a&e features
Best Of LGBTQ D.C. 2023
Blade readers voted and here are your favorites in food, nightlife, and more
Itโs that time of year again when we pause to celebrate the best of our exceptional local LGBTQ community, from food to activism to religion.
This yearโs Local Hero award goes to the tireless Brent Minor for his many years of service to the community and his efforts to expand LGBTQ acceptance in sports. D.C. is bucking the trend of queer bars closing, as the city saw several new venues open this year. And our awards arenโt limited to D.C.; weโve again included numerous categories from Rehoboth Beach.
More than 4,000 nominations and 30,000 votes were cast in more than 60 categories for the 22nd annual Best Of awards. The Bladeโs Stephen Rutgers coordinated the process. Michael Key served as photo editor for the project. This yearโs contributing writers are Patrick Folliard, Tinashe Chingarande, Cal Benn, Lou Chibbaro Jr., Evan Caplan, Kaela Roeder, Michael K. Lavers, and Kevin Naff. Congratulations to all of the nominees, finalists, and winners. Thank you to our sponsors ABSOLUT, PEPCO, Shakers, Heineken, and Infinite Legacy.
LOCAL HERO: BRENT MINOR
Team DC founder credited with helping to launch Pride Night Out events
The selection this month by Washington Blade staff of Brent Minor as the 2023 recipient of the Local Hero Award comes a short time after Minor announced he was stepping down from his longtime position as executive director of Team DC, the D.C.-area LGBTQ sports organization.
โAfter more than 20 years of leading Team DC, first as its board president and then as the executive director, I have decided it is time to move on and retire from this part of my life,โ Minor said in a Facebook announcement.
โIt has been a joy and a privilege to establish and grow this organization over the years and help make sports a more welcoming place for all participants,โ he stated.
Minor has been credited with helping Team DC become one of the nationโs largest LGBTQ sports organizations, which currently includes more than 40 LGBTQ or LGBTQ-supportive sports teams or sports leagues as affiliated members.
Under Minorโs direction, Team DC established the annual D.C. area Pride Night Out events in which about a dozen D.C. professional sports teams welcome LGBTQ sports fans to their respective stadiums or arenas to support the team and celebrate LGBTQ Pride during a home game.
Among the teams that work with Team DC to host the Pride Night Out games are the Washington Nationals baseball team, the Washington Wizards basketball team, the Washington Commanders football team, and the Washington Capitals hockey team.
The highlight of this yearโs Pride Night Out at the Washington Nationals in June involved Minor and other Team DC officials joining former Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who threw the ceremonial โfirst pitchโ to open the game as Nationals players and fans cheered loudly.
Minor has also played a lead role in helping Team DC establish its annual Team DC College Scholarship Program, which awards college bound LGBTQ high school student athletes $2,000 scholarships to support their college education.
โWhile it is great to host 12 Pride Night Out events annually, we want to work with our pro teams to make sure that they are fully supportive of LGBTQ issues and not just when they want to sell tickets,โ Minor said in a 2019 guest column in the Washington Blade in explaining Team DCโs ongoing mission.
In discussing the role of Team DCโs more than 40 LGBTQ sports teams or leagues, Minor said, โThe presence of healthy and well-organized sports clubs in D.C. helps make our LGBTQ community stronger and more stable. For many participants, their team adds a dimension to their life that a job or home just cannot fill.โ
Minor, an Alexandria, Va., resident who is originally from Charlotte, N.C., has been involved with several LGBTQ-related causes and organizations prior to and during his early years with Team DC., according to a write-up of his professional experience he provided to the Blade.
He served from 2000 to 2005 as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS during the administration of President Bill Clinton, who appointed him, and President George W. Bush. He served twice as chair of the D.C. Bid Committee seeking to have D.C. become host in 2014 and 2022 for the Gay Games, the quadrennial international LGBTQ sports competition. The two bids were unsuccessful. He also served on the Gay Games Board of Directors from 2002 to 2008.
Minor served from 1996 to 2000 as Director of Community Relations and Public Funding for Food and Friends, the D.C.-based nonprofit organization that delivers food and provides other services to homebound people with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. He served from 2006 to 2008 as Community Relations Director for the Whitman-Walker Clinic of Northern Virginia.
David Perruzza, owner of the D.C. gay sports bars Pitchers and A League of Her Own, which have worked with Team DC to help arrange for the sale of tickets to Pride Night Out games, expressed what appears to reflect the sentiment of many local LGBTQ sports enthusiasts of the work of Minor and Team DC.
โWhat an amazing night at Night Out with the Nationals,โ Perruzza said in a June 6 Facebook post reflecting on the Night Out at the Nationals. โCongratulations Team DC for putting on the event of the year and Brent Minor and your crew,โ Perruzza wrote.
โYou are appreciated more than you will ever know,โ he stated. โI hope the community respects and realizes what an amazing individual you are.โ
Blade Editor Kevin Naff echoed Perruzzaโs sentiments in explaining the Local Hero award, which is the only Best Of award selected by Blade staff.
โThe Bladeโs Local Hero honorees reflect the very best of our community,โ said Naff. โBrentโs tireless devotion to LGBTQ causes has opened many doors along with hearts and minds. The community owes him our tremendous gratitude.โ
In accepting the honor, Minor told the Blade, โIโm incredibly honored to be recognized for this award.โ
EATING & DRINKING
Best Coffee Shop: Three Fifty Bakery and Coffee Bar
1926 17th St., N.W.
Editorโs Choice: Tatte Bakery & Cafรฉ
Gay-owned Three Fifty takes home the top spot this year, dethroning Compass after a five-year run. The bakery has been in operation for 10 years on 17th Street, but is set to move to larger locale nearby on R Street. The neighborhood spot sells carb-forward specialties like scones, croissants, quiche, breads, muffins, and cookies, as well as coffee drinks. Owner Jimmy Hopper in a recent Blade article says that he first envisioned a cake shop but quickly realized the area needed a bakery and coffeeshop.
Best Outdoor Dining: Hankโs Oyster Bar Wharf
701 Wharf St., S.W.
Editorโs Choice: Le Diplomate
Neighborhood institution Hankโs Oyster Bar scoops up this award for its alfresco option on the Wharf. In October of 2017, lesbian chef and restaurateur Jamie Leeds opened Hankโs Oyster Bar on the Wharf, building on her wildly successful original Hankโs in Dupont (there is another in Alexandria). The sweeping vistas pair especially well with oysters and lobster rolls. Another of Leedsโs spots, Hankโs Cocktail Bar, is a two-time winner of the Bladeโs โBest Craft Cocktailsโ award.
Best Restaurant: Crazy Aunt Helenโs
713 8th St., S.E.
Editorโs Choice: Beau Thai
Owner Shane Maysonโs flamboyant restaurant Crazy Aunt Helenโs takes home this coveted award for the second year in a row โ and itโs only been open two years.
โTo be receiving this attention makes us feel like we are on the right path,โ said Mayson last year. โWe serve American comfort food that we hope will make everyone feel like theyโve been given a big hug,โ says Mayson, who plates American food with a twist. Appetizers include items like fried green tomatoes, and entrees include chicken fried steak smothered in chicken sausage gravy. Many dishes are vegan and vegetarian. The restaurant is a supporter of several LGBTQ organizations, and hosts a range of events, including drag shows, book readings, a ladiesโ tea dance, play readings, bingo, and more.
Best Brunch: Red Bear Brewing Drag Brunch
209 M St., N.E.
Editorโs Choice: Homme Brunch
Having taken home the Best Neighborhood Bar and Best Local Brewery awards last year, Red Bear Brewing now is awarded with Best Brunch. This gay-owned venue in the District hosts drag shows, trivia, and stand-up performances, among other events. It pours beers with suggestive titles like โHefe Donโt Preach,โ โOktoBEARfest,โ or โTall, Dark and Nutty,โ to name a few. Its festive drag brunch, running monthly, pulls out all the stops with its themes, like Broadway, Chromatica Ball, and goth. Desiree Dik serves as host.
