.
āContaining the virus will continue to require all of us to be focused on maintaining a robust health system,ā the mayor said, adding that while over 200,000 D.C. residents have been fully vaccinated since December 2020, āmany more thousandsā still need to be vaccinated. āVaccines are free and available on demand at walk-up sites across the District,ā she said.
The mayor also noted that the city will continue to require residents and visitors to use a mask in accordance with existing and updated guidance set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mark Lee, coordinator of the D.C. Nightlife Council, an association that represents restaurants, bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues, said the mayorās directive on May 10 leaves some details to be addressed but will open the way to bring nightlife businesses back to life.
āWhat we do know is that on Friday, May 21, businesses begin returning to normal operations and, three weeks later, on June 11, all restrictions for all businesses in the District will end,ā Lee said. āItās a day weāve long awaited and one that will save much of our community enterprise from financial ruin.ā
Coronavirus
DC residents with HIV eligible for COVID vaccine
Mayor announces expanded eligibility as vaccine supply increases
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Feb. 24 that D.C. residents between the ages of 16 to 24 who have one of 19 pre-existing medical conditions, including HIV, will now be eligible to make an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The mayor and D.C. Department of Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said the appointments could be made through the cityās special site,Ā vaccinate.dc.gov, beginning Thursday and Friday, Feb. 25 and 26. The vaccinations themselves for the expanded group of residents, including people with HIV, would begin March 1, the mayor said in an announcement.
Abby Fenton, a spokesperson for Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C. community health center that provides services to the LGBTQ community and people with HIV, said Whitman-Walker has begun contacting its HIV patients about the availability of the COVID vaccine for them.
āWe are urging people to try to make an appointment with the city because we have such a limited supply,ā Fenton said. She said Whitman-Walker is dispensing the vaccine for those who the city determines are eligible at its medical center locations at 1425 14thĀ Street, N.W., and at its Max Robinson Center at 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., S.E.
Michael Kharfen, the DOH official in charge of the cityās HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Administration, said the limited supplies of the COVID vaccine that the city has been receiving from the federal government has prevented the allocation of vaccine supplies to community health centers like Whitman-Walker until a few weeks ago.
He said supplies of the vaccine have increased in recent weeks and the Department of Health was hopeful that it will be able to provide additional supplies of the vaccine to community health centers and other facilities and health care providers.
Kharfen noted that the city has been increasing the availability of the vaccine to different groups of residents in stages as supplies have increased. Front line medical workers and nursing home residents were the first to receive the vaccine. The most recent group to become eligible prior to the mayor’s most recent expansion this week were people 65 years of age and older.
The mayorās announcement on Feb. 24 listed these pre-existing medical conditions, including HIV, that would make city residents between the ages of 16 and 64 eligible for the COVID vaccine:
Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and other Chronic Lung Disease; Bone Marrow and Solid Organ Transplantation; Cancer; Cerebrovascular Disease; Chronic Kidney Disease; Congenital Heart Disease; Diabetes Mellitus; Heart Conditions, such as Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, or Cardiomyopathies; HIV; Hypertension; Immunocompromised State; Inherited Metabolic Disorders; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Liver Disease; Neurologic Conditions; Obesity, BMI ā„ 30 kg/m2; Pregnancy; Severe Genetic Disorders; Sickle Cell Disease; and Thalassemia.
Coronavirus
D.C. gay bars struggling to stay open in pandemic
Mayorās new rule banning liquor sales after 10 p.m. called ādevastatingā
John Guggenmos, co-owner of the D.C. gay bars Number 9 and Trade, says he and his business partners support Mayor Muriel Bowserās efforts to keep people safe as the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 continues to rise in the city.
But Guggenmos and other gay bar owners say the mayorās most recent order requiring bars and restaurants to stop serving alcoholic beverages after 10 p.m. has had a devastating impact on what had already been a major decline in business since the COVID restrictions were put in place earlier this year.
āWe see hope on the horizon,ā Guggenmos said. āBut for many places itās just going to be too late. It is sad because even if I am in a position that we can weather this storm better, if other places in the neighborhood donāt, then we all suffer.ā
David Perruzza, owner of the Adams Morgan gay sports bar Pitchers and its adjoining lesbian bar A League of Her Own, said gay bar customers traditionally come out to the clubs after 9 p.m. and often remain there several hours later.
Under the mayorās current Phase II rules for addressing the COVID health emergency all restaurants and bars must close at midnight, two hours earlier than the pre-epidemic closing time of 2 a.m. during the week and three hours sooner than the normal 3 a.m. closing time on weekends. That restriction by itself has resulted in a significant drop in revenue for bars and nightclubs, including LGBTQ clubs, officials with the clubs have said.
