Local
D.C. gay bar patrons welcome proof of vaccination requirement
Eight of city’s 12 LGBTQ bars require vax or proof of negative COVID test
The overwhelming majority of patrons of the eight D.C. gay bars that announced earlier this month that patrons must show proof that they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 as a condition for being admitted have expressed support for the vaccination policy, according to employees and patrons of the bars.
The decision by the eight bars to require either proof of vaccination or proof that a potential customer has tested negative for the coronavirus within the previous three days came shortly after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order reinstating the city’s requirement that face masks must be worn inside all businesses and other establishments open to the public, including bars and restaurants. The order took effect July 31.
The mayor’s order applies to all vaccinated and unvaccinated people over the age of two.
Nightlife sources have said the number of patrons appeared to have declined to some degree in early August at most of the city’s 12 LGBTQ bars, including the eight that adopted the vaccination requirement. But some associated with the bars, including David Perruzza, owner of Pitchers and lesbian sports bar A League of Her Own, which operate in the same building in Adams Morgan, said August is normally the slowest month of the year for bars and other nightlife businesses.
Others familiar with the city’s nightlife establishments have said the newly established mask requirement — rather than vaccination requirements — appeared to initially discourage some people from going out to bars and restaurants. Those familiar with nightlife establishments said regular customers quickly returned to their favorite bars and restaurants after realizing that the mask requirement does not apply to people who are “actively” eating or drinking at an establishment.
According to sources who spoke with the Washington Blade, business appeared to be booming at most of the D.C. queer bars this past weekend.
In addition to Pitchers and A League of Her Own, the other LGBTQ bars that require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test include the Logan Circle area bars Trade and Number Nine; the 17th Street, N.W. bar JR.’s located near Dupont Circle; and the U Street, N.W. area bars Nellie’s, Dirty Goose, and Uproar Lounge & Restaurant.
“Hands down, if we had one person complain about it, we had 40 people applaud it,” John Guggenmos, co-owner of Trade and Number Nine told D.C. Eater.com. He was recounting the reaction to his bars’ vaccination requirement during the first week the requirement was put in place.
“There were people that were like, ‘Oh my God, this is great, Let me text my friends a picture.’ Or Tweet it out. It’s about time. Everybody needs to step up,” Guggenmos told D.C. Eater.
The remaining four LGBTQ bars that have not adopted the vaccination or negative test requirement include the Fireplace on P Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle; the Green Lantern near Thomas Circle; Larry’s Lounge on 18th Street, N.W. near Adams Morgan; and Windows or DIK Bar, which is located above the Dupont Italian Kitchen restaurant on 17th Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle.
Also adopting a policy requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test result is the Crew Club, D.C.’s gym, sauna, and bathhouse for gay men, which reopened this past weekend at its 14th Street, N.W. location.
The Crew Club had been closed since the city’s COVID-19 related restrictions were put in place over a year ago. It announced on its website that it will initially be open only from Fridays through Sundays until further notice, when it expects to return to a seven-day, 24-hour schedule.
The eight D.C. LGBTQ bars that have adopted the vaccination or negative test requirement are among a total of about 25 bars in the city that have adopted such a policy. Nightlife observers say most of the 25 or so bars adopted the vaccination policy around the first week of August and few others have followed the lead of that initial group of bars that put the policy in place.
One source familiar with the city’s bars and nightclubs, who spoke on condition of not being identified, said nightlife industry insiders don’t believe many more will adopt a vaccination or negative COVID test requirement on grounds that D.C.-area residents have one of the highest vaccination rates in the country and most patrons will likely have been vaccinated.
Data recently released by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, based on a national survey, showed that 92 percent of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. had received at least one vaccination shot for COVID-19.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth’s Blue Moon is for sale but owners aim to keep it in gay-friendly hands
$4.5 million listing includes real estate; business sold separately
Gay gasps could be heard around the DMV earlier this week when a real estate listing for Rehoboth Beach’s iconic Blue Moon bar and restaurant hit social media.
Take a breath. The Moon is for sale but the longtime owners are not in a hurry and are committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Tim Ragan, one of the owners, told the Blade this week. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney are separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale are 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 are listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price has not been publicly disclosed.
But Ragan, who has owned the Moon for 20 years, told the Blade nothing is imminent and that the Moon remains open through the holidays and is scheduled to reopen for the 2026 season on Feb. 10. He has already scheduled some 2026 entertainment.
“It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” Ragan said, noting that he turns 70 next year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
He said there have been many inquiries and they’ve considered some offers but nothing is firm yet.
Given the Moon’s pioneering role in queering Rehoboth Beach since its debut 44 years ago in 1981, many LGBTQ visitors and residents are concerned about losing such an iconic queer space to redevelopment or chain ownership.
“That’s the No. 1 consideration,” Ragan said, “preserving a commitment to the gay community and honoring its history. The legacy needs to continue.” He added that they are not inclined to sell to one of the local restaurant chains.