Best Local Brewery: DC Brau
3178-B Bladensburg Rd., N.E.
Editorโs Choice: Denizens Brewing Co.
Taking back the top spot (DC Brau won this category in 2021), DC Brau was the first business to bring back D.C.-brewed beer as part of the recent beer resurgence. DC Brau founders Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock opened in 2011, now serving beers and hard seltzers. DC Brau holds the annual Pride Pils fundraiser to benefit SMYAL and the Blade Foundation. This year, DC Brau kicked off Pride with a party at fellow winner Red Bear Brewing with a party celebrating its Pride Pils.
Best Local Distillery: Cotton & Reed
1330 5th St., N.W.
Editorโs Choice: District Made
Last yearโs Editorโs Choice won this year. Co-founders Reed Walker and Jordan Cotton became friends while working as strategists for NASA and the aerospace industry, turning a passion into a business. The distillery aims to learn from the best practices of the world’s rum producers to create a line of distinctively American rums.
All fermentation, distillation, processing, and bottling is done on-site at the Cotton & Reed Distillery in Northeast DC’s Union Market District.
They make a full line of rums, from white to gold to dark to coconut and spiced options.
Best Burger: Dukeโs Grocery
1513 17th St., N.W.
Editorโs Choice: Ghostburger
The 2021 winner Dukeโs Grocery serves burgers with a British accent. With locations in Dupont Circle, Woodley Park, Navy Yard, and Foggy Bottom, this restaurant serves guests hearty portions of bar food. The burger has landed it on a whole bunch of lists, from Zagat to the Washington Post. Besides its famed Proper Burger, it also has a salmon, Impossible, and Wagyu burger. The Dupont location is currently closed for renovations.
Best Ice Cream/Gelato: Jeniโs Splendid Ice Creams
1925 14th St., N.W.
(Multiple locations)
Editorโs Choice: Ice Cream Jubilee
Located on 14th Street, and often with a line around the corner, Jeniโs Splendid Ice Creams has a โuniquely smooth texture and buttercream bodyโ in flavors like birthday cake and fruit crumble. It scooped up the award last year, as well. There are also locations in Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Navy Yard, Yards Park, and McLean.
Best Pizza: Andyโs Pizza
808 V St., N.W.
(Multiple locations)
Editorโs Choice: 2 Amys
In the New York tradition, Andyโs Pizza serves up pizza from stone deck ovens made of long-fermented dough, Wisconsin mozzarella, and California tomatoes. Andyโs boasts seven spots across the area, including one in Shaw near popular bars Dirty Goose, Kiki, and Shakers.
The pizzeria serves slices in favorite options like pepperoni and white sauce, but the whole pies come in a range of flavors, including a Buffalo crispy chicken and a vegan pie with plant-based cheese.
โI am a local, born and bred in the DMV,โ says Andy Brown, owner and head pizzaiolo, after winning last year. โThe D.C. community is a melting pot of the global stage, and winning an award as a local always feels like a victory for our local community. We were thrilled to even be considered, and over the moon to win!โ
Best Outdoor Drinking: Pitchers
2317 18th St., N.W.
Editorโs Choice: Dacha Beer Garden
Winner of the 2021 Best Neighborhood Bar, Pitchers launched in 2018 and bills itself as โa sports bar/restaurant for the LGBTQIA+ community where all are welcome.โ
The sprawling building features several different spaces with distinct atmospheres, plenty of flat screens for sports fans, darts, video games, a dance floor, a subterranean lesbian bar, and two patios. The bar often plays host to drag performances, including appearances by RuPaul Drag Race contestants.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Best Drag Queen: Evry Pleasure
@evrypleasure
Runner-up: Sasha Adams Sanchez
This award-winning D.C. queen is a mix between pageantry, comedy, and dancing who delivers shows filled with energy, laughter, and glamour. At this yearโs D.C. Drag Awards, she scooped up the awards for best drag queen and best at large. Last year, she was named Red Bear Brewing Co.โs Miss Slay Them.
Best Drag King: Molasses
@kingmolasses
Runner-up: Flirty Rico
In a Vox explainer video, King Molasses described themselves as โthe sweetest, stickiest drag king youโll ever meet.โ Molasses fuses different elements of traditional Nigerian fashion with a southern cowboy aesthetic to deliver electric performances that leave guests salivating for more.
Best Transgender Performer: Gigi Paris Couture
@gigipariscouture
Runner-up: Baphomette
Itโs hard to miss Gigi Paris Couture when her glamour is so apparent even her eyes glisten with opulence. From voluminous long hair units adorned with colorful flowers to floor-length gowns that accentuate her Coke-bottle curves, Gigi proves that ostentatious is the beacon of top-notch performance art.
Best Drag Show: Con Acento at JR.’s
1519 17th St., N.W.
jrsbar-dc.com
Editorโs Choice: Red Bear’s Drag Bingo
Since 1986, JR.โs has been serving some of the cityโs best cocktails. And it hasnโt lost its touch when it comes to invigorating dance parties. Con Acento, a Latinx monthly dance party, features the hottest hits thatโll have hips swaying and hands elegantly slicing the air.
Best LGBTQ Bar: Little Gay Pub
1100 P St., N.W.
thelittlegaypub.com
Editorโs Choice: Shakers
Despite being one of the newest gay bars on the block, Little Gay Pub has proven that itโs on its way to becoming a mainstay in the city. Besides winning this award in its first year in business, the bar has made a name for itself, welcoming elite patrons, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who reportedly ordered a club soda before taking a bathroom selfie.
Its owners are business partners Dito Sevilla, longtime bartender and bar manager at Ditoโs Bar located inside Floriana Restaurant on 17th Street near Dupont Circle; Dusty Martinez, former general manager at the nearby gay bar Trade; and Benjamin Gander, former general manager of the other nearby gay bar Number 9.
โLittle Gay Pub aims to fill the needs of the LGBTQ community by offering a new and upscale drinking and snacking venue,โ the owners said in a statement when the bar opened earlier this year.
Best Bartender: Wyatt Warnick, Uproar
639 Florida Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Andrew Bunting, JR’s
A quick Google search will show you that Wyatt Warnick is a well-known D.C. bartender with a following of more than 18,000 on Instagram. The burly bartender has a gaze that makes you feel welcome and at home. His Instagram explains his popularity with D.C.โs bar patrons as itโs filled with shirtless shots and shower selfies. Blade readers responded with a resounding โWoof.โ
Best Neighborhood Bar: Duplex Diner
2004 18th St., N.W.
duplexdiner.com
Editorโs Choice: Number Nine
What better place to cure your Sunday hangover than at Duplex Diner where the menu features hearty food options like a Belgian waffle that comes with fresh berries and whipped cream or the buttermilk biscuit oozing with sausage gravy? Duplex Diner is the place where you can โcome pull up a chairโ and enjoy the simplest of moments with friends and family.
Best Happy Hour presented by ABSOLUT: Kiki
915 U St., N.W.
dcwannahaveakiki.com
Editorโs Choice: Annieโs Paramount Steakhouse
Kiki undoubtedly has the smartest name on the street, and along with it some of the most fun events. This bar in Shaw neighborhood hosts weekly drag shows and a dance floor where guests can let loose and break out their best dance moves. Kiki has four different bar areas including a beer garden and a sports-themed bar area.
Best LGBTQ-Friendly Bar: Dacha Beer Garden
1600 7th St. NW
dachabeergarden.com
Editorโs Choice: Flash
The name on everyoneโs lips when you mention beer is Dacha! This locals favorite has an open plan that makes it easy to guzzle a beer, or two, or three, with family and friends, and meet plenty of likeminded people doing the same. Above all, its menu is affordable with brunch drinks offered at $5 each and weekly eats at $10 each.
Best LGBTQ Bar Outside the District: Freddieโs Beach Bar – Arlington, VA
555 23rd St. S, Arlington, Va.
freddiesbeachbar.com
Editorโs Choice: Baltimore Eagle
Freddieโs Beach Bar is the place to be for the gays who love happy hour. Along with amazing food and drinks, the restaurant also offers vibrant karaoke nights, piano nights and thrilling games like beach blanket bingo. Anyone whoโs been there can attest to Freddieโs being the place to be after work, blazer off, tie untied, heels exchanged for flats.