The new restriction put in place last month banning liquor sales after 10 p.m. allows bars and restaurants to continue to stay open until midnight. But Guggenmos, Perruzza and other bar owners say few if any customers would likely come in to order non-alcoholic beverages. Thus they and nearly all of the cityās bar and restaurant owners have decided to close at 10 p.m. until the restrictions are lifted, a development that has further curtailed their businesses.
āIāve had the worst two weekends of my life at the bar,ā said Perruzza in referring to the weekends following the ban on liquor sales after 10 p.m. āI canāt sustain a business this way,ā he said.
Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. Department of Health, has said city inspectors have found that more violations of the COVID-related health restrictions at restaurants and bars, such as social distancing and mask wearing, were occurring after 10 p.m. as patrons consumed more alcohol. But nightlife advocates have disputed claims that riskier behavior occurs after 10 p.m. They say there are no studies or data to back up those claims.
Perruzza said he understands that while the mayorās intention is to curtail the spread of the coronavirus he believes the 10 p.m. cutoff on alcohol service will result in large numbers of bar customers going to private parties in peopleās homes where there will be fewer safeguards to curtail the virus.
āBy her doing this she is going to push people to have more house parties,ā Perruzza said. āAt least if theyāre in a restaurant or bar theyāre in a controlled environment where they take their temperature. They make sure everything is sanitized after people leave,ā Perruzza said. āPeople are not required to wear masks when they go to house parties.ā
Prior to the start of the pandemic, D.C. was home to at least 15 gay bars or nightclubs in which the clientele was largely LGBTQ. A number of other D.C. bars and nightclubs are considered LGBTQ friendly, according to gay D.C. nightlife advocate Mark Lee, who said those additional establishments have a significant LGBTQ clientele.
In March, Bowser issued her initial emergency health order requiring all ānon-essentialā businesses, including bars and restaurants, to temporarily close their indoor operations to customers in an effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. Carryout food and drink orders were allowed, and some of the gay clubs joined other bars and restaurants in putting in place a take-out order business.
A short time later, the DC Eagle, the cityās longest continuously operating gay bar, announced it was permanently closing. The Eagleās majority owner filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy following longstanding financial problems, but many of the Eagleās customers believe the pandemic played some role in the permanent shutdown.
At the same time, the popular LGBTQ nightclub Ziegfeldās-Secrets closed its doors indefinitely after the owner of the building where it was located in the cityās Buzzardās Point area invoked its longstanding plan to demolish the building to make way for a new condominium and retail development. Ziegfeldās-Secrets manager Steve Delurba said the club would like to reopen in a new location but efforts to reopen would have to wait until all COVID-19 restrictions on such establishments were lifted.
Among the cityās remaining 13 LGBTQ bars and clubs, all but one has reopened after the mayor put in place the cityās Phase II business reopening plan in June, which allowed bars, restaurants, and other businesses to resume limited indoor operations.
The Fireplace, a gay bar at 2161 P St., N.W. near Dupont Circle, decided to remain closed rather than operate under the COVID restrictions but ādefinitelyā plans to reopen, according Larry Ray, a longtime customer who said he spoke with one of the owners.
Among the other Phase II restrictions for bars, restaurants and nightclubs put in place by Bowser in the spring was the requirement that such establishments must operate at 50 percent of their normal indoor capacity, all patrons must be seated at tables spaced six feet apart, and at least three food items must be served that are prepared on the premises regardless of whether the establishment was exempt from serving food prior to the pandemic. The Phase II order also bans the establishments from offering live entertainment.
Two weeks ago, when the mayor issued her updated order banning the serving of alcoholic beverages after 10 p.m. at bars and restaurants, she also included in the order a reduction in the capacity of customers from 50 percent to 25 percent based on concern that the number of COVID-19 cases was rising in D.C. after the case number had gone down in the spring and summer.
Perruzza told the Blade that due to the Phase II social distancing requirements and the spacing of tables and the ban on allowing customers to stand except to walk in and out and go to the bathroom, Pitchers and his adjoining bar A League of Her Own were never able to reach a 50 percent capacity. At most, he said, he was able to reach a 33 percent capacity, which now must be reduced to 25 percent.
Meanwhile, the D.C. gay bar Dirty Goose at 913 U St., N.W. is among the establishments hit with a fine for allegedly violating the Phase II food serving requirement. According to a report in the Washington City Paper, an inspector from the cityās Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration on Nov. 27 cited Dirty Goose for serving only cookies as a food item, saying it failed to provide at least two other types of food such as popcorn or brownies instead of just cookies.