You can view the real estate listing here.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
Congratulations to Tristan Fitzpatrick on his new position as Digital Communications Manager with TerraPower. TerraPower creates technologies to provide safe, affordable, and abundant carbon-free energy. They devise ways to use heat and electricity to drive economic growth while decarbonizing industry.
Fitzpatrick’s most recent position was as Senior Communications Consultant with APCO in Washington, D.C. He led integrated communications campaigns at the fourth-largest public relations firm in the United States, increasing share of voice by 10 percent on average for clients in the climate, energy, health, manufacturing, and the technology. Prior to that he was a journalist and social media coordinator with Science Node in Bloomington, Ind.
Fitzpatrick earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations, from Indiana University.
Congratulations also to the newly elected board of Q Street. Rob Curis, Abigail Harris, Yesenia Henninger, Stu Malec, and David Reid. Four of them reelected, and the new member is Harris.
Q Street is the nonprofit, nonpartisan, professional association of LGBTQ+ policy and political professionals, including lobbyists and public policy advocates. Founded in 2003 on the heels of the Supreme Court’s historic decision in Lawrence v. Texas, when there was renewed hope for advancing the rights of the LGBTQ community in Washington. Q Street was formed to be the bridge between LGBTQ advocacy organizations, LGBTQ lobbyists on K Street, and colleagues and allies on Capitol Hill.
District of Columbia
New queer bar Rush beset by troubles; liquor license suspended
Staff claim they haven’t been paid, turn to GoFundMe as holidays approach
The D.C. Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board on Dec. 17 issued an order suspending the liquor license for the recently opened LGBTQ bar and nightclub Rush on grounds that it failed to pay a required annual licensing fee.
Rush held its grand opening on Dec. 5 on the second and third floors of a building at 2001 14 Street, N.W., with its entrance around the corner on U Street next to the existing LGBTQ dance club Bunker.
It describes itself on its website as offering “art-pop aesthetics, high-energy nights” in a space that “celebrates queer culture without holding back.” It includes a large dance floor and a lounge area with sofas and chairs.
Jackson Mosley, Rush’s principal owner, did not immediately respond to a phone message from the Washington Blade seeking his comment on the license suspension.
The ABC Board’s order states, “The basis for this Order is that a review of the Board’s official records by the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) has determined that the Respondent’s renewal payment check was returned unpaid and alternative payment was not submitted.”
The three-page order adds, “Notwithstanding ABCA’s efforts to notify the Respondent of the renewal payment check return, the Respondent failed to pay the license fee for the period of 2025 to 2026 for its Retailer’s Class CT license. Therefore, the Respondent’s license has been SUSPENDED until the Respondent pays the license fees and the $50.00 per day fine imposed by the Board for late payment.”
ABCA spokesperson Mary McNamara told the Blade that the check from Rush that was returned without payment was for $12,687, which she said was based on Rush’s decision to pay the license fee for four years. She said that for Rush to get its liquor license reinstated it must now pay $3,819 for a one-year license fee plus a $100 bounced check fee, a $750 late fee, and $230 transfer fee, at a total of $4,919 due.
Under D.C. law, bars, restaurants and other businesses that normally serve alcoholic beverages can remain open without a city liquor license as long as they do not sell or serve alcohol.
But D.C. drag performer John Marsh, who performs under the name Cake Pop and who is among the Rush employees, said Rush did not open on Wednesday, Dec. 17, the day the liquor board order was issued. He said that when it first opened, Rush limited its operating days from Wednesday through Sunday and was not open Mondays and Tuesdays.
Marsh also said none of the Rush employees received what was to be their first monthly salary payment on Dec. 15. He said approximately 20 employees set up a GoFundMe fundraising site to raise money to help sustain them during the holiday period after assuming they will not be paid.
He said he doubted that any of the employees would return to work in the unlikely case that Mosley would attempt to reopen Rush without serving liquor or if he were to pay the licensing fee to allow him to resume serving alcohol without having received their salary payment.
As if all that were not enough, Mosley would be facing yet another less serious problem related to the Rush policy of not accepting cash payments from customers and only accepting credit card payments. A D.C. law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2025, prohibits retail businesses such as restaurants and bars from not accepting cash payments.
A spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, which is in charge of enforcing that law, couldn’t immediately be reached to determine what the penalty is for a violation of the law requiring that type of business to accept cash payments.
The employee GoFundMe site, which includes messages from several of the employees, can be accessed here.
Mosley on Thursday responded to the reports about his business with a statement on the Rush website.
He claims that employees were not paid because of a “tax-related mismatch between federal and District records” and that some performers were later paid. He offers a convoluted explanation as to why payroll wasn’t processed after the tax issue was resolved, claiming the bank issued paper checks.
“After contacting our payroll provider and bank, it was determined that electronic funds had been halted overnight,” according to the statement. “The only parties capable of doing so were the managers of the outside investment syndicate that agreed to handle our stabilization over the course of the initial three months in business.”
Mosley further said he has not left the D.C. area and denounced “rumors” spread by a former employee. He disputes the ABCA assertion that the Rush liquor license was suspended due to a “bounced check.” Mosley ends his post by insisting that Rush will reopen, though he did not provide a reopening date.
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