Best Theater: Kennedy Center
Kennedy-center.org
Editorโs Choice: Arena Stage
Whatโs lovingly called the big white box on the river has been selected as our readersโ favorite. The historic Kennedy Center has it all including symphony, dance, Broadway shows, and specifically queer-made shows like โThe Night Garden: A Sartorial Celebrationโ on Oct. 25.
โThe Night Gardenโ is a fashion show and small exhibition event celebrating the life and legacy of the first drag queen in America, William Dorsey Swann. The mission of this experience is to bring history alive for D.C. and celebrate queer history month by focusing on the legacy that is William Dorsey Swann, the first drag queen on record right here in D.C. This event is curated by D.C. drag queen and fashion designer, Pussy Noir.
Best Theater Production: โseven methods of killing kylie jennerโ
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
641 D St., N.W.
Editorโs Choice: King Lear, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Once again, Woolly Mammoth Theatre continues to remain No. 1 with Blade readers.
Directed by Milli Bhatia, playwright Jasmine Lee-Jonesโ two hander โseven methods of killing kylie jennerโ has proved beloved by the fans. Itโs about a lot of things, but murder really isnโt one of them.
Beneath heated discussions of white-skinned privilege, queerness, and body shaming, itโs mostly a story of friendship. Before playing at Woolly, the wildly titled play was conceived at Londonโs Royal Court Theatre in 2019, and then landed stateside for runs at the Public Theaterโs Under the Radar Festival last month in New York. Then at D.C, the production proved a big success like so many like so many show shows heralded by Woolly artistic director Manuela Goyanes Maria.
Best Live Music Outside of D.C.: Wolf Trap
1551 Trap Rd
Vienna, Va.
Editorโs Choice: Merriweather Post Pavilion
For music alfresco, Wolf Trap continues to reign supreme with readers.
Comprised of various venues (the mainstage Filene Center, Childrenโs Theatre-in-the Woods, and the Barns) set on 117 acres in Vienna, Va., Wolf Trap was established in 1966 and remains the only national park dedicated to presenting the performing arts. And like any performing arts center serving an increasingly diverse community, over time, needs concerning art, music, and style change tremendously.
Its president and CEO, Arvind Manocha, is gay. When he took the helm in 2013, he quickly noted the increasingly diverse communities making their homes in the area: โWhether Puerto Rican, Indian and South Asian, or LGBTQ+, we needed to reach out. Itโs important for us to be a mirror to the society around us, and anticipate the changes theyโd like to see.โ And thatโs only gotten better.
Best Live Music in D.C.: 9:30 club
815 V St. N.W.
930.com
Editor’s Choice: The Anthem
The venerable and great 9:30 club wins again.
Words from a former a 9:30 club staffer and Blade editor: โYour favorite band plays at the 9:30 no matter what your favorite band is.โ He continues, โWorkers are great. The sound is great. Itโs an intimate venue. The best place to see a concert, and they had the best gay parties back in the day, including Blowoff.โ
Named one of the best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone, and dubbed โVenue of the Decadeโ by the widely read VenuesNow, the 9:30 is legendary. Since opening in 1980, the club has hosted everyone from the Psychedelic Furs to the B52s to Tony Bennett.
Best Museum: National Air & Space Museum
600 Independence Ave, S.W.
airandspace.si.edu
Editorโs Choice: National Gallery of Art
The National Air & Space Museum is a favorite for tourists and locals alike. Complete with a planetarium, an Imax theater, numerous exhibits, and frequent events, thereโs something for everyone.
The museum is LGBTQ-friendly, having โQueerSpace,โ a podcast available on their website that talks about the impact that LGBTQ people have had on space exploration and research, as well as science fiction. โLGBTQ+ Peopleโ is an entire subtopic on the website that brings you to many such stories. This museum is a great choice for when you need to escape the D.C. humidity, and youโll likely find yourself inspired.
Best Amateur Sports League: DC Front Runners
dcfrontrunners.org
Editorโs Choice: Stonewall Kickball
For sporty queers looking for an athletic club and place to socialize, the DC Front Runners has become home to many. The DC Front Runners are the local chapter of the International Front Runners, a welcoming club for runners and walkers alike for 40 years.
In addition to runs, they host several social events throughout the year, including volunteer work, happy hours, and annual anniversary and holiday parties. The club is based in D.C., but has members worldwide.
Best Local Winery: District Winery
385 Water St., S.E.
Editor’s Choice: Bluemont Vineyard
District Winery describes itself as a modern, wine-focused, globally minded restaurant and bar on the ground floor of a working winery. The Bladeโs readers clearly have embraced the concept, voting it the cityโs best.
Best Local Professional Sports Team: Washington Capitals
Editorโs Choice: Washington Commanders
COMMUNITY
Best LGBTQ Event: Flower Factory
@flowerfactory_party
Editorโs Choice: District of Pride Showcase
This is the queer DJ collectiveโs debut on this list. Flower Factory has been throwing events every second Sunday of the month since June 2021, and aims to create a more inclusive LGBTQ+ nightlife scene in the District. The group throws parties at several different venues in the area, including As You Are, Zebbieโs Garden and Black Cat. The music showcased at Flower Factory parties ranges from techno, pop, hip-hop and house, and attracts hundreds of guests. Typically beginning in the afternoon and ending in the early evening, itโs a way to end the weekend and begin the week with a celebratory tone.
Best Pride Outside of DC: Annapolis Pride
annapolispride.org
Editorโs Choice: Baltimore Pride
For the second year in a row, Annapolis Pride wins best Pride outside of D.C. Founded in the spring of 2018, a group of Annapolis locals decided it was about time the city had its own Pride event, just like Baltimore and D.C. Its first festival officially kicked off in 2019 and attracted more than 6,000 attendees. The city will celebrate its fourth Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival in June 2024.
Best Day Trip: Annapolis
visitannapolis.org
Editorโs Choice: Harper’s Ferry
Next time you need a quick getaway, check out the endless activities in Marylandโs charming capital city on the Chesapeake. Check out the famous historical landmarks like the Maryland State House and St. Anneโs Church. Explore the plethora of antique shops like Blue Crab Antiques and West Annapolis Antiques. And you canโt visit without indulging in seafood dining spots like Cantler’s and O’Learys Seafood. There are also several gardens and parks, like Broadneck Park (613 College Pkwy) or the Chase Home Garden (22 Maryland Ave.) where you can unplug and enjoy a stroll.
Best Clergy: Bishop Allyson Abrams
Runner-up: Rev. Ashley Goff
Bishop Allyson Abrams founded and established the Empowerment Liberation Cathedral in May 2014. She resigned from a Detroit church a decade ago after it was revealed she had married a woman, she told the Blade in 2014. After that, she decided to resign and moved to the area to start her own Baptist church โ Empowerment Liberation Cathedral, now based in Lanham, Md.
โWe welcome and affirm every race, gender, sexuality and disability,โ Abrams told the Blade in 2014. โWe want to give them a safe space, teach principles and to pour into them Godโs love. People say itโs amazing to hear a pastor say that God loves us the way we are. Iโm always going to make sure God knows them.โ
Most Committed Activist: Heidi Ellis
Runner-up: Rayceen Pendarvis
Heidi Ellis is the founder and CEO of HME Consulting and Advocacy, a company that seeks to advance policies and initiatives that address issues of intersectionality within the LGBTQ+ community. She works on a variety of projects in the consulting and advocacy space, like facilitating training for companies to better understand how to serve and work with LGBTQ clients and employees, for example. She is a leader in the DC LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition, and since she began leading the coalition, it has raised more than $5 million for local LGBTQ programs.