Co-owner Justin Parker told City Paper he plans to contest the citation on grounds that the establishment serves multiple types of cookies that are prepared on the premises and that the different types should be accepted as different food types. He said that ABRA inspectors came to Dirty Goose six or seven times in November prior to citing him for the food violation and found his establishment to be in full compliance with all of the COVID related requirements.
On its Facebook page the Dirty Goose announced on Nov. 10 that it had voluntarily closed its doors after one of its employees tested positive for COVID and out of caution it would remain closed until all remaining employees were tested. On Nov. 15 it announced āwe have received all our employees test results and we are ready to reopen,ā which happened less than a week later.
In a Nov. 25 Facebook message, Dirty Goose conveyed what appears to be the sentiment shared by the other LGBTQ bar owners and operators.
āFirst, we would like to thank all of our wonderful family of patrons who have kept us going since May,ā the message says. āWhat a crazy 8 months itās been!ā After announcing the Dirty Goose would be closing at 10 p.m. each day due to the mayorās order banning alcohol sales after that hour, the message added, āWe look forward to continue serving all of you and please know we are continuously following the safety requirements set by the DOH and the safety of our staff and patrons remains our main priority.ā
Lee, the longtime D.C. nightlife advocate who served as director of the D.C. Nightlife Council before being furloughed, said the 10 p.m. cutoff for the sale of liquor at bars and restaurants will be especially harmful coming with all the other restrictions.
āThe most maddening aspect of Mayor Bowser suddenly halting all alcohol consumption after 10 p.m. at local bars, restaurants, and nightclubs operating in full compliance with public safety protocols and highly restricted service limitations is that there is no actual data or evidence-based rationale for this financially devastating roll-back curfew,ā Lee told the Blade.
āThis arbitrary edict jeopardizes the survival of hospitality establishments by causing them to lose the major portion of revenue they had been able to generate,ā he said. āWeāre getting reports that this decision is costing operators up to 60 percent or more of the little money they were making, leaving most with no choice other than to shut down two hours earlier rather than attempt to now serve only food items and non-alcoholic beverages until midnight,ā Lee said.
Lee noted that at a press conference on Dec. 7, Bowser acknowledged that nightlife establishments, including restaurants and bars, have done an exemplary job of complying with health requirements and providing a safe space for patrons and employees.
At that press conference the mayor also said she looks forward to being able to lift all restrictions on businesses once the COVID vaccine becomes widely available. But she said that with a resurgence of COVID cases in D.C. in recent weeks along with the rise in cases in the surrounding suburbs the city could be forced once again to order the complete shutdown of indoor operations of businesses like restaurants and bars if the local COVID situation worsens.
Perruzza, Guggenmos and Doug Schantz, owner of the gay sports bar Nellieās at 900 U St., N.W., each said their establishments and others like them serve as a place where LGBTQ people can go to be themselves, which many are unable to do at work, school, or even at home in some situations.
āAt some point safe human interactions are what people are craving,ā said Guggenmos. āYou see someone on the street and how they desperately just want that interaction again,ā he said. āIf we could do that safely, why not?ā
D.C.ās LGBTQ Bars/Restaurants
Nellieās Sports Bar
900 U Street, N.W.
202-332-6355
Uproar
639 Florida Ave., N.W.
202-462-4464
The Dirty Goose
913 U Street, N.W.
JR.ās
1519 17th Street, N.W.
202-328-0090
Windows/DIK Bar
Upper floor at Dupont Italian Kitchen
1637 17th Street, N.W.
202-328-0100
Annieās Paramount Steakhouse restaurant/bar
1609 17th Street, N.W.
202-232-0395
Larryās Lounge
1840 18th Street, N.W.
202-483-1483
Pitchers/League of Her Own
2317 18th Street, N.W.
202-733-2558
Duplex Diner
2004 18th Street, N.W.
202-265-7828
The Fireplace
2161 P Street, N.W.
202-293-1293
[Temporarily closed during pandemic]
Number Nine
1435 P Street, N.W.
202-986-0999
Trade
1410 14th Street, N.W.
202-986-1094
Green Lantern
1335 Green Court, N.W.
202-347-4533
D.C. LGBTQ-friendly Bars/Clubs
Dacha Beer Garden
1600 7th Street, N.W.
202-350-9888
9:30 Club
815 V Street, N.W.
202-265-0930
DC 9 Nightclub
1940 9th Street, N.W.
202-483-5000
Ditoās Bar
Lower floor at Floriana Restaurant
1602 17th Street, N.W.
202-667-5937
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