District of Columbia
Pitchers opens Latin-fusion pop-up bar MOR
Adams Morgan rooftop provides space to sip and celebrate
On July 11, Pitchers in Adams Morgan opened MOR, a “Latin-fusion” pop-up bar. The space is complete with Latin music videos, specialty cocktails, and a vibe centered around “mor” (slang for love) of Latin American culture and community.
The “tropical paradise” is open every Friday and Saturday, and was created with and for the Latin LGBTQ community. Pitchers’ owner Dave Perruzza spoke with the Blade about how he and his business partner/DJ Felipe Pino Ferreira made the idea a reality.
“I’ve been wanting to for the last six months,” Perruzza told the Blade. “I didn’t want to just do a Latin night. I wanted to do more of an upscale, chill place for people to hang out rather than just a dance club—we’re going to have elements of dancing, but it’s mostly going to be like specialty cocktails, and a place to hang out where they can feel comfortable. It’s more like a Latin video bar.”
Guests can enjoy their go-to favorites from a Latin American–inspired menu that includes multiple tequilas, or try something new and not often served in LGBTQ bars—like Pisco Sours, Maracuyá Sours, or Chilcanos.
“We’re going to make sure we have cocktails and liquor that aren’t at other bars that the community drinks,” Perruzza said. “We want to make people feel as at home as possible. And we’re going to do specialty drinks, and we’re going to do specialty nights featuring different cultures of the Latin community … We’re actually getting rid of a lot of our liquor in that room and replacing it with some of the tequilas and the other stuff that you can’t find in other places.”
Perruzza explained that the idea for this space came after redesigning the top floor of the bar three times in the past year. First, it was ‘Pop! Bar’—themed after local drag legend Cake Pop!—then a pop-up Christmas bar, and lastly a WorldPride-themed bar to coincide with the city’s massive LGBTQ celebration in June.
Following the multiple themes, Perruzza partnered with Ferreira to make sure MOR reflects the LGBTQ Latin community—not one white man’s take on it.
“[After going through these themes] I was like, you know what, I’m going to make it the Latin bar,” Perruzza said. “And I have a DJ, Felipe, who I work with, and he’s very in touch with the community—and I’m not a Latino. We’re doing Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico—we’re trying to make everybody feel comfortable. There is not one type of person in the Latino community; it’s everybody as a whole, and he’s got a really good grip on that. He’s helped me out a lot. It’s basically like he just told me what to do.”
Perruzza went on to explain that in his many years operating and owning LGBTQ bars in D.C., he has witnessed some segments within the community feel excluded from nightlife spaces that often cater to white cisgender men. One specific instance he remembers from his time at JR.’s involved someone speaking up about wanting the space to be more inclusive—an experience that helped him realize he could do more in his role to advocate for diversity.
“I learned a long time ago—we had an issue at JR.’s years ago. Some people of color came in and said, ‘We don’t feel comfortable.’ I asked, ‘Why is that?’ ‘We don’t see us on the TVs,’ [they responded]. And I realized as a white guy, I don’t think about stuff like that because when you’re white, you have to rely on other people to tell you what they want to see.”
He added that since such a large portion of his staff is part of the LGBTQ and/or Latin American community, opening MOR made sense—especially when other Latin pop-up bars didn’t necessarily make space for Latin LGBTQ folks.
“Most of my staff are Latin,” Perruzza said. “I think around 40% of my staff is Latin. I will always have somebody who’s Latin in that bar… I’ve been to the Latin pop-up nights, and I feel like, you go to this bar, they’re usually like a straight bar that sometimes does not give back to the community. I always give back to the community. So I feel like if I build this space for and by gay [Latin] people, my money always goes back.”
MOR is open on Fridays and Saturdays on the top floor of Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.). Check the Pitchers (@pitchersdc) and MOR’s instagram (@barmordc) for details on the theme of the week.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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