โEven though I am a private consultant โฆ my work is very much mission-driven,โ she told the Blade in September. โI donโt take any clients that are not aligned with my mission.โ
Best D.C. Public Official: Robert White
Runner-up: Salah Czapary
At-large Councilmember Robert White has been a member of the D.C. Council since 2016 and ran for mayor in the 2022 election, where he garnered endorsements from LGBTQ organizations like the Capital Stonewall Democrats. As a Council member, heโs introduced pro-LGBTQ legislation like the Pride Plates Amendment Act of 2023, which would create a special purpose fund to support the work of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs through a line of Pride license plates. Heโs also been outspoken in condemning violence against the LGBTQ community. โI want my LGBTQ neighbors to know that I see you, I hear you, I support you, and I am deeply troubled and disturbed by these attacks,โ he said in 2019.
Best LGBTQ Social Group: Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
1517 18th St., N.W.
gmcw.org
Editorโs Choice: Impulse DC
A repeat winner in this category, the Gay Menโs Chorus of Washington calls itself the โvoice of equality of the nationโs capital,โ and with an annual audience of 100,000+, many would agree.
The GMCW entertains, inspires, and advocates through music. They have toured nationwide and been featured on the โTodayโ show. Their next show in D.C. will be the Holiday Show on Dec. 9.
Best Non-Profit powered by PEPCO: SMYAL
410 7th St., S.E.
smyal.org
Editorโs Choice: Capital Pride
Last yearโs Editorโs Choice, SMYAL, takes the crown for 2023โs Best Non-Profit. SMYAL is an organization dedicated to LGBTQ equality and opportunity. It provides counseling services, development opportunities, and after-school programs for LGBTQ youth.
It also provides education and training for adults servicing LGBTQ youths in schools, housing programs, local government agencies, and hospitals.
SMYALโs mission is to instill confidence and life skills into youth as well as to inspire them to partake in community service. These fundamental values will be critical for LGBTQ youth to carry into a brighter, empowered future.
Best House of Worship: Foundry United Methodist Church
1500 16th St., N.W.
foundryumc.org
Editorโs Choice: Metropolitan Community Church of Washington DC
For LGBTQ people of faith, finding a supportive community can be challenging. The Foundry United Methodist Church is an inclusive, Christian community that is welcoming to all. As stated on its website, some of its strongest values are a devotion to diversity and that they honor humans just as they honor divinity.
The church hangs the LGBTQ and transgender Pride flags outside, making it clear the community is welcome. The inclusion does not stop there, as the church has an LGBTQ board member, and occasionally hosts events such as the LGBTQ+ Potluck they held last year.
Best Local Website/Social Media Account: Washingtonian Problems
@washingtonianprobs
Editorโs Choice: District Fray Magazine
Washingtonian Problems began as a Tumblr blog in 2012. It moved to Instagram in January 2019 “to have a better chance of building a solid community.”
“The brand’s mission is to foster a deep love for Washington, D.C., through informing residents about what’s happening across the city, providing laughter, and allowing followers to engage with the brand,” reads its website.
Recent posts on its IG page include DC Dates Live and the renaming of the long-maligned Dave Thomas Circle to Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson Plaza. Embattled New York Congressman George Santos, who is also known for his stint as a drag queen in Rio de Janeiro, also gets an honorable mention.
Best Local TV/Radio Personality: Britt Waters, ABC7
@itsBrittWaters
Runner-up: Chuck Bell, NBC4
Britt Waters joined ABC7 in September 2021. She is a morning traffic reporter on “7News On Your Side” and host on “Good Morning Washington.” Waters is also a Washington Wizards in-game host.
She also hosts Sirius XM’s “Pandora New Thumb 20 Countdown Show.” When not working, Waters is known for her pro-wrestling commentary on TikTok, her vast collection of sneakers, and her love of pasta at Filomena in Georgetown.
Best Medical Provider: Whitman-Walker Health
Editorโs Choice: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Whitman-Walker Health has been serving the D.C. community since 1973.
Named after Walt Whitman, who once lived in Washington, and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a physician who worked in D.C. during the Civil War before she became a women’s rights activist, Whitman-Walker was one of the first organizations to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the city. Whitman-Walker’s mission has expanded to include legal services and general medical and dental care for LGBTQ Washingtonians and the city’s residents as a whole.
Whitman-Walker’s new Max Robinson Center opened last month in the city’s St. Elizabeth’s East campus in Southeast Washington.
The Blade also acknowledges AIDS Healthcare Foundation for its continued work in D.C. and around the world.
Best Alternative Transportation: Metro
Editorโs Choice: Capital Bikeshare
Best Private School: Barrie School
13500 Layhill Rd.
Silver Spring, Md.
Editorโs Choice: Burgundy Farm Country Day School
BUSINESS
Best Local Businessperson: Roger Whyte, Stratus Firm
stratusfirm.com
Runner-up: Ed Bailey, Trade & Number Nine
Roger Whyte in 2011 founded RJ Whyte Event Production. The company in January rebranded itself as the Stratus Firm.
“The rebrand demonstrates the companyโs depth of expertise as producers, technologists, designers, strategists, videographers, and everything in between,” reads the rebranding announcement. “As the landscape for event production has evolved the last few years, Stratus Firm recognizes its unique position to continue innovating in new ways by renewing its focus in the competitive industry and delivering enhanced services at the highest level.”
Whyte said he remains thankful to his colleagues and partners “who have lifted us to a position to be able to make this change for our clients.”
“It is because of their hard work, expertise, and skills that we have been able to create connections with our clients and produce events that exceed expectations,โ he said.
Best LGBTQ-Owned Business: Jane Jane
1705 14th St., N.W.
janejanedc.com
Editorโs Choice: District CoOp
Jane Jane is a local restaurant and bar with a wide variety of cocktails, beers, wines, as well as a non-alcoholic menu for under-21s. Unique house features include โClassified Documents,โ โGin Soaked Felon,โ โSeasonal Affective Delight,โ and more. Jane Jane is also a participant in D.C.โs annual Taste of Pride, among other local restaurants.
Most LGBTQ-Friendly Workplace: Logan 14
1314 14th St., N.W.
logan14salonspa.com
Editorโs Choice: Capital Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness
This year marks Logan 14โs eighth consecutive win on the Bladeโs Best Of. With roughly 75% of the businessโs clientele being LGBTQ, this is their first win in this category.
Logan 14 offers everything you could want from a salon or spa, including cut, color, extensions, waxes, massages, and hair styling for special occasions.
Best Fitness or Workout Spot: VIDA Fitness
Multiple locations
VidaFitness.com
Editor’s Choice: Barry’s Bootcamp
VIDA Fitness is without a doubt one of the DMV’s best-known and beloved gyms.
The franchise has locations on U Street and in Logan Circle, City Vista, Gallery Place, the Yards, and in Ballston. Another VIDA Fitness gym will soon open in Reston.
“Our gyms set the standard for high-quality, contemporary fitness with uniquely designed spaces, state-of-the-art equipment, industry-leading programming, luxurious amenities, and a social atmosphere that motivates you to achieve at your highest capacity,” reads VIDA’s website.
VIDA’s Penthouse Pool and Lounge on U Street is one of the city’s more exclusive summertime refuges.
Best Dentist: Dr. Gregory Martin DDS
5454 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.
gregorymartindds.com
Runner-up: Dr. Rob McKernan, Big Gay Smiles & Staff Dentist, Whitman Walker Health
Best Real Estate Agent: Justin Noble, TTR Sotheby’s
BurnsandNoble.com
202-503-4243
Runner-up: Stacey Williams-Zeiger, Zeiger Realty
Justin Noble is a Realtor with Sothebyโs International Realty licensed in D.C., Maryland, and Delaware for your DMV and Delaware beach needs. Specializing in first-time homebuyers, development, and new construction as well as estate sales, Justin is a well-versed agent, highly regarded, and provides white glove service at all price points.
Best Real Estate Group: Bediz Group, Keller Williams
1918 18th St., N.W.
Bediz.com
Runner-up: Jenn Smira Team, Compass
Best Adult Store: Bite the Fruit
1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W. (Second floor)
Editorโs Choice: Trick Box
Bite the Fruit is a frequent guest on this list โ the shop has been voted Best Adult Store by readers several times and won in the Best Adult Store category in 2021 and 2022. The shop has a robust inventory of sex toys, films, and apparel. Bite the Fruit is self-described as kink-forward, gay-owned and straight-friendly. โWe cater to everyone guided by what is safe, sane and consensual,โ according to its website. Items are available in-store or online.
Best Tattoo Parlor: Fattyโs Tattoos
Multiple locations
Fattystattoos.com
Editorโs Choice: Dapper Dog Tattoo
Best Salon/Spa: Bang Salon
601 F St., N.W. #100
bangsalon.com
Editorโs Choice: Logan 14
With four locations in the D.C. area, Bang Salon offers everything you could need for your hair, such as cut, color, style, keratin treatment, loc maintenance, and so much more.
For whole body wellness, the salon has an aura spa, nutritional counseling, a penthouse pool, personal training, Pilates, Sweatbox, and Vida Fitness.
Best Hotel: Eaton DC
1201 K St., N.W.
eatonworkshop.com/en-us/washington-dc/
Editorโs Choice: Four Seasons
Eaton DC, a returning winner in this category, is described as beyond a hotel for tourists. According to its website, โEaton exists at the nexus of hospitality, impact, culture, and wellness.โ
Dedicated to culture and creativity, Eaton frequently hosts original artistic programming such as live music, film, talks, theater, and more. The building itself was designed to be innovative and progressive, and environmentally sustainable.
Eaton has been welcoming to the LGBTQ community, hosting a month-long Pride festival in 2022.
Best Car Dealership: BMW of Fairfax
8427 Lee Highway
Fairfax, Va.
Bmwoffairfax.com
Editorโs Choice: DARCARS
Best Home Furnishings: Miss Pixie’s
1626 14th St., N.W.
Misspixies.com
Editorโs Choice: Room & Board
Miss Pixieโs, returning as winner of Best Home Furnishings for the third year in a row, sells vintage furniture and decor perfect for any queer home. They have everything you could need, including chairs, tables, bookshelves, dressers, mirrors, and โwhatnots,โ which includes dishware, photos, books, magazines, and even bottle caps. Miss Pixieโs diverse catalogue has a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes so everyone can find something perfect for them.
Best Pet Business or Veterinarian: District Dogs
Districtdogs.com
Editorโs Choice: City Paws Animal Hospital
Best Lawyer: Jennifer Fairfax
Family Formation Law Office
827 Woodside Parkway
Silver Spring, Md.
Runner-up: Michele Zavos
Jennifer Fairfax focuses on adoption and assisted reproductive law and is licensed in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, according to her bio. (Fairfax was appointed Montgomery County Circuit Court judge in September so is no longer practicing as an attorney.)
REHOBOTH BEACH
Best Rehoboth Drag Queen: Magnolia Applebottom
Runner-up: ReginaCox
Magnolia seems too young to be a veteran and staple of Rehoboth nightlife entertainment, yet thatโs exactly what sheโs become. From Diegoโs to the Blue Moon to the nearby Milton Theatre, Magnolia holds court in her inimitable way, always singing live and looking fabulous. Sheโs won this category multiple times, which is no small feat given the quality and quantity of drag shows in the Rehoboth Beach area. Even nearby Dewey Beach, popular with the straight college crowd, has gotten in on the drag craze with shows this year popping up at North Shore and other venues. But no one in the burgeoning drag scene at the beach does it better than Magnolia, who reigns for another year as queen of this category.
Best Rehoboth Drag Show: Drag Brunch at the Pines
56 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Editorโs Choice: Splash Party with Magnolia Applebottom at Diego’s
Drag fans have an embarrassment of riches in Rehoboth Beach and for the second consecutive year, our readers have embraced Drag Brunch at the Pines as the best. No one works harder to boost Rehobothโs live entertainment scene than Kristina Kelly, who holds court at The Pines. Sheโs not just a performer, but also the one responsible for booking a wide array of entertainment at The Pines, from drag to piano to book signings. Rehoboth would be a much duller place without Kellyโs dedication and hard work; someone get her a key to the city!
Best Rehoboth-Area Live Show: Dirty Bingo with Magnolia Applebottom at Diego’s
37298 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Diegosbarnightclub.com
Editorโs Choice: Legends at Blue Moon
Magnolia Applebottomโs Dirty Bingo is just one of her gigs but itโs our readersโ pick for the best live show in town. And thereโs no shortage of competition here, from the venerable Pamala Stanleyโs occasional Sunday dance party at Freddieโs to the talented singer and pianist Nate Buccieri at the Moon, there are plenty of options for live shows. Magnolia brings her fearless quick wit to her Dirty Bingo ensuring a hilarious good time for all.
Best Rehoboth Bartender: Chris Chandler
Purple Parrot
134 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Runner-up: Georgiy Yanchenko, Purple Parrot
Chris Chandler has won this category so many times that we thought about renaming the award in his honor. And itโs easy to see why. From the busiest summer holiday weekends to the sleepy weeknights in February, Chandler is a constant presence and handles the crowds with ease. The Parrot is always finding fun ways to party, including a recent event in honor of Mrs. Roper that drew a packed house during a tropical storm with everyone decked out in Roper wigs and caftans. Through it all, Chandler presides with a calm smile always at the ready with a generous pour of your favorite cocktail.
Best Rehoboth Outdoor Dining: Purple Parrot
134 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Runner-up: Aqua
This is the second consecutive win for the venerable Parrot in this category. In summer, thereโs no better place to escape the boardwalk, grab a table, and enjoy the always-festive atmosphere of the outdoor Biergarten. There are regular food specials, including crab cakes, German cuisine, and prime rib nights. The Parrot is also home to perennial winners in our Best Bartender category, Chris Chandler (this yearโs winner) and Georgiy Yanchenko (last yearโs winner).
Best Rehoboth Coffeeshop: The Coffee Mill
127 Rehoboth Ave. B
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Editorโs Choice: Rise Up
This is the second consecutive win for the Coffee Mill, a locals favorite for its diverse selection of beans, cozy and welcoming atmosphere, and status as a place to be seen, especially on weekends when the outdoor tables fill up fast.
Best Rehoboth Restaurant: Drift
42 ยฝ Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Editorโs Choice: Blue Moon
Drift took Rehoboth by storm this year with its inventive seafood-centric menu (the lobster French toast is a must) and scored a well-deserved rave review in the Washington Post.
The building dates to the late 1800s and formerly housed the Seafood Shack. But the rustic vibe is gone after a gorgeous renovation that includes a narrow dining room, partially open kitchen, spacious outdoor dining area, and intimate bar that cleverly opens to the outside with room for a handful of outdoor barstools when weather permits.
Chef Tom Wiswell, known to D.C. diners from his stint at Kinship, has created a menu that celebrates regional cuisine like oysters and crab cakes, but elevates them with unique preparations and stunning presentations.
Drift is part of the growing 2nd Block Hospitality Group, which just opened its newest hot spot, Bodhi Kitchen, which will likely turn up in our 2024 Best Of issue. In the meantime, make a reservation at Drift and enjoy the best of the beach.
Best Rehoboth Real Estate Agent: Lee Ann Wilkinson
16698 Kings Highway A
Lewes, Del.
Leeanngroup.com
Runner-up: Jason Abela
This is Lee Ann Wilkinsonโs sixth consecutive win in this competitive category. The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group is regularly tops in regional sales in Sussex County, which is home to Rehoboth Beach. In this competitive real estate market with high interest rates and low inventory, you need talented professionals like Lee Ann on your side when buying or selling a home.
Best Rehoboth Business: Diegoโs Bar & Nightclub
37298 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Diegosbarnightclub.com
Editorโs Choice: Aqua Grill
This is the third consecutive win for Diegoโs in this category and evidence of the enduring appeal and staying power of this favorite destination for tourists and locals alike. Whether youโre looking for a laid back happy hour with friends or a sweaty, packed dance party, youโll find it at Diegoโs, which is also home to an array of live entertainment and drag shows. The spacious and comfortable outdoor bar is simply one of the townโs greatest pleasures. Rehoboth could use more outdoor spaces like this.
a&e features
Ryan Murphyโs โMonsterโ vilifies the lesbian
Netflix show promotes stereotype that queer women are dangerous
Ryan Murphyโs โMonster: The Lizzie Borden Storyโ just premiered on Netflix and became the most watched show on the platform. Murphy and his series are deeply controversial. The past three seasons have focused on convicted killers Jeffrey Dahmer, Lyle and Erik Menendez, and Ed Gein, and have garnered considerable criticism for sensationalizing real-life trauma, exploiting victims for entertainment, and glorifying the perpetrators.
But his newest season centers on Lizzie Borden, the white, affluent Massachusetts woman still referenced today in nursery rhymes who was never convicted of killing her parents Andrew and Abby Borden. As with Murphyโs other seasons, the show plays fast-and-loose with real-life history, instead turning a real-life crime into a psychosexual spectacle.
In real life, Lizzie was found not guilty by an all-male jury in the highly publicized 1892 trial, largely due to a lack of evidence including blood on her clothing and a murder weapon. Her initial statement contradicted her later testimony but her defense team argued that the morphine a doctor repeatedly gave her likely caused her confusion. But despite the fact that Lizzie was acquitted in court, she was ostracized by her community during her life and has been branded a murderer ever since.
Murphyโs highly fictionalized retelling of Lizzieโs story leans into this accusation not only that Lizzie murdered her father and stepmother with an axe but that she was successful in covering it up with the help of the maid Bridget Sullivan. Murphy not only concocts a sapphic relationship between Lizzie and Bridget, pinning the idea of killing Lizzieโs parents on the widely traveled woman who dyes her hair and is repeatedly called a lesbophobic slur by Lizzieโs stepmother, but also portrays Lizzie as an inspiration to Aileen Carol Wuornos, a woman who killed seven men who solicited sex and was also in a relationship with a woman.
Further, Murphyโs retelling creates a false ending to Lizzieโs story. While in real life, Lizzie and her sister Emma buy a house called โMaplecroftโ and live there for the rest of their lives, Murphy instead imagines Bridget returning sporadically for romantic rendezvous with Lizzie and eventually moving back in with her and marching together for womenโs right to vote. In real life, Bridget left town immediately after providing testimony and lived in Montana until she died.
Lesbophobia is at the heart of this retelling of Bordenโs story. Despite the fact that Murphy depicts Lizzie and Bridget having sex and possibly getting married or at least promising themselves to one another wearing flower crowns, there is no evidence that Lizzie and Bridget had any romantic or sexual relationship. If they did have a relationship, it would likely have been hidden and any evidence destroyed, but records show that Lizzie herself refused to call Bridget by her real name, instead referring to her as โMaggie,โ the name of their previous maid. It was only Lizzieโs stepmother Abby who called Bridget her real name. In Murphyโs retelling, itโs Lizzieโs stepmother Abby who refuses to learn or use Bridgetโs actual name and treats her with disdain along with her stepdaughter.
Some people online argue that we are witnessing Lizzieโs story retold through Wuornosโs perspective, so adding in elements of child abuse and sapphic relationships would make sense, but there is no record that Wuornos ever visited Lizzie Bordenโs home, or that she was inspired by Borden throughout her life. Instead, Murphy and his co-creator Ian Brennan use (or I would say exploit) Wuornos as a thematic device to make broad stereotypes about female rage across generations. In doing so, they conflate two real-life examples of violence to sapphic individuals.
Depicting a lesbian relationship in this way is not progress, nor is it fruitful representation today. As sapphic shows are increasingly cut and cancelled, Murphyโs inclusion just reinforces the lesbophobic and sexist stereotype that lesbians and queer women are โdangerousโ to straight women and abet or incite violence against men and a family unit. At a time when anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and real-world violence and murder of LGBTQ+ people, especially queer and trans people of color, is exploding, stories that frame murder of a family unit as germinating from a sapphic relationship feed into far right narratives.
They further the myth popularized by far right leaders (including those in the highest echelons of government) that LGBTQ+ people are dangerous, a threat to heterosexual norms and family life, despite the data showing that children of same-sex parents have above average health and well-being according to research by the University of Melbourne.
Today, many LGBTQ+ people feel they have to be (or are forced to be) idealized versions of themselves in order to stave off anti-LGBTQ+ stigma, policing and violence. These โacceptableโ behaviors and appearances are rooted not only in cisgender, heterosexual norms but also white supremacy, colonialism, xenophobia, and ableism. It is respectability politics that tell us how we can and should behave (including those perpetuating in the wider LGBTQ+ community) and push LGBTQ+ people to assimilate into a society governed by queerphobic normativity.
I hope itโs clear that Iโm not trying to argue that we cannot and should not have shows that depict queer women who kill, or at the very least queer women who are unethical or morally complex. We need these depictions because they ask difficult questions and they reference how some LGBTQ+ people can be and are unethical. In fact, several public LGBTQ+ figures are associated with employee abuse and exploitation, ableism, and fat phobia.
But when Lizzieโs sapphic identity is invented to drive the story along, arguably to generate interest (especially straight menโs interest) in this spectacle of historical slop, itโs not a story that invites discourse and dimensionality, itโs one that collapses Lizzie, Wuornos, and queer womenโs identities and relationships to plot devices. It objectifies and fetishizes queer women, arguably committing violence against not only Lizzie but also Wuornos.
And when there is so little representation of sapphic relationships on mainstream television or streaming platforms, it makes this the vast majority of representation that queer girls and women will see of themselves first, and that the straight public will see. Historians will know that Murphyโs depiction of Lizzieโs life is wrong, but many viewers will not and may not go digging for the truth.
Why not focus on the stories of bisexual, lesbian, and queer women who really existed, shared their identities (sometimes covertly, sometimes not), and had long-term partners? In fact, โBoston marriagesโ were common in this time period and referred to women living together when sexual and romantic relationships between women were illegal, partially because penal systems didnโt know how women could have sex with one another and didnโt want to put the idea in โimpressionableโ womenโs minds. Why not focus on these stories instead of creating a fictionalized account? We have always existed; we do not need to invent relationships.
Murphyโs depiction of Lizzie Borden is deeply problematic. Lesbophobia is not the only issue at the heart of Murphyโs drama, but it merits a broader discussion about how mainstream media routinely hurt queer women and is part of perpetuating queerphobic violence, and what we all lose in the process.
a&e features
Writing a play about Lincoln leads down a rabbit hole to a closet
As LGBT History Month arrives, new hints that our greatest president was gay
Abraham Lincoln treasured poetry and it turns out his particular favorites were pretty queer, but I never would have detected that if I hadnโt decided to write a stage comedy about his sex life. In my research for the play, I stumbled across what I believe is new evidence that Lincoln and Joshua Speed were lovers. The remarkable thing is that the evidence has been sitting in plain sight for more than 150 years.
The rabbit hole swallowed me in 2019, when C.A. Trippโs revolutionary biography โThe Intimate World of Abraham Lincolnโ somehow fell into my hands. I was embarrassingly late to the Lincoln-was-gay partyโTrippโs book had come out 14 years earlierโand the wonderful-to-me news that Lincoln played for my team started me plotting out a play, because I was pretty sure if I didnโt know this, lots of people didnโt and inquiring minds want to know, and the young queers of America should be told that they have yet another genius over whom to kvell.ย
Historians and myth makers alikeโoften itโs hard to tell the differenceโhave always painted Abe straight, and now that itโs in question theyโve gotten peevish and insistent because, cโmon, bro, everybody knows that in the 19th century all the guys were writing each other gushingly romantic letters and sharing a bed every night for four years. Meanwhile, the Queer Studies crowd assures us that they, the inventors of homosexuality, had not yet invented it, so it couldnโt be that.
But what kind of play to write? I wanted to put at least two of his lovers into it, and no playwright with any sense of drama would omit Abeโs mad, physically abusive, spendthrift wife Mary. To get all of them in the same place at the same time meant bedroom farce. Keeping oneโs lovers from knowing about each other is the keystone of bedroom farce and why the sets have so many doors. Speed, the great love of Lincolnโs life, who often visited the White House during the Civil War, would arrive while Lincolnโs wartime lover Army Captain David Derickson was there, too, and Abe would conceal them from each other and from Mary, who is suspicious and dangerous and prone to striking her husband. I also folded in Lincolnโs writing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which in the play is helped along by an invented Black housekeeper, who has suspiciously 20th-century opinions and a shiny new invention: the animatronic steampunk Lincoln robot. “The Loves of Lincolnโ finally had its world premiere on June 19 of this year in Memphis, Tenn., where it was nominated for the best new original play of the 2025โ26 season, and lost. Now weโre getting to the part about Lord Byron. Wait for it. Itโs coming. Weโre still setting the scene.
A cute, redheaded, gay Broadway producer told me the play would be stronger with a different kind of ending and for once a producerโs note was spot onโthe play needed a final confrontation between Lincoln and Speed over love and slavery. The Speeds had dozens of slavesโlots more than Mary Todd Lincolnโs family, who had a few themselves. To write the scene I needed to know more than I did about the Speed-Lincoln relationship during the war. Speed was helping Lincoln keep the border state of Kentucky in line, but on the other hand his great wealth depended on slavery.
Time for some research. Enter โYour Friend Forever, A. Lincoln: The Enduring Friendship of Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speedโ (2016, Columbia University Press) by Charles B. Strozier, a โpsychobiographerโ who does the usual somersaults to explain away Lincolnโs behavior as straight because writing gushingly romantic letters to other guys and sleeping in the same bed for four years was absolutely not gay in the 19th century, which is proved by the fact that all the guys were doing it. Which kind of made me want to build a time machine and stop off in 19th-century Illinois on my way to ancient Greece. And then, suddenly, sitting there quietly on page 45, like a dangling thread on a cardigan begging to be pulled, was the interesting datum that Joshua lent his gangly, athletic bedmate books, among them Joshuaโs โfavoriteโ: Lord Byron.
The same Lord Byron who cut a swath a kilometer wide across the comely young men of Greece? The notorious libertine and sodomiteโthat Lord Byron? Well, yes, and itโs not hard to draw a line straight from there to Lincolnโs closet (coincidentally, one of the doors in The Loves of Lincoln leads into a closetโโWhy is my husband always in the closet?โ), but for some reason, up to now, no one I know of has drawn that line.
Understand, just reading Byron does not make Josh and Abe homosexuals. Byron was a big seller and lots of straight men read him, though perhaps not while gazing dreamily into each otherโs eyes (Joshuaโs wide and blue, Abeโs a melancholy gray), and OK we donโt know thatโs exactly how it went down, but we do know other interesting things thanks to William Herndon.
Bill was a clerk in Speedโs general store, the store Speed and Lincoln slept above, and later the junior partner in Lincolnโs Springfield law practice. Herndon worshipped Lincoln. After the assassination he interviewed pretty much every significant person in Lincolnโs life, in what Strozier called one of the first oral history projects in America. Naturally, he interviewed Speed, who reported Lincolnโs passion for the poetry of Byron. The sexual significance of the connection between Speed, Byron, and Lincoln has up to now been ignored by all biographersโeven the queer ones, like Tripp, who tried and did make the case for Lincolnโs homosexuality. Speed told Herndon he had introduced Lincoln to Byron: โI don’t think he had ever read much of Byron previous to my acquaintance with him.โ Lord Byronโs poetry was a stew of intense male friendship, forbidden sexuality, secrecy, alienation, and erotic misbehavior, and in the wake of his scandalous divorce his name had for years been a transatlantic byword for transgressive sexuality. Byron also became, alongside Burns, Milton and Shakespeare, one of Lincolnโs four favorite writers.
Hereโs where things get juicy. Speed said that, in particular, โLincoln loved The Bride of Abydos.โ Byron wrote the poem in the wake of his travels through the Ottoman Empire, which was partly what we today would call sex tourism. The poemโs beautiful young hero Selim is extremely feminized, conceals his true identity from his girlfriend (whom everyone thinks is his sister but theyโre cousins), and only later reveals that he has a secret double lifeโin the case of the poem, as the leader of a band of pirates. Now thereโs a secret life with an All-Male Cast. Weโll let you supply the pirate joke that goes right here.
It gets better. Herndonโs admittedly fragmentary notes from the Speed interview also specifically bring up Byronโs โTo Inez,โ the extraordinary lyric in โChilde Haroldโ in which a man tells a woman that her beauty gives him no pleasure, that her eyes scarcely charm him, and that she must not attempt to discover his โsecret woeโ or โunmaskโ his heart. The subtext that leaps off the page, given that Byron was, as the actor Michael Redgrave described himself to his son, โto say the least of it, bisexual,โ is that the speaker is in the closet. In the last stanza, he begs her not to pry:
What is that worst? Nay, do not askโ
In pity from the search forbear:
Smile onโnor venture to unmask Man’s heart,
and view the Hell that’s there.
So, queer-coded Byronic poetry formed an important part of Lincolnโs imaginative world, and Speed remembered that fact nearly 30 years later, and told it to Herndon almost as if leaving literary breadcrumbs for posterity. As far as I have been able to determine, no previous Lincoln biographer or scholar of Lincoln’s sexuality has examined the queer implications of the Byron poems Speed specifically remembered Lincoln reading. Why has this been missed?
All of this would be meaningless if Speed and Lincoln didnโt understand that Byron was a lover of men, but I assert that they would have. Lincoln was a discerning reader with a famously penetrating, tenacious mind that wouldnโt let go of a thing until he understood it thoroughlyโand a huge fund of worldly knowledge. He was by this time in the Illinois Legislature, had campaigned all over the state, and lawyers often encounter the seamy side of life, whether they seek it out or not. Furthermore, although Byronโs indisputable affairs with men werenโt explicitly documented in 19th century biographies and periodicals as they are today (the conventions and laws of the time all but guaranteed euphemism), rumors of Byronโs โunnaturalโ conduct crossed the Atlantic even during his lifetime. Articles repeatedly referred to an unnamed, horrifying, or โunnaturalโ offense, a โpeculiar enormity,โ and conduct violating the โban of nature.โ In 19th century usage, โunnatural crimeโ was a familiar euphemism for sodomy, while phrases like โpeculiar enormityโ and โban of natureโ invited readers to imagine sexual offenses too scandalous to name. Why use the words at all if readers werenโt going to get the point? American readers had easy access to Byron biographies and memoirs, including Thomas Medwinโs “Conversations of Lord Byronโ and Thomas Mooreโs enormously influential โLetters and Journals of Lord Byron,โ while American periodicals discussed the Byron memoir burned by his friends and the salacious suspicions around its contents. Lincoln and Speed would certainly have understood that one of the unmentionable sexual accusations surrounding Byron was man-on-man action.
Lincolnโs love of Byronโs queer-coded writings, fostered by Speed, โprovesโ little on its own, but a lot when added to the rest of the evidence. And itโs part of an even bigger story: reversing the erasure of queerness from history and documenting that many of humankindโs greatest achievements are thanks to queer individuals. Both Lincoln and Speed had beards, literal and metaphoricalโthey didnโt want their secret spilled while they were alive. But then again, I like to think that when Joshua Speed told William Herndon of Lincolnโs love for those poems, he imagined a day when their love could be decoded and celebrated. Come to think of it, that day is today.
a&e features
Acclaimed Chef Patrick OโConnellโs memoir reveals the arc of a life well lived
Overcoming obstacles to serve everyone from Jerry Falwell to Queen Elizabeth
Renowned three-Michelin-star Chef Patrick OโConnell says food and wine hold a unique ability to bring people together. Indeed, he has served everyone from right-wing zealot Jerry Falwell to Britainโs Queen Elizabeth during his decades at the beloved Inn at Little Washington in rural Virginia.
OโConnellโs compelling new memoir, โMain, Middle & Gayโ is out Sept. 15 from Celadon Books and offers a deeply personal account of how he transformed his love of food and affinity for the finer things into an iconic inn and restaurant that draws diners from around the world nearly 50 years after it opened in 1978.ย
OโConnell is launching the book with an event on Sept. 18 at Lisner Auditorium featuring Chef Josรฉ Andrรฉs and former Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema. He met Andrรฉs just after Andrรฉs began to work in D.C. and was โon fire with ideas.โ
โWe sat next to each other at Charlie Trotterโs restaurant and the meal went on for hours and we had a natural rapport,โ OโConnell told the Blade in a recent interview. โThe chemistry will be fun and lively and unpredictable and exciting. I think weโre all different personalities and weโll compliment each other.โ
OโConnell said heโs excited to hold the event at Lisner.
โI studied theater at Catholic University and transferred to GWU so itโs a coming home party and Lisner has been there since I was a kid and it was always like D.C.โs Carnegie Hall. It feels like going home to my old stomping grounds.โ
OโConnell hopes to bring the book to life visually at the event and he has produced a short film that will be screened.
The book traces the self-taught OโConnellโs remarkable journey from rural paperboy and short-order cook to proprietor of one of the worldโs most celebrated restaurants and Relais & Chรขteaux hotels. Along the way we learn about the many challenges he faced โ from distrustful and homophobic local residents in Washington, Va., to an expensive, public โdivorceโ from his longtime romantic and business partner, Reinhardt Lynch.
“It parallels the evolution of American cuisine over 50 years,โ he said. โItโs a rare perspective to be in the trenches for that long.โ
OโConnell writes candidly about his relationship with Lynch. The two opened the restaurant together โ OโConnell running the kitchen and Lynch handling the business. But OโConnellโs accolades and growing notoriety led to jealousy that triggered a protracted falling out and dissolution of both their personal relationship and business partnership. Lynch, as recalled by OโConnell, attempted to secretly sell his 50 percent of the business but ultimately agreed to sell his stake back to OโConnell for a reported $17.5 million. โThe Washington Post ran with it as a salacious celebrity divorce story and included all the financial details,โ he writes.
After taking full control of the Inn just as the recession of 2008 hit, OโConnell writes of the scrutiny of guests who assumed Lynchโs absence would lead to a slip in quality. โThe place couldnโt be just as good as ever. It would have to be better.โ
What happened next proved a royal opportunity as Queen Elizabeth visited Virginia to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the state and OโConnell was asked to cater a reception. This chapter is filled with juicy details and behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the pressures of cooking for the Queen. The subsequent media attention proved lucrative for the Inn and photos of the Queenโs visit still hang in the Inn.
There are references to OโConnellโs sexual orientation throughout the book and he doesnโt shy from addressing his long relationship with Lynch or the resistance the couple encountered when they settled in sleepy Washington, Va.
โI didnโt realize that I was walking into a prejudiced hornetโs nest that I wasnโt fully prepared for and there was a great deal of hostility in part because they didnโt understand anything about what we were attempting to do here so everything about us and our desire to run a fine restaurant was foreign to them,โ OโConnell told the Blade. โThe irony of a place opening in the center of town of 150 people and at that time the word โgayโ wasnโt used here. It was as if they didnโt have space in their consciousness for such a thing. We were regarded as counter culture people.
โThe restaurant became a success almost overnight and the locals couldnโt understand what the buzz was about,โ OโConnell continued. โThey thought food is food and why would anyone drive 60 miles out here for food. They became resentful of the โoutsidersโ who came. Two outsiders were opening a restaurant and drawing other outsiders out here to a place where there werenโt many jobs. There was resentment on many levels by some โ not all. They thought it would go away.โ
But OโConnell said he never made his sexuality the focus of his work. Rather, he wanted to use food to bring people of all backgrounds together.
โI never made a point or attempted to make that a central focus on my work,โ he said. “I felt that I had found my spot in the universe where I belonged, I loved living here, it was a sanctuary.โ
OโConnellโs insistence that everyone is welcome has sometimes created tension and negative press, as when President Trump presented him with a National Humanities Medal that brought criticism from some progressives.
โWe see a fascinating clientele here; we donโt judge and weโre not political,โ he said. โWhen people come they are entitled to our hospitality.โ
One of those people was televangelist and notorious homophobe Jerry Falwell, who made a reservation at the Inn years ago. OโConnellโs instruction to the staff was to treat Falwell like any other guest.
โWe have an image of someone who maybe we would think would be hostile or judgmental and they often surprise us,โ OโConnell said. โWe held our breath and hereโs Falwell working the tables and saying this is the best meal Iโve ever had, arenโt these two guys great and we thought heโs doing PR for us and heโs supposed to be the devil.โ
OโConnell said he sees that dynamic play out night after night at the Inn. One of the most conservative national Republican figures, he said, is a regular and Vice President JD Vance dined at the Inn recently. Focusing on the food and hospitality for all constitutes OโConnellโs brand of activism.
โFood does bring people together,โ he said. โAnd youโre doing your part in erasing preconceived judgements.โ
He said he and his team did more to advance understanding and acceptance by focusing on hospitality than if โwe were out marching.โ
As evidence, he said, there are more and more gay couples moving to the area and the townโs mayor, Joe Whited, is gay.
โWeโre the biggest employer in the county and largest taxpayer,โ he added. โThe Inn pays the town almost $1 million per year and property values are getting to be like Palm Beach. And that wasnโt a goal it was a byproduct of doing something as well as it could be done.โ
But the book isnโt hagiography. OโConnell revisits traumatic events, like childhood bullies who attacked him for wearing a Little Red Riding Hood costume for Halloween and a sexual assault he endured as a young teenager aboard a bus.
โI donโt know why I couldnโt call out for help or try to make the man stop,โ OโConnell writes of the incident. โI didnโt want to call attention to the situation and felt completely implicated. Once it began there was no stopping it.โ
Interestingly, OโConnell told the Blade that one of the things he learned in writing the book is how little heโs changed since childhood.
โPeople tend to lock away a lot of childhood memories for good reason and in a book youโre reliving them and bringing them to life,โ he said. “And my revelation is that I donโt think Iโve changed much since I was six and I think most peopleโs identity is pretty developed in their very early years and their personality is clear. What amused me most is Iโm doing the same things now that I did in miniature as a five and six year old.โ
As for popular TV shows about the restaurant business, OโConnell says he doesnโt watch them.
โItโs fake,โ he said. โThere are much more colorful characters and itโs much more exciting in real life. Nobody seems capable of capturing that. So maybe this [book] will have the effect of doing that and showing what it takes.โ
OโConnell said the books and stories he most enjoys reading are those that start in childhood and carry through until late in life. He has certainly delivered that in โMain, Middle & Gay,โ a moving, fearless memoir filled with the unexpected and natural drama that revisits a uniquely American life.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
Annapolis Pride arrives this weekend
Calendar: October 2-8
Renee Goodโs family files two federal lawsuits
House Democrats urge White House to confront Turkish government over anti-LGBTQ crackdown
988 restores crisis services for LGBTQ youth
Lesbian Bar Project co-founder: purity politics could destroy our remaining spaces
529 openly LGBTQ candidates running in Brazilian election
HRC report: LGBTQ students face โfar greater challengesโ in non-supportive states
Meet the LGBTQ candidates running for U.S. House, Senate
Ana Brnabiฤ becomes worldโs first openly lesbian head of state
-
Bars & Parties5 days agoLesbian Bar Project co-founder: purity politics could destroy our remaining spaces
-
Brazil5 days ago
529 openly LGBTQ candidates running in Brazilian election
-
National5 days ago
HRC report: LGBTQ students face โfar greater challengesโ in non-supportive states
-
2026 Midterm Elections4 days ago
Meet the LGBTQ candidates running for U.S. House, Senate
